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North Korea Launches Rocket; Strong Earthquake Devastates City in Taiwan; Jordan Feeling the Burden of Refugee Influx; Advertisers Cash in on the Super Bowl. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired February 07, 2016 - 04:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

[04:00:15] GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: We are following the breaking news this hour. North Korea launching a rocket towards space just hours ago.

Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I'm George Howell here at the CNN center in Atlanta.

According to the U.S. military, there are now two objects in orbit around earth, one may be a satellite and the other could be the final stage of a rocket that was launched a little more than eight hours ago by North Korea.

In Pyongyang, state media cheered that launch, despite widespread condemnation around the world. The U.S., South Korea and Japan say the satellite launch was actually a long range missile test. It comes one month after North Korea claimed it tested a hydrogen bomb.

CNN is covering this story from all angles around the world with reporters in stations. Alexandria Field with reaction in Beijing this hour. But first, Paula Hancocks joins us in Seoul, South Korea.

Paula, good to have you with us. So, you know, people are certainly talking about this latest move by the North. What has been the general reaction among people in South Korea?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, George, I have one piece of information to update you with. First of all we have just heard that the Defense minister here in South Korea has been briefing parliament and he has said that it appears the satellite has entered orbit. So the satellite appears to have entered orbit. So South Korea effectively confirming what North Korea has said earlier today that they have successfully launched that satellite into orbit and certainly this is the news that we have been waiting for.

So North Korea is very pleased as you can see from photos that have been run on state run media and Kim Jong-Un, the leader, looking very pleased, the rockets also being launched into orbit. And we understand from the South Korean point of view that reaction on the streets is fairly muted. It is Lunar New Year here, so not many people around.

It's really a mixed feeling, though. There's certainly no panic on the streets of Seoul, there never is when these kinds of events happen. People here have been dealing with this for decades now. The two countries are still technically at war and it is not a surprise to many people. But of course for those officials who have to deal with this, it is more of a concern.

President Geun-Hye gave an address to the nation saying that she believed it was a challenge to world peace. We have heard similar condemnation from leaders and from institutions around the world. We will expect more to be coming in the coming hours -- George.

HOWELL: And, Paula, one other question, so South Korea now saying that it will push for more realistic measures with the U.S. to strengthen national security capabilities. Can you help our viewers to understand, you know, exactly what that would entail?

HANCOCKS: One interesting thing that has emerged from today is that the U.S. and South Korea have just announced that they will be publicly discussing a missile defense system called THAAD. Now this is a defense system which has been very controversial in this region over recent months, maybe even a couple of years. China is dead set against it effectively because it believes it would affect its own radar systems and it would be allowing the U.S. to spy on them, which the U.S. has said is not the case. This missile defense system would just be trained on any missiles, potentially coming from North Korea.

So this is something that is now being openly discussed, so this satellite launch today really could be a game changer when it comes to missile defense on the Korean Peninsula. It will be interesting to see China's reaction to that in the coming days -- George.

HOWELL: Paula Hancocks live for us in Seoul, South Korea. Paula, thank you so much.

And now let's turn to Alexandria Field in Beijing. And Alexandra, this launch really flies in the face of Chinese efforts to de-escalate tensions, especially after North Korea claims to have tested an H-bomb just a month ago, though it is important to point out that world powers including the U.S. have not yet confirmed that to be the case.

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, the timing is everything, and certainly the timing should rankle officials here in Beijing. But publicly they've put out a statement saying really simply that they regret the fact that North Korea would insist upon using ballistic missile technology for its launch which flies in the face of U.N. sanctions. At the same time publicly again officials in Beijing are calling for restraint and calm from all parties. They are urging negotiations, consultation and further discussions.

Of course this gets to the question of sanctions, which is what's on everyone's mind. You have the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Beijing just last week urging the Chinese government to exercise more of its leverage in the region here.

[04:05:01] We know that China is the closest ally for North Korea in terms of the fact that it's its biggest trade partner, its biggest international investor. So the world view from the U.S. is that China is in a position to put a tighter choke hold on the economy. The Chinese have resisted that out of obvious concerns about toppling a regime next door and the kind of crisis that that could create at China's doorstep.

So the question is, what happens now? The Chinese have been very clear in saying that sanctions should not be imposed just for the sake of sanctions. They are saying that these continued provocations from Pyongyang are designed to get the attention of the U.S. and that it is the U.S. that should be talking to North Korea.

But, again, George, we go back to where we started with this in saying that the timing here is everything. And this launch certainly has to irk officials here in Beijing because it comes on the eve of the Lunar New Year, which is the biggest holiday here in China. It also comes just a week after the Chinese dispatched a senior official to Pyongyang to urge restraint, and it comes only a month after that reported test of an H-bomb, a test that went through without anyone in Pyongyang giving any warning to Beijing, which was a bit of a surprise and certainly speaks to the somewhat cooling relationship between the two historical allies -- George.

HOWELL: At this point, though, do you get a sense, though, that China is calling on nations like the United States to engage more in discussions, negotiations? Is that what the Chinese are asking for in their reaction to what happened?

FIELD: Yes, that's exactly what they're asking for and they're being very clear about it. They're saying first everyone needs to be calm, second, there needs to restraint, and then it lays out very clearly in this rather brief statement that dialogue and consultation are essential here. So while you have the U.S. looking at China and saying, China, you are the ones who have the power here, you have the leverage here to choke off the economy, it is the Chinese who are certainly quite trepidatious about doing that given the possible problems it would create on China's doorstep and they are the ones again saying very clearly to the U.S. something that they have said before, that there really needs to be dialogue, that North Korea is being very clear with these provocations that they're interested in talking to the U.S., and the Chinese are saying that there needs to be a diplomatic procedure, a diplomatic route for moving forward here -- George.

HOWELL: Alexandria Field live for us in Beijing. Alexandra, thank you so much for your reporting and we'll stay in touch with you.

Reaction from around the world, it has been shock. South Korea's president Park Geun-Hye is pledging to protect her citizens saying the following, quote, "We don't know when North Korea is going to do another provocative action, so our government needs to come up with a plan to protect the safety of the people."

From the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, said the following, "The United States strongly condemns today's missile launch by the DPRK. A flagrant violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions related to the DPRK's use of ballistic missile technology." And from Russia, this, the Foreign Ministry released this statement

saying, in part, "Pyongyang didn't listen to the calls from the international community once again, demonstrating defiant disregard for international law."

I'd also like to read this statement coming in from France saying that this is a senseless provocation and a flagrant violation of the resolutions from the Security Council. So reaction coming in from around the world.

North Korea says this rocket launch was personally ordered and directed by its leader Kim Jong-Un.

Daniel Pinkston is a professor at the International Relations at Troy University in the United States, and earlier he told my colleague Natalie Allen why this rocket launch is so disturbing to Washington and to its North Korean neighbors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIEL PINKSTON, PROFESSOR INTERNATIONAL RELATION, TROY UNIVERSITY: It is part of the North Korean regime's identity. They place a lot of importance on the nuclear program and on the delivery systems, the missiles and, of course, the space launched vehicles. So they continue to do this. They will continue to do it. And so we should expect to see more in the future. It's moving towards more dangerous region.

So for weather forecasting, telecommunications, broadcasting, scientific research, they do have this legitimate interest. But they can also use the same technology to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles. And wetted with their nuclear warheads, they could strike the United States potentially.

So that is worrisome, it makes it more difficult or complicated for the United States to fulfill its mutual security, treaty obligations with the republic of Korea and with other allies in the region. So the deterrence response, the military posture, the assets that have to be deployed to the region and so forth. There have been discussions here on about THAAD and other things. That's going to be on the horizon. You're going to have to manage this emerging threat.

And as North Korea enhances its capabilities, they will continue to use it for course of purposes to try to achieve their political objectives.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[04:10:01] HOWELL: And again, that was Daniel Pinkston of Troy University. He also said he doesn't think China will support stronger sanctions against North Korea.

Christopher Hill is a former U.S. ambassador to South Korea. He spoke earlier with my colleague Jonathan Mann. Mr. Hill said he thinks this rocket launch may well be part of Pyongyang's effort to develop its nuclear weapons technology. Listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTOPHER HILL, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO SOUTH KOREA: Despite all the talk about whether it's a North Korean provocation, et cetera, what I really think it is, is a military testing program. They've been testing nuclear weapons and they're testing the delivery system. So I think we need to understand this in that context.

I don't think it's an effort to somehow humiliate China or somehow behave in some different way. I think it is an internal testing program and what it speaks to the fact that North Korea simply doesn't care what we think.

JONATHAN MANN, CNN ANCHOR: How dangerous is North Korea's rocket technology right now?

HILL: There is no question that they have made progress on their nuclear explosions, on these nuclear devices. You know, at first they had fizzle, you know, just fizzled out, it didn't work. They continued to work on it. They've had four tests. It's not a hydrogen program. But you don't have to be a hydrogen program to be extremely threatening.

The issue, of course, is whether you can take a nuclear device, miniaturize it, turn it into a weapon that can fit on the nose cone of a missile and clearly that is the second part of what they're trying to do. So in answer to your question, I think it's a very serious problem and I think what the U.S. needs to do is rethink so-called strategic patience, and I think the Chinese need to rethink their own soft policy, and more importantly than that, I think the U.S. and the Chinese need to stop pointing fingers at each other and start sitting down and figuring out what are we going to do about this.

MANN: Now obviously there are a lot of countries that look nervously at North Korea having this kind of technology. But there are suggestions that another reason for concern is that the technology isn't going to stay in North Korea, it is going to be Seoul, that North Korea is the center for proliferation of a very dangerous technology. How great is that concern?

HILL: You know, we have seen a capacity among the North Koreans to sell just about anything. So I think proliferation is a real concern. I cannot say that we have seen connections between North Korea and international terrorism, but why not if the price is right. So we have a country that has no interest in working with other countries, that has no interest in its standing in the world except to become a nuclear state.

And I think we need to get serious about this. And by serious, I mean we need to look at traditional diplomatic channels, not communicating with the Chinese through press conferences, but rather sitting down with the Chinese and figuring out what we can do to retard this program and what we can do to make Northeast Asia a safer place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: So let's get deeper into what kind of threat this rocket launch and North Korea's ambitions may pose.

Melissa Hanham is a senior research associate at James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies and joins us now from Monterey, California.

Melissa, good to have you with us. So, look, you've heard some of the reaction from around the world about this rocket launch, but I want to talk just about the internal motivations, what do you believe the reasons are for North Korea's actions and that nation's aims?

MELISSA HANHAM, SENIOR RESEARCH ASSOCIATE, JAMES MARTIN CENTER FOR NONPROLIFERATION STUDIES: Sure. So -- it's domestic, there is international audience. And I think -- message to both --

HOWELL: I believe we might have lost Melissa there. Melissa, are you still with us there?

HANHAM: I can hear you.

HOWELL: OK. Go ahead and continue. We lost your audio for just a second. Go ahead and continue, please.

HANHAM: Sure. So North Korea signal to its domestic audience -- but in addition they're sending a message to the outside world indicating that they are present, potentially threatening, and not to mess with them.

HOWELL: Melissa, we're going to have to come back to you. We're having some audio issues. But we appreciate you being with us and definitely want to hear your take and your insight on what happened, but thank you. We'll return to you.

So news of this missile test came as U.S. Republican presidential candidates debated in New Hampshire. We will hear their reaction to the launch and the latest on the aftermath of that debate.

You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

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(SPORTS)

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[04:18:46] HOWELL: Now back to our top story. North Korea's rocket launch and a look at that threat that that may pose to other nations.

Melissa Hanham is a senior research associate at James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies and now joins us on the line from Monterey, California.

So, Melissa, we -- good to have you back with us by phone. I wanted to ask you again the same question, what do you believe the North is trying to accomplish by this move? Is it to threaten other nations or do something more? HANHAM: Well, so on the surface it's a space launch and I think, you

know, it's important to them to demonstrate their capability to a space faring nation. This is a space launch vehicle. And it was intended to put satellite into orbit and we are now tracking objects in orbit. The underbelly of this, though, is that the technology that is used in a space launch vehicle is dual use and can be used for an ICBM program. So even though this is heralded as a peaceful scientist innovation, unfortunately for the rest of us this can also be interpreted as a military activity.

HOWELL: Melissa, one more question, and just briefly here, so the idea of new sanctions, more sanctions against North Korea given what happened here, will that really matter?

[04:20:07] HANHAM: It's tough. You know, all the low hanging fruit have already been cut. You know, the obvious person or the obvious group to turn to is the Chinese. But the Chinese hands are really tied at this point because even though they still trade in heavy fuel oil and food and other goods with North Korea, they are concerned about what severe sanctions would do to the North Korean economy and political stability because to them the only thing worse than having a nuclear capable North Korea is to have a collapsed North Korea.

HOWELL: Melissa Hanham, senior research associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies. Melissa, thank you for being on the line with us.

HANHAM: Thanks for having me.

HOWELL: Now to the race for the White House with just two days left now until the New Hampshire primary, the Republican candidates went head-to-head in their final debate on Saturday. Ted Cruz used the North Korea missile launch to slam the Obama administration, arguing the recent nuclear deal with Iran would lead to a similar outcome from Tehran.

Frontrunner Donald Trump hitched his "Make America Great Again" slogan saying that China should handle North Korea in this situation. And Chris Christie lashed out at Marco Rubio criticizing his level of experience and his poor attendance record in the U.S. Senate.

From the rocket launch in North Korea to so-called memorized speeches, here are some of the highlights from that Republican debate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID MUIR, ABC NEWS MODERATOR: I'm curious why you didn't call ahead of time before sending out those messages.

SEN. TED CRUZ (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: On Monday night, about 6:30 p.m., CNN reported that Ben was not going from Iowa to New Hampshire or South Carolina, rather he was, quote, "taking a break." CNN reported on that, they didn't correct that story until 9:15 that night.

DR. BEN CARSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The timeline indicates that initial tweet from CNN was followed by another one within one minute. Everybody can see what happened and you can make your own judgment.

MUIR: Dr. Carson, thank you.

GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: When you're president of the United States, when you're a governor of a state, the memorized 30-second speech where you talk about how great America is at the end of it doesn't solve one problem for one person.

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This notion that Barack Obama doesn't know what he's doing just is not true.

CHRISTIE: There it is.

RUBIO: He knows exactly what he --

CHRISTIE: There it is. The memorized 25-second speech.

RUBIO: Well, that's the --

MARTHA RADDATZ, ABC NEWS MODERATOR: It was reported just moments ago that the North Koreans test launched an intercontinental ballistic missile.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: China says they don't have that good of control over North Korea. They have tremendous control. I deal with them. They tell me.

CRUZ: We're going to build a wall. We're going to triple the Border Patrol. I will simply say I've got somebody in mind to build it.

JEB BUSH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: How tough --

TRUMP: A lot of times.

BUSH: -- property from an elderly woman.

TRUMP: Let me talk. Quiet.

BUSH: How tough is this?

TRUMP: A lot of times --

(AUDIENCE BOOS)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: And in that report you noticed that Ted Cruz mentioned the CNN reporting. Important to point out that CNN stands by its reporting.

According to the latest CNN-WMUR poll, Donald Trump is coming out on top of his Republican rivals in New Hampshire holding an 11-point lead over Marco Rubio ahead of Tuesday's primary there.

On the Democratic side of things, Bernie Sanders leads Hillary Clinton by a two-to-one margin.

To find out more about the 2016 race for the White House, including the latest poll numbers and debate performances, you can find it on our Web site, CNN.com/politics.

So there is snow headed for the U.S. northeast, but will it be enough to affect voting in New Hampshire for these primaries?

Derek Van Dam joins us to talk about it.

And, Derek, so people are used to the weather there. But more snow coming?

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: That's right. The winter weather, that's our story across the United States. But our viewers are probably going to want to stick around for the next couple of minutes because I've got some great footage.

HOWELL: Cool. '

VAN DAM: Of an event that happened in Wisconsin. More on that in just a second. To answer your question, we got the primaries taking place in New Hampshire this Tuesday.

(WEATHER REPORT)

[04:25:55] VAN DAM: I promised you some video and I want to show you this, if you can see what is happening in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

George, check this out. Can you imagine parking your car on -- well, what you thought was a safe surface and all of a sudden coming back and seeing that it has fallen into ice. That's what happened at the Winter Fest in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. This is the U.S. Snow Sculpting competition. And while fortunately no one was in those vehicles when they fell through the ice, but it shows you just how dangerous it can be because you never know how thick ice can be this time of year.

HOWELL: They call it winter fest, huh?

VAN DAM: They call it winter fest. Yes.

HOWELL: Lives up to its name there now, doesn't it?

VAN DAM: It sure does.

HOWELL: Derek, thank you so much.

You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. And still ahead, North Korea launches what it claims to be a satellite sparking a global outcry. Ahead, we are live in Seoul, South Korea, with reaction and the very latest there.

Plus, we will show you the moment a powerful earthquake hit Taiwan and we'll tell you about a little boy who was rescued from the rubble.

Live from Atlanta and broadcasting around the globe this hour, you're watching CNN worldwide.

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[04:30:26] HOWELL: A warm welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. Good to have you with us this hour. I'm George Howell. The headlines we're following.

North Korea claims it successfully launched a satellite into orbit, but the launch is widely believed to be cover for a long-range missile test. That launch comes just a month after North Korea claimed it tested a hydrogen bomb successfully, the world powers have not yet confirmed that to be the case.

More than 70 people remain unaccounted for in Taiwan after a 6.4 magnitude quake. You are looking at live images this hour in Tainan, Taiwan. And near the epicenter of that earthquake, rescuers are desperately searching for survivors there. On Saturday, a 7-year-old boy was pulled from a mountain of wreckage. At least 20 people have died from that earthquake.

An elderly Australian woman has been freed after she and her doctor -- her husband were kidnapped by an al Qaeda-linked group in Burkina Faso last month. The militants claimed responsibility for the abduction Friday and said that they would release Jocelyn Elliott because they do not target women in times of war. Authorities are trying to get Dr. Elliott released.

Returning now to our top story that we're covering, this rocket launch in North Korea and the fallout across the world.

Paula Hancocks joins us this hour in Seoul. And Paula, good to have you with us again. So what is the latest you're hearing out of South Korea?

HANCOCKS: Well, George, we're hearing from the South Korean Defense minister who's briefing parliament or has been briefing parliament that he believes that the satellite appears to have entered orbit. So really confirming what North Korea said earlier on today, that they believe it was a successful satellite launch. It appears according to the Defense minister at least that it may have been successful. But he says whether or not it is functioning as it should is something that will take a lot more time to work out.

Now, this isn't first time that North Korea has done this. And, of course, the question is, why does it feel the need to carry out these satellite launches?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HANCOCKS (voice-over): August 1998. Mission failed. April 2009, a provocative act, says the U.S. April 2012, the rocket broke up one minute into flight. And December 2012, four attempt by North Korea to launch a satellite into space, only this one considered a success outside the country. North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un clearly delighted, claiming the

satellite did reach orbit and is working. A space program North Korea has pumped billions of dollars into over the years. But why?

PINKSTON: For weather forecasting, telecommunications, broadcasting, science, agriculture, mapping, all of those things. So there is a legitimate interest. However, there are also -- there are also military applications.

HANCOCKS: The rocket technology used is pretty much the same whether you put a satellite on top or a nuclear warhead, which is why most of the world is convinced this is simply a cover-up for a long-range ballistic missile test.

These launches put militaries on alert. Japan stations patriot missiles outside its Defense Ministry. Navies rush to retrieve debris from the rocket to assess the North's capabilities. Governments line up to condemn Pyongyang, passing new sanctions and reminding them of previous U.N. Security Council resolutions that bar them from developing ballistic missile technologies.

Showing CNN its new satellite control center last year, scientists say that claims of missile tests are wrong. "My young scientists are really working hard," the director says. "So they can develop a satellite. The U.S. and some Western forces are stabbing our scientists in the heart with these claims."

But a satellite launch coming just weeks after a fourth nuclear test raises already heightened concerns.

JOHN DELURY, YONSEI UNIVERSITY: They need two pieces to their nuclear deterrent. They need the sort of weapon itself, and then they need the delivery system. They need a way to make people feel like, we can hit you with this.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HANCOCKS: And new information just coming to us now. We understand from the Defense Ministry that they may have retrieved part of the pairing of this rocket. The Defense Ministry official saying at 1:45 this afternoon, just southwest of JAJU, which is just off the south coast of South Korea, they collected what appears to be part of the pairing of the long-range missile. It will be interesting to see what they can learn from that. Clearly the South Koreans and the Japanese wanted to retrieve some of these rocket so they would be able to see what North Korea's capabilities are.

[04:35:09] HOWELL: A lot of people will be looking into what happened and try to understand the true nature of it.

Paula Hancocks joining us live in Seoul. Paula, thank you so much for your reporting there.

Switching now to Michael Firn, a journalist in Tokyo, he joins us from outside the Japan's Ministry of Defense. Good to have you with us this hour as well, Michael. So, look, we're

hearing from Japan's prime minister, Shinzo Abe. He is saying that this is, quote, "totally unacceptable," and that the nation intends to take all possible measures to ensure the safety and peace of mind of the Japanese people.

So, you know, what more can you tell us about the reaction from Japan after this rocket launch?

MICHAEL FIRN, JOURNALIST: Well, he had a meeting of the National Security Council in which he urged the government to look at extending unilateral sanctions against North Korea to punish it for this missile test. And also Japan is joining with South Korea and the United States to push the U.N. Security Council to adopt tougher sanctions and ask for an emergency meeting. That's taking place on Sunday or early Monday morning, Japan time.

And Japan, even if it doesn't get any joy through the Security Council, is going to work South Korea, is going to work with the U.S. and also try to open the G-7 to adopt some sanctions against businesses that work with North Korea. According to the "Nikkei Asian Review," it says any company that does business with North Korea would be excluded from international financial markets.

Now obviously there's been great public concern here in Japan about this missile launch with two of the pieces reportedly going over Okinawa. One plunging into the sea. One continuing and eventually launching that satellite in space. But this is the view of some people that we spoke to.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (Through Translator): We can't do anything about North Korea. Big power China is backing them. But they can't stop North Korea either. We need coordinated sanctions against North Korea and the real problem is they can't do it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (Through Translator): If the situation continues like this, we should strengthen economic sanctions and beef up Japan's defense capability.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FIRN: Now, Japan's defense spending is 1.5 percent higher this year than last year with the defense budget topping five trillion yen for first time ever. Now Tetsuo Kotani, the executive director of the Japan Institute of International Affairs, told me that he doesn't think that this North Korean missile test will have much of an impact on Japanese defense spending. He says that the ballistic defense program is basically aimed at threats to Japan, where as this missile had arranged the could target the United States.

He also says that Japan is adding another two aegis destroyers to its fleet. So it's already got some spending in that can take account for these North Korean missile tests. HOWELL: Michael, I want to push further on that because even before

this rocket launch there has been renewed talk there in Japan about increasing, strengthening a defense and military positioning of that nation, so how does this play into that conversation?

FIRN: Well, obviously, Japan has been working on -- there have been four missile tests since '92 and Japan has been working on strengthening its defenses. So it already has these seven Patriot PAC 3 missiles that defense systems that it deployed around Japan. It already has a fleet of aegis destroyers which are equipped with SM-2 missiles which can take out any debris that falls from these fragmented rockets.

Japan is also expanding its self-defense forces to have aquatic landing capabilities to defend its remote island. That's more because of the perceived threats, for example, from China with the dispute over the Senkaku-Diaoyu islands.

HOWELL: Michael Firn, thank you so much for your insight and reporting live for us in Tokyo.

Now we move on to Taiwan where more than 70 people remain unaccounted for after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck Tainan City on Saturday.

You're looking at live images there in Tainan this hour where the rescue efforts, the recovery efforts continue. But you see so much rubble, so much debris left over from this very strong earthquake. Emergency crews are digging through that debris looking for survivors.

[04:40:01] And want to show you this surveillance video. It shows the moment that the earthquake hit. You see smoke rises then chunks of cement come crashing down. At least 20 people have been killed including a baby girl who was just 10 days old.

Our Azadeh Ansari takes a look at the people fortunate enough to survive this devastating earthquake.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AZADEH ANSARI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Taiwan's oldest city, a fragile life lingers behind the steel bars of a collapsed high-rise apartment complex.

This is the destruction left in Tainan, in the wake of the powerful 6.4 magnitude earthquake. Life and death lie within the cracks of the uprooted buildings in this concrete jungle.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Through Translator): I was so afraid that what if the rescuers couldn't find us. That I would start screaming as soon as I heard anyone looking for survivors. And since my husband and I were trapped in different rooms, we kept making sure each of us was OK.

ANSARI: Others were not so fortunate. More than a dozen people have died. Hundreds have been rushed to nearby hospitals and many more are still missing. Rescue workers rummage through the rubble in the early morning hours,

searching for a little sign of life.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (Through Translator): In current days, we are busy rescuing and relocating the victims. There's enough manpower at the site to carry out the rescue. And as for relocation, we will provide 1200 beds in the nearby military academy for the victims.

ANSARI: This small island nation lies near the junction of two tectonic plates, making it one of the world's most active earthquake zones. This quake, a flashback of Taiwan's devastating earth tremors of September 1999, which killed more than 2,000 people.

For now the search for hope amidst a mountain of destruction continues.

Azadeh Ansari, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOWELL: Thousands of desperate Syrian people are streaming out of northern Syria as government forces gain ground in Aleppo. We'll have a live report. We'll have a report, rather, from the border. Straight ahead.

You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

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[04:45:23] HOWELL: As the fighting continues and intensifies around the Syrian city of Aleppo, the U.N. reports more than 40,000 people have been displaced by the violence.

The video you see there, it shows the moment the Russian airstrike hits a civilian neighborhood in al-Ghariyah in Daraa Province. And it is with this kind of Russian air support that the Syrian regime has been advancing on opposition held areas around Aleppo which was once the country's economic hub.

Thousands of civilians have managed to flee Aleppo. They are bottled up, though, at Syria's border, trying to escape into Turkey now. The U.N. says more than 300,000 civilians remain in the Aleppo region. Syrian forces have cut off supply lines there and there are fears of a humanitarian disaster.

More than a million Syrian refugees have fled to neighboring Jordan, and now that tiny country is struggling to cope with the influx of people. It's now hoping that international aid will help to ease the burden.

CNN's Jomana Karadseh has this report.

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JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A Takis (PH) family survive on U.N. handouts, food rations and the charity of others, but they can barely cover their $300 a month rent. Cousins Abu Hamad (PH) and Abu Nayeem (PH) say life is tough but at least they escaped the bloodshed in Syria.

"If they could find jobs in Jordan," Abu Nayeem says, "their life could change."

The majority of the 1.2 million Syrians in Jordan are like the Takis. Urban refugees in cities and in towns across the country. And according to UNHCR, nearly nine out of 10 of these refugees live under the poverty line. But it's not just the refugees who are suffering. Jordan, a country that's worked to build its economy is now also struggling to cope.

MOHAMMED AL-MOMANI, MINISTER OF STATE FOR MEDIA AFFAIRS: This is a huge burden that puts pressure on all our socio-economic indicators and have put tremendous pressure on our economy that is already suffering from level of poverty and level of unemployment and GDP.

KARADSHEH: While many Jordanians are welcoming of refugees, they're feeling the impact.

"Young people are not finding jobs because there are Syrians who would work for lower salaries," this man says.

"The cost of living has gone up," this man tells us. "There's a competition over jobs and everything like rent is increasing."

"The Syrians are our brothers but everything is more expensive and the city is congested now," this woman tells us.

(On camera) After years of dealing with the influx of Syrian refugees, Jordan says it wants to see a shift in the international approach to the crisis, expanding beyond the emergency response of provide things like blankets and shelters to more sustainable longer-term economic solutions.

(Voice-over): Jordan's taking a wish list to Europe. It includes requests like focused funding as well as access to a wider range of financial support to stimulate Jordan's economy in addition to easing some of the restrictions on Jordanian exports into the E.U. hoping this would create more jobs for Syrians and Jordanians.

AL-MOMANI: It is important for the world to help host countries in order for these countries to help the refugees. Otherwise if we don't deal with refugees in the Middle East, in host countries, we will have to deal with them in every other part of the world. As we have seen, this crisis hitting the heart of Europe.

KARADSHEH: Jordan's message coming at a time when the world's worst refugee crisis in decades seems far from over.

Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Amman.

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HOWELL: That image there, so many people trying to escape the ravages of war.

If you want to learn more about the migrant crisis in Europe and find out ways that you can help, you can head over to our "Impact Your World" Web site. You can find that at CNN.com/impact.

You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. Millions will be watching the Super Bowl today and no doubt millions will be watching the ads, too. So we take a look now at the business behind the funny, sometimes edgy and very expensive ads that will be rolled out during the big games.

Stay with us.

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[04:53:30] HOWELL: All right. It is the day that American football fans have been waiting for all season. It is all about Super Bowl 50 in the United States. The Carolina Panthers, they face off with the Denver Broncos outside of San Francisco. There are millions of fans and billions of dollars tied up in this big, big game.

Let's talk numbers. 114 million, that is how many people in the United States watched the game on TV last year. They can get the most watched telecast of all time. $5 million, that's the cost of a 30 second TV commercial this year for the game. It is also a record. $4.2 billion is expected to be bet on the game. Most of it illegally according to the American Gambling Association. A bonus of $102,000 will be paid to players on the winning team. The losers, they don't walk off too bad either, $51,000 each and nearly $5,000.

That is the average cost of a ticket to see Super Bowl 50 in person, making it the most expensive sporting event in U.S. history.

And big brands are looking to capitalize on the millions that they are spending on commercials for the Super Bowl. Our Brian Stelter takes a look at the business between the funny and even edgy ads.

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BRIAN STELTER, CNN SENIOR MEDIA CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Super Bowl ads cost a record-breaking $5 million this year. And for the first time ever, the same ads will be streamed online. So is it really worth the price?

Food and beverage giant PepsiCo says it`s a no-brainer.

[04:55:02] SETH KAUFMAN, CMO, PEPSICO: The investment around this platform of Super Bowl is a big platform that for fans of the NFL is not just about that Sunday. All the analyses that we do, it's worth the money that we`re putting against it because we're getting great payback across our business.

RAM KRISHNAN, CMO, FRITO-LAY: We`ll have 75,000 displays in every one of our retailers across the country. Two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl is the biggest purchase on stock and beverages. So, for sure, if you look at the entirety of it, it definitely pays off.

STELTER (on camera): How safety you have to play it for these ads? Did you worry about offending one of the 100 million people that are watching?

KRISHNAN: Well, especially in a brand like Doritos, which is targeted to 19-year-old consumer, we`re also going to get creative. Was it going to offend someone?

STELTER (voice-over): A common theme in Doritos Super Bowl ads -- animals and babies.

KRISHNAN: I think five years, we finished as the number one spot. It's sense of humor. You know, you got to entertain. think as a brand, you got to entertain the consumers and obviously kids and animals tend to do that.

STELTER: Pepsi on other hand has focused on celebrities in the past, from Michael J. Fox and Cindy Crawford in the `80s and `90s, to Britney Spears and even Elton John in more recent years.

ELTON JOHN: Pepsi for you.

STELTER (on camera): How do you all decide it`s worth having a celebrity in ads? Some years, there are celebrities front and center in a lot of Super Bowl ads. Other years, maybe not so much. What`s the calculation about that?

KRISHNAN: We used to hire celebrities as spokesperson. No longer the case. Now we want to understand what`s their narrative and what`s the value they`re adding to the brand story. So it`s very different from how we traditionally used celebrities in the past.

STELTER (voice-over): As for what you can expect this year, you`ll have to wait until Super Bowl Sunday.

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HOWELL: We will have to wait and see the winner there.

We thank you for watching this hour. I'm George Howell at the CNN center in Atlanta. I'll be back after the break with another hour of news from around the world. Thank you for watching CNN, the world's news leader.

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