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UN Security Council to Meet on Syrian Humanitarian Crisis; Zika Virus Fears For Rio Residents Refusing to Move for Olympic Construction; Trump, Sanders Win New Hampshire. Aired 8:00a-9:00a ET

Aired February 10, 2016 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:16:43] IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You've been watching CNN's continuing coverage of the New Hampshire primaries. I'm Ivan Watson in

Hong Kong. News Stream is following several other major international stories this hour.

After the break, a rare look inside the embattled city of Aleppo. It's a fight that could fundamentally change the balance of power in

Syria's civil war.

And a live report from the Syrian/Turkish border where thousands remain in limbo. Details ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WATSON: Welcome back.

Syria's humanitarian crisis is expected to top the agenda when the UN security council meets behind closed doors. That is scheduled to begin in

about three hours.

The battle for the northern city of Aleppo has driven tens of thousands from their homes in recent weeks. Once a rebel stronghold, it's

now a city on edge. Russian airstrikes pound the key battleground daily. President Bashar al-Assad's forces are advancing.

Iranians are helping those troops going after a coalition of rebels in the eastern part of the city.

The shelling has pushed those wanting to get out to head towards Turkey. The sound of detonations can be heard by the thousands of people

who are waiting at the border there.

Senior international correspondent Arwa Damon is also at that border. And she joins us now.

Arwa, can you hear those Russian airstrikes from where you are standing?

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Actually, Ivan, when we were here a few days ago we were able to catch the low sounds of explosions

in the distance. But in the last 24 hours, there have been a significant number of Russian strikes closer to the Turkish border than they have been

in recent days, some just 10, 15-minute drive away.

And according to one of the media activists who is waiting with with the refugees on the other

side of this border crossing, he said that he counted at least 16 strikes in the distance. And according to activists in the areas where the strikes

took place, at least 15 people died and the wounded, around 15 of them 10 in critical condition or then evacuated to Turkey's borders.

It seems as if after the regime did manage to, thanks to those Russian air strikes, cut off the

main supply route from this particular location that were in towards the city of Aleppo there. Then trying to expand the area that they control

towards Aleppo but also further towards the Turkish border.

And all of this is of course sending more people fleeing for safety and causing quite a bit of panic among the tens of thousands that are

already waiting at various points along the Turkish border, hoping that the authorities will let them through, Ivan.

WATSON: So am I understanding correctly, Arwa, the Syrian government forces that are backed by Russia and Iran, are they moving, pushing toward

the Turkish border where you are right now? How far away are they on the ground from you?

DAMON: Well, according to the spokesman for the al Shamiyah Front (ph), which is one of the many loose coalitions of opposition rebel

fighters, they boast about 7,000 to 8,000 fighters themselves, they say that the Syrian forces themselves are maybe 20 to 30 kilometers away from

the border. But those air strikes that took place yesterday were about 5 to 10 kilometers away.

So it seems as if this pattern that we have seeing repeating itself over and over again is getting closer to the Turkish borders where you see

the Russian jets slamming these areas, these towns and villages held by rebels. And then that allows for this ground force to come through.

Now, also according to this rebel spokesman, he said that alongside Syrian forces there is also a significant ground presence made up of Iraqi

Shia militias, Lebanon's Hezbollah, Afghan militia fighters, as well as of course Iranian fighters and Iranians commanders who, according to him, were

really leading the battle force and the battlefield strategy.

So all of this is of course playing into the regime's hands, altering battlefield dynamics to the regime's favor. And the areas that we are

seeing the Syrian regime in, in and around Aleppo, these are areas that the Syrian regime has not had a presence in for years. So

significant gains for Bashar al Assad, and unclear at this stage how much longer these rebel fighter sare going to be able to hold

out. Some of them are saying that if the status quo continues, if they don't get additional support, they could very well collapse within a few

months.

WATSON: I mean, this is an incredible international coalition that the rebels say they are facing right now. What's the morale like among

members of the Syrian opposition that you're speaking with?

DAMON: I mean, look, they will put on a tough face. And they say we've been fighting this for five years. And we have given up so much in

terms of blood and wounds. You just saw an ambulance go by. That is a fairly regular occurrence here.

But after having giving so much, they say that can't give up at this stage. They will continue to maintain that if they have to, they will

either succeed or they will fight until they die.

But they are in a phenomenally difficult situation, especially in this part of the country. Because after the regime cut off the main supply

route going from here to the city of Aleppo, they effectively split the territory that the Syrian rebel opposition holds in this area into two

distinct parts. And they are surrounded not just by the regime, but they are also facing another battle front with ISIS.

And then they have the Kurdish fighting force, YPG, on the other side with whom they may not

necessarily be engaging in daily conflicts, but there is something of a shaky cease-fire that for now is

holding between them. But they most certainly don't consider them to be allies.

So they really are getting squeezed on all sides. And, you know, we have been hearing increasingly rebel fighters coming out and really

criticizing both Turkey and Saudi Arabia's leaders saying they are not providing them with any sort of significant support. They call it a farce.

They call it the farce that the the -- support that the United States is providing them as being a farce as well, especially when compared with the

type of support that the Syrian government is getting from its friends.

[08:26:17] WATSON: Arwa, it really does seem like northern Syria and the bloody stalemate there that's gone on for years is heading towards a

real turning point right now. Thank you very much for that valuable context. That's CNN srnior international correspondent Arwa Damon on the

Turkish/Syrian border.

Now, there are not only moves being made and gains for the Syrian government forces in the north of Syria. Undercover of Russian air

strikes, major territorial gains have been also been made in the south.

Doctors Without Borders says the aerial campaign has escalated dramatically in the past two

months. Three people were killed when one of Doctors Without Borders hospitals was hit by an air

strike 12 kilometers from the Jordanian border.

But the key flashpoint in the conflict remains with Aleppo, the northern city that could tip the balance of this civil war.

And our Fred Pleitgen has been to Aleppo and has this exclusive report for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We are right in the heart of Aleppo. This is the Jemaliya (ph) area and it's

actually fairly close to the frontline. But it's also one of the main places held by the Syrian government.

Now as you can see in this area, there are a lot of products that are actually available. Food, a lot of other products as well.

However, the people here, it is very, very difficult for them. There's almost no electricity. Most of it comes from generators. And of course,

because we're so close to the frontline, there is also shelling here. And it's quite dangerous for the folks who live here.

"I believe we've already endured about 80 percent of the hardship," this man says, "and I hope the remaining 20 percent will end soon." "The

situation is very tough right now," he adds, "but we are steadfast and we believe the power will be on the correct side."

And this man says, "We have had very tough times, but thanks to the victory of the army, we have survived these hard times."

Aleppo is currently the key battleground in Syria's Civil War. The Syrian government under President Bashar al-Assad has started a brutal

offensive in this part of the country, also of course, backed by Russian air power and pro-Iranian militias as well.

And they believe that if they're able to deal a crushing blow to the rebels in this part of Syria, that they could decide the Syrian Civil War

for themselves. Of course, that still is unclear.

They don't know how solid their gains are at this point or whether or not the rebels might try to launch a counterattack, but at this point in

time, Aleppo is certainly one of the toughest battle grounds in the Civil War that's been going on for about five years.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Aleppo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON: Now, I would like you to take a look at this. We have some rare images from Aleppo, Syria's largest city divided by this terrible

civil war for years that have been taken by CNN's Fred Pleitkin and posted on Instagram.

The old town in Aleppo, classified by UNESCO as a world heritage site, it has been devastated by the civil war over the last three years.

This is a photo of the citadel, a symbol of the city, a fixture of this ancient city. And as you can see, part of its grounds have been

reduced to rubble here.

And here, a portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. It sits among the debris inside this old town landmark.

And you can find more images of this exclusive look inside the city if you head to Fred's Instagram account. And that's at

Instagram.com/fpleitgencnn. Do take a look.

Now, you're watching News Stream. Coming up, the investigation of that deadly train crash in

Germany as they try to determine why safeguards did not prevent the collision.

And winning New Hampshire, we'll break down the results and tell you what they mean in the race for the White House.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(HEADLINES)

[08:32:44] WATSON: Returning to our top story, Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders are both

celebrating their big wins in New Hampshire. So just how accurate is this primary as a predictor of who will actually win the White House?

Tom Foreman gives us some historical perspective.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here are all the Democratic winners of the New Hampshire primary since 1976. And we're going to subtract from

this all of the presidents who were in office trying to hold on to the job.

And we wind up with seven people out there. Out of these seven who won in New Hampshire, how many became the party nominee? Just Jimmy Carter,

Mike Dukakis, Al Gore, and John kerry, just four of them. And out of those four, only one went on to become the president, and that was Jimmy Carter.

What about the Republican side? Is it different or better than there? Well, let's lay them out since 1976. Once again, we subtract all of them

who were in office just trying to hold on, and that brings us down to seven. And again, if we say how many of these New Hampshire winners became

the party nominee, we get four. Once more Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, John McCain, and Mitt

Romney. And out of them, of course, only two actually became the president.

So for all of this talk about momentum and early leads, this really is just one step along the way to the presidency in New Hampshire here. And

it's not a guaranteed step at all.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON: Not sure who to support? Just head to CNN.com and take our 2016 candidate matchmaker test. Based on your answers to a series of

questions, we'll match you with the candidate who shares your views all on CNN.com/politics.

Turning now to the investigation into that head-on train collision in Germany. Ten people were killed in Tuesday's crash. Authorities trying to

determine why the trains ended up on the same track headed directly towards each other.

Atika Shubert has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The mangled wreckage of the commuter trains both completely derailed in the head-on collision.

It happened just before 7:00 a.m. during rush hour. The trains were traveling at a top speed of 120 kilometers an hour. Transport officials

say drivers on both trains were unable to see the other as they traveled around a bend on a single track line.

ALEXANDER DIBRINDT, GERMAN TRANSPORT MINISTER (through translator): It is shocking that the two trains became wedged. One of the trains

drilled into the other one. And the cab on the second train was totally torn apart.

SHUBERT: Police arrived within three minutes of getting the emergency call. The Wooded, mountainous area on the Austrian/German border was

difficult to reach. More than a dozen helicopters were needed to airlift survivors out.

This was the first accident for private train operator Meridian. Investigators will comb through the data recorders from the train looking

at two lines of inquiry, whether it was an issue on board the trains, human error, or technical malfunction or with the state-run rail infrastructure,

a possible signal failure.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Usually there is automatic systems automatically stop the trains when you pass by the signal. That's why we don't know what

happened. We assume that those the signals were green, but with he don't know yet.

On our train, there have been two train drivers each. We had a train driver, but a train driver instructor (ph) on the train. So usually not

two people miss a red light.

And then the automatic braking system doesn't work. So we really don't know yet exactly yet what has happened.

SHUBERT: This is the worst train accident in Germany in many years. The trains, however, were not as full as they normally would be due to a

school holiday and the annual Carnival separation.

Atika Shubert, CNN, Berlin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON: Now, let's switch to the ongoing tension around the Korean Peninsula. The U.S. intelligence chief says North Korea has acted on each

threat to refurbish and restart nuclear reactors. In his annual world threat assessment, James Clapper warned that Pyongyang has expanded its

Yonbyon enrichment facility. And he predicts it could begin recovering plutonium within months or even weeks.

This comes just days after North Korea launched a long-range rocket drawing international

condemnation.

Earlier on Wednesday, Japan announced new sanctions against the rogue state. And South Korea says it is suspending operations at the Kaesong

Industiral Complex where tens of thousands of North Koreans work. That's located just inside North Korea near the demilitarized zone.

You're watching News Stream.

Still ahead, Brazil works to stop the spread of the Zika virus. But how is the outbreak affecting preparations for this year's Olympic games?

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WATSON: Hong Kong on a Wednesday evening.

Now, the Chinese news agency Xinhua reports that China is treating its first patient that has the Zika virus. A 34-year-old man is believed to

have contracted Zika during a trip to Venezuela. It is most commonly transmitted by mosquitoes.

The man returned to China last week and that's when he was diagnosed.

Brazil's outbreak of the Zika virus has led to concerns about participation in this year's Olympics in Rio de Janeiro?

But the Zika threat isn't the only problem facing some residents ahead of the games.

Our Nick Paton Walsh has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Pedro is driving us to his home, that's inside Brazil's nearly completed Olympic Park. He's

no builder or developer, but someone for whom the making of this Olympic dream means they will lose their own dream: their home.

He still lives inside the Olympic Park, refusing to move out of the way of the bulldozers, refusing to take the government's buyout.

There are forms of pressure, he says. The most common, to cut the water.

What water is here is stagnant and that could mean Zika.

This was once a lakeside paradise, but now stagnant water brings with it the risk of mosquitoes. A construction site has taken away so much of

the greenery they used to know. And now they're reluctant new neighbor of the Olympic park.

A lot of mosquitoes, yeah? You're not worried about Zika?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

WALSH: No?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't have fear of mosquitoes. I have for my manager (ph).

WALSH: He means the city mayor whose office didn't return our calls.

Just outside the park's fence, Luis (ph) heads one of 50, of what was once 500 families living here.

"This was our little corner," he says, "a paradise for us."

Yes, they have been offered new homes, but won't leave their corner of Brazil. And it's one, he shows us, where demolition means more still water

for Zika carrying mosquitoes to breed.

Like all of Rio during Carnival, they are partying, but they are not leaving home worrying that if they leave, they will come back to find their

homes bulldozed.

In the rubble, noise and Zika threat, Rafaela (ph) gave birth seven days ago. Here a fever spells panic.

"The water pipes broke down," she says. "I and my children all got fever. So, we went to see the doctor, but he told us it was from the bad

water we drunk and not Zika."

Still, so much medical uncertainty meant only little Sophia's (ph) birth let them feel totally safe.

"I was happy," she says, "what mother isn't, when her daughter is born healthy."

The idyllic waters where Brazil's Olympic dream its health nightmare and its most disregarded grow and struggle inside of each other.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON: Now, we have to report another tough day for investors here in Asia. There were more selloffs in Asian stock markets following a

turbulent start of the week. Japan's Nikkei, well, it ended up -- ended the session down more than 2 percent. And that's after a 5 percent plunge

on Tuesday.

The Australian SMP also closed in negative territory.

But in Europe, a very different day. Healthy gains across the board as oil prices picked up from Tuesday's slump.

And on Wall Street, futures point to a positive start. The big event of the day, federal reserve chair Janet Yellen updates congress with her

outlook for the U.S. economy.

And that is News Stream. I'm Ivan Watson in Hong Kong.

END