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Two Syrian Hospitals Destroyed by Airstrikes; Di Caprio, Inarritu Take Hom BAFTAs for The Revenant; Australia Struggles to Contain Liquid Meth Problem; India Worlds Fastest Growing Economy. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired February 15, 2016 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:57] KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. And welcome to News Stream.

Now two hospitals are blown apart in separate strikes in northern Syria. Dozens are dead. And what the staff at one hospital says was a deliberate

attack.

A massive drug bust: how smugglers in Australia hid hundreds of millions of dollars of liquid meth.

And Di Caprio's time to shine. The Hollywood star's odds of an Oscar improve after his movie cleans up at the BAFTAs. Britain's biggest night

in film.

We begin in Syria where we're told that two hospitals and a school building have come under attack. A hospital worker says 15 people were killed and

dozens were wounded in the northern city of Azaz. A medical facility there was struck as well as a school that housed people displaced by the war.

Now, Turkey says Russia is to blame for that attack. And further south in Idlib, another hospital was reportedly hit four times within minutes, and

is supported by the aid group Doctors Without Borders. At least nine people are reported dead. Eight are missing.

And the latest violence comes ahead of a planned ceasefire on the ground in Syria. And for details, let's go straight Arwa Damon in Istanbul. And

Arwa, Turkey is blaming Russia, but who is responsible for these deadly strikes?

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we don't know exactly who is responsible and how many of them were air strikes, and how many of

them were artillery in the town of Azaz, not too far away from the Syria- Turkey border.

You did have that one strike on the hospital that the Turkish prime minister at least is saying was caused by a Russian ballistic missile. But

then you also have other strikes that did take place according to an emergency aid worker that we spoke to along the road that people would have

been taking, emergency workers would have been taking as they were trying to evacuate the wounded from Azaz to the Turkish border. Then of course

that strike on the school that was housing displaced people.

And then you have Doctors Without Borders facility that was targeted in a different province, this in Idlib Province. And what they are saying was a

deliberate strike on this facility that is going to leave 40,000 people in the middle of a war zone without much needed medical assistance.

Meanwhile, Turkey also was launching artillery at various YPG, that Kurdish fighting force positions that are not too far away from the Turkish border.

So you have all of these different messy, very deadly dynamics that have really come together and created a devastating situation for those inside

Syria.

LU STOUT: Yeah, tell us more about the situation that happened over the weekend with Turkey shelling the Kurdish YPG militia. Why is this

happening? Is this opening a new front in Syria? And what are Turkish officials saying about it?

DAMON: Yeah, a couple of things, Kristie. First of all, this is not the first time that the Turks have shelled YPG positions. And just to give you

a bit of historical background, Turkey has for decades been fighting a separatist group known as the Kurdistan Workers Party, the PKK, and in fact

saw a cease-fire with them collapse in southeastern Turkey over the summer. So, that is a very active ongoing front line battleground between the Turks

and the Kurds within Turkey's own borders.

Now, Turkey, though, views the Turkish battlefield and the Syrian battlefields as being one and the same with the YPG effectively being a

branch of the PKK.

So, as YPG has been making advances, Turkey has repeatedly told them to stop, has issued warnings, has told them not to cross into certain

territory. And over the weekend, and a few days prior, the YPG did take over some key territory, including a military air base not too far away

from the Turkish border, all of which has caused Turkey to fire artillery at these various different positions\ and issue repeated warnings to the

YPG to stop advancing.

But it really does create this additional dynamic to what is already a very messy and complicated battlefield with these alliances that exist, whether

it's between the Americans and the Kurds and the Americans and the Turks and the Russians and the regime. It's really hard to differentiate at this

point exactly who is friendly, who is foe and who is just taking complete advantage of the chaos.

[08:05:31] LU STOUT: And now we have even more violence inside Syria despite

that global effort to push for peace. Arwa Damon reporting live for us. Thank you, Arwa.

Now, CNN has been given exclusive access to the front lines in Syria where government forces are battling is. As Fred Pleitgen reports, the Syrian

army says it is gaining ground with Russia's help.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the eastern Syrian Desert, on the fringe of ISIS' self declared caliphate, the

Syrian army readied its artillery cannons, tanks, and armored personnel carriers have dug in.

(on camera): We are on the front line in the Syrian military's battle against ISIS. The soldiers tell us that ISIS positions are literally only a

few miles away from this position.

(voice-over): The top commander for this area tells CNN his forces constantly clash with ISIS here. He didn't want to appear on camera because

of Syrian military rules, and instead designated a civilian working with him to speak on his behalf.

"Over there is the village of Gerbaht," he says. It's considered to be the alternative capital of ISIS.

(EXPLOSION)

PLEITGEN: The Syrian military recently launched a major offensive in the north of the country, winning back some territory, but also causing tens of

thousands to flee towards the Turkish border.

(EXPLOSION)

PLEITGEN: The U.S. says Syrian forces, mostly combat moderate rebels, have put very little effort into fighting ISIS. But the troops here say that is

not true.

"For three months now, ISIS has not been advancing," he says, "they have only been retreating."

(EXPLOSION)

PLEITGEN: And Assad's army acknowledges that Russian air power has had a big impact.

"Everything is much better since our Russian friends came in," he says. "They gave us the capability to conduct preemptive strikes and also aerial

surveillance to warn us in advance about ISIS attacks."

And they vow to continue their push eastward, deeper into ISIS heartland.

(on camera): The commanders here say they are on the move forward. And one of their predictions is that if nothing else goes wrong, they think they

can be in Raqqa by the end of the year.

(voice-over): But they are still far away from achieving that goal, and in the past, ISIS has shown it can rebound after being pushed back.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, eastern Syria.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now, we are also keeping an eye on global markets this day. And markets in Europe are surging right now. You can see the London FTSE up

about 2.25. In Paris, the CAC 40 up 3.4 percent. The Frankfurt Xetra DAX up 2.9 percent now. And the Zurich SMI gaining up 2.65 percent.

Now, all of this is following Asia's own rally. And most of the indexes here in the region, they

finished higher except for the Shanghai composite that closed down over half a percent.

Now, meanwhile, the Nikkei ended the day up over 7 percent, that despite government data showing Japan's GDP shrank in the final quarter of 2015.

Now, for more on this, as well as the economic rivalry shaping up between China and India, let's bring in CNN Money's editor-at-large Richard Quest

in Mumbai and CNN Money's Asia-Pacific editor Andrew Stevens in Hong Kong. A good day to you both.

Richard, let's start with you in Mumbai. A rocky time across world markets. It seems instability is still a major theme here?

RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORREPSONDENT: Instability remains a major theme, but so does volatility.

Look, to put this bluntly, you get minor economic news or even significant news of Japan going

further deeper into negative interest rates, the Ricks Bank (ph) reducing rates, comments from the Bank of China governor. You get these relatively

small developments, and you get monument movements in the market.

The Nikkei up seven, the Zetra Dax up 3 percent. None of which, frankly, is justified by the news they're reacting to, but all tell us something

about the severity of dis-ease at the moment within the markets.

Markets are not happy. They believe something is going weirdly wrong in global economies. They think the slowdown is going to be greater than it

actually is and that it will take its effect on corporate earnings.

So far, though, with oil prices low, with central banks promising to do what they can, there really is no justification for what we are seeing.

[08:10:12] LU STOUT: And Richard, while you're in Mumbai, we have to talk about the Indian economy. It is on the fast track, growing faster than

China. So, it seems that the elephant surging ahead of the dragon, at least in terms of GDP growth, but still not quite a heavyweight in terms of

manufacturing and other industries.

What are your thoughts on what India needs to do to better position itself, especially next to China?

QUEST: Sorry, Andrew Stevens in Hong Hong, you've only got less than 7 percent growth in China. Here in India, 7.3 percent. Fastest growing

economy in the world. Inflation coming down. Unemployment coming down. A central bank governor that is vastly respected across the globe.

But here's the problem, all is not smooth sailing here because they have got this make in India campaign which is highly -- very optimistic about

what this country can do. But the Modi government, as it comes up to two years in office, now has to prove that make in India and the economic

reforms are more than just a slogan.

It won't be easy. The rural question. The poverty issues. The question of a split congress, he can't get his goods and sales tax into -- through

parliament.

So, yes, India has so much to play for and everything to lose if they get it wrong.

LU STOUT: All right. From the increasingly mighty elephant in India, let's go to

slowing dragon in China.

Andrew, China's view of India's rising economic might. Not that there is this really interesting op-ed out in today's state run Global Times.

ANDREW STEVENS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDNET: Absolutely.

In response to Richard, I'll let the Global Times do the talking. It certainly would not have been apologist for China, but this is really

blistering attack coming from the Global Times, which is, we need to know, Kristie, a state-run mouth-piece, and it takes a pretty hard line.

It's written by a professor of international relations. And it calls this growth that we're talking about in India a myth. It's paper growth, it

says. This is an unsustainable economic plan by the Modi government.

Take a look at some of the words that are being used here. This is from the professor. Modi is too persistent in pushing the image of a bustling

and prosperous economy and he remains blinded to the root of India's ills. The new deal may become a success today, but be a failure tomorrow.

And when he takes about these ills, Richard was touching on them. It's about widespread poverty where people look for survival day to day as their

biggest concern. And it talks about how high unemployment. It talks about the big income gap.

So this is where the Global Times is coming from.

I should end on this rather breathtaking I think. They are talking about not trusting the Indian numbers as well. They are saying that they are

using a creative approach to GDP, which you know glass houses and stones. You've really got to.

QUEST: Oh!

STEVENS: But, you know, they are throwing it. It's extraordinary.

LU STOUT: We've got to bring in Richard for...

QUEST: The breathtaking affrontery of our Asian Pacific editor in Hong Kong to be talking about questioning transparency of data. It's mind

boggling. Yet there may be questions on the rebalancing of the GDP numbers here, but India, I'm sorry, on this -- John Chambers, who I spoke to

yesterday who you will hear on Quest Means Business tonight, he put it perfectly. He said Sisco has doubled down before on India and they are

doubling down again.

LU STOUT: But to do defend our Asia editor, he was mere quoting a Chinese economist who was in the Global Times today, but did have a pretty big like

bring it on tone to it, right. Just a scathing damning article there.

A quick question before we let Mr. Stevens go. We have got to talk about, and also you too Richard, we have got to talk about that major Asian market

story today. The Nikkei ending up over 7 percent after that really painful downbeat GDP report. Andrew, why is this happening? What's the thinking?

STEVENS: Yeah, just coming back to what Richard was saying, outsized moves on economic developments. And this really was an outsized move. Look at

that, 7 percent up as the economy contracts. And this is all to do with expectations now from investors that the Japanese will do even more to try

to get the Japanese economy moving.

As we know, the central bank is pushing interest rates down and down and down until there are

actually negative levels now. That hasn't been working. It's early days, though. Also, there's a stimulus package which going through the pipeline

at the moment. They are hoping there could be more stimulus to get the Japanese economy going at the moment. But that is a massive rebound, 7

percent, after the big falls yesterday.

But look at that number, 1.4 percent negative growth in Japan for the year, Kristie. That's a bleak looking number for the world's third biggest

economy.

LU STOUT: Indeed. Andrew Stevens, joining us live from Hong Kong. Richard Quest, our man in India, a big thank you to you both. Take care.

Now, CNN Money is launching a new global initiative, bringing you the latest in business wherever you are around the world, in the air, on the

move. CNN's business coverage is bigger than ever. Do check out our website. You can find it at Money.cnn.com.

And you are watching News Stream. Coming up on the program, a major drug bust in Australia. We talked to an emergency room doctor about the human

toll illegal drugs are taking on Australians

Also ahead, Pope Francis is due to arrive in Mexico's poorest state where he is expected to

hand down a decree from The Vatican.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now, in Australia, police say that they have made the country's biggest ever drug bust. Now they seized $700 million worth of liquid meth. It was

being smuggled inside shipment of silicone bra inserts and art supplies.

Now, police say that they have traced the source of the shipments to here in Hong Kong.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Australian police say it is a major victory in its battle against illicit drugs.

MICHAEL KEENAN, AUSTRALIAN JUSTICE MINISTER: We are here to laud the joint operation that has resulted in the largest seizure of liquid

methamphetamine in Australia's history.

LU STOUT: In total, 720 liters of the drug commonly known as Ice, some of it hidden inside thousands of bra inserts, which police say were imported

from Hong Kong last December.

Most of the Ice was found concealed in boxes of art supplies kept at several storage facilities in Sydney.

KEENAN: This has resulted in 3.6 million individual hits of Ice being taken off our streets with

a street value of 1.26 billion dollars.

LU STOUT: That is $700 million U.S. dollars worth of ice. Experts say the drug has caused users to commit violent assaults, robberies and road

deaths.

Police say it has become increasingly available mainly in regional and remote communities.

Four suspects have been arrested, one from mainland China, three from Hong Kong. If convicted, they could face life behind bars.

Police say the arrests were a result of a joint operation between Australian agencies. They also had help from China's narcotic control

commission.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Australia's justice manager says he hopes to work closely with China to track down the heart of the smuggling networks.

Now, one reason Australian authorities are so concerned about ice, is that it is highly addictive. It's also deadly. And yet there is a deeply

disturbing demand for the drug.

Now, according to Australia's national drug and alcohol research center there has been a 52 percent spike in Ice use in the past decade. And more

people who use it are dying.

It is estimated that accidental overdose deaths doubled to 170 in just three years.

Now, earlier I spoke with Professor Gordian Fulder. As Australia's longest serving emergency room boss he has seen firsthand just how destructive this

drug is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. GORIAN FULDER, PROF. THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME AUSTRALIA: The (inaudible) is that really we still are only capturing by law enforcement a

fraction of the drugs that are being brought in and sold in the country.

[08:20:15] LU STOUT: Now, you have been on the front lines of emergency medicine. You have seen many patients with drug problems. Tell us, what

does crystal meth do to people?

FULDER: I think people know it. I mean, it is incredibly addictive, powerful stimulant. And it can be taken nearly any way. And what it does,

it just releases all of these chemicals in the brain, a massive surge. And this really, really very powerful high. And then there is also the very

powerful coming down where people feel it is the worst feeling they have ever had. Hence, you get the crystal, the ice binges for several days

where people just cannot handle the coming down and need another hit.

LU STOUT: And it leads to very violent, dangerous behavior as well?

FULDER: Yeah. I mean, people have learned to take it more safely. That's probably not the right word -- in moderation. But, when it first started,

people were taking too much and yes they went totally crazy. They were like crazed animals.

This has settled down to a large degree. We are now dealing with the psychosis, the paranoid psychosis, all of those sort of things where people

do still go -- worried somebody is after this, they're worried that these imaginary psychosis, paranoia and that can be very, very strong and provide

for a whole lot of problems in our society.

LU STOUT: Yeah, what kind of impact does the drug have on families, on local services, on the community at-large?

FULDER: It's insanely destructive. It really, really is. Because the ripple effect of one person, one human being who basically -- and if you

take crystal meth for a while you will completely lose all social contact. You start having chemical changes in your brain which can

be seen on scans. And some of those are looking like they are going to be permanent. And it really is devastating to loved ones. There is no real

single sort of a bullet. There's no antidote. And we are still working out how to deal with it.

LU STOUT: And from what you have seen as an ER doctor, you are seeing a rising trend int he use of ice in Australia?

FULDER: Very much so.

What it is, it's all about money. And Australia, unfortunately, has a large appetite for recreational drugs and amphetamine have always been

there in the world. We're up to the third in the world a year a year or so ago from the United Nations.

So, we have this appetite. Also the market is not flooded like other parts of the world. So big cartels, drug dealers going through the most

profitable drug around, which is ice. And it's coming at us. And especially in a rural environment, the country environment where there

aren't the resources of health and (inaudible) where they are particularly suffering.

(END VIDEO CLIP

LU STOUT: Calling it insanely destructive. That was veteran front line ER doctor and Professor Gordian Fulder speaking to me earlier.

And you're watching News Stream. And up next, the Mexican state of Chiapas will soon welcome Pope Francis. We'll tell you about the plans he has to

reach out to indigenous communities there and the message from The Vatican that he brings.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:27:06] LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, you're back watching News Stream. Now, the state of Chiapas in southern Mexico is soon

to welcome Pope Francis. He is expected to draw huge crowds there despite being in an where Protestant churches have flourished.

Now, in a few hours he is expected to hold mass in three indigenous languages. Now, Shasta Darlington has been covering the pope's five day

visit and joins us now live from Mexico City. And Shasta, Pope Francis is now en route to Mexico's poorest and least Catholic state, Chiapas. What

will be his core message there?

SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, there are a number of elements that we could expect him to touch upon. Already,

before even arriving in Mexico, he authorized a mass in those different indigenous languages, as you mentioned, which breaks

the tradition. His previous -- the previous pope sort of frowned upon using different languages for the mass. So that already opens the doors.

We expect him to be very welcomed by the communities there.

As you mentioned also, it is also the poorest state in Mexico, no doubt. And he will touch on poverty. But another element, this is the main entry

point for Central American immigrants, thousands of them trying to reach the United States. And that is an issue that is very close to Pope

Francis's heart.

In fact, the Vatican has said he's trying to retrace the root of immigrants across the country of Mexico to the border. And he will end his visit here

in Ciudad Juarez, right across the border from El Paso, Texas. That's where he is going to give the cross-border mass where we expect him to ride

in his Popemobile along the fence.

So, we also wouldn't be surprised if he touched on the topic of immigration, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Now on Sunday, Shasta, Pope Francis celebrated mass in front of hundreds of thousands of people in a suburb in Mexico City. What was the

atmosphere like there?

DARLINGTON: He was received with open arms, absolute joy. You know, Ecatepec, the sprawling suburb where he held that mass is one of the

poorest, most dangerous places in Mexico. They had never been visited by a pope and Mexico has seen a lot of popes. So, they were overjoyed to have

him there, hundreds of thousands lining the street.

He helicoptered in, but then drove along to get to the church for the mass. So, people just thrilled to have him there.

The mass itself was pretty critical. He lashed out at what he called the temptations of wealth, fame and power. And during the Angeles, he was even

more direct, talking about the dealers in death who are destroying young people and also the issues of immigration, how Mexico needs to build a land

of opportunity so that people aren't forced to emigrate. And in many cases, young people are destroyed.

So, a pretty tough message but a cheerful crowd, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Yeah, this is not a pope not afraid to speak very directly.

Shasta Darlington, reporting live from Mexico City, thank you.

This is News Stream, and coming up, the death of a U.S. Supreme Court justice shakes Washington to its core. The controversy behind when his

vacancy should be filled and who should decide just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(HEADLINES)

[08:33:58] LU STOUT: And turning to U.S. politics, the death of a Supreme Court justice is already shaking up this year's race for the White House.

Justice Antonin Scalia, the court's leading conservative voice, died over the weekend at the age of 79. It is still not clear who President Barack

Obama will nominate to fill the vacancy. Many conservatives say the nomination should wait until after the presidential election.

Joe Johns reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The body of Justice Antonin Scalia returning home to Virginia this morning. The 79-year-old died here

in his sleep at a Texas resort over the weekend. Funeral plans for the Supreme Court's strident conservative voice are under way, and so is the

epic political battle for his replacement.

SANDERS: President Obama, in my view, should make that nomination. I hope he does it as soon as possible.

RUBIO: There is no way the Senate should confirm anyone that Barack Obama tries to appoint in his last year in office to a lifetime appointment.

JOHNS: The Republicans fear another liberal nominee would tip the scales on some of the defining debates of our time. In the coming months, the Supreme

Court justices are going to take on several hot- button issues, including an Obamacare mandate requiring most employers to pay for birth control,

abortion, and the president's actions on immigration.

[08:35:19] BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I plan to fulfill my constitutional responsibilities to nominate a successor. There will be

plenty of time for me to do so.

JOHNS: Top Democrat Harry Reid called for the seat to be filled right away. As for a timeline, a senior Obama administration official points to the

president's previous Supreme Court nominations, both taking about a month.

BUSH: He has every right to do it, and the Senate has every right to not confirm that person.

JOHNS: But Senate Republicans are pledging to stall, demanding that President Obama allow the next president to make the choice, nearly a year

from now, the GOP hoping this could rally conservatives against a potential liberal shift on the high court, driving voters to the polls come

November.

The problem with only eight justices: their only options are to leave the lower court's decisions intact if they're divided on a case or to hold the

case over until a replacement is confirmed.

SEN. PATRICK LEAHY (D), VERMONT: If the Republican leadership refuses to even hold a hearing, I think that is going to guarantee they lose control

of the Senate.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And that was Joe Johns reporting.

Now former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert is beginning an 18 month sentence. He reported to prison in central Israel earlier on Monday. He

was found guilty of taking bribes when he was Jerusalem's mayor before he became prime minister. Before heading to prison he released a video

statement denying any criminal wrongdoing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EHUD OLMERT, FRM. ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): During my years of activity, I also made mistakes, though I don't think they were of

criminal form. For some of them, I'm paying an expensive price, maybe too expensive. With a heavy heart, I accept the sentence. There is no man

that stands above the law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Olmert is the first Israeli prime minister to ever go to prison.

Now, you're watching News Stream. Still ahead, it was a big night for the film industry. And we'll tell you which stars took home a trophy at the

BAFTA awards.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back. Now, the red carpet has been walked, the awards handed out. And the big winner at this year's BAFTA's The Revenant. The

western epic, it scooped up five awards, including best film and best director. Best actor went to Leonardo Di Caprio for his performance as the

bear battling fur trapper Hugh Glass.

Now, CNN's Nima Elbagir mingled with the stars on Sunday. She joins us live from London. Nima, without a doubt, it was a very big night for the

Revenant. Walk us through the winners.

NIMA ELBAGIR: Well, as you said, a big night for The Revenant. Leondaro Di Caprio, Alejandro Inarritu, continuing his winning streak after picking

up a trophy at the Director's Guild Award where he really made a point of honing in one of the biggest issues that's overshadowed much of this award

seasons, Kristie, which is the Oscars so White hashtag, that the diversity controversy and the concerns that the Oscars are not just not

representating of the world at large that they're supposed to be reflective of, but also not representative of the community, of the Academy members.

And Inarritu at the Directors Guild made a point of speaking out and saying that the American strength, the United States's strength is in its

diversity. And we were hearing that again from those who walked the red carpet yesterday evening, Kristie, most notably John Boyega, the man who

took home the rising star award. Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN BOYEGA, ACTOR: It is about diversity, Oscar, industry, everything, everything. So, all of the discussion needs to be had, because the world

needs to be portrayed for what it is. And we're not going to sit down and back down until that's done.

ELBAGIR: John Boyega, of course, stars in what is now one of the top three biggest grossing films of all time, Star Wars.

But you must remember, Kristie, before the film was released he was the target of a pretty horrific hashtag campaign on Twitter, boycott the black

storm trooper. So, although he told me that there is a real sense of achievement in having seen the film bring home that kind of box office

gross in spite of that fan pushback, there is still so much work to be done.

LU STOUT: Thank you for bringing up that issue, the perceived lack of diversity in the film

industry, in Hollywood that's going to definitely loom large when the Oscars take place very soon. Definitely a talking point there in the

BAFTAs.

In addition to that, was there anything else, any surprises announced last night at the BAFTAs, whether political themes that emerged in people's

speeches or movies that were nominated but shut out in the end, didn't win the award that was expected?

ELBAGIR: Well, there is always an expectation when you see someone like Kate Blanchett or someone like Dame Maggie Smith who are very much hometown

favorites here in London, and very much respected by their peers, that there is always a possibility that they will be walking home.

But we saw Brie Larsen take that. We also saw other hometown favorites shut out with Idris Elba in Beast of No Nation.

But generally the themes that we have seen across the board from the Golden Globes, a little bit of a shakeup at the Golden Globes compared to the

Screen Actors Awards, but then we saw Kate Winslet for Steve Jobs again, two-time winner now.

So while the bookies didn't quite take the money they were expected to, but across the board there does feel like the momentum for the Oscar for

certain actors, Leonardo Di Caprio most notably, that's maintained.

LU STOUT: All right, Nima Elbagir there. It was great to see you on the red carpet. Many thanks indeed for your smart reporting.

And that's is News Stream. I'm Kristie Lu Stout. World Sport with Amanda Davies is up next.

END