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Trump wins Nevada; One Survivor's Tale of Cyclone Winston; Beijing Allegedly Deploys Fighter Jets to Woody Island. Aired 8:00a-9:00a ET

Aired February 24, 2016 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:19] KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. And welcome to News Stream. Now, triple Trump victory. The billionaire

secures his third straight win of the U.S. primary season, surging ahead in the Republican race for the White House.

Upping the ante in the South China Sea. Beijing reportedly deploys fighter jets to the disputed Woody Island.

And a blow by blow account of Fiji's monster cyclone. We speak to one woman

who live tweeted during this terrifying storm.

There's no question about it, it was a landslide. Donald Trump is celebrating after he won big in the Republican Nevada caucuses, putting him

a step closer to becoming the Republican presidential nominee.

Now, this was the scene as he claimed victory in Las Vegas on Tuesday night.

Now, precincts across Nevada are still reporting vote counts this hour. And the race for second place, that is still in play with Marco

Rubio slightly ahead of Ted Cruz.

Now, CNN politics reporters Sara Murray has more from Vegas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA MURRAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Donald Trump emerging victorious for the third contest in a row.

DONALD TRUMP, 2016 REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We love Nevada. We love Nevada.

MURRAY: Dominating the Nevada caucuses and steamrolling his opponents.

TRUMP: And 46 percent with the Hispanics, 46 percent, number one with Hispanics.

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: We won the evangelicals. We won with young. We won with old. We won with highly educated. We won with poorly educated. I love the poorly

educated.

MURRAY: For both Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, a disappointing loss.

SEN. TED CRUZ, (R) TEXAS: I want to congratulate Donald Trump on a strong evening tonight.

MURRAY: In his concession speech, Cruz pointing to his early Iowa caucus win and arguing he's the strongest argument to Trump.

CRUZ: The first four states have shown is that the only campaign that has beaten Donald Trump and the only campaign that can beat Donald Trump is

this campaign. MURRAY: While Cruz advisors tell CNN the candidate has reached his

boiling point with Trump and to expect a more aggressive Cruz in the coming days.

Meanwhile the pressure is mounting on Dr. Ben Carson and John Kasich to drop out after their dismal results. Kasich's camp quick to rub salt in

Rubio's wound in a biting press release saying "Senator Rubio just endured another disappointing performance despite being the highest spending

candidate in Nevada."

Last night larger voter turnout caused some problems at the polls, like ballot shortages and incidents of volunteers checking in caucus goers

without verifying I.D. Voters even took the Twitter to complain of poll workers openly showing support for Trump. Nevada GOP officials say there

have been no official reports of voter irregularities or violations, and it's not against the rules for volunteers to wear candidate gear.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And that was CNN's Sara Murray reporting. Now earlier, Anderson Cooper asks the CNN political panel about the path forward for

Marco Rubio and Tex Cruz. Their worry is that donor dollars will begin to dry up if they don't land a few first place finishes on Super Tuesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There are 12 states this week. And then you've got a bunch the week after that. And then you've got a bunch

the week after that. None of these people, except for Donald Trump who can spend his own money -- yes Cruz has more more than Rubio. And Rubio has

some money. Do you know how much it costs to run a presidential campaign if you're doing eight states at a time, 10 states at a time, 12 states at a

time?

And if you're losing, do you think people are going to keep sending you checks? It just doesn't -- it simply doesn't work that way.

So, they have to start winning. And you cannot keep coming out and saying, yes, third place. Thank you. Thank you everybody.

You know, you lose, you go home. You just can't raise the money to stay in.

RYAN LIZZA, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Victory speeches are the new concession speeches.

UNIDENTFIED FEMALE: It wasn't that long ago.

LIZZA: This should have been a state that was built for Cruz. Cruz was the more libertarian in the race. Nevada has a serious libertarian

population. Ron Paul has won 20 percent in this state. The proportion of very conservative secular voters is high. He has done very well with that

group in some of the earlier states. So, getting 20 percent and third place is incredibly disappointing for a candidate.

GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITIAL ANALYST: You know, it wasn't that long

ago, February 1, that Cruz was complaining about Rubio bragging about his bronze medal in Iowa, having come in third. And here tonight, we heard Ted

Cruz kind of try and turn what is a third place showing into sort of a victory because he is the only one who can challenge Donald Trump.

NIA-MALIKA HENDERSON, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: And I thought he just sounds stale. He sounds like a stale politician who thinks

that voters are looking for the candidate who can check off all the list of things that you want in a conservative candidate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now, Democratic rivals are also making their case with just three days to go until

Saturday's vote in South Carolina. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders sat down with CNN's Chris

Cuomo with a town hall. Now, they didn't appear on stage together, but still managed to level shots at

each other.

Joe Johns has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: After a loss in Nevada, and trailing in the polls ahead of the South Carolina primary, Bernie Sanders ramping up

his attacks on frontrunner Hillary Clinton, repeating calls for her to release transcripts of paid speeches she made to Wall Street banks.

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS, 2016 DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am very happy to release all of my paid speeches to Wall Street. Here it is, Chris.

There ain't none. I don't do that.

JOHNS: Clinton instead calling on the Vermont senator and their Republican rivals to do the same.

HILLARY CLINTON, FRM. U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Why is there one standard for me and not for everybody else, Chris?

(APPLAUSE)

CLINTON: I mean, I have been up front and strong on this issue for a long time, as strong, I would argue, as my esteemed opponent. So if people

are going to ask for things, everybody should be on a level playing field.

JOHNS: Clinton counterattacking, labeling Sanders a single issue candidate. But Sanders dismissed the one-note characterization.

SANDERS: What I am fighting for right now is a political revolution in which government starts working for working people and for the middle

class.

JOHNS: One common theme between the candidates, courting South Carolina's African-American voters who strongly support the president.

SANDERS: On the day Obama was inaugurated Republicans came together and said what are we going to do?

And what they concluded is we're going to obstruct, obstruct, obstruct. What you're seeing today in this Supreme Court situation is

nothing more than the continuous and unprecedented obstructionism that President Obama has gone through.

JOHNS (voice-over): Even calling questions about the president's birth certificate racially motivated.

SANDERS: The birther issue, which we heard from Donald Trump and others, a racist effort to try to delegitimatize the president of the

United States. My dad, as I mentioned, came from Poland. I'm running for president. Guess what? Nobody has asked for my birth certificate. Maybe

it's the color of my skin. I don't know.

JOHNS: Clinton's strategy appealing to voters with a personal touch.

CLINTON: I think it's important for people, and particularly for white people, to be honest about those and to recognize that our experiences may

not equip us to understand what a lot of our African American fellow citizens go through every single day.

JOHNS: But once again facing questions about her e-mails as a federal judge Tuesday paved the way for possible future subpoenas against Clinton

and her aides.

CLINTON: Every single time somebody has hurled these charges against me, which they have done, it's proved to be nothing. And this is no

different than that. I have turned over 55,000 pages of e-mails. Nobody in any cabinet position has ever been as transparent or open.

JOHNS: Sanders also opening up in a reflective moment.

SANDERS: If I let those people down who have faith in me, that's a scary thing when so many people have faith in your and believe you can do

something. So, it scares me very much. If I ever let those people down it would be a terrible, terrible thing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now, on Friday, a partial cease-fire is set to take effect in Syria. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syrian President Bashar al-

Assad spoke by phone earlier to discuss the truce.

Now, Syrian state TV reports Assad reaffirmed his commitment to the agreement brokered by Russia and the United States. The main opposition

group has also expressed support for the deal.

But, ISIS and the al Nusra Front, they are not part of the truce meaning attacks by them and against them could continue.

You're watching News Stream. And still ahead, cruise have discovered the wreckage of a small plane that crashed in Nepal. The latest in the

investigation into what caused the plane to go down.

Plus, a ghostly sight on the streets of Seoul. We'll tell you how Amnesty International helped a virtual protest to criticize the government.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:11:26] LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now, all 23 people on board a Tara Air flight that crashed in Nepal are feared dead. Now, the plane had just taken off from the town of

Pokhara when it crashed in a mountainous region in the northern part of the country. Now, crews say that they have located some bodies from the crash.

Our Sumnima Udas has been following this story. She joins us now live from New Delhi. Sumnima, what led to this tragedy? I ask because the

plane was new. The weather was clear. So why did this plane go down?

SUMNIMA UDAS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's still a bit of a mystery, Kristie. I was talking to some airline officials in Nepal and

they are saying that they're in a complete state of shock, because they just don't understand why this plane could have gone down, because as you

mentioned, this was a brand-new plane. It was imported just a few months ago from Canada. The pilot is one of the most respected pilots in Nepal.

With flying experience of some 30 years. And as you mentioned, the weather was clear, according to the aviation laws in Nepal. A plane cannot depart,

cannot take off unless there is 5,000 meters of visibility both in the departure location and also in the arrival location.

The departure locations, of course, being Pokhara, Nepal's second largest city, a very popular tourist destination. And Jomsom being the

arrival destination, which is, of course, the gateway to some of the most incredible trekking routes in Nepal, including the Annapurna range and the

Numasong (ph) valley.

But Jomsom, the airport in Jomsom is at a very high altitude at some 9,000 feet. You have to fly over some very high mountains to get there.

It is in the Tibetan plateau. It does gets windy quite often.

So, officials are saying the wind could have played a factor in this. They don't know for sure right now. But a similar plane crash on the same

route happened back in 2012 as well also for the same reasons, also for -- because it was very windy.

So officials aren't confirming for sure but we do get a sense that the weather could have played a role in this -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: OK. Sumnima Udas reporting for us. Many thanks indeed for that update.

Now, turning now to the South China Sea. And U.S. officials say that China has sent fighter jets to Woody Island, which is also claimed by

Vietnam and Taiwan.

Now, the U.S. says it is not the first time Chinese military planes have been placed there. But tensions have been on the rise recently.

Last week, the U.S. said China deployed surface-to-air missiles on the island. But Beijing media report defense facilities have existed there for

years.

Now, this all comes as the Chinese foreign minister met with the U.S. secretary of state in Washington, D.C.

Now, let's bring in Matt Rivers from Beijing. And Matt, we have got new tension in the South China Sea just as Wang Yi is meeting with John

Kerry in D.C. How are they are addressing this issue?

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right.

Well, they are addressing this issue the same way that they address all the other issues that face the U.S./China relationship and that is

towing that tightrope between two countries that have to work together on a regular basis in many, many different ways, but also have very competing

interests in the South China Sea.

And so you saw Secretary Kerry staying with his counterpart today in Washington. And reporters brought up at a press conference this latest

issue. While they didn't bring up fighter jets, they did bring up a report from a think tank that was talking about the possible installation of radar

equipment by China on some of these disputed islands. And Secretary Kerry, rather, addressed that issue. Here's a little bit of what he had to

say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[08:15:01] JOHN KERRY, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: If a radar is there for some sort of normal navigation process and there is no missile attached

to it, there are ways to work these things out.

But regrettably there are missiles and fighter aircraft and guns, artillery and other things that have been placed into the South China Sea.

And this is of great concern to everyone who transits and relies on the South China Sea for peaceful trade, commerce, and use.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIVERS: Now, although a relatively direct comment there from Secretary Kerry, I think what you also heard at that press conference and

in the statement that was issued afterwards, or the statement that was given, rather, by Secretary Kerry, you heard a lot of cooperation talked

about between both sides.

These are the country's two top diplomats. they know each other very well. They've met several times in the last month alone. And they both

recognize that China and the U.S. are inescapably linked, especially because of the incredible economic ties between the world's number one and

number two top economies.

And so, because of that, they work together on a regular basis. But their jobs are made that much harder by the kind of rhetoric that you see

from both sides on the issue.

Just yesterday, you heard the navy's top commander in the U.S. Pacific command talking about how he believes China is absolutely militarizing its

positions in the South China Sea. And then, just a few hours ago, Kristie, I was reading a commentary from state media here in China, which read in

part if there were a ranking for destabilizers in the South China Sea, there's no doubt Washington would top the list for the South China Sea

waters to be calm, Washington should first stop its ugly practice of smearing China.

So, with that kind rhetoric, Kristie, it makes their jobs for diplomacy that much harder.

LU STOUT: Yeah. Heated rhetoric coming from all sides. And Woody Island in the Paracel Chain is claimed again by China -- not just China,

but also Taiwan and Vietnam.

I mean, why? I mean, why is this area under such dispute?

RIVERS: Well, there have been -- as you mentioned right off the top, there's three different entities there that claim this island. That said,

they go back a very long time, these territorial disputes. China has occupied Woody Island for 50 plus years now. And so this goes back a long

way.

But I think why you see it coming to a head recently has a lot to do a lot with economics. You see access to trade routes in that area, access to

these exclusive economic zones that help decide shipping routes in that area. And you also see fishing rights, actually,

in this area, too.

So, these different countries claiming these different sorts of things within the economy. And you also see natural gas and oil exploration in

that area and so the country that can claim that island would therefore have some kind of upper hand, perhaps, with, you know, its economic actions

in that area.

And so this is an issue that has been sticking around a long time. And it's not going anywhere any time soon.

LU STOUT: All right. Matt Rivers reporting live from Beijing. Thank you.

And China is not the only country occupying territory in disputed waters, as we were discussing just then. The Asia Maritime Transparency

Initiative tracks activities of states in the region. It says Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan and Malaysia have built air strips and outposts in the

South China Sea.

Now, some are said to date back as far as just after World War II. But analysts say China has by far the largest airfield capable of

accommodating even bombers.

Now, human rights group Amnesty International held a protest in Seoul, but this was a virtual march using holographic images of protesters

chanting and waving banners.

Now CNN's Paula Hancocks explains why they decided to do this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is being dubbed the ghost rally. Ghostly figures emerging from the darkness to carry out a

rally here on one of the main squares in downtown Seoul.

Now, this unusual virtual rally has been organized by Amnesty. And they say they want to criticize what they see as South Korean government's

mishandling of visa (ph) protests. They say they wanted to hold this protest just outside the presidential Blue House, but the police banned

that. The police say that it would have caused too much traffic disruption. So they are holding it here.

120 volunteers and activists are part of this event. Just a couple of weeks ago, they all went into a studio in Seoul and they were filmed

protesting and marching and chanting in front of a green back drop. That was then edited together and it has been projected here as a hologram.

This is the second time that Amnesty has done this. They also carried out this ghost rally in

Spain in April of last year.

Now, the group says that in the three years since President Park Geun- hye was inaugurated, they believe that there has been a whittling down of the basic rights of freedom of expression. They say that more and more

protests have been banned. And they also say that the crowd control tactics being used by the police have increased.

We did speak to the police. They were unable to tell us whether or not that was the case.

But we know in November of last year, there was a massive rally. Police there used water cannon and pepper spray to control the crowds. And

just afterwards, a labor union rally that was due to be held was banned by police because they feared for the violence.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Seou.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now, innovative activism there in Seoul. Now, coming up next right here on news Stream, a mountain of rubbish is a hazard for one

of India's biggest cities. And just ahead, we're going to take you to Mumbai where the city is drowning in an ever-expanding garbage dump.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, you're back watching News Stream.

Now, south of New Delhi, a major hazard in India's most populous city, Mumbai, there is this mountain of garbage that's been growing for almost a

century. As Mallika Kapur reports, there is no quick fix here.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MALLIKA KAPUR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Always busy, always bustling, Mumbai is a city on the move. Home to factories, industry, 21

million people, and a lot of rubbish. It generates 10,000 metric tons of waste a day. Problem is,

there's no real way to get rid of it.

Much of it ends up here at the Dave Mara (ph) dumping ground on the edge of the city.

There's so much garbage over here. It smells really bad. And to be honest, it is quite hard to breathe. And if you look at this hill behind

me, this isn't actually a hill, it's 90 years of accumulated garbage.

From ground level, it is as high as a 10-story building.

RISHI AGGARWAL, ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST: And this was a wetland swamp. There were beautiful mangroves and...

KAPUR: This area was once green?

AGGARWAL: Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah.

KAPUR: Now, activists say it is a national embarrassment and a hazard. Part of the dump recently caught fire, a fire so big with so much

smoke it was visible from space.

You see the sun today, this man asks me? He lives across the dumping ground. That day, you couldn't see it. It was all black.

Why does this area catch fire?

AGGARWAL: See, I mean, if you look around here, the materials are clearly combustible. This is mixed with -- you are seeing a lot of

plastic, a lot of combustible material over there. And once it has baked in the sun it is completely dried then it becomes absolutely right for

being a fire to start.

KAPUR: He says Davnar (ph) should have been shut years ago.

We asked the head of the local city council what her plans for the dumping ground are? She said they wrote up a city-wide cleanliness

campaign and starting diverting some of the waste to another area, but the ultimate goal.

PALLAVI DARADE, MUNICIPAL COMMISSIONER: To scientifically cover the dump, or to remove it, or bio mine. So for that we are in the process of,

you know, finalizing the tenders and the people with whom we will be working.

KAPUR: She admits that could take a while.

As India continues to project itself as a growing super power, dumps like these are eyesores that critics say contradict its ambitious message.

Mallika Kapur, CNN, Mumbai.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: You're watching News Stream. And coming up on the program, a survivor of the deadly Fiji cyclone live tweets as her family's home is

ripped apart. We will hear her incredible story of survival just is after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(HEADLINES)

[08:31:02] LU STOUT: Nevada's GOP caucus results are yet another sign of how Donald Trump's momentum appears to be building. But what's fueling

the surge?

Now Jacob Parakilas is the assistant head at U.S. and Americas program at Chatham House, it's a London-based think tank. And he spoke to Max

Foster a short time ago about the billionaire's lead.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JACOB, PARAKILAS, CHATHAM HOUSE: I think Trump is drawing in people who wouldn't necessarily participate in the political process. It's been

observed time and time again that there is an undercurrent of anger, or an overcurrent of anger, even, that's running through this primary. And I

think Trump is appealing to people who feel disenfranchised from the existing political process. And they want to see someone who has no

connection to the existing political establishment.

FOSTER: If we look at the numbers, they are still coming in, aren't they? We are watching them very closely, because it's all about second

place right now, in Rubio and Cruz.

As long as those two are fighting it out amongst each other, it is good for Trump, isn't it? But it's very important who comes second.

PARAKILAS: It is. And at the moment it looks like Rubio by about a slightly over a percentage point.

But the problem is that as long as Trump continues to rack up victories by a margin of 15 percent or 20 percent, he has a very good

cushion going into the Super Tuesday primaries. And beyond that, the delegate proportional method goes from proportional to winner take all.

So, if Trump can continue to sort of maintain this momentum, he may start winning the very, very large pots of delegates, because the number

assigned so far have been relatively small compared to the 1,237 that you actually need for the nomination.

But at the point where Trump has notched up victories in states all over the country, states with different demographics, it is going to be

very difficult for one candidate, let alone four, to make the case against him.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now, there are a lot of states ahead and a lot of ground to cover.

Now, CNN's John King has this look at the Republican race.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A long way to go to the 1,200 plus you need to clinch the nomination. But again, he's three for four so far. And

momentum matters in politics.

Let's look ahead to Super Tuesday. A dozen states fill in. We give Ted Cruz Texas here. Looking for other states. You know, the Rubio people, this

is hypothetical now, folks, the Rubio people say maybe they'll win Minnesota.

For the sake of the argument let's give it to them. Donald Trump second, and Ted Cruz third and Kasich fourth. Even that, if Rubio wins

that, Donald Trump still starting to pull away. So, you look at the end of the night, maybe a couple other states and here to the competitive. But,

Anderson, this is the state of the republican race right now.

Donald Trump has won three of the first four states. In any past campaign people would be saying, wow, that's unstoppable. Is he

unstoppable? No. But if you have a continued race where the reaction tonight was, Kasich goes after Rubio, Cruz goes after Rubio and nobody goes

after Trump, the Trump campaigns feels very strongly that maybe they'll lose Texas on Super Tuesday.

They are going to compete, trust me. But maybe they'll lose Texas, maybe they'll lose one or two other, but they believe by next Tuesday night

we're going to be talking about a big Donald Trump lead in the delegate.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: John King there.

Now, if you want to crunch the numbers just like John King, just head to our website. You can find the current delegate estimates. You can

check out the calandar of upcoming key states on the road to the White House. It's all at CNNpolitics.com.

And we are hosting the final Republican debate ahead of those crucial Super Tuesday contests. You can watch that live on Friday 9:30 in the

morning in Hong Kong, 10:30 a.m. in Tokyo right here of course on CNN.

Now, the full scope of the devastation in Fiji is just beginning to be realized after the most powerful storm on record in the southern hemisphere

ripped through the country.

The death toll now stands at 42. And workers are scrambling to reach the hard-hit outer islands.

Now, the prime minister says that there are people out there who are without food, water, or shelter.

Now, one young woman survived by hiding in a cupboard with her family. Now, the power had gone out. And she tweeted from her phone in the dark.

She said this, the house is leaking and everyone is crying. Planning where to hide when the

entire roof comes off.

Now another said, quote, everybody is safe and in the cupboard with a mattress against us. No roof. Barely any house, but alive so far, thank

god.

Now, daylight broke and the extent of the damage was revealed. And she tweeted this, quote, can't even begin to comprehend how we survived.

Every room in the house is shredded to bits.

Now, earlier I spoke with this young woman, Kaila Takara (ph) and asked her to describe the moment she felt her house being torn apart.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAYLA TIKARAM, SURVIVED CYCLONE WINSTON: Oh, god. It was so terrifying, because we were at one side of the house and then we could hear

the roof tearing off. So we had to run through the house as the roof was tearing off to the other side. And we -- the doors were still open and

slamming around the place. And it just looked like one of those things you see in movies where everything is just torn out and flying above you and

everything was just going crazy. It was one of those totally out of body, it couldn't be real, kind of experiences. And it was absolutely

terrifying. Nothing, I think, anyone in Fiji ever wants to live through again.

I've heard stories. I was talking to some of my neighbors and people in the community afterwards and they were saying that during the eye of the

cyclone they had to just run through the fields and try to run to neighbor's houses. And stories of people running

through the streets yelling out for help because their house had been ripped away and things like that.

So, it is definitely terrifying for a lot of people.

LU STOUT: And as the cyclone tore apart your home and swept through Fiji, you were sharing the details in real-time on social media, on

Twitter. And I'm wondering just what gave you the strength and what compelled you to put aside your fear of what you were experiencing in that

moment to share your story with the world?

TIKARAM: I don't know if it was me putting aside my fear. I think it was more me being extremely terrified. I was really lucky we had

reception, because we live on a hill. And so me just being able to could hear everyone else in the other parts of the world kind of -- the

reassurance that people were out there was great. And I was really lucky to have that, because then I still am that we have this means of

communication available to us. And I know so many people who were on their phones.

LU STOUT: And we are very fortunate right now to be having this conversation because we know that power lines, communication lines are

very, very patchy at the moment in the wake of Cyclone Winston.

A final message from you how can the international community best help the people of Fiji right now?

TIKARAM: Oh, god, that's a big one. Well, just really go out of their way, you know, try to get supplies here. We need -- I know a lot of

organizations have been saying that they need money, but as as I can see where I live, in the really, really rural part of Fiji and isn't anything

getting through out here.

So, you know, we really just need food, clothing, support, infrastructure, small building tools, as many things as we can possibly get

over here would be absolutely brilliant.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now Cayla is also helping to track down survivors in Fiji who are struggling to contact relatives overseas as lines of communication

have been cut off.

You're watching News Stream. And we'll be back after this short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:40:00] LU STOUT: All this week we are on the road in India. And for our latest installment, we are exploring prayer and passion and the

evolving role of religion in the lives of India's youth

Now, Paula Newton takes us inside the Sikh faith and to the heart of its most sacred place of worship: The Golden Temple.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is the spiritual seat of the Sikh faith. And the children are heralding one of its most

important holidays, the birthday of the guru Govind Singh, 10th guru of the Sikh religion.

Navrit (ph), this is the excitement you promised me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.

NEWTON: Navrit Singh (ph) is my patient go-to guy of all things Sikh.

SINGH: Oh, we are going in here. We need to cover our head so that when you go inside you have the psyche of respecting someone.

We need to wash our feet here.

NEWTON: Wow, Navrit (ph), this is spectacular.

Now, hold that thought. Don't worry. We're coming back here. But mom is calling, Navrit's mom, in the central Calca (ph) orphanage.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I would say I'm a mother to these kid.

NEWTON: More than 300 boys who for many and varied reasons have been abandoned by their families and accepted into the Sikh faith.

UNIDENTIIFED FEMALE: When we teach them about our history, when they learn about the sacrifices that went into the making of their religion,

those inspiring stories, I think it adds to the strength of their character.

NEWTON: 13-year-old Kerpal Singh (ph) has been here for three years. Shy and soft spoken, it was tough to get more insight into how he feels

about life here. But he was passionate when he spoke of his faith and the peace it brings him.

UNIDENITIFIED MALE (through translator): If we live as brothers here, no one can break

that friendship. And if we live like this, no one can tear us apart. That's the way I feel.

NEWTON: Many of the boys come here and learn little about the Sikh religion. Now, they embody its ideals inside and out.

All have grown their hair and wear turbans, a practice adopted centuries ago as an article of faith.

Inside these walls, these boys will eventually face youthful pressure to abandon the faith's orthodoxy.

But it takes courage to withstand that, doesn't it, especially if you're 12, 13.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is no doubt about it. But that is where religion plays an

important part. Unless you take pride in your own history, unless you take pride in your own culture, you cannot take it forward.

NEWTON: Take it forward. And so we're back at The Golden Temple. With its glittering domes and expansive architecture, it embodies the key

tenets of the Sikh faith. It is open to all faiths.

While the young here seem to feel the excitement and occasion of it, I wonder if they can yet take the measure of what religion will mean to them

growing up.

They seem very reverent when they are here and solemn, but they also seem incredibly happy and festive.

SINGH: It is what you come here and achieve.

What I come here and get is totally different from what a fellow Sikh brother would get.

NEWTON: As religion continues to guide India's young through what will surely be some challenging times, key tenets of the Sikh faith:

inclusion, equality, pluralism, seem well placed to find enduring relevance with its youngest worshipers.

Paula Newton, CNN, Amritser (ph), India.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And that is News Stream. I'm Kristie Lu Stout. World Sport is next.

END