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Famed Music Producer George Martin Dead at 90; Upset Win for Sanders in Michigan; Japanese Resident Still Struggle Five Years After Fukushima Disaster; Thousands Caught in Limbo as Macedonia Keeps Borders Closed. New Aired 8:00a-9:00a ET

Aired March 09, 2016 - 8:00   ET

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


[08:13:44] KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST: Donald Trump there.

I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. Let's step away from CNN USA's coverage of a big night in the race for the White House and bring you a look at some

of the other major stories happening around the world.

And today on News Stream, the music world mourns a legend, the life and legacy of Beatles producer George Martin. We'll have a live report from

outside the famous Abbey Road studios in London.

Also ahead, North Korea claims it has nuclear warheads small enough to be carried on ballistic missiles. We'll show you where Pyongyang says the

weapons were made.

And as the European Union intensifies the effort to stop the flow of migrants, they're now finding that Greece is no longer the door into

Europe.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:15:35] LU STOUUT: Now, the music world has lost one of its most treasured producers. George Martin has died at the age of 90. Now he was

best known for redefining pop culture by launching the Beatles onto the world stage.

And during his career, Martin was honored with just about every award in the music industry. His management company says that he passed away

peacefully at home in England.

Let's bring in CNN's Erin McLaughlin. She is standing outside the famous Abbey Road Studios in London where many of the Beatles most famous hits

were recorded.

And Erin, how are people there gathering and remembering the life and work of George Martin?

ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, we're here outside Abbey Road Studios. There's a real tribute to the man and his music, the

man known as the Fifth Beatle. They're playing his songs. Abbey Road Studios put out a statement saying that they are dedicated to ensuring his

legacy, and that's because it was here in 1962 that he first discovered the Beatles at a time where every other record label was turning them away. He

saw talent. And he developed that talent.

And he had an incredible influence on their music as well, something that Paul McCartney highlighted today in a statement that he released, pointing

to some songs where he made an incredible impact, the song Yesterday, for instance, the string quartet in that song was Martin's idea. McCartney also

putting out a statement saying, quote, the world has lost a truly great man who left an indelible mark on my soul and the history of British music.

God bless you George and all you sail in you.

Martin was 90 years old. He passed away peacefully at his home last night, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Now, we've heard reaction from Paul McCartney, also from Ringo Starr earlier today.

What about additional reaction from other talents in the music world? How are they paying tribute to this legendary music producer?

MCLAUGHLIN: We have heard from Mark Ronson who put out a tweet as well highlighting really the fact that he redefined the role of the music

producer, bringing his -- marrying, really, his talent in the classical world of music with rock, the primal -- or the primitive, rather sounds the

Beatles were coming up with at the time. They worked together to shape that.

We also heard from Prime Minister David Cameron taking to Twitter as well as Ringo Starr. So, a number of voices coming out today to pay tribute to

George Martin.

LU STOUT: And beyond the Beatles, George Martin worked with many other artists and produced even James Bond theme songs. How prolific was he?

MCLAUGHLIN: His career spanned seven decades. He worked with any number of other artists, including Celine Dion as well as Elton John. We all

remember the song -- the version of the song Candle in the Wind that played in Princess Diana's funeral.

Well, he helped to produce that as well.

So, his work -- he had an incredible breadth of work. And it is something that people here on Abbey Road are gathering to remember today.

All right, Erin McLaughlin reporting live from Abbey Road. Thank you.

Now, reports out of North Korea are putting its neighbors on edge. And after the break, we examine frightening new claims by the rogue nation

about its nuclear capability.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:21:40] LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, you're back watching News Stream. Now, Iran state media reports the country has

carried out its second missile test in two days. Press TV says two ballistic missiles were

fired from Northern Iran, one capable of hitting targets 2,000 kilometers away. The other with a range of 1,700 kilometers.

Now, this week's tests are the first since Tehran signed nuclear teal with world powers in July. The U.S. says the tests may violate a UN resolution.

Iran denies that.

Now, tensions rising further on the Korean peninsula after Pyongyang claimed it has nuclear warheads small enough to fit on ballistic missiles.

North Korean media have pictures that show the leader visiting a facility said to be where the weapons remain.

Now, CNN's Paula Hancocks has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kim Jong-un says this is a

miniaturized nuclear warhead, a capability hoped North Korea would never reach, but some U.S. officials feared they already had.

The location and date of these photos is unknown. Intelligence agencies around the world will be poring over them to assess what it tells them

about the true capability of the nation that just days ago threatened nuclear war on the U.S. and South Korea.

Is this a real nuclear weapon? What kind of missile is this? And is this a blueprint blurred out behind Kim Jong-un?

South Korea casts doubt on its they said in a press release, "The South Korean Defense Ministry assess that North Korea, at this point, has not

secured the capability of miniaturizing a nuclear warhead."

North Korea observers say Kim Jong-un's message is the same whether the warhead is real or not.

DANIEL PINKSTON, TROY UNIVERSITY: This is part of the regime's long-term strategy to be accepted as a peer nuclear state. So they continue to

pressure the international community and to show that they will not reverse course.

This is a show of defiance.

HANCOCKS: Defiance it has shown all year. January 6 it claimed to have successfully tested a hydrogen bomb, a claim that was widely discredited.

February 7, a satellite launch seen outside the country as a long-range missile test.

Unprecedented UN sanctions against North Korea last week were met with Kim Jong-un calling for his nuclear weapons to be on stand by.

Joint military drills between the U.S. and South Korea this week were met with threats of a preemptive nuclear strike.

While experts don't actually believe that Kim Jong-un would launch a nuclear

strike, saying it would be suicidal they do worry about a miscalculation by the young leader, or even an error by an individual soldier on either side

of the border, which could quickly escalate while tensions are this high.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Seoul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LUS TOUT: As North Korea threatens attack on nations it considers enemies, a humanitarian group says it is also tightening the grip on its own people.

Amnesty International reports some citizens are being persecuted for using mobile phones to contact families who fled abroad.

Earlier, I talked to the group's East Asia director Nicholas Bequelin, and I started by asking how the country is monitoring its citizens.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICHOLAS BEQUELIN, EAST ASIA DIRECTOR, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL: Well, our new report shows that the North Korean authorities have developed a multi-

pronged approach to cracking down on telecommunications.

First, they have increased -- they have stepped up the technological control over mobile phone use so that they can detect who is using the

mobile phone. Secondly, they have increased the repression, arresting and sending people to prison for making phone calls overseas. And third, they

have engaged to general intimidation of the population in terms of using mobile phones that are linked to

the Chinese network or receiving any kind of information from South Korea.

LU STOUT: And just to back up a bit, many people are surprised that there are mobile phones capable of making international calls inside North Korea.

Where are these phones from?

BEQUELIN: Well, they're called Chinese mobile phones, because they are mobile phones who are smuggled inside North Korea from the Chinese sides.

The availability of these mobile phones and SIM cards grew with the growing private economy in North Korea that came out of the famine of the mid-'90s.

And so you have to be close enough to the Chinese border to actually hook up

your signal, your mobile phone to the Chinese telecom centers, and that's where the North Korean government and the secret police are sort of roaming

along the border and trying to capture anyone who is using that signal and arrest people.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Nicholas Bequelin there.

Now, a board game victory marks a huge step for artificial intelligence. Now, Google's Deepmind AI program has won the first round against the

world's top Go champion Lee Sedol. This is the second time AlphaGo defended a human go professional.

Last October, it scored its first big victory. And now it will face Lee in four more matches to test just how smart it can be.

Now the ancient Chinese game has long been considered too complex for computers to master. Deepmind CEO explains there are more possible moves

in Go than atoms in the universe, so the game is based more on intuition than brute calculations.

After the break, we've got more on the big night on the road to the White House. Bernie Sanders pulled off a big surprise by taking the state of

Michigan. We'll hear reaction from his campaign manager next.

Also ahead, Europe's migrant crisis. Refugees set up temporary shelters at a Greek port, and CNN speaks to volunteers there who are lending them a

helping hand.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(HEADLINES)

[08:31:20] LU STOUT: Now let's turn back now to the big night for Bernie Sanders. Voters in the U.S. state of Michigan gave a big jolt to his

campaign on Tuesday as he won a surprise victory in the state's primary.

Now, Sanders's campaign manager spoke with CNN's New Day a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALISYN CAMEROTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What the Sanders camp next move?

Joining us now is Bernie Sanders campaign manager, Jeff Weaver.

Jeff, great to have you here.

JEFF WEAVER, BERNIE SANDERS CAMPAIGN MANAGER: Great to be here.

CAMEROTA: Congratulations on last night.

WEAVER: Thank you very much. Thank you.

CAMEROTA: So, the polls and the pundits got it wrong but obviously you have internal polling you don't share with the public. Were you surprised by

what happened?

WEAVER: Well, I made a private prediction to some reporters, including some of your reporters yesterday, that it was going to be in the negative 7 to

plus 2 range. So I'm feeling pretty good today actually.

CAMEROTA: But you are the only person who had that kind of polling. Everybody thought Hillary Clinton was going to run away with it.

WEAVER: Well, I'm not sure that that's true. I think the Clinton campaign at the time was saying it was tighter than the public polls were showing,

and the fact that the secretary spent so much time in Michigan I think demonstrated the fact they thought this was closing.

CAMEROTA: OK, let's talk how Bernie Sanders did it. What did he do so winningly in Michigan?

WEAVER: Well, I think he -- to him, winning Michigan was his clear message on the trade policies, right?

Michigan is a state that's been devastated by bad trade deals. He's opposed every one and Secretary Clinton has supported almost every one. So, you

know, people in Michigan know what the real impact of that this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now, trade was the issue that gave him the state. That was Bernie Sanders campaign manager speaking to CNN's New Day earlier.

Now, the two contenders on the Democratic side are set to meet head-to-head once again. And CNN will simulcast the Univision Democratic Debate in

Miami, Florida. The growing number of U.S. Latino voters is likely to be front and center. That is at 10:00 a.m. Thursday in Hong Kong right here

on CNN.

Now, turning to the latest in the European migrant crisis. News agencies report Macedonia has completely blocked off what it calls illegal

migrants. Now, it took in no refugees at all from Greece on Tuesday. This follows similar moves by Slovenia, Croatia, and Serbia. And the number of

of migrants moving into these countries has already slowed to a trickle in recent weeks, leaving thousands stranded at the Greek-Macedonian border. A

sea of tents there.

Now others are stuck at a port in the Greek capital. And some have fled war in Syria and Iraq

hoping to rebuild their lives in mainland Europe, but as Atika Shubert reports, for some the dream has

so far remained out of reach.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Piraeus Port, the gateway to Athens. But for many refugees, it is no longer the doorway to Europe.

Most mornings, ferries arrive from the islands. The tourists come off first. Then the refugees. They

carry bundles of blankets, s rolled up tents in one arm, babies in the other all with the same destination.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Germany.

SHUBERT: Germany.

There has been a lot of confusion and chaos here. Nobody is really sure where to go. There is a bus, but it really only brings people around the

terminal. And there is no official here to tell them where to go next.

We do see a single UN official attempting to figure out who needs what. But many refugees simply set up temporary homes inside the port.

But where there are few officials, there are plenty of volunteers.

Soliris Alexopoulos was laid off in the debt, so he turned to helping the homeless and now refugees. But since the borders north have been closing,

he says, their work has changed.

SOLIRIS ALEXOPOULOS, VOLUNTEER: Food, clothing, and medical care. Snd then we would see them off on their buses to the board.

SHUBERT: But that has changed now.

ALEXOPOULOS: That has changed now, and this change means that we overnight we became a camp.

[08:35:07] SHUBERT: Greeks, heavily in debt, deep in unemployment, know what it is like to need a helping hand. Athens residents stream in with

donations.

Nearby Johnson & Johnson sponsors a children's play area that also sevens as a waiting room

for an on site pediatrician and a children's dentist.

But the days are hot, the wait is long, and the border is still not open.

This is a group of Afghan refugees demanding that Macedonia open up the border.

But their demands are not heard.

As governments bicker over what to do, ordinary Greeks do what they can to help. The refugees wait, facing a choice: stay in Greece and hope to be

legally accepted is as an asylum seeker and relocated somewhere in Europe, or keep moving, whether illegal or not.

Atika Shubert, CNN, at Piraeus Port in Athens, Greece.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And despite the danger and misery, thousands of migrants risk their lives to reach the shores of Europe. We have links on our website to

organizations that are on the ground working to go help. And you can also learn about what the refugees are going through.

It's all at CNN.com/Impact.

Now, Japan prepares to mark the grim anniversary of one of its worst nuclear disasters ever. CNN visits the survivors of Fukushima. And many

say that they are still struggling.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now sky gazers across Asia were treated to a total solar eclipse. Now, it happens when the moon moves directly between the Earth and the sun, casting

a shadow on the Earth. And Indonesia had the best view.

The eclipse was partially visible in Singapore, Hawaii and northern Australia. And passengers on board this Alaska Airlines plane were able to

see it from above the clouds. The airline delayed its flight time by 25 minutes to allow passengers to get a good view. And it tweeted this once

in a lifetime photo.

Now, it has been five years since the Fukushima nuclear disaster. And tens of thousands are still

living in what was supposed to be temporary housing.

Now, March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.0 struck Japan. And the ensuing tsunami triggered a nuclear meltdown

Now, Will Ripley takes us inside Fukushima where abandoned towns remain and memories of the disaster are frozen in time.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Whenever Sojiro Saito (ph) wants to check on his home, he has to wear this to guard against radiation.

Saito only comes a few times a year to the house his family has owned since before World War II, each visit more difficult than the last, each room

devastated. Poison does little to keep the rats away.

"It's painful," he says. "My wife doesn't want to come here. The house is getting more dilapidated."

This room pretty much hasn't been touched since the earthquake. You can see the calendar, March 2011. There's still laundry hanging that was done

right before the earthquake hit.

The shaking lasted six minutes, tsunami waves soon after, icy cold, consuming coastal towns.

Five years ago, on March 11, 2011, almost 20,000 people died, many spared by nature would soon face a man made disaster.

Saido house is three kilometers, less than two miles from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. His town, Futaba (ph), sits empty. More than 6,000

people once lived and worked here.

Today, they're allowed in for just five hours at a time. Nearly 100,000 Fukushima residents are still evacuated, nearly 19,000 still living in what

was supposed to be temporary housing.

Some choose to stay, others have nowhere else to go.

Sesuko Matsumoto (ph) used to live within walking distance of her children, now they barely see each other.

"I had a happy life," she says. "The disaster made a lot of families fall apart, including mine."

Saito also lived with his parents, children, and grandchildren. Now, they're scattered in several cities.

What did you grow in here?

The soil on his farm contaminated. .

"I'm sad," he says. "I'm empty."

A feeling shared by so many here five years later.

Will Ripley, CNN, Futaba (ph), Japan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Just haunting video there.

Five years on, workers inside the crippled Daiichi nuclear power plant are continuing the

decommissioning. But it could take 40 years.

It is now stable, but the plant's operator says progress is slow.

Now, they're often called heroes, braving high radiation levels and grueling working conditions. An email sent from one of the workers inside

the plant in 2011 said this, quote, "crying is useless. If we are all in hell now, all we can do is crawl up towards heaven."

And that is News Stream. I'm Kristie Lu Stout. And I want to leave you now with a look at those workers as they continue their vital work inside

the nuclear plant.

END