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Suicide Bombings Rock Iraq; Negotiating for Ceasefire in Syria; LGBT Activists Fear for Their Lives in Bangladesh; Philippines Elect First Transgender Congresswoman; Breaking Records to Highlight Human Trafficking; Tim Cook's First India Trip As Apple CEO; China's Start-Up Incubators Grow Ideas Into Reality; New App To Help Tourists Travel Vietnam. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired May 17, 2016 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:15] KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong and welcome to NEWS STREAM.

Suicide bombings rock the capital of Iraq, killing at least 21 people as ISIS steps up its campaign of terror in and around Baghdad.

Now, fearing for their lives. CNN speaks with members of the LGBT community in Bangladesh who feel they're being hunted after a string of

murders.

And first China, now India. Tim Cook arrives in the continent for the first time as Apple chief executive.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

LU STOUT: Just in to CNN the last five minutes, a third suicide attack has just hit the capital of Iraq. This one a car bomb in Sadr City. That's

according to security officials. ISIS has claimed responsibility for one of several attacks that happened earlier in the day. In a statement posted

to social media, the group says it is behind twin blasts at a market in Northern Baghdad. A short time later, there was a suicide bombing at

another market in Southern Baghdad. Now at least 21 people are dead.

For the latest on what's happening in the Iraqi capital, let's bring in Jomana Karadsheh. She joins us now live from Amman, Jordan. And, Jomana,

we're getting some very disturbing details about all of these attacks. What more have you learned?

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, as you mentioned, in the last few minutes we are hearing from Iraqi officials about this third

attack taking place in Sadr City, in the eastern part of the capital, that is the Shia slum so densely populated, and a market area there was also

targeted. At least seven people killed there and 21 others wounded.

Of course, as you mentioned, this coming after several other attacks that we have seen during the day. Two attacks earlier. One, the deadliest so

far, Ashab (ph), is in northern Baghdad. There, ISIS claiming responsibility for that attack, saying it was a suicide bomber who struck,

but first threw grenades at the civilians in this area and then detonated a suicide vest. We heard, Kristie, from Iraqi officials initially saying

that attack may have been carried out by a female suicide bomber, but so far no confirmation or word from Iraqi officials on these initial

statements.

And then another bombing, a suicide bombing, again in the southern outskirts of Baghdad, also targeting a market. Three people killed.

Really devastating attacks, Kristie, coming after those past couple of weeks where we've seen this stepped-up campaign by ISIS. While two of

these attacks so far have not been claimed by ISIS, but is these sort of attacks that have been claimed by the group in the past. And, of course,

again, Sadr City hit today. It's still reeling from that devastating attack, that horrific attack, that we saw striking a market last week with

scores killed, including women and children, Kristie.

LU STOUT: And we have three new devastating bombings in Baghdad today. Are these attacks further undermining the people's confidence in the Iraqi

government?

KARADSHEH: Well, Kristie, after these attacks in the past couple of weeks, if you talked to Iraqis, they actually blame their politicians for what is

going on in the country. They know very well what political divisions and political differences create in that country. They realize that ISIS does

thrive on this sort of political chaos and, as we know, Iraq is going through a very serious political crisis, one of the worst crises in a very

long time, and they know that ISIS will try to exploit this kind of situation to try and exacerbate the sectarian tensions in the country, to

try and drive Iraq back to that sectarian war that engulfed the country for years.

So they first blame their politicians. They want to see them work together to try and stop ISIS from trying to exploit this. But at this point in

time, Kristie it doesn't look like the political crisis is anywhere close to being resolved.

LU STOUT: All right, Jomana Karadsheh reporting on the latest, the situation in Baghdad. Many thanks indeed for your reporting.

Now international leaders are right now meeting in Vienna to try to implement a cease-fire in Syria. Now the truce has largely broken down.

The U.S. and Russia are leading the talks with several European and Middle Eastern countries. And as these talks progress, the Syrian government has

been implementing its own solution to the conflict.

Our Fred Pleitgen has more on that from the Syrian capital.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[08:05:03] FREDERIK PLETIGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Like so many places in Syria, the Qadam neighborhood in

Damascus is scarred by five years of war. But now, some civilians are returning.

"I was forced out of here three years ago. This is the first time I'm able to go back," this woman says.

The Syrian army says a local reconciliation project helped silence the guns here, enticing some rebels like this man to lay down their arms. "I think

reconciliation like this is the only way forward," he says. "Even though it might take some time for many rebels to latch on to the idea."

The Syrian military claims between 150 and 200 rebels have defected in Qadam, leading to a dramatic drop in violence.

(on camera): As you can see, there's widespread destruction here in this front line neighborhood, but believe it or not, the military commander for

this district says it could have been even worse. They wouldn't have had the reconciliation program, and if the fighting would have gone on even

longer.

(voice-over): But the United States and the U.N. are skeptical of programs like this one. Instead of local projects, they want to strengthen a

nation-wide cease-fire in Syria and jump-start the political reconciliation process for the whole country.

Many rebel factions also don't trust the Syrian government, believing they'll be locked up or worse if they lay down their guns.

But this member of the Qadam Reconciliation Council shows me lists of names he claims proved that many rebels are taking up the government's offer.

"The names in green are the one whose have been accepted into national reconciliation," he says. "So they are now free to go anywhere without

fearing punishment."

While this project may have yielded some results in this neighborhood of Syria's capital, the U.N. believes only nationwide reconciliation, backed

and supervised by powerful nations like the U.S. and Russia, can overcome the distrust between the warring factions and move the effort to end

Syria's civil war forward.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Damascus.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: In Bangladesh, the chief murder suspect behind the brutal killing of two LGBT rights activists is behind bars, but many from this

targetd community are in hiding, saying that they fear for their lives. Alexandra Field visited the country's capital and talked with some who have

taken their identity underground.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're not on Facebook. They're not informed. I'm not able to contact with anyone.

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Your friends have disappeared?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. The big shots have disappeared.

FIELD: Because they're afraid?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's normal. They should be afraid, like, they should be, but this is what the situation is right now.

FIELD (voice-over): In Bangladesh, a country of 160 million people, LGBT activists are living in the shadows.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Before it was just not accepting people. Now it's killing people.

FIELD (on camera): How many of your friends have just left. Left the country?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I know one girl, she left the country. You know, I know another girl, she left the country. And they are not going to come

back. Why they should come back, actually? To die?

FIELD (voice-over): Bangladesh's LGBT community and their supporters say they've been forced into hiding ,in fear for their lives following the

murder of two LGBT leaders, killings claimed by ISIS militants who call mop homosexuality un-Islamic.

(on camera): This is where Xulhaz Mannan and Tanay Mojumdar died, right inside this building. Both men were gay rights activists and they had been

threatened before. Police say that a group of five or six men posing as couriers burst into the building, armed with machetes, and hacked the men

to death. Mannan's mom and another woman were both inside.

(voice-over): Gay sex is outlawed in Bangladesh where Mannan was pushing boundaries publishing the country's first LGBT magazine called "Roopbaan".

Those connected to the publication say it was risky from the start. Even the printers received threats. But it was bringing hope to people who had

little.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We LGBT people are treated like animals here. We are treated like we are born in the wrong way. We have no rights to stay in

this world and we have no right to love someone.

FIELD: We're protecting the identity of two secular bloggers and this university student who says he's routinely teased and taunted for his

sexuality. Now the threat is getting worse.

(on camera): When you started posting and writing in support of marriage equality, did you realize you were putting yourself in danger?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was just feeling like I'm writing for the truth, and writing for my rights. But when I have written this, I have started

feeling that I am in grave danger and now I am feeling like this -- I'm really in danger and I can be murdered at anywhere and at any time.

[08:10:05] FIELD (voice-over): Mannan's death leaves the future of his magazine unclear, that symbol of hope people are now even more desperate

for.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: For more on the story, Alexandra Field joins us here in Hong Kong.

And as we saw in your report, with LGBT activists in Bangladesh under threat in Bangladesh, living in fear, what will happen to gay rights and

gay activism in the country?

FIELD (on camera): Right, they have questions about their own lives and also this movement that they are so dedicated to. And tell us when they sit

down and talk to them that they have always been on the margins of society in Bangladesh. They know that homosexual acts can be punished with prison

time. They thought as they became public in a fight for gay rights that they would have problems with police, that they could face jail time. They

did not think their lives would be at risk.

So they tell me that they're making tough choices right now. They're trying to figure how you continue this fight in a public way, how do you

try and force some public action, without endangering your lives. And we actually spoke to people who worked on "Roopbaan" and they told me that

they don't know what the direction forward is right now. They hope to get that magazine back out, but they say they've actually stopped

communicating, the staff itself has stopped communicating. That's how far underground they want to go for fear that people could pick up on their

communication.

LU STOUT: So they basically put activism on hold, given this climate of fear in Bangladesh. You've spoken to authorities in Bangladesh when you

were there in the country. Do you think they have the political will to protect these people and to crack down and end the killings?

FIELD: Government officials are going to tell you across the board, and they did when we spoke to them, that yes, they are trying to go after the

assailants in these cases. And they'll point to the fact that there have been arrests that have made following a number of these hacking deaths.

The problem, when you speak to the public, is the fact that so few of these arrests have actually resulted in convictions, and the full extent of

prosecution of these cases. Government officials have spent a lot of time saying that political opponents are organizing these assassinations despite

the fact that you have extremist groups who have come out and publicly claimed responsibility, and you've got the victims and you've got members

of the public and people who are living in fear who are saying the government's rhetoric is simply not strong enough in this case. In fact,

you've officials who have come out and said two of the victims and to potential targets that they should actually one down their rhetoric so as

not to attract attention and endanger themselves. That has not set well with those people, of course.

LU STOUT: Alex, we thank you for bringing these reports from Bangladesh here to CNN and fixing the world's attention on what's been happening

there. Alexandra Field reporting, thank you.

Now voters make a difference in the Philippines by electing Geraldine Roman, a transgender woman, to the House of Representatives. The 49-year-

old says her popularity has more to do with letter policies than her gender. Nonetheless, it is a huge step forward for the LGBT community in

the heavily Catholic country. And I spoke with her just a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GERALDINE ROMAN, PHILLIPPINE CONGRESSWOMAN: I never expected so much media hype, but I am beginning to understand why they call it a breakthrough.

Given the generally conservative stance of -- well, the people, and the influence of the Catholic Church, some people consider it a breakthrough.

But, really, for me it's -- well it is technically historical, but -- I can't seem to understand fully the reason why. Just another politician who

happens to be transgender.

LU STOUT: It is a historic election victory, and also a poignant one, because you are bullied for your gender identity in school and now you've

been elected into Congress. So what is your message for transgender people? Not just in the Philippines but around the world?

ROMAN: Gender is not an important issue, really. The capacity of a person to serve his or her country does not depend on our gender. It depends on

what you have in your heart and the ideas that you have, and your desire to help other people. So it's not something that has to depend on one's

gender.

I was bullied in school, and even during the campaign, you know, they tried to make an issue out of my gender. But the people have shown that we have

matured as a society, and people did not mind my being a transgender woman.

LU STOUT: And what do you hope to achieve for the people you represent?

ROMAN: I represent the first district of (INAUDIBL). So first and foremost, I have their socioeconomic welfare on my mind. It is my

priority. But of course I want to legislate laws that will benefit not only my district but my whole country as well. So I was thinking possibly a

bill that could affect and could benefit the LGBT community would be the anti-discrimination bill. And, of course, I want other people of the same

condition to have this opportunity to change your legal gender and their legal standing.

LU STOUT: We know that religion plays a very, very powerful role in the Philippines. So how do you plan to reconcile certain religious beliefs

there as well as LGBT rights?

[08:15:05] ROMAN: You know, our religious beliefs are something very personal. So my personal belief is this -- you can reconcile the fact that

you're Catholic -- I am a practicing Catholic -- with the fact that I'm trying to be true to myself. You know, I went to Catholic schools and I

have not met really rejection, any type of rejection on the part of the priests who are running that school. They are Jesuits. I went to

(INAUDIBLE) de Manila. And in fact they were the ones who encouraged me to be my best self.

And I remember the advise they gave to me before I sought -- before I underwent sex reassignment surgery. They told me, Geraldine, if you -- the

body is just a shell. If you believe that by modifying the outside you can become a more loving, more generous, a happier person, go ahead. Because

what is important is the what you have in your heart because God looks at the heart and not what you have in between your legs. So I don't see any

conflict.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Geraldine Roman there, an inspiration.

Now security has been heightened across Hong Kong because of this man. Zhang Dejiang, a top Chinese party official, is visiting the city and

authorities are very concerned about protests. Discontent has been rising in Hong Kong ever since the so-called umbrella protests in 2014. And

activists continue to accuse Beijing of stepping on Hong Kong's freedom. Some say the government is turning a blind eye.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NATHAN LAW, PRO-DEMOCRACY PROTESTER: The government was trying to -- to create a scene which -- that there is nothing happening in Hong Kong, that

everyone loves the Communist Party. And we have to scratch this kind of mask to say that, actually, there's a lot of people in Hong Kong protesting

and fighting for democracy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: And that was Hong Kong activist Nathan Law, who was apprehended by police while protesting today. Police they say they have designated

areas for protesters to stage demonstrations.

You're watching NEWS STREAM.

And still ahead, a human trafficking survivor hopes to empower others through breaking a world record. Her long journey to overcome her past.

Plus it is primary day for two U.S. states. We'll tell you what's at stake in this latest round of contests in the U.S. race for president.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: How a human trafficking survivor says she smashed the world record for a series of triathlons to help empower others. Now her message

to fellow survivors is clear: be relentless.

Kyung Lah has more on her journey in this CNN Freedom Project report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't know if -- what's going to make the final cuts here.

[08:20:00] KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hollywood would have a tough time matching the drama of Norma Bastidas' life.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were trying to interweave the triathlon with what's happening in human trafficking.

LAH (voice-over): The first woman to run seven of the planet's most unforgiving ultra-marathon on all seven continents received plenty of

recognition for the accomplishment. But the world record-holder didn't quite feel complete until she came forward about her own violent past.

NORMA BASTIDAS, WORLD RECORD-HOLDER: I remember being drugged and beat up and almost murdered when I was 24.

LAH: Bastidas was trafficked twice, once kidnapped and abused in Mexico City and several years later lured to Japan by a fake modeling agency.

BASTIDAS: What I didn't know is just that I was being sold to the highest bidder, and I get bought by a prominent person and I become his property.

It was hell. It was hell.

LAH: The abuses suffered in her younger years might have broken most people, but it lit a fire inside Bastidas to do things others might think

impossible.

BRAD RILEY, FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT, IEMPATHIZE: The next thing I know she's on the phone with me going, I want to do something big for human

trafficking and to face this in my own life and to make it an anthem for other survivors.

LAH: In 2014, Bastidas set out to break the Guinness record for world's longest triathlon. Over the course of several months, she ran, biked, and

swam more than 3,700 miles -- traveling from Cancun, Mexico, to Washington, D.C., following a known route of human trafficking victims.

RILEY: Norma is one of the fiercest women I've ever met.

LAH: Together with the anti-trafficking organization, iEmpathize, Norma's story is now the subject of a documentary called "Be Relentless".

RILEY: After all of this, from Cancun, Mexico City, to D.C., she did her final leg all through the night. 24 hours straight. Almost 100 miles.

And I think what she was trying to tell everyone was sometimes you have to face new challenges, even when you've conquered old ones.

BASTIDAS: Human trafficking is what happened to you. It's not who you are. Every single time we doubt that a victim has potential, we are

saying, because of what happened it's your fault. And that's so wrong. We can prove that we can overcome anything. We're here. We're standing.

LAH: And that might be the greatest ending of all.

Kyung Lah, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: An extraordinary woman and an amazing story there.

Nearly five years in captivity, finally free. Now it is the first time Shahbaz Taseer, the son of a Pakistani politician, has spoken to any

Western journalist. In this exclusive interview with CNN, never before heard details about Taseer, who was snatched off the streets by a brutal

Islamist group in 2011. And here he describes his confinement and torture.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHAHBAZ TASEER, HELD CAPTIVE FOR YEARS BY ISLAMIST GROUP: My living conditions were abysmal and I was tortured for about a year in these

extravagant Hollywood-style movies that they would make for my family to put pressure on them, to put pressure on the government. It started off

with them lashing me with rubber whips, for my family. I think the first day was 100. It went up to 200. They would carve my back open with blades

and throw salt. They would -- they sewed my mouth shut and starved me for a week.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Some grisly details there. Now, Taseer went on to say that the silent majority in Pakistan, they need to mobilize against extremist

violence.

Turning now to the U.S. election and polls are open in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is one of two states holding contests in yet another round of

presidential primaries. Kentucky already held its Republican caucus, so it is down to the Democrats this time. Oregon is holding primaries for both

Democrats and Republicans.

Likely Republican nominee Donald Trump may have fought off his rivals on the campaign trail, but now he is battling "The New York Times" over what

he says is a false account of his past. A lawyer for Trump says he may sue "The Times" over an article portraying his treatment of many women as

sexist.

Now all this happening as some conservative Republicans question whether Trump really is the future of their party. They're now trying to draft

their own third-party candidate.

Phil Mattingly reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Donald Trump changing his tone from bombastic --

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I went to the Wharton School of Finance. I was a great student. I built a fortune.

MATTINGLY: -- to everyday American.

TRUMP: I view myself as a person that, like everybody else, is fighting for survival. That's all I view myself as, and I really view myself now as

somewhat of a messenger.

[08:25:03] MATTINGLY: As the anti-Trump movement is struggling to find a figurehead, unable to entice a candidate to join the fray with a third-

party run.

GOV. JOHN KASICH (R-OH), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: A third-party candidacy would be viewed as -- as kind of a silly thing and I don't think

it's appropriate.

MATTINGLY: John Kasich, the Ohio governor and former presidential candidate, telling CNN he won't take the plunge.

KASICH: I gave it my best where I am, and I just think running third-party doesn't feel right. I think it's not constructive.

MATTINGLY: Billionaire Mark Cuban also contacted about a possible run, also in the no column.

MARK CUBAN, OWNER, DALLAS MAVERICKS: It's impossible for it to work. There's not enough time to get on ballots. The hurdles are too great.

It's a ridiculous effort, so I passed.

MATTINGLY: For conservatives like Erick Erickson and Bill Kristol, a very real effort with a very small window to get it off the ground. They need a

candidate, donor commitments, and they need a legal pathway -- one that includes tens of thousands of signatures just to qualify for ballot access.

All as deadlines loom -- or in the case of Texas, have already passed.

Meanwhile, Trump is battling with "The New York Times" via Twitter over their front page article about his inappropriate behavior with women.

Trump's attorney leaving the door open to filing suit.

JILL MARTIN, TRUMP ORGANIZATION ATTORNEY: I think that is a distinct possibility.

MATTINGLY: "The Times" standing by their story.

MICHAEL BARBARO, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": Our goal was to pull back and say, how does he interact in the office with someone who he's dating or trying

to date? And that was the purpose of our story.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And that was Phil Mattingly reporting there. And as for the Democrats, Hillary Clinton is looking for a win against rival Bernie

Sanders in Kentucky.

Let's take a look how things are standing right now. Clinton needs an estimated 140 more delegates to shut out Sanders and thus secure the

nomination, but he's been enjoying a string of big wins lately. Now, Clinton is hoping to dampen his momentum today.

And do stay with CNN all day as Republicans and Democrats vote in Oregon, and Democrats make their choice for nominee in Kentucky. That's all day

Tuesday, right here on CNN.

Now, it's good-bye, China, and hello, India, for the CEO of Apple. Can Tim Cook work his charms and help the iPhone better compete in India's

smartphone market? We'll have more on his trip.

And while Apple woos consumers in India, start-ups in China are trying to get their foot in the door. We'll look at a growing tech industry there,

next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:30:04] LU STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching NEWS STREAM and these are your world headlines.

(HEADLINES)

LU STOUT: Tim Cook is visiting India for the first time as the CEO of Apple. According to a source with knowledge of the trip, he is expected to

meet with the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi. Mr. Modi is a key supporter of India's growing ties to Silicon Valley. Our New Delhi bureau

chief, Ravi Agrawal, is monitoring the story for us, he joins us now, and Ravi, what is on Tim Cook's agenda there in India?

RAVI AGARWAL, CNN NEW DELHI BUREAU CHIEF: Kristie, well, Apple has yet to release an agenda for what Tim Cook is officially here for, but as you say,

he is going to meet Narendra Modi, India's prime minister. They've met once before and it's fair to say that on the agenda on this trip will be

two things that Apple has been trying to achieve in India for quite a while. One would be opening an Apple store. China, for example, has 32

Apple stores. India has a grand total of zero. The reason behind that is that in part, it is unable to get past Indian regulations which state that

30 percent of every phone has to be manufactured or sourced in India and Apple hasn't been able to do that so far. The other thing Apple is

obviously trying to do in India as well is to sell its refurbished phones here. And the reason why it's trying to do that is that India remains a

pretty low-cost market. Most Indians can't afford an iPhone and that's why Apple wants to try and capture that segment of the market, but it was

denied permission when it applied last year and when it applied this year, so you would imagine that that is one more thing that they're try and put

on Narendra Modi's plate this time when Tim Cook gets to meet him this week.

LU STOUT: And just how important is India potentially to Apple's bottom line?

AGARWAL: Well, it's interesting that you said potentially there, Kristie, because right now on the actual bottom line, if you parse through Apple's

numbers on its last quarter, India probably won't represent more than one percent of global sales for Apple. But therein lies the catch. On the

last earnings call that Tim Cook ran, he said that global sales had declined for the first time in 13 years. India went the other way. It was

up by 56 percent. And so that's why there's a lot of interest not just for Apple but a number of smartphone makers from many countries. They're

trying to come into India because this is a market that is booming when it comes to smartphones. There are 300 million Indians online right now.

There are 1 billion more who are not. Most of the growth on the internet in India is going to come from people who are discovering the internet on

smartphones, not on PC's.

LU STOUT: All right. Ravi Agarwal, reporting live from New Delhi for us. Many thanks indeed for that. Take care.

Now Tim Cook's visit to India comes on the back of one to China and the country's tech scene there is certainly growing, with yet again a new

generation of young entrepreneurs looking to jump in. As part of our series called China's tech revolution, Matt Rivers visits a state-sponsored

start-up pub.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Playing the guitar is cool. And yet, (ph) Jong Bohan calls himself a geek because he developed the app that helped

teach him to play. The app is called Poputar. Think popular guitar. A series of lessons on your phone shows you what to play. The guitar that

comes with it connects to the app and lights up spots where you're supposed to position your fingers and voila, you're Jimi Hendrix.

We met up with Jong and his partner, (ph) Jao Yan, in a cafe up the street from the office. Along with another partner, the trio hatched their plan

back in 2014 around these tables. He says, this is where people with an idea but no money, connected friends, or resources meet up. The garage

cafe, where the next big idea is just one espresso away, is an incubator where people rent small space to help launch their tech companies. It's

one of 40 or so on this street alone, called (ph) Inouye, a 200 meter stretch in Northwest Beijing. More than 300 start-ups call this area home.

[08:35:18] The Chinese economy is undergoing a broad transition, moving away from manufacturing and relying more now on services. In 2013, the

Chinese government invested 36 million U.S. dollars into this street, where start-ups dominate instead of, say, steel. It's a sign that times are

changing.

(ph) Liu Wei is at the forefront of that change. He runs Legends Star, a company that specializes in seed investment, the first round of fund-

raising. In other words, he helps start-ups actually start up.

He says ten years ago, start-ups weren't big here because the investment community was very conservative. Few companies with the resources to

invest in start-ups actually did so. But he says that is swiftly changing as more and more people realize that technology is the key to profits in

the digital age.

He thinks the start-ups scene here will eventually rival, and perhaps surpass the success of Silicon Valley. Back at Poputar, it's an exciting

time. The app just went live this week. Jong says he is nervous but confident. Surprise, surprise, he plays guitar to alleviate stress.

Teach me how do this. Let's see if I can learn.

JONG BOHAN, FOUNDER, POPUTAR: Yes, my pleasure.

RIVERS: A few admittedly terrible notes later, it does get a bit easier.

BOHAN: You're already a star.

RIVERS: Something like that.

I might not be a star, but Poputar is aiming to become one in the ultra- competitive app world -- part of a growing number of Chinese start-ups hoping to strike a chord with consumers. Matt Rivers, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Good idea there and well done, Matt. Now coming up right here on NEWS STREAM, tech start-ups are also taking hold in Vietnam. We're

going to tell you about one couple's idea for a tourist app that's really picking up steam.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back. Now, Vietnam's app scene is just developing, but young entrepreneurs there, they're hoping to hit it big. One couple

created a platform designed to helping travelers connect with local tour guides.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: George (ph) Cramer is here in Vietnam for the very first time.

GEORGE CRAMER: We're (ph) bound and determeind. We don't have much money, we are students, and we stay at cheap hostels, we like to go out, meet new

people, get internationals.

LU STOUT: So he signed up with trip meet, a platform connecting travelers with locals.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We like Uber for our local experience.

LU STOUT: These locals are essentially freelance tour guides who create their own tour experiences to give to travelers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If people go to Paris, they go to Eiffel tower, they go to (ph) Hanoi, they go to the lake -- everybody goes to the same place, but

what if we open up everybody in the city?

[08:40:05] LU STOUT: It began as a university student club. Members would help show tourists around Ho Chi Minh city for free in exchange to

get a chance to practice their English. Nearly a decade later in 2013, husband and wife team Ha Lam and Hai Ho turned the project into a business.

HA LAM, ENTREPRENEUR: We want to build the happiest community where all the travelers and local experts can very easily become friends and share

their memory, their happiness on the way they travel.

LU STOUT: The platform is growing. It's now available across dozens of countries, but it has not been an easy journey. Ha Lam and Hai Ho had to

sell their house in order to fund its launch, and even with that, they consider themselves the lucky ones.

HAI HO, ENTREPRENEUR: Obviously, not everybody has a house to sell. The key for Vietnam is to have more (inaudible) investor. Because you got an

idea like us, you can do a team, but you don't have enough money to grow it.

LU STOUT: The app business here in Vietnam is comprised of a small but growing community of tech start-ups looking to make it big.

BOBBY EIU, ENTREPRENEUR: I tell new founders, if there's any opportunity, go out, leave the country for a few months, or even a year, just to

experience and to really see the needs of the region rather than looking just into Vietnam.

LU STOUT: Bobby EIU rents a start-up incubator in Vietnam. He says creators need to look beyond its borders in order to face regional and

global competition.

EIU: As an initial market, if you look at us here, well, you say 600 million. Look at ASEAN as a region, we are at least able to compete with

Eastern Asia as a bloc. I think it's able to create the kind of viability in terms of marketplace --

LU STOUT: For trip meet, it is a marketplace filled with new local experiences for tourists from ASEAN and all corners of the world.

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LU STOUT: Now the South Korean author, Han Kang, has won the prestigious Man Booker international prize. Now this prize recognizes non-English

books translated and published in the U.K., and her novel, "The Vegetarian", is about a woman who rejects society's norms and eventually

becomes a tree. Now, the book was translated into English by a 28-year-old Briton who decided to learn Korean because she says there weren't a lot of

Korean translators out there.

And finally, the Berlin wall -- the mall there is usually shoppers' paradise in Germany, but it became much more than that on Monday.

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LU STOUT: About 1,000 musicians gathered to play in a symphonic flash mob including many amateurs. Scores were available for download ahead of the

event and the musicians played for about 1,500 spectators, what an orchestra spokesman called an overwhelming success.

Now that is NEWS STREAM. I'm Kristie Lu Stout, but don't go anywhere. WORLD SPORT with Alex Thomas is next.

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