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Trains Collide in Southern Italy; Obama to Speak at Memorial for Slain Dallas Officers; David Cameron Steps Aside for Theresa May; South China Sea Dispute; Sanders to Endorse Clinton; Trafficking Victim Living His Dream; Shortages Fuel Crime in Venezuela; Augmented Reality Key to Pokemon Go Success. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired July 12, 2016 - 10:00   ET

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

[10:00:00]

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ROBYN CURNOW, CNN HOST (voice-over): Ahead, at the INTERNATIONAL DESK: tragedy in Southern Italy after two trains collide.

Barack Obama heads to Dallas to comfort a city in mourning following last week's police shootings.

And Beijing rejects an international court's ruling over disputed territory in the South China Sea.

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CURNOW: Hi, there, everyone. Welcome. I'm Robyn Curnow at the CNN Center. And we begin with breaking news out of Southern Italy.

Two passenger trains have collided head-on, apparently traveling at high speed on a single track. An official tells local media at least 20 people

are dead, dozens injured. Rescue workers are still pulling victims out of the wreckage.

Joining us now is CNN contributor, Barbie Nadeau, from Rome.

And this is a revised death toll, Barbie, higher than we initially thought.

BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Robyn, but we can expect that number probably to rise even more because they haven't even gotten to

the bottom of the cars yet in this mangled mess.

They just even four hours after the accident, were just able to get the heavy equipment they need into the area to start lifting the cars off of

each other. This is in an -- this accident occurred, essentially, in the middle of an olive grove, which is accessible only by small, narrow country

lanes and not major highways or major roads.

So it's been very, very difficult to get emergency vehicles in, very difficult to get the heavy equipment in. We just see one crane now trying

to lift up some of those vehicles. And we see they're being set aside essentially among the olive groves.

They've set up a field hospital there because it's been so difficult to get the ambulances back to the nearest major hospital, which would be Bari,

which is quite far south of there.

The situation, though, is in flux, because we've seen some of the victims or some of the survivors, let's say, tweeting pictures about the horrific

accident but then we got a reception center being set up in a nearby town for people, who haven't yet heard from their relatives who were passengers

on that train, who want a little bit of information.

There's a lot of confusion in the area just made worse by the fact that no one's been really able to get to the crash site with the right kind of

equipment to take people out -- Robyn.

CURNOW: And the big question is, why were these two trains on a single track?

NADEAU: No, that's absolutely the question. Lots of people were asking, was this human error?

Was this some sort of technical glitch?

These trains, trains across Italy, across Europe, have standards by which they would turn off, shut off, shut down automatically with brakes if an

accident like this were supposed to happen. There are systems in place all over for this to be avoided.

How on Earth could it be that these trains would be going at full speed on a single track at the same time?

If you travel in Southern Italy, though, part of the train travel experience is pulling off on one of these deviation routes along the way so

that other trains can pass. Much of this area is serviced by single lanes, on which trains go in both directions.

But the control system has to work in order for that to function. This is a single line that connects lots of little villages together. Who knows

how long this wreckage is going to be there, too, that's going to stop travel and transport in the whole area for a good bit of time.

We can expect, though, on this train, there could have been tourists. There could have been certainly that we know there were university

students. There were families. There were all sorts of people that use this train to move from village to village.

They were two commuter trains. They use this train line as a major conduit to connect the towns and cities together -- Robyn.

CURNOW: Barbie, thank you so much, absolutely devastating images coming out of Southern Italy and you'll keep us posted on any new developments.

Thank you.

We'll go now to a city reeling from the aftershocks of another tragedy. U.S. President Barack Obama is set to speak in Dallas, Texas, in just a few

hours' time. He's taking up his role of consoler in chief, speaking at a memorial for five slain police officers.

Our Suzanne Malveaux outside the Symphony Center in downtown Dallas, where the memorial service will be held.

Sadly, President Obama has done this before.

I mean, what do we expect him to say this time?

What does he need to say?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Robyn, you're absolutely right. He has done this many times before. We, by our count, perhaps, this would be

the 11th time that he's visited a major city after this kind of mass shooting.

But this is a unique situation as well because you're talking about five policemen, law enforcement officers, gunned down by a sniper. Just such a

tragic, tragic situation in --

[10:05:00]

MALVEAUX: -- a city in a country that is really asking a lot of questions, is in mourning, is also talking about social justice and police misconduct

when they see African Americans being killed at the hands of police and families who are grieving on all sides.

And so what we expect the president to say is that he is going to address the fact that, yes, this is a city that is mourning; this is a city that

needs healing. This is a country that needs healing. It is a time of unity.

We are told that he has been working on this draft hour by hour and that this is something that he takes very seriously, his role to unite the

country. It will be an optimistic tone. He will talk about the hope that he has in the American people.

We are also going to see President George W. Bush and Laura Bush, the former first lady, they will be here. He will be making remarks as well.

We will hear from the police chief, David Brown, who has just been a pillar of sensitivity and strength. He is also going to talk about the hurt in

the community and the time to heal and for people to listen to each other.

Those are going to be the main themes here, Robyn. What is also interesting, as you can imagine, this is going to be a who's who, really,

dignitaries from around the country.

This is a closed event. It is not open to the public. But, clearly, the families of the slain officers will be here and many community activists

and police officers. But also, this is going to be a time where they're going to be able to talk to the family members privately after this

service, to give their condolences and to tell them how they feel.

The security situation is going to be extremely tight. You can imagine two presidents here that are going to be attending. And so the Arlington

police have stepped in; instead of the Dallas police, the Arlington police now stepping in to make sure that they have the kind of security presence

that is necessary as well as Secret Service so that some of those Dallas police officers can take the time to grieve, to mourn.

They're exhausted but they also want to attend this ceremony to recognize their fallen comrades. And that is something that is very unique and it's

happening here inside of this community.

So, Robyn, a lot of different emotions, conflicting emotions but a time that many people agree is a time for healing. And that is what we hope the

president, expect the president to do, is to make that call.

CURNOW: Indeed. And it's been a tough week of grieving, of prayers, of demonstrations, of arrests.

So what can President Obama do?

I mean, the issues of policing, racial divisions, gun control are challenges that he's tried to tackle. But there's also been criticism that

he hasn't done enough. I mean, there's a fine balance he's got to tread here.

MALVEAUX: Absolutely right. This is an extraordinary test for the president. What we've seen over the last couple of days, it was just

yesterday at the White House, he attended a meeting with Vice President Joe Biden, with law enforcement officials to talk about at least first steps.

What do they need in terms of support, support policing the community?

And what does the community need from police?

The best practices so that these two groups, these groups can get together and try to make sense of what has happened, the tragedies that have

happened. This is not simply a one-off, if you will. There's a historic relationship here that needs to be addressed.

But also, moving forward, how do you do that?

He's going to be holding some more meetings tomorrow at the White House with an expanded group. And it's not just law enforcement but really

community activists who are going to be addressing that issue.

The group, Black Lives Matter, was at the White House, protesting just days ago and their chant was "Obama, come out; we have a lot to talk about."

So there are a lot of different groups that are expecting quite a bit from this president, in terms of at least moving forward.

What is the plan, what is the beginning here of that healing process? -- Robyn.

CURNOW: OK, Suzanne Malveaux, thank you so much.

And of course for our viewers, we will be covering that memorial service live on CNN in the coming hours, so do stay with us to watch that emotional

moment.

Also, we know that U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch is about to answer questions at a U.S. House hearing. She's just arrived. There she is

there. This is a live picture from Capitol Hill.

Now Lynch will be likely grilled on her unplanned meeting with Bill Clinton on an airport runway and the FBI's announcement days later that Hillary

Clinton will not be prosecuted for using a private e-mail server as secretary of state. And we'll keep an eye on those hearings.

And David Cameron is in his final full day as British prime minister. He's resigning Wednesday to make way for Theresa May.

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CURNOW (voice-over): You see her here departing David Cameron's final cabinet meeting at her future residence. Mr. Cameron's six-year stay at 10

Downing Street is coming to an end months earlier than expected.

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CURNOW: CNN political contributor Robin Oakley joins us now from outside the British Parliament in London.

Hi, there, Robin. David Cameron spends his last night in 10 Downing Street, chairs his last cabinet meeting. It certainly has happened very,

very fast.

[10:10:00]

ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: The whole roller coaster of British politics seems to keep accelerating really, Robyn. And this -- you

know, we're all beginning to hang on to our seat belts, wondering what is going to happen next.

But at last, it seems, we are getting a little bit of stability, at least in one party. Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the Labour Party, has his

problems. Perhaps we'll tackle that in a minute.

But at least Theresa May, now confirmed as Britain's new prime minister, taking over tomorrow; David Cameron will have his last session in the House

Oversight Committee and prime minister's questions tomorrow afternoon.

He will then go to Buckingham Palace, tender his resignation officially to the queen and he'll be followed there shortly afterwards by Theresa May,

who will then return to Downing Street as the new prime minister.

But of course, not only is David Cameron leaving rather more quickly than we had expected, Theresa May now has to get on in a furious hurry with

putting together her cabinet team to replace those who have worked alongside David Cameron.

She thought probably she had got nine weeks until September the 9th with the leadership process originally supposed to take until then, to put

together that team. Now she's having to accelerate all those decisions. There's some pretty anxious horse trading going on at the moment.

And I think when she sat in the cabinet with David Cameron, leading it for the last time this morning, a lot of the people would have been sitting

around her thinking, am I still going to be sitting in this seat in a couple of days' time? -- Robyn.

CURNOW: Indeed. And she's known as being very inscrutable. So not a lot of clues as to who she might bring in to her cabinet.

What has been the reaction from the British public to the announcement that she would be the next prime minister?

Have they managed to digest the information yet?

OAKLEY: Well, it's been greeted, certainly, by most of the newspapers, several of whom had backed her, as good news. I think most people feel it

is good news simply to have a new prime minister settled and in the job because David Cameron had given up taking big decisions. He'd left all

those to his successor, made that plain when he announced his impending resignation at the -- when we got the result of the referendum.

So, yes, people are glad to see the question settled. Different people have different reactions to Theresa May. Lord Tibbett (ph), one of

Margaret Thatcher's closest aides, said today that would drive the Conservatives off into the arms of the United Kingdom Independence Party

because she had voted for Remain rather than coming out of Europe.

But I think as long as she manages to put together a balanced cabinet, rewarding or finding good positions both for people who wanted to remain

and for those who are determined to take Britain out of the European Union, then she will get through and she'll get some public support -- Robyn.

CURNOW: You mentioned Jeremy Corbyn. Let's turn to the Labour Party, a party certainly in crisis.

OAKLEY: Absolutely in crisis. This afternoon, there's a meeting of Labour's national executive. And they have to rule on a curious situation.

Jeremy Corbyn has been challenged by Angela Eagle, one of his shadow ministers, a leadership challenge. He'd lost the support of 170 MPs in the

House of Commons. She's challenged him; she had to produce 50 MPs to back her, to do that.

Now there's an argument as to whether Jeremy Corbyn, as the sitting leader, has to produce 50 MPs to support him to allow him to stay in the challenge

against her.

And there are legal opinions on both sides. The national executive this afternoon has to pronounce whether Jeremy Corbyn has to produce the 50 or

not. He says he's got a legal opinion that says he doesn't have to produce the backing of 50 MPs.

And if the party insists on him having to do so, then he's going to challenge that in the courts, a Labour Party leader challenging his own

party in the courts. But, of course, he still believes he can go out to the activists and win back his position with the support of the activists

in the country -- Robyn.

CURNOW: Robin Oakley, you've certainly been busy the last few weeks. Thank you so much.

Well, China's president says his country will never accept a court ruling favoring the Philippines in a dispute over the South China Sea.

China claims about 90 percent of the sea, which is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, prime fishing spots and oil and gas reserves. The

Philippines' chief counsel calls the tribunal's ruling an overwhelming victory.

CNN's Matt Rivers joins me now from Beijing.

Hey, there, Matt.

So this is a key decision but what next?

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's the big question. And I think that question really falls into China's lap and China really is the

one that's going to decide what happens next.

You heard them say first and foremost that they will not be respecting this decision. They will not be changing anything about what they've been doing

here in the South China Sea. So, at least in the short term, I think you're probably going to see a status quo, at least at the bare minimum.

China will --

[10:15:00]

RIVERS: -- it's not going to just dismantle the artificial islands that it's built or change very much what it's been doing there.

In the long-term, though, what kind of an effect this will have, it really is an unknown question.

Will China continue doing what it's doing over the past several years and really continue to try and build more artificial islands, to continue to

try to seize more territory?

Will it be that defiant in the wake of this ruling?

Or will it just kind of maintain the status quo and perhaps try and be a bit more diplomatic and negotiate bilaterally with the other claimants in

the South China Sea?

It's a big question, Robyn, and one with very long-term implications.

CURNOW: Indeed. A big question also, because the other angle to that is who enforces this ruling.

Does anybody enforce it?

Will it be enforced?

And, if so, who would?

RIVERS: Well, there is no way to enforce this ruling. The Hague can rule, just as it did; it can say whatever it wants to say. But the fact is, the

U.N. can't just send in troops to the South China Sea and make sure that China dismantles these islands and makes sure that it doesn't want to build

more islands or make sure that it doesn't invade another country's sovereignty as the Hague ruled that China did with the Philippines.

So does the ruling have a big effect?

Yes. But it's more of an effect in terms of how is China going to react versus what the Hague and the U.N. can actually do in this situation.

CURNOW: Matt Rivers, thanks so much, Matt there in Beijing.

Still ahead, the contentious Democratic race for president is finally over. Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton are about to end their political

rivalry. Stay with us.

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CURNOW: In the race for the White House, democratic rivals Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton are finally coming together. The two will appear

onstage in New Hampshire a short time from now. And Sanders is expected to endorse Clinton.

CNN senior political correspondent Chris Moody joins us now from Washington.

Perhaps the Clinton campaign is saying about time.

But how important is this endorsement for Clinton?

CHRIS MOODY, CNN POLITICS SENIOR DIGITAL CORRESPONDENT: This morning is incredibly important for Hillary Clinton because it was vital for her to at

least make moves toward uniting the party, especially before the Democratic convention, which occurs in Philadelphia later this month.

Bernie Sanders has dogged her campaign this entire time, really unexpectedly so. And it has been about a month since Hillary Clinton

effectively clinched the race or at least showed signs that she was certainly going to win this thing and he still has not dropped out and

endorsed her until this point.

So, as you said, yes, I'm sure the Clinton campaign is saying about time and let's move forward to uniting the party.

CURNOW: Indeed. And those are live pictures we're seeing as you're talking --

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CURNOW: -- of that stage, where the two will appear onstage together, holding hands, singing Kumbaya, I don't know.

But what does it mean for Sanders' supporters?

How much does she need to do?

What does he need to say to reach out to them?

I mean, Donald Trump is also courting them as well.

MOODY: That's true, Robyn. Bernie Sanders got about 13 million votes. And all 13 million of those Sanders supporters certainly are not going to

be getting behind Clinton, at least not right now.

Our reporter on the ground there just sent an e-mail to us and said that there are more Bernie Sanders signs there than there are Hillary Clinton

signs. He's talking to people who said that they will never support Hillary Clinton. They have an expression; it's called "Bernie or bust."

They will write him in even if he's not on the ballot.

Now the reporting shows that that enthusiasm might not match the -- what is against Donald Trump on the Republican side. But it does suggest that

Bernie Sanders really needs to give a full-throated endorsement of Hillary Clinton and try to rally his supporters around her and make that case.

Hillary Clinton has worked very hard to try to reach Sanders supporters, changing many positions throughout the campaign. But, of course, it still

has not been enough to bring all of the supporters that Bernie Sanders had into her side. They still have a lot of problems with her.

CURNOW: So with those supporters who are feeling the Bern, I mean, how has Sanders changed the race for Clinton?

What has he brought to this race?

MOODY: I don't think anyone really expected him bringing the kind of enthusiasm that he did, particularly among young voters. He started out

very low in the polls against Clinton and as his name ID increased, so did his popularity.

He got Clinton to switch on positions on trade and the Keystone Pipeline. He also has influenced the Democratic Party platform to include a $15

minimum wage. He's really been quite incredibly influential in this race, despite not winning, so much so that he's started a movement of people

backing him that are not traditional Democratic voters and they are not going to necessarily support the Democratic nominee -- at least not all of

them.

CURNOW: OK. And of course, we'll cover that live. Chris Moody, thanks so much.

MOODY: Thank you.

CURNOW: And also this other programming note: be sure to tune in for a special CNN town hall with U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan, hosted by Jake

Tapper. That's at 2:00 am Wednesday morning in London, 9:00 am in Hong Kong, right here on CNN.

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CURNOW: The CNN Freedom Project is dedicated to putting an end to human trafficking. Today we introduce you to a man, who's finally working in his

dream job. But getting to this point wasn't easy. Modern-day slavery brought him to the U.S. Here's his story.

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ISHA SESAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In 1998, his ability to sing brought 11-year-old Given Kachepa to the United States. Kachepa was

approached to be part of a high-profile faith-based mission, called TTT Partners in Education.

He was selected to join the 23-member Zambian A Cappella Boys Choir. The boys would stay in Texas, performing at schools and churches across the

South.

GIVEN KACHEPA, SLAVERY SURVIVOR: I came to the United States without a dollar in my pocket. And the only thing that I had was hope.

As part of the deal, the singers would go to school while earning money to give to their families and to build a school back home.

KEITH GRIMES, PASTOR, TTT PARTNERS IN EDUCATION: They're like my children.

But the pastor at the center of the operation, Keith Grimes, was keeping a secret from just about everyone. After raising more than $1 million from

CD sales and school and church performances, it turned out the deal he had struck with the boys and their families was a lie.

KACHEPA: They never paid us. We were never paid a dime for the work that we did, except after the government became involved. They said, you know,

if you're not going to sing, then we're -- either not going to feed you or we're going to send you back home to your country again.

SANDY SHEPHERD, GIVEN KACHEPA'S FOSTER MOTHER: They were performing, in some cases three, four, five different concerts a day.

SESAY (voice-over): Sandy Shepherd attended First Baptist Church in Colleyville. The mother of three grown girls had previously supported

TTT's efforts but had grown disillusioned by Grimes' controlling ways. She thought she had put the organization behind her until an immigration

officer called.

SHEPHERD: So when they called our church and said, we have seven boys, can you help find a place for them to be, otherwise we have to put them in

jail.

SESAY (voice-over): Kachepa would stay with the Shepherds while the criminal investigation proceeded. It ended abruptly, when Keith Grimes

died of natural causes.

[10:25:00]

SESAY (voice-over): In 2001, the U.S. Department of Labor ruled TTT Partners in Education was liable for more than $966,000 in back wages and

civil money penalties for the members of the choir.

As time went on, Kachepa graduated high school, graduated college and then decided he wanted to be a dentist, in part because of the struggles his

family faced back in Zambia. CNN was with Kachepa the day he enrolled at the dental school back in 2010.

Now six years later, here he is.

KACHEPA: How long have you had your braces?

It really just gives me chills to know that I could be a dentist today.

SESAY (voice-over): Now he's got his sights set on a new goal.

SHEPHERD: You decided on a name for your practice.

KACHEPA: I've decided for a name. And it's going to be Kachepa Group Dental.

SESAY (voice-over): Kachepa is already making plans to start his own dental practice in the Dallas area, with the intention of one day returning

home to help his village.

KACHEPA: I want to be able to go back to my home country of Zambia and hopefully build dental practices there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you're going to Zambia, huh?

KACHEPA: I am going to Zambia in July.

SESAY (voice-over): And the plan is to recruit some of the very people who helped him graduate, starting with a mission trip in the summer.

SHEPHERD: Now that he's graduated, his self-confidence has just soared and blossomed and it's been so much fun to see his smile come back.

One of the things I did for graduation that was a surprise for him, I handed Given the pictures and I said, here's your mom and here's your dad;

symbolically, they are here with you. And I know they are very proud of you.

SESAY (voice-over): It's been a long road with a rough beginning. But almost two decades later, the joy has finally returned to his voice -- Isha

Sesay, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: On Wednesday, we take you to a school, where teens are learning how to spot a human trafficker. The anti-trafficking group iEmpathize is

teaching these young people that -- the tactics traffickers use to manipulate people into working for them.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is how they think. This is what they're going to use, these disguises.

The five disguises we talk about all start with a P. So it's pretender, promiser, provider, protector and then the punisher. And so these are five

main disguises that have been reported showing up in sex trafficking cases.

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CURNOW (voice-over): We'll hear what the students think about the program and how it will affect their lives. This is part of CNN's Freedom Project

series all this week on CNN.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: And still ahead, Venezuela is facing a severe economic crisis but that's not the country's only concern. We'll look at how the desperation

is fueling crime. Stay with us for a live report.

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CURNOW: Welcome to the INTERNATIONAL DESK. I'm Robyn Curnow. Here's a check of the headlines.

(HEADLINES)

CURNOW: The shooting in Dallas has called attention to the issues of race, policing and gun violence in the United States. In the days since the

attack, fellow officers, emergency doctors and even the parents of the shooter have all been asking the same question -- how could this have

happened?

Our Victor Blackwell reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID BROWN, CHIEF OF POLICE, DALLAS, TEXAS: Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a

single bound.

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hundreds gathering Monday night for a candlelight vigil to honor the fallen officers killed in

the Dallas ambush.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lord, I know you're up there listening, brother, and I want you to know I was there, outside the window, by your side to see you

take your final breath.

BLACKWELL (voice-over): The doctors, who fought valiantly to save lives, struggling to cope with their deaths.

DR. BRIAN WILLIAMS, TRAUMA SURGEON: And I think about it every day, that I was unable to save those cops when they came here that night.

BLACKWELL (voice-over): Dr. Brian Williams telling CNN something must be done about the senseless violence.

WILLIAMS: I don't understand why people think it's OK to kill police officers. I don't understand why black men die in custody and they're

forgotten the next day. It has to stop.

BLACKWELL (voice-over): Dallas police chief David Brown says the country is putting too much of a burden on police to solve societal issues.

BROWN: We're asking cops to do too much in this country: not enough mental health funding, let the cop handle it; not enough drug addiction

funding, let's give it to the cops. That's too much to ask.

BLACKWELL (voice-over): Brown's message to protesters: become part of the solution.

BROWN: We're hiring. Get off that protest line and put an application in. And we'll put you in your neighborhood and we will help you resolve some of

the problems you're protesting about.

BLACKWELL (voice-over): This, as the parents of the killer are breaking their silence in an interview with "The Blaze."

JAMES JOHNSON, GUNMAN'S FATHER: I didn't see it coming. I love my son with all my heart. I hate what he did.

BLACKWELL (voice-over): His mother says it was his time in the military that changed him.

DELPHINE JOHNSON, GUNMAN'S MOTHER: He was very disappointed, very disappointed. But it may be that he -- the ideal that he thought of our

government, of what he thought the military represented, it just didn't live up to his expectations.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: Powerful reporting there from Victor Blackwell.

And be sure to join us later for our extensive coverage of the president's trip there. You see Barack Obama leaving Marine One. He has just landed

at Andrews Air Force Base with his wife. They are both dressed in black. They will be attending that memorial service.

They're walking across the tarmac and will be boarding Air Force One in a moment and then flying on to Dallas to make a speech, a speech, sadly,

President Obama has made many times over. We'll keep you posted on his movements.

Now to another story we've been following here at CNN: the economic crisis --

[10:35:00]

CURNOW: -- in Venezuela. The country is facing crippling shortages of food, medicine and other basic supplies. And now it appears one problem is

leading to another. Paula Newton is there and she has this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Food riots and looting: this is now the only daily diet Venezuelans can count on, as food shortages

fuel an already devastating level of crime.

Watch here as security cameras detail the chaos, looters swarming a bakery and deli in Caracas, the capital, people hopping over counters, grabbing

whatever they can, even the cash register.

A free-for-all for food and a new battleground in a country that is already one of the most dangerous in the world.

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NEWTON (voice-over): Crime has been spreading like a contagion through Venezuela; with nightfall, many self-impose a curfew. But some have

learned it's not enough.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were on our knees and with our heads on the ground, like that. And they put the gun like that.

NEWTON: What were you thinking at that time?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought it was over.

NEWTON (voice-over): Luisa Salomon (ph) and Ulio Cesar Valsa (ph) explain how they survived an express kidnapping, Venezuelan style. They were

driving a few hours outside the city, took a wrong turn and they say an armed gang surrounded them.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They were scary. We -- I couldn't see their faces, because they looked evil, evil, seriously.

NEWTON (voice-over): They tried to escape but they were hunted down in remote woods; battered and frantic, they started to negotiate for their

release. The kidnappers named their price.

NEWTON: A thousand dollars U.S.?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Exactly. And they asked that (ph). And we didn't have that. So I told him, no, there's no way in hell that our family will

find that.

NEWTON: You had the courage to say to him there is -- ?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, in that moment, we talked to them, like serious.

NEWTON (voice-over): They negotiated their lives down to a few hundred dollars. Their families pulled the money together and, less than 24 hours

after the ordeal began, they were released. But they knew all too well how it could have ended.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There was a case when the -- a couple was kidnapped and the guy just shoot at the car and burned it with them inside.

NEWTON (voice-over): They tell me they spoke to police but no one has ever been arrested.

Express kidnappings still flourish, they say, random, terrifying and adding to an unnerving collapse in civil order here. Hungry and desperate

Venezuelans adding to the crime of criminals and gangs as anarchy becomes a real risk.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: Real concerns there.

Hi, there, Paula. You're joining us from Caracas.

So the question is, what to do?

There's been some talk about brokering some sort of diplomatic solution.

But will that help desperate Venezuelans?

NEWTON: In fact, today the opposition and the government are sitting down. We don't know where that will lead. Barack Obama has mentioned it a few

times just in the last two weeks.

People feel that if the political impasse between the opposition and the government can actually get sorted, at least it may alleviate some of the

need on the street, that some desperate -- the need for desperate supplies, that all of that need will be alleviated, at least for people to get the

basics.

But, Robyn, here's the problem. This economy is so far back from where it was even a year ago. People are eating one meal. They're not eating

important things like carbohydrates and proteins.

And some of the crime, the examples of crime that we showed you, now people are risking their lives to go out in line and stand around for food. Many

people report violence in a lot of these lines. They report being robbed in these lines.

It really is, as I said in my report, unnerving for normal, average mothers, families, senior citizens to have to go out on these scavenger

hunts for food.

What is the hope is that at least the political process will start to alleviate some of the impasse, which will mean that some more supplies of

food can get it here, so at least it will help in the short term -- Robyn.

CURNOW: OK. Paula Newton there, on the ground there Venezuela. Thanks so much.

I'm Robyn Curnow. You're watching CNN. The INTERNATIONAL DESK will continue after this short break. Stay with us.

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[10:40:00]

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CURNOW: Pokemon fans around the world are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Pokemon Go app. (INAUDIBLE) right now it's only available in the U.S. and

Australia and New Zealand. Now the app uses a concept called augmented reality to guide users through real-life settings as they look for Pokemon

characters.

Well CNNMoney's Jose Pagliery joins me now from New York.

First of all, how exactly does this game work?

JOSE PAGLIERY, CNNMONEY CORRESPONDENT: Well, let's describe what this is. This is a game where you catch Pokemon. These are fake creatures that

exist in the real world.

And what you do is you use your phone and the phone has a map in it that is a real-life map. And you walk around your neighborhood, a park, wherever

it is and you try to catch these creatures. So they appear on your screen and you try to catch them. There are hundreds of them. And then once you

catch them, you collect them and you battle them.

CURNOW: So why is everyone playing it?

What's so addictive about it?

PAGLIERY: Well, this is a very popular game from the 1990s. It started with Game Boy. There were trading cards, a movie, a TV show. What makes

it popular now is that it takes this concept of collecting creatures, these cute little creatures that you get to raise and grow and trade and fight

and it brings into the real world. That's monumental.

This is a video game that's finally getting people off of the couch and into their neighborhoods and talking to other people, connecting with other

players, because it moved from a Game Boy to a phone, right?

I mean, the big monumental step here is that it no longer is limited to a console at home. Now it just taps into the phone we all have and we're all

using. And kids and adults alike are doing this to walk around their neighborhoods, talk to each other, play with each other and interact.

CURNOW: They're all walking into lampposts because they're looking at their phones.

PAGLIERY: Sure.

CURNOW: So this augmented reality, what is it and how new is it?

PAGLIERY: So a lot of people talk about virtual reality, which is we all know what virtual reality is, right?

It's a whole other world; it's a digital world you think feels and looks real.

But augmented reality is different. It's when you superimpose images onto real life. And so, in this very room, there can be a Pokemon dancing on my

desk. And that's a revolutionary concept, because what it does is it merges video games with real life. And it lets these Pokemon players walk

around their neighborhoods.

And in the future, you can expect, four or five years from now, lots of video games will be doing this. You can walk around and look at a tree and

a computer program will tell you what kind of tree it is or what kind of bird is sitting on that tree. It interacts with the real life.

And it's extremely important to note here that this concept is revolutionary because, previously, computers could not interact with real

life this way.

CURNOW: OK, fascinating. Jose, thanks so much.

PAGLIERY: Yes.

CURNOW: Well, that does it for us here at the INTERNATIONAL DESK. I'm Robyn Curnow. "WORLD SPORT" with Christina Macfarlane is up next. Don't

go away.

END