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Head-on Train Collision in Italy; Theresa May to Become Next Prime Minister of Britain; Court of Arbitration Rules Against China's South China Sea Claims. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired July 12, 2016 - 08:00   ET

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


Time: 08:00>

[08:00:26] KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong and welcome to News Stream. Now breaking news out of southern Italy. A

head-on collision between two trains has killed at least ten people. We'll continue to follow the story throughout the hour.

And The Philippines wins a landmark court case against China's claim to disputed waters in the South China Sea but Beijing rejects the ruling.

OK our top breaking news story this hour a terrible scene has been unfolding of a train crash in rural southern Italy. Now two passenger

trains have collided in an olive grove in the Puglia region near the coastal town of Barre.

And we're getting in some new images of this horrendous disaster. Emergency crews are having a tough time trying to reach the wreckage. What

you see here, the trains appear to have been on a single track and this was a head-on collision. A fire official tells CNN at least ten people are

dead, dozens have suffered injuries.

Now the Philippines has created, meanwhile a landmark victory, and it's been celebrating it, this

victory against China over territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Now, a court in The Hague has in the last three hours rejected Beijing's decades-long claim to

economic rights. Now, this is the first time an international tribunal has ruled on disputes in that region.

Now, let's take a look at what's at stake here. Now China is claiming some 90 percent of the South China Sea that's inside that red line that you see

on the maps there. But there are rival claims from four other countries, including the Philippines.

As you can see in this map, each line represents a separate claim from a different country. The Philippines wants what's inside the yellow line. So

why is this region just so valuable?

Well, first off, it's a key route for shipping. It's worth trillions of dollars. It's also a prime location for fishing. It's also home to oil

and gas deposits.

Now both China and the Philippines are fiercely defending territory. China has been building artificial islands over the last few years, and this is

what one reef looked like before the work began, and here's what it looked like afterwards, equipped with what analysts have been saying is an

airstrip long enough for military planes.

And across the Philippines there have been demonstrations in the run-up to the ruling that just

out that ruling the verdict from The Hague protesting China's extensive territorial claim.

Now china has refused to accept or acknowledge today's verdict while the Philippines says it

welcomes it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PERFECTO YASSAY, PHILIPPINES FOREIGN AFFAIRS SECRETARY: The Philippines strongly affirms its respect for this milestone decision as an important

contribution to ongoing efforts in addressing disputes in the South China Sea.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now, even though China has dismissed the ruling it could play into the Philippines' hands in any future talks. CNN Philippines

correspondent J.C. Gotinga explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JC GOTINGA, CNN PHILIPPINES: A huge victory for the Philippines. The United MNations permanent Court of Arbitration has declared China's so-

called historic rights to almost the entire South China Sea invalid. The court also said that China's nine-dash line that eats up the exclusive

economic zones of other countries around the South China Sea, including the Philippines, goes against international maritime law.

The court also declared that China violated the Philippines' sovereign rights by building artificial islands in the Spratlys area of the disputed

waters.

In his statement that he released after the decision came out, Philippine Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yassay called for restraint and sobriety among

the parties involved. And that is really because the Philippines now faces quite a predicament. It has this victory, but China has repeatedly said

that it will disregard, it will not abide by this decision.

So what the new government under President Rodrigo Duterte plans to do is to use this decision as a leverage when it sits down for one-on-one talks

with China.

The Philippines admittedly is no match to China in terms of military and economic strength. So what it plans to do is to use its standing on

international maritime law to level the playing field for when it negotiates with China.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now, with the reaction from Beijing, let's bring in our Matt Rivers. And Matt, we know that China, even Xi Jinping himself, was quick

to denounce the ruling. What was said?

[08:05:20] MATT RIVERS, CNN well, what the ministry of foreign affairs and president xi

jinping has said throughout really this entire process is that they do not respect the decision of this court. They do not that this case was legal

in the first place. They say that this court, rather than just ruling on economic issues, really they were ruling on sovereignty issues. And

according to the guidelines what this court is allowed to do, what The Hague is allowed to rule on, sovereignty, who owns what in the South China

Sea is not one of those things. And so what China has said, as they have said for several weeks now, is we do not respect this decision. We

will not abide by it. We will not engage in it. We will not participate in it. And they have been very consistent in those statements for weeks

now -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: Now, we know that the tribunal has no powers of enforcement. Chinese officials have said that it will not abide by the verdict. Is this

really going to make any difference at all in the South China Sea?

RIVERS: Well you're right, there is no way for The Hague to enforce this. There's not going to be troops coming in to the South China Sea making sure

that artificial island building stops. And I don't think you're going to see China all of a sudden begin to dismantle these islands.

So, in a lot of ways, I think what you're going to see at least in the very short term is kind of a

status quo. This really won't have much of an impact. China will likely to continue to develop those artificial islands.

But what you could see, and what you heard the reporter from CNN Philippines mention is leverage for other countries, not just the

Philippines, but other countries with competing claims in the South China Sea if there are some sort of talks between those countries and China,

whether or not China recognizes the decision, the fact is that it's been made. And it's something that other countries can use.

And then you also might see it used by the United States, who might use that decision to rally

international support against China, against China in this particular issue.

And so it's a ruling that can kind of be used and manipulated by those countries who want to.

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

Now let's go back to our top story, that deadly head-on train collision in Southern Italy. And joining us now is CNN contributor Barbie Nadeau. She

joins me live from Rome. And Barbie, this was a horrendous, catastrophic accident. What more have you learned about it?

RIVERS: Well, it just seems unfathomable, really, at this point to understand how two

trains could be traveling full speed ahead on the same track. These are regular trains. You know, a lot of people are asking questions right now,

even before we got a full number of fatalities and things like that. Just why and how this could have happened. These were regularly scheduled

trains. Surely someone somewhere would have known that these trains would have been on the same track at the same time.

That said, another complication in all of this is the fact that this is in such a remote area. It's in the middle of an olive grove, which makes it

very, very difficult for emergency vehicles to get access. And it's also been very difficult for the heavy machinery to get in, as they're going to

need to lift the train cars up. They're really just crumpled together. These trains were going at full speed when they collided. And try to

understand if there are any survivors or people who need medical assistance that are trapped in those cars that have been mangled and crumpled together

right now.

And it's extremely hot there in the upper 30s Celsius right now, and people are dealing with a

number of issues just trying to understand how they can get the survivors out, and how they can get the injured to a place where they can be treated,

Kristie.

LU STOUT: Yeah, difficult conditions for the survivors, and for rescue workers trying to reach the site of this accident. And that aerial

photograph, Barbie, that aerial photo of what took place is absolutely horrifying. We see this head-on collision, two trains, one track. ave you

learned anything more about the train and the railroad operator, about their safety record?

NADEAU: Well, you know, this is a rural part of southern Italy. It's a very rural area. And this is just one train line that runs on regular

scheduled times during the day. It's a commuter train. It's really the only conduit between many of the smaller villages in this southern region

of Puglia.

So these trains are busy. There's one train in the mid-morning. This was the one train

going in one direction, the other train going obviously in the other direction. And we know that they're full.

We also know that there were university students on the trains, several of them had been tweeting pictures of what they've seen and that they, you

know, stories of survival and things like that. It was a busy train. There would have been workers on the train. There would have been tourists

going from town to town. This is a very beautiful part of Italy. People go there for holidays all the time from all over Europe. It's very, very

popular. People have summer homes there and things like that.

All of those types of people would be using the trains. And we understand the trains were full.

What you don't see from that aerial picture, though, is that each of the trains had between six and seven cars. All you see are two cars on one

side and a couple of cars on the other. That means the number of train cars that were actually involved and are mangled in that accident caused by

this impact at full speed people go there for holidays all the time from all over Europe. It's very, very popular. People have summer homes there.

And things like that.

All of those types of people would be using the trains. And we understand the trains were full. What you don't see from that aerial picture, though,

is that each of the trains had between six and seven cars. All you see are two cars on one side and a couple of cars on the other. That means the

number of train cars that were actually involved and are mangled in that accident caused by this impact, at full

speed, could be up to eight train cars really. And we don't know if they were completely full. We don't know how many people were there. They are

saying at least 10 dead. Italian authorities are reporting as many as eleven, but we don't know that number is expected to rise at this point.

They have pulled several people alive, including two babies, out of the center of that wreckage. But they really need to get the heavy equipment

in there to lift the cars before they can really assess the situation, Kristie.

[08:10:54] LU STOUT: Students, workers, tourists, they were all on board this train, at least ten people killed. The death toll may rise further.

People are definitely waiting for rescue. Some may still be trapped in the wreckage. And we know investigators, in addition to rescue crews, they

will soon stake out the scene. When they get there, what will they be looking for?

NADEAU: Well, they need to understand at what point the system of the -- the control system

failed. This is one train line that runs between all of these small towns. Obviously, the trains need to run in several directions. If anyone -- if

you've ever been on a train in Southern Italy, you know half of the time is spent on a little deviation so another train can pass.

Very much part of traveling in southern Italy.

What they need to understand now, and what they've been looking for is what went wrong, which train was supposed to have diverted off on one of the

smaller side tracks so the other one could pass. We don't know if one of the trains was running late. We don't know exactly any of those details

but that's going to be key to understand where the system failed that should have kept those trains from

colliding at full speed, Kristie.

LU STOUT: All right, Barbie Nadeau reporting live on the line from Rome. Many thanks indeed for that.

You're watching News Stream. And still ahead in the program, Britain prepares for May Day. Downing Street awaits the arrival of a new prime

minister.

Also, the dilemma no mother wants to face. As the Zika virus spreads in Brazil, pregnant women are having to decide how they're able to care for a

child with microcephaly.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

Now, a recap of our breaking news this hour -- two passenger trains have collided in rural southern Italy in the Puglia region. That's near the

coastal town of Barre. Now, emergency crews are having a tough time reaching the wreckage. The trains appear to have been on a single track

and it was a head-on collision.

A fire official tells CNN at least ten people are dead and dozens have suffered injuries. And we will continue to follow the story throughout the

hour and bring you the latest as we get it.

Now the United Kingdom is preparing for one of the most dramatic days in its recent political history. On Wednesday, this woman will become prime

minister without ever facing a general election. Theresa May is seen here leaving 10 Downing Street after David

Cameron shared his final cabinet meeting there.

In a dramatic turn of events on Monday, Theresa May is seen here leaving 10 Downing Street after David Cameron chaired his final cabinet meeting there.

In a dramatic turn of events on Monday, Theresa May became the last remaining candidate in the race to be leader of the Conservative Party.

Now, let's get more on what happens next with CNN political contributor Robin Oakley. He is outside Britain's parliament. He joins us now.

Robin, good to see you. Thank you for joining us. And please walk us through the next formal steps that need to happen before Theresa May

becomes the prime minister?

ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: Well, as you said, the last cabinet meeting for David Cameron this morning. Tomorrow, David Cameron

will preside over prime minister's question time in the House of Commons behind me here for the last time. It will probably be a fairly jocular

occasion. At the cabinet this morning lots of tributes were paid to David Cameron. Of course, in the House of Commons he'll face his political

opponents, in the Labour Party, as well. They've got their own tribulations.

But he will then, after that prime minister's question session, will go to Buckingham Palace, will tender his resignation officially to the queen, and

he will shortly be followed there to the palace by Theresa May, who will then formally become Britain's prime minister and

will head back to Downing Street, and shortly after that we will expect her to start announcing the names of the key cabinet ministers in her team now

that she's got this massive task of looking after Britain's withdrawal from the

European Union, Kristie.

LU STOUT: And I'm also wondering what the mood is in parliament, especially among Conservative MPs. Could conservative Brexiteers get big

posts in the new government under Theresa May?

OAKLEY: The Brexiteers will be watching her very, very carefully. Because Theresa May, of course, voted to remain for Britain to remain in the

European Union. But she is the survivor of a remarkable leadership contest in which the Brexiteers have either knighted each other or dropped

out one after another. So when she comes to put her cabinet team together, and to --she's promised to have a separate ministry for Brexit, as it were,

looking after the operation of taking Britain out, people will be looking for a very careful balance to see that she's not favoring those who were

remainers like her. And any hint of back sliding, any attempt to, in their eyes, go soft on Europe, will be seized upon by the Brexiteers.

So, she will be to some extent walking on eggs in her early days as prime minister. It's going to be very tricky for her.

And now she's having to face up to naming her own cabinet, and that again will bring dilemmas. For example, it's suggested that George Osbourne, the

chancellor of the exchequer for the last few years wants to become the new foreign secretary. Well, he, of course,

is blamed by the Brexiteers for operating an operation fear as they said, trying to frighten people into staying in the European Union by threatening

an emergency budget if Britain came out, an emergency budget we haven't seen.

So if he were to get a big job like that, with a key relationship to Europe, I think the Brexiteers will be a little bit nervous.

On the other hand, Theresa May has got to reward those who followed her, and so altogether it's a very careful balancing act, Kristie, that she's

got to go in for.

LU STOUT: And Robin, another question for you before you go, I know you've been closely following the fight for the leadership of the Labour Party.

Will Jeremy Corbyn remain as its leader?

OAKLEY: That's an extraordinary situation there. This afternoon, the Labour Party national executive meets. Jeremy Corbyn has been challenged

by one of his former shadow ministers, Angela Eagle. She's challenging him for the leadership. He says he will fight on and attempt to retain the

leadership. He has strong support among the activists in the country, who will decide on this issue. And if he were to be returned by the activists

with his own MPs in the House of Commons here, 170 of them, having passed a vote of no confidence in him, we would have an extraordinary situation of

the Labour Party in the country, and in parliament taking two different attitudes.

Jeremy Corbyn, the question is whether he can actually stand in this contest. Some say he needs the support of 50 MPs to do so. He says he

doesn't. That question is to be decided by the national executive this afternoon. If they decide against him and say he's got to produce 50 MPs,

which he probably can't, then he says he will go to court against his own party. It's an absolute shambles for a political party, Kristie.

LU STOUT: The twists and turns of British politics. Robin Oakley reporting for us. Thank you, Robin. Take care.

Now another big name golfer is pulling out of the Rio Olympics -- two-time major winner Jordan Spieth won't compete in the games next month because of

concerns about the Zika virus.

Now, Spieth has -- was seen as a huge draw card for the sport which is returning to the summer games for the first time in more than 100 years,

but his withdrawal now means that none of the world's top four golfers will be there competing.

Now Zika is also causing suffering to pregnant women who know that there is nothing that

they can do to protect their unborn child. And it's creating a new dilemma.

Now our senior international correspondent Arwa Damon explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's a fear shared by all who wait in this crowded public hospital. The knowledge that they are unable

to protect their child, even in the womb. Elise da Silva had Zika when she was just a few months pregnant. She already lost one baby in childbirth

years ago. She rarely sleeps, haunted by the future that may await this one.

This ultrasound will determine if her baby's brain development shows any signs of microcephaly.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Everything OK? Any problems?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I have had a little pain.

DAMON: Even as the number of Zika infections decrease, here in what was once the epicenter, the fears remain. In a private clinic Raquel Gomes's

(ph) wait is just as agonizing.

RAQUEL GOMES, MOTHER (through translator): I'm still really afraid. I never imagined that my first son would arrive like this during this

epidemic of microcephaly.

DAMON: The baby's father is not in the picture. She's on her own. Raquel has always wanted children, but she has been left contemplating a question

she doesn't want to answer. If her child is born with special needs, will she care for it, or give it up for adoption?

In this predominantly Catholic, country women do not have other options but to carry a child to term. Abortion, other than in rare cases, is illegal.

The Zika outbreak and its links to debilitating birth defects has refocused the debate around a woman's right to choose.

Dr. Olympio Moraes, an obstetrician, is among a few abortion rights advocates, a position that has seen him excommunicated twice.

DR. OLIMPIO MORAES, OBSTETRICIAN (through translator): Abortion is a social issue which discriminates between the poor in Brazil and the rich.

DAMON: Wealthier Brazilians can travel overseas or have access to expensive black market drugs that terminate pregnancies. The nation's

poor, who make up most of Zika cases, don't.

MORAES (through translator): This poor woman has to quit her job because a child with microcephaly needs full-time assistance, 24 hours a day.

DAMON: and that is what raquel is afraid of.

her baby is doing great, the doctor says. There is only a small risk now.

At the public hospital, Dr. Souza measures Elise's (ph) baby's head. It's 33 centimeters, well within the normal range at this stage in her

pregnancy. She sees his little face for the first time.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Brazil.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now an orphan brought to the U.S. from Zambia is rebuilding his life after falling victim to a scam. Now a Texas pastor promised him a

better life but instead he was forced to work without pay.

Isha Sesay has the latest installment of our CNN Freedom Project series.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISHA SESAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: In 1998, his ability to sing brought 11-year-old Gibbon Kachepa to the United States. He 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 cappela boys choir. The boys would stay in Texas, performing at schools and churches across the

south.

GIBBON KACHEPA, TRAFFICKING VICTIM: I came to the United States without a dollar in my pocket. And the only thing that I had was hope.

SESAY: 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: they're like my children.

SESAY: But the pastor at the center of the operation, Keith Grimes, was keeping a secret from just about everyone.

After raising more than a million dollars from CD sales and school and church performances, it turned out the deal he'd 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 not going to feed you, or we're going to send you

back home to your country again.

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

[08:25:15] SESAY: Sandy Shepherd attended First Baptist Church in Collieville. 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 call our church and say we have seven boys, can you help find a place for them to be, otherwise we have to put them in jail.

SESAY: Kachepa would stay with the Shepherds while the criminal investigation proceeded. It ended abruptly when Keith Grimes died of

natural causes.

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 brad your braces?

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

SESAY: 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: 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: 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 a smile come back.

One of the things I did for graduation that was a surprise for him, I had to give him 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: It's been a long road with a rough beginning, but almost two decades later, the joy has finally returned to his voice.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Oh, an incredible story of struggle and ultimately success.

Now on Wednesday, we're going to take you to a school where teens are learning how to spot a human trafficker. Now the anti-trafficking group

called I Empathize is teaching these young people the tactics traffickers use to manipulate people into working for them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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.

So these are five main disguises that have been reported shown up in sex trafficking cases.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now, hear what the students think about the program and how it will affect their lives as part of CNN's Freedom Project all this week on

CNN.

Now The Hague rules that China has no claim over disputed areas in the South China Sea. So what does that say about Chinese interests in area of

strategic importance? We've got more on that straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(HEADLINES)

[08:32:18] LU STOUT: Now let's go back to our top news story this hour, the additional one. An international court has rejected China's claim over

disputed territory in the South China Sea and I want to bring in Professor Teresa Chung. She is from the Hong Kong International Arbitration Center

and she joins us now.

Professor Chung, thank you for joining us here on News Stream.

You know the verdict, The Hague tribunal ruled against China. Is this going to change anything? Will this ruling change the situation and get

Chinese interests out of the South China Sea?

TERESA CHUNG, HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION CENTER: Well, I would like to perhaps approach the question in the way of looking at how other

states have had those sort of experience where jurisdiction is challenged. As we know, this is one of the main concerns in the Chinese angle in terms

of this arbitration.

Look at, for example, the Nicaragua and the USA case whereby USA challenge jurisdiction and they didn't participate in the award and ultimately didn't

comply with the award.

But nonetheless, the USA and the Nicaragua both get back in to the negotiating table, and started to look at ways in which both parties

interests are dealt with.

Similarly, in the UK and Mauritius case, which was just rendered last year, a similar thing happened. The award was rendered against the UK. UK

challenged jurisdiction, but nonetheless, they are now going back in to the negotiating table and trying to negotiate ways that will no doubt address

interests of both parties.

So I think it will help in a way to look at it in the angle of looking forward.

For instance, if both China and Philippines are to go back to the negotiating table, irrespective of the award, noting of course the

Philippines have stated that they do wish to participate in negotiations and China's position has always been that they want to go into bilateral,

friendly consultation.

So they do go back to the negotiating table. I think it will create -- it will at least have a strong possibility of creating a win-win situation for

both states. It will also bring about regional peace and it will certainly de-escalate the tense situation in South China Sea. And that really might

actually present a good precedent for other countries in the South China Sea to embark back in to the declaration of conduct method of resolving

disputes, and therefore in that sense it will create a good change to the overall situation.

LU STOUT: Very interesting view there. Looking at similar legal cases in the past, looking at legal history, you're optimistic that this will help

bring out a diplomatic resolution to the crisis in the South China Sea, a major geopolitical flashpoint.

And it's not just an issue between the Philippines and China, it's an issue in the South China Sea between China and six nations, six governments. So,

do you feel that this ruling will also inspire those countries in dispute with China to enter talks with each other about the disputed territory in

this area?

[08:35:17] CHUNG: I guess looking at how, as I said, other states embarked upon situations where they challenge the jurisdiction of the tribunal, in

the two cases I've mentioned. By opening the door for negotiation, it will actually inspire, I think, other states to also look at that.

And bearing in mind as i said, back in 2002, ASEAN and China has already entered into a declaration of conduct emphasizing the parties are to

undertake to enter into bilateral negotiations, friendly consultation with each other to resolve those disputes.

So if China and Philippines continue to negotiate, irrespective of the award, it will actually bring about regional peace, which I'm sure

everybody in the international world would like to see.

LU STOUT: Many, many nations closely watching the situation in regards to South China Sea, nations like Brunei, like Malaysia, Vietnam, the

government of Taiwan also closely watching and commenting on the tribunal's verdict earlier today.

They have similar claims to what the Philippines put forward. What should these countries do next? Should they take their cases to The Hague?

CHUNG: It is not for me to say what they should do. But, if we go back again, back

to the point that the parties, ASEAN and China have got into the declaration of conduct, and I think if I remember correctly, around about

2013 they've actually started drafting the code of conduct on how to go about positively on these friendly consultations that are to resolve the

differences in the South China Sea. I think that is something that all these states in my view should think about, and embark upon, rather than

just providing a contentious proceedings.

Because contentious proceedings may resolve one aspect, which might be a legal aspect, but usually disputes or differences between states may

embark and encompass a large number of areas and therefore not just the legal angle but there may be other interests that the states may be

concerned with,. And that I think, through bilateral consultation, as was agreed upon would be, in my view, a good way forward.

LU STOUT: All right Teresa Chung, we'll leave it at that. But many thanks indeed for your constructive and law-based view on the issues here in the

South China Sea. Many thanks indeed.

You're watching News Stream. We'll be back after this short break. Keep it here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: All right, you're back watching News Stream. And let's get you up to date on our

breaking news story this hour. Two passenger trains have collided in the Puglia region of southern Italy. A fire official tells us at least ten

people are dead, dozens are injured. And it looks like the trains are traveling on a single track and then crashed head-on.

A CNN contributor Barbie Nadeau joins us live from Rome with more on the story. And Barbie what more have you learned about the human toll of this

train disaster and the rescue effort under way?

NADEAU: Well, we still know that there are around ten people we know for sure have lost their lives, that number is sure to rise once they can

really get in and take a look at this crash site. One of the big problems they're facing right now is getting the heavy equipment into this olive

grove they need in order to lift those heavy cars up to understand if there are people who are dead under there. People who are injured and need to be

extracted from there. That has been a challenge.

The area of Puglia has also just asked people to donate blood. There are so many people who are injured, in the hospital, that are going to be

needing blood. So, they've asked people to donate blood. They've asked people, doctors who are in the area, to come in and

help with the situation.

But right now the challenge really is a logistic one. It's getting out into the middle of that olive grove. There are no roads directly up to

that crash site. So the people, the emergency vehicles have to drive through the olive trees in order to reach this area. They're going to have

to even destroy some of these trees in order to reach the area with the heavy equipment. And they've set up a field hospital so they can treat

people on the scene. There are several helicopters on the scene. They're airlifting people out just trying to do anything they can to get to those

people still trapped inside that wreckage, Kristie.

[08:40:59] LU STOUT: And really just nightmare scenes of the accident when we look at the aerial imagery of those two trains, on the same track, this

head-on collision. What led to this? What happened?

NADEAU: Well, that is the big question. Just why there were two trains heading towards each other on the same track. Anyone who's been on a train

in southern Puglia understands how it works. The trains are very slow because you have to deviate all the time to let another train pass. This

happened just after a curve, so they wouldn't even have been able to see each other necessarily on the horizon.

But something went wrong, and that's going to be a question officials are asking. What went wrong in terms of the control system that should have

had one of those trains deviate while the other one passed. That is a priority question right now to understand.

This is also the only train line in that area that connects these smaller villages together. So it's going to cause logistical problems as well.

It's going to take many weeks, maybe months, to remove all the wreckage from this site to get those trains and that infrastructure back on track

again, Kristie, during a very busy summer travel season.

Lots of tourists in that area. Lots of people that have their summer homes in Puglia. It's a very busy time in that area of Italy right now, Kristie.

LU STOUT: All right, Barbie Nadeau reporting for us. Many thanks indeed for that update. And we will continue to follow the story in the hours

ahead right here on CNN.

And that is News Stream. I'm Kristie Lu Stout. And World Sport with Christina Macfarlane, that is up next.

END