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Investigation Begins Over Cause of Brazilian Football Team Plane Crash; Trump Teases December 15th Press Conference on Divesting Himself from Trump Business; Thousands Gather in Seoul to Call for President's Resignation; U.S. Troops Conduct Joint Exercises with Norway. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired November 30, 2016 - 08:00   ET

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


[08:00:14] KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong and welcome to News Stream.

As fans remember players from a football team killed in a plane crash, investigators try to

discover why the aircraft went down.

Donald Trump meets one-time critic Mitt Romney as the president-elect continues his

search for a secretary of state.

And war games above the Arctic circle. The U.S. tries to reassure one of its NATO allies as it holds military exercises with Norway.

It was supposed to be a day that supporters of the Brazilian football club Chapecoense were looking forward to, and instead in Brazil and Colombia

this hour the mood is one of immense grief.

Three days of mourning are being held for the victims of Tuesday's plane crash. It's still not known what brought the aircraft down near the

Colombian city of Medellin. Investigators are looking into either a lack of fuel or a fault that cut fuel from the engines. At least 71 people were

killed. Medellin's mayor is to honor the victims at a ceremony at a sports stadium.

Now, many questions remain unanswered, but flight recorders from the plane have been uncovered as investigators try to find out what went wrong. One

aviation expert has a theory that it could have been a miscalculation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID SOUCIE, AVIATION SAFETY AND ACCIDENT INVESTIGATOR: It's very possible, actually, to assume this aircraft could lose an engine, the pilot

could not recognize it as a loss of engine, it looks like an electric failure, because the bus, the electrical buses change where the power is

going, and (inaudible). So it could look like an electrical failure if you just run out of fuel, one engine runs out of fuel before the others, so it

could look that way. It could be the initial report.

But what's most concerning about this, as Renee had mentioned is that this aircraft is normally used for very short flights. This flight was 1,605

nautical miles, which is five miles beyond the certified range of this airplane. The certified range of this airplane, the range of this airplane

is only 1,600 miles. So the fact that the aircraft took off on a flight like this with no plans to fuel stop is very extraordinary. It really

shouldn't have been flight planned the way that it was.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now, the world of football is standing shoulder to shoulder with the loved ones of the victims. So many of them were considered rising

stars. Rosemary Church has more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A team reaching the pinnacle of its 43-year existence. Just last Wednesday, Chapecoense players

celebrated the win that would put them in the finals of the Copa Sudamericana. What was to follow sent shock waves far beyond their home

country of Brazil.

Monday night's plane crash in Colombia robbed Chapecoense of almost all of its squad. It also robbed the small city of Chapeco of a dream.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): There are no words to describe it. Everyone was dreaming for something beyond for Chape. It's over, isn't it?

The whole team left us in such a way. There's nothing to say.

CHURCH: One catastrophic event. Countless heartrending stories. This is the moment one week ago when player Tiago da Rocha Vieira Alves found out from

his teammates he was going to be a father. Tiaguinho as he was known scored one of the goals in Chapecoense's Cup semifinal win.

Goalkeeper Marcos Danilo Padilha, considered by many the team's standout player, made it out of the aircraft alive, but the 31-year- old later died

in the hospital.

In stark contrast to the locker room elation at Chapecoense last Wednesday, this was the scene as players who did not board the plane sat speechless at

the news from Colombia. The members of this team may not have been household names before Monday's tragedy but some of the world's most famous

footballers gathered in silence to mark their passing.

ZINEDINE ZIDANE, COACH, REAL MADRID (through translator): I would like to send my support and the support of my club to all the family and friends of

the people that died in this accident in Colombia and also of course to the club Chapecoense and all of their supporters. We are very sorry for what

happened.

[08:05:11] CHURCH: A team with so much promise dashed in one moment of horror. Back in Brazil the club supporter's page changed its bright green

logo to black in recognition of its darkest day.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And we will have much more on this and how the football world is honoring Chapecoense on CNN World Sport. That's coming up in about half an

hour from now.

After more than five decades of violence, Colombia is on the verge of a peace deal. The senate has approved a new agreement between the government

and the rebel group FARC. The two parties signed it last week, but this time there was no referendum after the public rejected an earlier

agreement.

Many felt it let the rebels off with no consequences. The revised peace agreement must now be approved by the lower chamber of congress.

In Syria, thousands of families are pouring out of eastern Aleppo as Syrian government forces step up their offensive. The UN says some 20,000 people

have fled in recent days, but it's believed nearly 200,000 are still there.

The UN humanitarian chief says that there's almost no food left and every hospital has been damaged beyond use. A volunteer group tells us at least

45 people have been killed today alone.

Now, for more, Mohammad Lila has reported extensively on the Syrian civil war. He joins us now live from Istanbul.

Mohammad, more death, more desperation, especially in eastern Aleppo. What is the latest on the fighting and the humanitarian fallout?

MOHAMMAD LILA, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, as far as the fighting goes, rebel activists say those 45 people that were killed

were all civilians, they including women and children who were fleeing eastern Aleppo. It's not clear they were fleeing to other rebel held parts

of eastern Aleppo if they were trying to cross to the government side. From the government side, state media say that eight people were killed on

the western side, which is the regime-controlled side of Aleppo.

And of course, any time you talk about these numbers, they are very difficult to verify on the ground. But one thing we can verify is the

second part of your question, which is the very dire humanitarian circumstances that people in the eastern part of the city are facing. The

United Nations says there are no fully functioning hospitals left. They also say that the official food stores are basically depleted.

And Kristie, just to give you an idea of how dire the situation is, you know, we've covered a lot of the activities of this group called the White

Helmets. They are the self-styled Syrian civil defense teams. They are the ones that go in after there's an air strike and they

pull out victims from the rubble. Well, even they say that they are no longer in a position to do their job because they've run out of fuel.

In other words, they don't have enough fuel to put into the ambulances to drive to the places where there have been air strikes and rescue victims,

because of the blockade and the stranglehold hat the Assad regime has on eastern Aleppo. They don't even have enough fuel to be able to do their

jobs.

LU STOUT: Such a dire situation in eastern Aleppo. Hundreds of thousands of people

are still trapped, many of them starving, and Mohammad, we have seen this dramatic surge in the fighting there in Aleppo in just the last few days.

Why? What may have accelerated Assad's offensive here?

LILA: Well, it's a good question, Kristie, and also you have to remember that Aleppo is the crown jewel of this whole conflict, both for the rebels

and the Syrian regime. The Syrian regime has been planning recapturing or retaking the eastern part of Aleppo for several months and they are not

doing it in a way where they are going after the entire thing all at once. It's actually very calculated, very cold, and very deliberate where they

are going neighborhood to neighborhood, in some cases possibly even splitting up families in the process.

And, of course, the result of what we're seeing is this mass exodus, that's a great word you

mentioned, this exodus of people from the eastern part of Aleppo. There's drone footage hat was released by a pro-government outlet that shows

hundreds of families escaping the eastern crossing into a government checkpoint.

The big unknown in all of this is what's going to happen to those families who have stayed

in eastern Aleppo if and when the government comes in and retakes those territories. Are those families going to be safe or will the government

see them as the government said in the past, that these are terrorist sympathizers. And if that's the case, we could see a lot of violence and

more violence if the government eventually does retake control of those areas.

LU STOUT: Yeah, frightening situation for the families trapped in eastern Aleppo. Mohammed Lila reporting for us live, thank you.

And to the Trump transition now. And they may be the odd couple of american politics, but the president-elect is still apparently considering

Mitt Romney his harshest critic for secretary of state. After the two met in New York, Trump was non-commital, but Romney praised him. That's the

same Romney who called Trump a fraud and phony during the campaign.

Now joining us now for more is CNN political repoter Sara Murray. And Sara, before we get to the makeup of Trump's team, in the last hour Trump

has taken to Twitter. He's spoken out about removing himself from his businesses. What more can you tell us?

[08:10:06] SARA MURRAY, CNN CORREPSONDENT: That's right, he's teasing a big press conference on December 15th in New York. He says he'll appear

with his children and that he will explain essentially how he plans to extricate himself from his business.

Now there have, obviously, been a lot of questions about this. Trump points out in his tweets,

and it's true, that there is no conflict of interest law that applies to the president, but if he did not do something like this to back away from

his business, he would be sure to face questions about it, scrutiny over it, controversy over it, for the next four years. So I think the big

question going forward is how exactly is he going to separate himself. Is he going to no longer be an owner of that company, is he going to no longer

be involved in the day to day decisions, or will there be some kind of independent board that is going to come in and assist?

And obviously, it looks like we're going to have to wait a little while before we get those answers, but an indication that Trump is taking it

seriously, that he needs to move forward and put some distance between himself and his business operation as he's about to take the White House.

LU STOUT: You are certainly keeping your eyes on Trump Tower, the upcoming press conference about the future of Trump's business operations, including

last night's dinner with Mitt Romney, to the rollout of his economic team. What do you have?

MURRAY: Well, it's interesting, because when you look at the person he's chosen for Treasury Secretary, Steve Mnuchin, this is a loyalty pick. This

is a guy who has been a close economic adviser to Donald Trump, it is someone who is -- it was his finance chairman during

the presidential campaign. And the real question is whether Trump is ready to set these loyalties aside and go with someone like a past critic,

someone like Mitt Romney, for the coveted job of secretary of state.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MURRAY (voice-over): Donald Trump and Mitt Romney putting their past differences aside, at least for dinner. The two talking foreign policy,

alongside Trump's chief of staff, Reince Priebus, over garlic soup and sauteed frog legs at a high-end restaurant inside Trump's international

hotel in New York.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President-elect, are we looking at the next secretary of state right here?

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well you're going to see what happens.

MURRAY: Romney, speaking to reporters after the meal, showering praise on Trump and the transition.

ROMNEY: We had another discussion about affairs throughout the world. And these discussions I've had with him have been enlightening and interesting

and engaging. I've enjoyed them very, very much.

MURRAY: And lauding the president-elect's accomplishments with a nod to where he fell short in 2012.

ROMNEY: It's not easy winning. I know that myself. He did something I tried to do and was unsuccessful in accomplishing. He won the general election.

And he continues with a message of inclusion and bringing people together.

MURRAY: Romney's remarks a sharp contrast to their bitter rivalry on the campaign trail.

ROMNEY: Donald Trump is a phony, a fraud.

TRUMP: Mitt was a disaster as a candidate.

MURRAY: The ongoing secretary of state search coming as sources tell CNN Trump is expected to roll out his economic team today. Former Goldman Sachs

banker Steve Mnuchin as treasury secretary. But Mnuchin is sure to face scrutiny for his tenure as a mortgage banker, heading up a firm that made

big money off of foreclosures.

The DNC calling out Trump's pledge to drain the swamp, dubbing Mnuchin "a billionaire hedge fund manager and Goldman Sachs alumnus who preyed on

homeowners struggling during the recession."

Trump also selecting billionaire investor Wilbur Ross to lead the Commerce Department.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you interested in being commerce secretary, sir?

WILBUR ROSS, COMMERCE SECRETARY NOMINEE: Well, time will tell.

MURRAY: Meanwhile, Carrier announcing they have struck a deal with the Trump administration to save at least 1,000 jobs at its factories in

Indiana. But so far the details of the deal haven't been announced.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MURRAY: Now, we are expecting Donald Trump and Mike Pence to do something of a victory lap on Thursday in Indiana. They are planning on stopping by

that Carrier plant and there may be other stops in the works. Trump has said he wants to do a thank you tour/victory tour, so we may see the first

of those stops on Thursday, as well.

LU STOUT: Yeah, and now we have Steve Mnuchin and Wilbur Ross on track to be named

for Treasury and Commerce. I mean, these are two big American billionaires, Wall Street elites who are going to be at top economic posts.

Is this something that core Trump supporters were anticipating?

MURRAY: Well, it will be interesting to see how they take the news of these picks, because we have seen a number of folks named to the cabinet

level positions that are billionaires. They are bankers, some of them are prominent Republican donors, and not exactly what we necessarily expected

when Donald Trump talked about draining the swamp, although he did say when he was campaigning that he was going to look for the best talent, whether

it was in government or in the private sector, so my, you know, guess knowing his supporters, having met many of them over the last year and a

half following Donald Trump, is they are inclined to sort of wait and see, to see if these are the kind of people to streamline the way the

government works and strike good deals on behalf of American workers.

The people who have supported Donald Trump have been sort of slow to judge, they kind of give him runway to try to execute whatever he's been

promising, so I guess we'll see how it goes.

LU STOUT: Yeah, wait and see. Sara Murray reporting live from Washington for us. Thank you.

LU STOUT: Now, pressure is growing on South Korean President Park Geun-hye both in Parliament and on the streets of Seoul. Protesters are

demonstrating day and night, calling for her to resign immediately. Now, prosecutors have named the president as a suspect in a corruption probe

involving her confidante, Choi Soon-sil.

More now from CNN's Saima Mohsin in Seoul.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Thousands of people have gathered outside city hall in central Seoul today, usually in the week days

we only see people in their hundreds coming out. But today the first day after President Park gave her third national address and

still didn't resign, they've come out in their thousands, 1,500 trade union organizations and student organizations have gathered here.

Now, let me point a sign out to you. They are holding up a sign that says, "President Park must go." They wanted to resign, they want her to step

down immediately. Hey ya, Hey ya (ph) means "impeachment," and these protesters have adapted a popular Korean pop song calling for President

Park to step down and go.

Now, they are marching down central Seoul's arterial roads, and despite police warnings

calling on Hanois (ph) them not to do so and telling them they cannot go anywhere near President Park's residence.

And as night fell, protesters marched to the famous (inaudible) palace, where they held a candle lit vigil.

Why are you here?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm really angry.

(through translator): I couldn't just stay at home. I think President Park should step down.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): She hasn't carried out her duties responsibly. She used a power that us citizens trusted her with for

personal gain.

MOHSIN: Trade union workers have been joined tonight by the emergency people's movement members, as well, who have been leading the charge

against President Park for five consecutive weeks now. We're coming up to a sixth weekend. They say they will carry on until she does resign.

In the meantime, opposition parties have come out and said they will press ahead with an impeachment vote.

Saima Mohsin, CNN, Sseoul.

9END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: You're watching News Stream. And still ahead, he towers over Cuba even in death, but what does the future now hold for the country as it

bids farewell to former leader Fidel Castro? We speak to the people in Havana to get their thoughts.

And the Muslim call to prayer could be silenced for part of the day if lawmakers in Israel pass a new bill. We'll tell you why some religious

leaders say this is dangerous politics.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:20:29] LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, you're back watching News

Stream.

He rewrote Cuba's history. And now that island nation is witnessing the final chapter of his

story. Fidel Castro's ashes are being taken across the island on a journey that will retrace the path he took after seizing power, but in reverse.

Now, the journey will end with Castro's funeral in Santiago de Cuba on Sunday. A host of world leaders are planning to attend from Spain's former

King Juan Carlos, to Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe.

And while Castro handed over power nearly a decade ago, his presence still loomed large in

Cuba. Now, Nic Robertson spoke with some Cubans about whether they expect things to change now that Fidel Castro is gone.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Cuba is moving a little slower, more somber than usual.

For generations who have grown up under Fidel Castro's often fiery rule, a new dawn may be coming. But if this is the end of an era, no mistaking the

government's message, its iron grip on the island isn't wavering.

The country is in official mourning.

Question here, with Fidel gone, is this a new day for Cubans, the opening of a better future?

Out of earshot of the guns, there is a tranquility, a quiet acceptance, life uninterrupted.

"We're very sad," this engineer tells me. "We can feel it in the people, the sadness for the death of Fidel."

A generation younger, his barber is unfazed.

Dead or alive, Castro's legacy traps them all.

"It will continue like he was alive," he says, "it won't change."

Wherever you look here, this may be a country tilting toward terminal decline, but in its shadow, workers seemingly oblivious.

"It's only slow today," this factory worker tells me, "because we have a day off to mourn Fidel."

If there is to be change, no spark here to fire it up.

"Castro's way will carry on," she tells me, "because this is how we raise our children."

Not so much a new dawn, more a very familiar day.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: That was Nic Robertson reporting in Havana.

Now, I want you to take a look at this, a massive steel shelter now covers the Chernobyl nuclear disaster site in Ukraine. And this time lapse video,

it shows the arch sliding into place over the past few days. It is designed to block radiation from spewing out of the damaged reactor for the

next 100 years. Dozens of countries and organizations donated more than $2 billion to build this.

When the Chernobyl reactor blew up in 1986, tens of thousands of people had to evacuate, and there is considerable debate over how many people died.

And even with this new cover, the surrounding zone will remain unsuitable for people to live.

Israel is a predominantly Jewish nation, but in many parts of the country the Muslim call to prayer is a sound of daily life. And now a bill to be

debated in parliament could silence that call during specific times.

Oren Liebermann has more on a proposal that has some politicians of inciting hatred.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A familiar sound across the Middle East. The Adhan calls the Muslim faithful to prayer

five times a day, sunrise to sunset.

This man, known as the muezzin, citing the chant, calling out from the minaret loudspeakers. Now proposed Israeli law could muffle the call to

prayer, known as the Muezzin Bill.

It says religious announcements are forbidden between 11:00 at night and 7:00 in the morning. It doesn't mention a specific religion, but its impact

overwhelmingly would be on Muslims' morning call to prayer.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has received complaints from all religions, including Muslims about the call.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Israel is a country that respects freedom of religion for all faiths. Israel is also

committed to defending those who suffer from the loudness of the excessive noise of the announcements.

[08:25:02] LIEBERMANN: Some cities around the world impose limits on religious loud speakers. But if they get too loud, Israel has a way to deal

with them.

(on-camera): Critics of this bill, and they come from the left and the right say there are already noise ordinances in place to quiet the call to

prayer if it gets too loud. Some of those critics say this bill, then, is a populist attack on Muslims.

(voice-over): Lawmaker Ahmad Tibi chanted the Adhan in Israel's parliament to protest the bill. His anger he says is a reflection of the Arab

community's anger.

AHMAD TIBI, LAWMAKER: We are against it. We will continue to be against it. And I am calling my people not to respect such a law.

LIEBERMANN: Support has come from Christian churches whose leaders say this is turning peaceful religion into dangerous politics.

FATHER MICHEL SABAH, LATIN PATRIARCH OF JERUSALEM: They are using and misusing religion to incite each people to kill the other. That's problem.

Do not use religion for your politics, especially not use religion as an incitement.

LIEBERMANN: The Muezzin Bill is latest iteration of the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. But when the conflict touches faith, it could become

something else entirely, a religious struggle as the sound of the Muezzin becomes the noise of the conflict.

Oren Liebermann, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT; Wildfires in the southern U.S. have killed at least three people and sent thousands scrambling to evacuate two resorts towns in eastern

Tennessee.

Strong winds are spreading the blazes. National park officials believe someone started the initial fire. The flames have damaged or destroyed

hundreds of homes in just 24 hours. Rain is expected to bring some relief, but a local fire chief is worried that high winds could start new fires.

Now, you're watching News Stream. And still to come, American troops hold military exercises in the forests of Norway. A look at how the U.S.

military is trying to assure NATO allies who are wary of Russia.

And selling themselves to survive. CNN's Freedom Project takes us to the streets of Athens, where young refugees are forced to turn to prostitution.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(HEADLINES)

[08:31:01] LU STOUT: Now, Norway, a member of NATO, shares a border with Russia. It counts on its allies to maintain security, but there is concern

a Donald Trump presidency would change that. Nick Paton Walsh looks at how the U.S. is trying to reassure Norway of its commitment.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: War just got very cold again for these U.S. Marines training with tanks in Norway on the eastern

borders of a NATO that's suddenly nervous once more. They're moving forwards now towards the fake enemy positions but these kind of exercises,

since Russia's moves in Ukraine, have taken on a new kind of realism and urgency.

In January, 300 Marines will move to Norway permanently. That's how worried about Moscow's intentions they are. For now, a unit from North Carolina are

readying these Abrams tanks, normally stored deep in caves but now the furthest north of the Arctic Circle they've ever been. After Iraq and

Afghanistan, these are old new war games about protecting Europe and they know that when the enemy isn't role-playing it will probably by the newly-

emboldened Russian military.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In 2014, that was a clear sign that Russia has stepped into an area where they are willing and able to use military. You know,

suddenly we have changed focus from what was going on, in particular, in Afghanistan, and to collective defense -- national defense.

WALSH: A change in focus somebody's watching. Norwegian police investigating 10 sightings of medium-sized unidentified drones over these

exercises. At a furthest point north of the border you can go, it's an open game of watching a Russian helicopter land, rare here.

And when Donald Trump questioned America's commitment to NATO and seems to want to now taunts (ph) with Russia, that bit of land just there, it gets

noticed here. So all of you here, did you hear about Donald Trump becoming U.S. president?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I did.

WALSH: What do people think out here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not allowed to talk about that, actually.

WALSH: It's not really a Russian invasion they worry about here but, rather, the sort of separatist uprising Russia fermented in Ukraine. Little

green men with guns creating trouble.

We're heading out with the Norwegian border patrol towards their frontier with Russia, a presence on the ground being vital for them and ensuring

nothing untoward happens with their large, at times unfriendly, neighbor.

That's really the reason the Norwegian and American tanks you saw earlier to be sure that even out here in the empty pines and crisp snow, no matter

what the Trump presidency brings there's enough muscle already here to enforce NATO's promises of collective security.

Do you see Russians at all?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Uh, it happens. You just salute them.

WALSH: Would you like to talk to them if you could?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Uh, probably, but it's illegal.

WALSH: Very strange to hear Norwegians, NATO members, talk so vividly again about the Russian threat. The constant and real backdrop to this survival

training happening tonight under a staggering display of the northern lights. Not until now is being sure you're ready happened with such a sense

of insecurity about Europe's very borders that mount slowly as the Trump presidency nears.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, northern Norway.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: What a vision.

Now, still to come right here on News Stream, imagine escaping one nightmare, only to fall into another. The sad reality facing so many

young refugees in Europe selling themselves just to survive.

CNN's Freedom Project is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:36:34] LU STOUT: Now, the European dream is becoming a nightmare for some refugees that fled their war-torn countries. Many teenagers are

selling themselves on the streets just to survive. Arwa Damon has this exclusive report from Athens as part of the CNN's Freedom Project to end

modern-day slavery.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is where the deals are made. Our camera is filming from a distance with a mic on Tassos

Smetopoulos.

Push the audio on the microphone.

TASSOS SMETOPOULOS, SOCIAL WORKER: OK.

DAMON: He's a social worker showing us Athens is prime shopping ground for illicit sex. Older men troll the square scoping their options, waiting for

the right moment to approach.

SMETOPOULOS: Look behind you. There is an old guy that make massage to a younger boy. You see?

DAMON: Yes.

SMETOPOULOS: It's a game.

DAMON: The boys who play to survive are often unaccompanied minors, many from Afghanistan.

SMETOPOULOS: It's shocking. Really it's shocking. You know, they are desperate. There is no way out unless they find money.

DAMON: Most we approached were too afraid, too ashamed to speak to us. But Ali, not his real name, agreed, in hopes it would somehow make a

difference. He's 17 and he's been here for nine months. The little money he had ran out a long time ago.

ALI (through translator): I said to myself, look what a mess you're in. Such bad luck just so that you can make some money. I think to myself where

have you ended up. You have come to Europe but what is this that you're doing?

DAMON: The act itself happens in a sprawling park, a five-minute walk away from the square. It is long been a haven for drug users and the sex trade.

Now exacerbated by the refugee crisis.

ALI (through translator): You've seen the park, at the end of the day, some come to you. They pull their pants down so you see their ass. Others talk

to you and show you their money. It works like this.

DAMON: Tassos takes us into the park during the day so we can see the sheer scale of the situation.

It's really quite disconcerting to be here even during the day and stepping back into one of these areas behind the bushes off the main path. You just

get a bit of a sense of what happens here after dark. There's condom rappers all over the place.

The cost varies.

ALI (through translator): Some offer 5 euros, some 100, some 80. But I didn't go with anyone for less than 60 euros.

DAMON: Some he says take the boys home, a chance to shower, sleep in a bed, eat a proper meal.

ALI (through translator): I am not doing this because I like it. If I wanted to do something nice, I would date a girl. I was forced to do it

because I had no money. Otherwise, I would stay with a girl instead of going with an old man.

DAMON: This sickening trade is a result of a flawed European refugee policy and lack of preparedness. The Greek government latest figures show that

about 1,200 unaccompanied minors are on a waiting list for shelter. In a statement to CNN, Greek police said that they have not had any cases

reported of the sexual exploitation of unaccompanied minors from the parks we went to. But acknowledge the problem and say they are working to address

it.

One day hopefully you'll be able to bring your mother, and you'll see your mother and your sister again. Do you think you'll ever tell them about what

you had to do to survive?

[08:40:37] ALI (through translator): I won't say that everything is good. But I won't reveal too much to upset her, my mum is sick. I am afraid if I

tell her, God forbid something would happen to her.

DAMON: Then, his eyes fill with tears.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Athens.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Such a heartbreaking reality for these teenagers.

Now, on Thursday the CNN Freedom Project will introduce you to a new initiative to expose sexual predators hiding behind computer screens and

cell phones.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Guys get involved in this behavior, they start somewhere, right. So the hope is the first time you go exploring, buying a

young person for sex, if the first time you do that you realize, whoa, someone's watching, and I'm going to be held accountable for this -- and

law enforcement are paying attention, then that's the kind of message that we think will educate men to change their track real fast.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: More on how the system works and how law enforcement is using it on Thursday as part of CNN's special series "Tackling Demand."

And before we go, Pope Francis he has a rather unusual visitor today. The film director Martin Scorsese is screening his new movie at the Vatican and

he scored a brief meeting with the pontiff. Now, the Vatican says it lasted around 15 minutes, during which the pope said he had read "Silence,"

that's the name of the book that inspired the film.

The story is about Jesuit missionaries in 17th Century Japan.

And that is News Stream. I'm Kristie Lu Stout, but don't go anywhere, World Sport with

Amanda Davies is next.

END