Return to Transcripts main page

NEWS STREAM

Zimbabwe In Turmoil After Apparent Military Coup; Tillerson Addressing Human Rights On Myanmar Trip; Trump Touts Really Great Asia Trip; North Korean Defector Begs China To Free Wife And Son; CNN Team Investigates Migrant Slave Trade In Libya; World Headlines; Zimbabwe Crisis; Same-Sex Marriage Survey; Innovative Cities; A New Way to Grow Food. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired November 15, 2017 - 08:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now who is in control of Zimbabwe? The military says longtime ruler Robert Mugabe is safe after an apparent coup. The U.S. Secretary of

State Rex Tillerson calls for investigation into the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar but refuses to call it ethnic cleansing and modern day slave

auction, the CNN exclusive into horror facing some migrants in Libya.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: We're following dramatic developments out of Zimbabwe. The military seems to have taken control of the government. Troops are

patrolling the streets.

South Africa's President Jacob Zuma says that he has spoken to President Robert Mugabe and says that he is safe but there are a lot of questions

right now about who is really in control.

Let's go straight to David McKenzie who is there on the ground in Harare. And David, Mugabe's whereabouts in a situation is still unknown. The

military says there is no coup. What exactly is happening there is Zimbabwe?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, from our perspective on the streets of Harare. It certainly seems like a de facto coup and the people

in charge of the military, they are number of military vehicles that we saw are coming into the city.

And the heavy military presence at key installations within downtown Harare, Kristie, so that and the fact that the military is calling the

shots of the state broadcast, ABC and kicked of this really dramatic period less than 24 hours now with a live statement on national television saying

it's not a coup.

But that they are targeting people who are looking to really so division within this country and the rulings on the PF (ph). In fact it does seem

like Robert Mugabe, the President and his family according to Jacob Zuma, the President of South Africa is under effective house arrest but safe

according to the South African president.

Regional powers are scrambling to deal with the situation which is really a seminal moment for Zimbabwe with a 93-year-old leader apparently slipping

from power in real terms alternately for decades in power. Kristie.

LU STOUT: OK, so according to Jacob Zuma, Robert Mugabe is said to be safe under house arrest. We have tanks patrolling the streets of Harare. How

did it get this bad?

MCKENZIE: Well, it got this bad because of political infighting and many analyst say because of the lack of a succession plan for the aging Robert

Mugabe.

Just a few weeks -- less than two weeks ago, Mugabe through his government sac to Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, he immediately went into hiding.

Now Mnangagwa is a war hero, the right hand man of Robert Mugabe, an enforcer of Mugabe over the years.

He left the country and from exile basically said that he would get together with his allies to work politically to restore their place within

the ruling party. So this is can be seen as a factional fight with Zimbabwe. But what a functional fight it is.

I mean this is really petting famous figures here in Zimbabwe against each other like a really potentially violent family squabble. You had APCs not

tanks but armored personnel -- personnel carriers moving on to the capital.

Several hundred or at least 100 troops fanning around Harare in late into the night yesterday and then that dramatic live address. There is talk

that President Robert Mugabe will come and make an announcement soon.

But we certainly haven't seen any sign of that on national television, ABC which is already profiling the heroics on air right now of the Armed Forces

and it's the Armed Forces as I said before which appears to be in control here in Zimbabwe. Kristie.

[08:05:00] LU STOUT: Yet another famous figure in this political crisis there is the wife of Robert Mugabe, Grace Mugabe. How is she a key player

in all this?

MCKENZIE: Well what it seems like according to the analysts and my understanding is that the sacking of the vice president was meant in a way

to open the door for Grace Mugabe, the first lady known to many as Gucci Grace because of her extravagant shopping trips.

She is not well like you, I must say amongst the Zimbabweans I have talked to over the years but it seemed like there was a move to try and put her in

the pole position for the upcoming succession battle ahead of next year's Zimbabwe elections.

Now this had all turned on its head, the whereabouts of Grace unclear. As I said the President Jacob Zuma says that they are safe and he is sending

senior South African cabinet members get to Zimbabwe to discuss this all with Robert Mugabe.

You know, a very real sense that this is on the precipice which way it goes perhaps depends on how the longtime ruler of Zimbabwe reacts to what is

really a push with a gun, if not, the gun that has been fired away from power.

LU STOUT: David McKenzie reporting live on the ground for us from Harare, Zimbabwe. David, thank you so much. The South African President Jacob

Zuma has been speaking out on the situation in Zimbabwe and we will go live to Johannesburg for more reporting later this hour. The British foreign

Secretary Boris Johnson has also weighed in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: We are monitoring the situation very closely as you can imagine and our ambassador has been in touch to say

that U.K. nationals are worried. They should get in touch with our embassy.

And really it is very fluid and you can't see exactly how this will turnout. I think the most important point to make is that everybody wants

to see a stable and unsuccessful Zimbabweans. I think we're appealing for everybody to refrain from violence. That's the crucial thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson there. We will continue to follow the situation of Zimbabwe. We will bring you all the

developments as they come in.

Now U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says the Rohingya crisis is showing some signs of crimes against humanity but he is not prepared to

follow the U.K., the E.U. and the U.N. in calling it ethnic cleansing.

Tillerson met Myanmar's de facto Leader Aung San Suu Kyi in the country's capital today. He called for a full and independent investigation into the

situation at Rakhine State. And earlier I spoke to CNN's Ivan Watson and started off by asking what Tillerson is hoping to achieve.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a very brief visit but unlike President Trump's 12-day tour of Asia which had very little focus on human

rights, this was the key issue that Rex Tillerson was bringing on his visit to Myanmar.

Well, Burma has the U.S. official refers to it. And he wanted to draw attention to the fact that more than 600,000 mostly Rohingya Muslims have

fled across the border in just a matter of months to neighboring Bangladeshi.

He said that the suffering there is intolerable. He is calling for an independent investigation into what exactly happened. He is calling for

Myanmar and the government to set up the condition.

So that people can return home and in some cases suggesting that maybe villagers need to be rebuilt. When asked about the potential for punishing

the government and the Armed Forces with sanctions, he said that broad- based sanctions were inadvisable for the entire country.

And targeted sanctions against individuals, where he said that would require evidence first. His main thrust of this though was that he wants

Myanmar to succeed in its ongoing transition to democracy.

LU STOUT: Now earlier this week we heard from the Myanmar military issuing report clearing themselves of any wrongdoing. Any response to Myanmar

authorities to what was said today?

WATSON: Well, they continue to hold the line that the claim that their fighting against terrorists -- against Rohingya terrorists. They do not

say the word the Rohingya.

They refer to this community as Bengalis and that gets to the crux of the problem. They refuse to recognize this community as citizens of their own

country.

They have always lived in an apartheid state denied freedom of movement, education, medical care and then this horrific violence erupted that has

led to these hundreds of thousands of people fleeing, telling horrific stories of atrocities being committed against them.

LU STOUT: And what happened to Myanmar because it wasn't that long ago when you were reporting on the election there and how Myanmar and its de

facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi were sort of beacons of hope in the region, icons for democratic reform, what happened?

[08:10:00] WATSON: I mean just look at it from the lens of the U.S.- Myanmar relationship. It was just 2012 when the U.S. restored full diplomatic relations with Myanmar because the military began to bring an

end to decades of military rule and switch back to civilian rule.

It was just October of last year that the outgoing Obama administration lifted all sanctions against Myanmar that had been in place with probably

no expectation that there would be this horrific burst of violence and an entire ethnic community, and religious minorities fleeing on masse with

these horrific tales.

And the latest human rights organizations to come forward now with accusations is the Holocaust -- the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum which

put out this statement saying quote, we're gravely concerned that Myanmar's military and civilian leadership may be responsible for atrocity crimes,

including crimes against humanity.

And ethnic cleansing were also concerned about mounting evidence of genocide against the Rohingya. Now asked about this, Secretary Tillerson,

he drew short, he stopped short of saying ethnic cleansing, though he did say that there were indicators that there were crimes against humanity

being committed here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Ivan Watson there. And if you want to help the Rohingya refugees, we have links on our website to organizations working on the

ground and also learned more about what these men, women and children are all going through. Find it at CNN.com/impact.

U.S. President Donald Trump is waking up at the White House after his five nation tour of Asia and his Attorney General Jeff Sessions with growth for

five hours by the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday about what Democrats say are contradictions in his testimony in the Russia investigation. Joe

Johns has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have done a really fantastic job. It has been a great trip.

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Trump touting the success of his Asia trip but offering no details about the major announcement he tease

this week on North Korea and trade.

TRUMP: Countries were taking advantage of the United States and those days are over.

JOHNS: The president touching down hours after Attorney General Jeff Sessions' heated five-hour testimony before the House Judiciary Committee.

Sessions insisting he never lied under oath about his knowledge of contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian officials with an important caveat.

JEFF SESSIONS, U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL: I've always told the truth and I have answered every question as I understood them to the best of my

recollection.

JOHNS: Sessions was repeatedly pressed on a number of discrepancies on his past testimonies including this exchange from last month.

SEN. AL FRANKEN (D), MINNESOTA: You don't believe that surrogates from the Trump campaign had communications with the Russians? Is that what you're

saying?

SESSIONS: I did not, and I'm not aware of anyone else that did.

JOHNS: The attorney general now explaining that media reports jogged his memory about this 2016 meeting with former Trump campaign aide George

Papadopoulos, where Papadopoulos proposed setting up a meeting between Mr. Trump and Vladimir Putin, as later revealed to Special Counsel Robert

Mueller.

SESSIONS: I did not recall this event which occurred 18 months before my testimony of a few weeks ago. And I would gladly have reported it had I

remembered it because I pushed back against his suggestion.

JOHNS: Sessions repeating this line more than 20 times throughout the hearing.

SESSIONS: I don't recall. I don't recall it. I don't recall it. I don't recall.

JOHNS: Citing the chaos of the Trump campaign for its lack of recollection.

SESSIONS: We traveled sometime to several places in one day. Sleep was in short supply.

JOHNS: Despite revealing in a letter Monday, the Department of Justice is considering appointing special counsel to look into alleged ties between

the Clinton Foundation and the sale of a uranium company. Sessions appeared unconvinced that a probe is necessary.

SESSIONS: It would take a factual basis that meets the standards of the appointment of a Special Counsel.

JOHNS: The attorney general rejecting the idea that DOJ is being influenced by the White House to go after the president's former opponent,

Hillary Clinton.

SESSIONS: The Department of Justice can never be used to retaliate politically against opponents. And that would be wrong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Senior Washington correspondent Joe Johns reporting there. A North Korean defector issues an emotional plea to China's President Xi

Jinping.

He has not seen his wife, a four son since they were detained while trying to escape North Korea earlier this month. Now this father is hoping one of

the most powerful man in the world will intervene. Paula Hancocks reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A father begs for the lives of his wife and four-year-old son. Mr. Lee is a North Korean defector.

[08:15:00] His family was detained in China more than a week ago while they too were trying to escape. We're concealing their identities to protect

other family members still inside North Korea.

China doesn't see defectors as refugees but as illegal economic migrants and returns them to North Korea, and almost certain punishment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through a translator): When defectors are caught trying to go to South Korea, Lee tells me, they're sent to political camps and

never leave. From what I know, in two to three years, maybe less, you'll wither to death. Because my son is young, if he's not sent to the camp

with his mother, he'll wander the streets like an orphan and die there.

HANCOCKS: Lee breaks down repeatedly. He says he defected alone in 2015, carrying poison in case he was caught. In October, he arranged for his

wife and son to escape. But on November 4th, they were arrested by Chinese authorities along with eight other defectors. Lee says he phoned his wife.

She said they were in handcuffs. Then the line went dead. He's heard nothing since.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through a translator): A 4-year-old child in a cold cell, he says. How is he surviving? It's just horrible to imagine.

HANCOCKS: He makes a personal plea to China's President Xi Jinping appealing to him to see his son as he would see his own grandson. The

foreign ministry said last week it's unaware of the case but handles such matters in accordance with international law and humanitarian principles.

Reverend Kim Sung-eun says he and his mission have helped around 500 defectors to escape.

REVEREND KIM SUNG-EUN, PRESIDENT, CALEB MISSION (through a translator): Twenty years ago, he tells me, for me to bring one defector to South Korea,

it would cost $5. Now it costs up to $20,000, which shows how much more difficult it has become. Chinese soldiers are all along the border.

HANCOCKS: As the Chinese and South Korean leaders met Saturday, Seoul's presidential office says they've asked China to handle North Korean

defectors from a humanitarian perspective.

Lee says another source of hope for him was U.S. President Donald Trump's speech to the South Korean parliament where he listed North Korean human

rights abuses. He asks the U.S. president to intervene.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through a translator): My son is my whole life, he's everything, he says. Thinking of losing him, I'm devastated. I'm in

darkness.

HANCOCKS: A desperate plea for help knowing the fate of his family lies in the hands of others. Paula Hancocks, CNN, Cheonan, South Korea.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: You are watching News Stream and still ahead, CNN goes inside Libya's horrifying slave trade where migrants are being auctioned off and

it's happening today. A disturbing and exclusive report is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, welcome back. You are watching News Stream.

[08:20:00] For years, migrants crossing the Mediterranean have brought with them stories of horror. Beatings, Kidnapping, even enslavement, many of

them made harrowing journeys from West African countries.

Those migrants who do make it to Europe were often too terrified to go on the record about their ordeal. And for the last year, CNN has been working

to bring these stories to light.

A CNN comprise of Nima Elbagir, producer Raja Razek, and photo journalist Alex Platt were able to travel to Libya to witness the true inhumanity for

themselves. They got access to a migrant slave auction where were sold off like commodities. Here is Nima Elbagir.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A addressing an unseen terror. Big strong voice to work, he says. Four hundred, 700 -- 700? Eight hundred --

the numbers roll in. These men are sold for 1,200 Libyan pounds, $400 a piece.

You are watching an auction of human beings. Another man claiming to be a buyer. Off camera, someone asked, what happened to the ones from Niger?

Sold-off he told.

CNN withstand this by contact, after months of working, we were able to verify to authenticity of what you see here. We decided to travel to Libya

to try and see for ourselves.

We are now in Tripoli and we're starting to get a little more of a sense of how this all works. Our contacts were telling us that there are one to two

of these auctions every month and that there is one happening in the next few hours, so we're going to head out of town and see if we can get some

sort of access to it.

For the safety of our contacts, we have agreed not to diverse the location of this auction but the town we're driving to isn't the ugly part. Night

falls -- we traveled to nondescripts suburban neighborhoods, pretending to looks for a missing person.

Eventually, we still got in of a house like any another. And just out secret cameras and wait. Finally, it's time to move. We're ushered in to

one of two auctions happening on the same night.

Couch at the back of the aisle. A flood light is cuing much of the scene. One by one, men are brought out and the bidding begins. Four hundred.

Five hundred. Five-fifty. Six hundred. Six-fifty. Seven hundred. Very quickly, it's over.

We asked if we can speak to the man -- the auctioneer, seeing him, he refuses. We ask again if we can speak to them, we can help them. No, he

says. The auction is over. And we are asked to leave.

That was over very quickly. We walked in and as soon as we walked in, the men started covering their faces but they clearly wanted to finish what

they were doing and they kept bringing out what they kept referring to in Arabic as (Inaudible), the merchandize.

All in all, they admitted to that there were 12 Nigerian that were sold in front of us. And I honestly don't know what to say. That was probably one

of the most unbelievable things I have ever seen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking Foreign Language)

ELBAGIR: These men are migrants with dreams of being smuggled here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking Foreign Language)

ELBAGIR: They come in their thousands from Niger, Mali, Nigeria, and Ghana. It's hard to believe that these are the lucky ones, rescued from

warehouses like the one in which we witnessed the auction.

[08:25:00] They are sold if those warehouses have become over crowded or if they wanted money to pay their smugglers. These rescued men, so many here

say they were held against their will. It doesn't take us long to find victory.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking Foreign Language)

ELBAGIR: Victory was a slave. We know that some people are being sold.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

ELBAGIR: Some people are being sold, is this something you have heard about? Can you tell us about it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sure.

ELBAGIR: Tell us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was sold.

ELBAGIR: What happened?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On our way I was sold. (Speaking Foreign Language) (Inaudible) So the money was not even much.

ELBAGIR: As migrants now start to come forward with their stories.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking Foreign Language)

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking Foreign Language)

ELBAGIR: Anas Alazabi is the supervisor here. With no international support, it's his job to look after the captured migrants until they can be

deported. He says everyday brings fresh heartbreak.

ANAS ALAZABI, SUPERVISOR, ANTI-ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION AGENCY: I'm suffering for them. I am suffering for them. What they have seen here, they really

believe me and make me really praying for them. They come and every story is a special case. They were abusing, use them, and they stole their

money.

ELBAGIR: Have you heard about little being auctioned off about migrants being sold?

ALAZABI: Honestly, we hear the rumors but there is nothing that's obvious in fronts of us. We don't have evidence.

ELBAGIR: But we know do. CNN had delivered this evidence to the Libyan authorities who promised to launch an investigation. They said that scenes

like this are returned to the past. Nima Elbagir, CNN, Libya.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: How can they do this to fellow human beings? Now in addition to alerting the Libyan authorities about what was uncovered, CNN also passed

evidence on to the officer or the prosecutor at the International Criminal Court or the ICC. Stay with us. There is more News Stream coming you way

after this short break.

[08:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN NEWS STREAM SHOW HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching "News Stream" and these are your world headlines.

Zimbabwe's military seems to be taking control of the country. Troops are patrolling the streets right now. And President Robert Mugabe is believed

to be under house arrest. Foreign embassies are telling their citizens to stay indoors.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar shows characteristics of crimes against humanity, but he is not prepared to

call it ethnic cleansing. He says a full and independent investigation is needed into alleged atrocities by the Myanmar military.

In Northern California, a gunman went on a rampage, killing four people and wounding 10 at seven different sites. He tried to get into an elementary

school. When the staff heard gunfire nearby, they put the school on lockdown. The shooter was killed by police. They say a dispute with a

neighbor may have sparked the gunman's rage.

And we are following a tense situation in Zimbabwe this hour. South Africa President Jacob Zuma says that he has spoken to President Robert Mugabe.

Let's bring in CNN's Eleni Giokos from Johannesburg with more on the story. Eleni, thank you for joining us. We know that Jacob Zuma held a press

conference a couple -- about an hour, two hours ago after speaking with Robert Mugabe. What did he say? What did he reveal about Mugabe's

situation?

ELENI GIOKOS, CNNMONEY AFRICA CORRESPONDENT: Not much, Kristie, and he actually said that he wasn't able to give much information because of the

sensitivities around the situation. He did use the word "confined." He said that President Robert Mugabe is confined to his home, but that he is fine.

Now, President Zuma is of course the chair of the Southern African Development Community. It's a regional body, of course that make sure that

all member of states adhere to regional protocol. They are sending an envoy, a high-level envoy to the country to hopefully negotiate with the

military, perhaps even meet with President Robert Mugabe and the first family as well.

It is also quite important to note, Kristie, that one of the things that could play out over the next hours of the next days is that the situation

could move from what we see now where it's tense on the ground with the military being on the ground, taking over (INAUDIBLE), taking control of

the airport as well, and things turning quite bad.

President Zuma has said that if there is any kind of unconstitutional movement of power, then they would be ready to move in. Let's take a

listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACOB ZUMA, PRESIDENT OF SOUTH AFRICA: We are very concerned about the situation in Zimbabwe. We would like to call for calm and restrain

particularly to the defense force and all security forces in Zimbabwe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: Yes. I mean, it seems like it is a bit of a warning, saying that the military needs to restrain itself, that they are calling for calm and

we know that this kind of situation can turn very bad very quickly. But for now, it seems that the situation is under control.

LU STOUT: Zuma is calling for calm. We're waiting to hear from Robert Mugabe himself and ahead of an expected announcement from Mugabe. Your

thoughts about him, his rule, his economic impact on Zimbabwe, I mean, this could be the end (INAUDIBLE) politically, but judging from his long years

handling the economy of the country, how do you think history will judge him?

GIOKOS: The oldest president on the continent, 93-years-old, almost in power for 40 years, and (INAUDIBLE) so that's a regional body. It seems

that Zimbabwe has in the past been able to get away with quite a lot. We saw violence, what we call land grabs (INAUDIBLE).

We saw the agricultural output of soft commodities once known as the bread basket of Africa turning very quickly into food shortages, hyperinflation,

impacting the rest of the region as well. We saw Zimbabweans moving into other countries to try and make ends meet.

I think the legacy of Robert Mugabe is going to be a tainted one. There are going to be a lot of black marks to his name and of course his legacy as

well. But it will interesting to see, Kristie, how the region is going to respond to the situation because it could have massive repercussion and of

course ramifications to the entire region as well as the economic outlook as well.

So this is what investors are going to be looking at. I think the world is looking at Zimbabwe right now, and importanr1y as a region because South

Africa (INAUDIBLE) as the economic powerhouse, but also as a political powerhouse with a lot of clout. It's time for them to show that they can

actually assist Zimbabwe in a time of crisis.

LU STOUT: As you point out, the political crisis will certainly have ripple effects beyond Zimbabwe. Eleni Giokos reporting live for us from

Johannesburg. Thank you so much and take care.

Now, Australians, they've said yes to legalizing same-sex marriage, but the political fight there, it is just beginning. Sixty-one percent of almost 13

million people who participated in the marriage survey voted in favor of changing

[08:35:00] the definition of marriage to include same-sex couples. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is calling for same-sex marriage to be legalized

by Christmas, but conservative politicians want to make sure religious freedom is protected.

The Colombian city of Medellin used to be very dangerous but new community- based projects are helping to lower crime rates and boost cultural pursuits. Matt Rivers has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Medellin once had a bad reputation. The city nestled high in the mountains of Columbia

even had an unofficial nickname, (INAUDIBLE) or machine gun city. Above central Medellin's green valleys, deep crimes have long left poor

communities physically isolated and violence playing the spaces, a community investment never reach.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Medellin (ph) is a very diverse territory, very complex. There are communities with a lot of economic

problems and violence problems and we get that without projects to heal that.

RIVERS (voice-over): Just over 10 years ago, unplanned settlements in the city center were given a lifeline by a cable car system built to connect

poor neighborhoods with richer ones. But neighborhoods on the city's periphery (ph) were also looking for something to increase their engagement

to people from other parts of town and the world.

Work began on a string of architecturally impressive libraries, a plan by the municipal government to revitalize 10 urban communities by giving them

each a cultural center. The libraries are set in parks and had become anchors for community efforts to rebuild and grow.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The library can be used as that protective environment for people especially for young people to have a

place to develop. They find freedom, knowledge. They find a safe space where they can take time out from everyday life. And here they find a

healthy way of leisure.

RIVERS (voice-over): People here have taken ownership of the space and are shaping their community around the new library.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The library parks are symbol for the city. A symbol for the communities. They are symbol of urbanism. They

are social symbol. A transformation symbol, innovation symbol. Because there is room for everybody here. They are symbols for which the community

has a lot of protection.

RIVERS (voice-over): At the annual book and culture festival of Medellin, the city's old and new literary life is on full display. People from all

neighborhoods across the city come here to trade ideas.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The books are shared in exchange. The idea is that like a party. We celebrate these meetings. Thus also helps

our city have a different view. We become more tolerant. We are much more critical also. I think reading brings us to this.

RIVERS (voice-over): Here in Medellin, the written work has found new expression across an innovative, safer, and more democratic city.

[08:40:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back. Now, after tsunami hit Japan in 2011, it was an uphill battle to recover. Farmers saw their crops washed away and the land

contaminated by seawater. Now, a scientist says he has a new way to grow food.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Meet Dr. Yuichi Mori. He is a chemical physicist with a green thumb. While he spent 30

years developing artificial organs, Mori has the idea to apply the same science to farming. So, he created a soil free-farming method using a film

called IMEC which is a hydrogel membrane similar to what we use for dialysis.

YUICHI MORI, CHEMICAL PHYSICIST: Plants respond very good to the (INAUDIBLE) of this (INAUDIBLE) membrane. I think the plant and human being

is the same living lives (ph). So, that is very interesting (INAUDIBLE).

RIPLEY (voice-over): With countless narrow-sized pores, the film allows nutrients in water to pass through to the plant, but it keeps germs and

viruses out. Even if you touch it, the bottom of the film is wet, but the top of it is dry.

The plants can also develop more ultra-fine roots which Mori says allows them to have higher nutritional content and it makes his tomatoes sweeter.

Ten years ago, Mori saw his first plants sprout from film and today it's an idea growing far beyond the lab.

Here, you can see the fully functioning system, where a nutrient-rich solution is pumped into the film line plant beds. This all requires just

100 milliliters of water per day, per plant, which Mori says is 90 percent less water than normal farming.

So far, with 150 farms, mostly in Japan and some in China and the UAE, they've produced 3,000 tons of tomatoes per year, equaling $50 million on

the wholesale market, according to Mori. And he thinks it's all thanks to plants and their amazing ability to adapt.

MORI: (INAUDIBLE) plant (INAUDIBLE) experience (INAUDIBLE) plant. But they have the adaptability (INAUDIBLE) environment condition. They could adapt

(INAUDIBLE).

RIPLEY (voice-over): Will Ripley, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And do stay with CNN. We will continue to monitor the situation in Zimbabwe. A spokesman for the opposition party has called for calm and

says, quote, "the Mugabe regime was an accident waiting to happen." We will have much more in the hours ahead. That's all for "News Stream." I'm

Kristie Lu Stout. "World Sport" with Christina Macfarlane is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:45:00] (WORLD SPORT)

END