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NEWS STREAM

Pompeo In Bejing To Brief Chinese Officials On Summit; Koreas Holding Military Talks To Reduce Tensions; North Korean Media Airs Documentary Style Video Of Kim; Nightmare In Yemen; U.K. Remember The Victims Of Grenfell Tower Fire; Apple Announces Update To Fix Lightning Port Exploit; Study Shows Rate Of Antarctic Melting Has Tripled; World Headlines; World Cup 2018; Royal Outing; Cu Da: Hanoi's Vermicelli Village. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired June 14, 2018 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Pompeo's pitch, the U.S. Secretary of State tries to shore up support for the North Korea agreement as Kim Jong-un gets a huge welcome in

Pyongyang.

Accelerated melting, a new report reveals just how quickly ice is disappearing in Antarctica. And football mania, people across the globe

gear up for the start of the 2018 World Cup.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: We are getting our first look at how North Korea is portraying the historic summit between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump. Two days after

the talks ended, unseen footage including the North Korean Leader's return home was broadcast on state T.V.

But while he arrived to a hero's welcome, Mr. Trump is facing criticism that he signed, and the signed statement on denuclearization does in the

include verification. We're going to have more on the North Korean Leader's return in a moment.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in Beijing right now, briefing Chinese officials on the summit. And for more, let's go to our

Nic Robertson who is in Seoul, but first, let's to Matt Rivers, joining us from Beijing. And, Matt, what are the key questions that Chinese officials

have for Mike Pompeo now that he's there in Beijing?

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, I think they're going to have a lot of the same questions that everybody does. What was the

substance behind the conversations between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump? The President, when he gave the press conference in Singapore, didn't

really go into.

Namely, is there a timeline for denuclearization? What was committed to between both sides that didn't make it into that document? What is not

known publicly at this point if anything? I think that's pretty standard questions the Chinese are going to answer.

But then also, you know, they're going to be asking the Americans, what does denuclearization look like, what about the sanctions that are in

place, so on, and so forth. Let's play you a little of what the Secretary of State had to say when he met for the first time with Foreign Minister

Wang Yi here in China this evening.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE POMPEO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: And there's still a lot of work to do. There are still risks that we won't achieve that, but I truly do

believe that the world set the conditions properly, and then presidents Trump and -- President Trump and Chairman Kim had a wonderful meeting.

Where they committed to working diligently towards achieving those ends, and that I think the world so desires, and we appreciate all China did to

help to put is into place where the summit could happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIVERS: And so, what you've heard a lot from the Trump administration is that sanctions have led to North Korea coming to the table. Those

sanctions almost entirely being enforced really when it comes down to it by the Chinese, and that could be a potential sticking point moving forward.

The Chinese is very much on board with the Americans, not engaging in these military exercises, a formal announcement of which could come from the

administration in Washington as early as today in the U.S.

But the sanctions could be a real sticking point because while the Americans really want to keep the pressure campaign up, Kristie, they've

said it many times, every single analyst that you speak to here in China about this issue will tell that the Chinese have been looking for just

about any excuse to back off this really intense sanctions regime that's been in place because they really only begrudgingly signed on to in the

first place.

LU STOUT: Interesting. You want to ease off on that pressure campaign. From Matt Rivers in Beijing, let's go to Nic Robertson standing by in

Seoul. And, Nic, Mike Pompeo had to do a little bit of explaining there in the South Korean capital. Not only to officials from South Korea, but also

from Japan as well. Was he able to provide some clarity on the joint military drills?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It seems that he was able to provide enough clarity that South Korean officials felt that they

could sign on to it. Unless certainly that was the language in I think that we got from both the Foreign Minister here, who did say that -- you

know, that this is a joint issue, and something that the militaries have to handle together jointly.

And that something not just now that we handle it jointly, but if this is an issue going forward, then we'll hand it will jointly. But I think what

we heard from President Moon Jae-in a little while ago is also sort of a further clarification on that, which is essentially, as long as North Korea

is doing its part, South Korea is willing to go along. This was -- this is just a little bit of his statement here, and I will read this to you.

[08:05:00] He says, if North Korea delivers the steps of denuclearization with genuine intention, and talks between North Korea and the United States

on easing hostilities continue, then he says, we need flexibility on the military pressure towards North Korea and therefore, a careful review will

be conducted.

So what is he actually saying there? He's saying -- he's not saying we were blindsided by what President Trump said, but I think that's the

general understanding here, that they were.

But Secretary Pompeo has explained it to him, and South Korea is saying look, as long as things are going on track, you know, if we need to do this

adjustment to keep North Korea happy, then we can go with that. But this is going to be us together working it out. Not the United States setting

this joint issue in their own purview alone.

LU STOUT: Got it. Nic Robertson is Seoul. Let's go back to Matt Rivers in Beijing. And, Matt, a hot-button issue especially for the U.S.-China

relationship is on trade. So Mike Pompeo there in Beijing, when he was sitting down with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, how did they discuss

that issue?

RIVERS: They both kind of stuck to their guns so far. You know, it's interesting, Kristie, that amongst all this North Korea summit talk this

week, right so, trade is kind of been put on the back burner, and yet, you're potentially hours if not, maybe just a day or so away from the

United States actually going forward with $50 billion in tariffs on Chinese imports.

The Chinese have consistently said that they will retaliate quite quickly with $50 billion in tariffs of their own to which the Trump administration

said well if they come back and retaliate, we might put $100 billion more in tariffs.

So what you are potentially looking at, if the Trump administration goes through with this on June 15th, Friday in the United States, you could be

looking at the beginning of a trade war here. And what we were looking for from the Secretary of State, who is making his first visit here to China

with this trip is, is he going to talk anything really about trade?

And both sides really stuck to their guns with Secretary of State Pompeo saying there remain big differences, that the deficit that the U.S. has

with china remains far too high, and Wang Yi saying that he hopes the United States will make a wise choice, and that both sides can resolve the

conflict.

But neither side really offering up any sort of solution to this problem, and so come Friday, overnight in Beijing -- Friday afternoon in the United

States, we could very well be looking at what could be the beginning of a trade war, this on again-off again spat, could be very much on starting

Friday afternoon in the U.S.

LU STOUT: It could very well flare up again. Matt Rivers reporting live from Beijing, Nic Robertson live for us in Seoul, a big thank to you both.

Now, how is the summit playing out inside North Korea? Well as mentioned, state media broadcast a documentary that revealed behind-the-scenes footage

of Kim Jong-un's trip to Singapore, and indeed notoriously closed off country, it was likely the first time many North Koreans had seen pictures

of the outside world. Will Ripley looks at the dramatic change in the country's propaganda.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: North Koreans are used to turning on the T.V. and seeing this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking Foreign Language)

RIPLEY: Huge celebration for their leader. But the occasion has never been this big. Kim Jong-un, bathed in adoration at Pyongyang's airport,

home after meeting the President of the United States.

And this footage from a special 45-minute state media broadcast shows the outside world as North Koreans have never seen before. The leader of a

country once called the hermit kingdom filmed on a three-day trip to Singapore, one of the world's most developed nations.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through a translator): Many foreigners visited this country, but there never was a time in Singapore's history where all

streets were filled with waves of welcome like this.

RIPLEY: Pictures of Kim Jong-un on a night out at Singapore's Marina Bay Sands, a temple to capitalism, and a stark contrast to North Korea's

largely agrarian socialist state. A year ago, North Korea state media was full of angry, violent rhetoric aimed at the U.S. President, casting him as

a far-off caricature of evil.

Now this, Kim Jong-un, patting on the back one of the world's most powerful leaders and his former enemy, the North Korean leader pictured as a friend,

an equal.

North Korean state media coverage of the Trump-Kim summit, slick and professional, as North Korea's leader has opened up to world leader this

year, the government's news people have been front and center.

Their footage is giving viewers around the world a different look at one of the year's biggest stories. North Koreans were even given unrivalled

access to the two nuclear-armed rivals.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking Foreign Language)

[08:10:00] RIPLEY: In recent months, North Korean propaganda has transformed from this -- to this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through a translator): The scene of two leaders who had been defiant in the past walking side by side was a meaningful image

that signals new North Korea-U.S. relationship.

RIPLEY: Now, the world watches. Wondering how quickly the North Korean government will be willing to change in other ways. Will Ripley, CNN,

Singapore.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And now to a possible turning point in the war in Yemen, but one that could be putting the lives of tens of thousands of people at risk.

Saudi-led coalition forces are struggling to recapture the city of Hodeidah from Houthi rebels.

Last week, the United Nations said a quarter of a million people could be killed in the military operation there. Hodeidah is the main port of entry

for supplies of fuel, food, and medicines that million of people in Yemen rely on.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIE CLAIRE FEGHALI, COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS: Today we are at the point where catastrophic is becoming an understatement. The humanitarian

situation will depend on how this battle is driven, and then how much respect for the international humanitarian law is shown by all the parties.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Let's bring in Sam Kiley, he is following developments in the region, and he joins us now from Abu Dhabi. And, Sam, this port city, it's

a life line for Yemen. So what impact will an attack on Hodeidah have on an already-suffering population?

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it could potentially have the most devastating impact. The international community,

the United Nations, the British government had all been pressuring the Saudi-led coalition in the run-up to this campaign not to do it because

there were remain fears that if that Hodeidah port gets shut down in a relatively short period of time, that could be extreme pressure put on up

to about 9 million Yemenis who are dependant on that port for the import of basic human sustenance.

That said, the Saudi-led coalition today released a statement saying it had a careful five-point plan to maintain the port open throughout this

campaign, to keep water, and even electricity flowing to the population in Hodeidah, which itself is a divided population.

It is dominated militarily by the Houthis, who are Shia, but there are large numbers of Sunni there, and indeed Shia who are not supporters of the

Houthi equally, at the same time, the other side, the Saudi-led coalition is using Yemenis, and Sudanese troops as part of its ground force while the

U.A.E. and Saudis conduct their operations from above.

The real issue is the extent to which they're prepared to risk civilian lives in trying to capture this city, which if it were successful, would be

a turning point in terms of the Saudi-led campaign against the Iranian- backed Houthis.

Because those ships we see there are the very vehicles by which the Houthis are accused of smuggling weapons, and other supplies from Iran, and of

taxing imports which of course is underpinned their rebellion against the central government, which of course is backed by the Saudis and others.

So amid this complex international proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Shia, and Sunnis, you've got a very, very problematic maelstrom on the

ground of tribal loyalties, and indeed economic interests.

LU STOUT: The civilian cost on the port city attack could be very high, could very well, as you say, tip the balance in this brutal civil war. We

know that the U.N. Security Council has called a meeting to address this. Is that going to make any difference at all for the people of Yemen?

KILEY: There is a great deal of hope from the U.N. that there could be some kind of a negotiated settlement, or at least a cease-fire. That's

what's being sought, and to some degree the Saudis have offered their own version of it, which is a cease-fire that would allow the United Nations to

take over Hodeidah port.

That in reality would mean the Houthis would have to leave, and agree to surrender, that is not really in the cards. All of the indications are the

Houthis, and we've been talking to people on the ground who report that the Houthis are going to dig in.

They've been spreading snipers across the city. They're pretty well armed, they managed to attack reportedly a ship from the U.A.E. yesterday with two

missiles, possibly killing four U.A.E. soldiers, and those deaths were confirmed, although not necessarily in that incident.

So the Houthis are unlikely, and traditionally when they're put under pressure. Tend to fight back. They tend to want to negotiate from a

position of relative strength.

And then ultimately what is the future for Yemen is not something that's being addressed in any of these peace processes, or peace proposals.

[08:15:01] The future particularly for the Shia Houthi, who as far as neighboring Saudi Arabia are concerned, are a potential perpetual danger as

long as they're supported by Iran.

LU STOUT: And the fate of hundreds of thousands of people hanging in the balance. Sam Kiley reporting for us live from Abu Dhabi, thank you.

A moment of silence, in the U.K. on the one-year anniversary of the Grenfell Tower disaster, 72 people died after the fire tore through a

housing block in West London. And right now, a silent walk is underway in memory of the victims.

Crowds are making their way toward Grenfell Tower, following a memorial service. CNN's Erin McLaughlin has been following the commemorations

today, and she joins us now live. And, Erin, one year after that horrific fire, how are people paying tribute now?

ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Just a short while ago, Kristie, there was an emotional service, powerful service in which members of the

community, victims, their families were there to remember that some 72 lives lost that tragic night.

There was prayer, there was song, one by one, each name of the victim was read out that service has concluded. We now expect for a procession, a

silent walk to begin not far from here. They're going to be walking to what's called a wall of truth, which is a place where locals, people who

were there that night can leave accounts of what happened, and to remember those lost.

And really as you walk around this neighborhood, the grief that you feel is still palpable. On every street post pretty much you see a green ribbon --

green, the color that has symbolized the tragedy of that night, local cafes are offering free coffee, a space for listening.

We also talked to local police officers telling me how devastated they are that for them what happened that night is still raw, so people here are

still mourning the dead.

At the same time, there have been apologies from local authorities, the way in which they handled this. We heard from British Prime Minister Theresa

May in an interview yesterday, apologized to the community for not having visited the victims sooner. Take a listen what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THERESA MAY, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I didn't, of course, on that first visit meet members of the community or survivors, and I'm sorry for not

having met them then. I regret that. Because I think people perhaps felt that they wanted those of us in power to know that -- to know that we had

understood and recognized what had happened. And perhaps felt that not meeting them immediately that I didn't care, and that was never the case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCLAUGHLIN: Theresa May also took aim at the local council, saying that it was clear that they hadn't met the needs of this community before or after

the fire. People here also you get a sense, Kristie, of the anger, the sense that justice -- there's no justice at the moment for Grenfell.

There's a public inquiry that's still under way, as well as a criminal investigation.

LU STOUT: A deadly disaster became a national tragedy. Erin McLaughlin, we thank you for your reporting. The Queen and the new Duchess of Sussex

were among those who pausing to honor the victims.

The pair observed a minute of silence during their visit to Cheshire, Northern England. It is a significant trip for Meghan, who's left her new

husband, Prince Harry behind. And will be going live to Cheshire for a full wrap of events a little bit later in the program.

Now the debate between personal privacy, and national security could be ticking up again as Apple says it has a new update to fix a security flaw

that would keep hackers, as well as law enforcement out of locked phones.

Also ahead, scientists sound a warning about how quickly ice is melting in Antarctica, and how much it's already caused our sea levels to rise. We're

going to be asking one of the study's lead scientists what is can be done to stop it, next.

[08:20:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong. Welcome back. This is News Stream. Apple has a new update that could throw a wrench into how law

enforcement hacks into suspect's locked iPhones.

Right now, you can get devices that plug into your phone, and pull information from it without unlocking the phone. But Apple is putting a

stop to that with a new USB restricted mode. Samuel Burke has more on how this new security update works.

SAMUEL BURKE, CNN BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT: Kristie, the way this is going to work is Apple is disabling data transfer through this

port, one hour after you last lock your phone. So what this will do is prevent hacking tools law enforcement buy from third parties from accessing

iPhones and iPads.

Just to note this won't stop you from being able to charge your phone. Now Apple is trying to emphasize that this will help users defend against

hackers, and identity thieves, they say, quote, we the greatest respect for law enforcement, and we don't design our security improvements to frustrate

their efforts to do their jobs.

But, Kristie, this change absolutely will frustrate law enforcement agencies who use these hacking tools to get into Apple devices, and it

really could reignite tensions between Apple and governments around the world that want technology companies to include back doors, official ways

to get around encryption and other security measures.

The most famous case was when the U.S. wanted to get into an iPhone belonging to one of the attackers in the San Bernardino shooting in 2015.

The FBI and Apple ended up in court when the FBI demanded Apple create special software so it could unlock that iPhone.

But Apple didn't end up building that software because the FBI purchased a tool from a third party that let it hack into the device, and this practice

has spread rapidly with law enforcement agencies around the world buying devices that can pull information off a locked phone. Tools that may not

work any more after Apple's new update hits devices, Kristie.

LU STOUT: All right. Samuel Burke reporting there. Now, scientists are sounding an ominous warning, Antarctic ice melting isn't just happening,

it's actually accelerating. An international human researcher study satellite data had found that melting ice from Antarctica has added almost

one centimeter to the world's sea levels since 1990.

Now prior 2012, the rate of melting was 76 billion tons a year, since 2012, the rate has tripled to 219 billion tons per year. By their estimate,

Antarctica could add 15 centimeters to ocean levels by year 2100, that is much higher than previous estimates.

And they try to conceptualize that, one millimeter of global sea level rise is the equivalent to an ice cube with each side measuring about seven

kilometers.

Now Andrew Shepherd of the University of Leeds is one of the lead authors of this new study. He joins me now live. And, sir, thank for publishing

this study, and thank you for sharing its results with us. And we have to ask the question, why is this happening? Is this the result of man maid

global warming?

ANDREW SHEPHERD, PROFESSOR OF EARTH CONSERVATION, UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS: What we know is that the ice clusters are concentrated in parts of

Antarctica -- in Western Antarctica where the glaciers flow directly into the sea, and we know that the ocean in front of those glaciers is too warm

for the ice to with stand.

It's not that warm. It's only about half a degree centigrade above the temperature, which it should be, but that's plenty of enough to cause this

ice melting, and the glaciers to lead to this sea level rise.

[08:25:03] LU STOUT: So we're seeing this accelerated ice melt happen as you pointed out in West Antarctica. There are climate change deniers out

there. They like to point out that the ice is actually accumulating in East Antarctica, and that could somehow make up the difference. How do you

respond to that?

SHEPHERD: Well, that's definitely not the case over the past 25 years. In East Antarctica, it is a really big part of Antarctica, it's the main ice

sheet, it's very cold there, and that ice doesn't really flow directly into the oceans in the way it does in West Antarctica.

And it is snowing there a lot. But over the 25-year time period, it's pretty stable in East Antarctica. That snowball isn't offsetting the ice

losses happening in the Western Antarctica, and that's driving up sea levels.

LU STOUT: Your research has been published in H.Q. Magazine, it is raising the alarm. Do governments around the world need to prepare for rising sea

levels? Meaning that they have to prepare for more coastal flooding as well as displaced communities?

SHEPHERD: Absolutely. And I think that that's the message that we would like to get across to people, whether you believe in climate change or not.

It doesn't matter, what the source of this change is.

What matters is whether or not we have enough time and enough money to adapt to it. And for that we rely upon citizens to elect governments that

will plan properly for the future to protect our coastlines.

LU STOUT: So we need to act. So how much of a window do we have to cut greenhouse gas emissions, and reverse this disturbing trend?

SHEPHERD: Well, the worrying thing about Antarctica is that the ice will only stop melting if we cool the planet, and although there are lots of

different scenarios being considered for future climate. None of them involve cooling again.

So I think the task now is to adapt to the sea level rise that we should expect over the future, and the best way to find out how sea level rise to

expect is to use satellite nations to test models that people make predictions upon. So it's more of a case of acting to deal with the

consequences rather than to try to reverse them, because that's practically speaking not likely to happen.

LU STOUT: Yes, Antarctica is melting faster than we anticipated, and we have to act, and react accordingly. Andrew Shepherd of University of

Leeds, thank you for you research, and thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. Take care.

SHEPHERD: Thank you.

LU STOUT: Now it is not just the Antarctica that's suffering from the effects of climate change. According to a new study, some of the biggest

and oldest baobab trees in Africa are dying. Many date back to Ancient Greece.

Researchers found that more than a dozen of the oldest and largest trees have partially, or completely perished in the past 12 years. And they're

blaming it on climate change. The baobab is known as the tree of life, because it produces this nutrient-rich fruit, and it can live to be 3,000

years old.

Now, time for a change of pace here on News Stream. Coming up, the wait is almost over, the World Cup 2018, it is just hours away. We're going to go

live to Moscow for the latest.

[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.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in Beijing as part of mission to try to sell Donald Trump's agreement with North Korea to other Asian leaders.

He'll be meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the next hour. Pompeo thanked China for it's support in the summit but says there are still risks

for achieving peace on the Peninsula.

Germany's federal prosecutor has confirmed that a Tunisian man arrested in Cologne successfully produced the highly toxic substance ricin. He had been

under police investigation on suspicion of planning an attack. Prosecutor's office says that there are no signs that he's a member of a terror

organization.

U.S. President Trump's personal attorney is parting ways with his legal team. Michael Cohen has not been charged with a crime but his home, office,

and hotel were raided by the FBI back in April. And a source tells CNN that Cohen is fully aware of the possibility of a potential indictment.

All right, we are just hours away from the start of World Cup 2018 and the tournament kicks off with host nation Russia up against Saudi Arabia.

Hundreds of millions of T.V. viewers watched the last World Cup in 2014. Germany was victorious in that tournament and it's hoping to become the

first team to retain the trophy since 1962.

Let's get the latest now from Moscow. World Sport's Alex Thomas is there for us. He joins us now. Alex, finally, it all begins today. What should we

expect with the opening ceremony as well as the opening match?

ALEX THOMAS, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: They're having an opening ceremony closer to the kick-off in the opening game for the first time we're told,

Kristie, and although we're not allowed to reveal all the details until it's underway, FIFA tell us they have told us who is performing and the

headline act is international pop star Robbie Williams.

If you expect him to sing some of his greatest hits, you probably will not be disappointed. It's fair to say that is much as I can say. But it has

been a really good atmosphere here on the opening day of this, the first time the World Cup has been held in Russia.

It was maybe a little bit of a damp atmosphere at the weekend we flew in, but as we get closer to kick off, more and more international fans have

been pouring into the city and really enjoying themselves, out on the streets, partying, blowing Vuvuzela trumpets, chanting, all on the

different shirts of the various teams they're supporting.

Thirty-two here, 64 matches to be played over the next four and a half weeks, three million fans going to the matches in total including a million

international visitors we're told. Lots of concerns off the pitch.

The usual things about security as well as in Russia's case, the doping controversies and racism concerns as well. But in my experience, once the

action gets underway, the host nation is so concerned about putting on a good show, Kristie, that normally happens.

LU STOUT: Yeah, it's going to be a great show. The fun atmosphere is there. The Vuvuzela as you put it, they are out. Robbie Williams likely to

sing "Rock DJ." Let's talk about the sport. Give us your World Cup prediction. Which teams are the ones to watch and could Germany be a repeat

winner?

THOMAS: Germany could certainly be a repeat winner. The opening match may be between the two lowest-ranked teams, Russia and Saudi Arabia. But beyond

that, there is a (INAUDIBLE) for us. I'm genuinely excited about the number of star players on the show and how many good scenes there are.

There are a group of players that are statistically head and shoulders above the others. Germany is the defending champion. One of them, Spain,

the 2010 world champion. Another, Argentina with the amazingly Lionel Messi in a very young and talented French team.

We can show you a graphic I think of analysis from Gracenote, a data company. They say the least best teams are Nigeria, Panama, Egypt, Japan,

and Saudi Arabia. Panama, one of two World Cup newcomers. The other is Iceland, not even on that list, the smallest nation by population.

I think as well as the top five, you can probably add on to that list Brazil that has not been mentioned. They've got a good chance. They went

out in the semifinals four years ago. Belgium looks very good as well.

[08:34:58] You can't write off Portugal, the reigning European champion, especially with Cristiano Ronaldo in their side. If I was pushed, Kristie,

I would say Messi and Argentina. I just think he is due to have a really good World Cup. But I do have Spain in the sweepstakes.

LU STOUT: So fingers crossed for Spain. Alex Thomas, live in Moscow. We'll talk again soon. Thank you. Take care.

Now, Britain's Duchess of Sussex is stepping out for a royal engagement without husband Prince Harry. She's learning the ropes from a pro, none

other than Queen Elizabeth herself. Meghan Markle is joining the monarch for a series of events across Northern England this day, beginning in the

city of Cheshire.

That is where we find CNN's Anna Stewart. She joins us now. Anna, tell us why this is happening. Why are the queen and Meghan Markle together this

day?

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a really special day. Momentous day, really, Kristie. It's not just the first trip for Meghan, you know, solo

without Prince Harry by her side. But for the new Duchess of Sussex, this is the first time she's really got to spend a lot of quality time with the

queen on a public engagement.

It was fantastic to see them walking through the town together. They've had a number of engagements today. They got off the train about three hours

ago. They overnighted on the train. Not any other train, of course the royal train, which comes complete with beds and a full-sized bath, I'm

told.

They've opened a bridge. They've been to visit a number of groups of school children and many town community groups. And they have actually just come

in to here which is the town hall of Cheshire behind me where they've gone for lunch with the mayor and a few other officials.

A very special day for Meghan. It really is a sign that the queen wants to bring her under her wing, show her the ropes, and really support her in the

way that she needs to do, particularly with all these big trips coming up with for commonwealth and the Invictus Games.

LU STOUT: It hasn't been a month since Meghan married Prince Harry, the royal wedding, and she's already out on this joint outing with the queen.

Is that unusual?

STEWART: I think the speed of it took everybody by surprise. But the fact of it in itself of doing this trip, inviting the Duchess of Sussex without

Prince Harry isn't that surprising. She did something quite similar with the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, shortly after she married Prince

William. But that was almost a year after the wedding.

So this one has come up quickly. We're told by the palace that this is really just a virtue of scheduling. But it is a wonderful sign of support.

And they looked really happy together.

Of course, different protocol involved when Meghan Markle, now the Duchess of Sussex, walks around with her husband, they often kind of meet the

public together. She often jumps fast and front. But when she's with her majesty, she has to make sure she's away several steps behind. She did that

perfectly today throughout.

LU STOUT: Anna Stewart, live in Cheshire for us, than you so much.

You're watching "News Stream." Still ahead, the capital of Vietnam, it includes some rustic insights. At CNN's Destination Hanoi, we're going to

visit a vermicelli craft village that is full of proud (ph) traditions. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, welcome back. This is "News Stream." Vietnam has fiercely defended its identity for more than a

millennium despite successive waves of outside influences. Now in the time of peace, the capital city continues its charm offensive, luring visitors

from around the world.

[08:40:00] Now, in this edition of Destination Hanoi, we take a look at a craft village known for its traditional noodles.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): It's high noon in the old Cu Da, Hanoi's home of commerce. Throughout its history, merchants and artisans came here

to peddle their wares, often produced in the craft villages that surround the city.

With a history spanning more than 400 years, Cu Da village in the southern part of Hanoi is one of them. The village is best known for its vermicelli

or "meyan" (ph) in Vietnamese, a mix of arrowroot flour and water, spread thinly onto large bamboo trays and steamed. The trays are then loaded up on

to carts and taken to a nearby field to dry.

Today, many of the villagers here earn their living from vermicelli. Together, they produce hundreds of tons of noodles each year which are then

consumed across the country.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are in Hanoi Center and I am about to eat this very delicious glass noodle with eel. You can see the eel here, it's fried.

And this is the glass noodles that we have recently seen the whole production process.

Hanoi food in particular is always like very fresh flavors and all the flavors and the combination of the spices, they always like are the nature

of flavors of the food itself. And when you eat it, you can still like feel the real taste of the ingredients.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: That looked amazing. I mean, just mouth-watering. That is it for "News Stream." I'm Kristie Lu Stout. Don't go anywhere. "World Sport" with

Christina Macfarlane is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:45:00] (WORLD SPORT)

END