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NEWS STREAM

Ship Carrying 233 Migrants Adrift Off Maltese Coast; Jordan Bracing For Thousands More Fleeing The War; Protesters Gather At Processing Centers; Trump Lashes Out As White House Calls For Civil Behavior; Search For Missing Thai Boys In Cave Enters Day Three; Mattis Land In Beijing For Security Talks; World Headlines; Safety Concerns; World Cup 2018. Aired 8- 9a ET

Aired June 26, 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: French President Emmanuel Macron leaves for to Pope Francis amid deepening divisions in Europe as hundreds of migrant drift anonymously in

the Mediterranean.

For a third day, rescuers in Thailand search for 12 missing boys and their football coach trapped in a flooded cave as anxious families wait for news.

And the U.S. Secretary of Defense is in Beijing for security talks at a particularly tense time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: After nearly four days in limbo, the wait is finally over for one group of migrants, but hundreds of others remain stranded at sea. One

hundred eight migrants onboard the dangerous cargo ship that rescued them on Friday disembarked in Sicily in the early morning hours. But their fate

is unclear.

And they're arriving on the continent that is deeply divided. On Thursday, all 28 E.U. leaders will meet in Brussels to discuss Europe's fractured

response to the migrant crisis. And ahead of the talks, French President Macron is meeting with the Pope at the Vatican where the migrant crisis is

expected to top the agenda.

Now, a humanitarian ship carrying more than 200 migrants is adrift off the coast of Malta where it currently does not have permission to dock. A lot

to get to now, let's go straight to CNN's Melissa Bell. She joins us now live. And, Melissa, one boat has been fully docked in Italy. But hundreds

of migrants of another rescue boat remains stranded. What's going to happen to them?

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're hearing, and we heard this morning from a spokesman for the French government that it could be that

the life line for which you refer, Kristie, might find safe port in Malta.

Clearly, the point that it is not found safe port in Italy, and this is ever since the Italian government changed its hard line position on the

Aquarius, you remember earlier this month, been the issue.

That over and over again these ships, whether they are commercial ships like the Maersk that was able to dock overnight in Pozzallo within Sicily,

or the NGOs that Italy's Interior Minister accuses of almost in cahoots with the people trapped are being complicit in getting its people across

the Mediterranean.

Ever since that more hard line position has been adopted by the Italian government with the closing of its ports, this has remained a problem, and

it will remain a problem. Another ship now having to make an unexpected move across the Mediterranean is the Aquarius once again.

It's been tweeting that it would refuse the possibility of stopping in Italy. It's therefore making its way to Malta to seek more fuel and

logistics that it needs. But then again, it keeps it away from a search and rescue zone where so many lives, of course, Kristie, it's important to

remember, remain at risk.

It isn't that the crossings have increased, on the contrary, we've seen over the course of the last six months that they are 50 percent down on

where they were last year. But the politics have almost caught up with the crisis now. We're seeing, as you say, a Europe that is almost entirely

fractured along this issue.

LU STOUT: Yes, we have a Europe that is deeply divided as you say over this issue, huge raging debate about migration policy, also about our

shared humanity. And we have a political leader meeting the pontiff. Emmanuel Macron meeting Pope Francis right now. How are they addressing

the migrant crisis?

BELL: Well, these two -- the two men met for just under an hour. It is a longer meeting than had been planned, Kristie. And just took place a

little earlier on. These are two men who seem much more eye-to-eye on the question of the migrants than what needs to be done, although, the Pope has

not criticized the Italian government for their position on this.

He has made it clear that he believes that those wealthy countries should be doing as much as they can to help those that arrive on their shores with

so little, and who are so desperate. Emmanuel Macron does in that same position.

In fact, his very harsh words and exchanges with the Italian government over course of the last couple days really lead one to believe that it's

very difficult to see how any real agreement is going to be reached over the next couple days. And, yet, agreement will have to be reached because

of these migrants that continue to finds themselves trapped of the shores in the Mediterranean because of the southern Mediterranean countries of

Europe.

[08:05:00] That is because of Angela Merkel's coalition depends so much on a European wide resolution being found, because these divisions have been

so plainly exposed by the arrival in power of Italy's populist, and right- wing government, Kristie.

Essentially, Europe is going to have a couple of days at the end of this week, Thursday and Friday, to resolve a crisis that has bedeviled it for

more than three years.

LU STOUT: Melissa Bell reporting live from Paris, thank you. Many of the refugees coming into Europe, they are fleeing the war in Syria, but

millions more are going in search of safe havens in other countries close to the home.

Tens of thousands have displaced in recent days as they flee a regime offensive in southern Syria. They may try to head to neighboring Jordan.

That country, though, already has an estimated 1.4 million Syrian refugees, and it warns it can't take in any more.

Now CNN's Ben Wedeman joins me now live from Beirut. And, Ben, let's talk first about the refugee crisis, what is the situation inside Jordan, and at

the border as this new wave of refugees are forced to flee this area?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As you mentioned, Kristie, Jordan does have about 1.4 million Syrian refugees inside the country. They have come

in since March of 2011 with the outbreak of the Syrian uprising. The Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi has publicly said that Jordan can

take no more refugees.

Keep in mind that if the United States had a proportional number of refugees comparable to Jordan, they would have accepted 40 million refugees

in comparison to the population. And therefore, the Jordanians will tell you that the resources have been strained to the breaking point. They can

take no more. So since essentially 2016, Jordan has not allowed any Syrian refugees into the country.

So, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, there are around 45,000 Syrian who's have been

displaced from their homes in Daraa province, which is in the province along the border with Jordan, where in March of 2011, that is where the

uprising against Bashar Al-Assad began. And at this rate, it appears to be that's where it may end. Kristie.

LU STOUT: So, why are we seeing this situation in Daraa? Is there intensified fighting there? Is that what's causing this new wave of

refugees to consider fleeing into Jordan?

WEDEMAN: Well, it's interesting because that part of Syria has been quiet for the last year. In July of last year, the United States, and Russia,

and Jordan came to an agreement on a de-escalation of the situation in southern Syria, and it remained quiet.

But what we've seen since the beginning of the years that the Syrian government with the help of Russia, Iran, and Hezbollah has steadily

regained territory around Damascus, and now they are looking further south. And the Syrian government in Damascus wants to re-exert its control in that

area.

Now it's a very sensitive area, not just because it borders Jordan, but also because it borders the Israeli occupied Golan Heights, and the

Israelis are very concerned about the possible presence of forces from Iran and Hezbollah in the area.

So they're very concerned as well. But essentially this displacement of as many as 45,000 people at this point does appear to be the result of this

offensive by the Syrian government which began approximately on the 17th of June. Kristie.

LU STOUT: And there will be no end to the displacement. No end to the refugee crisis unless there is an end to the conflict. But, Ben, this is a

conflict that you have reported on since it started in 2011. What is the prognosis of any sort of solution here?

WEDEMAN: No, there's no end in sight at this point. It's important to keep in mind for instance that this year, you've seen the largest number of

displacements within Syria itself well over 700,000, and we are only half way through the year. You still have a serious Turkish presence in the

northern part of the country.

And the United States and its Kurdish allies control much of the northeast of the country. And the Syrian regime is slowly re-exerting its control

over the areas that it's able to. It's not confronting the Americans, or the Turks, and their Turkish-backed allies in the northwestern part of the

country. But no, there's no end in sight for -- to this conflict.

[08:10:00] And it doesn't appear there is the will among the major players in the conflict, Russia, the United States, Turkey, and others to actually

come to any sort of final agreement. Kristie.

LU STOUT: Ben Wedeman there. And, Ben, we thank you for your reporting, and that much needed reminder of this brutal conflict in Syria. Ben

Wedeman there.

Now despite weeks of negative headlines, even rebukes from Republicans in Congress, Donald Trump, he insists that the national uproar over

immigration is good for his party.

At a campaign rally in South Carolina, the U.S. President boasted that the detention facilities for undocumented immigrants are much nicer now than

they were under his predecessor Barack Obama. He also repeated the claim that Democrats want open borders and crime.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Democrats want to protect illegals coming into this country. Some of whom are not good.

Some of whom cause lots of problems in the worst possible way. They want to protect illegals coming into the country. Much more so than they want

to protect you, and that's not where we're coming from, OK?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: And while the uproar, rallies may good for the base, for his party, it has been traumatic for children. Thousands of whom are still

apart from parents. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, they released video to improve the image of its children detention centers.

Many people say it's simply not enough. Miguel Marquez has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CROWD: We care! We care!

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anger growing on the Texas-Mexico border and across the country over the President's zero tolerance

immigration policy.

CROWD: Let them out! Let them out!

MARQUEZ: Zero tolerance equals children separated from parents despite the President's executive order to end the separations, thousands of kids and

their parents remain disconnected.

This man, just out of lockup in El Paso, has no idea where his daughter is or how he'll find her. I don't know if I'm going to see her again, he

says. I need to see her, and be with her. She's the only child I have. In McAllen, responses to the First Lady's fashion choice when she was seen

wearing a jacket bearing the message, I really don't care. Do you? Assurances today many here do care.

NORMA PIMENTEL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CATHOLIC CHARITIES OF THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY: They're scared. They're frightened, and they know that they are

in prison -- in a prison environment, and so they're not sure what's going to happen.

MARQUEZ: Sister Norma Pimentel has worked in resettling immigrants in the Rio Grande Valley for decades.

PIMENTEL: Any person in any country that feels threatened and afraid for their life, they should have the right to go for a country, and ask for

protection.

MARQUEZ: But the President as he has for years insists there is a crisis of criminal immigrants flooding across the border.

TRUMP: We will have millions and millions of people pouring through our country with all of the problems that would cause with crime.

MARQUEZ: The President now suggesting in a tweet, immigrants seeking asylum should be turned back with no opportunity to make their case. Is it

illegal to seek asylum?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not illegal to seek asylum. Stripping immigrants from due process it's illegal and unconstitutional.

MARQUEZ: The government making its best case that children separated from their parents are being cared for. In this video provided to CNN by Health

and Human Services, because they won't allow independent media to record in the facilities, the Tornillo facility in El Paso County portrays an upbeat

atmosphere with kids playing, eating, and staying in tents. There is no sound along with the video.

The big question is here, how does this all get rectified? How do these families get back together? One state politician I spoke to says that she

is convinced that the government has information, has tracked both the kids and the families, knows where they are, but there's no process. There's no

way to get them back together.

She's also not convinced they want to do it very quickly, since that the government may choose to wait till the asylum process is over for the

parents before trying to get them together. That could take weeks if not months. And in many of these cases, these kids and parents are thousands

of miles apart. Miguel Marquez, CNN, McAllen, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: The scenes unfolding at the U.S.-Mexico border have left many people saying enough is enough. Emotions are running high among

protesters, and now even elected officials are calling for unorthodox methods to make their voices heard. Abby Phillip reports from the White

House.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TRUMP: It's the party of Maxine Waters. Do you believe her?

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Trump ramping up his feud with veteran Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters, just hours

after Press Secretary Sarah Sanders called for political civility after being ousted from a Virginia restaurant.

[08:15:05] SARAH SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I was asked to leave, because I work for President Trump. Healthy debate on ideas and

political philosophy is important, but the calls for harassment, and push for any Trump supporter to avoid the public is unacceptable.

PHILLIP: Sanders is the latest in a string of Trump backers who have been publicly rebuked for their support of the administration.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shame on you! Shame on you!

CROWD: Shame. Shame. Shame. Shame.

PHILLIP: The confrontations dividing Democrats, who have struggled over how aggressively to challenge the administration, particularly in light of

the President's own history of inflammatory remarks.

TRUMP: Sleepy Eyes Chuck Todd, he's a sleeping son of a bitch. They call her Pocahontas. You see somebody getting ready to throw a tomato, knock

the crap out of them. I don't know about if I would have done well, but I would have been boom, boom, boom. I'll beat that.

PHILLIP: Congressman Waters encouraging her supporters to protest over the weekend.

MAXINE WATERS (D), UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE: If you see anybody from that cabinet, you get out, and you create a crowd, and you push back on

them.

PHILLIP: President Trump responding by insulting Waters' I.Q., and falsely accusing her of calling for harm to his supporters before seemingly issuing

a threat of his own, tweeting, be careful what you wish for, Max. Waters denying she encouraged violence.

WATERS: I believe in peaceful -- very peaceful protests. I have not called for the harm of anybody. This president has lied again.

PHILLIP: But Democratic Party leadership also denouncing her behavior.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK, MINORITY LEADER: No one should call for the harassment of political opponents. That's not right. That's not

American.

PHILLIP: Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi tweeting a rare rebuke, Trump's daily lack of civility has provoked responses that are predictable, but

unacceptable. As we go forward, we must conduct elections in a way that achieve unity.

The firestorm coming as President Trump continues to downplay the outrage over thousands of children who have been separated from their families by

his administration.

TRUMP: Our facilities are cleaner, better kept, and better run. That's the one thing I learned, OK? I saw them. But what we have is two

extremes. And I liked it. I said, hey, this is fine for us.

PHILLIP: President Trump abruptly halted that practice last week, and on Monday, another key element of the President's zero-tolerance immigration

policy was scaled back.

The head of Customs and Border Protection telling reporters that agents have stopped turning over adults with children for prosecution, a decision

that will at least temporarily revive the catch-and-release approach used during the Obama administration that President Trump has repeatedly

criticized.

SANDERS: This will only last a short amount of time, because we're going to run out of space. We're going to run out of resources.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Abby Phillip reporting there. You are watching News Stream. And coming up, hoping for a miracle. Rescue efforts enter the third day

for a youth football team trapped in a flooding cave in Thailand.

And the U.S. Defense Secretary has had a history of tough talk when it comes to China's military moves. So how is this trip to Beijing going to

play out? We're going to have a live report next.

[08:20:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong. Welcome back. This is News Stream. In Thailand, a frantic search for 12 missing boys and their

football coach trapped in a flooded cave complex. It is now in its third day. And desperate families are waiting nervously for news. They've set

up a make shift camp near the area.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PINYO BHODHI, FATHER OF MISSING BOY (through a translator): When I saw his bike parked inside the cave -- the mouth of the cave, my tears just dried.

I was desperate to find my son. We need a miracle. I want him back. I feel I have just lost my heart when I found just his bag, mobile phone, and

his shoes. But all I could do is just wait.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Parents are praying for a miracle. Emergency services are pumping water from the caves which are in the far north of Thailand. Now

Tulip Naksompop Blauw from our affiliate in Spring TV is there on the scene, and I spoke with her a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Tulip, thank you for joining us. What is the latest on the search for the missing boys and their coach?

TULIP NAKSOMPOP BLAUW, REPORTER, SPRING TV: Hi, Kristie. The latest situation is now they already passed a point initially they thought they

would find these 13 people. But they're still searching because they say that there is another chamber about eight kilometers.

From this point, at first, it will be three kilometers to the first dry area, and then they have to go inside to the dry pocket. They thought

they're going to see them. And then find them. But they said that is now the last dry point. And they hope that they will reach that today.

LU STOUT: Family members have been anxiously awaiting any news. How are they coping right now?

BLAUW: Yes. They have been trying the best they can, as we waited, a family member just faint. And they have been sent to the hospital. And

they get regular updates from the officials. And the government actually sent the mental health department -- the doctor from the mental health

department to help the family member cope with the situation. It has been, I would say, stressful. But everyone stays hopeful.

LU STOUT: The boys have been missing since Saturday. What has made this search operation so difficult?

BLAUW: Yes. So at first when they were walking in there for a little expedition, the cave was dry. But then it got rain, and it got flood. So

they believe that all the children were further and further inside because of the current of the flood. And so the difficulty is the water level.

Even though they try to pump water out from in here, and also from the pond connected to the cave, it seems from a official that the water level still

stay the same, and the current inside is very strong. And the deeper you get in there, the darker it got. And the colder it is. And there is some

point that it is actually pitch black.

LU STOUT: Tulip, we appreciate the update. Thank you for joining us.

BLAUW: Thank you very much.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now, we are given the close eye on the U.S. futures as Wall Street prepares to react to potential restrictions on Chinese investments,

especially tech investments in the U.S. The U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, he tried to ease worries on Monday saying that the measures won't

be China specific, but to all countries that are trying to steal U.S. IP, and U.S. tech.

But the pressure of the emerging trade war is hitting China. The Shanghai Composite is now in bear market territory. Meanwhile, as China and the

U.S. tangle over trade, the U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis is in Beijing for security talks with senior Chinese officials. But he's

visiting as the two sides are seeing other tense moments in their relationship.

Just last month the U.S. disinvited China from the international RIMPAC military exercise. Mattis was the one who made that call to the White

House after the Chinese military landed a bomber on an island in the South China Sea. Mattis then pushed this hard line on China further, accusing it

o, quote, intimidation, and coercion in the Indo-Pacific during the security summit in Singapore.

More recently, the U.S. angered China by opening a new de facto embassy in Taiwan. The U.S. also sells advanced weapons to the island. Now Will

Ripley joins me from Beijing with more on Mattis' trip.

[08:25:02] And, Will, thank you for joining us. There is clearly, as (Inaudible) a lot of tension between the U.S. and China. So what can

General Mattis achieve with this visit?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, one thing that the secretary has said, Kristie, that he's going to be doing a lot of listening. He's

meeting with his Chinese counterparts. He is meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, and really one primary goal here is to try to

stabilize this relationship.

There have been escalating tensions over trade, a lot of disagreements over these tariffs, the $50 billion in tariffs that are due to kick in next

month. This announcement expected later this week about limits on Chinese investments in key U.S. technology.

So if Secretary Mattis can leave Beijing having come to some sort of a better understanding with China about their position, explaining the U.S.

position, then perhaps that will at least stabilize the situation, and allow the two sides to try to move forward instead of things further

spiraling down hill.

LU STOUT: And he needs China on his side, especially as it comes to managing expectations with North Korea. But, you know, what role will

Beijing play in this on going push for denuclearization?

RIPLEY: Well, that's the tricky situation, Kristie, because Secretary Mattis has to convince China to keep up the pressure on Pyongyang just as

we know that ties between the Chinese President Xi Jinping, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un are really warmer than they've ever been.

They've met three times in recent months.

You know, North Korea and China have called their relationship similar to that of a family. And so you have China really getting closer and closer

to North Korea at a time that the United States needs China to keep up the sanctions in order for them to pressure North Korea, and to continue down

this path towards denuclearization. The pressure simply wouldn't work without China's cooperation.

LU STOUT: And we just saw that red arrow in the Shanghai Composite today, all that trade tension between U.S. and China casting a shadow on the

markets inside China. The impact is being felt. What is the potential security impact of all this? Will Trump's tough line on trade over China

cause Beijing to link the two economic issues with security cooperation?

RIPLEY: At this time, we're not hearing any public comments in Beijing where, you know, Chinese officials are linking the security issue with

trade. In fact, in the past, they have expressed dismay that the United States and President Trump have linked those two issues.

They have always insisted that their economic ties with the United States is totally different from the security situation here in Asia-Pacific. But

there have been reports that President Xi when he was speaking with American business leaders here in Beijing recently did say that China is

prepared to punch back.

And that China will strike back with tariffs against the United States, perhaps other measures against American companies already doing business

here if they feel the United States is acting in ways that jeopardize Chinese interests.

But again that is more focused on trade than any sort of military threats. Although, we know China is developing its most advanced military technology

ever, aircraft carriers, and missiles, and of course, those -- you know, what analysts have called permanent aircraft carriers at artificial island

in the South China Sea that U.S. military experts are very concerned in the long term could pose a serious risk, and threat to U.S. military assets in

this region.

LU STOUT: Yes. The U.S. has definitely expressed concern about that. As you point out, Beijing is making these investments, it's stepping its up

the military activities and deployments in the South China Sea, also the Taiwan Strait near Taiwan. Are we getting any sense of how far the U.S. is

willing to push back and to challenge China militarily over that?

RIPLEY: Well, Beijing is certainly not happy that the United States is pushing forward with sales of advanced weaponry to Taiwan, reinforcing

their relationship, their alliance with Taiwan which China considers a renegade province. That could be taken back by force if necessary really

at any time.

We also know that U.S. military is continuing these freedom of navigation patrols, sailing their warships very close to these disputed islands in the

South China Sea, which makes Beijing very unhappy. Just last week we were talking about these reports that China disputes.

But, you know, American pilots said that there are blinding lasers that are coming up from Chinese fishing boats as they fly controls over these

disputed areas. Now China said that's simply not happening.

But clearly, this does give a sense that there are these little incidents around the region that could potentially lead us down a dangerous road if

China and the United States can't figure out a way to sort out these issues.

LU STOUT: The tension is building. Again, the time these two powers really need to work together on the issue of, of course, North Korea. Will

Ripley reporting live from Beijing for us, thank you so much. Take care.

Now the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told CNN in an exclusive interview that the U.S. will not be putting a timeline on negotiations with

North Korea after all.

That contrasts sharply to what a senior defense official told the reporters that the U.S. will have a specific timeline to see if North Korea is

genuine in its pledge of denuclearization. Pompeo says the U.S. will regularly assess the regime's seriousness about abandoning the nuclear

program as they work on normalizing relations.

[08:30:02] This is "News Stream." Still to come, experts rank the most dangerous countries in the world to be a woman. The nation that tops the

list, find out after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching "News Stream" and these are your world headlines. French President Emmanuel Macron is at

the Vatican for talks with Pope Francis. Europe's response to the ongoing migrant crisis is likely dominating their discussions. This meeting comes

two days before European leaders gather for summit on migrant sharing in the E.U.

Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Syrian refugees have been displaced in recent days as they flee a regime offensive in Southern Syria. They may try

to head to neighboring Jordan but that country already has an estimated 1.4 million Syrian refugees and warns they can't take in any more.

More than two years after the vote, Britain's decision to leave the European Union has finally become law. The E.U. Withdrawal Bill has been

given royal assent by the queen. It officially repeals the U.K.'s decision to join the block in 1973 as of March next year.

Prince William is on the first official visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories by a member of the British royal family. Earlier, he met with

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara. The Duke of Cambridge also laid a wreath at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in

Jerusalem.

India now ranks as the most dangerous country to be a woman. That's according to a new survey which shows India topping the list for its high

risk of sexual violence and slave labor. The report comes amid mounting public outrage over the country's handling of violence against women.

CNN's Nikhil Kumar joins me now from New Delhi with more on this. Nikhil, walk us through this report and why it's calling out India as the most

dangerous country in the world for women.

NIKHIL KUMAR, CNN NEW DELHI BUREAU CHIEF: Kristie, the report is from Thomson Reuters Foundation. They polled more than 500 experts and women's

issues from around the world, and they asked them to rank countries based on a variety of subjects from gender-based violence to discrimination to

some of the issues that you talked about, the risk of slavery, human trafficking, and so on.

India, when you take all of it together, India comes out as the worst in that list. They produced a list of the 10 most dangerous countries in the

world for women. India is number one. Just to put this in some context, an earlier survey in 2011 placed India fourth from the same foundation, fourth

most dangerous place, excuse me, in the world, for women.

[08:35:06] Now, it is the most dangerous place in the world for women, according to the survey. So, it reflects over these years the opinion among

these experts from around the world that India, the situation in India has deteriorated on a number of fronts.

There is, of course, the problem of gender-based violence which we have talked about a number of times, repeated reports of rapes, violence against

women. Sometimes, young girls as young as eight, reports that we've discussed on the show across this network.

But there is also other issues such as the discrimination that women face in the workplace, the problem with human trafficking, the problem with

certain cultural traditions that impact women, child marriage, other issues such as asset attacks and forced labor. All of that together, according to

this report, makes India the most dangerous country in the world for women. Kristie?

LU STOUT: This report, this disturbing distinction forces the issue of gender-based violence and discrimination back on the national agenda

there. We know that there has already been outrage in India. Will there be additional action?

KUMAR: Well, Kristie, the government certainly has been promising more action. As you say, this issue has been the center of national attention

now for several months.

Back in April, we have thousands of Indians come out on to the streets in response to some truly horrific cases including the one I mentioned of the

8-year-old girl up in Northern India from the state of Jammu and Kashmir, whom the police say was kidnapped, drugged, brutally gang-raped, and then

murdered.

The prime minister, Narenda Modi, at that time at the end of April finally after days and days of pressure spoke out, calling this an issue for great

concern. But the report today in fact singles out Prime Minister Modi. It cites criticism of Mr. Modi and his government for not doing enough.

One of the things that they did do in the aftermath of those case was introduce emergency legislation to bring in the death penalty to certain

rape cases involving minors. That legislation needs to be ratified by parliament. But it was one step that they took, they said, in response to

this growing problem.

But many, many women's experts and we've been speaking to many of them over the last few weeks and months as this issue is once again dominated the

national agenda, the one thing that they say again and again is that new laws are simply not enough.

You will remember the 2012 rape case in the city of a young medical student. That case led to to new legislation being introduced. It led to a

definition of what counts as sexual violence, what counts as rape being broadened.

New resources were promised to deal with this problem. But things haven't gotten better. And so one thing that activists say again and again is we

need better enforcement. New laws are simply not enough. Kristie?

LU STOUT: Better enforcement is needed. Nikhil Kumar reporting live for us, thank you so much. Take care. Experts say that the "Me Too" movement

led to the United States ranking in the top 10 of the most dangerous countries for women. And the U.S. is the only western nation to make the

list. Nine other countries are from Asia, the Middle East, or Africa.

You're watching "News Stream." Still to come right here in the program, Argentina is taking to the pitch today against Nigeria in a match it must

win. But ahead, we're going to see how fans at the Super Eagles have been preparing.

[08:40:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, welcome back. This is "News Stream." Fans from Nigeria, they are celebrating their team's success so

far in the World Cup tournament. CNN's Amanda Davies reports from Moscow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR (on camera): It took a while for Nigeria to get going at this World Cup. But after Friday's victory over Iceland

when they played to a very different and much better tune than their opening defeat, it means they have set up an absolute blockbuster of a

clash in Group D against Argentina.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I believe we can do it because the boys now have the courage. The fear is out.

DAVIES (on camera): How confident are you of Nigeria against Argentina?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As confident as Argentina is against us.

(LAUGHTER)

DAVIES (voice-over): Pre-tournament, there was much talks about concerns about the threat of racism and the reception African fans particularly

would receive here in Russia. Thus far, there have been no incidents reported, so how have these fans found their experience?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are one or two pitches from the (INAUDIBLE). I will cite an example. Any time we are in an elevator, they see us inside

the elevator, they don't normally join us. They allow us to go. They are not coming. You understand?

So those are some factors that I said are wrong. We're all human beings. We are black, they are white. But we embrace them. They should also be able to

embrace us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Before, we thought Russia is racist. But I can see, I can tell you 100 percent, I have been to four World Cups, I was in South

Korea in 2002, I was in South Africa in 2010, I was in Brazil in 2014, and now I am in Russia, and I believe this has been the best experience I have

had with the fans.

DAVIES (on camera): The word from the Nigerian camp is that the team are preparing to go to war in their final game against Argentina. Group D, of

course, a group where anybody can go through. And if experience here in red square this afternoon is anything to go by, Nigeria and their fans won't be

going anywhere quietly.

Amanda Davies, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: I love seeing the fervor of those fans. And that is it for "News Stream." I'm Kristie Lu Stout. But don't go anywhere. "World Sport" with

Christina Macfarlane is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:45:00] (WORLD SPORT)

END