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E.U. Leaders Reach Deal On Migration, Italy, Brexit; Thai Rescuers Try New Way To Enter Caves; Suspect Charged With Five Murders; U.S. State Department Wants Marines To Guard Post In Taiwan; Kremlin: Putin And Trump To Discuss Syria; U.S. Defense Secretary Wraps Up Asia Trip; U.S. Human Trafficking Report Ranks 183 Countries; World Headlines; Iraq Executes 12 Convicted ISIS Members. Aired 8-9a ET
Aired June 29, 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: A deal on migration for the E.U. as people try and get across the Mediterranean into Europe. Another access point? Rescuers in Thailand
are exploring an alternative way into a cave system to find a group of lost teenagers. And doing it for themselves, women in India are learning self-
defense, taught by the Delhi police.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: After marathon talks long into the night, E.U. leaders say that they have reached an agreement on the migrant crisis. Member states agree
to share responsibility for settling migrants, but leaders admit many details remain to be worked out. Now they are back at it.
They are focusing on Brexit with the E.U.'s chief negotiator warning that there is a huge and serious gap between the U.K. and the E.U. Let's get
more now on this crunch summit. CNN's Nina dos Santos is standing by in Brussels. She joins us now live. And, Nina, the E.U. leaders, they've
reached an agreement on migration, but do divisions still remain?
NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they certainly do, but at least they've managed to put a bit of a veneer over them, if you like, for the
time being of this, Kristie. Nine hours worth of talks, nearly 10 hours worth of talks that wrapped up at nearly 5:00 a.m.
And bleary eyed prime ministers came out of these meetings expounding the - - extolling the virtue of European solidarity and cooperation, and so on, and so forth. But when you look at the statement, the devil really will be
in the detail from here.
What essentially they're proposing here is to deal with the flow of migration, they want to set up centers to receive asylum seekers who
actually are inside the E.U. already to process their claims to find out whether they're economic migrants or asylum -- genuine asylum seekers.
And if they are, the latter -- well then they can be moved up towards other European Union countries if they're willing to accept them. This is a
voluntary agreement here, but also there was a little bit for those countries like Austria, Poland, and also Hungary that staunchly say they do
not want to accept any more migrants.
What we saw was some of the wording here when it comes to secondary migration, so people who have arrived inside the E.U., sought asylum in
their first tour, but then tried to move to another perhaps more profligate, richer country, and there was some acknowledgment that those
countries need to be able to protect their borders as well.
So, a bit for everybody, but the Italians really held firm, at one point, the Italian Prime Minister threatened to veto all the negotiations on all
the other matters if he couldn't get the major concessions that he wanted on the issue of migration. Kristie.
LU STOUT: Got it. Now, the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, she said this was a make or break issue for the E.U., but she needed this summit to
shore up her own standing at home. So does this agreement help her politically?
DOS SANTOS: It does help her for the moment, politically, because on the one hand, what she can do is she can yes, you know, to placate Bavarian
conservative colleagues in her coalition who wanted to suggest potentially turning asylum seekers back at the German border, she can say, look, I have
managed to secure a little bit more autonomy over our borders if indeed we need that from here.
At least she managed to get that into the draft text here, and into the final conclusions as well, but the reality is, as I was saying before,
migration is an issue that will not go away for this region. Austria is about to take on the rotating presidency of the E.U.
It has a notoriously Euro-skeptic and anti-immigrant agenda government at the moment, so immigration will stay right at the top of the agenda, and
they may well try, and lobby with other Euro-skeptic governments like, I've mentioned, Italy to gain more concessions from the other E.U. leaders at
future summits to come over the next six months. So migration is important.
It's something that split Europe along various axes. From east to west, south to north, and also Angela Merkel's own government, but for the
moment, this is a stopgap measure that seems to work for everybody.
The question is, is migration at the moment -- it's actually ironically enough is only five percent of what it was back in 2015. So really, the
issue here is a political one for Europe because the large waves of migrants that we saw a number of years ago have given rise to a wave of
populism, and that really is the issue that Europe has to deal with, not just migration, per se. Kristie.
LU STOUT: That's right, which is why Emmanuel Macron, the French leader, last weekend said that this was a political crisis for the E.U., not
necessarily a migrant crisis. You can look at the current data out there. Nina dos Santos reporting live for from the side of the E.U. summit. Thank
you so much, Nina. Take care.
[08:05:00] Now, a little bit later in the program, we're going to bring you some pretty fascinating insight into how migration has defined this world.
Using data from the U.N. Refugee Agency, we're going to show you an interactive map of where migrants have left, and where they've gone since
the year 2000. That's coming up a little bit later in the program.
Now, rescue crews fear that time is running out for a group of young athletes in Thailand believed to be trapped in that cave system. Twelve
boys aged 11 to 16, along with their 25-year-old football coach, they have been missing since Saturday, and heavy rains have hampered the
international relief teams there on site trying to find them.
Today, there was a possible breakthrough as a new potential entry point to the cave was discovered. Reuters' Senior Correspondent Panu Wongcha-um is
in Chiang Rai. And he joins me now by phone. And, Panu, thank you for joining us here. It is day six of this rescue operation. International
teams are on the ground. What's the latest?
PANU WONGCHA-UM, SENIOR CORRESPONDENT, REUTERS: Well, it really has been a war of attrition against Mother Nature with still lots of rain over the
last week has really hampered the rescue effort, but luckily today, it has been a little bit dryer, and rescuers have been quite positive in saying
that they have pump out enough water.
At the same time, different crews of rescuers are trying to find different ways into the cave in the area where they believe the 12 boys and their
coach are currently located. Now, the officials are basically saying that their primary approach is still to pump water -- as much water out of this
cave as possible.
This water has really sort of blocked the rescue efforts, blocked divers from the U.K., from the U.S., as well as Thai divers to get through this
back end of the cave.
Now, another team, with assistant from the United States as well as the U.K., are trying to find different ways from top of the mountain, and up
scale themselves down, and today they have managed to find a natural opening where they are down about 40 meters, and they are now exploring
this small opening to see whether it leads somewhere to the area they want to get to.
LU STOUT: Yes, there are multiple fronts in this rescue effort as it's playing out today. Also, the Prime Minister of Thailand, General Prayut
Chan-o-cha, was there. What was his message to the rescue teams, and to the families of the missing?
WONGCHA-UM: Yes, the Prime Minister was here this morning as well as several senior ministers, and they have been coming here all the past
couple days to really provide encouragement, and provide their support to the poor family members who have been sitting here waiting outside sort of
the cave mouth where all the rescue efforts are being concentrated.
These folks have been sitting here for almost a week, haven't heard any news from the boys inside, but at the same time, with all these officials
arriving, this has really uplifted the atmosphere somewhat because there are a lot of people coming, and going through this rescue effort.
And some of the relatives have told me that they are still hopeful that the -- that there will be some good news soon, and of course the weather has
played a large factor, the fact that it hasn't really rained this afternoon has really, really uplifted a lot of people here, the rescuers, as well as
the relatives.
LU STOUT: Yes, it's good to hear that there's a sense of hope at the site of the cave rescue. Panu, Wongcha-um of Reuters reporting live at the
scene there, thank you so much, and take care.
Now, the missing team has captivated the nation, and Thais of all ages have voiced their concerns, and their support on social media. Don't give up,
said one user, Nanniekon, tweeting a viral cartoon of the group on a board of the team's name sake.
Another Twitter user Punch Somboonsri, meanwhile said, please come home, which of course is a chant we've also heard from the parents and the
families there at the cave site. You know, others such as Namwoon Chitchanok posting optimistic images of rescues, saying, we are waiting for
you, stay strong, boys.
The suspect in the Maryland newspaper shooting, Jarrod Warren Ramos, is scheduled to have a bail hearing in just over two hours. He's been charged
with murder after investigators say he killed five people, and wounded three others at The Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland on
Thursday. Rene Marsh is there. She filed this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Several shots have been fired. Possible shotgun. At least 10 shots heard.
RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A terrifying scene unfolding inside The Capital Gazette newsroom in Annapolis, Maryland. A gunman deploying smoke
grenades, and opening fire with a shotgun in an attack police say was targeted.
[08:10:04] PHIL DAVIS, REPORTER, CAPITAL GAZETTE: He shot through the front door. The glass shattered. He was going down our newsroom, starting
from the front, and yes, just continually shooting people.
MARSH: Sources tell CNN the suspect is Jarrod Warren Ramos. He's now behind bars.
WILLIAM KRAMPF, DEPUTY CHIEF, ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT: This person was prepared to shoot people. His intent was to cause harm.
MARSH: Journalists inside the newsroom describing the scene as a war zone.
DAVIS: At some point when I was listening to him reload, it's you know, are we all going to die? It's not necessarily, is he done? It's, IS he
not going to leave until everyone in here is dead?
MARSH: Some are fleeing for their lives, others hiding under their desks.
SELENE SAN FELICE, STAFF WRITER, CAPITAL GAZETTE: I grabbed my purse, and I went to the back door, which I was only a couple steps away from, and it
was locked. John was still trying to get out the door. I'm not sure what -- I'm not sure exactly in the next couple seconds what happened. But then
I know that John was standing up. I heard the footsteps. And he -- that John got shot.
MARSH: Authorities responding to the scene within 60 seconds, and apprehending the shooter, who was hiding under a desk.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's inside the Gazette office, the main office, where all the victims are. We got him.
MARSH: Authorities tell CNN the suspect had a longstanding grudge against the newspaper. In 2012, he filed a defamation lawsuit against The Capital
Gazette after they published an article detailing a case where he pleaded guilty to harassing a former classmate on social media.
The judge dismissed his suit, citing lack of evidence. A law enforcement source says this Twitter handle is believed to be the suspect's account.
He tweeted several times about the paper, and the author of the article about him, writing in December 2015, quote, journalists, hell awaits. That
journalist no longer works at the paper.
The attack killing five Gazette employees, and injuring three others. Wendi Winters was a 65-year-old mother of four. The Gazette describes her
as a prolific writer who was beloved by the community she covered closely for years.
Assistant editor Rob Hiaasen, a mentor to all, who celebrated his 33rd wedding anniversary last week. His brother remembering him as one of the
most gentle and funny people I've ever known.
Thirty-four-year-old sales assistant Rebecca Smith was a new hire to the paper who loved spending time with her family. Editorial page editor
Gerald Fischman was known for bringing a quirky voice, and clever, wicked pen to the paper, A quiet, endearing figure in a newsroom full of
characters.
And John McNamara, known as Mac, was a staff writer who worked his dream job, sports reporting. He's remembered for his razor wit, and being a
loyal friend.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: A tragic day in Annapolis, and that was CNN's Rene Marsh reporting. You're watching News Stream, and still ahead, we have a CNN
exclusive.
Sources say the White House plans to send U.S marines to guard its de facto embassy in Taiwan. How is Beijing responding? And the U.S. releases its
annual report on how countries are faring in the fight against human trafficking, but some places are not so pleased with their ranking.
[08:15:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: I like that zoom into Hong Kong. Welcome back. Coming to you live in a Friday night here. You're watching News Stream. Now, the U.S.
State Department has made a request to increase the security at its de facto embassy in Taiwan.
If it happens, it will be the first time in nearly 40 years that the U.S. marines will be guarding a diplomatic post there. A scene on Pentagon
reporter Ryan Browne joins us live now with this exclusive. And Ryan, the State Department has requested that U.S. marines again be sent to Taiwan
for the first time in decades. So, why is this happening now?
RYAN BROWNE, CNN PENTAGON REPORTER: Well, Kristie, it's kind of bringing into line the U.S. represent diplomatic post in Taiwan known as the
American Institute in Taiwan, it's kind of bringing into line how similar embassies operate all over the world.
U.S. marines typically guard embassies -- U.S. embassies overseas from countries from Afghanistan to countries in Europe. However, this is a very
symbolic, because traditionally, the U.S. has not had marines in Taiwan, at least not since 1979 when they switched its recognition from Taiwan to the
People's Republic of China in Beijing.
So this is a new development, but again, hasn't been approved yet, but the State Department seeking to bring the American Institute in Taiwan into
line with its other embassies overseas. Now again, this brought immediate warning from the Chinese government, who's very sensitive about this issue
in Beijing.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman saying that the U.S. was clear about the position on Taiwan, and that it knows that it should exercise caution to
avoid, on this issue, to avoid affecting overall bilateral ties. So a warning from the Chinese Foreign Ministry in response to this news.
LU STOUT: And that warning from China comes right after U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis was there in Beijing meeting with Chinese President Xi
Jinping. There may be cooperation on one front, like in regards to denuclearization with North Korea, but there's a lot of friction elsewhere.
So, militarily, what's the tone of the overall relationship?
BROWNE: Well, that's right, and this news coming just days after Secretary Mattis left Beijing. He's the first Defense Secretary to visit China since
2014.
And there were a lot of issues at play here, senior defense officials telling us that everything from the situation on the Korean Peninsula to
the South China Sea, Secretary Mattis being very vocal about China's, quote, militarization of the South China Sea, accusing China of placing
missiles there, of using those islands to coerce countries in the region.
But again, that was an issue that was discussed. Also the issue of Taiwan did come up, we are being told that U.S. officials did not bring it up.
But we're told by officials who were in the meetings that it was constantly brought up by the Chinese counterparts as an irritant in the relationship,
China warning the U.S. against strengthening ties.
Something that they're worried that the Trump administration is doing with various activities, arms sales, but also the recent Taiwan Travel Act,
which was encouraging relations between the two countries.
LU STOUT: And it signals like that that get China a little bit upset here. So, you know, what is your read on Trump, and China, and Taiwan? You know,
with the U.S. under President Trump for a year and a half now, is there a lot of strategic ambiguity there about Taiwan, and the one China policy?
BROWNE: There is increased strategic ambiguity going all the way back to when President Trump was elected, before becoming -- taking -- becoming
inaugurated, he received a call from Taiwanese President, and kind of a breach of traditional protocol.
LU STOUT: Yes.
BROWNE: So there's been increased tension on this relationship. There's also Congress, which is some members of Congress are closely allied with
the Trump administration have sought increased relations with Taiwan.
But it's not clear if there's an overall strategy, or if these are just individual cases of increased relations that are being viewed at least by
Beijing as some kind of shift, but it's unclear whether or now there's a strategic shift, or if these are just individual cases.
LU STOUT: Got it. Ryan Browne live from the Pentagon for us, we appreciate your reporting. Thank you very much indeed, and take care.
BROWNE: You're welcome.
LU STOUT: Now, the Kremlin says that it expects Syria to be discussed comprehensively at the upcoming summit between Russian President Vladimir
Putin, and his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump.
[08:20:02] They are scheduled to meet in Helsinki, Finland, on July 16th. With more on that, let's go straight to Fred Pleitgen in Moscow. And,
Fred, on the U.S. side, there's a lot of concerns about this meeting, concerns about perception, concerns about possible concessions that Donald
Trump could make. What's the view on the Russian side?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, I think the Russians, Kristie, believe that they're very much in the driver's seat on all this. I think
the Russians believe that the Americans, specifically the Trump administration, were the first ones who came up with the idea of having
such a summit.
Of course, they've seen some of the rhetoric out of especially the President himself over the past couple of weeks and months where around the
last G-7 summit, he was saying he believes that Russia should be readmitted to the G-7, to then, of course, make it the G-8 again, him also saying that
he believes that direct talks with Vladimir Putin are very important.
Of course, the Russians say that as well. For them, they've been saying that things like Syria, things like Ukraine, are topics that are certainly
going to be on the agenda. It was interesting.
We had a call earlier today with Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for the Kremlin, where we asked about our own Michelle Kosenski's exclusive report
saying that President Trump has apparently floated the idea of somehow making a deal with the Russians in Syria for the U.S. to pull out of Syria,
and then have the Russians try to control Iran there.
He said that he hadn't heard anything about that. He didn't know what the information was, but he certainly said that there would be very important,
and very robust discussions about, especially, Syria.
It's clearly a topic where the Kremlin and the White House feel that they might be able to make some sort of headway that they see it as a very
important one, and then again, of course, Ukraine also very important as well.
And then on a little side note, Kristie, the other thing that we also asked about in this phone call is whether or not election meddling, the 2016
election would be a topic, and there, the Kremlin clearly said, if President Trump asks about it, he will get the answer that he's gotten
before, that the Kremlin said it had nothing to do with it. Kristie.
LU STOUT: Got you. So, you know, that, if it's brought up, they're going to deflect it, Syria to be discussed, Ukraine as well, also improving the
relationship between U.S. and Russia. A question about America's allies, how are they going to feel with this summit unfolds, when they see the
moment when Trump and Vladimir Putin shake hands?
PLEITGEN: Yes. Well, look, first of all, I don't think that the European allies and Canada as well, America's traditional allies, think that the
summit on the face of it is a bad idea. I do think that they are quite concerned about the fact that their own ties with the United States seem to
be getting worse and worse.
Just last night, you had the President once again criticize the European Union, saying it was bad for trade with America, or unfair trade with
America. You've had him obviously attack Canadian -- Justin Trudeau, the Canadian leader, and then also Angela Merkel as well, some other western
leaders.
So they are quite concerned about the fact that it seems as though President Trump seems to be pulling America out of those traditional
alliances, and moving it closer to countries like China, and then to countries like Russia as well. That's of course something that's not lost
on the Russians, and that's not lost on Russian media.
You do have a lot of commentary here in Russian media talking about this fact, saying that they believe President Trump is trying to maneuver the
United States away from Europe, and that's certainly something that could be detrimental to the European Union.
And it was interesting, of course, earlier today in Brussels, Europe decided to extend sanctions against Russia further, and the Russians are
now saying, look, the Europeans might be making a big mistake siding with the United States, and now having the Trump administration move America
closer towards Russian interests. Kristie.
LU STOUT: Got it. Fred Pleitgen reporting live from Moscow. Thank you so much, Fred. Now, let's bring our geopolitical focus back to Asia. China
actually warned the U.S. about Taiwan, while the U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis was there a couple of days ago in his Asia tour.
Mattis has wrapped up his visit to the region. He is on his way back to the U.S. He met with the Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, a few hours
ago, in fact. Will Ripley joins us live from Beijing. And, Will, did Mattis manage to reassure Japan, and its concerns over efforts to
denuclearize North Korea?
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think so. At least according to what the leaders are saying publicly. Because a simmering concern in Japan has
been that President Trump might strike some sort of a denuclearization deal with North Korea that would get rid of their long-range ballistic missiles,
but allow them to keep the shorter range missiles that have been launched dozens of times directly towards Japan in recent years.
I mean, remember all of the missile launches that we were talking about, some of them coming just within a matter of miles over of the Japanese
coast, some of them flying over the Japanese island of Hokkaido. The Japanese don't want any deal with North Korea that allows them to have that
capability.
Secretary Mattis saying that definitely that is off the table, that the denuclearization of North Korea will include getting rid of any missile
systems that could impact Japan. And so certainly, at least for the time being, in Tokyo, it seems as if the visit, and the discussions did, you
know, reinforce the alliance.
[08:25:04] And of course also announcement as well that the U.S. and Japan are taking part in joint military exercises despite the denuclearization
talks. That may not be making Pyongyang very happy, but it certainly is reassuring for Tokyo that the Japanese self-defense force and the United
States military continue to work together, including in joint training, despite the fact that the military exercises with South Korea on the
Peninsula have been postponed, at least for now.
LU STOUT: Got it. So the alliance, and critically the security alliance is still strong. Will Ripley reporting live. Thank you so much, Will.
Now, the U.S. State Department has released its annual report on global human trafficking.
It ranks 183 countries on a five-tier system. All the countries in green are in tier one. They're judged to be doing the best at fighting the
problem. Those in dark purple, they are those tier three countries considered the worst offenders, and as you can see, Myanmar is on that
list.
The country has been dealing with a humanitarian crisis in Rakhine State over the violent military crackdown on the Rohingya. The U.S. government,
along with the U.N., called the violence ethnic cleansing, and last year, CNN exposed the modern day slave markets in Libya. The report did not rank
Libya, but U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, he addressed the situation there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE POMPEO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We read the horrific accounts of human trafficking and abuse of African migrants, refugees, and asylum
seekers in Libya, resulting in modern day slave markets. We've engaged the Libyan Government of National Court to bring the perpetrators to justice,
including complicit government officials. We welcome its commitment to doing so, and look forward to seeing real action.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: Mike Pompeo is joined by U.S. First Daughter Ivanka Trump for the report's release. Human rights advocates are noting the irony of a
U.S. report on the removal of children from their families while the Trump administration is under criticism for its treatment of migrants along the
border.
The report puts Hong Kong on the tier two watch list for the third straight year, just one level above the tier three mark. It says that the Hong Kong
government did not meet the minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking.
Hong Kong's government is furious at the report, calling it, quote, most deplorable, and saying it strongly disagrees with the U.S. rating. It also
adds that the, of course, allegations are not supported by evidence.
Now, remember, you can find much more information on the CNN Freedom Project website. You just go to cnn.com/freedom, and that's where we shed
a light on modern day slavery. Again, you can find it at cnn.com/freedom.
The Iraqi government has executed 12 ISIS members just hours after the Prime Minister called for the immediate execution of all convicted
militants. We'll bring you the details next. And we're going to bring you the latest analysis on migrant movements around the world. See you after
the break.
[08:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching "News Stream" and these are your world headlines.
E.U. leaders have reached an agreement on stepping up their response to high numbers of migrants from Asia and Africa. Member states agree to share
responsibility for resettling migrants but leaders admit key details must still be worked out. It comes as Libya's coastguard says around 100
migrants are believed to have drowned in the Mediterranean.
Rescue crews are trying a new approach to reach the group of young athletes in Thailand believed to be trapped in a cave system. Heavy rains have
hampered the international team trying to find the 12 boys and their coach. But today, rescuers believe they may have found a new way to get into the
cave.
Indonesia briefly shut the Bali Airport on Friday after volcanic ash filled the air. More than 300 flights were canceled before the airport reopened.
Mount Agung began shooting out smoke and ash on Thursday, sending hundreds of nearby villagers into three evacuation centers.
Twelve convicted ISIS members have been executed by the Iraqi government just days after the mutilated bodies of eight men kidnapped by the group
were discovered. Jomana Karadsheh is live for us in Istanbul with more. Jomana, walk us through what the Iraqi prime minister has declared this new
directive and why he issued it.
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, just recently, several several members of the Iraqi Security Forces were kidnapped on a road in
Northern Iraq between Diyala and Kirkuk provinces.
And last Saturday, ISIS released this hostage video where they basically gave the Iraqi government a three-day ultimatum to release all female ISIS
members and all senior members of the group or that they were going to kill these hostages.
And there was no public public reaction from the Iraqi government after the release of that hostage video, but there was a lot of angry reaction from
Iraqis, ordinary people who were calling on the government to deal with this situation, to try and release these hostages, even appeals from the
children of these hostages who carried photos of their fathers, asking the government to help release them.
These are photos that circulated over social media. And on Wednesday, the Iraqi military announced that they recovered the bodies of these eight
members of the security forces as you mentioned, mutilated.
And you know, of course with that angry reaction we saw from the public there and the silence from the government before that, an angry Prime
Minister Abadi yesterday basically ordering the implementation of the death penalty for members of ISIS who are on death row, who have exhausted their
appeals process.
And a short time after that, we got the confirmation, according to Iraqi authorities, that 12 members of the group were executed. And, you know,
this really does raise concerns, Kristie, about, you know, what kind of a message does this send.
Yes, it might be the Iraqi government sending a message that they will deal with this with an iron fist, but at the same time, concerns that the
executive authority in the country is using the judiciary as a revenge tool.
LU STOUT: A lot of concerns being raised as a result of this. Jomana Karadsheh reporting, thank you.
Now, the global migrant crisis is transcending borders, defining itself as one of the most forefront issues of our time. It's fueling a growing
political debate and a political divide on how to confront it. Many of these migrants are refugees, people fleeing conflict of persecution.
And the U.N. says that there are more than 25 million global refugees. The sheer magnitude is difficult to visualize, but now, it's a little bit
easier. This map is just one of many that's part of the EarthTime.org project. It's a collaboration between Carnegie Mellon University's CREATE
Lab and a number of research institutes including the Igarape Institute in Brazil.
They used UNHCR data to put this map together and the results are fascinating. Just what you're looking at right now. One dot on that map is
equivalent to 17 refugees. The yellow dots represent the flow out of a country and there are dots that turn red as they arrive in another country.
The map shows refugee movement from year 2000 to 2015. And some of what it shows is sobering, like here where you could see the surge of people
leaving Syria due to the conflict there.
[08:35:01] But the map also reveals deep flaws in the public perception of the global refugee crisis and what regions are taking in the most people.
Now, I spoke about that with Robert Muggah of the Igarape Institute.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERT MUGGAH, CO-FOUNDER, IGARAPE INSTITUTE: I think that the first point is there isn't one refugee crisis, there are multiple crises around the
world. But it's not necessarily happening in North America and Western Europe, despite the sensation that's often repeated in the media that the
states are being inundated with refugees.
The fact is that less than 15 percent of the world's refugees ever make it to the industrialized west, whether it's North America or Western Europe.
The vast majority, more than 85 percent, are literally eking out a living closer to home in low income countries.
So when it comes to distribution, the west isn't really carrying its fair share. The burden is overwhelmingly maintained by countries in the south.
LU STOUT: Now, you can also overlay data on global terrorism events and outbreaks of organized violence. What does that additional data reveal
about the link between migration and violence?
MUGGAH: So, what we see overall is that violence has gone down, generally, over the last 20, 30, 40 years. It doesn't feel like that. But the
incidents and the intensity of violence has actually gone down globally. The problem is that violence is hyper-concentrated in particular parts of
the world.
So in parts of Central America and Mexico, we have some of the most violent countries on the planet, five of the top 10 most violent countries are in
Mexico and Central America. But we also have concentration of conflict- related violence, mostly in Sub-Saharan Africa in countries like Congo and Sudan and elsewhere.
And then we have terrorism and terrorist-related violence which is really concentrated in parts of the Middle East and Central Asia. And it is really
important to stress that really about five or six countries account for 75 percent of all the lethal violence out there, whether it's homicides or
whether it's terrorism or conflict violence.
What we know is that violence is a huge factor shaping people's decision to flee as we're seeing in the borders of the United States and Mexico, but
also as we see from refugees in Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq.
LU STOUT: Let's talk about the United States in recent years. There have been a lot of fears, a lot of deep concerns about immigration. Donald
Trump, the U.S. president, this week said, we cannot allow all these people to invade our country. Robert, what do you see when you map it all out?
MUGGAH: Well, if you go back in time, the number of refugees who have been settled into the United States has obviously fluctuated, depending on the
different wars around the world. And the U.S. has traditionally had a fairly welcoming attitude towards refugees.
Generally, the United States has maintained its participation in managing the resettlement of refugees. What we've seen since Donald Trump has come
into office is a dramatic reduction in the number of refugees.
The ceiling which was 110,000 set by President Obama in 2015 has dropped to less than 50,000. We're of course having 21,000 refugees settled in the
United States this year, probably the lowest numbers in decades.
So, you know, there is a sense that somehow the United States is being inundated with refugees, but the fact of the matter is the United States
has less than 0.6 percent of the global refugee burden.
LU STOUT: Robert, thank you so much for joining me. Your maps both mesmerizing and deeply revealing. And I encourage our viewers to go online
and check it out as well. They can find it at EarthTime.org. Robert Muggah, thank you so much.
MUGGAH: Thank you.
LU STOUT: You're watching "News Stream." Still to come, women across New Delhi, they are tired of waiting for law enforcement to help crack down on
sexual harassment. So now, they are learning to fight back. Their story of self-defense is next.
[08:40:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: Welcome back. Now, women across India, they are tired of dealing with the constant threat of sexual harassment and activists say that the
problem has intensified in recent years with cultural teachings urging many women to stay quiet. But now, women, they are fighting back. Our New Delhi
bureau chief Nikhil Kumar has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIKHIL KUMAR, CNN NEW DELHI BUREAU CHIEF (voice over): Housewives, students, young professionals, they've all come here to New Delhi Community
Center because of a common concern, how to stay safe. For the next two weeks, these women will spend an hour a day learning how to defend
themselves, free of charge.
Twenty-three-year-old Safna Gautam (ph) moved to the city four years ago. She's here because she feels she needs new skills to cope with rising
violence against women.
If a man misbehaves with me, I don't even know if it's safe to say something back. What if I become his target?
Delhi's police department has been running these classes since 2002, but they've never been busier. More than three quarters of a million women have
been trained so far. The aim? To make Delhi's women feel more confident, says police trainer, Kabiga Chandela (ph).
We hear from girls who have taken our classes, she tells me. They've started to stand up and defend themselves. They feel more confident. They
feel safer.
(on camera): It was here in Delhi in 2012 that the brutal gang rape of a young medical student sparked nationwide protests and the stories keep
coming. This year, an attack on an 8-year-old in Northern Jammu and Kashmir once again triggered anger and national outrage. Talk to the participants
here, again and again, they voice the same fears and ask the same question. When will this stop?
(voice over): The latest official statistics say the number of reported rape cases in India jumped 12 percent in 2016. Part of that, activists say,
is due to greater attention on sexual violence. Laws have been tightened and more women are coming forward to report assaults, but they say
enforcement is still a problem. India's women still feel unsafe.
And that's what these classes held all over the city are trying to fix. Gautam (ph) desperately wants to stop being afraid if she stays out too
late or leaves home by herself. Surging demand for these classes show that she's far from alone.
Nikhil Kumar, CNN, New Delhi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: And before we go, a farewell to a dear friend, colleague, immense talent, "News Stream" assistant producer Esther Pang. She is
leaving Hong Kong for a new life in America. Esther, say hello, wave your hand.
She has made her mark in that control room, in our news room, and covering the region. Esther, we miss you, I'm going to miss you so much. Do make
your mark in this world because you are such a talent.
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