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Shortest Hearing Sentenced a Life in Prison; Good Times are Over for Carlos Ghosn; Thanksgiving Not an Excuse for Trump to have a Fight; Turkey Accused U.S. of Turning a Blind Eye; Australia Braces for Sand Storm. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired November 22, 2018 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[03:00:00] KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN HOST: Hello. You're watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong.
And ahead this hour, five minutes for a lifetime. A court in UAE takes just minutes to sentence a British academic and accuse him of being a spy to life in prison.
Decision day at Nissan. The company is det vote on whether to sack the once hot shot exec who has fallen suddenly from grace.
And severe drought in Afghanistan forces families to make an impossible choice. Sell their children or risk starvation.
The U.K. government is warning a serious diplomatic consequence after a British student was sentenced to life in prison after accused of spying in the United Arab Emirates.
Now, the family of 31-year-old Matthew Hedges says he had no legal representation and was forced to sign a confession in Arabic, a language he neither speaks nor reads.
Sam Kiley has more.
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Matthew Hedges, a British academic from Durham University was this morning in Abu Dhabi sentenced to life in prison for espionage, spying for the British government.
Now his family and, indeed, his university say that he was very far from being a spy. He is a legitimate academic who is investigating the successful ability of the United Arab Emirates to have resisted the wave of Democratic movements that spread across the Middle East in 2011 and 2012. Often called the Arab spring.
Not that notwithstanding. He spent five months in prison, much of that time in solitary confinement. During that time his family say he was interrogated under duress and signed a piece of paper that he could neither read nor understand he does not speak Arabic.
The UAE, though, said that he pleaded guilty during a five-minute hearing here in Abu Dhabi and faced the maximum penalty of life imprisonment for what they say was his confession to spying.
Now the British government has been outraged by this, as indeed, has his very sharp family. I've spoken to family's spokeswoman who said that his wife was in tears and then was advised immediately after the hearing to leave country in something of a hurry.
His whereabouts is now unknown. British consular officials are working very hard to try to track him down because he does suffer, we're told from some mental health problems some of them associated with being held in solitary confinement.
Now in a broader context, this comes at a time when relations between the United Arab Emirates and Abu Dhabi, in particular within the emirates is at an all-time low when it comes to the United Kingdom, not least or above all because the United Kingdom persistently refuses to designate the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist movement as a terrorist organization which is how is described and designated here in the United Arab Emirates.
On top of that, the United Kingdom has offered asylum to people who have fled this country to the United Kingdom who have been associated with the brotherhood.
Nonetheless, the UAE say that there is an opportunity perhaps for an appeal. His family have 30 days for an appeal. But they also insist this is the family that they know that he made no comment at all. He did not plead guilty during the very short hearing that he faced.
And the British foreign secretary has said that he is outraged and shocked by the consequences of this jailing for the family and for Mr. Hedges but on top of that, he's also said that there could be very dire consequences for the bilateral relationship between the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. Two countries that are very deeply intertwined, but is culturally, economically, militarily, and above all in terms of shared intelligence.
Sam Kiley, CNN, Abu Dhabi.
STOUT: Hiba Zayadin is a researcher who investigates human rights abuses in the UAE. She is with Human Rights Watch. She joins us now live from Amman. Thank you for joining us. This is a very chilling development. How has -- and walk us through here. How has the sentencing and the detention of Matthew Hedges in the UAE violated his human rights?
HIBA ZAYADIN, RESEARCHER, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: So, Matthew has definitely not received a fair trial by any standards. He's been held in pretrial detention for over six months. The first couple of weeks of which he was effectively disappeared and had no connection with his family or with British consular representatives.
He did not have access to legal counsel until the third court hearing which was over six months after he was first arrested.
[03:05:03] And even then, he was getting limited access to his court appointed lawyer. Obviously, from what we've seen yesterday, you know, in a trial that was five minutes long with no lawyer present it was revealed that the confession which is, which the charges are largely based on, was basically, you know, a document that he had signed in the very first weeks of detention in Arabic which he does not speak or read.
So, I mean, we have been raising concerns around the due process violations in this case, from the moment that it was revealed to us that he was in detention. And most -- and most clearly around this confession. And the fact that it was admitted into court proceedings.
And obviously, the UAE -- the UAE justice system has a record of mistreating state security detainees, of due process violations and, you know, lack of fair trial guarantees whatsoever.
STOUT: Yes, a lot of concern about due process in the UAE. And the UAE prides itself of being tolerant of foreigners, of being tourist friendly.
ZAYADIN: yes.
STOUT: But given what happened to Matthew Hedges, is it safe for western academic students to work and study there?
ZAYADIN: Absolutely not. It has not been safe or viable for a long time now, for several years. The UAE has launched a sustained assault on freedom of expression since 2011. Its arrested and prosecuted academics, journalists, critics and dissidents for free speech related charges. Academic freedom is not upheld in the UAE. And this claim that they are a progressive and tolerant nation that they preside over this global education and cultural hub is absolutely not true. It has not been for a long time.
STOUT: The British Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, he has called this unacceptable and has warned of serious diplomatic consequences. Now there's words and there's also action. So, how should the British government act to make a stand for him?
ZAYADIN: You know, the foreign secretary's statement is pretty strong but it comes a little too late. The U.K. has been silent on this issue since his arrest. You know, this case makes it clear that they should be much more public about this, not just about Hedges case but more generally about human rights in the Gulf.
Especially given the strong ties they have, the U.K. could use its leverage with the UAE authorities and it should be monitoring the appeals process, it should make sure he's being held in humane conditions and that no -- and that no force confession of statement is being used against him in court.
STOUT: And what about leverage of universities? Because there are a number of universities that have links to the UAE. Do they have as a collective power to respond to this in a meaningful way?
ZAYADIN: Absolutely. You know, at a minimum they should be letting students that they are sending to the UAE and students that are at campuses in the UAE know what a repressive country they will be operating. And they should -- you know, they should make very clear how terrible the climate is for freedom of expression for academic freedom and scholarly research.
You know, we haven't heard from any of the big reputable academic institutions yet who do have - who do take money from the UAE and who have campuses there. And they definitely, you know, offer credibility provide the sheen of respectability to an authoritarian regime by one, you know, taking money from them, building campuses and branches there, and not speaking up about something as draconian as this verdict.
STOUT: And what about United States? You know, this also comes in the back of Donald Trump and him saying that he is siding with the Saudis in the Jamal Khashoggi affair. If the United States fails to respond to this, another human rights violation, what message does that send to the UAE and the world?
ZAYADIN: They've already been sending a message that nothing -- that nothing will be -- will be done, that no consequences of -- you know, will happen as a result of this kind of impunity and this kind of question. You know, given that the UAE has been conducting this kind of assault since 2011, and basically very clearly getting away with it. And branding themselves as this progressive intolerant nation.
This definitely hasn't emboldened the UAE rulers and Saudi rulers to keep going, you know, business as usual and to even escalate. This, you know, a life -- life in prison on very weak -- on a very weak basis, there has been no evidence revealed in this case besides his confession.
[03:10:00] STOUT: Hiba Zayadin of Human Rights Watch, thank you so much for joining me. Take care.
Now the British Prime Minister Theresa May will head to Brussels on Saturday to try to finalize her draft Brexit deal. Now she met with the head of the European Commission on Wednesday but failed to reach agreement on some of the details.
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THERESA MAY, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Well, there are some remaining issues which we have discussed this evening with the president, I discussed with President Juncker this evening. We've been able to give direction to our negotiators on resolving those issues. So, further progress has been made.
And as I say, I'll be returning on Saturday for further meetings including, again, with President Juncker to discuss how we can ensure that we can conclude this process in a way that is in interest of all our people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STOUT: E.U. leaders plan to meet on Sunday to endorse the Brexit accord. But diplomats say German Chancellor Angela Merkel won't take part in that summit unless the draft deal is approved first. And while Spain is starting to vote against the deal unless trade and
security issues involving the British territory of Gibraltar are handled separately.
The future of one of the most powerful man in the automotive industry will soon come down to a vote by Nissan's board of directors. Right now, Carlos Ghosn, not only the chairman of Nissan but also of Renault and Mitsubishi is in a detention center in Tokyo.
He is accused of financial misconduct, including underreporting his compensation and misusing company assets. Nissan has been investigating Ghosn for months after tip from a whistleblower.
Let's go live to Tokyo where journalist Kaori Enjoji is getting by. And Kaori, how is this going to play out?
KAORI ENJOJI, JOURNALIST: Well, ever since the arrest of the celebrity CEO Carlos Ghosn this news has riveted the nation, Kristie. And there are two important developments that we are following here today.
One of them is the special board meeting being held at Nissan headquarters while they were -- they are widely expected to oust Carlos Ghosn as chairman of that company. We are hearing that that decision could be made sometime later on today.
But you have to remember, this is just -- this is a story that move just beyond -- beyond just the fallen CEO. The prosecutors are not saying any more than what they told us on Monday.
That is, that they are being -- he's been arrested for a number of issues including the underreporting of his salary and the misuse potentially of corporate funds. But we don't really know in particular the latter part of those accusations.
The prosecutors have 10 to 20 days before indicting him formally. Meanwhile, Carlos Ghosn remains in detention, in a detention center on the outskirts of Tokyo.
There's another development, Kristie, that's going to be very important. That is going to be the meeting between the French economic -- French finance minister and the Japanese economic minister in Paris which highlights that this is a story that goes beyond one man, one cooperation but really that's going to involve the countries of both Japan and France.
STOUT: Yes, this is incredible. We have these two meetings underway. One in Japan, one in France, the center of it, Carlos Ghosn. Tell us more about the meeting between French economic, and finance ministers and how they are going to weigh on the future of Ghosn, and what this all means for the alliance he built between Nissan, Renault, and Mitsubishi.
ENJOJI: These are critical questions. So, we already have a taste of what we have in store. Because on the one hand, you have Nissan board meeting today likely to oust Carlos Ghosn as the head of their company.
But Renault has already said that the board has met, they have decided not to remove Carlos Ghosn from his post but instead appoint an interim person because of course, Carlos Ghosn is unable to run the company on a day to day basis.
So, already, you are seeing a very, very different response for Renault and Nissan. And I think that highlights the different positions that these two companies are in. When Renault came to rescue Nissan nearly 20 years ago, the situation was very, very different. Nissan was on the brink of bankruptcy. But 20 years later, fast forward to now, that situation is completely different.
Nissan sells more than 60 percent more cars than Renault. It has a lot more cash, it has a lot more leverage in this alliance. But due to the very complex nature of the shareholding that in the way that the alliance is structured, many analysts and many people within Nissan for years have been saying that Renault has an outside say in the alliance. And that perhaps due to this arrest of Carlos Ghosn, Nissan possibly could be trying to amend that situation.
But the French government is likely to say, hold on a minute. I think that's why we're hearing the top echelon from government, the French President Emmanuel Macron to his minister saying that they're watching the situation very, very closely.
[03:14:54] Because remember, Kristie, this is a private company, but the majority shareholders, 50 percent -- 15 percent, excuse me, of Renault is held by the French government.
And take a look at Nissan. It's in a much better position financially but this is an emblem of Japanese society as well -- as well. So, the economics of the government also watching this situation closely because they too want to ensure that their say in this unfolding story is heard as well.
STOUT: Kaori Enjoji, reporting live for us in Tokyo. Thank you.
Now to the United States where President Donald Trump seems to be picking another fight with the nation's judges. And this time he's taking his battle to the highest court in the land.
Jeff Zeleny explains.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR White HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Trump in an extraordinary public feud tonight with Chief Justice John Roberts.
On the eve of Thanksgiving, an unprecedented and unseemly exchange that starred earlier in the day when the chief justice issued a rare rebuke of the president for criticizing a member of the federal appeals court as an Obama judge.
"We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges, or Clinton judges," Roberts said, "what we have is an extraordinary group of dedicated judges doing their level best to do equal right to those appearing before them. That independent judiciary is something we should be thankful for."
The president firing back on Twitter. "Sorry, Chief Justice John Roberts, but you do have Obama judges and they have a much different point of view than the people who are charged with the safety of our country. It would be great if the ninth circuit was indeed an independent judiciary."
In a second tweet, the president went on to ask whether so many opposing views on border and safety cases filed there, and why there are a vast number of cases overturn. Then he admonished Roberts to study the numbers, and added, "they are shocking and making our country unsafe."
It all started as the president left the White House yesterday blasting the judge's decision for temporarily blocking one of his executive orders to change U.S. asylum policy.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You go to the ninth circuit and it's a disgrace. This was an Obama judge. And I'll tell you what. It's not going to happen like this anymore.
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ZELENY: The Supreme Court chief justice appointed by President George W. Bush has been striving to bring civility to the bench.
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JOHN ROBERTS, CHIEF JUSTICE, UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT: We speak for the Constitution. That job obviously requires independence from the political branches.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENY: It was his statement defending the judiciary that provoke the response from Trump. All this tonight as the president finally submitted his written questions in the Russia investigation. But Rudy Giuliani telling CNN special counsel Robert Mueller may be far from finished with the president.
Giuliani one of the president's lawyers is bracing for new questions from Mueller about potential obstruction of justice. A move he said the Trump team would fight. "We'll consider them and answer them if necessary relevant and legal," Giuliani telling CNN. If it was something that would be helpful, relevant, not a law school exam.
As Trump opens his six-day holiday visit to his Florida resort, Giuliani's comments tonight signaled the Russia probe and the president's role in it is very much alive despite repetitive attempts to diminish it like yesterday while leaving the White House.
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TRUMP: The written answers to the witch-hunt that's been going on forever, no collusion. No nothing. They've been finished.
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ZELENY: Giuliani said any question about Trump's transition and actions during his time in office including whether he obstructed justice firing FBI director James Comey would violate the president's executive privilege.
CNN has learned the president did answer Mueller's questions about potential Russian collusion including what he knew at that time about his son Donald Trump, Jr.'s meeting with Russians at Trump tower and whether he knew anything about Russian hacks when saying this about Hillary Clinton's e-mails on July 27, 2016.
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TRUMP: Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 e-mails that are missing.
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ZELENY: So, even as the Russia investigation still hangs over this president with a potential of new questions to come from the special counsel's office, it is that extraordinary unprecedented, perhaps even unseemly fight with the chief justice that certainly is unusual.
Particularly coming on the eve of Thanksgiving, and of course, the president may need the Supreme Court in their ruling in the months and years to come.
Jeff Zeleny, CNN, West Palm Beach, Florida.
STOUT: Turkey is accusing the U.S. of turning a blind eye to the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. A ruling party leader called Donald Trump's statement on Tuesday, quote, "comic."
On Wednesday, the U.S. president he praises on the Saudis, tweeting this, quote, "Oil prices getting lower, great, like a great tax cut for America and the world. Enjoy! Fifty-four dollars, it was just $82. Thank you to Saudi Arabia but let's go lower!" Exclamation point.
On Tuesday, M. Trump said maybe the Saudi crown prince ordered the killing, maybe he didn't. But he said business deals with Riyadh were too important for the U.S. economy.
Arwa Damon has more.
[03:19:58] ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Turkey has been signaling its growing frustration with Saudi Arabia and to a certain degree with the United States over the investigation into the brutal killing and dismemberment of Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi.
There are some key questions that still need to be answered. And that Turkey is demanding answers for. What happened to the body of Jamal Khashoggi or his remains and who is this so-called local collaborator that the Saudis say Jamal Khashoggi's body was handed over to. Now, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was in Washington, D.C. He did meet with senior U.S. administration officials. He is trying to push for an independent investigation although the United States is not necessarily fully on board with that just yet.
But Cavusoglu was also saying that while on the one hand, Turkey did understood why the west, why the United States would want to maintain their business dealings with Saudi Arabia that Turkey did as well. He said that Turkey at the very least would be standing by its principles.
Arwa Damon, CNN, Istanbul.
STOUT: You're watching CNN Newsroom. And coming up next, how heavy rainstorm will help firefighters in California but complicate the work of rescue crews.
Plus, fears of a race war in South Africa. How the rhetoric of Donald Trump maybe fanning the flames.
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STOUT: All right. Coming to you live from Hong Kong. Welcome back. You're watching CNN Newsroom.
An American Christian missionary has killed on missionary has been killed in a remote island of the coast of India. Authorities say John Allen Chau went to North Sentinel island to proselytize, but a tribe of hunter gatherers there killed him.
Now Chau found fishermen to take him to the island and after a few trips he told them he wouldn't return. The fisherman later saw tribespeople dragging's Chau's body across the beach and burying it. Now the people living on north Sentinel Island are considered the last pre-Neolithic tribe in the world.
Now, under Indian law, it is illegal to go within three nautical miles of the island.
A large dust storm is making breathing at shore across parts of southeastern Australia. It's about 500 kilometers in length and is blanketing the area in this red haze.
[03:24:57] Authorities issued a public health alert for Sydney on Thursday reading the air particle quality there is very poor. Children, the elderly and those with respiratory problems are being warned to stay indoors.
Meteorologist say the dust storm was partly triggered by Australia's prolonged drought.
Now, meanwhile in Northern California heavy rains are expected to fall through Friday. And authorities fear it could trigger flash floods as well as mudslides, affecting nearly one million people in towns already blackened by the deadly Camp Fire.
Nick Watt has more.
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NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Some are ignoring the warning to leave, hunkering down, others like Linda Baker and her granddaughter Tammy moving out to stay with family.
So, you two are up to Arizona now?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, but I don't know how are we going to go there yet, we're not sure yet.
WATT: This fire started nearly two weeks ago. Now also taking a toll on firefighters, physically.
JESSE ALEXANDER, FIRE DIVISION CHIEF, CHICO, CALIFORNIA: We move out there for 24, or 36, or 48 hours, so really don't get that opportunity to clean out your lungs a lot. All of our lungs hurt. Almost every single one of us comment about her lungs hurt.
WATT: And emotionally.
ALEXANDER: I just want to thank everyone, not just the firefighters but all the civilians who helped out throughout the entire process.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WATT: And the financial cost, well, Cal Fire was allocated $443 million by the state to fight wildfires for the year starting July 1, and burned through nearly all that budget in just two and a half months fighting summer fires like the gigantic Carr Fire which burned nearly 360 square miles and destroyed more than 1,000 homes.
So, the state gave Cal Fire an extra $243 million. That extra money also now near running out and it's supposed to last another seven months.
So far, fighting the Woolsey Fire, and the Camp Fire the most destructive and deadly in the state's history has caused $130 million and it still smoking.
The issue is going to be the intensity of the rain. If within any one- hour period we get about a half inch of rain and forecasters tell me that is very possible, that is when we could see debris slides and mudslides triggered and that is what everyone here is afraid of.
Nick Watt, CNN, Chico, California.
STOUT: So, all eyes on the intensity of the rain. Meteorologist Derek Van Dam joins us now with more on that. And Derek, you know, heavy rain is on the way. How heavy is it going to be and what impact is it going to have on this fire ravaged communities?
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Well, Kristie, the rain has come and it's been fairly significant so far. Enough to say that this will more than likely be a fire season ending rainfall once it is said and done because we have several systems moving in.
But it's kind of a double-edged sword. On one hand, we want the rain to extinguish the flames but on the other hand, this brings up on a slew of problems like, mudslides and debris flow and flash flooding. And I even read a report that some of this flash flooding and the heavy rainfall in Northern California is complicating the forensic efforts that search and rescuers are still undertaking in the Camp Fire region in Butte County.
So, here's the threats going forward with the heavy rain moving through. Flash flooding, mudslides, debris flows. We have seen our fair share of problems to say the least. But one thing that is so concerning is that the debris flow and mudslides.
The most susceptible locations are downhill from some of the steep mountains that Dapa (Ph) landscape across northern, central, and Southern California. So, the people who call their homes at the base of these mountains are more susceptible than people who are on an elevated position, for instance.
But it only takes about 13 millimeters of rainfall in less than an hour to cause flash flooding. It picks up the ash, it picks up the dirt (Ph) and debris and makes it rush down in the valleys below very quickly and it can be very devastating for that area.
And this risk is not a 24, 48-hour risk. It lasts for several years after the burn actually takes place. So, we've -- here's the storm system moving in. You can see it on the radar. There is a cold front, Pacific moisture coming on off of the ocean.
Here's Butte County and there is Paradise, and you can see the amount of rain that's moved in. How much has fallen? Well, it's been pretty impressive so far. Eureka and Paradise kind of topping the charts with rainfall totals in excess of 30 millimeters in many locations, even as far South as San Francisco and Sacramento.
There's more rain to come, Kristie. We're anticipating at least 50 to 100 millimeters of rainfall. Again, good news for extinguishing the flames but bad news for the potential of flooding. Back to you.
STOUT: Yes. The heavy rain is falling right now. And as you put it, it is a double-edge sword.
VAN DAM: Yes.
STOUT: Derek Van Dam reporting for us. Derek, thank you.
[03:29:57] Now the Trump administration is just hours away from releasing a major report on climate change. The first volume was released last year it concluded there quote, no convincing alternative explanation for climate change, other than, quote, human activities, especially emissions of greenhouse gases. These new report will highlight the cost of climate change, as well as its impact on healthcare, transportation infrastructure and water. President Trump as you know, he is a sceptic of climate change and the critics argue the report, timing of it, it is being released on Black Friday. It is one of the slowest news day of the year in the U.S. all in an effort to bury the story.
You are watching CNN Newsroom. Up next, with the record drought in Afghanistan. Families are forced into an unthinkable decision to sell their child, so the rest of the family can eat.
Also ahead, preparing for an all-out race war. An exclusive CNN investigation, uncovers what is motivating these people in South Africa.
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LU STOUT: You are watching CNN Newsroom, I'm Kristie Lu Stout, in Hong Kong. The headlines this hour. The U.K. has warned the United Arab Emirates of serious diplomatic consequences after a British student was sentenced to life in prison accused of spying. The family Matthew Hedgers said he had no lawyer at the hearing and was forced to sign a confession in Arabic which he doesn't speak or read. Hedges can appeal for a retrial.
British Prime Minister will return to Brussels Saturday for more talks on finalizing the draft Brexit deal. Spain is threatening to veto the draft unless issues over Gibraltar are handled separately. I mean, while the Irish parliament approve the deal in a symbolic vote. Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn will soon know if he has still a job. He is being held in a detention center in Tokyo, accused of falsifying income reports by millions of dollars and misusing company assets. At this hour, Nissan's board of Directors is expected to vote on removing him as company chairman.
A record drought in Afghanistan is forcing some families to do the unthinkable. To sell their child to feed the rest of the family. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh joins us now from London. Nick, in addition to decades of war we have this record drought driving families to make these devastating decision.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Really, I think this is so shocking story you're about to see is systematic of just how bad it got for some families. In Western Afghanistan, the northwest where four years of failed rains have brought the soil to dust and essentially leading people without their main livelihood of agriculture. At to that though, 17 years of war.
[03:35:00] Taliban that now control, all influence about 45 percent of the country's territory and record violence against security forces, this drought is hitting some of the weakest the hardest.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
PATON WALSH: It is for the record vial violence for Taliban control of territory to the fleeing ISIS are unparalleled air strikes by the coalition has finally forced from their homes. They're instead running from drought. A record dry spell forcing more families in Afghanistan from their homes this year than the war has and as if Afghanistan hasn't already broken all superlatives for its misery. This is what it is driving them to. Meet Memerine, and her six year- old daughter, Akila. You think a tiny family united under plastic sheeting, but desperation means it hasn't turned out that way. Memerine has sold Akila for $3,000 to this man, (inaudible) who will give her to his 10-year-old son, (inaudible). Listen to how they got her. Memerine first.
I fled my village, she said. My three children, because of severe drought. I came here thinking we are save from the systems, but I got nothing. To avoid starvation among my children, I gave my daughter to a man for about 3,000 dollars and only got $70 so far. I have their money, no food, no bread winner, my husband was also killed. She doesn't know, but I sold her. How could she know? She is a child. I had no other choice. The more she tries to run, she said whether this tears or laughter, she will have to go. Who would sell a piece of their heart unless they really had to? Akila's buyer, (inaudible) thinks buying a six-year-old girl is an act of charity.
Her family don't have anything to eat, he says. They were hungry. I know, I'm also poor, but I'm sure I could pay it off slowly in two or three years. The cameraman asks, aren't they children? It doesn't matter he says, these things happen here. Even an old man marrying a young girl. It happens. He also fled the drought. The U.N. said it has put 275,000 people on the move this year. About half from around the area.
The wheat crop has failed us, he says, we couldn't grow melons, all of the other crops failed because of the drought. We lost our livestock, the sheep, cows, goats, all died of hunger, because this wasn't fodder for them. Around the camp we hear this kind of horrific story repeated. Here, this man sold his four-year-old daughter to a 20- year-old man to settle a debt. It is a world of survival and unimaginable choices were families must betray each other just to live. Promising to be colder as (inaudible) and hungry or two.
(END VIDEO)
PATON WALSH: Now, the drought is so severe that it's even damaged one thing which per seems to persist in Afghanistan regardless of the climate, the heroin trade there. Opium production down 30 percent this year from a record high the year before, simply because of the climate. We don't obviously know whether this is part of broader changes in global weather or a specific period of difficulty in that particular part of Afghanistan. What is absolutely clear is yet another traumatic event causing. You saw on that report there, certain families take unimaginable choices make extraordinarily savage moves against their own and adding furthermore to the toll of violence takes across the country. Kristie?
LU STOUT: Yes. These are families forced to do the unthinkable just to survive. Will there be relief in sight. You mentioned that of course, winter is on its way, conditions there are not conducive to growing anything. It is the drought that has driven families to do this. When will the rains return?
PATON WALSH: It is unclear, as you saw, it has been four years now that rainfall has not actually come in the way expected. Winter is incredibly cold in Afghanistan and these families as you saw have moved to camps that perhaps makes getting aid to them easier to some degree. But these are not permanent shelters to any strategy in their imagination, it is incredibly difficult times ahead, Kristie.
LU STOUT: Nick Paton Walsh, we thank you for your reporting.
Now, U.S. President Donald Trump once said he has the best words even if he is described women with lewd language or offended even an entire nations, CNN investigation shows that Mr. Trump's words are having a disturbing impact in South Africa where they're energizing far right groups. David McKenzie has this exclusive report.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Unite the right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, even in its bloody aftermath, a young woman killed by a neo-Nazi. President Trump refused to pick sides.
[03:40:06] DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What about the alt left, that came charging as you say the alt right, do they have any semblance of guilt?
MCKENZIE: Facing mounting criticism, the president would eventually condemn hate groups, but not before her initial comments were echoed by white supremacists globally.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These right-wingers the U.S. restrain themselves in a face of such antagonism. I really don't know.
MCKENZIE: That is an audio message from a South African sent from Charlottesville back home to his followers. This photo places Simon Roche at the scene. Surrounded by Nazi flags. He is in the corner wearing a hard hat.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The time is now. For you.
MCKENZIE: He took to the alt right media for support.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Help us continue to fight the good fight.
MCKENZIE: A constant theme.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We represent the white people of South Africa who are presently being told that they can expect to see a genocide.
MCKENZIE: Roche and his group, the warning is more than just rhetoric. On a remote farm in South Africa, they're preparing for an all-out race war.
What is it like for you to have your family hiding in the bushes, like this was a real world situation?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It would be really disturbing. But if you prepared for it, it is not that bad.
MCKENZIE: It is a drill of course, here catsup replaces real blood, but make no mistake, Roche is deadly serious about his founder's doomsday prophecy. There is a pervasive sense among certain sectors of historically white society that those societies are being diluted on other people's terms.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you use a term like diluted, I think Nazism, I think (inaudible), I think all of these horrible things from the past. Being diluted problem.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The societies are in demographic terms being done.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are preparing for the storm. The canary in the coal mine. The same anxieties and distresses that are being experienced in Western Europe and the USA. A lot of oxygen comes from support in the U.S.
Terrific oxygen.
MCKENZIE: Oxygen in the form of an inaccurate tweet from the U.S. President.
There it was tweet from left field. I asked Secretary of State Pompeo to closely study the South Africa land and farm seizures and expropriations and the large scale killing of farmers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is not really, you know, the end of the day about any kind of facts or data. Once Trump put out that tweet, attention was drawn to this theory of white South African farmers under attack and being genocide in a way that had never happened before.
MCKENZIE: the South African myth connecting white supremacists worldwide in videos and chat rooms and far-right websites and increasingly in the mainstream. David McKenzie, CNN, South Africa.
(END VIDEO)
LU STOUT: You're watching CNN Newsroom. We come to you live from Hong Kong. Up next, how do you know your cell phone really is not a fake? One man will show us how easy it is to make copycat electronics.
[03:45:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: Welcome back. Now just think about all of the mobile electronics devices you own. Many of them are made in the Chinese City of Shenzhen, so are the copy cats. Matt Rivers, looks at just how easy it is to make your own smartphone in China's biggest gadget market.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: These people sell every tech component. They say imitation is the most sincere form of flattery and in China, it can also be a form of innovation. Take one look around (inaudible) Bay and you will see what I mean in a city that produces most of the world consumer electronics. This shopping district is its heart. The wholesale market were vendors sell any and every type of tech component you can imagine. Most are parts you and I would not even begin to recognize, but this
man does. Andrew Huang, who goes by the name Bunny is a self- described hardware hacker who knows this place inside and out.
ANDREWS HUANG, HARDWARE HACKER: It is alike a wet market, when you go to a stall to buy pork or you go to a stall to buy vegetables and so each this are specialized in some particular trade or some particular component.
RIVERS: Any sort of consumer electronic you can dream of. A tablet, a drone, could probably be built here from scratch. Today Bunny is going to start with just one smartphone. He buys parts from a number of stalls. To me all this is daunting, the domain of the MIT Graduate, but to people here it is just a Monday.
HUANG: In the west, sort of tech is day fight it is almost like a (inaudible), here it is every day thing. It is not scary to take some things apart.
RIVERS: That is another thing people do here, take things apart. Once you do that, you know how it was produced. And then you may say come up with a better or cheaper way to make that very same thing. Some call that copy catting or at the very least trademark infringement. Here it is open source innovation.
HUANG: So what happens, you come up with an idea and someone copies it. Usually they don't do a straight copy, they will add their little improvement to it. But fair game is fair, you take their improvement and now you can take their improvement and you can improve upon that.
RIVERS: Figuring out what makes your competitions product tick is easy. Bunny shows us that very Chinese concept in the most American of places.
HUANG: Fuel up and build up.
RIVERS: It takes a bit of trial and error. Before too long we got a working smartphone. Selfies and all. Imitation, innovation, whatever you call it there is ingenuity here. So come on down to the market with your next big hardware idea, just don't expect someone not to copy it. Matt Rivers, CNN, Shenzhen.
(END VIDEO)
LU STOUT: Now to a disturbing discovery in Indonesia. A dead whale with more than a thousand pieces of plastic found in its stomach. It is stark reminder of the dangers of plastic pollution in the world's ocean. More now from Lynda Kinkade.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
LYNDA KINKADE, CONNECT THE WORLD, CNN: The sperm whale in Indonesia found dead with six kilograms of plastic in its stomach. The nine and a half meter mammal was discovered washed ashore in an area designated as a national park, one that is popular with tourists. Park officials say the whale had swallowed bags, plastic bottles, sandals, 115 plastic cups and more than 1,000 pieces of string.
Although the cause of the death hasn't been established, the world wildlife fund the Indonesia calls this a truly awful case. And sadly it is not an isolated incident.
[03:50:00] In June, vets in Southern Thailand found a short fin pilot whale dead with 80 plastic bags in its stomach. That is more than seven and a half kilograms of plastic.
The 2015 report founded over 15 percent of plastic in the world's oceans come from China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. The ocean conservancy report also says that a 65 percent reduction in plastic waste in those five countries would lead to a 45 percent reduction globally. An estimated 8 million metric tons of plastic is dumped in the world's oceans each year according to the world economic forum. And if the current trend continues, a British government report has found that the current pollution levels in our oceans will triple in the next decade. Some countries take steps to reduce pollution. The European parliament recently voted to banned single used plastic items, like straws and (inaudible). It also wants member states to recycle 90 percent of plastic bottles by 2025. It is just one small step towards tackling the problem of plastic trash in the world's ocean. Lynda Kinkade, CNN.
(END VIDEO)
LU STOUT: The tower of Pisa is leaning a little less this days. The engineers say they've been working to improve the posture of the gravity defying landmark and over the last 17 years, it has lost four centimeters of its tilt and stands much as it did in the 19th century. Engineers think that the tower could last for another 200 years.
Coming up next right here on CNN Newsroom, two golf heavyweights go eye to eye, as they get ready to trade shots. We are going to be talking with Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson about the big showdown.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: Picture this, you're a teenager and you just got your driver's license and now you want to celebrate. Well, an 18 year-old in Germany did just that. By what else? Going for a spin. Now the only thing, he was clocked to going 95 kilometers an hour in a 50 kilometer zone. He is so about 49 minutes after he got his licensed, he lost it. The police officer stop him, they were good sports, they posted it on Facebook quote, some things last forever and some things not even an hour.
It is simply called the match and pits two of the world's most renowned golfers against each other. At stake here, 9 million dollar prize and of course mega bragging rights. Hines Ward sat down with Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
HINES WARD, RETIRED AMERICAN FOOTBALL WIDE RECEIVER: I love the shades that you guys are throwing back and forth. Phil, you came out with the classic bulletin board material saying they won't even go the distance you would take it on the 17th hole. Tiger Woods what are you're feeling about Phil's prediction?
TIGER WOODS, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: He is right. You won't get that far.
(LAUGHTER)
WARD: It is going to end before, right?
PHIL MICKELSON, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: Tiger is an underrated smack talker. OK. He doesn't get the credit for smack up, because he does it so understated and he does under his breath. So nobody else can hear other than you. He has a great job at this match is going to be Mike. I think that fun side of him, that's a funny side of him is going to come out.
WARD: I love how you set the tone already with the guarantee a little side bet on the first hole is that, kind a -- it critical.
MICKELSON: The tough thing Hines was getting him to bite. And not only did he take it.
WARD: He took it. Are you kidding me that is awesome?
WOODS: These challenges are going to be just escalate as we go along. Because eventually we're trying to outdo one another and try to get in each other's heads. And so, yes -- this is the start of it.
WARD: But is it really about the money or is it the bragging rights?
MICKELSON: Both. The side challenges is are real dollars out of our own pockets going to each other's charities, so that is real money, but the bragging rights that will go on for months and years after this will be just as valuable. Because if I'm able to -- to come out on top, I am -- I'm the -- the worst guy to lose to. Because I will come up with ways -- I will, but it also makes me a fun guy to beat. So if he does beat me, he can stick it me and I can take it. I can take those jabs and so forth. But I'm also -- I am just not a fun guy to lose to. I'll find a way to make sure he never forgets.
WARD: What other guys on tour saying about the match? Is it encouraging? Is there side betting going on.
WOODS: I got so many side bets going on. They have blown up my phone.
MICKELSON: They're all trying to get on. Unbelievable.
(LAUGHTER)
WARD: To me it is like Ali-Frazier, Yankees-Red Sox, you know Lakers- Celtics. What is the mind set coming into a match play like this?
WOODS: Fun. MICKELSON: For me it is more than that. I obviously want to win, but
it is been decades of him getting the best of me. It is an opportunity for me to just get the better of him in this one little moment.
(END VIDEO)
LU STOUT: They will be, Mic. I want to hear the smack talk on the green. And you're watching CNN Newsroom. Thank you for joining me. I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. The news continues on CNN right after this.
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