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The French Government Calls A Halt To The Fuel Tax Rise That Sparked Weeks Of Violent Protests; As Britain's Parliament Gets Set To Begin Debating The Brexit Deal, A Victory For Opponents Of Prime Minister Theresa May; Former US President George H.W. Bush Is Remembered For A Life Service And Sacrifice As Funeral Details Are Revealed; The Israeli Army Says It Has Identified A Cross Border Tunnel From Lebanon Into Israel And Is Trying To Neutralize It. Aired: 8-9a ET

Aired December 04, 2018 - 08:00   ET

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

KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST, "NEWS STREAM": I'm Kristi Lu Stout in Hong Kong and welcome to "News Stream." The French government calls a halt to the

fuel tax rise that sparked weeks of violent protests. As Britain's Parliament gets set to begin debating the Brexit deal, a victory for

opponents of Prime Minister Theresa May. We're live in Westminster. And former US President George H.W. Bush is remembered for a life service and

sacrifice as funeral details are revealed.

And we begin with important developments in France after a weekend of serious unrest on the streets of Paris. The French government has

suspended a planned hike in fuel tax for six months following weeks of protests and even some rioting. Prime Minister Edouard Philippe made the

announcement today just a short while ago.

The original hike triggered demonstrations by the so-called Yellow Vest Movement, but protests spiraled on the attack on the government of Emmanuel

Macron and is perceived indifference to inequality and the concerns of poor voters. The French Prime Minister says the government is taking measures

to respond to those concerns. Our senior international correspondent, Jim Bittermann is in Paris. He joins us now and Jim, by putting this

moratorium on fuel tax hikes, can the government restore calm?

JIM BITTERMANN, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Well, that's the big question. And we've just been watching in the last hour or so since

the Prime Minister spoke to the kind of reactions that we're hearing from the barricades and around France from the people who are part of this

movement.

It does not appear that they are going to give up their calls for a protest on Saturday, but they're not as militant sounding as they were just a few

hours ago. So it seems like the government has taken a step in the right direction and many of the "gilet jaune" say that, but they've first - a lot

of them have other demands. We hear a lot of other demands out there. Things like a raise in pensions, a raise in the minimum wage, and all sorts

of measures to take down the cost of living.

Now, what the government proposed according to the Prime Minister, it proposes the following things. First, a moratorium on those fuel taxes

that caused the beginning of the movement in the first place. Now, if those fuel taxes never were actually put in place, but they were supposed

to start in the first of January and that brought people out in the streets.

A moratorium for six months and during that six months, the government says they would like to have a debate on taxes that would be more efficient and

more just. So that's something that some protesters can get their arms around. One that seems a little bit almost minor, and that is this change

in the control of the - control technique which is the test that's given to motorists driving older cars. It was made more severe this year, which

means it will be more costly for drivers to get their cars online and as a consequence, it does have some resonance amongst drivers, but it's a fairly

minor kind of thing.

And the third measure was that tariffs for electricity and gas which normally go up in the first of January will be suspended for six months

while they have consultations with the public about how much they should be raised. And certainly they won't be raised during the winter months. In

any case, that's something that probably will affect the cost of living, as well.

So there are some concrete measures there, but of course, some people say it's too little too late. And one of the great Grench expressions we heard

around here just after that was that we don't want them yet, we want the baguette, which means we don't want crumbs, we want the whole loaf,

Kristie.

LU STOUT: Jim Bittermann monitoring the banners as well as the temperatures in the streets of Paris. Thank you, Jim.

Now, today, US President Donald Trump is expected to have a private visit with the family of George H.W. Bush. We'll show you live pictures right

now as Americans continue to honor the 41st President. These are live pictures from the US Capitol where the former President is lying in state

until Wednesday morning. His body will then be taken to the National Cathedral for a state funeral that will be followed by a funeral and burial

in the former President's Home state of Texas on Thursday. Our CNN's Phil Mattingly joins us now live from Capitol Hill and Phil, George H.W. Bush

now lying in state in the US Capitol. How will he be honored in the days ahead?

[08:05:05]

PHIL MATTINGLY, US CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: You know, Kristie, I think we saw the memorial service last night in the Capitol, kind of a

who's who of the US government, both past and present. The Bush family also in attendance. The most interesting thing probably today is just the

normal average Americans who will continue to file in. He will lie in state continuously. The Capitol will be open for anybody to come pay their

respects until 7:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. That's where he will be throughout the course of the day.

You mentioned the private meeting between President Trump and the Bush family in the Blair House which sits right across the street from the White

House today. Last night, President Trump came in after the memorial service with the First Lady, stood silently for about two minutes, gave a

crisp salute and then walked out.

Now, what is going to happen from here on out will also be something very significant, which honors the man and the government service that he led.

At the National Cathedral, on Thursday, there will be a funeral in Washington. Those who will be in attendance will be kind of a who's who

not just of domestic politics, but also international politics. President George W. Bush will eulogize his father. Also expected to speak, Senator

Alan Simpson, Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and Jon Meacham, who kind of wrote the definitive biography of President George H.W. Bush.

Among those in attendance, every living US President, people like Prince Charles, Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor is expected to fly to

Washington, DC. It kind of something that underscores not just the importance, but also the relevance of the man not just in the United States

but also across the globe.

LU STOUT: Yes, quite a number of people who will turn out there to honor his life. You know, his passing has led to this immense outpouring

internationally of remembrances for him, his leadership, his life of service. Is it also providing a sort of respite from the vitriol and

bitter partisanship we've seen in Washington in recent years?

MATTINGLY: Yes, I think to be frank, yes. It will be a brief respite, no question about it. The US is currently facing a government shutdown

deadline which will likely be over the course of the next couple of weeks and obviously, it's no secret in the wake of the United States' midterm

elections where things stand politically.

But I think the interesting moments yesterday where when you had Republican Speaker Paul Ryan and Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi come together, lay a

wreath in front of the casket. Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican do the same representing the

United States Senate. I think there was a recognition that kind of wherever the politics are now, and nobody thinks they're particularly good,

but President Bush represented, at least the time he was in office and particularly in the time after office was something perhaps better than the

way things are now.

Will people change because of that? I would say that's very unlikely based off what we've seen in the last couple of years, but at least for this

moment, there's a recognition that perhaps there is a greater good here.

LU STOUT: Phil Mattingly reporting live from Washington, thank you. And the legacy of George H.W. Bush extends far beyond domestic issues in the

US. Let's bring in CNN senior international correspondent Matthew Chance. He joins us live from Moscow. And Matthew, George H.W. Bush was US

President for only one term. And yet, he had this enormous impact on foreign policy especially there in Europe, tell us more.

MATTHEW CHANCE, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Well, that's right, Kristie. He presided over a momentous period in global geopolitics.

The fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 that was under the Bush presidency, as well as the disintegration of the Soviet Union a couple of

years later in 1991.

These are all the momentous events that President Bush sort of oversaw, if you like, in his role as US President at that time. His counterparts over

here in Moscow have been, you know, paying their respects, particularly foremost amongst them Mikhail Gorbachev, the former Soviet leader issuing

his deep condolences. Of course, to the family - to the Bush family - at this time saying that he has a lot of memories and statements about George

Bush, Senior.

"We had the chance to work together," he said, "During the years of tremendous change. It was," he said, "A dramatic time that demanded great

responsibility from everyone. The results was an end to the Cold War and an end to the nuclear arms race," so quite a legacy there of that

relationship according to Mikhail Gorbachev as he speaks about President Bush.

There have been some remarks as well coming from President Putin, the current leader of Russia. Remember, President Putin found out, like the

rest of us, about this passing of President Bush just after a meeting with the current US President, Donald Trump had been canceled by President Trump

via Twitter, who said he wasn't going to meet him after all in Buenos Aires.

But President Putin didn't mention that. He wrote a very informal letter to George W. Bush, President Bush's son, expressing, saying that his father

expressed political wisdom and foresight, strove to make informal decisions, even in the most difficult situations and added this, "He did a

lot to strengthen Russian-American cooperation on issues of global security."

[08:10:01]

CHANCE: And so some have interpreted that as a slight side swipe at the failure of the current US President to engage with Moscow on those

incredibly important issues.

LU STOUT: And if that is a slight side swipe, what are the lessons learned here? You know, Mr. Bush was known for his skillful diplomacy, especially

during such a historic time. What are the lessons that his leadership offers to leaders today?

CHANCE: Well, it was a very difficult time and a turbulent time and a very sensitive one for Russians, as well because their empire, essentially,

crumbled before their eyes in a very short period of time. And President Bush, Sr. went to great lengths to treat them as equals still and to sort

of soften that blow, as it were.

I mean, met face-to-face with the Soviet leader who was outgoing and with Boris Yeltsin, the first Russian President to sort of formulate important

arms reduction treaties, the START Treaty, Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty was formulated under that first Bush administration. And I think there's a

sense that, you know, there was a heightened degree of respect between the two capitals at that time and a sense of regret that that respect has

deteriorated over subsequent administrations, with the Clintons, with Bush Jr., with Obama and now where we are with President Trump.

And I think there's a lot of nostalgia in Russia looking back to this period of sort of peak respect between the two countries during that Bush

administration, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Matthew, really appreciate your analysis as we look back on that incredible archival footage on our screens. Matthew Chance live in Moscow.

Take care. To Israel now which has just begun a major new operation along its border with Lebanon. Israel says it is working to, quote, "Expose and

thwart cross border attack tunnels," saying that they were dug by Hezbollah, the Lebanese political and military group backed by Iran. Oren

Lieberman is at Israel's northern border and Oren, what more have you learned about the scope of this operation?

OREN LIEBERMAN, CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Well, Kristie, you can see the very beginning of this operation here behind me along the wall that separates

Israel from Lebanon. You can see what appears to be an earth mover, perhaps an excavator as well and some heavy machinery. That, Israel says,

is the beginning of what it has called Operation Northern Shield.

Israel says shortly after the announcement of the operation, they identified and have begun to neutralize the first tunnel they have found

that goes from that Lebanese village right over there, which is Kfar Kela to or towards Metula, a village in northern Israel. So that is the very

beginning of this.

We've asked the idea of are there more tunnels? The Israeli military had said yes, there are more tunnels, but they're not being specific about how

many more keeping that information to themselves, but they say this operation will continue as long as it is necessary to make sure all of

those tunnels are identified and neutralized along the border between Israel and Lebanon, what is known as the blue line, Kristie.

LU STOUT: And Oren, what does this operation say about the current state of tensions between Israel and Hezbollah?

LIEBERMAN: Kristie, there is no doubt that tensions between Israel and Hezbollah are high. They have been high and they will continue to be high,

and yet over the last few months, over the last few years, even perhaps more than a decade now, what's been fired back and forth across this border

is not artillery or gunfire, it's more rhetoric and even if that rhetoric has certainly ramped up in recent weeks and months for example, Prime

Minister Benjamin Netanyahu taking a shot at Hezbollah in his UN General Assembly speech from a few months back, it is still just rhetoric.

So there is certainly tension now, but as you can see behind me here, even as this Israeli operation continues, there is no fighting that we see at

this point.

LU STOUT: Oren Lieberman reporting live for us, thank you, Oren. Now a powerful voice in Silicon Valley is calling on the public to fight for

privacy. Marc Benioff says he is not afraid to make enemies if it means fighting for what is right. His conversation with CNN's Laurie Segall just

ahead. Plus, how Dubai is trading its youth as emerging tech threatens traditional jobs.

[08:15:10]

LU STOUT: A glittering Tuesday night here in Hong Kong. Welcome back. You are watching "News Stream." Now, at a time when the tech industry is

facing ever growing scrutiny over how it collects and uses personal data. One of Silicon Valley's most influential billionaires, Marc Benioff is

calling on consumers to fundamentally change our view of privacy and fight to protect it. As the founder and co-CEO of Salesforce and recent owner of

"Time" magazine, Benioff says he doesn't mind making enemies in Silicon Valley if it means fighting for what he thinks is right.

He sat down with CNN's Laurie Segall for her new series, "The Human Code."

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

MARC BENIOFF, CEO AND FOUNDER, SALESFORCE: When everyone and everything is connected, okay, you're going to have to really think about do you trust

what is happening? Do you trust these companies and these products that are in your home and in your car and what's going on?

LAURIE SEGALL, SENIOR TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT, CNN: I mean, I've got to tell you, Marc, I don't 100%. Look at what's happened in the last couple

of years. How can we put all our faith in big tech when in the last years, it doesn't even seem like some of these companies know the impact of their

own algorithms?

BENIOFF: I think it's kind of the metaphor of the social networks is great actually. When they started, they're talking about it, it's nirvana,

everything is wonderful, we're going to connect everybody together. Now, we find out they're not uniting us, they're dividing us. You know, that

they're not maintaining our data, that they're selling it, that there isn't privacy, you know, that there's a - basically a huge ecosystem of people

who are harvesting the data for personal gain.

SEGALL: Do you trust this industry to self-regulate?

BENIOFF: I don't trust the industry to self-regulate. I already said, Facebook is the new cigarettes. It's not good for you. It's addictive.

You don't know who is trying to convince you to use it or misuse it. The government has to step in and regulate it. And Facebook has proven that to

us over and over and over again, that they need to be regulated because they are not self-regulating. And that is true of a lot of technology

companies.

Look, we have those examples in every industry. Why is technology going to be the only industry that the government isn't going to step in to make

sure that there's fair practice and truth and trust with consumers or businesses?

SEGALL: Do you think that we fundamentally have to reshape our view of privacy?

BENIOFF: I think we have to fundamentally reshape our view of business. The business of business is not business, but the business of business is

improving the state of the world. If you start from there, then you can answer your question which is of course we have to go much deeper on

privacy. We have to have phenomenal privacy regulations.

Look at what - I'm a huge advocate and I've supported what just happened here in this great state of California where we have the best privacy law

in the country. But why does Europe have a better privacy law with something that they have called GDPR than we do here? I've called for a

national privacy law in the United States. We need a national privacy law. We can't just have it in California. Every company needs to be held to a

new level of capability and privacy.

This is - we're in this new world. Why is our government not moving fast enough into that world?

(END VIDEO TAPE)

LU STOUT: Wow, such a good interview. Facebook is the new cigarettes. He is right. He is so right. Laurie joins us now live from New York.

Laurie, thank you for bringing that interview to us as you, of course know, Marc Benioff, he is royalty in Silicon Valley, and yet he is positioning

himself as a sort of new moral authority in this industry in crisis. Do you think he's succeeding? Is he succeeding in forcing this rethink in

tech about ethics and values?

SEGALL: Yes, you know, I will tell you from being kind of behind the scenes in Silicon Valley, you hear other founders kind of rumbling a little

bit about Marc Benioff who is kind of going out to the press and he is talking more and he's almost campaigning for more ethics in tech.

[08:20:08]

SEGALL: And yes, I will tell you, he isn't exactly making friends out there, but I think he's making a huge impact. If you look, he was just

campaigning for something called Prop C, which was a bill to help the homeless and it was a pretty controversial bill regarding for some

different reasons. But it passed.

And you know, he is in a position because Salesforce is not under fire like Facebook, like Twitter, like many other tech companies like Uber and he's

in a position where he can speak out and he is actually really beginning to.

He said something fascinating to me during the interview when we were talking about this idea of technology becoming more human. You know, we

have tech in our homes that almost feels more human. Think about Alexa, other types of devices. And he said, you know, down the road, we have to

think about - do we have the right to know if we're being contacted by a machine or a bot? Think about on Twitter if you're being spammed by

someone, do you have the right to know if that is a real person or is that a machine? And he said there should be government regulations.

So he's really thinking ahead on that. That is not even something I think we were really thinking about. And you know, I think he's trying to have

these conversations now and he certainly is not making friends along the way.

LU STOUT: He's a tech titan raising some really important issues. And earlier this year, he and his wife, they both announced that they were

buying "Time" magazine. Bought it for $190 million. Why and how will the magazine change under Benioff?

SEGALL: Yes, I mean, I think when I asked him about this, he essentially said, what I think we're hearing from a lot of kind of tech CEOs who kind

of go in and purchase media companies that he wanted to give them the opportunity to succeed, that this is a legacy brand, a media brand having

trouble. And you know, I said to him is, "Legacy for you? Is this ego? What is this?" And he said he really wants to empower journalism. And I

said to him, "Well, look, as a journalist, and I have to ask you this question, what if "Time" magazine wants to write bad things about Marc

Benioff?" And he says, "I want "Time" magazine to be unshackled," and you know, he wants to support journalism that is what he says is the reason for

doing this. So we'll see. But they're going to have a lot more resources to do what they were doing before, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Such a refreshing new voice in tech. He's been out there for a while, but like he's getting more amplified, thanks to interviews like

yours. Laurie Segall, thank you so much.

SEGALL: Thank you.

LU STOUT: Laurie's interview, it's part of her new series called "The Human Code." She sits down with the most influential leaders in Silicon

Valley who share their thoughts on where technology is headed and how it will change our lives and how we should push back. Check it out,

cnnbusiness.com.

Now, it is Dubai's ambitious answer to youth unemployment. The One Million Arab Coders Initiative teaches citizens the so-called language of the

future - coding. And then it helps get graduates jobs. Our Samuel Burke now reports, all students need is an internet connection and a computer to

begin.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

SAMUEL BURKE, TECHNOLOGY AND BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Egyptian Abdelrahman Nasser has just spent the last few months learning what many

believe is the language of the future. The 14-year-old has learned computer coding thanks to a Dubai-led initiative called the One Million

Arab Coders, a free online platform that offers Arabs from all over the world the chance to become computer literate and be software developers.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

ABDELRAHMAN NASSER, PARTICIPANT, ONE MILLION ARAB CODERS INITIATIVE: From my young age, I was always very inquisitive so I got interested in computer

science on my own. But moving around isn't easy for me. When I heard about the One Million Arab Coders Initiative, it was great because I could

work remotely. All I needed was a laptop and the internet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURKE: Over 2,000 miles away, Dubai coder Faisal Al Hawi is already putting what he learned into action, developing apps and software for small

businesses.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FAISAL AL HAWI, CO-FOUNDER, CREATIVE AND SMART DIGITAL LLC: Coding is simply programming machines or telling machines what to do. You can do

wonders, of course, with coding. It's a long journey. It does require dedication, but if you're doing it with passion like I am, I don't think

you are going to struggle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURKE: Launched by the Dubai Future Foundation in October 2017, one of the initiative's goals is aimed at addressing a regional youth unemployment

rate that is among the highest in the world. Once the coder graduates, the program also helps them connect with tech giants like Google, Microsoft and

Facebook.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KHALFAN BELHOUL, CEO, DUBAI FUTURE FOUNDATION: Yes, there are challenges around the world and I think the One Million Arab Coders has created a

platform of hope for the people that either cannot have access to job opportunities or have a passion for coding that they cannot reach.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURKE: So far, 375,000 Arabs are learning to become computer coders. Mona Alwadi is among the top 26,000 who graduated so far.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MON ALWADI, GRADUATE, ONE MILLION ARAB CODERS INITIATIVE: Coding is like the soldier on the back end that creates is in front of you. We use this

language to express ourselves instead of using other languages and with this language, actually, we can build a huge future for our countries.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[08:25:05]

BURKE: With disruptive technologies like artificial intelligence and blockchain predicted to cost hundreds of thousands of more traditional

jobs, Dubai is helping arab youth adopt and adapt to the future. Samuel Burke, CNN.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

LU STOUT: We're going to take you to Britain next where five days of debate on Theresa May's Brexit plan will begin in the next few hours. And

the British Prime Minister, she is facing an uphill battle to get lawmakers on board.

And a consequence of Brexit you might not have considered, why some of Europe's migrants are desperate to get into the UK.

I'm Kristi Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching "News Stream" and these are your world headlines. The French government has suspended planned

increases in fuel tax for six months, the country's Prime Minister has announced. In recent weeks, protests against high fuel prices have often

led to violence it broadened into an attack on the government of Emmanuel Macron.

The Israeli army says it has identified a cross border tunnel from Lebanon into Israel and is trying to neutralize it. It is part of a new operation

designed to quote, "thwart cross border attack tunnels." Israel says that they were dug by Hezbollah, the political and military group backed by

Iran. The Hezbollah press office says it has no comment regarding the operation.

US President Donald Trump is expected to meet privately with the family of George H.W. Bush after paying his respects last night at the US Capitol. A

state funeral will be held for the former US President tomorrow before he is buried next to his wife in Texas on Thursday.

Kiev says Russia has partially unblocked Ukraine's ports on the Azov Sea. It is allowing ship traffic to resume through the Kerch Strait. In that

confrontation last week, Russia attacked and captured three Ukrainian ships and detained 24 service members. In a statement, a Ukrainian Minister

expressed hope that the next step will be the release of those sailors.

To Britain now where Prime Minister Theresa May will kick off five days of debate on her Brexit plan in the coming hours before lawmakers vote on

December the 11th. A vote she looks increasingly likely to lose.

Meanwhile, the European Court of Justice has issued an opinion that Article 50 can be revoked unilaterally. That was a provision that allows a country

to withdraw from the bloc. The UK had said it could only stop Brexit if the other 27 EU countries agreed. A spokesman for Theresa May says the UK

will not revoke Article 50.

[08:30:04]

LU STOUT: Bianca Nobilo, joins me now from outside the Houses of Parliament, and Bianca, again Theresa May, she is set to open this historic

debate on Brexit, and yet she is facing challenges on multiple fronts.

BIANCA NOBILO, CORRESPONDENT, CNN: As she has been for the last year and a half. But she has even more obstacles today than she had yesterday. Not

only is she kicking off these five days of debate about her Brexit deal which she looks incredibly sort of unlikely to pass. I think as each day

goes by, more and more MPs come out against the deal. Over 90 of her own MPs have come out saying they are not going to support it.

The opposition party, the Labour Party have come out to say that they're not supporting the deal as well as the Scottish National Party, the Liberal

Democrats and the Democratic Unionist Party. So on that basis, she definitely doesn't have the numbers to get this through. And not only does

she have that pressing task ahead of her, but today there's actually a debate happening in Parliament about whether or not the government has

acted in contempt of Parliament.

Now, that's quite complicated, but it revolves around the government trying to withhold the full legal advice about Brexit from Parliament. And if

that's proven to be true, the Prime Minister could be in even more trouble because it could mean potentially the suspension of one of her Cabinet

ministers.

LU STOUT: So much at stake and then we have, as you referred to just now, EU lawyers saying that Britain can unilaterally stop the Brexit process.

This is just a statement, it's just an opinion, but is it giving a lot more fuel to the anti-Brexit campaigners?

NOBILO: Of course. I mean, it's these types of opportunities that those who want to stop Brexit will have a second referendum are looking for, so

of course it emboldens those who want to see Brexit stopped.

In fact, one of these Scottish members of the European Parliament that pushed for this ruling said today it's illuminated the sort of escape sign

if you like, above Theresa May's deal. It's giving them the opportunity to stop the clock on Brexit. That's how he phrased it. So that's another

problem for the Prime Minister.

However, I would caution that it's not legally binding and it would require the approval of European judges, and actually the European Commission and

the British Parliament have both said that this isn't how it would work, that Britain couldn't withdraw its unilaterally and they disagree with this

opinion. But it has given great heart to the people that want to see Brexit stopped.

And in fact even just behind me is a sign of how fractious the atmosphere is becoming in the UK. There's been a bus driving past Parliament

campaigning to go leave the European Union. I think it might be going past me now and then in front of that are campaigners that want to remain in the

EU waving their EU flags and having standoffs with each other.

So the atmosphere is just becoming more and more tense as we reach this critical juncture where really, if the Prime Minister can't pass her Brexit

deal, then all bets are off and we don't know what would happen. It could look like a second referendum, an extension of Article 50 or it could be a

no deal. Really, nobody can say.

LU STOUT: We'll have to wait and see. December 11th, Bianca Nobilo, reporting live. Thank you. Now, British lawmakers, they might be

struggling to go make up their minds on Brexit, but there is one group of people who already have. They're not British. In fact, they're not in the

UK at all right now. But as far as they are concerned, Brexit could literally have life changing implications and not for the better. Melissa

Bell has more on the refugees desperately rushing to the UK.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

MELISSA BELL, PARIS CORRESPONDENT, CNN: A three -year-old with her family rescued from the icy waters of the channel. Over the last month, more than

a hundred migrants have made it to the United Kingdom aboard dinghies. Ahmed wasn't so lucky. After two failed attempts at crossing on a dinghy,

he is back in the woods of Northern France, woods that he calls the jungle. He tells us that the risk is worth it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AHMED, IRANIAN MIGRANT: Not controlled. You can go to England to two hours, three hours, if you have a strong motor, you can go.

BELL But there are big ships, there are waves, there are currents. It's very dangerous. You could die in the water.

AHMED: Yes. But die is better than life in the jungle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELL: Ahmed left more than two years ago, and fellow Iranians have been arriving in greater and greater numbers according to aid workers speaking

of economic hardship and political persecution.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HADI, IRANIAN MIGRANT: The rules in Iran is not the same in Europe. The rules is the same, but they don't accept the rules. Whatever they want,

they do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELL: They tell us that asylum will be easier to get in the United Kingdom and official figures show that Iranians do have a relatively good chance of

receiving asylum on the other side of the channel.

[08:35:04]

BELL: The trouble is getting there and soon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HADI: You know, the New Years, the UK leaves the Europe and the thought is everything is going to be hard and no one can go to UK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELL: And they say there's the difficulty of the cost. People smugglers charge migrants thousands of euros to help them get on to trucks. Hence,

the desperate attempt to find other ways across the water. The French Coast Guard has redoubled its patrols and now says it is rescuing migrants

every day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

INGRID PARROT, SPOKESWOMAN, FRENCH COAST GUARD: So these people, when we find them, they are in the state of hypothermia and also, they are just so

frightened because we thought that they saw death. We don't want to have cops on the beach or to have a collision with a big boat.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELL: This is the part of the French coast that is the closest to England. From here, you can see the cliffs of Dover. It's over 17 nautical miles

across. And so it is from these beaches, from this part of the coast that the migrants set off in whatever they can find. In fishing boats, in

dinghies, and sometimes even in kayaks.

Miraculously, some do make it across. Peter Wallace is a local councilor in Dover.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER WALLACE, COUNCILOR, DOVER: Before the camps, people were trying to get through to the tunnels or in the back of lorries, but it's been this

huge change in the last month. Over a hundred people, including tiny little children have been trying to get across the whole channel in tiny

little boats.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELL: Which has become a daily struggle for the French and English Coast Guards.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you need help?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Okay. Help is coming. We've called for help.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELL: And however desperate this image, these are the lucky ones, rescued from English waters. Waters so cold that no one could survive them for

more than an hour. Melissa Bell, CNN, Calais.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

LU STOUT: You're watching "News Stream" and still to come right here on the program, blockchain is a technology that was cast into the spotlight,

all thanks to Bitcoin, but it has far wider uses than cryptocurrencies. In Brooklyn, one startup is using the power of blockchain to let neighbors

trade energy among themselves. That story is next.

Live from Hong Kong, welcome back. This is "News Stream." Now, the concept of blockchain, it has taken the world by storm and one New York

start-up is now leveraging this technology to disrupt the energy sector. Enter Brooklyn Microgrid. It's a network that allows community members to

produce, store and trade energy locally.

Here is Matt Rivers with the story.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

MATTHEW RIVERS, INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Imagine a shared economy innovation like Airbnb or Uber for the utility sector that can shift energy

generation away from remote power stations into the hands of the community.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GARRY GOLDEN, BROOKLYN MICROGRID MEMBER: About three years ago, our family with along with 11 other neighbors purchased rooftop solar for our houses.

So we were at that point starting to produce more energy than we consumed and that's when I discovered the Brooklyn Microgrid and their vision for

the future of more localized energy system.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[08:40:06]

RIVERS: Garry Golden is part of a developing community powered energy platform which could eventually enable more than 100 homes in his

neighborhood to share electricity with one another.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAWRENCE ORSINI, CEO LO3 ENERGY: So the way the Brooklyn Microgrid works is here in Brooklyn, we've got a lot of community members that really want

to buy energy from people that are producing it here in the community.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIVERS: LO3 CEO, Lawrence Orsini is the man behind one of the world's first peer to peer energy trade initiatives using blockchain technology.

Usually associated with Bitcoin, blockchain technology is used for verifying and recording transactions and is now being leveraged for trading

in renewable energy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ORSINI: So I can actually put panels on my roof. I can produce my own electricity. So what that does is that shifts economically the way that we

get to participate on an energy grid. Now, it's not just one way anymore. It's me participating in this market.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIVERS: There are some challenges users have to sign up, set up some hardware in an app and there could be Federal regulation down the road.

Traditionally, energy has come from a large, central station and flowed in one direction. The Brooklyn Microgrid allows power to be generated and

distributed locally which they say could take stress off the grid.

And with New York's ambitious plan to power 50% of the city with renewable energy by 2030, locally produced clean energy coming from homes like

Golden's might help that transformation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL D'AURIZIO, INVESTMENT MANAGER, CENTRICA: I think what's really important about this transformation underway in the electric system is as

much as it's a technology story, what doesn't get talked about a lot is it's also a human story. That has a human impact on how people interact

with and think about energy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIVERS: And this mentality shift is happening globally with similar initiatives taking place from Australia to Germany proving that blockchain

technology is about more than just Bitcoin.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

LU STOUT: Wow. A fantastic application of the technology there. Now, finally, from September of next year, these devices, the ones that once

filled offices in Japan with beeps and buzzes, they will all fall silent. Tokyo Telemessage is ending the final pager service in Japan due the lack

of demand. These devices, they were deeply popular all around the world, especially in the 1990s, but the mobile phone revolution has rendered them

effectively obsolete. Tokyo Telemessage had 1.2 million subscribers in 1996, but now fewer than 1,800 people use them. Farewell, pager. But as

for the fax, that vintage tech, that one is going to still stick around. And that is it for "News Stream." I am Kristie Lu Stout, don't go anywhere

though. We've got "World Sport" with Amanda Davies, coming up next.

(SPORTS)

[09:00:00]

END