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The Final Push: CNN Goes To The Front Line In The Battle For The Last ISIS Enclave, as a top U.S. General Warns About The Group's True Numbers; Selling Sex To Survive: Venezuelan women in Colombia give up Their Careers And Their Dreams To Feed Their Children; A Catastrophic Environmental Impact, Scientists Say A Mass Insect Die-Off Could Lead To The Collapse Of Nature's Ecosystems. Aired: 8:00-9a ET

Aired February 11, 2019 - 08:00   ET

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

WILL RIPLEY, INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: I'm Will Ripley in Hong Kong, in for Kristie Lu Stout, welcome to "News Stream" on this Monday.

The final push, CNN goes to the front line in the battle for the last ISIS enclave, as a top U.S. General warns about the group's true numbers.

Selling sex to survive: Venezuelan women in Colombia give up their careers and their dreams to feed their children. And a catastrophic environmental

impact. Scientists say a mass insect die-off could lead to the collapse of nature's ecosystems.

We begin in Eastern Syria, where U.S.-backed forces are battling to push ISIS from its final enclave. The militant territory has shrunk to about

four square kilometers. But America's top general in the war is warning that tens of thousands ISIS fighters remain scattered across Iraq and

Syria.

Right now, Syrian Democratic Forces are being met with fierce resistance, with ISIS firing of heat-seeking missiles and taking cover in underground

tunnels. A spokesman for the SDF tell CNN's Ben Wedeman they now believe there are thousands of civilians trapped inside the town and Ben, he is

witnessing the heavy fighting first hand.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN WEDEMAN, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: We woke up this morning to the sound of small arms fire and there has been constant

fighting ever since. At this very moment, it is relatively quiet, but we've had to come down from our rooftop position because a round landed

just on the other side of the wall separating us.

And there has been -- we have heard rounds whizzing over our head as well. There has been an ISIS counterattack. This morning, they were taking

advantage of the heavy fog that was around this town in the early morning.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: We'll have more from Ben in just a moment. But first, to those startling comments from General Joseph Votel. CNN Pentagon correspondent,

Barbara Starr is the only TV correspondent traveling with the General and she joins me now live from Cairo. Barbara, this is supposed to be a

farewell tour, but General Votel really finds himself in a complicated and frankly, difficult position.

BARBARA STARR, PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Well, awkward and sensitive and all of that, Will, because he's coming here to the region to see

counterparts, to see his fellow top commanders at a time, when as you say, the fight against ISIS' controlled territory in Syria is winding up.

President Trump very much wants to say the physical caliphate is controlled, and that ISIS no longer controls territory in Syria, but

General Votel taking a much longer term view, a very strategic view of the threat that ISIS can still pose. Have a listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GENERAL JOSEPH VOTEL, COMMANDER, U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: It's kind of aligned with where the Intelligence Community is on this. They kind of

sought and talked about tens of thousands that have been dispersed and disaggregated from the area. So they are dispersed and disaggregated, but

there is leadership there. There are fighters there. There are facilitators there. They still have some access to resources and of

course, they still maintain this kind of perverse ideology.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: General Votel very much saying that the military pressure will have to be kept on ISIS, not perhaps from U.S. ground troops because they are

coming out of Syria, but there will be other ways of doing that possibly through air strikes from across from the border in Iraq or Jordan. But

that the military pressure has to be kept on ISIS because they have the possibility of regrouping and staging guerilla attacks and maybe even try

to make an effort to regain territory -- Will.

RIPLEY: And Barbara, you talked about the awkward situation that General Votel finds himself in. How does he go about assuring U.S. allied forces

particularly in Syria, that America is not abandoning them?

STARR: Will, this is why he is making that exact point that pressure has to be kept on ISIS. It is a very tough situation there right now. To the

north, the Turks would just as soon see the U.S. gone. They are happy the U.S. is leaving. They are no friend of the Kurds in the north, and in the

south, that heavy fighting continues.

It is going to be tough going because once the U.S. leaves, the real question remains will the U.S.-backed fighters, the SDF be able to hold

onto their territorial gains or in 18 months, two years, will the world be right back where it was -- Will.

RIPLEY: Barbara Starr traveling exclusively with America's top General who is on a tough trip tour of the region. Barbara, thank you.

[08:05:07]

RIPLEY: CNN's senior international correspondent, Ben Wedeman is following this offensive. He has been standing with soldiers, right on the front

lines in Eastern Syria. He and his crew have risked their own lives. He filed this exclusive report.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WEDEMAN (voice over): The final battle began just after sunset with coalition airstrikes pounding the last dot on the map held by the state

that called itself Islamic, the town of Baghouz Al-Fawqani in eastern Syria. But there was no calm before the storm as gunners with the U.S.-

backed Syrian Democratic Forces rained heavy machine gunfire down onto ISIS targets.

Whilst civilians who would stuck it out in the town made their way to safer ground. A mortar round exploded near 14-year-old Mahmoud Nazal (ph) days

ago. His wounds still fresh.

His brother Fahmir (ph) says they couldn't afford to pay the ISIS fighters a thousand dollars apiece to leave and thus had to sneak out under cover of

darkness.

An hour before the final push began, Arab tribal fighters danced a useful morale-raising exercise, perhaps, before the coming battle.

The bombing of the town continued throughout the night, intensifying at first light.

WEDEMAN (on camera): The battle to take the last enclave of ISIS in Syria is into its second day. Syrian Democratic Forces have made good progress

within the town, but they are encountering some resistance from the ISIS fighters. This despite the constant heavy coalition airstrikes on the

town.

WEDEMAN (voice over): But as the day wore on, the going got tougher and the airstrikes increased. "It's a hit," he says. ISIS has dug a network

of tunnels and trenches. Its fighters some of its most experienced and battle hardened. "This battle will not end the war on ISIS when ISIS

estate is replaced by the ISIS the terrorist insurgency," Jumarzin (ph), an Arab fighter tells me. "It will be tougher still. This war is easy, he

says, we are fighting them on a front. It will be different when it becomes guerilla warfare."

Victory at sorts is at hand. Peace in this tortured land still elusive. Ben Wedeman, CNN, outside Baghouz Al-Fawqani in Eastern Syria.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

RIPLEY: As that fight rages in the Middle East, the acting U.S. Defense Secretary has made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan. Patrick Shanahan

met with President Ashraf Ghani and other officials. A U.S. defense official tells CNN or told CNN in December that President Trump decided to

withdraw about half of the 14,000 U.S. troops deployed in Afghanistan, but Shanahan insists, he has not been asked to cut troop numbers at this stage.

Instead, he says he's been tasked with supporting peace talks between Washington and the Taliban to try and end America's longest war.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says his country will not only defeat U.S. sanctions, but will also continue building up its military and its missile

program. He addressed crowds at a state organized rally in Tehran marking the 40th anniversary of Iran's Islamic Revolution, that's when the country

transformed from a monarchy into an Islamic Republic.

CNN's senior international correspondent, Fred Pleitgen is on his 12th trip to Iran and he joins me now live from Tehran. Fred, you spoke exclusively

with the headd of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps. What did he tell you?

FRED PLEITGEN, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Well, Will, he was certainly a lot more confrontational than you would have heard the Iranians

maybe two years ago or three years ago at a time when the nuclear agreement or at least the U.S. was still part of the nuclear agreement.

Now, you can really feel that the Iranians are saying, "Look, if the U.S. is going to have this hard line, Iran is going to be ready." Of course,

this country is very much in economic turmoil at the moment, but you heard it from Hassan Rouhani where he was saying they are holding onto that

ballistic missile program, they want to widen that ballistic missile program, really prodding some of the advances they have made in defense

technology.

Now, speaking to the head of the Revolutionary Guard Corps who I met on the sidelines of this 40th anniversary, he says that Iran would be ready for

any sort of attack from anyone including the United States. Let's listen in.

[08:10:02]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMMAD AL JAFARI, COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, IRANIAN REVOLUTIONARY GUARD CORPS (Through a translator): With the missiles we have right now, with the

progress in high technology and with the self-reliance we have achieved in various fields and also with the growth of the population in Iran, we have

the power and capacity to defend against any kind of invasion.

After 40 years, now that we have expanded our defense systems and we have developed military technologies in various fields, of course the Americans

and other big powers know that conflict with the Islamic Republic of Iran would fail.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: So you have the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, of course, one of the most powerful people here in Iran as the Iranians are

continuing to say that they are going to stay their course and not bow down to some of the things they have been hearing from the Trump administration.

Of course, especially you've heard from John Bolton, but from President Trump as well, that that ballistic missile program that the Iranians are

continuing to develop is certainly a big issue for the U.S.

At the same time though, you can feel here in Tehran that a lot of people right now would say that Iran is probably more powerful politically and

also militarily than it has at any point in the past 40 years since the Islamic Revolution, but of course, Will, as we're speaking about it, the

economy continues to be a huge issue, especially with those strong U.S. sanctions preventing a lot of foreign direct investments here in this

country -- Will.

RIPLEY: Yes, I want to ask you about that because you're obviously on the ground talking to people there in Tehran. Are they as confident as their

leaders, their President that Iran can overcome the impact of U.S. sanctions?

PLEITGEN: Yes, you know, I think it's a real mixed bag of things that you would hear on the ground here from Iranians and quite frankly, from

Iranians around the world. This is a really, really big topic for them - the 40th Anniversary of the Islamic Revolution because it changed the

trajectory of so many lives, not just the folks living here in Iran, but of course, the many Iranians who had to leave this country and go abroad.

And there are some who obviously have a very negative view of the Islamic Revolution, but there are some who obviously still believe in it, but the

big issue that they have is the economy and the sanction are one thing and obviously, very difficult to overcome for this country.

I think a lot of people were extremely disappointed when the U.S. pulled out of the nuclear agreement. I know lot of Iranians who have come back

here to Iran from abroad who visited here, we thought that they could open up businesses here, and essentially, lift this country up, and a lot of

them were very disappointed when the U.S. pulled out of that agreement and where now those sanctions have become as strong as they ever have been in

the past.

So if you ask the leadership, they say yes, they are going to overcome this. Yes, it's been 40 years that they have been under sanctions. But

there are a lot of people who take a lot more negative of a view and who really don't know how this country is going to overcome the isolation that

it currently finds itself in, Will.

RIPLEY: Fred Pleitgen, we always appreciate your perspective on your 12th trip to Iran. Thank you. Iran's President Rouhani is not the only leader

taking a stand against the United States, Venezuela's embattled President, Nicolas Maduro, he marked the beginning of military exercises over the

weekend by saying that his country was buying thousands of surface to air missile launchers and he used the occasion to issue a warning to the United

States against interfering in his country.

President Maduro's comments came as his government continues their controversial decision to block badly needed aid at the border, with

stockpiles of U.S. supplies being hold in storage in neighboring Colombia when there are so many people in need right now.

CNN's Isa Soarez continues to follow developments from the Colombian border city of Cucuta. Isa, let's talk first about this warning against U.S.

military intervention. Is that mostly bluster at this stage or does Maduro's government consider it a likely possibility?

ISA SOAREZ, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Well, Will, it does seem like the rhetoric, at least coming from Nicolas Maduro always has one

- been one of complaining and fighting against U.S. intervention. We have seen him at the weekend taking part in these military exercises which was

what we have seen.

The past several weeks, where he is praising his army, praising his soldiers and exalting Venezuela's military prowess. And at the weekend, we

also heard tough some words yet again from Nicolas Maduro. And just to give you a sense of what he said, he said, "The soldiers will make it very

painful," he said, "For any daring enterprise the U.S. Empire will launch against the Venezuelan land."

So this kind of fighting -- rhetoric fighting talk is very much what we have heard from Nicolas Maduro in the last couple of days, very similar to

what we heard in the last couple of months, I should say, this obviously following on from what we heard from U.S. President, Donald Trump, saying

"Nothing is really off the table."

But if you speak to any international leader, any other countries that have been taking part in trying to find a solution, some sort of resolve to this

crisis, they will tell you the dialogue is the most important thing here trying to reach some sort of dialogue between Nicolas Maduro, Juan Guaido

and trying to see if elections, free, fair and transparent elections can take place.

[08:15:01]

SOAREZ: But of course, until now, Maduro has been unable to bow to pressure and in fact, move and many people don't expect him to do so. And

so we are back where we were over two weeks ago with aid actually standing in this warehouse waiting to be delivered and people, in real honesty

starving, people have no food.

I am in this food kitchen here. I've seen more than 2,000 or so people queueing for breakfast this morning. People have nothing, don't even have

a bed to sleep on. And at the moment, these volunteers here are cutting food, preparing food for lunch. So all day, every day, they feed 6,000

people, Will, and that's the reality that Maduro seems to ignore at this moment -- Will.

RIPLEY: And Venezuela's economy has essentially collapsed, which means that people, parents, who have gone to college, worked to build their

careers are now finding themselves in this position where they have to do things they never imagined they'd have to do.

SOAREZ: Absolutely. You're absolutely right. The reality is during the boom years when petrol, when oil was worth so much, then money went

farther. But with this mismanagement that has completely changed. And so we have got hyperinflation, a bad economy and so people really struggling

to get by, and this is people from all walks of life, as I found out.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

SOAREZ (voice over): On the street corners in the main squares of Colombia's border city of Cucuta, Venezuelan women hide their pain behind

their faint smiles. It is here I meet Marissa, who trembles as she tells me her story.

MARISSA: [Speaking in foreign language].

SOAREZ (voice over): As a nurse back home, she worked 15 days for a bag of flour.

MARISSA [Speaking in foreign language]

SOAREZ (voice over): Frustrated, desperate, and unable to find work in a city with the highest unemployment in Colombia, she now sells her body to

feed her children back home, earning a mere $6.00 per man.

MARISSA: [Speaking in foreign language].

SOAREZ (voice over): With each tear comes a drop of anger.

MARISSA: [Speaking in foreign language].

SOAREZ (voice over): But the shame is overpowering and keeping the secret is tearing her apart.

SOAREZ (on camera): [Speaking in foreign language].

MARISSA: [Speaking in foreign language].

SOAREZ (voice over): On a different square, just down the road --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: [Speaking in foreign language].

SOAREZ (voice over): I meet an experienced attorney, also selling sex to feed her two children and parents back in Venezuela.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: [Speaking in foreign language].

SOAREZ (voice over): But the impossible she tells me has become a burden.

SOAREZ (on camera): [Speaking in foreign language].

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: [Speaking in foreign language].

(END VIDEO TAPE)

SOAREZ (on camera): So Will, just two voices, really, I've spoken to many women in that same situation, people with careers, with education, hoping

to come here to Cucuta to try and find similar work. But of course, with such high unemployment in Colombia, the highest unemployment in the hope of

Colombia in Cucuta, they have had several doors shut in their faces for the most menial very basic jobs, be it cleaning and looking after children.

And everybody is struggling, and when I say struggling, I mean, even to sleep at night, paying one dollar for a mattress in a room of 16, 17

people, gives you a real sense of what is happening here, but also gives you an idea what might be happening inside Venezuela.

RIPLEY: Uh, Isa, that story just speaks to the desperation and the heartbreak and shows there really is no limit to how far a mother or any

parent will go to make sure their children have food. It's just heartbreaking. Thank you for bringing that to us.

[18:20:10]

RIPLEY: The Bahraini footballer and refugee has walked free from a Thai prison according to Thai authorities. After his release, Hakeem al Araibi

was taken to the Bangkok Airport and then on a flight to Melbourne, Australia. The footballer was arrested in the Thai capital last November.

He originally was supposed to be extradited, that's what Bahrain wanted, but Thai authorities say Bahrain has since dropped that request. Al Araibi

fled Bahrain back in 2014. He does have refugee status in Australia and he plays for a Melbourne club. He has been a critique of Bahrain's government

and his supporters say the extradition request was politically motivated.

You're watching "News Stream." Still ahead on this Monday, it's been a month since the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. And get this,

another one could be just days away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

RIPLEY: In the coming hours, the U.S. President heads to Texas for a political rally as yet another government shutdown looms. Donald Trump and

lawmakers need to find a deal on funding border security by this Friday or guess what? That shutdown, the longest in U.S. history could happen again.

Sources are telling CNN the negotiations ground to a halt over the weekend.

Outstanding issues came into play like the level of funding for border barriers and funding increases for detention facilities and personnel. CNN

congressional correspondent, Lauren Fox, joins me live now from Capitol Hill. Lauren, I mean, they just got the U.S. government back up and

running. What are you hearing there about the likelihood of yet another shutdown?

LAUREN FOX, CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Well, Will, there's an impasse up here on Capitol Hill this morning. And you know, late last

week, it seemed like negotiators were moving forward. They were passing proposals back and forth. Then yesterday, everything came to a halt.

There is a disagreement of course, about the President's border wall, how much money Democrats would be willing to cede to that barrier. There were

also questions about Democrats' requirement that they cap the number of detention beds internally at the country and at the southern border.

Those two issues that are deeply, deeply difficult for Democrats and Republicans to find a way out of. I will also say that there's no

guarantee that there won't be another government shutdown on Friday. The White House's Chief of Staff, Mick Mulvaney, had this to say about

negotiations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHUCK TODD, ANCHOR, MSNBC: We cannot definitively rule out a government shutdown the end of this week.

MICK MULVANEY, ACTING WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: You absolutely cannot and here's why. Let's say, forsake of this discussion that the Democrats

prevail, and the hard core left wing Democrats prevail. There was a Democratic congresswoman who put out a tweet yesterday about zero dollars

for DHS.

So let's say that the hard-core left wing of the Democratic Party prevails this negotiation and they put a bill on the President's desk with say, zero

money for the wall or $800 million, some absurdly low number. How does he sign that? He cannot in good faith sign that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[08:25:10]

FOX: Tonight, in El Paso, the President will make his case for the border wall, but he will have a dueling message with former Congressman Democrat

Beto O'Rourke, also addressing a crowd just down the road in El Paso -- Will.

RIPLEY: Lauren Fox, following it all for us on Capitol Hill. Thank you. The field of Democrats vying to replace Donald Trump as U.S. president got

bigger over the weekend. Minnesota Senator, Amy Klobuchar made it official at snowing, freezing outdoor event on Sunday. It is Minnesota after all.

She highlighted her working class roots and she vowed to take on big money in politics. She also explained what she thinks sets her apart from the

current administration.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMY KLOBUCHAR, U.S. SENATOR, MINNESOTA, DEMOCRAT: I am running for every American. I am running for you. And I promise you this, as your

President, I will look you in the eye, I will tell you what I think. I will focus on getting things done. That's what I've done my whole life,

and no matter what, I'll lead from the heart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: You know, I've been in Minnesota in wintertime. It is not fun. Klobuchar's team, they did plan though for that frigid event. They handed

out hot cocoa, apple cider and hand warmers to her supporters. Her campaign is focus to making inroads in the Midwest, which is an area of the

U.S. that has largely voted Republican in recent elections.

And there was another presidential launch over the weekend, not surprising. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren laid out a challenge to the super

wealthy, calling President Trump the latest and most extreme symptom of what's gone wrong in America.

On her first full day on the campaign trail, she even hinted that Trump might be in jail by the 2020 election.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELIZABETH WARREN, U.S. SENATOR, MASSACHUSETTS, DEMOCRAT: By the time we get to 2020, Donald Trump may not even be President. In fact, he may not

even be a free person.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you expand on that a little bit more?

WARREN: Oh, come on. How many investigations are there now into him? It's no longer just the Mueller investigation, they're everywhere, and

these are serious investigations. So we'll see what happens.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: Well, it's no coincidence that Warren took on the President at campaign stops in Iowa. That is traditionally the first state to hold a

presidential selection contest. She said she would not engage in every tweet or insult the President puts out saying there are racist hateful

tweets every single day.

So look a look at the big wall here. There is a growing field now of Democrats -- Democrats who have their sights set on the White House.

Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar, they are among the six women who are either running or exploring a run for President, in all, that is now 11

Democrats so far.

You're watching "News Stream" and still ahead, pay attention to this story, please. Catastrophic collapse --scientists are warning how a decline in

insects is a threat to all of nature.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:30:40]

RIPLEY: I'm Will Ripley in Hong Kong. You are watching "News Stream" on this Monday and here are your world headlines. A fierce battle is raging

in Eastern Syria. Fighters from the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces are being met with resistance as they try to oust ISIS from its final

enclave. The assault began over the weekend on Saturday. Commanders tell CNN, the militants are retaliating with heat-seeking missiles. At least

two SDF fighters have been killed and others wounded after their vehicle was hit.

The head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps tell CNN exclusively his country does have the capacity and the will to defend against any invasion.

His words come on the day Iran is marking the 40th Anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. President Hassan Rouhani says his country will

continue to expand its missile program and also defy U.S. sanctions.

The elder sister of Thailand's King has been barred from running for Prime Minister in next month's general election. The Electoral Commission

disqualified the Thai Princess saying monarchy must be above politics. A list of 45 eligible candidates has been released including the current

Prime Minister.

You need to listen to this story and I know we talk a lot about the environment, but the world is truly under threat scientists say from the

catastrophic collapse of nature's ecosystems. Now, this is according to a new global scientific review of insects.

This report published in the "Biological Conservation Journal" finds the total mass of insects around the world is falling 2.5% every single year.

Think of how quickly that can add up, 2.5%. At that rate, scientists say all insects could vanish within 100 years. That's even though they're a

crucial part of our ecosystems including food for creatures such as birds, reptiles, and fish.

Joining me now from Sydney, Australia is Francisco Sanchez-Bayo. He is one of the authors of this review. Francisco, thank you for joining us. I

want to put these numbers up on the screen for our viewers because you found some rally alarming statistics. More than 40% of insect species are

declining. Some species are really in danger of going extinct within decades and the insect extinction rate, eight times faster than birds,

mammals and reptiles. Why is this happening and if it continues, what does it mean?

FRANCISCO SANCHEZ-BAYO, LIFE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY: The first main factor is loss of habitat. And that's mainly due

to agricultural practices, but also urbanization and in tropical areas is deforestation, of course. That is the main cause. Then there is

pollution. Pollution by different chemicals, those ones used in agricultural are the most widely used chemicals and the ones that have the

highest impact. They are fertilizers, herbicides, and insecticides, of course.

And finally, we have climate change as well. Climate change is particularly important in forested areas in tropical countries.

RIPLEY: You found that within a century, many, many of the world's insects could be essentially gone. Can humans survive without insects?

SANCHEZ-BAYO: I think we can survive, but not in the same way we are living now. We would lose a lot of foods particularly those that require

pollination because most of the pollination is done by insects, at least in the areas where we grow food.

RIPLEY: As you're well aware, scientists have been warning for a while now that we are at the beginning of the world's sixth mass extinction event and

that this insect decline is part of it. Can anything be done to stop this? How much time do we have?

SANCHEZ-BAYO: Probably we cannot stop it, or at least we can reduce the rate of extinction, but as we point out in the conclusions of our review,

we have to change the way we do agriculture at the moment. So if we want to reduce the losses, we have to do is to go back to the ways we used to do

agriculture before 1980, which means that we use insecticides when we need them, only when there is a pest outbreak and we only use them in the areas

that are needed.

[08:35:07]

RIPLEY: Are you essentially saying that this is a crisis that needs immediate correction?

SANCHEZ-BAYO: Yes, that's what we're saying, exactly. This is a crisis and it could be catastrophic for the ecosystems and simply because the

insects are the base of the food chain, so a lot of fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians, bats -- they all depend on insects for their living. That is

their staple of food.

So if we eliminate that food, all of these other animals, vertebrates, will go extinct as well. We may survive because we are very resilient and we

have ways of surviving, but the ecosystems of the earth will collapse.

RIPLEY: Francisco Sanchez-Bayo -- a stark warning and I hope people will listen. Thank you.

SANCHEZ-BAYO: Thank you very much.

RIPLEY: You're watching "News Stream" and still to come, we have a look at the winners who made history on the music industry's biggest night.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

RIPLEY: Some of the biggest movers and shakers of the world have descended on Dubai by for Seventh Annual World Government Summit. Thousands of

politicians, experts and leaders from 150 countries have gathered and they say they are setting the agenda for the next generation of government, a

generation that si sure to be very high tech and of course, who knows tech better than CNN's Samuel Burke who joins me now live from Dubai.

Samuel, I know you have a guest coming up but what is that that you're standing next to?

SAMUEL BURKE, BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY, CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Will, this is the guest. You've seen me interact with a lot of robots right here on

"News Stream." I've gone on dates with Pepper, I've talked with Sophia. But this is an interaction unlike any of the other ones that I've had.

This is Unity and I don't know if you can capture this on camera, but we are going to do our best.

She is looking right into my eyes, she is using tracking equipment and now, she is looking right into -- well not the eyes, but lens of our cameraman

here. But it's incredible because you can see how she is tracking right there up on that screen. You can see how her eyes are following my face or

turning to our cameraman.

And it's a bizarre experience to see the robot's eyes go where my eyes go, as if she's looking into my soul, which is actually the whole purpose of

this exhibit. It is part of the Museum of the Future here in Dubai and have the futurist in chief because that's just something that they have

here in Dubai.

This really isn't about the technology, per se, in this robot Unity, it's not about the fact she has this facial recognition capability, it's more

about the fact of are we comfortable with her? Is that the question you're trying to get at here?

NOAH RAFORD, FUTURIST IN CHIEF, DUBAI FUTURE FOUNDATION: That's exactly right. I mean, you say that the future is a story we tell ourselves about

today and who we want to be tomorrow and one of the biggest questions of today is our relationship to technology, who controls it, who guides it and

how is it changing us?

So this exhibition takes everything from replacing body parts with 3D- printed limbs all the way up to full brain scans into a speculative future where we might be able to download our brains into different bodies or

vice-versa and embed millions of brains into a single experience which this robot represents.

And it is designed for that question -- how far do we want to go? Who do we want to become and what is our future living with technology?

[08:40:02]

BURKE: Noah Rahford, you have this all thought out very academically, but as people are passing by here, Will, it's incredible to see their reactions

when all of a sudden, Unity, this robot turns and looks you in the face and people are really taken aback and they have been asking questions that I

have been talking about like well, could this robot know that I am depressed from the way that my body language is? What is she doing with

that information? What is she doing with that data? And would she treat Samuel differently from how she might treat the other person if she could

tell the person is depressed and maybe Samuel is cheerier. Would she pay more attention to the other person and it is exactly those types of

questions that you want people to think about. But what do you do if people walk away and are a bit startled?

RAHFORD: Well, I think that's part of the goal as well, not to scare people but illustrate the kinds of possibilities that are there if we

design our future to be like this. Because the future is not just about technology, it's about what it means to be alive. How you respond to

technology and is this something that makes you feel hopeful and full of agency, like you have a role to play in the creation of the future or is

this something that is being done to you?

And so we are trying to create an emotional experience about that that plays with these two experiences of hope and engagement or fear and

reluctance.

BURKE: Will, I know you've also gone on some outings with Pepper, the robot, when you were in Japan. But I've got to say, this interaction, it

is something totally different. I think it does open up these bigger questions. I already don't like my relationship with my phone -- hey, how

are you doing -- I don't know if I would like my relationship with a robot or it's collecting all my data and somebody else's. But she does have very

smooth skin. Much better than mine.

RIPLEY: She's blinking at you. She is just kind of staring at you and blinking at you. It's very creepy. Maybe you have to go get coffee with

her later and get to know her better.

BURKE: Now, she's staring at you, Will.

RIPLEY: Oh gosh, okay, then we're going to cutaway. Samuel Burke in Dubai, and Unity, thank you very much.

It was a history-making night at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And the Grammy goes to "Invasion of Privacy," Cardi B.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: Cardi B., the first woman to win a Grammy for best rap album, part of the big night for women. Other hip hop artists also making hip-hop

history.

Childish Gambino's "This is America" won both Song and Record of the Year. It's actually the first time that a hip-hop song has won those awards.

Lady Gaga also among the women who took home multiple Grammys on Sunday and another album that's probably worth downloading, Kacey Musgraves, she won

four Grammys including Album of the Year. Lots of news music to listen to after that show last night.

And that is "News Stream" on this Monday, live from Hong Kong, I am Will Ripley. Don't go anywhere. "World Sport" with Amanda Davies is next.

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