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China Yuan Devaluation; Pakistan Child Pornography Ring; U.S. Prepares to Strike ISIS from Turkey; Syria Locked in Battle with ISIS, Rebels; Abandoned Boy's Quest for Adoption; Cuba's Tourism Future; Inside Calais' Migrant "Jungle". Aired 10-11 ET

Aired August 12, 2015 - 10:00   ET

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

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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to the INTERNATIONAL DESK. I'm Lynda Kinkade at the CNN Center.

Our top this hour: praise, criticism and concern as China's currency drops against the U.S. dollar for a second day.

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KINKADE (voice-over): It's the yuan's largest two-day decline in decades, sparked by a shocking change in the exchange rate mechanism that

gives market forces more control over the currency.

Stocks in Asia plunged on the news. China's Shanghai Composite was down more than 1 percent. The Hang Seng dropped 2.3 percent -- sorry --

while Japan's Nikkei was off 1.5 percent.

Australian shares dropped to a 7-month low.

Let's take a closer look at what's going on in China and why CNN's Will Ripley is standing by in Beijing.

And, Will, the currency has hit a four-year low. Explain why this is happening.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, some are saying that China is clearly trying to boost its exports and kind of pick up the pace of its

economy which has really been slowing signs of -- showing signs of slowing down as of late.

The export numbers last month down 8 percent. Some economists are saying that China is looking like it will not meet its goal of 7 percent

economic growth. They're placing that number at around 5 percent growth right now.

And so by doing this, by two consecutive days of a shocking move, cutting the yuan, what they're doing is ensuring that their exports remain

lower in price and more competitive and of course experts have fueled China's fabulous economic growth.

And by keeping their currency in line with the markets -- because, remember, China has a fixed currency, not a free-floating currency -- but

by aligning the currency with the markets, they make the International Monetary Fund happy. They've been pushing for the yuan to be more in line

with the markets overall.

And if China's market does continue to see declines, that actually only makes Chinese exports more competitive and therefore for this country,

which relies so heavily on its exports, they feel one might imagine that this is going to be a way to try to boost that growth back up, a very

surprising to a lot of people.

KINKADE: Yes, huge surprise.

And, Will, for a long time we've thought the Chinese economy was one of the strongest in the world.

Is that no longer the case?

And what does it mean for the average Chinese consumer?

RIPLEY: Oh, it absolutely still is one of the strongest in the world. And we were talking about a 5 percent economic growth being a bad thing.

There are a lot of countries that would love to see that level of growth, especially countries that have seen their economies contract in recent

months, in recent years.

But when you're talking about China and you look at this in the context of the last three decades, where they were seeing double-digit

growth year after year after year in large part fueled because of the fact that they were the low cost manufacturer with cheap exports. To see that

growth slowing is very concerning for the central government here.

And there is some sign that the People's Bank of China, the central bank here, was perhaps late in the day today trying to step in to make sure

that the yuan doesn't drop too much because that, of course, has adverse effects for Chinese consumers. Just a couple of days ago something that

would cost them 100 renminbi now costs them 103 renminbi. And people can become very unhappy very quickly if the money that they're earning, if the

value of that continues to go down.

So this will be watched very closely. There's a press conference local time here tomorrow morning. A lot of people will be wanting to hear

what the central bank has to say -- Lynda.

KINKADE: OK. We're going to stay on this story. Will Ripley in Beijing, thank you very much.

European markets closed to the end of the trading day, companies with heavy exposure to China suffered the biggest losses there, including luxury

retailers and automakers. Right now the FTSE is down 1.54 percent.

And let's see what's happening on the big board. The Dow Jones is currently down 210 points.

Let's go beyond the markets now to see how the devaluation of the yuan is being felt right around the world. Our Richard Quest explains why it's

so significant.

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RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When you look at how the yuan moved you see all these effects, whether it's going up or down; in this case,

obviously, it's falling. Immediately we see the dollar getting stronger and that means more exports from the United States. They become more

expensive, a clear negative.

And Chinese goods, well, they, of course, become cheaper, which means a more competitive battle. In its short and easy terms, devaluing the yuan

is bad for U.S. exporters and brilliant for Chinese exporters.

But there's more to it than that. You've got to look at other currencies, closely tied to the yuan that are now also losing value. The

Australian and the New Zealand dollars and Brazil's real, they were all down.

[10:05:00]

QUEST: They were down not only because of the technical effects, but because commodity prices also, they are priced in dollars. And those

countries are big commodity exporters -- oils, minings, metals -- they're all losing ground.

At its most simplistic, you can see the yuan's move as simply as Chinese exports versus U.S. exports and the rest of the world. In the

wider picture, over the longer term, you're left with the conclusion that there's a much bigger political play underway -- Richard Quest, CNN, New

York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: So why is China's currency move rocking financial markets around the world? Maggie Lake is joining us now from New York to discuss

all of this.

Maggie, a 2 percent shift in a country's currency, is it typically a big thing? So why has this stunned the markets?

MAGGIE LAKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think it's because it does signal a big policy shift and it was unexpected. It really came by surprise. You

remember after all of the equity selling, that big stock dive that we saw earlier this summer there and the efforts to contain that but the

authorities, a lot of China experts thought that that would have spooked them, maybe they'd been moving away from some of those market reforms

people were expecting.

So the fact that they came out, did this and what they see is sort of an aggressive move, a big change. Even though it's only 2 percent, this is

a country that has long had very firm control over its currency. So it is a big policy shift. It surprised a lot of people.

I think for investors and traders, they're also looking at this and saying it's so aggressive and unexpected, do they know something we don't?

Is growth even slower than any of those official numbers we talk about that. And so we don't know the answer to that. But the attitude now seems

to be to sell and try to figure it all out later.

KINKADE: And, Maggie, U.S. lawmakers have accused China of manipulating its currency to boost export prices. Presidential candidate

Donald Trump went as far to say that China is trying to destroy the U.S. economy.

Is that at all a fair assessment?

LAKE: No. I mean, when you talk to most people, it's not a fair assessment.

Is this going to cause pain for U.S. companies? Yes, it is. But again, most China watchers say this is really based on not trying to hurt

the U.S. or destroy the U.S. but this is based on looking at their own domestic economy. They're trying to transition away from an export-relying

country to one that focuses on its domestic consumer, really rebalance its own economy and this is one way to do this.

You know, for many years, a lot of officials and multinationals have been calling on China to let market forces dictate their currency when

those -- that conversation first started, there was the assumption that the yuan would actually appreciate against the dollar. The timing of it right

now means we are seeing the opposite. We are seeing the yuan depreciate against the dollar.

So that is causing a negative effect. But is the intention to cause the U.S. harm? Most people in the policy world say no. Political,

politicians are certainly playing to a home audience, I think, Lynda, when they're talking like that.

KINKADE: Yes, definitely.

Now the People's Bank of China has issued a statement saying there's no basis to believe the yuan will persistently decline.

What's your reading of the situation?

LAKE: Well, it's a little hard to tell right now. And this is the tricky thing, when you make a big policy change like this, it's hard to

control, especially in the short term. What happens and people are looking at China. They're very concerned about growth. So I think in the short

term, we are going to continue to see the yuan devalue.

But it all depends on what you think is going to happen to the Chinese economy. The Chinese officials are successful and they institute more of

these market reforms, they open up their economy, they transition to a more consumption-led, services-led economy, then the yuan will stop falling.

And it will rise. It will find some equilibrium. And that's certainly what the Chinese officials are saying. That's why they're saying that.

Will that happen? That's going to determine the currencies.

One thing I think we can be sure of, Lynda, is that we're not going to see a huge outsize move. At the very end of the day today, after watching

this second day where it was allowed to fall, there are reports -- if you look at the charts -- that Chinese officials came in to lend some support.

So they're letting it move for now within a range, letting the market dictate it. But it doesn't look like they're going to let it move one way

or the other very dramatically. They do want to get some source -- some sense of stability in here. And so a lot of analysts we talked to this

morning expect that to continue. Some support on the side and then we'll see what happens.

KINKADE: OK. Maggie Lake in New York, thank you very much for that very comprehensive update. Talk to you soon.

And let's take another quick look at the big board, the Dow Jones is currently down 220 points. We'll continue to watch that during the day.

Turning now to Egypt, where ISIS militants have apparently beheaded a Croatian hostage who was kidnapped last month. An image posted online

seems to show the aftermath of Tomislav Salopek's killing. CNN chose not to show the photo and we're working to confirm its authenticity.

In a video that surfaced last week, a group claiming to be a branch of --

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KINKADE: -- ISIS in the Sinai Peninsula threatens to kill him. Militants demanded Egypt free imprisoned Muslim women within 48 hours in

exchange for Salopek's release.

For five years, a terrible secret was kept in a Pakistani village. Hundreds of children tormented and abused. Now parents are saying they

should have been helped. The story is just ahead.

Also ahead, against so many odds, new hope for an abandoned boy in China. We'll have an update and much more here at the INTERNATIONAL DESK.

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KINKADE: Welcome back.

In Pakistan, more than a dozen people have been arrested and accused of child sex abuse and blackmail. Those horrific crimes were happening on

an astounding scale. One report said 280 children were involved and locals say it took far too long to uncover. Anna Coren reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Beneath the beauty and serenity of the lush fields of this farming community in Pakistan's Punjab

province lies a horrific secret of abuse on an unfathomable scale.

It allegedly involved hundreds of children in the town of Husain Khan Wala, who were sexually abused by a gang from an influential family. They

would film the heinous acts and blackmail the children, threatening to release the videos online or sell them at the local markets if they told

anyone.

One victim describes how it began six years ago while he was in a field collecting water. Aged just 9 at the time, a man with a gun told him

to come back to his home to fill his water bottle.

"As soon as I went inside, he locked the door. He called out and five more men came in. I started screaming and they covered my mouth. Each of

them had a weapon. One had an ax. They said they would cut me into tiny pieces if I made a single sound. Then they raped me."

The sexual abuse continued for years, often in this house. He claims they would sometimes drug him before raping him.

"I stole jewelry and money for them. Otherwise, they said they would kill and feed my body to the dogs. I stole from home, hoping they would

stop hurting me."

Despite this scale of abuse, many parents were not aware. Those who knew were too afraid to speak out until a few months ago, when one of the

victims' mothers was shown a video of her child being raped.

"My heart sank when I saw my son in the video. Everyone in the village knew what was happening but was too scared to say anything. They

raped my son for five years and now it's finally coming out into the open. These savages, this time --

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-- "the village is united against them. We will face them."

The parents claim they reported the abuse to police but were turned away. It wasn't until local media got wind of the story late last week

that it exploded onto the front pages, horrifying the nation.

Daily protests have since broken out, forcing the chief of police of Punjab province to address the hostile crowd and apologize for the abuse,

vowing to try the suspects in a terrorism court that would expedite the process while suspending three police officials now under investigation.

Police say it's too early to confirm the number of victims. But the lawyer representing says more than 270 children were abused. More than a

dozen people have so far been arrested and the mother of one of the accused spoke to CNN about her son, who's facing years behind bars.

"I'm not scared. One of my children made a mistake many years ago. This entire village has turned against me."

A village deeply angry and traumatized by the suffering endured by their innocent children -- Anna Coren, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Police in the U.S. city of Missouri have released video that say shows a suspect waving a gun during protests in Ferguson. Police say

18-year-old Taren Harris is the man in the surveillance video. You'll see him here in the white T-shirt. He's accused of firing at officers and was

critically injured when they fired back.

Now Harris is facing a number of charges, including assault on law enforcement. His family insists he was running for his life.

The U.S. prepares to strike ISIS from Turkey. Coming up, we'll look at how the move could expand the air campaign over Syria.

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KINKADE: The U.S. could soon begin striking ISIS targets from Turkey for the first time. Half a dozen American fighter jets are standing by

Incirlik air base not far from the Syrian border. Our Nick Paton Walsh is watching the situation there and joins us from near the base.

How soon could they be deployed and is there any indication of which areas they will strike first?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT: That isn't clear where their first targets will be but it is possible at any time in the days

ahead they could begin operations out of there.

So far today, we have seen what look like four F-16 jets of the type of planes the Americans will be flying. But it's quite possible they were,

in fact, Turkish. Turkey also uses the military base for frequent runs.

In fact, yesterday, said it hit 17 different targets, Kurdish targets, in the areas it's bombing, too. But it isn't clear at which point the

Americans will begin operations but it could well mark a significant uptick in their ability to hit ISIS targets inside Northern Syria. There's a lot

of talk from the Turkish specifically about trying to clear a zone between areas held by one group of rebels to the north of Aleppo inside Syria all

the way across where the Kurds have areas that they predominantly hold. That's being called by the Turkish a safe zone but actually Americans

denying that will even come into existence. Well, could well happen, though; you may see American planes --

[10:20:00]

WALSH: -- focusing on targets in that area or other areas, too.

But the main reason the Americans are so badly wanted access to this base behind me here for their planes to use to launch strikes against Syria

is because it will just speed the tempo of refueling and getting those planes in the air, getting increasing hours in the skies above Syria they

can spend targeting ISIS -- Lynda.

KINKADE: And, Nick, as this war with ISIS continues for Turkish and the Kurdish militants are also fighting and it seems like the peace process

has become impossible.

What's your assessment?

WALSH: Well, obviously both sides have said there will be no further peace negotiations of course, while they're at each others' throats. But

when you expect violence here, you will recall that when Turkey said it would begin military operations against ISIS, it did, in fact, also say it

would hit the Kurds simultaneously.

Many saw that as having two potential motivations, the first being that it didn't want to knock ISIS have any parts of territory and see the

Kurds -- that's the Syrian Kurds, the YPG. They're not actually considered terrorists by Turkey. And the fact is the Turkish Kurds, the PKK, that

they consider to be terrorists, are also appearing in the U.S. shares.

The Turkish did not want to see territory lost to -- by ISIS and then taken by the Kurds. That could be one motivation for hitting the Kurds

simultaneously.

Others prescribe critics of the government a more complex political motivations for hitting the Kurds simultaneously, pointing to the trouble

of the ruling party, of President Erdogan, who lacking a good majority in parliament now, may be looking to shore up nationalist sentiment by

fomenting anti-Kurdish settlement -- sentiment here in the country.

But certainly peace far from everyone's minds right now and the concern being quite how Turkey can manage these two fronts it's managed to

reignite for itself just in the past week or so -- Lynda.

KINKADE: OK. Nick Paton Walsh near the Incirlik air base in Turkey, thank you very much.

Now I want to turn to CNN's senior international correspondent, Fred Pleitgen. He's in the Syrian capital, Damascus, monitoring reactions to

the latest move by the U.S. and the fighting between the government and rebel groups. And he joins us now.

Fred, I understand you've spoken to the Syrian information minister.

What did he have to say about the U.S. airstrikes?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Lynda. I spoke to Omran al-Zoubi, who is the information minister for us

here. Just a couple of minutes ago, and he reacted both to the increase in the Turkish airstrikes, (INAUDIBLE) PKK as well as against ISIS and also

the additional jets that the U.S. has now stationed there in Incirlik.

About the U.S. jets, he basically said that he believed that the international bombing campaign against ISIS wasn't really anything new. He

didn't believe that it would make very much of a difference. Rather surprisingly, he also said that anybody who strikes ISIS is always welcome

to the Syrians as well. So he didn't downright criticize the entirety of that move.

However, he was very critical of Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying he believes that Erdogan's agenda is in reality to combat

the Kurds rather than to combat ISIS. So certainly there is no love lost between these two countries.

It was also interesting, you know, Lynda, in the past couple of months, the Syrian military has had a string of setbacks on the

battlefield. And I put that to him as well. And he says he believes that the Syrian military is still strong enough to hold off insurgents both from

ISIS as well as other rebel groups as well. But he did acknowledge that the going was quite tough at the battlefield at this moment -- Lynda.

KINKADE: And, Fred, we're hearing what is a 48-hour cease-fire in Syria between insurgent groups and the army.

What can you tell us about it?

PLEITGEN: It's between some of the insurgent groups as well as the military, Hezbollah, and the Iranians on the other side. This pertains

mostly to the area of Zabadani, which is actually quite close to Damascus. It's a 48-hour cease-fire that it was agreed to between all of these

people. So it's a very, very heavy and intense fighting going on in between them. But now there's this 48-hour period.

However, one of the things that we've also seen today, Lynda, was that there was an uptick in violence here in the Damascus area. We woke up

early this morning to rockets impacting very close to where we were. And we later found out that there were rocket impacts in various neighborhoods

that are controlled by the government early this morning. And the government did respond with some very heavy airstrikes.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says that at least 37 people were killed in those government airstrikes and that many more were wounded

as well. So it certainly was a day of considerable violence here in the Syrian capital, much more than we've seen in the past couple of days that

we've been here -- Lynda.

KINKADE: OK. Fred Pleitgen in Damascus, Syria, thank you very much for that update. We appreciate it.

Here at the INTERNATIONAL DESK, still to come, the heartbreaking story of an abandoned boy in China could now have a happy ending. We'll have

those details.

Also ahead, more trouble for the makers of Maggi noodles, how the Indian government is challenging this fight in consumer court.

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KINKADE: Welcome to the INTERNATIONAL DESK. I'm Lynda Kinkade and here are the headlines.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE (voice-over): China's central bank has allowed the yuan to fall for a second day in a row. The currency has seen its biggest two-day

slide in decades and it's hit a four-year low against the U.S. dollar. The central bank is changing its exchange rate policy to allow market forces

to have a greater impact on the currency.

ISIS militant in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula have reportedly killed Croatian hostage Tomislav Salopek. The image posted online appears to show

his beheaded body. Last week a group claiming to be part of ISIS threatened to kill Salopek if Egypt failed to release imprisoned Muslim

women within two days.

Dozens of people are reporting missing after a landslide in northwest China. The slide of mud and debris came down around midnight on the living

quarters of a mining company. Rescuers have dug out four people from the wreckage but the search continues for those who are still missing.

The U.S. could soon launch airstrikes against ISIS from a base in Turkey. Six American warplanes are stationed in Incirlik air base. It

would mark the first time the U.S. has launched Army flights against ISIS from Turkey.

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KINKADE: We want to update you now on a story we've been following in China. Will Ripley showed us the country's widespread problem of abandoned

children. Nearly all of them with disabilities. He met a 9-year-old boy, JiaJia, botched surgery for spina bifida left him paralyzed from the waist

down and all he wanted is a family. Have a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY: You've lived here all your life, right?

Yes.

RIPLEY: A long time, nine years.

RIPLEY (voice-over): The oldest of 23 orphans at Alina's home in Beijing, JiaJia is the de facto big brother. No parents here, now finally

an American family is filing paperwork to adopt JiaJia.

RIPLEY: Dad, mom, three sisters and grandparents. Wow! That's a big family.

RIPLEY (voice-over): The Wilson from the Kansas City area are trying to raise $36,000 in adoption costs.

"I have parents," he says, "I can live. I can have a life."

JiaJia's new life is still likely months away, an eternity for a young boy who's been waiting nine years for a family.

RIPLEY: It's OK.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Suddenly, no more words, only tears.

Pain felt by --

[10:30:00]

RIPLEY (voice-over): -- far too many children, abandoned.

RIPLEY: It's OK.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Desperate to find parents, to have homes, to be loved.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: You heard there that the American family was trying to raise more than $30,000 so they could adopt JiaJia. Well, since that story

aired, the Wilsons' family GoFundMe page has surpassed that goal. The family says all the extra funds will go to help place other children from

the orphanage in loving homes.

Let's go back to our Will Ripley in Beijing for more on this.

And, Will, what a remarkable effort. Just describe how much family the money raised (sic) and what it will mean for JiaJia.

RIPLEY: Yes, I've just checked out their GoFundMe page and it's up to $39,195 and that's in less than 24 hours since our story aired yesterday.

They received more than $9,000 just in the first two hours. And this is coming in from all over the world, at least 10 different countries.

They've received hundreds of messages of support and this is just -- I think what really haunts me is the fact that JiaJia's story is not unique

here in China. In that orphanage alone, we met 23 children. We could have done an equally powerful story with each of those children. There are

hundreds of thousands of children in hundreds of orphanage around China and a lot of them have similar stories. And the vast majority of them, like

JiaJia, have physical disabilities. Their parents simply can't afford to care for them.

And so my hope is that we as we continue to cover this, that people will feel compelled, not just to help this one child, but so many others

here who desperately need it -- Lynda.

KINKADE: Absolutely. He's just the face of so many children there. It's obviously such a huge problem.

How will the additional funds be used for other children?

And what can people do if they want to donate?

RIPLEY: Right, right. So the family has promised that once their immediate adoption needs are met, they will donate any excess funds to

Alina's home. That's the foster home in Beijing that we visited.

And there's a great need to provide not only food and shelter for these children but also medical services. See, even though China has --

and we talked about China wealth, just at the beginning of this program, it's the second largest economy in the world. But they do not have yet,

many experts believe, an adequate social safety net.

And so they have these institutions that children are placed in because a lot of low-income parents, due to lack of insurance and due to

lack of any other welfare programs, they simply cannot, physically cannot care for these children.

And so like in JiaJia's case, for example, his mom and dad left him at an infertility clinic. They left him at a place where they knew people

would be going to try to have children of their own. They were hoping that he would find a family. It has taken nine years. But now he's finally

found a family. And so if the donations through cnn.com/impact go to Alina's home in Beijing, they will help other children with medical

problems also be placed with adopted families as well.

KINKADE: This was a really heartbreaking story but a really wonderful outcome. Well done to you and your team for giving these children a voice

-- Will Ripley in Beijing, thank you.

The Indian government says it is suing the makers of popular instant noodle brand Maggi, seeking nearly $100 million in damages from Nestle,

giving the company is making contaminated noodles. Maggi noodles were temporarily banned in several Indian states over reports that some packages

contained excess lead. Nestle has denied those claimed but did recall tons of Maggi noodles two months ago.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will be heading to Cuba this week. He is flying in for an historic flag-raising ceremony at the U.S. embassy.

The restoration of ties is opening the door to American tourism in Cuba. And as Patrick Oppmann reports, Cubans are preparing for guests at the site

of the Bay of Pigs invasion.

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PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The small town of Playa Giron on Cuba's southern coast has it all, pristine beaches, vibrant

coral reefs and a laidback pace of life.

What the area doesn't have, at least not yet, is many American visitors.

Luis Garcia rents out four bedrooms in his house to tourists.

He is one of an increasing number of Cubans starting their own businesses, thanks to greater acceptance of private commerce by the

island's Communist-run government.

Luis is building a second hotel around the corner to accommodate what he believes will be a surge in Americans visiting his town, now that the

United States has eased restrictions on travel to Cuba.

"Many people are getting their homes ready," he says. "The future looks promising if relations between the two countries become agreeable

again. We will have a lot of tourism."

For more than 50 years, relations between the United States and Cuba were anything but agreeable, something that (INAUDIBLE) this area know all

too well.

[10:35:00]

OPPMANN (voice-over): 1961, a brigade of 1,300 CIA-trained Cuban exiles landed here to overthrow Fidel Castro. The Cubans called the battle

the victory of Playa Giron. In the U.S., it's known as the Bay of Pigs invasion.

This sign marks the spot where Cuban government soldiers halted the advance of the invading forces, the so-called mercenaries. It was as close

as the United States ever came to toppling Fidel Castro. And to this day, the area is considered the hallowed ground of the Cuban revolution.

Roadside monuments mark where Cuban soldiers died in the fighting. Tanks greet visitors to the town's museum.

The wall in front of Elia Lopez's home is still riddled with bullet holes from the invasion.

"Around midnight, we heard a lot of noise, and we said, 'What is this?'" she remembers. "And everyone was crying like I was because we

thought the world was ending."

But with Castro's victory over the United States, the Cuban leader consolidated power and the world became synonymous with resistance against

American meddling.

Hotel owner Luis says he supports the Cuban government but wants his town to become known as a place that welcomes Americans.

"I've waited a long time for this," he says. "Hopefully everything that's been promised and that we hope for will happen. We Cubans, just

like the Americans, feel this is the best solution."

Hope for the future of U.S.-Cuban relations in a place with a painful past -- Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Playa Giron, Cuba.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: You're at the INTERNATIONAL DESK. Still to come, thousands of migrants are desperate to make it out of this camp and into the U.K. We

take you through what some call "The Jungle" of Calais in France.

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KINKADE: Welcome back. The Italian navy is searching for dozens of migrants who've been missing since their boat sank on Tuesday. The navy

says it rescued about 52 migrants from the rubber dinghy just before it sank off the Libyan coast. Two migrants were saved after they were spotted

holding onto a barrel.

Some migrants desperate to reach Europe are ending up in the so-called "Jungle" of Calais in France. It used to be a landfill. Now more migrants

are calling it home as those hoping to reach England find themselves blocked by increased security at the Eurotunnel. Now Kellie Morgan walks

us through the camp.

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KELLIE MORGAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We're at the main entry, I guess you'd call it, to "The Jungle" and it's the main entrance

because it's closer to that road there, which is the road that leads to the port. And as you can see here, there's been some toilets put in, so you're

getting some very basic sanitation.

There's lights as well that have been put in recently.

You can see there's a water pump where people are getting water and having a bit of a wash.

But come more into the center of The Jungle now. As you can see here, this here is actually a mosque. And this area here is known as the

Afghanistan section. And so you've got all along here rows of shops. Apparently there's around about 10 or 12 restaurants.

[10:40:00]

MORGAN (voice-over): It's becoming a very permanent settlement.

This was originally a rubbish dump. You can see there's rubbish everywhere, a lot of it was here before but since the migrants arrived,

it's grown as well. So no sewerage, no rubbish collection, pretty squalid conditions to be living in.

This little facility here has just sprung up in the last five weeks, absolutely vital: it's a medical facility. There's around two doctors and

three nurses on duty every day and they see around 60 people. Now the main conditions that they're seeing are injuries as a result of trying to make

the crossing through the Eurotunnel, things like broken legs, scratches and cuts on their hands from the razor wire. But also they say they're

increasingly seeing diseases and things like scabies, eye infection and chest infections as a result of the rather nasty living conditions here.

This is The Jungle's Christian church, quite an impressive structure, really. Most of the materials, I'm told, have been donated by local

volunteers, particularly the Christian community.

Around 100 people come through here each day to pray.

Now this little building is becoming increasingly popular. It's a school that's been set up and what's largely being taught are French

lessons. So what's happening is that migrants are increasingly realizing that it's very difficult to get across to England because of the increased

security. So what they decided to do, many have decided to do is actually try and seek asylum in France. And in order to do that, they need to learn

French.

So this area here is full of housing for Sudanese people. There are just so many homes, as you can see, tightly tucked in here, really very

permanent, the people who don't really know how long they're going to be here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: That was Kellie Morgan reporting from Calais, France.

Before we leave, you have to take a look at this amazing photograph of the Perseid meteor shower above the Czech Republic. The annual light show

will peak overnight tonight and it's expected to be quite spectacular this year because it coincides with a new moon. So there won't be any moonlight

to distract from the meteors as they shoot across the sky. Experts say driving away from city lights will provide a better viewing experience. So

check it out.

Well, that does it for us here at the INTERNATIONAL DESK. I'm Lynda Kinkade. But don't go anywhere. "WORLD SPORT" with Christina Macfarlane

is up next.

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