Return to Transcripts main page

NEWS STREAM

Pipe Bombs Investigation Focuses on Florida; Trump Calls for Unity amid Bomb Attempts But Attacks Media; Expert Says Bombs are Hoaxes; Saudi Arabia Now Admits Khashoggi Killing was Premeditated; Woman Stabs 14 Children in Chinese Kindergarten; Japan Prime Minister Arrives in Beijing; World Headlines; Trump Denies Report He Uses Unsecured Phones; Google Addresses Harassment Allegations Detailed in NYT Report; World's Oldest Known Shipwreck Found Intact at Bottom of Black Sea; Boracay Island Re- Opens to Tourists; A Day in Zaha Nurai. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired October 26, 2018 - 08:00   ET

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


[08:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong and welcome to "News Stream."

Ten explosive devices, some sent by a postal facility in Florida are being treated as domestic terrorism by law enforcement officers.

Fourteen children wounded in stabbing attack in China. A female suspect is in custody and the children are being treated at hospitals.

And in the depths of the Black See, an extraordinary find, an ancient intact shipwreck has been discovered by maritime archeologist.

Federal investigators in the U.S. are treating the case of a serial bomb maker as domestic terrorism. Ten packages containing apparent pipe bombs

have been intercepted so far mailed to prominent Democrats as well as one to the CNN's offices in New York.

Now, the packages are being examined at an FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia. Investigators are looking for any and all clues with fingerprint, hair, or

DNA from saliva.

CNN's Rosa Flores tells us where the investigation stands right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The nationwide manhunt for the person or persons who sent at least 10 explosive devices to people vilified by

President Trump now focused on South Florida, specifically this postal facility near Miami where law enforcement officials tell CNN several of the

packages were processed. Local police calling in their bomb squad and canine units to help in the investigation.

KRISTJEN NIELSEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY: There were some leads. I think the FBI is tracking them all down wherever they take them.

FLORES: On Thursday, three packages containing potential bombs were discovered, including two addressed to former vice president, Joe Biden,

but were intercepted at separate postal facilities in Delaware.

JOE BIDEN, FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: People want us to be more civil. The hope is this is going to (inaudible) shockwave to people who say, "OK.

Enough is enough."

FLORES: Hours earlier, this package was found to addressed to another Trump critic, actor, Robert De Niro at his Tribeca production office after

a retired police officer noticed the package and notified authorities.

JAMES O'NEILL, NYPD COMMISSIONER: This package that he saw yesterday was almost exactly like the package that it was shown on TV and they took

affirmative steps to call us to make sure we can take it away safely.

FLORES: Law enforcement sources tells CNN they believe that all 10 devices went through the U.S. postal system, including the package ultimately

delivered to CNN via private courier and the device placed in businessman and Democratic donor, George Soros' mailbox.

Many of the packages have no visible postmarks, which is making it more difficult to pinpoint where and when the packages were sent. Another key

question puzzling authorities, why none of the bombs detonated, raising questions about the skill and motive of the bomb maker or makers.

Outside experts tell CNN that a lack of a triggering mechanism suggests the bombs were never meant to explode.

RAY LOPEZ, FORMER FBI AGENT: I think they were meant to be found and again just to deliver the message of fear and terror and to garnish (ph)

attention.

FLORES: Still authorities urging the public to be vigilant.

O'NEILL: These devices should be considered dangerous.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And that was CNN's Rosa Flores. We'll have a live report from her a little bit later in the program.

Now, in the initial aftermath of the bomb discoveries, President Donald Trump called for unity. He condemned the attacks. But soon after, he

returned to pointing his finger what he has repeated called the fake news media, blaming them for, quote, "anger in the U.S. today."

On the face of a major backlash over that tweet, he is defensing what he says saying this, quote, "Funny how lowly rated CNN and others can

criticize me at will, even blaming me for the current spate of bombs. Yet when I criticize them, they go wild and scream, it's not just

presidential!"

Kaitlan Collins has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: It wasn't that long ago that President Trump called on the country to come together and make

decisions about their political life peacefully, but now that seems to be a thing of the past, even for this president just so shortly after he said

that.

The president now abandoning those calls for unity and turning his focus once again on attacking the media saying that they are the ones to blame

for the division in the country, writing on Twitter that they are the ones who were responsible for this and they are the ones who need to change

their tones.

[08:04:58] And he made some more remarks at that rally in Wisconsin on Wednesday night when after he calls for unity he then turned to criticize

the media, saying they are the ones who have false reporting out there that is contributing to the division that we have seen sweep our country.

Now, President Trump held two events at the White House yesterday. He made no remarks about the attacks. But in the meanwhile, he was telling his

confidante and his allies that he believes he was in the right by attacking the media because he did not want to be linked to any of these bombings and

he felt that the media was unfairly doing that.

And White House aids said they were taking their cues for him and they believe he is right that it is the media to blame for all the activity that

is happening in the nation.

SARAH SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Day in and day out, there is a negative thrown (ph), 90 percent of the media attention around this

president is negative, despite historic job creation, despite the fact that our economy is booming, despite the fact that trade deals that everybody

said couldn't be made have been made. You guys continue to focus only on the negative. And that is there is a role to play.

COLLINS: President Trump has yet to call anyone who has targeted as a part of these attacks, not President Barak Obama, not Hillary Clinton, not Joe

Biden, no one who has been targeted has gotten a call from the president just checking in or updating them on the investigation. A senior White

House official who said right now there are no plans to do so.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And that was CNN's Kaitlan Collins reporting there. Now, one thing we already know, none of the bombs actually exploded. Now, some

analysts suspect that these devices weren't intended to explode at all. Drew Griffin has more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They were mostly delivered like this, in padded Manila envelopes, printed address labels,

the same printed return address of Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and six American flag forever stamps, all telltale signs of a

suspicious package and perhaps meant to look that way.

The initial examination, they are rudimentary, potentially destructive devices, according to the FBI.

O'NEILL: The NYPD and the FBI, we're taking this seriously. We are treating them as live devices.

GRIFFIN: But none actually exploded, a clue say former investigators, who say despite handling by couriers, mailrooms, even return by U.S. mail,

nothing exploded.

LOPEZ: I think they were made to be found and again just to deliver the message of fear and terror and to garnish (ph) attention.

GRIFFIN: While investigators have released few details with pictures and even x-rays released do provide clues to several bomb and explosive experts

talking to CNN, including former FBI hazardous device expert, Ray Lopez.

LOPEZ: If he is trying to kill somebody, I think this is the worse bomber in the world. If he is trying to scare us, he did a very good job.

GRIFFIN: According to a law enforcement source, the devices are made with PVP pipe. They contain explosive material, believed to be a pyrotechnic

substance, fireworks, and packed with some shrapnel, all easily available. The crude design, also easily found on the Internet. What is unique is just

so many bombs or devices unexploded that will offer investigators lead after lead.

BRAD GALVAN, FORMER ATF EXPLOSIVES EXPERT: They're going to have actual components in there that are undamaged by blaster or heat and there is

nothing better for an investigator to get actual intact components. They're going to trace back to the piping that was used. They're going to trace

back the wiring, the batteries.

GRIFFIN: The envelopes, the stamps, the printing, the materials used all analyzed and potentially traced back to the exact location where they were

purchased. Security cameras will be scoured. And the suspect potentially linked through possible fingerprints or DNA he or she may have left behind

on the unexploded devices.

The New York Times reporting the pipes were equipped with a small battery, a digital clock as a timer, and an initiator, which causes the bomb to

explode, according to a law enforcement official. Several experts tell CNN that timer is something you'd see in a movie, not on a real bomb.

Former bomb investigators and forensic experts are reviewing the publicly available material and telling CNN that they believe there was a good

chance all of these devices are a hoax, not meant to go off. But until definitively proven, investigators are treating each one as a bomb intended

to do harm.

Drew Griffin, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: As the investigation into the mail bombs move forward, Florida is a key focus. CNN's Rosa Flores is in Opa-locka in that U.S. state. She

joins us now live. And Rosa, all eyes are on this mail facility behind you. How are investigators working that site right now?

FLORES: You know, on several fronts, Kristie, and some of this we're learning from authorities and some of it we're learning from employees who

are working inside. For example, one employee telling me that there are at least 20 inspectors. They're not only following clues, but these are people

who are trained to process dangerous mail.

[08:10:01] And so, these folks, not only can identify dangerous pieces of mail, but they're trained to work state of the art equipment to x-ray and

possibly clear these pieces of mail.

The other portion of information that we have from authorities is that several packages were actually processed in this facility that you see

behind me. This is a 24-hour facility. Security is very tight. You can see that we're outside, beyond this fence that you see behind me.

There's been a large law enforcement presence at different times, Kristie. For example, overnight, we saw the bomb squad, canine unites. Earlier this

morning, we saw several units from postal police. That is a federal law enforcement agency, believe it or not, that focuses on crimes that use the

U.S. postal service -- that use U.S. mail.

So, there's a lot of moving parts here, Kristie. But one of the main points I want to bring home is that at this point law enforcement they're still

trying to get a break because we have no suspect and there is no motive at this time.

LU STOUT: We see a lot of moving parts, but still no suspect, no motive, investigators working to see and right behind you there in Opa-locka, the

U.S. state of Florida. Rosa Flores reporting live for us today. Thank you so much.

The president of Turkey is demanding the Saudi Arabia reveal the location of the body of Jamal Khashoggi and hand over the suspects in this killing.

The Saudi journalist was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2nd. Saudi Arabia now admits he was killed inside the consulate

and the killing was premeditated.

CNN's Nic Robertson is in Istanbul. He joins us now live. And Nic, the Saudis now say it was not an accident. This was premeditated murder. What

forced them to change their narrative again?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It seems to be expected that more information that more information will be leaked in

Turkey that could damage and erode the credibility of -- what they've said their credibility is already intensely eroded and President Trump called it

the worse cover up ever.

But what we heard from President Erdogan today, not only calling again for information from Saudi officials about where the body is, but then they're

calling again about where or who this collaborator is as the Saudis say the body was handed over to but also threatening that he may reveal yet more

information.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: Finally, breaking cover, President Erdogan threatening Saudi officials to come clean over who ordered Khashoggi's killing and fast.

RECEP TAYYP ERDOGAN, PRESIDENT, TURKEY (through translator): It's not like we don't have other documents. Tomorrow is another day.

ROBERTSON: The Turkish leader no longer hiding behind weeks of anonymous leaks, dripping details to force Saudi officials to a full accounting of

the journalist's murder. His threat also ups pressure on President Trump, with whom he has now shared evidence by CIA chief, Gina Haspel.

So far, only this statement from the White House, "The president received a briefing from Director Haspel this morning following her return from

Turkey. She briefed the president on their findings and her discussions."

Outside the Saudi consulate, where journalist, Jamal Khashoggi was murdered 25 days ago, his friends gather in a vigil. A Macau (ph) bloodstained

Mohammed bin Salman figure leaves no guessing who they hold responsible for his killing.

But it is not just the Saudi cover up that had them angry. It's the lies that come with it, specifically Saudi Arabia is helping find Khashoggi's

body.

YASIN AKTAY, ADVISOR TO PRESIDENT ERDOGAN: Unfortunately, what we witnessed so far in terms of this whole operation still there are some

instances on the resistance to answer the consulate when we investigate (inaudible).

ROBERTSON: In Saudi Arabia, however, officials already feel they've done enough to deflect U.S. punishment.

KHALID AL-FALIH, SAUDI ENERGY MINISTER: I have no doubt that we will come out of this just fine. I think we're aligned with the U.S. on many, many

geopolitical issues that are much bigger than this terrible issue that has taken place and the tragic death of Jamal Khashoggi.

ROBERTSON: In what is now a fifth iteration of what President Trump calls the worse cover up ever, appearing to absolve the crown prince of blame,

the Saudi prosecutor general now saying Khashoggi's death was premeditated. Perhaps more details on that coming again for the Saudis chief prosecutor

coming here to Istanbul on Sunday, will meet with his opposite member here.

[08:15:00} Of course, by then, President Erdogan may have made good on his threat to, if you will, reveal more information. And of course, there seems

not just pressure obviously on Saudi Arabia but also on President Trump. He -- President Erdogan may well be filling that now Gina Haspel has briefed

him really he should be taking action, making a decision on what to do next based from this evidence that Turkey has given him, Kristie?

LU STOUT: And your thoughts, Nic, about what more Turkey knows, what there is about the will or about the tape? We know for the last few weeks Erdogan

has been slowly -- and this government, they've been slowly releasing details about the killing that along the way has painted the government and

Saudi Arabia in a very bad light. Will there be more revelations to come and what could they be?

ROBERTSON: Well, I think the line coming from Saudi Arabia, the most recent line that this was premeditated. We've heard Saudi officials leaking

in the past couple of days saying that there were standing orders for rendition, for dissidence, that go back to the previous kings.

So that's sort of -- if you will, it tries to sort of absolve and take Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman out of the equation, even though most

people recognize that most power in the country runs through his hands and his officials are right at the heart of all of this. So, if you set to one

side, you can see that perhaps President Erdogan has some kind of smoking gun evidence that would link the crown prince to the killing.

What we know or at least we believe we know because it's been leaked so heavily by Turkish officials is that the Turkish authorities had this

recording of the actual killing on what they described as a dismemberment. We understand that's what Gina Haspel has heard. Of course, we don't know

what she has heard. We don't know what context she got it in and how she has relayed it to President Trump.

So, those two things, there is what we understand how terrible the murder was and how it took place and what happened immediately after. But then of

course, is there a smoking gun linking Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the events here.

LU STOUT: Yes. That's the big question here. Nic Robertson reporting live from Istanbul. Nic, thank you so much. You're watching "News Stream."

Still to come, a horrific attack at a school. Kindergarteners are rushed to hospital after they're stabbed on their way to class. A live report from

Beijing is next. And later, a landmark meeting at the Chinese capital, the Japanese Prime Minister is visiting China to talk trade, security and other

issues against the backdrop for the new U.S. trade war.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:19:55] LU STOUT: All right. Coming to you live from Hong Kong. Welcome back. This is "News Stream."

In China, at least 14 kindergarten students have been wounded in a horrific knife attack. It happened in Chongqing in the south of the country. Video

has been circulating online. It shows the victims being rushed to a local hospital.

CNN's Steven Jiang joins us now live from Beijing this morning. Steven, how and why did this happen?

STEVEN JIANG, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: Well, Kristie, before I get into how and why, just to give you some latest updates from the authorities, they

just issued a second statement giving us more information on the state of these injured children.

So, the good news is all of them appear to have survived. One is still in critical condition, six seriously injured, and seven slightly injured. So,

no fatalities so far in this latest incident. But we still don't know what prompted this 39-year-old woman to commit such a heinous crime.

We have seen videos of her being taken into police custody as angry onlookers trying to hit or kick her. But of course, the more disturbing

videos involved her young, innocent victims. As you mentioned, many of them have deep cuts to their faces with their wounds bleeding and other videos

showing them being treated in local hospitals in bloodied cloths as their helpless parents watching nearby waiting in grief, really, really

heartbreaking scenes to watch, Kristie, for anyone, especially for parents like you and me.

LU STOUT: Yes. Our hearts go out to the families of these children. It was good to hear no fatalities but still some of them are in serious condition,

one in critical condition. You know, our thoughts really go out to them. And sadly, this attack, this has happened before in China. There has been a

string of this stabbing incidence, right?

JIANG: That's right. This kind of attack really dates back to 2010. In that year, three such attacks involving knife wielding attackers targeting

perhaps the most vulnerable group of people you can imagine. That kind of incidence happened three days in a row in three different places in this

country.

That was when the authorities ordered schools nationwide to beef up security and train teachers and staff to deal with this kind of emergency

situations. But parents are telling us now that such measures being put into place after 2010 have become more lax in recent years.

And also many have blamed the government for not looking (ph) to the root cause of this kind of attacks, which they say is the issue of mental

health. Obviously, we still don't know what prompted the woman today to launch her attacks on these kindergarten children but many past

perpetrators have said they acted out out of personal frustrations or grievances such as lack of jobs or broken relationships.

In one recent incident, Kristie, in April, a 28-year-old man stabbed nine students to death outside of his former high school because he said he was

bullied when he was a student. So, he was trying to take revenge. Now, he was executed last month. But the prospect of death penalty obviously didn't

deter this woman from committing her crime today.

So really people are saying that government should treat mental health as a priority issue to devote more resources to help people in need to getting

counseling and medication so that this kind of tragedies will never happen again, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Absolutely. We do not need to see this happening again, another horrifying attack targeting society's most vulnerable small school

children. Steven Jiang reporting live for us from Beijing. Steven, thank you so much and take care.

Now, earlier today, this Friday, Japanese flags were flying in Tiananmen Square and they were flying there for Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

for his first official visit Beijing in years, a landmark visit. Both China and Japan have agreed to improve economic and diplomatic relations.

In a joint statement, they emphasized the need for free trade across Asia. China and Japan, they want to strengthen ties in light of the Trump

administrations unconventional foreign policy on trade and military issues.

Tomohiko Taniguchi is the special cabinet advisor to the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. He joins us live now from Tokyo. And sir, thank you

for joining us again here in the program. We know that ties are warming between Japan and China. The Japanese national flag is flying in Tiananmen

Square and in front of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. To observers, that was just a real site. But to Japanese officials, what does

it signify to you?

TOMOHIKO TANIGUCHI, SPECIAL CABINET ADVISOR TO JAPAN PM: The Chinese are the Japanese neighbors and Japan and China must continue to live together

as neighbors eternally. And so long that that's the case, it's far better for both nations to have manageable good relations than otherwise.

And so, the step taken by the leaders from both sides today has been long overdue and I think it's a very good indicator also for our other

neighbors, notably those countries in the Asean region who wish to have both -- I mean the engagement of the Chinese and the engagement of the

Japanese.

[08:25:16] LU STOUT: This visit will have full effects across the region and it comes at a critical time in US-China relations where there is

tension over trade and over South China Sea. Is Donald Trump pushing China and Japan closer together?

TANIGUCHI: Had it not been, Kristie, for the good relationship between the United States and Japan and especially between Donald Trump and Shinzo Abe,

I don't think this has happened. So, the bottom line for the Japanese diplomacy is the United States counts more than anything else.

And let me just say also the identity for Japan is one of maritime not land based and that maritime identify has also been strengthened over the last

couple of years by the enhancement of the US-Japan relationship and the Japan's wide of reach across the region to countries such as Australia and

India.

LU STOUT: OK. Well, look, what we are seeing today in China, we are seeing a warming of relations between Japan and China. And despite that, we know

that there are deep divisions and deep historical grievances between these two countries, the anti-Japan sentiment in China, territorial disputes at

sea. Will these two nations reconcile given this past?

TANIGUCHI: Both leaders, Premier Li and Prime Minister Abe and over dinner President Xi and Prime Minister Abe acknowledged that there do exist many

challenges. Now -- and ahead, nonetheless, as neighbors, they agreed that they must meet with each other rather more frequently and I think that

promise made today is going to work as a solid foundation for these two nations to manage difficulties down the road.

I wouldn't say there would be no problems. There would be problems as neighbors, but it's important for these leaders to meet on a frequent

basis. And President Xi is going to come to Japan over G20 Summit Meeting that Japan is going to host next year.

LU STOUT: Yes. We anticipate more high level meetings to come between Japan and China. Tomohiko Taniguchi, senior advisor to the Japanese Prime

Minister, sir, thank you for joining us. Take care.

TANIGUCHI: Thank you very much for having me.

LU STOUT: Your watching "News Stream," and keep it right here. Still on the program. We know that China is dismissing this report of the New York

Times, this report that says that Beijing and Moscow listen in on Donald Trump's phone calls. The advise one Chinese official has for the U.S.

president.

[08:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN NEWS STREAM SHOW HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching "News Stream." These are your world headlines.

U.S. authorities haunting a serial bomb maker are examining a mail facility near Miami, Florida. All 10 pipe bombs sent to prominent

Democratic figures, CNN and others went through the U.S. mail system. Investigators are treating the incident as domestic terrorism.

In China, at least 14 children have been wounded in a knife attack at a school. Video circulating online shows the victims being rushed to a local

hospital. Police say a woman stormed into the school and stabbed kindergartens as they return from morning exercises at a nearby park. It

happened in the city of Chongqing. The suspect is now in custody.

Cathay Pacific Airlines is under fire for waiting seven months to reveal a massive data breach. It affected more than nine million passengers. The

airline says back in March, hackers accessed personal data including names, passport numbers, birthdays. Some credit card numbers were hacked. No

passports were compromised.

China is denying a New York Times's report that claims it is listening in U.S. President Trump's phone calls. Mr. Trump reportedly uses unsecured

phones against official advice to make personal calls. In a tweet, he says this, that the Times wrote a boring article that was so incorrect he did

not have time to point out the errors.

The report alleges both China and Russia routinely listen to the president's conversations this way. A spokeswoman for China's foreign

ministry dismissed the claim of Chinese's eavesdropping as fake news and appear to offer some cybersecurity advice.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HUA CHUNYING, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, FOREIGN MINISTRY INFORMATION DEPARTMENT OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA (through translator): Reading this news

report makes me feel that some people in the United States really are sparing no efforts to contend for the Oscars for best screenplay. For those

who fear iPhones are being hacked, Huawei mobile phones can be good alternative.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Cliche (ph), OK, but are the U.S. president's phone habits a threat to national security? Earlier, CNN U.S. security analyst Samantha

Vinograd spoke to my colleagues Amara Walker and Michael Holmes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAMANTHA VINOGRAD, CNN U.S. SECURITY ANALYST: When I worked at the White House, all of our personal cellphones were locked away in a special box

whenever we were at the White House.

And President Obama had a very specific government-issued cellphone that didn't really have a whole lot of services on it, so that he would minimize

a risk of a foreign intelligence service being able to access what he was doing and who he was talking to.

This president since day one has worn his Twitter heart on his sleeves which really signals to foreign intelligent services what he is up to, what

gets under his skin, and what makes him tick.

And if he is using his personal cellphone, he is literally opening up the line to highly advanced foreign intelligence services from Russia and

China, which of according to his own director of national intelligence, have the most advanced counter-intelligence capabilities than anyone in the

world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Insight there from CNN U.S. security analyst Samantha Vinograd.

Google has addressed the harassment allegations detailed in "The New York Times" article. In an e-mail to employees, top Google executives including

its CEO stressed that the firm is "dead serious" about providing a safe and inclusive workplace.

This comes after "The New York Times" published a report saying that Google stayed silent about sexual misconduct allegations against three executives

over the past decade. One of them, the creator of Android, Andy Rubin, who left the company in 2014 with the reported $90 million exit package.

A shipwreck thousands of years old in a virtually perfect condition is captivating archaeologists around the world. Why it is so uniquely well-

preserved and what researches have learned about it. That's next.

[08:35:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: It is Friday night here in Hong Kong, welcome back, this is "News Stream."

An ancient Greek trading ship dating to an astonishing 400 B.C. has been found at the bottom of the Black Sea. Incredibly, it is virtually intact,

buried two kilometers deep and laying on its side with its mast and rudders still attached.

It is now considered the oldest known intact shipwreck in the world. It was found by the Black Sea Maritime Archaeology Project. It is one of more than

60 shipwrecks that the group has identified over the last three years.

And joining me now is Ed Parker, CEO of the Black Sea Maritime Archaeology Project or Black Sea MAP. And Ed, thank you so much for joining us. This is

an extraordinary discovery. How did you and your team manage to find this ancient Greek vessel in the depths of the Black Sea?

EDWARD PARKER, CEO, BLACK SEA MARITIME ARCHAEOLOGY PROJECT: Well, we've been working in the Black Sea since 2015 using various technologies to scan

the seabed, to see what's there, to see what we could find. And over the years, we've found a total of 65 wrecks spanning almost 2,000 years. This

one was one of the last that we identified using the scanning equipment we've been using.

LU STOUT: And you were there the moment when you and the team found the shipwreck. What did it feel like when you saw this ancient vessel appear in

the light at the bottom of the sea? I mean, it must have been amazing.

PARKER: It was magical. It was -- we were beginning to get a little blase. We found so many Ottoman wrecks and finding another Ottoman wreck which

actually is a thrilling thing to be able to see -- it's another one.

And then suddenly something about this wreck made us realize it was very, very different. The level of preservation is extraordinary. Immediately, we

realized that we were on to something truly, truly special.

LU STOUT: Yeah, it's the oldest known intact shipwreck ever discovered. It is extraordinary. It is something that dates back to 400 B.C. How was it

able to stay so well-preserved?

PARKER: The Black Sea is a conundrum really (ph). The water below about 150 meters is anoxic, so there is no oxygen in the water. Therefore, there

is no life for organisms. So, organic matter decays at a far, far, far slower rate.

LU STOUT: And because it is so well-preserved, what have you been able to learn about the ship and about shipbuilding and seafaring in the ancient

world?

PARKER: Well, in the short time that we've been able to investigate the vessel, we have learned an enormous amount. We can see the architecture. We

can see the technology that the Greeks were using to build these vessels. We can see where hoistman (ph) sat. We can see the quarter-rudders, the

shape of the quarter-rudders.

it's a treasure trove of information. The only sadness is we haven't spent enough time on it. We would love to go back and investigate it in more

detail.

LU STOUT: This is an extraordinary finding. Ed Parker, thank you so much for joining us here on the program. Many congrats to you and the team. Take

care.

PARKER: Thank you.

LU STOUT: Tourists are returning to Boracay Island in the Philippines. The popular destination has reopened after a six-month environmental cleanup.

The lack of a proper sewage system made worse by increasing number of tourists polluted Boracay's once pristine waters.

To prevent a repeat of that, the government has set a limit of 6,000 visitors a day down from almost 20,000 and issued environmental

regulations.

More than 200 islands off the coast of Abu Dhabi, each with their own special character.

[08:40:00] Zaha Nurai is one of them. A 50-minute boat ride from the capital, this resort is an ideal get-away from city life. One lucky person

gets to spend every day there. Chef Marc Abed tells us how his passion for food and island living make a winning combination.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): There are up to 200 natural islands dotted (ph) along Abu Dhabi's coastline. This man travels to one every day. Marc

Abed is the culinary director of Zaya Nurai Island Resort, only a 10-minute boat ride from Abu Dhabi.

MARC ABED, CULINARY DIRECTOR, ZAYA NURAI ISLAND RESORT: I like every day going here by the boat. No traffic. Look, it's beautiful, right?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Nurai comes from the Arabic word "nour" meaning "light." It is being visited by royalty, A-list celebrities, and

other VIPs.

ABED: Nurai is very special. It's -- I think it's a very magical environment. Once you come to Zaya, it just takes you to another major (ph)

travel. It disconnects you completely from the world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Marc oversees all the restaurants on Nurai Island.

ABED: I'm the resort's private chef. I like everything my own. The fresher is, the better. So, I check my kitchen every day in the morning, see what's

happening.

Everything is good, chef?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The usual.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): He's arrived at "Hooked," the island's seafood restaurant to prepare lunch.

ABED: I love cooking and I love making people happy. I think this is the two most important things that I love doing in Nurai Island.

We are making a tuna fish with cheddar (ph), broccoli, asparagus filling.

When you are cooking for guests (ph), those fishes, it's really beautiful creating -- you don't have a routine. It's not every day the same thing.

Every day, you can have something new.

So you place the skin on the pan. You can hear this noise. Basically, we cook it for like around three minutes. We just kind of make the skin a bit

crispy. And then we can then finish them in oven for eight minutes at 108 degrees Celsius. Boom! That's it.

Hello, girls. This is white chilling sibas (ph).

Once you served it to the guest and he's happy, (INAUDIBLE).

People would never imagine there is something (INAUDIBLE). It's paradise.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: OK, just in, U.S. GDP figures, they were released moments ago, they show that the U.S. economy grew at 3.5 percent annualized rate over

the past three months. That is in line with expectations, although the U.S. economy is still apparently humming along nicely.

Keep in mind, it is facing pressure from slow in global growth along with U.S. President Donald Trump's trade policies. In Q2 (ph), the U.S. economy

expanded by an impressive 4.2 percent, the highest growth rate since 2014.

And also before we go, we are hearing that there is another possible 11th suspicious package that has been found. NYP is responding. We are going to

have more on that at the top of the hour.

That is it from "News Stream" for now. I'm Kristie Lu Stout. Don't go anywhere. "World Sport" with Amanda Davies is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:45:00] (WORLD SPORT)

END