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NEWS STREAM
Israel-Gaza Conflict Escalates; Alleged Phone Call Linking the Saudi Crown Prince on Khashoggi Killing Leaked; Ongoing Campfire in California, Deadliest in California History; Cathay Pacific Admits They Have Known Cyberattack for Months; Comic Book Legend, Stan Lee, Dead at 95; Pyongyang Hiding Missile Bases; China Restores Ban on Rhino, Tiger Products; Dubai Government Embraces Blockchain Technology; Famous Dish Becomes Landmark Destination. Aired at 8-9a ET
Aired November 13, 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." Some of the worse violence since 2014, fighting
between Israel and armed groups in Gaza reaches to (ph) escalate further.
The deadliest blaze ever in California, firefighters continue to push back the flames and the search for the missing goes on.
And the man who proved that imagination itself could be heroic, the world bids excelsior to the amazing Stan Lee.
And we start with the escalating violence after a new wave of fighting on the Israel-Gaza border. Palestinian health officials say that six people
have been killed in Israeli air strikes. Israel says it launched the strikes as militants fired rockets and mortars into Israel. Hamas has fired
more than 400 rockets since Monday, killing one man inside Israel, the first person killed in the country from rockets since 2014 war.
The escalation began following a botched Israeli undercover raid inside Gaza. This is the worse surge of violence between the two sides in four
years.
CNN's Oren Lieberman is near the border in Sderot, Israel. He joins us now. And Oren, we have seen this major escalation and violence. What's the
latest t border?
OREN LIEBERMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kristie, just moments ago, actually right now, we're hearing explosions that might be either from rockets that
were fired as we did get some red alerts indicating rocket or mortar fire or perhaps iron dome interceptions. We've seen -- we've heard a number of
those and we've gotten those red alerts indicating of continued rocket fire over the course of the last hour.
As you point out, the Israeli military says more than 400 rockets have been fired. Meanwhile, the Israeli military has itself from the air and the
ground carried out more than a hundred strikes against Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad military targets inside of Gaza.
That being said, even with what we just heard a few moments ago, this is not the same phrenetic (ph) pace as we saw last night and early this
morning. In fact, here in Sderot, we're on the Gaza border. We're talking to some of the people standing right next to us and they say they haven't
heard a red alarm here in Sderot since 6 o'clock in the morning. So, it's difficult to say where things stand right now, but again this is not the
same hectic phrenetic (ph) pace of barrages of rockets and series of air strikes that we saw last night.
LU STOUT: Yeah. No red alert, but no -- what are the prospects for a cease-fire at this point?
LIEBERMAN: Well, we know from yesterday that Egypt and the United Nations entered the picture here fairly quickly to try to bring both sides together
or rather keep them apart, keep them from getting to the edge of a war and beginning a war. We've seen those two groups that is Egypt and the U.N.
successfully sort of mediate in the past and pull both sides back from the edge in some of the sharp escalations we've seen over the past few months.
That being said, even if they're involved here, we did talk to one senior international official who a few hours ago said he was pessimistic. One of
the key questions here is what happens in the next hour, Kristie. It was right at sunset, which is about an hour away, that everything got serious
in terms of rocket fire and anti-tank missile fired from Gaza at a bus near the Gaza periphery yesterday. We'll see if darkness brings more rocket fire
and that, of course, will mean more strikes in Gaza.
LU STOUT: Yeah. So, what happens next? You'll be monitoring that from the border. But what led us to this moment of current hostilities between these
two sides? It goes back to this Israeli special ops operation of the weekend that went awry. What happened and what was its objective?
LIEBERMAN: It does. And it's worth pointing out that the weekend before that, the Friday and Saturday before that, was one of the quietest we've
seen along the Gaza border of the course of the last half year. That after Qatar sent in $15 million to try to ease some of the tensions here.
But on Sunday night, there is an Israeli special forces operation inside of Gaza. According to the Qassam Brigades, the Hamas military wing, that
special forces raid was uncovered or discovered somehow. In the escalation of hostilities that followed, one Israeli officer was killed, a high
ranking lieutenant colonel, as well a Hamas military commander and six other Palestinians.
There was then a lull on Monday morning, a period of calm for a few hours. And then Monday afternoon, that's when we've entered what we're seeing now,
an anti-tank missile hits a Israeli bus in the Gaza periphery seriously wounding one. That then leads to rocket fire. Palestinian militant groups
inside of Gaza saying that's a response to the special forces raid. And then the ensuing Israeli strikes across Gaza that have continued up until
this point.
Again, Kristie, we'll see where all these stands. It's not at the same pace as we saw it last night. But that doesn't mean we can't get there very
quickly once again.
LU STOUT: Oren Lieberman, reporting live for us, thank you. Now, there are chilling new claims about the murder of Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi.
[08:04:58] The "New York Times" says there is an audio recording of his killing and in it a member of the so-called hit squad says the words,
quote, "tell your boss." They were told over the phone. And U.S. officials, as cited by the "New York Times," thinks that boss could refer to the Saudi
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Saudi Arabia has long denied any knowledge of the operation.
Jomana Karadsheh is in Istanbul. She joins us now. And Jomana, yet another revelation in this ongoing drift feed of leaks, but does this draw a line
to the Saudi crown prince himself?
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, at this time really, Kristie, it is coming from Washington. As you mentioned there, this recording is
from the "New York Times." They say they've spoken to three people who are familiar with the audio recording of the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. And in
this recording, they say that shortly after the journalist was murdered inside the consulate, a phone call was made from one of the 15 Saudis who
was part of hit squad that was sent to Istanbul and he made a call to a superior in which he says, quote, "tell your boss," something along the
lines of the deed is done.
Now, this individual who made phone call according to the "New York Times" is Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb. CNN has reported on him in the past month or so.
He is a former diplomat at the embassy in London. He is a security official and intelligence officer. He is within the inner circle of the crown
prince.
But during that call, there is no mention of the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman by name. But intelligence officials in the U.S. believed that that
term, your boss, refers to the crown prince. And we know from several U.S. officials, Kristie, over the last several weeks saying that they believe an
operation like this that involves members of the inner circle would not have happened without the direct knowledge of the young crown prince.
The Saudis have repeatedly denied that he had any knowledge of this, that he had anything to do with this, and they blamed it on rogue elements. And
when it with comes specifically to this "New York Times" reporting, they provided the newspaper with a statement going also as far as saying that
even that part of the recording doesn't exist. They say that Saudi officials listened to it and they did not hear that part.
But again, there could be -- we could be talking about different recordings. We could talk about Turkey basically providing various
recordings to the different governments, different countries, different agencies. And some in the intelligence community believe this is as close
as it's going to get to a smoking gun that links MBS to the killing of Khashoggi.
But what this does for sure is that it adds more pressure, not only on Saudi Arabia, Kristie, but also the United States and other western
countries that have been provided with this audio of the killing to really put pressure on the Saudis for answers. The most important question Turkey
has been seeking the answer to is who ordered the killing of Jamal Khashoggi.
LU STOUT: And the revelations, they just keep on coming. Jomana Karadsheh, reporting live for us from Istanbul. Jomana, thank you.
And now to California where officials continue to battle multiple wildfires, one of which is now the deadliest in the state's history. In
northern California, a massive fire has killed at least 42 people and burned through more than a hundred thousand acres. It is believed to be
only 30 percent contained. And to the south, another fire is expected to intensify today due to high wind. At least two with people have been killed
in that blaze. State regulators are now investigating two utility companies that reported incidence close in time and location to the start of both
fires.
Let's bring in Dan Simon. He is on the scene for us in Paradise, California. And Dan, the campfire you've been reporting on, it is now
officially the deadliest wildfire in California history. Is it still very active and very much on the move?
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kristie. First of all, there was a concern at the very beginning of this fire that there was going to be a
high death toll given the fact that it really spreads so fast and that you have a lot of elderly retirees who live in this community. We know that
today the focus is going to be on continuing to possibly find more bodies.
They're bringing in 150 or so more crews. There will be cadaver dogs out looking for more bodies. And you also have the gruesome task of trying to
identify them. Keep in mind, many if not most of them are so badly burned that they cannot be identified. So they are asking family members whom they
suspect may have lost love ones to provide a DNA sample so ultimately these bodies can be identified.
In the meantime, Kristie, let me explain where I am real quick. You can see these shopping carts. This is something pretty much everybody can identify
with. We're in front of what was a grocery store, completely burned out. That just underscores just how much has been lost in this fire.
[08:10:05] And I also just want to tell you a little bit about how -- where things stand. We're talking about 117,000 acres. The growth has been modest
in the last couple of days. So, that is good news. And the containment number has gone up. The bad news is there is no rain in the forecast.
Things remain really dry. And so the threat persists for more fires in the area. Kristie.
LU STOUT: And as the families wait for answers, we know there is this grim and delicate task under way to identify the remains that are being
discovered. How are the families coping as they wait for any update about their loved ones?
SIMON: It's very difficult. You have some 52,000 in the broader community who have been evacuated and were just trying to get through day by day. And
I can tell you that, you know, a lot of people, they really aren't quite sure if they're ever going to come back to Paradise. Keep in mind it's
going to be weeks -- it's going to be weeks before residents are allowed back in. And that's just to go through and just sort of pick through the
rubble and try to, you know, find anything in your burned out house.
But in terms of when people will be living here again, I mean, who knows when that is going to be. You know, you have houses and restaurants and
schools and churches and a whole infrastructure that has been destroyed. So this is going to take many years for the town of Paradise to come back,
Kristie.
LU STOUT: Yeah. People want to pick up the pieces of their lives, their homes. But what has been spared? What is left there in what looks like a
wasteland behind you?
Dan Simon reporting live for us from Paradise, California. Dan, thank you.
You're watching "News Stream." And still right here on the program, Captain America is bowing his head. The Punisher lays down his arms. The Avengers
assemble in grief. And somewhere out there, the Marvel universe is mourning the death of the man who created it. We remember Stan Lee.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: It is Tuesday night here in Hong Kong. Welcome back. You're watching "News Stream." Now, the world largest aviation data breach is
even worse than customers originally thought. Cathay Pacific now says it knew of a massive cyberattack on its systems for months and was busy
looking out for other possible attacks before making any public statements.
Hong Kong's flagship airline says it took immediate action when it first discovered the attack in March. So, why did it take so long to speak up
about it? Well, the airline says it was on alert for more intrusions and wanted to give, quote, "a single accurate and meaningful notification to
each passenger affected."
Now, more than 9 million people have been affected by the massive data breach. Now, from Facebook's enormous data leak to global employee walkouts
at Google for handling of sexual misconduct cases, it has been a challenging year for big tech.
[08:15:08] In a wide ranging interview, Samuel Burke sat down with the co- founder of Reddit to talk about some of these hot (ph) issues that the tech industry is grappling with.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALEXIS OHANIAN, REDDIT CO-FOUNDER: We absolutely need to curve the radicalized behavior. I don't think -- I think any reasonable person agrees
that that is not healthy.
SAMUEL BURKE, CNN BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT: Hate speech, harassment, how can that be allowed?
OHANIAN: Harassment has been banned on the site basically since I came back about three, four years ago. The gray area is in this like sort of
antisocial, unpopular rhetoric and the challenge is -- I mean it's literally coming from the president of the United States, literally a tweet
from the president is in many ways pretty reprehensible and that's a front page story on Reddit.
BURKE: Facebook has spent hundreds of millions of dollars trying to police around elections, for fake news.
OHANIAN: Oh, yeah.
BURKE: Do you think that they've done enough?
OHANIAN: I don't think the job had will ever be done. You can have teams of thousands of people filling thousands of war rooms, but they still can't
keep up with hundreds of millions of connected people. But I think this is where if AI and machine learning can do something really effectively, it's
to build better tools for the real time enforcement of what they're trying to do. And whether that's from within Facebook or someone else who is
selling it to Facebook, I think that's the next frontier.
BURKE: Did it surprise you when you found out that Google paid millions of dollars in exit packages to people accused of sexual harassment?
OHANIAN: Did it surprise me? No. In the wake of Me Too, one of the most striking things was the structural malice that has been in place. I do not
expect this to be over. The system still feels like there's too much left clogging it up. What will truly change things is when you see more women
who are getting the chance to get into positions of power that we start to see a real sort of gender equality in the industry, but we are still a very
long way away from that.
BURKE: What do you look for in companies you're investing in?
OHANIAN: We want those founders to be relentless. We want to know that they are not going to quit, but they've probably obsessed over this problem
more than any other person on the planet. And we got our first check -- I was fresh out of college. I have no track record. And (inaudible) said, "I
believe in you. Here is $12,000." That was our initial funding. And --
BURKE: And not that much in tech these days.
OHANIAN: Not that much in tech these days.
BURKE: And I'm sure it felt like a lot at the time.
OHANIAN: It felt like a mountain of money and it was enough to get us started and get us to where Reddit is today. And so, do we believe these
founders are capable of pulling of and the best thing they can show us is not where they went to university but what they have made, what they have
built, how they think.
BURKE: What have you learned from your wife, Serena Williams?
OHANIAN: Lots. Everything. I always felt like I had a pretty great work ethic and then seeing her and everything that she does and having to do it
with the scrutiny and the scale with which she does it -- you know, no one -- I don't have millions of people watching this a board meeting and I'm
grateful for that. It's taught me a lot about what it takes to be great.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: Now, if you are a parent whose child has ever tried to fashion Wolverine claws out of cutlery or you've ever binged on a series of Jessica
Jones on Netflix or if your idea of a perfect Saturday morning is just going to the comic store to find out what happened to Peter Parker, Bruce
Banner or the Dark Phoenix, then you can thank one man for helping bring all these moments into your life.
Stan Lee, the former head of Marvel Comics, and the man hailed as a real life superhero for influencing the way the world itself imagines, there
have been global tributes following Lee's death at age 95. But we wanted to focus on one in particular, from Marvel's arch nemesis, D.C. Comics, who
put aside their historic epic rivalry to tweet this, quote, "he changed the way we look at heroes and modern comics will always bear his indelible
mark. His infectious enthusiasm reminded us why we all fell in love with these stories in the first place. Excelsior, Stan Lee.
Now, Stephanie Elam has more on the life of the Marvel Legend.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Spider-man, Iron Man and X- Men, they're among the most iconic comic book heroes in history and they simply would not exist without Stan Lee. The visionary behind Marvel Comics
lived a life almost as incredible as the characters he created.
STAN LEE, CREATOR OF MARVEL COMICS: I'm pretty proud of the fact that some of the stories that I wrote so many years ago are still being read and
hopefully enjoyed by the public and people are making motion pictures based on them and television series.
ELAM: Spider-Man debuted in 1962 and became Lee's most successful comic book creation.
LEE: Spider-Man is my favorite because he's the most popular and he's known and loved worldwide.
[08:20:06] ELAM: Lee's spidey senses were tingling. Years later, in 2002, the first Spider-Man film was released and was a blockbuster hit.
LEE: As a child, I didn't really know anybody who shot webs or crawled on buildings or wore suits of armor and flew or anything like that. I just
imagined them and there they are.
ELAM: He also imagined Thor, the Incredible Hulk and the Fantastic Four. They were flawed people with extraordinary powers.
LEE: I never had any idea that these characters would last this long. In fact, I and the people I worked with who co-created them with me, the many
talented artists, we just hoped that the books would sell and we continue to get our salary and be able to pay our rent. The movies have done so much
for the characters. The movies have given the comic book characters even more prestige.
ELAM: The native New Yorker was born Stanley Morgan Lieber. He had humble beginnings, but his love for comics took him much farther than he ever
dreamed. He also earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
LEE: In a million years, I never thought that I would get something like this.
ELAM: As his creations became larger than life on the big screen, he also kept a feverish pace making appearances at events like Comic-Con in San
Diego.
Though his life seemed charmed, it wasn't without adversity. Lee was married to his wife, Joan, for over 60 years and they had two daughters.
However, his youngest only lived for a few days. In his 80s, Lee was involved in various lawsuits against Marvel and Disney over the span of
seven years. In September 2012, he had surgery for a pacemaker and joked he was trying to become more like his Iron Man character, Tony Stark.
LEE: To me, the most important thing in the world is to keep busy. And I'm happy to say I'm lucky enough to still be busy.
ELAM: The Stan Lee Foundation was also a passion project for Lee who seemed to believe with great power comes great responsibility.
LEE: What we concentrate on is education, educating children.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stan Lee.
LEE: I he never would have dreamed years ago that anything like this would happen.
ELAM: The king of comics who was adored worldwide was most proud of his family and his comic heroes. Perhaps Lee will be remembered as a legendary
innovator with an uncanny ability to capture the imagination.
LEE: Excelsior.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: Let's bring in write, Brad Meltzer, who knew Stan Lee. He is the author of the "New York Times" best seller, "The Escape Artist," and has
new book out. It's called, "I am Sonya Sotomayor." And he joins us now via Skype.
Brad, thank you for joining us in this beautiful social media post that you put up there. You write that Stan Lee, quote, Gave us creeds to live by,
principles to emulate." Can you tell us more about that?
BRAD MELTZER, NOVELIST AND COMIC BOOK WRITER: Yeah. I think as we talk about Stan Lee, we want to talk about his co-creations, the Hulk and
Spider-Man, and the X-Men and Iron Man, and those are all vital. Of course, they are. But for me, it's never been about the super powers.
LU STOUT: Yeah.
MELTZER: It's been about the lessons they give us. The most important part of the story is not Superman. The most important part of the story us Clack
Kent because we're all Clark Kent. We all know what it's like to be boring and ordinary and wish we can do something amazing. And Stan Lee proved that
you could use his lessons in real life. That's why his stories were so powerful. That's why you see him having such an impact on so many of us in
the creative industry is because he was the one that gave us those lessons that we could apply to our real lives. It wasn't just about having spider
powers or being able to turn green.
LU STOUT: So when look at his creations like Spider-Man, like the Incredible Hulk, what did Stan Lee stand for and what kind of lessons --
human lessons does he leave behind?
MELTZER: Yeah. I think for me what really got to me is that his lessons more than corporations, more than politicians, more than advertised that we
see today, his lessons were based upon one thing and one thing only, good, just the idea of doing good for someone else, that that in itself was
enough. And that is what I fear today. When I look around at our world, no matter where you live in this entire beautiful world is I fear that we've
lost our sense of good. We know how to fight, make no mistake. But when you're fighting just for yourself, when you're fighting just for power,
when you're fighting just for money, you've already lost. And Stan Lee taught me that when I was 10-years-old. I still and we all knew that lesson
today.
LU STOUT: Yes. His comics, his lessons, they were about the good and the great. It was about heroism. And Brad, you knew Stan Lee through his comics
but also through your work. What was he like as a person?
[08:25:04] MELTZER: You know, our conversations were always by our phone and e-mail and everything else and he was kind enough to invite me to work
with him on some things. And when I was researching a book on Superman, everyone said you need to reach out to Stan Lee. And I thought, well, why
would -- you know, Stan Lee is Marvel. That's not D.C. But he was there at the beginning and he knew Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster and he told me all
about those early days.
And what I marvel at -- excusing that pun -- is that Stan Lee was a child when they started this. These were children's dreams. Jerry Siegel and Joe
Shuster who gave us Superman, Stan Lee, and Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko would give us Spider-Man and the Avengers and so much more. They were
children, young Jewish immigrants who just were like, "You know what? I want to do some good and I want to make something creative." But the fact
that their lessons still stand 75 years later and will stand 175 years later, that's not just the mark of -- oh, that's an interesting character
or oh that's super power -- but the greatest stories don't tell us about the story. They tell us about ourselves.
LU STOUT: Yeah.
MELTZER: And that's what Stan Lee taught us. He taught us about out own levels of good. And to me, I will -- I will always carry those lessons with
me, those lessons that you got to do good for other people, that you got to use your creativity to help other people. And for me, especially, that
means one thing, in honor of him, that Stan Lee lives forever.
LU STOUT: Absolutely, using your creativity as a force for good. Brad Meltzer, thank you so much for joining us. Take care.
MELTZER: Thank you.
LU STOUT: You're watching "News Stream." And still ahead, the U.S. president has claimed that North Korea is no longer a nuclear threat. But
new satellite images could prove otherwise. We'll explain after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching "News Stream" and these are your world headlines. Palestinian health officials say
Israeli air strikes have killed at least six people in Gaza. Israel says it launched the strikes after militants fired around 400 rockets and mortars
on Monday. Israeli officials say the rocket fire killed at least one person in Israel. That's the first time it's happened since 2014.
In California, officials are now battling three different wildfires. One of which has become the deadliest in the state's history. At least 44 people
have been killed and tens of thousands of hectares burned. The cause of the fires is still under investigation.
There are new claims about the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The "New York Times" says that according to people who heard a recording of a
phone call made after the killing, a member of the so-called hit squad gives the instruction tell your boss. According to U.S. officials cited by
the Times, that may be a reference to Saudi crown prince Mohammad bin Salman. Riyadh has long denied any prior knowledge of the operation.
[08:30:00]
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is offering his gratitude to Japan for standing shoulder to shoulder with America over North Korea's nuclear
program. Pence just arrived in Singapore after holding talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo. And while there, he declared that the
U.S., Japan and the world will accept nothing less than complete denuclearization. It all comes after new satellite images suggest that
North Korea is moving ahead with its ballistic missile program.
And joining us now for more on the report is CNN's Will Ripley. Will, Donald Trump has spoke of, quote, tremendous progress in regards to a
nuclear-free North Korea. But according to this report, what's the reality on the ground?
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You have to wonder what he was basing that information on because what we're going to see here, this is new to us, but
this is well known to U.S. intelligence. These are satellite images that have been commercially analyzed by private analysts.
However, U.S. intel, military, South Korean military, they know about these sites. This is the Sakkanmol Missile Operating Base. This is the overall
view. Let's zoom it a little closer so you can actually see some of the images that have been uncovered here.
This is the view of the entire facility. You can see it's pretty substantial, located in the North Korean mountains. Let's get in closer
because you want to see this -- specifically these tunnels. These are significant because North Korea has invested a lot in mobile missile launch
technology.
They hide mobile launchers in tunnels like these, roll it out into the road, and then they can drive them to a secret site that only North Koreans
know. So in the event of some sort of military situation, they can launch in less than an hour a potentially nuclear missile.
And they're not just building up these underground, you know, facilities but also the infrastructure on the site as well in terms of the buildings
to house all of the soldiers that are there 24/7.
LU STOUT: So these secret sites are no longer secret.
RIPLEY: Right.
LU STOUT: What does this mean for the big picture goal here, the path to denuclearization?
RIPLEY: Well, I just want to point out, these were never secret to the United States or President Trump. Presumably, he knew about all of this
when he claimed that the nuclear threat from North Korea was neutralized.
So why would he make that claim when U.S. intelligence knows that there's a lot more going on inside the country aside from the Punggye-ri nuclear test
site where the entrances to the tunnels were demolished or, you know, the one satellite launch facility that North Korea is currently dismantling?
President Trump knew that. So why would he know about the existence of all these things? And a lot of analysts are saying it is because he wants to
show then prove that his diplomacy with Kim Jong-un was different, that it was historic and that it brought about some sort of lasting change.
But the bottom line is, Kim's arsenal is still potent, it just far less public. He is not rolling out the missiles in parades anymore. He is not,
you know, overtly launching them and testing them at the moment.
LU STOUT: It's hard to claim progress when this report is out there. So, in your term, what is U.S. likely to do next?
RIPLEY: Well, you know, it really depends on President Trump. I mean, he just said last week, things with North Korea are going well and there
really is no rush. But if news reports are now characterizing this as North Korea deceiving the United States, which mind you, they're not, they have
never actually agreed to give up their nuclear weapons program.
They said they're going to work towards denuclearization, but they never said they're going to stop developing ballistic missiles or the facilities
that could launch them. So North Korea is still doing everything that it said it was going to do. Kim Jong-un said on his new year's address, he was
going to continue to mass produce and bolster his nuclear deterrent. That's what he was doing.
But if President Trump sees news reports and somehow believes that he has been deceived even though he had access to the intelligence himself, could
that influence his policy? That could be very dangerous, according to a lot of clear watchers (ph) who are concerned about this.
LU STOUT: Will Ripley, we thank you for your reporting.
There are streets around the world named after famous people, but what about a dish? In Vietnam, it is all about the food. We're going to take you
there next on News Stream.
[08:35:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: Welcome back. Now, we want to bring you more now on a win for conservationists that we first told you about yesterday. China says it is
backtracking on a decision to allow tiger and rhino products to be used for so-called medical purposes. Beijing now says a ban on the products will
temporarily stay in place. In light of this, we spoke to renowned conservationist Jane Goodall. Here's part of my conservation with her a
short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT (on camera): China had, and this caused a lot of concern, reversed a ban on the use of endangered animal products for medicinal
purposes like rhino horn and tiger. But --
JANE GOODALL, PRIMATOLOGIST AND CONSERVATIONIST: Yes, but today --
LU STOUT (on camera): -- they announced that they are sticking with the ban, at least for now. Is that good news?
GOODALL: I was just saying this morning, I picked up a newspaper, South China news, and I said i really don't want to look because it's all bad.
Then I saw this announcement from China and I thought, yes. And the reason was internal protest, not from outside, but from inside. And that says a
lot about the Chinese people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: Be sure to check out more of my interview with Jane Goodall. Find out what she would say about the world leaders like Donald Trump who
says he doesn't believe that climate change is a grave threat. That is tomorrow on News Stream at the usual time, 9:00 p.m. in Hong Kong, 1:00
p.m. in London, only on CNN.
The global tech giant IBM has launched a platform with Dubai which allows its government agencies to conduct all of its transactions through
blockchain. Samuel Burke takes a closer look at Dubai's bid to become the blockchain capital of the world.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The graph here tells (ph) the government entities about the current status of the transaction.
SAMUEL BURKE, CNN BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY NEWS CORRESPONDENT: This giant screen is projecting a new digital service that could transform the way
Dubai operates. It's the city's new government-endorsed blockchain platform which is about to dramatically slash payment process times.
WESAM LOOTAH, CEO, SMART DUBAI GOVERNMENT: A process that used to take 45 days between government and between the banks is now completely eliminated.
So this is now resources and money and time that the government can spend in serving the customers and citizens and resident.
BURKE: The payment service was designed here at the Smart Dubai offices. It's just part of the emirates plan to create the world's first paperless
government by 2021. Dubai is banking on blockchain technology to help them do that. Blockchain, perhaps best known as the technology behind the
digital currency bitcoin, but its potential is far greater.
Global financial systems are built on a third party like a bank, validating transactions. Blockchain removes the need for the third party. Instead,
transactions are verified and recorded across a decentralized network.
LOOTAH: Blockchain will allow business transactions to happen in the speed that we have now today with internet and information.
BURKE: Dubai plans to put most of its government services on blockchain. Transactions are said to be instant, paperless and transparent. This new
payment service is a major step toward that goal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And this happened automatically?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Automatically.
BURKE: Tech giant IBM is one of Dubai's main partners on its blockchain journey.
ANTHONY BUTLER, CTO BLOCKCHAIN SERVICES, IBM: This collaboration with Dubai, with Smart Dubai, is really fulfilling that next step. And by doing
so, all of those, as you said, all of those experiments, all of those initial efforts will now be able to move forward into real life use.
BURKE: Real life use requires real life hardware. IBM is incorporating some of its latest technology to help accelerate Dubai's blockchain plans.
This mainframe is capable of running more than six billion web transactions per day.
BUTLER: Now we're at the stage where we want things to go live. We want things to scale. And in order for things to scale, there needs to be a
platform that is secure, that is resilient, and that's where we are now.
LOOTAH: The reason why we embraced blockchain, we've seen the impact, the potential impact that blockchain can have.
BURKE: As an early adapter of blockchain, Dubai is creating a blueprint for others to follow.
[08:40:01] Now, with one of its first blockchain services going live, the foundation is being laid for the realization of its full potential.
Samuel Burke, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: In Vietnam, a restaurant that used to feed hundreds of hungry soldiers has now become a landmark for the city and a tourist destination
for visitors. Our Cyril Vanier takes a look at the special dish that has become so famous, it has its own screen (ph).
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CYRIL VANIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: On this small unassuming street, one of Hanoi's most famous dishes was born. So famous that the street was
eventually named after it. This is Cha Ca Street.
NGUYEN MY GIANG HOUNG, FOUNDER, THE CLOVER AT NGOC THUY: Cha Ca means a dish made out of fish and it has to be a kind of grill or a crispy egg fry.
VANIER: Our guide on all things Cha Ca, chef and restaurateur Nguyen My Giang Houng, also known as Chef Tin (ph), who grew up nearby.
HOUNG: When I went out to Cha Ca Street, it brings me back to where I was as a child.
VANIER: The history of this marinated fish dish dates back over 130 years. Chef Tin (ph) says it all started when a local family began serving their
specialty to army troops.
HOUNG: They used to be a family living here and when they saw troops coming to Hanoi, the family used to make one dish because they make it so
good that everyone tell them, you should make a restaurant.
VANIER: And open a restaurant they did, at the very location where hungry soldiers were once fed.
HOUNG: Here we are. We are arriving to Cha Ca street. That is the house. Make the name for this street. Let's go inside.
VANIER: The restaurant is called Cha Ca La Vong. It has become an institution in Hanoi. Locals and tourists often line up to try the only
thing on the menu. Cha Ca is served as a do it yourself assembly line of fresh herbs, including dill and spring onions, rice noodles, chili, shrimp
paste sauce, and of course grilled marinated fish served sizzling on a hot pan.
HOUNG: People in Hanoi take food very seriously. Whatever is on the table for them is important. It is a great moment.
VANIER: But it's not just on Cha Ca Street that you can find this now iconic Hanoi dish. Chefs all over Vietnam and the world have their own
interpretations.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: I need you to get me a plate of that good stuff. That is News Stream. I'm Kristie Lu Stout, but don't go anywhere, World Sport with
Christina MacFarlane is next.
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[08:45:00] (WORLD SPORT)
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