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President Obama's UN Swan Song; UN Aid Convoy Attacked in Syria; Bar Owner Responsible for Capture of Ahmad Khan Rahami; Working to Reverse Japan's Low Birth Rate. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired September 20, 2016 - 08:00   ET

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

[08:00:24] KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong and welcome to News Stream.

Now, the man suspected of carrying out Saturday's bombing in New York has been captured. Now, investigators want to find out why his wife left the

country just days before the bombings.

Plus, they are both trying to become the president of the United States, but Donald Trump

and Hillary Clinton had very different responses to the attack.

And more than 40 percent of Japan's single adults are virgins. A look at why a growing number

of Japanese people just aren't having sex.

Now, we have just received word from U.S. law enforcement officials that the wife of the

man who police suspect is behind the bombings in New York and New Jersey had left the U.S. just a few days before.

Now, police say that they identified Ahmad Khan Rahami by a fingerprint that was left on one of the bombs. They released a photo of him.

Now, a bar owner in New Jersey was watching a CNN report on his laptop and recognized Rahami sleeping in a doorway and called police. When they

arrived, there was a shootout. Rahami was captured and charged with five counts of attempted murder of law enforcement officers.

Now, we also learned Ahmad Khan Rahami traveled for extended periods of time to Afghanistan and Pakistan over the last five years, but an official

says he was not on the intelligence community's radar.

If he was, indeed, behind the bombings, the question is, was he radicalized overseas? Jessica Schneider has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is 28-year-old Ahmad Khan Rahami, the suspect behind a series of bombings in New York and

New Jersey.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know. I saw him like two weeks ago. I said hello to him. I spoke to him, how are you doing? How's your daughter? How's

everything? And he looked a little stressed out but nothing of concern.

SCHNEIDER (voice-over): Born in Afghanistan, Rahami traveled back and forth between that country and neighboring Pakistan multiple times.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His father wanted him to go back there and get to know his roots.

SCHNEIDER (voice-over): Most recently, he took a year-long visit to Pakistan from April 2013 to March 2014. While there, a Facebook photo shows

the suspected bomber and his brother, Mohammad, relaxing in traditional clothing.

In 2011, Rahami spent several weeks in Quetta, Pakistan, a Taliban stronghold. It was there he married a Pakistani woman, the U.S. approving

her entry into the country in 2012.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's a very friendly guy. You'd never suspect this. I'm terrified. He's hiding in plain sight. You would have never known.

SCHNEIDER (voice-over): Rahami underwent secondary screenings upon returning to the U.S. because of the area he visited but was never flagged

according to a law enforcement official.

The bombing suspect had a run-in with the law before. Rahami was arrested in 2014 on weapons and aggravated assault charges though a grand jury

declined to indict him. His family came to the country seeking asylum decades ago. Now, they own a fried chicken restaurant in Elizabeth, New

Jersey and they live above it.

MAYOR CHRIS BELLWOGE, ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY: This place has been in operation for many years. We've had issues with this location regarding

code enforcement issues.

SCHNEIDER (voice-over): The Rahami family claimed to be the victims of discrimination and harassment in this 2011 lawsuit against the city of

Elizabeth and its police department, the suit alleging that a neighbor told them Muslims don't belong here and that they were threatened and harassed

by police officers.

BELLWOGE: There was a lot of congregation going on, a lot of people hanging out. The city council was getting complaints from the neighborhood.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And that was CNN's Jessica Schneider reporting.

Now, Anderson Cooper spoke with the New Jersey bar owner who spotted Rahami sleeping in a doorway.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARINDER BAINS, BAR OWNER: I was watching CNN on my laptop and you guys have his picture on site, like a PAP, and I said this guy looks familiar,

like the same guy, you know, and then I got a little busy in the store and I was still wondering, is he the same guy? Is he the same guy? I'm just

thinking and then my friend, he has a trucking repair shop.

He came to my store and his name is Vinnie. I said Vinnie, did you see that guy lounging in the back. He said yeah. I said look at this photo, I showed

him the photo. I said he looks like this guy but only the mustache, but he's the same guy. He said are you sure? And I said yes. And he said let's

call the cops. I was about to call 911 and then he said, no, I have the number for the Linden cops so we should call them. That's when I called the

cops, you know?

[08:05:20] ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: There's a lot of folks calling you a hero today. Do you feel like a hero?

BAINS: No. I'm not a hero. I'm just regular citizen doing what every citizen should do, call, whenever you see, you should call the cops. Cops

are the hero, you know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now, even though the suspect visited Afghanistan and Pakistan, there is some doubt he had any contact with ISIS, but what about the

Taliban?

Ivan Watson is in Kabul. He joins us now live. And, Ivan, what have you learned about the

suspect's travel to Afghanistan and whether or not he had links to the Taliban?

IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, U.S. officials say that he was born in Afghanistan, he became a naturalized American citizen

in 2011, and that he had traveled and moved basically to the U.s. in the '90s when he was just a little boy.

But he did travel back to this region, again, according to U.S. officials, in 2011, both to Afghanistan and to Pakistan, And then he spent nearly a

year here in 2013 and 2014 and along the way, married a woman in Pakistan and had put in requests for her and their

child to get visas to come to the U.S.

Now, we've reached out to a spokesman for the Taliban, in just the last hour or so to ask

whether or not the Taliban is claiming responsibility for the bombs in New Jersey and New York

on Saturday, and this Taliban spokesman is denying any responsibility or claim to those bombings, and also denying that Rahami has any links to the

Taliban at all.

We've reached out to the Afghan government, to multiple different ministries in the Afghan government. They have -- all the spokesmen there

that we've contacted have refused to comment on this man. A spokesman for the Pakistani foreign ministry says, hey, this man originally came from

Afghanistan, reach out to the Afghan government if you want to learn anything more about him.

It is important to point out that the Taliban are not the only militant players in this turbulent region of central Asia. You also have ISIS,

which has taken root in corners of Afghanistan, and, of course, al Qaeda has operated on both sides of the border, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

And you've got to be sure that American investigators are looking into this suspect's previous travels to these two countries to explore any possible

links. One U.S. official telling me for sure the U.S. government is reaching out to both the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan to try to

learn more about this key suspect's movements during the periods that he was traveling in both countries -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: But you've learned that the Taliban spokesman has told you, told CNN, denying any links to the suspect, denying any links to these bombings

or bombings attempts in New Jersey and New York.

Now meanwhile, we've learned from a U.S. official that Rahami was not on the intelligence

community's radar as someone with radical views. Is it because he was never radicalized, or is it because he slipped through?

I mean, of course, it's early on in the investigation.

WATSON: It is early on in the investigation, but U.S. government officials say that after his previous visit to Afghanistan and Pakistan, that Rahami

did undergo secondary screening when he would fly back into the U.S., and during those Q&A interrogation sessions, if you could put it that way, he

would say that he was visiting a relative or relative's wedding or that he was visiting his wife.

We also know from the office of a member of congress in New Jersey that he had actually reached out to him in the case of his wife, looking for

answers as to why his wife was not able to get a visa faster.

One of the reasons that we've heard from, again, U.S. officials, is that her Pakistani passport had expired and they had to wait to get a U.S. visa

until she had gotten a new Pakistani passport and also that she had been pregnant at the time and that she was forced to wait to get a U.S. visa

until the child was born, and then the child was required to get a U.S.v isa, as well.

So hints at the complications that Rahami, a naturalized U.S. citizen, had when he tried to

bring his wife and child from Pakistan to the U.S. in years past. But again, any possible links to

any suspected links to militant groups, it's far too early to say at this point (inaudible)..

[08:00:17] LU STOUT: OK, we just lost that signal there, but that was CNN's Ivan Watson reporting live for us with the latest lines in the

investigation from Kabul, Afghanistan.

Now, the U.S. presidential candidates, they wasted no time in responding to these attacks, and

as one might expect, their reactions were very, very different.

Sara Murray reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA MURRAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Today, the 2016 presidential candidates are facing a terror response test.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Hillary Clinton is a weak and ineffective person. And I will tell you if you choose Donald Trump, these

problems are going to go away.

HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We must remain vigilant. This is a fast-moving situation and a sobering reminder that we

need steady leadership in a dangerous world.

MURRAY: Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton taking starkly different approaches and navigating a string of attacks in the U.S. Trump once again

calling for a more muscular stance.

TRUMP: Let me stat very, very quickly, immigration security is national security.

MURRAY: The GOP nominee suggesting the U.S. should instate racial profile.

TRUMP: Israel has done an unbelievable job. And they'll profile. They profile. They see somebody that's suspicious, they will profile. They

will take that person in to check out. Do we have a choice? Look what's going on. Do we really have a choice?

MURRAY: And pouncing on the opportunity to land another jab at Clinton for referring to half of Trump's supporters as deplorables.

TRUMP: Hillary Clinton talks tougher about my supporters than she does about Islamic terrorists.

MURRAY: Meanwhile, Clinton is leaning on her record as secretary of state.

CLINTON: I'm the only candidate in this race who has been part of the hard decisions to take terrorists off the battlefield.

MURRAY: Calling for changes to the visa program, improved intelligence gathering and collaboration with the Muslim community.

CLINTON: It is crucial that we continue to build up trust between law enforcement and Muslim-American communities.

MURRAY: All while slamming her GOP rival for his controversial comments about Muslims and immigrants.

CLINTON: We know that Donald Trump's comments have been used online for recruitment of terrorists.

MURRAY: With a week until the first presidential debate and just 50 days until the election, both candidates' commander in chief credentials are

under the microscope; 51 percent of voters say Trump is better prepared to fight terrorism, compared to 45 percent for Clinton.

But they believe Clinton's temperament is better suited for the presidency. And 50 percent say she's more prepared to be commander in chief, compared

to 45 percent for Trump.

Meanwhile, former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates offered a dim assessment of both potential hopefuls over the weekend, saying neither

candidate has done much to give anyone confidence, but reserving his harshest criticism for Trump, saying: "At least on national security, I

believe Mr. Trump is beyond repair. He is unqualified and unfit to be commander-in-chief."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And that was CNN's Sara Murray reporting.

And those differences in the candidates' positions were very clear when Trump and Clinton met world leaders on Monday. You'll get more on that and

full coverage of the race for the White House at CNN.com/politics.

Now, the cease-fire in Syria appears to be falling apart just after a week after it came into effect. And Russia says there is little hope it will be

renewed. This after an attack on an aid convoy in a Red Crescent warehouse near Aleppo killed some 20 people, including humanitarian workers. The UN

and U.S. are both expressing outrage and disgust.

With more on that, senior international correspondent Fred Pleitgen reports from Damascus.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The incident is tragic in many ways, because the cease-fire originally was obviously put in place

to offer the people here in Syria, who have experienced so much violence over the past more than five years, some respite from that violence, to

allow them to have some calm. But the other big reason why it was put in place was to make sure that a lot of areas that badly need it finally get

some aid.

Now, the United Nations has announced that it has suspended all of its aid operations, all of

its delivery operations in the aftermath of this bombing of this convoy that took place. They say at this point in time it is simply not safe for

their staff and their affiliated staff to be working there on the ground.

It still is unclear who exactly hit this aid convoy, whether it was some sort of ground fire, or whether it was air strikes. The U.S. seems to

believe that it was an attack from the air that destroyed the convoy. They say that there were no coalition planes in the area, and so, therefore, it

must have been the Russians or the Syrian air force that hit this convoy.

We have no statement so far from the Russians and the Syrians on what they say about this situation, but we are getting information as to what

exactly happened. It seems as though this aid convoy came to the town of Big Horn (ph), which is in the Aleppo

countryside, an area that is held by the opposition. The aid trucks were being unloaded when that convoy was hit. At least 12 people were killed,

including the local director of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent.

This convoy had aid for about 78,000 people. And much of that aid appears to have been destroyed, as well.

Now, all of this comes as the cease-fire itself seems to be all but over, seems to be all but dead. The Syrian government announced around 7:00 p.m.

last night Syrian time, that it believed that the cease-fire had expired. There was no reason to believe that it had been extended and shortly after

that heavy fighting broke out in the Aleppo area in the rebel-held district of that city. There was shelling going in both directions, there seemed to

be air strikes on the rebel-held parts of town, as well.

At least 30 people were killed in that. And certainly, the rescue efforts there very much hampered by the fact that there's no electricity, all of

this happening in the dark.

So, a dire situation at a time when the people of Syria were supposed to be getting calm and some help.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Damascus.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Well, U.S. President Barack Obama will likely address the conflict in Syria and the refugee crisis it's fueling in his final speech

to the United Nations. That is expected to happen within the next two hours.

And on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Mr. Obama is co-hosting a summit on refugees with six other countries. The goal is to find ways to

resettle more refugees and to raise funding for humanitarian groups.

Now, political protests and deadly violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We'll tell you what is fueling the unrest there and how world

leaders are responding.

And the power of unity. The pope joins other religious leaders to pray for peace.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, you're back watching NewsStream.

The UN says humanitarian agencies in North Korea desperately need more than $28 million to help people affected by severe flooding.

Earlier this month, 138 people were killed and hundreds more are missing after floods inundated the northeast of the country. At least 140,000

people need immediate help. The floods destroyed crops and drinking water supplies, as well.

And Red Cross Asia-Pacific says it has helped more than 20,000 people so far, but more aid is

needed.

Staying in North Korea now, the government claims it has successfully carried out a ground test of a new type of high powered rocket engine.

State media says leader Kim Jong-un guided the test. Neighboring South Korea says it suspects the test did succeed and that it was high density

liquid testing.

This is the latest in a series of suspected weapons tests carried out by North Korea this year.

Violent clashes in the Democratic Republic of Congo have killed at least 17 people. Protesters have been taking to the streets asking the government

to set a date for an election. They accuse the president of trying to extend his tenure, which legally ends in December.

Joseph Kabela has been in power since 2001 when he succeeded his father, who was assassinated.

For more now, let's bring in David McKenzie who has reported extensively on Congo. He joins us live from Johannesburg. And David, give us some

context here, how did these demonstrations turn deadly?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they turned deadly because police and protesters were in running battles in the

capital, Kinshasa, 17 as you described, at least killed, including some gruesome details of at least one policeman here appears to have been burned

alive, according to those who were on the scene.

We have a sense that it's calmer today in Kinshasa. These were protests that were long planned because of the clock that is ticking towards what

the opposition and nongovernmental associations say should be the end of Joseph Kabela's second term that is constitutionally mandated to be his

last.

He's supposed to step down at the end of December, or around the 19th of December, in fact, but no signs that they are moving towards presidential

elections in that country. And the opposition is crying foul -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: And David, since independence decades ago the country has never had a smooth transfer of power. So whyis a peaceful transition so elusive

for the DRC?

MCKENZIE: Well, the opposition is saying it's because the government is dragging their feet, but I did speak to the minister of communications

today. He said that that's not true. They've set up a dialogue, which they say will be a way to -- everyone to decide on how to move forward

towards the next elections. But many of the opposition leaders have pulled out of those dialogues.

There is also the logistical challenge of this massive country, underdeveloped in many regions, more than two-thirds the size of Europe, of

even staging elections. One of the issues at play is the voters' role needs to be updated, says the government. This could be a very lengthy process. And all of it points to, say opposition and human

rights groups, that Joseph Kabela is trying to cling on to power beyond his constitutionally mandated term and that is similar to what you've seen from

other rulers in that region -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: And David what's the situation in Kinshasa today after those demonstrations that turned deadly. Have there been more protests?

MCKENZIE: The sense is it is calmer today. The minister of communications I spoke to did say there were at least two opposition party headquarters

that were burnt overnight in Kinshasa in revenge attacks. He said there should not be these tit for tat attacks, and it should be handled by the

law, but there's a lot of mistrust of the police and government, particularly in the capital, Kinshasa, which is a stronghold of some

opposition groups.

It has certainly the potential to be a serious powder keg as time slips by towards the end of

the second term of the president.

LU STOUT: All right, David McKenzie reporting for us live from Johannesburg, thank you.

MCKENZIE: Now, the Philippines Senate has ousted the chair of a committee investigating killings linked to President Rodrigo Duterte and his war on

drugs.

The ousted senator was long-time critic of the president. And the motion to oust her was put

forth by former boxer and current senator Manny Pacquiao.

The committee is investigating 1,000 drug related killings by police since Mr. Duterte took office. He faces international criticism for his war on

drugs.

Now, in a time when all too often we hear about violence and division, Pope Francis is gathering with leaders of other religions to celebrate the power

of peace. Now, representatives from Christianity, Islam, and Judaism are all in Assisi, Italy, the birthplace

of Saint Francis, one of the most venerated figures in Christianity. It is the 30th anniversary of the first ever World Day of Prayer for Peace.

Now, let's go straight to our Vatican correspondent Delia Gallagher. She is live for us in Rome and joins us now. And Delia, religious leaders from

all over the world are there for this interfaith event, but there is one notable exception.

[08:25:00] DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Kristie, the Dalai Lama was first there 30 years ago in 1986 right next to

John Paul II, he has not been invited this year. The Vatican is not commenting as to why, but one hypothesis is that Pope Francis and the

Vatican are looking to improve their relations with China and possibly do not want to upset China by inviting the Dalai Lama.

However, as you mentioned, there are some 500 representatives of world religions joining Pope Francis today in Assisi, this highly symbolic place,

the birthplace of Saint Francis, the great saint of peace. Pope Francis chose his name for Saint Francis. And as you say, it was an event which

John Paul II started.

And 30 years ago, Kristie -- it's hard to imagine now, but that was the first time that we saw

all world religious leaders on the same stage. Unfortunately, they are still praying for peace. We need it today more now than ever.

Pope Francis took a helicopter this morning from the Vatican upto Assisi, but before he left, he said mass and at that mass he said there is no god

of war, that god is a god of peace, and he said everybody should be ashamed. He said, we feel like war doesn't touch us who don't have it on

our own back yards, but we should all be ashamed to know that our brothers and sisters are being affected by war, that there are children and old

people who are dying underneath bombs who cannot get humanitarian aid.

And he said war begins in the heart.

So, when we talk about a day of prayer which many people can be sort of skeptical about, what's practical about prayer, part of the Vatican's

answer, part of the pope's hope, and indeed the hope of all of these other religious leaders is that there can be on an individual level a kind of

conversion of the heart for those individuals who might be committing acts of terrorism.

And equally, of course, Pope Francis speaks about the arms trade. He speaks about special interests. He speaks about governments that are

responsible for wars and calls on them to help and take their responsibility to stop wars today -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: The pope calling prayer a conversion of the heart. Delia Gallagher reporting live for us from Rome, thank you.

Now, you're watching News Stream. And still ahead on the program, with just months left in office, President Barack Obama bids farewell to the

United Nations. What message he plans to deliver.

And kids are becoming a less common sight in Japan. The country is struggling with a severe aging population problem and a new study seems to

show Millennials' approach to sex could be to blame.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(HEADLINES)

[08:31:24] LU STOUT: In the coming hours, U.S. President Barack Obama is to deliver his final speech to the UN as his nation's leader. Now, Robyn

Curnow is at the UN now and she joins us live.

And Robyn, this will be President Obama's final address to the UN General Assembly as the U.S. president. What will be his message?

ROBYN CURNOW, CNN INTERNATIOAL CORRESPONDENT: His message, certainly, is going to be like a valedictory address, isn't it? This is a farewell, this

is a president who certainly wants to in a lengthy way, I understand, lay out before the world, before his colleagues, his list of accomplishments,

and there are a number. Think about the Iran deal, about Cuba, about Myanmar, about climate change. He is certainly going to lay all of that

out.

There's also going to be an indication of the effort spent by his administration in trying to deal with some other thorny issues in terms of

the results on those issues. He might concede that that is a job for the next president of the United States to continue.

But certainly, this is a man who is leaving a very different world, a very different set of international scenarios from when he came into power eight

years ago. He is going to reflect that.

But I think more than anything this is a man today who is going to essentially be saying good bye.

LU STOUT: And Robyn, the UN General Assembly, President Obama's speech, the summit for refugees and migrants all taking place just days after an

explosive device wounded over two dozen people in New York.

Just how much extra security is there for the event?

CURNOW: You know, Kristie, I mean, it's actually been amazing to watch over the past few days here in New York. That bomb went off on Saturday

night, already there was a lot of security around the area, around the UN By Sunday, of course, there were a lot of barricades up. Police had

started moving in, the secret service detail of many of the 140 leaders. It started to sort of start figuring out their plans to protect their

leaders.

Of course, those explosions on Saturday night, certainly, added a sense of vulnerability to the

United Nations, to the people gathering here. It was certainly a real concern for the New York authorities that all of these leaders coming here

were perhaps facing an additional threat.

We know that Governor Cuomo put on an extra 1,000 police officers. I cannot explain to you how thick, how dense the security is here. I mean,

just surrounding me now just within my eyesight we are literally ring- fenced by police. There is an extraordinary police presence here at the United

Nations, and not just in this outer perimeter where we are, it is for blocks around me. Really a sense that this is a protection, a need to keep

an eye on these leaders, but also a very real understanding of a threat, particularly days after those explosions.

So, you know, I think it is very, very obvious that this is a world certainly dealing with a number of problems and there's an expectation that

the leaders in here today might try and have at least a hard conversation about the implications of all of this.

LU STOUT: Heavy security in place there at the UN. Robyn Curnow reporting for us

live. Thank you.

And Robyn will be back to bring you President Obama's speech live when it happens. It's expected to be around 10:a.m. Europe time, that's 10:00 p.m.

here in Hong Kong.

Now, hundreds of people were granted U.S. citizenship by mistake. A new report from the Homeland Security Department shows how flaws in the system

allowed that to happen.

Tom Foreman explains.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: In one explosive line, the new report lays out a potential security break down. It says, "The United

States Immigration Services granted U.S. citizenship to 858 individuals ordered deported or removed."

On the campaign trail, immediate reaction.

DONALD TRUMP, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Another 858 immigrants from dangerous countries have slipped into our country and have been granted

full citizenship despite pending deportation orders.

(BOOING)

TRUMP: These are people that were supposed to be deported and they were giving full citizenship. They made a mistake.

FOREMAN: How did it happen? Investigators found hundreds of people, who were supposed to be deported under their real names, simply came up with

other names and new birth dates side stepping the removal orders. The key weakness, old paper fingerprint records that have not been digitized and

were not readily available to immigration officials.

Homeland Security notes not everyone who slipped through the net this way represents any security threat. But still there are worrisome details. The

report found three of these people received credentials, which have been since revoked, to work in secure areas of transportation, two in commercial

airports, one in shipping ports. Another is now a law enforcement official. And as citizens, these folks have a lot of rights, including, quote,

"sponsoring other aliens' entry in to the United States." So why don't federal officials track them all down and deport them now?

Investigators note that once someone gets citizenship, authorities must prove fraud was involved, not just an honest mistake. That means resources,

courts and time.

Homeland Security says it is trying to implement improvements to the system suggested by the report but it's a big job. Investigators found 148,000

other old fingerprints have yet to be processed in such a way to stop this from happening again.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And that was Tom Foreman reporting.

Now, a tweet by Donald Trump's eldest son is setting off a firestorm on social media. In it, he compares Syrian refugees to poison candy.

Now, Trump Jr. posted a graphic that says this, quote, "if I had a bowl of Skittles and I told you just three would kill you, would you take a

handful? That is our Syrian refugee problem."

Now, his father has raised alarm bells about Syrian refugees being admitted saying terrorists could seek into the country and response to that tweet

came thick and fast. I mean, several people tweeted a photo of Omran Daqneesh, the boy pulled out of the rubble after an air strike last month

in Aleppo. And many simply said this: "these people are not Skittles."

You're watching News Stream. Still to come on the program, Japan's low birth rate is a huge headache for the government. We'll look at why

Japan's Millennials and their attitude towards sex could be aggravating the issue.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now, Japan has one of the world's lowest birth rates and a severely aging population. And the government has tried to encourage couples to have more

children, but those attempts don't seem to be working so far.

And now a new survey shows Millennial's reluctance to socialize could be one of the core reasons. Will Ripley has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[08:40:09] WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Tokyo's famous red light district Kabukicho caters to pretty much every sexual desire. The kind of

place that could make you think most of Japan is obsessed with sex, until you meet people like Takashi Sakai (ph), who asked us to hide his face and

change his name.

You're 41-years-old, have a good job, but you've never had sex.

Approaching middle age, he's never had a relationship or even been kissed.

UNIDENITIFIED MALE: Are you a virgin? Are you a virgin?

RIPLEY: A real-life virgin of Steve Carell's character, the 40-Year-Old Virgin.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I was a little surprised they made a movie about someone like me.

RIPLEY: Sakai (ph) is not alone. A Japanese government study says more than 40 percent, nearly half of Japan's adult singles, are virgins. While

some prefer it that way, others would like their fortunes to change, a difficulty blamed on everything from a stagnant economy to Japanese Manga

fans favoring fantasy over reality.

For some of these mostly Middle Aged men, this nude art class is the closest they've ever been to an actual naked woman.

Classes like this try to help people feel more comfortable with their sexuality. There's even this textbook specifically for virgins to help

them break down their barriers to sex.

Class organizaers know the apparent disconnect is leading to fewer relationships, record low birth rates. And a shrinking population, a

crisis threatening the world's third largest economy.

"By solving the virgin problem, I think we can solve many other social problems related to sex," says Shingo Sakatume (ph). His non-profit offers

sex education and assistance

"In Japanese society, we have so much entertainment," he says. "Why do we need to choose love or sex?"

Sakai (ph) is a mountain climbing 41-year-old who appears to lead a normal life, hiding his virginity from family and friends.

Do you have hope that you're going to meet someone hopefully soon?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I keep having hope.

RIPLEY: Hope to fall in love, get married, start a family, hope that someday he'll have more than a sketch to call his own.

Will Ripley, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And finally, France has become the first country in the world to ban plastic cups and plates. Now, the law requires all disposable

tableware to be made from 50 percent biologically sourced materials that can be composted at home.

And the ban has been cheered by environmentalists, but there's backlash from the industry. Now Pack2Go Europe represents Europe's food packaging

manufacturers. It says the measure violates the EU law on the free movement of goods. And there is debate on whether the energy required to

produce environmentally friendly plastics actually causes more harm.

And that is News Stream. I'm Krsitie Lu Stout. But don't go anywhere. World Sport with Amanda Davies is next.

END