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Reuters: Trump Accuses Russia Of Helping North Korea; South Korea Military Conducts Drills Ahead Of Olympics; U.S. Lawmakers Face Shutdown Deadline; Donation Will Help Sent Students To U.S. Colleges; Senator Berates Trump Over Treatment Of Media. Aired at 8-9a ET

Aired January 18, 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, welcome to News Stream.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: A relationship now in rocky ground. Moscow says the U.S. president's claim, it is helping North Korea avoid international sanctions

is absolutely unfounded.

President Trump is under fire from a member of his own party over his treatment of journalist. We take a look at the effect of Mr. Trump's words

here in Asia. And a dangerous journey through the Alps, migrants are risking it all in hopes of a better life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: A rare move, U.S. President Donald Trump has accused Russia of helping North Korea evade international sanctions. Moscow calls the

accusation absolutely unfounded.

In an interview with Reuters, Mr. Trump praised China for its effort to restrict oil and coal supplies to North Korea, but he says what China is

helping with, Russia is making up for it.

Let's go to our Matthew Chance who joins us now live from St. Petersburg. And, Matthew, just how true is President Trump's claim and how is the

Kremlin responding to it?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's certainly true that it's been a longstanding allegation or suspicion of Russia that it supports

vocally, that the sanctions that the United Nations Security Council, to isolate North Korea over its nuclear weapons program.

But it works to actively undermine those sanctions and to make them as toothless as possible behind the scenes. But you've just -- you've just

mentioned that the reaction from the Russian foreign ministry in this case has been one of categorical denial in response to the allegation made by

President Trump saying it's absolutely unfounded.

The foreign ministry spokesperson in Russia went on to say Russia is fulfilling its obligations under the U.N. Security Council resolutions in

full, so that's an absolutely categorical denial of any wrongdoing on the part of Russia.

But of course, you know, behind all of this, again, there is that suspicion, which is held by many diplomats and many analysts who watch the

situation in North Korea that behind the scenes, Russia does not really believe in sanctions, as being the right way to put pressure on North

Korea. Kristie.

LU STOUT: And that criticism from President Trump is rare criticism of Russia coming from him. Why now? And what does it mean for U.S.-Russia

relations?

CHANCE: Well it's certainly not a good thing for U.S.-Russia relations. And in fact, that relationship has been deteriorating really since a year

ago when Donald Trump was inaugurated.

Remember, he came into office promising to be the president of the United States who would turn around the relationship with Moscow and make it much

better. He discussed lifting sanctions. He discussed cooperating over international terrorism.

They shared news, Moscow and Trump, with the expansion -- on the expansion of NATO. But in fact, the relationship between the two countries, far from

getting better, has got much worse.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHANCE: It didn't take too long for the high hopes to fade for the disillusionment towards Trump and Russia to really set in. He may have

been portrayed as the Kremlin favorite candidate, but his vision of better relations with Moscow never materialized, victim of an anti-Russian media

witch hunt according to frustrated Russian officials.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Stop spreading lie and false news. This is a good advice for CNN.

CHANCE: Are you concerned that the investigations into Russia are going to turn up more secret meetings?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please stop this spreading lie and false news.

CHANCE: Can you give us a question?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm not going to give you a question. You are fake news.

CHANCE: But it's not just insults Russia and Trump shared. Despite denials of contacts, details emerged of private meetings between Russian

nationals and Trump campaign figures. Why did you arrange that meeting between Donald Trump Jr. and the Russian lawyer?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come join me for the show tonight.

CHANCE: Yes, we will definitely. Like one organized at Trump Tower set up by a representative of a Russian pop star, Emin.

[08:05:00] Donald Trump Jr. released his own e-mails showing that he'd been told the meeting was to pass on damaging intelligence about Hillary

Clinton. Did the Russian authorities give your family information to pass on to the Trump administration?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Talk to my lawyer.

CHANCE: I already talked to him, he said you wouldn't comment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So I wouldn't comment.

TRUMP: Wouldn't it be nice if we actually got along with Russia? Wouldn't that be -- wouldn't that be nice?

CHANCE: It was that promise to transform U.S.-Russian relations that was one of Trump's most consistent campaign themes. His criticism of NATO,

calls for security cooperation with Russia, and hints at ending sanctions, all made him Russia's preferred candidate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donald Trump!

CHANCE: Trump's failure to deliver amid investigations into collusion and tightening sanctions was all the more disappointing to the Kremlin, despite

two meetings and numerous phone calls between the two leaders.

Do you sometimes sit in your office in the Kremlin thinking about how badly U.S.-Russian relations are going, and regretting the day that Donald Trump

was elected?

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through a translator): What we see is merely the growth of anti-Russian hysteria and, yes, I regret it. It's a

pity because acting together, we are more able to solve the acute problems that exist in the world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Office of President of the United States.

CHANCE: But a year on from Trump's inauguration and the grand celebrations held in Moscow when he was sworn in, that dream of a U.S.-Russian

partnership seems more distant than ever.

(END VIDEO)

CHANCE: And, Kristie, in fact that dream appears to be getting even more distant because within the next few weeks, the U.S. Congress is expected to

consider ratcheting up economic sanctions against Russia, which could plunge the relationship between Moscow and Washington into an even deeper

crisis. Back to you.

LU STOUT: Matthew Chance, live from St. Petersburg, thank you. Now South Korea's military is preparing for threats to the Winter Olympics. It is

conducting anti-terror drills in Pyeongchang and Gangneung.

The army says more than 2,000 troops and rapid response teams were involved using drones, air defense weapons and military dogs.

And those military exercises are being conducted despite the recent dialogue between the North and the South. Let's bring in Ivan Watson in

Seoul for more on this. And, Ivan, counterterrorism exercises going forward. Tell us more.

IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, this is the reality of the modern era that terrorism is a threat whenever there are large gatherings.

And South Korea is no exception.

So you had some 2,000 marines and special forces, and other security forces, helicopters, conducting this anti-terror drill near the site of the

upcoming Pyeongchang Olympics, which will start in three weeks' time.

Now in addition to this threat, Kristie, there is another serious threat in South Korea. And that is, it's nuclear-armed neighbor to the North.

But most experts agree that the recent face-to-face negotiations between North and South Korea, the agreement that North Korea will attend the

Winter Olympics, that its athletes will even march under a unification flag at the opening ceremony with South Korean athletes, that dramatically

reduces the risk of North Korea firing a missile or even conducting a nuclear weapons test, which could dramatically overshadow the games.

Kristie.

LU STOUT: You mentioned those points that came out of yesterday's talks, North and South Korean athletes will march together at the games under a

unification flag. There's going to be a joint North and South Korean women's hockey team. But that's kicked up some concern from the team. How

so?

WATSON: It has. And let me just begin this by saying that some of these initiatives that the North and South have agreed upon still have to pretty

much with ratified by the International Olympic Committee.

And there's a meeting scheduled with delegates from North and South Korea at the IOC headquarters in Switzerland on Saturday. But the IOC has made

it clear it really wants North Korea to attend the games.

But yes, among the many initiatives that both North and South have agreed on, which include sending hundreds of North Korean performers and

musicians, and taekwondo demonstrators, and cheerleaders to the South Korean Olympics.

Another one that has directed some controversy is to fuse the women's ice hockey teams from North and South Korea. Mind you, this coming a little

more than three weeks before the games begin.

And the coach of the South Korean women's ice hockey team was quoted in the local press saying this would damage her players, so soon before they're

supposed to compete at the highest level, suddenly they're going to have to learn to play with North Korean counterparts.

[08:10:00] That really does something to four years of preparing for the Winter Olympics. Well CNN has since learned that the coach and players of

the South Korean women's ice hockey team have been instructed to stop speaking to journalists. Kristie.

LU STOUT: Interesting development there. The so-called peace Olympics causing reported discord. Ivan Watson, reporting for us live. Thank you.

India has successfully test-fired along-range intercontinental ballistic missile. This missile was fired from an island off the eastern coast.

India's defense ministry calls it a major boost to the country's defense capabilities. The missile was last tested in December of 2016.

The oil spill from that Iranian tanker that sank in the East China Sea has grown to the size of Paris. The Sanchi tanker collided with a cargo ship

earlier this month. It sank on Sunday after burning for a week.

It was carrying 1 million barrels of oil. The slick now covers more than 100 square kilometers, almost doubling in size since the beginning of the

week. Environmentalists worry the oil could harm marine life for decades to come. You're watching News Stream.

And coming up next, Republican leaders are scrambling ahead of a possible government shutdown and to avoid it, they need to pass a temporary spending

measure. But can they find the votes?

Plus U.S. Senator Jeff Flake says Donald Trump's attacks on the media are encouraging authoritarian governments. We'll ask an expert how the so-

called Trump effect is affecting journalism in Asia.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong. Welcome back, this is News Stream. Now U.S. lawmakers are up against a deadline to avoid a government

shutdown technically.

The money runs out on Friday and Republicans may not have enough votes to even pass a temporary spending measure. Abby Phillip, joins us now live

from the White House and Abby, there's a scramble for a DACA deal.

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. In addition to the DACA negotiations, you mentioned there' a big debate over whether the government

is going to be funded past this week.

Now the White House is saying that they support a short-term bill that would fund the government, but it's still not clear whether the bill has

enough support to pass in the House and the Senate. The House of Representatives is going to vote on it today. And, meanwhile, there's

still some back and forth about who is going to be to blame if the government does shut down.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIP: House Republicans scrambling to secure support for a short-term budget resolution ahead of tomorrow's government shutdown deadline.

A member of the House GOP whip telling CNN they are confident, but as of now, CNN's count shows they do not have the votes, a key concern, the

roughly 30 conservative hardliners in the House Freedom Caucus who largely oppose another short-term fix.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Are you in a position right now to vote, yes, on what's out there for a budget resolution on Friday?

[08:15:04] REP. JIM JORDAN (R), OHIO: No. Here's what I want. I want us to do what we told the American people we were going to do, what they

elected us to do, fund defense, hold the line on non-defense and do what the election was about on immigration.

PHILLIP: But even if the resolution passes in the House, it faces more uncertainty in the Senate. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham announcing

Wednesday that he will not support the short-term bill because it deprives the military of long-term funding assurance.

SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R), SOUTH CAROLINA: I'm not going to vote for a C.R. The Democrats seem to be willing to increase military spending. Many

Republicans are willing to have a DACA fix. And those who don't want to combine the two are just, I think, very naive.

PHILLIP: By contrast, Democrat Joe Manchin declaring that he will support the short-term bill.

SEN. JOE MANCHIN (D), WEST VIRGINIA: We should be able to work to keep this government operating the way we're supposed to do and that to punish

300 million plus people is just ridiculous, for our dysfunction here.

PHILLIP: With Senator John McCain absent, if all remaining Republicans vote, yes, Senate leadership needs 10 more votes from Democrats.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: The revulsion towards that bill was broad and strong.

PHILLIP: Five Democrats have definitively said they will not back the continuing resolution, leaving little room for additional, no, votes.

Senator Graham continuing to push for a bipartisan bill he cosponsored, but President Trump rejected, but has been garnering growing support in the

Senate. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell giving this blunt response when asked why he has not yet brought the so-called Gang of Six bill to the

floor.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R), KENTUCKY: I'm looking for something that President Trump supports. And he's not yet indicated what measure he's

willing to sign. As soon as we figure out what he is for, then I would be convinced that we were not just spinning our wheels.

PHILLIP: The White House pushing back.

RAJ SHAH, PRINCIPAL DEPUTY WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Now the president has been pretty clear. There's been plenty of discussion back and forth.

And yet we'd be happy to contact the leaders' office another time about this.

PHILLIP: Chief of staff John Kelly further muddying the waters, telling a group of Democrats that Mr. Trump was uninformed when he repeatedly made

this signature campaign promise.

TRUMP: But we will build the wall. Mexico is going to pay for the wall.

KELLY: He's very definitely changed his attitudes towards the DACA issue and even the wall. He has evolved in the way he's looked at things.

Campaign to governing are two different things.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIP: Well there's already strong push-back to that comment coming from the president himself this morning. He sent out a series of tweets

essentially contradicting his chief of staff on the issue of the wall.

Who's going to pay for it and whether it was -- his views on that has evolved. He wrote that his views on the wall have never changed. Nor has

it evolved from the first day I conceived of it.

He said it was never intended to be built in areas where there's already natural protection, and he promised once again, that Mexico will pay for

the wall whether it's directly or indirectly.

Now just a couple of seconds ago, the president continued to tweet about this wall, which has become a central component to this fight over

immigration. The president is clearly not wanting to be seen as backing away from his promise in the campaign.

LU STOUT: Yes, the president is on defense when it comes to talking about the wall, about DACA. He wants to avoid a shutdown, because if the

shutdown happens, will his party ultimately be blamed?

PHILLIP: Well typically you will find that the party in power is the one that will hold the most blame. Republicans control both the House, the

Senate and the White House.

And what you hear from a lot of Republicans, is that they believe that this is not going to end well for them. At the same time, we also have heard

that the president believes that he will be able to blame Democrats for the shutdown.

A lot of Republicans simply disagree with that. If this government does shut down it could mean pain all across the country. Not just here in

Washington with federal employees in virtually all 50 states being affected by such a shutdown.

LU STOUT: Yes, less than 48 hours until the deadline, the clock is ticking, Abby Phillip, joining us live from the White House. Thank you,

Abby.

Reports that Mr. Trump used vulgar language to refer to African language, is still parking outrage around the world. And now the U.S. College Board

is reaching out to help the very people Mr. Trump allegedly disparaged. David McKenzie reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Raise your hand if you're going to go to university. These are Africa's best and brightest minds.

DANIEL DENG, STUDENT: Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Amherst and Babson.

MCKENZIE: So your safety school would be...

(LAUGHTER)

MCKENZIE: Daniel Deng is a refugee from South Sudan.

DENG: Everybody deserves dignity in their capacity as human beings.

MCKENZIE: In the wake of President Trump's offensive comments about Africa...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Africa is much more than poverty and famine.

MCKENZIE: U.S. admissions testing giants, College Board and ETS both have donated to the African leadership academy.

[08:20:00] HATIM ELTAYEB, DEAN, AFRICAN LEADERSHIP ACADEMY: I'm surprised every single day.

MCKENZIE: This school's dean is from Sudan by way of Harvard. His students come from deeply challenging back grounds. Thrown together from

across the continent, most are on scholarships. They have just a 5 percent acceptance rate here.

ELTAYEB: Are you excited about going to Harvard?

MCKENZIE: Hand-picked future leaders for a two-year bridge program, many are headed to U.S. colleges. Would it be a lost opportunity if people from

certain countries wouldn't be able to go to and study in the U.S.?

ELTAYEB: Undoubtedly. The more we build walls and the more we close doors, the more opportunities for magical connections and inspirational

discovery we miss out on.

MCKENZIE: Felix Morara is off to Yale. He said he would rather respond to Trump with action, not words.

FELIX MORARA, STUDENT: Comments such as these stem from the perception that a lot of Africans or immigrants come to take from the country. But I

don't think that's what a lot of us are aiming to do. A lot of us instead of getting something hope that that country will make us something.

MCKENZIE: A hope that the 263 students at the academy all share. David McKenzie, CNN, Johannesburg.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now it was a remarkable moment in Washington on Wednesday, President Trump's relentless attacks on journalists led Republican Senator

Jeff Flake to deliver an impassioned speech on the Senate floor. He warned that American democracy is at risk and went as far as comparing Mr. Trump

to a soviet dictator.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JEFF FLAKE (R), ARIZONA: The enemy of the people was how the president of the United States called the free press in 2017. Mr. President, it is

the testament to the condition of our democracy that our own president uses words infamously spoken by Joseph Stalin to describe his enemies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Let's get a more in-depth look at the impact of Mr. Trump's attacks on the media, especially here in Asia. And joining us from

Washington is Steven Butler, the Asia program coordinator from the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Steven, thank you so much for joining us here on the program. U.S. Senator Jeff Flake, incredible words there. You know, he said Trump's attacks on

the media are in fact inspiring authoritarian governments around the world. Are you seeing the Trump effect take hold here in Asia?

STEVEN BUTLER, PROGRAM COORDINATOR, COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS: Yes, absolutely. You look across the region, I think press freedom is retreat

in almost every country. In the Philippines, they're attempting to shut down a major independent news source. Journalists have been in jail in

Cambodia and Myanmar, it's frankly a depressing situation.

LU STOUT: And just to play devil's advocate here, is this really the impact of fake news and Donald Trump? Or was press freedom already under

threat in Asia?

BUTLER: I think we're seeing the culmination of a number of trends. One, the U.S. is definitely retreating in terms of its influence, its economic

influence, its political influence in the region. Donald Trump has added to that.

His statements certainly create an atmosphere in which leaders believe they can do what they want to the press and not face consequences. But the

other influence is China.

China has a very repressive, an intense control over their domestic press. And they run creasing their influence in the region.

If you look at Vietnam, it looks to me like they are actually copying some of the methods that China has used. In other cases, if the United States

turns away from these countries, they can turn to China for support.

LU STOUT: In case of Vietnam, there's citizen journalist who was recently arrested for flying a drone to cover a protest. You've mentioned a moment

ago about what's happening in the Philippines.

You know we know that the Philippines is home of a flourishing media, a number of outspoken news outlets. Rappler, the online news platform saw

its online operating license withdrawn this week. Is it due to Duterte -- is it due to Duterte emboldened by Donald Trump?

BUTLER: It's hard to say if Duterte has been emboldened by Donald Trump or it's the other way around. I mean, he's a bit around of his own character.

He has gone after, of curse, not just the press, but there have been thousands of suspected drug dealers who have been killed. The press has

gone after, including Rappler has gone after the president over this sort of activity and it's natural I think that his next step will be to

crackdown on it.

But you saw the president and, President Trump and President Duterte together joking about the press when President Trump was in Manila. So I

think they're birds of a feather here.

LU STOUT: Yes, that's right. I mean, they shared a joke about the press, oh, they're spies. And they had a chuckle in Manila earlier -- last year.

A case in Myanmar that has grabbed our attention, our viewers' attention about the two Reuters reporters, they are now facing up to 14 years in

prison for doing their job as journalists.

[08:25:00] What should the international community -- what can the international community do to advocate for their freedom and press freedom

at large across Asia?

BUTLER: Well, I think the international community has been doing actually what it should be doing. Particularly in the case of Myanmar, there has

been an inspiring unified international voice condemning what they're doing and calling for the release of these two individuals.

It would be wonderful if the president of the United States would join that but we've seen a very strong support from the Congress, from international

press freedom groups, from the European Union.

Hopefully there's another hearing on that case on the 23rd of January. Hopefully they will at least be granted bail. That's I think the best we

can hope for in the short-term.

LU STOUT: So from Myanmar to the Philippines, the press is under attack in Asia. Is it going to get worse this year?

BUTLER: Well it's hard to see why it would get better. It's -- I hate to say that. But the forces against press freedom, you have to say they're

growing stronger, they're not growing weaker.

And the lack of leadership from the United States is something that is completely new. And every president, you know prior to Donald Trump has

spoken out strongly in favor of press freedom.

You still have some people in the administration and in the diplomatic corps making an effort in this direction. But without the voice of the

president, it lacks power in the same way that it did previously.

LU STOUT: Very pessimistic outlook for press freedom in Asia. Steven Butler thank you for joining us. Steven Butler of CPJ, thank you so much.

We'll talk again soon. You're watching News Stream.

And up next on the program, risking death, in search of a better life. We'll meet the migrants who have already crossed deserts and the

Mediterranean Sea, and they face a new ordeal as they try to cross the Alps into France.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching News Stream and these are your world headlines.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: The U.S. President Donald Trump has accused Russia of helping North Korea evade international sanctions. He praised China's effort. But

says what China is helping with, Russia makes up for. Moscow calls Mr. Trump's accusation absolutely unfounded.

CNN has learned North Korea appears to be planning a military parade right before the opening ceremony of the Winter Games. It follows an

announcement that North and South Korea will field a joint women's hockey team and march together under one flag.

Fifty-two people are dead after a passenger bus caught fire in Western Kazakhstan. Five people managed to escape. The cause of the fire is still

unknown.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: First, they trekked across the desert and then, they managed to cross the Mediterranean Sea. But many African migrants trying to reach

France face a whole new challenge in Europe, the bitter cold of the alps. They make the perilous trek through heavy snow, often without proper shoes,

hoping to find a better life. Melissa Bell has seen firsthand the dangers they're facing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN PARIS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's been the longest of treks. With a determined step, these 16-year-old and 17-year-old boys

have already crossed from West Africa to Northern Italy in search of a better life. Ahead of them now, the French border and a perilous, nearly

two-kilometer high mountain pass. But this is not the first obstacle they faced on the journey and they say they're ready for anything.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNTRANSLATED).

BELL (voice-over): Simon, a local mountain rescuer, tries to convince them not to go. But the boys head up nonetheless. So, too, does Simon. He

doesn't find the group but later learns tht they had to turn around near the top. This winter, for the first time, he says, he spent more time

rescuing migrants than skiers.

SIMON BOBBIO, ALPINE RESCUE VOLUNTEER: They don't have the experience, you know. They don't know much about snow.

BELL (voice-over): But the rescuers don't always find the migrants. Often, all they can do is follow their tracks until they get too dangerously high

and night falls.

(on camera): The footsteps of the very luckiest migrants will lead here, to the French side of the border on the other side of that mountain. It is,

as you can see, extremely treacherous. It is very late at night, which is when they will arrive, after a long night's walk, and it is minus 10.

I'm extremely well equipped. They arrive here, of course, with nothing, often frostbitten but always cold and exhausted and confused. And even now,

after all they have through, it is still on the kindness of strangers that they depend for their very survival.

(voice-over): Strangers like Jeff and Gaspar, who are heading off on their evening round. They are part of a group of local volunteers that got

together this winter to try and save the migrants coming over the mountain. They worry that only the melting of the snow will tell how many have been

lost. On average, they find about 10 a night. Although tonight it's been quieter than usual, until their phone rings.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNSTRANSLATED).

BELL (voice-over): A desperate voice on the other end tries to describe where his group is. And so we set off in the car in search of a tunnel. But

after a couple of hours of fruitless searching, Gaspar realizes that the tunnel the migrants are at is in fact the one at the very top of the

mountain. So after a very short night, we set off to scale it from the French side. But once at the top, there is no one there.

(on camera): We are now at the very top of the mountain and overlooking Italy down below. This is probably the most dangerous part of the crossing

and you can see how treacherous conditions are as a result of the snowfall of the last few days.

Large risk of avalanches of course and you can see that the pass has been cut off, which is why these groups that we have been trying to reach over

the course of the last few days, have just been getting stuck on that side of the tunnel, unable to pass this way and therefore obliged to head back

down to Italy.

At other times though, this is also where migrants have been getting stuck and with disastrous consequences.

(voice-over): (INAUDIBLE) is one of those who made it to France. But after a night spent trapped at the top of the mountain, he lost his feet to

frostbite.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNTRANSLATED).

BELL (voice-over): (INAUDIBLE) made his crossing before the current wave of migrants. But he has not made it far. A year and a half on, he continues

to live in the shadow of the mountain that he still can't bear to look at.

Melissa Bell, CNN, in the Alps.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: From the perils of the alps to one of the coldest places on earth, Siberia. But frozen eyelashes (INAUDIBLE) for the 500 people who

call the remote settlements of (INAUDIBLE) home. Incredible video there. The Siberian Times says a new thermometer in the village recorded

temperatures as low as minus 62 degrees Celsius. Then it broke because it was too cold.

Prince Harry and fiancee Meghan Markle are on a visit to Wales and they're feeling the love at Cardiff Castle. Fans have been queuing up since the

early morning to get a glimpse of the couple.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have followed the royal family since we were tiny little girls.

[08:35:00] We go everywhere. We went to the royal wedding, queen's 90th. Everywhere. Judy and I, hopefully, if we get to meet her, we're going to

suggest that she comes to Cardiff for a (INAUDIBLE) night and Judy and I will take her round all the nightclubs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They are going to be very happy. They look good together. They look very happy. They do. Really do. So pleased for them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: They do look good together. Prince Harry and Meghan are to marry in Winter on May 19th.

You're watching "News Stream." Just ahead, China is investing heavily in clean energy and leading the world on manufacturing wind turbines. A look

at why it's on top, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Live from Hong Kong, welcome back, this is "News Stream." The International Renewable Energy Agency lists China as the world's biggest

investor in clean power. And a major part of the industry is about harvesting the power of the wind. Isa Soares has this look at how China

stays the world's number one manufacturer of wind turbines.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From powering its spectacular skylines, industrial factories, and the homes of more than 1.3 billion

people, China is the world's biggest consumer of energy. While still heavily reliant on coal, China has been making moves into renewables for

the last decade to help match the massive demand and combat severe pollution.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) invests about $300 billion in clean energy every year right now, and China accounts for about a third of that, so

that's about $100 billion a year. That has more than doubled the second- place investor in clean energy, which is the United States.

SOARES (voice-over): Here in (INAUDIBLE), the city three hours outside of Shanghai, is a glimpse into China's clean energy revolution. Unprecedented

in its scale. This manufacturing and engineering base belongs to envision energy. One of the world's largest wind turbine makers. This space alone

can turn out nearly 2,000 turbines a year.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, just looking at China alone, we have a 200 gigawatts in the store base wind farms which is actually providing about

120 million house, energy consumption. If you look at it on the employment basis, 1.2 million jobs in the wind industry globally. China has about half

of it. So it tells you China's importance in the whole supply chain.

SOARES (voice-over): China's part as a manufacturing giant in the global supply chain has helped drive down wind power prices worldwide. Falling

ever closer to the cost of coal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Over the last five to 10 years, because the innovations and technologies and efforts by envision and many other technology

companies, wind energy in most part of the world, is more competitive than any other fossil fuel-based energy generation.

SOARES (voice-over): Aside from manufacturing hardware, envision makes software, which (INAUDIBLE) says has helped create smarter, more connected

products.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you will ask me how I see wind turbines in the future, wind turbines, you should look at it as energy internet of things

platform.

[08:40:00] So we make each machine very, very intelligent. We're able to actually drive smart wind turbines, we call that Facebook of machines. So

machine is going to be able to talk to each other and directly to the consumers.

SOARES (voice-over): For analyst Justin Woo, it is technological innovations like these that will boost China's wind sector in the long run.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The way to think about this is basically one turbine goes up every half an hour in China today. I think the real question now

for China is, what to do with all the wind that's built and the future is looking at how to sort of not build more and more wind farms but how to

integrate the wind farms into the grid and how to deploy them more efficiently.

SOARES (voice-over): Isa Soares, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And news agencies are reporting that China's economy grew faster than expected in the fourth quarter, 6.8 percent from a year earlier. There

was concern curbs on credit might hurt economic expansion.

Now, it has been nearly a thousand years since England was last invaded. For the first time, the famous Bayeux Tapestry depicting William the

conqueror's invasion will be leaving France to go on display in Britain. The historical (INAUDIBLE) will be announced in a few hours when French

President Emmanuel Macron meets with the Bristish Prime Minister Theresa May. CNN's Jim Bittermann reports now from Paris.

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's probably a more significant event on the English side of the channel than on the

French side mainly because of the significance of the tapestry itself. It's almost 1,000 years old.

It was woven shortly after the Battle of Hastings in 1066, which is of course one of the most famous dates in English history, a date when William

the conqueror took over large parts of southern England from Harold, who was killed in that battle.

And the tapestry, which is in fact not a tapestry, rather a long piece of linen cloth, 224 feet long by a foot and a half wide, with scenes of the

battle leading up to the Battle of Hastings, woven into it. Now, the cloth has survived for almost 1,000 years after it was embroidered in England,

but it has been here in France, it's been here in Bayeux where it's been on display at the tapestry museum up in Bayeux in Normandy.

And the Bayeux officials were concerned that they were seeing fewer and fewer English visitors, British visitors coming to look at the tapestry.

They thought it might be more appropriate if it went back at least temporarily, to the place where it was woven.

And in fact, that's what's apparently going to happen. They're thinking it won't be, though, until 2023, when a renovation of that museum is about to

take place, and at which time it will go over to England.

It's not clear exactly where it will go. And how they will handle it. How they'll get it there. But it will be a very significant event indeed and

the mayor of Bayeux is hinting that if the English, who actually put this together in the first place wanted to restore it after 1,000 years, the

French would be most appreciative.

LU STOUT: Well, returning home after almost 1,000 years. That was Jim Bittermann reporting.

That is "News Stream." I'm Kristie Lu Stout, but don't go anywhere, "World Sport" with Amanda Davies is next.

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