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NEWS STREAM

Israel: Iran Brazenly Lying About Its Nuclear Program; Source: Kim Jong-Un Agrees To Meet Trump At DMZ; N.Y. Times Detains Special Counsel's Questions For Trump; One Hundred Uber Drivers Accused Of Sexual Assault Or Abuse. Aired at 8-9a ET

Aired May 1, 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)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Pushing back, the U.N. nuclear watchdog points out issues over Benjamin Netanyahu's claims against Iran. Dangerous ride, a CNN

investigation uncovers dozens of cases of Uber drivers being accused of sexually assaulting their passengers. And losing a co-founder, WhatsApp

boss Jan Koum calls it quits in a middle of a course of a clash with Facebook.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: The U.N. nuclear watchdog is calling into question Israel's claims that Iran is still pursuing nuclear weapons. The International

Atomic Energy Agency says that there is no evidence that Iran was trying to develop nuclear weapons after 2009.

This follows that dramatic presentation by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv on Monday. He said his country has uncovered

evidence, proving that Iran was brazenly lying about its nuclear weapons development.

But CNN analysis has found some of the key documents the Prime Minister referred to were seen by the IAEA several years ago. Mr. Netanyahu

appeared on CNN a short time ago, and defended his accusations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: The deal that everybody is talking about was premised on the fact that Iran had no such material.

But Iran bothered, took enormous pains after the nuclear deal, and before, but especially after to hide this information. It's like an arsenal of

knowledge. It's just in the minds of people's who they have.

It's the actual calculations of them, from the blue prints, the measurements, they kept it hidden because they don't want the world to know

what I showed yesterday, that they actually have this capability -- a pretty advance capability to manufacture nuclear weapons.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: A lot to get into here, including what is Iran saying about Israel's accusations. In a moment we will get reaction from Amir Daftari

in Tehran. But first, let's go to CNN's Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem.

Ore, again, the Israeli Prime Minister, we saw him bring up the props in the PowerPoint slides to accuse Iran of lying. Now the IAEA is calling it

all into question. What is quality of Netanyahu's defense of his evidence?

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and we saw this in the interview he did with CNN's Chris Cuomo,

as well as the presentation last night has essentially hit the same accusations that Iran had been developing a nuclear weapon in the past.

They had lied about it then. And they kept their information, he questions for what use, to develop a nuclear weapon again. That's the central core

of his argument, and that is what he is trying to convince everyone else of.

The problems as you point out, he hasn't succeeded. The IAEA not buying the argument, at least not now, and the other signatories to deal with the

exception of the U.S., showing that same level of skepticism. So the question remains for Netanyahu, what changed before this dramatic

presentation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NETANYAHU: Here is what got...

LIEBERMANN: It was Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his most theatrical standing in front of a screen taller than him, publicizing what

he says is proof that Iran lied.

NETANYAHU: First, Iran lied about never having a nuclear weapons program, 100,000 secret files proof that they lie. Second, even after the deal,

Iran continued to preserve, and expand its nuclear weapons know-how for future nuke use.

LIEBERMANN: Netanyahu said Israel recently acquired 55,000 documents of Iran's nuclear archive, and 55,000 files on display behind him. He called

it one of the country's biggest intelligence achievements.

He built his case that Iran lied to International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors in 2015 before the deal was signed, and has lied since about

their nuclear program, and its intentions.

NETANYAHU: Iran lied again in 2015 when it didn't come clean into the IAEA as required by the nuclear deal. And finally, the Iran deal, the nuclear

deal is based on lies. It's based on Iranian lies, and Iranian deception.

LIEBERMANN: Netanyahu spoke first in English. It wasn't a speech for local audience. This was meant for President Donald Trump, and his base.

Trump was listening.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think if anything of what's happening today, and what has happened over the last a little while,

and what we've learned has really shown that I've been 100 percent right.

LIEBERMANN: Now, Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif mocked Trump and Netanyahu, tweeting, President Trump is jumping at a rehash of old

allegations already dealt with by the IAEA to nix the deal.

[08:05:11] How convenient. Coordinated timing of allege intelligence revelations by the boy who cries wolf just days before May 12. But Trump's

impetuousness to celebrate blew the cover. Netanyahu used to reiterate that the deal is a bad deal.

NETANYAHU: This is a terrible deal.

LIEBERMANN: In recent months, he's change his language to fix it or nix it, a language echoed by Trump. Now it seems to be a new tactic, nix it or

else.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIEBERMANN: As for what the results of this presentation will be in the revelation of these documents, and these files, it seems the French see

this as a reason to keep the deal in place.

The Foreign Minister there is saying the presentation of the evidence, the materials that Netanyahu put forward are the reason the deal is important.

It gives an inspection tool, and it gives the world a look at what's happening, as well as a way to monitor, and to sanction if necessary.

LU STOUT: All right, Oren Liebermann with a view from Jerusalem, thank you for your reporting. Now we have more from that CNN New Day interview with

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In this clip, he characterizes the nuclear threat posed by Iran. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NETANYAHU: If this was known in 2015, the nuclear dead as was done would not be done. And in fact, the pre-condition for its implementation was

that Iran come clean, and it gave them a clean bill of health, that they have no secret nuclear weapons program. That's not true. They have it.

They kept it -- they kept it, and they are ready to us it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: OK. For Iranian reaction to this, Amir Daftari joins is now live from Tehran. And, Amir, how are officials there in Iran reacting to

Netanyahu's accusations against them?

AMIR DAFTARI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, as you may have heard a little bit in Oren's report, they are not taking it very seriously. They

take that sort of presentation from Prime Minister Netanyahu as typical of his over-the-top language, and theatrics when it comes to Iran.

They are calling it a show, a joke, a bunch of lies. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister actually was one of the first to respond, and he said an I, quote,

what we saw from Netanyahu was nothing but a childish, and ridiculous show.

And, Kristie, that sort of encapsulates the sentiment from Iranian officials at this point. Now, we haven't heard from Iran's president, or

Iran's supreme leader. And there is nothing is scheduled so far today. But as soon as they do say something, or do respond we'll be straight back

to report to you. Kristie.

LU STOUT: All right, Amir Daftari reporting live from Tehran, thank you. Now, the South Korean President Moon Jae-in is asking the U.N. to endorse a

landmark, Panmunjom Declaration. Well, the U.N. Secretary-General agrees that the declaration would help bring about peace on the Korean Peninsula.

He said it will have to be approved by the U.N. Security Council. Meanwhile, it looks like North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un has approved a

venue for his time to meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Now for more on that, and the latest diplomatic efforts, Alexandra Field joins me now live from Seoul. And, Alex, are all the main parties on board

with having Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un meet at the DMZ?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Look, there certainly seem to have been knowledge from all directions that the DMZ could be the sitting place

to do this, but this is not a done deal yet. And we should point out their skeptics particularly in Washington who were still pushing the idea of a

more neutral location.

The idea of Singapore has been included. That's not been ruled out by the White House at this point, of course, it wouldn't come with the same kind

of imagery that you get having this kind of meeting at the DMZ, and imagery seems to be particularly important to President Donald Trump himself.

It's been reported now by sources close to the President that he was keenly of course watching this historic moment, and that he was very taken with

the images that were being down around the world, these images that millions of people saw the North Korean and South Korean leaders stepping

over that line of demarcation at the DMZ.

This was certainly a gripping image that caught the world's attention. It seems to have appeal to President Trump who has said that the idea of

meeting at the DMZ face-to-face with Kim Jong-un is intriguing, and that if things were to go the right way, as he put it, that this would be the right

place for a celebration more than say third-party country, or a venue.

We also understand that President Trump discussed this with the South Korean President Kim -- President Moon Jae-in, the Blue House here in south

Korea has gone on to say that certainly there will be no more symbolic place to meet than the DMZ itself, and we do you know that President has

been in contact with the North about this idea.

It would make sense from the North Korean perspective to have this meeting at the DMZ, particularly for the logistics reasons involved here. There

are concerns in North Korea about how he would of course secure the movement of Kim Jong-un if he were to travel for a field for a summit with

the President.

[08:10:00] There are also the logistical concerns considering transportation itself. Kim Jong-un's father often traveled by armored

railcars, and there are questions about whether or not North Korea's aging fleet of airplanes could in fact carry the North Korean leader very far

without having to stop to refuel, which would be embarrassing on such a global sort of stage as we are expecting to see here, Kristie.

So, it does seem that there are reasons to all three sides would look to meet at the DMZ. It's certainly being talked about publicly and openly

now, but no firm commitment as to where this summit could take place.

LU STOUT: Got it. And at the DMZ today, no more blaring propaganda, no more K-pop, South Korea has start to take down those loud speakers. Why is

that a significant gesture?

FIELD: Look, every gesture at this point really, Kristie, is significant. If you consider where we were on the Korean Peninsula just a few months

ago, even a year ago, so what you got right now was this incredibly historic moment that happened on Friday.

Major declarations that were made about how to move forward and achieve peace on the Peninsula, and you are now seeing gestures that work toward

that goal. So this is a small, but certainly a symbolic step.

We're seeing the speakers actually dismantle, these are speakers that have been used for decades in times of heightened tension, and also often

contributing to tension on the Peninsula.

They were used to blast propaganda into North Korea, at the same time North Korean had its speakers, used for blasting propaganda into South Korea.

Those speakers have been silencing today. We saw the first step in South Korea which was to remove the speakers entirely. This process will take

some time.

Those speakers have been in place for a while, but we've also seen some additional steps, like the Unification Ministry here in South Korea,

instructing city groups not to make efforts to send propaganda across the border in forms of those USB drives, which they are used, and also

leaflets, which have been sent over the border in the past, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Alexandra Field live in Seoul, thank you. Some of the United States' most important trading partners are now breathing a sigh of relief

for now. President Trump granted another one month reprieve before imposing steel and aluminum tariffs on key allies.

Back in March, the White House announced the tariffs, but and delayed in posing them on imports from the E.U., Canada, Mexico, and a number of other

countries. Now Mr. Trump has now pushed the deadline back another 30 days, but said it is the last time he will do so.

Meanwhile, we are getting our first glimpse of the questions, Special Counsel Robert Mueller wants to ask Mr. Trump if the President sits down

for an interview.

The New York Times obtained a list of questions that covers the Trump campaign's ties to Moscow, and the firing of FBI director James Comey.

Abby Philip reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team is interested in asking President Trump at least four dozen questions as part

of their Russia probe, according to notes transcribed by the President's lawyers, and obtained by The New York Times.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. President, would you still like to testify to Special Counsel Robert Mueller, sir?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You would?

TRUMP: I would like to.

PHILLIP: A large portion of the questions appear to center on obstruction of justice, including the President's high-profile firings of National

Security adviser Michael Flynn, and FBI director James Comey. The questions specifically cite a number of the President's own statements,

including these remarks.

TRUMP: Regardless of recommendation, I was going to fire Comey, knowing there was no good time to do it. And in fact, when I decided to just do

it, I said to myself, I said, you know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story.

PHILLIP: The Special Counsel also seeking insights into the President's response to Attorney General Jeff Sessions' recusal from the Russia

investigation.

TRUMP: The Attorney General made a terrible mistake when he did this, and when he recused himself. Or he should have certainly let us know if he was

going to recuse himself, and we would have used a -- put a different attorney general in.

PHILLIP: The New York Times reports that another category of questions deals directly with Mueller's inquiry into potential coordination between

the Trump campaign and Russia, including the now infamous June 2016 Trump Tower meeting with Russians promising dirt on Hillary Clinton.

TRUMP: It must have been very important. It must have been a very important meeting, because I never even heard about it.

PHILLIP: Mueller's team is seeking information about the President's involvement in crafting the misleading initial statement about the purpose

of the meeting.

SARAH SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The President weighed in as any father would, based on the limited information that he had.

PHILLIP: The Times reports that investigators are also interested in learning about what the President knew about Russian hacking, and

communication between long-time adviser Roger Stone, and WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange.

TRUMP: Russia, if you're listening, I hope you're able to find the 30,000 e-mails that are missing.

PHILLIP: One question raising intrigue, what knowledge did you have of any outreach by your campaign, including by Paul Manafort, to Russia about

potential assistance to the campaign?

[08:15:08] No such outreach by the President's former campaign chairman has been reported. Manafort's former deputy, Rick Gates, is cooperating with

Mueller's probe.

The Special Counsel is also pursuing information about President Trump's knowledge of his son-in-law Jared Kushner's attempt to set up a back

channel to Russia during the transition.

SEAN SPICER, FORMER WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: He was a conduit to leaders, and that's until we had a State Department, a functioning place

for people to go.

PHILLIP: The President's businesses also under scrutiny, with Mueller seeking information about Mr. Trump's 2013 trip to Moscow, and discussions

he had with his personal attorney, Michael Cohen, about Russian real-estate developments during the campaign.

Cohen is now the subject of a separate criminal investigation. The FBI seized records from his home, office, and hotel room last month.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIP: And President Trump has already responded to the leak of these questions, calling it disgraceful. He also called collusion a made up,

phony crime. It also remains unclear whether President Trump will eventually sit down with the Special Counsel after his personal lawyer

Michael Cohen's office was raided. Sources told that the President was reconsidering his willingness to do that. Kristie.

LU SOTOUT: Abby Phillip reporting there. You are watching News Stream. And still ahead, a shocking CNN investigation. More than 100 Uber drivers

are accused of sexually assaulting or abusing their passengers. And the company has gone to great lengths to keep the allegations quiet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The next morning I woke, and both my pants, and my underwear were on the floor.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU SOTOUT: Uber advertises itself as a safe way to get a ride, but CNN has uncovered at least 100 cases of Uber drivers accused of sexually

assaulting, or abusing female passengers in the last four years. And it's not the only ridesharing giant facing such allegations. Drew Griffin has

more in this CNN exclusive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Anxiety and depression.

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Like many victims she feels shame, hasn't told her children, is trying to protect her own privacy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.

GRIFFIN: But still wants every woman to know what she says happened to her when she began feeling intoxicated at a Miami area bar, sought a safe ride

home, and used the convenient Uber app to summon a ride.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I don't remember anything until the next morning.

GRIFFIN: And the next morning?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The next morning I woke, and both my pants, and my underwear were on the floor.

GRIFFIN: Evidence pointed to assault. Her Uber driver, Nemar Abdullah (ph) is charged with felony sexual battery, has pled not guilty, and is

awaiting trial.

[08:20:08] She is suing the company that promises a safe ride home.

A CNN investigation has uncovered dozens of cases like hers, none of the information comes from Uber, which did not provide CNN numbers on how many

of its drivers have been accused of sexual assaults, the company saying they are working through their data.

Instead, CNN scoured public records, police reports, civil and criminal court cases, and talked with a dozen attorneys representing victims. The

results, CNN has documented at least 103 Uber drivers in the U.S. who've been accused of sexually assaulting, or abusing their passengers in the

past four years.

At least 31 of those drivers had been convicted on charges ranging from battery to rape. Dozens of criminal and civil cases are pending.

Uber is by far the largest ride-share company with 15 million rides per day worldwide. And while hard to compare directly, the smaller ride share

company Lyft with 1 million rides per day in the U.S. and Canada is also dealing with sexual assaults by its drivers.

A similar CNN review found 18 cases of Lyft drivers accused. Four drivers had been convicted. A dozen criminal and civil cases are pending.

Lyft told CNN, the safety of the Lyft community is our top priority. And their company says it has worked hard to design policies and features that

protect our community.

Many of the cases fit a pattern like this one, when this woman was escorted out of a bar in Long Beach, California, and got into the back seat of an

Uber.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I fell asleep.

GRIFFIN: Drunk, young, alone. What should have been a 10-minute Uber drive home turned into three hours. You were in the backseat.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

GRIFFIN: You were, I assume, passed out.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. He would have woke me up if he had to. He was already penetrating me, and then I remember having perform an oral sex.

And then after that I don't really remember.

GRIFFIN: She awoke the next day with severe pain. Like the victim in Miami, she went to a hospital, and called police. Her driver, a 47- year-

old man, was found carrying her cell phone at a car wash, and arrested. He had been charged with a prior sexual crime, but never convicted which

allowed him to pass Uber's background check.

Charges against him in this case eventually dismissed. The Uber driver insisted the sex in the backseat of his car was consensual. She is now

suing Uber. Were you able to fight back, tell him no?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was too inebriated.

GRIFFIN: The individual reports from across the country are horrific. In San Diego an Uber driver pled guilty to raping one passenger, and sexually

assaulting at least nine other women in a serial rape case that sent him to prison for 80 years.

In Northern Ohio, an Uber driver pled guilty to unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, forcing a young passenger to perform a sex act on him.

In Fort Worth, Texas an Uber driver allegedly kidnapped an elderly passenger, driving her to a wooded area where according to the police

report he raped and beat her. He has not entered a plea.

Victims kidnapped, raped, trapped in cars with electronic locks. One victim told police she was forced to drink her driver's urine.

And multiple experts from police to lawyers to prosecutors tell CNN the actual number of Uber drivers accused is much higher than the 103 we found.

Either the crimes aren't reported, there isn't enough evidence to prosecute, or Uber quietly settles the matter before a civil case can even

be filed. Uber first agreed to, and then cancelled an interview with CNN about this story.

And instead gave us a statement about safety updates the company has made since CNN first started asking about the pattern of sexual assaults months

ago, including an emergency button, driver screening improvements, and the addition of the former secretary of Homeland Security to head up Uber's

safety advisory board. The company insists it's putting safety at the core of everything we do.

JEANNE CHRISTENSEN, ATTORNEY: Uber has done a miraculous job of keeping the stories quiet.

GRIFFIN: Attorney Jeanne Christensen has been suing Uber on behalf of victims since 2015. Uber, she says, settles cases, and demands silence

from all parties, non-disclosure agreements in exchange for a settlement. How many cases have you and your firm handled?

CHRISTENSEN: I can't go on record and say there. There's confidentiality, sorry.

GRIFFIN: Multiple attorneys across the country have told CNN the same. Like other major corporations, any settlement offer from Uber comes first

with a confidentiality agreement to be signed by the sexual assault victim.

[08:25:00] In fact, eight attorneys told CNN they couldn't even discuss their Uber cases.

CHRISTENSEN: It's one reason why our firm decided to file a class action at this time. We're not simply filing cases so that Uber pays women money,

and their lawyers to be quiet about it any more. And that was a conscious decision that we made.

GRIFFIN: In addition to money, Christensen's class action lawsuit against Uber seeks more thorough screening of drivers. You can become a driver for

Uber completely online.

Uber does its own background checks, and has fought requiring background checks that involve fingerprints. Critics including government regulators

say the company needs to do much more to make sure its riders are safe.

After CNN began asking question about all these sexual assaults, Uber announced the company is implementing new changes like re-running

background checks for its drivers, at least once a year. Drew Griffin, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Such an important story. We thank and his team for that. You're watching News Stream. And still to come, a high-profile figure in

the Vatican is facing charges of historical sexual abuse. And now Cardinal George Pell will stand trial. We've got the reaction from Rome.

Plus, the United Nations is in Myanmar, looking into the violent military crackdown on Rohingya Muslims. What the team is hoping to accomplish

Rakhine State, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You are watching News Stream, and these are your world headlines. The U.S. nuclear watching is

calling into question Israel's claims that Iran is still pursuing a nuclear weapons program.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the allegations during a dramatic presentation in Tel Aviv. The International Atomic Energy Agency says

there is no evidence that Iran was trying to develop nuclear weapons after 2009. A short time ago, New Day's Chris Cuomo spoke with the Israeli Prime

Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: A yes-no question for you. Does Israel have nuclear capabilities, and nuclear weapons? Yes or no?

NETANYAHU: We've always said that we won't be the first to introduce it, so we haven't introduced it.

CUOMO: But that's not an answer to the question.

NETANYAHU: And I'll tell you one thing...

CUOMO: Do you have them or do you not?

NETANYAHU: ... any country. It's as good an answer as you're going to get.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: And we will have Chris Cuomo's full interview the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. You don't want to miss it. We're going to

re-air it on Connect the World starting perfume 4:00 p.m. London time, 11 p.m. in Hong Kong, only on CNN.

The South Korean President Moon Jae-in is asking the U.N. to endorse the landmark Panmunjom declaration. The U.N. secretary general says it will

have to be approved by the U.N. Security Council. Meanwhile, a source tells CNN that North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un has agreed to hold his planned

meeting with U.S. President Trump at the DMZ.

The most senior figure in the Catholic church to be charged in the sexual abuse crisis will now face trial. Vatican treasurer Cardinal George Pell

entered a not guilty plea when he appeared in an Australian court. The magistrate dropped half the charges against him. Pell denies the multiple

counts of historical sexual abuse he now faces.

Our Vatican correspondent Delia Gallagher joins me now live from Rome with more on this. Delia, Cardinal Pell will stand trial. The case will move

forward. What impact is this going to have on the Catholic church and on Pope Francis?

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, a lot of that, Kristie, will depend of course on the outcome of the trial. The decision that we

have today is that the trial will go forward but we don't yet know when it will start or indeed when we will have a final verdict.

The Vatican issued a statement shortly after the decision this morning, saying that they take note of the decision of the court in Australia. And

crucially, Kristie, Cardinal Pell's leave of absence to Vatican remains in place.

That is an important point because aside from the most crucial question in this case which is about the guilt or innocence of Cardinal Pell, one of

the consequences for the Vatican and the pope has been that it has left them without their finance minister.

Pope Francis in his statement this morning, saying essentially that he is keeping Cardinal Pell's position as finance minister open. Now, Cardinal

Pell also gave a statement following the decision, and I'll just read that for you, Kristie.

He says, Cardinal George Pell has at all times fully cooperated with Victoria Police and always and steadfastly maintained his innocence. He has

voluntarily return to Australia to meet these accusations. He will defend the remaining charges. He would like to thank all those who have supported

him from both here in Australia and overseas during this exacting time and is grateful for their continuing support and prayers.

And Kristie, Pope Francis has said last year that he will not comment on the case until justice has spoken. And as we said, that may take some

months if not until next year before we have a final verdict and therefore before we hear from Pope Francis on the case. Kristie?

LU STOUT: Delia Gallagher reporting live from Rome, thank you. Now to the U.S.-Mexico border where dozens of migrants have spent another night

sleeping out in the open, waiting to see if they will get a chance to seek asylum in the U.S. We've been told by activists that eight people have now

already been processed. And here is the reaction of fellow migrants to that news.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE/UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Good news for some. But others, they are refusing to leave until they too are granted entry. The migrants arrived at this U.S. entry point

near Tijuana, Mexico on the weekend. They traveled for weeks to get there from Central America.

Myanmar has assured the United Nations that harsh actions will be taken against those who commit sexual violence. The bill (ph) comes as U.N.

Security Council envoy continues its mission in Bangladesh and Myanmar to see the aftermath of the military crackdown in the Rakhine State.

Nearly 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled the area with reports of violent attacks in their villages. On Monday, the U.N. team met with Myanmar's de

facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. Until now, the country's government has rejected U.N. request to visit the region.

Knut Ostby is the U.N. resident and humanitarian coordinator in Myanmar. He joins me now from Naypyidaw via Skype. Sir, thank you so much for joining

us here on the program. A lot of questions to ask you. First, your meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi. The U.N. Security Council delegation met with her.

The groups pressed her for access into Myanmar. Was she receptive to that message?

KNUT OSTBY, U.N. RESIDENT AND HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR: Thank you very much. It was a very peaceful (ph) exchange of news. I'm very happy that we

have from the government including from Aung San Suu Kyi an interest now in negotiating the U.N., UNHCR, and UNDP in particular in organizing the

return of refugees and preparing the conditions for refugees. I'm very glad we also have the Security Council's support for that. Important to make

that happen --

[08:34:59] LU STOUT: And int that meeting with Aung San Suu Kyi, did you get the sense that Aung San Suu Kyi is acknowledging that yes, this is a

crisis or is she still in denial of the crackdown, of a cause nearly 700,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee her country?

OSTBY: This crisis, as you said, has caused more than 700,000 people to leave. I thin Aung San Suu Kyi needs to speak for herself. But we are very

glad they are willing to negotiate the return of refugees in a condition voluntary and dignified manner.

There are still some negotiations left before we can conclude an agreement, but I am very optimistic that we can reach a situation where there can be

return refugees without conditions.

LU STOUT: OK, got it. You also managed to get access to Rakhine State. That is the area from which the Rohingya fled. When the group traveled and

was able to assess Rakhine, did you manage to get an accurate assessment of what happened?

OSTBY: We flew over via helicopter and visited several villages. We visited areas the government is preparing for return. The overflight with

helicopter is a quite dramatic sight. The landscape is quite empty, quite opposed to the Cox's Bazar area on the Bangladesh side which is extremely

crowded with refugees. The landscape is full of sights, many villages have been burned and later on bulldozed.

The conditions (INAUDIBLE) are not quite ready for return yet, (INAUDIBLE) to make some physical conditions ready, but it's important also that

refugees will come back having identity, they had their lives aligned with other people living in the area, that they have safety, and they can live

in peace with their names.

LU STOUT: As you said, the conditions are not quite right for the Rohingya Muslims to return to Myanmar. So in the meantime, they are toiling in this

camps, these crowded camps in Bangladesh.

We have seen video of members of the U.N. Security Council team meeting up with the refugees, confronted with some raw emotion, just young refugee

women and girls crying, seeking solace. What was that like to witness and will you be able to make the situation any better?

OSTBY: The refugees in Bangladesh are really in a dire condition. The monsoon is coming up in a few weeks. This might become a disaster within

the disaster. They have very few options on where to go.

And as I said, the conditions for return are not yet in place. But I think what we need to do is to focus on how the conditions can be made ready so

people can return. I think this is in spite of the difficulties, probably their best option.

LU STOUT: Knut Ostby of the U.N. in Myanmar, thank you so much for joining us here on the program.

OSTBY: Thank you.

LU STOUT: Now, Taiwan has been dealt another diplomatic blow. The Dominican Republic has announced it has severed ties with Taipei. The

Caribbean nation has now switch its allegiance to China. Here you see the foreign ministers of those two countries signing the formal agreement.

China and Taiwan, they separated in 1949 but Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory. You can imagine this is not going down well in Taipei.

Here is the reaction from the government there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSEPH WU, TAIWANESE FOREIGN MINISTER: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemns China's objectionable decision to use dollar diplomacy to

convert Taiwan's diplomatic allies. Beijing's attempts at foreign policy have only served to drive a wedge between the people on both sides of the

Taiwan Strait, erode mutual trust, and further harm the feelings of the Taiwan people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: The president of Taiwan added to that on Twitter. She said that her nation will never bow to pressure from Beijing.

Now, the co-founder of WhatsApp announces his departure from Facebook. But what does it mean for more than one billion of us who still use the

messaging service? We'll take a look, coming up.

[08:40:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back. Now, Facebook is facing global scrutiny over use of customer's data. Now, it's losing one of its biggest advocates for

privacy. WhatsApp co-founder, Jan Koum, he is leaving Facebook after disagreement over plans for users' data and weakening encryption.

Koum is an immigrant to the United States whose family fear that the KGB was listening in on their calls. He started WhatsApp with Brian Acton back

in 2009. When they sold to Facebook in 2014, he told their users, respect for your privacy is coded into our DNA. The company now has more than one

billion monthly users around the world.

But Pranav Dixit, the tech reporter for BuzzFeed News, says Facebook is looking at ways to make more money off WhatsApp.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRANAV DIXIT, TECH REPORTER, BUZZFEED NEWS: We actually don't know what Facebook is planning to do to modify WhatsApp moving forward. We know a

little bit of (INAUDIBLE). We know WhatsApp (INAUDIBLE) WhatsApp to get in touch with (INAUDIBLE).

There is a Wall Street Journal report today that claims that Facebook is planning to put ads into the WhatsApp (INAUDIBLE) which are basically

(INAUDIBLE) on WhatsApp.

But to do that, they will have to (INAUDIBLE) these ads. And to (INAUDIBLE) these ads, they would have to collect user data which is something that

WhatsApp and its founders were very against because they value the privacy of their users.

So we don't know how WhatsApp is going to look with ads but what we do know is that its ads are involved moving forward. They would have to collect the

data of WhatsApp users and that would probably not look very good right now.

LU STOUT: (INAUDIBLE) changes on WhatsApp. That was Pranav Dixit of BuzzFeed there. And that is "News Stream." I'm Kristie Lu Stout. Don't go

anywhere. "World Sport" with Alex Thomas is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:45:00] (WORLD SPORT)

END