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NEWS STREAM

Wildfires at the Greek capital of Athens; 65 people have died in Japan on the record-setting heat wave; Dam collapse in Laos; Iran warns U.S to be cautious; Trump to revoke ex-Obama officials' security clearance; New satellite images show North Korea and denuclearization; Israeli military shots down a Syrian fighter that entered its airspace. Aired at 8-9a ET

Aired July 24, 2018 - 08:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:00:00] ANNA COREN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong and welcome to "News Stream."

A seaside on fire. Deadly blazes burn through resort areas near the Greek capital.

Dismantling a test site. Satellite images of appear to show North Korea making progress taking down a key launch facility.

And attacking former intel chiefs. Donald Trump threatens to revoke the security clearances for Obama-era officials.

And we begin in Greece where fast-moving wildfires sweeping through villages in the outskirts of Athens have already claimed at least 50 lives.

The flames filled by powerful winds, they spread so quickly, many were forced to flee into the sea. Emergency crews made a gruesome discovery near

one of the badly burned villages. They found 26 charred bodies lying close together, some of them embracing each other, just 30 meters from the sea.

The head of Greece's Red Cross is reported saying that the group tried to find an escape route but just didn't make it in time. On the line now from

Athens is Elinda Labropoulou. Now Elinda, these fires are burning in three major fronts. What's the latest on the blazes and the lives that they've

taken?

ELINDA LABROPOULOU, JOURNALIST (via telephone): Well we currently have three large fronts in greater Athens, one of them near Corinth. The images

that you just described including the one of the 26 people have really shocked the nation. It's an unprecedented catastrophe. The level of

destruction remains unknown to us in its full scale and the confirmed death toll has risen to 50 but there are many dozens injured including many

children.

And there are many fears that the death toll could rise as the fire services continue to receive calls about people missing. The Greek Prime

Minister Alexi Tsipras has declared three days of national mourning and has said that Greece is going through one of its toughest times. He also

thanked world leaders for their support as messages of solidarity keep coming in along with actual help that Greece requested.

And the Greek media are already talking about a natiional tragedy and some describe the scene as a modern day Pompeii. Most of the confirmed victims

including the 26 that were found together, they were trapped in the seaside resort of Mati, which is about 40 kilometers northeast of Athens. It's

close to the historic site of Marathon. And most died either in their homes or their cars while trying to flee or reach the sea. Some got out of their

cars and started running it seems, when they saw the flames approaching.

The local mayor in the area said that over 1,500 homes have burned completely as have several hundred cars. And he also said that as rescuers

haven't reached many of these burned area, there could be many more dead. Now, being in the area, we're looking at images of complete devastation. We

understand many of the houses that are still standing don't have electricity. People need to be evacuated.

The sky is gray. It's covered in smoke. It remains very difficult to get close and there are still very strong winds in the area making the

operations very difficult. Now, the locals who are there, they're standing a little further away. They're saying that their area has been taken off

the map. Many want to go see their homes. Many simply fear doing so.

We have to understand that this is an area that is a very middle-class, Greek area mainly where people have their summer homes. Many families were

there with their children. The schools are out. It's now in summer holiday so many people were in their homes when this happened. And many tried to

flee, most of them heading to the coast or at least the ones who managed to get there.

Many gathered in small beaches and it's the coast guard that picked up over 700 people so far and they're still continuing operations in the area as

well. So with the three large fronts that are still underway in greater Athens, we have hundreds of firefighters trying to battle the blazes. We

have helicopters. Basically any means available are being used and at the same time international aid is continuing to come in.

[08:05:06] It's worth pointing out at this point that Greece is not a stranger to wildfires, but what we're experiencing today is the worst in

over 10 years. In 2007, 77 people were killed in wildfires in the Peloponnese, but some fear that today's toll could actually be higher.

LU STOUT: A rising death toll as you reported, mass evacuations, this is a national tragedy in Greece. Erlinda Labropoulou, we thank you for your

reporting.

In Japan, scorching temperatures there have proven to be deadly. At least 65 have died at the country's record-setting heat wave and more than 22,000

have been hospitalized over the past two weeks after public and sporting events have been canceled as temperatures hover in the high 30s.

The mercury topped a 41-degree celsius on Monday. Now for more, let's bring in CNN's Chad Myers. He joining us from the weather center, and Chad, the

death toll there in Japan continues to rise. Why has this heat wave taken so many lives in Japan?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, you would think a very technologically advanced culture there, but many people still don't have

air conditioning because they usually don't need it. But that 41.1 that we talked about, this was an all-time high temperature found just to the north

of Tokyo in Kumagaya, 41.1 C. Now that's in the shade and it doesn't even include the heat index.

The humidity was so high making it feel like 45. If you were in the sun, the air temperature felt like 52. So, you have to understand, your body

temperature is somewhere around 37. That's how much hotter it is here and it's going to remain hot for just a couple more days, but we have much

relief on the way.

So, there is your 41.1, all-time high. Any date, any city in the entire country of Japan, it's never been hotter than that for any city in any

place for the entire country. So that's how hot it has been. We are going to see 41 for Osaka for Thursday's heat index. That's slightly cooler that

you've been. The further you go toward the south, the hotter it is. The farther you go toward the north and the higher in elevation, the cooler is

as well.

So we finally we get some relief. We finally get back down into the 20s, because this bubble of hot air, Kristie, is right over the area now but it

goes away and some more marine air comes in. I know that is still humid but it is not as hot. So your heat index will be high but you temperatures will

be at least seasonal. So we're back down into the 20s where we should be because the normal high should be 30.

By Friday and Saturday we're back down to 28. Those are high temperatures so finally some relief. It's been hot at night. The buildings don't cool

down at night. Your apartment doesn't cool down so all of a sudden it's just an oven that gets hotter and hotter and hotter. Finally the relief is

on the way.

LU STOUT: Yeah, good to hear that relief is on the way. This has been such an oppressive and deadly heat wave there in Japan. Chad Myers reporting.

Thank you.

Now, in southern Laos, hundreds of people there are missing after a dam collapsed on Monday. Media reports six villages have been flooded. Several

people died. More than 6,000 are now homeless. Joining me now, New Delhi bureau chief Nikhil Kumar. And Nikhil, this is a developing story. What

more have you learned about this dam collapse in Laos?

NIKHIL KUMAR, CNN BUREAU CHIEF: As you said, it is still developing. The details as you said, hundreds missing. We know that several are dead. We

don't have a precise number. The South Korean company, construction company involved in building this dam, we know that 53 South Koreans were there at

the site. They have evacuated. We've been told by the South Korean foreign ministry before the flooding happened.

The company is sending rescue teams to help with the effort. They're sending helicopters and boats. This is in southern Laos right at the bottom

-- Cambodia to the south and it's, you know, as you said, it seems like -- it sounds like quite a large-scale operation that needs to take place now

to get everyone to safety. Six-thousand people, more than 6,000 people from what we understand affected by this -- numerous villages.

The prime minister over there has said that there was going to be a government meeting, a regular government meeting in August. He's decided to

put that on hold as the government puts all of its efforts in making sure that the rescue and relief operation in this area can proceed smoothly,

that the people can get out. But as I say, we're still waiting for full details as to how this happened, what exactly happened.

The area we know has been hit by some heavy rainfall in recent days. But we have to wait to find out more about the precise cause of this disaster and

to find out more about the impact. The number of people, as I say, dead, we do not yet know. We do understand that were fatalities but we're still

waiting for more clarity on the exact numbers, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Precise numbers we don't know yet, but the toll, the numbers that are coming in, it is very, very alarming. Thank you very much indeed

for giving us the update. Nikhil Kumar joining us live from New Delhi there.

[08:10:00] Now, new satellite images appear to show that North Korea is dismantling one of its key test sites. And coming up next right here on

"News Stream," we're going to look at how this fits into the deal reached at that summit in Singapore.

And Iran says it is unimpressed with Donald Trump's latest twitter threat and issues a warning of its own.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Live from Hong Kong, welcome back. You're watching "News Stream."

South Korea is welcoming the latest satellite images of the north as a sign that Pyongyang is moving towards denuclearization. The monitoring group 38N

North released these pictures apparently showing that North Korea has begun dismantling a key nuclear site. Most notably the group says that includes a

rail-mounted processing building where space launch vehicles are assembled before moving them to the launch pad. Also the nearby rocket engine test

site.

And joining me now for more on the story is CNN's Will Ripley. And Will, walk us through these images. Is this proof that North Korea is making

progress for denuclearization?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And this is what 38 North are saying. It's a small step towards denuclearization but it's a very long road. These

images taken just in the last couple of days, we really don't know much about Sohae because it's very rare for international journalist and experts

to be allowed in.

But there is an animation that kind of shows you this six-square kilometer side. It was really the centerpiece of North Korea's satellite program that

a lot of people thought was a ballistic missile program in disguise. You can see where they launched satellites first in 2012.

That satellite launch by the way in 2012 scuttled a very short-lived denuclearization deal that was negotiated with the Obama administration

during the early days of Kim Jong-un's reign because once North Korea launched this, the U.S. said you're testing ballistic missile technology

that could be used to carry a warhead even though North Koreans have long insisted that these satellite launches were purely for peaceful purposes,

scientific research, they said.

LU STOUT: Yes, in fact it wasn't that long ago that you were inside North Korea at this nuclear site talking to North Korean officials who

effectively told you nothing to see here. This is all for peaceful purposes.

RIPLEY: We visited their satellite control center in Pyongyang and I spoke with some of the researchers, some of them as young as 21 years-old who

were specially recruited to develop this kind of technology and, yes, they told me that everything they were doing was purely for peace. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: What can you say to the world to prove that this is not a ballistic missile program in disguise?

HYON GWANG IL, DIRECTOR, SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, SOHAE SATELLITE TESTING SITE (through translator): Why on earth would we drop

nuclear bombs on the people of the world including the United States?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: And we know since then the North Koreans have repeatedly threatened to drop nuclear bombs on the United States and elsewhere. So,

again, they've dismantled this satellite launch site, but one key thing to know, Kristie, Sohae was relying on liquid fuel technology and liquid fuel

is kind of an antiquated way to launch ballistic missiles. You have to roll them out. Satellites can see the missiles sitting there for quite some time

when they fuel it up. In the years since then, North Korea has moved on to solid fuel.

[08:15:02] And now what we've seen in recent years, they roll out these mobile missile launchers, these solid fuel ballistic missiles that can be

launched with almost no notice and almost no eyes from the skies, and that's what's much more dangerous. And as of right now, Kristie, there is

no evidence that North Korea has dismantled any of those solid fuel facilities, which means, again, one small step but a long way to go towards

denuclearization.

LU STOUT: And a very small it is. Will Ripley, always fascinating to get your insight. Thank you.

RIPLEY: Thanks.

LU STOUT: Meanwhile, Iran is warning the U.S., be cautious. This is the latest in a twitter war with President Donald Trump. Foreign Minister Javad

Zarif, he tweeted late on Monday this quote, color us unimpressed. The world heard even harsher bluster a few months ago. Be cautious. Mr. Trump

took aim at Tehran on Sunday after the Iranian president Hassan Rouhani warned that war with his country would be the mother of all wars.

He went all caps with his response tweeting that if Mr. Rouhani ever threatens the U.S. again, he will suffer consequences the likes of which

few throughout history have ever suffered before. The White House press secretary defended Mr. Trump's threat because, well, Iran started it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARA HUCKABEE SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president's been, I think, pretty strong since day one in his language towards Iran. He was

responding to comments made from them and he's going to continue to focus on the safety and security of American people.

The ultimate goal and the focus of the president is making sure that we keep nuclear weapons out of their hands and that we focus on the protection

of Americans.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Okay. Now CNN's Nick Paton Walsh joins me now live from London with more. Nick, this harsh rhetoric continues to unfold between the U.S.

and Iran. Is these just words or this is for shadow potential conflict?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's unlikely we'll see a direct (inaudible) more between the U.S and the Iranian

government at any point in the next few months unless things wildly escalate in an unforeseen kind of way. What you do have though is because

of this bizarre social media back and forth continually backed up by officials on both sides as a heightened sense of tension across the region.

So when, for example, Israel says it shoots down a Syrian fighter that just happened in the last few hours or so. Well, Syria is backed by Iran and

Israel is backed by the U.S. So you have two proxies there taking one, taking each other's aircraft out of the sky with presumably Americans fly

(ph) patriot missiles causing a great sense of tension and of course, back at each other's throats albeit across twitter.

But what a weird world we're in, Kristie. Javad Zarif was the man involved in the nuclear negotiations with John Kerry. That was done in secret with

the discreet (ph) text messages between the two comparative (ph) Secretary of States and led to a complex, detailed, but a relatively effective

agreement that took Iran out of the nuclear weapons race it seems temporarily at least now.

We have a long list of demands from the United States, a kind of a wish list, the 12 things they would like Iran to do, most of which are pretty

much unacceptable to Iran. And backed up by oddly the national security advisers, John Bolton seconding Donald Trump and saying that if Iran,

quote, did anything negative at all, but a broad threshold that is for military action, that they would suffer extraordinary consequences.

So, avery delicate place we're already in the Middle East here, and this back and forth with javad Zarif perhaps largely slightly repeating the

phrase of Donald Trump back at him to be cautious. Also backed up by statements from the powerful speaker of Iran's parliament speaker, Ali

Larijani, saying, listen, this is just silly diplomacy. And also suggestions too from the Iranian foreign minister, this is basically the

result of the quote, utter helplessness of the U.S. after pulling out of the Iranian nuclear deal I mentioned earlier on.

We are into not only an unprecedented moment in U.S.-Iranian relations but this is happening in the backdrop of a Middle East where each time some

small possible spark comes along the border concern is, does this lead into a matter of hours now because of the heightened atmosphere into some sort

of broader conflagration, albeit between Iran and the U.S. proxies.

LU STOUT: Nick Paton Walsh live from London. Thank you.

The White House says that U.S. President Donald Trump is considering revoking the security clearances of former tope intelligence officials

because they criticized him over the Russia investigation. And there is word that such a move could undermine U.S. security efforts which sometimes

rely on past officials to provide counsel on classified matters.

Well CNN's Abby Phillip joins me from Washington with more. Abby, why is President Trump seeking to revoke these security clearances? Is this just

because he wants to silence his critics?

ABBY PHILLIP, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well Kristie, good morning. The president is apparently considering this according to Sarah Huckabee

Sanders, the deputy press secretary at the White House, or the press secretary of the White House here. But a senior administration official

tells us that this is not something that he is rushing to do, that he is rushing to make a decision about.

In part, because one of the reasons this is coming up now is because the president is interested in keeping the conversation going about former

Obama administration officials and he looks at this as just another way to go after what he calls the deep state.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[08:20:11] PHILLIP: The White House intensifying their war with the U.S. intelligence community, announcing that President Trump is considering

stripping six former national security officials of their security clearances.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANDERS: They've politicized and in some cases monetized their public service and security clearances.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIP: These Obama officials have been critical of President Trump's attacks on the intelligence community and the Russia investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

MICHAEL HAYDEN, FORMER CIA DIRECTOR: I know we're not Nazi Germany, alright. But there is a commonality there.

JOHN BRENNAN, FORMER CIA DIRECTOR: When I used term this is nothing short of treasonous I equate it to the betrayal of one's nation.

JAMES CLAPPER, FORMER DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE: How much longer does the country have to -- to borrow a phrase -- endure this nightmare?

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

PHILLIP: The idea for revoking clearances was raised by Senator Rand Paul who met with the president yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. RAND PAUL (R), KENTUCKY: I don't think that ex-CIA agents of any stripe (ph), who are now talking heads should continue to get classified

information. I think it's wrong.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIP: Former national security officials routinely maintain their security clearances after they leave office partly son they can counsel

their successors on classified matters. Two on the list, former FBI director James Comey and former deputy FBI director Andrew McCabe no longer

have security clearances, because they were terminated after Trump took office.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

CLAPPER: For political reasons, this is kind of a petty way of retribution, I suppose, for speaking out against the president.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIP: Critics pointing to Michael Flynn who was fired by the Obama administration, but kept his security clearance while acting as a surrogate

for the Trump campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL FLYNN, FORMER NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: Lock her up. That's right.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIP: Flynn went on to become Trump's first national security adviser, but was later fired for misleading the vice president about his contacts

with Russia. President Trump targeting some of these Obama officials in an interview last week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFF GLOR, CBS NEWS HOST: Do you think any intelligence agencies, U.S. intelligence agencies are out to get you?

DONALD TRUMP, PRESDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, certainly in the past it's been terrible. You look at Brennan, you look at Clapper, you look at

Hayden. Certainly I can't have any confidence in the past, but I can have a lot of confidence in the present and the future.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIP: The White House reiterating that the president has faith in the intelligence community, despite walking back the walk back, again calling

the Russia investigation a hoax.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANDERS: The president once has purposefully remained uninvolved in this process. However, he sees more and more every single day that this is

proving further and further to be a total witch-hunt.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIP: And President Trump today in just a few minutes is going to be heading over to Kansas City where he's going to be speaking before a

convention for the veterans of foreign wars. But as he does that, of course, there are so many questions swirling around him about a number of

issues especially on the foreign policy front -- Iran, Russia and North Korea being among them, Kristie.

LU STOUT: And Abby, Donald Trump is up and tweeting this morning. In fact, in the last hour he has fired off a couple of tweets about tariffs. What is

he saying?

PHILLIP: That's right. Well, the president is back again talking about this issue of tariffs and saying, to quote him, tariffs are the greatest.

He is saying in this tweet that this is something that will be great for America. Either a country which has treated the United States unfairly on

trade, negotiates a fair trade deal or it gets hit with tariffs. It's as simple as that.

He says everyone is talking. Remember, we are the piggy bank that's being robbed. But of course, he does not mention in that tweet the retaliatory

tariffs that the United States is already looking at from countries like the E.U. and also China. Many U.S. allies, once our partners on trade, now

looking to retaliate against the president's tariffs. So, this is clearly something that's front of mind.

The head of the E.U. is expected to be here at the White House, which the president has also tweeted about this morning. Very soon one of the issues

that they are going to talk about is going to be trade, but the E.U. has already made it clear that they are willing to retaliate. Of course, they

want to make a deal with the president but they are prepared as other countries have said, to retaliate and defend themselves against President

Trump's tariffs, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Al right, Abby Phillip, live from the White House. Thank you. You're watching "News Stream."

Ans still ahead, outrage erupts in China after hundreds of thousands of faulty children's vaccines are sold. We'll have the story right after the

break.

[08:25:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

Wildfires outside the Greek capital of Athens have killed at least 50 people and injured 150 more. Firefighters are tackling the blaze on

multiple fronts as intense winds fan the flames. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has announced three days of mourning to honor the dead.

In Japan, at least 65 people have died and more than 22,000 have been hospitalized for the past two weeks as the country suffers a record-setting

heat wave. The mercury topped 41 degrees celsius on Monday.

New satellite images appear to show that North Korea has started dismantling parts of a key nuclear test site. South Korea's Blue House says

the apparent dismantlement of the Sohae satellite launching station would have a good effect on denuclearization.

The Israeli military says it shot down a Syrian fighter jet that entered its airspace. Let's get straight to CNN's Oren Lieberman. He joins us live

from Jerusalem. And Orin, this was a significant incident involving Israel and the Syrian fighter jet. Tell us what happened.

ORIN LIEBERMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: An exceptional incident, something we haven't seen here in years. Israel said just about an hour and a half ago,

a Syrian fighter jet, a Sukhoi, entered Israeli airspace by about two kilometers. That's when Israel's missile defense system fired off two

Patriot missiles.

The Sukhoi, either a 22 or a 24, which are both Russian fighter jets from the `70s was shot down over Syria, meaning at that point, it had turned

around or found its way back to Syrian airspace when it was shot down. According to Syrian state media, it went down in the Yamouk Basin. That's

where there has been increased activity by the Russian-backed Syrian regime against one of the last pockets of area held by an ISIS affiliate.

So there has been and Israel has said this as well, a tremendous increase in activity especially today and over recent days in Syrian air force

activity, targeting what the Syrian air force considers their terrorists. We know from that region that is held by an ISIS affiliate there. So Israel

says in the course of that aerial activity, a Syrian fighter jet, a Sukhoi, entered Israeli airspace and was shot down by two Patriot missiles.

To give you an idea of how uncommon this is, of how rare this is, the last time this happened was nearly four years ago in September of 2014 when it

was a very similar instance. A Syrian fighter jet entered Israeli airspace and was shot down. Kristie, it is also worth pointing out that just a few

months ago in February, it was the opposite. An Israeli fighter jet, an F- 16, was shot down by Syrian air defenses.

In all of these cases, there was an immediate effort to de-escalate the situation, meaning, the fighting, the conflict, the escalation did not

continue. This is, of course, so new and we're trying to figure out exactly what had happened here and how this continues. If could be the Russians who

step in to make sure this doesn't continue further between Israel and Syria.

[08:30:00] But that's what we know right now. We are getting more details because this is such breaking news. But just about an hour and a half ago,

Israel shot down a Sukhoi fighter jet-owned operated by the Syrians that was conducting aerial activity in Southern Syria. Kristie?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN NEWS STREAM SHOW HOST: Syria was already a complicated battlefield and now this. Oren Liebermann reporting for us live

from Jerusalem, thank you.

The outrage over China's vaccine scandal, it could lead to a backlash against the president's policy of the Chinese dream. An investigation is

now under way after a large company sold hundreds of thousands of doses of faulty vaccines for children. But this this latest scandal emphasizes the

idea that corners are being cut to make the rich richer while the working classes have to deal with the aftermath.

Matt Rivers is following it all for us from Beijing. He joins us now. Matt, first, let's talk about the investigation. How is it that these faulty,

defective vaccines were given to children in China?

MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, that's the big question that everyone is still trying to figure out. The government hasn't

released a ton of information quite yet about the status of its investigation. We know that several people with this company have been

taken into custody for questioning.

And apparently what happened here is that the company was able to falsify records and documents for a long time that allowed substandard or faulty

vaccines to get into the hands of providers who then gave those doses, those vaccine doses both for rabies and also for diphtheria and tetanus or

DPT shots, given to those children.

But it's important to note here, Kristie, we don't even know exactly what was wrong with these vaccines at least officially yet. No word from the

government on what exactly was wrong with the vaccines. And as a result, we don't know what, if any, health consequences these kids, hundreds of

thousands who got these vaccines could be facing down the road.

That's part of the reason here why there is so much outrage, not only the fact that this was allowed to happen in the first place, but also we don't

know where this is going, at least at this point.

LU STOUT: And tell us a little bit more about the outrage. The parents of the children, the children who were given these defective vaccines. Of

course, the parents are rightly furious. How are they expressing their anger and who are they directing it at?

RIVERS: Yes. I mean, the parents are absolutely furious and they are directing it at the government. And it's not only the parents who are

involved here but also they have enlisted sympathy from all corners of China and you can imagine why.

I mean, this is something that any parent could find -- this is a situation that any parent could find themselves in and what has been going on, it has

been going online to express that outrage against the government and against this company.

And we actually went out on the streets here in Beijing earlier today to speak to people just about the overall sentiment. Here's a little sample of

what we went and saw.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): The company has no conscience. The vaccine is ineffective. It cannot prevent children from those diseases.

The government needs to regulate it more strictly.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We are thinking of using foreign vaccines. Even though they are more expensive, they are better.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIVERS: You know, Kristie, we should say that, you know, this kind of public outrage against the government doesn't really happen all that often

here, and it's also being fueled in part by the fact that government sensors are going online and deleting posts that apply to this situation.

That shows you that they are fearful of social unrest. You know, even in a communist society, you don't mess with people's kids.

LU STOUT: No, you don't. You don't mess with medicines. You don't mess with vaccines and public trust as a result has been degraded. And this

vaccine scandal is just the latest in the series of crises involving, you know, fake or defective made in China products. You know, can China regain

public trust after this?

RIVERS: It's a very valid question and one I'm not sure we can answer quite yet, although if you look at what happened in the past, back in 2008,

hundreds of thousands of babies were sickened because of tainted baby formula that made its way into the market.

That basically prompted people throughout China to leave China and import baby formula from elsewhere. That is a practice I can tell you firsthand

still happens today. So people have forever lost trust in that industry or at least have lost trust in it for the time being.

And you can imagine that vaccines might face similar instances even though it's mandatory under national law to get certain vaccinations for your

kids. Some health experts are telling CNN that one unforeseen consequence of this could be that parents would be more willing to not have their kids

vaccinated and that could have a bad affect overall on children's health.

LU STOUT: Absolutely. Matt Rivers reporting live from Beijing for us, thank you so much and take care.

Now with Pakistan's general election, it is now just one day away and the former international cricket star, Imran Khan, is feeling pretty confident

that his Pakistan justice movement party will succeed. Some surveys suggest that the result is still too close to call. Let's bring in CNN producer

Sophia Saifi.

[08:35:01] She joins me from Islamabad. Sophia, thanks for joining us. Let's talk more about Imran Hhan. He is seen as a leading contender in this

race. We know that he wants to create a new Pakistan. Would victory for Khan bring real change to the country?

SOPHIA SAIFI, CNN PRODUCER: Well, you know, Kristie, he does -- I mean, his whole spiel for almost 20 years now is all about the new Pakistan,

bringing progress, bringing change. You know, a completely different leader compared to the corrupt leaders from previous times.

But, you know, in this election cycle that we've seen, which has given only two months of campaigning to the various political parties here in

Pakistan, there have been many accusations that this has been a very dirty election cycle, that it has been cycle in which it had accusations heard

against Khan, that he's got the mad backing of the military which is one of the oldest institutions that have had a very strong hold here in Pakistan.

He has taken in candidates who have not been loyal to the party for many, many years who have defected from other parties and are merely electables

who have name value and will bring in votes. So even though there is -- there has been -- there's a considerable youth support towards Khan, there

is a lot of criticism that he might be more of the same if he gets elected. Kristie?

LU STOUT: Pakistan is facing a number of serious issues from its ongoing economic crises to political instability. Whoever wins the election, what

are the key challenges that they have to deal with?

SAIFI: Well, one of the main challenges that whoever wins this election is going to be, trying to reconcile all these parties at moving forward to

actually tackle the major economic crises that are affecting Pakistan. I mean, public debt is at an all-time high. The currency has been devalued

several times over the past two years.

Similarly, there is massive water crisis across the country. You know, there are variety of issues. We still have militancy in the north and also

in the south as we saw with the massive suicide attack that took place just last week which left almost 150 people dead.

So, getting all the bodies together, kind of coming out of this dirty election and moving forward is one of the major challenges that, you know,

whoever the next leader is going to be will have to contend with in the months ahead.

LU STOUT: Sophia Saifi, we appreciate your reporting. We will talk again soon. Of course, the election kicks off tomorrow. Sophia reporting live

from Islamabad, take care.

You're watching "News Stream." Still to come right here in the program, after their incredible rescue from a flooded cave, the Thai football team

now giving thanks for their freedom. We'll find out how, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: It's Tuesday night here in Hong Kong. Welcome back. You're watching "News Stream."

Now, India is of course a massive country, the seventh largest in the world, in fact. And two sisters based in New Delhi are hoping to make

exploring (INAUDIBLE) landscape a little bit easier especially for female travelers. Here's "Destination India."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[08:40:15] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the city of Mussoorie, known as the queen of hills, it's the gateway to the Himalayas. Many hikers come here to

start treks in the region. Hikers like sisters Prachi and Hamadrigud (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The beauty lies in the place. It's very calm, quiet, serene and it is all surrounded by forest.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The two have defied conventional wisdom, proving female travel in India can be safe as well as exhilarating.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So what we do all the time (ph), all the people who are envious (ph), they started saying to me, do you have wheels on your

feet or what? Because every time we speak to you, you are in some other place traveling.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And when friends became envious of their adventures, they decided to turn their hobby into a career, taking others with them

along for the ride. The duo became the ghoomana phirana (ph) sisters which means "to roam around."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We see new unexplored places. We do not roam around (INAUDIBLE) typical to these places. Instead, we explore the unexplored

part of it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On this day, they are exploring the hills above the city.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every day we come to explore new places. New place to eat. And more people --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Meeting new people, testing their limits, and encouraging others to do the same has become a mission for the ghoomana

phirana (ph) sisters, especially when it comes to other women. They now host female-only trips run by women for women.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We try to have as many females as we can during the entire journey. For example, we try to have the window of (ph) driver, we

try to have a trek guide, we try to have a naturalist, we try to have female only so that they get more confident (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pushing themselves and others outside their comfort zones, showing everyone a different side of India, one step at a time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: A vision I can agree with. Now, finally, it is hard to forget the 12 Thai boys and their football coach rescued from that flooded cave

earlier this month. Now, 11 of them have taken their first steps to become ordained as Buddhist novices.

They will be living for nine days in a Buddhist temple in memory of the rescue worker who died bringing them oxygen and in thanks of their safe

return. It should be noted that one boy is not taking part because he is a Christian.

And that is "News Stream." I'm Kristie Lu Stout. Don't go anywhere though. "World Sport" is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:45:00] (WORLD SPORT)

END