Return to Transcripts main page

NEWS STREAM

Hurricane Matthew Sets Sights on Southeast U.S.; Kaine, Pence Square Off in Vice Presidential Debate; Umbrella Movement Leader Joshua Wong Deported from Thailand; Russia Deploys S-300 Anti-Aircraft System in Syria

Aired October 5, 2016 - 08:00:00   ET

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


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

Now, packing a powerful punch: Hurricane Matthew continues to cut a path of destruction through the Caribbean.

Insults, accusations, and interruptions as the presidential runningmates go head-to-head. We'll have a full breakdown of the VP debate straight ahead.

And a Hong Kong activist is detained in Thailand, sparking the accusation that China ordered it to happen.

A deadly hurricane is looming over the waters of the Bahamas and the Caribbean. Hurricane Matthew is threatening the islands with winds of 185

kilometers an hour. Coastal areas of the southeast U.S. are at risk, and Florida is bracing for a direct hit.

At least seven people perished in the storm this week, four in the Dominican Tepublic, and the

damage is widespread in Haiti, that's where Matthew first made landfall.

The storm, it just ripped roofs from buildings, heavy rain flooded streets, and collapsed a main

bridge. And now there is risk of another outbreak of cholera.

I want to bring in journalist Yvetot Gouin who joins us on the line now from from Port-au-Prince.

And thanks for joining us.

And tell us, just how dire is the situation there?

YVETOT GOUIN, JOURNALIST: Good morning. We're actually waking up from a whole new reality as information is trickling in from (inaudible) the

storm, we're finding that there will be little access to the regions most devastated in terms of flooding and numbers of those reported missing.

We're only driving now to 35 miles south of Port-au-Prince. There is a bridge collapse, which if it is confirmed and it's been confirmed that the

bridge is collapse, and there's another bridge now that's been affected, as well, that will severely hamper efforts to recovery and relief. And so

it's going to get worse before it gets better.

LU STOUT: Yeah, widespread devastation, but we still don't know the scale of the devastation just yet, as you said, you know, just trying to get more

information here.

Meanwhile, just how well equipped and well resourced are the aide workers and emergency responders there to help victims of the storm?

Well, there have been reports that more aid in terms of help and recovery, so the government

alone cannot do it. They've admitted they cannot do it, but they are doing the best they can. They are mobilizing whatever resources they have on the

ground here in Haiti unless they -- they will need air support at some point to get to those in need. And in that respect...

LU STOUT: Yeah, Haiti needs help to be able to reach the victims to supply much needed food, clean water to the victims for rebuilding, and then on

top of that you have the threat of water borne diseases. Hurricane Matthew as we see on your screen, it's like many parts of Haiti underwater. Could

that spark a new outbreak of disease there?

GOUIN: Absolutely. And that's a huge fear at this point, among many concerns, that that certainly has been one big one.

LU STOUT: OK. Yvetot Gouin joining us live on the line from Port-au- Prince, thank you very much for that update. We appreciate it and take care.

Now, Hurricane Matthew has weakened slightly to a category 3, but forecasters predict it could

actually intensify again before it hits the U.S. And CNN's Chad Myers joins us now live from the CNN World Weather Center. And Chad, again it's

now a category 3, but Matthew still has the potential to be very, very dangerous, right?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right, because it's back in warm water. It's like when a storm goes over Taiwan and breaks itself up and then

doesn't hit China with much power because it's still broken up. You don't have much water in that passage.

Well, we have a lot of water in this passage. The Bahamas, very warm, very little land, the islands are small and short. They don't tear a storm up.

So the storm, although it's right now down to 185 kilometers per hour, I suspect this could be backup to 240 before it starts ripping through parts

of the northern Bahamas and even making a run at the U.S.

I'm going to get geeky on you here for just a little bit, because I think some kind of viewers kind of like it once in awhile. We can actually see

the radar realtime from the airplane that's flying through this storm, and there it is. There's the eye. Really a new eye, because when it came over

Cuba here it really tore itself up. The storm wrapping itself around, the eye getting stronger and as that eye gets stronger, the pressure goes down,

as the pressure goes down, wind speeds pick up. It's just one thing right after another. That's how it goes from one event to the next. The

pressure goes down, storms pick up. The pressure goes down, the storms pick up. And when it goes -- the pressures go up, the winds die down.

Here's what we have in store for the U.S., 215 kilometer per hour storm somewhere near Ft.

Lauderdale Thursday night into Friday morning here east coast time of the U.S.

The threat, Kristie, is that that's 215 kilometer per hour storm is onshore, the eye wall is onshore and scours the east coast, billion dollar

storm, no question, easy. Billion U.S., probably a billion euro, but if the storm is farther out to sea, maybe even 60 or so kilometers, that will

make a wind event, maybe 80, 90, 100 kilometers per hour, but not a billion dollar storm. It will be a storm, there will be damage, and there will be

certainly huge waves crashing onshore, which will put people in danger on the beach and on land and also some scouring storm surge and beach erosion,

but it won't be the storm that we would see if it's going to be on land.

What the biggest problem is, is for the Bahamas right now, three to four- and-a-half foot meter storm surge on some of those islands that aren't even four meters high.

Now, a lot of the big islands are, but many of those caves are shorter than that, overwashing some of those beaches all the way to the other side.

We'll keep watching it, Kristie, It's getting bigger from here.

LU STOUT: Got you. The storm has got to stay offshore to avoid additional major damage. I know you're going to keep your eye on it. Thank you very

much indeed for that. Chad Myers there reporting.

Now, another storm has taken the lives of three people in South Korea. Typhoon Chaba, now a tropical storm, battered the country and is now headed

for Japan.

According to the coast guard, the storm left six crew members stranded inside a ferry and when

coast guard rescuers went to help them, six people were swept out to sea. Fortunately, they were all

rescued and they survived, but some did suffer injuries.

Mike Pence and Tim Kaine threw verbal jabs at each other in the only U.S. vice presidential debate this season. There was plenty of heat as both men

also defended their running mates, and as a CNN/ORC poll shows 48 percent of viewers think Pence won to Kaine's 42 percent.

Now, here's a look at some of the key debate moments from CNN's Phil Mattingly.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEN. TIM KAINE, (D) VIRGINIA: You are Donald Trump's apprentice.

GOV. MIKE PENCE, (R) INDIANA: I must have hit a nerve here.

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hotly contentious from the start.

KAINE: I can't imagine how Governor Pence can defend the insult- driven, selfish-me for style of Donald Trump.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): The vice presidential debate becoming a night of whose candidate is more insulting.

PENCE: Senator, you and Hillary Clinton would know a lot about an insult- driven campaign.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Tim Kaine repeatedly putting Mike Pence on the defensive using Donald Trump's own words.

KAINE: He's called women slobs, pigs, dogs, disgusting. He went after John McCain, a POW, and said he wasn't a hero.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Words Pence, in many cases, didn't directly defend.

KAINE: When Donald Trump says women should be punished or Mexicans are rapists and criminals...

PENCE: I'm telling you...

KAINE: ...or John McCain is not a hero, he is showing you who he is.

PENCE: Senator, you whipped out that Mexican thing again. Look...

KAINE: Can you defend it?

PENCE: ...there are criminal aliens in this country, Tim.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Instead, trying to take a similar tack against Hillary Clinton.

PENCE: He still wouldn't have a fraction of the insults that Hillary Clinton leveled when she said that half of our supporters were a basket of

deplorables.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Trump's running mate at times flat out denying statements the billionaire has made in the past.

KAINE: Donald Trump and Mike Pence have said he's a great leader, and Donald Trump has business...

PENCE: No, we haven't.

DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I respect Putin. He's a strong leader.

KAINE: Donald Trump's claimed that he wants to -- that NATO is obsolete and that we need to get rid of NATO is so dangerous because...

PENCE: It's not his plan.

TRUMP: NATO is obsolete. NATO has to either be rejiggered, you know, changed for the better.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Kaine frequently interrupting Pence.

KAINE: Let me talk about this figure about this state of the world.

PENCE: Senator, I think I'm still on my time. Yes, he...

KAINE: Well, I know. These were Donald...

PENCE: He says...

KAINE: Hold on a second, Governor.

PENCE: It's my time, Senator.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): And attempting to prove Trump is unfit for office by quoting Ronald Reagan.

KAINE: He said the problem with nuclear proliferation is that some fool or maniac could trigger a catastrophic event. And I think that's who Governor

Pence's running mate is, exactly who President Reagan warned us about.

PENCE: Oh, come on. Senator, that was even beneath you and Hillary Clinton. And that is pretty low.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Kaine hammering Pence on Donald Trump's refusal to release his taxes.

KAINE: And he said if I run for President, I will absolutely release my taxes. He's broken his first...

PENCE: And he will.

KAINE: He's broken his first promise. Second, he stood on the stage last...

PENCE: He hasn't broken his promise, Senator.

KAINE: He stood on the stage last week and when Hillary said you haven't been paying taxes, he said, that makes me smart. So it's smart not to pay

for our military. It's smart not to pay for veterans. It's smart not to pay for teachers.

PENCE: His tax returns showed he went through a very difficult time, but he used the tax code just the way it's supposed to be used and he did it

brilliantly.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): As Pence touted the message Trump advisors desperately want their own candidate to make, that they represent change.

PENCE: What you all just heard out there is more taxes, $2 trillion in more spending, more deficits, more debt, more government. And if you think

that's all working, then you look at the other side of the table.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): Both candidates asking Americans to trust their candidate and distrust their opponent.

KAINE: We trust Hillary Clinton, my wife and I, and we trust her with the most important thing in our life. We have a son deployed overseas in the

Marine Corps right now. We trust Hillary Clinton as President and Commander-in-Chief, but the thought of Donald Trump as Commander- in-Chief

scares us to death.

PENCE: There's a reason why people question the trustworthiness of Hillary Clinton and that's because they're paying attention.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): The fiery debate ending with a testy exchange on abortion and faith.

PENCE: ...that's not to stand with great compassion for the sanctity of life. We can create a culture of life. I believe those children in crisis

pregnancies...

KAINE: Why don't you trust women to make this choice for themselves? You know, we can encourage people to support life, of course, we can.

PENCE: Is there...

KAINE: But on fundamental issues of morality...

PENCE: Because, Senator...

KAINE: ... we should let women make their own decisions.

PENCE: Because there is...

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: And that was CNN's Phil Mattingly reporting there.

Now, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are household names by now, but their running mates may be less familiar to you.

Now, Mike Pence and Tim Kaine are actually both seasoned politicians. Pence is the governor of Indiana. He spent more than a decade in the House

of Representatives. Kaine is a senator from Virginia and was governor there for four years.

It is important to point out both Indiana and Virginia are key states in this election. Indiana went narrowly for President Obama in 2008 before

swinging to Mitt Romney in 2012.

Now, the president of The Philippines is threatening to cut ties with the United States and says the American president can, quote, go to hell.

Rodrigo Duterte's remarks are directed at U.S. criticism of his crackdown on the illegal drug

trade. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RODRIGO DUTERTE, PRESIDENT OF THE PHILIPPINES: Instead of helping us, (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE), so you can go to hell. Mr. Obama, you can

go to hell. You better choose purgatory (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: All right, President Duterte went on to say that he is willing to break ties with the U.S. and align with Russia and China. The White

House says it has not received any request from the Philippines to change bilateral ties.

Now, Joshua Wong, the face of Hong Kong's pro democracy Umbrella Movement says he was illegally detained by Thai authorities.

Now he is now back in Hong Kong but says he was taken into custody at the airport in Bangkok shortly after he arrived and his passport was

confiscated. Wong was in Thailand for a panel on the 1976 Thammasat University massacre. Thai student activists say Wong was detained at

China's request.

Now, this has sparked concern among Hong Kong activists and raised questions over why Wong was detained.

Now, Ivan Watson joins us now for more on the story. And Ivan, why was he detained and barred from entering Thailand?

IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, he was supposed to be flying there, as you mention, to speak at this conference

organized by Thai university activists. And that's when he stopped upon arriving at Bangkok airport.

We caught up with him when he landed back here back in Hong Kong after his deportation. Take a listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSHUA WONG, UMBRELLA MOVEMENT LEADER: While I ask what's the reason for them to detain me in Bangkok, they just say we will not give you any

explanation and you have been blacklisted already. And while I made requests to contact my lawyer in Thailand or at least notice my parents

that I already arrived in Bangkok, they still rejected my request.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: Now, Kristie, I want to point out that Joshua Wong is now speaking live at a press conference here with one of his colleagues in Hong Kong

talking about this deportation.

Now, the Thai authorities have confirmed that they did, in fact, detain him and send him away. They said that there were concerns about relations with

other countries. And, of course, the main country in question here is China.

Joshua Wong is one of those protesters, those opposition organizers, who helped organize the occupy movement here in Hong Kong in 2014, which so

greatly embarrassed the central government in Beijing. So what we see here is clearly some kind of sensitivity about Thailand becoming any kind of a

platform for a critic of the Chinese government to speak in -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: So, today, Joshua Wong was denied entry into Thailand. Last year he was denied entry into Malaysia. Are both a result of China's far

reaching influence and power?

WATSON: We are beginning to see a pattern there, aren't we? That's right.

I mean, a 20-year-old man from Hong Kong now deported, effectively, from two separate countries in the region, Thailand and also Malaysia, in both

cases claiming hat those governments are basically bowing to the will of the Chinese government.

But it's part of a larger pattern we've seen, as well. We know that China does not tolerate much criticism within mainland China, what we're

increasingly seeing is an effort to stifle criticism across borders. We've seen and reported on over the last year several Chinese dissidents who were

in Thailand either seeking asylum or simply residing there that suddenly disappeared

from Thailand and re-emerged in the hands of Chinese authorities some months later, giving bizarre televised confessions on Chinese state TV.

So what we've seen here is a pattern, again, of critics of the Chinese government, who have

either been prevented from being able to speak up in several neighboring countries or in some cases actually been deported back to China and into

Chinese, custody. A sign that China not only does not tolerant criticism at home, but it also is increasingly -- and some of its

neighbors less tolerant of criticism beyond its borders, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Yeah, so what happened today to Joshua Wong is part of a much larger story in a very troubling pattern, as you point out. Ivan Watson

reporting for us live. Thank you.

Now, you're watching News Stream. And still ahead, Russia boosts its military hardware on the coast of Syria a a day after the U.S. suspends

talks. We'll be live in Moscow with the latest.

Plus, Britain's prime minister has closed out the Conservative Party conference. We'll hear what she had to say about her country's post-Brexit

future.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, you're back watching News Stream. Now, a cease-fire signed in Colombia with the rebel group FARC

lasts only until the end of this month. The announcement was made by President Juan Manuel Santos. The decision follows that stunning

referendum result.

The country voted to reject the referendum on a peace deal in ending 52 years of fighting.

Now, you are looking at Russia's latest addition to its military base on the Syrian coast, an S-300 air defense missile system. Russia says the

deployment is for defensive purposes, but the move has been criticized by Washington, which has already suspended talks with Moscow over Syria.

And these pictures are from Aleppo, where more Syrian airstrikes targeted rebel-held areas on Tuesday. The U.S. says it won't give up on the country

and is joining other foreign leaders in Germany to discuss the crisis.

Russia's president spoke to parliament in the past couple of hours, but focused largely on domestic affairs.

And our senior international correspondent Matthew Chance joins me now for more from Moscow. And matthew, why is Putin sending this advanced missile

system to Syria?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're sending these S-300, they say, to provide extra security at their naval base, their

naval facility at Tartus, which is their port on the Syrian coast.

I mean, it may well be linked with the fact that Russia's flagship of the Russian navy, the Admiral Kuznetsov, which is an aircraft carrier, has been

sent to the waters off the western coast of Syria and so it may be there to provide some additional security for that.

The concern, though, of course in Washington is that this is something much more sinister. It's about sending a message to the United States that if

airstrikes were considered against Syrian positions inside the country by the U.S. and its coalition, then they would have to pay a price. And the

S-300 would certainly be able to inflict that kind of price on the Americans.

But, you know, to balance that, I think it's important that we view it within the context of the weaponry that the Russians already have on the

ground in Syria. They've already got their most advanced antiaircraft system already operational in Syria, the S-400. This bolsters that system,

but it doesn't necessarily expand their capability. Although, of course, analysts in Washington believe that it might have that kind of impact.

Just is in addition to its already existing military arsenal there in Syria. And meanwhile, we've got these talks in Berlin, Matthew, officials

from Europe and the U.S., they are meeting to discuss, of course, the conflict in Syria. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says the U.S. will

push for peace, but without Russia onboard.

How realistic is that?

CHANCE: Well, I mean, I think it's pretty clear that it's not realistic at all. If the Russians aren't going to be involved in a peace process, then

no agreement, no announcement, no declaration from the Americans and their allies in the west is going to be able to change that.

I mean, the Russians, like it or not, are key players now in this conflict in Syria. They've flown their military might behind Bashar al-Assad, the

Syrian president, and they believe there could be a military solution. They are looking for a victory in this conflict in

which their man, Bashar al-Assad, emerges in a strong, if not an unassailable position and it looks like they are not going to stop that

fight until they've reached that point.

LU STOUT: Matthew Chance in Moscow for us. Thank you.

Now, the British prime minister Theresa May is calling the Brexit vote a quiet revolution for her country and she spoke a short time ago on the

final day of the Conservative Party conference. She says the vote to leave the European Union is a once in a generation chance to change the direction

of the country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THERESA MAY, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER; No vision ever built a business by itself, no vision ever clothed a family or fed a hungry child, no vision

ever changed a country on its own. You need to put the hours in and the effort, too.

But if you do great things can happen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now CNN's Max Foster is in Birmingham where the Conservative Party conference was held. He joins us now.

And Max, Theresa May closed the conference today. She had to address Brexit, of course, but

how effective was her message?

MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, her message was that, you know, Britain had decided to leave the European Union. And she can't

exactly give everyone a plan for how that's going to happen or how it will turn out, because she doesn't want to give away her

negotiating position, that wouldn't be in the best interest of the British people. So she didn't really flush that out too much.

But what was interesting was that she talked about the referendum exposing not just that Britain wanted to leave the European Union, but also exposed

big divides in British society, this anti-establishment feeling, this feeling that many people in the country were working hard, but they weren't

getting a fair share of the country's success.

So what she was trying to do in this speech was really realign the ruling party to try to address many of the concerns that bubbled up during the

referendum. So, she wanted to create a fairer society and she wanted to bring Britain back to the middle ground that represented everyone,

including many of the people that felt left out and express it through that referendum result.

LU STOUT: You know, of course, she was speaking to a much wider audience, including global investors. You know, fears of Brexit has sent the British

pound plummeting. Will her speech and will Theresa May's leadership help restore some confidence here?

FOSTER: Well, she can't really tell everyone what's going to happen in the future. And the thing that business really hates more than anything else

is uncertainty. And she just can't give the certainty the business wants at this point or the markets want at this point. And she is pointing out

that the FTSE 100, the share index, rose as the pound fell.

So, it's not as if the whoel business community thought it was a bad thing that Britain is going to be leaving the European Union at some point this

decade.

So she's trying to reassure the business community by saying we are going to give you updates along the way, you just have to trust me, go ahead with

this one, don't put off all your investment decisions too much, because this is going to turn out OK.

So, she's really sort of trying to ride high on this honeymoon period as a leader to show that if people sit with her, then it will all be all right.

And certainly, the rest of the cabinet, which is divided on this Brexit issue, are falling in line behind her. So, she's showing herself as a very

strong leader at this point.

LU STOUT; And separately, I got to ask you about UKIP, Max. The UKIP leader, anti-EUu leader I should add, stepped down after less than three

weeks on the job. What's going on here?

FOSTER: Well, which was extraordinary, really. And it's all sorts of -- you know, we've been trying to untangle it all day. She basically stepped

down for personal and professional reasons. She's only been in that position for 18 days, so people are pretty shocked, as you can imagine,

that it turns out she never actually formally took up the appointment, and that Nigel Farage, her predecessor was still effectively the leader.

So he stepped in, saying OK, well I'll lead it for now, but I'm not going to lead it for the long-term.

That whole party really is sort of imploding on itself right now. And, you know, one of the reasons for that might be that they achieved pretty much

what they set out to do, they wanted to get a referendum on the European Union. They wanted to bring immigration up the

agenda, and what we had today from Theresa May, as we just heard, was her really taking over that mantle that she's going to

address those issues. So really what does UKIP stand for anymore?

LU STOUT: Yeah, interesting turn of political events there. Max Foster reporting for us. Thank you, Max.

Now, you're watching News Stream. And still ahead, it's believed to be the world's most trafficked mammal. And it is in serious danger of dying out.

We'll tell you what's being done to save the Pangolin.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(HEADLINES)

LU STOUT: Now, many of you have probably never seen one of these little guys. Now, they are among the most endangered species in the world and the

most trafficked. Now, pangolin are hunted illegally for their meat and for the scales that cover their bodies. But now steps are being taken to try

to protect and to save them.

Now, for more, CNN's Dave McKenzie joins us now live from Johannesburg. And, David, you came face to face with this incredible animal. What is

being done to save the pangolin?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, it is an incredible animal, and incredibly elusive animal. It's hard to believe,

but a million of these creatures have been trafficked over the last decade to fuel an enormous demand for their scales and meat

in Asia.

Now moves are on to try and save them and we went deep into the desert to find one.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCKENZIE: For a desert, there's a surprising amount of wildlife. But what we're after is nearly impossible to find. And out here in the vast

Kalahari it's like searching for a ghost.

WENDY PANAINO, WILDLIFE EXPERT: They are so quiet and so shy most of the time. So you could

drive past one and not even notice. You could walk past one and not even notice it.

MCKENZIE: A radio tracker gives researcher Wendy Panayno (ph) a fighting chance.

It's moving.

We're listening for the turn of the tracker to go up. It means we're getting closer to an animal.

PANAINO: There he is.

MCKENZIE: She's seen more wild pangolins than perhaps anyone.

PANAINO: Hey, buddy. He's racing right now.

MCKENZIE: Very little is known about these creatures. She knows every sighting is important.

With its tightly interlocking scales acting as armor, the pangolin has no effective predators in the wild, but it's the very same scales that make it

the world's most trafficked mammal.

In Asia, pangolins have been decimated by poaching, where the scales are falsely believed to have medicinal benefits.

PANAINO: If we want to save them and do something about their numbers declining, understanding them gives us a chance.

MCKENZIE: So far the remoteness of the Kalahari has kept the population safe, but the trade has arrived in Africa.

RAY JANSEN, WILDLIFE EXPERT: Future for pangolins is looking incredibly bleak. If trafficking carries on the way it is now, they may have 20 to 25

years left to be on Earth.

MCKENZIE: At a bio bank in Pretoria, researchers study confiscated samples from Chinese

customs, drilling down into pangolin DNA using forensics to combat trafficking.

Newly announced trade restrictions are meant to protect pangolins.

JANSEN: To put it out on the ground and to stop things like the bush meat market and illegal trade in animals is incredibly difficult to enforce.

MCKENZIE: So, the stock of the seized pangolin scales continues to rise, while sightings in the wild become more special.

PANAINO: It's an absolutely tragic, tragic thing. I mean, they are so rare and so unique, you know, just look at that. Look at that face.

MCKENZIE: The tragedy, knowing an extraordinary animal could easily vanish before it's fully understood.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCKENZIE: Now, Kristie, at that major conference here in Johannesburg they agreed to ban all trade in pangolin across the globe, but what's really

important, as you heard there, is the enforcement of those bans for this to have any kind of effect and save the species -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: That's right. They need to enforce that global ban on trade in pangolin, which was announced at that major conference in Johannesburg.

And, David, what about the fate of African elephants and rhinos?

MCKENZIE: We've reported recently that African elephants across the states here in Africahave been decimated by poaching. Some 30,000 elephants,

Kristie, killed every year it's estimated by poaching. Now, it's a case again that elephant ivory has continued to be traded illegally, as has

rhino horn, particularly coming from the continent here in Africa and spread through the illegal networks into Asia, Vietnam, and China.

Especially, you know, the global illegal wildlife trade is estimated to be worth billions of dollars, more than $10 billion, in fact. It's very

difficult to stamp out these trades and it's like law enforcement for the drug trade or human trafficking. The problem is, is though these treaties

are often seen as big pushes towards combating trafficking in these species, the enforcement is still spotty and there are frequent accusations

of corruption on the government scale both here in Africa and in Asia -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: That's right, even if there is a ban in place, it's got to be implemented effectively. David McKenzie reporting on this important story

for us. Thank you, David, and take care.

Now, you're watching News Stream, we'll be back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDREW STEVENS, CNN MONEY: Hong Kong: commerce is the center of the show in this town. But on the street below, an artistic revolution is afoot.

At this workshop in Hong Kong's new territories, designer Elaine Yan Ling Ng creates smart textiles and turns them into striking installations.

Her work is often inspired by nature. Take Sunju (ph), a kinetic sculpture modeled after a carnivorous plant.

Ng (ph) founded the company the fabric lab in Beijing, but moved to Hong Kong two years ago.

ELAINE YAN LING NG, DESIGNER: All these really exciting (inaudible) just started in Hong Kong. And I think in five years the Hong Kong art scene

will be completely different, because we're not (inaudible) high end art and also there's a lot of grass roots-like art (inaudible) going on.

STEVENS: But finding room to grow can be tough for artists in a crowded city that prizes big business.

Cherry Chan is co-person in charge of The Mills, a project hoping to nurture creativity and inspire a new generation of innovations. It's

already recognizes Ng and plans to support other upcoming artists.

: I didn't want start-up space there is there isn't enough of a community. If you look at the big cities for startups like the Silicon Valley or even

New York, people know where to go to meet each other, to exchange ideas, to find investors, to find the suppliers.

And I think we're missing that hub.

STEVENS: Work is already underway at this former textile factory. When it's finished in 2018 it will house a startup incubator and art gallery and

retail space.

CHERRY CHAN, THE MILLS: It's must faster and more lucrative to just raise this and build another commercial building. But this is really our way of

giving back to the city and building a new community and exploring possibilities for the city as well as for the company.

That company, Nan Feng Group (ph) is now a leading property developer. But it has its roots in Toon I (ph) as a cotton spinner.

Back in the 1960s, the area was the heart of Hong Kong's textile industry and the government development as the first satellite town.

But in the 1980s, it grew quieter as much of the city's manufacturing moved to mainland China and Hong Kong turned its economy to the services sector.

NG: It is dangerous if Hong Kong remains as a financial hub, because like anywhere could be a financial hub.

If art is just a commodity to Hong Kong, then Hong Kong has not utilized art in its best way.

STEVENS: From manufacturing hub to financial capital, sweeping change is a part of

Hong Kong's past. Now these artists are weaving creativity into the fabric of this vivid city to help shape a new future.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now, Google just unveiled a series of new products in San Francisco, including Pixel, its first ever exclusively branded Google

smartphone as the company looks to step into more hardware, and something that may please Instagram fans out there, these phones come with free

unlimited storage of photos and video.

And for those watching the launch, it might feel as though Google is kind of playing catch up with its products. Among the highlights was Google's

smart speaker, Google Home, which is taking on Amazon's Echo after Amazon found unexpected success with the voice-activated home assistant.

Google Home is not open to third party developers yet, though. And while Echo already lets you order Uber or check your bank account.

And then there's Google's Daydream VR headset. We know that Samsung unveiled their

consumer style Gear VR headset last year. And while Google is aiming for a cozier aesthetic ehre and a slightly lower pricetag with Daydream, it's

only compatible with Google two Pixel phones.

And that is News Stream. I'm Kristie Lu Stout, but don't go anywhere, World Sport with Alex Thomas is next.

END