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Speculation Mounts On Who Will Replace Jose Mourinho at Chelsea; Second Miracle Paves Way for Mother Teresa Sainthood; Rapist to be Released from Indian Prison; Evolving the Japanese Kimono Fabric. Aired 8a-9a ET

Aired December 18, 2015 - 08:00   ET

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


[08:00:24] ANDREW STEVENS, HOST: Hello, I'm Andrew Stevens in Hong Kong. Welcome to NEWS STREAM.

It was the case that turned the world's attention to the treatment of women in India. Now, a court says a convicted rapist can be set free just three

years later.

Plus, trying to end the conflict in Syria and cut off supply lines to ISIS, foreign ministers meet for talks in New York.

And the Vatican moves to make Mother Teresa a saint. We'll tell you about a second miracle attributed to her.

We begin with a case that horrified the world and sparked protests and calls for justice across India. A man convicted as a juvenile for the gang

rape and murder of an Indian woman can be released this weekend. He's one of six men who brutally raped and beat the victim on a bus as she was

heading home from a movie theater.

Well, our Ravi Agrawal has more details on the release. He joins us now live from New Delhi.

First of all, Ravi, this juvenile in a reform home for just three years. So, why is he being let out now?

RAVI AGRAWAL, CNN INTERANTIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's a loophole in the law, Andrew. So, as you mentioned there are six rapists, one of them

hanged himself in jail so he died. Four more were sentenced to death and this was the sixth one who was under 18 at the time of the crime, just by a

few months. And so he qualified under India's juvenile laws for an absolute maximum of three years in

prison.

Those three years will finish on Sunday, so just two days from now. And then he would be due to be released.

Now, the police in India, as well as the government have been lobbying the high court saying that he should not be released. He hasn't shown remorse.

He could be say danger to society. And society could be a danger to him.

But the high court today -- and we were there at the high court, the high court essentially shrugged and said the law is the law, we can't change the

law. He needs to be released.

So, as it stands, that's what might happen on Sunday. And the victim's parents were quite upset about that when we saw them outside the court.

They were -- a great sense of relief for them three years ago, but now they will know that one of they are daughter's rapists could be free on the

streets again.

STEVENS: Three years ago there were scenes of outrage. There were protests across the country, Ravi, and outrage around the world. Is there

likely to be a backlash once again to this decision by the high court?

AGRAWAL: It's hard to say, Andrew. So, as you said, three years ago there was a huge outpouring of support of protests of demonstrations, a lot of

anger as well, that something as brutal as this could be allowed in India. And it was sort of the lid of the pressure cooker coming off, in that there

were so many other cases like this and, much violence against women here that there was anger

about. And there were some government responses to that.

It's difficult to put a gauge on whether there would be more anger and protests this time around. When we were at the court, there were no

protests right then, but the situation could always change in the coming days, especially on Sunday if indeed the juvenile rapist does walk free.

The Indian media, I should add, which was instrumental three years ago at bringing the story to light, they have been runningwith the story today

across all of the channels here talking about it and discussing and fair bit of

outrage there at least for now.

STEVENS: As you said, the parents of the girl were in the court to hear that

verdict and to hear about his release. The mother took the unusual step of naming her daughter publicly. Can you tell us about that?

AGRAWAL: That's right, Andrew. So according to Indian law, we do not name victims, rape victims in India, even if the families want to name them. In

this case, what happened -- for years this victim was known as Nerbhiyah(ph), which in Hindi means -- in English means the fearless one or

braveheart because she struggled for so long before she finally died.

The mother on Wednesday, which was the third -- marked three years since that rape, the mother said we shouldn't be ashamed of naming our daughter,

instead it is the rapists who should be ashamed. They are the ones that should be hanging their heads in shame. And so she went ahead and named

Nerbhiyah (ph), her name is Jothi Singh (ph) and she said her that name should be celebrated.

So, that was one sort of new development this week as well. And a very brave sort of act of defiance from the mother to not only speak to the

world then on Wednesday, but also today she's been doing a number of interviews on Indian

TV expressing outrage over today's high court decision.

STEVENS: Ravi Agrawal in Delhi, thanks very much for that.

Now, the United Nations is marking international migrants day. The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says it's a show of commitment to shaping

societies that provide lives of dignity for migrants. It coincides with a new report

from the UN refugee agency, which says 2015 is the worst ever for global forced displacement.

Well, the UN says that that means roughly one out of every 122 people in world has been forced to flee their home this year: extraordinary number.

Now, the scope of this problem is huge. It's also growing. The International Organization for Migration just released new estimates for

the year. And it forecasts the number of refugees and migrants entering Europe will top 1 million in the coming days, that's five times greater

than the numbers last year.

Let's go now to our international correspondent Sara Sidner as she joins us from the Greek island of Lesbos, a place, Sara, that has seen so many

migrants arriving, freeing -- many of them fleeing the atrocities of Syria.

SIDNER: Absolutely. The vast majority of the refugees from Syria have been

coming through this very island.

To give you an idea of just how many have been here, today alone, in the last few hours in fact, this mountain of life vests here taken off the

refugees as they make their way to land. We have seen so far five boats. We've been here about four-and-a-half hours, so that's almost one boat per

hour coming in with refugees. Sometimes there are 60, sometimes there are a dozen. There are men, there are women. There are many, many children.

They are frozen to the bone often times when they get here. The waters are extremely cold. It is wintertime. It's very unusual to see this many

people at this time of year. Usually if you're going to have mass migration, you usually get

a lot of that over the summers and spring when it's better weather, but because of the situation in Syria, they are coming no matter what time and

no matter how difficult and dangerous it is.

We're also seeing the volunteers who are here, the UN is here, but mostly we're seeing people who have come on their own fruition to help because

they've seen this crisis explode.

It is still ballooning. There should be no sense this is letting up in any way. As I mentioned to you, we're seeing boats come every hour, hour and a

half or so, with so many people, families coming here, hoping to find refuge.

There are among them, though, others from other places like Afghanistan. We just saw a group of people from Afghanistan. They, too, are refugees.

They feel quite like forgotten refugees, really, because their war has never really

ended for the past 40 or so years.

And so, there's a lot of difficulty and hope mixed because a lot of people are worried that Europe is going to start closing its doors because of the

security concerns that they have and the world has considering what happened in

Paris -- Max.

STEVENS: All right, Sara, thank you very much for that, Sara Sidner joining us live from Lesbos in Greece.

It's important to remember here that Europe is not the only place that's seeing a surge in migrants this year. The UN says there are more than 20

million refugees around the world and many of them are in Southeast Asia.

Earlier this this year, tens of thousands took to the sea in search of a better home. Some are ethnic Rohingya, fleeing persecution in Myanmar.

Most traveled on rickety boats for weeks, trying to land in countries that would take them.

Now, Mother Teresa has been made out to be a saint. The Vatican says Pope Francis approved the decree recognizing a second miracle attributed to her.

Mother Teresa, who died in 1997, became famous for her work of course among the poor in Calcutta.

Let's get more details now from Rome. Our Vatican correspondent Delia Gallagher joins us.

Delia, what is the miracle that Mother Teresa performed?

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Andrew the Vatican is not confirming the details of the miracle, but the Italian bishops

newspaper has said that it has to do with a Brazilian man in 2008 who was apparently miraculously cured of several brain tumors.

This is the second miracle need for canonization of Mother Teresa. The first miracle was back in 2002, approved by John Paul II and that involved

an Indian woman who had tumors on her abdomen.

And the process of making a saint, of course, involves two miracles. It usually takes a five-year waiting period from the time the person dies, but

John Paul II fast tracked Mother Teresa. You said she died in 1997 and already in 2003 he had her beatified and now Pope Francis yesterday

declaring that yes, this miracle is valid.

So the doors are open to make her a saint. There's no official date yet, Andrew, for that canonization but it is thought that it will happen in

September of next year because September 5 is Mother Teresa's feast day. And we know that Pope Francis has personal admiration for Mother Teresa.

She was sometimes a controversial figure during her lifetime with some reports coming about mismanagement of funds, about her position on

contraception and so on, but certainly for the Catholic Church and Pope Francis personally, she is an important

figure and important face of what Pope Francis has been calling for, that is reaching out to the poor and those who are on the margins.

The pope said last year he met Mother Teresa when he was a cardinal back in 1994 at the Vatican at a synod for bishops, and he admired the fact that

she was very forthright, she wasn't afraid to speak her mind. And he said he might even be a bit afraid of her had she been his mother superior. So,

certainly Mother Teresa, one of the most recognized faces, of the Catholic Church and their outreach towards the poor, makes sense for Pope Francis to

want to make her a saint, especially within this year of mercy that he has called for, which will run through

November of next year -- Andrew.

[08:11:55] STEVENS: OK. Delia, thank you very much for that. Delia Gallagher joining us live from Rome.

You're watching NEWS STREAM. Still ahead, CNN gets rare access to Russia's military mission in Syria. We'll take you on board a warship a little

later in the show.

And The Special One, as he was known, has fallen from the grace. We'll look at who Chelsea could pick to replace Jose Mourinho.

Also, Jedis, Wookies, Stormtroops and Droids are back as we now all know. Star Wars: The Force Awakens is awakening right across the world, almost

right across the world. A big country will have to wait for a few more weeks yet.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:15:11] STEVENS: Welcome back to NEWS STREAM. You're looking at a visual

version of all of the stories we have on this day. We have already told you about the decision in India to allow the release of a man convicted for

his role in a brutal gang rape. And later, we'll look at the latest round of diplomatic talks to try to bring an end to the civil war.

But now, let's turn to the shocking shake-up in the English Premier League football. It is certainly shocking.

Chelsea fans are now waiting to hear who will replace the manager, Jose Mourinho. It was unthinkable at the start of this season that that could

happen to Mourinho, The Special One as he was known.

But he was sacked on Thursday, paying the price for the club's nine losses in its first 16 English Premier League games.

So, who is likely to replace him? This man is the favorite. This is a former Dutch coach, Guus Hiddink. He managed Chelsea briefly in 2009. He

led them to an FA Cup victory as well. And a lot of people saying that he could come in at least as the caretaker until the end of the season.

This is Atletico Madrid's coach, Diego Simeone. He could also be considered for the club because his club beat Chelsea in the Champions

league semifinal last year.

And another big, big name in the world of football, Pep Guardiola, his contract with Bayern Munich expires at the end of the season, formerly

coach of course of Barcelona.

Now, Chelsea's owner reportedly tried to hire Guardiola once before when he did leave Barcelona.

But certainly this is the story in the world of sport at the moment. And speaking of that, world sport has got a lot more on what's next to Chelsea

and of course for Mourinho. That's in about 30 minutes from now.

Now, fans have been filling theaters to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens around the world this week. Some fans dressed up and queued up, of course,

for early screenings. Well, the movie is projected to bring in more than $200 million in North America this weekend alone.

So, is it living up to its hype? CNN's Paul Vercammen checked in with some early moviegoers in Los Angeles.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolute mania here at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood where they premiered the first Star Wars in 1977. Fans

came out, 932 of them to watch for the first of the showings, many of them getting dressed up. It was just sort of mass euphoria as people came out.

No spoilers please your impression of this Star Wars.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was incredible, a rush. It was a rush, that's all I can say, really.

VERCAMMEN: For you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was really exciting. You know, I was just blown away right there at the end. It was very climatic. It was just good. It was

good.

VERCAMMEN: And standing here, this almost took on a little bit of a sports event with everybody and cheering what was it like to be inside the theater

with 932 other people?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You wouldn't believe it, everybody having their life sabers up, it was an electric crowd. I've never been at anything like it.

It was pretty cool.

VERCAMMEN: By the way, they're predicting all these box office records and here at the TCL Chinese Theater they say they're out pacing all

expectations and they expect to shatter those box office records, reporting from Hollywood, I am Paul Vercammen, now, back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STEVENS: Certainly a critics choice getting fantastic reviews around the world at the moment.

Now, China is soon to be back on red alert as air pollution heads towards hazardous levels once again this weekend. After the break, we'll be live

from our weather center about how bad things will be getting in Beijing. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:22:47] STEVENS: Friday night in Hong Kong. And it looks pretty spectacular downtown, too.

Welcome back, you're watching NEWS STREAM.

Now Beijing has issued its second ever red alert for smog raising the official warning back to its highest level. The government is advising

residents that heavy air pollution is expected to shroud northern parts of the country this weekend.

For more let's go to CNN's meteorologist Chad Myers at the weather center. Chad, I think it's actually 12 Chinese cities involved in this red alert.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, absolutely. And the red alert is only issued if the government believes that it will last longer than three days.

So we've had these big numbers like 600, but if they only last a few hours, we don't get the red alert. The red alert means this is going to be a long

term event because the winds are not going to blow.

Now, this has been a relatively good week for Beijing. We had some numbers here down for almost 36 hours that were good to moderate. Now, you have to

understand that over the past seven years there have only really less than 100

good days and the rest have been slightly above that or significantly above that.

So this was a pretty good week, but now the smog is going to get stuck in the city because we are not going to blow the wind away. The wind is not

going to blow the smog away. It's going to get stuck in this bowl.

The pollution contingency plan was made in 2013. We go from blue, which kind of means blue sky, everybody else in the world would think of it as a

green day, but they go blue. That's OK. Yellow and orange and then red. So for red, that's where we have to shut down the cars at least half of

them, some of the factories shut down and kids are said just stay inside, or if we are all the way to the red, don't go to school at all. So, that's

where we are.

And that limits the number of cars, buses, trains, everything else in the atmosphere spewing out all of that stuff. So, that's how they keep the

numbers down because in a day like today or tomorrow, especially, if you burn factories as fast as they go, you make power as fast as it will go,

you let all the cars drive.

We could easily be over the 600 number because even today and tomorrow, the forecast is for 400 or somewhere in between, 300 to 500, not all the way to

the hazardous but this is hour by hour every three hours. It doesn't get better to maybe Wednesday, Andrew.

STEVENS: Miserable times to be living in Beijing. Chad, thanks very much for that.

[08:25:02] MYERS: You're welcome.

STEVENS: Now, Japan is expected to take in a record 19 million international visitors by the year's end and that fueled the market for

home rental service AirBnB. But as Will Ripley now reports, it's running into some opposition.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Breakfast in Tokyo.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are making pancakes.

RIPLEY: A cooking lesson for Canadian student Yelini Veratherajda (ph) on a

nine-day Japanese vacation.

UNIDENITIFIED FEMALE: They are really precious moments because I get to be with my host.

RIPLEY: Financial adviser Yumie Mori rents out a room in her apartment for around $40 a night using the website Airbnb.

She averages ten guests a month from all over the world.

YUMIE MORI, FINANCIAL ADVISOR: Experience like cooking together, but at the same time we get inspired by the guest.

RIPLEY: That cultural exchange is part of the Airbnb sales pitch, the $25 billion rental site boasts 60 million guests, 1.5 million listings in

34,000 cities.

But here in Japan, Airbnb faces challenges. Short-term rentals often violate local law. Most people don't speak English. And on this island

nation, many are unfamiliar with foreigners, nevermind hosting them in their homes.

Some communities are banning vacation rentals all together. Tokyo's Brilia Mare Ariyake (ph) has upscale amenities, prime views and a strict residents

only policy.

So, essentially what you're saying is, you don't want this place to turn into a hotel.

DAISUKE HOSHIKAWA, RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE (through translator): Exactly. A hotel is where the public stays. We want to keep this place exclusive.

Airbnb is catching on in Japan. 21,000 listings since 2010. The number of guests up 500 percent over last year. The biggest draws, a good location,

clean comfy bed and wi-fi.

So, this is the guest room.

Kioma and Mihoko Machida (ph) say the most common complaint about foreigners in Japan, noise. But quiet, courteous guests have actually made

friends with their neighbors.

UNIDENTIIFED MALE: That kind of guest changes Japanese minds.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah, that's right.

RIPLEY: Machida (ph) even started a business managing dozens of listings and selling local art to tourists.

With 8 million visitors expected for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and a record number of foreign tourists this year, a small but growing number of

Japanese are listing their homes, around some tables hosts and guests profiting from the experience.

Will Ripley, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STEVENS: You're watching NEWS STREAM. Still to come on the show, a road map to peace in Syria. World powers gather for talks in a bid to put an

end to the conflict there.

And we'll also be taking you into the heart of Russia's air war in Syria. Join us for a rare visit on a Russian missile cruiser. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(HEADLINES)

[08:32:43] STEVENS: Well, Russia launching its air strikes in Syria in September says that the focus will be on ISIS, but the U.S. has expressed

doubts about Russia's intentions.

Moscow is a key ally of the Syrian president Bashar al Assad and analysts say Russian war planes are also striking western backed Syrian rebels.

Let's bring in Jill Dougherty now from the International Center for Defense and Security. She's also a former CNN Moscow bureau chief.

And Jill, what's Moscow hoping to get out of the meeting in New York? I mean, what sort of agreement do they want to see?

JILL DOUGHERTY, INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR DEFENSE AND SECURITY: Well, they basically -- and the Americans also agree with this -- really is that it

would be a eventually Syria would be a secular state, that the institutions of the state would continue so that it would not fall apart the way Iraq

did and there would be some type of sharing among the various parties that now exist in Syria in order to make sure that the country does not get taken over by terrorists or

something as dire as that.

So there's some basic outlines that they agree on. And then over the past month, diplomats have been working and they now have this kind of road map

for political transition.

It would be a cease fire. It would be writing a constitution. And then it would be holding UN sponsored elections. That seems very far in the future

right now. And the reason is because there are these challenges, one of them of course is the fate of the president right now, President Assad.

What does he do? What is his role, if any, during the transition? That isn't exactly worked out.

And the role of the opposition. Who among the opposition could be part of this?

So you can see some of the challenges. Right now that's where the drama is in New York, trying to fill in those blanks, bring people together and come up with something that they can vote on which would be a UN

resolution, giving an imprimatur to this process -- Andrew.

STEVENS: It's a very good point, isn't it that they haven't identified yet who they can work with in Syria to help to make this transition. But I

just want to go back to the relationship between Moscow and Washington on this, Jill. It is a fractious relationship, and it has been for many, many

years. Is there a feeling, though, that the two can work and are indeed working much more closely on this issue than they have on so many other

issues in the past?

DOUGHERTY: I think there is. I mean, there has been some progress, even though like right now I was looking at comments by Vitaly Churkin

ambassador to the United Nations saying that there are attempts to undercut all of this, he wouldn't say who was doing that.

But basically you do have a realization that this conflict has to be brought to an end. And if it isn't, things really do get worse. Russia

does not want to stay in Syria carrying out air strikes forever. They went in with the idea it

would be finished eventually.

So -- and the United States for its part does not want the conflict to continue. You have refugees leaving, et cetera, we all know this.

So I think talking with diplomats, you can see there has been kind of a coming together, giving on one side, giving on the other.

The really strong objections, let's say, the United States to having Assad stay around have been softened somewhat. The Russians have softened a

little bit on their position. But the whole thing is there are more than just the United States and Russia concerned and the details are really are

very complex.

[08:36:35] STEVENS: Jill, thanks so much for that analysis. Jill Dougherty joining us. Jill, of course, our former Moscow bureau chief.

Japan's traditional kimonos have long been a fixture of the country's history. And after the break, we'll hear from traditional craftsmen who

tell us how they're looking to give the ancient craft new life in modern Japan.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STEVENS: Kimonos are among the most recognizeable symbols of Japanese culture. Well, our Paula Newton headed to one small southern island where

traditional craftsmen work up to two years to make a single kimono.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Imami Oshima (ph) a recluse of an island basking in its subtropical glory and yet so Japanese.

Now you could reach for the obvious cliche here, something about time standing still on this island. No. Even Imami Oshima needs to evolve and

that brings us to why we've come.

We find Masahito Hara on the loom carefully weaving delicate white silk and cotton. And yet all of this work is only a means to an end.

For more than 100 years, this island has been designing and crafting the most precious kimonos in all Japan. This fabric is about 100 years old, he

tells me, and it was used for a kimono.

They can cost thousands of dollars and take anywhere from six months to two years to make. And we find out why.

This is Dorozone (ph). They start with that white fabric, carefully woven but it won't stay this way. It is dyed first with a vegetable pigment,

some of it derived in the pulp of local fruit trees. It's being prepped for what

you're about to see next. Mud. Those delicate silk strands are soaked and submerged in mud: not just any mud, iron rich mud that turns the silk into

a deep, dark brown color. This process alone can take weeks.

The mud is eventually washed out in natural spring water. It may not look like art yet, but this 1300 year old technique is peerless.

And we're only just beginning. I mean, look at her intricate work here, her fingers dance over the loom, the pattern, the design, there can't be a

thread out of place.

MASAHITO HARA, KIMONO MAKER (through translator): Weaving and mud dying are very tough things to do. We find joy in just doing it, which is

different from making money from it. I think such joy has always been in our hearts and minds.

[08:41:07] NEWTON: Mr. Hara is an endearing craftsman with a passion for the

process, something he is trying to hand down to his son. For this to survive, it can't just be used for kimonos anymore.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE(through translator): Just as my ancestors have been doing, I would like to take up this challenge and come up with nice designs

and new creations. I think western clothes could be one of these.

NEWTON: The value is in the imami fabric. It can be refashioned for other clothing or anything else. Each thread is unique, hand-painted, hand-

crafted like a work of art.

HARA (through translator): Simply put, although it varies depending on the weaver's skill, the fabric made by an experienced weaver is, if you touch

like this is very smooth, as if it is coated with oil.

NEWTON: Mud and all, this fabric is toiled over as if a canvas. It is a wearable work of art, and an ancient craft that seems to fit in so

naturally in a place teaming with beauty.

Paula Newton, CNN, Imami Oshima Japan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STEVENS: And on that note, we'll say sayonara.

That is NEWS STREAM. Thanks for joining us. I'm Andrew Stevens. World Sport is just ahead.

END