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The 19th Communist Party Congress; Control of Kirkuk; Retaking Raqqa; Rohingya Crisis; Iran's Supreme Leader: Trump is a Big Mouth; Trump Criticized for Remarks; Exclusive Report on Putin's 'Chef'. Aired 8-9a ET

Aired October 18, 2017 - 08:00   ET

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


[08:00:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

China's ruling party kicks off a pivotal meeting. President Xi Jinping expected to pick up more power.

A U.S. congresswoman accuses President Trump of making insensitive comments to the widow of a soldier who died in Niger. Now, the president tweets that

the congresswoman lied.

And aid isn't coming fast enough to those who need it in Puerto Rico. One month after Hurricane Maria, we'll show you how locals are trying to fill

the gap.

Five years after Xi Jinping became China's president, he kicked off the 19th Communist Party Congress today, poised to exert even more control over

his country than most predecessors ever had.

The week-long meeting in Beijing will see President Xi granted another five-year term. In a sweeping three-hour speech, Mr. Xi said that China had

made what he called truly remarkable progress under his leadership. Whenever China holds major political event, Beijing's strength (ph) censorship machine kicks into high gear.

Virtual private networks of VPNs are blocked. Tech firms are fined for failing to remove banned (ph) online (content and access to the messaging

at WhatsApp is disrupted. While all businesses and journalists are used to these kinds of crackdown by now, some researchers say over the past 12

months, they have seen a marked increased in censorship on regular people and the things that they post on social media.

Now, in July, for instance, a man was sentenced to two years in prison for online comments, saying the president (INAUDIBLE) and calling (INAUDIBLE) a

bandit. Now, this unprecedented crackdown on free speech is just one example of President Xi's influence on China.

In half a decade, he has taken down senior leaders in a far-reaching anti- corruption campaign. This popularity seemingly rising along the way. Ivan Watson takes a look at what some people call a cult of personality around

the Chinese leader.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Welcome to "Five Years of Sheer Endeavour." That's the name of this exhibit in Beijing that's

timed with the National Congress of the Communist Party of China. It's an event that takes place once every five years. It's aimed at reshuffling and

rejuvenating the country's leadership. It's also a chance to celebrate patriotism and the flag.

This exhibit celebrates the achievements of China under its communist system of one party rule. So, it highlights accomplishments in agriculture

and technology, space exploration, economic growth over past decades that have lifted millions of people out of poverty but is now slowing now. And

there is one star throughout all of this, and that is of course the leader, Xi Jinping.

One of the hallmarks of Xi Jinping's first five years in office has been a very popular anti-corruption campaign. So, here, we see some photos of

former top officials who have been arrested on charges of graft. However, some observers argue that this is an opportunity for the leader to purge

the ranks of the ruling party of potential rivals.

The campaign has been accompanied by a real crackdown on descent. So, you've seen an expansion of censorship not only of the internet, but also

of the domestic media.

One of the tools Xi has used to consolidate power has been a remarkable propaganda blitz which some described as simply a cult of personality. And

it depicts the Chinese leader as not only a man of the people but also as a respected international statesman. China really hasn't seen anything quite

like this in decades, not since the days of this man, the founder of communist China, Mao Zedong.

CHU JUNJE (ph), COMMUNIST PARTY MEMBER: President Xi has become our people's idol here in China, not only because he is a prominent (ph) leader

of our country, but also because of his personality.

WATSON: Xi Jinping is increasingly willing to

[08:05:00] flex China's economic and military muscle, whether it's through huge international investment and infrastructure projects or by laying

claim to almost all of the South China Sea despite objection from the U.S. and more than a half dozen other states in the region.

The party congress would be a chance for Xi to remind the world that under his leadership, China is a rising superpower. Ivan Watson, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Let's take you live to Beijing. Matt Rivers is standing by. Matt, earlier today, you watched it, that sweeping three-hour long speech by Xi

Jinping. What is his vision for China and for the party?

MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think, you know, he said it over and over again in the speech. This was a speech that -- we

have heard this kind of speech before frankly. It's the kind of speech with similar theme that has been given by past Communist Party leaders in the

same venue. But what Xi really stressed during his speech was the absolute control that the party, the Communist Party, should have over all aspects

of society.

Part of the reason the speech was nearly three and a half hours long was because he really did touch on all aspects of society. But his message

there was only the party should be in control of all aspects of society and only the party's leadership can help China continue to make the gains that

it has made unquestionably over the last several decades.

I think that gives you a window into Xi's thought on this. He is a true believer when it comes to the Communist Party and that's how he has govern.

He truly believes that China is at its best when the Communist Party is in its strongest. Critics will say that he has achieved that by consolidating

power, centralizing power in Beijing.

And you said it right at the top, doing things like censoring online conversations, conversations in the street, total control over state media,

total control over any descent, jailing any critics of the government who dare to speak out. So, clearly, we've seen him govern in this way over the

last five years. Kristie, I don't think anything is going to change over his next term.

LU STOUT: The Communist Party has absolute control of China. Xi Jinping has control of the party, and he is expected with this congress to further

shore up his status as China's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong, but, why? Is he setting himself up to stay in power for a far longer time?

WATSON: He certainly could be. I mean, it's the kind of thing that a lot of people are speculating about. Frankly, we won't know, but we will get some

idea as to maybe what could be a clue as to what he might do after 2022, when next week, when the new standing committee members are revealed to the

public.

The standing committee, a committee of seven to nine people inside the politburo of the Communist Party that really make the broad decisions, all

the key decisions for China. It's a handful of people that are the most powerful people in this country.

Usually, when the standing committee is revealed, in the past, you would have seen a successor lineup, someone younger and a younger generation. Xi

himself was revealed as the successor back in 2007. But a lot of people are speculating that there won't be an obvious successor when the standing

committee is revealed to the public next week.

That could give you an idea even as Xi doesn't stay on as the president after 2022. Does he retain some sort of leadership position? Does he

remain, let's say, secretary general of the Communist Party and still rule although maybe not in the same presidential way without the same title?

So, there might be some clues given there, but if there is one thing we know about China, Kristie, is that all of this political infighting, all of

the horse trading (ph), it all happens behind closed doors and getting a window into that to say one way or another about what Xi plans to do in

2022, anyone who says they have any idea really is probably not telling the truth.

LU STOUT: Yes, absolutely. Matt Rivers, appreciate that. Thank you so much. We'll talk again soon.

Meanwhile, residents are gradually returning to their homes in Kirkuk after Iraqi troops seized the city from Kurdish forces on Monday. It is believed

more than 60,000 people were displaced as Iraq-led forces took the city back from Kurdish Peshmerga fighters. The Kurds took control of the city

after Iraqi government forces abandoned it during ISIS's lightning offensive in 2014.

Our senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman is on the outskirts of Kirkuk. He joins us now live. Ben, there are reports of what the U.N. is

saying 61,000 people have been displaced in Kirkuk. How many are returning and have you been able to talk to them?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The numbers are actually completely fluid, Kristie, because this morning, we were on the

outskirts of (INAUDIBLE) watching as car after car of residents were returning to the city. And it did look like many people who we spoke with

were confident that somehow

[08:10:00] the situation had stabilized and that they could return safely to their homes. But as the day has worn on, we definitely felt a change in

the atmosphere, rising tension as people are worried that there could be clashes between some of the supporters of the patriotic union of Kurdistan

and what are know as the PMU, the Popular Mobilization Units, those predominantly Shia military units that were also taking part in the

operation by the Iraqi government to retake the city.

What we've seen this afternoon is that the flow of people returning to this city has been reversed. Just about 25 minutes ago, this road behind me was

full of cars, jam-packed with cars, as people were trying to leave the city. However, a checkpoint has been set up up the streets so these cars

have been stopped. Another checkpoint is down there, set up by the Iraqi army, stopping the other cars from leaving.

We understand that the governor of Kirkuk has held a press conference to reassure the residents of Kirkuk that the situation is safe, that law and

order has been maintained. But people are very worried that even though they had 24 hours of relative calm, that perhaps the situation is

deteriorating once more. Kristie?

LU STOUT: They're worried about the situation back in their homes. How do they also feel about the new reality ahead of them when they do go back,

that they do go back to Kirkuk that is now under Iraqi-government control?

WEDEMAN: Kristie?

LU STOUT: OK, it seems that we lost -- yes, unfortunately, we just lost connection there with Ben Wedeman. He is there reporting just in the

outskirts of Kirkuk. There is fluid situation there. We will continue to bring you any updates right here on CNN.

Meanwhile, U.S. officials say that there is still isolated pockets of resistance in Raqqa, the self-declared capital of ISIS. But, now, for the

first time in three years, the Syrian city is relatively free of the terror group. Arwa Damon is in Northern Iraq with more on the stunning

developments.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A spokesperson for the Syrian Democratic Forces, the SDF, says that the clearing operations are

still ongoing. They're trying to root out any remnants of ISIS fighter as the coalition estimate them to be at around a hundred at this stage,

perhaps hiding out in the rubble or the burnt-out buildings.

They are also trying to undertake what is a pretty monumental task of clearing Raqqa streets, alleyways, buildings, of any sort of improvised

explosive device that ISIS has historically left behind whenever it has been of defeated in any of the cities in the past. We have been seeing some

drone footage exclusively obtained by CNN, SDF already beginning to celebrate their victory, driving around one of Raqqa'a main roundabout.

This is the roundabout where some of the ISIS worst atrocities unfolded. Those chilling beheading. The horrific executions and crucifixion. We are

also seeing these images as just the sheer breathtaking scale of the destruction. Once the city has been officially declared liberated,

something that the SDF said they hope to announce within the next few days, then begin the enormous task of trying to begin to rebuild.

There is the civilian council that is meant to start moving in, working right away, but the big question, of course, who is going to fund all of

these? It's not as if there is a government that Raqqa will be handed over to that has the finances or that any of the entities operating on the

ground actually have the means for such a massive undertaking.

Meanwhile, the civilian population that fled continues to languish in refugee camps that are overcrowded. Literally, first thing at the scene,

the front lines right now have moved towards Deir ez-Zor where eight organizations say that around 10,000 people a day are fleeing the fighting

there. And even though the lost of Raqqa is yes, a massive blow to ISIS, territorially speaking, it's ideology, the ISIS ideology is still very much

alive. Arwa Damon, CNN, Dohuk, in Northern Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Another 15,000 Rohingya refugees have fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar in just the past few days. That's adding to the humanitarian

crisis. We've seen half a million refugees across the border since August. Eight agencies are barred from access to Rohingya villages inside Myanmar.

The government there insists it is simply cracking down on terrorism in Rakhine state, largely ignoring the international condemnation of the

violence. The East Asia Regional Director for Amnesty International explains why a strong response against Myanmar is still important.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICHOLAS BEQUELIN, EAST ASIA REGIONAL DIRECTOR, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL: The world cannot withstand a country that

[08:15:00] drives out half a million people because they are unwanted ethnic minorities. You have ethnic minorities all over the world. You have

communal tensions. You have dysfunctional states. It is just unacceptable to let a country murder, rape, burn, and drive out hundreds of thousands of

people because they don't feel that they belong to the country. We are getting into a very, very dangerous world if we allow this president to

take place without any forceful response.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: U.N. agencies are seeking more than $400 million in aid for the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. So far, they've only reached 24 percent of

that goal.

you're watching "News Stream." Still ahead, a congresswoman accuses President Trump of being insensitive when trying to comfort the widow of a

fallen solider. Mr. Trump is tweeting out his response. We will get the details when we come back.

And one month on and many in Puerto Rico are still cut off from aid. Locals are doing their best to pitch in and get help where FEMA workers can't

reach.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: All right. Coming to you live from Hong Kong. Welcome back. This is "News Stream."

The supreme leader of Iran is blasting U.S. President Donald Trump in a televised speech, calling him a big mouth, who pretends to be an idiot.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also vows to defeat the United States. He says the U.S. is an agent of international Zionism and is the creator of ISIS.

Relation between the two nations have taken another nosedive after President Trump said that he would adapt a tougher policy on Tehran and

refuse to re-certify the Iran nuclear deal.

And another setback from Mr. Trump's travel ban. A U.S. judge has blocked the third version of the ban just a day before it was to take effect. The

judge in Hawaii says the president's executive order plainly discriminates based on nationality and it barred residents of eight countries, six of

which are majority Muslim.

The ruling does not stop the administration from banning travelers from two other countries, Venezuela and North Korea. The White House called the

ruling "dangerously flawed." Instead, the Justice Department will appeal.

President Trump took criticism for waiting nearly two weeks to reach out to the families of four special forces soldiers who were killed in an ambush

in Niger. Mr. Trump is under fire for the words he chose to share with one grieving widow, but he says his words are not being reported accurately.

Our senior Washington correspondent Joe Johns joins us now with more on the story. Joe, so exactly what was said? How did Trump console the families of

the fallen?

[08:20:00] JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Really creating a firestorm here in Washington this morning and part of the issue I think,

Kristie, is a Florida congresswoman says she witnessed the president's words, bringing the widow of one of those slain soldiers to tears.

The president pushing back very hard on that this morning, putting out a tweet which said this. Democrat congresswoman totally fabricated what I

said to the wife of the soldier who died in action and I have proof. Sad.

So far, no indication of what the president's proof may be but the congresswoman, Frederica Wilson, of Florida is standing by her story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REP. FREDERICA WILSON (D), FLORIDA: Basically he said, well I guess he knew what he signed up for, but I guess it still hurts.

JOHNS (voice-over): Democratic Congresswoman Frederica Wilson recounting a conversation she says she overheard between President Trump and the widow

of fallen U.S. Army Sergeant La David Johnson.

WILSON: Everyone knows when you go to war, you could possibly come back alive, but you don't remind a grieving widow of that. It's so insensitive.

It's so insensitive. He should not have said that.

JOHNS (voice-over): Johnson was killed two weeks ago during an ambush in Niger. His body returned home to Miami Tuesday. The plane receiving a water

cannon salute as it arrived near the gate. Johnson's pregnant widow, Maisha (ph) Johnson, hugging her husband's flag-draped casket along with her six-

year-old daughter in this heartbreaking video. Congresswoman Wilson says President Trump called Maisha (ph) minutes before while the family was on

their way to the airport.

WILSON: I was livid. I asked them to give me the phone because I wanted to speak with him, and I was going to curse him out.

JOHNS (voice-over): When asked for comment by CNN, the White House did not deny the comment, saying only, the president's conversations with the

families of American heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice are private.

This conversation coming hours after the president used the death of the son of his chief of staff, John Kelly, a marine to bolster his false claim

that his predecessor did not call families of fallen members of the armed forces.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think I've calked every family of somebody that's died. Now as far as other representatives, I

don't know, I mean you could ask General Kelly, did he get a call from Obama?

JOHNS (voice-over): General Kelly has said little in public about his son's death and asked specifically for his son not to be mentioned before a 2010

commemoration of two other marines killed in combat. According to multiple reports, Kelly's son had been killed just days prior. The White House

declined to make General Kelly available for comment and he did not appear with the president at two key events Tuesday.

Records show that Kelly and his wife were invited by the Obamas to a White House breakfast for gold star family in 2011, but it is unclear if they

attended. Meanwhile, President Trump intensifying his ongoing feud with war hero Senator John McCain, blasting the Arizona senator for repudiating his

nationalist world view.

TRUMP: People have to be careful because at some point, I fight back. You know, I'm being very nice. I'm being very, very nice, but at some point, I

fight back and it won't be pretty.

JOHNS (voice-over): McCain who spent five and a half years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam later telling reporters that he has faced far greater

challenges than Mr. Trump.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JOHNS: We have reached out to the White House press office for any clarification they might be able to give on the controversy surrounding

Sergeant Johnson's widow and the congresswoman. So far, we have not heard back from the White House. We do expect to see the president later today in

a meeting with the powerful Senate Finance Committee. That will be an opportunity to try to get a question to him. Back to you, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Yes, absolutely. At the center of this political firestorm, just immense suffer and grief of this gold star families. My thoughts come out

to them. Joe Johns reporting live for us. Thank you so much, Joe.

And now to a CNN exclusive report. This centers on a Russian oligarch and a close ally of Vladimir Putin. He once served caviar and truffles to George

W. Bush and renovated a boat that became the most exclusive restaurant in St. Petersburg. Jim Sciutto tells us he may also be a central figure in the

spread of fake news during the 2016 U.S. election campaign.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: CNN has learned that the company of Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian oligarch dubbed chef to

President Vladimir Putin by the Russian press, financed a Russian troll factory that used social medial to spread fake news during the 2016

presidential campaign. This, according to multiple officials briefed on the investigation. Prigozhin, who owns several companies, is one of the

[08:25:00] Kremlin's inner circle. Putin even had him cater birthday parties and visits by U.S. President George W. Bush. His company believed

to be the main backer of the St. Petersburg-based Internet Research Agency or IRA, a secretive technology firm that created and distributed fake news.

Prigozhin was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department in December of 2016, but this for providing financial support for Russia's military

occupation of Ukraine. One of his companies including his catering business also sanctioned by Treasury this year.

My colleague Tim Lister, Mary Ilyushina, and I examined scores of documents leaked from Prigozhin's companies. One contract provided IRA with ways to

monitor social media and a system of automated promotion in search engines.

Other documents show that the monthly budget for IRA was around $1 million in 2013. That's every month, split between departments that included

Russian language operations and the use of social media in English.

One part of that factory had a really intriguing name. It was called "Department of Provocations" dedicated to selling fake news and social

divisions in the west. This, according to internal company documents obtained by CNN. And it mission, as stated in those documents, was "How do

we create news items to achieve our goals?"

We should note that several e-mails and calls from CNN to Concord Consulting, that is Prigozhin's firm, went unanswered and the IRA no longer

exists since the U.S. election.

A declassified assessment by the U.S. intelligence community published in January of this year concluded that "the likely finance here, the so-called

Internet Research Agency, on professional trolls located in St. Petersburg is a close Putin ally with ties to Russian intelligence."

Although that assessment did not mention Prigozhin, our reporting though and other sources we have spoken to point very much in the direction of

this close Putin ally. Jim Sciutto, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: We follow the destruction and slow recovery of Puerto Rico since Hurricane Maria hit one month ago. Coming up, we'll go back to see some of

the desperate residents who were cut off from power and aid, and get an update on their situation.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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

The supreme leader of Iran has heavily criticized the U.S. president in a televised speech, calling Donald Trump a big mouth, who pretends to be an

idiot. Mr. Trump has said that he will adapt a tougher policy on Tehran and will not

[08:30:00] re-certify the Iran nuclear deal.

Mr. Trump is also being criticized for conversation he had with the widow of a fallen special forces soldier. A congresswoman who heard the president

on the phone with La David Johnson's widow called the president, quote, insensitive, says he said the soldier knew what he signed up for but I

guess it still hurts. Mr. Trump disputes the congresswoman's claim saying that they are quote, totally fabricated.

China's biggest political event, the Communist Party of Congress is underway this week in Beijing. Xi Jinping is all but certain to be granted

a second five-year term as president cementing his grip on power. He kicked off the meeting today with a three hours speech outlining his goals

and achievements.

Displaced families are starting to return home to Kirkuk in northern Iraq after Iraqi troops seize the city from Kurdish forces. And many people

took the Kirkuk streets on Tuesday night to celebrate. The U.S. is in an awkward position now because in fact both sides in the fight against ISIS.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Aid is funneling into Puerto Rico but many residents are not getting the water, the food, the medicine they need quickly enough.

And for those living in more isolated areas, they're trap still by broken roads and can't even go to line up for aid. Now we've reported on similar

stories before and Bill Weir went back to check in on them.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL WEIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Immediately after Maria, what remain of this hilltop community in Aguas Buenas took our breath away.

A fallen transmission tower lay atop a shattered home and then the house next door we found Diana (ph), desperately trying to preserve the last vial

of insulin for her husband Miguel, a veteran, in Vietnam veteran. A month later, we are back, bracing for the worst but hoping for the best.

Wow, that's a good sign. Look at that. They got it back up. It's the work of local linemen who make a point of showing me their Facebook page to

prove that they are just as good as those contractors from the main land.

How long before power will run through these lines? It depends on the weather, he says. They have two more of these giants to salvage. And what

we were you praying for just now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For the safety and praising for God to give us the help for all the group.

WEIR: Yes, you need all the help you can get, let's see if Diana (ph) and Miguel are home. Diana. Ola. Kumusta? Do you remember me? How are you?

Good to see you.

She tells me Miguel is resting inside alive and well. After seeing our story, the Veterans Administration sent a nurse up the mountain with plenty

of medicine. What about the future now, what do you think about next week, next month, next year?

I'm going to keep fighting. I'm going to stay in Puerto Rico. I'm not going to leave, she says and then points up. They put a flag on top of the

tower. They are just one example of Puerto Rico rising.

But they are just one family in a township f around 30,000. What is your biggest frustration today? What do you need more than anything else?

Blue tarps, the mayor tells me. I received 300, I need 1,000. It's been raining a lot and people don't have roofs. What do you think of the

President Trump saying that Puerto Ricans aren't distributing the food fast enough?

Because some of the towns did not distribute well, there's the perception that this is an island-wide problem, he says. But that is not the case

here. There are 78 municipalities in Puerto Rico, which means 78 mayors with different skills and methods.

In the southern town of Patillas, the secretary of state says he was outraged to find dumpster full of spoiled food and unused fresh water. A

mistake this mayor is determined not to repeat. But even though his teams have visited over 8,000 homes, they still have around 2,000 to go.

And if this one is any indication, they can't get there fast enough. Enida (ph) sits on a bed soaked with rainwater. A smell of mold sticks in every

room.

Do you have any idea how many people are in this kind of conditions?

This is not rare, he says. We encounter these cases. It has touched me deep in my heart. Today we're going to start helping her now. We're going

to move her to a more secure location.

[08:35:00] We are so grateful that God sent you, Enida's (ph) sister-in-law tells the mayor, you see the conditions here. Please excuse me, mayor, the

quickest help possible, please. She needs it

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Still so many people are suffering in Puerto Rico and if you want to help those in need there please check our website you go to

CNN.com/impact and from there, you will find a list of charities and NGOs to donate to, as well as groups, you can volunteer with on the ground.

Now, the head of Amazon Studios, Roy Price has resigned. Now, he was placed on a leave of absence five days ago after producer accused him of

sexual harassment.

She says that she was inspired to speak publicly after dozens of its accusers came forward in the Harvey Weinstein abuse scandal. The

controversy comes as Amazon tries lock horns with Netflix and Apple, and the TV movie business.

Amazon had already canceled a promotional event in London this week following Price's suspension. You are watching News Stream. And still to

come, Lego is celebrating the remarkable women who push the boundaries of science and technology by immortalizing them as toys.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back. Now, too much traffic and a blooming population can be a bad combination for any city. But urban planners in Seoul South

Korea, they're taking the long view. In this edition of Innovative Cities, Matt River shows us how they're trying to get people out of their cars and

onto their feats.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fifty years ago, Seoul wasn't ready to be a mega city but in the span of just a couple of generations, the population

grew by seven million people testing the city's limits. This rapid urbanization demanded that city planners pause, think and innovate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you imagine without buses and subways like this sophisticated system, then we would have been very car oriented city. We

would've been like a traffic hell.

RIVERS: Zoom out and we're in the nerve center of Seoul's public transportation system, a high-tech operation moving millions through the

city every day. Real-time information is gathered to move buses, cars and trains with maximum efficiency. While traffic has significantly improved

their Yeongdong sees work to be done.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For citizens who are addictive to cars for a long time moving from the constant of city to pedestrian oriented city, the changing

mind of citizens is most difficult and time consuming job.

[08:40:00] RIVERS: By turning railways into walkways, and roads into rivers, Seoul has started to put history its pedestrians first and said

approach, that has already seen success in iconic areas all over the city.

Yeongdong has been car free since 1997 and it would be hard to picture it any other way. The mayor's latest project, an old highway overpass that

has become a garden in the sky, attracting three million people since it opened in May, the city sees this as a symbol of Seoul's future.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's manifestation of strive in urban democracy because they were makes demand that people always wanted this kind of

vibrant and space for themselves, not for cars and inside -- which of you who might be driving it.

RIVERS: By 2050, six billion people could be crowded into the world cities and Seoul's innovators are hoping to do their part to relieve the pressures

of urban living.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For (Inaudible) like myself is really boils down to creating or improving transport environmentally friendly and I think we're

doing it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Matt Rivers reporting there. The cities around the world are under pressure as populations grow. And even big innovators finding

solutions to these challenges faced by modern cities, don't miss the premier this Saturday, 8:00 p.m. here in Hong Kong, 8:30 p.m. in London.

And finally here's a look at the new Lego, that's celebrating some groundbreaking women of NASA. Now the set which was first tease back in

March, immortalizes four pioneers. You have, yet Nancy Grace Roman known as the mother of the Hubble Space Telescope.

Sally Ride, the first American woman in space. Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman in space and Margaret Hamilton who helped the people

on the moon.

Maia Weinstock, she is the deputy editor of MIT News design the set saying, it lets people learn about women's history and science and technology, and

she gave it a title, ladies rock outer space. That is truth and that is News Stream. I'm Kristie Lu Stout but don't go anywhere World Sport with

Christina Macfarlane is next.

END