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Out On Bail: Philippine Journalist, Maria Ressa Is Released From Detention After Being Arrested On Cyber Libel Charges; The U.S. Urges Allies To Get Tough On Its Rivals, But Tehran Is Putting The Blame On Washington; Venezuelans Stream Into Colombia For Food And Aid And Any Way Out Of A Spiraling Crisis.Aired: 8:00-9a ET

Aired February 14, 2019 - 08:00   ET

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


KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST, "NEWS STREAM" (voice over): Out on bail: Philippine journalist, Maria Ressa is released from detention after being

arrested on cyber libel charges.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIA RESSA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, RAPPLER: This isn't just about me and it's not just about Rappler.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT (voice over): And her message doesn't stop there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RESSA: What we're seeing is death by a thousand cuts of our democracy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT (voice over); Putting the pressure on Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Iranian regime is the leading state sponsor of terrorism in the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT (voice over): The U.S. urges allies to get tough on its rivals. But Tehran is putting the blame on Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAVAD ZARIF, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: We, and the rests of the international community are at the negotiating table.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT (voice over): And desperation grows deeper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ISA SOARES, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: There is nothing in Venezuela, only sadness. That is what she is telling me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT (voice over): Venezuelans stream into Colombia for food and aid and any way out of a spiraling crisis.

LU STOUT (on camera): I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong, and welcome to "News Stream." In the Philippines, a high profile journalist and critic of

the country's President is out on bail and speaking out on freedom of the press. Maria Ressa, the CEO of the online news site Rappler was released

earlier today after spending the night in jail. She is now urging the media not to be silent and calling the charges against her an abuse of

power.

Let's take a deeper look at this case. It all relates to a story that was published by Rappler in 2012 alleging that a businessman, his name,

Wilfredo Keng, had links to illegal drugs and human trafficking.

Because the article came out two years before new cyber libel laws took effect in the Philippines, the National Bureau of Investigation or NBI

ruled out Ressa could not be charged, but that judgment was later overturned by the Department of Justice on grounds that the article was

updated in February of 2014.

Maria Ressa joins us now by Skype from Manila, and Maria, thank you for joining us. In response to your arrest, you have said, "Now is the time to

hold the line." And you used that as a hashtag, hold the line. What do you mean by that?

RESSA (Through Skype): We need to make sure that both our government and Filipinos know that we won't accept the kind of pushing back of the tiny

little shifts in the way the law is being executed and the way the Constitution is being changed to stop these little deaths by a thousand

cuts, these nicks that are draining the body of our democracy dry.

LU STOUT: You say that there's so much more at stake here. It's not just about you, not just about Rappler, but democracy. President Rodrigo

Duterte has denied political motivation here. Do you believe Duterte is out to silence you, despite the fact that you're a "Time" Person of the

Year, the whole world is watching.

RESSA: You know, I try not to take anything personally, nor to give any kind of -- I am trying not to take it personally, but here is the reality.

In less than two months, I have posted bail six times on charges that are frankly ridiculous.

And this one, you pointed out, cyber libel. This is a story that Rappler published the first year it was born, seven years ago and it was actually

published before this law, the cyber libel law was even enacted. You can't -- constitutionally, you can't have a law go retroactively.

And then, aside from that, the way the arrest was carried out. The arrest warrant coming in, the NBI officers coming in at 5:00 p.m. after courts

closed, there was one court, the night court that was opened until 9:00 p.m. the judge refusing to grant bail, to allow me to post bail. Even

though our lawyers were there two hours beforehand. Lots of irregularities, and the only thing I can think of is, the government wants

me to feel its power.

I spent the night in detention. And all I know is that I feel like my rights have been violated. My rights as a Filipino citizen, so I am

demanding accountability for that and we will do so in the proper venues. I am also -- as a journalist, I know firsthand how the law is being

weaponized against perceived critics.

I'm not a critic. I'm a journalist. I am doing my job holding the government to account.

LU STOUT: You're saying that the law is being weaponized, and weaponized against you, a high-profile critic of Rodrigo Duterte. What is the wider

impact of your arrest? Is this going to have an impact on press freedom in general in the Philippines and across the region?

RESSA: I think it already has. And you know, one of our young reporters yesterday who was doing a live stream on Facebook, when the officers were

here to serve the arrest warrant. One of the officers actively tried to stop her ...

[08:05:06]

RESSA: ... from covering and, of course, she knew her rights. She knew she could continue live streaming and then he turned to her and said, "Be

silent or you're next." And I think that's a very clear message here.

And it is the use of fear in this way. I am being set up as an example so that others will stop asking tough questions, and I think that puts

responsibility on me to continue asking tough questions, to not allow -- this doesn't make me afraid.

Frankly, it's an extremely petty move to keep me in detention overnight. I have the right to bail and that should have been granted to me. We will

continue the mission, it becomes even more critical, #HoldTheLine, Kristie.

LU STOUT: Maria Ressa, the CEO of Rappler. Thank you so much for joining us to talk about your arrest and the wider implications for press freedom.

Maria, take care.

As a major deadline approaches in the U.S. trade war with China, high level talks are under way in Beijing and the health of the global economy might

be at stake.

The U.S. Treasury Secretary says, so far so good. But if a deal is not reached by March 1st, the U.S. says it will sharply raise tariffs on some

$200 billion worth of Chinese goods. Let's bring in Matt Rivers. He is following all of this from Beijing, and Matt, more high level talks today

there in Beijing. What are they trying to hammer out?

MATT RIVERS, CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Well, I mean, basically what they're trying to do is make substantive progress and more specifically, the kind

of progress that President Trump says is necessary in order for the United States to sign on to any potential deal.

So we know that lower level negotiations actually started on Monday here in Beijing. It was today and then going into tomorrow that we have senior

level members of these delegations led by the Treasury Secretary on the U.S. side, as well as those on the U.S. Trade Representative meeting with

their counterparts here in China.

And so far, if you're trying to read the tea leaves, it does appears that there is some progress being made. Mnuchin, the Treasury Secretary said so

far, so good as you mentioned. There was a photo-op this morning where everyone was all smiles. And if you're hoping for a trade deal, well, that

is what you want to see, especially because so much of this comes down to this week. This is the last scheduled meetings at a senior level before

that March 1st deadline that you mentioned.

Now, here is what we know from President Trump. He said earlier this week in the White House that he is considering letting that deadline go, letting

it slide a little bit going from March 1st to some other date if he feels that there is enough progress made, Kristie, during negotiations this week.

Now, if he does let it slide, it accomplishes two things. One, it allows negotiators here in Beijing a little bit more breathing room if they don't

have to worry about tariffs going into place on March 1st. But furthermore, it gives Donald Trump time to meet in person with Chinese

President Xi Jinping because Trump has said, he won't sign a trade deal until he meets with Xi in person, and we know that can't happen before

March 1st because of Trump's other big meeting with Kim Jong-un on February 27th and 28th.

So, if there is progress made this week, President Trump will likely let the deadline slide, then he will meet with Xi Jinping, but the big

question, Kristie, does any of that mean a trade deal is actually going to happen, we simply do not know and anyone who tells you that they know how

this is going to end, Kristie, they are not telling you the truth.

LU STOUT: Yes, in the meantime, we know more talks, talks at a higher level there in Beijing, especially as that deadline looms. Matt Rivers

reporting live for us, thank you very much.

Now to the end of the Super Jumbo airliner. Airbus says it will stop making its iconic A380 plane in 2021 as after a key customer, Emirates

Airlines slashed its orders for the jet.

The double decker plane was the biggest in the world. It meant to be a game changer with its capacity to carry up to 850 passengers. But the plan

fell by the wayside as airlines switched to more fuel efficient jets.

And joining us now for more on the end of the A380 Super Jumbo is CNN's Richard Quest and Richard, you just spoke to the Airbus CEO. What did he

say? Why are they doing this?

RICHARD QUEST, ANCHOR, CNN: They're doing it because airlines no longer want to buy it. And they haven't wanted to buy it for some time. The

reality is, this is a plane that passengers loved, but airlines didn't need. It was too big, too many passengers, they couldn't sell it.

And for the Airbus chief executive, a sad day, but one that he knew was inevitable.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM ENDERS, CEO, AIRBUS: I said in my press release this morning, it's painful. It is indeed. That's an aircraft we poured a lot of resource, a

lot of effort a lot of sweat into over the years. And we tried hard in recent years to sell additional A380s, but it's like with every product, if

you don't find customers any more or if you can sell them only below production costs, you have to become sequential, you have to be economical

and cease production.

[08:10:08]

ENDERS: This is what we had to decide.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUEST: So what you are looking at here of course is the sheer size, the heft of this magnificent plane. You know, it could carry in three-class

configuration, 470. But there was one airline, Air Austral, I believe that actually intended to run it with more than 800 passengers, because the 380

was certified for over 800 passengers in all economy configuration. Incidentally, they never took the plane, so that never happened.

LU STOUT: And fundamentally, what does the end of the Airbus A380 say about the consumer, about the passengers and what we want?

QUEST: Right, it tells us that we are basically fickle. We say one thing, but we mean something else. Look at this airbus A380 from Emirates. Now,

that, by the way, is where the showers are for first class right at the front.

Now, Emirates bought more than a hundred of them, the largest single customer. In fact, the Emirates fleet is pretty much more than everybody

else put together. But the reality is, Emirates is the only airline that has made a huge success of it. Passengers say they want the luxury, the

size, the enjoyment of all of this. But the airlines know what passengers really want is the frequency, capacity, they want more planes and they want

economic planes, which is why Qantas led the cancellations just a couple of months ago.

LU STOUT: Richard, you were among the first to see the Airbus A380 firsthand. You witnessed the maiden flight. You were on the first flight.

What are your thoughts?

QUEST: The first time that the plane flew, it was just go, go, go, go. And this is the arrival into Sydney. Come on, I am sitting somewhere at

the back there and the first time it lands with passengers, it is the most extraordinary thing. It's the biggest flying machine for passengers ever.

And just watch. I challenge you not to feel it in the throat. The first time it landed. Qantas, by the way, were furious that Singapore Airlines --

Singapore decided deliberately to fly their first flight from Singapore to Sydney and Qantas was livid.

LU STOUT: A380, the name, why 380?

QUEST: Oh, it's simple. It's simple. The launch customers, all right, the launch customer was Singapore Airlines. but they expected most of the

sales in Asia. So the 8 --

LU STOUT: i.e.

QUEST: Double fuselage and eight for good luck.

LU STOUT: It's a lucky number.

QUEST: Well, apparently not.

LU STOUT: Yes, apparently not. Richard Quest, as always, thank you so much. Good-bye.

Number 8, not so lucky for Airbus. Now you can see more Richard Quest interview with Airbus CEO, Tom Enders coming up on "First Move With Julia

Chatterley." That starts in less than an hour.

"Iran is the biggest state sponsor of terrorism on the planet and the greatest threat to Middle East peace," those are the words of the U.S. Vice

President Mike Pence at a Security Summit in Poland. We're going to head to Warsaw, next. Plus, U.S. aid bound for Venezuela is stranded in

Colombia and it is driving many Venezuelans desperate for supplies across the border to get it. That, just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong. Welcome back, this is "News Stream" and now, just a short time ago, the U.S. Vice President Mike Pence

wrapped up a speech at a security conference in Warsaw, Poland. In it, he slammed the Iranian regime as quote, "The biggest state sponsor of

terrorism in the world." He called Israel America's most cherished ally and called on Arab nations to stand united with the U.S. and Israel in

their opposition to Iran.

This hour, Vice President Pence is due to meet with the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who even before the meeting officially got

underway set the tone tweeting a video message that said the summit enabled Arab countries and Israel to, quote, "advance the common interests of war

with Iran."

His office later softened the statement to read combatting Iran. In a moment, we will hear from Fred Pleitgen in Tehran and Oren Lieberman in

Jerusalem, but first, Atika Shubert joins us live from that summit in Warsaw.

And Atika there in Poland, the U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, he has been calling out Iran. Tell us more, what did he say?

ATIKA SHUBERT, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Yes, I mean, he made very clear that this is what the conference is all about. U.S.

efforts to rally allies to join its policy to contain what the United States sees as the maligned influence of Iran. That is according to -- the

words of Secretary of State, Pompeo.

In his speech, Vice President Mike Pence made clear that Iran is the single greatest threat as he said to Middle East peace and security. Take a

listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PENCE: At the outset of this historic conference, leaders from across the region agreed that the greatest threat to peace and security in the Middle

East is the Islamic Republic of Iran.

They've supported terrorist proxies and militias, Hezbollah and Hamas, exported missiles, fueled conflicts in Syria and Yemen and beyond.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SHUBERT: Now, he seemed to indicate that this was a united position at the conference, but it clearly was not because the other thing he said was he

basically scolded European nations, the E.U. in particular for not supporting the U.S. in abandoning the JCPOA nuclear agreement.

He appealed to Europe to quit the agreement and to create a new alliance against Iran. It's very notable here that at this conference, there are

leaders like the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu; but Germany and France, for example, did not send their Foreign Ministers.

They sent high level delegations instead, but it does show that very clear split on how to deal with Iran.

LU STOUT: And Atika, on our screens, we are we're looking at live pictures of that high level delegation, including Jared Kushner there in Warsaw.

Poland joining Mike Pompeo and also U.S. Vice President. Now, we have Fred Pleitgen standing by in Tehran.

Fred, as leaders there at the Security Summit Poland dial up the pressure on Iran, how is Tehran responding?

FRED PLEITGEN, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Tehran, Kristie is essentially doing two things. On the one hand, they're very much

criticizing that summit there in Warsaw, but they're trying to a certain degree, to laugh it off, if you will.

The Iranians are saying, look, they don't believe that there's very much enthusiasm at that summit for most of the countries that are taking part.

They say essentially what they believe is that America is setting the agenda for that summit and Israel is essentially the country that is

speaking for the nations who were present at that summit.

Of course speaking about that tweet and that comment from the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Now, of course to the Iranians, as well.

The nuclear deal and the aftermath of America pulling out of the nuclear deal is a big issue also in light of the summit that is taking place, and

some of the criticism that you heard there from Mike Pence.

The Iranians are saying if there is a nation that needs to go back to the negotiating table, it's the United States. Here is what the Foreign

Minister, Jawad Zarif had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZARIF: It's for them to return to the negotiating table. They're not supposed to take us back to the negotiating table. We, and the rest of the

international immunity are at the negotiating table. They're the ones that left. They can come back.

[08:20:10]

ZARIF: Because it is the United States that is breaking the law. It is the United States that is violating every known international agreement. I

think, I mean, you name it, they withdraw from it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: So there you have, Javad Zarif, the Foreign Minister of Iran. That was actually at a press gathering that I was at, as well, responding

to one of CNN's questions.

So you can see there, a lot of criticism for that summit at Warsaw, of course, for the American position of trying to put more pressure on the

Iranians. Once again, the Iranian government yesterday and today, as well, vowing to never bow down to American and international pressure -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: Got it. Let's go to Oren standing by in Jerusalem, and Oren, Iran feeling the heat from the U.S. and also from Israel, especially when

you have the Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu speaking of, quote, "war with Iran." What does he mean by that?

OREN LIEBERMAN, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Well, this was in a statement Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made after meeting Oman's

Foreign Minister and Netanyahu has made it clear that even if the U.S. wants to be about broader Middle East stability and security, Netanyahu

wants the focus to be on Iran.

For years now, we've seen him use bellicose rhetoric with Iran in saying Israel strikes against Iranian forces in Syria will continue, but until

this past statement, we've never seen something quite like this.

He said and this was repeated on Twitter and in the official government translation, "This is an open meeting with representatives of leading Arab

countries that are sitting together with Israel in order to advance the common interest of war with Iran."

Well, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif of Iran fired back a short time later on Twitter saying, "We've always known Netanyahu's illusions, now the world

and Warsaw circus know, too." Nott missing a chance there to take a shot at Netanyahu.

Well, just a short time a later, the official government translation was reissued and that tweet talking about war with Iran was deleted, in favor

of a combatting Iran, a much softer, much more pulled back statement and that's what the statement that has gone with now. That's been the official

government translation since then.

A much softer statement than openly advocating or apparently openly advocating war with Iran. What doesn't change is that for Netanyahu in

this conference remains about Iran pushing back against Iran's influence and trying to create, obviously, a relationship with the U.S. that is

already there and strengthening that relationship, but also getting a broader relationship with many of the Arab states in the region to once

again push back against Iran.

Israel has been essentially a big fan of the U.S. measures, and supports all of those measures including sanctions and some of the other measures

we've seen from the Trump administration and this is an extension of that and a chance for Netanyahu to keep pushing that agenda forward as he pushes

back against Iran in the region.

LU STOUT: Oren Lieberman reporting live for us in Jerusalem, Atika Shubert live in Warsaw, Fred Pleitgen reporting live from Tehran. We thank you for

your reporting.

And right now, Iran, Russia and Turkey -- they are trying to figure out how the U.S' announced withdrawal from Syria will affect the situation there.

And working on a plan, safe zone in the North.

Now, meanwhile in Eastern Syria, U.S.-backed forces are closing in on the last enclave controlled by ISIS. Thousands of civilians have been caught

in the crossfire. Many are making the desperate decision to flee. Ben Wedeman has been speaking with some of them.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: The offensive to retake this town has been slowed by the presence of civilians and we,

before the battle began, we were in a high position, able to see inside the town, and you can see that there are tent camps around the place in very

exposed areas and therefore, these civilians, those who are left and as I said, we don't really know how many there are, are in danger, not just from

the bombardment from the air and land, but the sheer number of bullets that are flying around over and into the town.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: Now, as Ben said, we don't know exactly how many civilians are left in the town, but more than 2,000 have fled in just three days.

U.S. officials say they expect the situation in Venezuela to get worse, so they're putting relief supplies on the border so they are ready to deliver

once it's safe. Now, the desperation for basic supplies like food, medicine is driving some Venezuelans across the border into Colombia.

That country's President says obstructing access to humanitarian aid by the Venezuelan government is a crime against humanity.

Isa Soares has been bringing us in-depth and emotional stories of the despair at the border. She joins us now from Cucuta, Colombia and Isa, as

international aid remains sitting there, just stranded on the border, is there a sense of growing anger and desperation among Venezuelans?

ISA SOARES, CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Very much so, Kristie. People are drained. They are exhausted. They are hungry and they want that aid.

They want to get their hands into that aid that is sitting idle in a warehouse roughly 20 minutes or so from here.

[08:25:06]

SOARES: And just to give our international viewers a sense of just how desperate it is, the minimum wage, Kristie, in Venezuela is $5.00 U.S.

With $5.00, with hyperinflation, you can't even buy cheese. Hence, why we've seen so many people making their way to Colombia to buy basic staples

and some going further field, going to Chile, going to Peru.

And as you can imagine, given the situation, emotions, tempers are running very high.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

SOARES (voice over): Every step is a burden. A load they have to carry for miles on end. But even the weight of their cargo does little to hold

their tongue.

And while the majority cross this border legally, some others take a less traveled road. And they all do it out of necessity.

SOARES (on camera): There's no food. Nothing. Nothing there, he's saying. Coffee. Toothpaste. There's nothing in Venezuela. Only sadness.

That's what she's telling me.

Yet 20 minutes away from here on Tienditas Bridge is a warehouse packed full of humanitarian aid waiting to be delivered. Sure, it is just a drop

in the ocean, but it's creating a wave of expectation on both sides of the border. And with that, desperation.

SOARES (voice over): The frustration is evident in every corner of this border town. As Venezuelans line up for food, for money, and for any way

out of this crisis.

SOARES (on camera): He's staying Colombia, but this -- this gentlemen here, he's collecting some money and he's going all the way to Peru. He's

telling me, we don't want anything to do with Maduro.

SOARES (voice over): It seems he's not alone. They're celebrating the fall of Maduro's regime. Premature. After all, he's standing his ground

with his military still preventing the aid from entering the country. But they're heeding the call of Juan Guaido.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (Through a translator): We will move the humanitarian aid. Of course, we will move it. And we will move it, even if we have to

carry it through unofficial paths.

SOARES (voice over): Who has been rallying his troops, calling on the people to volunteer and carry the aid across the border on the 23rd of

February.

SOARES (on camera): Are you going to help on the 23rd?

As you can see here, everyone -- as you can see here, everyone here is prepared to risk their lives to carry that humanitarian aid across the

borders.

SOARES (voice over): And they're counting on the army, the rank and file, who, too, are living on the edge, to walk, as well as stand beside them.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

SOARES: And that chant you heard there at the end of the piece is directed specifically at the rank and file, Kristie, asking them to stand beside

them and they are trying to emulate something that happened back in 2016 when the border back then between Colombia and Venezuela was closed, a

group of women dressed all in white went face-to-face with police.

They wanted to come into Colombia to buy aid, to buy medicine, and actually, they moved out of the way. The riot police moved out of the way

and let the women through and they're hoping that will happen once again come the 23rd if Maduro doesn't let that aid in -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: Isa, you're showing the scenes of anger and desperation at the border as people are just suffering, they are waiting for the aid to come

in. Is that translating into anger directed squarely at Nicolas Maduro? Is it politically costing him?

SOARES: Very much so, very much so and these are people that, if you remember, have always been Maduro supporters or traditionally have been

Chavez supports or Chavistas because obviously, during the time of Hugo Chavez, a lot of them benefited from those social programs or what they

used to call "te doy dar", "I give you food, I give you medicine, you give me your

vote." but because of the crisis with the fall of oil price and the economy practically tumbling, people have really noticed that they're not getting

anything from Maduro, they're not benefiting from these oil prices and from the wealth of the country.

So now they're turning their back on Maduro. I actually met one woman at a protest two days ago whose husband was a lieutenant with Maduro's army and

she said they couldn't feed their family so they have made their way to Colombia. It really gives you a sense, Kristie, of just how dire and how

desperate they are and how many are prepared to turn their back on Maduro. Now, of course we need the senior military, those to turn around and see if

they can let that aid in.

[08:30:10]

LU STOUT: Yes, desperate for aid, public anger is growing against Nicolas Maduro. Isa Soares reporting live for us, Isa, thank you.

You're watching "News Stream" and still ahead, a dozen same sex couples in Japan are spending this Valentine's Day demanding the right to marry. Up

next, we will speak to one of those couples about their fight for equality.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: I am Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching "News Stream" and these are your world headlines. The U.S. Vice President is

calling the Iranian regime, quote, "The biggest state sponsor of terrorism in the world." He spoke just a short time at a security summit in Warsaw.

Pence called Israel America's most cherished ally and called on Arab countries to stand united with the U.S. and Israel in their opposition to

Iran. Iran's Foreign Minister has denounced the summit as a circus.

Iran is also engaged in a diplomatic scramble in Sochi, Russia, to end the war in Syria. President Rouhani is sitting down with Russian President

Putin and Turkish President Erdogan who has said uncertainty remains as the U.S. prepare to withdraw its troops. And right now, they're working on a

planned safe zone in Northern Syria.

The U.S. House has voted to end any U.S. military support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen within 30 days. It is a rebuke of the Trump administration's

defense of Saudi Arabia after the murder of journlist, Jamal Khashoggi. The measure passed 248-177 along mostly party lines.

Donald Trump's former campaign manager may be facing more prison time when he is sentenced in Washington next month. The Federal judge has ruled that

Paul Manafort broke his plea agreement when he intentionally lied to Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office, the FBI in a grand jury.

Manafort's lawyers say that he did not intentionally lie about anything.

On this Valentine's Day, same-sex couples across Japan are fighting for the right to marry. More than a dozen gay and lesbian couples throughout the

country are suing the government, arguing that being banned from marrying violates their constitutional rights to equality.

Japan is the only G7 country that does not allow gay marriage. Ai Nakajima and Kristina Baumann were married in Germany, but Japan doesn't recognize

their union. They join us now from Tokyo and thank you for joining us, Happy Valentine's Day. And you have filed on this day a lawsuit --

AI NAKAJIMA, SAME SEX COUPLE WHO SUED GOVERNMENT OF JAPAN: Thank you. [ KRISTINA BAUMANN, SAME SEX COUPLE WHO SUED GOVERNMENT OF JAPAN: Thank you.

LU STOUT: This lawsuit you have filed along with a dozen other couples, how optimistic, how hopeful are you that this is going to going to lead to

equal marriage rights there in Japan?

[08:35:10]

NAKAJIMA: Japan is following exactly the same as the U.S. Supreme Court Justice that has ruled a few years ago, and based on that, we are very much

optimistic, but of course, we need strong supporters from all over the world.

LU STOUT: Now, you got married in Germany, but your marriage is not recognized in Japan. So how has that affected, how has that interfered

with your lives there?

BAUMANN: Yes, so because our marriage is not recognized here in Japan, I don't get the spouse visa for example, and there many other really

difficulties in daily life.

For example, if one of us would go to a hospital, we cannot see each other because hospital may be denied our relationship.

LU STOUT: That's right. There are visa issues, you can also struggle with jointly buying a house, taking out loans et cetera. A question for you,

Ai, you could take the easier path. You and your partner could move back to Germany, live life as a legally recognized married couple there. You

must be asked this question, why stay in Japan? Why be determined to stay there and sue the government?

NAKAJIMA: Yes, that's exactly correct and for us, that would be the last path because my partner, Tina, loves Japan and Japanese culture and she

loves living here, and I do, too. So we want to establish our family and we want to establish our lives - ourselves here as a family.

LU STOUT: And Kristina, your thoughts on that? Why not just take the easy path out, go back to Germany. You're staying in Japan, is it because

you're standing for your rights? What you believe in?

BAUMANN: Yes. So it's not just about the two of us. I mean, what are all the Japanese couple are doing. They cannot go anywhere else than here

living in Japan. Like I said, we both want to live here and not same sex couples have the choice to live either country, but we don't. We fight for

our rights.

LU STOUT: And Ai, today's lawsuit that you and Kristina have filed along with 13 other same sex couples in Japan, this is just the very first step.

Are you bracing for a long and difficult fight ahead for equal marriage rights in Japan?

NAKAJIMA: Yes, that's exactly the case. Japan is following very slow in terms of LGBT rights here in Japan, but compared with the rest of the

world. But I believe working along with so many other friends and lawyers and other plaintiffs, I believe we can make a change in Japan at this

moment.

LU STOUT: Ai and Kristina, we thank you so much for joining us and sharing your story with us. We wish you the very best. Take care.

Now Apple and Google, they are under growing pressure to pull an app which allows Saudi men to track women from their platforms. The app is called

Absher. It is effectively digitizing the surveillance and control that men have over women in Saudi Arabia.

Women aren't allowed to travel without permission from a male guardian in the Kingdom. The app notifies men anytime a woman passes through an

airport by text messages. It allows men to restrict women from leaving the country and sets limits and dates and places women are permitted to travel.

The CEO of Apple, Tim Cook, he promised his company would take a look at the app if that is the case. He said that in an interview with NPR in the

U.S.

Now, it is a goodbye that was meant to be almost a decade and a half ago. NASA is finally giving up on the Mars Rover that just kept going and going

and going.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back, now, beating expectations, going the extra mile lasting above and beyond. Now anywhere you put it, NASA's Opportunity,

Rover lasted on Mars longer than anyone expected. It landed in 2004 on what was supposed to be a 90-day mission, that's all, but it kept going for

years until a dust storm silenced it eight months ago. Now, final efforts to revive it ended on Tuesday.

Space Agency Administrator, Jim Bridenstine described how Opportunity surpassed expectations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM BRIDENSTINE, NASA ADMININSTRATOR: When this little Rover landed, the objective was to have it be able to move 1,100 yards and survive for 90

days on Mars 90 souls, and instead, here we are 14 years later after 28 miles of travel and today, we get to celebrate the end of this mission.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: No, Opping as it was called had quite a number of achievements. It helped confirm that Mars once had flowing water and the conditions for

microbial life. It was by far the longest lasting lander there on the Red Planet and the six-wheeled Rover also set a record by traveling more than

45 kilometers.

Opportunity and its identical twin named Spirit landed on Mars in 2004. The goal was to learn more about the history of water on the planet. Now,

Spirit went silent in 2011 after it got stuck in the sand, and Opportunity, we, salute you.

That is "News Stream" I am Kristie Lu Stout, but don't go anywhere, "World Sport" with Rhiannon Jones is next.

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