Zimbabwe's Opposition Disputes Election Results; Iran's Major Military Exercise In The Middle East; Turkey's Prime Minister Warned Of Threatening Language Or Sanctions Is Not Productive; Mahathir Mohamad Calls The U.S. President An International Bully; Donald Trump Receives A Letter Kim Jong-Un; Mixed Reactions On Donald Trump's Role On The Korean Peninsula; Interview Cut-Off; Oppressive Heat; Zimbabwe Uncertainty.
ANDREW STEVENS, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Andrew Stevens in Hong Kong. Welcome to "News Stream." Disputing the outcome. Zimbabwe's opposition party thrashes the country's electoral commission accusing it of releasing tight results. Exam rigging. Japan's government calls for an investigation to reports of gender discrimination at a top medical school. And unbearable heat, the Iberian Peninsula braces for what could be record temperatures on the European continent. Zimbabwe's president is calling for a new beginning after he was declared the winner of the nation's first election since Robert Mugabe's ouster. But the battle over ballots appears far from over. The opposition is slamming the final election count as unverified and fake. Six people have been killed in violent clashes between security forces and protesters since Monday's vote. Well David McKenzie joins us now live from Harare, the Zimbabwean capital with the lightest. And David, opposition later Nelson Chamisa says the results are fake. How are his supporters reacting?</s>DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well so far the supporters haven't taken to the streets like they did a few days ago where you saw that tragic bloodshed in Harare, Andrew. Behind me they'll have a press conference from the opposition leader in the coming moments where we expect him to chart a way forward on how exactly they are going to dispute this election. Yesterday he said that they would use -- to me, he said they will use any legal means necessary, but there have already been an endorsement from the regional block SADC and from the president of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, congratulating Emerson Mnangagwa as the president of Zimbabwe. So they might face an uphill battle. I put the question to the E.U. observer mission (inaudible) this was a free and fair election.</s>MARK STEVENS, EUROPEAN UNION DEPUTY CHIEF OBSERVER: One of the biggest challenges this election faces is the lack of trust in all aspects. And I think now that the result is being given, what we stress very strongly is it needs to be fully explained how that result was ascertained, broken down by constituency, by polling station, so everyone can see exactly how the result was ascertained and be confident about that since it clears the gap is quite narrow.</s>MCKENZIE: Well that a result came out of the very early hours of this morning, Andrew. There were some celebrations but you do get a sense of at least that many Zimbabweans on the street today here on the capital want to get on with their lives, but still this moment of uncertainty of how the opposition will deal with what they say is a rigged vote, Andrew.</s>STEVENS: Interesting, your point about the people in Zimbabwe wanting to get on with their lives. It's obviously been very tumultuous recent couple of decades, really, for Zimbabweans. It has divided the community. It is a fractured place many people will say. How does the leader, the man who at this stage who has been named as the leader, how does he bring the country back together?</s>MCKENZIE: Well, Zimbabweans have long memories and they know that Emerson Mnangagwa has a tortured past in this country. As a politician, he was the right hand man of Robert Mugabe for all those decades. Now, after those dramatic scenes that Mugabe was ousted in a coup in November orchestrated by Mnangagwa and the military, he is trying to make a clean break and trying to persuade Zimbabweans that he will bring in a new era when investment comes in. But the trouble is, is that the E.U., the U.S. and others will be looking to the way this election has been handled as to whether they are going to see sanctions on individuals in this country including senior members of Zanu-PF, the ruling party. So, he's trying to say that people should move on, obviously, that's in his self-interest. The opposition is saying, well wait, we don't believe these results are legitimate and they are crying foul, Andrew.</s>STEVENS: David, thanks very much for that update and we will be monitoring Nelson Chamisa and that press conference and get back to David if Chamisa brings out some sort of evidence to prove that there has been tampering with that election. A U.S. defense official tells CNN that Iran is conducting a major military exercise in the Middle East. The naval operation is taking place in the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Gulf of Oman. Now these exercises aren't unusual, but the source says it's the timing of the exercise that is concerning to U.S. officials. Let's go to our international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson. Now, he is in the Persian Gulf near the Strait of Hormuz and he joins us now. Nic, so what do you know then about the timing of this exercise by the Iranians and what is their intention here?</s>NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It was very interesting because the moment the Iranians on even (ph) declaring that they are having these exercises. Normally, they would happen later in the year around November where they would use dozens of smaller boats and these training exercises in the Strait of Hormuz, which is a key strategic, vital global artery in the supply of oil. Twenty percent of the world's oil are traded or passes through that very narrow waterway, 30 miles narrow at it sort of closest point. So it's a major chokehold. So the very fact that they are being held at a different time of year, that unlike normal times when Iran would announce that it's having these exercises, it isn't right now. It comes on the heels of a couple of weeks that has been an increased in tension and rhetoric between Washington and Tehran. You have the head of the Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who are in-charge of these military exercises, saying that if Iran cannot export its oil through the Strait of Hormuz, then no one else will be able to get their oil through there as well. And that has been echoed by Iran's president, by the supreme leader. We've had President Trump as well warning in an all caps tweet just a week or so ago saying that, you know, not to use threats like that and threatening serious consequences. So the war of words is coming up. The value of the Rial in Iran is going down. There were street protests in Iran. And in a couple of days more sanctions are going to come into effect on Iran that further threatened the economy. And in another 90 days potentially threaten these -- Iran's sale of oil. So, all of these things seem to be contributing factors, but again, unclear why Iran is doing it right now.</s>STEVENS: OK, Nic, thanks very much for that. Nic Robertson near the Strait of Hormuz. Turkey's prime minister says that he's warned America's top diplomat that using threatening language or sanctions will not be productive. Now, the two met on the sidelines of the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Singapore. Ankara and Washington are locked in a dispute over detention of an American pastor in Turkey. CNN international correspondent Ivan Watson is in Singapore. He joins us with more now. So Ivan, strong language from the Turkish prime minister, what is the threatening language he's referring to Mike Pompeo using? What was he talking about then?</s>IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Turks made it very clear they didn't like the fact that their NATO ally, the U.S. have imposed sanctions on two cabinet ministers in Turkey. They vowed an equivalent response in the run up to this meeting here in Singapore. And meanwhile, Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State, he came into the meeting talking tough saying that the Trump administration had put Turkey on notice, that they were demanding the release of this American pastor as well as others Mike Pompeo alluded to, presumably two Turkish citizens who work at U.S. diplomatic missions in Turkey who have been detained since October on terrorism charges. But, both sides came out of this quite short meeting here in Singapore. I was in the lobby of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. The Turkish foreign minister was there for barely a half hour, that's where he met Mike Pompeo. And they sounded quite positive saying that they have constructive conversation and positive talks. Take a listen to an excerpt of what the Turkish foreign minister had to say.</s>MEVLUT CAVUSOGLU, TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): We've told the other side that using a threatening language or sanctions will not be productive from the start. We repeated this and we believe that they have understood this very well. Today in our meeting with Mike Pompeo, we talked about what steps can be taken to resolve our issues. In that sense, I can say that this was a positive meeting.</s>WATSON: To repeat a journalistic cliche, Andrew, it seems like both sides have agreed to disagree and try to work through this. I spoke with a senior Turkish official and I asked, hey, Turkey vowed an equivalent response to the US sanctions and he told me that the priority right now is on trying to resolve these differences and argued that the U.S. sanctions are quote, "very symbolic" since the two Turkish cabinet ministers have no assets in the U.S. that they are being stripped of. So, it appears at this time that Washington and Ankara want to try to resolve this rather than let this potential crisis in relations between these two allies get any worse, Andrew.</s>STEVEN: Well, speaking of potential crisis in relationships, let's talk about the ASEAN meeting there. Mike Pompeo is there. Obviously, North Korea is going to be a big topic and Mike Pompeo is already talking about North Korea in the lead up to this meeting. What does he say about North Korea and what does he want from AEAN as far as North Korea is concerned?</s>WATSON: He sounds like he's taking a tougher line, Andrew. He said that he's going to focus most of his discussions here on thanking other ASEAN members for supporting the sanctions that the U.S. -- has led the sanctions regime against North Korea. He also told journalists on his flight to Singapore that quote, Chairman Kim made a commitment to denuclearize." It was demanded by United Nations Security Council resolutions and he argued that North Korea is behaving in an inconsistent manner according to those commitments and the demands of the international community, that it still in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions. So, we are not hearing the kind of gushing appreciation of North Korea coming from Mike Pompeo that we are hearing let's say, from President Trump who recently thanked in a tweet Chairman Kim for the release of the remains of 55 United Nations troops left over from the Korean War, and thanked Chairman Kim for a letter that was sent to him earlier this week and said, hey, basically I'll see you soon. Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State seems to be taking a tougher line and calling for a tougher line against North Korea at this international gathering here in Singapore, Andrew.</s>STEVEN: Ivan, thanks very much for that. Ivan Watson joining us live from Singapore. Now, en route to Singapore, Pompeop stopped in Kuala Lumpur to meet Malaysia's new prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad. In the past, Mahathir had a tense relationship with the United States as well as out (ph) west of the nations to put it mildly. So, how does he feel about the current U.S. administration? CNN's Anna Coren asked the 93-year-old leader about his impressions of the U.S. President Donald Trump in a recent interview.</s>ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You described the U.S. president as an international bully. Do you still feel that way?</s>MAHATHIR MOHAMAD, PRIME MINISTER OF MALAYSIA: More interesting he is not consistent. He can change his mind in 24 hours three times. He wanted to see the president of North Korea then he didn't want to see and then he wanted to see again. I mean, how do you deal with a person who's mind changes so rapidly? Well, America is a powerful nation, we know that, but if he chooses to fight China in our area, then we are going to be a price for him (ph). So, we don't want that kind of thing.</s>STEVENS: The full interview with the Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, that's on "Talk Asia" Saturday 1:30 p.m. Hong Kong time, only on CNN. Now, an intriguing correspondence has been confirmed by the White House. President Donald Trump received a letter this week from the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders says Trump responded with a letter of his own.</s>SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: He did receive a letter. I believe that he received it on August 1st. There is not a second meeting that is currently locked in or finalized. Certainly open to discussion but there isn't a meeting planned. We have responded to Chairman Kim's letter -- the president has and that letter will be delivered shortly.</s>STEVENS: The U.S. president tweeted his thanks to Kim for the letter and said that he would, quote, see him soon. The two leaders met for the first almost two months ago at a summit in Singapore, June 12th. Donald Trump's efforts to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula are drawing mixed reviews, some were impressed by his approach to Kim, but CNN's Paula Hancocks reports other are not sure if it is the right thing to do.</s>PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This says Koreans love the U.S. president. Older, generally more conservative, they show their support for Donald Trump on a regular basis. Others disagree Mr. Trump's talk last year of fire and fury, of totally destroying North Korea made residents sitting on the frontline of a potential conflict nervous. But Trump's tough talk on Pyongyang to South Korea's Parliament last November impressed many across the political divide.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: North Korea is not the paradise your grandfather envisioned. It is a hell that no person deserves.</s>HANCOCKS (voice-over): Words the won him the respect of Jeong Kwang-il who escaped North Korea 15 years ago. The human rights activists traveled to the White House last year to meet President Trump.</s>JEONG KWANG-IL, (through translator): At that moment he said I had great hopes and expectations. I thought it won't be long before I can return to my hometown in the north, I honestly believed it.</s>HANCOCKS (voice-over): Then came the Singapore Summit. Standing next to Kim Jong-un, June 12th, Trump's words went from Little Rocket man to this.</s>TRUMP: I learned he's a very talented man. He love his country very much.</s>HANCOCKS (voice-over): Words that devastated Jeong.</s>KWANG-IL (through translator): I completely lot my faith in him, he says. Trump even said things like Kim Jong-un loves his people. I couldn't sleep after I heard that. Anyone who is strongly against the North Korean regime no longer supports Trump.</s>HABCOCKS (voice-over): President Moon Jae-in and his cabinet have given the U.S. president the lion share of the credit for improving relations and lessening tensions.</s>KANG KYUNG-WHA, SOUTH KOREAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Clearly, you know, credit goes to President Trump. He has been determined to come to grips with this from day one.</s>HANCOCKS (voice-over): Appreciation that spreads partly to the streets of Seoul. This woman says, I think Trump's clever. At first, I rejected him. I thought he was a president that was bouncing all over the place. But when I saw Kim and Trump at the summit, I saw Trump in a different light. (on-camera): Even some here who are skeptical about peace talks working, have this nagging curiosity as to whether this unorthodox approach to Pyongyang may actually make a difference in the end. They may not support Trump, but they're not ready to write him off just yet. Paula Hancocks, CNN, Seoul.</s>STEVENS: A top U.S. intel official say Russia is not done interfering in the U.S. elections, but does President Donald Trump agree? Plus, a Russian spy caught working for the U.S. embassy in Moscow. Detaisl on that when we come back.