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Connect the World
Second Day of Conrad Murray Trial; Kidnapping Threat in Saudi Arabia; Euro Zone Challenge; UN Security Council Considering Rival Resolutions on Syrian Sanctions; Philippines Cleans Up from Typhoon Nesat
Aired September 28, 2011 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL WILLIAMS, MICHAEL JACKSON'S PERSONAL ASSISTANT: He said "Get here right away. Mr. Jackson had a bad reaction. Get here right away."
And I said, "What's going on?"
And he said, "Get somebody up here immediately."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: A witness recalls Dr. Conrad Murray's frantic reaction when he realized his patient, Michael Jackson, was in trouble.
Live from London, I'm Becky Anderson.
Also tonight, sources tell CNN that the Saudi king has spared a woman sentenced to ten lashes for driving.
And did he or didn't he? The war of words over whether this football star refused to play.
Kicking off, though, tonight, with a dramatic second day of testimony underway in Los Angeles, where Michael Jackson's personal doctor is standing trial accused of injecting the singer with a powerful sedative that killed him.
Today, the pop star's personal assistant took to the stand. He described what his life was like with the singer, and he recounted what happened on the day that Jackson died, beginning with a voice mail from Dr. Conrad Murray.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILLIAMS: It was Dr. Murray. I can't quote it exactly, but it was "Call me right away. Call me right away. Thank you." Something to that effect.
DAVID WALGREEN, DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY, LOS ANGELES: And were you asked to call 911?
WILLIAMS: No, sir.
WALGREN: OK. Did you upon hearing that message call Dr. Murray?
WILLIAMS: Yes, sir.
WALGREN: OK. And were you able to make contact with him?
WILLIAMS: Yes, sir.
WALGREN: Did he ask you to call 911?
WILLIAMS: No, sir.
WALGREN: What did he say?
WALGREN: He said, "Where are you?"
And I said, "I'm downtown."
And he said, "Get here right away. Mr. Jackson had a bad reaction. Get here right away."
And I said, "What's going on?"
And he said, "Get somebody up here immediately." And then --
WALGREN: And did that terminate that phone call?
WILLIAMS: Yes, sir.
WALGREN: OK. When you arrived at the house, was there an ambulance already at the scene?
WILLIAMS: Yes, sir.
WALGREN: And upon your arrival and seeing the ambulance, what did you do?
WILLIAMS: Well, as soon as I got there, the ambulance was there, and they were beginning to bring the gurney down. I believe that's the proper term.
WALGREN: OK.
WILLIAMS: And --
WALGREN: And when you say "they," who's "they?"
WILLIAMS: Oh, the -- forgive me. The medics. The ambulance. The medics.
WALGREN: OK.
WILLIAMS: So, it was real frantic. I got there when the gurney was coming down. I remember seeing Dr. Murray come down. I --
WALGREN: And when you say the gurney was coming down, first of all, I -- this is the gurney with Michael Jackson's body on it?
WILLIAMS: Yes, sir.
WALGREN: Being carried by the paramedics?
WILLIAMS: Yes, sir.
WALGREN: OK. And where were they bringing the body down?
WILLIAMS: Down the stairs that I pointed out earlier.
WALGREN: OK. And where was Conrad Murray at that time?
WILLIAMS: At that time, I'm not sure, but I remember seeing him down -- by the ambulance, kind of giving instructions and talking to medics. I don't think giving instructions, but just talking to medics.
WALGREN: All right. And were the children, Prince, Paris, and Blanket, at the location at that time?
WILLIAMS: Yes, sir.
WALGREN: Where were the children when you first saw them?
WILLIAMS: Well, when I first -- got there, that was the first thing I asked, where were the children? I'm not sure if they were already in the car or if I loaded them in the car.
WALGREN: OK.
WILLIAMS: But we got them in the car to -- get ready to follow the ambulance.
WALGREN: Where did you eventually drive to.
WILLIAMS: I believe UCLA.
WALGREN: OK.
WILLIAMS: Hospital.
WALGREN: And what was taking place -- were you there when the paramedics first pulled in at UCLA.
WILLIAMS: Yes, sir.
WALGREN: OK. And were you part of any procedures in either helping them get Michael Jackson into the hospital or helping the children get into the hospital, or what was your role at that time?
WILLIAMS: I remember I was concerned for the -- about the children.
WALGREN: OK. And what did you do?
WILLIAMS: I shielded them, took off my jacket, and I think we covered up one by one and we took them inside the hospital.
WALGREN: OK.
WILLIAMS: It was cameras everywhere.
WALGREN: There were already?
WILLIAMS: Yes, when we got there, it was cameras.
WALGREN: What did you do at that time?
WILLIAMS: From there, I went right to where Mr. Jackson's -- was being -- where everything was going on with him. I don't know the proper term. But where he was being held.
WALGREN: OK.
WILLIAMS: With doctors working on everything.
WALGREN: OK. And you're outside this room where they were working on Mr. Jackson?
WILLIAMS: Yes. It was a just a room with a curtain.
WALGREN: OK. Like an emergency room?
WILLIAMS: Yes, sir.
WALGREN: At some point, then, did you learn that Michael had been pronounced dead.
WILLIAMS: Yes, sir.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Interesting. All right, well, CNN's Ted Rowlands has been watching this trial very closely for you. He's outside the courthouse in Los Angeles and joins us now live.
He wasn't the only witness today, Ted, but probably the most significant.
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely. Earlier, Paul Gongaware was on the stand. He finished up from yesterday. This was the co-CEO, and there was a significant that the defense scored some points on with him. He testified that Jackson was glossy and out of it one day, and that he himself traced it to a visit to Dr. Klein's office.
And this is s theme that the defense has been trying to interject in the opening and with every witness, they've brought up Dr. Klein, because they're making him to be this other doctor that was also prescribing medicines to Jackson that their client didn't know about.
Eventually, they're going to tie that together and say this is why he died, this other guy, not our guy.
That was a minor thing, but you're right, this second witness, Mr. Williams, his personal assistant, was the most significant in a couple of things.
What you head there, the prosecutor saying, "Did you call 911? Did he ask you to call 911?" "No." That was very significant.
The other thing was a little bit later in the testimony. He said that at the hospital just after Jackson died, Murray came up to him and asked if he could go back to the house to retrieve some cream that he didn't think the world -- or that Michael Jackson would want the world to know about.
He was asking for permission to get back into the house, and Williams said that he thought this was so strange that he told the security detail, "Lock down the house, don't let Murray back in." That, obviously, was significant going to the consciousness of guilt that the prosecution will try to portray Murray as trying to go back to clean up all that propofol.
ANDERSON: All right, Ted. We are looking at pictures on our viewers' screens now of testimony earlier. We're in recess at present. Who else are we expecting to hear from today?
ROWLANDS: Well, Williams is the first of all of the detail that was surrounded by Michael Jackson. So, we're going to hear from his security lead person that was at the house next, presumably.
They could put some other witnesses, but right now, we understand the order will be all of the folks that were with Michael Jackson at the house when things went wrong. So, we'll hear more of the details about what surrounded those anxious hours before and after his death.
And the jury, I can tell you, they were riveted all morning long. It's going to be the same -- same situation this afternoon.
ANDERSON: Yes, and they've got a long trial ahead of them, some five weeks. All right, Ted. Thank you for that. Your man on the ground, tonight, Ted Rowlands in LA.
Let's take a closer look, shall we, at the jury in this trial? It's made up of seven men and five women who were selected after filling out a questionnaire some 30 pages long. This graphic shows how they are seated in the courtroom.
Now, based on their questionnaires, we know that six of them are white, five are Hispanic, and one is African-American. There are also five alternate jurors who will step in if, at any time, any of the 12 are dismissed or can't continue.
Well, jurors range in age from 32 to 57, and their occupations include a bus driver, a professor, a bookseller, and a postal carrier.
We also know a little bit more about what they are allowed to do and what they are forbidden from doing during this trial, and the list includes some activities that didn't even exist a few years ago. Ted Rowlands again with jury instructions for the 21st century.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROWLANDS (voice-over): Social networking online is great for communication, but can be disastrous for a jury trial. It's also one of Judge Michael Pastor's biggest worries for the jurors in the Conrad Murray involuntary manslaughter trial because, of course, of the amounts of publicity over Michael Jackson's death.
UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: Major, major developments tonight in the Michael Jackson manslaughter case --
ROWLANDS: Linda Marks is a judge in Orange County, California. She says jurors should be told not only don't research the case online, but also not to share their feelings about it on social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. She has seen it all in her courtroom.
LINDA MARKS, JUDGE, ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA SUPERIOR COURT: One perspective juror simply indicated that they couldn't imagine themselves not being able to use their device and sharing what they were doing.
ROWLANDS: Examples of juror misconduct online are becoming more frequent. The Facebook Five is a group of jurors that allegedly friended each other before they helped convict Baltimore mayor Sheila Dixon of embezzlement.
In Michigan, this 20-year-old juror got in trouble after posting a message on Facebook near the beginning of a trial saying, quote, "It's going to be fun to tell the defendant they're guilty." She was thrown off the case.
There was a juror in West Virginia that contacted a defendant on MySpace, and this woman in Tampa admitted posting "boring, boring" during testimony in a rape case.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you make that post?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I did.
ROWLANDS: There's also the problem of potential jurors researching a case online.
JO-ELLAN DIMITRIUS, JURY CONSULATANT: I'd say in the last year and a half, I've seen about 75 percent hands of perspective jurors go up to say that they actually Googled the parties in the case. Even the attorneys.
RICHARD GABRIEL, JURY CONSULTANT: There's been numerous, scores of trials that have been overturned, mistrials declared, as a result of jurors not realizing that, oh, if I Google a particular term or person or witness that's come into the trial, that's doing investigation into the case.
ROWLANDS: Jurors in the Murray case have been asked about their social networking activities and they've been told by the judge not to research or chat about the case online. Ted Rowlands, CNN, Los Angeles.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: All right. And as I said, the trial in recess at present, about 28 minutes or so or 22 minutes or so away. As soon as that trial starts again, we will dip in for you as and when we deem it necessary.
You're watching CNN. Just ahead here on CONNECT THE WORLD, Hollywood actress and Oxfam ambassador Scarlett Johansson talks to us about what extreme action needs to be taken to stop a crisis.
And then, in the next 10 minutes, it's the football story of the day that involves absolutely no play whatsoever.
And later in this hour, as Mexican teachers strike against rampant crime, a grim discovery made outside a school in Acapulco.
You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD here on CNN, stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: I'm Becky Anderson, you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD at 14 minutes past 9:00 in London. Let's get you a brief look at the other stories that we are following for you this hour here on CNN.
The US embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is warning Americans about possible kidnappings in the area. The embassy says it received information that a terrorist group in the country may be planning to abduct Westerners.
Well, the embassy is urging people to vary their routes to work, avoid visiting the same places regularly, and steering clear of crowds or large gatherings.
European Commission president Jose Moreno -- sorry. Jose Moreno. Jose Manuel Barroso says that the debt crisis is the greatest challenge that the block has faced in its history. He's speaking out in favor of a joint euro zone bond and a financial transaction tax, and he said Greece will remain in the euro zone but must meet its reform commitments.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOSE MANUEL BARROSO, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN COMMISSION: We need to complete our monetary union with an economic union. We need to achieve the tasks of Maastricht. It was an illusion to think that we could have a common currency and a single market with national approaches to economic and budgetary policy.
Let's avoid another illusion that we can have a common currency and a single market with an inter-governmental approach.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
The UN Security Council is considering two rival draft resolutions on Syria today, one of them significantly watered down. Western powers have dropped immediate calls for action against the regime of Bashar al-Assad in an effort to get Russia onboard.
Now, the draft not only threatens sanctions if Syria won't end its crackdown on protesters, but Russia doesn't want even a hint of punishment. Its own draft, instead, condemns violence in Syria by all sides. The United States says it favors a tough stance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VICTORIA NULAND, SPOKESWOMAN, US STATE DEPARTMENT: We want a resolution with teeth. We want a resolution that makes absolutely clear to the Assad regime that the violence needs to end, that must have international monitors in Syria, and that there will be consequences.
So, we are continuing to negotiate that resolution, but we believe the time has more than come for the UN Security Council to speak out, and we are encouraging all of our Security Council partners to, as the Secretary has said, get on the right side of history and help end this violence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: As thousands in the Philippines start cleaning up after Typhoon Nesat, another tropical storm is brewing and is expected to hit the area within days.
Nesat slammed into the main island of Luzon on Tuesday, sending rivers pouring into houses and paralyzing parts of the capital. At least 21 people were killed nationwide, and tens of thousands were forced from their homes.
Britain has signed an extradition order for a man accused of arranging the murder of his wife on their honeymoon in South Africa. UK businessman Shrien Dewani claims that they were the victims of a carjacking during a taxi ride in Capetown last November.
Well, the driver has confessed that he hired two men to kill Anni Dewani in November last year. He also says he was paid to carry out the hit by her new husband.
He eluded US authorities for more than 40 years, but after a manhunt spanning three continents, George Wright has been captured in Portugal. His long criminal history includes murder and an escape from a US prison, but he may be best known for a 1972 jet hijacking in Miami, Florida.
Wright and his four accomplices demanded a million-dollar ransom to release passengers and insisted federal agents deliver it in bathing suits to prove that they had no weapons. Well, the complied.
Oxfam ambassador and actress Scarlett Johansson says that the situation in the Horn of Africa is, to quote her, "enraging." She says she was shocked by what she saw and has called on people to help victims of the famine in any way that they can.
Well, the United Nations estimates that more than 13 million people are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What most struck you about the life that people have to live in this refugee camp?
SCARLETT JOHANSSON, OXFAM AMBASSADOR: I think what struck me the most is just the -- the fact that people are just surviving. They're just surviving in a sort of state of limbo.
One of the women that I'd spoken to had left behind a handicapped children, was traveling with five children and a seven-month-old baby --
MCKENZIE: And the people have to walk for days --
JOHANSSON: She'd been walking for 15 days with five children, and she was just almost -- sort of -- I don't know. In a sense, just kind of unable to really comprehend what had happened to her.
MCKENZIE: In a daze.
JOHANSSON: Yes, in an absolute daze.
MCKENZIE: The fact that a woman has to leave a handicapped child behind. You know, obviously, it's really just tragic. But does it also make you angry? It makes me kind of angry that this is happening.
JOHANSSON: Yes, it -- I mean, I think that because the government provides no refuge for their citizens, that in any state is enraging. And there's a huge injustice happening.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Scarlett Johansson who, of course, is an Oxfam ambassador talking about what is going on in Somalia at the moment.
Well, you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. When we come back, golfing star Rory McIlroy talks winning majors, his next big goal, and what he finds so special about one lady.
And later in the show, we look at crime and punishment in Saudi Arabia as King Abdullah reportedly revokes a lashing sentence on a woman who dared to drive.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, was it confusion or calculation? That is the question that football fans are asking after they were left -- I should say, gobsmacked by the actions of a Champions League player.
Let's set the scene for you. Man City down two-nil against Bayern Munich as the Bavarian giants score late just before halftime.
And on the bench is City's Carlos Tevez. The Argentine striker is then asked to come on as a second half substitute.
Well, what happens next -- well, actually, nothing. Nothing happens. He doesn't move. Let's get reaction from what was a baffling display of behavior.
The game's actually during this show. When I got home, I watched the highlights last night. I like Man City as a team.
Alex Thomas is with us. Did he or didn't he refuse to play? That is the big question today.
ALEX THOMAS, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's the crucial question, Becky. There's been developments in the last three quarters of an hour.
Manchester City have just announced they have suspended Carlos Tevez for up to two weeks pending an investigation into what exactly happened at the Allianz Arena in Munich. And they said during that investigation, the player will not train with the club and he won't play for the club, either.
And it does come to that crux as to whether or not he didn't come on - - he refused to come on. And certainly City's manager, Roberto Mancini, is absolutely adamant it was simply a case of him turning to the bench saying, "Carlos, you're on." Carlos said no. And it left him fuming, as we can hear here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTO MANCINI, MANAGER, MANCHESTER CITY FOOTBALL CLUB: I have been for two years, every time. And for Carlos, this I can't accept. I can't accept this behavior from him. We have 30 minutes to the end. In 30 minutes we can change the game.
Carlos didn't play in this start of the season because he didn't work the season for three years, didn't work well. And because he's not ready to play. And also because the team played very well for seven games because Dzeko and Aguero played well, played better than him, stayed better than him. For this reason, he didn't play.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
THOMAS: You can hear how disappointed Mancini is there, feeling like he's going to defend why he didn't play Carlos Tevez, which is one possible reason, maybe a fit of pique, that Tevez refused to play.
Although he did say at the time, Tevez, "It was just a misunderstanding, and I've warmed up and was ready to play, but there was confusion on the bench."
ANDERSON: Listen, it's probably going to suit Tevez, because he doesn't want to be at Man City, we all know that. He doesn't want to be at Man City anymore. But is he -- and by the way, Man City lost that match. Is he in breach of his contract?
If you and I -- or I -- just refused to come in tonight, I mean, we'd be sacked.
THOMAS: Yes. That's a very fair point, and one that's been made widely in all the reaction to this story. Crucially, there's one word in the statement from Man City. "Alleged conduct." And it does boil down to a legal matter.
Roberto Mancini said very -- quick to say he did -- he refused to play. But we spoke to a sports lawyer, former Wigan goalkeeper, actually, Derek Stillie, who's with the legal firm Kennedys, and he said, actually, it's not as clear-cut as that. This is what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEREK STILLIE, SPORTS ATTORNEY: From Tevez's point of view, he's done the right thing. He's saying that he did not refuse to play. That puts Manchester City in a difficult position because they have said they will never play -- or it's their intention not to play Carlos Tevez again.
No, that may be Roberto Mancini's decision to make, but if they stick by that, they're in a difficult spot.
So, I think the sensible thing is to get all parties around the table, say "We're going to work towards a resolution" and that resolution will probably be Carlos Tevez leaving Manchester City sooner rather than later, but on good terms, hopefully, for everyone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
THOMAS: So, that sort of legal view is certainly something Manchester City have taken into account. They've taken all day to back Roberto Mancini, but cautiously. The human resources legal approach has to be observed, hence this two-week review of Carlos Tevez's behavior.
This still left fans incensed. Here are some of the tweets we've seen on social networking site Twitter, for example. A whole host of reaction from people inside and outside football.
But for example, you've got Mark who tweeted, "When you go into work today, just sit there and refuse to do anything. When the boss asks what you're doing, say 'A Tevez.' See if you still get paid."
Pete Sinclair wrote, "What's the difference between Carlos Tevez and a tramp? 150,000 pounds," his reported weekly salary. "What's the similarity? They both refuse to get off the bench."
And Rob Kearney tweets, "He's a disgrace to football. He epitomizes everything that the man on the street thinks is wrong with modern footballers."
ANDERSON: Interesting. All right, that's the football story, and it's a good one tonight. What about golf? I know that we've got a -- we've got a little interview coming up in "World Sport" in just about an hour's time. What have we got?
THOMAS: Yes, well, our sports lawyer was speaking to Don Riddell, and Don's been a busy boy. He's caught up with Rory McIlroy, the new US Open champion who, earlier this year, became the youngest since the legendary Bobby Jones back in something like the 30s to win America's Open championship.
So, he asked him about his golf plans, but also, Don asked Rory about a certain relationship with a woman's world tennis number one.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RORY MCILROY, 2011 US OPEN CHAMPION: It's been an interesting year, to say the least, and it's been fantastic. To win my first major was huge for me, and I've still get a few events left this year, and I want to finish the season strongly and put myself in a good position going into 2012.
DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Are things easier now, or harder after winning the US Open? Are tournaments easier win, are Majors easier to win?
MCILROY: I think a Major will definitely be easier to win, because I know that I've won one, so -- I have the confidence to do it again. I know what it's like, I know what it takes.
And yes, for sure other tournaments. I've had two good chances the last couple of events I've played. I had the lead at some point on the last day and wasn't quite able to finish it off, finished third in both, so -- at least I'm giving myself chances to win, and as long as I do that, I know that sooner or later the door will open and I'll win a few.
RIDDELL: And what's the big goal, presumably, world number one?
MCILROY: Yes, world number one is a big goal, but again, winning tournaments and winning Majors should take care of that, so -- number one's a huge -- a huge achievement, to be able to call yourself the best in your field is a huge accomplishment.
So, hopefully I can get closer to that goal this year, and then maybe be able to achieve it next year.
RIDDELL: Now, one thing that's changed for you this season is that when I used to Google Rory McIlroy, I got a picture of you. Now, I get a picture of you and the best female tennis player in the world. That looks like you're having a fun time.
MCILROY: Yes, it's been great. I've spent a lot of time with Caroline over the past couple of months, and we're getting on great together, and I'm trying to improve my tennis, and she's trying to improve her golf a little bit.
RIDDELL: Does she help you with your golf and do you help her with her tennis in terms of the approach? Is it kind of good to bounce ideas off each other?
MCILROY: A little bit, yes. I mean, just talk about -- mentally. I think the mental side of sport is huge, and just to talk through different situations, how you were feeling and what went through your head and what you could've done differently.
And maybe I can use some experiences of my own to help her, and she can use some of hers to help me, so -- It's not -- obviously we don't talk about our sports all the time, but it is nice to bounce ideas off one another.
RIDDELL: Are you competitive? Do you have bets on when she's going to win a Major, you're going to be world number one, that kind of thing?
MCILROY: A little bit. I don't -- I don't want to add any extra pressure to everything that she's got going on.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
THOMAS: More of that interview in "World Sport" coming up in around an hour's time, plus tonight's Champions League action, of course.
ANDERSON: Excellent stuff. Alex Thomas in the house for you this evening with your world sports headlines. Thanks Alex.
Ahead on CONNECT THE WORLD, the latest world news headlines plus spared by the king of Saudi Arabia, the woman driver sentenced to ten lashes. What the development tells us about Saudi's internal wranglings. That in about five minutes time.
Then, as teachers in Mexico protest against drug violence, an horrific discovery outside a school in Acapulco. It's 29 minutes past 9:00 in London. We're going to take a very short break. Back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back, you're with CONNECT THE WORLD here on CNN, the world's news leaders. Let me get you a check of the headlines this hour.
It's day two of the manslaughter trial involving Michael Jackson's personal doctor, Conrad Murray. Today, the singer's personal assistant took to the stand and described the chaotic day the singer died. Dr. Murray is accused of giving Jackson a lethal dose of a powerful sedative that killed him.
It's the West versus Russia as the UN Security Council takes up rival draft resolutions on Syria. Western powers want to threaten the Syrian regime with sanctions if it continues its deadly crackdown. Russia favors condemnation alone.
Well, the president of the European Commission says the EU's financial crisis is the biggest the block has ever faced. Jose Manuel Barroso delivered the annual state of the union address in Strasbourg earlier today and negotiations over money in Greece and the need to avoid default are expected to resume on Thursday.
An Iranian military commander says his country plans to send ships to international waters near the US East Coast. The Pentagon basically laughed off the plan, saying Iran may have the right to send vessels, but it doesn't have the ability to keep them there very long.
And in the last two hours, a major development in the case of a woman sentenced to ten lashes in the Saudi kingdom for daring to drive. Two sources now tell CNN that the country's King Abdullah has revoked her punishment.
Shaima Jastaina's harsh sentence came as a particular shock to many women in the country after King Abdullah's big announcement on Sunday, which many hailed as a step towards reform. Let me remind you what he said on Sunday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KING ABDULLAH, SAUDI ARABIA (through translator): First, participation of women as members of the Shura Council as the next session, according to the religious, judicial guidelines.
Second, at the next session of women will have the right to nominate herself for membership in the municipal councils and will also have the right to participate in nominating the candidates within the legal framework of the faith.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: All right. Well, that was Sunday. For the story of the hour, now, the surprise news that the king has apparently revoked the sentence on Shaima Jastaina. That was a sentence that was actually brought down just about 24 hours ago.
One of the most respected champions of women's rights in Saudi Arabi is Hatoon Ajwad al Fassi, and like many from the Women 2 Drive movement, she has dared to defy the authorities and get behind the wheel.
Well, this is how Hatoon responded to the latest news from the Saudi kingdom.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HATOON AL FASSI, PROFESSOR, KING SAUDI UNIVERSITY: The problem of the king giving amnesty to every single thing that is -- every story that turns out to be problematic or scandalous, which at the same time, he is not actually changing anything about the law. He's just giving amnesty for exceptional cases.
So, the problem just continues if we didn't have any media exposure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: All right. So, taking quite a cynical stance to what King Abdullah has done.
Let me give you a sense of what people are blogging across the social media space, it's been really interesting.
Nomi Seziner says he's in Karachi, and he tweets this tonight. "God the -- thank God the lashing of Shaima is canceled. Thanks to our beloved king," is what he says tonight.
Alia out of Canada -- and it's a story that is really doing the rounds across social media, across the global space, "My hero -- rolls eyes" is what Alia says.
Al Thompkins out of Florida, this evening, "Nothing to celebrate. Saudi's revoke lashing sentence for female driver. If other women drive, they still face a whipping."
And do remember, it's actually not against the law in Saudi Arabia to drive, it's just that women don't do it.
"Allah favors the merciful," says Ann Alquist from Wisconsin in the USA.
All right. What does the sentence and the king's move to revoke it tell us about what is really going on in Saudi Arabia? That's the big question this hour. Expert in Middle East policy Salman Shaikh joins me, now. He's the director of the Brookings Doha Center and joins me now from Washington.
Story of the hour, the king revoking these ten lashing only -- sentence only passed down 24 hours ago. What does it tell us?
SALMAN SHAIKH, DIRECTOR, BROOKINGS DOHA CENTER: It tells us that this is a country very much struggling to modernize, and very much a people that are struggling with itself.
This is a -- law which doesn't exist, and yet, in terms of driving, and yet, you have a judge in Jeddah passing the sentence, which then, of course, leads the king to say, "No, that's not possible. We're not going to have this kind of thing going on in Saudi Arabia."
Perhaps that is the more interesting question this hour. What does this tell us? What does what's happened over the past, what, 48 hours now tell us about what's going on between King Abdullah, who is 87 years old, we must remember, and the much more conservative, the ultra-conservative clerics who effectively run the country?
SHAIKH: Well, you -- as you pointed out, Saudi Arabia in its present form is basically a deal between the House of Saud and the religious establishment.
The majority of people in Saudi Arabia are still conservative. It's the only -- only second country in the world, along with Qatar, which is -- follows the Wahabi tradition.
Having said that, there is an increasing number of liberal people in Saudi Arabia, especially the young and women, who are looking for their rights. It's that particular debate and, in some cases, clash, which is now taking place.
The one interesting thing now, which didn't exist at the time of 1990, for example, when this ban on driving was actually put in place by the Ministry of Interior, was that we didn't have social media.
Now, in things like Women 2 Drive and Twitter and Facebook, you're now seeing the expression of that, particularly from the young and from women.
ANDERSON: Yes, let's remind people, the ban was put in place in 1990, but it's not actually effectively against the law for women to drive. Where does this all leave women in Saudi?
SHAIKH: Well, it leaves them very much trying still to impress upon the king that reforms in this area -- in the social area more generally, as well as political reforms which would enable a different environment, would be the best thing to do.
The king, of course, is much revered in the kingdom across the board amongst conservatives and amongst liberals. He is in the best position.
But Becky, as you just said, the gentleman is 87 years of age. He's quite sick. And so, this does put quite a strain in terms of how we move forward on these forms and question marks as to what's going to happen next when he's left the stage.
ANDERSON: Interesting times for those in Saudi and those of us who are watching from the outside. Salman Shaikh out of Doha for you this evening. Sir, we thank you very much, indeed, for joining us.
Five masked men, they are out to save a state held hostage by drug violence. Coming up here on the show, an extraordinary video surfaces self-proclaimed vigilantes. We're going to see who they are threatening to exterminate, up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, just when it seems that the situation in Mexico cannot get any worse, it does. Our next story is very disturbing, and so are the images that you're going to see, but it's important that you see them and you understand the level of violence that forces so many Mexicans to live each and every day in fear.
Police in Acapulco say five decomposing human heads were found outside an elementary school on Tuesday. A blood-stained sack placed in a crate within full view of students and pedestrians alike. A note left at the scene told people to thank the governor for continuing, quote, "this war."
We don't, at this present time, know who the victims are or whether this is connected in any way to a mass extortion attempt against teachers in the city. Many have received notes threatening bodily harm if they refuse to turn over part of their salaries by October the 1st, a deadline, of course, which is fast approaching.
Rafael Romo, our Senior Latin Affairs -- American Affairs Editor joins us now with more. What do we know at this point, Rafael?
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: Well, we know that the messages right next to those severed heads were very direct, very specific, threatening the governor of the state of Guerrero and basically blaming him for the escalation of violence there.
We have seen how teachers in different schools have been threatened. We have seen how the teachers have fled schools because they don't feel safe.
But whoever did this was trying to send a message saying that this is going to happen to those of you who follow the governor or also -- they mention specifically two alleged drug lords in that part of Acapulco, Becky.
ANDERSON: All right. Well, you've got more info, I know, on a group some are calling vigilantes, a group who say they want to wipe out one of Mexico's biggest drug cartels. What can you tell us about them?
ROMO: This happened in the Gulf state of Veracruz. There's a video that appeared, five men talking and saying that whoever helps the Mexican drug cartel known as Los Zetas is going to be executed by them.
This, of course, happened just a couple of weeks after the massacre of 32 people in the same state. So, this is what we have found out about this video. Let's take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROMO (voice-over): Five burly men dressed in black and wearing masks with one goal in mind, to kill drug traffickers. One of the men speaks for the group, saying their name is Zeta Killers.
(MAN SPEAKING IN SPANISH)
ROMO: Their goal is to exterminate members of the Mexican drug cartel known as Los Zetas. The video posted on YouTube has been circulating online for the last couple of days, but it's legitimacy is unknown.
The speaker claims that this group is the people's armed wing.
(MAN SPEAKING IN SPANISH)
ROMO: He also says that as principle, the group's members are prohibited from committing crimes including extortion, kidnapping, theft, and anything that affects the well-being of Mexico and its people.
Reacting to the video, the Mexican Attorney General's office issued a statement saying that "The only way to reach long-lasting security and peace is through the rule of law and the strengthening of our institutions.
"The fight against organized crime is the responsibility of the authorities at the three levels of government. The federal government rejects any action outside the law as a means to protect the fundamental rights of people."
The video was released only a week after the bodies of 35 people were dumped on a busy highway in the city of Boca del Rio, Veracruz. Handwritten signs that appear next to the bodies said that the victims were members of the Zetas cartel and were executed for extorting people in the state of Veracruz.
The Zeta Killers paramilitary group has not claimed responsibility for the massacre.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMO: And it's also possible that the Zeta Killers are, in reality, just another group of enforcers for a major drug cartel, for example, a Sinaloa cartel, Becky. So, at this point, there are many, many unanswered questions.
ANDERSON: Yes, we know less than we did yesterday, effectively. But thank you for that.
And that's the big problem, isn't it? We know so little about what is going on. Mexico, of course, shares a long border with the United States, so many Americans watching with alarm, of course, as the violence spirals out of control.
One US congressman says Washington needs a new strategy to combat what he calls a criminal insurgency. Republican Connie Mack is representing a portion of Florida in the US House of Representatives, and he is currently in New York joining us now.
What do you mean, you need a sort of counter-insurgency take on all of this?
REP. CONNIE MACK (R), FLORIDA: Well, first of all, it's important to recognize that the actions of the cartel have changed in Mexico. At one point, a while ago, it was just the shipment of drugs for profit.
Now, they've changed their tactics into an insurgency. And what I mean by that is, they are attempting to win favor with the public by offering things like health care, education --
ANDERSON: Right.
MACK: Those types of things. They also are using intimidation and manipulation by brutally murdering people on the streets in Mexico --
ANDERSON: OK --
MACK: And they're using, also, corruption, because they're -- so they're paying off government officials to try to get access.
ANDERSON: All right, Connie. So you say the US needs a new strategy to combat what you are calling criminal insurgency. What would that strategy be?
MACK: I think what we need to look at is an all-of-government approach. So, all of the government institutions need to be involved in a counter-insurgency process where not only do we need to talk about securing the border between Mexico and the United States.
But we also, instead of using the traditional methods, which was the MRTA program, that we now shift towards a whole of government approach where we recognize that this criminal insurgency --
ANDERSON: All right.
MACK: -- is doing more than just shipping of drugs, so we can take that head on.
ANDERSON: OK, all right. I want to get you just to be a little bit more specific before we move on. What do you mean by that? What do you want to see the US do? Put troops on the ground?
MACK: What I'd like to see happen is that we use all of the technology, all of the surveillance, all of the sharing of information with Mexico and Mexico sharing that information with us so that the whole of government approach, instead of looking at this as just a drug enforcement problem.
ANDERON: All right, OK. Connie, I'm going to leave it there. Thank you for that. Connie Mack out of New York for you this evening.
Not everybody agrees with a counter-insurgency strategy. Let's get another point of view. Latin American Affairs analyst Ana Maria Salazar joins us from Mexico City. Importantly, she served at the Pentagon in the drug enforcement policy and support division, a regular guest on this show, sadly because, of course, Mexico features on this show on a regular basis.
You've just heard what Connie Mack says. There's a criminal insurgency there and it needs a new strategy for Washington. I don't believe you agree with counter-insurgency. Why?
ANA MARIA SALAZAR, LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS ANALYST: I -- well, I wouldn't call it an insurgency. That's a very dangerous word, particularly when you're thinking about insurgencies, for example, what was saw in Colombia.
I negotiated Plan Colombia, I was one of the negotiators for Plan Colombia more than ten years ago. And part of the problem was, what is US role going to be in terms of fighting these organizations?
And the moment you call these extremely violent organizations -- they're among the most violent in the world, by the way -- insurgents, then you open up possibility that they could be -- you may eventually have a political negotiation, that they've fallen to the -- into a political kind of view in terms of them having political rights.
So, in Mexico, when you talk -- when they start talking about insurgency, they get very nervous, and I agree with them, because then you -- they're thugs. They're criminals. They're just -- they're extremely violent. But when you start talking about insurgency --
ANDERSON: Sure.
SALAZAR: -- my sense is, and that's why I'm a little bit nervous about calling them insurgents, is that the US wants to have much more involvement within Mexico, a larger presence in Mexico, which in terms of the Mexican constitution and internal politics is just -- it's not acceptable.
ANDERSON: Are you seeing the United States at this point accepting that the supply problem is one from Latin America and that the demand problem -- and Obama and at least Hillary Clinton have been prepared to voice this, but I'm not hearing it necessarily from other people. Are you? Are you hearing that the States are prepared to take any sort of responsibility for what's going on?
SALAZAR: Well, you know, if the United States really wanted to have an impact on the violence that Mexico is living through, it's relatively simple. You have stop the flow of arms from the United States to Mexico.
And unfortunately from the Republican perspective, this isn't -- to implement new legislation for arms control in the United States or at least to increment the number -- the traffickers of arms from the United States to Mexico is not within this proposal.
I mean, if they really wanted to do something instead of increasing the number of the military personnel on the border or even Border Patrol, I think the most immediate impact would be to stop the flow of guns, and they don't want to do that.
These are extremely -- they're very dangerous organizations, they're drug trafficking organizations, they're organized crime, they're extortion, we just -- we heard the story. They're kidnapping people, they are murdering people, massively murdering people. But calling them insurgents is not necessarily representative as to what they really are.
ANDERSON: Ana Maria Salazar out of Mexico City this evening. We thank you very much, indeed for joining us. Some interesting points raised by both our guests this evening.
You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD here on CNN. Ten minutes to 10:00 in London. When we come back, as Paris and Milan get underway, Fashion Week, that is, we are focused on the end of the catwalk to see what the competition's like to get that perfect shot. That's coming up after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: All right. Welcome back, 52 minutes past 9:00. In fashion, image, of course, is everything. And as the world's top models make their way down the final fashion season runways, we're going to take a look at who is behind the lens turning beauty and style into the perfect picture.
CNN's Monita Rajpal talks to some of the industry's most famous snappers and asks them how they go about capturing what is going on on the catwalk. This is her report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MONITA RAJPAL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the models strut the runways, all eyes and lenses are trained on their every step -- and misstep.
RAJPAL (on camera): So, as the last week in the fashion calendar gets underway here in Paris, we salute the photographers, the artists behind the camera.
RAJPAL (voice-over): Frazer Harrison is a catwalk veteran. As official photographer for IMG New York Fashion Week and Getty Images, one of the world's largest photo agencies, he is under pressure to get the right shot.
FRAZER HARRISON, PHOTOGRAPHER: Well, each day there's probably around about 13 shows here at Fashion Week. My job is to go into the majority of them and produce the runway photographs of each model. And I mean every single model with every single outfit walking down the runway and off the runway.
What we're looking for, really, is the prefect fashion picture, which would be the models looking their best and showing off the clothes as best they can with their eyes open and looking sultry, happy, or however those models look.
And there we go. All set, ready to rock and roll.
What I need to do now is just sit and wait for the hoards of photographers to come and destroy my nice little cozy patch.
White dress, white floor, white background, quite a challenge.
Oh! Oh! Oh! Now they've really gone and done it! Sending two models down at the same time.
(CROWD CHEERS)
HARRISON: Now, for the hard part. Getting out of here.
This is where the Getty Images editing team are, and where I unload my gear and we hand the cards over and they download them and we take it from there.
What do I love about what I do? Well, barring the fact that I'm squashed in with 300 other photographers, it's like I'm part of something really, really special here.
MARIO TESTINO, PHOTOGRAPHER: I started here in England. The memories of the beginning of my career are really of having to find 14 tenths of a pound to get a badge. Or find who was going to invite me for lunch or dinner, because I didn't have the means.
But at the same time, there are moments of -- they are wonderful, where it's not about what you've got, but the people you have around.
RAJPAL: The London style set attended a champagne toast to Mario Testino. His 30 years in the arts taking pictures of celebrity and British royalty was marked by a Moet and Chandon Etoile award.
HAMISH BOWLES, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, "VOGUE": All the celebrities clamor to be photographed by him because they know they're going to look as wonderful and beautiful as they ever could.
RAJPAL: Now to someone who takes their inspiration from the streets.
SCOTT SCHUMAN, THE SARITORIALIST: Blogs have really created a new day for photographers. If you really know about a subject -- my background was all fashion, so for me it was really figuring out how to capture through images what I knew and felt about fashion.
RAJPAL: The Satorialist website is a voyeur's delight. Log on and you are given a snapshot of fashion's social history.
SCHUMAN: Up until this point, photographers always needed another medium, needed the magazines or a newspaper, some other medium outside of themselves to communicate their vision, where with a blog, I can shoot whatever I want.
RAJPAL (on camera): What are you looking for?
SCHUMAN: When I'm shooting, I'm not really looking for anything specific. I'm just reacting to a moment, capturing someone in their own grace. It could be a guy who's really physical and kind of rough and kind of -- stomping and awkward in his movements, but still very charming in that way.
Or a girl that's sitting there -- there was a girl that I saw on the steps over here and she had a way of sitting. So, I just stood there and kind of watched her and did a couple frames. And what people will at the end of the day relate to in the shot is there's a gracefulness about the way that she is in her own skin.
So much in the past, when people did street style, they were shooting the really crazy looks, the things that you don't see every day, and really -- the punks and the skinheads and the people with the mohawks and all.
The real evolution of that is that people look through these things to help find real answers. People that look like them, people that live lives like them, and people know at the same time that they can kind of aspire to that are more real than a model in a magazine.
RAJPAL: Monita Rajpal, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Super. All right. I'm Becky Anderson. Thank you for watching. The world news headlines and "BackStory" will follow this short break. Don't go away.
END
