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An Ugly Side to the Beautiful Game; "The Bloodiest Massacre"; The Duke and Duchess Make Mince Pie; Egyptians Back at Polls; Woman Beaten by Egyptian Riot Police in Hospital; Brutal Crackdown Proves Egyptian Revolution Not Over; North Koreans Pay Respects to Kim Jong-il; Living Life of Terror in North Korea; Acclaimed Indian Film "Don" Gets a Sequel; Parting Shots of Deliveries Gone Wild

Aired December 21, 2011 - 16:00   ET

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

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Tonight, as England's football captain vows to clear his name over charges of racism on the pitch, we'll ask whether there's still an ugly side to the beautiful game.

Live from London, I'm Becky Anderson.

Also tonight, as Egypt's military apologize to the country's women, we'll meet a female protester who suffered at the hands of its security forces.

And daring to speak out from across the border -- a North Korean tells us about the fears for his country and his life.

That and a whole lot more this hour here on CNN.

Right. Well, during a week when English football was already under a harsh spotlight for allegations of racism in the game, Britain's Crown Prosecution Service today turned up the heat on its recommendation one of the country's best known players, England and Chelsea captain, John Terry, will be charged a racially abusing another player during a match back in October. Now, that announcement came just a day after the English Football Association found Liverpool striker Luis Suarez guilty of racial abuse, handing him a hefty fine and an eight game suspension.

Well, for what just may be the most popular football league in the world, having some of its most popular players embroiled in scandal and one of them now facing criminal charges is -- well, it's explosive, isn't it?

Alex Thomas is with me here in the studio with more -- Alex.

ALEX THOMAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: An extraordinary 24 hours --

ANDERSON: Yes.

THOMAS: -- in English football, Becky. As you say, England's Premier League, certainly the richest in the world, and some would say the most entertaining, as well, international football stars playing for all the biggest clubs.

Two very separate cases, but with racism at their core.

We heard all about the Luis Suarez charge and the punishment yesterday.

And now John Terry's case, which is going through the English system, mainly because a member of the public reported it to police, who then legally are obliged to investigate. They've passed it on to U.K. prosecutors, who have now announced today there is enough evidence to take John Terry to a magistrate's court and to face charges of a racially aggravated public order offense, basically accused of using racial insults toward Anton Ferdinand during a Premier League match between Chelsea and the Queens Park Rangers back in October.

John Terry all along has protested his innocence. He continues to do so, supported by the club.

Let's show you a statement released by the player a little bit earlier today. And it read: "I am disappointed with the decision to charge me and hope to be given the chance to clear my name as quickly as possible. I have never aimed a racist remark at anyone and count people from all races and creeds among my friends. I will fight tooth and nail to prove my innocence. I have campaigned against racism and believe there is no place for it in society."

So he's going to appear before a magistrate's court in February. And we are hearing reports that, possibly, he will be immediately bailed to reappear, which would then give a difficult decision for England's Football Association about his role as the England captain. That will come under scrutiny, I'm sure.

But, of course, Chelsea have maintained all along they're going to support the player. They believe in him. And before the U.K. prosecutors announced their decision, there was a statement from -- well, there was comment from Chelsea manager, Andre Villas-Boas, in their regular pre-match news conference.

And this is what he had to say about the player.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDRE VILLAS-BOAS, MANAGER, CHELSEA: The only thing I know is that I will be fully supportive of -- of John Terry whatever the outcome of the situation. So he has my -- my full support. He has the club's full support. He represents this club to a maximum level. And -- and we are very grateful to have a player of his quality in -- in our team. And what it represents in terms of history and achievements, you know, within the club. We know exactly his human values and his personality and for me, they are never in doubt. So I'll fully support him whatever the outcome.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

THOMAS: And the last thing to mention, of course, Becky, is that John Terry is facing the least serious of that type of offense under the U.K. legal system. It means it carries a maximum punishment of a fine of 2,500 pounds.

ANDERSON: Fascinating.

All right, Alex, thank you for that.

I think this week's developments are pretty likely to cast English football in an unflattering light, for many, at least.

But as CNN's Dan Rivers reports, they may also be a sign that race relations in sport were actually improving.

Have a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's been a bleak week in the world's most watched football league. The corrosive allegations of racism rather than the game itself, have dominated the headlines.

Two separate incidents, punishment handed down for one, an unprecedented eight match ban for Luis Suarez, charges brought for another, John Terry -- an ugly end of year for the beautiful game.

GORDON TAYLOR, CHIEF EXEC, PLAYERS FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION: That's been unfortunate, but it's also been a sign of how seriously we now take these issues. And that was illustrated a few years ago now when the England team went to Spain and there was general national abhorrence of the way the Spanish crowd were abusing our black players. And similarly, just recently in Bulgaria.

So it would be naive to say it's been eradicated, because it's not.

RIVERS: In the past, racism on the terraces was routine. Black players endured a torrent of abuse simply because of the color of their skin.

BRENDON BATSON, FORMER WEST BROMWICH ALBION PLAYER: I do think that the authorities just ignored it. If you threw a brick within a crowd, the police were in there grabbing all of you, turfing you out, etc. Etc.

Well, if you were just giving abuse to black players, well, it doesn't matter.

RIVERS (on camera): A lot of progress has been made trying to stamp out racism in English football. The terrible chants from the terraces in the 1980s are now, thankfully, largely a thing of the past thanks to zero tolerance policing.

But is racism among some players still a problem?

DANNY LYNCH, "KICK IT OUT" ANTI-RACISM CAMPAIGN: The way football is, is that it's a mass spectator sport. And given the people -- the amount, the sheer amount of people that either watch the game, follow the game or work in the game worldwide means that you are always going to have people with certain prejudices that will have the opportunity to bring them to the fore.

RIVERS (on camera): But some think the behavior of the players informs the behavior of the fans.

VIV ANDERSON FORMER ARSENAL PLAYER: Former Arsenal player

If supporters see players that are actually abusing other players, what sort of message does that send to them?

So it starts with the players, you know. And on -- on our end of the field, I think it's really, really important that they -- they tow the line, yes.

RIVERS: More now by fans we spoke to in London.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You could ban any player for being race -- for racially abusing another player. You could ban them for life. I mean it's just -- that would send a strong message to other players not to be racist.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think, you know, England this day is a multicultural country, you know, people from all walks of life and -- and continents and different parts of the world are all supporting their clubs. And I think it has to be -- it has to be stamped out.

RIVERS: The John Terry incident will now be meticulously analyzed in a court case. But whatever the outcome, the damage to the reputation of the game is a already done.

Dan Rivers, CNN, London.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, my next guest has worked to combat racism in the game here in the U.K. for years.

Colin King is the founder of the Black and Asian Coaches Association and is the author of the book, "Off-Side Racism: Playing the White Man".

Joining me now live in the studio.

Colin, after years spent trying to stamp this out in Britain, is racism making a comeback, do you think?

COLIN KING, FOUNDER, BLACK AND ASIAN COACHES ASSOCIATION: I don't think racism has ever gone away. I think it's -- it manifests itself in different ways. I think the fact is that 20 years ago, what players said now would have been seen as industrial language, unacceptable code. Now, it's no longer acceptable because the legislation has changed, our awareness of racism has changed, and also, we're not able to tolerate the sort of behavior we did 20 years ago.

So racism hasn't gone away. Institutional racism is still very much apparent. The words that players use toward each other is much more about the TV. We see every week they get away with it.

So this, for me, is a landmark, a really important case for us to debate a really important issue.

ANDERSON: And this, of course, is the English FA, as opposed to the comments that we've heard from FIFA recently, which is this sort of, you know, the international football association organization.

Let me just, though, bring us back to the U.K. here.

Let's hear what Tottenham, Tottenham's manager, Harry Redknapp, had to say about what we've learned today.

Have a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HARRY REDKNAPP, TOTTENHAM MANAGER: I don't know whether there can be. You come into a dressing room, you've got, you know, I've got as many black lads here as -- as white players. So I don't see where there should be a problem. You know, they're all -- they're all mates. They all play together. They all get on great together. I don't see -- it's not in my mind that them things happen anymore, you know?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: This is a Premiership manager. They're about third in the league at the moment.

His is dressing room unique, then?

KING: Is it unique for him because he's the manager of (INAUDIBLE). So he does not know what goes on in the head of those players. He doesn't know about their belief system. He doesn't know about their cultural upbringing. He doesn't know of their -- if they belong to a rock group (ph) organization.

They're not going to expose it in front of him. The pitch is where, sometimes, when it gets high pressured and you lose control, those words come out. And all those kinds of behaviors you've been repressing are expressed. And Harry is not in control of that.

So what he sees and what he understands are two radically different things.

ANDERSON: The English FA has certainly sent a message that racist abuse will not be tolerated. And you say you see this as a real landmark period for -- for football and -- and the game.

That does, though, seem to be at odds, doesn't it, with FIFA's something attitude, at least -- and we heard this from Sepp -- Sepp Blatter a couple of weeks ago -- that racism should be forgotten with a handshake.

KING: Blatter comes from a very old traditional colonial period where racism wasn't about exploiting people, it was just about words. Words don't harm you.

He's -- he's a anesthetized. He doesn't understand it. He should actually go. He's an embarrassment. The British FA has set an example that the league responsibility in terms of racism is a duty of care to everybody in the game, irrespective of what your position is. And Sepp Blatter doesn't understand it.

There is a political overtone about wherever the FA are using this as an example to get back at FIFA. And that will be in a studied environment about how institutional bodies are using the race game.

ANDERSON: Yes, hoc, did apologize about those comments later. Apologizes that were made at one point.

Colin, always a pleasure.

Thank you very much, indeed, for coming on.

KING: Thank you for having me.

ANDERSON: Well, recapping our top story for you, English football captain, John Terry, will he charged with racially abusing another player during a match back in October. He's adamantly denied the charges and will appear in court on the first of February.

We're going to continue to follow this story for you and bring you any developments as they come.

You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD here on CNN, live from London.

Twelve past nine, this, what is it, a Wednesday evening?

Still to come, new accusations of genocide against civilians in Syria. We're going to take you about reports of brutal massacres, hundreds of people killed in just 48 hours.

Then, a future king of England who knows firsthand what it feels like to be homeless. And Prince William hasn't forgotten. Today, he and his wife, Catherine, paid tribute to the homeless charity that was so close to his mother's heart. And we are there for you for that.

Plus, ready to impress -- the sequel to a Bollywood blockbuster is going global. The director of "Don 2" is our big interview tonight.

Stick with us.

You're watching CNN.

Back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: And you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD on CNN, the world's news leader.

Welcome back.

Shocking images of female protesters being abused by Egyptian soldiers have triggered outrage around the world, not to mention heightened concerns about the direction of Egypt's revolution. Well, the family of one of those women beaten by the military has now granted CNN access to her in hospital.

Her story is hard to hear, but it's also important to tell.

Our report on that from Cairo coming up in about 20 minutes here on CNN.

Well, a look now at some of the other stories connecting our world this hour.

And Syrian activists are begging the international community to help protect civilians after what they call horrific massacres. The opposition National Council says 250 people have been killed in the past two days. It system the regime is storming residential areas and using children as human shields. Western nations are redoubling attempts to pass a U.N. resolution on the crisis. As Germany puts it, "The situation is dramatic and the world has no time to lose."

CNN's Rima Maktabi is following developments for you from Abu Dhabi tonight.

RIMA MAKTABI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: "Alarming death toll has come out of Syria over the past couple of days," urged the Syrian opposition, Arab League and the international community to voice our concerns over the situation in Syria. the Syrian Council asked for an immediate

Meeting for the U.N. Security Council and Arab League ministers to take necessary measures to protect civilians. The SNC called the violence "an horrific massacre" while activists say that Jabalisawya (ph) in Idlib has witnessed the bloodiest clashes in the past few days.

In Homs, five Iranians have been kidnapped, according to Mehran News Agency. The Iranian news agency said they were technicians working on a power plant project in Syria and were abducted by an unidentified group.

The Syrian opposition has often accused Iran and Hezbollah of helping the Assad regime in crushing dissent, using Iranian security forces and techniques to monitor the social media and persecute activists.

Violence spiked just as Syria signed a protocol that allows an observer mission into the country -- a step that was met with skepticism by the opposition and activists, especially that Syrian state TV showed Syria's military and navy staging war games as a show of strength.

Activists and opposition report massacres in Syria while the Assad regime talks about terrorist armed groups committing horrors. And for the president nine months, international media have not been allowed into Syria to report freely about events that may mark history.

Rima Maktabi, CNN, Abu Dhabi.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, Iraq's prime minister is warning Kurdish officials not to shelter the country's vice president, who is, at present, wanted on terror charges. Today, Nouri al-Maliki made his first public comments on the crisis threatening to destroy Iraq's fragile power sharing agreement. His Shia-led government has issued an arrest warrant for Tariq al-Hashemi, accusing him of organizing hit squads.

Now, the sitting vice president calls those charges politically motivated. Prime Minister Al-Maliki wants him back in Baghdad to face trial.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NURI AL-MALIKI (through translator): It is the duty of all parts of a federal state to hand over a wanted individual. Therefore, we ask our brothers in the Kurdistan regional government to take responsibility and hand over the accused to the judiciary, especially because they have seen the case. Not handing him over or allowing him to flee to another country could cause problems.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, protesters and officials in the rebellious Chinese village of Wukan appear to be making some progress after months of unrest over claims of illegal land grabs, authorities have agreed to investigate those allegations and recognize the villagers' committee. Well, officials will also release three detained protesters and return the body of a demonstrator who died in police custody.

Heather Mills is reacting to the discussion of her private voice-mails at the British inquiry into media ethics. On Tuesday, a lawyer repeatedly asked former "Daily Mirror" newspaper editor and current CNN employee, Piers Morgan, about a voice-mail he claimed to have heard between Mills and her former husband, Paul McCartney. Morgan denied the message was necessarily an example of hacking into voice-mails.

In a statement, Mills made it clear she wasn't the source: "For the avoidance of doubt, I can categorically state that I have never, ever played Piers Morgan a tape of any kind, never mind a voice message from my ex-husband."

Well, we reached out to our colleague, Piers Morgan, and he said he had no further comment.

But on Tuesday, he told the inquiry he had no reason to believe phone hacking was going on while he was the editor of the tabloid newspaper, "The Daily Mail" -- "The Daily Mirror," sorry. A former employee testified that phone hacking was widespread at "The Mirror" when Morgan was editor.

Well, still to come, a cookery lesson in goodwill. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge join homeless teenagers to make mince pie. We're going to bring you more on a cause that is very close to Prince William's heart.

That's coming up, after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Like a lot of people, you may have had a hard day at work - - demands, crowds, daunting Christmas expectations.

Now, what if there were no demands but also no money and nowhere to go?

Well, that's an everyday reality for the homeless, of course, who feel especially left out at Christmas. And it does take a toll. The charity, Crisis, says a homeless person's life is shortened by about 30 years, 3-0 years, and more people are homeless this year, 13 percent more, according to the British government.

You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD live from London.

Welcome back.

I'm Becky Anderson.

It's all about getting a helping hand.

Prince William found him -- that out for himself two years ago, when the charity, Centrepoint, literally took him onto the street.

Well, today, Prince William and his wife, Catherine, paid tribute to that charity, which was extremely dear to his mother, Princess Diana.

CNN's royal correspondent, Max Foster, was with the royals here just down the road in London.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This was Catherine's first visit to William's first charity. He was first introduced to Centrepoint as a boy by his mother, who used to take him secretly to homelessness shelters to meet young, underprivileged children, children that weren't in his position.

Inside the building behind me, they took part in a workshop, a careers workshop, and they also threw themselves into a cookery class, William giving his wife tips on how to make seasonal mince pies.

After a quick musical interlude with one of the young girls who stays here, they -- they met all sorts of young homeless people clearly dazzled to be in the presence of royalty. This was the last official engagement for the duke and duchess, capping off a spectacular year that saw them emerge as the most famous couple in the world.

Max Foster, CNN, London.

ANDERSON: Coming up, well, royal biographer Mark Saunders is a fixture with me -- or Max and me -- during the royal wedding in April.

He's back with us now in London in the studio for a look at how this year treated William and Catherine and what we can expect from next year.

It has been the most remarkable year, 2011, for them, hasn't it?

MARK SAUNDERS, ROYAL BIOGRAPHER: It has. And it seems to have been so long, as well. I was watching them today and -- and I kind of thought it's like they've been around for ages.

ANDERSON: Yes.

SAUNDERS: And it's only been, what, just six months now, isn't it?

ANDERSON: April, the wedding.

SAUNDERS: Six, seven months, yes. But remarkable how she's matured so quickly into a senior member of the -- of the royal family. And how people have taken to her so much, as well.

ANDERSON: Yes. I mean you see her on -- on -- doing -- doing some of what they're doing tonight and -- and, you know, you can see that it really is important to Prince William. It was -- it was one of Princess Diana's charities, of course.

SAUNDERS: In Centrepoint, yes. Well, she took him there when he was very young and Diana always said -- and Charles completely agreed -- that they wanted the children to be brought up unlike any other royal. They wanted them to learn the real world.

Look, William, as you know, is patron of Centrepoint. And a couple of years ago, he actually spent the night --

ANDERSON: Right.

SAUNDERS: -- on -- on the street --

ANDERSON: Right.

SAUNDERS: -- a part of that work.

ANDERSON: Right. Post-wedding, of course --

SAUNDERS: Yes.

ANDERSON: -- they, no sooner than that was over it seemed that they were off to both Canada and the States. And what a reception they got.

SAUNDERS: It was (INAUDIBLE). It was. I mean I've --

ANDERSON: Remarkable.

SAUNDERS: -- I've been at pains not to make any comparisons with Diana ever since the engagement a year ago. But you can't help it. It's - - it's so similar, the -- the instant love that people seem to have for Catherine. It's almost as if I -- to begin with, William was almost chivalrous in the way that he protected her. I remember being at the very first job they did together in public and -- and watching the -- the way William guided her.

And -- and now, they just seem to be a team, the perfect team.

ANDERSON: Talk me through the sort of role, then, you believe they will take on as we move into 2012 and beyond. It's a big year for the royal family.

SAUNDERS: Yes.

ANDERSON: You've got to be pretty mean-spirited to not enjoy the events of the Diamond Jubilee, for example. But it's bigger than that for William and Catherine --

SAUNDERS: Yes. Well, the Diamond --

ANDERSON: -- from now on, isn't it?

SAUNDERS: -- the Diamond Jubilee is almost a launch pad for the -- with -- the old now is going to give way to the new. The queen, as we know, has entered the winter of her reign. Much of the work that the queen would have done has now been taken over by Charles and Camilla. And the work that Charles and Camilla would have done is being taken over by William and Catherine.

We're going to have a year of -- of great fun. It's going to be tremendous rollover (ph).

ANDERSON: Where are they going?

SAUNDERS: Every -- oh, even -- William and Catherine are actually going to the Solomon Islands, a place called Tuvalu.

ANDERSON: Here we go. We've got a map up here. Look.

SAUNDERS: It's the third least inhibited country on Earth, I believe.

ANDERSON: Why are they going there, Mark?

SAUNDERS: It -- it's one of those complex British issues. It's -- it's one of ours --

ANDERSON: Right.

SAUNDERS: -- basically. The -- I don't know the history of it.

ANDERSON: All right.

SAUNDERS: And, also --

ANDERSON: You don't know the reason.

SAUNDERS: Yes, yes. And also Malaysia and --

ANDERSON: Yes.

SAUNDERS: -- and Singapore. So some very, very long trips, plus countless jobs here in the UK.

ANDERSON: Am I right in saying that they are also not only taking over Charles and Camilla's work, as they assume the work of -- of the queen, but some of the work that Prince Andrew did as a -- an ambassador to British industry abroad?

SAUNDERS: Yes. Prince Andrew seems to be -- he's taken a bit of a back step recently. There is talk of -- of William and Catherine taking over his house down at -- in Windsor. I know that Prince Charles is keen to move the court from Buckingham Palace to -- to Windsor Castle, something which could happen in the future.

When he becomes king, he wants the court to be at Windsor Castle as opposed to -- to Buckingham Palace.

So if William and Catherine were close by the Duke of York's house --

ANDERSON: I'm going to have to ask you this.

Are they going to have time to possibly have a baby this year, do you think?

Or might that be 2013?

SAUNDERS: Well, the thing that I've heard --

ANDERSON: What do you think the plan is --

SAUNDERS: What is (INAUDIBLE) --

ANDERSON: Yes.

SAUNDERS: The people I've spoken to inside the -- the castle said that the greatest gift they could give the queen next year, her Diamond Jubilee, the greatest gift would be the line is safe, the crown is safe, a child, a baby.

But remember, they've got to produce two. They haven't even gotten -- one isn't good enough. And -- and dear little Harry can't get married until they produce two.

(LAUGHTER)

SAUNDERS: So --

ANDERSON: Yes.

SAUNDERS: -- they're on a time frame here.

ANDERSON: Well, he's -- he's got quite a lot of fun coming up in 2012, because I know he's off to South America.

We're going to have to leave it there for the time being.

You will be back with us, I know, an awful lot --

SAUNDERS: Yes.

ANDERSON: -- as we move into 2012 and beyond.

So, Mark, for the time being, Happy Christmas.

Thank you for joining us.

SAUNDERS: You, too.

ANDERSON: Still to come on CONNECT THE WORLD this evening, Egypt's unfinished revolution. Activists gear up for another mass protest against the military's treatment of pro-democracy demonstrators, especially women.

Plus, the recent death of Kim Jong-il is raising intriguing questions about what life is really like inside North Korea. Coming up, the view of one citizen who says telling CNN his story could cost him his life.

He said he'd never do it, but he did. One of the most famous of India's stars explains why he decided to make a sequel to his Bollywood blockbuster "Don."

All that coming up next half hour. Stay with us, taking a short break, back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Just after half past nine in London, I'm Becky Anderson, welcome back, you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD on CNN. Let's get you a check of the world news headlines at this point.

Syria's main opposition group is pleading for international help to stop what it calls acts of genocide against civilians. The Syrian National Council says about 250 people have been killed over the past two days.

Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki says that the country's Sunni vice president will get a fair trial on charges that he organized a group to carry out targeted assassinations. Tariq al-Hashemi denies the charges, and he's taken refuge in Iraq's Kurdish region.

The death of Kim Jong-il may lead to a new arrangement in North Korea. Reuters reports a source says that North Korea may abandon its single supreme leader and divide its leadership among several factions, including Kim's son.

Chelsea footballer John Terry is vowing to clear his name. The Crown prosecution service in Britain says that he should be charged with a, quote, "racially aggravated public order offense." The Chelsea and England captain says, "I never -- have never made or aimed a racist remark at anyone. I will fight tooth and nail to prove my innocence."

Well, Egyptians are back at the polls today amid widespread anger over the military's handling of the democratic transition there. A runoff vote is underway in the second phase of parliamentary elections. The two largest Islamist parties are going head-to-head for most of the contested seats.

Streets in Cairo were calm today after five straight days of deadly clashes between security forces and protesters in Tahrir Square. Well, activists are planning another million-person march for Friday to protest the military's crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators.

They are especially outraged over the brutal beatings of female protesters, which were caught, of course, on camera. The family of one of those women has granted CNN access to her in hospital. Our Mohammed Jamjoom is in Cairo tonight with what is a very disturbing story. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Becky, we had scheduled a time to interview Aza Hilelsolaman (ph), that's a woman who had been beaten by riot police a few days ago.

When we got to the hospital today, here in Cairo, we found that her situation had deteriorated. Now, her family gave us access to her, but when we got into the hospital room, it was absolutely horrific what we saw. Aza writing in pain, screaming out in agony, saying "Have mercy on me, I can't take the pain any more." She was saying she thought she was going to die.

(WOMAN CRYING)

She was in no condition to take any questions, and you could see deep abrasions on her face, bruises that her head was bandaged. Doctors told us that they thought she was going to have to be taken to the ICU.

And if I could just walk you back a few days earlier, on Saturday, the video that emerged that shows her. She's in a red jacket. She goes up to another female protester, who had been beaten, trying to help her.

Security forces, riot police, converge upon her. She falls down. They start beating her mercilessly. She sustained so many blows to the head, it's hard to imagine how she could have survived this.

And we've been told that she suffered fractures to the skull. It's a real concern right now what her condition is going to be. We're going to continue to follow up, but we just don't know what her condition is at this hour, even though we've been reaching out to her family.

This, just another case that has outraged so many people, especially so many women here. One of the reasons that women came out yesterday in Cairo to the epicenter of the revolution at Tahrir Square.

That at least 1,500 of them started to march yesterday through the surrounding streets to show their outrage at the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, here, the ruling military council, because of the abuse that's been suffered, because of the beatings that have been sustained by so many female protesters this past week.

The women were saying this must stop, this must stop now. But they are emboldened to keep coming out into the streets to express their outrage and saying that a civilian government must take rule in this country as soon as possible. Becky?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, the military -- that was Mohammed Jamjoom, for you. The military has now apologized for the abuse of female protesters. In a statement, it also promised action against those responsible.

Well, our next guest says that the military's brutal actions are proof that Egypt's revolution is far from over. Ahdaf Soueif is a prominent writer and political commentator. She's author of "Cairo, My City, Our Revolution" amongst other books, and she joins us now live from the Egyptian capital.

You only have to look at the scenes of abuse of female protesters last week to realize that this revolution, Ahdaf, is far from over. Why?

AHDAF SOUEIF, AUTHOR AND COMMENTATOR: Well, because if you remember, Becky, the headlines of the revolution, if you like, were "Bread, freedom, social justice." And what freedom meant in that context was the freedom to not to be abused by the security apparatus in Egypt.

And what we've got now is we've got now is we've got the army, the military police, perpetrating abuses that are even worse than what was happening during Mubarak's time.

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON: You've got, I know, close experience, sadly --

SOUEIF: We feel --

ANDERSON: -- of the police brutality. Your two nieces, I know, were beaten by police in Cairo. Can you just describe what happened?

SOUEIF: Yes. Well, they were taken from the streets, from El-Salam (ph) Street, and they were taken into -- they were not together, they were separate. But they were taken into the -- into parliament building.

Again, they're brilliant at icons. Imprisoning people in parliament building. Before that, in the museum. But anyway, and they were both -- they were both beaten. Senet (ph), the younger one, who's 18, had a cut to her head. She had a CAT scan when she came out, and she's fine. They're both fine.

But they were beaten and they were terrorized, and there were people around them who were also being beaten and terrorized, and beaten much worst than they. They said that the boys, the young men got it much worse.

And basically, it was -- like, you walk along, and every soldier that you met inside beat you. That was what they were there for. And it was -- Senet, my niece was saying, why are they doing this? They know perfectly well that it isn't a deterrent, that every time they do this to someone, the moment they let them go, they're back out --

ANDERSON: Sure.

SOUEIF: -- to protest. So, what is the point to it?

ANDERSON: Because it does -- and that is what seems remarkable, that this targeting, if you were to call it that, of women protesters by the authorities, doesn't seem to be making women any less fearful about going out into the streets to continue their protests.

Ahdaf, what do you think happens next? We are at the back end of 2011 at this point. The revolution can't be back, surely, to square one. So what happens next?

SOUEIF: Well, it can't be back to square one because actually people have broken that barrier of fear, and we had those 18 days where we kind of lived the ideal city, if you like, in the streets and in the squares. So, we know what it is we're aiming for.

And also, we now know, really, that we did not get rid of the regime, that what we did was we undid the packaging that was Mubarak and his friends, and what we are facing, now, is the dark heart, if you like, of the regime itself.

So, we're working on several -- roads. So, on the one hand, the protests in the streets continue, and they get worse, of course, as the brutality gets worse, or it gets revealed.

And on the other hand, we are having the parliamentary elections, and the drift of the country, now, the will of the country is that as soon as you've got an elected parliament, we want power to be vested in Parliament.

Now, that can be in a variety of ways. You can have the head of Parliament taking over as a temporary president, or you can have actually Parliament electing a president from the six that we've got. Or you can even have the country electing a president, but basically --

ANDERSON: Sure.

SOUEIF: -- once you've got Parliament in place, which is in the middle of January, then you have an elected body, and then there is really -- it's very hard to see how the military can justify remaining in power beyond that.

We want them -- we want them off the streets, we want their weapons away from us and away from our children.

ANDERSON: Ahdaf Soueif, a prominent writer and political commentator. Your work, I think, is remarkable. We thank you very much, indeed, for coming on to CONNECT THE WORLD this evening. If you haven't read Ahdaf's books, I genuinely suggest you go out and buy one.

No food, nothing to buy, but hundreds of spies. A North Korean man risks death to tell us what life is like in his country. Find out why he shed no tears for Kim Jong-il's death. That up next.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(WOMEN CRYING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: More than five million North Koreans have so far turned out to pay their respects to Kim Jong-il, that is according to state media. The longtime leader's death, of course, announced on Monday.

Well, many North Koreans live and work just across the Chinese border. In the border town of Dandong, CNN's Stan Grant got rare access to one of those North Korean citizens. He told Stan about living a life of terror, starvation, and constant fear for himself and his family. This is his story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STAN GRANT, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): this man does not want to be identified. He's afraid even to talk.

"There are many North Korean spies here," he says. "Many, many. There are hundreds of spies."

We'll call him Mr. Lee, a North Korean living on the China side of the border in Dandong. He says he risks death just being seen talking to us.

"North Koreans don't speak openly," he says. "If anyone knows I'm talking, I would be sent to prison, and there's no mercy there. I'd be shot dead."

As we persevered, he opens up a little more, painting a picture of a harsh life across the border, where people are starving, aid is scarce, and the only factories operating are for making military weapons.

Right now, he says he fears a desperate country, with a potential power vacuum, that could so easily lash out.

"Before Kim Jong-il died, he was preparing the country for war and death," he says, "and to hand power to Kim Jong-un."

Other North Koreans here are in mourning, weeping openly for the death of the Dear Leader. Flowers continue to be delivered to the North Korean consulate building. Korean businesses and restaurants normally flourishing have closed their doors.

GRANT (on camera): It's closed.

GRANT (voice-over): Dandong is separated from North Korea by the Yalu River, about a kilometer, less than a mile, across. Cross-border trade flourishes here. China props up the destitute North Korean economy. Dandong is a bustling small Chinese city, tall buildings, noise, and traffic.

On the other side, emptiness and silence. A lone disused ferris wheel, a symbol of a colorless world. From this pedestrian bridge, we can walk right to the edge of the border, so close, yet so utterly different.

GRANT (on camera): This is the end of the line. This is about as far as the bridge goes. It stops right here, where this side of the line, I'm in China. If we step out from this bridge, here, I enter North Korea.

GRANT (voice-over): Mr. Lee knows too well what happens there, a regime obsessed with pumping money into its military, while desperately poor people go hungry, he says.

"Pig feet. That's all we can eat. Corn. No one can get full on that," he says. "There is no food, not even food from China. It's been blocked for three years. Even if you have money," he says, "there is nothing to buy. Any goods are traded for what little food remains."

Mr. Lee is well-off by his countrymen's standards. He has relatives on the China side who run businesses. It's a lifeline for his family back home. Mr. Lee is able to work here on a limited visa, but he crosses back and forward just to keep his family alive.

"I can't not go back, I have to. I have a son and daughter," he says. "If I don't go back, they can't survive."

He has shed no tears for Kim Jong-il and harbors no great hope for the so-called Great Successor, Kim Jong-un. But still, he lives in fear of what the North Korean regime can do. Spied upon, afraid to speak out, as much a prisoner of the hermit kingdom as those whose lives are trapped in its borders.

Stan Grant, CNN, Dandong, on the China-North Korea border.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Fascinating stuff. Up next, we talk to the director of the long-awaited Bollywood film that is making its world premier outside of India tonight.

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ANDERSON: Right. One of the most eagerly-anticipated Bollywood films of the year is making its world premier right here in London as we speak. Director Farhan Akhtar said he would never make a sequel to his blockbuster, "Don." Well, Max Foster caught up with him to find out why he changed his mind.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The remake of a 1978 cult classic in India that appealed to a whole new generation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP - "DON")

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have always liked you, Don.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Me too, teacher. I have always liked me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER: Acclaimed and groundbreaking Indian director Farhan Akhtar brought the film "Don" into the 21st century. It was an instant hit in 2006, so much so that the audience was left wanting more.

Five years later, Akhtar has delivered with a sequel, "Don 2."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP - "DON 2")

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dan or Don?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOSTER (on camera): I need to put you on the spot, because you did say after the original movie that you're not going to do a sequel.

FARHAN AKHTAR, BOLLYWOOD STAR AND FILMMAKER: Yes, I did. I do plead guilty to that.

FOSTER: Then what happened?

AKHTAR: I plead guilty. No -- and I really did not have any intention of doing a sequel --

FOSTER: Yes.

AKHTAR: -- when I finished the first one. To me, the story ended with the first one. But weirdly enough, when I was traveling around with a film that I had done in 2008, a film called "Rock On," which I acted in, everywhere I went -- went promoting that film, and then eventually talking about it.

Everyone, of course, spoke about that film, but they would all constantly ask me about "Don 2." Because of the way the first one ended, and they'd be like, "You must do it. You have to do this film." Some requested, some threatened, some blackmailed.

And of course, you'd be polite, and you'd say, "I'll think about it." And you can't not think about it, because you've been asked about it all the time. And --

FOSTER: A big risk, though, I guess, because it's got to live up to the first one, right? Always difficult with sequels.

AKHTAR: It is. It is difficult. But the thing is, you want to do the first one justice by not just jumping into something for a whim. It's important we get the story right, the characters right. And I think that's kind of happened with this one.

FOSTER (voice-over): Akhtar is also banking on his stellar cast, led by India's biggest star, Shah Rukh Khan, and the country's growing fascination with high-tech films.

FOSTER (on camera): It's been shown in 3D, right?

AKHTAR: That's right, yes.

FOSTER: But it wasn't filmed in 3D.

AKHTAR: No, it wasn't. It was --

FOSTER: So, how -- how are you -- ?

AKHTAR: It's a conversion that occurs where the take your 2D film and they miraculously turn it into 3D. I don't know how it's done, but it looks amazing.

And it is pretty special, because "Don" is the kind of film which has a lot of vista, it has a lot of scale. And we shot in some fantastic locations, and it really brings those locations to live in a very different kind of way.

(VIDEO CLIP - "DON 2")

FOSTER: People not familiar with Indian cinema will look at this and say -- and think it actually looks quite Hollywood. And this is something that you brought to India, isn't it? You've give a Western edge to a traditional form. Is that right -- fair to say?

AKHTAR: To a certain extent, I guess. I think my influences vary from Indian films to a lot of Hollywood films. To me, I remember when I was -- when I was a teenager, I watched "Die Hard."

(VIDEO CLIP - "DIE HARD")

AKHTAR: My love for action movies was completely rekindled with that film. That was a huge influence on me in terms of the kind of action movies that I would eventually like.

And I got a chance with this film. To make a film that's very -- that's much closer to my sensibility for what an action genre film should be like, which is very -- it's kind of a single-focus movie. There's no frills.

Because usually, we tend -- we like making wholesome, entertaining movies. So there'll be the action, there'll be some comedy, there'll be drama, there'll be love. And there's many things running side-by-side.

But with this film, I got a chance to just do a pure action films, that takes the film, Don's quest from point A to point B, and everything that happens is just really through that. So, that was a lot of fun to do.

FOSTER: Is Bollywood moving away from that traditional, big sort of cinema look that we -- we think of when we think of Bollywood?

AKHTAR: No, not really. I don't think so. I think what's happening is that there's different audience evolving for different kinds of movies, and I think that's a healthy thing.

I feel all kinds of films should be allowed to coexist. I think that's very, very important. We have great commercial pot boilers, we have smaller issue-based films.

And everyone's finding an audience as long as the audience is recognizing that the filmmakers are being true to the genre that they're trying to make. It's not just being made for effect.

And the minute they recognize that, which is great, all -- the film does well.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Premiering tonight outside of India, good luck to them.

In tonight's Parting Shots, if you -- you know it's Christmas. If you haven't got your pressies in the post yet, this next video just might make you think twice about sending something special. Here's Jeanne Moos.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 'Tis the season for packages. The next time you open one intact, be grateful this didn't happen to it. This was a computer monitor, tossed over a gate in Southern California by a Fed-Ex delivery man.

But then the surveillance camera video was delivered to YouTube and made the news.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh! Oh, no, no!

MOOS: And now, Fed-Ex is saying, "We have seen the video and, frankly, we were all shocked."

But that's not the only drop-off memorialized on YouTube.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Handle with care. Oh, yes, just like that. Ground service, I get it. Ground. You through the (expletive deleted) on the ground.

MOOS: And it's not just Fed-Ex.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What can brown do for you?

MOOS: UPS brown can toss your package underhand. It can toss it overhand.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at that. Heavy on the --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow.

MOOS: It can toss it like a horseshoe. Fences and gates are the delivery man's nemesis. As a driver posted, "From a delivery point of view, gates are hostile. Don't like it, get rid of the gate."

Of all the special deliveries we saw, none was more special than this by Fed-Ex. There were sparks coming off the box, said the man who was shooting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This guy has no idea that he is pushing an oven.

MOOS: As for the computer monitor heaved over the gate. The person who posted it says the monitor was broke, and it's sad because he was home at the time, if the delivery man had just rung the bell.

MOOS (on camera): I'm sure what you're probably wondering is, does this guy still have a job?

MOOS (voice-over): Fed-Ex tells CNN, "We have ID'd the employee involved. He is being handled according to our internal disciplinary policies."

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: So, tossed over a fence, then. I'm Becky Anderson, that was CONNECT THE WORLD, and the world news headlines, "BACKSTORY" are up after this very short break. Don't go away.

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