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Day Two Of Pistorius Testimony Adjourned Early; Dubai Hopes Expo 2020 Bid Will Help It Grow; Standoff in Ukraine; Moscow Warns of Civil War; US Response; Arab Youth Survey; Parting Shots: The Burj Khalifa

Aired April 08, 2014 - 11:00   ET

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

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Dubai, this is Connect the World with Becky Anderson.

BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: Great. Good evening.

Testimony in the Oscar Pistorius trial so emotional court had to adjourn. For the first time, we hear Pistorius give his account of the night he shot his girlfriend.

Also ahead, unrest in eastern Ukraine is mirrored in the country's parliament. We're live in Kiev with the latest.

And they are the group that will shape this region's future. Arab (inaudible) on what they say matters most to them is not what you might expect.

And hello, and welcome to a special edition of Connect the World live from Dubai this evening. I'm Becky Anderson. A dramatic and highly emotional day in court for Oscar Pistorius. He took the stand again today in South Africa to describe what happened the night he shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius managed to compose himself for most of his testimony, but he completely broke down towards then end when he recalled the moment he broke into the bathroom and found his girlfriend's body.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OSCAR PISTORIUS, PARALYMPIAN: I then hit the door. I think I hit the door three times and there was a big plank. I grabbed it with my hands and I threw it into the bathroom. My (inaudible) little partition. I tried to open the door from the inside, but there was no key in the door and I lent over the middle partition of the door, saw the key was on the floor at that point. What I wanted to do was just climb into the toilet over the middle part of the door.

I (inaudible) over the partition to get in. I saw the key so I took and I unlocked the door and I flung the door open and I threw it open. And I sat over Reeva and I cried. And I don't know how long. I don't know how long I was there for.

She wasn't breathing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Robyn Curnow joining me now live from Pretoria with more on today's testimony. And Robyn, you were in court. Just describe the atmosphere, if you will.

ROBYN CURNOW, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was very powerful. And just remember, Reeva Steenkamp's mother and family and friends were listening to all of this. It was quite minute detail he went into. Initially, as you said, composed, quite steady, really giving his side of the story, looking directly at the judge. They were looking eye- to-eye.

And then of course he came to that crucial moment when he had to describe what it was like when he realized that he had shot and killed his girlfriend. And as you heard, he just started howling.

Now I think what is important about all of that, and why it was so powerful. On the other hand, legally it wasn't very helpful, which is why the judge decided to adjourn prematurely, because obviously it's Oscar Pistorius's legal right to tell his side of the story coherently and clearly. The fact that he couldn't do that meant that the judge just had to stop the proceedings.

So I think what is also very important is that he has to get himself together. And he has to continue this story tomorrow, the third day of testimony.

ANDERSON: Robyn Curnow for you in Pretoria.

So what impact could his emotionally charged testimony have? We're going to discuss that with CNN legal analyst Kelly Phelps in less than 10 minutes from now.

But on to eastern Ukraine where tensions between pro-Russia demonstrators and the government are escalating. Police, special forces in Kharkiv have cleared a regional government building and detained about 70 people in what officials call an anti-terrorist operation

In Donetsk, protesters are still occupying a regional government building after declaring a people's republic and a referendum on joining Russia.

And things got out of hand in Ukraine's parliament. Fists flew when a Communist Party leader blamed nationalists for the protests in the east.

Well, Russia has told Ukraine any use of force could lead to civil war, while Kiev blames Moscow for inciting, and indeed financing unrest.

CNN producer Kelly Morgan joining us live from Kiev tonight with a story from that side of the border. Is there a sense that this is getting worse not just by the day, but by the hour at this point?

KELLY MORGAN, CNN PRODUCER: Yes, good evening, Becky. Well, yes, it is getting worse. We've got many more cities along that eastern border with Russia where we're seeing these kind of violent occupations of government buildings. As you said, in Donestsk and Lugansk (ph) we've got -- protesters have now been in there for almost three days now and they're not moving and they're demanding to become independent.

So, you know, it is escalating. And we're seeing certainly a very swift response from the interim government here in Kiev. In the last 24 hours, they've introduced tougher sentencing for people who use violence to instigate the separatism in the country. And we've also seen that anti- terrorism operation unfold in Kharkiv with 70 people arrested facing anti- terrorism charges.

So the government here is taking it very seriously. And they are pointing the finger squarely at Moscow. Moscow, for its part, says stop pointing the finger. Concentrate on constitutional reform that includes all political parties and groups, particularly those in the east of Ukraine who speak the Russian language. So support there from Moscow, which is of course a concern for Ukraine.

ANDERSON: And we will get to Moscow in the next half hour or so, but Kelly, just give me a sense of how big the scope of this sort of renegade action in Ukraine is against the Kiev government. I want our viewers to get a sense of just how many people are involved in what the Kiev government would consider these anti -- or these terrorist activities.

MORGAN: And quite right, we do need to point out that these are just a small number of people who are occupying these buildings and protesting across all of these cities in eastern Ukraine. They're small in number, that they are aggressive. And there is concern here in Kiev that they're going to inspire further pro-Russian fervor and we're going to see more violence.

I mean, the White House has also come out today saying that -- or accusing Moscow of paying some of these demonstrators to attend these rallies and, you know, take part in this kind of thing. So it's very hard to say just how much support there is.

We know that the -- in eastern Ukraine, it is a Russian-speaking majority there. As far as support for independence, or to join Russia, well it's very difficult to say. We're not seeing a lot of pro-Ukraine people out in the streets out there, because they fear violence. They want to prevent bloodshed.

ANDERSON: All right. All right, Kelly Morgan for you in Kiev. Kelly, thank you very much indeed for that.

And there's going to be a lot more on the crisis in Ukraine, as I say, in this hour ahead. We'll be live in Donetsk, a city that's crucial to keep a lid on tensions in the east.

Our Nick Paton Walsh talked with residents on both sides of the conflict as they prepare for the worst.

And as I said, we'll be live in Moscow where Russia has issued its own warning for its much smaller neighbor.

Well, search teams looking for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 say they are not going to let the latest setback deter them. We told you yesterday how an Australian naval ship detected pulses from a remote location in the Indian Ocean over the weekend.

Now it was hoped that those pulses were coming from the plane's flight data recorders. But search teams say they haven't heard any more signals since then. It's been over a month since the plane vanished from Radar. And the factories in the black boxes are due to run out any day now if they haven't already.

Well, Ripley is in Perth with the latest developments on the search -- Will.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERANTIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, you know we're just less than an hour away from entering day 33 of this search. And there are two searches that are happening right now. One, from the airbase where I'm standing where we have planes taking off every morning, flying over this newly refined 30,000 square mile search area looking for any sign of debris, debris that we have not seen yet, and that's a big question in this case. Why have we not been able to locate one single piece of this plane floating in the surface of the search area. So that search continues.

But a lot of the focus right now, as you mentioned, is on the Ocean Shield and that U.S. navy tow pinger locator 6,000 meters of tow line behind this ship with an underwater listening device at the end of it scanning the ocean floor slowly, listening trying to find those signals that they detected twice over the weekend, once for more than two hours and then again for about 15 minutes.

There is other technology on board if we can't find the signals, specifically an underwater submersible. But I want you to hear what the search chief Angus Houston says. He says they're not deploying that technology any time soon. Here's why.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANGUS HOUSTON, CHIEF COORDINATOR, JOINT AGENCY COORDINATION CENTER: We need to continue that for several days right up to when -- the point at which there's absolutely no doubt that the pinger batteries will have expired. So that will be several days more.

Now until we stop the pinger search, we will not deploy the submersible. Is that clear? We will not deploy it, unless we find -- unless we get another transmission, in which case we'll probably have a better idea of what's down there and we'll go down there and have a look.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIPLEY: There's a reason why they're hesitant to deploy the submersible, Becky. One day's work for the pinger locator covering the ground that that can cover, would take a full week for the submersible. So if they determine in the coming days that these black boxes are no longer emitting any type of signal, then this search effort becomes a much more slow and grueling process than it already is.

ANDERSON: Will Ripley is in Perth in Australia for you this evening. Will, thank you.

We are in Dubai, about 100 kilometers or so down from where our new home for the show, of course, Abu Dhabi. This is Connect the World with me, Becky Anderson, live from Dubai for you this evening.

Just give you a sense of where we are. This is over the Dubai mall. The building behind me is the Burj Khalifa. I took a tour of that earlier on. It is some 2,500 feet or more high. It is the tallest building in the world. It's just behind me. You're going to see that a little in the show, as I say.

Live tonight at 11 minutes past 7:00 from Dubai. Stay with us. We're back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: At 14 minutes past 7:00, you're watching Connect the World with me, Becky Anderson. At least that is the time here in Dubai in the UAE where we are this evening.

Of course you know the show has moved to Abu Dhabi. We thought we'd come down here and show off this city-state as well.

Well, moving on.

And the Oscar Pistorius trial is on hold until Wednesday after his dramatic breakdown on the stand. Just hours ago, we heard the Olympic athlete weep openly as he described the moments after he realized he had shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

It was the first time he'd spoken publicly about the details of that night.

Let's get some analysis on what happened today in court from CNN legal analyst Kelly Phelps.

You were listening, it was emotional, it was certainly difficult to listen to, of course. We don't see Oscar Pistorius himself, the cameras aren't trained on him, but we saw those who were in court and indeed the judge. Your thoughts?

KELLY PHELPS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Yes, it was absolutely -- it was grueling day for everyone involved in this trial. When the judge unilaterally declared a postponement, we heard that Pistorius was standing outside the court with a tear-soaked shirt and was absolutely unable to continue. We saw at moments June Steenkamp, who has otherwise been very held together have her head drop into her hands, Pistorius's sister was crying, it was an incredibly difficult day to follow for everyone involved in the case, including, it appeared, for the judge.

ANDERSON: Kelly, we are, what, nearly a month into this. The judge adjourning proceedings today. What happens next? And how long does this go on?

PHELPS: Well, the judge really had no choice today but to adjourn the proceedings. She would have done that with any witness, not just Oscar Pistorius, because the judge's ultimate responsibility is to be able to get clear, coherent evidence admitted as a matter of record so that she has that evidence to draw off in making her determination for this case.

And in that sense, it's very important that a witness is stable and able to give a clear account of what they're trying to put forward to the court.

So, the adjournment, in a sense, was a fait accompli today. Tomorrow, he still has a lot that he needs to get though. He only got to the immediate aftermath of the killing. And there's still some crucial details in his story that he needs to put on the record, such as where she died and who he phoned afterwards and when he phoned the timing of those calls, what he said during those calls, and those will all be pivotal in terms of assessing both the coherence with his own earlier written version of events, but also as a base of comparison for the judge to compare and contrast off the evidence that the state put forward in their part of the trial.

ANDERSON: Kelly, let's take a closer look at South Africa's judicial system, if we will. The case, of course, being handled by the national prosecuting authority, a government agency that handles criminal cases. Now they decided there was enough evidence to prosecute Pistorius.

Now given the seriousness of the charges, the case, of course, being heard in the country's high court by a single judge. South Africa abolishing jury trials I believe back in 1969. Prosecutors say Pistorius committed premeditated murder, which carries a sentence of life in prison. South Africa, of course, has no death penalty.

How closely is this case being watched in South Africa, Kelly?

PHELPS: This close is being -- this case is being scrutinized on the closest possible level in South Africa. There were actually surveys done in the first few days of the trial broadcast that showed that productivity in workplaces dropped dramatically considering that the testimony is the first time ever in South Africa that a trial is being broadcast live.

And it is a very important opportunity for all parties involved to try and draw the public in to the legal system, which is a fundamental part of the legitimacy of the legal system in terms of how the public views that system. When you have a jury system, the public has the opportunity to participate very closely in it. We don't have that here. So this is the first opportunity we've had for our public to participate and learn about a court process on a real-time basis as if they're in the courtroom themselves.

ANDERSON: Kelly, thank you for that.

The case continues. And we are, of course, seeing the very start of the Pistorius defense team's strategy. Ultimately, the verdict will hinge on two questions -- what they are and the experts we're likely to see follow Pistorius are online. CNN.com/International. That is CNN.com/international.

Live this evening from Dubai, this is Connect the World with me, Becky Anderson. Coming up, five years ago Dubai's financial future, well it looked bleak. But now this Emirate has made a huge bounce back. Find out how in Global Exchange after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Well, welcome back. We're in Dubai this evening. I'm Becky Anderson. This is Connect the World. And this is the part of the show where we do the Global Exchange, the series where we take a look at the emerging markets around the world. And as we're in Dubai, of course, what better time to take a closer look at its finances.

Now five years ago, things were pretty bleak here as the financial crisis exposed Dubai's dependence on borrowing. It has, though, bounced back after restructuring most of its debts. Dubai once again, let me tell you, thriving. Hotels are busy here.

The one we're in tonight, I can tell you, is at something like 101 percent occupancy. It doesn't seem real, does it? But it is, it's buzzing. Real Estate prices are again on the rise. Last year an announcement that was the icing on the cake, winning the right to host the world expo in 2020.

Well, John Defterios joining us as he does for global exchange, of course. And John, quite an announcement that certainly Dubai, if not the UAE, has made much of, Expo 2020. What's the impact been to date?

JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's extraordinary, because the announcement of them winning that bid was November 27 and it took place right here at the Burj Khalifa with the fireworks and the rest. The stock market leading up to the expectation of getting that bid has been up 155 percent.

ANDERSON: 155 percent.

DEFTERIOS: In the last 12 months. And it's better than 40 percent in 2014. So that raises some concerns of an overheating market.

But there's some key numbers to share right now between now and 2020. They're looking at a relatively small economy with foreign direct investment and infrastructure spending of $18 billion between now and then. They're suggesting, this is the studies by HSBC and Barclay's Bank that the growth will go from 4.5, 5 percent today, Becky -- 2020 they're suggesting it could hit 10.5 percent.

And this is really a tourism drive. They've got tourism visitors running around 12 million. They think by 2020, they can double that to 25 million.

You talked about hotels, you're talking about building another 100 hotels to keep up with the demand. Another 100 hotels, doubling the capacity.

ANDERSON: These sort of statistics are amazing. I think they were looking at visitors as something like 8 million in 2008. They're looking at 15 million in 2015. As you say, some 25 million by 2020.

Just how concerned are authorities here, and should investors be, about the potential for another bubble? We've seen it before.

DEFTERIOS: Yeah, let's talk about the authorities, first and foremost. I had an interview with the minister of economy Sultan Aman al Mansouri, and asked that question very candidly. And he said, look, we have to control inflation, the basket the consumer price index looks low. It's running about 3 to 4 percent. But we see that hotel prices have been going up, restaurant prices have been going up. So they are monitoring it very carefully.

Real Estate prices last year went up 60 percent for sales in prime real estate and rents went up 60 percent. That is getting everybody very concerned about a bubble right now.

And then you say, what is expo 2020? Milan has it next year. Not a huge issue in Milan. Shanghai had it. It's kind of the exercise of soft power. Dubai wants to use it to go through the next phase of growth and this ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum is very clever at marketing. They want to use this to ride the next wave and get out of that debt crisis.

ANDERSON: Fascinating, isn't it? Cost-benefit analysis of what expos do take on is not always good. Let's watch to see...

DEFTERIOS: Yeah, they've got to worry about the bubble, for sure.

ANDERSON: This phase here.

John Defterios at the Global Exchange.

DEFTERIOS: Well, we were talking about the Dubai debt crisis going back five years ago with Becky there. One year ago this month, Cyprus was going through the same financial crisis. In fact, they had to have a bail- in with savers there trying to bail out the country after the troika came in and said you have to clean up your books.

But one year into it, we're starting to see growth come back in for some major projects, including a marina to handle super yachts of 115 meters.

In this week's One Square Meter, we take a look at projects going right back up in the Mediterranean island.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEFTERIOS: The churn of cement and the echo of construction around Limassol Marina is the sound of survival. Navigating through the Cypriot banking crisis, the marina is now 80 percent complete, just $480 million luxury waterfront project, it's designed to tap into the nautical tourism market currently sailing through Cypriot waters, but setting anchor in other destinations.

Limassol Marina will be the first in Cyprus to manage super yachts up to 115 meters. Construction is due to finish in 2016, ready to compete with marinas in Beirut and Montenegro.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And what did you see up is again is restaurants...

DEFTERIOS: Cybarco is the lead developer of the Limassol Marina consortium made up of seven shareholders. After a jolt during the recent financial crisis, confidence appears back up. The developer says $160 million in sales are already on the books.

MICHALIS HADJIPANAYIOTOU, CEO, CYBARCO: People have, you know, become much more conservative. So before all the developers around the world we were selling, we were putting in a new project in the market and everybody was (inaudible) and turning around properties and there was no end user. So nowadays people want to make sure that whatever they're going to be buying or plan, this project, a, is going to be delivered, and b, there's an end user. It's not just investors.

DEFTERIOS: Apartment prices start from around $500,000. That's $7,000 per square meter. For the villas, designed so you can anchor your yacht a few meters from your front door, it's $10,000 per square meter. The most expensive sold for nearly $18 million already.

The government minister in charge says the project is trying to appeal to an elite customer.

YIORGOS LAKKOTRYPIS, CYPRIOT COMMECE, INDUSTRY & TOURISM MINISTER: Our strategy is very clear, we want to compete at the high end of the market, maintaining our numbers, improving our numbers, but also earning much higher per capita income per arriving passenger. And certainly with the purchase of property in Cyprus, they can get permanent residentship, which makes it very easy to do business with the European Union and other member states.

DEFTERIOS: This is the first major marina project in the country to set sail. If successful, it will lead to the two others pending along the coastline.

John Defterios, CNN, Limassol, Cyrpus.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: And welcome back to what is a balmy night in Dubai. It is just after half past 7:00 here, and behind me, the Burj Khalifa. The show, top of the hour -- bottom of the hour, it is quite remarkable. I hope you can see the fountains going in the water there. The tallest building in the world behind me. More on that as we move through this next hour.

This is CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. The top stories this hour. An emotional testimony from South African athlete Oscar Pistorius today. The Olympian said he was "gripped by panic" when he believed an intruder was in his bedroom moments before he shot and killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. Now, the trial adjourned until Wednesday after Pistorius began sobbing on the stand.

A day of disappointment in the hunt for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. A special device used to track underwater audio signals has not picked up any new pings since the weekend. Now, the search area has gotten much smaller. It's been 32 days since that jet vanished.

The US defense secretary, Chuck Hagel, has arrived in Beijing for a series of high-level talks with China's military elite. Hagel became the first foreigner invited onboard China's new aircraft carrier. It suggests US efforts to encourage greater US-China military ties may be bearing some fruit.

And pro-Russia protesters have clashed with security forces in several cities in eastern Ukraine. At least 70 people were arrested in Kharkiv. Kiev accuses Russia of inciting the violence, while Moscow says US mercenaries are on the ground and that any force against protesters may lead to civil war.

We're covering the standoff in Ukraine from all sides. Elise Labott is in Washington, Diana Magnay is monitoring events from Moscow. First, let's begin with Nick Paton Walsh in Donetsk. Nick, your thoughts on how this is all developing.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're in a very dangerous period here, Becky. Not far from where I'm standing, despite Donetsk as a city carrying on as normal, the local administration building is held by upwards of 500 protesters, armed with little more, really, than metal bars, Molotov cocktails, and behind barricades of tires and razor wire, really makeshift.

Lacking in a leader. They seem to have a mixed agenda, but most people there say they want a referendum to bring this part of Ukraine into the Russian Federation. But there's been concern amongst them. They thought that Ukraine's special forces were perhaps going to break in late last night when the power suddenly went off in that building.

But speaking to the local governor here, Becky, Sergey Taruta, put in the position because he's a billionaire, because Kiev thought that would make him incorruptible. Seems to be the case at this point. He doesn't want any kind of confrontation. He hopes negotiation can be the way out of this.

And interestingly, too, he's tried to pour cold water on the idea, propagated by Washington, this is in fact all being masterminded in Moscow, saying this is more about local economic grievances, trying to suggest that perhaps jobs, some sort of change in the lifestyle of people inside that building will get them to put down their metal rods.

But they seem pretty steadfast. And at the end of the day, really, this is an extraordinarily tense time. Because despite that pocket of resistance being small, being isolated here in Donetsk, we have other issues in Luhansk, protesters apparently armed. Kharkiv, they've been cleared out of some buildings.

But the real issue here: all of this hangs on a thread, because just a few miles from where I am are those potentially 40,000 Russian troops, and the threat put out Moscow, they may have to intervene to protect their compatriots here, Becky.

ANDERSON: OK. Let's get to Moscow, then. Thank you, Nick, for the time being. Stay with me. Russia's warning of potential civil war in Ukraine is arguably the most ominous talk from the Kremlin since it annexed Crimea last month. Diana Magnay joins me live, now, from Moscow. What's the strategy here, Diana?

(AUDIO GAP)

DIANA MAGNAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: -- really, and what we were hearing in relation to Crimea from Russia, that really they would have to come in to protect the interests of ethnic Russian citizens, that's been dropped.

What Russia is advocating for the time being is national dialogue and an effort, really, to put into place a federalized constitution. And Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, had something to say about that a little earlier. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SERGEY LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): With regard to the question about who was preparing and who was preparing the events in Ukraine, our American partners are probably trying to analyze the situation, attaching their own habits to others.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MAGNAY: Effectively, saying that America was pot calling kettle black, that they were the ones involved in all of this, not Russia. And interestingly, Becky, we've just heard from Kiev, from the interim presidential chief of staff here that the authorities in Kiev believe it was actually President -- the former president, Yanukovych, financing these demonstrations.

But just to go back to Russia's position. Russia has been arguing in recent days and weeks that what needs to happen in Ukraine is for a new constitution, which establishes, basically, a much more federal system, where regions in the south and east have much more autonomy and can, therefore, operate on their own basis, really, with countries like Moscow - -

ANDERSON: All right.

MAGNAY: -- possibly a kind of backdoor annexation in itself, but different from what we've seen in Crimea, Becky.

ANDERSON: Accusations, of course, from Moscow, Diana, of US mercenaries in the mix here. World Affairs reporter, Elise Labott, joining us now from Washington. Elise, I believe in just the last hour, the US secretary of state, John Kerry, has spoken to Congress. What did he say?

ELISE LABOTT, CNN WORLD AFFAIRS REPORTER: Well, accusations is right, Becky, flying on all sides. Secretary Kerry is saying what the US has been saying for weeks, this is a play right out of President's Putin's playbook that he used in Crimea, basically stirring up this foment to then go over the border and protect these so-called Russian separatists from Ukrainian persecution. Take a listen to Secretary Kerry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KERRY, US SECRETARY OF STATE: No one should be fooled -- and believe me, no one is fooled -- by what could potentially be a contrived pretext for military intervention, just as we saw in Crimea.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LABOTT: And so, he called this "contrived," "ham-handed." What the US is trying to do is get the Ukrainians and the Russians together with the US and the EU in a meeting together, possibly in Europe in the next week or so, to discuss some of these issues, taking into account Russia's interests in -- not only in Crimea, but in eastern Ukraine.

But what he's saying is, this can't be done at the barrel of the gun or the threat of Russian troops at the border. This needs to be done through dialogue. And so, that's why he's hoping to get these together.

But at the same time, the US is working on possible sanctions against Russia, not only to answer for what they did in Crimea and possibly what's going on now, but there is certainly a red line for some of these major sanctions against Russia -- energy or financial sectors -- and that's going across further into the border into eastern Ukraine, Becky.

ANDERSON: All right. Elise Labott's on the story in Washington for you. We've been in Moscow. Let me get you back to Donetsk where, of course, there are people occupying the legislative building there.

And Nick, I wonder just when we are talking sort of wide geopolitics here, how this is resonating with those who are, as the Ukrainians or the Kiev government, at least, is calling, conducting themselves as terrorists, as it were. And how many people are we talking about here? And how does what is being said in Washington and in Moscow resonate with these people?

WALSH: Well, it's difficult to tell which is the chicken and the egg in many ways here, because you certainly see people who want to see a change in lifestyle. Perhaps there's economic here, perhaps they see that is being more likely when they're part of the Russian Federation.

But at the same time, you have to ask yourself what merit is there in Secretary Kerry's argument this is basically being run by Russia, that perhaps some of these people are, in fact, being paid here.

It's hard to assess what begins where, really. Certainly, there's a degree of organization here. It's not enough to necessarily think it's particularly smoothly run. There's a lot of chaos there. And as I said, there isn't one leader.

There's a number of individuals who put themselves around as being that. And in fact, one man today showed me simply a handwritten piece of paper with his name on it and a stamp which he claimed was basically some sort of permit that enabled him to tell people what to do inside that local administration.

So, it is chaotic. And the reason why it's so important is not because we have a few hundred people taking over a building here, that frankly, the officials then are working elsewhere. They're not really bothered by that.

It's because it feeds right in to sort of this geopolitical fault line here, the tug of war over where Ukraine goes, and the heavy-handed moves the Kremlin have been playing.

This is not Crimea, this is not about a local government suddenly changing sides and passing a load of laws that will bring the net into Russia. This is about a city, frankly, which has a lot of money, a lot of industry in it, too.

A lot of people here simply want life to go on as normal, but they're caught in this broader argument, the ambition that seemed, with the Kremlin, to establish some wider influence in their near abroad. And, of course, Ukraine, trying to keep hold of its sovereignty, right now in the midst of a presidential campaign and its borders being pressured by these thousands of Russia troops.

That puts what's happening here in these buildings in a completely different light, whereas before, it could be dismissed as some separatists. Now it feeds into a much wider argument, Becky.

ANDERSON: Yes, it's fascinating. As you talk, I'm just looking at the shop behind you, and to a certain extent, life going on as normal behind you, despite the fact, as you say, that there are people agitating in the city.

Let me get back to Moscow, finally. There is a sense, certainly, by those in Washington, by those in Europe, Diana, that President Putin is prepared, having gone after Crimea, to continue this sort of largesse, as it were, this push out.

This process of annexation, if you will. And that, to all intents and purposes, makes him to many experts and analysts in the West, an increasing pariah on the world stage. Does he care?

MAGNAY: I think that countries like Ukraine are more important to the Russian president than his standing on the world stage, and whatever the US and the EU said in relation to his actions in Crimea went -- was water off a duck's back.

It's very difficult to read his intentions here. As I was talking about that, rhetoric has shifted about sending in troops, which was obviously the justification that the Duma had for any deployment of military in Ukraine was to protect Russia -- the interests of ethnic Russians.

Now, in southern and eastern Ukraine, you don't have the ethnic Russian majority that you had in Crimea. You have ethnic Ukrainians who may speak Russian. So now, Russia is talking much more about changing the constitution and having a national dialogue within Ukraine between all these various different parties and their different agendas and the different things that they want.

And Sergey Lavrov has been talking about trying to get talks between the US, the EU, Ukraine, and Russia within the next ten days. If they have an agenda and a draft constitution that they can all debate and talk about.

So, it would seem as though, despite those Russian troops on the border with Ukraine -- and despite Russian claims that some of them have been pulled back, NATO and the West don't seem to be able to confirm that.

That the strategy that the Russian president is pushing forward now is to try and mold Ukraine into a more federal system, which would give it more influence, but through a political structure rather than any kind of military machinations, Becky.

ANDERSON: It's been a fascinating discussion, all of you, thank you very much, indeed. Elise Labott is in Washington, Diana Magnay in Moscow for you, and Nick Paton Walsh, tonight, in Donetsk.

We are live from Dubai. This is CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. Later this hour, I'm going to take you on a personal tour of one of the buildings in this city. Let's call it the iconic one, shall we? As our program makes its home right here in the UAE. Back after this.

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ANDERSON: Well, it is just after quarter to 8:00 here in Dubai, a vibrant emirate with lots going on, thanks in part to its large youth demographic. That is not uncommon, of course, in this part of the world.

Young people make up a huge proportion of today's Arab world. Traditionally a conservative and pretty private part of the world, this next generation has its own outlook and, indeed, challenges.

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ANDERSON (voice-over): There are more than 100 million young people living in the Arab world. That's about a third of the total population of the region. So, their voice matters.

(MAN SINGING IN ARABIC)

ANDERSON: The annual ASDA'A Burson-Marsteller survey asked 18 to 24- year-olds about their hopes, concerns, and aspirations for the future; 3,500 young people took part, from 16 different Arab countries. Here are the top five findings for 2014.

Rising living costs and unemployment are the biggest concerns for youth across the Middle East. Not surprising, when you consider one out of every four young people is out of work.

(CROWD CHANTING)

ANDERSON: Arab youth believe that the biggest overall obstacle facing the region is civil unrest, more of a threat than terrorism or extremist movements.

And the third year running, the UAE is the country that most Arab youth would like to live in, and they see as a model for their country to emulate. When asked to think about their country's biggest ally, Arab youth choose their Gulf neighbors, such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE, rather than Western countries.

Finally, there's increasing concern about obesity and lifestyle diseases, and young people don't think health care in the Middle East is improving.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, joining me now are three young people who can add their voices to that report. We've got Eman, an Emirati international affairs and mass media graduate; Mohammad with us tonight, an Emirati finance student at Zayed University here in Dubai; and last but not least, of course, Fatema, who is studying international affairs at the same university.

Let me start with you, Fatema. I'm going to ask you all a very simple question. Keep it tight, because I want to move on. But the sense of that report, I found it fascinating. Your thoughts?

FATEMA MOHAMMED HAIDER, EMIRATI STUDENT: Well, when they talked about the unemployment rate, in the UAE, we don't have the issue because we have the urban plan, the Abu Dhabi Plan 2030, and they're looking to increase job influxes in a rapid rate. So, in the UAE, I don't see that that's an issue exactly.

ANDERSON: Yes -- no. In that, I guess you're very lucky, to a certain extent. The UAE, of course, Eman, is a very different place than the rest of the sort of Middle East and North Africa region. Perhaps understandably, therefore, people here may feel differently about the findings as those other 3,500 who were in the report.

EMAN AL MUGHAIRY, INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS AND MASS MEDIA GRADUATE: Sure. I do feel like the youth are going more into workforce. There is varied opportunities everywhere around the world. The youth are getting their voice out. So, they're finding jobs are easy to find more than the years before. So, I totally agree with that fact.

ANDERSON: Mohammad?

MOHAMMAD SUHAIL ALBANNA, FINANCE STUDENT, ZAYED UNIVERSITY: Basically, the unemployment rates are decreasing in the UAE, and we don't have them since the youth themselves are opening initiatives. Like, they are creating jobs for the future generations to come.

ANDERSON: So, the question I then guess is this: are women getting the same opportunities here as men are?

HAIDER: Yes. Actually, when we look at gender equality in the UAE, we can see that there are more women graduates in the UAE and women pursuing more higher education than men are. And you can see in the government there's lots of ministers, women ministers, and very influential women leaders in the UAE as well.

ANDERSON: Enough, though, at this stage? I've heard experts and others say that there needs to be more done.

AL MUGHAIRY: True, definitely. But I do feel like we're getting the sport out there. We're taking -- there's no matter of less gender equality as well. It's just, the youth are going out there as well. And I do feel like we're getting enough chances to be there --

ANDERSON: So, if women --

AL MUGHAIRY: -- regardless of gender.

ANDERSON: Apologies. If women are getting a chance, are men getting less of a chance, Mohammad, going forward?

ALBANNA: No, the men are not getting less chances. In our country, it's basically if you put an effort and you prove to them that you are able to run an organization, you will achieve the goals, you will get the job.

ANDERSON: Is everybody putting in enough effort, do you think? People of your age?

ALBANNA: I believe they are, and they are trying to compete between the women and men, and they are trying to achieve the jobs that they want to get.

ANDERSON: Fascinating.

AL MUGHAIRY: So, gender is definitely not an issue. It's a matter of how you put yourself out there.

ANDERSON: Fantastic. Good. Well done. Thank you all, fascinating.

AL MUGHAIRY: Thank you so much.

ANDERSON: The team at CONNECT THE WORLD wants to hear from you, as ever, facebook.com/CNNconnect. You can have your say. You can tweet me @BeckyCNN, I'm on Instagram as well, search for Becky CNN. You can see lots of shots there of how we set up today, what we were up to.

Let me tell you, when you set up a show on the road, as this is today, it has taken my team here about 12 or 13 hours, so appreciate their efforts enormously. Have a look on Instagram and see just what went into setting this up. Guys, thank you very much, indeed. We're going to take a very short break. Back after this.

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ANDERSON: Tonight's Parting Shots for you. Welcome back, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson. And just before we go, I want to give you a special look inside the iconic building behind me. I've been a frequent visitor to Dubai over the years, and nothing seems more symbolic of the city's rise than the Burj Khalifa. Earlier, I took what was a long trip to almost the top.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: And as that elevator empties, it is my turn. We are going to be going at 10 meters a second. We are going to the 124th floor, 450- odd meters in the sky. And that is only halfway up. This building itself is 852 meters up, that's more than 2,500 feet.

Let's go: 12, 13, 14, 16, 17 -- OK, I can feel my ears go -- 24 -- 80. Again. This is coming up to 100. Ooh!

Hello! Come and have a look at this, because this is fascinating. Now, this is the Dubai Mall, which is the biggest in the world. Just next to it is the Address Hotel downtown. Now, that is where we are broadcasting from tonight. That's our live position.

Now, this has all emerged in the past five years. Past five years. Let me, though, take you to the other side.

That's the Burj Al Arab, if you can see through there. And further on, of course, is the Dubai Marina, one of the earlier big developments. And I remember when there was only one building there.

The other day, we got out on a speedboat and drove out of the marina to look back at Dubai, and I remember once saying to somebody here in Dubai, I get your vision for 2010, but I don't really buy it. I was very, very skeptical about whether they could pull this off.

Well, when we went out the other day and we looked back at the vista of Dubai, I've got to say, they've done it. It was like looking at Manhattan. It is quite remarkable.

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ANDERSON: Looking forward to the future, who knows what that will bring? I'm Becky Anderson, that was CONNECT THE WORLD. Thank you for watching. You can always get in touch with me @BeckyCNN, and do also use the website, cnn.com/arabic. Many, many Arabic speakers using that site. We use it, too. Please stick with us here on CNN. From the entire team here, it is a very good evening.

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