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Connect the World
Palestinian-American Teen Speaks Out After Being Released; ISIS Leader Purportedly On Video In Mosul Mosque; Pistorius Sports Doctor Cross- Examination To Continue; Wimbledon Men's Final, Petra Kvitova Reflects on Win; World Cup Semifinals Set; Neymar's Football Fortune; No Laughing Matter; Parting Shots: Feast of Iftar; Jordan's Farmers Suffer; Dubai Market Tumbles; Qatar Economy; Oil Prices Down; Pay TV Powerhouse OSN; Bollywood Heavyweights
Aired July 06, 2014 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ATIKA SHUBERT, HOST: Battered, bruised, but no longer detained: we hear from the U.S. teen who says he was beaten by Israeli police in a case that
is sparking outrage.
Also ahead, a preacher with a masterplan: worshippers at a Mosul mosque hear from ISIS leader Abu Bakar al-Baghdadi. We'll tell you what he had to
say.
And can Roger Federer rise to the challenge? We're live at Wimbledon as the Federer express aims to prove that his glory days are far from over.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN London, this is Connect the World.
SHUBERT: The Palestinian-American teen who says he was beaten by Israeli forces is now free from Israeli custody, however, Tariq Khdeir will remain
under house arrest for nine days while an investigation into his case continues.
He spoke with reporters on his release.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What happened? Tell us.
TARIQ KHDEIR: TEEN FREED FROM CUSTODY: I was attacked by police. I woke up in the hospital.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So how do you feel now you're out?
Khdeir: I feel way better.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SHUBERT: Now the teen's relatives say this video shows Israeli security forces beating him before his arrest.
Now he is the cousin of Palestinian teenager who was abducted and killed in Jerusalem on Wednesday.
Now Israeli police say several Israeli Jews are also under arrest in connection with that killing. Ben Wedeman is following all the developments
and joins us now from Jerusalem with an update.
Ben, I know there was a lot of frustration there at the slowness of the investigation, that they CCTV video, but still no suspects. What's the
latest?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we understand that the Shabat (ph), the Israeli security agency, detained this morning several
Israeli Jewish suspects in relation with the second of July abduction and murder of Abu -- Muhammad Abu Khdeir, the 16-year-old Shoafat resident
whose kidnapping and murder did spark days of intense clashes in the northern part of Jerusalem.
And the Israeli police did say that finding his murders was a top priority. Initially, they were looking at the possibility it could have been part of
a family dispute, something denied vehemently by the family from the very beginning. And now it appears that with the detention and questioning of
these Jewish Israelis that that option is no longer on the tape, that it was indeed a revenge killing. And that's probably going to be more fuel for
the fire here.
Now to get to the case of Tariq Abu Khdeir, the cousin, the 15-year-old Tampa, Florida native, the cousin of Mohammad Abu Khdeir, he was released
today. He had to pay bail, 3,000 shekels, that's about $900.
He will be under house arrest, not in Shoafat in the family home, but rather in the adjacent neighborhood of Beit Hanina in the home of a
relative.
Now we spoke with his mother. And she is very unhappy with the court's decision.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUHA ABU KHDEIR, MOTHER: I'm not really happy, because he's being -- he hasn't been charged with anything...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He hasn't been accused?
S. KHDEIR: ...he hasn't been accused with anything, not charged with anything, and they have him on house arrest out of his own home and plus
he's -- they're making us pay a fine. It was $10,000 shekels and it went down to $3,000 shekels.
Yes, I am going to...
WEDEMAN: You'll pursue charges against the police who beat him?
S. KHDEIR: Yes, we will, definitely.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WEDEMAN: Now the Israeli Justice Ministry last night announced that they would be investigating this incident where he was beaten and kicked
brutally by masked men in uniform, obviously Israeli police, but the family doesn't have a lot of confidence that this investigation is going to end up
with any sort of punishment for those involved -- Atika.
SHUBERT: Ben, we haven't seen this kind of violence in years. And the Israeli authorities claim to be trying to do their hardest to find the
culprits and, you know, dig deeper in these investigations. But things only seem to be escalating on the ground. What are Israeli police saying?
WEDEMAN: Well, you know, they try to keep the disturbances in places like Shoafat contained by putting up road blocks and blocking access to those
neighborhoods. But what we saw yesterday is that there were a variety of protests not unlike those in Shoafat breaking out in areas within Israel
proper in Arab and Palestinian villages in northern Israel.
So despite any efforts to contain the anger, it's only just seems to be getting worse. It has been relatively quiet in Jerusalem yesterday and
today so far, but this apparent -- I mean, the arrest of these Israeli Jews in connection with the murder of Mohammad Abu Khdeir would indicate that
the situation is going to get even more complicated, that this is confirmation that it was a nationalistically motivated revenge killing. It
sets a very bad precedent. And so for the police they must be not getting a lot of sleep -- Atika.
SHUBERT: Yeah, without some quick action on that investigation, tensions only likely to increase.
Well, thank you very much. That's Ben Wedeman for us out of Jerusalem.
Now moving on, a man set to be the notorious but secretive leader of the militant Islamic State has appeared at a mosque in the northern Iraqi city
of Mosul. If it is Abu Bakar al-Baghdadi, it would be one of the first known appearances to be captured on video.
Arwa Damon has more from Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The man was simply introduced as this is your new amir, according to the eyewitness CNN spoke to,
describing how she quivered with fear in the women's quarters in the upper mezzanine of the Mosul mosque.
The month of Ramadan is the month of jihad and fighting the enemies, the unbelievers, he preached.
In the video, armed men are seen among the worshippers, the front row members of the man's entourage blurred.
This is the man ISIS has identified as their leader, Abu Bakar al-Baghdadi. CNN cannot confirm the authenticity of the video or al-Baghdadi's identity.
But if it is him, his public appearance bold and brazen and successful despite U.S. and other countries aerial surveillance over Iraq.
The video was posted by an official ISIS Twitter account and identifies him as the caliph Ibrahim as ISIS leader al-Baghdadi is now known to his
followers since the terrorist organization announced his caliphate extending form Diyala in Iraq to Aleppo in Syria.
"Now we have a caliphate and an imam that was absent for centuries," he stated.
These are the only previous images believed to be of the elusive leader. Analysis underway to determine if it is the same man.
Al-Baghdadi was in U.S. custody in Campu Buqqah (ph) for four years. But the Americans never clued in to his radical tendencies.
Released in 2009, he took over what was then ISI, the Islamic State of Iraq, in 2010 at a time when the organization was declared on the verge of
extinction.
But under al-Baghdadi's leadership, ISI thrived, capitalizing on growing Sunni resentment towards Maliki's government and quickly surpassed its
parent organization, al Qaeda moving into neighboring Syria and establishing ISIS, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, becoming an entity
so extreme that even al Qaeda distanced itself and it would seem promising more.
"You should take up jihad to please god and fight in his name, and you will be rewarded with heaven and paradise," the man identified as al-Baghdadi
urged.
Unsuspecting worshippers were held hostage for an hour after he departed, still in shock after believing they had come face to face with one of the
most dangerous men on Earth.
Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DAMON: And we'll have more on this story later on in Connect the World.
Now in 10 minutes, Nima Elgabir will be here to talk about an open letter from Islamic leaders in Britain. It's urging Muslims not to travel to Iraq
or Syria to join in the fighting.
And we'll revisit my interview with a British jihadist to learn what drives young men and women from the west to join the fight in the Middle East.
Now the Somalia based militant group al Shabaab warns that more violence is ahead after claiming responsibility for two attacks in Kenya. Gunmen
targeted towns along the country's southern coastline, an area that has seen increasingly levels of unrest. A police station in Gamba was attacked
while others were killed at a market in Hindi.
Now Hindi is close to where 65 people were killed in another attack just last month. Journalist Mike Pflanz joins us on the line from Nairobi.
Thank you very much for joining us.
Tell us a little bit more about this coastline area. It seems to have seen a surge in the violence from al Shabaab.
MIKE PFLANZ, JOURNALIST: Very much so, yes. This attack that we saw last night and then the one that you mentioned two or three weeks ago, both of
them in an area of the northern coastline very close to the border with Somalia. I think that's clearly significant.
We have the Islamist army in Somalia, al Shabaab, claiming responsibility both for the most recent attacks we're seeing today and the earlier ones.
It's very easy for people to come in from Somalia to this area of northern Kenya's coastline. The border there is very porous, the police are not
stretched as well as they should be to keep an eye on that border. And I think that's one of the reasons that we're seeing al Shabaab come in to the
coastline.
It is obviously of a worry for people who may be on holiday here, but these attacks have not taken place anywhere directly close to tourist areas.
SHUBERT: How does the Kenyan government, then, counter these kinds of attacks with such a porous border. What are they doing?
PFLANZ: Well, they will say that they've moved significant numbers of troops up to the border area there. There are thousands of troops, they
say, who are in that area.
I think it's a very difficult area for anybody to patrol. And obviously the Kenyans are stretched very thinly.
I think national intelligence did something else that they would say they're trying to improve. But we have not seen evidence truly of any of
these attacks being forewarned in such a way that they can be -- that they can be (inaudible) and obviously that's of great concern to everybody in
that region.
SHUBERT: What does this say about al Shabaab that we've seen so many attacks when just, you know, a year or so ago they were saying that al
Shabaab was on the run, that it had somehow been weakened. But this doesn't look like that at all.
PFLANZ: No, exactly. I think what's happened in the last 12 months is al Shabaab has split. And there is a resurgence aspect of the fighters there
under a particularly radical leader who is bringing jihadists from overseas, training them in Somalia. I understand people coming from all
over the world there now. And that group, that side or splinter of al Shabaab, if you like, has a very internationalist outlook. And they're very
much targeting Kenya, very close and easy, as I said for them to get in there. I think the concern is that Shabaab really is -- or that splinter
aspect of Shabaab is planning a lot more attacks.
That's what they've told us. And looking at today's attack it would appear that that is the case.
SHUBERT: Certainly seems more resurgent.
Well, thank you very much. That's Mike Plfanz for us in Nairobi, Kenya.
Well, still to come this hour, the final few days of the Oscar Pistorius murder trial seemed to be approaching. So what can we expect when testimony
resumes on Monday. A look ahead with our legal analyst coming up.
And later, a grass court showdown that is thrilling tennis fans. We'll have the latest on the Wimbledon men's final.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SHUBERT: You're watching CNN. And this is Connect the World with me, Atika Shubert in London. Welcome back.
Let's take a closer look at the crisis in Syria and Iraq. Iraqi forces are trying to determine if this man shown leading prayers at a mosque in Mosul
on Friday is indeed Abu Bakar al-Baghdadi, leader of the Islamic State. The militant group has declared a caliphate stretching from Aleppo in northeast
Syria to central Iraq. And his followers are now calling al-Baghdadi the Caliph Ibrahim.
Islamic leaders in the UK are calling on Muslims in Britain not to travel to Syria or Iraq to join the fighting in an open letter signed by more than
100 British imams. Mulims are urged to support those affected by the crisis in the Middle East in a, quote, safe and responsible way.
Well, our Nima Elbagir has just returned from covering events in Iraq and joins us now on Connect the World.
Nima, you've just come from Baghdad, and the growth of ISIS has really stunned the world, but what does it look like from the inside?
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think stunned is the right word. I don't think anybody really expected that ISIS would be able
to deliver on their ambitions and their stated intents in the way they have, because I mean this has always been the ambition of every terror
group that has come before them. And this is what Osama bin Laden effectively promised those who joined up to wage war against the west.
And for Abu Bakar al-Baghdadi, someone who to many around the world is still very much an unknown, for him to have delivered that in the amount of
time, it does give you a sense of how much he was underestimated.
SHUBERT: Are they able, though, to maintain that? Or is this more of a PR victory where they've been able to put out videos like the one we just saw
you know establishing a so-called Islamic State. But saying it is one thing, but are they -- do they actually have that power on the ground?
ELBAGIR: I think it's a little bit of both. It is obviously a huge PR win, but it's a PR win that has teeth, because they do control a huge swath of
that geography. And if they don't control, they at least have a presence. And for terror groups having a presence is as simple as throwing a grenade
into a marketplace and then melting into the populous. But they do have a presence.
But they've also grown to fill a vacuum that has been allowed to exist whether it's the way that people have kept a distance between themselves
and the reality of what's been unfolding in Syria, or whether it's the way that people have kept a distance from what's been allowed to unfold in
Iraq. They have taken the opportunity where they found it.
But it is also extraordinarily attractive to a lot of disenfranchised, confused young Muslim men who feel like well this is almost like something
out of the history books. This is a caliphate. And it's interesting, the day that they chose to announce it, the first day of Ramadan, that really
does create a direct line.
What we've -- I'm a Muslim. What you study at school in terms of the Koran came down during Ramadan and therefore that was really the beginning of the
Islamic State and the Islamic civilization. They are very aware of those nuances and how to play to those nuances and how to mythologize.
SHUBERT: Yeah, and they -- part of what ISIS is saying is they're campaigning for this Sunni caliphate. And they make it seem as though Iraq
is this easily dividable country between Shia and Sunni, but you've been there and you've been to places where it's not that easily divided. And
tell us more about the human impact on the ground there.
ELBAGIR: Absolutely. I mean, there is very much the communities aren't as interwoven perhaps as they were before the worst of the sectarian violence
a few years ago, but there is still very much a kind of sense that Iraqis are, you know, part and parcel of the same community, whether Sunni or
Shia.
But it was interesting to me as a Sunni, I was fasting during Ramadan in Baghdad. And it was interesting to me even little things like Iraq state TV
or Iraqiya, will only give the Shia time for the breaking of the fast. So it's quite interesting when you speak to a lot of Sunnis the sense of that
under Nuri al-Maliki that there has been more of an invisibility in public life of that Sunni aspect of Iraq and Iraqi culture.
But fundamentally it is also about -- I mean, we speak so much about ISIS and we speak about the geopolitical aspect of this, but it is also about
the victims. It's the way that this is really -- I mean, it's just exploded in terms of the death toll on the ground. In May you had under 1,000. It's
grown by 150 percent in June to 2,400.
SHUBERT: That's just it. It's just extraordinary the impact on the ground.
And you went recently to see some of the victims of that violence. In fact, there's -- on Monday we're going to be starting part of a special series of
stories of yours from Iraq beginning with the visit to an orphanage in which you met victims of those kinds of attacks, but also the children of
those who perpetrated those attacks -- well, it was extraordinary. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELBAGIR: Leba (ph), Zeharat (ph), their other brother and their sister were found playing around the bodies of their parents after both their mother
and father were killed in a terrorist attack here in Sadr City. Zeharat (ph) has just turned one years old and she's being looked after here at the
orphanage.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SHUBERT: It's really extraordinary that, you know, when we're hear overseas you don't see the impact of those victims, but here now finally we can.
We'll be seeing more of that next week.
I want to ask you a final question, though, about the appeal that ISIS has to so many young British Muslims that are exposed to this kind of radical
ideology. How do you counter that when ISIS seems to be making such incredible gains on the ground?
ELBAGIR: Well, I think it is about within their communities. I mean, it's interesting that you have the imams sending out an open letter. But the
reality is nobody listens to those that much older than -- there's such a kind of a generational divide.
But I think it is also about having people that they trust show them the reality on the ground, the violence, the horror. I think what young men are
sold -- and women, there are a lot of young women who are also taken in by this -- what they're sold is a Disney version of the conflict. And we saw
that in Afghanistan and we saw that in Somalia those who went to fight alongside al Shabaab. And the reality when you get there is very, very
different. The horror of what you see when you get there and how indiscriminatory a lot of these attacks are. What you need is for someone
they trust to be telling them this isn't the prophet's time. This isn't 1,400 years ago. This is a dirty, dirty civil conflict and you will see
things that you will never have wished to have seen and there's nothing brave about this. This nothing courageous.
SHUBERT: And you can see it when you talk to those victims like the children in that orphanage right there.
Thank you very much. Nima Elgabir for bringing us those stories. She'll have more on that in the days to come.
Live from London, this is Connect the World. Coming up, did Oscar Pistorius have time to think before he shot and killed his girlfriend? It's a
question the prosecution has been looking at as the trial appears to be reaching its final days.
And a look at what to expect in just a moment.
Also, a tearfl farewell for Neymar at the World Cup. His dreams of scoring the winning goal may be over, but we'll tell you why he may be crying all
the way to the bank.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SHUBERT: You're watching Connect the World live from London. Welcome back. I'm Atika Shubert.
Now the prosecution at the Oscar Pistorius's murder trial has been cross- examining the athlete's sports doctor. The Paralympic star is accused of deliberately shooting his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day
last year. He says he mistook her for an intruder.
Now proceedings resume on Monday after yet another delay. Robyn Curnow spoke to our legal analyst Kelly Phelps about the increasingly complex
case.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBYN CURNOW, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This trial has been adjourned a lot already. Another delay.
KELLY PHELPS, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Absolutely. Mr. Nel has asked for postponement to consult with an expert in order to assist his cross-
examination of Dr. Derman. If he didn't think that this evidence was not pivotal to Pistorius, he would not be going to such lengths to try and
dislodge it.
CURNOW: Dr. Derman is a sports doctor. He knows Pistorius. He went into a lot of details about fight or flight, also about vulnerabilities that
disabled people have. What is it specifically that Nel is trying to get him to retract?
PHELPS: Well, it's very important to Mr. Nel that he can get the scientific evidence to fit an explanation that enables Pistorius to still have had
time to form an intention to kill. On Derman's testimony it appears that the fight or flight response is an automatic physiological response so that
a person doesn't have time to form a clear thought process. Nel needs to use that evidence to allow it to fit in with there still being time for
Pistorius to have developed an intention to kill.
CURNOW: And how do you think he's going to continue with this?
PHELPS: He'll certainly continue trying to fit the science into the state's narrative, the narrative that even if this physiological response had been
triggered and even if that fight or flight explains why Pistorius ran into the face of danger, what ever Pistorius was thinking he intended to kill
whoever was behind the door.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SHUBERT: Incredibly complex case.
Well, the latest world news headlines are coming up just ahead, plus we're almost two-and-a-half hours into one of the great tennis contests of recent
years. We'll take you live to Wimbledon where we'll find out if there's any steam left in the Fed Express.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SHUBERT: This is CONNECT THE WORLD and the top stories this hour. A Palestinian-American teen is free from Israeli detention but remains under
house arrest. Tariq Khdeir says Israeli police beat him before his arrest. Israeli police say Khdeir was part of a group protesting the killing of his
cousin. Several Israeli Jews are now under arrest in connection with that case.
The Somalia-based militant group al-Shabaab has claimed responsibility for two attacks in Kenya. At least 20 people were killed in two towns along the
country's southern coast. The group says the violence will continue until Kenya pulls its troops out of Somalia.
At least six people were killed when this tourist bus overturned in southwest China. Dozens of people were hurt. The cause of the accident is
still under investigation.
And some disappointing news for British cycling fans. The Mark Cavendish team says the road racer will not take part in the next stage of the Tour
de France and could pull out altogether. He dislocated a shoulder in a crash during the opening stage on Saturday.
The Tour, of course, began in England on Saturday, and among the thousands lining the streets of Yorkshire to watch the riders pass, the Duke and
Duchess of Cambridge. The young royal couple, along with Prince Harry, mingled with spectators in the village of West Tanfield. Germany's Marcel
Kittel won the opening stage.
In other sport, Roger Federer is trying for an eighth Wimbledon win, battling it out right now against Novak Djokovic in the men's single final.
Our Max Foster is following all the action. Max, this obviously is a great opportunity for Roger Federer to show his glory days are not over yet. How
is it looking?
MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're in the third set and we're in a tie break. They're very evenly matched. They seem to be just
battling against each other one-on-one, and they're very evenly matched. Extraordinary sort of rallies going on in the match.
Both have so much to gain from this. Federer potentially becoming the oldest male winner at Wimbledon. Also the most-successful male winner at
Wimbledon. And Djokovic could become the world number one if he wins as well. So they have a huge amount to gain from this.
And it's very, very tight between them, and they both seem to have different skills, but they're completely on a par. So, we're in that tie
break, 4-3 currently to Djokovic; 5-3 now to Djokovic, so he could be about to take the third set.
SHUBERT: There's a lot at stake for both of them, so what would it mean to each of the players to actually win this?
FOSTER: Well, I think for Federer, obviously he goes down into Wimbledon history, one of the most-successful players ever. And for Djokovic, a big,
big star back in Serbia, of course. The whole of Serbia, no doubt, tuned in to see what's going on right now. And we did grab some words with his
younger brother, who really expressed that for him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARKO DJOKOVIC, BROTHER OF NOVAK DJOKOVIC: It would mean a lot, because for me, OK, it means a lot to see Novak, but for me, it's the most important
thing to see Novak happy. If he is happy, he doesn't matter if he loses or wins, for me it's the most important thing to see my brother enjoying this
final, not to be nervous or whatever.
And of course, for Serbia, everybody, probably all the eyes in Serbia are on TV and watching Novak, so we'll see what's going to happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Djokovic currently 6-4 up in the tie-breaker in the third set, Atika, but I have to say, a lot of the support here for Federer, a huge
amount of British support for Roger Federer in this country, so I think there was a poll done by the local broadcaster suggesting that Brits wanted
him to win as well. So, he's got the public support here, but around the world, I think it's pretty much split.
SHUBERT: Yes, to see him get a record there would be pretty incredible. Well, thank you very much, Max Foster for us in Wimbledon.
In Saturday's women's final, Petra Kvitova emerged victorious in a one- sided affair. The 24-year-old crushed Canada's Eugenie Bouchard in just 55 minutes. Christina Macfarlane talked with the two-time winner at the All-
England Club.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: I'm here with the 2014 Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova. Congratulations, Petra. That was the
fastest Wimbledon final in 31 years. How close was it to being your perfect match today?
PETRA KVITOVA, 2014 WIMBLEDON CHAMPION: It definitely it was my perfect match today. I did everything that I had to in a good time. I served well,
I really played my everything game from the first point. Not -- I did not take above the time, I just know that I won, and that's it for me. And
definitely one of the best matches for me.
MACFARLANE: And of course, it's your second Wimbledon win. How different does it feel from your first?
KVITOVA: It is different. 2011, I was a young lady who came to play tennis on the grass and nobody had expectations about me. I just played so well in
the final against Maria. But this year, I was the favorite of every match I played here. It was very tough mentally. And just well that I did it so
well and I was focusing on every point the final. I had this experience from 2011, and this makes me more special.
MACFARLANE: And there were some emotional scenes in your box today with your parents. How do you plan to go and celebrate with them and celebrate
this win this evening?
KVITOVA: Well, I hope that we're going to celebrate in our house where we are staying for the last three years, and definitely we need to celebrate
this huge win for us. And hopefully, it's -- then we can take some sleep because the last couple of days we didn't sleep so well. So, finally, we'll
try to sleep.
MACFARLANE: Well, I hope you get a good rest, and congratulations again. Petra Kvitova on her second Wimbledon title.
This is Christina Macfarlane for CNN at Wimbledon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SHUBERT: It's a big weened for sport. The last two quarterfinal matches wrapped up at the World Cup in Brazil Saturday. Argentina and the
Netherlands edged out their opponents and will face off in the semifinals. Alex Thomas has the highlights and tells us how Brazil is handling the loss
of its star striker, Neymar.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALEX THOMAS, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: While Argentina and the Netherlands join Brazil and Germany in the World Cup semifinals on Saturday, Neymar was
bidding the tournament farewell with a video message to his teammates and fans.
The host nation's poster boy has been flown to Sao Paulo for further treatment and recovery after breaking a bone in his back during the
quarterfinal win over Colombia on Friday.
In the video, Neymar said his dream is not over, because the rest of the team can still win the World Cup without him. But there's growing anger at
how Brazil's best player has been forced out of the event. Former striker Ronaldo called the tackle from Camilo Zuniga "evil," and Brazil's president
has sent Neymar a letter of support.
Argentina proved they're not just a one-man team when the beat Belgium in the first of Saturday's two quarterfinal matches. For the first time, the
South Americans have won their opening five games. And instead of Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain was their biggest threat.
He volleyed home the only goal of the game, and then nearly scored again in the second half. Only the crossbar denied him. And look at the reaction of
Argentina's coach, Alejandro Sabella, as he almost falls over in mock amazement.
At this last eight stage, the best was saved until last, with Costa Rica playing in its first-ever World Cup quarterfinal, defying the odds yet
again to hold the tournament's top scorers, Holland, to a nil-nil draw after 90 minutes, and then again after half an hour of extra time.
But while the Central American country's goalkeeper, Keylor Navas, was outstanding, it was the Dutch coach, Louis van Gaal, who produced the
master stroke by bringing on substitute Tim Krul before the penalty shootout, and the spot-kick specialist saved two Costa Rican efforts to put
the Netherlands through to the semifinals.
So, we're left with a couple of high-quality semifinal matches: two South American giants against two famous European nations, with ten World Cup
titles between them. Only the Dutch have never won it before. But like the other three survivors, the 2010 runners-up can't be written off.
Alex Thomas, CNN, at the Brazil World Cup.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SHUBERT: Now, we heard from Alex about the fate of Neymar, whose absence comes as a huge blow to Brazilian football fans. And while Neymar might be
upset now, when he takes stock and checks his bank balance, he might feel just a little bit better. Christine Romans reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From Barcelona star to Brazil's hope to win it all, being the World Cup's poster boy is big
business.
NEYMAR, BRAZILIAN FOOTBALL STAR: I am Neymar.
ROMANS: For Neymar da Silva Santos Junior in Sao Paulo, Neymar made his professional debut for Santos at age 17. Neymar quickly became a star, not
just for Santos, but also for Brazil's Olympic and national team. He passed up several multimillion-dollar offers from other clubs to stay in his home
country until last year.
CROWD (cheering): Neymar! Neymar! Neymar!
ROMANS: Neymar left for Barcelona, a controversial move after it was revealed the team paid millions to Neymar's parents. He's now signed to a
five-year $74 million deal. Now he's playing in his first World Cup with a huge home field advantage. Neymar scored Brazil's first goal, and fans are
hoping for much more, namely Brazil's sixth World Cup win.
Neymar's jersey has been the best-selling in the US since the World Cup began, beating out players from Team USA. And that's not all he's selling.
Neymar has a deal with Nike worth a million dollars a year.
ANNOUNCER: Number 10, Neymar!
ROMANS: Plus deals with Volkswagen, Castrol, Panasonic, and more. Neymar made $16 million in endorsements in the last year. Add that to the $17.6
million he made on the field, the 22-year-old brought home $33.6 million.
Good thing, because the football star reportedly has expensive taste when it comes to boats and cars. And he pays a reported $15,000 a month in child
support for his son, David Lucca.
Neymar gives back more than his soccer skills to Brazil. He's behind the Neymar Junior Project Institute, a huge complex to help educate
underprivileged children. And he's partnered with PayPal and Waves for Water to bring clean water to impoverished areas. With a sixth title on the
line, Brazil is hoping the business of being Neymar is World Cup-worthy.
Christine Romans, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SHUBERT: Football superstar. We've got all views on the World Cup, and the team at CONNECT THE WORLD wants to hear from you, facebook.com/CNNconnect,
have your say. And you can also tweet me @AtikaCNN.
Joan Rivers has made audiences laugh for decades, but it was the comedian herself who couldn't see the funny side of her recent appearance on CNN.
The 81-year-old was on our North American sister network to talk about her new book, but Rivers seemed to be in no mood to talk about her sometimes
confrontational style of humor.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOAN RIVERS, COMEDIAN: Winston Churchill said if you make someone laugh, you give them a little vacation.
(LAUGHTER)
RIVERS: And maybe you take the worst thing in the world and make it funny, it's a vacation for a minute from horror.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. And people love to laugh.
RIVERS: Oh, my gosh.
WHITFIELD: Clearly that's why people love you. But they also know that you -- you have some shock value to you. On the cover of your book --
(CROSSTALK)
RIVERS: Well --
WHITFIELD: -- you're wearing a fur, and you knew that there would probably be animal rights activists raising --
RIVERS: You know, this whole interview is becoming a defensive interview.
WHITFIELD: No!
RIVERS: Are you wearing leather shoes?
WHITFIELD: Yes --
RIVERS: Than shut up.
WHITFIELD: -- no, I'm trying -- oh --
RIVERS: You know, I mean -- I don't want to hear "You're wearing fur." You're wearing leather shoes.
WHITFIELD: I'm not an activist --
RIVERS: You're eating --
WHITFIELD: -- but I'm saying people --
RIVERS: -- you're eating chicken.
WHITFIELD: -- yes --
RIVERS: You're eating meat. I don't want to hear this nonsense. Come to me with a paper belt, and I'll talk to you.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: But you did hear it in some of those press conferences, there were -- people were upset, and you're just saying --
RIVERS: No way. You know, I'm going. I really am going, because all you have done is negative.
WHITFIELD: No!
RIVERS: All you have done is negative. I haven't heard it. I made people laugh for 50 years, I am put on Earth to make people laugh. My book is
funny. I wear fur that was killed 15 years ago, I work for animal rights, stop it with "And you do this, and you're mean, and you're that." You are
not the one to interview a person who does humor. Sorry.
WHITFIELD: Are we serious?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SHUBERT: Wow, can dish it out, but apparently not take it. So far, no further comment from Rivers since she ended that interview with CNN.
Here in London, we have a few hours to go before the sun sets and the city's substantial Muslim population can finally break its long Ramadan
fast. Iftar brings together Muslims from all walks of life in the UK.
And in tonight's Parting Shots, we'd like to give you an idea, perhaps, of how the festival is slightly different here. We joined a small celebration
in the city of Oxford where both Muslims and non-Muslims are invited to embrace the tradition of Ramadan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSLIM PRAYER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It gives me the opportunity to learn how to have a bit of self-discipline and get closer to God and maybe feel a little bit more
sympathetic, or much more sympathetic to people who are much less fortunate than us.
(MUSLIM PRAYER)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All year, I do whatever I want to do. So at least for this month, it's for God. So, I feel relief. I feel like I'm charging my
battery. I feel like a new person.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Normally, I hate Ramadan. I really struggle with the fasting. And usually the countdown for me is, oh my God, why does this have
to happen, and I really struggle with it. However this year, I kind of tried to embrace the fasting. I've been writing a blog about how I feel,
and I think it's really cathartic, so that at the end of the day, I've written how I feel.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You go out in the street and you see people eating, drinking, while in Arabic countries, everybody eats the same, fasting
during Ramadan. So you see people in the street, but no eating and drinking.
(MUSLIM PRAYER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Definitely harder if you're not surrounded by people who are doing it. At the same time. It kind of gives me a fresher perspective
on what you're doing. It just allows you to realize, actually this is really the reason I'm doing this is A, B, and C. It's not something I'm
doing just because everybody around me is doing it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People in Western countries generally holidays during Ramadan, they have shorter fasts. They would definitely have around them
sick. But if people say to you fasting is easy and they love it, they're lying, because it's really tough. And it's meant to be tough. And I think
I've embraced the fact that it's meant to be difficult.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SHUBERT: I'm Atika Shubert and that was CONNECT THE WORLD. Thank you very much for watching. MARKETPLACE MIDDLE EAST IS COMING UP NEXT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JOHN DEFTERIOS, HOST: This week in MARKETPLACE MIDDLE EAST, we take a look at how conflict in Syria and Iraq are destroying farmers in neighboring
Jordan.
And we speak to the chief executive of pay TV network OSN about expansion and the right programming for the region.
The spread of ISIS through Iraq unsurprisingly will impact the Jordanian economy. After all, the kingdom shares a 180-kilometer border with Iraq.
And this follows three years of fighting in Syria, which has spilled into Jordan as well.
Often overlooked in this process is the impact this has on those dependent on exports via road transportation, like farmers. I had a chance to meet
many of them in the Mafraq region who are struggling to survive.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): This is Bedouin country in Jordan, where one can see a shepherd guide his flock right off a main road. Mafraq is a two-hour
drive outside of Amman, but just two kilometer or just over a mile from the Syrian border. Farmers on this land share tales of struggle. The arteries
of their work, roads through Syria on to Turkey, have been cut off by fighting.
MUSLIH AJAL MASSAEED, WOOD DISTRIBUTOR (through translator): It's difficult to go on with a business. At the moment, we can't do anything. We gather
wool and stop until Allah can send us a buyer.
DEFTERIOS: But their prayers, three years into Syria's civil war, have not been answered. Here's a sign of the desperate times: tons of sheep's wool
piled up in Massaeed's distribution yard, rotting with no place to go.
DEFTERIOS (on camera): Without safe passage through Syria, the wool doesn't make it to the market in Turkey, and Jordanians say the Romanian farmers
are filling the void. Eventually, because of the cost of storage, much of the supply may just have to be burned.
MASSAEED (through translator): Of course, the Syrian border is very important to us. Most of the source of our income to Turkey, and we were
pleased, and there was business flow.
DEFTERIOS (voice-over): In this nearby village, this tribal leader told me it is getting worse, since Syrian refugees now make up nearly one out of
every four residents, creating more tensions for whatever work is available.
NIMER AL FAWWAZ, TRIBAL LEADER (through translator): The Syrians took over so many jobs in the commercial sector, tailoring and farming, especially
cheap wages, working 10 to 15 hours a day.
DEFTERIOS: With little in the way of manufacturing in the rural areas, the government encouraged vegetable farming. The problem is, with no certainty
of getting goods through Syria and now Iraq, buyers in the wealthier Gulf states are looking elsewhere. Farmers say they are fetching just one-fifth
for the tomatoes compared to the last two years.
ABDULLA ABU SALEH, VEGETABLE GROWER (through translator): This year, it changed completely to a half a dinar a kilo. I don't know what it will
cover, the labor or insurance or spending on the farm or planting soil. It is expensive and it is a major negative impact on all farmers. No prices.
DEFTERIOS: This is a nascent industry here, and growers complain there's no government support a farming cooperative to help with distribution.
MOHAMED KHAIR, FARM OWNER (through translator): A farmer cannot be a farmer and a supplier. There should be a market regulator that controls the
production, with the help of the government.
SALEH (through translator): We already have been affected so hard and we might not produce after this year. No demand, and all the money we consumed
is such a waste.
DEFTERIOS: Financial relief is also in short supply, with the government under strain, due to the rising cost of refugees.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DEFTERIOS: Farmers are encouraged to get into different products. Today, it's a fight for survival. Now, let's take a look at some of the business
stories which caught our eye during the week.
The Dubai financial market finished the month of June by entering bear market territory, with a loss of 22 percent. Uncertainties about
construction group Arabtec and its former CEO spreading to other property companies.
Qatar's economy bounced back in the first quarter of 2014, posting GDP growth of 6.2 percent. This followed a slowdown in the final quarter of
2014.
And oil prices came off their nine-month highs this week as exports continued in Iraq despite fighting in the heart of the country.
This week marked the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan. Of course, eating habits change, and so do TV viewing habits. When MARKETPLACE MIDDLE
EAST continues, we speak to the CEO of one of the largest pay-TV platforms in the region, OSN, to see what's on offer.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DEFTERIOS: Welcome back to MARKETPLACE MIDDLE EAST. If one wanted to catch a Hollywood blockbuster or a leading US or British TV series, chances are
they'd have to catch it on OSN. It is a leading pay-TV platform here in the region. It continues to grow and evolve. Leone Lakhani spent the day with
its chief executive.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OSN Plus, the streaming service that gives you everything you love about OSN --
LEONE LAKHANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Spanning 24 countries across the Middle East, OSN is home to 140 channels.
LAKHANI (on camera): So, this is your call center?
DAVID BUTORAC, CEO, OSN: One of three we have in the region. We have over a thousand customer-facing staff.
LAKHANI (voice-over): This is the man at the helm, CEO David Butorac, with nearly 30 years experience in the news business. Ninety-five percent of
OSN's revenues come from subscriptions, as opposed to advertising. The Middle East's multilingual viewers have access to hundreds of free
channels, so the company's CEO says keeping these diverse consumers happy tuning in and paying for content is a challenge.
BUTORAC: You have every country's free-to-air on a satellite dish. There is over 600 free-to-air channels, by and large in a common language, that we
are competing with. So, what we have to sell is premium so the consumer will subscribe rather than watch free.
LAKHANI: Butorac says consumers today also want more controls over that content. Just last year, Morgan Stanley studies showed a 50 percent decline
in TV viewers in the past decade, with online viewing increase. So, Butorac's business strategy embraces the multi-platform audience.
BUTORAC: We need to keep pace with consumer demand. But by evolving our platform as we have from a subscription-based multi-channel platform to an
on-demand platform to a subscription-based on-demand platform that is available not just on TV screens, but on tablets, on laptops, on
smartphones, and we can take content out to where the consumer wishes to consume it.
LAKHANI (on camera): Do you think TV networks will become obsolete, or online streaming and video-on-demand going to be more dominant?
BUTORAC: No, because it's actually watching content. If you actually look at what's happening today, the investment in primary content has never been
greater for the television screen. You now have Hollywood movie directors, movie actors, who are now doing television.
So, the consumer is getting more sophisticated in what they want, but as a broadcaster, we can deliver that.
LAKHANI: The competition now is global. People can log on and they can get things from America, from the UK, from everywhere. So, your competition is
not just here anymore, is it?
BUTORAC: Look, that leads to a very interesting issue, because some of that competition is, in fact, piracy. And the difficulty we have, even with
legitimate content, when a platform like ourselves purchases the exclusive rights to air movies, other platforms can't legally download into this
area, because we own those exclusive rights.
Now, I accept that it is increasingly difficult and the fight against intellectual property piracy is something that all broadcasters face as
their number one threat.
LAKHANI: What's your growth strategy, then?
BUTORAC: Well, the growth strategy is always to make certain that we provide compelling content and a reason to subscribe. On OSN, 77 of our
series are within 24 hours of US release.
The consumer wants to watch television seven days a week, not twice a week for 90 minutes at a time. And so, the opportunity for us to continue to
expand is to make certain we continue to offer relevant and premium content, whether it's English-language or Arabic-language.
Ultimately, we are an Arabic-speaking region, 93 percent of our new customers are Arabic-speaking. So, we deliver premium Arabic-language
content, and that's what makes our service compelling.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DEFTERIOS: One way to entice TV subscribers and cinema-goers is to put star actors on screen. And you can get no bigger than the Bollywood
heavyweights, whose popularity reaches beyond India. Leone Lakhani has more
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAKHANI (voice-over): The elaborate the song-and-dance sequences, the melodrama, all the ingredients of a classic Bollywood movie can be films
produced in Mumbai. In 2013, they racked up nearly $2 billion in revenue, according to the consultancy KPMG. But one of India's largest studies says
the Gulf Arab states are the main market outside India.
NELSON D'SOUZA, HEAD OF OPERATIONS MENA, YASH RAJ FILMS: In 2004, the Middle East market would contribute 4 percent to the entire overseas
international market. But since then, it's gone up to 30 percent.
LAKHANI: Yash Raj Films releases all its blockbusters in the region, like this one, "Doomed 3," featuring its biggest stars. The studio says 75
percent of its international sales come from the United Arab Emirates alone.
LAKHANI (on camera): Bollywood films are so popular here that they feature right next to the Hollywood heavyweights. Now, this theater says last
December, the Indian film "Doomed 3" was the third-biggest selling in the entire country, just behind "The Fast and the Furious" and "Iron Man"
sequels.
LAKHANI (voice-over): That's partly because these films are regular viewing for nearly 2 million Indians who live here. But it's not just them.
D'SOUZA: The Arabs, the locals, as well as the Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshi, are watching. There are a few other nationalities who go in.
You have the Filipinos, who watch, since most of our films are subtitled.
LAKHANI: Analysts say part of the appeal are the cultural parallels between the regional neighbors.
MANJU RAMANAN, EDITOR, "FILM FARE" MAGAZINE: We are close geographically, so we have similar sensibilities and tastes. So, what works in India also
works in this part of the world.
LAKHANI: The Arab networks are catching on. The region's biggest broadcaster, NBC, launched NBC Bollywood last October. It's already noticed
a jump in the number of viewers from about 61,000 to nearly half a million in Saudi Arabia alone.
RAMANAN: Television will have to address Bollywood, because it's the biggest puller
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Action!
LAKHANI: The proximity to India, less than three-hours flying time to Mumbai, makes the gulf an appealing filming location, like this Indian
satire shot in Dubai. Close not just geographically, but culturally, too, both on and off the screen.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DEFTERIOS: And that's all for this edition of CNN MARKETPLACE MIDDLE EAST. Thanks for watching. I'm John Defterios. We'll see you next week.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
