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Coalition Airstrikes Pushing ISIS Back In Kobani; Interview with Jordan's Queen Rania; Turkey Seeks Position On UN Security Council; U.S. Stock Markets Dipping Again; Sierra Leone Youth Angry at Slow Response To Ebola

Aired October 16, 2014 - 11:00   ET

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

BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: As millions in West Africa seek safety from the very real threat of Ebola, world leaders gather en masse to seek a

solution. From Atlanta to Geneva to Sierra Leone we've got this global story covered for you.

Also ahead, the other big threat on the minds of many, ISIS after weeks of gaining could finally be stalled, at least for now in the Syrian

town of Kobani. The very latest from the Turkish border.

That's not the only border that's seen a huge influx of Syrian refugees. I sat down with Queen Rania of Jordan of Jordan to hear how her

small country is coping with 1.4 million migrants.

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

ANDERSON: A very good evening from the UAE at a minute past 7:00 here. This is the worst Ebola epidemic we've seen on record.

Now health officials around the world are racing to find ways to contain the virus. The focus on global coordination and tightening health

protocols to keep Ebola from spreading.

Well, right now, Spanish authorities are closely monitoring two new patients at a Madrid hospital, one of them was on an Air France flight that

was isolated when it landed in Spain earlier, because the passenger was showing signs of a fever.

The African Union just held an emergency session in Ethiopia on the epidemic. And EU health ministers have been meeting in Brussels to discuss

ways to prevent the spread of Ebola.

And the World Health Organization says the number of cases in West Africa is effectively doubling every four weeks. Officials warn it could

take months to get the virus under control.

Well, the Ebola virus has killed nearly 4,500 people since the outbreak began in March, mostly in Sierra Leone, Liberia and in Guinea.

There are now about 9,000 reported cases, according to the World Health Organization.

Breaking the numbers down for you, you can see the number of cases in West Africa has grown exponentially in just the past six months alone.

Liberia, one of the hardest hit areas with more than 4,000 reported cases, nearly 2,500 deaths.

Well, our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is in Geneva with the very latest developments from there.

Nic, and as world leaders convene, and it has to be said in some cases panic grows over Ebola, what are the WHO saying at this point? And what

are people planning to do about it?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what they're saying is that they need to have a common response and they need to respond

quickly. And there are a number of areas that they're highlighting, one is in the countries that are affected, we're talking here particularly about

West Africa that there should be a public awareness program so that people know what to look for and know what to do about it, but there should be a

very fast system of first responders who whenever there's an announcement or news comes in of a possible person with Ebola that somebody goes out,

that they take samples, that they know how to send those samples off, where to send those samples for testing, and then they check back down the chain

of contact that that person has had to find out where they potentially may have caught Ebola from and all the people that they've talked to in

between.

Now the World Health Organization here was saying, the spokesperson was saying that that was important and it had been successfully Nigeria and

Senegal to sort of when the few cases they'd had was spotted that this process of rapidly checking to see who all the contacts were, that was

important to stop the spread as well.

But a high degree of concern expressed here, for example, in Liberia, that there's significant underreporting there in Guinea, that the

population they're showing increased infection in the capital and areas around that.

They did say there were some areas where they were seeing the infection rate go down, but they also said we've seen this before so don't

jump to any conclusions.

There was also one other line that was very, very significant, and this was a number of health care workers who have been affected, over 400

have been affected, over 200 of those have died through Ebola. And they're stressing the importance of giving proper training and proper equipment to

health care workers, that they say many, many more are needed. And they're appealing for that to be sent to West Africa at the moment, Becky.

ANDERSON: Nic Robertson is in Geneva.

Let's get you to West Africa, then, and to Sierra Leone. And people in the capital there are becoming fed up with their government's response

to the ongoing tragedy. Jim Clancy explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPNODENT: The Ebola crisis triggers unrest in Sierra Leone. Angry residents of a densely populated neighborhood in

Freetown demanding authorities do more after they say the body of a suspected Ebola victim was left in the street for two days.

Outrage, crowds barricaded the street, threatening to keep the blocade until action was taken. They say authorities are slow to respond to the

117 emergency hotline and feel a barricade is the only way to get their attention.

WILLIAM SAO LAMIN, FREETOWN RESIDENT: What the youth are now doing is they can block the streets and then at the end of the day when authorities

are moving around, they can now call those who are concerned and actins can be taken.

CLANCY: Security forces responded by firing tear gas and shooting rounds from assault rifles to disperse the crowd.

JINA SAFFAH MOJEH, ASSISTANT INSPECTOR-GENERAL OF POLICE: They cannot take the law into their hands. If there are problems with the 117, it is

the place to call the police and explain their status so that you can explain to the IGP or call the medical team to come over.

CLANCY: Meantime, this woman also suspected of having Ebola sits just meters from the body. Witnesses say they are fearful the disease will

continue to spread if health authorities don't take quicker action.

LAMIN: Because of the late response of the Minister of Health officials, people are now getting in contact with their family members who

are suspected cases, who are dead cases. People are getting contact with their family members. And because of this the case is seriously increasing

in Freetown.

CLANCY: A Red Cross burial team eventually did arrive and remove the body. The government of Sierra Leone was not immediately available for

comment on the incident. The World Health Organization reports more than 4,400 people have died from this Ebola outbreak.

Jim Clancy, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Moving on.

And to the battle against ISIS in the Middle East where despite its encourement -- or sorry, let me start that again, its encroachment on

Baghdad, America's top military official says the U.S. has a winning strategy for defeating the militant group.

General Martin Dempsey still refuses to rule out recommending ground troops, telling CNN, quote, war is discovery.

Now the deputy national security adviser from the U.S. insists ground forces are off the table. Have a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY BLINKEN, U.S. DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: We will not be sending American troops back into Iraq to fight in combat. That is not

what's going to happen. The president has been very clear about that. It's not necessary, because we have a partner on the ground. And it's much

less effective. And it's very hard to sustain that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Tony Blinken there.

Well, in the UK, foreign secretary Phillip Hammond spoke before parliament earlier. He said the campaign to weed ISIS out of Iraq and

Syria is not going to be over quickly.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIP HAMMOND, UK FOREIGN SECRETARY: Working closely with our allies under a U.S. lead, we have a clear strategy to take the fight to

ISIL, a strategy with military, political and wider counterterrorism components, a strategy that we recognize, at least in parts, will need to

be sustained over the long term.

We are under no illusion as to the severity of this challenge to regional stability and to our homeland security.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, on the ground the battle for the strategic Syrian town of Kobani is still raging.

The U.S. military says 14 airstrikes were carried out on Wednesday and on Thursday in support of local fighters. Now reports indicate they are

actually achieving some measures of success now in stopping the militant's advance.

CNN's Arwa Damon on the nearby Turkish border and filed this report for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Those U.S. airstrikes have helped the predominately Kurdish fighting force to a certain degree,

at least for the time being, allowing them to push ISIS back, make some gains, especially to the west and the southwest.

But what continues to remain to be quite vital is preventing ISIS from taking over that border crossing with Kobani and Turkey. According to one

fight we spoke to, one Kurdish fighter, if that crossing falls to ISIS, Kobani itself would effectively fall as well.

A lot of the airstrikes focusing in on that area.

But what the Kurds really need to push ISIS out of Kobani is the types of heavy weaponry that would allow them, themselves to take out the ISIS

tanks.

The Kurdish fighting force effectively has no real logistical resupply route. ISIS, for its part, has plenty.

There continues to be, despite these airstrikes, growing frustration towards the coalition. Many people wondering why the coalition waited this

long, waited for ISIS to gain such a foothold in Kobani before it launched these types of decisive strikes.

A lot of anger and frustration being geared towards Turkey as well.

There have always been historic tensions between the Kurds and the Turks. And the Kurds now feel as if Turkey's actions are effectively

deliberately going to be leading to their demise.

Turkey, for its part, reluctant, still reluctant to get militarily involved. That most certainly is not on the table. And they are not going

to at this stage allow a weapons corridor to be opened up from Turkey into Kobani.

Arwa Damon, CNN, on the Turkey-Syria border.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Let me just take a moment for you now to bring you the latest from Wall Street, because Ebola, as we've been reporting, ISIS,

concerns about global growth, all weighing very heavily on traders.

This is the story on the Dow as we speak, down about just less than half of 1 percent. I have to say that that is much better than the drop

which we saw on the open.

It's stayed in negative territory. The latest numbers for you. A solid rebound there, but a nerve wracking day on Wednesday, it has to be

said, the Dow at one point losing some 460 points before staging a late rally. It closed at a loss of only 173 points in the end of Wednesday.

There were similar stories on the NASDAQ and the S&P 500.

Fear and uncertainty also ruling the European markets after cautiously higher open. We got right across the border there as well.

Well, still to come tonight, more than 3 million refugees have fled Syria since the war began there. 1.4 million of them are now in Jordan and

counting. After the break, hear what Queen Rania of Jordan had to say about the impact of that humanitarian crisis on her own country.

And while the eyes of the world are on ISIS, Yemen implodes as al Qaeda rebels unleash a torrent of suicide bombings vowing to crush the Shia

rebels who have taken control of the capital. I'm going to get you live to Sanaa later this hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: You're with CNN. This is Connect the World with me Becky Anderson. Welcome back.

Now the UN calls it the biggest humanitarian emergency of our era. Since the war in Syria began more than three years ago, almost half of all

Syrians have been forced to leave their homes. Just consider those numbers for a moment. Fleeing their lives, the UN says Syrian refugees now number

over 3 million spreading into neighboring countries in need of food, shelter and work. They are putting huge pressure on their host economies

struggling to provide for them.

Now the official figures are high enough, but when you add estimates of unregistered refugees from regional governments, the problem is even

worse than what we are hearing from the UN. Those figures alone show Turkey is now home to over 1.6 million Syrians, mainly focused in camps in

the south bordering the north of Syria; Lebanon, an estimated 1.5 million with a very small population of its own; while Egypt housing over 140,000;

Iraq itself a country in turmoil with its own population fleeing many areas now with nearly a quarter of a million in camps; and Jordan giving refuge

to 1.4 million Syrians, 80,000 of them for example in the Zaatari refugee camp, which is one of the largest in the world and now Jordan's third

largest city. Consider that.

The shame is that these become numbers, don't they, more than names. This is, and I repeat, a humanitarian crisis. That means it's about human

beings.

Jordan's open door policy is having huge impact on the country's economy and its own population as infrastructure there becomes massively

overstretched.

Well, today I sat down with Queen Rania of Jordan who explained the effects of the Syrian humanitarian crisis and just what sort of impact that

is having on her country.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

QUEEN RANIA, JORDAN: The economic impact has been huge. You know, we see -- it's had an affect on our trade deficit, on our public finances, our

infrastructure, resources. We've seen that rents have gone up, because so many Syrians are looking for places to live. Commodity prices have gone

up. At the same time, wages have gone down, because Syrians and Jordanians are competing for jobs.

We are having to take in so many huge numbers in our hospitals, in our schools. We have 120,000 Syrian students that were unaccounted for that

now are attending our schools.

So, more than half our schools are now doing double shifts, they're overcrowded. The teachers are really struggling to cope and a lot of the

children that are coming have psychological needs and social needs that need to be addressed.

So, both the Syrian and the Jordanian children are suffering as a result of this. And that's a real shame, because I believe that education

is the first line of defense not just against poverty and unemployment, but against extremism and instability.

ANDERSON: You've talked about justice, equality, our young people need hope. For young Jordanians and young Syrian refugees who don't have

any hope at the moment, how concerned are you about the fomenting of extremist violence?

RANIA: I think we all have to be concerned about extremist violence. I think this is something that touches everybody in the world. No one can

actually think that this is not their problem, because it is. And when I say this is a fight between extremism and moderation, I mean it's extremist

on all sides and all religions and moderates on all sides and all religions.

So I think this is something we all have to think about, we have to see that it is our battle. Extremists historically always rely on the

complacency of moderates. They think that we're not going to do anything. And they mobilize and we don't. They form networks and we don't. We have

to be out there. We have to be active. You know, each one of us has a role to play in really fighting for it, because this is our life that we're

fighting for and the life of our children.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: And you can see my full interview with Queen Rania talking about the fight against extremist violence as well as more on the Syrian

refugee crisis Sunday on Connect the World starting at 7:00p here in Abu Dhabi, 4:00 p.m. in London only on CNN.

And if you want to find out more about how you can help those Syrian refugees or other affected by war and conflict, do head to CNN.com/impact.

You'' find information about organizations there that are working tirelessly on the ground. And projects that you can involved with.

CNN.com/impact.

Live from Abu Dhabi, this is the UAE at 19 minutes past 7:00. President Obama has called it an example of success in fighting terror, but

the reality on the ground suggests otherwise. Shia rebels and Sunni militant groups exert brutal violence on Yemen.

And as Turkey largely stands on the sidelines in the fight against ISIS, could it be about to take its place alongside the U.S. and other

allies on the UN Security Council? That coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Your'e watching Connect the World with me Becky Anderson. It is 22 minutes past 7:00 in the UAE.

Turkey has been making plenty of headlines, hasn't it, in recent weeks, not all of them complimentary. While unknown numbers of Kurds have

been slaughtered by ISIS within sight of its troops just across the Syrian border in Kobani, Ankara largely remained as an observer. But at this

hour, at the United Nations in New York, Turkey's been asking for a place on the UN Security Council.

Well, Richard Roth joining me from the United Nations.

Before we talk about whether they've got it, how does this all work?

RICHARD ROTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's almost like elections for class president. Once a year the General Assembly decides countries will get

non-permanent seats on the more prestigious UN Security Council. Everybody gathers inside the General Assembly hall. It's a secret ballot. You see

ambassadors and delegations slipping their piece of paper into ballot boxes, which are carried through the aisles by United Nations staffers.

Not every country gets to vote, because some haven't paid their financial dues. It takes a two-thirds majority of that vote to get on the

council.

So, it's -- the real kind of the one festive day, despite all the global crises going on, as countries have been campaigning for months to

get on the council.

There are several countries already guaranteed to get on. They ran unopposed -- Venezuela, Malaysia and Angola -- Becky.

ANDERSON: So, what does that leave?

ROTH: Well, the big fight is between Turkey, Spain and New Zealand for two seats. Interesting timing for Turkey. It's coming -- this vote,

as many critics say why isn't Turkey going into defend the people of Kobani inside neighboring Syria and neighboring borders inside Iraq? If it's

going to try to get on the Security Council under the principle that the council is supposed to defend international peace and security.

Turkey says it's well centered in that heart of geopolitics in that part of the world to really represent UN interests. Spain, New Zealand

also say they can help the UN a lot. They all have different members on peacekeeping forces.

But this is sort of an instant global referendum on the news of the day on Turkey.

ANDERSON: Fascinating.

Listen, I know we haven't got a vote as of yet, so what we're going to do is come back to you and find out what the vote is and what the

consequence of that will be a little later in this show. Thank you for that for the time being.

The latest world news headlines are just ahead. Plus, we're going to get an update on the Ebola epidemic. Why the CDC in the states is coming

under fire as a second person in the U.S. receives treatment for the virus.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: This is Connect the World with me Becky Anderson. You're watching CNN. The top stories for you.

Sources in the Syrian city of Kobani say that Kurdish fighters have regained control of some areas near the Turkish border. They say ISIS

militants have lost ground in many parts of the city. They say, though, they still do control key buildings. U.S. military officials say a barrage

of coalition airstrikes helped push ISIS back.

Today marks six months since the sinking of the Sewol ferry near Jindo, South Korea. Remember, nearly 300 people died, mostly school

children. Several of the victims have never been found.

Investors taking -- well, they're taking another drubbing in the US markets today. Let's have a look at the numbers for you. The Dow was down

significantly on the open. It's just -- well, it's almost back to even keel.

But let me tell you, eurozone numbers, European growth numbers hurting the markets here, Ebola, ISIS, despite the fact that oil is down quite a

significant level, these markets really suffering at the moment. To a certain extent, this is good news on the Dow today. Despite it still being

in negative territory, a right old drubbing on Wednesday.

European Union health ministers held crisis talks today on the Ebola epidemic. They're trying to coordinate strategies across the EU to stop

the spread of the virus. Airport screening procedures were high on that agenda.

In the United States, health officials are reaching out to passengers who were on a flight with an Ebola-stricken nurse the day before she showed

symptoms of the virus. Twenty-nine-year-old Amber Vinson is being treated for the virus at Emory Hospital, the university hospital in Atlanta.

Our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, is at the hospital, and he joins us now. Firstly, what do we know about the condition of this

Dallas health worker, the second to contract Ebola?

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know -- we saw images of her walking off the airplane, Becky, onto the ambulance,

obviously a very good sigh. Just got here late last night, so we're awaiting some more details about her condition so far today, but we --

(AUDIO GAP)

GUPTA: -- team, Becky, 21 nurses, 26 people total, that are going to be caring for her, and they're the same team that took care of Dr. Brantly

and Ms. Writebol. You may remember, Becky --

ANDERSON: Yes.

GUPTA: -- they were the first two Americans to be flown into the United States with Ebola, and they're both doing well. So, we will expect

that update, but so far, things look good --

(AUDIO GAP)

GUPTA: -- patients can have ups and downs, certainly with Ebola. And as we get more details, we'll bring them over to you.

ANDERSON: Sanjay, there is a growing sense of panic, it seems, about just how people are contracting this virus, about protocol, about

procedures being carried out at hospital, whether the CDC is even up to the job that it's trying to do. What is your sense of what is going on at this

point?

GUPTA: Well, I think the science of this Becky, has not changed, and I think this is very important. I fully understand the concerns, and I

want to talk about that, but I think the idea that this -- the way this transmits is from infected bodily fluid from a sick patient with Ebola that

gets onto somebody else who's within close range.

It's not in the air, it doesn't transmit in some different way, and that's very important to remember. There have been some real confusion

that has led to more panic and concerns around Ebola. For example, this nurse who is treated in this hospital now behind me, Amber Vinson, she was

on a plane just a few days ago.

She had been self-monitoring because she had taken care of Mr. Duncan, that's the patient with Ebola in Dallas who subsequently died. She was

told to take her temperature every day. She was not told that she couldn't get on a plane.

So then she calls and says, hey, I've got a little bit of a temperature now, it's up to 99.5, calls the Center for Disease Control, and

they don't tell her not to get on the plane. It's very confusing, because subsequent, you hear from the leader of the CDC that people who are

monitoring their temperatures because of exposure to Ebola should not be on commercial flights.

What I've just said probably sounds confusing, and it is. On one hand, there's a policy that if you've been exposed to Ebola, you should not

be flying commercially. On the other hand, this patient was told that she could fly commercially despite the fact that she was exposed, and now had a

little bit of a temperature.

That doesn't inspire a lot of faith, and I think that that fuels more concerns, and that's some of what we're seeing here. That's just one

example of what I'm talking about, Becky.

ANDERSON: I'm wondering, when there have been these complaints about protocol and procedure, and admissions by the CDC that perhaps some of the

procedures weren't followed. What sort of procedures were actually in place? How much ahead of time did the US, for example, anticipate the

potential for this virus hitting the United States' shores?

We've known about it for some time. Clearly the world was late on getting this under control in West Africa, and we're hearing horror stories

about the way that it's spreading there. What about in the States? Should we be as alarmed as, perhaps, people are?

GUPTA: I don't think we need to be as alarmed as people are, by any means. I don't think that this is going to turn into the outbreaks that we

have seen in West Africa. That is -- from a medical standpoint, that is the root cause of what's happening in West Africa, and then what's

happening here are symptoms. Ultimately, doctors want to treat root causes of problems.

But I will say, Becky, you make a really good point. I was in West Africa in April, and even at that point, it became clear to me and to many

others that you're going to see cases of Ebola in many places around the world, because it's now -- people with Ebola are living in cities that have

international airports. We live in a much different world, a more globalized world. So that was not surprising.

What is surprising is that over the last few months, despite the preparations and the acknowledgment that this was going to happen, we

didn't see as much of the training going on in hospitals, the preparation.

And frankly, Becky, I think part of it was this attitude, "We've got this. We can handle this. It's been handled in Central and West Africa

for four decades, it's not going to be a problem here." And maybe people let their guard down a little bit in that regard, Becky.

ANDERSON: Fascinating. Well, certainly, a lot of admissions, a lot of finger-pointing, now, a lot of blame game going around, not just in the

States, but in Europe as well as we continue to see the exponential rise in the cases in West Africa. And lest us not forget that that is where most

of these cases are and where most people are dying. Sanjay, thank you for that.

It's been half a year since the tragic sinking of the Sewol, an overloaded ferry in South Korea. Hundreds of lives were lost, many of

them, you'll remember, were school kids. But ten families are still enduring the agonizing wait for their loved ones' remains to be found.

CNN's Paula Hancocks met with some of them.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sitting and waiting, as they have for the past six months. The forgotten families

of South Korea's ferry sinking, their child or relatives still missing in the waters of the Yellow Sea.

April 16th, the passenger ferry sank off the south coast, killing more than 300 people, the majority of them school children on a field trip.

Overloading of cargo, much of which wasn't tied down properly, contributed to the sinking according to officials. An accident that should have never

have happened devastated a nation.

Park Eun-mi is still living that nightmare with her husband, looking at photos of their 16-year-old daughter Da-yun, they refuse to accept she

may never be found. "We need to find our child," she says. "We can't leave until my child is found. Even if we die here, we need to stay until

we find her."

Body after body was brought ashore in the weeks after the disaster, but no one has been found since July. The search continues. Winter is

fast approaching. Jindo Port, where the search operation has been based, has become a memorial for those who lost their lives. People come to pay

their respects. Each yellow ribbon is a prayer or a message of support.

HANCOCKS (on camera): Two of the families are still living here at the port. They're refusing to leave until their loved one has been found.

Their lives have been at a standstill for the past six months. The same could be said of this country's political system.

HANCOCKS (voice-over): A protest tent has been set up by some families in the heart of Seoul, calling for the truth. But an

investigation into what went wrong has not even started, politicians and families still arguing over what it should look like and who will lead it.

Parliament has been crippled for months. Thousands of draft bills sit unread. And back in Jindo, ten families waiting for their loved ones to be

found are sickened that their loss has turned political. "I feel embarrassed to be living in a country like this," says Park. "My husband

is saying that we should move out of the country when they find our daughter. We can't trust this country anymore."

They're not the only grieving family to feel this way.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Jindo, South Korea.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Hong Kong's top leader says the government is eager to resume talks with pro-democracy protesters. C.Y. Leung says dialogue with

the main student protest group could kick off as early as next week.

This concession comes after a second straight day of violent clashes, it has to be said, pitting police against protesters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CROWDS SHOUTING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Also telling, in today's news conference, what wasn't said. There was no mention of the video that's gone viral alleging to show police

brutality against the protesters.

While even though crowds are now waning at the heart of the Hong Kong protests site, the movement continues to leave its mark on the city. From

the democracy wall to umbrella art, CNN's Manisha Tank walks us through the kinds of installations that are popping up.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANISHA TANK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hong Kong's so-called "Umbrella Movement" has been going on now for almost three weeks, and one

of the really interesting things that we've observed is a spontaneous initiative that just keeps spring up. It could be the democracy wall, it

could be umbrella art, as it's known.

But the more recent one that we've seen are the student desks, and here we have an array of them, and they really have come out of nowhere.

Volunteers just came a long and set them up. They're free for students to use, and students get priority. In fact, there's a sign here saying

"students first." But it does say "welcome to use."

And people have come, they're sitting here doing their work. This gentleman here, for example, his name is Rick. He's a chemistry student.

He's been coming here off and on now for more than two weeks. And he gets his work done here.

And I asked him, do your professors support what you're doing? He said, "Yes, absolutely. They give me the work, I come down here, I get it

done." In fact, just today, a PHC student came along and offered him one- to-one tuition, which he is very grateful for.

I did ask him what he would do if the police came along and said, OK, it's time to move on now? And he said, "Unless our demands are met," this

demand for universal suffrage, "we're not going anywhere. And we are not organized." He doesn't see himself as being led by any one student

movement.

Someone here is reading a recipe book, but people are here doing different things, catching up on different aspects of their work. But

what's really interesting about this is, this area is really in the heart of what's left of the protest zone in Hong Kong's Admiralty. It's on Hong

Kong Island, it's part of the central business district.

It's very calm. People feel safe here, and it really is a real change and an irony if you look at the scuffles that are going on on the

periphery. When you see this -- the atmosphere, juxtaposed against that, you wonder how long the police can maintain that fine balance between the

two.

Manisha Tank, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, we've been on the streets of Hong Kong reporting amid the protest from the very beginning, of course. And a special report,

"Witness to the Umbrella Movement," we trace key events of the demonstrations that have the whole world watching. That is Saturday, 8:00

PM in London, 11:00 PM here in Abu Dhabi, only on CNN.

And the team here, as ever, wants to hear from you, facebook.com/CNNconnect. Anything you want to tell us, anything you want

to tell us about the show, you can tweet me @BeckyCNN. That's @BeckyCNN.

You've been watching CONNECT THE WORLD live from Abu Dhabi. It is 42 minutes past 7:00 here in the UAE. It is the end of our working week, so

we bid you a good weekend from here, at least, and thank you for watching.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SULTAN BIN SULAYEM, CHAIRMAN, DP WORLD: In my opinion, Africa deserves taking a chance. We did take a chance.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN DEFTERIOS, HOST: Investing in Africa -- what's driving businesses from the Middle East to put their money onto the continent. We

take a look at the most promising sectors and countries.

Welcome to CNN MARKETPLACE MIDDLE EAST, this week from the Dubai Creek. For centuries, this was the heart of business activity. Boats and

barges used this waterway to transfer goods and people between the Middle East and Africa.

The movement of dates and gold, ivory and even slaves, has created a mixture of Arab and African culture, and a prosperous trade. A trade which

has seen a resurgence after the rise of Africa over the last decade.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEFTERIOS (voice-over): The Dubai Creek is where the emirate established its trading credentials along the ancient Silk Road. Goods

still travel the old-fashioned way for South Asia and beyond. But today, it's Dubai's airline, Emirates, that blazes a trail to open trade links.

TIM CLARK, PRESIDENT, EMIRATES AIRLINE: We will identify the opportunity, we will identify the markets. Dubai will then move very

quickly in all its segments to take advantage of that corridor that we open.

DEFTERIOS: A year after the fall of Apartheid, Tim Clark was part of the delegation that moved to establish its first route to South Africa.

Emirates is now serving 26 cities for passenger and cargo services in Africa. Port operator DP World has a presence in five countries.

Emerging market economist Charlie Robertson says after years of international aid, it will be that type of trade and investment that will

keep Africa growing rapidly.

CHARLES ROBERTSON, CHIEF ECONOMIST, RENAISSANCE CAPITAL: I think the GDP itself is going to become -- going from something like $2 trillion to

$4 trillion to $8 trillion as it doubles each decade. The space, the size, more and more countries are going to look attractive as markets, because

they'll have reached a sufficient weight.

DEFTERIOS: China continues to put a high priority on African resources, specifically oil and strategic minerals, to fuel its economic

expansion back home. But Middle East players are doing their own deals.

In the first nine months of this year alone, there were a dozen transactions from the Gulf states into sub-Sahara Africa, totaling nearly

$8 billion. The power, banking, telecom, and hospitality sectors led the way.

A survey by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce, host of the African Global Business Forum, said the continent will need nearly $100 billion a year of

infrastructure investment through the end of the decade.

HAMAD BUAMIM, CEO, DUBAI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: There are plenty of opportunities to acquire infrastructure, and with infrastructure acquired,

leaderships and vision. And that's the leadership part that the governance and anti-corruptions and putting things in solid control is required.

DEFTERIOS: Foreign investors are enticed by Africa's 5 percent average growth rate over the past decade, but leaders admit they need to

knock down trade and investment barriers amongst themselves. Ghana's president told me, inter-African trade makes up only 11 percent of all

activity on the continent.

JOHN DRAMANI MAHAMA, PRESIDENT OF GHANA: But put together, all of us will have a much bigger market than we would have if we stayed within our

own national boundaries. And so, it's a win-win for all of us, and all of realize that we must work towards it.

DEFTERIOS: The faster they can boost trade and reduce corruption, the more international investment will flow to drive growth.

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DEFTERIOS: When looking at opportunities like the one in Africa, many believe being the first investor in pays a huge dividend, but also being

the primary mover can have its pitfalls.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEFTERIOS (voice-over): With humble roots as a single port in Dubai, just like the emirate, DP World has witnessed rapid growth to become one of

the largest port operators in the world. With more than 65 terminals globally, DP World focuses on fast-growing emerging markets, which

currently account for three quarters of its business.

But it is Africa that is becoming a prime target for expansion. From Algeria to Senegal, it has a presence in five countries. The group entered

the continent in 2000 with a concession in the East African state of Djibouti.

A business deal that began nearly 15 years ago, the Doraleh Port in Djibouti is Africa's largest container terminal, and also the country's

biggest employer. That relationship is now under threat.

DP World is currently in the midst of a legal battle to hold onto its operations in the East African state after the government accused the

company of using bribery, something DP World denies. Despite the legal wranglings, the chairman of the company is not deterred from investing in

Africa.

BIN SULAYEM: In my opinion, Africa deserves taking a chance. We did take a chance. And even despite what we face in Djibouti, we will continue

to invest in Djibouti. We believe in Djibouti, and we believe that's a good market. This is only something passing through. There's a

misunderstanding. They're going to come to realize it sooner or later.

DEFTERIOS (on camera): Is the challenge once you make money and you show success, greed comes into play and the government has second thoughts

about the investor that actually came in? Is that what we're finding out here?

BIN SULAYEM: Unfortunately, in general, that's the situation. Once you start, nobody tells you anything. But once they see you are making

money, then people start to basically put impediments. And we've seen it in many countries. Unfortunately, this is one of the impediments.

DEFTERIOS: How does a government welcome foreign direct investment and this bureaucracy, or worse, corruption that stands in the way?

BIN SULAYEM: I would say, a lack of clarity, a lack of governance, no implementation of the protection of foreign investment. These are big

impediments and discourage many people. So they -- I think they have to look at really improving the image of the country.

DEFTERIOS: You're only in 10 percent of the continent, if you will, right? What are other good opportunities for DP World or the cluster of

Dubai companies, whether it's Emirates or Jumeirah or Emaar. What are the key priority countries for you next?

BIN SULAYEM: Well, we are looking seriously at Nigeria, now, this is very important. And they have plans for a new port, but they haven't

materialized.

DEFTERIOS: People talk about this two-decade head start that China has. They've invested in infrastructure, they've extracted natural

resources. Is that lead insurmountable for a continent like the United States or the Europeans today?

BIN SULAYEM: I think the Chinese are more aggressive. They lead the minerals. They have less bureaucracy in decision-making, and I think when

it comes to Europeans and Americans, unfortunately, their process of decision-making is very slow. And by the time they make up their mind,

that opportunity has gone somewhere else to China.

DEFTERIOS: So, there's space for the Gulf players, and it's not all about China and the United States and Europe. You can find your niches, is

what you're suggesting.

BIN SULAYEM: Absolutely. Absolutely.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEFTERIOS: Sultan bin Sulayem of DP World, undeterred about going into Africa despite his recent setbacks.

That's the view from the Middle East. When we come back, we speak to the continent's wealthiest man, Aliko Dangote, who paved his way to wealth

with cement.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DEFTERIOS: Welcome back to MARKETPLACE MIDDLE EAST, this week from the Dubai Creek, where traditional dhows still take goods to South Asia,

Iran, and into East Africa. Africa offers a lot of opportunity, from agriculture to energy, tourism to textiles. One African who's tapped into

the wealth is Aliko Dangote of Nigeria, worth nearly $25 billion. He made his money in cement, sugar, and flour. Now, he's looking into other

African markets.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALIKO DANGOTE, CEO, DANGOTE GROUP: East Africa is going to be really, really very, very good. Because a lot them, they have found quite a lot of

mineral sources. They found oil, they have the best arable land. But I can tell you, the best story in Africa is West Africa.

DEFTERIOS: People look and say, wow, ten years of 5.5 percent growth for Africa. But will the bottleneck of the lack of infrastructure, in your

view, bring that number down, or can we punch above the weight and get 6 percent growth as an average going forward?

DANGOTE: I think that's an average going forward if we can take care of the infrastructure, mainly power. We can actually go above that, we can

hit something like 7.

DEFTERIOS: West Africa, are you going to be challenged in the sense from Ghana, who's kind of rising as an energy power. Can West Africa come

together as a market here, take advantage of the natural resources that are there, and actually trade amongst themselves?

DANGOTE: While I think, yes, we need to do that, there are a couple of pockets of issues there coming from one or two countries. The biggest

problems that we have is at the borders, where it takes you a number of days for you to be able to pass.

DEFTERIOS: It's interesting what you're saying. What stands in the way of Africa is Africa itself.

DANGOTE: Yes. You look at it today, the inter-trade within Africa is only 15 percent. Which does not make any sense. And the future, really,

is brighter, because we have what it takes to really get to the next level. We have the best land. Almost anywhere in Africa can grow anything. We

have water, and this is what you need.

Any resources that China or any Asian country or whatever they are looking for, we have it, be it coal, iron ore, manganese, it's there in

abundance.

DEFTERIOS: It is important from a business standpoint, even geopolitical standpoint right now, to counterbalance China and that two-

decade head start to bring more investment from the States, diversified investment from Asia, even here from the Middle East to counterbalance the

China trade?

DANGOTE: Well, I think, really, we need that very, very badly. The Chinese is true, when nobody is looking at Africa, the sneaked in and

they've done very well. But the most important aspect of this is for us to tell our story. It's for them to also understand what Africa is all about.

Because we said no, we don't need it anymore. What we need is we need trade. We need to trade with each other. And I think that has changed

quite a lot. Everybody is now going into Africa, because we're the second- fastest growing economy in the world today.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DEFTERIOS: Aliko Dangote of Nigeria as the sun begins to set here in the Dubai Creek and the goods are ready to set sail. And that's all for

this edition of CNN MARKETPLACE MIDDLE EAST. I'm John Defterios, thanks for watching. We'll see you next week.

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