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Connect the World
Australian Cricketer Phil Hughes Killed In Freak Accident; OPEC Decides To Not Cut Oil Production; Ferguson Rallies Calmer Today; India Woman's Rights Activists Question Government Report into Death of Two Girls; Possible Ebola Vaccine Discussed; Marketplace Middle East
Aired November 27, 2014 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TONY ABBOTT, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: The death of Philip Hughes has shocked and dismayed millions and millions of Australians.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MAX FOSTER, HOST: Tragedy on the pitch: Australian cricketer Phil Hughes died in hospital after being struck in the neck by a ball. As cricketers
past and present paid tribute to the 25-year-old, I'll speak to the former England captain Allan Lamb.
Also ahead, why Saudi Arabia is holding out against a cut in oil production, sending prices to a four-year low.
And finally some good news in the battle against Ebola as researchers move a step closer to a viable vaccine.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN London, this is Connect the World.
FOSTER: The cricket world is in mourning today after the death of Australian batsman Phil Hughes. We learn today that the 25-year-old
succumbed to injuries he suffered during a match on Tuesday when a ball struck him in the neck. Reporter Matthew Snelson of Australia's 7 Network
shows us how virtually everyone who knew Hughes is in shock.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW SNELSON, 7 NETWORK CORRESPONDENT: St. Vincent hospital saw a parade of Australian sporting greats arriving in hope, leaving in despair.
Former test captain Steve Wall (ph), with radio star Allen Jones (ph).
Batsman Aron Finch (ph) and national coach Darren Lehmann.
Philip Hughes' good friend David Warner and league player turned boxer Anthony Mundene (ph).
Last night, legendary fastballer Brett Lee wiped away tears, former Blues captain Simon Cattage (ph) also anguished, and Shane Watson doing what he
could to comfort others.
Some gathered at the SCG, joined by former Australian captain Mark Taylor (ph) and former test cricketer Michael Slater (ph). None wanted to speak,
but it wasn't necessary, the message was clear.
Then, just before 4:00 the news everyone had feared, a statement from the Australian team doctor that Philip Hughes had died. He never regained
consciousness, was not in pain and was surrounded by close friends and family.
MICHAEL CLARKE, AUSTRALIAN CRICKET CAPTAIN: This statement is on behalf of great, Virginia, Jason and Megan Hughes (ph). We're devastated by the loss
of our much loved son and brother Philip. It's been a very difficult few days. We appreciate all the support we have received from family, friends,
players, Cricket Australia and the general public.
JAMES SUTHERLAND, AUSTRAILAN CRICKET ADMINISTRATOR: The world tragedy gets used too often in sport, but this freak accident is now real-life tradegy.
KEITH BRADSHAW, SOUTH AUSTRAILAN CRICKET ASSOCIATION: The entire cricketing community is in shock and struggling to come to terms with the
death of such a popular and talented player.
SNELSON: The prime minister expressed his nation's grief.
ABBOTT: The death of Philip Hughes has shocked and dismayed millions and millions of Australians. Obviously, our thoughts and prayers are with his
family, with his friends.
SNELSON: From the Australian Coach, "rest in piece you little champ. We are all going to miss you."
There was disbelief from Adam Gilchrist. From Brett Lee, "no words can describe the loss."
"A very sad day for the world of cricket," tweeted English great Ian Botham.
"Rest peacefully, our little brother," wrote Matthew Hayden.
It's reported Tuesday's bounce erupted a major artery supplying blood to his brain.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was just horrendous to watch. You knew that it was serious the moment that he lost his balance and fell forward.
SNELSON: Matthew Snelson, 7 News.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: A player who was once termed the new Don Bradman after his first few matches for Australia back in 2009 had an impact on the game, not just
there, but also here in Britain where he played county cricket for both Middlesex and Worcester.
For more on this, we're joined now by World Sport's Alex Thomas.
You've been speaking to people in the sort all day, haven't you? And why do you think it's shocked the global sport as much as the impact that it's
had in Australia?
ALEX THOMAS, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, for of our viewers who have been watching World Sport just before you came on air, Max, I was speaking
to Mike Gatti (ph) the former Enland captain who also played his county cricket for Middlesex where Philip Hughes played. Mike was in an era
before Philip back in the end of the 80s when the West Indies were bowling at their most fearsome speeds. And he famously got hit in the face and got
his nose smashed up.
I said in light of that -- you recovered, but Philip Hughes didn't from a blow towards the back fo the head. Has it made you reevaluate batting?
And he said, no, it's just always been like that and you accepted the risk as there are in many other sports. Just because cricket sees this sort of
injury so rarely, in fact a death like Philip Hughes' is almost unique, that's why it shocked us all, especially when at the age of 25, despite
some ups and downs in his career, he still had potential to become one of the game's all-time greats.
FOSTER: So this loss of all this potential is one thing, but what about the safety aspect? He was wearing a helmet. As you say, they didn't used
to wear helmets. Do they need to upgrade the safety?
THOMAS: I think that will be looked at in time. But what is certainly very pertinent today is that there is such raw emotion a bout this, I think
cricket authorities are going to try and shelve that debate until later. I know manufacturers are already looking at ti from the moment that Philip
Hughes collapsed, what can you do? And we've seen in other sports that once there is a tragedy of this kind, it would seem almost foolish not to
look at it at some stage.
But at the moment there's more immediate concerns, what do you do about all the players who are involved in that match and saw their great mate and
colleague collapse in such a shocking manner? There's a huge test match between Australia and India scheduled for exactly a week's time in
Brisbane, will the playesr be in a psychologically fit state to even take the field?
FOSTER: Alex, thank you very much indeed.
We'll have more throughout the hour on the death of Australian cricketer Phil Hughes, including the reaction of one former England cricket captain
Allan Lamb who will join me on set here.
And we'll show you some of the tributes that are pouring in for Hughes from around the world.
OPEC ministers have decided not to cut oil production, sending oil prices plummeting even further after hitting a four-year low. Brent crude is now
trading at under $75 a barrel, down 30 percent since June. And analysts warn that prices could fall even further.
Saudi Arabia, OPEC's most powerful member, said it would not support a cut in output in order to protect its marketshare.
CNN's emerging markets editor John Defterios is in Vienna where that OPEC meeting took place.
Thank you for joining us.
This was the result that people were expecting, but in many ways it doesn't make sense when you can cut back the supply and increase prices and profits
for some of they key producers.
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN CORRESPNDENT: You're exactly right, Max. It's a break with OPEC tradition. Usually they see prices falling they step in to cut
production.
Just over an hour ago, I had it confirmed from the Saudi oil minister Ali al-Naimi as he was going into hi limousine. He said, as I told you, there
would be no production cut. This is authored by Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf producers, notably the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait as well. The
have ample reserves of 2.5 trillion dollars in the bank right now. So they're not worried about this falling price.
Others within OPEC like Algeria, Iran and Nigeria are not so happy about this. Just in the last half hour, I posed a question to the secretary-
general of OPEC Abdallah el-Badri saying, is this a statement not to cut production and let prices drift lower right now? Here's his response.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABDALLAH EL-BADRI, OPECE SECRETARY GENERAL: But for the last four years, or four years and a half we have a very decent price, so now price decline.
That does not mean that we should really, you know, rush and do something. We have to wait and see how the market will settle. I said many times to
you that we don't want to panic. I mean it. And also we don't want to -- we want to see the market, how the market behaves. Because the decline of
the price does not reflect the fundamental change. This is true as far as we see it here in OPEC.
DEFTERIOS: ...Mr. Secretary General, is the game now for OPEC marketshare versus price? Two years ago, I spoke to the Saudi oil minister, Mr. al-
Naimi and he said $100 a barrel was the target price in 2012.
EL-BADRI: We have no target. I tell you. I speak on behalf of all the ministers who have no target price. We are looking for a fair price.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEFTERIOS: No target price is what the secretary general is suggesting here. But just two years ago, Max, the Saudi oil minister and the
secretary general suggested that the market was very happy with $100 barrel. So basically we've moved into a new era with Chinese demand
dropping, European demand dropping, U.S. shale production on the rise and Russia producing nearly 10 million barrels a day, OPEC has changed its
strategy and not trying to support the market and letting prices drift to a four-year low right after the announcement.
FOSTER: Who do you think they're targeting John?
DEFTERIOS: This is the fascinating side of it. I'm calling it a geopolitical hardball by OPEC. They wouldn't be so bold because of the
politics behind it. But the rise of the U.S. shale producers -- the U.S. is producing over 9 million barrels a day, a third of that is coming from
the shale production, all within the last three years.
So what we have today, Max, Russia, the United States, Saudi Arabia all level pegged. This is a threat to OPEC's long-term power within the energy
markets. They produce oil $10 to $12 a barrel in Saudi Arabia. The U.S. shale producer needs $60 to $80 a barrel, Russia needs a $100 to break
even. So they're suggesting the price goes lower, OPEC won't suffer nearly as badly as the United States or Russia right now. So they're fighting for
marketshare and to regain dominance that they've lost in the last 12 to 18 months.
FOSTER: John, thank you very much, indeed.
Israel says it has foiled a terror plot planned by the Palestinian group Hamas. A security official say the plot included plans to attack a
football stadium in Jerusalem as well as trains and carry out abductions and car bombings.
Officials say the 30 militants arrested were getting orders from Hamas leaders in Turkey and trained outside Israel.
Two employees of the British embassy in Kabul were amongst five people killed in a suicide blast on Wednesay. The car bomb targeted a foreign
embassy convoy in the Afghan capital. A British private security official and an Afghan national working at the British embassy were amongst the
dead.
33 people were wounded.
British security firm G4S confirmed its employees were caught up in the blast. The Taliban claimed responsibility.
Now to a disturbing story here in the UK -- 13 men have been convicted of child sexual exploitation in Bristol in the west of England. British media
say the men were Somali and that they targeted under age girls. Some of the victims were said to be as young as 13-years-old.
Atika Shubert joins me from CNN London with more on this story.
Shocking in the UK, shocking to the world. What are the details?
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know that these are 13 men operating in the Bristol area. Some of them were known drug
dealers, others were very well educated and they were considered to have, you know, good jobs and so forth. But they all operated as part of a gang.
Now police have actually given us the mug shots of each of those 13 men. And basically they were found guilty of systematic sexual abuse.
Approaching young, vulnerable girls convincing -- forming a relationship with them and then forcing them into prostitution, in some cases sexually
assaulting and raping them. In one case, a 13-year-old girl was raped three times in one night.
And this could happen in their own -- in the girls' own homes, in cars and in a hotel. Actually, we have video of one of the men paying at the hotel
where this -- where one particular victim was repeatedly abused.
So, it's a very grim case. Unfortunately, it's really only at the most recent case of a grooming gang that we have seen. Fortunately, this time,
they were able to investigate further and convict the men. But again, we've seen this kind of case before here in the UK.
FOSTER: Yeah, the community in the north of England was accused of the same thing. And that caused huge repercussions and police said they were
going to look at this. Security services even getting involved in that. But it's happened again. A different community this time. It was a
Pakistani community before and now another different community.
So it doesn't -- is that -- it's a British problem, right?
SHUBERT: It is a problem that goes across the country. We've seen cases in Rochdale (ph), Darby, Bradford (ph), Oxford, now Bristol, so this isn't
isolated to one particular area or to one particular community, you're right. We've seen it in the Asian community previously, and now in the
Somali community.
And a lot -- you know, previously this was a big political flashpoint. Is race a factor? Is that one reason why these girls were ignored?
That may be, but the fact is in previous cases the police frankly just ignored a lot of the young girls thinking, well, you're just having a
problem with your boyfriend is it really a crime we should be coming involved in.
And it -- perhaps what this case shows is now police and social workers are looking more closely when a young victim comes forward, they'll listen a
bit more and investigate.
These are crimes that happened quite recently. So it is encouraging that we are seeing convictions now for much more recent crimes. It means that
police and social workers are now much more aware.
FOSTER: Atika, thank you very much indeed.
Still to come, I'll speak to former English cricket captain Allan Lamb as we remember the life of Australian cricketer Philip Hughes who had his life
cut short after a tragedy on the pitch.
And the U.S. city in pain tries to put this week's chaos behind it. We'll take you to Ferguson, Missouri.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: You're watching CNN. This is Connect the World. I'm Max Foster. Welcome back to you.
Let's return to our top story, the death of Australian cricketer Phil Hughes. The 35-year-old succumbs to injuries he suffered during a match on
Tuesday when the ball missed his helmet, struck him in the neck. Doctors on the seen, including a specialist, managed to resuscitate him, but he
never regained consciousness. Cricketers from across the globe are paying tribute to Hughes. India's Sachin Tandulkar writes he was shocked to hear
the news and calls it a sad day for cricket.
South Africa's AB de Villiers wites, "heartbroken. A very dark day. You will be missed."
There's also support for bowler Sean Abbott who delivered the bouncer that struck Hughes. Former West Indian player Viv Richards writes, "huge loss
for our cricketing family. Sean Abbott in our thoughts and our prayers also."
The death of Australian cricketer Philip Hughes begs a lot of questions, of course, for the sport, the safety of the sport, but offers very few answers
at this point as people grieve. And to try to help me break down the core issues I'm joined on set by former England cricket captain Allan Lamb.
Thank you for joining us.
You, like many other people in the sport, didn't know him directly. But it's really brought grief to the whole sport. Is it because you see the
potential of a life lost? Or that it could actually have been you as well? It's such a simple thing to have happened?
ALLAN LAMB, FRM. ENGLAND CRICKET CAPTAIN: I think both, really. A life lost and no one likes to lose a friend or someone in the cricket world.
And also this could have happened to anyone.
So I really say it's a real freak accident, because for -- to lose a life is very sad. And in the sense that Phil as such a great player and a great
friend to everyone and was adored by all the cricket fans and his own players, and with him losing his life is a sad day for cricket.
But you know people talk about the safety. I think the helmet has been safe, you know, for years. I mean, (inaudible) got a ball that came
through the visor, broken his nose. So it's not 100 percent safe. There's no rule written in that wearing a helmet is going to protect you. It's
going to protect you from certain injuries.
But no one expected someone to lose their life wearing a helmet.
FOSTER: In theory, the manufacturers can build a sort of a stronger neck brace that would be resistance, I'm sure, to slow up your movements a bit.
But at one point do you accept that the helmet is developed as much as it can? When you started, of course, you didn't have helmets. You were up
against those great West Indies bowlers, the fast bowlers. You got away lightly when you look at this.
LAMB: Well, you look at Viv Richards, one of the greatest batsman in all time. Never, ever wore a helmet all his career. So, yes, he did get hit
odd time, but nothing serious.
I think with a helmet is -- the players that wear a helmet now have got to be comfortable. Their vision has got to be right. It's got to sit
properly on the head. I'm sure the manufacturers will now come up and try and find something that will cover this part, because the sensitive part
was just behind the ear.
FOSTER: Would you support that?
LAMB: Of course. You know, if you can save people's lives then fine.
FOSTER: But if it's a freak accident, there's not actually much you can learn is there?
LAMB: Well, if the helmet was 100 percent safe then, you know, you could say there's nothing you can do. But it's written that it's not 100 percent
safe...
FOSTER: The manufacturers should look at this, at least...
LAMB: I'm sure the manufacturers will look at it, but I think the bottom line lies with the cricketer. You know, we've got India versus Australia,
you've got Mitchell Johnson bowling. You know, of course people are going to be -- have extra sort of care, probably watch the bowler a lot closely
and that type of thing.
FOSTER: Do you think it's going to change the psychology of bowlers and batsman after this?
LAMB: Well, we talk about the batsman Sean Abbott. I really feel for him, because he's the guy that's going to be suffering the most. And it wasn't
his fault.
FOSTER: The bowler, you mean.
LAMB: The bowler, Sean Abbott.
And, you know, I really feel for him. And he's going to need a lot of help, because I think this is going to set him back.
I think the batsman will think about it a little bit more. But I'm sure it's going to play on people's minds.
FOSTER: Because obviously within the sport a debate which has come to the fore in some newspaper columns that perhaps the bowling, the game is
getting too aggressive, actually.
LAMB: No. I doubt. I don't think it's getting too aggressive. It was a lot aggressive when we played. I mean, the Thompsons (phs) and Lillies
(ph) rode out they went to hit the batsman. And that's what they loved, you know.
Let me tell you -- I don't think the game has got over aggressive. Now, you know, we don't have those fast bowlers you had when you had the West
Indies around. And you've got Mitchell Johnson, probably the quickest guy around at them moment. So I don't think it's aggressive.
Of course, you know, the talk of you know the sledging and that type of thing. They've cut that out of the game. But I think on bowling, it's
still a risk and if you play a contact sport -- rugby, cricket, whatever it is, you've got to risk getting injured.
FOSTER: Very quickly, if you are on that pitch when the incident happened and you had a match next week would you play it?
LAMB: Well, I mean, you know, it really depended on the family. If the family wanted -- you know, I'm sure that everyone wants to get back and
play the game. And I'm sure the family, Phil Hughes' family would like the Australian cricketers...
FOSTER: So with their support.
LAMB: With their support to get back and play the game.
And, you know, all -- I think everywhere over the world, everyone will be wearing a black band, you know, for Hughes and his family. And that's our
deepest thoughts go to them at the moment.
FOSTER: Allan Lamb, thank you very much for your thoughts on that.
For more on this story, including the heartfelt piece by a close friend of Phil Hughes, cricketer Nick Compton (ph), do head online to
CNN.com/worldsport for tributes, global reaction as well, and the way to remember Hughes for what he loved most playing the game of cricket.
Live from London, this is Connect the World. Coming up, a relative calm descends on Ferguson, Missouri, but tensions over a grand jury decision
remain. We'll take you there next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: You're watching Connect the World live from London. Welcome back. I'm Max Foster.
No -- just no respect, that's how Michael Brown's mother says she felt after a grand jury didn't charge police officer Darren Wilson in her sons
death. The white officer fatally shot Brown, an unarmed black teenager back in August, further igniting racial tensions in the city of Ferguson,
Missouri.
It's calmer there today, much calmer than it's been in recent days. But CNN's Stephanie Elam reports that emotions are still running high.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A beefed up National Guard presence in Ferguson, keeping the peace and protecting property. A small
group of demonstrators braving the snow and freezing conditions to continue the protests.
Ferguson Mayor James Knowles expressing frustration that the Guard wasn't deployed sooner.
JAMES KNOWLES, FERGUSON MAYOR: At that point, you're beyond antagonizing. You know, the destruction is already under way. There's no reason not to
deploy them. I have no idea why they weren't deployed. That's frustrating.
ELAM: Missouri's governor admitting the state must do better after more than tripling the National Guard force yesterday. After two days of arson,
looting and vandalism, this burnt out stretch of West Florissant Avenue now considered a crime scene.
Ferguson police investigating a fire that destroyed the church where Michael Brown's father worships and trying to track down who stole an AR-15
rifle from a police car that was torched on Monday night.
The town's business owners and residence now clearing debris, boarding up windows and attempting to rebuild their community.
CROWD: Hands up, don't shot!
ELAM: Meanwhile, protests around the country continue, with hundreds of people once again pouring into the street.
CROWD: Show me what democracy looks like.
ELAM: In nearby St. Louis, police arrested three protesters following a demonstration outside city hall.
CROWD: People united, we'll never be defeated.
ELAM: Protesters marched into the building after holding a mock trial of Officer Darren Wilson on the steps of the city's courthouse.
In Southern California, demonstrators blocked the 101 Freeway, sparking confrontation with drivers and police.
Further north, the Los Angeles police arrested 130 protestors, while trying to coral demonstrators.
CROWD: No justice, no peace!
ELAM: Outrage over the grand jury's decision reaching as far as London, where roughly 5,000 protesters marched outside the U.S. embassy, in
solidarity with the Ferguson community Wednesday night.
Stephanie Elam, CNN, Ferguson, Missouri.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: The latest world news headlines just ahead. Plus, promising results, an experimental vaccine raises real hope in the fight against
Ebola.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR AND CNN'S ROYAL CORRESPONDENT, FILLING IN FOR BECKY ANDERSON: This is "Connect the World." The top stories this
hour. The cricket world is mourning the death of an Australian batsman Phil Hughes. He died on Thursday after a ball struck him in the neck
during a match two days ago. The CEO of Cricket Australia says Hughes was a hero for kids around the nation.
OPEC has decided not to cut oil production, an announcement that sent crude prices plummeting to a four-year low. Brent crude oil fell more than $3 to
just under $75 a barrel.
Five people were killed and dozens injured when a car bomber explosion in Kabul Wednesday happened. The blast targeted a foreign embassy convoy. A
British private security official and an Afghan national who worked at the embassy were amongst the dead. The Taliban claimed responsibility.
In India, women's rights activists are raising question about the findings of a federal investigation into the deaths of two teenage girls. The
cousins were found hanging from a tree in May, and initial reports said they had been raped and murdered. But now the investigators say the
cousins took their own lives. CNN's Sumnima Udas joins me from New Delhi with details. What have you found out Sumnima?"
SUMNIMA UDAS, CNN INTERNATIONAL'S DELHI-BASED CORRESPONDENT: Max, the horrific scenes of those two minor girls hanging from a mango tree for some
15 hours - this is exactly six months ago. Those were the images that really reignited the outrage over crimes against women in India. Not just
here but internationally. And now the Central Bureau of Investigation which is really the top investigating agency here is saying that those two
girls were actually not raped and murdered as previously claimed by local authorities, but actually that they committed suicide.
Now, the CBI says they have come to this conclusion based on about 40 forensic reports, mainly that there was absolutely no male DNA found on the
bodies of those two minor girls, no semen, also that there was not any major injuries found on those bodies of the girls. And also, the accused -
the five men who were accused of this rape and murder - they actually passed the lie detector test whereas the parents of the two girls did not.
Now, when the media questioned the CBI as to why this discrepancy in the autopsy reports which were released six months ago and now these findings,
the CBI says that the investigators who performed these autopsies six months ago were perhaps not that experienced. Max.
FOSTER: Now a tragedy nevertheless. How will the country deal with this? Because obviously as you described, it was such a harrowing story at the
time. Not just for India but for the world - but particularly for India.
UDAS: Well right now a lot of people are just questioning this CBI report. I mean, mostly on social media. I just want to read out some of the tweets
that are out there. Some people saying 'justice is always evaded to women, especially the poor.' Another person saying, 'From murder, rape to honor
killing to now suicide. What is going on?' And another person saying, 'Hope these developments are not politically motivated.' Now, this story
did become very political, very, very quickly here so a lot of their official reaction we are getting right now are from the various political
parties of still the top women's rights organization here saying that they don't believe the CBI's theory. Also, and most importantly, the parents of
the two girls also saying that this cannot be true, that they want to take to the Supreme Court and also they want to approach the prime minister for
justice . So even though the main investigating agency here in India is saying this case is now over, this investigation is over, many still
questioning the findings. Max.
FOSTER: OK, Sumnima. Thank you very much indeed. They've been promising results from the first human trials of an experimental Ebola vaccine.
Scientists in the U.S. are hoping to fast-track a vaccine against the virus which has claimed more than 5,000 lives in West Africa. A leading
virologist in Britain cautions more work needs to be done though.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
PROFESSOR ANDREW EASTON, VIROLOGIST, UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK: There still are some unanswered questions and we know from some of the preliminary
works that went on in animal studies previously that the antibodies are generated in response to the vaccine don't last as long as we would like.
Say, there was a clear reduction over a fairly long period of time - about ten months.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
FOSTER: There's a lot more of other trials which so many people are talking about .
Dr. Anthony Fauci, joins me on the line from Washington. He's a leading expert and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases. Thank you very much indeed for joining us. Are we getting too excited about this?
ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NIAID: Well, I don't think we should be getting exciting but it is an important advance forward in the process, which is a
long process of developing a safe and effective vaccine for Ebola. When you develop a vaccine you have to go through a phase 1 trial first to
determine if it's safe and then to determine if it induces the kind of response that you would predict would be protectives. And in fact, that's
what this study did. So it was a success but we still have a long way to go because the proof of the pudding will always be does it actually protect
in this field when you're trying to prevent Ebola. And that study will begin sometime in mid-January at a very large study in West Africa to
determine if the promising results in this stage 1 trial actually hold true when you test it for efficacy.
FOSTER: In laymen's terms, if you can, what is it - what is the actual breakthrough that all these trials are trying to find? What is the thing
that these drugs need to do in order to make along the road to final solution.
FAUCI: Well it's really a question that you wouldn't actually call it a breakthrough. It's just the proof of the concept that when you vaccinate
someone with a product that induces a response against Ebola, just like vaccinations against common things like polio and measles and mumps that if
you vaccinate people, that when they get exposed to Ebola they would be protected and not get infected. And that's the whole purpose of a vaccine
trial. And what we are talking about today is the very first step in that multi-step process of trying to develop a vaccine.
FOSTER: And with dealing with this type of development, what are the risks? What can't we rush here in case it causes problems down the line?
FAUCI: Well first of all, the phase 1 study is in fact asking the question is it safe? And it does not look like there are any prohibited safety
issues with the vaccine, at least in the limited number of people in a phase 1 study. The most important issue is whether or not it's going to
work. It's unlikely that there will be serious toxic effects since the phase 1 trial doesn't give any hint of that. But the real challenge will
be does it work in the sense of truly protecting people, and you'll only know that from a large spot trial which we call phase 2, 3 as opposed to
the phase 1 that we just finished. In that trial will take place in West Africa where the disease is still raging.
FOSTER: How quickly can they operate considering resources aren't a problem? Ultimately how quickly can this process be speeded up and when
could the drug be used probably?
FAUCI: Well, first of all, the trial won't start until likely at the earliest mid-January, and depending upon the infection rate in the
community, the higher the infection rate, the more quickly you can determine the result of a vaccine trial. I would think the earliest would
likely be mid-summer sometime, halfway through 2015.
FOSTER: Still a very long way off, isn't it? But Dr. Fauci, --
FAUCI: Yes indeed.
FOSTER: -- thank you very much indeed for joining us.
FAUCI: You're quite welcome.
FOSTER: Let's hope things progress as they have been doing on that trial. Now in today's "Parting Shots", before the turkey dinner, millions of
Americans wake up early to celebrate another Thanksgiving Day tradition. We're talking about the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, complete
with floats, giant balloons and even clowns. This is how it started its 4- kilometer journey through the streets of New York, about 2 and 1/2 hours ago, scheduled to end in just a few minutes. Miguel Marquez has a look at
all the festivities from the parade route.
MIGUEL MARQUEZ IS A CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT BASED IN NEW YORK: Yes. Well hello there, Max. Everyone loves a parade. This is the Macy's
marching band here. They only had a couple of hours to prepare - 250 strong are singing - or they're playing - the Taylor Swift song "Take it
Off." Behind them you can see some of the floats and the balloons coming down Central Park plus the famous balloons and the floats. And the crowds
here - absolutely enormous. I might want to chat with some folks here. This is the best family in town everyone wants a little piece of that -
this is the Turkey family. How long you guys been out here?
(CHEERING)
Male: Many hours of the day - probably six hours by now.
MARQUEZ: What is it like and what's the energy like, what is like to be out here, front row seats, dressed as turkeys?
Male 1: There's lots of energy and constant attention. It's so much fun.
Male 2: A lot of pressure on us to keep the energy up.
Male 1: Yes! We're running the show here.
MARQUEZ: Everybody seems to give you a lot of that. That's a very good word of advice here, Max. If you come to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day
Parade, come very, very early and dress like a turkey because you will get all the attention. Max.
FOSTER: You're having a good time. He'll be there for a while I think. I'm Max Foster. That was "Connect the World." Thank you very much indeed
for watching. "Marketplace Middle East" is up next for you.
(END "CONNECT THE WORLD" SHOW)
(BEGIN "MARKETPLACE MIDDLE EAST" SHOW)
JOHN DEFTERIOS, "CNN'S EMERGING MARKETS" EDITOR AND ANCHOR OF "GLOBAL EXCHANGE": The latest round of nuclear negotiations hit a wall with the
deadline to reach a deal extended yet again. We look at how heavy industry is propping up Iran's struggling economy. And Total's president of
exploration and production on his hopes with a deal with Iran.
Welcome to "Marketplace Middle East" this week from Abu Dhabi. The UAE is a country that initially built its fortune through merchant trade,
especially with Iran. Back in 2011, bilateral trade between Iran and the UAE hit $12 billion. But in 2013, after the sanctions started to bite,
that figure fell to just $7 billion. It's no wonder - the UAE and the Gulf States have watched the P5+1 negotiations very carefully.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
DEFTERIOS: Unfortunately, those hopes have yet again been frustrated after international leaders left Vienna without a final agreement. Still,
parties have said that good progress was made and negotiations will continue again in December.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
DEFTERIOS: Despite the geopolitical uncertainty, there's one sector in Iran that has continued to flourish, and that is the steel sector. Steel
companies have enjoyed the expansion in the Middle East and North Africa, especially here in the Gulf States. And as Reza Sayah found out, they have
big plans for the future.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
REZA SAYAH, CNN'S CAIRO-BASED INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Cold, hard heavy-duty steel, the backbone of the world's best-built construction.
Some of the finest steel in the world can be found here at the Steel Bazar in Tehran where the workload for steel workers is getting heavier by the
day. The crews at Tehran Steel Bazar are busy in large part because Iran is producing and exporting more steel than ever.
During the first nine months of this year, Iran produced more than 12 million tons of steel - up 6 percent from the first nine months last year.
Exports in that time beat last year's total too, topping 1.5 million tons.
REZA NIKBEEN, STEEL MERCHANT, INTERPRETED BY SAYAH: The progress of our industry and the increase in production shows things have improved, say's
steel merchant Reza Nikbeen.
SAYAH: The surge in Iran's steel industry comes despite punishing economic sanctions by the West over Iran's nuclear program.
NIKBEEN, INTERPRETED BY REZA SAYAH: Even with sanctions, the industry has made advances, says Nikbeen.
SAYAH: So how's Iran's steel industry keeping healthy and thriving. Two factors - first off, Western sanctions never blocked Iran from selling
steel and Iran's exports targeted the Middle East and North Africa - markets where Iran could get paid using non-Western banks or swap steel for
other goods.
MOHAMMAD JAFARTOUSI, CEO, SNN INDUSTRIAL GROUP, INTERPRETED BY SAYAH: When you work with neighbor states, you can barter, says Mohammad Jafartousi,
CEO of a top steel product manufacturer. You can get what you want from them. That eases the impact of sanctions. Iran's steel industry also
benefits from a country rich in raw minerals and cheap energy, with an affordable labor force and technological advancements developed right here.
The outcome is an industry that's now the biggest producer of steel in the Middle East and North Africa according to the World Steel Association and
15th in the world. Ahead of Western countries like the U.K., Spain and Canada.
Hungry for more, Iran is courting foreign investors in a bid to quadruple production in a decade. This year Kuwaiti and Italian steel companies
signed deals to build factories in Iran. In an economy badly damaged by years of sanctions, Iran's steel industry is not only surviving, it's
tightening its grip as the dominant steel producer in the Middle East.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
DEFTERIOS: It's been one month since the tragic plane crash that killed the chief executive officer of Total -Christophe de Margerie. His death
shocked the industry but also left a void of someone who was so clear with his policies and willing to challenge the conventional wisdom of economic
sanctions.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
DEFTERIOS: Known affectionately as Mr. Mustache, de Margerie often spoke frankly about his disappointment with the economic sanctions on Iran.
During a visit to the giant ADIPEC Energy Forum that takes place here in Abu Dhabi, I spoke with the president of Exploration and Production Arnaud
Breuillac, a former colleague of Mr. de Margerie. I asked him what he thought about the current state of the sanctions that we've seen on Iran.
ARNAUD BREUILLAC, PRESIDENT OF EXPLORATION AND PRODUCTION, TOTAL: We need the sanctions released to be about work. We also need to have good
coheights (ph) and this is something that we are waiting to see.
DEFTERIOS: We've seen the impact on the Russian ruble from sanctions and even the Russian economy. Is that tool of sanctions used too aggressively
in your view?
BREUILLAC: I will say that for us as an industry, we consider that sanction are villaging (ph) the business. And we doubt that they will
resolve any political issues. But what we are seeing is that we have to obey sanctions and it is for politicians to remove the sanctions so that we
can continue to work. And it is indeed a process because the world, as you know, needs energy.
DEFTERIOS: Have we entered a stage where $80 is the new $100 after four years of average prices at that level?
BREUILLAC: It's always difficult to make any prediction in that respect. We don't understand really why it went down to $80, because there was not
major changes on the market. This is what has been difficult to understand. This is why we are tempted to cross it off (ph). This is one
- an - achievement. At the same time, we have to plan in case it doesn't stays below $80. We think this would be a problem on the longer term.
This is not a sustainable level on the longer term.
DEFTERIOS: We often talk about $80, but let's put it in the sense of cash flow. How does it hit a very large oil producer like Total in terms of
annual revenues?
BREUILLAC: For Total, if we are to have a full year at $80, we'd be losing about $3 billion in cash. So this is (inaudible) and this is why we
have to prepare for that scenario.
DEFTERIOS: Can you say today that any projects will come off the books if this price of around $80 is sustained?
BREUILLAC: We feel that the project that had been launched, we have to ser (ph) that $80 and report new (ph). But on new projects, we will of course
have to review their possibility.
DEFTERIOS: You know, this time last year I sat down with Christophe de Margerie, and we've had that tragic death of his. He was aggressively
pushing to get to 2.8, 2.9 million barrels a day by 2017 - almost a 30 percent increase in production. Can you still get there in your view?
BREUILLAC: Yes, we have a key road map. In fact, we have 15 projects that will be launched, 10 of which we're operator of which will give us an
increase of production by 30 percent and from 2.1 yield lashaday (ph) in this Europe to 2.8 May 2017. All of these projects are launched and they
will go. And we are permitted to do that so the mojo is deliver and quite early we are going to focus on those projects.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
DEFTERIOS: Arnaud Breuillac of Total on the current state of energy prices. Well the falling oil prices just one factor leading to
uncertainty. The top producers met in Vienna for their latest OPEC Summit. Up next I speak with the UAE's minister of energy about what needs to be
done to stabilize the market.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DEFTERIOS: In front of talks over Iran's nuclear ambitions to OPEC's latest gathering, all eyes were on Vienna this week. Against a backdrop of
plummeting oil prices, energy ministers gathered in the Austrian capital with one agenda - stabilizing the market. With over 97billion barrels of
proven crude reserves. The UAE is a major oil producer, and as the country's energy minister explained, it's not just the oil syndicate that
can influence prices.
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
SUHAIL AL-MAZROUEI, UAE ENERGY MINISTER: If we learned, we learned one thing - that if you try to fix the market, that's going to be a short fix.
If you let the market stabilize itself, that's a long fix and it's going to last. I don't think it's fair to just ask one player to play the role to
fix the whole market. That is not fair.
DEFTERIOS: I see that OPEC crude - a basket of crude is trading around $74/$75 a barrel. Is that a fair price to sustain investment within OPEC?
There should be no panic and discussions of prices going down to $60 a barrel?
AL-MAZROUEI: The problem, John in the past four years, all of the investments were done on the basis of $100. Let's not talk about a price
for us as producer. I think who's going to dictate the price and set the price is going to be those newcomers that are producing the most expensive
crude, and they need to set the price that is attractive for that level of investment to continue.
DEFTERIOS: So you're suggesting, Minister, here that the new shale producers for example might just flood the market with crude? They need to
play a role as well in terms of taking some production off the market if they want a higher price to sustain their production?
AL-MAZROUEI: I think so, and I think they will do it - either they like it, they do it either planned or by force. The question is not what you
have today, the question is what you should have two years, three years from. The question is the level of investments you need to put this year
and next year in order to see it in a few years. So if there is a decline in the price, that level of investments is not going to be there. And
that's the worry, to tell you the truth.
DEFTERIOS: Doesn't this play perfectly into about a third of the OPEC producers? The Gulf producers who have $2 and 1/2 trillion of savings?
They can ride out this storm. This is the reality right now - not the shale producers, not Russia, not Iran, not Nigeria.
AL-MAZROUEI: Everyone has a role to play. If there is an expectation that someone should take - should be the fixer and do more than the others
because of any other circumstances, I don't think that is a fair assessment.
DEFTERIOS: Have we entered a new normal, Minister? Where maybe -
AL-MAZROUEI: I don't know.
DEFTERIOS: -- 80/75 is the new normal?
AL-MAZROUEI: I don't know. That's what's to be tested in 2015. We believe that a sustainable price is going to be something that is higher
than what we have seen today - not because it works for us, or is not going to work for us, I think it's because the further investments in the shale
or unconventional oil, I think is going to be questionable at the current - the current price.
DEFTERIOS: And that's all for this edition of CNN Marketplace Middle East -- this week from Abu Dhabi. I'm John Defterios. Thanks for watching.
We'll see you next week.
(COMMERCIALS)
END
