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Connect the World

Wave of Anti-Muslim Attacks in France; French Muslims React to Charlie Hebdo Cover; Preventing Future Attacks in France; Human Rights in Saudi Arabia; Dow Down Sharply in Morning Trading; Libya's Turmoil and Oil Prices; UAE Energy Minister Says No Cuts; Tight Security for Pope's Visit to Philippines; Parting Shots: Yaya Toure on Paris Terror Attacks

Aired January 14, 2015 - 11:00   ET

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

BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: Were these two men sent by al Qaeda in Yemen? The terror group releases a video claiming responsibility for the Charlie

Hebdo attack.

Well, exactly one week since the tragedy, there are still more questions than answers. We're live in Paris for you in just a moment to

sift through some of them.

Also ahead, Charlie Hebdo's first addition since the massacre sells out in France, but across the Middle East it is a different story.

And can tweeting about terror spell trouble? As France investigates 54 cases of, quote, "inciting terrorism," we ask a senator about her

nation's security priorities.

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

ANDERSON: A very good evening. It is 8:00 here in the UAE. Terrorism experts around the world busy analyzing a new video from al

Qaeda's branch in Yemen that claims responsibility for one of the attacks in Paris last week.

In the clip posted online, one of the group's commanders speaks in front of a background showing the two brothers who killed 12 people at

Charlie Hebdo magazine. He describes them as heroes who accepted their assignment and fulfilled it.

And he also refers to last week's carnage as, quote, "the blessed battle of Paris."

But the new video is also peculiar in key ways. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh is on that part of the story and will join us more in just a few

minutes time.

I want to get you, though, first to Paris. The new video surfaced on the same day Charlie Hebdo published its first hard copy addition since the

murder of its staff. It sold out within minutes of hitting the news stands. There were huge queues as people hoped to get their hands on a

copy. On its cover, a cartoon depiction of the Prophet Mohammed.

Well, the magazine is printing more copies, they say, to keep up with demand.

Well, let's get more on this. CNN's senior international correspondent Jim Bittermann joining us from the French capital.

How is the magazine being received, Jim?

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's being -- it's in high demand, Becky. The fact is, it's not only sold out, but on

eBay some copies are going for up to 1,500 pounds a copy.

It is much in demand. People lined up, as you said this morning to try to get it. I think it's more of a souvenir value. I mean, normally

this magazine sells about 30,000 copies a week. It's printed 3 million and they're sold out. They're talking about going up to 5 million.

I think that the souvenir value is something that everybody wants to be part of.

Now there's a couple of things in motion here today, Becky, mainly on the political level. We just saw President Hollande speak to sailors and

gendarmes aboard the Charles de Gaulle, that's France's only aircraft carrier. That ship is about to sail for the Middle East. And part of its

mission will be to further enforce, reinforce France's engagement in the fight against ISIS in the Middle East.

They're already sending planes from Jordan and from the Emirates in flights to gather intelligence and to carry out bombing missions in Iraq,

but now with the Charles de Gaulle they'll be even closer to Iraq.

They also will be in a position, and this is something that is not confirmed at all, but they may be in a position to strike into Yemen, for

example, if need be.

They've said -- and Hollande repeated today -- that their support for Syria -- for attacks in Syria would not take place, that they're basically

supporting the Syrian opposition groups with logistics and with supplies, but they are not going to attack in support of the Syrian opposition

groups.

But they are going to continue to carry out their information gathering and attacks in Iraq. And Hollande also announced on board the

carrier that France's military budget is going to be reviewed and perhaps going to be raised over the coming year.

Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRANCOIS HOLLANDE, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE: The exceptional situation that we are in must lead us to revise the rhythm (ph) for reducing

personnel, which was planned for the next three years.

I must ask the minister of defense to make proposals by the end of the week taking into account, of course, budgetary needs. And I will have a

defense council meeting on this matter of personnel numbers Wednesday. And then I will take an immediate decision.

That's why the forces, which you make up are so fundamental. And that's why in this particular moment I wanted to be able to take decisions

so that France should be sure that its defense is ready.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BITTERMANN: And the president also said that some troops would be withdrawn from the Central African Republic apparently because of the need

for more troops in the territory in France -- 10,000 troops on patrol of the streets here and apparently in exchange for the troops being deployed

here, they're going to reduce the commitment in the Central African Republic -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Jim Bittermann in Paris for you.

Well, international reaction to the cover of the magazine has been swift. Many Muslims leaders have criticized the new depiction of the

Prophet Mohammed, while also urging calm, it has to be said.

Iran's foreign minister had this to say about the issue, quote, "we won't be able to engage in a serious dialogue if we start disrespecting

each other's values. We believe that sanctities need to be respected."

And in the past hour or so, the head of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the OIC, also condemning the magazine cover. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IYAD AMIN MADARI, SECRETARY-GENERAL, ORGANIZATION OF ISLAMIC COOPERATION (through translator): This is an influence, this is ignorance,

and this is recklessness. People have rallied behind their freedom of expression, but their freedom of expression should not harm other's

beliefs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, despite the backlash, a secular newspaper in predominately Muslim Turkey did decide to publish a four page sample of

Charlie Hebdo's latest issue. The newspaper now has extra police security outside its offices in Istanbul. The cover page with the Prophet Mohammed

cartoon is not included in the sample that the paper is publishing.

Well, for more let's go to Jomana Karadsheh who is live for you tonight in Istanbul. Turkey's semi-official news agency also reporting

that a court has blocked access to some websites that publish the cover.

Let's start, though, with the newspaper.

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky as you mentioned, Hurriyet newspaper, this is Turkey's oldest newspaper, a pro-

secular one, yesterday coming out with an announcement that they were going to publish a selection of Charlie Hebdo cartoons. And overnight, this is

according to the newspaper, they say that police showed up at their press - - at the printing press and stopped their distribution trucks for about 40 hours -- sorry, 40 minutes while they inspected the print of the newspaper.

And they say, this is according to the newspaper again, Becky, we have not heard from authorities here, the prosecutor allowed them to go ahead and

distribute the newspaper.

Now, its editor-in-chief in what he says -- on his Twitter account and on the website said that they have made this decision to publish these

cartoons in solidarity with Charlie Hebdo, as part of standing by them for freedom of expression. But they say after consultations, the newspaper

decided they will not publish the controversial cover of this edition of Charlie Hebdo, instead they made a selection of different cartoons that

they've used here, Becky.

And going through it, you see that it's mostly ridiculing the pope, European countries, and jihadis. Nothing really that would be seen as

offensive to Muslims.

But if you look at the paper itself, Becky, there was -- there were two columns in there that used small black and white reprints of that

cover.

Now we have not seen any major reaction, negative reaction yet. But of course there's always that concern.

And really quickly, about that court order that you mentioned that's a court in southeastern Turkey in the city of Diarbekker (ph). According to

the semi-official news agency here say that there has been a court ruling that allows them to block access to parts of websites that have content

that is related to the Charlie Hebdo cover. This is based on Turkish rules and regulations. They say they have prioritized in this case personal

rights, including not insulting religion over freedom of expression, Becky.

ANDERSON: Jomana Karadsheh in Istanbul for you.

Well, let's get you back to that claim of responsibility I talked about at the top of the hour for the massacre at the magazine. The new al

Qaeda video suggests it may have been planned years ago. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh joining us from Beirut on this.

What do we know at this point, Nick?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's very hard to work out quite what in this claim of responsibility tallies with the

reality and what is bombast, so to speak, or a desire for the al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, who haven't been much in the spotlight since the

ascent of ISIS in northern Syria and Iraq to perhaps restake some of their claim on the sort of territory of global jihad, give the almost flattering

terminology I'm using.

But that statement does suggest, and it's spoken at 12 minute length by a media spokesperson, Nasr bin Ali al-Ansi, that the senior leadership

of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, but also Ayman al Zawahiri, the head of al Qaeda globally, the successor to Osama bin Laden, were involved in

selecting the target of Charlie Hebdo -- carefully now to point out the statement does not claim responsibility for the attack on the kosher

grocery store that Amedy Coulibaly was behind -- but also a now deceased American citizen Anwar al-Awlaki killed by a drone strike in 2011 was the

operational commander behind this.

Now that's key, as you mentioned, because he was killed in 2011. So if the plan was in place in an effective or executable enough fashion three

years ago, then those brothers Kouachi would have gone back to France and effectively laid dormant for three years waiting for their moment.

We may never know quite what the chain of events were, but the onus is now on investigators to piece back quite what real links the brothers had

to Yemen. Remember, they claimed to be enacting under al-Awlaki's direction and have been to Yemen themselves, shouted they were working for

al Qaeda in Yemen as they committed the attacks, according to some witnesses. And we have American, Yemeni and French officials putting them

in Yemen on a number of occasions between 2009 potentially and 2011.

There's a lot here. The question is the actual logistics. When did they happen and who supplied them? Hard to piece together, but are vital

for investigators to work out if they're dealing with a three year dormant sleeper cell here or not, or something that's more current, Becky.

ANDERSON: I was interested to see the line that the attack on the Kosher grocery store whilst al Qaeda not taken responsibility for that

suggesting it was a blessed coincidence. What might we read into that, if anything?

WALSH: Well, both those attacks effectively claimed allegiance to different, and at times, rival jihadist groups. Amedy Coulibaly left a

lengthy statement pledging allegiance to ISIS before he made that attack on the Kosher grocery store. He also said that he provided forms of

assistance to the Kouachi Brothers.

Now, it is entirely possible that the Kouachi brothers were backed up by al Qaeda in the Arabian peninsula, got their assistance, training or

targeting from Yemen, but Coulibaly quite separately pursued his own path. And it's not quite clear what links he had to ISIS, or whether he was after

-- or after knowing he was going to commit this attack, left that pledge of allegiance.

The case really is here. It seems as though Coulibaly and the Kouachi brothers knew each other...

ANDERSON: All right, looks like we just lost Nick. But you get where he is on the investigation into exactly what the Kouachi brothers were up

to and when and what, if anything, we might gain or glean from this new take from al Qaeda.

Well, lots more ahead this hour, including calls for tougher security and why this surveillance in France. We're going to speak to a French

senator who is a key voice in the fight against terrorism. That is in about 20 minutes from now.

And we'll take a closer look at the human rights record of one of the west's staunchest allies in the war on ISIS. All that up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Welcome back. This is CNN and Connect the World with me Becky Anderson at about 15 minutes past 8:00 in the UAE.

Well, it's been a week since the deadly attack on French magazine Charlie Hebdo. Now, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, as we've just been

discussing, has claimed responsibility for the massacre.

In a video, the group's commander praised the Kouachi brothers, calling them heroes who, quote, "fulfilled their assignment." Well, it

comes as the new amateur video emerged showing the attackers here shortly after their rampage.

Well, Amedy Coulibaly, the man police say carried out the attack on the kosher market in Paris purportedly told authorities that he belonged to

ISIS, a now rival group to al Qaeda.

So, how did these terrorist groups begin? Well, al Qaeda is the root of the two, founded in the late 1980s by Osama bin Laden. Al Qaeda in

Iraq, established in 2004, and offshoots have also surfaced in recent years, including al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which is based in

Yemen; and in the Islamic Maghreb operating in North Africa.

Al Qaeda in Iraq involving over time, giving birth to the ISIS that we know today.

For a deeper look into these groups I'm joined now by an al Qaeda expert, Robin Simcox, who is a research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society

joining us tonight from London.

Do you think this claim of responsibility for the attack on the magazine building is credible?

ROBIN SIMCOX, HENRY JACKSON SOCIETY: It looks very credible to me. If al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula were just in the habit of trying to

tack credit for attacks that they didn't commit, there's an awful lot they could have done in recent years differently.

They are a group that's extremely capable. They're more than capable of training people to carry out this kind of mission. They're more than

capable of financing it.

The only slightly strange thing is that we associate AQAP with the complex bomb attacks attempted in the west, for example the underwear

bombing of 2009, the cargo bomb plot of 2010 that involved explosives in printer cartridges. This is a bit of a simpler operation to the ones that

they've previously tried in the west, something closer to the kind of operations they carry out in Yemen.

ANDERSON: Could this have been in the offing since 2011, do you think?

SIMCOX: It's possible. It's possible this was a sleeper cell just waiting instruction. It may be that AQAP were very concerned about the

Kouachi brothers being on the intelligence radars, that they wanted them to lay dormant for three or so years so that suspicion went away from them,

that they returned from Yemen, that they thought that they would be on the intelligence radars of the French. And so for the operations to stand the

best chance of succeeding, they instructed them to lay low for a few years, to put them off the radar.

And we do know that the Kouachi brothers weren't on the radar of the French security services in the way they were in the years previously. So,

I think it's entirely possible this was a sleeper cell.

ANDERSON: If I recollect correctly, I seem to remember ISIS across some social media sites claiming responsibility for the attack on the

Charlie Hebdo magazine in the first sort of 24 hours or so. If this was al Qaeda, why would they do that?

SIMCOX: Well, I think ISIS -- some of the ISIS supporters may be looking to claim credit for things they -- they didn't -- they couldn't

really claim credit for. They are very active on social media, ISIS and their supporters, and they were looking to strengthen the claims of their

group, strengthen the perception of their group's power.

Interesting enough, Coulibaly, the third gunmen, then came out and said that he was dedicating his attack to ISIS, which goes to show that

even though we can sometimes become very wrapped up in the conflict between these jihadi groups and the interplay between the two, some of these

operatives that carry out the attack, they may not be as concerned about the competition as those of us who analyze the groups. And Coulibaly maybe

wasn't aware of the AQAP/ISIS dynamics in the way that others are.

ANDERSON: They may, of course -- likely that they had known each other, these three.

Do you see coordination between these two groups either in this attack, or these attacks, or others?

SIMCOX: AQAP and ISIS, I don't believe, are going to start coordinating at the top levels of their groups terrorist attacks. At the

moment, the two aren't on fantastic terms. There's been a lot of outreach from AQAP to ISIS trying to encourage unity, trying to not let the Sunni

movement be divided. That hasn't been reciprocated really by ISIS. And also just operationally, geographically, I think it's really hard for AQAP

and ISIS to plot together.

What you do see is on the lower level of between al Qaeda in Syria and ISIS, there's some level of interaction, a lower level, foot soldiers. But

in terms of the leadership planning together, I think that's pretty unlikely at the moment.

ANDERSON: With that, we're going to leave it there. We thank you very much indeed for joining us.

Analysis out of London this evening.

Live from Abu Dhabi, this is Connect the World with me, Becky Anderson. Coming up, French Muslims give their reaction to the latest hard

copy of the Charlie Hebdo magazine, particularly the cover amid a wave of Islamophobic attacks in France.

Also, how some people are getting in trouble for what they post online, allegedly supporting terrorism.

Up next, though, in Uganda, a startup has come up with a clever invention to make cooking on the continent more environmentally friendly.

Away from the news headlines for just a few moments. We'll show you the Eco-Stove. That is up next. That'll be followed by your news headlines

here on CNN.

(COMMERCAIL BREAK)

ROSE TWINE, FOUNDER, ECO-STOVE: Hi, my name is Rose Twine, the founder of Eco-Stove in Kampala, Uganda. Welcome to our store.

JOHN DEFTERIOS, EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: In Uganda's capital city Kampala, Rose Twine sells stoves unlike many others.

TWINE: The Eco-Stove is a stove that uses stones, reusable stones as well as solar to cook.

Now the stones are the fuel. These stones are reusable for a period of up to two years.

We have not ordinary stones, they're rocks, a certain type of rock.

DEFTERIOS: Inspired by the desire to use energy more efficiently and to help save the environment, Twine conceived the Eco-Stove with her

brother in 2009.

TWINE: The whole point was to see that we reducing deforestation as well as the chores involved in finding firewood for the local person who

can't access electricity or gas.

Now when you look at this, these are -- this -- because we're using this, this is why this is fish tone. If we were cooking on this side, then

we'll switch on that just as well.

And you can see, this is because it's on.

So that will be the in (inaudible), which makes the stones red hot.

Once I'm done cooking, I'm simply switch it off and the stones will start to go back to their natural state.

DEFTERIOS: Twine faces a challenge selling the Eco-Stove around Uganda where people want to see how it works before buying it.

TWINE: This is a new innovation on the continent that a lot of people need more understanding. It's not something you can go on TV and say

there's a stove here that will solve all your cooking challenges. No. That's why we're always cooking beans at the office, we're always cooking

water, so somebody can actually come and see the red hot stones. So that costs us more time. You need a lot of staff on site to be able to

demonstrate for anybody who comes in, because it's not something somebody is going to read about and say a stone that cooks that lasts two years and

believe in it. No, they want to see it.

So that is very costly.

DEFTERIOS: Eventually, she hopes people across the African continent will use her stove, providing a cheaper, long-term alternative to firewood

and charcoal.

TWINE: Everybody says I want that, because chop wood is expensive, firewood is hard to find, electricity is very expensive and it's not

reliable.

So we want to be able to meet those needs that the people who are cooking are making. So that is our vision.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. This is CNN, the top stories --

(AUDIO GAP)

ANDERSON: -- the Arabian Peninsula is claiming responsibility for last week's attack on the Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris. In a new video,

the terror group's commander says the Kouachi brothers accepted and fulfilled their mission by carrying out the massacre. He also praised the

attack on the Kosher supermarket in Paris, but did not claim responsibility for that.

A secular newspaper in predominantly Muslim Turkey is publishing a four-page sample of Charlie Hebdo's latest issue. The newspaper now has

extra police security outside its offices in Istanbul. The cover page with the Prophet Mohammed cartoon is not included in the sample that the paper

has published.

The Iranian foreign minister, Mohammad Zarif, and US secretary of state John Kerry are meeting in Geneva. They're trying to revive talks

over Iran's nuclear program and reach a comprehensive agreement by July the 1st.

And searchers in the Java Sea have found the main section of AirAsia Flight 8501. A remotely-operated underwater vehicle took these pictures of

a 30-meter-long piece of the fuselage. Officials believe many of the remaining bodies are still inside, 48 of the 162 people onboard have been

recovered so far.

I want to get you back to France, now, where some Muslims feel they are being targeted because of the extremist acts of a radical minority.

Since the Charlie Hebdo attack last week, there have been at least 50 -- 5- 0 -- anti-Muslim incidents across the country, according to the Union of Islamic Organizations in France.

They involve everything from gunshots fired at mosques to reports of a pig's head left in a Muslim prayer room, and threatening letters sent to

Muslim organizations.

CNN's Arwa Damon is in northern Paris and is speaking to members of the Muslim community there about their security concerns, and also about

that latest somewhat controversial Charlie Hebdo cover. Joining me now from there, Arwa?

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Becky. And let's start off with the cover, the image of Prophet Mohammed used once

again, really upsetting the vast majority of those that we were trying to talk to.

Some of them, in fact, didn't even want to speak with us. They're quite simply fed up with this conversation, this debate about how they feel

being Muslim in France . And they also feel as if they're being increasingly stigmatized because of the actions of extremist Muslims

carrying out these attacks in the name of Islam, or so they are saying.

And it is an Islam that is not representative of the vast majority of Muslims, not just here in France, but across the entire world. The

community members that we have been speaking to say that they wish that the image of the prophet had not been used once again.

They find it just as offensive, they find it just as provocative as they always have. And there are great worries that it's only going to add

fuel to the fires, here, the various tensions between the different communities, raiding the possibility of, perhaps, even more violence, even

though it's not violence that they themselves tend to promote. So, a lot of concerns on that front.

When it comes to security, too, the Muslim community here increasingly asking itself whether or not it has a place in France, or whether or not,

as we hear many of them beginning to say to us, France is for the French, Becky.

ANDERSON: Arwa Damon in northern Paris. Arwa, thank you.

Muslim groups have urged authorities to set up security at mosques as they have done at Jewish schools and synagogues post the attacks. French

officials say police will watch over mosques as well.

Joining me now is French senator Nathalie Goulet, who is the head of the French Commission of Inquiry into Jihadi Networks. She's called this

attack France's 9/11. Ironically, she was actually in Turkey when the attacks in Paris happened, discussing how to stop the flow of French

fighters into Syria.

Thank you for joining us tonight. You've been focusing on jihadists going to Syria. Given it is likely that one or both of the brothers were

trained abroad, possibly in Yemen, should the focus now be on fighters coming back to France?

NATHALIE GOULET, FRENCH SENATOR: Yes. Well, we have the problem. We have to prevent them to travel abroad, and then we have to take care when

they come back. And they are the main issue. The problem is that we do not have any faithful databases for that. And we cannot put a policeman

behind everybody. But we are working on it right now, to try to prevent a new mistake.

ANDERSON: Does France need the equivalent of the US Patriot Act -- wiretaps, indefinite detention of immigrants, something that was ushered in

after 9/11?

GOULET: Well, I saw people from our embassy in Turkey, and we were talking about that. We really are not ready at all to give up with our

freedom in the same margin as the Patriot Act.

But regarding the Patriot Act, I think that we have to copy and duplicate what is done for the financial network, which would be very, very

useful. Because we do not have enough of -- to check the financial network. But regarding the Patriot Act, and especially how to cross the

databases, really, France is not ready to go so far.

ANDERSON: There is --

(CROSSTALK)

GOULET: We do not want a Patriot Act

ANDERSON: -- real fear of another attack, not least by the Muslim community and, indeed, by the Jewish community. There is also real fear of

a growing police state by some of those who we have talked to. I just want to read you something here. The aftermath of the attacks raising questions

about the limits on free speech in France.

France's Justice Ministry, you'll know, says that 54 judicial proceedings have been opened for inciting terrorism since last week's

attack, and have a look at this, viewers.

French media reports say controversial comedian Dieudonne M'bala M'bala has been arrested, allegedly over a Facebook past in which he said

he is Charlie Coulibaly, a reference to both the magazine Charlie Hebdo and one of the gunmen who attacked the Kosher supermarket. So, I ask you,

Senator, should the French community be concerned about a police state going forward?

GOULET: Well, if you are talking about freedom of speech, and then what the minister of justice said, we cannot bear with an provocation. We

have 7 million of Muslim people in France and we have a very small Jewish community.

And we have to protect them from any coming terrorism and any national fight between communities. So, we have to take care. And then definitely,

we have to prevent any provocation.

ANDERSON: Fifty-four judicial proceedings opened for inciting terrorism since last week's attacks.

GOULET: I'm sorry, I do not hear you properly. Could you repeat, please?

ANDERSON: All right. Yes, there have been --

(CROSSTALK)

GOULET: I'm sorry, I'm --

ANDERSON: There have those alluding once again to 54 judicial -- I think we're struggling to hear each other --

GOULET: Yes, 54 --

ANDERSON: -- at the moment. Senator, thank you for joining us. I think -- you've been fantastic, I think you're probably struggling to hear

what I'm saying at this point. OK, that was the senator out of Paris for you.

Moving on. Saudi Arabia has historically had ties -- strong ties with the West, of course, and it's one of the key countries in the fight against

radical Islam, and particularly ISIS. But last week's public flogging of a blogger and other concerns have prompted human rights groups to raise issue

with Saudi Arabia's human rights record. Have a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON (voice-over): Peaceful opposition cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr sentenced to death for, quote, "breaking allegiance with the ruler" when he

called for greater rights for Shia.

Raif Badawi, lashed for starting a blog for the discussion of faith. The Saudi government called the website "an insult to Islam."

Human rights groups say these sentences are among some of the medieval punishments being handed down. The Saudi kingdom is a key ally in the US-

led battle against ISIS, a terror group known to decapitate, crucify, and flog its victims.

The Gulf state sees all these acts as legal forms of punishment. The government-backed Human Rights Commission says all cases are judged and in

accordance with Sharia or Islamic law.

MOHAMMED AL-MUADI, SAUDI HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION (through translator): The Kingdom will not back down on the issue of justice, the issue of

applying the rules of God, and particularly in capital cases. And no sentence is carried out without providing the full legal right to the

defendant.

ANDERSON: The country executed 87 people last year, one of the highest rates in the world, including 41 for non-violent offenses, and 37

were foreign nationals, according to Human Rights Watch.

Amnesty International has condemned the actions, describing Saudi as having, quote, "an abhorrent disregard for the most basic human rights

principles," end quote.

CNN affiliate ABS-CBN reported last month that Saudi authorities beheaded Filipino native Carlito Lana for killing his employer. His family

says he acted in self defense. One activist group in the Philippines says the case shows migrant workers' rights are not protected.

For human rights defenders working towards change, they, too, face consequences. Peaceful reform activist Waleed Abu al-Khair was sentenced

last July to 15 years in prison for, quote, "inciting general disorder against the government." He denied the charge, tweeting, "God, history,

and people will make the true judgment between us."

And now, for those within the conservative country still daring to speak out, a very public example.

AL-MUADI (through translator): Raif Badawi and others with charges against them are afforded all legal rights, including the right to

attorney.

ANDERSON: The activist will be whipped 50 times every Friday until he completes a 1,000-lash sentence simply for voicing an opinion.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: From Abu Dhabi at 41 minutes past 8:00, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson. Coming up, the UN takes up the chaotic

situation in Libya, where relentless violence just one of many factors affecting the global price of oil. That coming up.

And the world weighs in on Charlie Hebdo's decision to publish another cover cartoon of Mohammed. Up next, hear what one famous professional

footballer has to say about that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: This is CNN, CONNECT THE WORLD, with me, Becky Anderson, 44 minutes past 8:00 for you. Let's just head over to Wall Street for a

moment. I want to get you up-to-date on what is going on there.

The Dow and stocks still in the red after taking what was a deep dive right at the opening bell, 200-odd points down. You can see there, well

below that 18,000 level at 17,395. Just about 1.25 percent off as weak December retail sales and earnings seem to be scaring investors.

It's dropping even further as the morning in New York comes to an end. Coming on the heels, of course, of stocks falling in Europe, London taking

the biggest hit, the FTSE down well over 2 percent.

Libya, a country in chaos, and right now, delegates for the United Nations are trying to find a way out. They're hosting talks in Geneva that

involve the various factions fighting each other for control of the country.

Now, there's been violence around some of Libya's oil terminals, and it's been cited as one of the many factors impacting crude oil prices. But

considering how low oil prices are at the moment, any turmoil in Libya has clearly been offset by other factors that are driving prices lower.

Emerging markets editor John Defterios joining us now. There was a time, John, only a year or so ago, when a 50 percent drop in Libyan oil

production would have moved the markets.

JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Yes.

ANDERSON: Why not now?

DEFTERIOS: Well, it was a very tight market back in those days, and even before the fall of -- Gadhafi, when we had 1.6 million barrels, we're

one-sixth of that today, but the harsh reality is, Becky, there's just too much oil on the market. The market has about 2 million barrels of excess

surplus, most of that coming from OPEC refusing to cut at this stage.

ANDERSON: Nobody seems to be thinking long-term at the moment. I know that you've spoken to the UAE's minister for oil. How do they explain

here what is going on at present?

DEFTERIOS: Well, it seems to be a shift in the debate. It's not targeting Iran or Russia as the over-producers right now. And OPEC's even

suggesting that the shale producers are going to become the swing producers, the ones that are able to shift the market. If they want to

stay in the market produce 4 million barrels a day, it will cost this market heavily.

ANDERSON: These are the US non-traditional --

DEFTERIOS: Yes, and --

ANDERSON: -- energy supplies, yes.

DEFTERIOS: Four million barrels a day is like adding Iraq to the mix. It's quite a bit. The UAE minister at this round table that I chaired

suggesting now that the shale producers need to wake up to a new reality in the 21st century. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUHAIL AL MAZROUEI, UAE ENERGY MINISTER: Those who created this oversupply, they need to learn the lesson, as we mentioned, and adapt to

stabilizing the market. Because they are not small players anymore. Soon there will be only the shale oil to spoil the other production. In 2020,

there will be an 8 million barrels produced.

Alone, shale oil will be as big as Saudi Arabia. So, if they don't behave rationally as a group, and I know how difficult it is to make them

act rationally as a group, you cannot expect one country to do it.

It's not the fact that UAE want to maintain a certain share alone. It's the OPEC share that we want in the international market that we want

to protect. And that share by 2020 will be reduced naturally because it does not grow.

DEFTERIOS: For the collective good of OPEC, is it the right decision, though, for countries like Iran and Iraq and Algeria to go through this

much pain in the near term?

MAZROUEI: If you reduce a million or 500, the glut today in the market is about 2 million. So even if you reduce, I'm sure someone will

take that advantage and produce it, and then you will be in the problem again.

So, that decision, if it was a reduction, I would be, if we took such a decision, I think we would be -- regretting today.

DEFTERIOS: I've listened to you very carefully here. The new normal sounds like $70 a barrel, where the UAE is comfortable at.

MAZROUEI: I told you. No one from this region can dictate and is interested to dictate that price anymore. Who is going to dictate the

price? Those highest-cost producers. They always need to be on the top.

It's going to the switching on and switching off of those shale oil producers. They will produce when it's economically viable for them to

produce, and they will shut off those wells when it does not make sense.

And that is going to be the stabilized price that you will see. And no one can tell you if it's $80 or $85 or $70 or whatever is that price.

We will produce always, as long as it makes sense for us to produce.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: I'm sure the Iranians, who need more than $100 on the barrel --

DEFTERIOS: Yes.

ANDERSON: -- to balance their budgets would be interested to hear what the UAE oil minister was saying, John. President Rouhani has

commented, of course, on the oil price. It seems he's been singling out, I think, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait --

DEFTERIOS: Yes.

ANDERSON: -- as the countries that stand to lose the most.

DEFTERIOS: We were waiting to see when he was going to weigh into the debate, and that's what I thought was very interesting, the fact that he

did single out Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, suggesting, look, we're only dependent on 30 percent because we're limited by the sanctions in terms of

our overall revenues right now.

Your foreign exchange earnings are dependent on 90 percent because of oil. You're going to pay a very dear price, probably a dearer price in the

next year than we are.

And I think what we have to watch right now is the divide in OPEC. But more importantly, Becky, we're coming out of the Arab Spring upheavals.

Algeria is under pressure because of the high budgets that they have. Libya in transition right now. Yemen -- many people forget the fact that

it's an oil producer. Iraq under strain.

So, is this the right strategy to put prices down this low for a protracted period of time for market share, vis-a-vis stability in the

region, and that's a question that even Rouhani's asking tonight.

ANDERSON: Yes, the geopolitics of this are absolutely fascinating, aren't they? But as you say, rightly, a concern as well.

DEFTERIOS: Yes.

ANDERSON: John, thank you. John Defterios in the house for you this evening.

Well, Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure gives us his take tonight on what is our headline of the day: Charlie Hebdo's Mohammed cartoon. The

magazine printing a depiction once again on the new front cover. The message that he is sending to the press in an interview with Amanda, up

next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: All right. At just before five to 9:00 in Abu Dhabi, welcome back. This is CONNECT THE WORLD. You're watching CNN.

Pope Francis visiting Sri Lanka, where he gave the country its first saint. After Sri Lanka, the pope visits the Philippines, one of Asia's

most devoutly Catholic countries. Anna Coren looks at preparations made to welcome the pope and to make sure that he stays safe.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: As the Philippines prepares for the arrival of Pope Francis for what is expected to be the

largest gathering of Catholics in the world, security is at an all-time high in this Asian archipelago.

Now, more than 30,000 military and police will be deployed to his five-day visit, which has been described by the Philippines' top military

commander as the biggest security nightmare of the government. Flights will be canceled, and a no-fly zone put in place for when the pontiff

arrives on Thursday.

Now, the Philippines has reason to be concerned, if history is anything to go by. There have been two assassination attempts on popes

while visiting Manila. The first, back in 1970, when Pope Paul VI was stabbed on the tarmac by a man dressed up as a priest.

The second in 1995 when Pope John Paul II arrived for World Youth Day. Just days before, authorities foiled an al Qaeda suicide bomb attack, when

explosives detonated prematurely.

The Philippines Islamic extremist group, Abu Sayyaf, has recently pledged allegiance to ISIS, the Vatican has downplayed any rumors of an

ISIS plot, assuring that no additional security measures will be taken on this trip. The Popemobile, while heavily armored, will not have

bulletproof glass, following the wishes of Pope Francis.

Now, to give you an idea of the level of excitement, authorities are expecting up to 6 million people here in Manila for the outdoor mass to be

staged in this park, which will be a papal milestone. The largest congregation of Catholics to ever come together was here in 1995, when Pope

John Paul II gave mass, 5 million of the faithful turned up.

The Philippines has been a priority for Pope Francis ever since it was hit by the devastating Typhoon Haiyan back in 2013. He will be visiting

survivors and families of victims in Tacloban, where he will be delivering his message of mercy and compassion. He's also expected to talk about

climate change.

Social commentators believe the timing of the pope's visit is important. They are hoping that he addresses issues like social justice,

poverty, divorce, and corruption. Because they believe that for the Catholic Church to be relevant not just here in the Philippines, but around

the world, it needs to change.

Anna Coren, CNN, Manila.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Parting Shots, we give the last word to a man many people know for his sporting prowess rather than his political views. Man City

midfielder Yaya Toure, who is a Muslim, spoke to CNN's Amanda Davies about the terror attacks in Paris.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

YAYA TOURE, MIDFIELDER, MANCHESTER CITY: When you hear something like that, it's a big disappointment. I feel very sorry for the families who

lost their friend or lost their father or their husband.

Of course, I have a friend in Paris. I have people who I work with. They'll all be confused, and they'll all be afraid, because as a Muslim, I

have a friend there, they are Muslim as well. I'm afraid what's going to happen.

Everybody has a point of view. Everybody has something to say about it. And of course, as a newspaper, it tries to say something. But

sometimes you hurt people, and --

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: You're talking about the depiction of the Prophet Mohammed in the cartoon?

TOURE: All is wrong in these things, you know what I mean? Because I was here when they were writing things like that in the cartoon, with a

couple of people coming around and tried to get them to stop. And after it will continue, and after we hear about they do these horrible things. It's

always sad.

DAVIES: Does it offend you, that cartoon?

TOURE: As Muslim, I always believe in the way that people can say what they want to say. For me, the most things -- the most important

things are we know something sometimes the newspapers are doing a lot and they're trying to do too much. And sometimes they do it with no respect.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: You can watch the full interview on "World Sport" later today. That is, of course, only on CNN. Get in touch with us, always want

to hear from you, facebook.com/CNNconnect, have your say, @BeckyCNN is where you'll find me on Twitter. Also on Instagram, just search for Becky

and CNN.

Thank you for watching. From the team here in the UAE, it is a very good evening.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END