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Connect the World

Aired October 27, 2015 - 11:00 ET

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

Syrian Christians Welcome Russian Airstrikes, Hope for Peace; Beatles 1 Album Remastered and Rereleased; Kurdish YPG Defends Regained Territory

from ISIS; Transformations: Turning Eiffel Tower Green.>

[11:00:14] BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: On the front line in northern Syria. Kurdish fighters are defending their hard won gains from the threat of

ISIS. I'm going to get you a report from inside Syria coming up.

And elsewhere in that country, hundreds of thousands have fled their homes, some now live here in the UAE. We'll speak with the archbishop of

Aleppo about what can be done to protect the war-torn country's Christian minority.

And after the quake, Afghanistan responds to the destruction left behind by the 7.5 magnitude tremor as the death toll rises. We'll speak to

the country's chief executive, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah in just a moment.

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

ANDERSON: A very good evening from the UAE at just after 7:00 here. We begin tonight on the front lines against ISIS in Syria. The U.S.

military says it's intensifying the fight with an expanded air campaign to support local forces battling ISIS on the ground

Now they are planning to advance on the very heart of ISIS operations, including its headquarters in Raqqa. Kurdish forces are playing a key role

in the fight. Lightly armed and poorly equipped they've still managed to drive ISIS from much of their territory in the north. They're now on

patrol around the clock determined to hold their ground.

Well, CNN's Clarissa Ward has been touring the front lines held by the Kurds in Hasakah Province. She joins us now live from Irbil in neighboring

Iraq.

Clarissa, what did you find?

CLARISSA WARD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, it was just a few weeks ago that the U.S. airdropped 50 tons of ammunition to a

new coalition of Syrian Arab and Kurdish groups fighting against ISIS together on the front lines inside Syria.

We spent time with the main group in that coalition, the Kurdish YPG. And they told us they are going to need much more than that from the U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: These men are at the core of America's latest strategy to defeat ISIS. Manning positions along a

vast and desolate front line with ISIS entrenched in villages just through the haze. They're fighters with the YPG, a force of roughly 30,000 Syrian-

Kurds which backed by coalition air power has dealt decisive blows to Islamic state militants across northern Syria -- the commander in charge of

this front line position in the city of Hasaka, which the YPG took from ISIS in August after months of fierce clashes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They tried to attack us again ten days ago. We were prepared so they didn't reach their target.

WARD: But they keep trying. ISIS has control of the next village along which is just over a mile in that direction. But the men at this base tell

us that ISIS fighters often o at night to that building just over there so they can launch attacks on these positions. The U.S. hopes that the YPG

will soon move from defense to offense, taking the fight to ISIS' strong hold in Raqqa, but with makeshift bases across frontline, the fighters we

saw were lightly armed, poorly equipped, and exhausted by months of fighting. And Senior Commander Lawand knows the battles ahead will be even

tougher. Can you take Raqqa without heavier weapons from the coalition?

COMMANDER LAWAND, YPG: The weapons we have are not high quality. For this campaign we'll need new heavy weapons.

WARD: The most important weapon they do have but don't want to talk to about is this device, which helps the YPG get the exact coordinates for

enemy positions. Those coordinates are sent to a joint U.S.- Kurdish operations room and minutes later, fighter jets come screaming in. Rezwan

told us he was given a week of training before using the device. Who trained you how to use this?

REZWAN, YPG FIGHTER: Believe me, I can't say, when you finish the training, it's a secret, but they weren't speaking Kurdish.

WARD: A mystery as is so much of the unfolding U.S. strategy in this critical corner of Syria.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WARD: The main reason the U.S. has been so circumspect about its support for the YPG is because the group works very closely with its

Turkish counterpart the PKK. And the PKK, Becky, is branded a terrorist organization and Turkey has said that it really sees the PKK as the primary

domestic threat against its stability.

[11:05:13] ANDERSON: We've said it before, and we'll say it again, this is a multi-layered conflict. The nuance, though, is incredibly

important. Clarissa, thank you.

All this week, CNN senior international correspondent Clarissa Ward bringing you a series of reports from northern Syria. She visits the areas

newly liberated from ISIS, yet still vulnerable and meets the people who are defending the front lines. That is only on CNN.

Well, in the coming hours, diplomats from nine nations will begin talks in Paris on bringing about a political transition in Syria. France

is hosting its western and Arab allies for what it calls a, quote, working dinner.

Meanwhile, Russian state media report officials in Moscow say they met with members of the Free Syrian Army. The reports did not name any

specific participants. And the U.S.-backed rebel group has denied any such meeting took place.

CNN's international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson joining us now from Moscow. Confusing messages, Nic. Is it any clearer who met with whom

and why?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It isn't. Certainly, the Free Syrian Army are stating very clearly that they haven't met with

Russian officials here in Moscow, but at the foreign ministry here they say that they are meeting with people all the time, that they've met with

people that they believe were the Free Syrian Army that this is a process that they're going through to figure out who essentially they say are the

terrorists and who aren't.

What Russia is trying to do here is to define every single party inside Syria as either a terrorist or fighting terrorists. This appears to

be their strategy that you hear from both Russia, you hear from President Bashar al-Assad today that there can be no political progress inside Syria

until all the terrorists are defeated. And we hear criticism as well coming this afternoon, again, from the foreign minister, of Sergey Lavrov,

saying that America doesn't seem to be able to tell amongst its allies who are the terrorists and who are not. That's what Sergey Lavrov, the foreign

minister here, is saying.

Russia seems to be wanting to take this fight in Syria and define it as those who are terrorists and those who are opposed to them. Those who

oppose the terrorists join this broad anti-terrorist coalition that Russia is spearheading, along with President Bashar al-Assad. That seems to be

the direction.

The Russians, it seems, in the case of the Free Syrian Army, are still trying to figure out who they're speaking to.

ANDERSON: Right.

Nic, how does Russian strategy at this point, and the narrative out of Moscow, play into what is going on in France tonight, which is a dinner, a

working dinner, we are told, hosting western and Arab allies?

Clearly, everybody at this stage working towards, we are told at least, a political transition, or the beginnings of that. How close are

we, if at all?

ROBERTSON: It appears there's been, as we've seen, a flurry of international diplomatic activity, and this seems to be spurred by Russia's

military action in Syria And Russia's more recent political initiatives. Sergey Lavrov meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Vienna

last week.

You now have France hosting its Gulf allies. Turkey, as well, is in there,

around the table.

The appearance is created that the initiatives that Russia is pushing, they say today President Putin spoke with the Saudi king, King Salman, that

there is a possibility, according to state media here, that the Saudi king could be coming on a visit to Moscow, that there have been conversations

ongoing with Egypt.

That what's happening in Paris is a reaction to figure out a response and how to deal with the Russian initiative.

And we've been told here by the foreign ministry that you have the former French president Nicholas Sarkozy here on a private visit Wednesday,

tomorrow, and you have Sergey Lavrov in a press conference this afternoon, talking about a another meeting in Vienna later this week to discuss on

Friday, in fact, to discuss the Syrian issue.

Last Friday, of course, John Kerry, U.S. Secretary of State, said that they would be meeting again in a week's time.

So, there is a lot of diplomatic activity going on. What it's going to come to, Becky, we don't know.

[11:10:03] ANDERSON: Nic Robertson is in Moscow for you.

And still to come tonight -- thank you, Nic -- why Russia's intervention in Syria is being welcomed by Christian leaders there.

We're going to talk to an archbishop in Aleppo and hear why he views Putin as a protector. That's just ahead.

And we speak to Afghanistan's chief executive next, as the death toll from

Monday's powerful earthquake continues to rise.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Welcome back. This is Connect the World with me, Becky Anderson.

Now, once again, there is disturbing cell phone footage of what appears to be heavy-handed policing in the United States.

Often, these videos go viral, giving the public an eyewitness view of incidents that would otherwise not be seen. The latest shot in a South

Carolina classroom shows a law enforcement officer manhandling a student.

CNN's Jason Carroll has the story that has, it seems, touched a nerve, once again.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN FIELDS, S.C. SHERIFF'S DEPUTY: Are you going to come with me or I'm going to make you?

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: South Carolina sheriff's deputy Ben Fields, seen here, is on administrative duty this morning after his violent

takedown of a high school student was caught on camera Monday afternoon. You can see the sheriff's deputy tossing a female student to the ground

after she refused to get up from her desk, then throwing her across the classroom floor.

FIELDS: Put your hands behind your back. Give me your hands. Give me your hands.

LT. CURTIS WILSON, RICHLAND COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT: We don't want everyone to rush to judgment but we also feel that the video was very, very

disturbing.

CARROLL: According to police, the Richland County student was asked to leave the classroom. When she refused, Fields was called in to arrest her

for disturbing class. School officials say the video is, quote, extremely disturbing, and has banned the deputy from all district schools pending an

investigation.

The sheriff's department, who's also looking into the matter, says it's still unclear what happened before the camera started rolling.

[11:15:23] WILSON: We'll have to look at this in its totality to understand exactly what happened. Is this a pattern? Is this something that

he's done before?

CARROLL: The deputy has been the subject of two lawsuits in the last ten years. In 2007 a couple claimed he used excessive force in questioning

them about a noise complaint. The husband says Fields slammed him to the ground, cuffed him and began kicking him. But the jury ruled in Fields'

favor in 2010.

In 2013 a student claimed Fields falsely accused the teen of being involved in a gang, the school expelling him. That lawsuit is ongoing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you see a video like what we've seen earlier today, it certainly alarms you and makes you a little bit afraid of what is

actually happening within our schools.

[08:15:05] CARROLL: The deputy has been working for the school district for seven years and was recently awarded the Culture of Excellence

Award in 2014 for proving to be what they say was an exceptional role model to the students.

(EXPLETIVE DELETED)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: The UAE at just after quarter past 7:00. We're taking a very short break. Back after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN DEFTERIOS, EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Enter the world of a luxury lifestyle on a tiny scale complete with ding rooms, Porsche sports cars and

landscaped gardens. It's the craft of this man, Danny Becheroni (ph) and a team of 560 tradesmen, who make property models for a living.

Becheroni (ph) was an early mover in this space, having established his workshop here in Dubai back in 1990 just when the Emirates started to

open up to the outside world.

This is a business where attention to detail and discretion are at a premium. Models help the developers see their vision come to life. For

example, the W Hotel being built in Dubai and Becheroni's (ph) latest piece of work.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Model maker is like the psychic of the world, basically, but with confidentiality, cannot speak about it. You can see it

(inaudible) but he can't talk about it.

DEFTERIOS: Models range from $5,000 to $10,000 per square meter. His most expensive project cost over $5 million.

What's the personality or the profile of the person can that can work in this sort of detail of the work that you do?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We give them the hand test. Not shaking when they start. But they have to have the passion for details and creativity.

DEFTERIOS: And he's a stickler for setting the right tone with lighting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Each floor, we don't light up a model we just put one tube of light inside. Each floor actually lighted up separately

because that's reality.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, we sent all the files drafting, cutting files for the craftsman teams.

DEFTERIOS: Production manager Shaman Dali (ph) oversees the painstaking

process.

UNIDENITIFIED MALE: These are cut all by lasers.

DEFTERIOS: The latest laser and 3D printing technology helps keep the assembly line moving.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We use the (inaudible) which is very good and which is long-lasting paint.

DETERIOS: Becheroni (ph) has people on call every day to ship and assemble these high-end models for viewing.

UINIDENTIIFED MALE: Any given point of time, we have 20 people somewhere in the world installing a model.

DETERIOS: The stakes are high.

Here's the ruler of Dubai and his son, the crown prince, taking in a 3D model at an annual property show. Multi-Billion dollar projects that

Becheroni (ph) says can live or die based on a viewing.

I would imagine the pressure to deliver a perfect model, you have a sheikh looking at a big project, is essentially. It's a very delicate

business.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is the worst times of my life, when we have a presentation or an exhibition, because the model is not here, doesn't

matter how big the standard is, it's useless.

DEFTERIOS: Like the real property business, model making suffers from peaks and troughs. But with $120 million in annual turnover, this is

certainly not child's play.

John Deterios, One Square Meter, Dubai.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: You're watching Connect the World. I'm Becky Anderson. The top stories here on CNN.

And the aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres says airstrikes have hit one of its health clinics in Yemen. It says the facility in the northern

town of Haydan is 99 percent destroyed. No casualties are reported as of yet.

Funerals have taken place for 13 Afghan school children killed in Monday's powerful earthquake near the border with Pakistan. Across the

region, at least 345 people have been killed and nearly 2,000 are injured. The 7.5 magnitude quake was felt as far away as India and Tajikistan.

Christians are among the millions of people who have fled the war in Syria. They've been driven out by the rise of extremist groups there.

Hundreds of thousands are estimated to have fled with many going elsewhere in the Middle East as you are well aware, like right here in the UAE.

CNN has attended a service by the Syrian Orthodox Church in Dubai to find out their thoughts on the conflict.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NATHANIEL YUSUF, SYRIAN CHRISTIAN: I'm Bishop Nathaniel Yusuf, the patriarchal vicar of the Syrian Orthodox Church in the Arabian Gulf.

Our community comes from the Middle East, most of them are Syrian. It is important for our community to have a base, as some have lost everything

back in Syria, including loved ones. Therefore, it is essential for them to meet and pray for peace and support each other.

After the liturgy, people get together in the hall and socialize with one another.

SARAH: My name is Sarah. I have just arrived from Aleppo, from Syria. We're one of the original people of the land. We just want to

stick to our land. We don't want to leave and to go. So, that's why we want this war to be ended. We don't want to scatter all over the world.

Honestly, it's not about ISIS or something, there is terrorists, they are

killing people from where they come, who they are, that's not the issue. These innocent people are killed. Why?

YUSUF: We are all Syrian, Christian or Muslim. We suffer as a people, not as a Christian. What we hope to forget what happened. It's

very difficult. But we can try. We can try it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: And the situation has only been getting worse for many of those who have stayed behind, of course. Since the beginning of this month

alone, the United Nations estimates that at least another 120,000 people have been displaced by fighting. In Aleppo, and two neighboring provinces

in the north of Syria, hundreds of kilometers from Damascus, the Syrian army has been mounting a major offensive to retake rebel-held areas. It's

backed up by the massive punch of the Russian air force.

Well, that's got people there caught between life under ISIS and the encroaching offensive, which activists say has been directly targeting

civilians, as well.

I want to get you a sense of life then on the ground there. We're joined now by Jean-Clement Jeanbart who is Greek Melchite Catholic

Archbishop of Aleppo tonight, coming to you from Beirut.

Archbishop, thank you for joining us.

You said in the past that Christians have suffered horrific persecution at the hands of ISIS. How bad are things for Christians in

Syria today?

JEAN-CLEMENT JEANBART, REEK MECHITE CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP OF ALEPPO: The Christians in Syria today are afraid of what is happen and what is

going on, because they wonder if they will lose their land, their home, and this country where they were living since the beginning of Christian life.

2,000 years, they have been in this land. 2,000 years, they have fought to

stay in, and myself as a pastor, with a good number of other pastors and clergy and lay people, feeling their duties to continue and to stay are

fighting to reach peace and fighting to remain in the country. We feel...

ANDERSON: All right.

JEANBART: ...very sad to see what happened, and we have seen our city of Aleppo, which was one of the most important cities in this region, for

hundreds and hundreds of years, destroyed and reduced to misery.

This is a big...

ANDERSON: Russia...

JEANBART: ...suffering for us, for our people, for everybody.

ANERSON: Yeah.

JEANBART: You may talk about....

ANDERSON: Let me ask you this question, sir...

JEANBART: ...and we suffer.

Yes, please?

ANDERSON: Sorry.

JEANBART: Yes?

ANDERSON: Sorry, yes, let me put this to you because you were talking about

the casualties, the persecution. Russia has been stepping up its bombing campaign over Syria. Just last weekend, its defense ministry says that

Russian planes flew more than 160 missions, 94 on Monday alone, and that was a record. That's been adding to the destruction on the ground there,

of course.

Despite the risk to civilians that brings, you've been welcoming Russian air strikes, even calling them a source of, quote, hope. Why do

you use that term?

JEANBART: I'll say that I cannot see what would be the issue. But what is happening now is very sad. On Sunday evening mass in Aleppo, in a

large cathedral, two bombs destroyed a part of it. We have had five people injured. Thank

God, no casualties, but people were really afraid and scared about what happened.

And this is a daily thing we're facing -- bombing, mortars, pounds (ph) and it makes people very, very sad. And it makes us very scared about

the future.

We are trying to do our best...

ANDERSON: You have appealed to...

JEANBART: ...to stop the fear of our people.

Yes?

ANDERSON: I know that you have appealed to The UK...

JEANBART: We are doing what we can...

ANDERSON: ...government.

JEANBART: Yeah, I have...

ANDERSON: You've appealed to the UK government to stop backing what you refer to as -- yeah.

Go on, sir.

JEANBART: Yes. I have asked them -- and I ask everybody, all the countries of Europe, and even United States, to stop funding and stop

sending weapons and arms, and to push all parts to get together and find an understanding and find an

agreement and a reconciliation. That's what we need. We need that, all of us, Christian and Muslims, as well.

There are many Muslims who are moderates, and want peace and want to live with Christians. All the same for the Christians.

ANDERSON: all right.

JEANBART: They love their brothers Muslims and like to live with them. But to reach that, we need really peace. Peace is the most

important thing we are looking for.

ANDERSON: OK. Let's -- let's talk about how you might find peace. Do you believe that peace will be found with a President Bashar al-Assad

government going forward?

JEANBART: It may be found in all ways, with his presence, perhaps without his presence. This, I do not know, and I cannot decide about it.

This issue is not an issue that myself or anyone in the country can talk about because we do not

know which will be the best to do.

We feel that the regime, even though it has many, you know, many mistakes and many, perhaps many things which we do not like, but for the

time being, we feel that he is pluralistic, he is civilian, he doesn't make difference between denominations and confessions. And this is important

for the future.

Anyone who will come in the future should be in this line, to accept, to let people live as they like, and to make their choices and be free to

believe in the beliefs they think that are the best in their conscious and in their heart.

ANDERSON: OK, sir. Do you believe -- or do have sympathy or empathy with the groups who oppose President Assad? I know, that you've appealed

to the UK government to stop funding or helping those on the ground who oppose President Assad. I mean, these are -- these people are genuine

grievances against the president and, yet, you say he's pluralistic, you say he is a man for all people and religions. That doesn't sit well with

many people in Syria.

Many people in Syria say they'd rather -- they're more fearful of Assad than they are of ISIS, for example. Do you sympathize with those

Syrians?

JEANBART: With ISIS? No, of course I do not sympathize with ISIS. I do not sympathize with anyone who wants to exclude others. The exclusion

is something I refuse.

I feel very close to the people who want to make reforms and to make change in the country, but accepting and agreeing that we may live in

brothers and equality in this country.

Any group who feels like that who to work in this direction, I support it.

ANDERSON: Christianity has a long and very rich -- Christianity has a long and very rich history in the Middle East. There are millions of

Christians across the region, from the Egyptian capital to as we saw earlier right here in the UAE.

In fact, many of the stories from the bible are set in places not far away from where the fighting is. Sir, what do you see as the future for

Christians living there?

Will they be able to return to peace in Syria?

JEANBART: I'm afraid that those who are far away and are already rooted in the countries where there have been, places like the United

States, Australia, will find it difficult to go back, that the people who went to Lebanon or Egypt or Turkey or other places in Syria, they will come

back. They will come back because Syria and Aleppo is a rich country, and rich city, and it has a very long history.

We have been the first Christian to be baptized. We have been baptized in the day of the Pentecost, just after the apostles, they were

pilgrims from Syria, the Jews of Syria, used to go for Pentecost to Jerusalem every year.

And this year of the Christian Pentecost, there were thousands.

And the act of the apostles in the bible tells us that 3,000 of them were baptized. And these are the first Christians go back to their cities

in Syria and begin the life of the church.

St. Paul owes us his conversion, he owes us his baptism, he owes us his priesthood. And we sent him in mission from Syria.

Syria has been very significant in the history of the church, and Syria is a holy land because our history and our archives speak about 19

million Christians died for the faith in this country in 2,000 years. OK. It's very important, and this land is holy land, holy land, because it has

been baptized by the blood of millions of Christians who didn't accept to negate Christ.

[11:40:22] ANDERSON: Yeah. And with that, we'll leave it there. We really do very much appreciate you.

JEANBART: It's very important...

ANDERSON: A very emotional archbishop of Aleppo joining us tonight from

Beirut, and rightly so. Thank you, sir, very much, indeed.

Live from Abu Dhabi, this is Connect the World. Coming up, it's an iconic sight on the Paris skyline. And now, the Eiffel Tower is going

green. We take a look at the installation of wind turbines at France's top tourist attraction, next in Transformations.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NEIL CURRY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: 100 years after the French Revolution, the Eiffel Tower provided an architectural revolution of

its own, which transformed the skyline of Paris. It rose from the banks of the River Seine in 1889 to become the world's tallest building.

Originally designed to stand for just 20 years, it was condemned by many as an eyesore, which should be torn down.

126 years later, the tower is affectionately known in France as La Dame de Fer, the Iron Lady. And its citizens would surely revolt once more

if anyone tried to change it.

But that's exactly what happened.

CELIA BLAUEL, DEPUTY MAYOR: The city of Paris, we are really in mind to go to shift Paris to a low carbon and more equal city so we are

definitely into transformation right now.

CURRY: The city is preparing to host a climate change conference COP21. And has set itself on a green path, encouraging the use of

electronic cars, solar panels and wind power.

As the most recognizable symbol of Paris, the Eiffel Tower is expected to play its part.

[11:45:18] SEBASTIEN REINIER, PROJECT MANAGER OR ENVIRONMENT, SET: We decided to explore the possibilities to make this monument a greener

monument, and the wind turbine were obvious. The question is now why? But it's why not.

CURRY: The tower's operating company turned to a renewable energy firm in New York to design the turbines.

JAN GROMADZKI, SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER: Getting two wind turbines up there and installed was going to be a bit difficult. So our goal for this

project was to make sure it happened smoothly and successfully.

CURRY: The Eiffel Tower is the worlds most popular paid entry tourist attraction, around 7 million visitors a year. To avoid disruption to such a

flow of footsteps, the installation work had to be carried out overnight.

REINIER: So the challenge was to fix a rope and lift each plate one by one from the garden 100 meters downstairs. We have to do this very slowly,

because of the wind.

CURRY: The turbines produce about 10,000 kilowatt hours each year, generating enough electricity to power the tower's first floor shops.

GROMADZKI: One of our turbines could actually offset most of the energy for a small home for people in the U.S. Obviously when you're

looking at a structure that consumes as much power as 3,000 people it's kind of a small drop in the water.

CURRY: But the project's main impact was always intended to be symbolic.

BLAUEL: I think at first it was a bit of a surprise for people in the city of Paris. We all have to get involved in the new movement. So, I think

this is really the symbol of Paris getting (inaudible).

CURRY: A (inaudible) green message showcased on one of the world's most iconic buildings.

Neil Curry, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:50:18] ANDERSON: China has issued a terse statement aimed at the United States after a U.S. navy destroyer passed close to an artificial

island in a disputed area of the South China Sea.

Describing the move as illegal, China said its sovereignty had been threatened. Will Ripley is at the U.S. naval base in Yokosuka in Japan,

and he sent this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Strategically, this is a very important base of operations for the United States navy here in Japan.

Yokosuka naval base is the home port for the USS Lawson, that naval destroyer that passed within 12 nautical miles of that man-made island that

the Chinese government built some 600 miles from its shores in the South China Sea.

Now, this area, the Spratly Islands, has been in dispute for quite some time. China claims it has long-standing claims to this territory and

that's why they have no regrets for going in there, building up these artificial islands, even putting in an airstrip, raising a lot of concerns

in the region that China is trying to militarize these islands, take control and change the whole geopolitical structure of the Asia-Pacific

region.

There's also a territorial dispute brewing in the East China Sea, the Senkaku Diaoyu Islands, that's between the Chinese and Japanese government.

And both of these flashpoints have really been a major source of concern for the United States, which, of course, is bound by treaty to

protect Japan. They have a lot of military resources in this area. And they are patrolling to try to

maintain the situation, as they see fit.

So, the U.S. says they're going to continue what they call freedom of navigation patrols, where they're putting their warships close to these

artificial islands that China says are their sovereign territory.

The Chinese government, very strongly opposing these actions, saying what the United States is doing is illegal. The U.S. says they're acting

within the boundaries of international law because they don't recognize China's claim to these territories.

How both governments handle this in the coming months will be critical. Will the situation escalate, or will they be able to work out

some sort of compromise?

Will Ripley, CNN, Yokosuka naval base, Japan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, the drama on the high seas of the South China Sea has nothing on the storyline of the highly anticipated new spy thriller. Of

course, I am talking about...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIEL CRAIG, ACTOR: Bond, James Bond.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Yes, the latest installment in the Bond series, Spectre, is long overdue for fans of the franchise. On Monday in London, the stars of

the film hit the red carpet for the world premiere. CNN London correspondent Max Foster talked with lead actor Daniel Craig on living up

to the success of the series. And there was a couple of stole the spotlight from the stars. Have a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You had no authority. None. Mexico City, what were you doing there?

MAX FOSTER, CNN LONDON CORRESPONDENT: Well, an epic movie in an epic franchise, and obviously an epic premiere to match here in London. The

question is, can "Specter" possibly meet up to expectations when Skyfall the predecessor, was critically acclaimed and commercially successful as

well.

That was a question I put to the leading man, Daniel Craig.

DANIEL CRAIG, ACTOR: We just set out to make the best movie we possibly could. We had so much momentum with Skyfall and you've got to use

that momentum and you've got to try and do better.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bond offers one of the last remaining opportunities for truly epic film making on a real scale, which is not

computer generated. It's done for real, real special effects, real stunts. And there's a tradition, isn't there, about the first 10 minutes of the

Bond movies now, the bar is set really high.

SAM SMITH, SINGER: Lyrically, I tried to catch what the film is about. So hopefully, it will collide very nicely and work together.

I just wanted it to be an epic love song. And also I wanted to add a little bit of vulnerability to the character.

(MUSIC)

FOSTER: Well, a massive guest list and topped by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, and you can see them on the screen as

they're meeting people involved and the various charities involved.

(voice-over): But the critics generally like this movie. They think it fits well into the genre, this massive, global franchise. But now it's out

on general release, and we're getting a sense about what the public thinks. Will it be commercially successful?

Max Foster, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Next month, several newly remastered versions of the recordbreaking album The Beatles 1 will be released 15 years after the

original compilation.

(MUSIC)

[11:55:14] ANDERSON: The new Beatles 1 album comes with dozens of digitally

enhanced videos. You can see from this clip, the restored video is on the left., the original is on the right. It will also have other rare Beatles

footage.

The director of many of the music videos, including "Hey Jude," spoke to CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL LINDSAY-HOGG, BEATLES VIDEO DIRECTOR: After 50 years, the Beatles, their music, their work and their images are as strong as they've

ever been. You can't beat them. The work that's been done on the release of the videos is really

great. The images have been restored beautifully. They look great. The sound has been worked on to perfection, viewing and listening to the videos

is really a great experience. I know a lot of them. I directed them myself.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: New version of the album is set to be released on November the 6th.

Well, before we go this evening, a reminder of what is a special series on our Facebook page this week. Our top story tonight, the brutal

conflict in Syria has been a top story, hasn't it, for nearly four years. It's forced millions of people to flee their homes and seek refuge in

neighboring countries. Many of them are kids. These films, you can see, were made by Syrian and Palestinian refugee kids. Each night, this week,

we'll be bringing you one of eight movies, which premiered at the Charges International Children's Film Festival here in the UAE.

Watch the movies, exclusively on our Facebook page. Head to Facebook.com/cnnconnect. As always, you can let us know your thoughts and

your comments.

I'm Becky Anderson. That was Connect the World. From the team here, it's a very good evening.

END