Return to Transcripts main page
Connect the World
Egyptian Authorities Crackdown Ahead of Anniversary of Tahrir; U.S. Presidential Contenders Hit Campaign Trail A Week Ahead of Iowa Caucus; President Rouhani Makes First State Visit To Europe in 16 Years. Aired 11:00a-12:00p ET
Aired January 25, 2016 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:15] LYNDA KINKADE, HOST: Ready to do business: Iran looks to update its aging fleet of commercial planes. And President Rouhani has
landed in Italy making the first state visit to Europe by an Iranian leader in 16 years. A report from Tehran coming up.
Also ahead, one week to go. U.S. presidential contenders hit the campaign trail hard just seven days before the crucial Iowa caucuses. We'll
be live in Des Moines later in the show.
Also ahead...
(BEIGN VIDEO CLIP)
STAN GRANT, JOURNALIST: My people die young in this country. We die ten years younger than average Australians and we are far from free.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: An impassioned speech by a prominent Australian journalist. We'll have more on the viral video about his country's record on indigenous
rights coming up this hour.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is Connect the World.
KINKADE: But first we start with the war in Syria and peace talks between
the warring parties were supposed to get underway in Geneva on Monday. But the UN special envoy now says they have been pushed back and will start
Friday. He says discussions are continuing over who should be invited to represent the opposition.
On the ground, the violence rages on and so does the human suffering. These images are said to show the aftermath of recent fighting in the city
of Aleppo.
CNN's Nick Paton Walsh has been following the Syrian conflict and joins us now from Beirut in neighboring Lebanon. And The UN special envoy
for Syria is said that every day lost is a lost day for a ceasefire.
How challenging is it to bring the relevant parties together to find a political resolution?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this really was kind of the zero hour where many felt that increasing international
pressure and perhaps increasingly similar scripts bar the fate of Assad between Washington and Moscow here might yield something, but last-minute
hurdles, everybody seeming to disagree on who should be the invitees list.
Now what we heard today from Staffan de Mistura, the special envoy, was basically a message that said this train is going to leave anyway on
Friday. Either you're on it or off it. And if you're off it, you might not be able to influence where it goes.
So, the notion, really, I think, is that they will pretty much invite everybody apart from those groups listed by the UN security council as
terrorist organizations, and then hope that they are worried about being left out of
the process.
But some may not show, some may walk out. He's using very vague language
about quite where this is supposed to go. Here's what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STAFFAN DE MISTURA, UN SPECIAL ENVOY TO SYRIA: We are going to aim at the proximity talks starting on the 29th and ongoing for six months on a
staggered chronological proximity approach. That will be the way we try to make it different from the past. This is not Geneva III, this is leading
to what we hope will be a Geneva success story if we are able to push it forward.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALSH: Now, what does that mean? Proximity talks? Well, it means that you're probably not going to see the different groups, even perhaps
those in the opposition who don't agree with each other necessarily in the same room or even the same hotel. It might simply mean that they are
brought to the same area Mr. de Mistura will shuffle between them trying to work out common ground.
And the first three weeks, that will be the most intense approach that I hope perhaps certainly John Kerry, the U.S. secretary of state hopes that
maybe the process will begin to define itself and people will be scared to be left out.
But the key question is who is going to attend, meeting tomorrow in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, between opposition groups. That may solidify
their position, but there have been such many last-minute changes of position or new red lines drawn that I think many are concerned you may see
key parties not show up on Friday and that could undermine the process overall.
KINKADE: And Nick, speaking of John Kerry, the U.S. secretary of state, did
reach out to foreign ministers from both Russia and Saudi Arabia. Do you have any indication about how those talks are going or what was said?
WALSH: Well, there was a lot of last-minute closed door telephone calls made. There were indications, certainly, from people I was talking
to ahead of this announcement that perhaps they may not know when it was going to occur at all, when the talks were going to occur at all, but it
seems to have been last-minute phone calls between John Kerry, Sergei Lavrov, his Russian counterpart, that may have been to design pressure or
perhaps sent to be on the same page. Let's just hold the talks and see who is willing to show up and invite pretty much everyone that we can.
But the key question you have to ask yourself is what has this last ground standing done to those who will actually attend? There's been
criticism reports that perhaps John Kerry pressured some of the Syrian opposition into attending. Maybe they didn't like that.
We know certainly the Russians don't want to be at the same table as Jaesh al-Islam (ph), one of the key opposition groups who they consider to
be terrorists.
It's a frantic mess, but I think the notion here is they believe if they push forward and just start a process, maybe people won't want to be
left out of it and will show up -- Lynda.
[11:05:15] KINKADE: OK, Nick Paton Walsh in Beirut, Lebanon. Thank you very much.
Well, now to an historic visit that is as much about deals as diplomacy. Iran's president has started his first foreign trip since
international sanctions were lifted on his country just over a week ago.
Hassan Rouhani arrived in Rome accompanied by more than 100 business leaders and ministers amid high hopes on both sides of multibillion dollar
contracts being signed.
CNN's senior international correspondent Frederik Pleitgen is covering us
from Tehran. And Fred, it's just over a week since the sanctions were lifted. It seems Iran is moving rather quickly to build business
relationships.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, they certainly are. They are moving extremely quickly. And if you see that
this is a very fast trip by President Hassan Rouhani where he's trying to get these business relationships going. There's talks, for instance,
medium to small-sized Italian businesses investing in Iran, also a lot of French oil companies apparently
try to get in on the hydrocarbon sector. This is certainly something where the Iranians
are trying to move foreign investment into this country along as fast as possible.
Now, one of the sectors that the Iranians have identified as being in dire need of foreign investment is their airline sector. They want to buy
planes. They also want foreign investment, for instance, in their airports. But they also want additional airlines to fly over here into
Iran. For the very first time in a long time there has been an international airline conference that took place here in Tehran with people
from the industry from around the globe. And here's what happened there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PLEITGEN (voice- over): A high end video produced by Iran's Civil Aviation Authority. As the country looks to drastically modernize its air
travel sector in a CNN interview, the Transport minister outlined ambitious goals.
ABBAS AHMAD AKHOUNDI, IRANIAN TRANSPORT MINISTER: I'm seeing that Iran Air will compete within five to seven years with all the regional
airlines.
PLEITGEN: Years of sanctions have devastated Iran's airlines and even its aircraft are old and unsafe because of a shortage of spare parts. But
at one of the first major international airline conferences in Tehran, companies from all over the world are scoping out what they hope could be a
dynamic new market.
(On camera): Iranian authorities believe that they will need hundreds of new planes in the coming years. Not just to meet the demand of its
citizens, but also for the millions of tourists they believe could be coming here soon.
(Voice-over): Iran is looking to buy more than 100 aircraft from both Boeing and Airbus and the minister in charge says that is just the
beginning.
AKHOUNDI: We think we need about 100 short-range fleet for our local flight. And for national flight and international flight about 400 fleet
that can do the -- long-range air flights.
PLEITGEN: But because Iran's economy is highly dependent on oil, the drop in international crude prices could hamper Iran's plans for a large
scale modernization of its air, road and rail infrastructure.
While some believe that could also affect development of the tourism sector, Iran's Tourism minister tells me the country will be ready for a
major influx of foreign visitors.
"The price of oil has a big effect on our economy," he says. "But 90 percent of our investment in tourism is done by the private sector and the
private sector started investing even during the sanctions."
For years, international sanctions have made Iran's airlines some of the most unsafe in the world. Now Tehran is keen to leave behind its
troubled aviation past and get its fleet and airports up to speed.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PLEITGEN: And if you look at the amount of delegates that were there and the amount of companies from which delegates were there, you can see
that many of these international companies do view Iran as a possibly very, very dynamic market going forward.
And one of the other interesting things, Lynda, that happened on the sidelines of that conference is that the transport minister also announced
that Iran was seriously looking into direct flights between Iran and the United States. Of course, that would be a gigantic step considering the
political situation that still is the reality between these two countries - - Lynda.
KINKADE: Yeah, that would indeed be a huge move, Fred.
And just in terms of the businesses that do strike a deal with Iran, what's the risk? What sort of problems could they encounter if Iran fails
to comply with any of the conditions of the nuclear deal?
PLEITGEN: Well, I mean, you're absolutely right. What essentially the businesses that are coming here right now -- and there are a lot of
people who are flying in. I can tell you the flights into Iran are packed with business people mostly from Europe, also a lot of them from China as
well. They're essentially making a bet on the future. They believe that the political situation here will remain
stable and they believe the economic situation will improve and that the nuclear deal will hold.
And that of course is the big risk. Will it hold? Will the relations get better? Or could there be some sort of miscalculation on any of the
sides that are part of this nuclear agreement that could put these political gains at risk.
Right now, what many people are looking forward to is for Iran to be able to do electronic
banking again, to be part of the swift agreement again, to make sure that people can just do business here without having to take in sacks of money
into the country. Certainly, these are things that they say have to happen very quickly in order for businesses to be able to conduct business here in
this country and certainly every stage of the way they look at the political situation and they hope that it will hold and certainly they do
see that there could be a risk that if it doesn't hold that all of the headway that's
made because of the nuclear agreement could be put at risk.
[11:11:07] KINKADE: Yeah, certainly a big gamble for those businesses.
Frederik Pleitgen in Tehran, thank you very much.
ISIS has released a gruesome new propaganda video. The 18 minute tape is highly produced and edited. It shows the faces and names of the nine
men ISIS claims carried out a wave of attacks in Paris last year. And some of them can be seen executing ISIS prisoners.
It also contains an audio message from the suspected ringleader of those attacks. Abdelhamid Abaaoud. The messages of the other attackers
were filmed in what appears to be a desert.
Now for more on this, I'm joined by our international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson who joins us live from London. And Nic, this
propaganda video really seems to strike at the heart of France.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's very slickly produced. And certainly, it's an intention, if you will, to score a double
propaganda victory not only the attack in Paris late last year, but to come back and haunt the French, try to
intimidate them in a way by rerunning in this montage, this slickly produced montage, rerunning news clips of that night of the attack
happening. But also as you say, the comments that are made by the nine attackers, the people that ISIS says are responsible for the attack. Three
of them they say are French, four of them Belgian, two of them Iraqi.
Aa brutal executions of the style that we have seen ISIS make before. But here the people that are executing are almost being used as sort of
stage extras in a very horrible, very macabre, very despicable way for each of these individuals to make statements.
One of the statements talked about there will be attacks at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. Another one says on the Champs Elysees next, of
course that famous boulevard, big, wide boulevard in the center of Paris leading up to the Arc de Triomphe, very famous.
So this is what it appears that ISIS is trying to do. It says that Baghdadi, the head of ISIS, you know, said that the attack should go ahead,
gave it authority, and very clearly they are trying to sort of put these attackers in the battlefield in Iraq and Syria, show them as somehow
authentic figures. They're clothed in very new battle uniforms clearly they don't appear to have been to the front line. They are just involved
in these executions. So, it's carefully staged here to show that these men didn't just turn up in Paris from nowhere, that they came from ISIS's
command in Iraq and Syria.
KINKADE: And Nic, they seem to indicate that the next target could be the UK. Is that a serious threat? What should we make of it?
ROBERTSON: Well, certainly, the British say that they are looking at this, but they call this video a desperate act.
What you see towards the end of those almost 18 minutes is a clip from the House of Commons
where David Cameron, the British prime minister and other parliamentarians are discussing British air force joining the United States and others in
strikes over Syria.
And what the narrative is, is that these will -- this is a mistake that you're the enemies of
Islam. If you attack us, we will attack you. It's a very clear indication that they say that they will try to threaten the UK.
It's terror, it's intimidation, the British are looking at it. We know that the British authorities here have stepped up their readiness for
this type of terror attack. They've put a significant number more armed British police on the streets of London, because of the reality of what
everyone saw in Paris -- Lynda.
KINKADE: OK. Some great analysis there. Nic Robertson in London, thank you very much.
Well, still to come, the three Democratic candidates for U.S. president are getting ready for one last appearance on the same stage
before Iwa voters get the chance to weigh in on the race.
Also remember these scenes? Five years after the revolution launched from Cairo's Tahrir Square, we will be asking what the Egyptian uprising
achieved.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:17:34] KINKADE: You're watching CNN, and this is Connect the World. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Welcome back.
Well, this is shaping up as a critical time in the U.S. race for president.
It's one week until voters in Iowa begin the process of whittling down the many candidates.
Now, Monday night from Iowa, some 10 hours from now, CNN will air a town hall special with the three Democratic Party candidates. This will be
their last televised appearance on the same stage before that crucial Iowa vote.
And Bernie Sanders is making his case that he should be the Democratic Party's nominee, not Hillary Clinton. But does his own family think he can
beat such a formidable opponent? CNN's Hala Gorani spoke with Larry Sanders, the brother of the Vermont Senator, for his prediction.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Thousands of miles from the U.S. campaign trail where Democratic presidential
candidate Bernie Sanders is riding high in the polls, lives a man who knows him better than almost anyone.
In picturesque Oxford, England, older brother Larry Sanders says he is not surprised the man he calls "Bernard" is doing so well.
GORANI (on camera): Do you think he can beat Hillary Clinton?
LARRY SANDERS, BROTHER OF BERNIE SANDERS: Oh, yes. I think he can beat Hillary Clinton.
GORANI: And do you think he will become the Democratic nominee?
SANDERS: He will not only become the Democratic nominee, but given the state of the Republican Party, he will be the president.
GORANI (voice-over): Larry, a retired social worker, moved to England in the '60s with his first wife. But both brothers grew up in Brooklyn, New
York. The children of Jewish immigrants from Poland.
GORANI (on camera): What was Bernie Sanders like as a kid brother?
SANDERS: Well, he was a quiet kid. He was fairly shy. His great gift was he is a very good athlete, a very determined athlete. He was always
very kind. He was very truthful. I guess he still is very truthful.
GORANI (voice-over): The Sanders' parents had it rough. They were poor and both died relatively young. But 80-year-old Larry says he still thinks
about them often.
SANDERS: This is the point at which previous interviews I've cried. I've learned to control myself. But it is exactly that thought of how happy
and how proud they both would be.
[11:20:03] GORANI (on camera): When did your father pass away? Was he able to see any of...
SANDERS: No, no. He died just two years after my mother. He couldn't really cope on his own.
GORANI: And so he never saw Bernie Sanders achieve do -- any of his political career?
SANDERS: No. None of it.
GORANI: Is that something you wished?
SANDERS: Well, that is part of why I break into tears, yes. I remember when he was first elected mayor, practically the first thing that came to
my mind was how nice it would have been.
GORANI (voice-over): Larry also ran for parliament in the U.K. last year, unsuccessfully. All these years later, he says, there is still a
playful sibling rivalry.
SANDERS: There's a certain amount of competition. I'm a politician and he is a politician. He is doing a little bit better than me. And I think if
we were living next door to each other it would be a problem.
GORANI: You must be -- I mean, even though there is competition and I know there is competition between brothers, you must be really proud.
SANDERS: Oh, I'm incredibly proud. Of course I am. Yes.
GORANI (voice-over): Larry predicts his brother will face Donald Trump in November's general election. He says the two candidates have only one
thing in common: their appeal to people who feel disgruntled.
SANDERS: Donald Trump is an obnoxious person, regardless of his policies. But Bernard's great strength is he talks directly to people and
isn't put off by the fact that they have got particular opinions that are different from his. I think that the Trumps do get strength from people
feeling they've been ripped off. Bernard agrees with that. But instead of saying one of the things to do is to hate Mexicans and hate Muslims, the
thing to do is to create a better society.
GORANI: Hala Gorani, CNN, Lonidon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: And a special CNN town hall from Iowa airs live in about ten hours from now. Before that, you can check out politics web page where you
can read about the five things to watch as the three Democratic candidates take questions from Iowa voters.
Well, live from CNN center this is Connect the World. Coming up, the plight of refugees may get even harder as the EU considers more border
restrictions. We'll look at that story in about 15 minutes.
Also ahead, a Japanese island sees its first snowfall in 115 years. Extreme winter weather is causing chaos in both Asia and the U.S.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: You're watching Connect the World live from the CNN Center. Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade.
Well, parts of East Asia are dealing with record cold temperatures and snowfall. People in Taiwan are being warned to stay inside after dozens of
deaths there and thousands of travelers have been left stranded in South Korea.
Mattt Rivers has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (v: Frost in a place known for its flowers. Hong Kong saw record low temperatures over the last few days,
accumulating ice, trapping hikers on one of the city`s famous mountain trails. Dozens were treated for hypothermia in the coldest weather the city
has experienced in decades. And Hong Kong wasn`t alone.
Across Asia, we`ve seen bitter winter weather. No where it hit harder than in Taiwan. State media there reported at least 85 people, most of them
elderly, died from hypothermia or cardiac conditions likely caused by the frigid air. It`s an island where most of the homes don`t have central
heating. It`s people simply not used to the cold.
And the winter weather caused travel nightmares across the region. Take the South Korean island of Jeju. It`s a popular destination for
tourists, many of whom were camped out in the airport over the weekend. Over 1,000 flights were canceled, affecting 90,000 travelers.
And in southern China, a similar story. Train tracks were shutdown and highways were closed due to snowy conditions in the eastern and southern
portions of the country, areas known more for good food and balmy weather than for snow. Hundreds of flights were cancelled too on the first weekend
of the incredibly busy Chinese New Year travel season.
This weekend was a day of weather firsts for many in East Asia, just ask these school kids, gingerly stepping through snow of Japanese island of
Amami Oshima. No one who lives on the island has ever seen a snow there before because it`s the first time it`s happened in 115 years.
Matt Rivers, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[11:26:12] KINKADE: In the U.S. millions of people are heading back to work and digging out after a massive snowstorm buried much of the
northeast. New York's three major airports are now open, but hundreds of flights are canceled or delayed. The storm is blamed for several deaths.
Officials are warning drivers to be careful as snow melts and refreezes making roads very slippery.
Our Jason Carroll joins us now from New York's Penn Station. And Jason, tthere was a travel ban in place over the weekend. It has been
lifted. Things there getting back to normal.
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Lynda, without question. I mean, the schools are open today. The trains are running,
albeit there's still some delays here on the trains. You have seen some delays at the airports as well.
But basically this is a city that's getting back on its feet on this Monday,but that's certainly not the story at some other cities affected by
the blizzard.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAYOR STEPHANIE RAWLINGS-BLAKE, BALTIMORE: This is a complicated snow removal effort.
CARROLL: This morning the historic and deadly winter storm is still paralyzing parts of the northeast. Millions continue trying to dig and plow
out of the winter's record-breaking aftermath. You can see snow enveloping more than 13 states in white.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There you go. There you go.
CARROLL: Officials now warning the melting slush may refreeze overnight, causing dangerous icy conditions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You might be cruising along at 50 miles an hour, and then you're going to hit snow. And we're going to have some accidents.
CARROLL: Crews in several states are still working around the clock to get metro, train, and bus services back up and running. In New York, the
Long Island Railroad sustained significant damage during the storm, forcing officials to only open 80 percent of the busiest commuter railroad in North
America.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It will be a slow start.
CARROLL: The snowstorm dropping over 26 inches in Central Park, the second largest snowfall in New York City history. Glengary, West Virginia,
two hours west of Washington, D.C., was the hardest hit, with over 42 inches covering their small town. The feet of heavy snow collapsing roofs
in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
BILL DE BLASIO, MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY: I believe at the end of the day this will probably be our most expensive snow event ever.
CARROLL: This as reports rise to at least 30 deaths by the crippling winter storm.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I tried to help.
CARROLL: In New Jersey, a mother and her 1-year-old son died, waiting inside this car to stay warm. But snow was covering the tail pipe, and
carbon monoxide quickly suffocated the family.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, when the muffler is covered, you can't be sitting in the car that long. It's really sad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL: And Lynda, you can see 8th Avenue here right outside of Penn Station, traffic is snarling, but at least the street is clear of snow.
That's not certainly the situation in some other trouble spots in the city, mainly in places like Brooklyn and Queens.
There are neighborhoods there where they are still waiting to receive some snowplows there. The city's mayor saying to allow some extra
patience. It's going to take time to get out to some of those areas. He's saying that it will happen, but once again, the keyword here in this city:
patience -- Lynda.
KINKADE: That is key. New York traffic back to a slow crawl.
Jason Carroll, thank you very much.
The latest world news headlines are ahead. Plus, Denmark is set to impose new rules that allows authorities to seize assets from people
seeking refugee status. We'll tell you why just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(HEADLINES)
[11:33:18] KINKADE: Thai and Malaysian officials are investigating a piece of curved metal that washed ashore in southern Thailand. They are
checking to see if it could be from missing Malaysian Airlines flight 370.
CNN's Saima Mohsin was there as the investigators carried out their work.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The four-member team and the civil aviation authority have arrived on site in (inaudible). They
have been taking photographs, taking away pieces, putting them in plastic bags. They are taking particular interest taking away samples of these
barnacles, of course.
These can tell oceanic experts how long this debris has been on the sea for, and which part of
the sea it may have been.
They also have been taking photographs of serial numbers lined up around here. The CNN team pointed out a few others that we spotted when we
arrived here late last night, which they have taken particular interest in. Now, of course, it is the serial numbers in particular for Malaysia
Airlines officials that can help them identify this debris. We all remember with the flaperon found in summer last year. It was the serial
number that they could match to their records and to manufacture's records to confirm it was from the missing plane.
They have now started measuring the piece after of course this will also help them identify whether this is from an aircraft. Now earlier they
took particular interest in these rivets along here. They spent a considerable amount of time taking photographs, discussing them and that's
because these rivets are actually used on a 777 aircraft,the same as MH- 370. But an expert tells us only on the frame, not on the external fuselage. That could be key evidence in identifying this debris.
A short while later, Thai aircraft accidents and Royal Thai Air Force investigation teams arrived to inspect the debris themselves. It was
loaded on to a military truck and flown to Bangkok for further analysis.
Saim Mohsin, CNN, Phak Panang (ph), Thailand.
(END VIDOETAPE)
KINKADE: Now, all this week CNN is focusing on the plight of millions of people leaving war zones behind in a search of a better future. Now,
that future looks grim for many headed to Europe as more restrictions are being considered.
The European Union considers to debate border controls, which are being temporarily put in
place within the Schengen free travel zone.
Our Atika Shubert is standing by at the German/Austrian border. And Atika, the refugee crisis is really putting a strain Europe's open border
policy. Can the Schengen agreement continue?
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is one of the
big questions.
What police here have been saying is that they can't keep this up indefinitely and this could last
maybe a few more weeks or months, but when the warmer weather comes they are afraid the numbers will again spike of refugees coming across.
Right now German authorities estimate they have about 10,000 refugees coming a day. And they have had to install border checks like the one
behind me where they randomly spot check vehicles.
So, this is a problem, the borders. But also issues of integration. For example, of course, you know about those assaults on New Year's Eve in
Cologne. Hundreds of apparent assaults by what police are describing as a mob of North African men. And that is already having a tremendous impact
not just on Germans here, but also on refugees who are already settled here.
I did have a chance to speak with several in Cologne. Take a listen to what they had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHUBERT (voice-over): Police have described what happened at the Cologne train station on New Year's Eve as a new dimension of crime by a
mob of North African men.
German federal police used an Arabic term.
He says, "This is a new phenomenon for Germany and we're very concerned about this. We know this phenomenon from Egypt, mass sexual
assault happening in large crowds," he says. "It is not a game, and anybody who commit assaults like this must be arrested and brought to police
regardless, anyone, whether German nationals or refugees."
This is exactly what Mustafa Caretta (ph), a 48-year-old Syrian refugee, had feared would happen.
"Some people were waiting for something like this to happen," he tells us. "Something that puts refugees in a bad light. But we will do our best
to prove to others that most refugees are not bad."
Mustafa (ph) and his family were among the one million asylum seekers who came to Germany in the last year. Initially, Germany publicly welcomed
refugees, but national polls now show Germans dissatisfied with Chancellor Angela Merkel's policies. 70 percent now believe more crime is coming.
Nabela Hamdi (ph), a Kurdish refugee, introduced us to Mustafa (ph) and his family to understand how the New Year's Eve assaults and backlash
will impact refugees.
Mustafa's (ph) son-in-law believes the assaults were less about culture and more about the disrespect of the law and order brought with
them.
"There is no law in places like Syria," he says. "Some who came to Germany grew up like this and do not want to know anything in this new
place, but refugees must realize that there are laws in Germany and must abide by the laws. Everybody has rights here but also responsibilities."
The assaults have galvanized anti-immigration groups. Attack on refugees and migrants have also increased, but Mustafa's (ph) son, Yusuf
(ph), is not afraid.
"I'm not afraid, definitely not," he says. "Because the people I met within the last four months I've seen in Germany were good people, full of
respect."
Small groups of refugees have come to leave messages and lay flowers at the Cologne train station, but even Hamdi (ph), the refugee coordinator,
admits it will take time.
"I'm a very positive person," he says. "I think we have reduced peoples' prejudices against refugees. But I can understand people who feel,
well, if you invite someone to your home, offer to take care of them and then this person betrays you, what is natural to be sad and very
disappointed."
Time to rebuild trust between residents and refugees who are here to stay."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[11:40:00] SHUBERT: Now, 2,000 refugees are still coming in a day to Germany. Now that's a much smaller number than the 10,000 a day that were
coming in fall. But again that big concern is that when the weather warms up, it could mean another spike, another rise in the number of people
coming across and a recent poll show that a majority of Germans feel that the country already has too many people coming in.
So, situations like what happened in Cologne will certainly have an impact on public opinions, Lynda.
KINKADE: Absolutely, certainly not an issue that's going to go away. Atika Shubert, thank you very much.
And in Denmark lawmakers are to hold a final vote on Tuesday to decide if authorities can seize
assets from migrants and in exchange the migrants would receive state benefits.
Arwa Damon has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This highly controversial bill is expected to pass with the country's largest parties
backing it.
Now this bill authorizes the police and the authorities to confiscate money and valuables that do not have sentimental value, but are estimated
to have a price tag of over $1,500. And while that seems to be the most glaring and talked about aspects of this bill, there are various other
measures that it would see being put into place that aid and humanitarian organizations say are even more detrimental.
Among those are the fact that once this bill passes, an asylum seeker would have to go from
waiting a year before they could begin the process of applying for family reunification all the way up to three years. So, imagine if you have part
of your family, your children, back in the war zone, that's Syria, Iraq, or Afghanistan, constantly under threat, you would have to wait three years
before you could even begin the process of trying to bring them over here.
Another of the measures being put into place is this. Now, in the past, refugees would have
to prove that they would benefit from coming to Denmark. And so for an individual from a war zone, that is fairly straight forward.
Under this new bill, the refugee has to prove that they will have, quote, integration potential. Exactly how that's going to be determined at
this stage, unclear. But people who are illiterate, perhaps don't have certain skillsets would automatically be disqualified.
Now, even those who support the bill are not trying to hide this very basic simple fact, behind this bill is a clear message and that is perhaps,
many would argue, the main intent of the bill and that is to discourage refugees from coming here to Denmark.
This country was one of the most welcoming to refugees in the past, taking in the highest number during the war in the Balkans, but that does
not seem to be the kind of reputation that Denmark wants to live up to at this stage.
Arwa Damon, CNN , Copenhagen.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Hundreds of thousands of refugees and migrants are risking everything to get to Europe. And you can find out more about who they are
and where they are coming from by going to CNN.com. We have an interactive video showing the depth of the migrant crisis and the routes the refugees
are taking in search of a better life. That's on CNN.com.
Well, live from CNN Center, this is Connect the World. Coming up -- five years to the day after Egyptians took to Tahrir Square, we'll be
asking what impact the uprising has had.
Also ahead back to dry land after rowing from America to Australia. We'll meet the team of adventurers who spent more than nine months at sea
and broke two world records.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:46:50] KINKADE: Five years ago, scenes like the one we're about to show you began in Egyptian capital Cairo.
Thousands took to the streets in protest that eventually ended Hosni Mubarak's 30-year grip on power. The Arab Spring was in full force. Half
a decade later and the streets look much calmer.
The real picture may be very different. Activists claim there's been a violent crackdown on dissent with reports of widespread police brutality.
Our Ian Lee is in the Egyptian capital for you this hour. And Ian, despite the heavy security presence there, there were a few protesters
taking to the streets to mark the anniversary.
IAN LEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Lynda, there was a scattering of protests across the country, nothing really large.
There had been calls from the Muslim Brotherhood, the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, but other opposition groups decided not to join that call to
go out in the streets.
I've been talking to a lot of human rights analysts lately. And I was in the square five years ago. And the one thing that everyone talked about
was just having a better life and getting away from the repression that was under Hosni Mubarak.
Now, human rights activists are saying that what's happening now is worse. There was crackdown leading up to this anniversary amid-allegations
of widespread abuse.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEE (voice-over): Arab leaders quake at the site of Tahrir. Millions of Egyptians took to the square, a force for change, demanding a better
life.
(SHOUTING)
LEE: That was 18 days in 2011. The masses returned to do it again in 2013. Shortly after, the new government cracked down.
Police arrested Yusuf (ph) during a protest, charged with threatening national security, he says.
We're concealing the university student's identity. He's afraid for his safety.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): They electrocuted me with two wires to the chest and the back. I was screaming in pain. My torturer said
the electricity was weak. Plug it into the A/C. The shock sent me and with guys holding me back a few meters.
LEE: Yusuf (ph) languished in prison for over a year.
(on camera): How did you deal with the torture?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): I cried hard. I felt weak, impotent and crushed. I broke a piece of glass and felt like I wanted to
end all this. I wanted to die.
LEE (voice-over): CNN can't verify Yusuf's (ph) story, but Egyptian human rights lawyers say his story is not unique.
RAGIA OMRAN, NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR HUMAN RIGHTS: They use extreme force, violence, torture, violence in prisons and especially in police
stations it's gone up, on the rise.
LEE: One report details police abuse in 2015. In it, nearly 500 people died in police custody. 700 cases of torture were documented.
(on camera): In the lead-up to the anniversary of the revolution, activists tell us the government is cracking down on any perceived threats,
including making arrests and raiding cultural centers and private homes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There say deliberate attempt to send the mess annual to anyone considered protesting that it won't be tolerated this time
around.
LEE (voice-over): Egypt's minister of interior defended his tactics were labeled as legal on state TV.
MAGDY ABDEL GHAFFER, EGYPTIAN MINISTER OF INTERIOR (through translation): Questions are being raised now about some practices that
violate human rights, well, they are necessary because of the reality we now live in. We are facing a ferocious wave of terrorism that Egypt hasn't
witnessed in modern history.
[11:50:15] LEE: Among the wave of terrorism, ISIS in Egypt killed over a thousand people including hundreds of civilians.
But Yusuf (ph) sees the government's tactics as counterproductive.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): The government gives the terrorist organizations a kiss of life. The youth join these groups as a
result of the government oppression and terror. They don't give the young people a way to vent their anger.
LEE: Five years on, for many, the hope of Tahrir has been replaced by despair.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEE: For the average Egyptian, there are things that are crucial: jobs, being able to provide for
families, and really just make it day by day. And right now in Egypt there's high unemployment, there's wage stagnation, there's high inflation
and there have been a lot of promises to restart the economy. It took a real big hit after the revolution, and granted the world is going through a
sluggish time right now, but a lot of Egyptians are demanding more from their government. They expanded the Suez Canal, that did not bring the
revenue they were hoping. In fact, it didn't bring -- the revenue is actually down.
So these are all things that Egyptians are looking at when it comes to their government. They want jobs and they want to be able to provide for
their families and right now it has been very difficult.
KINKADE: OK. Ian Lee reporting from Cairo. Thank you.
Well, live from CNN's world headquarters, this is Connect the World. Coming up, a speech has reignited a debate about how indigenous people are
treated in Australia. Here what veteran journalist Stan Gran had to say in just a few minutes.
Plus, more than nine months at sea in a nine-meter long boat. We'll hear from four women who
have just rowed their way into the record books.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: You're watching CNN. And this is Connect the World. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Welcome back.
Well, a speech about racism by a veteran Australian journalist who is provoking thought and conversation right across the country. Stan Grant's
remarks were posted online just ahead of Australia Day. They are a scathing assessment of racism perpetuated against the country's indigenous
population of which he counts himself.
The speech has gone viral watched by more than a million people three times in just three days. Here's just some of what Stan Grant had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STAN GRANT, JOURNALIST: The Australian dream, we sing of it and we recite it in verse. Australians all let us rejoice for we are young and
free. My people die young in this country. We die ten years younger than average Australians and we are far from free.
We are fewer than 3 percent of the Australian population and yet we are 25 percent, a quarter of those Australians locked up in our prisons.
And if you're a juvenile, it is 50 percent, an indigenous child is more likely to be locked up in prison than they are to finish high school.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: But not everyone agrees with him, some called his comments offensive. But Grant says his ancestors were victims of a war of
extermination. And he says the people in Australia are still oppressed.
He spoke with CNN's Kristie Lu Stout earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[11:55:08] GRANT: According to all the socioeconomic indicators, indigenous people sit at the very bottom of the ladder in Australian
society.
These are hard questions.
The evidence of a growth and maturity in the Australian nation. But these are very, very hard won. A lot of money is spent on indigenous
affairs. There is a measure of goodwill. But the issues, the disproportionate disadvantage appear to be so intractable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, in today's Parting Shots, we take you all the way across the Pacific. A couple of weeks ago, we brought you the story of
four adventures rowing from America to Australia. The British women were in the home stretch of their journey when I spoke to them, a feat that saw
them spend over nine months at sea coping with dwindling supplies, bad weather and some unexpected passerbys.
Well, after covering more than 15,000 nautical kilometers, this Monday they rowed into the record books with their triumphant arrival in Cairns,
Australia.
Now, they set two world records becoming the first all women team and the first team of four to cross the Pacific.
Here's how they describe the conditions of their floating home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMMA MITCHELL, CREW MEMBER: It's pretty crazy. So we did two ours hon, two hours off. So, we spent two hours rowing, and then we'd go into
our tiny cabin, which is about the size of a cozy two-man tent and in that space we have to keep all our stuff and we have to eat, we have to sleep,
we do our washing. It's all kind of laundry, it's our kitchen, it's our dinging room, it's kind of everything.
It's quite hard to be in there without touching somebody else. And it's very hot and very sweaty, especially in big waves where we have to
keep all the hatches closed all the time, and a lot of condensation. And it's pretty unpleasant. It's a bit like being in a two-man tent-sized
sauna.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Very tough conditions. And that moment again when they stepped on to dry land in front of family and friends, really the best sea
legs.
Besides the sheer physical and mental achievement of it all, they also managed to raise funds for injured servicewomen and breast cancer patients.
So, a big congratulations to the entire team.
And you can always follow the stories our team is working on throughout the day by going to our Facebook page, that's
Facebook.com/CNNconnet.
And you can also tweet me at Lynda Kinkade.
I'm Lynda Kinkade, and that was Connect the World. Thanks so much for watching. My colleague Robyn Curnow comes up next with the International
Desk.
END
