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Maria Sharapova Amits to Failed Drug Test; UNHCR Criticizes Europe's Plan for Syrian Refugees; Do Women's Products Cost More?; Super Tuesday Part II. New Aired 11:00a-12:00p ET
Aired March 08, 2016 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[11:00:10] ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is a pretty extraordinary scene. The families sleeping out here in these
abandoned buildings.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: Stranded and desperate for help, EU leaders and Turkey agree on a plan to address Europe's migrant crisis, but the plan
already facing criticism. This hour, we are live on Greek-Macedonian border for you.
Also ahead...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIA SHARAPOVA, TENNIS PLAYER: I made a huge mistake. And I let my fans down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Mea Culpa: a tennis star loses some of her shine. What a failed drug test could mean for Maria Sharapova's career, brand and the
sport. That's coming up.
Plus, the U.S. presidential hopefuls gear up for another Super Tuesday. We're going to break down the numbers for you. Who has the
easiest road to the nomination and who faces a tougher path? We'll see.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is Connect the World with Becky Anderson.
ANDERSON: A very good evening. At just after 8:00 in the evening here in the UAE.
Women have come so far but still have such a long way to go to achieve true gender equality. We begin with International Women's Day, a time for
celebrating progress made while acknowledging the huge challenges that lie ahead.
Well, the Cairo stock exchange invited women from Egypt's UN office to ring the opening bell today to highlight the economic contributions of
women and support women's empowerment. Well, this year's theme is step it up for equality as these marchers are doing in India.
The United Nations has set 20:30 as the target year for reaching this goal.
Well, it wants women everywhere to do what they can in their corner of the world to effect change. And this map shows us how International
Women's Day is trending on Twitter, truly a global call to action.
Well, of course many women don't have the time or the means to mark the occasion because they are focusing on day to day survival. Women
living in this migrant camp in northern Greece say there is little to celebrate today. They are stranded with nowhere to go
as the border with Macedonian remains closed.
It's muddy, and it's cold and they are living with families in flimsy tents.
The conditions especially tough on the kids.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): How do I feel in this situation? It's very hard. For 17 days I've stayed like this.
I haven't changed my clothes. What can I tell you? There's nothing, even for the children. The basic things like the toilet. My daughter, she
is 5-years-old waiting for the toilet, she didn't make it on time. You want me to tell you about the situation? What situation?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, an emergency summit in Brussels was meant to ease the migrant crisis that affecting all of Europe.
The EU and Turkey eventually agreed on a key set of points for a proposal to stem the flow. Turkey would take back all migrants who leave
its shores for Europe if one Syrian refugee in Turkey is resettled in Europe for every Syrian returned.
Now, the UN refugee agency is already criticizing the plan saying it could violate international law.
Let's get more from Arwa Damon. She's on the ground. She is along the Greek-Macedonian border and you are witnessing the realities of life
as a refugee, as a migrant looking for a better life with borders, it seems, closing around them. This one in, one out policy that seems to have
been agreed on, at least in a proposed fashion by the EU and Turkey. When you ask those men and women
around you, what do say about that?
ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They are very confused by it all. No one really knows the details of exactly how it's going to
manifest itself, who it's going to implement towards when the implementation is going to start.
But just take a look at this, Becky. Because while this touted agreement that was being put forward as some sort of breakthrough that was
orchestrated by European and Turkish leaders was taking place, these people who you see here spent the entire night
under the pouring rain. You see clothing on the top of the tents, you see clothing hanging on a few makeshift lines here and there, that's not
because people did laundry, that is because they got drenched overnight in the bitter freezing cold.
Most of the children here are sick, according to their parents. One family we met said that all four of their kids were vomiting the entire
night.
Now, Amnesty International is also saying that through this agreement the European Union and Turkish leaders have dealt a death blow to the right
to seek asylum. Human Rights Watch also very heavily criticizing this agreement saying that by effectively shutting off its borders, Europe is
acting hypocritical to a certain degree trying to constantly export this concept of trying to provide people with
basic fundamental human rights and yet failing to do so for the most desperate of populations.
There are 13,000 at least people here, Becky, according to the United Nations. 40 percent of them are children and 91 percent of them are people
who have fled the war zones of Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
And at this stage, they are still living in limbo, because first of all, this agreement still needs to get voted through by the European Union
leaders, that's not going to happen for another 10 days. So, at this stage, no one really knows what is going to happen to them, and it's that
uncertainty that makes this all even more unbearable.
[11:06:17] ANDERSON: Arwa Damon is on the border for you, thank you, Arwa. That the grim reality of life there, it's just about 10 minutes time
on this show. I'm going to be joined by the chief spokesperson for UN's refugee agency which has serious concerns about this plan between the EU
and Turkey. Do, stay with us for that, that's coming up later in the show.
Well, the stakes are high going into Super Tuesday, part two as the race for the White House rolls on. Republican Donald Trump and Democrat
Hillary Clinton hope to build on what is their already substantial leads.
We are tracking four contests in Michigan, Mississippi, in Idaho and in Hawaii. And a poll shows Trump leading the delegate rich state of
Michigan, but rival Ted Cruz trump could be catching up as Marco Rubio seems to lag further and further behind.
Clinton will try to hold off Bernie Sanders in Michigan and she is expected to grab another
win in the southern state of Mississippi.
Well, our chief U.S. correspondent John King explains how Tuesday's contest fit into what is its overall race. Have a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Four states with primaries on our second Super Tuesday of the campaign, two for the Democrats, four for the
Republicans -- Hawaii, Idaho, Mississippi and Michigan. 166 Democratic delegates at stake, 150 delegates at stake on the Republican side. Just
Mississippi and Michigan voting on the Democratic side.
Let's take a look at the state of play right now on the Republican side. Donald Trump with a delegate lead, but Ted Cruz after a good weekend
closing in in second place. He says he has momentum. Marco Rubio won Puerto Rico over the weekend. He says he's still on the hunt, a lot of
question marks about that.
Let's just take a look. On our second Super Tuesday if Donald Trump sweeps with about 35 percent of the vote in those wins, they'll start to
pull away a little bit. Ted Cruz hoping to run at least second everywhere. And also hoping for maybe a surprise in Missippii, maybe a little closer
than you would expect in Michigan.
And watch the smaller battles in Hawaii and in Idaho. Sometimes if you do get a surprise, that's where you get it.
But if Trump sweeps, which is his belief going in, he'd start to pull away a little bit in the delegate side.
This is why it matters, Donald Trump has won 43 percent of the Republican delegates to date. If he can win 54 percent from here on out,
he'll clinch the nomination. Now, that's not as hard as it looks in the sense that we begin to move next week into winner take all, big prizes like
Florida, big prizes like Ohio. If you can win them all, you'll add to the numbers.
A little steeper hill for Ted Cruz. He's won 33 percent so far. He needs 60 percent. And you see Marco Rubio in third place and John Kasich
in fourth place. They need to change the dynamic of the race fundamentally if they could ever make the math work.
But Trump and Cruz right now at the top of the pack looking for tomorrow and beyond to show they can add up some more delegates.
Let's switch to the Democratic side, come back over here. Here's where we start.
This is pleged delegates. Hillary Clinton with a 200 delegate lead over Bernie Sanders. She's favored in both contests tomorrow. If she
picks them both up, number one, she'll start to stretch out delegate lead.
Number two, she'll send a very important message to Bernie Sanders. I'm beating you in the south and now I'm proving I can beat you in the bit
industrial Midwest.
So, Michigan is a huge test for Bernie Sanders not only for momentum and for the message of Midwest, but also because of the math. If you look
at the Democratic math, Hillary Clinton has won nearly 60 percent of the delegates to date. If she wins 59 percent, the same percentage of pledged
delegates, meaning on primary and caucus day here on out, she'll clinch the nomination. Bernie Sanders has a much steeper hill. He's only four in
ten, he needs to win 66.
And this math for Hillary Clinton is actually a tad misleading. This she would clinch if she won
only pledged delegates, she also has some super delegates in her back pocket. So, Bernie Sanders needs to make a statement and make it soon.
The Michigan contest in the Midwest would be the right place to do that, but the late polls show Hillary Clinton with the
lead.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[11:10:05] ANDERSON: Our John King on the road to the White House for you.
Still to come tonight on this show, the world's highest paid sports woman admits that she failed a drug test. We're going to have the latest
on the fallout facing Maria Sharapova.
Also on the subject of drugs, Israel becoming a leader in the study of medical marijuana. We're going to get you inside a top secret lab there
later this hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, as I mentioned at the start of our show today, is international women's day. So, here at CNN we are bringing attention to
the role of women in what are our top stories. And among them, migrants and refugees.
The UN says as of 2015, there were nearly 60 million people displaced around the world. It's estimated about half of them are women. And the UN
says displaced women may be more vulnerable than men and far more likely to be the victims of horrific crimes like rape.
Well, conflict in Syria and elsewhere has been driving an unprecedented wave of migrants to Europe. The EU says a record 1.2 million
sought asylum there last year. Add to that, almost 135,000 more who have arrived so far this year according to the International Organization for
Migration.
As you can see, many are going to Greece first, a small country that is struggling to handle the influx.
The country's migration minister was quoted as saying Greece will not accept becoming Europe's Lebanon, a warehouse of souls.
But in Greece's capital, Athens, our Atika Shubert found just that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jet planes left to rust on a runway in Athens. A former airport, this vast
space was converted into an Olympic park more than a decade ago. Now it is home to thousands of refugees stranded in Athens.
Laundry lines the entrance to the terminal. Most here are from Afghanistan but also Pakistan, Iran and Morocco, banned from crossing the
border, because they are considered to be from a safe country.
While they wait in limbo, this is where the Greek government has placed them, until they can find more permanent shelter.
SHUBERT: I want you to take a look at this. It's almost as though they've preserved it, as a kind of a museum or a time capsule.
And if you can see up here, they still have some of the signs up. Paris now boarding, London on time. There's something very surreal about
having them camped out at an abandoned airport.
Every hour, planes used to leave here for Paris, for London and now, all of those refugees want to get to those exact destinations but they
can't. So there's nothing for them to do but to wait.
[11:15:16] (voice-over): At the former stadium, where Olympians once competed for gold, Afghan kids now play with a deflated ball. Residents
invited us in to see how an estimated 3,000 people are living here.
SHUBERT: This is a pretty extraordinary scene. There are families sleeping out here in these abandoned buildings; children, mothers.
(voice-over): Inside, a sea of gray U.N. blankets supplemented with thin padded sleeping mats. There are no beds, only the occasional cot.
It took one month for Mustafa Saedi (ph) to get here from Kabul with his wife and two daughters, smuggled in by car and boat.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It was so dangerous.
SHUBERT: Like so many here, he has only one destination in mind.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Germany.
SHUBERT: Why Germany?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Germans accept refugees so we decided to go here.
SHUBERT (voice-over): But the borders are closed now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So yes, we are praying to God.
SHUBERT (voice-over): This is the warehouse of souls the prime minister of Greece warned his country would become. Not a refuge but a
purgatory of fading hopes and broken dreams.
Atika Shubert, CNN, at Hellinikon Airport in Athens, Greece.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, the EU, the European Union and Turkey have reached an agreement they say will bring the refugee crisis under control. If given
final approval, here is how it would work. Turkey says it will take back migrants who have crossed into Greece without proper authorization and the
EU will pick up the bill speeding up the delivery of more than $3 billion in aid. Plus, for every Syrian that gets sent back to Turkey, the EU will
take in one Syrian refugee.
But the humanitarian group Amnesty International is blasting the plan, saying it amounts to dehumanizing refugee bartering.
Well, the UN's refugee agency itself has also criticized the plan. Let's speak to Melissa Fleming now. She's the chief spokesperson for the
agency joining us tonight out of Dubai. And Melissa, let's start with what the German Chancellor Angela Merkel said. She's well known for championing
the rights of refugees. And she's been praising this deal. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANGELA MERKEL, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): This proposal that was brought forward by the Turkish side is a breakthrough it is to be
realized, because it would break this vicious cycle of entering illegally on a boat, and then as a result being given the right to stay in Europe.
We will have to turn this around in order to achieve an orderly migration.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: OK, that's Angela Merkel.
Melissa, why is that your organization is so against this?
MELISSA FLEMING, CHIEF SPOKESPERSON, UNHCR: Well, we are all for orderly migration, the ability for people to seek asylum at borders.
Our issue here is the details. And where -- what is being suggested is that whole groups of refugees and migrants would be returned to Turkey
without us being able to see in the agreement that the sufficient guarantees would be there for these people. And it's not only Syrians. We
have to remember that three populations that arriving in Greece. You've seen it from the videos you've showed. Are Syrians, they're Afghans, and
they're Iraqis. Those guarantees need to be in place in Turkey. They are not now for those two populations that they would be able to seek asylum
and access services. And then the resettlement needs to really be guaranteed to happen. Those places need to be available.
ANDERSON: Much talk by critics about whether this plan actually breaks international law. Does it?
FLEMING: Well, again, the devil is in the details. Returning groups of people who may need refugee status without that country having the
guarantees that they could enjoy the ability to seek asylum. Right now in Turkey that is not the case except for certain nationalities. Syrians who
enter Turkey do enjoy what's called temporary protection. Would they have access to that if they went back?
Afghans and Iraqis actually do not at this stage.
So, it is -- it's a shaky situation and we need to see that those guarantees for those populations would be there.
We have to also consider that Turkey is host -- Turkey is the largest refugee hosting population in the world. It has almost 3 million refugees
right now. We need to be clear that people if they were returned would have access to basic services. Would their kids be able to go to school?
Would they be able to have shelter over their heads? And would actually this relocation -- this resettlement system be guaranteed.
Right now, there are only 20,000 spaces offered for Syrian refugees. We'd like to see guaranteed that there would be more numbers, so people
could be resettled and not just Syrians.
ANDERSON: Let me put this to you, then. This may not be perfect or even close to perfect, but what is the answer at this point? It's all very
well to criticize a plan that is being proposed, but if it's not consistent with what you believe to be the answer, then what is the answer?
[11:21:14] FLEMING: Well, we have been making proposals from the outset and we believe that this has all transpired because things weren't
managed properly from the beginning. Obviously, we need, number one, to stop the war. That's -- until that happens, we need
much more support for the neighboring countries, hopefully this is forthcoming. That's not going to happen overnight. We need more
resettlement from the neighboring countries.
But if people do -- and a crackdown on smuggling. If people do reach the shores of Europe, have the right to seek asylum, there was a good
registration, relocation plan in place for Greece. Unfortunately, it was not implemented. It resulted in chaos. It resulted in confusion. It
resulted in three countries, Germany, Austria and Sweden taking refugees rather than having things evenly redistributed and well managed from the
outset.
We would not be in this situation if this system had been in place from the beginning. We still believe it can be implemented. In any case,
we're looking forward. There is still 10 days time before this is agreed, and hopefully details can be worked out so that this can be a situation
that we can all agree is in the human rights interest of the people who are seeking asylum and seeking refugee protection.
ANDERSON: Ten further days for those wondering what life will be like going forward. But, there you go
All right, Melissa, thank you. Live from Abu Dhabi, this is Connect the World. Coming up, cultivating cannabis to treat disease. We'll take
you to the front lines of the medical marijuana revolution in Israel. That's coming up after this. Taking a very short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LU STOUT: You're with Connect the World live from Abu Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson. Welcome back.
24 minutes past 8:00 here. Israel has long been known for its cutting edge high-tech industry. But scientists there are exploring a very
different kind of high: from medical marijuana.
Oren Lieberman is at the Jerusalem bureau for you tonight. And you toured this top secret lab in northern Israel. What did you find, Oren?
[11:25:00] OREN LIEBERMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, medical cannabis is still very heavily regulated here, but the regulations
are still more liberal than they are in many other countries, that allows Israeli researchers and companies to advance the science of medical
cannabis and see if they can start tailoring it to the individual.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LIEBERMANN: We're on the streets of Tel Aviv watching a guy smoke marijuana. Not the illegal kind, but medical marijuana. Call it kosher
cannabis.
Its growing usage and the country's liberal medical cannabis laws have made Israel one of the world leaders in medical cannabis research and
development.
EZRI PELEG, CHIEF AGRONOMIST: Cannabis until now was not bred in the most scientific or most modern methods.
LIEBERMANN: In a secret secure location in northern Israel we visit Tikun Olam, one of the country's largest medical cannabis growers. They
show us what they call their mother house, the genetic warehouse of cannabis where they splice together different plans to create new strains
of cannabis.
They are pushing the plant to its extremes. Some strains have some of the highest levels of THC ever grown, the chemical that makes you high,
others have none at all. They are high in CBD, the chemical that's been shown to have medical benefits.
PELEG: I believe that we are starting the beginning of the knowledge about cannabis plants.
LIEBERMANN: Each new cannabis harvest is lab tested to measure the exact levels of chemicals. The goal, to one day create marijuana plants
tailored for specific treatments and maybe even specific people.
SUZANNA SISLEY, U.S. CANNABIS RESEARCHER: Israel is right on the cusp of being able to grab hold of this entire industry and become the real
mecca for marijuana research.
LIEBERMANN: In Israel, the politician encouraging this revolution of medical cannabis is the
ultra-orthodox minister of health.
RABBI YAKOV LITZMAN, ISRAELI MINISTER OF HEALTH: I can help people, sick people which need this cannabis. I think I did the right thing.
LIEBERMANN: Exporting cannabis is still illegal, so Tikun Olam has started joint ventures with farms in America to grow strains of cannabis
developed in Israel. The medical canabis market is expected to hit more than $20 billion in America alone by 2020, according to newly released
numbers from industry researchers New Frontier.
We're standing here in front of the oils and different types of cannabis you sell. How big can this be as an export business?
AHARON LUTZKY, CEO, TIKUN OLAM: This could be a business of hundreds of millions of dollars.
LIEBERMANN: Medical cannabis still has its critics, and doctors say global regulations make cannabis research difficult. Cannabis advocates
insist the signs will back up the usage and turn this once illicit drug into a blooming market.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIEBERMANN: One of the challenges, and there still are many challenges for medical cannabis, is that at this point it's very difficult,
if not impossible, to grow one plant just like another plant. So you can't predict the levels of chemicals in there. That's one of the things doctors
say has to be addressed before this can truly become an accepted medicine - - Becky.
ANDERSON: The latest world news headlines are just ahead. Oren, thank you for that.
Plus major sponsors are distancing themselves from the world's highest paid female athlete. Why one media expert says this is by no means the end
of Brand Sharapova, though.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(HEADLINES)
[11:32:06] ANDERSON: Well, the United States says Iran's latest missile test could be in breach of a UN security council resolution. CNN's
Jim Sciutto following the story from Washington. What are your sources telling you? Is it in breach? And if it were, what's the potential
fallout, Jim?
JIM SCIUTTO, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well first, answer the question, is it in breach? A senior administration official telling me
that there are, quote, strong indications this missile test is in breach of UN Security Council resolution 2231. This is an
existing resolution, existed for a number of years, banning ballistic missile tests by Iran.
Now, this same official makes it clear if the aim official makes it clear this is not in violation
of the nuclear deal negotiated with Iran, and that's because, frankly, Becky, that nuclear deal focused solely on Iran's nuclear program and it
did not include other issues including Iran's ballistic missile program and that has been the source of some criticism of the deal that just because --
it's a result, a consequence of not including other issues in those nuclear negotiations.
So what happens if it is confirmed that this test was in violation of this UN Security Council resolution? Administration official tells me that
they will go to the UN, they will seek an appropriate response, that appropriate response might include condemnation by the test of UN, but
there are other measures including the possibility of targeted economic sanctions.
So, you have a few things. And remember, Becky, it's not the first time it happened. We were talking about this only a few weeks ago when
Iran tested another ballistic missile.
ANDERSON: Sure.
Jim is in Washington for you. Jim, always a pleasure. Thank you.
11:33 a.m. there in Washington, 8:33 here in the UAE.
The highest paid woman in sports, Maria Sharapova is feeling the backlash after admitted failing a drug test. Now, the tennis star made the
announcement about this time herself on Monday saying that she had tested positive for a recently banned substance.
Major sponsors, including sports giant Nike have suspended their multi-million dollar deals with the Russian.
Well, for more, CNN's tennis contributor Ravi Ubha joins us now live from London.
Ravi, you've been speaking to Maria Sharapova's team today. What have they told you following yesterday's announcement?
RAVI UBHA, CNN TENNIS CONTRIBUTOR: Well, Becky, the one thing that I found was very interesting from her press conference yesterday was
Sharapova saying that she didn't click on the link which showed the banned substance in question, didn't take a look at what was new on the list. so,
we contacted her lawyer today and simply asked the question did anybody on the team look of the list? So, if Maria maria didn't do it, did anybody on
the team do it?
Well, he said that, no, nobody on the team had looked at it, which I found very surprising obviously, because somebody as high profile, as you
mention, as Sharapova with so much at stake to make this type of an error it really is surprising.
ANDERSON: How potentially damaging do you think this is, not just for Sharapova -- and we will watch the fallout to sense exactly how she might
be impacted -- but for tennis more widely?
[11:35:08] UBHA: Becky, I think it's huge because we have to go back to January for a second, the Australian Open, which is the first big
tournament in tennis, the first grand slam, one of four in the season. At that time, there were allegations of match fixing that really damaged the sport a couple months ago. Then to have this, somebody
like Sharapova, touched on her being the world's richest female athlete, a high-profile athlete. It really is a surprise and it really is obviously
not good for the sport.
You think of Sharapova, Becky, and where she came from. She was such a great story. She was born in Sibera, moved to the U.S. at a young age.
Her dad worked several jobs to really pay for her career, had the chance to work with some of the best coaches in tennis and everything was going well.
I mean, she builds this empire, this brand empire. We talk about Brand Beckham, well there was Brand Sharapova, launches her own company in
Sugarpova, and everything going swimmingly, one five Grand Slam titles, let's not forget that. And for this to happen towards the end of her
career, it certainly was not in the script.
ANDERSON: Ravi, thank you. And plenty more to come shortly on Maria Sharapova's stunning revelation. I'll be asking a sports PR expert whether
or not it matters that she's owned up to it.
Well, after rallying near the open, crude oil prices dropping quickly despite surging yesterday as
well. Under heavy volatility, a barrel of brent crude now costs just under $40.
Well, emerging markets editor John Defterios was at the CNN Money pump for us to explain what is fueling the market.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN MONEY: Well, what's been extraordinary about this rally to date, it's been driven by words and not production cuts. And
we've come a long way in a short period of time.
Let's come to the pump and take a look at what I'm talking about. This is a 12-year low back on January 20th of just $27.10 a barrel. And
it's been a very volatile 2016. You see the sharp spike down, a move higher. But this the crucial window, February 16th when we saw OPEC and
non-OPEC producers come together in Doha.
Why was that so important? Well, first and foremost, it brought together two of the world's
biggest producers in Russia and Saudi Arabia. The largest Latin America producer was there in Venezuela, and the great unifier Qatar having the
rotating presidency of OPEC.
Now, on March 20th they have a meeting in Moscow. Will more producers agree to freeze
output -- not cut production, but freeze output? So far the UAE and Kuwait have committed. But according to the International Energy Agency there's
about 1.5 million barrels the size of this overproduced on a daily basis.
The freeze does not address that overproduction. And there are a few wild cards to consider both on the demand side and the production side as
well.
First and foremost on the demand side, if China is aiming for growth of 6 to 6.5 percent, well it needs to import 7 million a day going forward.
I think it's a big question mark for 2016, particularly in the second half.
Iran, they don't want to be party to the freeze. They just came out of sanctions. They want to increase production by 1 million barrels a day,
adding to the glut in 2016.
And nobody talks about Iraq, but they have record output of about 4.3 million barrels a day.
So we have this extra production coming onto the market. Will this rally continue? If the rally continues, maybe some of that very expensive
deep water production or the shale production comes in the market putting this rally at jeopardy.
John Defterios, CNN, Abu Dhabi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Good stuff, all right. Live from Abu Dhabi, this is Connect the World. I'm
Becky Anderson for you. Coming up, three women and three different journeys to sporting success. We are going to have their story in
tonight's Parting Shots. It is after all International Women's Day.
And do women pay more than men for the exact same item? We put that to a test in about 10 minutes time.
You're watching CNN. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:42:16] ANDERSON: Well, those are just some of the staggering numbers associated
with sex trafficking, of course. The vast majority of the victims are women.
We want to bring you those -- I'm going to get you those numbers for your attention, especially on a day like today, which is of course
International Women's Day.
You're watching CNN. This is Connect the World with me Becky Anderson. Welcome back.
To one of our top stories now and this is one that stunned pro tennis. Maria Sharapova faces a ban from tennis after failing a drugs test. Now,
one of the most recognizable sports figures on the planet, Sharapova made her professional debut at the age of 14.
And since then, she's won five grand slam titles and more than $36 million in prize money. But she's made much more in sponsorship deals.
Last year, Forbes named her the highest paid female athlete.
Well, our next guest says Sharapova has followed the crisis playbook to the letter.
David Alexander is managing director of sports PR firm Calacus Public Relations, he's joining us live from London this hour. Explain what you
mean by that, she's followed the playbook to the letter.
DAVID ALEXANDER, MANAGING DIRECTOR CALACUS PUBLIC RELATIONS: Good afternoon.
Well, in most instances where there is some sort of crisis such as a drugs scandal in sport, the story tends to leak out in advance. That
didn't happen in this instance. And Maria Sharapova was in a position to take control of the messaging. She staged the press conference. She broke
the story. She was able to explain and put her position first, which meant that she was able to explain all the mitigating circumstances about why
this happened.
ANDERSON: All right.
In the past, some female athletes have faced serious repercussions related to drug tests, male as well, of course, we're looking at females
here. American sprinter Marian Jones, for example, was sentenced to six months in jail in 2008 -- I'm sure they will remember this -- for lying to
federal prosecutors in the U.S. about using banned substances.
The judge in that case said athletes should serve as, quote, role models in society. No one like a cheat, not least if you are a big brand
paying through the nose to be associated with glamour and success. So, should it matter that Sharapova held her hands up in this case?
ALEXANDER: I think we have to wait and see what the investigation says from the ITF and WADA, the World Anti-Ddoping Agency.
What I would say is that the drug Maldonium that she been detected to have taken, she admitted to taking it for 10 years. And it has only been
banned since the beginning of this year, from January 1.
I would will say that whilst she has a huge team as you said earlier, she's probably one of the most successful female athletes of all time in
terms of her brand, her recognition and her success on the court. She is known to have a very acute attention to detail. She
has a large team, a large entourage around her. And between them they should probably have known that this substance was being banned from that
time. And there are still some questions that need to be answered regarding that.
[11:45:40] ANDERSON: Yeah, OK. Well, as you mentioned, Sharapova called the press conference herself and spoke calmly and deliberately when
revealing the news.
I just want to show our viewers a clip just in case they haven't seen that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHARAPOVA: I know that with this I face consequences and I've -- I don't want to end my career this way. And I really hope that I will be
given another chance to play this game.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: So there as you have rightly pointed out, more questions to be answered still.
But how is the way that she has handled the situation so far likely to affect any possible ban that she may receive?
ALEXANDER: Well, as I said earlier, she has explained the mitigating circumstances that she's been taking this substance for almost a decade. I
think there were questions that the Latvian manufacturers of the drug have said that it should only really be taken for four to six weeks. And she
said she's been taking it over the course of 10 years.
It's supposed to be used for diabetes and heart complaints. It was banned because it seemed to be benefiting athletes in terms of recovery.
It will be interesting to find out exactly what she has been using it for and why she's been taking it and certainly further information
needs to be divulged regarding the medical conditions she had or has not been suffering from.
As far as her profile as brand is concerned, I think we need to wait and see quite what the investigation divulges. But certainly, you know,
we've already seen Nike have suspended their support for her, Tag the watch brand have stopped supporting her, Evian have issued a statement this
aftertnoon saying they're waiting to see what happens and Porsche as well another of her blue ribbon brands has suspended their support for her.
So, this could be very damaging.
ANDERSON: Yeah, there's definitely some short-term fallout here.
Some big names on Twitter divided over the issue. One of the top tennis players of all time, Martina Navratilova says it seemed, quote, an
honest mistake. Retired British star Andrew Castle, though, implying that it was hard to believe that Sharapova or her team could overlook the
sport's list of banned substances.
I guess the question is, and this is what we've been discussing isn't it, how will investigators decide whether it was an accident or
intentional?
ALEXANDER: Well I think the Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko said today needs probably three or four years to get its doping house in order
to recover from all the drug scandals that it has suffered over the last year or so with athletics at the forefront of that controversy.
How they establish whether or not this has been deliberate or accidental, I'm sure that Sharapova has -- if her attention to detail is to
be believed, then certainly they will have to use that to try and establish the validity of her claims.
ANDERSON: Pleasure having you on, sir.
Thank you.
ALEXANDER: Thank you.
ANDERSON: Live from Abu Dhabi, this is Connect the World. I'm Becky Anderson. Coming up, a figure skater, a sky diver and a weightlifter,
perhaps not the first thing that comes to mind when you define an Emirati woman, but we have the story of three who are challenging stereotypes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[11:51:03] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right, ladies. Is everyone ready?
One, two, three...
CROWD: Let's dune it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let's dune it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Let's dune it.
That was one of our interns Khamail al Nuwaimi (ph) at the start of a women's heritage walk here in the United Arab Emirates.
This group of women are in the midst of a six day walk honoring the women of the UAE who used to make this long journey twice a year. They are
walking up to 25 kilometers a day through the very heart of the desert here in this region.
We're going to hear more from K when she gets back from the trek and see how they fought through, I've got to tell you, some pretty tough
weather conditions that are hitting the UAE right now.
Well, on International Women's Day, you're watching CNN. This is Connect the World with me Becky Anderson. Welcome back. Some people are
asking today, do women make people are asking today do women pay more than men do for certain products.
Claire Sebastian and Samuel Burke hit the streets of New York to investigate the so-called pink
tax.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLAIRE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All right, Samuel, so these are the rules for today. We have exactly the same shopping list with only one
difference.
SAMUEL BURKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What's that?
SEBASTIAN: You're going to buy the men's products.
BURKE: And you're buying the women's products.
SEBASTIAN: And we're going to see who spends the most.
BUKE: All right. Let's hit the shops.
Excuse me.
First on the list an every day item.
Do you really think I need a razor?
SEBASTIAN: So, we've got three different types of razors.
BURKE: But all very similar.
SEBASTIAN: All very similar. We tried to get the closest equivalent male and female.
BURKE: How much did you spend?
SEBASTIAN: $35.79.
BURKE: I spent $33.83, so I saved about two bucks.
SEBASTIAN: The store told us there are many different factors that go into the pricing. One of the manufacturer told us the items were not
identical.
BURKE: I knew it. I knew it.
Our next item, a plain white t-shirt went the other way.
SEBASTIAN: This was $5.99.
BURKE: And gents, this was $6.99.
SEBASTIAN: When it came to the perfume, though.
We got exactly same brand, Eau de Toilette for men and women, exactly same size.
BURKE: $76.21. Not cheap.
SEBASTIAN: Not cheap. Neither was mine. It came to $84.92.
BURKE: Dior declined to comment on the difference.
Online we found female equivalent brands also priced higher by Calvin Klein and Armani. Neither of those companies responded to our request for
comment.
SEBASTIAN: A recent study by the New York Department of Consumer Affairs surveyed almost 800 items from health products to kids toys and
clothes and found in 42 percent of cases women pay more.
MICHAEL CONE, TRADE LAWYER: Consistently we find women are paying more for goods in the aggregate than men. And it's not enough to say, hey,
we have an item, look here, this costs more for a man than a woman. That doesn't negate the aggregate result.
SEBASTIAN: The retail industry says prices are set all along the supply chain from manufacturing to distribution, and gouging never pays
off.
TED POTRIKOUS, PRESIDENT AND CEO, RETAIL COUNCIL OF NEW YORK: It's gotten so competitive, that if a merchant of any stripe says, oh, well this
one is for a girl, so, let's add another 10 percent to it. They will be gone. They will be gone in no time flat.
BURKE: For a last stop, we're off to the cleaners each with a plain white shirt.
SEBASTIAN: This is our biggest difference so far. For my shirt, the women's shirt cost $6.50.
BURKE: And for a men's shirt, which I thought looked like Claire's shirt, only $2.50.
The cleaners told us it cost more because they have to press the women's shirt by hand. For men, they use a machine.
SEBASTIAN: So, I paid more for the razor, the perfume and the dry cleaning.
BURKE: The only thing where us men came out ahead was the white t- shirt.
It's a short list for a very complicated issue.
You know, somebody in one of those shops thought I was your husband.
SEBASTIAN: He wishes.
Claire Sebastian.
BURKE: And Samuel Burke.
CNN Money, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[11:55:13] ANDERSON: Before we get out of the show this evening, I want to bring you the stories, three Emirati women steering away from
tradition in pursuit of their sporting dreams. Their journeys were documented in a film called Know your Freedom showing how these women walk
the thin line between culture, religion, and ambition.
In tonight's parting shots, then, we sit down with the two women behind the film.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUPRIYA SRINIVAS: I'm Supriya Srinivas.
GHALA AL AQILI, FILMMAKER: And I'm Ghala Al Aqili. And we were both the director, producers and directors for the film Know your Freedom.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, before competition, like I do get really nervous. And I keep on telling myself, if you do fall, nothing is going to
happen.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The film is about three UAE (inaudible). One a figure skater, one
is a weightlifter and one a sky diver. And we basically follow their lives and look at the extraordinary
choices they made in a very traditional society.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For me, the goal (inaudible) is to be -- to beat my previous last year.
AQILI: Was it hard for them to wear the (inaudible) the first time she went to first figure skating or for the first jump, or for the sky
diving?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why you should wear this all the time. She doesn't have hair.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know how -- when women would see it, you know, because I'm sure most of her trainers or you know people around her
are men.
SRINIVAS: When they make these choices to pursue an Olympic dream like Zara (ph) is or like Ama (ph) is, it's not very easy because you're
moving away from the herd. You're standing out as an individual. And so what happens is everyone is questioning you. Society is questioning you.
So, these girls are working a very fine balance between, you know, traditional norms and pursuing their dreams.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I admire them a lot, because they need to push boundaries not
only beyond their physical and mental state.
AQILI: We're very politically correct in this society so to make them speak what really made it hard for them to be where they are right now is
truly difficult.
SRINIVAS: The journey towards the Olympics is something that probably many athletes around the world they are doing it right now. But one of the
persons speaking to us in the documentary said, you know, the journey -- Amna's (ph) journey, she's a weightlifter. And she's trying for Rio. He
said her journey is gold to me. She does not have to get there for me. Society does not understand what she's doing right now but they will. And
that journey itself is gold. He doesn't even -- even if she doesn't get there, it's not important for them.
And I think that's the value of their journey.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And you have to be brave enough to take one step, just one step.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: And that was Connect the World. I'm Becky Anderson. Thank you for watching.
END
