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Impeachment Possible for Dilma Rousseff; Assad Accuses Countries of Supporting Terrorism; Pakistan Bombing Death Toll Rises to 74; Brother of ISIS Executioner Speaks Out; Republican Rift Widens at CNN Town Hall; Clinton Takes on Trump in New TV Ad; Accused EgyptAir Hijacker Appears in Court; Brazil's Crisis Deepens Just Months before Olympics; Rohingyas Place Hope on New Myanmar Government; New Nation in Whisky Business; Parting Shots. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired March 30, 2016 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
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BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): Brazil in crisis: President Dilma Rousseff loses support of the country's largest political party.
Will she be impeached?
We're live in Rio de Janeiro, up next for you.
Also ahead tonight:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (from captions): If I could, I would swap places with them. I wish I could give all my years to my children.
ANDERSON (voice-over): -- they were just starting their lives together. These newlyweds were killed in the Lahore bombing and now their families
are grieving.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And:
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In an organization that revels in barbarity, the hands of this man are more soaked in blood than
most.
ANDERSON (voice-over): We speak to the brother of that ISIS killer. CNN's exclusive interview is coming up.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
ANDERSON: A very good evening, it's just after 7 o'clock here in the UAE.
Now this should be an exciting time for Brazil, as it's now just months away from hosting the Olympic Games.
Instead, there's anger and anxiety over a government corruption scandal that can very well end up toppling the president, Dilma Rousseff.
Brazil's supreme federal court is in session and is expected to consider whether to approve her decision to appoint her scandal-plagued predecessor
to a prominent cabinet post, a move that could offer him some protections in a corruption probe.
There have been protests and now the president's biggest coalition partner has quit her government, a move seen as a key step toward Ms. Rousseff's
possible impeachment. CNN's Shasta Darlington is watching the drama unfold; she joins us now from Rio de Janeiro this hour.
How concerned should the president be at this point, Shasta?
SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, that was a real game-changer, Brazil's biggest party, PMDB, pulling out of the
coalition. And it was done in a 3-minute meeting. This party has stood by the government for 13 years.
Now they are going to order all six of their ministers to step down, some 600 government employees from the PMDB. And this really does turn the tide
for Dilma Rousseff as she faces impeachment proceedings in the lower house of congress, making it more likely that two-thirds of those members will
indeed vote to impeach her.
And while a lot of markets and businesses are actually looking forward to that, thinking it can turn the page on the recession, there's no doubt that
we're going to see her supporters coming out into the streets.
They call this a virtual coup d'etat, and that's because this impeachment proceeding isn't based on all of those corruption investigations. It's
based on budgetary laws that they say she broke trying to hide a budget shortfall ahead of the 2014 elections -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Briefly, how does the former president, Lula da Silva, fit into all of this?
DARLINGTON: Well, things really started heating up just a few weeks ago when the corruption investigation began to circle in on former President
Lula. They took him in for questioning because they suspect he that benefitted from a bribery scheme that has already ensnared dozens of
politicians and top business leaders.
Well, right after he was called in for questioning, Dilma Rousseff appoints him her chief of staff. This would shield him from investigation by the
lower courts because top members of government can only be investigated by the supreme court.
Critics saw this as pretty blatant political maneuvering. They took to the streets. Then you get counterprotests, people trying to block it.
Basically on the one hand, he could help shore up confidence or if not confidence at least support for the Rousseff government as she faces
impeachment proceedings.
But on the other hand, this has just raised the political tension, gotten more people to come out, calling this political maneuvering and just a
blatant attempt to hang on at all costs -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Shasta, I want to briefly read our viewers a statement from the International Olympic Committee.
It says, "We are of course following political events in the country very closely and have been working in solidarity with the organizing committee.
We are very confident that Brazil will offer to the world excellent Olympic Games, of which the whole country can be proud."
Shasta, is it wishful thinking to suggest that Brazil can still pull off a successful Olympics just months away?
DARLINGTON: There are a couple of elements in play. On the one hand, much of the venue buildup is on autopilot. The venues are on schedule. They're
being delivered.
[11:05:00]
DARLINGTON: On the other hand, when you look at this political tension, protesters on the street, the fact that we don't even know who is going to
be president come August, when the games kick off, that's obviously going to have an impact when people look at whether or not they are going to come
to Brazil, given this political uncertainty, the Zika pandemic, which has been tied to birth defects, all sorts of elements that are making people
uneasy about the situation here in Brazil.
And I do think we're going to see organizers revising down their estimates on how many visitors will come to the games, which was initially half a
million. We'll see where that goes, Becky. But there's no way that the Games will remain untouched.
ANDERSON: Shasta Darlington is in Rio for you this evening. It's 5 past 7:00 here. You're with us on CONNECT THE WORLD.
Thank you, Shasta.
Just days ago, as Syrian troops backed by Russian aircraft recaptured the ancient city of Palmyra from ISIS, well, now Syrian president Bashar al-
Assad has taken to Russian media, accusing Western governments of directly supporting terrorism in his country and Iraq.
He named France and the United Kingdom, as well as Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Well, Assad made the comments during that wide-ranging interview with the
Russian state-run news outlet, Sputnik News.
Matthew Chance in Moscow on that.
What was new in what he said and was that narrative considered on message with his allies in Moscow?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, yes, certainly from the vantage point here in Moscow, it looked like they were
very much in step with each other.
In terms of what was new, that issue of accusing Turkey and Saudi Arabia and other Western powers -- and he named Britain and France -- as being
backers of terrorism, that's part of the rhetoric that we have heard time and again, frankly, from Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president.
Remember, the Syrian conflict is shattered into various factions. Western powers, the Turks, the Saudis, they're all supporting their different
faction, some of which are designated as terrorist groups and others aren't. But of course the Syrian government designates them all as
terrorist groups. And that's the context in which he was talking.
He did make some other remarks, though, which I haven't heard before in terms of the cost of the Syrian conflict. He put a figure on it. He said
it's cost the Syrian economy $200 billion in terms of economic loss and damage to its infrastructure. And that's a figure we haven't heard before.
And he also said it would be the countries that have supported Syria, in his words, throughout this crisis that would be rebuilding the country.
And he named those three countries: China, Iran and, of course, Russia.
ANDERSON: Matthew Chance, CNN Moscow for you, thank you, Matt.
Let's get you caught up on some of the other stories that are on our radar right now. And the Ebola epidemic that killed more than 11,000 people in
West Africa is no longer considered an international threat to public health.
That's the conclusion of the World Health Organization. It says any travel or trade restrictions aimed at containment should now be lifted.
A satirical song about Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan was broadcast on German television and sparked a diplomatic spat between the two
countries.
According to reports, Turkey last week summoned Germany's ambassador to protest a 2-minute clip, which pokes fun at the president's alleged
extravagant spending and condemns his human rights record.
And dissent in Trump's unity at the CNN town hall for U.S. Republican presidential candidates. All three refused to repeat a loyalty oath to
back the party's eventual nominee.
Donald Trump flat-out rejected the patrimony (ph) and went even further, saying he doesn't need or want Ted Cruz's support. A bold remark, given
Cruz's substantial number of delegates.
The candidates also discussed policing Muslim neighborhoods.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. TED CRUZ (R), TEXAS: Listen, if you want to stop radical Islamic terrorism, the answer isn't to go hang out in random neighborhoods. It is
instead to focus on communities where radicalization is a risk.
DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think we have to look very seriously at the mosques. Lots of things are happening in the
mosques. That's been proven.
GOV. JOHN KASICH (R), OHIO: We're not going to police Muslim neighborhoods. We can't afford polarization of people who are in the
civilized world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Foreign policy was also a focus. John Kasich took issue with Trump's statement that NATO is obsolete, calling it "absurd," so much more
to talk about. We'll return to this story just ahead. Right.
Well, Pakistan has seen a number of horrific terrorist attacks in recent years. Now the country is mourning again after Sunday's suicide bombing in
a crowded park in Lahore. The death toll has risen to 74. Many of the victims were young children, who were outside playing on the Easter
holiday. CNN's Saima Mohsin --
[11:10:00]
ANDERSON: -- spoke to the mother of one victim, who was killed alongside his new wife.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (from captions): I entrusted them in God's hands, now they are with God.
SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Naveed and Shawana Ashraf were married just four months ago. They both died in the bombing, both
just 21 years old.
Shawana usually wore the veil. Her family asked that we respect her privacy, even though she's gone.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (from captions): Everyone who saw her said, "She looks like an angel." Well, God made an angel come and take my son away.
MOHSIN (voice-over): Just moments before the attack, this is now the last video taken by the Ashraf family on a day out at the amusement park.
Laughter, happiness, then this: Shawana had never been to the park. They had taken Naveed's sisters with them.
They were sitting, having snacks close to this stand, when the bombers struck. The family searched for them at the park and then found them at
the hospital.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (from captions): Oh, my lion son. I might as well be dead. I don't want to act like this but I just can't help it. He was my
lion, my big, strong son. Oh, my son was soaked I blood.
MOHSIN (voice-over): It's too much for his sister to listen to. Her leg was injured in the bombing; their mother, delirious; father, resigned and
unable to speak.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (from captions): My daughter was covered in blood, her scarf was drenched in blood. He was screaming.
MOHSIN (voice-over): Naveed and Shawana died of shrapnel wounds to the head and neck.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (from captions): If I could, I would swap places with them. I wish I could give all my years to my children.
MOHSIN (voice-over): They were buried as soon as possible under Muslim law, first thing Monday, leaving behind a family that says a darkness has
befallen them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (from captions): All I wanted to do was hold my son and daughter-in-law close like this.
How could they betray me like that?
They took them away in coffins.
MOHSIN (voice-over): Saima Mohsin, CNN, Lahore, Pakistan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: When we come back, we turn to terror in Europe and the radicalization of young people there in an exclusive interview. CNN speaks
to the brother of a Belgian man, who has been described as the face of ISIS in that country.
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ANDERSON (voice-over): And much more from the CNN Republican town hall, including why the moderator accused Donald Trump of making the argument of
a 5-year old.
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ANDERSON: You're with CNN. This is CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson, out of the UAE. It is 15 minutes past 7:00 here.
Police in Brussels are still hunting for suspects connected to last week's terror attacks. Now those bombings have put an urgent new focus on the
problem of radicalization of young people in Belgium, people like Hicham Chaib. He has appeared in countless ISIS videos. Now his family are
speaking out. CNN Michael Holmes sat down exclusively with Chaib's brother.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES (voice-over): In an organization that revels in barbarity, the hands of this man are more soaked in blood than most. Hicham Chaib,
Belgian born of Moroccan descent, praises the Brussels terror attacks and promises more to come.
Chaib is a murderer of many, by beheading, crucifixion and gunshot. He ends this video warning to his country of birth by killing another man.
MOHAMED AMIN CHAIB, BROTHER OF BELGIAN ISIS FIGHTER (through translator): He was someone who couldn't hurt a fly and went through life laughing.
It's just disbelief and still the family doesn't believe this could happen.
HOLMES (voice-over): The brother of a killer: Mohamed Amin Chaib is sickened by what he cannot yet bring himself to watch, the actions of a man
he no longer recognizes.
HOLMES: What good memories do you have of him when he was younger, before all this took hold?
What are your memories of him as a young man, as a child?
CHAIB (through translator): What I remember is an older brother, who was always there. That's what I remember. If I had trouble, he was there.
HOLMES: Hicham Chaib grew up in this suburb of Antwerp in Belgium, by all accounts, a normal upbringing in a moderate Muslim family of 13 until, his
family, says he met people, radicals, who turned him to a view of his religion unlike that he was raised in, what his brother calls a twisted
cut-and-paste Islam.
CHAIB (through translator): That's an Islam that they fill in according to their own interpretations, colored by their own frustrations.
HOLMES (voice-over): Twenty-two-year-old Mohamed Amin has not seen his brother since 2013, when he left Belgium for Syria. Since Hicham Chaib's
latest grotesque video, the family who disowns his actions has received threats to their own safety.
CHAIB (through translator): With the latest video, we've had threats, hate messages. It's a major influence on our family, not just emotionally but
also out of fear. Our parents are very fearful that something might happen with their sons or daughters.
HOLMES: The family's angst does not end with Hicham, though. Another brother, Anwar (ph), faces charges after authorities say he, too, allegedly
tried to go to Syria, although his lawyer says Anwar is no Hicham.
MATTIAS LEYS, CHAIB FAMILY LAWYER (through translator): My client has taken notice of the video images in which his brother is seen and he wants
to absolutely distance himself from it. He rejects the acts and the words of his brother and is shocked by what recently happened in our country.
HOLMES (voice-over): Mohamed isn't sure if he'll see his brother again. But if his brother sees this, he has a message from a family paying for the
sins of a son.
CHAIB (through translator): Hicham, think hard, because you have a family here. Your own mother thinks about you every night and cries always about
you. Your father's old. He also always loves you. Think about the consequences for your family, because they're enormous.
HOLMES (voice-over): By his past actions, Mohamed Amin's plea, unlikely to be heeded -- Michael Holmes, CNN, Antwerp, Belgium.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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ANDERSON: If we needed more proof of how bitter and divisive the U.S. Republican race for the White House has become, now we have it.
All three candidates backing down from a pledge to support the party's eventual nominee. Each of them apparently appeared at a CNN town hall last
night discussing everything from the war over wives to the arrest of Trump's campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, on battery charges.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TRUMP: Frankly, I think this is much better than a debate.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST: If Donald Trump is the GOP nominee, would you support him?
SEN. TED CRUZ (R), TEXAS: Donald is not going to be the GOP nominee. We're going to beat him.
TRUMP: I'm not asking for his support. I want the people's support.
(CROSSTALK)
COOPER: -- the nominee is?
TRUMP: -- no, I don't, anyway.
GOV. JOHN KASICH (R), OHIO: All of us shouldn't even have even answered that question but it was the --
[11:20:00]
KASICH: -- first debate and, you know, what the heck.
COOPER: If he was your campaign manager, would you ask him to resign?
CRUZ: Of course. Look, it shouldn't be complicated that the members of a campaign staff should not be physically assaulting the press.
TRUMP: Look what she says, Michelle Fields. And oh, by the way, she's not a baby. OK?
KASICH: I haven't seen the video but they tell me the video is real. Of course, I would.
TRUMP: She was grabbing me.
Am I supposed to press charges against her?
Oh, my arm is --
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: -- my arm is just killing me. It's never been the same.
CRUZ: These terror attacks in Europe are a result of failed immigration policies.
COOPER: Do you trust Muslims in America?
TRUMP: Do I want?
COOPER: Trust Muslims in America?
TRUMP: Many of them I do. Many of them I do. And some, I guess we don't.
KASICH: So when you come in the country, I say, well, are you a Muslim? Raise your hand if you're a Muslim. I mean, come on, Anderson. That's not
going to work.
TRUMP: I didn't start it.
COOPER: Sir, with all due respect, that's the argument of a 5-year old.
TRUMP: I didn't start it.
COOPER: You don't know for a fact that Donald Trump planted that story.
CRUZ: Of course I do.
TRUMP: I watch Ted Cruz.
COOPER: How, though?
TRUMP: So phony.
KASICH: If name calling, bringing in spouses and ripping each other below the belt and wrestling in the mud is the new politics, we all need to stand
against it. Our children are watching.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, Republican and Democratic candidates back on the campaign trail today.
Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, live pictures for you there. And Ted Cruz all rallying their supporters in Wisconsin this hour, the next critical
battleground.
Hillary Clinton in New York, where she'll soon host a campaign event at the famed Apollo Theater. Let's go to our Phil Mattingly, he is with the Trump
campaign in De Pere (ph) in Wisconsin.
Trump has been accused of many things, Phil, but making the argument of a 5-year old hasn't been one of them.
How did that go down in his camp?
PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, obviously, I don't think he appreciated it very much. But it was an interesting moment and it was
an interesting time for him to be challenged in a public forum. It doesn't happen often.
If you look at the events that he has, these big rallies, thousands of people, him being challenged face-to-face like he was last night was an
interesting element and kind of a shift in the dynamic that we usually see.
But last night's town hall, no shortage of issues to get into, Becky, between the candidates no longer backing one another to Donald Trump's
campaign manager.
But I do think, Becky -- and we've talked about this a lot -- one of the most interesting elements was Donald Trump on foreign policy, particularly
on nuclear proliferation. There's a lot of complaints that there's not a lot of policy depth, in-depth policy discussion in this campaign. Last
night we hit on that. And I thought that was very interesting.
ANDERSON: There's harsh rhetoric about Muslims by Republican candidates in this U.S. presidential election campaign.
Is undermining national security efforts, according to the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, certainly not doing the candidates
themselves many favors around the world for many of us watching from thousands of miles away.
And I'm sure my -- the viewers will agree with me on this. This presidential campaign could be described as sort of -- become a sort of
playground politics, as it were, a sort of thing that 5-year olds might sort of say on the -- it's all become slightly mad.
Is that how you perceive it?
MATTINGLY: Lookit, I think there's been a lot of elements this campaign, Becky, that are unseemly and don't seem to have a lot relevance to maybe
everyday life, particularly, if you're looking at it from the international perspective. You're looking at just the number of issues, serious, serious
issues around the world that the U.S. has a major role in right now and sometimes the campaign devolves into tweet wars or battles over families or
wives.
And I don't think when you talk to campaign officials behind the scenes anybody really appreciates the direction that it's taken. But to be
completely honest, there's no indication at all, Becky, that the direction is going to change anytime soon. This is kind of the road we've taken and
as long as Donald Trump continues to push that as the front-runner, it's going to stay that way.
ANDERSON: I hope you can hear me with the sound behind you because I want to just play something for our viewers and get you to listen to it.
Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton is taking Donald Trump head-on in what is a new television ad. You'll have seen this, Phil. She's still
facing a strong challenge from fellow Democrat Bernie Sanders but she's also keeping her eye on the general election, casting herself as the
Democrats' best chance to beat Trump in the fall.
Now this ad is airing in New York. That is Trump's home turf. Let's have a listen to it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (voice- over): New York, 20 million people strong.
No, we don't all look the same. We don't all sound the same, either. But when we pull together, we do the biggest things in the world.
So when some say we can solve America's problems by building walls, banning people based on their religion --
[11:25:00]
CLINTON (voice-over): -- and turning against each other, well, this is New York. And we know better.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, I hope you could hear that. I know that you'll have seen this ad.
When you reflect on the top takeouts from the town hall last night and look forward to New York and what the Democrats are up to vis-a-vis Hillary
Clinton and Bernie Sanders and you see an ad like that, where are we in this campaign?
MATTINGLY: I think the most interesting part about that ad is Hillary Clinton desperately wants to pivot to the general election vote. She wants
to take on Donald Trump. She wants that fight. She's not there yet. She hasn't gotten clear of Bernie Sanders yet.
And the same goes for Donald Trump. He is the front-runner; no question about it. He has the best chance to win this nomination and it's not even
close right now. But he can't pivot, either. So it's almost like they're two fighters circling one another. And you saw the initial jab from
Hillary Clinton with that ad in New York, that New York primary coming up.
But there's a lot of time left, Becky. And I think one of the most interesting elements that's been going on right now is nobody really knows
when the Republican nomination is going to be locked up. Could go all the way to the convention.
And even though Hillary Clinton is a clear front-runner, there's no real sense of when she'll lock up the Democratic nomination. So that means we
have a long slug ahead -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Fascinating. All right. Well, we'll let you get on with the campaign and at least reporting on the campaign and we'll move on. Phil,
always a pleasure, thank you.
Donald Trump has taken aim at several countries, including China and Mexico. We (INAUDIBLE) much about his sorts on the largest democracy in
the world (INAUDIBLE) our site, our website. You'll find an in-depth article on India's view of the U.S. presidential race and the Republican
front-runner by our New Delhi bureau chief, Ravi Agrawal.
Surprising fact for you: Trump's association with India actually stretches back decades. That and more at cnn.com.
At least there's world news headlines are just ahead. Plus we turn to Myanmar as it begins a new political era and looks to deal with its
(INAUDIBLE) Muslim community. That is just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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ANDERSON: Welcome back. Just about 7 o'clock here in the UAE. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson. The top stories for you
this hour:
(HEADLINES)
ANDERSON: The man accused of hijacking an EgyptAir flight to Cairo and forcing it to land in Cyprus has been formally charged. Seif Eldin Mustafa
appeared in court in Cyprus earlier on Wednesday and confessed to all charges. So for more on this, let's go to Cairo, where we can speak to
CNN's Ian Lee.
"More idiot than anything else" is how the Cypriot authorities have described this man.
What's the latest from there?
IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Becky, and I think everyone's -- who's dealing with this is glad that they were dealing with someone who
they're calling "an idiot" and not a terrorist because they did have a peaceful resolution to this.
It was, though, his first day in court to get the charges that are going to be against him. The Egyptians, though, would like to have him come here so
they could try him. This is just the beginning of what's probably going to be a long court proceedings. But we are learning more this hour. Take a
look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEE (voice-over): The man at the center of Tuesday's EgyptAir plane hijacking, in handcuffs and under heavy guard as he's led into a courtroom
in Larnaca, Cyprus. Seif Eldin Mustafa is facing multiple charges, including hijacking and kidnapping. The 58-year-old Egyptian had demanded
the Cairo-bound flight land in either Greece, Turkey or Cyprus 15 minutes after it had taken off from Alexandria. He claimed to be wearing a bomb
belt, as seen in this picture taken on board the flight.
Passengers and their families recalled the horror.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Certainly he had a finger on the button. At any moment, if he had decided to do something, we would have
all been dead.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I was telling myself I may lose my daughter but approximately after an hour or so, she answered her phone.
She tried to calm me. She told me not to cry. I was having a nervous breakdown.
LEE (voice-over): For around six hours, the plane remained on the tarmac at Larnaca Airport. All but seven people, including crew members, were
released within the first three hours.
Negotiators soon established this was not a terror attack but Seif Eldin Mustafa's motives remained unclear. Initial reports indicated he wanted to
be reunited with his ex-wife. The Egyptian prime minister said the demands kept changing.
EGYPTIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): At some moments, he wants to meet with a representative of the European Union. And at other points, he
wants to go to another airport. But there was nothing specific.
LEE (voice-over): Then just before 2:00 pm, this: more people emerge from the plane, one man climbing out of the EgyptAir cockpit window to make his
escape.
Finally the hijacker surrenders himself to police. He's searched; the device found is a fake.
In a bizarre moment, British passenger Ben Ennis (ph) had his picture taken with the hijacker, the bomb belt clearly visible. CNN hasn't heard back
from Ennis. Egypt defended the airport security, releasing footage of the hijacker going through metal detectors, adding he didn't present a threat
at check-in.
LEE: And, Becky, this isn't the first run-in with the law for Seif Eldin Mustafa. He has a long criminal record which includes burglary,
impersonation, forgery and drug dealing. Authorities now are going to be able to add hijacking and kidnapping to that -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Thank you. Your reporting out of Egypt this evening.
We want to shift our attention back to what is this deepening crisis affecting Brazil right as it gets ready to host the Olympic Games.
President Dilma Rousseff finds herself more vulnerable to possible impeachment, now that her main coalition partner (INAUDIBLE). And today,
the supreme federal court is expected to consider her appointment of her scandal-tinged (ph) predecessor --
[11:35:00]
ANDERSON (voice-over): -- to a cabinet post. Ricardo Gandour says this is a critical day in Brazilian politics. He's content director and executive
editor of Estado Group and he joins us from New York, where he is a visiting researcher at Columbia University.
How do you pick apart exactly what is going on in Brazil at this point?
RICARDO GANDOUR, CONTENT DIRECTOR AND EXECUTIVE EDITOR, ESTADO GROUP: Hi, Becky, glad to join you again, now temporarily from New York.
Yes, you know, Becky, we have been trying to forecast and to analyze this political turmoil in Brazil, this all long month.
But now today I would say we have a very relevant moment. The decision of PMDB, the big center party member of the whole coalition of the government,
the decision of taking, saying goodbye to the government and being in the opposite corner of President Dilma.
You know Vice President Michel Temer is from PMDB, the largest politician machine in Brazil. And this is a very relevant movement. Now I would say
the possibilities of the impeachment get much higher.
And this morning a new survey, opinion survey was released -- the disapproval of Dilma's government have stayed very high in 82 percent in
more than this, 68 percent of the interviewers say they believe the rest of the mandate of Dilma will be very bad. So I would say now today we have a
very important movement.
ANDERSON: This is fascinating. Now there are a handful of media organizations like your own certainly haven't helped Dilma Rousseff's
cause, have they. Some might argue that it's the liberal elite who have never cared for the Workers' Party that has been the power behind this
tsunami of criticism and protest.
Is this a coup in all but name?
GANDOUR: Well, Becky, no; corruption is a, I would say it's a structural phenomenon in recent political story of Brazil.
But what is being -- coming to the news environment is that the level of corruption in the last 10-12 years involving Petrobras, the big state oil
company, it's really rigid and new levels, very high levels. And you know now the positive signs.
We have many people in jail, constructures (ph), politicians, the former chief of cabinet of Lula, George Edward Selwes (ph) in jail, the treasurer,
the chief financial officer of the party is in jail. So this is maybe a long-term, good perspective for Brazil democracy. But this very moment is
tough.
ANDERSON: Lula was quite a popular leader during his term as president. I want to give our viewers a little bit of background. So bear with me just
for a moment. He was a founding member of Brazil's only Socialist political party, the Workers' Party.
Now after three failed attempts, he became president in 2003. He won more than 60 percent of the vote and in 2006 he won a second term and was later
credited with helping Rio win the Summer Olympics, which are of course being held this year.
He left office in 2011 with a 90 percent approval rating. Compare that with Rousseff's approval rating of, what, 10 percent right now. His
supporters hope that Lula can help negotiate with his political allies to prevent the impeachment of Rousseff, to get this effectively sorted out.
Will that work?
How strong is his influence these days?
GANDOUR: Well, I would say that the influence is not that higher than before. You are right. Lula was a very popular leader and he did,
especially in the first mandate, many good things on the economic side. But of course taking advantage of the booming, of the emerging commodities
and all the good price they took advantage at that time.
But the financing of the campaigns and then some people's pockets, the money flowing, that all that money involving Petrobras, the construction
firms, that came to the reality as a very complicated scenario.
If the Workers' Party at the beginning thought that the goals justified the means they are now have to prove they did the right thing. That's the big
challenge they face.
ANDERSON: Yes and you have been alluding to the economy and its cycles, its up and downs and clearly President Lula da Silva cresting a wave, as it
were, of the Brazilian economy as it stuck out front in --
[11:40:00]
ANDERSON: -- what we were calling these emerging BRIC economies back in the mid-2000s.
Not long ago Brazil considered one of the frontiers of growth. Now this country is deep into the worst recession in decades. Ricardo, the IMF
expects Brazil's economy to shrink -- to shrink 3.5 percent this year after already contracting 3.8 percent last year, unemployment and inflation, as
you know, soaring and the country's currency, the real, losing 35 percent of its value last year.
I just wonder how much of all of this has been contributing to the anger on the street against Rousseff. It is never easy to run a country and an
economy when things are difficult, is it?
GANDOUR: That's correct. Many analysts say the GDP per capita will only be restored in 2020, so that will be maybe totally a decade, a lost decade
for the Brazilian economy.
This -- you will have strong impacts for people's employment, for the employment rate and the government will face managers' (ph) approvals.
The problem is Dilma has -- still has two years ahead in their mandate. Let's see if she is impeached and someone like the vice president can make
an arrangement to manage this disaster of (ph) mandate in 2018, the next elections. And we have also new deadline in May. The Olympic torch
arrives in Brazil. Let's see what will happen.
ANDERSON: All right. Good stuff. Thank you very much indeed.
Excellent analysis out of New York for you this evening.
Within just the last few hours, we have seen the end of a political era in Myanmar, 56 years of military rule coming to a peaceful end there as the
military junta handed over power to the National League for Democracy.
You can see Htin Kyaw being sworn in as president. He's a long-term ally of the party's Nobel Peace Prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyi. Now the
constitution bans her from serving as president herself.
Well, a core issue for the new government will be fixing a huge and violent divide there between the majority Buddhist population and the Rohingya
Muslims. They are a small, a persecuted minority, who largely live in poverty. My colleague, Ivan Watson, talked with some about their situation
and their hopes for a new era.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This may look like a typical village scene but don't be fooled. You're looking at a
modern-day ghetto in Myanmar.
For more than three years, members of the ethnic and religious minority called the Rohingya have been confined by the Myanmar government to a
cluster of villages and squatter camps on the outskirts of the capital of Rakhine State. Because of their race and religion, they're denied
citizenship in the country of their birth.
Among the residents here, 35-year-old Muhammad Ali (ph). He has asked we don't show his face.
He says Rohingya Muslims aren't allowed to leave the ghetto to find work, medical care or education. The situation's left him little choice. These
fishing boats, the possibility of escape. Ali (ph) and four other families scrape together money to buy a boat for a journey they hope will take them
to a new life in Malaysia.
MUHAMMAD ALI (PH), ROHINGYA (through translator): We hope it will be an easy journey. We think we might be at sea for one month. After that we
should arrive in another country and get our freedom there.
WATSON (voice-over): Ali (ph) is waiting, though, to see if Myanmar's recent move towards democracy could improve conditions for the Rohingya.
Last November, Myanmar held its freest elections in a generation. Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her party swept the vote.
After decades of oppression by military dictatorships, her party now stands poised to take over key positions in the new government.
ALI (PH) (through translator): We will wait several months. Maybe Aung San Suu Kyi will do something to make the situation better for all
communities and religions. But if the situation does not improve, then we will leave.
WATSON (voice-over): Tens of thousands of Rohingya have already tried to make the dangerous escape by sea.
Zoya's (ph) teenage son, Mohamed (ph), set sail months ago with human traffickers. In the weeks after, smugglers called, demanding ransom money
for her son's safety. She paid by selling off her family's food ration card and then got a call from her son.
ZOYA (PH) (through translator): He said, "Please don't give them money. I have already been sold to --
[11:45:00]
ZOYA (PH) (through translator): -- someone else."
WATSON (voice-over): That was the last time Zoya (ph) spoke to her son, who should be 19 years old now.
ZOYA (PH) (through translator): If he was alive, he would have contacted us. So we think he must have been killed.
WATSON (voice-over): There is hope for political change in Myanmar. But for some, it may already be too late -- Ivan Watson, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: And a quarter to 8:00 in the UAE. You are live with us and CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson.
Coming up, a new spirit is in the works in this part of the world. We're going to show you which country is getting into the single malt whisky
business.
Plus: a very unlikely enterprise. And no business experience and no one around here even buying their product, some Egyptian entrepreneurs started
a new company. Well, despite the odds their story of success is up next.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:50:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ANDERSON: You're back with CONNECT THE WORLD and me, Becky Anderson. Welcome back.
There is a new spirit in the works in Israel. A distiller there is taking a crack at single malt whisky, kosher style. CNN's Oren Liebermann on the
story for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the Holy Land, where Palestinian and Israeli vintners are recreating the wine that Jesus drank,
where there's a growing beer and microbrew scene, what's missing?
Whisky: Milk and Honey, a distillery in Tel Aviv, is setting out to solve that problem.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can make very good whisky in the hot climate, so we wanted to try it.
LIEBERMANN (voice-over): It's Israel's first single-malt whisky. Worldwide demand for single malt whisky has soared in recent years. High-
quality single malt is in short supply. The distillery season opening for Israeli kosher whisky.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In Israel, there is not enough drinkers, so we want to export and we want people that love the land and love whisky to buy our
whisky.
LIEBERMANN (voice-over): The first production batch will be 1 million bottles, most of which will ship overseas.
Whisky sales in the U.S. are booming, a potential market for the distillery.
LIEBERMANN: This copper steel is at the heart of the Milk and Honey distillery, custom made based on the scotch model of making whisky. It's
new, so it's clean on the inside.
But over time, it will build up a residue from each new batch so that each new whisky builds on the flavors of the whiskies before it.
LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Master distiller Jim Swan (ph) pours us a tasting of a test batch.
JIM SWAN (PH), MASTER DISTILLER: It is meant to be light, easy drinking. That's the idea. And most are like fruity whiskies, so we're aiming at the
whole world.
LIEBERMANN: You've had more than a few glasses of whisky?
SWAN (PH): I've had more than a few, yes.
LIEBERMANN: And how does this stack up?
SWAN (PH): I think it's pretty good. I'd be happy to sit and drink that.
LIEBERMANN: The first batch that has aged a full three years is not ready yet?
SWAN (PH): No, no, no, no, too early. You'll have to come back in another 2.5 or so years to try them. It's just early.
LIEBERMANN: We will come back.
SWAN (PH): OK.
LIEBERMANN (voice-over): Whisky would be a tiny fraction of Israel's multimillion-dollar alcohol industry. The entrepreneurs hope the market
matures with their whisky -- Oren Liebermann, CNN, Tel Aviv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[11:55:00]
ANDERSON: Tuesday's hijacking of an EgyptAir flight ended peacefully but for some it remains a terrifying memory. I spoke to one passenger about
her ordeal. You can watch that full interview on our Facebook page as well as other clips and stories from the show. Do use the Facebook site,
facebook.com/cnnconnect. It's yours and you can always tweet me @BeckyCNN.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ANDERSON: In our "Parting Shots" tonight, we take a step back in time. The ancient Salatin (ph) tribe of Egypt has very little contact with the
outside world. But one photographer got an inside look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): (INAUDIBLE) people is very different. They have to stay there two days, talking to people (INAUDIBLE).
(INAUDIBLE) very well. There I had a chance to meet (INAUDIBLE) tribe. They're far southeast of Egypt, very close to the border of Sudan.
I was very interested in the stories and their culture and how they adapted to their (INAUDIBLE) areas. (INAUDIBLE) with the camels because all the
camel markets over there.
I was very concerned about the women in the tribes who tried to make a life of standard law for (INAUDIBLE) to give them more rights and freedom.
I'm half Korean, half Egyptian. I have a very Korean face. (INAUDIBLE) speak to them, they get really shocked. My name is (INAUDIBLE) and those
are my parting shots.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: I'm Becky Anderson and that was CONNECT THE WORLD. From the team here, it's a very good evening. Thank you for watching. Taking a
very short break on CNN. We'll be back with the news headlines after this.
END
