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Connect the World
Nigel Farage Steps Down as UKIP Leader; Death Toll Now 200 In Baghdad Terror Attack; Rio Mayor Addresses Fears Over Security, Zika Ahead of Rio Games; Bangladeshi Government Challenges ISIS Claim of Responsibility for Dhaka Attack; Semifinals of Euro 2016 Set; Turkey Announces Willingness to Work with Russia on ISIS Threats; Top Gear Lead Presenter Chris Evans Quits. Aired 11:00a-12:00p ET
Aired July 04, 2016 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:36] BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: A country in mourning. The Iraqis are trying to comprehend the sheer scale of the worst single attack there
in more than a decade.
Plus, the death toll rises. We'll examine ISIS's growing campaign of terror.
Also tonight, laid to rest: loved ones say a final farewell to those brutally killed in a cafe in Bangladesh's capital as we learn more about
the men behind the massacre.
And...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EDUARDO PAES, MAYOR OF RIO DE JANEIRO: I think they do a terrible job on security. They do a terrible job before the games and after the games.
Fortunately, they're not going to be the ones responsible for security.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: A month before the games in Rio and the city's mayor is lashing out at state officials. We're live there this hour.
A very warm welcome. It is just after 7:00 here in the UAE. Welcome to Connect the World. I'm Becky Anderson.
Sadly, ISIS won't be a new name to you, but let me be clear here almost everything you know about them is now completely transforming from a
want-to-be state in the Middle East to bloodthirsty extremists stamping their feet across the world.
Let me talk you through some of what is going on. In Iraq, there is fresh agony at a familiar way of massacring innocent people in what is the
deadliest single attack since 2003, at least 215 were killed when ISIS says it sent a suicide bomber into a busy shopping area.
One day earlier, families thousands of kilometers away wept as the group claimed another tragedy. Gunman burst into a cafe in Bangladesh's
capital Dhaka, killing 22 people.
Speaking to CNN, a heartbroken father identified his son, 18-year-old Mir Sameh Mobasheer (ph) as one of the attackers. He recognized him in
photos released by the terror organization.
And you will remember last week's deadly airport attack in Istanbul. A source says Turkey thinks ISIS is directly responsible for the planning,
coordination and execution of that attack.
So, some say the group shifting its focus to soft targets as it loses ground on the battlefield. CNN's Nic Robertson joining us first up from
London tonight to tie all this together.
And Nic, it was always a fallacy, but now even ISIS seems to be giving up on its pretensive statehood. Theologically, this is a big blow for
them. They say themselves -- saw themselves as warriors. Now they seem content to be terrorists.
What are your intelligence sources telling you about this new iteration of ISIS, as it were?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT; Well, it's going to be a very dangerous iteration on the global scale, there's no getting away
from that, because as they take their focus away from the fight in Iraq and Syria and a fight they're having in Libya as well, to take territory and
push it out of that area of operation into terrorism around the world, that's going to be
destabilizing potentially and dangerous in certain areas.
But I think we have to be pretty clear-headed about this, Becky. You know, ISIS wants to be the number one global jihadist organization. So if
it's losing on the battlefield in Iraq and Syria, which it is, then it needs to go big internationally. That's part of the picture here. But
they also need where they're losing Iraq and Syria to bring in recruits.
I think a fundamental -- and they attract recruits by having these big spectaculars around the world. But there's another fundamental to this,
and that is that ISIS itself is a caliphate, which is a religious position that it has taken by taking control of territory. It gives it a religious
obligation for duties like collecting taxes, like running hospitals, like looking after people in terms of law. It all sounds alien because this is
such a craven terrorist organization, but in their own terms, they have to do that. If they lose all their territory, they lose the ability to call
themselves a caliphate. That's a major step back.
But I think also part of what we're seeing at the moment is the fact that they've been trying to grow affiliates around the world. Bangladesh
would be an example of this. And they're using those affiliates now. Now they've matured and developed their own networks of attack. In Dhaka, the
most complex attack there.
Bagdad is slightly different, because Bagdad is trying to create such a sectarian division in Iraq. They went into a Sunni neighborhood with the
biggest bomb in Iraq since 2003 or at least the most deadly. They're trying to create such a sectarian division in the country, they can try to
hive off the Sunni west of the country. That's slightly different.
But this is -- I think when we look at it today, this is the picture that we have, Becky.
[11:05:50] ANDERSON: I think you're right to point out that perhaps Baghdad sadly a bit clearer than the other attacks that we've seen, which
appear to have been inspired by or professing to be in the name of ISIS.
Now we are days if not hours away from the end of the holy month of Ramadan. We were sadly warned that there could be attacks in the name of
ISIS. As we move towards the week of Eid, what should we expect at this point? Is it clear?
ROBERTSON: It isn't. I mean, there can be the real potential for attacks. The attack in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, it appears to have been
targeted the U.S. consulate. The fact that the bomber blew himself up ten yards away, you cannot exclude the fact that the U.S. consulate was his
target, that perhaps we're seeing a new drive of ISIS inside Saudi Arabia.
Saudi authorities have arrested over the past few years 2,500 ISIS members inside Saudi Arabia. Are they turning now from just targeting
Saudi security forces to interests there? That again is another part of the picture when we look at it. So it could, before the end of Ramadan,
before Eid, the Eid festival, could there be more attacks? Yes. By their own accounting they might.
But look what al Qaeda has been saying, the attack in Istanbul. al Qaeda said that this was killing Muslims, again pointing out the very
negativity of what ISIS is doing. That if it would attack as it did in Baghdad, the people who are dying there are Muslims. The message there is
that ISIS will kill just anyone and Muslims in particular in some cases.
So, if they do push ahead, ramping up during Ramadan, it could backfire on them because al
Qaeda also picked on an example in Pakistan where they said, again, the attack on the Bacha Khan University near Peshawar that was again ISIS
killing Muslims. That is wrong.
So, there could be a blowback with more of these. But potentially ISIS is less concerned about the blowback and more concerned about getting
that spectacular. And that has been their MO.
ANDERSON: Nic Robertson is in London with analysis. Nic, thank you for that.
And we're going to have a lot more on what is this growing threat from ISIS and other groups, of course. I'll be joined by Lina Khatib, who is an
expert on the Middle East at the think tank Chatham House. That is in about 15 minutes from now. She has very insightful analysis for you. So,
stick with us for that.
Right, let's get you some of the other stories on the radar today. And Kuwait says it foiled several ISIS plots to launch attacks during the
final days of Ramadan. The news agency report police broke up three terror cells, one of which planning to bomb a mosque and
government building. And as Nic was alluding to, the Saudi interior ministry is investigating a suicide bombing near the U.S. consulate in
Jeddah. An attacker detonating an explosive just 10 meters away from the consulate wall early on Monday morning. Nobody else was killed, but two
police officers were slightly injured.
Well, to Bangladesh now, another country tried to come to terms with an attack that has left people stunned. The country has been in mourning
for two days after 22 people were killed in what was Friday's siege at a popular cafe.
Police say two people who were injured in that attack are now suspects, both are hospitalized and will be interrogated as soon as they
are recover.
Let's go live to Dhaka and speak with Alexandra Field. What do we know about these suspects at this point?
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the two suspects that police say they have in custody are too injured to talk, but one was
initially identified as the sole surviving attacker who had stormed that cafe. We're now learning that the other person was also injured inside the
cafe, but it isn't clear who the person is.
The attackers who were killed by commandos who helped to free 13 hostages have all been identified as Bangladeshis. ISIS claimed
responsibility for this attack, even though officials here in Bangladesh are saying they are investigating the possibility that this was the work of
a home-grown terror network.
We know the men involved in this horrific massacre of some 20 innocent civilians and two police officers range in age from 18 to their mid 20s.
We are told, Becky, that they're all of an upper middle class background, each of them highly educated.
I spoke to the father today of one of the youngest attackers, an 18- year-old. Hhe had gone missing from his home back in February. The father has been searching for him with the help of law enforcement agencies. He
learned that his son had been involved in the attack when he saw photos published by ISIS. He said he was able to recognize his son's mouth, his
sons cheeks. The rest of the head was covered.
He now, reflecting on this attack, the horror that took place inside that restaurant, says this is not the son he knew.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MEER HAYED KABIR, FATHER OF DHAKA ATTACKER: What he did, I don't know say, it is not his decision. He cannot do it. Biologically, it is not
possible.
FIELD: What do you say to the families, to the loved ones of the people who died in that restaurant?
KABIR: I don't know what to say, but I want -- I apologize to them on behalf of myself. As god is -- all the punishment. But I don't know how
much involved he was, how willingly he was involved.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FIELD: The father tells me he is inconsolable. He hasn't been able to bring himself to see the remains of his son or to identify the body.
He described his son as somebody who was always religious, but, Becky, he says that the boy never showed signs of extremism or radicalization.
He's 18 years old now, though, and he had left home a few months ago, Becky.
ANDERSON: Alexandra, thank you.
Well, the attack in Dhaka comes after a series of murders against individuals in Bangladesh. ISIS has claimed responsibility for Friday's
attack, but their involvement is being questioned by Bangladeshi officials and authorities who say it was home-grown militants.
Ravi Agrawal has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAVI AGRAWAL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It was the most deadly terror attack in Bangladeshi history, and it was designed for maximum
impact and exposure.
There is a backdrop to these attacks, however. For threes years Bangladesh has suffered a spate of individual murders claimed by terror
groups. The victims were mostly local writers and religious minorities.
Friday was different. Terror analysts say the audacious drawn-out attack in a cafe filled with foreigners is a clear escalation.
AJAI SAHINI, SOUTH ASIA TERRORISM PORTAL: Foreign targets are for the islamists the most desirable targets, for one simple reason, they attract
far greater attention than any amount of domestic terrorism will.
AGRAWAL: As Bangladesh mourns, people are asking who is responsible? South Asia terrorism expert Ajai Sahini says Bangladesh has a long history
of low grade local jihadi violance. While they Dhaka killers were clearly trying to invoke ISIS, he says it's too soon to say the group has a real
operational foothold in the country.
SAHINI: What is crucial to understand here is that this is a one directional communication. We have no evidence as yet of any two-way
communication in which both the perpetrators and someone from ISIS were exchanging information, one with the other.
AGRAWAL: Friday's attack is a game changer in more ways than one. Unlike with previous attacks across Bangladesh, reports suggest that the
Taka Cafe (ph) killers were from upper middle class Bangladeshi families, some of them spoke English fluently and they were
adept at using social media.
That's why experts are now saying that they could have been radicalized online.
The Islamic State's in-house magazine Dabiq recently ran an essay titled the revival of jihad in Bengal. It specifically called for attacks
on Americans or Europeas.
Bangladesh could also be seeing a battle between terror groups. Just on Sunday, al Qaeda in the Indian Sub-Continent called for attacks on
Hindus in India. They'd earlier made similar calls in Bangladesh.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government brushes away these claims and she, instead, blames the violence on home-grown islamist groups.
In June, authorities arrested 14,000 alleged suspects including members of the opposition BMP and its ally Jamaat-e-Islami. Human rights
groups and opposition voices criticize the arrests as heavy-handed and opportunistic.
But amid the finger-pointing, people are dying. While terror groups seek a foothold in the world's fourth biggest home for Muslims, there's an
even greater prize next door: India.
Ravi Agrawal, CNN, New Delhi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[11:15:31] ANDERSON: Still to come tonight, Turkish authorities charge a group of suspects less than a week after the attacks at Istanbul.
We'll have the very latest on that investigation for you. It is quarter past 7:00 here in the UAE. Stay with us. I'm Becky Anderson. You're
watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: You're watching CNN. This is Connect the World with me, Becky Anderson. Welcome back.
We're following new developments in Turkey tonight for you where nerves are still on edge after the terror attacks in Istanbul. More than a
dozen suspects from the airport massacre there are being charged with belonging a terror group, and even more are due in court.
Turkish media reports two suspected ISIS militants were arrested at the Ataturk airport on Sunday. Now, it's not yet clear if they are
connected to last week's attack. Senior international correspondent Nima Elbagir joining me now live from Istanbul.
What are your sourcing telling you at this point?
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we understand that they're continuing to cast their net pretty wide, Becky. Although,
the under the magnifying under the magnifying glass, those planes that are arriving from the Ukraine and those in the country who are from the
Caucasus region, who are from central Asia -- you remember Akhmet Chetayev, the man that U.S. officials told CNN, they believe played a central role in
the planning of this attack is from the northern Caucus area of Russia and is believed to be very closely involved with the Uzbek regiment in ISIS.
And certainly what they've been discovering so far bares out a Caucus, a central Asia connection in all of this. So, when those two men arrived
on Saturday from a plane that had arrived the plane that arrived from the Ukraine. They immediately became the focal point of suspicion and Anatolia
(ph) news agency, the semi-official news agency here, said they were found carrying multiple identity documents, that they themselves were both
carrying Kyrgyz passports in addition to one man who had a dual Russian Kyrgyz passport. One of the attackers was also Kyrgyz.
They were also carrying what was described as military items. It seems -- the theory that seems to be coalescing, Becky, is that this was a
foreign fighter network, but supported by local home-grown terror resources. So those on Saturday that faced a judge and have been charged,
three of them are foreigners.
On Sunday, and today we understand -- sorry -- on those Sunday, three of whom are foreigners. Today, those appearing in court, 11 are
foreigners. Turkey is fast coming to accept that it is under attack from multiple directions, both the internal terror network, Becky, and those
foreign fighters attempting to permeate the border between Syria and Turkey.
[11:20:28] ANDERSON: And, Nima, Turkey, it seems, ready to work with Russia, a new development, in the fight against ISIS. Given the context of
this latest news and the backdrop of this awful attack at the airport, just how significant is that? And what do you think the consequences might
be?
ELBAGIR: Well, there definitely seems to be a certain amount of geopolitical positioning, doesn't there? Turkey and Russia hadn't had
Diplomatic relations. In fact, President Putin had banned Russian tourists from even holidaying here in Turkey. And then Tuesday, the day of the
attack, we learned that there had been a very warm phone call of condolences from President Putin.
Of course, it then emerged that one of the attackers was that the dual Kyrgyz/Russian citizen. And then since then this threat from the northern
Caucus region, this threat from the former Stans and foreign fighters hailing from the former Soviet state, you now start to see that perhaps
Russia and Turkey see that it's in their combined interest to work together.
But obviously it feeds into President Erdogan's broader geopolitical ambitions, because potentially now he is positioning himself to be that go-
between, a middle man between Russia and the U.S.-led coalition that Turkey is expected to take an even greater role in after the Ataturk airport
attacks, Becky.
ANDERSON: Nima Elgabir in Istanbul for you this evening. Always a pleasure. Thank you.
In the United States, police are treating Independence Day celebrations as potential terror targets. City's throughout the nation are
on high alert for the Fourth of July holiday.
CNN's Deborah Feyerick reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After a series of deadly attacks overseas, U.S. counterterror officials heightening security
measures at so-called soft targets across the country, including the July 4th fireworks displays tonight.
CHIEF CATHY LANIER, METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT: We have a pretty tight security plan for the Fourth of July.
FEYERICK: In the nation's capital, much of the dramatic increase in security will be hidden.
CHIEF ROBERT MACLEAN, U.S. PARK POLICE: We do have technology that folks will not see.
FEYERICK: The biggest fireworks show in America, along New York City's East River, with an estimated 3 million spectators, has the police in the
big apple on high alert.
WILLIAM BRATTON, NYPD COMMISSIONER: You will see a very significantly enhanced police presence in the city.
FEYERICK: Out on the water, officials patrolling the harbors around Manhattan and conducting security dives along the Macy's fireworks barges.
MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D), NEW YORK: We are very, very vigilant. We'll have exceptional NYPD presence to keep everyone safe.
FEYERICK: The New York City mayor deploying 500 plus highly trained, highly armed officers, ready to prevent terror. The first Fourth of July
the critical response team will be out in full force.
DE BLASIO: It sends a powerful message to anyone who might try and disrupt, that we are ready to prevent that.
FEYERICK: Tensions already high.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It sounded like a cannon.
FEYERICK: After a small explosion in Central Park Sunday left a tourist's foot mangled.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His foot's all but detached. His friends claim he was just walking on the rocks and stepped on something.
FEYERICK: That something believed to be an experiment with fireworks or a homemade explosive, set off after a young tourist actually stepped on
it, according to the NYPD.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We believe this could have been put here as some sort of experiment.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSION: Deborah Feyerick reporting.
And you can read a lot more about the evolving threat from ISIS on our website, as one western
counterterrorism official puts it, we can expect metastasis of terror as it becomes increasingly difficult for ISIS to hold onto its core territories.
That and a lot more at CNN.com for you.
Well, the latest world news headlines are just ahead.
Plus...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIGEL FARAGE, UKIP PARTY LEADER: Good morning. Good morning.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Who knew winning could be so bad for your political career as another key voice backing Brexit steps aside. We'll have the very
latest on Britain's political drama.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(HEADLINES)
[11:28:25] ANDERSON: We'll let's take a close look at the evolving threat from militant groups, ISIS particularly. This group appears to be
shifting strategy, as we've been reporting, focusing on their global campaign of terror as they continue to lose ground in their self-proclaimed
caliphate in Syria and in Iraq.
Some liken the tactics to the desperate actions of a cornered rat. But an audio message back in May, an ISIS spokesman pledged that the
militants will keep fighting even if they do lose key strongholds, suggesting they are prepared to regroup and revert back to an insurgency.
We're going to get some perspective now from Lena Khatib, who is head of the Middle East and North African program at Chatham House. She's
currently in Helsinki, Finland from where she joins us via Skype tonight.
As ISIS suffers this loss of battleground, so we see this new phase, the group it seems is seeking the sort of propaganda victories these
attacks represent to their followers.
How do authorities counter these new tactics?
LINA KHATIB, CHATHAM HOUSE: It's a new tactic that has been pre- planned for quite some time. ISIS is already embarking on a strategy that it incubated last summer when it reached the
maximum in terms of geographical expansion in Iraq and Syria. Since then, it has sought to compensate for its geographical lack of expansion and now
losses through these kinds of attacks which means the international community needs to come up with very local-based solutions to fight these
attacks.
At the heart this is the matter of security services and their strength. In Bangladesh, for example, the security infrastructure if very
weak. And this gives ISIS an opportunity to take advantage of it, to engage in opportunistic attacks. In the west, on the other hand, the
security services are much stronger, and so ISIS is less able to engage in these kinds of attacks in
the west.
So, it all has to start with strengthening the security infrastructure.
[11:30:35] ANDERSON: Although sadly, as we are too well aware over the last 18 months, it has been too easy to launch these attacks across
Europe as well, not least in Brussels and in Paris.
Lina, I want to share with our viewers something that you wrote for CNN.com. You suggest the rise of ISIS in Turkey is partly due to the
actions of the president there, President Erdogan, quote, Turkey saw ISIS as a convenient tool to help overthrow the Syrian regime of Bashar al-
Assad. This facilitating the movement of ISIS fighters in and out of Syria through Turkey's porous borders. This pragmatic stance towards ISIS
initially offered Erdogan a way to assert himself vis-a-vis Assad, but it also paved the way for ISIS to strengthen its presence and activities in
Turkey."
Now, do you see its present actives waning, and how do you assess the latest news that Turkey is now ready to work with Russia in the fight
against ISIS? How significant is that.
KHATIB: It is very significant that Turkey has said this now. And this is to do with Turkey
feeling cornered, because on the one hand, this laissez faire approach towards ISIS was a way for President Erdogan to try to put pressure on the
Assad government in Syria. But this has begun to backfire.
And now Turkey is also under pressure by Russia, from Russia because of Russia's intervention in Syria and the sanctions imposed on Turkey. And
ultimately Turkey sees that the international community is moving in a certain direction, which is to push toward a U.S.Rrussian settlement for
the Syrian conflict and Turkey does not want to be left outside that.
And that means that Turkey is now engaging more in the fight against ISIS, because it does not want to become politically isolated and find
itself in a situation where there's a solution to the Syrian conflict that kind of its not involved in.
ANDERSON: Previously you were the co-founding head of the program on Arab reform and democracy at Stanford University Center on Democracy
Development and the rule of law. I found that slightly ironic, or I have to say, perhaps, oxymoronic as many here will say. It's the very lack of
reform and democracy in the mainly Arab Middle East that has created the conditions for the rise of the so-called Islamic State. Does that resonate
with you?
KHATIB: Yes, absolutely. So going back actually to our first question about what the global international community can can do about
ISIS, actually the issue of reform and democracy is at the heart of the problem. Because the lack of reform and the lack of democratic states have
been key drivers for people's grievances in Iraq and Syria that has made ISIS an attractive alternative.
And therefore, I would say in addition to what Isaid about strengthening the security infrastructure which is a more immediate measure
that can be taken, and should be taken, across the world, when it comes to tackling ISIS at home in the heartland, in Syria and Iraq, the solution
starts with political path, and that means finding a political solution to the Syrian conflict and also a formula to restore trust in the Iraqi
government by Iraqi citizens from all communities.
So, ultimately, we have to go back to this issue of reform.
ANDERSON: Lina, with that we're going to leave it there. We thank you very much indeed for joining us out of the Middle East and North Africa
program at Chatham House. Thank you.
Well, we've seen some backlash against Muslims in the United States after recent ISIS attacks around the world. And now an ugly case of a
false accusation against an Emirati businessman. He is staying in Ohio for medical treatment and ended up collapsing outside a hotel after police
charged at him with guns drawn and handcuffed him.
It turns out a desk clerk in the hotel heard her family reporting to police saying a man in full headdress, quote, was on the phone pledging
allegiance to ISIS.
Authorities have apologized to him and are considering whether to pursue charges in the case.
Take you back to another story that we are following for you here now. Top Gear presenter Chris Evans resigning from the show after just 12 months
on the job. CNN Max Foster just outside the BBC's headquarters for us in central London.
Max, was he pushed or shoved or did he go voluntarily?
[11:35:33] MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, let's read between the lines. He's certainly saying that he quit. And it
certainly does -- I mean, Becky, you and I know him quite well. In the UK., he's a very well known figure. Internationally, perhaps not so. He's
had lots of successes over the years But when he feels as though a show isn't going particularly well, he has quit in the past.
And that does seem to line up with what's being said today. So, he tweeted he's stepping down from Top Gear. He gave it his best shot, but
sometimes that's not enough. The BBC really repeating what he said. So, the BBC not saying you can't resign, pretty much allowing it to happen.
So, the statement, really from the director of BBC Studios, his boss in Top Gear, Mark Lindsay saying that Chris is stepping down from his duties. He
says he gave it his best shot, doing everything he could to make the show a success.
They're also pointing out that Chris does back the current presenting team. There's lots of people are questioning whether Matt LeBlanc --
whether Matt LeBlanc and the rest of the presenting team will stay on, whether will take over. We haven't got any confirmation on that.
But also the BBC very much pointing out the new series is notched up more than 30 million views in the UK, and has already been sold to 130
territories worldwide. But, Becky, if I just compare that to what it was like under Jeremy Clarkson, they were selling the format to more than 200
countries worldwide and it was the most popular factual television series in the world.
So, it's come down from that. And when the latest series started, this latest series, started in May, it had more than 6 million viewers here
in the UK. And last night it dipped below 2 million, consistently dropping down now to 1.9 million viewers. So, I think that really tells the story
about the program and perhaps why Chris quit.
ANDERSON: Thank you, Max, talking about the BBC's most successful export, perhaps one of Britain's most successful exports to date and the
pressure for the post-Clarkson era clearly absolutely huge. What happens next we'll have to wait and see. We'll let you know as soon as we find
out.
Britain's political drama goes on with yet another shakeup in the wake of the Brexit vote.
In just the last few hours, the leader of the UK Independence Party, or UKIP as it was known, Nigel Farage, said he is resigning. Now that
comes a little over a week after the British prime minister said he'd be stepping down.
Isa Soares runs us through what is going on.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The man who went up and down the country with the slogan we want our country back is now saying I
want my life back.
Nigel Farage, the leader of UKIP, says he will be standing down because he feels, he says, he's done his bit for the country. His aim, he
said was clear: to get the UK out of the EU.
FARAGE: My aim in being in politics was to get Britain out of the European Union. That is what we voted for in that referendum two weeks
ago. That's why is I now feel that I've done my bit, that I couldn't possibly achieve more than we managed to get in that referendum. And so I
feel it's right that I should now stand aside as leader of UKIP.
SOARES: His announcement was greeted with anger as well as relief with some basically saying that the architect of Brexit should not be
abandoning the ship. Others saying he really just bowed out because it was too much pressure.
The speculation is that perhaps he will be working behind the scenes, he won't be giving up politics for good. Perhaps, even, some say, working
with Andrea Leadsom. She came out today setting out her stall and her policies. And that message was clear: let's get on with it and leave.
One of her key policies, interestingly enough, was relating to EU nationals working here. Take a listen to what she had to say.
ANDREA LEADSOM, CONSERVATIVE PARTY LEADER CANDIDATE: I commit today to guaranteeing the rights of our EU friends who have already come here to
live and work. We must give them certainty. There is no way they will be bargaining chips in our negotiations.
SOARES: A very different view from her rival and front-runner Theresa May who says she wants to use those nationals in trade talks in agreements
trying to get a better deal for the UK. It seems now it's all to play for. A decision will start on Tuesday.
Isa Soares, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[11:40:07] ANDERSON: Well, we we're back in Abu Dhabi after anchoring the show for the past couple of weeks from London as Brexit took center
stage connecting the world for you as ever.
Coming up, is it the ends of the road for Iceland? Well, it is, I'm afraid. Their dream run at the Euros may be over, but the legend will
surely live on. A wrap of all the action and a look ahead to the semi- finals with CNN World Sport. Amanda Davies after this.
And one month to go until the Olympic Games, will Rio be able to shake its image as a crisis city? The mayor is now lashing out at state
officials for the security situation there. We'll have those comments in about ten minutes for you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: You're watching CNN. This is Connect the World with me Becky Anderson. Just a quarter to 8:00 in the UAE.
It was a dream run for Iceland -- the little nation that could at the Euro 2016 football tournament. The fairy tale came to an end on Sunday
after they suffering a crushing defeat at the hands of the French.
It was effectively all over by the end of the first half as the host nation entered the interval having scored four goals. Iceland scored twice
in the next half before losing the game 5-2.
Well, the final four set in the semifinals await. The French meet Germany. Portugal will square off against Wales.
Let's go to where the action is. CNN World Sport's Amanda Davies is live for us in Paris this hour.
And Amanda, I watched that game live at 30,000 feet yesterday on my way back from London to here, Abu Dhabi, and I Marvelled at the sheer
determination that Iceland showed in just never giving up. They actually won the second half, didn't they, 2-1.
What do you think the legacy will be?
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: Now, that's absolutely right, Becky. And they fought right away through to the final whistle, which really
basically characterized their whole tournament up to this point. Their captain, Aron Gundersson said that whilst Euro 2016 might be over, their
footballing journal is just beginning.
They certainly made an imprint on this tournament -- they won fans, they won hearts. But sadly this was just one match too far and it was
France that emerged victorious from the quarterfinals.
So, as you said, they'll set up that match against the defending world champions, Germany. It should be a cracker in Marsailles, on Thursday
night. Before that, though, there will be a fairly superstar-studded line up on display in Lyons as Portugal take on Wales. The match being build as
Christiano Ronaldo against Gareth Bale, two of course Real Madrid teammates here going head-to-head.
And I was lucky enough to catch up with Ryan Giggs a little bit earlier. Of course, a former Wales player, to ask him which of the pair
he'd rather have on his team.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RYAN GIGGS, FRM. WALES FOOTBALL STAR: At the moment Gareth Bale. Yeah. I mean, it's hard to say that with Ronaldo and, you know, the other
night he could have quite easily had a hat trick, you know he had four or five decent enough chances, and you're always thinking at the back of your
mind, he's going to come good. He's going to come good.
But at the moment, I was impressed with Gareth Bale the other day, because he didn't score. He didn't make any of the goals, but actually,
his work rate and what he did for the team is something probably Christiano doesn't do. He is just a match winner.
OWEN HARGREAVES, CNN FOOTBALL ANALYST: Christiano, he wants to score goals. He wants to create them. He wants to be the main man. And I don't
think there's anything wrong with that. You know, he sacrificed a lot in his life to put himself in that position.
I think Bale is probably a little bit more down-to-earth, a little bit more humble and one of the boys, really.
DAVIES: Chris Coleman said it's about daring to dream. Can you, as a Welsh fan, as a Welsh player, actually dream?
GIGGS: Yeah, you can, because of what you witnessed. And you know, Portugal and Belgium. Belgium are probably a better team, so what is there
to fear? And he's got I think ten goals in the tournament. That's more than anyone else, I think. So, they got a decent defensive record. So
what's there to be scared of?
DAVIEDS: Do you wish you were still playing?
HARGREAVES: Yeah, definitely.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAVIES: I dare say there's a fair few Welsh fans who wish Ryan Giggs was still playing, Becky. There's more of that interview with Giggs and
Owen Hargreaves coming up in the later additions of World Sport.
Chris Coleman, though, agrees with Ryan Giggs saying his side have nothing to fear. And you would think that Wales have a fair few extra fans
around the world now that Iceland have gone out, another minnow side playing in their first major tournament final since 1958.
ANDERSON: Lovely. All right. Thank you for that. And more, as Amanda says, from that interview later on the CNN and World Sport. Thank
you.
There is now just a month to go until the Olympic Games get under way in Rio de Janeiro. And the host city is still having a hard time getting
out of crisis mode. With the recent spate of violent crime, one of the chief questions being asked is will the games be safe for tourists?
The mayor of Rio tells CNN it will be despite what he calls a terrible policing job by state officials. Well, Rio's mayor has been speaking with
CNN's Shasta Darlington who joins me now live from Rio de Janeiro.
What has he been telling you, Shasta?
SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, we really are in the middle of a serious crime wave right here. We talked to
Olympic sailors who were robbed at gunpoint, an armed gang stormed a hospital to break out a drug kingpin. So, it was in this context that when
I sat down with the mayor, I said, you know, how can you guarantee that the Olympic games will be safe. And this is what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAES: Fortunately, this is not going to happen on the game. There's going to be the national force here, the army, the navy, everyone's going
to be here. So, as you know, this is not a city responsibility in Brazil, it's a state-level responsibility. I think they do a terrible job on
security, they did a terrible job before the games and after the games.
Fortunately, they're not going to be the ones responsible for security during the games.
SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think you raise a valid point. There's also the question of residents. Police aren't
getting paid. Crime is rising. Do you worry that your citizens, that your -- especially the most vulnerable, could be abandoned during the Olympic
Games when everybody is taking care of the tourists?
PAES: I'm not worried about them being abandoned on the games time, I'm worried about them being abandoned every day, in their everyday life.
So, this is the most serious issue in Rio, and the state level is doing a terrible job there.
I mean, it has completely been failing. And its work of police, of taking care of security in the states.
DARLINGTON: One of the big problems has been Zika. Athletes have been canceling. Do you think you might be underestimating the impact that
the fear over the Zika virus is going to have on the games?
PAES: I don't think so, actually. What's happening is exactly to the contrary. I mean, people are overestimating what could happen. I mean at
this time in Rio, if you're American, please don't go to Florida. You got more cases of Zika in Florida than what we have now in Rio. I'm not saying
there's not a problem. It is a problem that we have to face. But as we always said, especially during this time of the year, it's wintertime in
Brazil, in Rio, so, the weather gets better. So the spread of the mosquito it gets better, so we don't have much case of Zika now.
DARLINGTON: I live here in Brazil. I live in Rio. I'm rooting for these Olympics to work, but it just seems like every time something can go
wrong it does and even more how are you going to even get people excited about these games?
PAES: These are the kind of problems that you face in the U.S. I mean, it was a kid in the lake in Disneyland -- in Disney World and the
crocodile comes and eats the kid. You know, there's a crazy American guy that goes into a gay disco and shoots I don't know, 40 people.
I mean problems happens everywhere. Obviously, when you become and Olympic city these problems, you know, they rise.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DARLINGTON: Now, organizers have exactly one month to prove all of their critics wrong, to prove that they'll put it altogether at the last
minute, Becky. But it just seems that they have more challenges than they could even imagine in their worst nightmares.
ANDERSON: Shasta Darlington reporting. Thank you, Shasta.
Live from Abu Dhabi, you're watching Connect the World. Coming up, would you be willing to give away a third of all of your money? Well, one
businessman in the Gulf is doing just that. The details are coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDRESON: You're watching CNN. This is Connect the World with me, Becky Anderson. Welcome back to the UAE.
As Muslims around the world are celebrating their holy month of Ramadan, in tonight's Parting Shots, we speak to Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair, a
man who comes from a background of giving. His family donated more than a billion to education and his father established the first school here in
the UAE. Emirati commentator Khaled al-Ameri spoke to him about the spirit of Ramadan.
(BEGIN VIDETAPE)
KHALED AL-AMERI, COMMENTATOR: It's late evening, downtown Dubai. I'm out strolling with one of the most successful businessmen in the region.
During Ramadan, people meet and socialize until the early hours. Adbul Aziz Al Ghurair has invited me to the (inaudible).
The nighttime meal Muslims have when we fast.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have five, but this will be finished. It will be finished.
AMERI: And I wanted to talk to him about a key tenet of Ramadan, the act of giving.
Abdul Aziz and his family know a lot about giving. His father set up the country's first school. And today, the Abdullah Al Ghurair Foundation
for Education is one of the richest in the world.
Once the dishes are cleared, we begin talking childhood memories of Ramadan.
ABDUL AZIZ AL GHURAIR, CHAIRMAN ABDULLA AL GURAIR FOUNDATION FOR EDUCATION: When my father made sure he take me with him to go and give our
donation, or zakat (ph) to our needy people in our city. I still remember going from door-to-door, that feeling, I still have it and I remember it.
It made me thankful for what we have, respect my principle of my religion and feel closer to my community.
[11:55:22] AMERI: Now, you've pledged as a family over a billion dollars to this foundation. Why at that point in time did you feel the
need to bring that foundation to life?
GHURAIR: We launched the foundation a year ago. It was during Ramadan. That's during Ramadan when the best of us comes out, and you
know, we see -- father decided, OK, let's launch it through Ramadan. It was the idea. Now our objective is to give high quality education to those
people who never thought or dreamed of going to college. But now we'll take them to the best college in the world.
AMERI: From a cultural perspective, people don't talk about their donations. And -- but your family, yourself felt the need to make this
public. What was the strategy behind it?
GHURAIR: Our culture is you should with your right hand give, your left hand should not give. But life have moved on. And now our economy is
bigger, our philanthropy activities are becoming huge and bigger. So, we think it's time to come and talk about it because we want to bring it to
the surface.
Of course, we're not looking for any return in doing that because our scholarship is free for every student who takes the scholarship.
AMERI: How do you want people to remember Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair?
GHURAIR: What I want to do is really give high quality education for students, for smart, young Arabs, students who come from underprivileged
families, who never thought or dreamed of going to university, but it is looking for the jewel within all the rocks.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, that was just one interview from what is the Connect the World's Ramadan series. And as we approach the end of the holy month,
if you're keen to learn more about how Muslims break their fast, our interview with the UAE's minister of happiness who we
interviewed during this series, and other episodes that we've aired, just head over to our Facebook page, that's Facebook.com/CNNconnect. If you're
a regular viewer, you will know that.
I am Becky Anderson. That was Connect the World. From the team who are back here with me in Abu Dhabi, thank you for watching. CNN continues,
though, after this short break. Don't go away.
END
