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Rebel Commander On Eastern Ghouta Fighting; Police Dispatched To Shooter's Home Dozens Of Times; German Court Rules Cities Can Ditch Diesel; Fans Remember Bollywood Star Sridevi; Huawei Uses Smartphone To Drive A Car. Aired at 10-11a ET
Aired February 27, 2018 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:00:35] BECKY ANDERSON, CONNECT THE WORLD, CNN: Hello and welcome you are watching connect the world I am Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi and we
begin this hour in a way only this network CNN can. Human beings abuse by their capturer's auction of like cattle sold for just a few hundred dollars
to face a terrifying new faith. This despicable trade in lives is just one example of the modern day slavery is still taking place today a crying
shames all of humanity. CNN's free projects is committed to helping end it by bringing you exclusive stories that exposed the horrors of human
trafficking in 2018. Now you may remember last year went undercover in Libya and witness a heartbreaking auction of African migrants to sell.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Big strong boys for farm work, he says. 400. 700, 700? 800. The numbers roll in. This men
are sold for 1200 Libyan pounds, $400 apiece.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: This images shocked the world in the months since has anything really changed. Well this time CNN went undercover to want of the
departure points for African migrants who are desperate for the chances it seems a better life abroad, Nima a producer, William (inaudible) and Hassan
John and photographer Nick (inaudible) traveled to Nigeria and warns by a smuggler quote, don't struggle if you are rape, this is horrible.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
ELBAGIR: An unfriendly neighborhood in the Edo state. Edo is Nigeria's main smuggling hub, where they trade openly. We're hoping this man will
agree to traffic us to Europe.
Ebaki as he calls himself as a broker. Known locally as pusher man, he is one of an army of traffickers working with smugglers on the Nigeria end of
the migrant route to Europe. He tells our producer he can do it for 500,000 Naira that is just under $1400 each. The money is due on arrival
in Libya. He warns us not to waste his time. We're told to go back to the hotel. We test our undercover cameras and wait. Finally, we're told to
move to the location out in the north of Edo state. Tonight, he is working out of the local hotel that doubles as a brothel. Inside the brothel we're
told to wait. We don't know what we are waiting for. Utterly unprepared, but all of a sudden we are on the move. Our journey to Europe is underway.
We move to a local bus depot where we were told we will be put on a bus heading north, but first Ebaki wants to know if I have everything I need.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like what do you call it? Nigerians say here they have a cold circle here meaning condom. We have kiss, you know kiss. We have
kiss here. You just have it in your bag for the journey. In your bag.
ELBAGIR: So we can't travel without the contraception.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can get that for you. You are not paying.
ELBAGIR: As part of.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes as part of the journey.
ELBAGIR: As part of the journey, because women are abused?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In Libya.
ELBAGIR: In Libya, what happens? They get pregnant.
[10:05:00] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is why I am telling you to have those things. It is not guarantee, sometimes we have to meet one of them. I
would like to assist you. You know what that means. Don't tell me you don't know what I am saying.
ELBAGIR: Making me aside, Ebeki repeats again. Condoms, don't struggle if you are raped and ultimately trust in god. With that, we board the
overnight bus to the north. The doors lock behind us. From here begins the journey into the unknown. A journey that promises horrors, rape,
trafficking, slavery. Once we're sure the bus has move off Ebeki's sight we jump off. We at least are safe.
So if we had stayed on that bus we would be on our way to (inaudible) north of Nigeria. Sometime in the middle of the day 2:00 to 3:00 in the
afternoon tomorrow, we would be arriving in Kano. From Kano somebody would have been waiting to take us on the next leg of the journey to (inaudible)
and from (inaudible) to Libya and theory, on arrival in Libya, that is when the brokers get paid. It is incredible that it is so public. It's
incredible that it's so brazen that they're using public transport to start this leg of the journey, this is the most traffic filled destination in
Africa it is the main departure point for so much of these smuggling routes. And yet these brokers are able to ply their trade so openly. And
to think that as a woman, they would expect me behind contraception they would expect me to have made my piece with the fact almost every leg of
this journey I will be assaulted and rape and abused. It is unimaginable that people are willing to take this risks to make it to Europe.
In the end it was easier than we could possibly have imagined. CNN has passed on the evidence that we had under covered to the Nigerian
authorities. What we experienced was just the beginning of the nightmare. Hopefully, the Nigerian government will be able to stop any more young
women from being lured with the false dream of a new life. Nima Elbagir CNN Edo State, Nigeria.
(END VIDEO)
ANDERSON: In response to CNN's investigation yet a state Attorney General tells CNN this we are actively involved in investigations and several
prosecutions we will actively investigate and prosecute any trafficker. Trafficking in Edo is neither solely about economic issues not on the
development he said, but the deep cultural roots that must be exposed, examines and pulled out. Nima is joining is now live from New York and
with more and just as you were talking about as of the credibility of what you saw and you witnessed it does seem incredible the people were choosing
to do this trip and without being force. How many people were on that possible, what are their ages and when the Attorney General of the state's
trafficking in the deep cultural roots of us the expose examine pulled up, what do you mean by that?
ELBAGIR: Well to the Attorney General's point I think what she was trying to say that there is a culture now of trafficking, but I think is pushing
much simpler not that much simpler than that there is just deep grinding fighting poverty. Human the victory Becky, the young man who has spoken to
us after he was rescued from slavery in Libya we managed to meet up with him and we went to where he now -- I don't want to say stays, because he is
actually homeless, he has to decide how many meals a day he can afford to eat, that's what he is returned to that's what he was fleeing from when he
was trying to make it to Europe so while perhaps the reasons behind why a lot of people attend this journey are uncomplicated, but at the very hot
they really are incredibly simple. People are poor, people are desperate and are willing to risk anything and it was it was unbelievable, because we
hear these stories, we talk to these women on the other side, but to see someone face-to-face look in the eyes and say to you that this is what's
going to happen to you and that this is the price that you have to pay, I don't know if I can ever fully understand how anybody can make that choice
or how horrible the life they are escaping has to be to make a choice.
[10:10:08] ANDERSON: Well they do, what is the scope of people, how many people were talking about in a daily, weekly basis who are making the
decision to do that trip?
ELBAGIR: Well we know in a year in any given year there are thousands if not tens of thousands going to Libya, both the Western root in Nigeria and
other West African countries in to the Eastern route and you ask me about how many were in that bus? Well they try very hard to keep you separated
to each other. They try not have people interact incase somebody panics and turn back and pulls the plug on the whole thing that in a bus there is
almost a 100 people. There are probably maybe a dozen even more to attempting that route, the smuggler that would have met us on the north of
Nigeria had just finished escorting a group to Libya. It is a roaring trade, it is the most extraordinary business model and everything that we
heard the end of last year about how the world was shocked at how world leaders are going to do everything that they could to stop this, none of
that is reflected on the ground. This trafficking, this criminals are strong possibly than ever before Becky.
ANDERSON: Nima Elbagir is in New York for you today. Nima thank you.
It is far or near, what decade-long project now freedom project CNN is spotting the young people around the world on March 14th for what is a
student led day of action against slavery ahead of my freedom date we are seeing RedOne a Moroccan musician read one what freedom means to him. Have
a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REDONE, MUSICIAN: Freedom his life is very individual to -- to the different people you know and if we can help people to be free and feel
freedom we should we should I mean it is not my effort it is everybody's effort. It can be someone that you love and using gel within himself
doesn't have freedom.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: We want to hear what freedom means to you. Post a photo or video to social media using the #myfreedomday it is as simple as that to
get involved. This people find freedom around the world in Nigeria a recurring nightmare at every parent's worst fear.
110 young girls still missing. They were kidnapped from their school last week, the girls are simply trying to get an education, the country ramping
up a desperate search they say to find them, the 3country's president tweeting Monday that Nigeria will go to any length to ensure quote, no one
is left behind in the hands of terrorist. According to witnesses, armed men and military gear storm the school hurdling young girls into trunks.
Faria Sevenzo now has this report on how tat abduction unfolded.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
FARAI SEVENZO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Just four years after the abduction of nearly 300 school girls in Chibok North Eastern of Nigeria, but Islamist
insurgents Boko Haram. The terror group struck again last Monday attacking a science and technology school for girls in Dapchi in Yobe state. At
first Nigerian officials gets mixed messages claiming at one stage that the students had been rescued by the Nigerian forces only to change their tune.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Inaudible) soldiers who are (inaudible) on Monday and as of today we cannot console one to this, because the total register of
the students that came to school on that Monday was 906.
SEVENZO: But this conflicting information on the exact number missing and parents who could not find their children are already grieving another days
of subduction by Boko Haram. For months now president (inaudible) government claim to be taking the fight to Boko Haram. And it seems an end
to this insurgency was in sight. But despite the purchase of new military hardware, the Nigerian forces had been unable to stop further attack on
civilians in the trouble north east. This new abduction has survive memories of the missing Chibok girls. They are famous on bring back our
girls campaign about 100 of those girls are still missing. And it is to be a season of complainers, the parents of the missing are now turning.
[10:15:03] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He took (inaudible) -- our government of Nigeria did not let anything from the charge child abuse of Chibok girls.
They refuse to led rather they were so more interested in propaganda, they said they had defeated the terrorist.
SEVENZO: The president has called this latest abduction a national disaster. We are sorry that this happen, we share your pain, you wrote on
twitter and he has deployed more troops and surveillance aircraft but he must find the missing girls and restore confidence in troop's ability to
end Boko Haram terror.
(END VIDEO)
ANDERSON: As we mentions almost 300 girls were abducted from the school in Chibok by Boko Haram at almost four years ago. Let's just be emphatic
about that more than 100 are still in captivity and their families and the government have no idea where they are. Children are refusing to go to
school after last week attacks, many parents don't want to send them. You can read the source the parents now wondering if they have to choose
between education and safety in CNN.com, that is CNN.com.
Still to come tonight in Syria hostilities all about the Russian president is interrupted within minutes, what this may mean for Vladimir Putin, we
are on the story of Eastern Ghouta up next. That is Syria just before the break we dedicate the first part of our show to CNN my freedom day,
happening in the world over March 14 ahead of it. We ask musician Will.I.Am what freedom means to him. Taking a short break and have a
listen to this as we do.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILL.I.AM, AMERICAN MUSICIAN: The definition of freedom is love. When you truly love, you don't want to harm anyone, you see different and you
appreciate it. This struggle you want to make sure you do your best to help people out of struggling. The freedom is love.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: To Syria now an activist say shelling is interrupted.
[10:20:00] The first day of what was promised to be a daily five hour cease-fire in Eastern Ghouta. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the
pause in hostility in besiege Damascus suburb. So that the sick and wounded can flee the war zone at least one person was killed in the latest
shelling. CNN's Matthew Chance joining us now from Moscow with the story from that perspective. Sam Kiley following developments for you from
Istanbul and Matthew let us start with you, a Russian organized pause to hostilities which it seems quite frankly hasn't work. What is your
response there?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well there has been condemnation from the Russian side, but not of course their ally
Bashar Assad of the rebels inside Eastern Ghouta. The Russians insist have been shelling the humanitarian corridor for the whole time that it was open
for those five hours and basically preventing people from going out and preventing much-needed aid out from going in and that is pf course the
opposite of what activists on the ground are saying that this is the government forces that were dropping barrel bombs and continuing their
military actions inside Ghouta, but during this humanitarian pause, I think it's really interesting that this humanitarian pause for five hours a day
for at least the next 30 days according to the Russians was an order that was issued by the Kremlin and through its Defense Ministry here in Moscow
we the most cursory reference to the Syrian military and the Syrian government.
I think it shows who's really in control it's the Kremlin calling the shots that quite literally not Damascus and that was something that was
referenced by the French Foreign Minister who is beating Moscow today meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov saying the Russians are
not doing enough to place pressure on the ally of Bashar Assad saying that there are no other actors or Russia is the only actors according to John
(inaudible) that can get the regime to implement the United Nations security resolution for the cessation of (inaudible) for 30 days and so the
French are saying the Russians need to do more.
ANDERSON: Sam, is that is the case, effectively the Russian president is in charge of what is going on in Syria and the Russian president using
Syria to sort of amplify the country's power in the Middle East, what are the consequences of that?
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well the consequence of that could be rather optimistic. It would mean the future all the Assad
regime, the future prosecution of this war rests not with a regime that is faithful for its very existence, but with an external power one that has
ambitions to return to superpower status and on the world stage. Vladimir Putin has in the past at lead gestures towards trying to get a peace
process off the ground indeed. East Ghouta is supposed to be one of the de-escalation zone agreed at a Russian state sponsored peace process as was
the enclave of Idlib, but in both of those locations we've seen over the last couple of months, a very significant increase in attacks conducted by
Syrian and Russian military assets principally against civilian targets, but also including rebel military following apart we saw led from their
perspective to victory in Aleppo, particularly the East of Aleppo right down to the idea of humanitarian corridor. Back then five or six
humanitarian corridors were open to the rebels after the very devastating air campaigns that targeted as they have in east Ghouta, the medical
facilities a bubble leading to essentially try to break the back of the rebels and innocent civilians behind the rebels and force them out of the
city by some kind of agreed to surrender.
ANDERSON: Sure.
KILEY: What happened in east Aleppo it is much harder in east Ghouta because of course east Ghouta is completely surrounded by the government.
ANDERSON: At some point Matthew, the Russian government will need to say surely, job done. We are bringing our boys home as it were. There has
already been an effort to ensure the Russian public that this is not an open-ended military effort, I mean there is a big election, of course
coming up the presidential election coming up in the next month or so. What is the perspective in Moscow so far as what the end game is with
regard Russian military in Syria?
[10:25:00] CHANCE: I don't think the long-term objective is to just do as you say bring the boys back home be the Russians have been very proud of
the fact that they managed to get long-term deals now with the Syrian governments, they imposed those deals for a permanent military presence
inside Syria about air base that attack here at the Naval base as well on the Mediterranean coast at Tartus. These are important and rare military
installations that the Russians now have outside of their own best country of course it's one of the reasons why Russia went into Syria at the Omaha
in the first place to establish a military presence elsewhere to extend its military reach and to reassert itself crucially on the international state
back as a big important powerful global power and that's the message that they delivered very strongly in Syria and it is one that is being received
you know across that region, Becky.
ANDERSON: Matthew thank you. Sam I want to share something with you is relatively rare I will get your response in this. We heard today,
yesterday in fact from a rebel commander in Syria, (inaudible) of (inaudible). To be clear that is an Islamist rebel faction. They are not
ISIS as you are well aware Sam, they are not Al Qaeda but they do it here too political Islam now the Syrian government calls them terrorist, but
because they are the biggest armed group on the ground in Easton Ghouta. We decided to speak to them for that very reason about accusations levied
against them, I began by asking about the government's claim that terrorist are active in Eastern Ghouta. Justifying the type of bombings that we have
seen there. This was his response have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
ANDERSON: Hamza the Assad regime says that Eastern Ghouta is a hot bed of terrorist they say they are attacking terrorist, is that true? Are they
terrorist on the ground in Eastern Ghouta?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (TRANSLATOR): If we go back in time one year, at that time we carried out an internal military campaign to end the presence of
the so called (inaudible) in Eastern Ghouta. Three years ago Eastern Ghouta was the first to believe the vision to be free from ISIS presence.
Last year we fought to end the presence of this organizations, specifically Safran. We destroyed 80 percent of their capability an ended 80 percent of
Safran presence.
ANDERSON: There are reports that civilians are being prevented from leaving Eastern Ghouta, is that true? Are you involve in that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (TRANSLATOR): It seems like the questioned that are getting on as if, forgive for this, it seems directed at (inaudible)
factions or specific factions, were present in Ghouta as moderate factions. Our job and our mission is to protect the civilians, we are prepared to
apply any decision that is harmonious with all the factions and all the civilians present and worker. I would repeat, the civilians in Ghouta are
the one refusing to leave Ghouta. Not us who are stopping them from leaving. The people of Ghouta know every day that leave Ghouta, that faith
is either be arrested by the regime or recruited in to the army of the regime. Leaving their homes is something that people of Ghouta refuse to
do. The people of Ghouta refuse it completely.
So I think this question is wrong because we rejected the idea that we refused to let people out. In fact the regime rules preventing anyone from
leaving even sick people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Again Sam we spoke to Hamza as he represents the biggest armed group on the ground in Eastern Ghouta and the Syrian government out and the
resume is was preventing anyone from having even people in the family states he was a as he represents the biggest dog group on the ground in
Easton holdup and the Syrian government calling them terrorists they do adhere to political Islam they all know they're not Isis or Al Qaeda. You
hard his words, it is complicated on the ground. Syrian regime accusing those that they are bombing of being terrorists and Hamza will say is a
rebel defending civilians on the ground you will sense of what you just heard?
KING: Well I think it is fascinating Becky, because while he said that he said essentially that your question should be relating to whether or not
civilians are being held there that should be related to the fired at the extremist groups. He means groups like the Nose for Front which he had met
maybe 20 percent of the capacity they had before it is the case that (inaudible), Islam and others prosecuted something of a campaign to either
turn people away from the Al Qaeda doctrine or annihilate them on the grounds so that they could present a moderate face but I think it's a tacit
admission that they may well be some civilians in some areas that are being somewhat manipulate by some of the smaller much more extremist group.
But it is also absolutely true, for example in the case of people suffering from very acute medical conditions, it has been impossible to get them to
any kind of help to get through even into government held territory in Damascus for several months.
And when it does happen, it's an incredibly full process in many patients died before the bureaucracy has been carried through. So I think it is a
very, very important interview because it does put two belligerents on the rebel side precisely the sorts of allegations being made by the Damascus
government. And it comes over quite a suckle response which is that there are problems but not among the majority of the fighters there.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: Sam Kiley is on the story out of Istanbul for you today. Sam, thanks. Coming up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THIJS LUCAS (ph), STUTTGART RESIDENT: I could smell that it wasn't clean. It did hurt my nose. It did hurt in the eyes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: The air quality in this morning bike commute could be improving, in city in Germany can now ban some diesel cars from this city's center.
More on the plan to tackle solution, just ahead.
[10:35:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You know, I really believe, you don't know until test it but I think I really believe I would run in
there even if I didn't have a weapon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, that was U.S. president talking to the nations' governors about the Parkland, Florida school shooting. He was responding towards the
armed officer that stayed outside during the attack.
Now, Mr. Trump is doubling down on his proposal to arm teachers. But a source tells us, he maybe walking back on another idea, that being raising
the age limit to buy assault weapons.
Well, meantime, police may have missed more signs about the school shooter Nikolas Cruz. CNN's Rosa Flores has been talking with a neighbor and she
joins is now from Parkland. Rosa.
ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, we knew about this neighbor from a list of calls that was released from police but we didn't the grisly
details that this neighbor had watched from across the street.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOELLE GUARINO, NEIGHBOR WHO CALLED 911 ON FLORIDA SHOOTER: My husband and I both knew that it was not over, that we would eventually see him one day
on the news wearing an orange jumpsuit being charged with murder.
FLORES: Joelle Guarino called 911 in February 2016 to say her neighbor Nickolas Cruz was going to shoot up a school. She didn't know when but she
says she begged the officer to do something.
GUARINO: He basically told me that there was nothing he could do unless he carried out a threat, unless something happened and after he left, I just
felt completely helpless and frustrated. I didn't know where else to turn.
FLORES: Her son had showed her an Instagram post from Cruz, showing an AR- 15 style rifle with Cruz saying he couldn't wait to buy one when he turned 18, and soon after, another post saying he wanted to shoot up a school.
It did alarm Guarino who watched Cruz grow up alongside her kids flashback on all the signs of violence she says Cruz showed over the years. And
immediately thought he was capable of going on a rampage.
GUARINO: I was really afraid for my family, for animals, for myself.
FLORES: Guarino says Cruz was 10 when he hit her son with a rock in the eye, then she says, there was the killing of toads in her yard, and the
shooting of squirrels and birds with his BB gun. There was a time when she felt sorry for Cruz, when she says his mother kept the refrigerator in the
pantry under lock and key.
But, Guarino, said it was Cruz's menacing facial expression, as he stood over her dog, Max, while the dog was convulsing and foaming at the mouth
that convinced her that this teenager had a very dark side.
GUARINO: He was bending over my dog with a wild look on his face. He just looked excited. He was happy when he finally looked up and saw me, his
whole demeanor changed, his attitude towards my dog changed.
(CROSSTALK)
GUARINO: He went from a wild look to concerned.
FLORES: The signs of his violent outbursts could be seen on the walls of his room, she says, which were covered with holes punched by Cruz.
GUARINO: When you think of those 17 people who died and their families, oh, I feel horrible. I -- my heart breaks for them. I wish you would've
told me something can be done if you make enough noise.
He didn't. He said there was nothing that could be done and I believed them. I wish I didn't but I did. I'm very angry. I'm very angry.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FLORES: Now as authorities look at the missed warning signs, Becky, they are investigating two calls, the handling of two police calls, and
Guarino's is one of them. Becky.
ANDERSON: Rosa Flores, on the story for you. Thank you. The German court had ruled city authorities, the right to ban some diesel cars. The court
said the cities of Stuttgart and Dusseldorf, which some of the most polluted air in Europe.
Now prevent some cars from into the city center. Atika Shubert now reporting on the scale of the pollution problem in city of Stuttgart, have
a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thijs Lucas (ph) loves his bike. He averages 250 kilometers a week in his home, Stuttgart but there is a
problem.
LUCAS: I could smell that it wasn't clean. It did hurt my nose. It did hurt in the eyes.
[10:40:02] SHUBERT: Lucas is worried about NO2, nitrogen dioxide from diesel exhaust. The E.U. says in 2014, an estimated 400,000 premature
deaths are caused by NO2 and fine particulate pollution.
Lucas points to two plastic vials he installed on his route, designed to trap and measure NO2. There are more than 500 of these throughout the
country.
But Lucas isn't just a concerned cyclist, he is also a car engineer. Germany's auto industry makes up nearly 15 percent of its GDP and employs
more than 800,000.
LUCAS: We are very cognitive. I mean, every -- every person here is somehow getting money from the company. If not me, then it's is my family
that earns money from the car industry, and everything is connect.
And they were very proud and I am very proud of the cars and the products you make, and -- but the idea would have that cars have to be run by
petrol, and that everyone has to have their own car in a city that is growing and getting more and more compact, that setting has to change.
SHUBERT: Nearly half of new cars in the E.U. are diesel. But in 2015, Volkswagen was caught cheating emissions test in California, spewing NO2 up
to 40 times the legal limit.
Susanne Jailow says she wasn't surprised by that. She shows us the layer of smog that hangs over the city. Stuttgart is one of 28 cities across
Germany that regularly exceeds E.U. limits for NO2.
"For years I sent my kids out and told them to play outside when the weather was nice, she said, but cold clear weather like we have now is not
good. The issue is that air stagnates underneath that is like a lid that sits on the smog and could not get out, she says."
SHUBERT: That's when she checks her particulate meter, a simple PVC pipe and circuit board device made for less than $40, one of hundreds across the
country, a grassroots initiative to measure the cost of car pollution.
"In the last year or so things have changed, she says, people not realize all citizens are affected." Getting Germany to give up or at least put
aside their beloved diesel cars may not worked immediately but citizens like Lucas and Jailow are hoping their persistence pays off. Atika
Shubert, CNN, Stuttgart, Germany.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, live from Abu Dhabi, this is Connect the World. It is just before quarter to 8:00 in the evening here. You are watching Connect
the World.
If you are just joining us, you are more than welcome. Coming up, an outpouring of emotion, shocked bands, remember Bollywood star Sridevi.
Well, I will take you on that, up next.
[10:45:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: We are remembering a much loved Bollywood icon, Sridevi. Fans pay tribute to the 54-year-old actress, whose career span five decades.
But police closed the case, they have ruled out foul play and now release the body of Sridevi to her family.
She passed away in Dubai over the weekend. Let's get more from CNN's New Delhi bureau chief Nikhil Kumar is joining us now. And clearly, Sridevi is
dead, a huge shock to her hundreds of thousands, if not, millions of fans to the huge Bollywood star. What is the reaction being like there in
India?
NIKHIL KUMAR, CNN NEW DELHI BUREAU CHIEF: Well, you are actually right, Becky. You know she was a massive star and the reaction has been shocked
and surprise, and really disbelief when the news broke over the weekend. We went out shortly afterwards on the streets of Delhi to get reaction,
take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was really shocking, honestly, because she was young and she was really health conscious from what we want to know. We
never expected something like this, all of a sudden.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel so bad. I mean, she was a very good actress.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's a great loss for the film industry.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was really shocking that this is a very (Inaudible) and I honestly wouldn't believe it but I mean, it's like a
mystery still, what happen, how it happen, it was all sudden for me to process.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KUMAR: So, as you can see, Becky, you know, shocked, surprised, but also deep sense of loss for an actress who was of tallest stars ever in of the
world's biggest film industry. Becky.
ANDERSON: And, Nikhil, as one of those members of the public pointed out that you spoke to on the street, some confusion and concern about just
exactly how she died. Is it clear yet? This case is pretty close now by - - by the Dubai police. Do we know what happened?
KUMAR: Well, the authorities over the UAE, Becky, as you said, the case is closed. They said that she died after losing consciousness in a hotel
bathroom and falling into a bathtub, death by accidental drowning.
And really, you know, ever since the news first broke over the weekend, and then the way to find out what exactly happened, and all clear for the body
-- the mortal remains to be handed over to the family, so they could be moved to India, which is happening now. It's on route.
All of that has sort of -- you know, the public has been absolutely, you know, focused and listening to this, reading about this online, and
watching this on television over here, because she was a huge star.
She started acting when she was about 4-years-old and she started in the size of India, on the Parallel film industry, the acting in Telugu Tamil,
Kannada film before moving to the Hindi film industry -- the dominant industry.
Well, we all know as Bollywood, and in very short order, just by the sheer strength of a talent, she was such a presence on the screen that she came
to dominate that industry, so much so that -- you know, Sridevi was headlining a movie, Becky. You didn't need to name any other star, it
would be a hit.
ANDERSON: Thank for that. You are reporting out of New Delhi today. Well, CNN test a car that can be driven by smartphone up next, using
artificially intelligence, brave new world there, we will report if for you, up next.
[10:50:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: All right, we have (Inaudible) so much, but we do trust a smartphone controlled car. But actually, may that why smartphone self-
driving Porsche, still a question to you?
Well, the intrepid Samuel Burke has been in exactly one of those. He joins us more on that other highlight, from what is the Mobile World Congress, a
self-driving car controlled by a smartphone.
And suggest to me that ultimate humans in the future may not even need to lift a finger. We don't have any going forward, tell me all about this.
SAMUEL BURKE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Becky, artificial intelligence is really one of the biggest trend that we are seeing packed into mobile devices this
year and when you see a name like Huawei, the third-biggest smartphone maker in the world with a car like a Porsche, you have to try and see, can
a phone really control a car? That's what they are trying to do here.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BURKE: There is one camera on this car up top here and its sending all of the information and images to the phone that is up here on the dashboard,
and the phone is making the decisions about where the car should go.
But first it has to learn what's on this course, so we're going to take off, starting object recognition. I put it in drive, so humans are still
somewhat necessary.
I am in gear, object detection activated initializing, your car is ready. Are you? Press drive and enjoy the ride will. God, I never know what I'm
getting into, the self driving cars.
We are just going a mile an hour or so. Right now they're moving the different obstacles in the course. The car just stopped. So we did the
first round where the camera and the phone got a sense of this obstacle course.
So now we are actually ready to do the obstacle course but we still have to have somebody in here for safety. Now we drive. Scanning for out -- we
take off quickly. Is it suppose to stop that hard? I haven't stopped that hard since I was 16, studying for my drivers license.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BURKE: So, Becky, they're not quite as good as humans yet. Great news for us, we're still employed. We are still needed to drive cars but the
potential application for this technology is very important.
Because we need a AI in out phones to make these decision without having to rely on the cloud, because so much of what we need to do, we can't depend
on an Internet connection.
So this is the future, small devices packed with artificial intelligence, making decisions that humans are making now. But, Becky, for now it is
just that -- the future, not quite the present, yet.
ANDERSON: I was going to ask why there was a stirring wheel if nobody was going to actually use it. But then you, as if by magic -- magic help a man
to use that stirring wheel. So, I get it. I get where you are going with that.
BURKE: Just in case.
ANDERSON: Fascinating. Yes, just in case -- in those just in case moments. Thank you and I am glad you are safe. Well, that Parting Shots,
just in time for that for you tonight, Freakishly warm weather in the Arctic sending freezing conditions south to Europe, bare with me. Take a
look at London, snowy spills around the British capital of Cambridge is there from it.
[10:55:03] As you can see, that is happening around the U.K. I'm told. It's actually sticking to the ground, the snow days, and over in Rome, the
continent being hit by Italy cold winds from Siberia dubbed to the beast from the East.
Meanwhile, in the frozen north, when the temperatures are rising to above freezing leaving scientists stunned, shockingly cold there in London.
What's not shocking though is, well, at our Facebook page, it is with me all over my prducers but they should (Inaudible), it's
Facebook.com/CNNconnect is where the team get active during the day, while they are putting this TV show together, don't you forget to leave a photo
with a hashtag My Freedom Day, that it really important.
Get involved, particularly if you are still studying, we are looking for students get involved in this. That is hashtag My Freedom Day, that is
March 14th here at CNN. You will find all that you need to know about that there. I am Becky Anderson. That was Connect the World. Thank you for
watching.
END
