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Israeli Police Beat Mourners Carrying Journalist's Casket; UAE President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Dies at Age 73; CNN Investigation Reveals Russian General Overseeing Attacks Targeting Civilians; Russia Warns of Retaliatory Steps if Finland Joins NATO; Egyptian Director Builds Kids' Equity Workshop Around Film. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired May 13, 2022 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:29]
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Eleni Giokos in Abu Dhabi. Hello, and welcome, this is CONNECT THE WORLD. And we begin with breaking news out of
Jerusalem where Israeli police beat mourners carrying the casket of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. And new video into CNN of the utter
chaos that ensued. Take a look.
All right. Police used batons to beat the mourners who were trying to carry Abu Akleh's casket to its final resting place. An Israeli police
spokesperson says officers responded to rioters who were trying stones at them. Police also fired tear gas and at least one flash mob tried to
disperse nearby crowds.
Abu Akleh was fatally shot Wednesday as she covered an Israeli military operation in the West Bank city of Jenin. Al Jazeera and the Palestinian
government accused Israeli forces of killing her.
Atika Shubert is in Jerusalem for us.
Atika, you know, looking at those videos and looking at the chaos that ensued at the funeral, it is shocking to see. You were the. Tell me what
you saw.
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It was shocking. We're actually right now at the cemetery where the funeral has been
concluded. But there are still mourners here expressing their agrees, overwhelmed with grief really. It's been a very emotional, very tense day.
Earlier we started at the St. Joseph's Hospital where her body was being prepared for burial. And people kept streaming in. There were hundreds
there. And many of the mourners wanted a funeral procession, walking the coffin out from the hospital to the church, that was not allowed by Israeli
police and the Israeli riot police lined up at the gates of the hospital.
When they tried to bring the coffin out in this walk-in funeral procession, that is when Israeli police charged into the hospital grounds. They let off
tear gas. There were flash grenades. There were also used their baton on the pallbearers and at that point the coffin nearly fell to the ground.
It was an absolutely chaotic scene. I was there. There were plastic water bottles thrown at police. I personally did not see any stones thrown at
police. But again, I say it was this just chaotic situation.
It was then allowed -- the funeral procession was allowed to continue on, but only by car. Once the body was at the church, then Israeli police
allowed mourners to gather at Jaffa Gate in the Old City to allow them to walk the coffin finally here to Mount Zion Cemetery. And it was a stunning
sight. Thousands of people came out to walk the coffin here to the cemetery.
And it really was this outpouring of emotion and grief by Palestinians here because I think you have to remember that Shireen Abu Akleh was more than
just a veteran journalist. She was somebody who is almost part of the extended family of so many Palestinians because she showed up in their
living room almost daily to put out these reports for Al Jazeera. And she made it a point to chronicle the daily Palestinian lives under Israeli
occupation.
And, you know, you have to remember she was born and raised in Jerusalem. This was her home and it's one of the reasons why it's such an emotional
day for so many Palestinians here.
GIOKOS: Yes, Atika. Thank you so very much for that insight. I mean, these images are really shocking to see on a day of laying to rest such a heroic
journalist. Thank you very much.
All right, turning now to our breaking news here in the United Arab Emirates. The government has announced a 40-day mourning period after the
UAE's long ailing ruler, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan died earlier today. He was 73 years old.
Sheikh Khalifa was the country's second ever president succeeding his father, UAE founder Sheikh Zayed, in 2004. He suffered a stroke a decade
later and he largely stayed out of the public sight and eye ever since and his role remaining mostly ceremonial.
[10:05:07]
But before falling ill, Sheikh Khalifa's his policies helped transform the United Arab Emirates into a regional powerhouse. Becky Anderson has more on
his legacy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR (voice-over): When Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan was born in 1948, the United Arab Emirates didn't even
exist as a nation. This was a land where many earn their living by fishing or pearling. But his family was instrumental in transforming this into one
of the world's largest oil producers.
By the time the UAE, a federation of seven states, was created in 1971, Sheikh Khalifa was the crown prince of the wealthiest state and country's
capital, Abu Dhabi. He took over the presidency in 2004 after the death of his father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan, the nation's founder. Like his father,
he wished to modernize his country, shaping it into a haven of stability in a volatile neighborhood.
At home, he invested in the country's armed forces and developed its lucrative energy sector. His success spelled out on Dubai's skyline where
one of the tallest buildings in the world, the Burj Khalifa, took on its leaders name after the government bailed to buy out of its debt woes in
2009.
Overseas, he solidified traditional alliances with countries like the U.K. while boosting trade ties with new partners. Under his leadership, the UAE
invested its enormous wealth in globally recognized airlines, prized assets, sporting powerhouses, and major global events that have
collectively put the country on the map turning it into a global tourist destination.
By the early 2010s, deteriorating health increasingly kept Sheikh Khalifa out of the public limelight. He underwent surgery after suffering a stroke
in 2014. But his modernizing vision for the country has carried on under the leadership of his half-brother, and Abu Dhabi crown prince Mohamed bin
Zayed.
It's taken bold diplomatic steps such as establishing relations with Israel through the Abraham Accords and hosting the first ever papal visit to the
Arabian Peninsula, positioning itself as a tolerant Middle Eastern society. All the while delicately balancing relations with Western and non-Western
powers alike.
It's used its military might to project power, sometimes controversially, in places like Yemen. And it's been diversifying its economy to cut its
reliance on oil revenues, investing in renewable and nuclear energy, while taking steps such as allowing for complete foreign ownership of companies
and introducing a golden visa program to maintain its position as an attractive destination for foreign investment and talent.
It's even entered the space race, becoming the first ever Arab country to send a mission to Mars aptly named Hope. It is, by all accounts, a country
transformed. And that is how Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan leaves it to his successor.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: Peter Hellyer joins me now and he's UAE cultural historian and he's also lived here in the UAE for 40 years.
Peter, really good to see you. Thank you so very much. And we come on together on a sad day. But also discussing the legacy of a man that was
part of a generation that saw the UAE built from scratch. He was the second president of the UAE leaving an extraordinary legacy behind.
PETER HELLYER, UAE CULTURAL HISTORIANS: Well, I think the important thing to recognize is that Sheikh Khalifa has been involved in the building of
the UAE since he became crowned price in 1969. And then --
GIOKOS: He was completely involved.
HELLYER: He was involved with his father as, you know, he was chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council. He oversaw a lot of the development in the
Emirate of Abu Dhabi, oversaw the funding of a lot of the infrastructure. And he won a reputation for being very kind and very generous. And a lot of
the Emirates respected him hugely because of that.
He was not a man who was very fond of a great big public image. But very quietly, people were well aware that he was generous and kind and devoted
to providing a better life for his people. So yes, it's a big loss to lose him.
GIOKOS: Absolutely. I mean, his policy is really fascinating because it really helped propel and accelerate the vision of his father. And we've
seen enormous explosion of growth in fact under his leadership. Just how integral was he into the UAE we know today?
[10:10:07]
HELLYER: I think he was instrumental in creating today's UAE. As right-hand man to his father for so many years from 1969 to 2004. And then as, you
know, a wise leader who worked with his brothers including the crown prince, Mohamed bin Zayed, to move the country forward. It's a big change
for a country that was only founded, you know, 50 years ago to lost its first president, the man who created it, and Sheikh Khalifa provided a very
steady transition towards progress.
GIOKOS: So let's talk about transition now, and importantly after he suffered a stroke, you know, he was largely out of the public eye. And we
actually saw him launch, you know, a project during COVID. We have seen him commenting and specifically celebrating very important moments. The de
facto leader from what we understand has been the crown prince, Mohamed bin Zayed, since he had a stroke.
HELLYER: That's true.
GIOKOS: So is there going to be continuity in terms of policy and leadership?
HELLYER: I think there'll be enormous continuity. It's something that everyone is expecting. Everyone has been expecting for many years that when
Sheikh Khalifa finally died Sheikh Mohamed will succeed him as was laid down before their father's death in 2004. So there is continuity, there is
stability. There's no concerns at all about that.
GIOKOS: And important to note actually that the founding father had handpicked the crown prince. So it was Sheikh Khalifa at the time and also
handpicked Mohamed bin Zayed.
HELLYER: He made it absolutely clear what he wanted.
GIOKOS: Actually he made it --
HELLYER: Yes. Yes.
GIOKOS: We know the succession line. What happens after? Because that's sort of now the big question. Is it something we'd be asking at this point
in time?
HELLYER: Well, the first thing that happens is that we -- the Supreme Council of the UAE's Seven Rulers has to meet tomorrow or the day after. It
is their job to choose a new president from amongst their number. In the interim, the vice president, Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid of Dubai who is also
the prime minister, he is acting president. And the vacancy has to be filled within a period of 30 days according to the constitution.
Las time, the rulers decided, why did we bother to wait? So they decided the next day. I think it is probable that the new president will be chosen
from -- you know, within the next couple of days or so. And it is expected that that will be Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed.
GIOKOS: Yes. Because that is sort of has always been in the hands of Abu Dhabi.
HELLYER: Absolutely.
GIOKOS: And we wouldn't be veer from that. There wouldn't be any surprises.
HELLYER: Everybody is quite happy with that. The rulers and the other Emirates are quite happy with that.
GIOKOS: So we enter a 40-day mourning period here in the UAE and three-day public holiday.
HELLYER: Yes.
GIOKOS: And that has been the messaging. What's been interesting and, you know, we were talking offline is that we haven't seen the shocked that we
saw when the founding father died.
HELLYER: Of course. I was here when the founding father died. I was involved in some of the announcements that were made at that time. And it
was a shock for everybody. The streets were lined, people were in tears. It was the loss of the country's father. And all the Emirates under 45 would
never have known anything else except Sheikh Zayed. It was a real loss.
But we've known for the past eight years that Sheikh Khalifa had a stroke. That he was not able to carry out the duties of president that he had been
doing before, so although it's a shock, although it's a loss, it's something that makes people sad but it is not something that makes them
think that the country they know and love is in any state of danger.
GIOKOS: And that's been incredible, just the leadership has always tried to maintain stability. Right? And that's sort of been the mantra here.
Peter, thank you so very much. Really good to see you.
HELLYER: Pleasure.
GIOKOS: Much appreciate your insights.
All right, so we've seen many examples of what likely amounts to war crimes in Ukraine. Now we now have a name to put to those alleged crimes. Find out
what an exhaustive CNN investigation revealed. Stay with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:16:32]
GIOKOS: A notable Russian retreat from Ukraine's second largest city, and we're talking about Kharkiv. Ukraine has forced the Russians to back from
the city, which is near the Russian border. But further progress in Ukraine's counteroffensive there is being systematically blocked. Take a
look at these satellite pictures. And you can see three plumes of smoke, which were bridges that were vital to the Ukrainian advance.
It's also causing the Russians to rethink their strategy in the east, and south of Odessa in the Black Sea, video shows a Russian helicopter being
destroyed. A local Ukrainian military official says it was blown up by Ukrainian missiles on Snake Island in the Black Sea. Ukraine says a Russian
ship was also hit.
Meanwhile, Kyiv is holding the first war crimes trial since the Russian invasion. A 21-year-old soldier is accused of killing a Ukrainian civilian
in February. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov says he has no information about the trial and doesn't know if the accusation is true.
The world has watched in horror as Russian artillery has devastated Ukrainian cities and Ukrainian lives seemingly with impunity. The U.S. and
the international community have accused Russia of war crimes in Ukraine, but what has been difficult is tying specific generals to specific crimes.
The key to actually carrying out war crimes for prosecutions.
In Kharkiv, CNN has seen the aftermath of attacks targeting civilians using indiscriminate cluster ammunitions, a war crime. In a two-month-long
investigation, CNN can reveal the commander responsible for these attacks and the string of atrocities he has committed, not just in Russia's latest
war in Ukraine, but also in the 2014 war in Donbas and in Syria.
Chief international investigative correspondent Nima Elbagir has this exclusive report. You might find some of the images in her report
disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): A devastation of civilian homes and lives. Throughout the last few months, we have witnessed atrocities in Ukraine.
(On-camera): More mortar strikes very, very close. They want us to start moving.
(Voice-over): While we know these Russian actions, it's been difficult to draw a direct line from individual atrocities to a specific Russian
commander. Until now.
CNN can exclusively reveal that this man, Colonel General Alexander Zhuravlyov, commander of the Western Military District, is the commander
responsible for this. Munitions targeting civilians in the city of Kharkiv, east Ukraine, a war crime under international law.
FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I can see more artillery rockets apparently being fired from Russian territory towards the
territory I would say around Kharkiv. I don't know if you could hear this right now.
ELBAGIR: This is the start of the war. CNN senior international correspondent Fred Pleitgen witnessed artillery being fired from inside
Russia, within Zhuravlyov's district, towards the city of Kharkiv. Sam Kiley was in Kharkiv and could hear the shelling moments later.
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Could feel the concussion against the glass --
ELBAGIR: We soon learned from experts these were Smerch rockets. Built in the early '80s at the end of the Soviet era, this multiple rocket launch
system scorching the earth as it fires is a pride and joy of Russia's armaments as seen here in this propaganda documentary.
[10:20:06]
This is what they're capable of delivering. Cluster bombs, one Smerch rocket releasing many smaller explosives, scattering bombs amplifying the
devastation.
These attacks, captured on social media both in Kharkiv and both from the same day, are a clear example of their indiscriminate nature. When used in
this fashion against civilians, it's considered a war crime.
The use of Smerch rockets are key in our findings of who is responsible because they are unique to one unit here, one commander. After months of
forensic work, we can reveal the trail of evidence leading to Zhuravlyov. Using social media videos to guide us, we returned to some of the scenes of
the attacks, focusing on February 27th, when three civilian targets were hit and eight more on February 28th.
We start in the Pavlova Pola, neighborhood of Kharkiv.
This is shrapnel from those missiles that fell on our neighborhood, Lilia tells us. This shrapnel was found in one of the rooms. Lilia takes us to
see a Smerch rocket that fell 200 yards from her apartment block, in this once affluent area.
I remember the whistling sound of the missiles. I know that the missiles were flying and that they were accompanied by fighter planes or drones.
(On-camera): You can see the hole that it came through. You can see the way that the rocket buckled when it hit the car. You can also very clearly see
that this is a Smerch.
(Voice-over): It's not the only rocket coming from this direction on this day. Less than a half mile down the road, another hit.
(On-camera): Helping to situate us, this kiosk, that water cooler, they're key landmarks. The bodies landed here down this road. Those blue doors you
see, that's where the cluster munitions shrapnel embedded.
(Voice-over): This video, filmed moments after the attack, where four people, including a child, were killed. Another Smerch launching cluster
bombs. We know this because one of the unexploded bombs was found only 280 yards away. Notice the date, 2019.
Russia stopped selling arms to Ukraine in 2014. This confirms this is a Russian cluster bomb. One and a half miles away, another strike, more
suffering, and no sign of any legitimate military targets.
People were queuing for food and then something just hit. People started running here, she says.
This is the exact moment of impact. Look at it again. Frame by frame, you can see the scale of the rocket and proximity to innocent civilians.
We are here in Kharkiv. Notice the five hits along this line from the 28th. They are pretty much in a line. Apart from three here, they line up with
the hits from February 27th. We can trace these lines 24 miles to a point of convergence here, across the border in Russia, well within the range of
a Smerch rocket, where we have a satellite image from the 27th showing the launching position. Notice the plume of smoke and the telltale burn marks
of a Smerch launch here, here and here.
In collaboration with the Center for Information Resilience, we can also tell you who is firing from this position, the 79th Russian Artillery
Brigade, part of the Western Military District, which borders Ukraine and is under the command of Zhuravlyov. According to open-source information
reviewed by CNN, military experts and intelligence sources, they are the only unit in this district equipped to launch Smerch rockets.
And this was just in the two days that we analyzed, these stills shared exclusively with CNN by Kharkiv prosecutors who the Russian armaments
raining death among them, many Smerch remnants. Experts say this is among the heaviest bombardments in recent history.
Zhuravlyov is no stranger to these brutal tactics. Atrocities targeting civilians. They are very similar to what we saw in Syria in 2016, so it
shouldn't come as a surprise that Zhuravlyov also led Russian troops during the siege of Aleppo.
[10:25:01]
He is the architect of the devastation you see here. For leveling Aleppo, he was awarded the highest honor granted to Russian officers, hero of the
Russian Federation. Yet Syrians have documented his war crimes.
(On-camera): Russian?
(Voice-over): Despite the direct line from the impunity the world afforded Russia in Syria, to the atrocities suffered by civilians here today, the
question remains, what will the world do to stop this cycle?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ELBAGIR: We've asked the Russian Ministry of Defense for comment, as well as the Kremlin. But we are yet to receive a response. We also shared with
the U.S. State Department our findings. Noting the lack of action taken against Colonel Zhuravlyov and other key Russian generals, they wouldn't
comment on the specific acts or any information reviewed, but said they continue to track and assess war crimes and reports of ongoing violence and
human rights abuses. It doesn't know to answer the question of how he was allowed to leave such a trail of impunity for so long by the world --
Eleni.
GIOKOS: Nima, really good to see you, and an incredible report, and unbelievable work that you've done on the ground. I want you to give me a
sense of why you chose, you and your team chose, to follow this specific trail of evidence. And I have to say we've been covering these
indiscriminate attacks on civilians, we haven't really understood how and why it was happening, and you are offering such incredible insights. And I
fear that this is the tip of the iceberg.
ELBAGIR: Absolutely, you are absolutely right. This is only what we know now because so many of these places are inaccessible to investigators and
to human rights activists. With this specific incident, right from the beginning, actually, it was very clear that the pattern was very similar to
the pattern of atrocities that we had seen in Syria. So it was an educated guess at the beginning, that it would be the same men who were responsible
for the atrocities in Syria.
And in fact when we started to dig into the Russian generals who were awarded for their actions in Syria, we found that they were very open.
Zhuravlyov in an interview with the Russian outlet speaks about how Syria taught him ingenuity, which is a horrible way to describe the targeting of
civilians to subjugate them.
And when we began seeing a very similar pattern in terms of targeting predominantly civilian areas but also targeting hospitals and health care
facilities as they did in Syria, it just became a matter -- and I say it as if it was simple -- we have the most extraordinary investigative team who
put two months into this, but it was just laying some of these incidents on top of each other.
And with this specific rocket, this Smerch, why it was so important, is because it is considered such an important asset that only a commander of
the level of Zhuravlyov can give the order to deploy it and it gave us that direct link of complicity and culpability. So we hope that we have created
a template that we can use in other abuses going forward -- Eleni.
GIOKOS: Yes, I mean, honestly, looking at what you've uncovered with the Smerch rockets, its aim is to unleash terror and horror. Thank you so much
for bringing us to our attention, and hopefully, this is escalated and justice is done.
Nima, thank you very much.
ELBAGIR: Thank you so much.
GIOKOS: Just ahead, from neutral to NATO. I'll be speaking live to the former Finnish foreign minister, asking why Helsinki is making such a major
shift right now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:30:59]
GIOKOS: Welcome back. I'm Eleni Giokos in Abu Dhabi. And you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD.
Russia is reacting to Finland's announcement that it hopes to join NATO with threats of retaliation. Former President Dmitri Medvedev warns Russia
would seriously strengthen its military -- strengthen, rather, its military defenses. And Moscow is calling Helsinki's this announcement a radical
change in policy that will bring consequences.
Finland has been neutral since the end of World War II but it's foreign minister says Kremlin aggression has shattered stability in Europe. Take a
listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PEKKA HAAVISTO, FINNISH FOREIGN MINISTER: Russia's invasion of Ukraine has altered the European and Finnish security environment. However, Finland is
not facing an immediate military threat, maintaining national rule to maneuver and freedom of choice remain integral parts of Finland's foreign
security and defense policy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Let's go live now to Helsinki. We have the former Finnish foreign minister, Erkki Tuomioja.
Thank you very much, Minister, for joining us. Really good to see you. Finland is saying that it must apply to join NATO without delay. And that's
a huge shift from neutrality that the country has enjoyed since World War II. What is your view of Vladimir Putin at this point in time and this
inevitable move for countries to want to secure their borders?
ERKKI TUOMIOJA, FORMER FINNISH FOREIGN MINISTER: Well, I have to put out that we have not been neutral since we joined the European Union, which was
25 years ago. But where it had militarily (INAUDIBLE) country and that's the difference obviously because we have been very much part of the
European Union's common foreign and security policy. And we have also supported the Ukrainian defense against the Russian aggression.
We have had a very stable relationship for the past 30 years. That has been reflected in our public opinion where 60 percent have been against NATO
membership, 20 percent for. Now it has changed because people have reacted to the brutal campaign we are seeing and the war crimes we are seeing
committed in Ukraine.
It's not that we feel ourselves directly threatened, but we do not like the idea that Russia regards us as being in their sphere of influence. So we
have always in our past statements said that Finland retains the right to consider also joining NATO (INAUDIBLE). It might be in the interest of our
security.
GIOKOS: Minister, you know, you're a former foreign minister in Finland. What message do you think this joining of NATO is going to be given to
Putin? Because he sees it as NATO expansion. This is exactly what he's been complaining about. We know the Swedes are probably going to follow suit,
following behind Finland's footsteps to join the alliance.
TUOMIOJA: Well, it's obviously from the Russian point of view that things will change on our border. Our border has been very calm and very stable.
And the Russians have had no difficulties in our direction whereas they have created difficulties with other borders, but not with Finland. And we
hope that should remain. But obviously they have not regarded Finnish National Defense which is strong and we are taking care of it as a threat
to Russia.
If you have NATO, they will inevitably see as potential enemies, although we know that NATO is not going to attack. It's incapable of attacking
anyone. It is a defensive alliance and we are joining it to enhance our own security which is not taking anything away from others or Russia's
security. But inevitably, Russia will of course increase its military presence on our front, which is like it does on NATO frontiers.
[10:35:03]
So it will expand by doubling their common frontier with NATO. And they are understandably concerned about that. But we will not give them any
particular cause for concern.
GIOKOS: Yes. I mean, look, exactly, Vladimir Putin is going to see it very differently. He said that he is going to retaliate. How are you reading
into those comments? What would retaliation by Vladimir Putin look like?
TUOMIOJA: Well, we do not expect any military attacks or military activities. But what we can look out for is any kind of hyper influence by
sending asylum seekers through over the border or cyberattacks and the like. But this is just what we are prepared for. But we do not necessarily
expect them. And we hope that this can be avoided. So it is a very open situation but we have to take care of our security and we are very
satisfied that our future partners in NATO also signaled that they are willing and able to safeguard our security interests before this membership
is ratified.
GIOKOS: Minister, thank you very much. Really appreciate you joining us today. Good to see you.
Now Finland is working in lockstep with Sweden to determine whether it will formally apply for NATO membership. For Sweden, that means bringing an end
to 200 years of military neutrality.
You can catch my interview with the Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist next on our CONNECT THE WORLD hour. That's coming up in about 20
minutes or so.
And still ahead, one of the greatest tennis stars loses some shine at the Italian Open. Details in our sports update. Stay with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: Welcome back. Now an independent filmmaker Mayye Zayed produced the first Egyptian documentary released on Netflix, "Lift Like a Girl." The
film is about a teenager training to become a professional weightlifter, traditionally a male sports. The young girl is faced with many challenges,
On the next episode of CNN's "Inside the Middle East," Zayed talks about her latest mission. She is now using the film to affect social change.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's just after sunset in Cairo. A local weightlifting gym fills up with a young audience for a movie screening. They're watching
"Lift Like a Girl," a coming-of-age story about Asmaa "Zebiba" Abbary, a young Egyptian girl aspiring to become a professional weightlifter.
[10:40:02]
MAYYE ZAYED, WRITER AND DIRECTOR, "LIFT LIKE A GIRL": What I really loved about this story is that it's about pursuing your dream no matter what and
pursuing it against all odds.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Writer and director Mayye Zayed is hosting the night's main event. It's all part of her strategy, using film to create social
change.
ZAYED: We do not just screen the film and just leave. We organize these workshops to inspire them to pursue their own dreams, but at the same time
to raise awareness about gender equity, to discuss problems like gender bias and language, basically to tackle all the themes that we see in the
film.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through text translation): Does that mean that football is only for boys?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mayye believes these workshops are where her work has the most impact. With playful games, Mayye's teams are showing kids how to
think differently about girls in sports.
ZAYED: It is hard for some kids to talk about these things. When we were creating the toolkit, we were discussing how can we make the workshops that
we are organizing a safe place for all kids to participate, and to share their ideas, their dreams, their hopes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The film was released in 2020, racking up several awards, and was the first Egyptian documentary released on Netflix.
ZAYED: Film is a very powerful tool, and as a medium, it can change the perspective of many people. Hopefully one day, one kid somewhere in the
world would watch the film and feel, oh, like, I didn't know that. I didn't know that girls could do weightlifting or I didn't know that Egyptian girls
could do weightlifting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: It's a great story. All right. The Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike won't race in next weekend's race in Baltimore, and that means
there's no possibility the colt can achieve a Triple Crown, the holy grail of American horse racing. The owner says the plan was always to enter the
horse in either the Kentucky Derby or the Preakness, but not both.
Rich Strike came into Churchill Downs in 80-1 long shot and scored one of the most thrilling upsets in derby history. He is (INAUDIBLE) expected to
run in Belmont stakes in New York on June 11th.
Tennis fans at the Italian Open were excited to see one of their favorites, Rafa Nadal, on the court but the match against world number 16 Dennis
Shapovalov -- I can't say that -- did not go as planned. In fact, it was rather disappointing. I luckily have anchor Alex Thomas with me to help me
with that last name. I should know how to say that.
ALEX THOMAS, CNN WORLD SPORT: Shapovalov.
GIOKOS: Tell me, what --
THOMAS: It's hard. I've tripped up on it so often.
GIOKOS: There we go. I know.
THOMAS: Think of the French for shapo, a hat. Shapovalov.
GIOKOS: All right. Thank you.
THOMAS: No, but we didn't expect Nadal to lose. He's the king of clay. We're in the clay court season, so no wonder, Eleni, concern to see him
limping at the end of that defeat at the Italian Open will tell you what Nadal himself said about it in just a moment.
GIOKOS: I'm going to practice that. We're going to break. Alex will see you right after. So stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WORLDSPORT)
END
