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Right-Wing Jews March in Jerusalem Day Flag Parade; Crimea Freight Train Derails after "Intervention of Unauthorized Persons"; On Board Ship Carrying Ukrainian Wheat for Export; Harry and Meghan Paparazzi Chase; China Fines Comedian for Army-Themed Quip; Montana Governor Bans TikTok. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired May 18, 2023 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD, I'm Lynda Kinkade live in Atlanta, filling in for Becky
Anderson. Good to have you with us.
Coming up this hour, President Biden meets with the Japanese prime minister on the G7.
Israel's flag day parade sparks tensions in Jerusalem.
Claims about who is gaining ground in Ukraine's Bakhmut.
And four kids are rescued after a harrowing ordeal in Colombia's Amazon forest.
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KINKADE: Just days after Israel and Islamic Jihad reached a cease-fire, tensions are being tested again; 2,500 Israeli police officers are hoping
to keep peace as thousands of Israeli nationalists march through Jerusalem today.
The annual Jerusalem Day flag march is a celebration of Israel's seizing East Jerusalem during the 1967 war. In the past year, it has led to clashes
with the Palestinians, who see the march as a provocation and a threat. The march began about an hour ago and CNN's Ben Wedeman is there for us in the
Old City.
Good to have you with us, Ben.
So for those not familiar with this tradition, what exactly is flag day (sic) and why is it so controversial?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it marks the 56th anniversary of Israel's conquest and the beginning of its occupation of
Eastern Jerusalem. So it happens, this is Jerusalem Day and the flag march has become an integral part of it, a very troublesome integral part of it.
As you mentioned, for the Israelis, the ultranationalists who are here, it is a celebration. For the tens of thousands -- hundreds of thousands of
Palestinian residents of Jerusalem, it is a provocation.
What you see is very loud groups of young men, chanting things like, "Death to the Arabs," as they walk through this -- through Damascus Gate, which is
right behind me, which leads through the Muslim corridor of the city.
As a result, all of the Muslim shopkeepers have closed their shops to avoid any trouble. Essentially, the Israeli police have come and cordoned off the
area so that the residents cannot circulate in their own neighborhoods.
So thousands of police have been deployed to try to maintain order. But it is somewhat ironic; in order to prove that they are in control of the city,
they have to actually deploy so many security forces to make that point -- Lynda.
KINKADE: Of course, Ben, we know that, two years ago this day ended in 11 days of conflict.
Has there been any violence that you have seen so far or any threats of violence?
WEDEMAN: We have seen scuffles; we have seen scuffles between the police and Palestinians. We have seen almost sort of confrontations between the
marchers and the local residents.
Of course, I personally have experienced a scuffle with the police as well, who seem to be taking a very aggressive approach to anyone who wants to
actually cover this event -- Lynda.
KINKADE: And, Ben, can you tell us what the turnout is like there today?
How many people are participating in this parade?
What sort of route does this parade take?
WEDEMAN: Well, officially there are two routes. One route is for the males to go down around the old walls of the city, in through Damascus Gate and
further inside. Women enter through Jaffa Gate, which is to the south of here, through areas that are somewhat less problematic.
As far as turnout goes, we spoke to the police spokesman for Jerusalem. He said thousands but I think it is fair to say easily tens of thousands,
perhaps over 100,000. I think, last year, there were over more than 100,000 of these marchers here.
[10:05:00]
WEDEMAN: And the day is young, as they say, Lynda. And we expect more to come as time proceeds.
KINKADE: Ben, can you give us a sense of the demographics of those participating today?
I mean, often we see these images of mainly boys, mainly men.
Are there many women there?
What are you seeing?
WEDEMAN: Well, what we are seeing is the vast majority appeared to be teenagers. Some even younger than that. But of course, there is the older
generation that is here, like this gentleman here.
So -- (speaking foreign language).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (Speaking foreign language).
WEDEMAN: OK. He says he is going to the Wailing Wall. I don't think he is actually participating in the march. I think he's just going to worship.
But the women, as I told you, they go through a different gate, Jaffa Gate, which to the south of here.
Although we have (INAUDIBLE). But by and large, with the exception of this gentlemen, it is mostly young men here -- Lynda.
KINKADE: All right, good to have you with us, Ben Wedeman from Jerusalem, thanks very much and take care.
Well, finding common ground on the world's most pressing issues, that is the goal of the G7 leaders, who are meeting in Japan right now. They look
to show solidarity with Ukraine's war effort against Russia and also addressed China's growing influence in the Pacific region and beyond.
U.S. President Joe Biden met with Japan's prime minister ahead of the summit, brushing off questions about the looming debt crisis back here in
the U.S. The summit is happening in a symbolic place, Hiroshima, the location of the world's first wartime nuclear attack. Marc Stewart joins us
now from Hiroshima for more on all of this.
Good to have you with us, Marc. So we have heard already from the leaders of the U.S. and Japan, who have met, who spoke about their relationship and
also their unity on issues relating to Russia and China.
MARC STEWART, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, and I think, Lynda, that the U.S. and Japan realize that, if there is instability in one part
of the world, it certainly can spread to other parts.
If we look at the Pacific region where I am right now, Japan in particular faces a number of threats -- North Korea, China -- and a lot of comparisons
have been made, especially with the situation in China, to what is happening in Ukraine.
So there is certainly a need for stability here and that is why the President of the United States and the Japanese foreign minister certainly
do see eye to eye in creating some stability.
Now on this topic of Ukraine, there are a number of tactics that likely G7 member nations will discuss. There are diplomatic channels which have been
difficult and strained in recent months. And then there's the economic issues.
Here, Japan for example, Japan actually imports natural gas from Russia. That is something that some members may see as problematic and as a way
that is indirectly funding the war in Ukraine by supporting Russia.
We also see the European Union exporting items to Russia. So those are things that could come up for conversation.
Let's move to the topic of China briefly, Lynda. Right now, China is entangled in so many different global economies, many G7 economies, so it
is going to be a little bit of a loftier struggle to try to iron out and try to get some bold, definitive statement from these G7 nations.
One thing we have heard from the White House is that maybe there will be some general agreement on some issues but then other nations will take
their each individual path.
Again, we cannot stress the importance of the backdrop being here in Hiroshima, Japan. It was in 1945 that the United States dropped an atomic
bomb here. It is something that has changed generations of life.
Members of the G7 will visit the bomb site; they will visit the peace park, the dome that is a symbolic icon, if you will, of this very dark portion of
history. The foreign minister, in an interview with CNN just recently, said that he hoped that G7 members see this area, learn the history and really
bring it home with them as they make future decisions -- Lynda.
KINKADE: All right, Marc Stewart for us in Hiroshima, Japan. Thanks so much. We will speak again very soon, no doubt.
Well, let's connect to the some of the other developments happening now in Ukraine. And in the past few hours, the Ukrainian military has declared new
gains around the embattled city of Bakhmut.
These are some of the very latest images coming out of that city. Russia's Wagner mercenary fighters say they are making progress, too. In Crimea, a
freight train has derailed as a result of what Russian battle authorities are calling a, quote --
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KINKADE: -- "intervention of unauthorized persons."
The Russian appointed head of Crimea says that an investigation has been opened. Let's get more now on Sam Kiley, who is following all of these
developments in Southeastern Ukraine.
Sam, good to have you with us. So take us through the latest.
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this attack against -- and I think this is really what it has been, with the coy
response coming from the Ukrainians, saying that it was the result of wear and tear or poor maintenance, is typical tongue-in-cheek response to when
they have had a partisan or Special Forces success behind Russian lines.
We saw that with the bombing of the Kerch bridge, we saw that with the destruction of several aircraft and airfields in the Crimean Peninsula or
on the Crimean Peninsula.
This latest event, the Russian authorities are suggesting that it involves outside actors and it should be seen as part of the ongoing effort to break
the logistics chain supporting the Russian war inside Ukraine.
This is an important rail link for the movement of grain out but also fuel, food, ammunition and troops in toward the front line, in the direction of
where I am standing here. So that is clearly part of that campaign.
But the ground fighting, as you rightly point out, in Bakhmut continues, apace with a somewhat ironic situation there, in which the Wagner mercenary
group is reporting some successes in their house to house fighting inside of the town of Bakhmut itself whilst the Ukrainians are claiming successes
on the flanks to the north and the south, saying that they are capturing territory from the regular Russian forces.
That has been the situation now for several days and points to poor communication, poor coordination around, among Russian forces. That is a
possible fillip to the energies of the Ukrainians as they plan to have an offensive more widely this summer.
But the air campaign continues from Russia, too, Lynda, with ongoing campaigns overnight. The 30 out -- sorry -- 29 out of 30 missiles brought
down by the Ukrainians. The Russians claiming they destroyed Ukrainian ammunition depots but no independent evidence for that on the Ukrainian
side, Lynda
KINKADE: All right, Sam Kiley, staying across all those developments for us in Southeastern Ukraine, good to have you with us, thank you.
Global wheat prices fell earlier today after Ukraine and Russia agreed to extend a deal that allows grain to be exported from Ukrainian ports in the
Black Sea. Moscow says the extension will last at least two months, having previously threatened to pull out of the deal altogether.
Our Becky Anderson visited a ship carrying Ukrainian wheat for export and has more on why this deal matters so much.
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BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): An unassuming looking port in Istanbul with global significance. It's from here that inspection teams
from Russia, Ukraine, the U.N. and Turkiye deployed to vessels anchored offshore.
ANDERSON: The ship that will be boarding is anchored in the Marmara Sea. It left Chornomorsk Port in Ukraine on May 12th carrying about 26,000 tons
of wheat. And it is one of the last vessels to transit under the current terms of the Black Sea Green Deal.
Well, this vessel is actually quite low so we're quite lucky because I might have had to actually climb up the side of this boat but I think that
it's an easy -- it's easy access on. Hi.
ANDERSON (voice-over): These inspectors are looking for any unauthorized cargo or crew.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Captain, we're going to conduct the inspection.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And we're going to start with the documentation checklist.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. We already done (INAUDIBLE).
ANDERSON (voice-over): Mohamad is the captain of the Pacific Rose.
ANDERSON: So these are the passports is
MOHAMAD BALKIS, CAPTAIN, PACIFIC ROSE: These are the passport and the crew is ready for a check phase.
ANDERSON (voice-over): Also on the checklist, the shipment itself. In this case, over 26,000 tons of wheat. To get here, Mohamad and his crew had to
navigate through what is very much alive conflict zone
BALKIS: Well, this is safe. I contact with control.
ANDERSON: Yes.
BALKIS: Chornomorsk control and Odessa control by -- in his area Everything is safe. The contact -- for (INAUDIBLE). I think all is to GCC,
ETA to Istanbul. When it take to Istanbul everything is OK.
ANDERSON: Since the beginning of this deal, some 1,800 ships have done this route and been inspected. That some 30 million tons of foodstuffs
feeding more than 150 million people.
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ANDERSON: And perhaps as importantly bringing the price of food globally down by some 20 percent.
The work of these inspectors now goes on after Turkiye's president announced an extension of the deal. Meaning for at least another two
months, the world can breathe a sigh of relief -- Becky Anderson, Marmara Sea, CNN.
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KINKADE: The least developed nation in Asia is waiting for vital aid. The U.N. says Myanmar's military junta is holding up humanitarian access to
communities devastated by Cyclone Mocha. Rescue groups are warning of what they call a large scale loss of life.
CNN has been speaking to people, who saw their homes and loved ones swept away in Sunday's storm. Paula Hancocks brings us their story.
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PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was one of the strongest cyclones to ever hit Myanmar. And it hit the most vulnerable and desperate. Temporary
shelters in this Rohingya refugee camp were destroyed. More than 400 people have died and entire villages have been wiped out, according to
eyewitnesses.
Those who survived tried to salvage anything left of their homes and laid to rest to those who were lost.
Aung Zaw Hein already lost his home once, fleeing religious persecution by Myanmar's military 10 years ago, leaving everything behind. He is now
homeless again.
AUNG ZAW HEIN, ROHINGYA REFUGEE (from captions): Let me just show you the situation over here. My home is completely destroyed. Some of the people
have already cleared my area.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): He has been helping search and rescue missions, looking for the bodies of his neighbors and helping to bury the dead.
AUNG (from captions): My heart is very, very broken. I don't know how to mention in words but when I see the dead bodies, I can't control my tears.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): Myanmar's military has been accused of killing thousands of Muslim Rohingya in a bloody and brutal crackdown. It has been
described by the United Nations as a genocide.
About 1 million Rohingya fled to neighboring Bangladesh starting in 2017. But hundreds of thousands still live here in Myanmar, many displaced and in
dire need of humanitarian aid.
Abdul Hussein (ph) says he saw his wife and three daughters swept away by the water as they tried to flee to safety.
ABDUL HUSSEIN (PH), MOCHA SURVIVOR (through translator): There are a lot of families like us. We need shelter. We have no food and we don't know
what to do tonight or what we will eat for lunch and what we will do tomorrow. We have just lost everything.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): Hussein (ph) shows us where he slept with his surviving children and grandchildren last night.
HANCOCKS: Do you think there will be any help coming from the military?
HUSSEIN (PH) (through translator): I don't believe they will come to help us. I will just have to struggle to feed the six members of my family that
are left.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): Myanmar's junta leader, Min Aung Hlaing, visited this same hardhit area, Sittwe, on Monday.
He promised aid from the military but the U.N. and many international aid organizations say they have been heavily restricted from entering the
country and the junta ruled since they seized power two years ago, leaving the residents of Rakhine, many living in camps, to fend for themselves.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The storms completely destroyed our life and bring us on the road again.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): Already vulnerable communities hoping for help that may never come -- Paula Hancocks, CNN.
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KINKADE: Colombia says four plane crash victims, all children, have now been found alive, deep in the jungle after 17 days missing. We have this
incredible story next.
Then we will tell you about some of the new details emerging from that Harry and Meghan paparazzi chase through the streets of New York City.
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KINKADE: Welcome back.
Now to an incredible story. Colombia says four children have been found alive after surviving in a jungle for more than two weeks. The children,
who are aged 13, 9, 4 years old, plus an 11-month old baby were in a small plane that crashed 17 days ago in the jungle in southern Colombia.
Colombia's armed forces had launched a massive search and rescue operation to find the wreckage. The remains of three adults were also recovered. I
want to go straight to our journalist, Stefano Pozzebon, who is in the capital of Colombia.
Good to have you with us. This is beyond remarkable. Four kids, including an 11 month-year-old baby, found alive in the Amazon over two weeks after
they went missing in that plane crash.
Just how were they found?
STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. We understand at this point, Lynda, that the four children who are of indigenous ethnicity, were able to
survive by essentially heading to the rainforest from the moment that their plane crashed on May 1st, on the 1st of May.
They were able to survive for 17 months -- or 17 days; sorry -- based on what they can find in the forest. The search and rescue teams said that the
Colombian civil authority and the Colombian army have prepared and are helping to track down these four survivors, have been saying that they have
been able to track them down by following a trail of discarded fruits that the kids have been eating over the past two weeks and finding impromptu
shelters, where they sometimes spent the night or tried to recover and tried to make contact.
It is important, however, Lynda, to point out that the Colombian authorities or state authority, the child warfare authority agency, that is
in charge of the rescue of these four minors, are yet to make contact with these children.
They are, we understand, in the hands of a local communities, indigenous communities and search and rescue teams set up by the local indigenous
community. It is a very remote area.
And it is around the valley of the Rio Appapolis (ph), which is a tributary of the Amazon River that flows for about 1,000 kilometers across the
Colombian jungles. And these are some of the most isolated community.
Just to give you an idea, I was able to speak about a couple hours ago with the owner of the charter company, the airline company, that operated the
flight, a small Cessna 206, that fell down in the jungle on that fateful day, on May the 1st.
And she told me that sometimes they lose radio contact for over an hour because of the electric storms and because, right now, it is the rainy
season, all of the search and rescue operations have been hampered by the bad weather.
So the communication there is very tough; moving around the area is really tough and, at this moment, the kids, we understand, are safe but not in the
hands of the Colombian authorities yet. So it's a nation that is holding its breath to -- in hope that a positive solution will come out of this
story.
KINKADE: Yes, hopefully they are all doing well after those 17 days. It's remarkable that they have at least been found alive. Stefano Pozzebon,
thank you so much.
New details are emerging on the Harry and Meghan paparazzi chase.
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KINKADE: We know that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were pursued by photographers Tuesday night after an awards event in New York City. The
couple's team described the chase ensued as near catastrophic.
There's no comment coming from any of the royal palaces in the U.K. But a taxi driver who picked up Harry and Meghan and Meghan's mother on that
night is sharing his account with CNN, as we hear now from our own Max Foster.
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SUNNY SINGH, TAXI DRIVER: I didn't feel like I was in danger but you know Harry and Meghan, they look very nervous.
MAX FOSTER, CNN LONDON CORRESPONDENT: More than 25 years after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, her son, Prince Harry, and his wife, Meghan,
claimed that they were chased by paparazzi in what the couple's team is calling a near catastrophic car chase.
Prince Harry, Meghan and her mother, Doria Ragland, attended the Women of Vision Awards at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City. Meghan was honored
for her global advocacy to empower women and girls.
But it wasn't until they left the event that things allegedly escalated. A local law enforcement source tells CNN that, quote, "swarm" of paparazzi
followed them in cars, motorcycles and scooters.
The convoy eventually went to the 19th precinct, where the couple waited until they could safely leave.
Chris Sanchez, a member of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's security detail, says they switched cars more than once during the chase. They were
first seen in a black car and then a Yellow cab. The driver of that cab says he noticed the paparazzi before, as the couple's security guards
started to tell him the address to drive to.
SINGH: And as soon as he was about to say where they were going, all of a sudden the paparazzi just stormed the taxi.
FOSTER (voice-over): He says he saw six paparazzi total.
SINGH: When the paparazzi started taking pictures and one started from the back, somebody said, oh, my God, you know.
And then the look on the faces, you could tell that they were nervous and scared.
FOSTER (voice-over): That's when the Sussexes' bodyguard told him to return to the police precinct. The NYPD, who provided assistance to the
Sussexes' security team, says the paparazzi made the transported Harry and Meghan challenging but were are no reports of collisions, injuries or
arrests.
The couple's security team say the Duke and Duchess and their convoy were pursued by the paparazzi for more than two hours, allegedly resulting in
multiple near collisions with other drivers, pedestrians and two NYPD officers, adding the Sussexes, who are staying at a private residence on
the Upper East Side of Manhattan, did not want to compromise the security of their friend's home.
New York City mayor Eric Adams has questioned the validity of that two-hour timeframe but says nothing like this should ever happen in a city as dense
as the Big Apple, calling the incident "reckless and irresponsible."
MAYOR ERIC ADAMS (D-NY), NEW YORK CITY: You shouldn't be speeding anywhere but this is a densely populated city. And I think all of us, I don't think
there are many of us who don't recall how his mom died.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: CNN's Max Foster reporting there.
I want to stay on the story. I want to head to London with CNN's Scott McLean, who joins us now live.
Scott, we -- the photo agency who worked with some of the photographers that were at the event that night has now given a statement.
What are they saying?
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Lynda, yes. So this agency is called Backgrid USA and they said they had four freelance photographers who were
there that night and were part of this gaggle of paparazzi that was following Harry and Meghan after this event.
They said that there were no near collisions, as the Sussex camp has claimed. They also said that these photographers had a professional
responsibility to actually be there.
This -- they said in a statement that their photographers, quote, "were covering the couple's stay in New York City, including the possibility of a
dinner after an awards ceremony. They had no intention of causing any distress or harm, as their only tool was their cameras.
"A few of the photos even showing Meghan Markle smiling inside a cab. The photographers report that one of the four SUVs from Prince Harry's security
escort was driving in a manner that could be perceived as reckless."
Now what's really interesting here, if you survey at least the print versions of some of the popular British tabloids in this country, like the
"Daily Mail," you will notice that the photos that they are actually using are not from these paparazzi.
These are actually taken at the event itself, because, of course, there were plenty of opportunities for photographers to get photos of the couple
at this event. They posed for them, they were coming, they were going, there are plenty of opportunities there.
The "Daily Mail" did actually have these photos published on their website until the Sussex version events came out yesterday. Then they got promptly
taken down. It seems like the British tabloids are in line with what the Sussexes --
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MCLEAN: -- are saying on this, which is summarized in part in their statement, which says, "Dissemination of these images, given the ways in
which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all involved."
So obviously, the British tabloids seem to be getting the message or agreeing with this message on this. But those photos are still up on at
least one American celebrity gossip website.
One other thing to mention, Lynda, and that is that, surely in all of this, there will be a revisiting or perhaps a new discussion about security for
this couple in the United States or in the U.K., where Prince Harry is actually fighting against the government ruling from the home office here,
which took away his police security while he is here, since he is no longer a working royal.
He has offered to pay for police security. The government's argument, though, is that this would set a new precedent for rich people to
essentially pay for police protection, whereas others don't have the same luxury -- Lynda.
KINKADE: Yes, exactly. And interesting, we still have not heard from the royal family on this today. Scott McLean in London, good to have you with
us. Thank you so much.
China says its military is no laughing matter. Coming, up the Communist government's crackdown on comedy and the army slogan that got this comedian
into so much trouble.
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KINKADE (voice-over): Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade in Atlanta in for Canada. And you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. Good to have you with. Us
here are the headlines this hour.
U.S. President Joe Biden sat down with Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida ahead of the G7 summit in Japan. He said when their countries stand
together, the world is safer. G7 leaders are expected to discuss Russia's war in Ukraine and China's growing global influence. The summit officially
begins on Friday.
Right now thousands of right-wing Israeli nationalists are marching through Jerusalem to celebrate Jerusalem Day, the anniversary of Israel taking
control of East Jerusalem in 1967. Palestinians see this march as a provocation. It has often led to clashes in the past.
At least nine people have died in flooding in northern Italy. Rescuers are searching for several others who are missing. Thousands of residents have
been forced to leave their homes.
The region's governor says agricultural fields were swamped, costing billions of dollars in losses.
China's communist government is not laughing after a comedian made a joke loosely referencing an army slogan.
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KINKADE: The performer, known as House, is being investigated. He has apologized and he has canceled his shows. His entertainment firm has also
said it's sorry. And it is being fined state of emergency $2 million. All this over a joke about dogs chasing squirrels and the use of the slogan,
"fine style of work, capable of winning battles."
But it did not stop there. Police arrested a woman Tuesday for questioning on social media why House was being punished. For more on all of this,
CNN's Kristie Lu Stout joins us live from Hong Kong.
Good to have you with us, Kristie. So it is certainly not an easy place to be a comedian. The Communist government taking swift action.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Yes, comedy, apparently, is a high risk endeavor in China under Xi Jinping. Let's tell you what
happened and what led to this crackdown.
It is during this standup set that took place in Beijing. A Chinese comic, known as House, his name in mandarin is Li Haoshi, he was riffing on the
eight word military slogan, a slogan that has been used by the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping.
He was making a joke about watching his two rescue dogs chase a squirrel. It reminded him of the slogan Xi used to comment on and praise the work
ethic of the PLA. The joke went online, went viral and, on Wednesday the Beijing police launched an investigation.
Authorities also fined the company that represents Li nearly $US2 million. We heard this from the Beijing municipal bureau of culture and tourism.
Bring up the statement.
Quote, "We will never allow any company or individual to wantonly slander the glorious image of the People's Liberation Army on a stage in the
Chinese capital," unquote.
The bureau also said the company would never be allowed to stage any future shows in Beijing. The company, which had already issued an apology, also
fired the comedian. The comedian has apologized profusely on his social media. He canceled performances to, in his words, "deeply reflect and
reeducate myself."
It has come to this because, in China, insults against the military are illegal. A few years ago, in 2021, China passed a law obtaining slander and
insults against military personnel. On social media over the last few days, there are netizens who have been praising this government decision.
They said he crossed a line; it was an insult to soldiers. But there are others who dispute that. And they are fearing a wider crackdown on comedy
in China. And it is very easy to see why. This week, a woman in northeastern China was detained by police after defending the comedian and
what he said on social media -- back to you.
KINKADE: Kristie Lu Stout for us in Hong Kong. Good to have you with us.
Ahead in sports, tennis superstar Rafael Nadal reveals whether or not he will play in a tournament that he typically wins.
Plus, a new, incredible view of The Titanic. It could help answer lingering questions about the ship's fateful voyage.
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KINKADE: Welcome back, I'm Lynda Kinkade. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me. I'm in for Becky Anderson. I want to get you up to speed on
some stories on our radar right now.
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KINKADE (voice-over): It is being called the most valuable book or manuscript ever sold at auction. The world oldest and most complete Hebrew
Bible sold for $38.1 million at Sotheby's in New York. A former U.S. ambassador to Romania won the bidding and will donate the Bible to a museum
in Israel.
Montana has a new law banning TikTok. It is the first U.S. state to enact a total ban on the Chinese owned app, affecting everyone, not just state
employees. The ban is scheduled to take effect in January.
Montana's governor cited privacy concerns as he signed the bill into law.
Never before seen details of The Titanic are being revealed in a massive national digital scan of the wreckage. Researchers have created an exact
digital twin of The Titanic. According to the deep sea investigators, Magellan, and the filmmakers at Atlantic Productions.
The full-size scan is said to be the largest underwater scanning product in history.
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