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Palestinian Authority President: U.S. Takeover of Gaza would Violate International Law; Far-Right Israeli Lawmakers Hail Trump's Vision for Gaza; Investigators Searching for Motive after Worst Mass Shooting in Swedish History; Morgan Stanley Turns More Pessimistic on Rate Cuts; Cristiano Ronaldo Celebrates 40th Birthday on Wednesday. Aired 9-9:45a ET
Aired February 05, 2025 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Well, a live look at the destruction in Gaza, less than 24 hours after President Trump declared that
the United States would take over the strip, sparking global condemnation. It is 04:00 p.m. there in Rafah, it is 06:00 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi. I'm
Becky Anderson. You are watching "Connect the World".
And the stock market in New York opens in about 30 minutes from now, very likely taking their cue from Asia, where indices were mixed Wednesday, as
traders do appear to try and look beyond the U.S.-China trade -- but do keep an eye on big tech folks mixed earnings from Alphabet and AMD could
drag that sector lower back to Wall Street at 09:30 a.m. New York time for you.
Well, no deal. That is how Gaza residents and leaders across the Arab world are reacting to Donald Trump's startling comments that he wants to take
control of Gaza by the United States. U.S. President revealed the plan at the White House on Tuesday during a joint news conference with Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Mr. Trump, painting a picture of Gaza as prime real estate ripe for an American takeover and rebuild with Palestinians being moved out to
neighboring countries.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: It's right now a demolition site. This is just a demolition site. Virtually every building
is down. They're living under fallen concrete that's very dangerous and very precarious. They instead can occupy all of a beautiful area with homes
and safety, and they can live out their lives in peace and harmony, instead of having to go back and do it again. The U.S. will take over the Gaza
Strip, and we will do a job with it too. We'll own it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, the Palestinian Authority President says any U.S. takeover of Gaza would be a serious violation of international law. A Senior Hamas
Official describes the plan as ridiculous and absurd. Well, there is an awful lot to discuss here. Let's start with Jeremy Diamond in Tel Aviv.
Stephen Collinson is in Washington for you. And Jeremy, let's start with reaction in Israel, if you will.
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. Well, the reaction in Israel has mostly come from the far right of Israeli politics, who for
months now have been spouting this idea of forcibly displacing the -- more than 2 million Palestinians who live in the Gaza Strip.
And so, it's no surprise that they are welcoming these comments from the President of the United States, Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister in
Israel, has said, we will work to permanently bury the dangerous idea of a Palestinian state. The plan presented yesterday by President Trump, he
says, is the true response to October 7.
Those who carried out the most horrific massacre on our land will find themselves losing their land forever. That comment obviously ignoring the
fact that the majority of Palestinians did not participate in the October 7th massacre. The Former National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is now
mulling a return to the Israeli government amid this new idea.
And he says that it is clear that this solution, as he calls it, presented by President Trump is the only solution to the Gaza problem, he says. And
the strategy for the quote, unquote day after. The Israeli Prime Minister himself, we heard him yesterday reacting to these comments by President
Trump during that press conference, and he called it an interesting idea, an avenue to explore.
He didn't fully endorse it, of course, but certainly this presents a solution to at least his political problems, giving him an opportunity to
bolster his standing among the right wing of his governing coalition.
ANDERSON: Jeremy, what are we hearing from Palestinians?
DIAMOND: Well, we've been speaking with Palestinians in Gaza today, and resoundingly, one after the other, they are making clear that they do not
want to leave their land, even amid the rubble, they would rather stay intense, pitched amid the rubble, than to leave Gaza, as so many of them
have told us this morning.
We have also heard from leaders like the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who said that these calls represent a serious violation of
international law. Here's his spokesman speaking earlier today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NABIL ABU RUDEINEH, SPOKESPERSON FOR PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY PRESIDENT: We are against any occupation, whether Israeli occupation or American
occupation, to the Palestinian land. We are living in our country, in our state, in our land, and we will not live forever.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[09:05:00]
DIAMOND: And so, while President Trump said that he had gotten a lot of support for this idea from players in the Middle East who he had spoken to.
Clearly, he did not speak to Palestinians, and clearly, he was also not listening to the others in the region, who have all made clear that they
oppose this idea.
Jordan and Egypt, the two countries that President Trump suggested would take in these 2 million Palestinian refugees, have resoundingly rejected
this idea with the Egyptian Foreign Minister speaking with the Palestinian Prime Minister today, reiterating that Palestinians should be able to
remain on their land, even as Gaza is rebuilt, Becky.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you. Jeremy, there in Tel Aviv in Israel, for us, where it is just after 4 o'clock in the afternoon. Stephen, you're in
Washington. Let's get back to Trump. Here's what he said about the possibility of U.S. boots on the ground in Gaza. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- given what you've said about Gaza, did the U.S. send troops to help secure the security vacuum --
TRUMP: As far as Gaza is concerned, we'll do what is necessary. If it's necessary, we'll do that -- is necessary. If it's necessary, we'll do that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Let's start with reaction there in Washington. What are you hearing?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN POLITICS SENIOR REPORTER: Republicans did their usual deer in the headlights. Look when Trump comes out with an outlandish
idea. They came out of meetings yesterday to be greeted with this news by reporters. They, of course, know this is not workable, but they have
political reasons for not wanting to break too publicly with Trump.
So, a lot of them were on the fence. Democrats, however, have much more freedom to speak. Listen, for example, to what Democratic Senator Chris Van
Hollen of Maryland had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (D-MD): This is an insane proposal, and there's been a huge backlash already because the President of United States was saying
that he would use U.S. military force, if necessary, to forcibly remove 2 million Palestinians from Gaza. That's ethnic cleansing by another name.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINSON: Becky, that -- I think that point is important the ethnic cleansing point, because the spectacle of an American President saying he'd
use U.S. forces to forcibly remove a population from their land was an extraordinary one. I think it shows us how unprecedented this presidency
is.
And also, the fact that this would give a green light to every autocracy all over the world to do a similar thing. Russia and China would be sure to
take advantage of it if the president was set by an American President.
ANDERSON: I just want to be quite clear about this. This is not the first time that we have heard such a plan from Donald Trump, or indeed from his
son in law, Jared Kushner, but it is being described now that it is right out there in the open, announced by Donald Trump in front of the world's
press, with Benjamin Netanyahu standing beside him.
It is being described by so many, including those you've been speaking to, as insane and unworkable. So, let's work on that principle. What do you
expect to happen next? Stephen, just how realistic is this plan?
COLLINSON: Well, the fact that the president kept talking about it yesterday does suggest it's serious, but I think we need to look to see if
there are any policy movements here towards this goal. King Abdullah of Jordan is due in Washington in the coming weeks, and presumably we'll see
other Middle Eastern leaders. Is the president going to publicly push for this plan when they're in town?
Is this, in fact, a big opening bet typical of Trump, where he takes a huge position in the hope that he can get a deal that falls somewhat short of
his original stake. That's a possibility. One thing that this does show, and in Trump's own indomitable way, he's pointing it out, is that there is
no real discussion of what happens to Gaza when the war with Hamas is over, not just in the United States, but in Israel and around the region.
If this can galvanize that, I suppose there could be some forward movement that comes out of it. But I think most starkly, this is an indication of a
president who won re-election has defeated the legal clouds over him, escaped an assassination attempt, and wants to make big moves.
And he feels that there are no barriers, whether they are posed by reality, the constitution or international law, for him to do what he wants.
[09:10:00]
This is the kind of idea that in his first term, I think he would have been talked out of talking about by what then seen as adults in the room in the
administration. There's no one in that White House now who will talk Trump down and say, look, this is not a smart thing to talk about in public. So,
you know that is the character of the administration that we now have in Trump's second term.
ANDERSON: Stephen Collinson is in Washington for you. Stephen, thank you very much indeed. Well, in Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu sir news
conference yesterday, both leaders alluded to the fact that as important as Gaza is. The issue that they were discussing may be bigger than any one
land, strip of land.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: So Saudi Arabia is going to be very helpful. And they have been very helpful. They want peace in the Middle East. It's very simple.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: I think peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia is not only feasible. I think it's going to happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, Saudi Arabia on the record repeatedly saying normalization with Israel is not going to happen without a path to a Palestinian state.
The kingdom reiterating that message after Donald Trump's proposal, writing quote, the Foreign Ministry affirms that Saudi Arabia's position on the
establishment of a Palestinian state is firm and unwavering.
The Crown Prince clearly and unequivocally reaffirmed this stance. But I want to bring in Ghaida Rinawie Zoabi now, a former member of the Knesset,
and I want to start Ghaida and it's good to have you here. Thank you very much indeed for joining.
GHAIDA RINAWIE ZOABI, FORMER ISRAELI KNESSET MEMBER: Thank you for having me.
ANDERSON: Let's start with your immediate response to Trump's proposals, through your lens and experience in Israeli government, what is going on
here?
ZOABI: Well, as a former politician, a member of the Israeli parliament in the Knesset. I can say that I believe that, first of all, President Trump
is a very smart person, and I think that he's stirring the pot in order to see how would the world react, how would the Arab world react.
How would the Palestinians, and it is, of course, coordinated with Prime Minister Netanyahu. I guess that this is something that is so extreme to be
suggested in order also to have some sort of leverage vis a vis the Saudis, in order for them to be pressured to accept normalization with Israel. This
is what Israel wants.
Back to Prime Minister Netanyahu, I think, and this is something from what I have seen throughout my years of work within the Knesset, with Netanyahu,
vis a vis Netanyahu, against Netanyahu a lot of times, of course, and also with Smotrich. Because Smotrich is the Minister of Finance, but he is also
affiliated with the same political milieu that Prime Minister Netanyahu is affiliated with.
ANDERSON: Explain what you mean by that.
ZOABI: If you look carefully and you want to know what Benjamin Netanyahu is thinking about, you should look and find out what Smotrich is talking
about. And what Smotrich is talking about in the last couple of weeks, it is not Gaza, it is the West Bank. And when Smotrich is saying that we will
not get back ever to the disengagement from Gaza in 2005 while Prime Minister back at that time, Ariel Sharon, forced settlers to be evacuated.
Smotrich is now saying that we want, after October 7th, we want to get into the phase of pre-Oslo. It means that it is de greeting, de ranking the
Palestinian authority. It means that there will be a much more militant and civilian ruling of Israelis within the West Bank, and it means that, sadly,
the two-state solution is really far from us.
ANDERSON: Bezalel Smotrich vowed to, and I quote, permanently bury the dangerous idea of a Palestinian state. This is a man who has led a movement
for 20 years since, as you point out, disengagement from Gaza and the dismantling of the settlements there, back in 2005. I think it's really
important that you've brought up Smotrich, it's important that we understand where this might be headed.
He has said to Benjamin Netanyahu, bring back this plan from Washington and get it on the books. I mean how likely is that? What will Benjamin
Netanyahu's next move be?
[09:15:00]
ZOABI: Yeah.
ANDERSON: I want to talk about Saudi normalization with you momentarily. But just tell me what happens next at this point.
ZOABI: If you look at what Ben-Gvir, for example, as an equal, politically equal to Smotrich, did in the last month.
ANDERSON: No longer in his coalition, of course, yeah.
ZOABI: No longer. And now today, he's saying that I'm thinking about getting back to the coalition, OK? And if you look at Smotrich and saying
that, OK, I will back you. Benjamin Netanyahu, and I will not dissolve this coalition, and I will not get us back to being in the opposition.
However, I have really, really priceless -- price tag in a way that I want the West Bank, and in a way that if you look carefully, for example, what
is happening in the Israeli parliament in the last week, you have a lot of political party members from Smotrich political party that are suggesting
rules that it's unimaginable, for example.
And this is the pre-Oslo era, where any Jewish citizen of the state of Israel can buy land in the West Bank. It's not the Israeli government, it's
not the Israeli state, but individuals. And this is something that would break the Oslo Accords forever.
ANDERSON: Let's just bring up Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump's Middle East Adviser, very much involved in the phase one negotiations, and we'll talk
about those as well. What may be going on in Qatar going forward. But just he doubled down on Donald Trump's stance when he spoke to Fox News in the
past 24 hours. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE WITKOFF, U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY TO THE MIDDLE EAST: It's a dangerous place to live today, and the president is saying, let's make it better for
these people. Let's give them more hope. And if there are different places for them to live, let them make that choice. And I think it's right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: You have described Donald Trump's plan here, back there by Witkoff, as stirring the pot. Let's talk about this. The U.S. insisting
that this is the right move to clear out the Palestinians from Gaza. So how does that square with getting the Saudis on board with normalization? You
alluded to this.
ZOABI: Yeah.
ANDERSON: You started your narrative on that. I just want you to explain a little further how this would square with the Saudis who say we need to see
a viable path to a Palestinian state, or we are simply not interested in it's been a principled stance by the Crown Prince in Saudi.
ZOABI: Yes. Well, first of all, let me just comment on the issue of the transfer, or the ethnic cleansing that Donald Trump is suggesting for
Palestinians and as me, a Palestinian citizen of the state of Israel, the notion of being transferred, it gets us back to the -- to our own
catastrophe, and at 1948. So, people within the Palestinian nation, Palestinian people do not move. Do not move.
This is, this is one. Being, you know, when Donald Trump and other politicians talk about peace from the economic -- It is not enough, because
when you talk about aspiration, political aspiration, and we need also dignity. And it is -- it cannot be bought by money or economic value. So,
this is two. As for the Saudis, I believe that Saudi Arabia conceived themselves as the leaders of the Middle East.
And this is something that is very, very important. However, with it, with the Trump Administration now, and with Trump as a president suggesting so
extreme ideas, I think that Saudi needs to be to play a much important role in seeing how -- to what extent, also the West Bank and Gaza are managed in
the future politically, and also -- other areas --
ANDERSON: So, would you say -- to a certain extent, Trump is putting this out there and saying, right, come back to us with a plan. If you the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and others around this region, perhaps including the UAE and others, if you have a better plan to accommodate the
Palestinians in Gaza whilst the place is rebuilt, let us know what that is.
You get a win. We get a win. The war is over, and we all carry on. Here's the problem, though, at present, neither Smotrich nor Ben-Gvir nor Benjamin
Netanyahu want to see an end to the war in Gaza before the entire complete dismantlement of Hamas.
ZOABI: Yes.
[09:20:00]
ANDERSON: You put this -- I've just heard from an Arab diplomat familiar with the negotiations that Israel posts this meeting with Bibi, with
Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump. Benjamin Netanyahu is now sending an Israeli delegation to Qatar. Those negotiations will begin, but
negotiations for what?
There are still hostages in Gaza, Palestinian prisoners that Hamas wants out. There is a temporary ceasefire, but only for the next, what, 30 days.
ZOABI: And this is the expertise of Benjamin Netanyahu, because if you remember, on March through May last year, when everyone talked about an
agreement that was almost assigned and then Benjamin Netanyahu, decided that, and his government, of course, decided that they want to postpone and
they want to manage the conflict.
And if you look at the treatment, the agreement now that was signed, it was the same agreement that was suggested on May.
ANDERSON: No, in December of 2023 by the way --
ZOABI: -- in December, yes.
ANDERSON: 13 months ago.
ZOABI: What is stalling now? And from my analysis, I think that the second phase of the agreement will be stalled again by Benjamin Netanyahu, not
because of geopolitical reality and not because even of Trump declarations, but because of the base, the political base of Benjamin Netanyahu --
ANDERSON: Get back to.
ZOABI: Not agreeing on what happened and what he saw when the last turn of kidnaps, were released.
ANDERSON: Back to Smotrich and Ben-Gvir.
ZOABI: And this is something. Back to Smotrich, and Ben-Gvir, yes.
ANDERSON: This is absolutely fascinating. Thank you very much indeed for joining us.
ZOABI: Thank you.
ANDERSON: We didn't get a chance to talk about what we heard on Iran last night, which is Donald Trump signing an executive order to reinstitute this
maximalist or maximum pressure on the country until they completely, sort of they are devoid of oil. I mean, that is also incredibly important, given
that, that was talked about with him sitting right next to Benjamin Netanyahu --
ZOABI: -- and I believe that in closed room yesterday, they mainly, both of them, they mainly talked about Iran.
ANDERSON: That's fascinating.
ZOABI: Yes.
ANDERSON: It's good to have you, Ghaida.
ZOABI: Thank you. Thank you very much.
ANDERSON: Thank you very much indeed. Still to come, the confirmed death toll rises after a mass shooting in Sweden. What we are learning about the
deadly incident at a city campus. That is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back. You're watching "Connect the World" with me Becky Anderson, time here in Abu Dhabi, it's just before 25 past 6. Investigators
are searching for a motive. A day after the worst mass shooting in Sweden's history. Police now say 11 people were killed and 6 others were injured
after a gunman opened fire on a campus in a town 100 miles west of the country's capital, Stockholm.
[09:25:00]
CNN's Melissa Bell has been following developments and filed this report.
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Some new details are emerging after the dreadful shooting that took place just after midday in
the town of Orebro in Western Sweden, where a gunman went on the rampage at what we understand was an adult learning center, but on campus, where there
are schools for children as well.
Police are saying that multiple people died in the attack, and it was to a shock nation and a country that so rarely sees school shootings or mass
killings, that the Swedish Prime Minister spoke.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ULF KRISTERSSON, SWEDISH PRIME MINISTER: We've today seen brutal, deadly violence against completely innocent people. This is the worst mass
shooting in Swedish history.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BELL: Police say that the death toll could continue to rise, given that there are still several wounded people in hospital. They've also said that
they're trying to figure out what this man's motive may have been. They say the perpetrator was a man, and that they believed he was killed during that
shootout itself.
The question of why he acted the way he did now at the center of the investigations that are ongoing. What police have said about him, though,
is that he was not known to police services, nor do they think that there was a terror motive behind this attack, the worst in Sweden's history.
Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
ANDERSON: Well, still to come, how trade tensions between the U.S. and China continue to unsettle the global marketplace and even the post office.
More on that is after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Right. Welcome back. You're watching "Connect the World" with me Becky Anderson, just before half past 6 here, which means it is here being
Abu Dhabi, which means it's just before half past 9 in New York. These are images from the New York Stock Exchange just moments before the bell.
[09:30:00]
Look, stocks are likely to take their key from Asia today, where indices were mixed to mostly higher in Wednesday's trade, as investors appear, at
least, to be looking beyond the U.S.-China trades back. But anything can happen in 24 hours, of course, and often it does these days.
Keep an eye on big tech folks, mixed earnings from Alphabet and AMD could be the reason that the sector drags, not just lower itself, but drags the
entire set of markets down. So that was the opening bell. The U.S. markets then are open. And yes, as we expected, a very mixed picture on this open.
Although the NASDAQ is taking off some -- let those settle, because you can never quite tell what's going on in these first sort of 30 seconds. We'll
get back to those when they've just settled off a bit. When Elon Musk took over at X at the time, known as Twitter, of course, he told the employees
there to either commit to excellence or get out.
Well, now it appears he's using a similar playbook, but this time with U.S. government agencies. CNN has been speaking to former Twitter employees who
have some advice for the federal workers now under pressure to take buyouts and resign. CNN's Clare Duffy has the reporting, Clare.
CLARE DUFFY, CNN BUSINESS WRITER: Yeah. Becky, I mean, look, a lot of Twitter employees, former Twitter employees are having sort of Deja vu
here. I mean, one of the most striking things that we've seen in terms of Elon Musk's action within the political government is just how quickly he
has moved to cut costs, cut staff, cut entire departments, as he's now trying to do with USAID.
And you'll remember that when he took over at Twitter, within days, he had laid off the top executive leadership and 50 percent of the staff. One
former Twitter employee told us that he essentially has a sort of algorithm for change, and that the first step is to question every requirement, they
said.
Assume every requirement that anybody ever gives you is dumb question it, eliminate it wherever possible. Basically ask, do we even need this thing?
Should we? Should we have it to begin with, and to start cutting it from there? We now are hearing former Twitter employees offer advice, both
publicly and quietly to federal government workers, because, of course, this isn't a social media platform anymore.
This is the federal government, and the implications here could be really extreme. So, the advice that we're hearing ranges from everything, sort of
how to navigate this personally, to how to communicate securely with your colleagues on platforms like signal. One former principal software engineer
at Twitter, Yao Yue said on X, don't comply without question.
Don't fold over in advance. Find small routines that anchor you and make you feel in control, even just for a few moments each day. Now, federal
employees have until Thursday to decide whether to take this buyout offer and accept the Trump Administration's new expectations or to leave.
But I spoke with Shannon Liss-Riordan, who is the attorney who's represented many of the former Twitter employees who have taken legal
action against that company for alleged unpaid severance, and she said it's not clear if these federal government workers can really count on that
buyout money coming through if they do take that option.
She said there are questions about whether Trump actually received the approval from Congress to get that buyout payment. And so, she said
employees now are stuck in a really tough spot where there aren't great options. She basically said she's telling employees, you need to decide
what's in your best interest, but there's no way to predict exactly how things are going to come out here, Becky.
ANDERSON: Yeah, this is absolutely fascinating. I mean, we are only at the beginning of this look. I remember when Musk bought Twitter and rolled into
those headquarters carrying the actual sink, right, in the months that followed, he laid off around 6000 employees, 80 percent of the workforce,
as you say.
It really is going to be fascinating to see how he sort of navigates what's going on. And to your point, whether Donald Trump has got, for example,
permissions for these resignations and buyouts at this point. All good stuff. It's always good to have you. Thank you.
U.S. President Donald Trump says he is in no rush to speak with Chinese Leader Xi Jinping as trade tensions escalate between the two countries.
China, though, has a message for the Trump Administration.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LI JIAN, SPOKESPERSON OF CHINESE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: We urge the U.S. side to stop politicizing economic and trade issues or using it as a
tool, it must seize its unreasonable suppression of Chinese companies. China will continue to take necessary measures to firmly defend the
legitimate rights of Chinese companies.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, the tit for tat tariff announcements between the world's two largest economies are creating uncertainty for businesses and for the
financial markets, of course. The Wall Street bank Morgan Stanley has turned more pessimistic on the outlook for U.S. interest rates. It's
scrapping its projection for two Federal Reserve rate cuts in the next four months.
[09:35:00]
And now says it only tentatively expects one rate cut this year. They are clearly looking at the sort of inflationary pressures that these tariffs
can have on markets and businesses. To a developing story from the U.S. Postal Service now, the service has quickly reversed an announcement that
it made late on Tuesday when it said it would temporarily suspend accepting incoming parcels from China and from Hong Kong.
No official reason was given for the suspension. However, the Postal Service suggests that it was related to the new tariffs imposed on Tuesday
by the Trump Administration. Let's get you up to speed and some of the other stories that are on our radar right now. And the Taliban has
suspended the operation of Afghanistan's only women's radio station after raiding its premises in Kabul on Tuesday.
Radio Begum, a station run by women with content aimed at women's education, said officers seized computers, hard drives, files and phones
and took two male employees into custody. A 33-year-old man has been charged with impersonating a police officer and kidnapping after
prosecutors said he detained a group of Latino men in South Carolina last month.
A video recorded by one of the victims shows Sean-Michael Johnson taking the drivers keys, mocking them with curse words and telling them you are
going back to Mexico. Well, thousands of people have fled the Greek island of Santorini has seismic shocks continue after an earthquake they hit at
the weekend.
The island, one of Greece's most popular tourist destinations, has been rocked by about 550 aftershocks since the initial quake. Officials say the
tremors could continue for many more days or even weeks. Elinda Labropoulou has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELINDA LABROPOULOU, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tourists who came looking for respite now rushing to escape dream like Santorini, as the
Greek island trembles with seismic activity. Hundreds of earthquakes have struck the waters near the island since Friday. Some are hardly noticeable.
Others have reached magnitudes of over five. Giving visitors and locals alike enough reason to flee.
TZANIS LIGNOS, SANTORINI RESIDENT: No one could sleep last night, not my wife, my son, only a bit. There was a lot of noise. It was surely a 4.9
quake, and in the house, it was really loud. We went running outside. That's why we cannot stay here any longer.
LABROPOULOU (voice-over): More than 6000 residents have already left Santorini, while schools remain closed until at least Friday. And
authorities' foreign residents to avoid indoor gatherings. These measures as airlines offer extra flights out of the island, and people flock to the
ports, but as the island empties its tremors persist.
BENI OUKLALA, SEASONAL WORKER: We're going to leave because I'm afraid, there are constantly earthquakes. We have to leave for the kids, so the
kids can calm down.
LABROPOULOU (voice-over): Santorini is no stranger to earthquakes, but near constant seismic phenomena like this are rare, even so, as thousands rush
to the mainland, others feel less inclined.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We will stay here. Why should we leave? If something happens, it happens. Oh, well, we are locals. We were born here.
LABROPOULOU (voice-over): Scientists say the seismic activity could last for days, if not weeks, threatening landslides and the possibility of a
larger quake. And so, an island whose geography and beauty, is known to draw visitors in. For now, steers them away. Elinda Labropoulou, CNN,
Athens.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Over the last 20 plus years, we have celebrated Ronaldo, plenty on the pitch, but today, it's his 40th birthday. And Real Madrid have sent
their best wishes his way. More on that coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:40:00]
ANDERSON: Well, Cristiano Ronaldo has been a constant presence in football for more than two decades now. And today, as he celebrates his 40th, he is
as confident as ever, and showing no signs of slowing down. Amanda Davies joins me now. Look, he's confident, and he'll say he shows no signs of
slowing down.
Frankly, he isn't playing in the most competitive league in the world, in Saudi these days, but it has to be said. I mean, the guy is absolutely
remarkable, and to be doing, even what he is doing in the Saudi league at 40 is spectacular.
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yeah. I mean, we haven't got enough lines on graphics to be able to show viewers all of the records that he holds in
terms of most goals scored in international football, most goals ever scored by a footballer in their professional career, the trophies that he's
won.
And without fail, you just have to look across social media today at the number of other footballers. The number of clubs that have paid tribute to
him as a 40-year-old, any footballer you talk to talks about how exemplary he is, in terms of being a teammate, in terms of being a trainer, the extra
hours he puts in.
How it is so all encompassing in his life, his dedication to his career and being the best footballer, he can possibly be. And everybody else loves the
debate, don't they, in terms of who is the goat, in terms of football, the greatest sports people of all time. He gave that interview this week saying
he is absolutely confident.
He is the most complete footballer there has ever been. We saw him score those two goals for Al-Nassr on Monday night, and he set himself a new goal
now. And that is to be out there on the pitch when his son makes his debut as a professional footballer, seeing that like following in the footsteps
of the likes of LeBron and his son, Bronny. So, plenty more to come as he - - as far as he's concerned.
ANDERSON: Yeah, remarkable. And more in "World Sport". That is after this short break with Amanda. I'll be back in about 15 minutes time with the
second hour of this show. Stay with us.
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[09:45:00]
(WORLD SPORT)
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