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U.K. Prime Minister Steps Down; Iran Cracks Down On Journalists. Aired 4-4:10a ET
Aired October 21, 2022 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COY WIRE, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Oh, yes, lovely people. We made it. The weekend is upon us, and you already know Friday`s rock. We`ve had a big week,
learned and laughed a lot, and I`m ready to finish this week strong with you.
All right. We start today with the breaking news out of the UK where British Prime Minister Liz Truss has resigned after just 45 days in the
role, making her the UK`s shortest serving leader ever. Truss`s resignation though is shaking up a country that has already had significant shifts in
power recently. Just last month, Queen Elizabeth II passed away. After 70 years on the throne, the queen was the longest ruling queen or king for
that matter in Great Britain`s history.
Now, why did Truss step down? In a press conference in London, Truss said it`s because she no longer believes she can fulfill the promises that she`d
originally made. The now former prime minister`s original plans were to supercharge the economy and help get it on better footing largely through
tax cuts. But that plan made many investors nervous, creating a lot of unrest in the UK`s economy.
So to the big question, who will replace the prime minister? We`ll likely have to wait about a week to find out. Another conservative leadership
election is expected to take place within a week and a new prime minister should be announced then. But for now, it`s not really clear who will
replace her.
In other news around the world, let`s move over to Iran in the Middle East where protests in the country have been ongoing for weeks. Last month,
Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman was taken into custody by Iranian police for apparently not wearing her hijab or headscarf properly. Iranian
law requires women to wear this head covering in public. While in custody, Amini died. The government of Iran said Mahsa died from illness but many
others in the country suspect she was killed by law enforcement.
Since her death, scores of people, many of them women have taken to the streets to protest the Iranian government for its strict laws and treatment
of women. In response, the government has been cracking down on protesters who they say have made the streets dangerous. For journalists, it`s been
extremely difficult to report on these weeks of protest from inside the country where the Iranian government has been accused of suppressing free
speech and the press.
I`ll turn it over now to my colleague out of London, Nada Bashir, who`s reporting on the struggles journalists are facing in this historic moment
for Iran.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Women, life, freedom -- a rallying cry that is only growing stronger as protests in Iran entered that
fifth week, sparked by the death of 22-year-old Masha Zhina Amini, who died in the custody of Iran`s notorious morality police in September.
But as the regime intensifies its brutal and deadly crackdown on protesters, it`s also scrambling to control the narrative, jailing at least
40 journalists since protests first began, according to the CPJ.
YEGANEH REZAIAN, COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS: These are just estimation. I`m sure the correct tally is over 400. Several of the cases of
these journalists that we have covered as soon as they reported about those news on their Twitter channels, the next day they were arrested.
BASHIR: And just walk me walk me through the tactics being used by the Iranian regime, how are journalists in Iran being repressed?
REZAIAN: Security forces usually raid the homes of journalists after midnight in order to create an environment of scare and fear. They usually
transfer these journalists immediately to solitary confinement. In most cases, they don`t let the journalists have access to lawyer.
BASHIR: Much of Iran`s media is under state control, with journalists who reject the state`s narrative facing harsh penalties.
Among them, Niloofar Hamedi, one of the first journalists to break the story of Amani`s death in Iranian media.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We know that Niloofar Hamedi has been held in a solitary confinement.
BASHIR: Here in London, journalists at the pro-reform news outlet "IranWire" which has been working with CNN to cover the ongoing protests
are meticulously documenting the detention of journalists in Iran.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One of them needs to be confirmed.
BASHIR: It`s a growing list with a concerning lack of clarity on where many of these journalists are being held. Among them are citizen
journalists bravely documenting the regime`s crackdown on their phones and on social media.
MAZIAR BAHARI, IRANWIRE: So for us, citizen journalists inside the country are the most important colleagues we have. And without them, we would not
be able to operate. These are the peoples who risk their lives in order to report.
BASHIR: With Internet blackouts being used by the Iranian authorities as a toll to stem the spread of information, the role of journalists on the
ground bearing witness to atrocities perpetrated by the Iranian regime is growing more important and more dangerous.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: Ten-second trivia:
What sport are you playing if your teammate says pass me the truncated icosahedron?
Basketball, American football, soccer or hockey?
In geometry, a soccer ball is considered a truncated icosahedron because it consists of 20 hexagonal and 12 pentagonal surfaces.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: For today`s "10 out of 10", it`s like break dancing but with a ball. Erlend Fagerli is like the Jackson Pollock or Vincent Van Gogh of soccer.
The newly crowned world champion freestyle footballer is redefining possibilities. Already with nine world titles, the 25-year-old is a beacon
of inspiration for anyone who has a dream to chase and he sat down with us to talk about his remarkable journey.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUBTITLE: Twenty-five-year-old Norwegian freestyle footballer Erlend Fagerli is one of the most established in the sport.
At the age of just 11, Fagerli realized it was what he wanted to pursue in life.
ERLEND FAGERLI, FREESTYLE FOOTBALL WORLD CHAMPION: I watched together with Brynjar, my brother, we were watching some freestyle videos on YouTube. And
when we saw that it was as if something clicked inside of us, so we started trying some tricks. We saw that just gave us so good feelings and just kept
going.
SUBTITLE: Years of work led him to become a nine-time world champion, but Fagerli says there`s more to the sport than just titles.
FAGERLI: My biggest goal is always to try to improve in freestyle and to explore how good we can become. Of course, I`m very proud of it but the
most important part is to evolve the sport.
SUBTITLE: Fagerli trains twice a day to improve his freestyle football skills and conceptualize his routines.
The trick to his creativity? Ten minutes of thinking.
FAGERLI: I have like a habit to do it every day and over so many years then. I think you can create so many things and even though you don`t come
up with anything new during those minutes, you have activated your mind and maybe you can discover something during the session. I think it really
helps to look at different things for example look at dancing or look at other freestylers. But as you move along in your freestyle career, I think
it`s very important to try to invent your own moves.
SUBTITLE: So what`s next for Fagerli?
FAGERLI: Probably I will stop competing at the one time. I don`t know when yet but freestyle will always be a part of my life, of course.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: We have had a ball kicking it with you this week. Happy Friday, everyone, and keep in touch over the weekend. I`m @CoyWire on Insta, TikTok
and Snapchat.
Before we go, we`re going to give a special shout out to Canyon City High School in Canyon City, Colorado. I`m Coy.
And remember, you are more powerful than you know, and it`s been a blessing to spend this week with you right here on CNN 10.
END
