WORLD-01
Blasts in Turkey; Explosion Near Coptic Cathedral in Cairo; Nigerian Church
Collapses During Service. Aired 10-11a ET - Part 1>
Defterios, Frederik Pleitgen>
Blasts in Turkey; Explosion Near Coptic Cathedral in Cairo; Nigerian Church
Collapses During Service.>
[10:00:54] BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: Rocked by two bombings. Now, people in Turkey gather in solidarity to remember the victims. Next, we're live in Istanbul where authorities suggest Kurdish fighters are responsible for what are these deadly blasts.
And grief and shock after an explosion near a Coptic cathedral in Egypt. The latest on the situation there is just ahead.
Plus...
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The F-35 stealth capabilities widen our operational theater.
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ANDERSON: Dominating the sky without detection. Israel's new fighter jets will be the most advanced in the region. The scope of the sophisticated military hardware later this hour.
Right, hello. And welcome. You're watching Connect the World here on CNN. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. And we start this hour in Istanbul for you. And scenes of grief after what should have been a normal evening of football.
Most of the 38 people killed in what were these twin bombings in the Turkish city were police officers carrying out their duties after a local match.
Well, as mourners gather to remember the victims, Turkish authorities say evidence points to Kurdish fighters being behind the attacks, one of which was a suicide bombing.
Muhammad Lila is following the story for us there. Another horrifying attack in, Muhammad, what has been a year of deadly attacks in Turkey. And the government wasting no time in vowing to avenge those who have caused this carnage.
What do we know at this point?
MUHAMMAD LILA, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the deputy interior minister today came out and said that he has strong belief and that all the signs point to this being done by the PKK, the Kurdistan Workers Party. Of course, they've been waging a low level militancy and separatist movement for the last several decades. But of course, Turkey's own president Recep Tayyip Erdogan also speaking out very vocally. Yesterday, he put out a statement saying that this was a campaign of terror based on blood, chaos, and savagery. And this is what he had to say today.
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RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, TURKISH PRESIDENT (through translator): They are traitors and cowards that attack these young men at a police department. They attacked with heavy loaded explosives at two locations while they were all getting ready to work, and they left us with a heavy tragedy. They need to know that we will not let this go unpunished and that they will pay a higher price for which they need to understand.
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LILA: You know, and as part of those statements, he has also come out and said very clearly that Turkey will exact revenge on whichever group was behind this, but we know that already they are pointing towards the PKK, so we could see some sort of retaliation or some kind of movement on that in the coming weeks because they have vowed to do that.
ANDERSON: And ominous words from the interior minister as well earlier today who said the blade of the state reaches far and wide. What did they mean by that?
LILA: Well, essentially, you know, Turkey has been fighting on a number of fronts. There are a number of enemies in this region as we know, Becky, so it's not just the PKK that's a concern here, but it's also ISIS.
We know that a very volatile region. As we know, Becky. So, it's not just the PKK that's a concern here, but it's also ISIS. We know that ISIS has attacked Turkey in the past. And we know that there was a failed coup earlier this year that will Turkey blames on Gulenist movement.
So, there are a number of enemies that Turkey is currently fighting, and the message line coming out from the Turkish leadership is, look, it does not matter which group was behind this, but they intend to fight back. And they made a very clear statement today. They said, look, the reason that Turkey is being attacked is because it's moving forward, and it's making progress, and it's trying to become more of a key player in this region.
And there are people in this region that don't want that happen, so Turkey's position is that they're going to keep moving forward with their own plans, with their says they'll keep moving forward with their own plans, with the own development of their economy and their military. And they will take all of these threats head on.
[10:05:27] ANDERSON: Muahmmad Lila is in Istanbul for you. And as soon as this show is over, the team and I are going to head for Istanbul to bring you what is a special edition of Connect the World from there tomorrow.
Turkey, as I said, has been battered by attack after attack over the last year. Hundreds of people have lost their lives and more suffered lifechanging wounds. So right here on TV and on our digital channels, we will keep the reporting going on what is going on there.
Well, Egypt also dealing with the aftermath of a deadly bombing, I'm afraid. An explosion struck a church attached to a Coptic cathedral in Cairo. At least 25 people were killed and 31 wounded.
Egypt's president has condemned the terror attack, as he calls it, and declared three days of mourning.
Well, our CNN International correspondent Nick Paton Walsh following the situation there tonight out of Beirut in Lebanon -- Nick.
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Becky, you couldn't strike any closer to the heart in Egypt's Christian Copts Peter and Paul Cathedral itself. The blast didn't hit the cathedral, but the Peter and Paul Church just to the side of it. We don't exactly know how the device was planted there, but it's clear from amateur video and stills released by the church themselves, that the b last was intense. In fact, we are also hearing from state media, too, that it was high enough level of explosive that many body parts were in fact gruesomely found at the scene there, contributing to that death toll that's about 25 now, and over 30 people having been injured.
Now, we don't know who is behind this, Becky. It's not clear at this stage. But the Christian Copts make up about 10 percent of Egypt's burgeoning 91 million strong population, often persecuted, perhaps having felt maybe their President Abdel Fatah el-Sisi might offer them greater protection.
This kind of blow right at the heart of their faith. Remember, this is where Pope Tawadros II who received condolences from President el-Sisi himself is actually headquartered. This is the very heart of that particular faith shows, perhaps, that promises of better security from the Egyptian strong man leader haven't really come through for this particular minority.
But it's a deeply troubling moment, one that's led to lots of sectarian -- sorry, group religious leaders in the country to come forward and try and calm sectarian tensions, leaving a Sunni religious authorities talking about how this is an attack on all Egyptians and the Egyptian Grand Mufti Shawki Allam referring to this as a deplorable act of terror.
Three days of mourning having been called, but, again, the center of Cairo racked by explosions in what should be the heart of peaceful worship for the Christians on Sunday morning, Becky.
ANDERSON: Thank you, Nick. Nick Paton Walsh on the story for you this evening. Thank you, Nick.
Well, I want to get you some of the other stories on our radar today. And Italy's outgoing foreign minister is expected to become the country's next prime minister.
Paolo Gentiloni has been asked to form a new government. He is seen as a close ally of Matteo Renzi who resigned last week after his reform's referendum lost.
Well, at least 39 people in Kenya were killed in a crash involving a truck carrying flammable material. Authorities say the truck driver lost control going downhill and slammed into several vehicles. At least six people were injured in the crash.
In Somalia, at least 20 were killed in a car bomb attack in the capital's port area. Al Shabaab, which is linked to al Qaeda, has claimed responsibility. Somali authorities say a vehicle packed with explosives rammed into the port's main entrance and heavy gunfire followed.
Well, it is still unclear how many people have been killed or injured after a church collapsed on worshipers in Nigeria. The roof of the Reigners Bible Church caved in on Saturday. Worshipers had gathered there for what should have been a joyful event, the concentration of their pastor as bishop.
Aniekeme Finbarr is a government spokesman who happened to be at the church when it collapsed. He joins us now on the line.
And, sir, just describe what happened, if you will.
ANIEKEME FINBARR, NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN: Becky, thank you very much. So good to join you today.
Although, it's not a very happy day for us here in Uyo are quite (inaudible) in south Nigeria, the entire state has been thrown into deep mourning following the events of yesterday where a church building caved in on all of us while we were gathered there for what would have been a very joyful and very exciting occasion.
I was actually the moderator of that service and I just when the fateful were singing praises to god, offering up that offering that is when the unfortunate incident happened. It happened all at once. And the building caved in, and everyone scampered for safety.
The governor of the state was very much present at the service, leading other top government functionaries there to that particular service, and you know the governor enjoys a very close relationship with the Christian community here in (inaudible) state, and that's why he honors most of the invitations that come from the churches. And he also had been very joyful that he ended on a sad note, and the government felt was present. He returned to the scene in less than 30 minutes and supervised the rescue operation and evacuations of those who were injured. He directed all the (inaudible) to organizations, the agencies of government, all the (inaudible) organization, especially the construction company to come in and help us with the clean, to help to rescue the people who are still under the rubble.
ANDERSON: Is it clear as of yet how many were killed and injured in this? We're looking, I know, at our reporting at as many as 50 people lost their lives in this.
Do you have more specific numbers for us at this point?
FINBARR: It's difficult to have very specific numbers for various reasons. One of the reasons being that those who were injured were actually rushed to various hospitals, some private clinics, some private hospitals. And then the two major government hospitals, one being the university teaching hospital here at the state capital, and the (inaudible) specialist hospital.
But interestingly, the figures may not be as (inaudible) has been promoted on several media platforms because those who were in coma as when they were moved from the scene from under the rubble, according to the doctor, according to the consultant, have regained consciousness at the hospital and have been a clarion call by the medical association here in the state capital that individuals should continue to donate blood so that these victims can be saved and it's unclear it's unclear exactly -- but suddenly there's been greater hope of people who were in coma who have come uot of coma and are resuscitating, others are receiving and responding to treatment.
ANDERSON: Well, that is fantastic to hear.
Look, I mean, clearly this has been a search and rescue situation until now, and the investigation into exactly what happened will start. This is early days, but there have been issues in the past with construction of buildings like that which collapsed today. So, at this stage is it clear what happened and who is to blame?
FINBARR: What has happened is that the state governor has set up a high- powered panel of inquiry to assess the immediate and remote causes leading to the collapse. It's an isolated incident, and to underscore the seriousness of it -- the governor was in attendance. He wouldn't have thought that such an unfortunate incident would have happened, and the state keeps to very high levels when it comes to standards of construction.
And so he has expressed sadness in that regard. And in (inaudible) set up a high-powered panel of inquiry that will look to the roots of this particular matter.
But interestingly, too, the governor has undertaken to take care of the medical bills of those who have been injured. There has been some of these cases involving constructions where buildings do collapse.
We must also admit that this is a developing country where you could have infrastructure and physical buildings rising almost on a daily basis, and unless we have these incidences, quite isolated, where we have a whole lot of people packed in one place, and this unfortunate incident happened on a daily basis. There are still other buildings rising up in very good quality and the government ensures that they meet the standards.
It's an isolated case here and very unfortunately there has been some casualties, but the government has assured that they will get the root of this particular matter. The governor has ordered that the contractor, the engineer responsible for this building should be immediately arrested and should be (inaudible) question today that the root causes of this collapse can be actually known and on record time and those who are guilty should be rightly prosecuted and made to face justice for this unfortunate circumstances and the mourning and the sadness that they have (inaudible) the entire people about (inaudible).
ANDERSON: We appreciate your time. Thank you, sir.
Still to come tonight, civilians continue to pour out of eastern Aleppo into government-controlled parts of the city that as the Syrian army pushes to flush the last of the rebels out. We are live in Damascus, in Syria, up next.
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[10:17:21] ANDERSON: You're watching CNN. This is Connect the World with me Becky Anderson. We have heard a lot about the battle for east Aleppo in recent days, but the Syrian army and its allies are fighting on several fronts, one of which reopened this weekend.
Russia says its air strikes repelled an effort by ISIS to capture the town of Palmyra, which the militants lost in March, you may remember. This photo, which CNN cannot verify, was published by ISIS-linked news agency (inaudible). It says it shows a recent battle around the ancient ruins there.
Well, meanwhile, in the north of the country, thousands of civilians have been streaming out of formerly rebel-held parts of east Aleppo as the Syrian army pushes into the enclave.
Syrian state media quoted a Russian military spokesman as saying that more than 20,000 people escaped on Saturday alone.
Well, CNN senior international correspondent Frederik Pleitgen was the only western TV reporter inside parts of recaptured east Aleppo last week joining me now from the Syrian capital Damascus. And given what you witnessed earlier in the week, Fred, how many people are we talking about? and what did they tell you about why they have decided to flee or leave the city now?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, Becky,, I think that that claim by the Russians that it could be up to 20,000 people who left on Saturday alone, it's obviously very difficult to verify, but it certainly isn't out of the question.
You know, we happen to be on Aleppo's southern front right there on Saturday morning as apparently a lot of these people were coming out. And I can tell you it was a huge stream of people that were coming out of there. And I have to say the people there were in some of the worst conditions that I have seen civilians here in this civil war at all over the past couple of days.
There were many children who were too exhausted to even stay awake. There were a lot of children who were barely able to walk and still had to carry some very heavy things. There were people who looked malnourished. And all of these people, Becky, were absolutely scared because it was also a full-on war going on as they were making their way out.
There were air strikes going on, artillery strikes. We have to keep in mind that the only way for these civilians to get out of the eastern areas of Aleppo is to go right straight through that frontline. So, very dangerous, very traumatizing for a lot of those people.
But it certainly was a massive flow of people. And they told us that they came out because they simply couldn't bear the conditions inside eastern Aleppo anymore. Many of them had lost their houses, many of them had not had any sort of real food over the past couple of days, and they said it was simply not possible for them to stay there anymore, Becky.
[10:20:01] ANDERSON: And some of the pictures that we are looking at that your fellow journalist Claudia shot last week are truly distressing.
What did those that the regime would consider rebels, how many are still on the ground in he east of the city? And if the regime is on the cusp of regaining control, which is quite, frankly, what it looks like at this point, what are the consequences now for this six-year conflict?
PLEITGEN: Well, I think the consequences would be huge because for the Syrian army, Aleppo is certainly a very key, strategic place. And if they were able to control all of Aleppo, certainly they would be able to move a lot of their forces to other parts of the country to try and also win those back as well.
And we have one of those instances today where ISIS has apparently moved into Palmyra. That's certainly a place that they would be able to defend a little more if they would have had enough forces on the ground there.
It's unclear how many rebel fighters are still inside the eastern districts of Aleppo. The russians say that as many as 1,000 had already laid down their arms and come out. The rebel themselves are denying that that is actually the case.
There are some who say that there could be several thousand opposition fighters still on the ground from various groups, but certainly they are having a lot of trouble still keeping those areas under control that they currently have.
The regime's offensive has slowed down somewhat, I have to say, over the past couple of days, but they certainly are bringing huge firepower to bear to try to break the backs of the rebels that are still inside, Becky.
ANDERSON: Yeah. Thank you, Fred. And it's unclear what's going on in Palmyra at present. As we get more on that, viewers, of course, we will bring it to you.
Fred is in Damascus.
Donald Trump is at odds with USs. intelligence communities six weeks before his inauguration. The president-elect says he doesn't believe the CIA assessment that Russian hackers tried to steer the election towards him. Trump appeared on Fox News on Sunday to, again, blast the report. He calls it, quote, "just another excuse" and maintains that the CIA has no idea who was involved in the hacking.
Well, Trump is also taking on Boeing over what he calls a, quote, "ridiculous deal to build more presidential planes." He tweeted on Tuesday, "Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control, more than $4 billion. Cancel order!"
Well, actually, the U.S. Air Force is yet to formally place an order for new planes. And it's not clear if the price would be anything like as much as Trump suggests.
Well, he's likely to take issue with another Boeing deal. The manufacturer has finalized a multibillion dollar agreement to sell 80 planes to Iran air. It is by far the biggest U.S.-Iran business deal since 1979. The sale was only made possible by the lifting of sanctions against Iran back in September, something that Donald Trump is vehemently opposed.
Well, CNN Money's emerging markets editor John Defterios joins me here in Abu Dhabi. And this is one of the most contentious contracts we have seen for a long time.
John, it looks like Boeing and Iran Air want to get this done before Mr. Trump becomes president January 20th. Would that be fair?
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN MONEY EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: I was going to say, that was a very fair comment because before the changing of the guard that takes place in the White House during inauguration.
Let's not forget, this deal was done under the UN through humanitarian guises saying that the fleet is so old that Iran, if it deserves anything after the lifting of sanctions, should be this plane contract.
But let's take a look at the optics here. This is the regional director for Boeing on the right-hand side of the screen, as we bring the picture up with the CEO of Iranian Air. And in the background you'll see who is the minister of aviation who has been trying to push this deal through.
I thought it was very interesting they didn't put the regional CEO, Becky, or the head of the commercial plane division from Boeing, but a regional director.
Now the scale that you talked about, it is 80 planes, $16.6 billion in terms of list prices here for single aisle and wide body, 737s and 777s. And I thought it was fascinating. I'm sure you thought the same. If you looked at the statement put out by Boeing, they said 100,000 direct jobs are linked to the contract, then they went on to suggest there was 1.5 million jobs if you take in the vendors and all their contractors.
So, what does it tell you? They want to get the deal done before Barack Obama leaves, and also, to Donald Trump, if you want to block the deal, it represents a lot of jobs.
Now, James Mattis, his selection for the Pentagon as you know, is no friend of Iran, but he said perhaps it's better not to tear up the agreement, keep Iran under the tent and see if we can negotiate going forward, and in the back drop let's not forget that Airbus had 118 planes signed in January. So, they're going head-to-head to get into this very large emerging market.
ANDERSON: It is really interesting that Boeing has flushed out the numbers involved with this -- the number of workers who could be involved and the amount of money that is involved because I think I'm right in saying that some 17 minutes before Donald Trump tweeted about the Air Force One deal at $4 billion, cancer order exclamation mark, last week, Boeing's board or certainly somebody from Boeing, had suggested that they were concerned about Donald Trump's stance when it came to trade deals.
Are we seeing a fight, a spat develop between Boeing and Donald Trump? I mean, that would be -- that would be quite something, correct?
DEFTERIOS: Yeah. In fact, they flagged the phone call that Donald Trump decided to make with the leader of Taiwan suggesting that the bullying of China could be detrimental to U.S. contracts going forward.
Needless to say, Boeing is a large player in China, and so is Airbus.
Also, I think it's fascinating here, they flag the Boeing White House Air Force One contracts, as you suggested, as Boeing was taking issue with the stance in China.
Dennis Muilenburg, the chairman and CEO of Boeing, is no lightweight.
Now, the other thing I think we have to watch out for here is the financing. I got on the phone with the regional representative here in the Middle East and North Africa for Boeing, and he said, and this is a quote "we're taking the financing one step at a time," going on to say that nothing is clarified, and nothing confirmed as of yet.
But also in the statement, they said they've been talking to the U.S. government every step of the way. They're not making a move unless it's cleared by the U.S. government. But they didn't say the U.S. Treasury and deals are done in dollars, and we don't know how that's going to be financed just yet.
ANDERSON: Watch this space. Thank you, John.
DEFTERIOS: You bet.
ANDERSON: Just ahead here on Connect the World the helmets alone cost a cool $400,000. And now the first of these super advanced fighter jets are on their way from the states to Israel. We are live in Jerusalem to see how that may change this region agency delicate balance.
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[10:30:33] ANDERSON: Well, the Middle East can be a violent and chaotic part of the world, so making sure your weapons are the best around is an endless scramble to stay one step ahead. Case in point, just after Russia shipped the super advanced missile system into Syria, Israel bringing in fighter jets that it reckons can fly without being detected by it.
Well, they are these hyper advanced F-35 warplanes. The first two of Israel's order of 50 of them will touch down there on Monday, but if 50 isn't the big number here, well, their price tag is, running an eye- watering $100 million apiece.
So, will they be causing turbulence across the Middle East? Well, let's bring in our Ian Lee who is reporting for you tonight out of Jerusalem -- Ian.
IAN LEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, these planes are part of a $38 billion memorandum of understanding between the United States and Israel over the course of ten years, but the press in Israel, the people of Israel, have already given this plane a nickname -- they're calling it Adir, which means mighty. And they believe it will be a game changer for this country.
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LEE: Mirage jets screech across the summer sky. Israel's surprise attack destroyed hundreds of Egyptians planes in hours. Their air superiority shortens the 1967 war to just six days.
The new sound of air domination in the 21st Century say Israeli generals, the F-35 stealth fighter will be the most advanced plane in the region. Israel ordered 50.
The initial two arriving Monday making Israel the first country outside of the United States to receive Lockheed Martin's fighter. The price tag, more than $100 million.
Lieutenant Colonel Yotham will lead the squadron. His identity concealed for security, we're told.
LT. COLONEL YOTHAM, F35 SQUADRON COMMANDER, ISRAELI AIR FORCE (through translator): The F-35's stealth capabilities widen our operational theater. It allows us to bring into action many abilities that are needed for the air force for superiority.
LEE: As it looks around its neighborhood, Israel perceives mini-threats. The Syria conflict is on its doorstep -- Hezbollah in Lebanon, rearming since the last war with Israel in 2006.
Russia's S-300 and more advanced S-400 surface-to-air missile systems introduced into Syria last year to support President Assad's military efforts.
he advantage of the -35, Israel hopes, is that it can fly virtually undetected.
YOTHAM (through translator): The F-35 is built to deal with a lot of threats on the ground. It knows how to deal in the best possible way with everything that lies in the region of interest of the IDF outside the borders of Israel.
LEE: But the plane has faced growing pains, including problems with software, the engines, and weapons. Retired Air Force Brigadier General Ephraim Segoli has seen this before.
EPHRAIM SEGOLI, MILITARY ANALYST: When you are developing new technology, you'll suffer from problems and you'll fix it.