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Around the World

South African Police Investigated for Murder; Congressional Leaders to Meet with Obama Tomorrow; Samsung Steps Up Smartphone Security

Aired February 28, 2013 - 12:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CO-ANCHOR, "CNN AROUND THE WORLD": Did South African police really tie a cab driver to the back of a police van and drag him through the street? We'll take you to Johannesburg when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CO-ANCHOR, "CNN AROUND THE WORLD": Police in South Africa are being investigated for murder.

Now, a watchdog group wants answers after a video that was posted on the website of the South African "Daily Sun." This is -- it can -- it's rather disturbing when you see this.

So, what you're watching, a man tied to the back of the police van, then dragged along the road.

HOLMES: Yeah, this is a taxi driver. He's actually an immigrant from Mozambique. He resists there as the police are trying to arrest him. He was arrested for blocking traffic with his cab, initially.

But he was later found dead in his police cell less than two hours later. And, as the video progresses, you can see the man being tied to the back or handcuffed to the back of this vehicle just before it heads off.

MALVEAUX: Yeah. And we have chosen not to show the rest of the video because it does show this man in quite a bit of distress.

Nkepile Mabuse, she's joining us from Johannesburg to give us a little bit about what do we know about this case.

NKEPILE MABUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Suzanne, since the story broke this morning, that video that you've just seen has been broadcast on a 24-hour news channel here every 30 minutes, so you can imagine just how outraged South Africans are and the police, the police management, had to respond and respond very quickly.

The national police commissioner saying that she's deeply concerned by what she has seen. And she said she views this in a very, very serious light.

She has pledged to cooperate with an investigation that is under way at the moment to apprehend those people responsible. Of course, South Africans want to see action. They want to see those police officers suspended and justice taking its course, Suzanne.

HOLMES: Yeah, and, Nkepile, you see from the video there, there were dozens of onlookers there. And we could hear voices shouting, as well.

What have they been saying about this?

MABUSE: Michael, that's the disturbing thing, that this was so brazen, police officers wearing police uniform, using a police car, with so many witnesses.

Experts here, analysts here, saying, you know, these police officers are acting like people who don't think that they would get into trouble, that what they were doing was wrong.

But, of course, those onlookers are going to be critical in this investigation. The investigators that have already started probing this issue have started to speak to some of those people who have -- who witnessed what happened.

And, of course, the man that took the footage as well is being questioned by the police.

MALVEAUX: Nkepile, you have spoken about this numerous times. Had a chance to be in South Africa last year, and the one thing that people say over and over when you see what happened with some of the miners protesting is that they're concerned with the level of violence in their country.

Does this kind of speak to that? Does this demonstrate just kind of a new low?

HOLMES: And from police, in particular.

MABUSE: Exactly. And, of course, we've got the Oscar Pistorius case that the whole world is watching where he's alleged to have shot his girlfriend dead. He says that he thought that she was an intruder in the bathroom.

But, of course, violence has become such a huge issue in South Africa. And this is very clear with Oscar Pistorius' case that violence cuts across stature, race, you know, people's backgrounds, everything.

Violence is a huge issue in South Africa. And, of course, it also affects the police, as well, Suzanne, as we've seen.

MALVEAUX: Nkepile Mabuse, thank you very much. And, of course, if you have more detail details, please get back to us, and we'll get back to you, as well.

We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: There are so many charities that were near and dear to the late Princess Diana. She was very special.

HOLMES: Remarkable woman, yeah, she brought special attention, though, to those dealing with HIV and AIDS.

Remember that iconic moment back in 1987, Princess Diana, the first -- hard to believe now, but back then, the first high-profile celebrity to be photographed touching a person infected with HIV.

MALVEAUX: And she really helped reduce the stigma of AIDS.

Her son, Prince Harry, he is now continuing his work. As Robyn Curnow shows us, he is bringing attention to kids in Lesotho, many of them victims of extreme poverty who are also HIV positive.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBYN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At the St. Bernadette Center for the Blind in Lesotho, most of these children couldn't see Prince Harry, but he made sure they knew he was there, touching them, holding them, talking to them softly.

Many here say his easy, gentle way with others remind them of his mother.

Now, this project, like many others, is supported by Prince Harry's charity, Sentebale, which means "forget me not" in (INAUDIBLE), and is named in honor of his mother, Princess Diana.

Prince Harry set up the charity in 2006 to help vulnerable children in Lesotho.

This little girl tells me, we understand the way he loves us like his children. And the other says, I feel happy and great. Us disabled children are lucky because he comes from overseas, from England.

Prince Harry has been to Lesotho many times before. This trip is a good photo opportunity, say royal watchers, to remind the public of Harry's charitable side.

In recent months, he's made headlines for partying naked in a Las Vegas hotel, and then for saying that fighting in Afghanistan for the British army is like playing video games.

But he's not just a playboy prince, said his friend and co-founder of Sentebale, Prince Seeso.

PRINCE SEESO, PRINCE OF LESOTHO: I've seen him grow over the years and, being allowed to come here and be himself, I think, for me, I've seen a boy grow into a solid man.

CURNOW: A man and third in line to the throne, he seems happy to dance in the blazing Lesotho sunshine, as if he were in a London club.

Earlier on in the morning, Harry was also taught sign language at a school for the deaf and then he put on a purple apron, emblazoned with images of Paddington Bear and made a local food court (INAUDIBLE). Other images of a prince who sometimes makes the news for the wrong reasons as he tries to do good for the people of Lesotho.

Robyn Curnow, CNN, Maseru, Lesotho.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Yeah, I actually went there many years ago. It's a tiny little place.

MALVEAUX: Yeah, tell me a little about it.

HOLMES: Tiny little country, it's sort of landlocked in there, surrounded by South Africa. I think we've got a map there we can show you.

And you can see that it gained independence from the U.K. back in 1966.

MALVEAUX: All right, we're going to take you back to the United States. If you want to know how really small it is, it's -- look at it in the size of the United States in relation to it.

You see it as just a tiny portion of Kansas and just a smidge of Nebraska. That's how small it is.

HOLMES: Yep. They rely very heavily on South Africa for its economic survival.

MALVEAUX: All right, we are being told that Jessica Yellin at the White House has some news for us.

Jess, bring us in.

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Suzanne. Hi, Michael.

Well, we have learned that tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. the president is going to be meeting -- that's the time the president will be meeting with congressional leaders here at the White House.

As you know, this afternoon, they will be trying to hold a vote -- they'll be holding a vote up on Capitol Hill to try to move forward with the Democratic plan to try to avoid those forced spending cuts that are set to hit tomorrow.

But, you know, while it's expected to vote -- pass by a majority in the U.S. Senate, it is not going to get that supermajority that's necessary to avoid this deadline and that means tomorrow's meeting is important.

Not likely to have any kind of breakthrough, and we all expect there will be that spending-cuts drama starting to play out tomorrow night.

We're hearing different kinds of messages from different parts of the administration. I think it sounds now like they're not thinking it's going to hit in some sort of dramatic fashion, so this could bleed out for quite some time and we could see this play out for a while, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right, Jess, a couple of questions here.

First of all, why bother with the meeting in the first place if we think this is actually going to take place tomorrow? That's the first thing, besides it being somewhat looking like a photo op, an opportunity, if you will.

And, secondly, do we expect to see or hear from the president before that meeting? Perhaps in any way coming forward and, again, making his case?

YELLIN: Well, the president is going to hold an event where he's swearing in his new Treasury secretary. So I think we'll get some images from there. And beyond that, the point of tomorrow's meeting is really partially politics. You know, neither side wants to be seen doing nothing before these cuts hit. So they've got to have some sort of confab to look like they're working.

And then there's also the other piece of it, which is, I told you they're going to have the Democrats vote today. So what the White House can do is say, look, the Republicans -- we have a bill to try to avoid these spending cuts. The Republicans are blocking it. We're holding a meeting. And hours before the spending cuts hit, Republicans, here's your chance to try to help us avoid these spending cuts.

Now, that's going to be the White House's gambit. It's not really going to wash politically. And it's not really going to work. We all know that going in. So this is going to be a real pitched battle between the two sides, as I say, for some time to come.

MALVEAUX: Yes. Yes, absolutely. I mean Jess knows --

HOLMES: Thanks, Jessica.

MALVEAUX: I mean this -- it's all the antics. It's the theater of it all. And the American people are --

HOLMES: Don't you think -- you're the political expert. I don't get this.

MALVEAUX: The American people are tired of it, though.

HOLMES: Yes.

MALVEAUX: But, you know, I mean it's the imagery. It really is. It's like, who comes out on top when it's all said and done.

HOLMES: It's not my fault. It's your fault. And but this -- and I always go back to the center (ph). This was something designed to be so bad no one would let it happen.

MALVEAUX: Well, they knew since summer of 2011 --

HOLMES: Yes.

MALVEAUX: Yes, that this was on the table.

HOLMES: And here we are.

MALVEAUX: So, you know, kind of the last minute antics, theatrics of it. I really don't think it's going to fly with a lot of people, but --

HOLMES: I guess not. You're the political expert. It staggers me.

MALVEAUX: We kind of know how this works. They keep doing it over and over.

HOLMES: Incredible, isn't it?

MALVEAUX: Yes. All right, thank you, Michael.

Up next, bad air quality, serious problem in Beijing, China. A sand storm just pushed the pollution levels off the chart. So we're actually going to --

HOLMES: They needed that.

MALVEAUX: Yes, we're going to tell you what that is all about.

HOLMES: Boy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: All right, take you to China now. This is a bird's-eye view. A clearer look at Beijing than if you were actually on the ground.

HOLMES: Take a look. Yes, we're going to show you the pictures now. This is Beijing. The air, browned. Everyone covering their mouths and their eyes. Why?

MALVEAUX: Gritty, sandy, dirty mess covering every inch of Beijing. Air pollution already a huge problem there, but a sandstorm now whipped in today pushing the bad air index off the charts, literally.

HOLMES: Yes, the dirt and smog all mixing in together. They've maxed out all the instruments they use to measure air pollution. They couldn't even measure this, Chinese officials.

MALVEAUX: Can you believe that?

HOLMES: Yes, they say they're warning people to stay inside. No kidding. Or at least wear face masks.

MALVEAUX: And then this sand, of course, flying in from the Gobi Desert, combined with the already terrible pollution, making life pretty miserable there. You and I have both been there and it is pretty tough stuff. Just to breathe, I mean -- HOLMES: It's horrible.

MALVEAUX: And the grit. You know, just the film that you get.

HOLMES: I was telling you this story, that when John Walsh was our correspondent there he did a live shot and I e-mailed him afterwards, I said, why aren't you out on the balcony with the background of Beijing. You're standing inside in front of a white wall. He e-mailed back and he said, no, I was on the balcony. That's the pollution.

MALVEAUX: You're kidding.

HOLMES: Couldn't see 100 feet.

MALVEAUX: Just a -- it just looked like a sheet of white wall.

HOLMES: It looked like a sheet of white.

MALVEAUX: That's crazy.

HOLMES: Unbelievable.

MALVEAUX: And that's what people are living with every day.

HOLMES: (INAUDIBLE).

MALVEAUX: Another story we're following, smartphones everywhere, of course, but of course you want to know how secure your information is on all the devices that you carry around. Well, we're going to talk about the (INAUDIBLE) to build the safest cell phone. That up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, if you've been dreaming of a smartphone with a little more security, that wish might just come true.

MALVEAUX: Just over the last year or so, Samsung, the South Korean manufacturer, has been quietly beefing up the Google Android software that actually runs on its smartphone. So, what's the goal here?

HOLMES: Yes. The goal here is that a new version of Android will protect users from malware. We worry about stuff getting into our computers, but we're talking about smartphones here.

Alison Kosik, there you are. What -- tell us about it.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: OK. So what Samsung is doing, Michael and Suzanne, is it's introducing what's known as the Knox. As in Ft. Knox. So this is Samsung's new fortress like enhancement to the Android operating system. And what this essentially really is, is it's Samsung trying to pick up more corporate customers. They've got a lot of people who use their phones, you know, for private use. Now they want to go into the corporate world and essentially steal them away from the Blackberry. Now, this is, of course, looking to happen right when Blackberry is trying to step up its own game. Now, there are a couple of interesting features of the Knox. It's got more comprehensive virus and hacking protection. Samsung actually wound up working with defense contractor General Dynamics to develop this platform. It also has what's known as a container, and that keeps proprietary apps safe from leaking to the outside.

And it's got what's known as a duel persona platform. You're thinking, what is that? That pretty much means that the user can keep all of your work stuff and your home stuff separate on the same device. Now, this is a feature that Blackberry wound up playing up when it unveiled the Blackberry 10 last month.

Now, the Knox is expected to be available on the Galaxy S4, which is expected to be unveiled in the middle of March.

MALVEAUX: So, Alison, they have their work cut out for us. Michael and I just realized we both have a Blackberry and we've got an iPhone.

HOLMES: We both do. We just realized that.

MALVEAUX: They've got to step up their sales pitch here.

HOLMES: We've got it covered here. Yes.

KOSIK: I've got both. So, there you go.

HOLMES: You too.

KOSIK: I'm cornering the whole market.

HOLMES: There you go. You as well. That's one way around it. Alison, always good to see you. Alison Kosik there.

MALVEAUX: Thanks.

Coming up, fighting off lions actually with lights. A pretty clever idea from an inventor who, he's not even old enough to drive. We've got that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: All right, he's only 13 years old but Richard Turere is already a seasoned inventor. Now, he's from Kenya where lions routinely attack and kill cattle on the farms at night.

MALVEAUX: So it's a pretty big problem, but he's actually come up with a pretty amazing and innovative solution. He literally had a bright idea. He realized at the age of 11 that lions were afraid to come near his farm if someone was walking around with a flashlight.

HOLMES: Yes. So what did he do? He created a system of flashing LED bulbs on a pole facing outward rigged to a box with an old car battery powered by a solar panel.

MALVEAUX: So when the lights flash on and off, it actually tricks the lions into believing there is somebody around with a flashlight. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD TURERE: I installed the internet two days ago in my home and since then we have never experienced any problems with lions. To protect -- to keep away predators, like hyenas and leopards and also the tools are being used to scare away elephants from people's farms. My big dream is to become an aircraft engineer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: I think he's going to get there.

HOLMES: He might. (INAUDIBLE). Clever kid.

MALVEAUX: He's well on his way.

HOLMES: Inventive. Now, he presented his invention on Tuesday at the T.E.D. Conference. Of course, that's a non-profit devoted to bringing ideas and solutions to the problems of the world. It's great, T.E.D., (INAUDIBLE).

MALVEAUX: Yes, good for him.

HOLMES: Yes, good on (ph) him (ph).

All right, that will do it for me. Thanks for watching AROUND THE WORLD.

MALVEAUX: Yes, and, you know, you're solo tomorrow.

HOLMES: I know. You're going to leave me all alone. I don't like that. I'll be lonely.

MALVEAUX: You'll do OK.

HOLMES: All right. We'll see you next week, I guess.

MALVEAUX: All right. Yes, I'll see you Monday.