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Hala Gorani Tonight
Paris Climate Talks Examined; Continuing Turkey-Russia Fallout; Pope Francis Visits the Central African Republic; Movements of Paris Attacker Tracked. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired November 30, 2015 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:20]
HALA GORANI, HOST: Tonight, critical talks over climate.
Hundreds of world leaders gather in Paris to try to avert a global environmental disaster. But politics is still playing out on the sidelines.
Russia's President refuses to meet with Turkey's President after the downing of a Russian jet. I will ask a NATO Secretary General about the
growing tensions.
And new details emerge about the movements of one of Europe's most wanted men.
Plus this hour, Pope Francis brings a message of religious tolerance to a nation torn apart by war. Hello, everyone.
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I'm Hala Gorani. We're live from CNN London this evening. Welcome, everybody. This is The World Right Now.
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GORANI:A political moment like this may not come again. The words of the U.N. Secretary General today as world leaders gather for an important
climate summit in Paris.
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GORANI: The aim is to come up with an agreement to help slow the pace of global climate change. Experts say if the average temperatures around the
world rise by more than 2 degrees Celsius, it could bring on disaster. There are leaders from 150 countries. There organizers say this is the
largest single day gathering of world leaders in history. There is a very, very big family portrait.
France is taking no chances following the recent terrorist attacks, as you can imagine security is tight around the capital. Earlier the American
President saluted the city's courage in hosting the event.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We salute the people of Paris for insisting this crucial conference go on. An act of defines that proves
nothing will deter us from building the future we want for our children. What greater rejection of those who would tear down our world than
marshaling our best efforts to save it?
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GORANI: President Obama there. Let's cross live to Paris. CNN's Phil Black is there from the conference venue. All right, so will we get an agreement?
Will we get what all these world leaders have promised and said they will work toward, which is some sort of consensus on how to avert this global
warming catastrophe, Phil?
PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well I guess "maybe" is the answer, Hala.
These talks are different, they feel different, they've been organized differently.
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BLACK: Countries have come into them having already pledged what they're prepared to do to fight climate change. And these pledges, taken together,
are broadly seen perhaps optimistically as a good start.
While it's accepted that they will not yet reach the goal of keeping temperature rises to within two degrees Celsius. It's hoped they can be
locked in through an agreement, a framework that going forward will allow these pledges made by countries to reduce emissions and take other steps to
be regularly reviewed, improved, to effectively be policed to make sure countries are living up to their word and doing all they can appropriate to
their circumstances.
There's a lot of detail, though. They also want an agreement that sort of give us certainty to business to ensure and encourage investment and
innovation so that there can be agreements there. And crucially, an agreement that details how wealthy countries are going to be providing $100
billion a year from 2020 to poorer countries that will be experiencing the worst consequences of climate change.
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BLACK: To help them deal with that while helping them develop economically, improving their people's lives without having to resort to burning fossil
fuel.
There is also the very contentious issue of whether or not this should all be locked into a legally binding treaty. Some European countries say yes,
the U.S. and others say no way. So there is an enormous amount of detail to be crunched through over the next two weeks, to try and reach a consensus.
But there is a sense here that this just might be possible.
GORANI: All right, Phil Black is live outside Paris, (inaudible) thanks very much, where all these world leaders are meeting. And as Phil mentioned
there, it's a two-week meeting, the heads of state and government are there in the initial phase of course, but after that the working groups will get
down to business.
It isn't just politicians pushing for progress in Paris. Big names from the worlds of philanthropy and broadcasting are weighing in as well. Christiane
Amanpour has been speaking to some of them and she joins me now live from Paris. Christiane.
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CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hala, indeed, good evening. Now one of the big differences from COP20 or the Copenhagen fiasco
is that they're bringing all the world leaders in at the beginning so they give a real direction, not leaving it to the end of the two weeks when
negotiators are flimflamming around and then it's too late to actually get an accord.
Now, many believe that even if world leaders don't come up, as Phil was saying, with some kind of legally binding treaty that's effective, the
private sector is already doing its thing. And to that end we spoke to Bill Gates earlier today, who said that he's doubling down on his
investments in innovation and that he has a whole sort of group, 28 fellow philanthropists, entrepreneurs, innovators, to double down on making sure
the best and the brightest brains in the world can do research and development and come up with clean, cheaper alternative energy.
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AMANPOUR: I've also been speaking to the lead naturalist in the world, the person who is perhaps more identified than anyone else with the environment
and that is of course David Attenborough. The broadcaster, the legendary British broadcaster. Now if you remember a few months ago he actually
interviewed President Obama - oh sorry wrong way round, President Obama interviewed him to talk about the planet. And this is what Attenborough
told me about the meeting.
DAVID ATTENBOROUGH, NATURALIST AND BROADCASTER: What I got the impression was that he was a man who understood what the problem was and who genuinely
desperately thought that he could find the solution, and he has to steer that through the complexities of American politics as well as international
politics.
So it's not easy. And after all never in the history of humanity has all the world come together and agreed on a solution. Never, ever, so why
should we suppose it was going to be easy. It's not easy because a lot of people have different interests.
But it can be done because as we've seen the dangers of not doing it, the pressures on doing it are increasing.
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AMANPOUR: So again, Attenborough, who is a broadcaster, has spearheaded a group called the Apollo program, and it's targeted to being able to
actually get sort of private people economically involved with innovation. And they say Apollo because it has a direct link to what the Americans did
within ten years of saying they were going to put a man on the moon, they did, and he says we can do that, getting cheaper, affordable energy, Hala.
GORANI: One of the things that I found interesting, I didn't know and I learned today was that that David Attenborough initially wasn't convinced
that global warming was an issue, was something that threatened the planet. How has he evolved on that particular question?
AMANPOUR: Well, exactly. We were talking about deniers, who really are a real small minority of the community around the world. And I was saying,
you know, obviously for President Obama, it's really difficult because in the United States, there are a lot of Republicans who don't believe in the
science and therefore that's why the U.S. can't go for a binding treaty, because it would never get through congress. So he said look, I also had
doubts ten, 15 years ago, and because I have such an important platform I had to be very careful of what I said on the air about this issue.
But the subsequent years, of course, he said it's absolutely irrefutable, the science is absolutely convincing, and that mankind is the person or is
the force contributing to this ever-warming climate through carbon emissions.
So he went through that evolution but I found it really interesting that he said, I could not say something that I didn't believe or that wasn't true
until I was absolutely convinced, since I had such an important broadcast position.
GORANI: All right, David Attenborough, the broadcasting legend, the -- really, as you said, the man most associated with nature documentaries in
the world, speaking to our Christian Amanpour. And we'll catch your program as well in a few hours Christiane from Paris.
Russia's President is in Paris for those climate talks. The Kremlin says there is one person though, Vladimir Putin will not be meeting. Turkey's
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Diplomatic ties have been shaken since Turkey shot down a Russian warplane it said violated its airspace. Russia denies that. The body of the
Russian pilot has now been flown back home.
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GORANI: Colonel Oleg Peshkov's body, and you see the images there, arrived at a military airport near Moscow a few hours ago.
NATO's Secretary General told me that the organization is standing by Turkey's right to defend its airspace. It says that it is on board with
Turkey's explanation of events.
Earlier I spoke to Jens Stoltenberg who was in Brussels. He says it's important to de-escalate tensions. Listen to our conversation just a few
hours ago.
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GORANI: By many accounts including U.S. officials who have spoken to CNN, that Russian jet spent seconds in Turkish airspace. Probably less than 30
seconds. Is it NATO's concern at all that Turkey may have overreacted here?
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JENS STOLTENBERG, SECRETARY GENERAL, NATO: All NATO allies support Turkey's right to defend its airspace, its territorial integrity. But again, we are
also focused on how can we prevent this incidence to happen again. This was not the first time Turkish airspace was violated. We saw that also in
October. But one of the issues we'll discuss when NATO foreign ministers meet tomorrow in Brussels is how can we strengthen military to military
lines of communications, mechanism for deconflicting, to avoid this kind of incidents to happen again.
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GORANI: And Secretary General, speaking of violating airspace, you may have seen this, the Greek Prime Minister accused Turkey of violating Greek
airspace. How does NATO react to that?
STOLTENBERG: I think we have to remember that Turkey is on the front line of a very, very unstable and difficult situation in Syria and Iraq. And of
course for Turkey to be so close on the border of all the fighting, all the killings, and all the military buildup from the Russian side which we have
seen during the last weeks or months, it creates a very special situation. And this was not the first time. It has happened before.
GORANI: I was actually referring to the Greek Prime Minister accusing Turkey of violating Greek airspace. He did so on twitter. How does NATO
react to that?
STOLTENBERG: But what I try to explain to you that they are completely different situations.
GORANI: No I understand that. But there is a violation according to Greece of its airspace by Turkey. So are there two standards here?
STOLTENBERG: No. We understand the importance of respecting the airspace of any nation. But I think we have to understand that Turkey is in a very
special situation. They have been bordering Syria - they are bordering Syria where there has been fighting turmoil for several years. They have
seen substantial Russian military buildup, in the air, on land, and now in the eastern part of the Mediterranean.
GORANI: So you're saying Turkey should get a pass because it's in a difficult neighborhood and a difficult situation right now for violating
Greek airspace for instance.?
STOLTENBERG: I am saying that any nation, or the airspace of all nations should be respected. And NATO is not in a position where we accept any kind
of violations of airspace.
I myself am coming from a nation which has seen violations of the airspace of Norway. But I'm saying that the situation along the borders of Turkey to
Syria are very special. They are bordering a civil war. They have seen several violations of their airspace.
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GORANI: Lastly, are you worried as the NATO Secretary General that Russia has transported some military equipment to Syria, it says, to project its
jet over Syrian airspace? And we're now hearing the Russian air force say air to air missiles carried by Russian bombers have been - are going to be
used for "self-defense."
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GORANI: This doesn't sound at all like a situation that's de-escalating. How concerned are you?
STOLTENBERG: We are concerned about the strong Russian military buildup in Syria and in the eastern Mediterranean.
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STOLTENBERG: And the incident we saw last week just underlined the reason why we are concerned. And add to that, that Russia is targeting many other
targets than ISIL and they are doing air strikes in areas which are not at all controlled by ISIL.
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GORANI: The same can be said for Turkey, Secretary General. They are targeting forces that are Kurdish militants fighting ISIL as well. So you
could make the same case for that country.
STOLTENBERG: So any nation has the right to defend itself against terrorist attacks. And Turkey has suffered several terrorist attacks over
several years. At the same time I think we need a political solution, a political dialogue when it comes to the challenges we see with the Kurdish
population in Turkey.
GORANI: All right, Jens Stoltenberg, he was speaking to me just a few hours ago from Brussels. And as he mentioned, an important Foreign Ministers
meeting happening in Brussels tomorrow to find ways to avoid this type of incident in the future in the skies over Syria.
A lot more to come this evening. New details in the hunt for the prime suspect in the Paris terror attacks.
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GORANI: We'll have the latest for you on where authorities believe he may be. We'll be right back.
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GORANI: To the latest in the Paris terrorist attacks investigation now. According to a source, the suspects had other attacks ready to go, with
targets including Jewish areas, transport networks and schools as well.
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GORANI: Plus a source says that the suspect, Salah Abdeslam, bought ten detonators and batteries from a fireworks shop on the northern outskirts of
Paris in October.
Right now French intelligence services are operating under a theory that perhaps Abdeslam isn't even in Europe anymore, that he may have escaped to
Syria.
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CNN's Alexandra Field is here to fill us in -- live from Brussels. Alexandra, so this is a working theory, that perhaps Abdeslam isn't even
potentially in Europe. Tell us more about this theory.
ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right, it is a working theory, and it isn't a theory that Belgian security forces would dispute.
But there is a bit of discrepancy here.
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FIELD: Because you've got Belgian officials saying they always operated under the assumption that Salah Abdeslam would try to make his way to Syria
after the attacks but they have no indication - no evidence that he has in fact actually made his way to Syria successfully.
So, they continue to operate under the assumption that he could possibly be here, which is why you see the terror alert level in Belgium remaining
high. It's no longer at its highest level 4, but it is at a level 3. You've had recently the Minister of the Interior saying that operations would
continue to try and root out anyone who could be connected to Salah Abdeslam and the attacks that were perpetrated on Paris.
And you also have very direct action that's been taken to try and find Abdeslam. As recently as last night in the Molenbeek neighborhood of
Brussels, there were raids that were carried out by police who received a tip that Abdeslam could be hiding out there.
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FIELDS: In fact they of course found out that Abdeslam was not there, the whole thing was a hoax, and the person who called this in could be
arrested. But this does underscore the point that officials are taking every lead very seriously as they tried to find the most-wanted man
connected to these attacks, Hala.
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GORANI: And what about this, according to sources, the fact that some of these suspects, I presume it's the suspects who ended up being killed in
Saint-Denis, that perhaps they had other plans, that they had attacks that were imminent against Jewish targets, schools, et cetera? What do we know
about that?
FIELDS: Right, so many pieces of this are beginning to be put together. Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who is considered the mastermind of these attacks, was
of course killed in a raid in Paris, along with him his female cousin was also killed by police.
What we are now learning from investigators is that somebody who had been in contact with that cousin has willingly decided to go to police, approach
police to fill them in and let them know that Abaaoud was planning a series of attacks targeting not just Jewish areas but also the transit systems and
schools.
So this is the kind of information that police are looking for. They're trying to connect what other plots may have been in the works, so to speak,
when these terrorists were killed. They're also of course trying to continue to enact these raids so that they can find anyone who could be
connected to these plots that were already conceived of or could now be conceived of, Hala.
GORANI: All right, well if this Abdeslam ends up popping up in Syria, well that would be -- that would be quite something, wouldn't it? Alexandra
Field, thanks very much, live in Brussels for us.
Coming up, Pope Francis heads back to the Vatican after a visit to the central African Republic.
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GORANI: More details on his trip and what he's been saying quite passionately about the - about the climate. We will be live in Rome.
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GORANI: Pope Francis continued his message of peace and religious tolerance as he wrapped up his trip to Africa.
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GORANI: One of his last stops, in an interfaith gesture, a mosque in the capital of the central African Republic. There are these images from that
visit.
It's located in a Muslim neighborhood of course, that's been the site of violent clashes though with Christian militia, so it was symbolically a
very powerful gesture.
Since the President (inaudible) two years ago thousands have been killed in the C.A.R., and in recent months the Central African Republic has seen a
surge in violence. Pope Francis arrived back in Rome just a few hours ago.
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GORANI: Our Vatican correspondent, Delia Gallagher was on board the Papal plane and joins me now live.
Before we get to the message of interfaith tolerance, were there any security concerns, that the Pope was -- because he likes to mingle with
crowds and goes out, he wants to connect with the public. Were there any security concerns with the Pope in the C.A.R.?
DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well there were security concerns, Hala, from the very beginning for the whole Africa trip and
particularly for the C.A.R. and particularly because he wanted to visit that mosque.
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GALLAGHER: In fact one of the interesting things was as soon as we got off the plane, the people that were there in the Central African Republic to
greet the Pope told all the journalists, we're so glad you actually came, we were afraid from the media reports that the trip was going to be
cancelled because you were all worried that the Pope would be in jeopardy here. He will be safe. You will be safe. That was the first message of the
people when we arrived.
Of course there was huge security, much more than in Kenya or in Uganda. But, as you saw, the Pope still did visit that mosque, which is the site of
continued armed fighting between Christian and Muslim militias. So in fact the fact that he went there was his message. It was to say, we can do this,
you can live peacefully, and I am coming here, I am not afraid to come here, this place needs peace.
So the gesture and the message of the Pope was in the fact that he made that trip to the Central African Republic, despite the fact that many
people were very concerned for his safety there, Hala.
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GORANI: All right, and on the Papal plane, as COP21 is kicking off in Paris with all these world leaders pledging to do more to control the changing
climate and climate change.
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GORANI: The Pope, I understand, on the Papal plane, on his way back to Rome, and you were aboard that plane, made some very strong comments about
the climate and the environment. What did he say?
GALLAGHER: He did. He said, we're on the brink of a suicide. We know that the Pope has put a lot of effort and put a lot riding on this conference in
Paris. He's been doing it for about a year now, talking about the importance of climate change, of the environment, and particularly of this
conference. And he said, we are on the brink of a suicide, meaning we, the world, if we don't do something at this conference.
And he said, I know suicide is a strong word to use, but he said I trust that most of the people that are there in Paris are aware of this - aware
of the importance of this and will do something about it, Hala.
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GORANI: All right, Delia Gallagher, live in Rome, thanks very much, for more on the Pope's visit to Africa. This is the World Right Now.
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GORANI: Coming up, this was the scene in Beijing a few hours ago, but this is not China's most polluted city. We'll tell you what is, in just a few
minutes.
Also coming up, a Palestinian poet has been sentenced to die in Saudi Arabia. Why a judge says his initial sentence of four years in prison and
800 lashes was not enough. We'll be right back.
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GORANI: Welcome back. A look at our top stories. World leaders are gathering for a major climate summit in Paris.
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GORANI: Around 150 leaders are in attendance, with French President Francois Hollande saying "the stakes have never been so high for the
planet." The goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emission. The summit lasts a couple of weeks.
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GORANI: Russia's Vladimir Putin, will not be meeting with Turkey's President on the sidelines of the Paris summit.
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GORANI: It's still very tense between the two men. Relations between the countries have been rocked since Turkey shot down a Russian warplane that
it said violated its airspace. Russia denies violating anyone's airspace in this case.
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GORANI: Also among our top stories, Two Israeli teens have been convicted of murdering a Palestinian teenager last year.
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GORANI: The victim - the victim was beaten then burned alive. That killing and the killings of three Israeli teenagers sparked a wave of violence that
led to more conflict between the sides.
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GORANI: At this hour in the U.S. State of Colorado, the man accused in a deadly shooting at a planned parenthood clinic is set to make his first
court appearance.
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GORANI: Robert Dear is being held without bail, there's his mug shot, following Friday's shooting that killed three people.
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GORANI: While world leaders debate what to do to curb global warming in the future, scientists say climate change is here and is a growing threat to
the planet.
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GORANI: This is what it has been looking like in Beijing. That is smog, it's pollution. Authorities have activated the city's highest orange
pollution alert so far this year. Residents are being told to stay indoors. But Beijing believe it or not is not China's most polluted city. It is
Baoding, just south of the capital.
CNN's Matt Rivers visited there and sent this report.
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: These are streets choked with pollution, thick enough to see, to burn your eyes, to leave an acrid taste in your
mouth. This is Baoding, China's most polluted city where daily life goes on under the cloak of a toxic shroud.
(Jao Schwong) grew up here, he's raising his young son here and the air they breathe is always on his mind.
When the pollution gets really serious, we can't even see the buildings next to us he says. You can't even describe how bad the smell is.
Like thousands of others here, he gets ready for work each morning and heads out into the haze as a coal power plant churns out toxins above.
(Jao) works in the energy sector too though his factory hopes to make coal obsolete.
This is Yingli Solar, one of China's largest solar power companies, right in the middle of Baoding and business is booming. The company says they
have plans to more than double their current capacity by 2020.
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ALLEN GENG, YINGLI SOLAR EXECUTIVE: (As translated) I believe there will be a large increase in renewable energy industry, no matter it solar power,
wind power, or others.
RIVERS: In 2014 Chinese companies invested $80 billion in renewable energy projects. No country in the world invested more and yet despite all that,
renewable energy accounts for only 10% or so of China's energy supply.
This is a country where coal remains king. Many families keep piles of coal, like this one, to burn for warmth during the winter months. It is a
major pollutant but it is also cheap and it is efficient. And because of that, it accounts for between 60 and 70% of China's energy supply.
Coal use actually slowed in 2014, but the country still consumes nearly as much as the rest of the world combined. China is the world's largest
greenhouse gas emitter but the government has said its emissions will peak by 2030. To hit that goal, they'll need the help of companies like Yingli
and workers like (Jao Schwong).
I'm very concerned about my son's health, he says, if the air pollution stays like this, he won't be able to leave the house.
So he hopes his work will help make things better so his son won't be afraid to take a deep breath.
Matt Rivers, CNN, Baoding, China.
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GORANI: Unbelievable, you can hardly see the building across the street there, it's so polluted.
This Paris conference is being called a last chance to avert a climate change catastrophe.
Now CNN has been looking at the issue as part of our 2 degrees project. So why 2 degrees first of all?
Scientists say that 2 degrees Celsius is the edge of the cliff for climate change. Now this means that if global average temperatures rise by more
than that it could bring on disaster.
But if the temperature rise can be kept to below 2 degrees, scientists say the world might be able to avert the very worst effects like droughts and
rising sea levels, et cetera.
CNN digital columnist John Sutter has been writing about climate change as part of that 2 degrees project and he joins me now live from the conference
hall in Le Bourget, Paris.
Now based on - because the countries were asked to submit plans ahead of time before the conference. Based on the plans that have been submitted,
will that be enough to avert this big climate change catastrophe and avoiding global temperatures rising by more than 2 degrees Celsius?
JOHN SUTTER, CNN DIGITAL COLUMNIST: So it's not enough yet. There have been a number of reports analyzing these commitments. Like I've heard these
commitments described as sort of a potluck meal, where each country is kind of bringing its meal to the table and you know making a commitment.
And the best estimate that I've seen is that they are putting us at about 2.7 degrees Celsius by 2100 which is you know, significantly over that
goal.
Maybe 0.7 degree Celsius doesn't sound significant, but every degree of warming carries a lot of consequences. For instance, in the Western U.S.
that could mean 400 to 800% increase in the size of wildfires.
So these numbers may be small but they actually carry very big impact. We've already warmed the climate about 1 degree Celsius since the
industrial revolution which is when we started burning fossil fuels at such high rates and pumping them into the atmosphere and heating the planet.
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SUTTER: The World Bank says they we're already locked in to about 1.5 degrees of warming, even if we basically stopped polluting at this point.
And I would - I think it is worth saying that any of this warming is dangerous. There are low-lying island countries in the Pacific that are
arguing very strongly here that warming must be kept to 1.5 degrees, because they might not exist because of sea level rise if temperatures go
higher than that.
So all of these numbers you know, there's nuance there and it's very contentious, but 2 degrees is sort of at the heart of the discussions here
about the climate.
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GORANI: But what about developing countries, because they will say, and some might argue rightly say, you know all these developed countries went
through their industrial revolutions, they polluted the world to no end, and here we are trying to get our economies up to speed and you're telling
us to scale down now, it's just unfair.
So how is that going to work, these developing countries having to submit to more stringent rules in terms of carbon emissions?
SUTTER: Yes, I think that is a - is a really fair point. I think you've I'm hearing less of that tension now. I think it's about looking for sort of
the market opportunities in becoming clean. Like I think China, you know we just saw that very powerful story about the air pollution problem there,
and I think there's a strong argument to be made that the public outcry over air pollution, that it's difficult to live in major Chinese cities now
because it's so polluted, it's unhealthy, it's killing thousands of people per year in addition to causing climate change.
You know that there are all sorts of cases for developing in a cleaner way, and I think it's becoming more and more clear over time that you can't have
economic development without having fossil fuel use increase.
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SUTTER: That has become clear in the last, you know, couple of years, really. So there are some ways in which the dynamics of these talks are
slightly different because, you know, economics aren't seen as entirely separate from a clean economy.
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GORANI: And quickly, lastly, you know, these talks have been in fact not just failures in the past, they've been fiascos in the past in some cases.
Kyoto wasn't a great success. Copenhagen didn't go well at all. Will this be different, and if so why?
SUTTER: I'm hopeful this will be different. I think there are a couple of things. One is the commitments that have already been put on the table.
They set it up for 2.7 degrees of warming, but I think it's worth noting that if there's a commitment to revisit this process in the future, that 2
degrees is still in the prospects, like we could still hit that goal if we ratchet down the commitments over time and continue these efforts.
I also think you have the two biggest emitters in the world, the biggest polluters, China and the U.S. both making strong statements today and
coming to the table here with strong commitments to try to reduce their greenhouse emissions. That fundamentally didn't happen in the past. And I
think there's like just broader agreement in the world these days that climate change is an emergency.
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SUTTER: That it's a human rights issue, that it's affecting all of us, it's now you can see the effects happening. And so I think, I hope that that
conversation has changed and that this will be productive talks where the others have failed.
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GORANI: All right, John Sutter, there's a lot of hope out there, we'll see what comes out of it. We know you and our team will be there for the next I
believe a couple of weeks until this all wraps itself up. Thanks very much.
And CNN, by the way, is looking to hear from you with your experiences with climate change. We're asking people to film a video showing and telling us
how climate change will affect them locally or has affected them. It's not limited to 2 degrees. Go to ireport.com for more details.
And some news just in to CNN, British Prime Minister David Cameron has announced that U.K. lawmakers will debate whether the country should launch
air strikes in Syria. They're already doing so in Iraq. Should they extend these anti-ISIS strikes in Syria.
That debate and vote will take place on Wednesday. It is the understanding of many observers of U.K. politics that David Cameron would call for a vote
if he felt like he had a majority to pass it. So perhaps in this case the expectation would reasonably be that he considers that a victory in
parliament with regards to Britain extending its bombing campaign to Syria would go ahead and be approved by parliament. This will happen on
Wednesday, and we'll be following that for you as well.
A lot more coming up after a quick break.
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GORANI: A poet is facing the ultimate punishment in Saudi Arabia. What did this man do to warrant the death penalty, and how outside observers are
desperately trying to save his life.
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[15:46:10]
GORANI: Saudi Arabia is reaching new heights in the building business, and will soon offer Dubai some competition.
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GORANI: Developers have secured $1.2 billion to build a skyscraper that's 1 kilometer high. It's part of the larger Jeddah city and will be called
Jeddah Tower, previously called Kingdom Tower. The 200 floor architectural feat is scheduled for completion by 2020.
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GORANI: And now to a story that doesn't feel as much like it should belong in the 21st century.
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GORANI: Writers around the world are joining with human rights groups to demand Saudi Arabia release a poet who has been given a death sentence for
insulting Islam. He faces execution because a judge decided that his repentance was not enough.
CNN's John Jensen has a story.
JOHN JENSEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Those who have met him describe Ashraf Fayadh as a poet and writing brimming with hope that his work and others he
curated would help develop the nascent art scene in Saudi Arabia.
Today Fayadh is sitting in a Saudi prison, facing the death penalty. This Saudi born Palestinian poet seen here on state T.V. was charged this month
with insulting Islam and apostasy, mostly through his writing.
Human Rights Watch says Fayadh was first arrested in 2013 after he argued with a man in a cafe over his poetry. And a complaint was filed with the
Saudi Ultra Conservative Religious Police that he insulted Islam.
Later he was initially sentenced to four years in prison with 800 lashes, charged with having inappropriate relations with the opposite sex, after
police discovered photographs on Fayadh's phone, posing with women at an art gallery.
An appeal by prosecution is what led to the recent conviction of death. Now CNN has reached out to Saudi authorities for comment but there has been
no response.
Human rights groups have expressed outrage at the case, saying Fayadh was exercising personal freedoms of expression. A London-based association of
writers condemned the verdict, in an open letter calling for Fayadh's release. Britain's poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, and Syrian Adonis, were
two of many prominent writers to sign.
The monarchy is facing increasing international criticism over its opaque judicial system. Earlier this year a Saudi blogger received the first set
of a sentence of thousand lashes following a conviction for insulting Islam online. That man (Rayif Badowi) also received ten years in prison.
Many death sentences in Saudi are conducted by beheading. Fayadh though may yet have hope. He can appeal to Saudi's highest court within 30 days.
John Jensen, CNN, Abu Dhabi.
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GORANI: We'll be right back.
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GORANI: When you think of a country with a proud history of classic cars, the Philippines may not be the first place that comes to mind. But the
country is home to at least one vintage design, and it's one that's hard to miss when you are there.
CNN's Andrew Stevens takes us for a ride on the Jitney.
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ANDREW STEVENS: Meet the king of the road. It is to Manila what yellow cabs are to New York and black cabs to London -- iconic, immediately
identifiable, and evoking a sense of nostalgia.
In many ways the jitney personifies the Philippines. Evolving and adapting to changing times and embodying the country's multicultural influences. And
it's the only way to get around town. Not much is different for jitneys since they first hit the road not long after the Second World War. They're
the heir to the country's pioneer jitney maker, 24 (Jackie Sarao) says that needs to change.
JACKIE SARAO: Every five years, automobiles get updates. I think the Jitney should at least (inaudible) that way of you know (inaudible) of improving.
STEVENS: Jackie's father, Ed, who currently runs Sarao says what hasn't changed is how people feel about it.
ED SARAO, SARAO MOTORS: Philippines have this love affair with the Jitneys still strong to the present.
STEVENS: Sarao holds a storied place Filipino's culture and history.
It was started by Ed's father, Leonardo in the 1950s taking U.S. Jeeps left behind in World War II and modifying them into a form of cheap public
transport for Filipinos that they've been relying on ever since.
But it's finding the future more difficult to navigate. Jitneys are not expensive. This is the most basic of basic models. Under the hood, you'll
find a reconditioned engine about 30 years old probably.
In the cabin, well not much at all. Three dials: battery, oil temperature, a big red light which tells you when you're stopping, and that's it. No
speedo, nothing else. Oh, except if you want to know how much gas you've got left, you just take the lid off the gas tank and take a look.
It's becoming clear in form and function the Jitney as Filipinos know it must move on. Jitneys are stuffy, crowded, and hot. They're also not doing
many favors for the environment.
SARAO: They see that, hey, this electric vehicle is not noisy, it's not smoky, you know it's a pleasure to ride.
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STEVENS: (Ramel Wun) is the CEO of PHUV, the only electric Jitney maker in the Philippines. In 2008, he saw both an advice opportunity and an
environmental need. It's a start, and a lot more needs to be done. But for Jackie Sarao, what's important is what the Jitney represents.
SARAO: It means there's something that signifies the Philippines.
STEVENS: And for him, that's enough to carry this Filipino icon into the future.
Andrew Stevens, CNN, Manila.
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GORANI: All right, and Amazon is using Jeremy Clarkson, the former host of "Top Gear," to show off its latest vision for its prime air drone delivery
system.
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GORANI: The future is now people. In a new ad he walks us through the technology and how it would work.
JEREMY CLARKSON: It's the day of your daughter Milly's big football match. And to be clear, that is the sort football you play with your feet. Anyway,
she is missing a vital piece of equipment, specifically a size three Puma even power firm ground soccer shoe, the left one. And some of it, sadly, is
in the family's 3-year-old bulldog Stuart.
GORANI: Well in comes Prime Air to deliver a new shoe just in time for the match. Using Jeremy Clarkson the controversial host to make - there you go
-- to help spread that message.
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GORANI: This has been "The World Right Now." thanks for watching. I'm Hala Gorani, Quest Means Business is next.
END
