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Kremlin Dismisses "Series of Fibs" in Panama Papers; Deported Migrants Arriving in Turkey; Republican Race; Pakistan's Long-Suffering Christians; Webtoons' Million-Dollar Industry. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired April 04, 2016 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN HOST (voice-over): Ahead at the INTERNATIONAL DESK, strong denial from top officials named in the Panama Papers.
The first migrants sent back from Greece arrive in Turkey.
And Donald Trump tells one of his rivals to get out of the race.
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KINKADE: Hello and welcome to the INTERNATIONAL DESK. I'm Lynda Kinkade.
We begin with the outrage and denial. That's the reaction emerging from elected leaders and key officials from around the world. A massive
collection of leaked documents is being published by an international consortium of investigative journalists.
The documents alleged that a law firm in Panama called Mossack Fonseca helped more than 100 politicians and public figures set up secret shell
companies in offshore accounts. That in itself is not legal but in some cases the new report suggests the accounts are tied to billions of dollars
in hidden funds or even questionable activity.
Our CNN team is following this story. We and joined now by Matthew Chance, who's live for us in Moscow.
Matthew, we have always known that the rich and powerful use tax havens to hide their wealth, so what is most startling about this leak?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think from a Russian point of view, the Russian perspective, rather, it suggests that
there are large numbers of people, figures very close to the Russian president Vladimir Putin, who appear to be involved in this kind of
business.
Some of the deals that have been identified and outlined in these leaks are quite astonishing in terms of the involvement of Russian officials.
There's one deal in which a Russian bank, Bank Rossiya, gives a loan to an individual very close to Vladimir Putin. A close friend of his, in fact,
for $800 million.
And there's no record of that loan ever being repaid. There's another example of a company fronted by that same individual, who is a close friend
of Vladimir Putin, buying an asset for $1 and then selling that same asset three months later for $133 million.
So there are some quite dodgy, inexplicable deals that are contained inside these leaked documents.
And the big question it raises is how much knowledge of this did the Kremlin have? The suggestion is, the allegation is that they had a great
deal of knowledge and that this couldn't have taken place without the approval of the Russian president.
Of course the Kremlin has categorically denied that, saying that these reports are designed to discredit Vladimir Putin, the Russian president,
ahead of the parliamentary elections that are scheduled to take place in this country later on this year.
And the Kremlin spokesman has also said this is another example of what he calls Putinophobia, an inability of anyone in the West to say anything good
about Russia or its leader, only bad things, essentially, he's paraphrasing what -- how he defines that word that he coined essentially.
And so denials from the Kremlin as usual. But yet more allegations and it's not the first time we have seen these circling the Kremlin about
financial misdeeds.
And of course, although you said president Putin was not named in these documents, a bank that the U.S. Describes as Putin's personal cash box was
named.
KINKADE: And of course although you said President Putin was not named in these documents, a bank that the U.S. descriptions as Putin's personal cash
box was named.
CHANCE: Yes, Bank Rossiya is the bank that's been named. That's the bank that gave the $800 million loan to that close friend of Vladimir Putin.
That close friend being a professional cellist. His name's Sergei Roldugin. And he's the godfather of one of Vladimir Putin's daughters.
Apparently they have known each other since they were teenagers, Vladimir Putin, and Mr. Roldugin.
He's a musician, he's a professional cellist. He also is the front man, if you like, of several companies which have been identified in these leaked
reports that have been in receipt substantial sums from this bank and from other areas as well.
The allegation is that he's a front man who is working with the Kremlin to hide this wealth and to launder all this money. Again, that's something
that the Kremlin has categorically denied -- Lynda.
KINKADE: OK. Matthew Chance in Moscow.
And we've also got Nina dos Santos in London joining us.
Nina, it's not just the Kremlin. Many world leaders, past and present --
[10:05:00]
KINKADE: -- are now under scrutiny.
NINA DOS SANTOS, CNNMONEY EUROPE EDITOR: Yes. So obviously as Matthew was running through some of the details here, this is an absolutely enormous
leak here, Lynda. I myself have covered a number of leaks that seem to imply -- at least have raised allegations about offshore activities of tax
jurisdictions like Panama. But nothing the size of this.
We're talking about 11 million documents here, which is totally unprecedented. The interesting thing is that it does not just point the
finger at people in the world of entertainment, sport, but also in the world of politics as well; 72 people who have links to current and former
leaders are among some of these documents here.
At least some of the companies are alleged to be in some way involved with those individuals. So it could have huge political ramifications as well.
Remember that this is also a hot button issue, Lynda, because cracking down on tax avoidance, for instance, here in the U.K. where I'm sitting, has
been a key part of the strategy, to try and get the economy back on the front foot, if you like, after the 2008 financial crisis.
The idea being that everybody should be paying their fair share, especially when some people have to suffer and tighten their belt so much because
times are tough. These documents will continue to get more information from them obviously don't paint a very flattering picture, not just of some
political leaders but also business leaders and as I was saying before, people in the world of sport, too.
KINKADE: OK. We will continue to follow this story. Nina dos Santos for us in London and Matthew Chance in Moscow, thank you very much.
The first migrants are now being deported from Greece under a control program that's being condemned by human rights groups. We'll show you some
pictures of people boarding the first boats this morning.
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KINKADE (voice-over): The plan to send them to Turkey is the result of a deal between Ankara and the E.U. CNN's Erin McLaughlin is in Lesbos with
more.
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ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's in these waters that thousands of migrants have risked their lives, men, women and children have died trying
to reach that coastline.
That's Greece. To them it represents the beginning of a European dream. But for over 200 migrants today, predominantly from Afghanistan and
Pakistan, that reality is in the other direction and that is Turkey. They were deported there today.
And authorities trying to send the message that irregular migrants are no longer welcome on these shores. They are no longer welcome in the European
Union. If they risk their lives and spend their money to get here, they will simply be sent back.
But the real question here is, are potential migrants listening?
Especially when you consider what you see just over there.
See that orange speck just along the coastline?
Those are life jackets from newly arrived migrants. And the Greek police released numbers overnight. Over 300 migrants arrived just in the last 24
hours. Compare that to just over 200 deported. More are arriving still than are being deported and that is a big problem because the success of
the deal between the European Union and Turkey depends on stemming the tide of migrants into Greece -- Erin McLaughlin, CNN, Lesbos, Greece.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Migrants have already begun to arrive in Turkey, as I mentioned earlier into the town of Dikili. Let's go to CNN's Phil Black, who has
been watching the situation there.
Phil, just paint a picture for us of the first group, what you saw, the first group of migrants arriving in Turkey.
Were they being forced, was there resistance or were they voluntarily following instructions?
PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sure, Lynda. There was no sense of force. There was no sense of resistance, either. These were people who seemed
somewhat resigned to their fate, I think, their fate that their former dream of a peaceful and prosperous life in Europe, well, that's just not
going to happen now.
So we watched them disembark from three vessels, one boat at a time. Each had been escorted by a European official on the boat ride over.
Then on the deck of the vessel, they were transferred to a Turkish official and escorted here into Turkey, where there was a registration, a process,
where they were identified once again, fingerprints taken and so forth. That's the process.
It took some hours. There are only 202 of them in total from a variety of countries. But we're told this is going to be a very much a common sight
here in the coming weeks and months -- Lynda.
KINKADE: And this deal (INAUDIBLE) get asylum in Greece back to Turkey in exchange for a Syrian who is ready to be resettled. It doesn't look at
other migrants from other countries.
What happens to migrants from say, countries like Iraq or Afghanistan?
BLACK: So there were only -- we're told -- two migrants among those who came --
[10:10:00]
BLACK: -- back today. These are two Syrian migrants, I should say, people who volunteered to make this journey. The rest, the most are from
Pakistan, Afghanistan as well. A long list of other countries. There was the odd member from their future is less certain.
Syrians are granted automatic protection in Turkey. There are 2.7 million have been here. For those other people of other nationalities, they are
taken to detention centers. They have the option of applying for some sort of temporary asylum but it is by no means guaranteed.
And then depending upon Turkey's relationship with that country, their country of origin, they could, in fact, be returned. But it varies from
case to case. That's what the Turkish officials here are telling us.
KINKADE: And Phil, as you mentioned, more than 2.5 million Syrians in Turkey already.
How are they -- how is Turkey expected to cope with more?
BLACK: Well, in that context, if you like, 2.7 million, which is an extraordinary figure. That's how many Turkey says are from Syria, are
seeking shelter within its borders. A few hundred won't make too much of a difference. This has long been a burden for Turkey, a real challenge,
something that has disrupted her day-to-day life in various parts of the country, something that has very much challenged government services.
They have long complained about the international community and Europeans especially not doing more to help. We know that European countries send
money to Turkey to help with the camps. That's one of the sweeteners for Turkey here. The European Union has promised in addition another $3.3
billion U.S. on top of the $3.3 billion that has already promised. So more than $6 billion coming its way.
In that sense, Turkey also gets a few other things out of this, which has motivated to accept this deal. One is hopefully it will come a step closer
to a stream of visa-free travel within the European Union.
And the European Union has also agreed to reinvigorate the talks that could potentially, a long way down the track, lead to Turkey actually joining the
E.U. That has been a Turkish goal for a long time. It hasn't made a lot of progress. But these are the things that are also encompassed within
this deal between Turkey and the European Union -- Lynda.
KINKADE: Yes. Certainly a lot of sweetness in that deal. Phil Black, live for us, thank you very much.
This is the INTERNATIONAL DESK. Still ahead, Donald Trump tries to shake off a bad week ahead of Tuesday's crucial primary in Wisconsin. We'll have
live analysis of the U.S. presidential race just ahead.
Plus: Pakistani Christians are mourning after Easter Sunday's Lahore bombing. When we come back, how that attack was just the latest on the
country's minority faith.
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KINKADE: Now to the U.S. presidential race, Republicans are in a last- minute push for votes in Tuesday's Wisconsin primary.
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KINKADE: And front-runner Donald Trump is hoping to rebound from one of the most difficult weeks of his campaign. Here's CNN's Jason Carroll in
Wisconsin.
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JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Donald Trump remaining defiant as ever, saying he's had rough weeks before and he has come out on top. And he's
making a prediction, saying that he will come out on top here in Wisconsin come tomorrow.
CARROLL (voice-over): GOP candidates making their final sprint to Wisconsin's primary tomorrow. Barnstorming the Battleground State. Trump
admitting to having a rough week leading up to primary day after a slew of missteps in his campaign.
DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I took that answer and I didn't like it because I think a lot of people didn't understand it.
CARROLL (voice-over): At a town hall Sunday, the front-runner still struggling to articulate his shifting stance on abortion after saying that
if abortion were outlawed, women who get the procedure should be punished.
TRUMP: Women go through a lot. They go through a tremendous punishment of themselves. And I didn't like because I wasn't sure people would
understand it. So I clarified it. But it was just a clarification. And I think it was well accepted.
CARROLL (voice-over): In a move to stem disapproval from women voters, Trump also saying he regrets retweeting a mean-spirited photo of Ted Cruz's
wife. But Cruz, who leads Trump in Wisconsin, says he's over it.
SEN. TED CRUZ (R), TEXAS: It's gotten to the point where I could not care less about Donald Trump.
CARROLL (voice-over): Fueling the firestorm, Trump still standing by his campaign manager, facing battery charges for an alleged assault on a
reporter. The billionaire fighting to make last-minute gains in a state with an aggressive anti-Trump movement. Trump taking aim at rival Cruz.
TRUMP: He's a cheater. He's a cheater. He's a dirty, rotten cheat. Remember that.
CARROLL (voice-over): And John Kasich.
TRUMP: Everyone says he's such a nice guy. He's not a nice guy. He's a nasty guy, you want to know the truth.
CARROLL (voice-over): Trump doubling down on calls for the Ohio governor to leave the race, arguing that Kasich is taking his votes and has no
chance of winning the nomination.
TRUMP: The problem is he's in the way of me, not Cruz. He hurts me more than he hurts Cruz.
CARROLL (voice-over): Another lingering issue: controversy over Trump's suggestion Japan and South Korea develop nuclear arms to protect
themselves.
GOV. JOHN KASICH (R), OHIO: You don't go running around talking about using nuclear weapons. Period, end of story.
CARROLL: And Trump also taking heat for those controversial statements he made about the U.S. economy, saying that the country is heading for a
recession and that it's a, quote, "terrible time to invest in the stock market."
His daughter, Ivanka, telling him to be more presidential. Trump saying he will be more presidential once Kasich and Cruz drop out of the race --
Jason Carroll, CNN, Lacrosse, Wisconsin.
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KINKADE: So will Trump's controversial comments about abortion and nuclear weapons affect his front-runner status?
I want to bring in CNN political commentator Errol Louis, who joins us live from New York.
Great to have you with us. Now Wisconsin votes tomorrow. Trump is behind there in the polls.
Will the gaffes over the past week hurt him at the ballot?
ERROL LOUIS, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Well, not necessarily tomorrow, Lynda, but there's a broader question out there, which is whether or not
he can get enough delegates to become the nominee.
If you don't have 1,237 delegates, you cannot become the Republican nominee. And what Trump is trying desperately to do is get to the
convention with those required delegates already in hand.
That's why he's upset about Kasich. That's why he's trying so hard not to get blown out tomorrow by Ted Cruz. Donald Trump sort of not ahead in the
polls in Wisconsin.
And so these gaffes don't help him at all because he has got a number of different states he has got to go through and then looking ahead, I think
that's where it really starts to do damage. The loose talk about nuclear weapons, the talk about abortion and so forth, it really turns off
independent voters.
And any Republican really needs those independent voters in order to win in November.
KINKADE: And Errol, as we just heard in that piece, Trump is calling for Kasich to drop out.
Is Kasich taking Cruz votes or Trump votes?
Who is he hurting most by staying in the race?
LOUIS: It's interesting because he does take away from both. Now both candidates, Ted Cruz and Donald Trump, have both called on Kasich to drop
out. But the reality is the person who has the most to lose is Donald Trump for the reason I just cited.
Any delegate that doesn't go to Donald Trump is a problem for him. And Ted Cruz is the immediate threat but John Kasich can drain some away as well.
And then there are even candidates that have already dropped out, candidates like Marco Rubio, who specifically sent a note to the Republican
Party leadership, asking to retain his 157 delegates.
They are playing a game the anti-Trump forces -- and that includes Kasich and Cruz -- they are playing a game of Keep Away. They are trying to just
keep him from getting to the required number of delegates. And, frankly, if Ted Cruz does well in Wisconsin tomorrow, it becomes very hard to see
how Trump will get the required number of --
[10:20:00]
LOUIS: -- delegates before the convention.
At that point, you have to go to the convention. You have to start doing some horse trading, some bargaining, some negotiating, it's going to be a
real free-for-all if it comes to that.
KINKADE: So if Trump does lose Wisconsin tomorrow, how much closer does that bring the Republican Party to a contested convention?
LOUIS: Well, contested is a word I haven't been using, Lynda, honestly, because this is why they have conventions. They have a convention to see -
- to sort of look at the situation, see who has got the required number of delegates. And this is far from the first time that this has happened.
In 1976, the sitting President of the United States, Gerald Ford, went into the Republican convention and he didn't have enough delegates to be
declared the nominee of the party. So they had to have a vote. Ronald Reagan at the time was really trying to challenge him for leadership of the
party and of the nomination.
So these things do happen. It can go late into the night. There will be the famous smoke-filled rooms, although I guess these days there won't be
much smoke. Maybe vape-filled rooms.
And they will try and figure out which candidate is the consensus of the party as a whole. And Donald Trump, let's keep in mind, he's doing better
than the other candidates -- and he always has back in the days when there were 17 people running for the Republican nomination -- but he's never had
a majority in any poll of Republican voters who supported him.
It's his job to build that majority and that's what this process and the convention really represents.
KINKADE: So Errol, we know the Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan insists that he won't run as a last-minute presidential candidate.
So if none of the candidates get enough votes before the convention, is there anyone else behind the scenes within the Republican establishment
being considered as a possible contender?
LOUIS: Well, not to get too deep into the weeds but the general answer, Lynda, is that on the first day or the opening days of the convention,
there will be a meeting of the rules committee. And they will make decisions about who can or cannot be considered.
And there's a lot of tension and a lot of anxiety around that. It's not as if there's some set of people waiting in the wings, although I'm sure both
Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney or anybody else would love to be considered. But the rules have to be established.
And four years ago, for example, the rules committee said that nobody can become the nominee unless they'd won at least eight states. That's a
somewhat random kind of a number. If that were applied this time, it would exclude Kasich. One of the first things that will happen will be a rules
fight over who can or cannot be considered.
And if they get together, the rules committee, and they throw the nomination open, as meaning that anybody could be eligible to be selected,
then you have got a real free-for-all and almost anything can happen at that point.
KINKADE: So the rules can be broken. Errol Louis, great to have you with us. Thank you.
LOUIS: Thank you, Lynda.
KINKADE: Democrats are neck-and-neck in Wisconsin but both Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton are focusing on a looming battle in New York. Ahead of
that state's primary in two weeks, the candidates expect to hold another debate. But they can't seem to agree on a date or a network.
Last week Clinton's campaign said she would not debate Sanders if he does not improve his tone. The two have traded attacks in recent days over
environmental issues and campaign finances.
Flash floods in Pakistan have killed at least 47 people. Officials there say flooding has destroyed more than 100 homes and washed out roads in the
Pakistani side of Kashmir.
Rescuers are trying to help thousands of survivors. They are sending a helicopter to reach people who have been stranded by a landslide.
Meteorologists predict more isolated storms to come.
And staying in Pakistan, Christians there are still reeling from last Sunday's suicide bombing in Lahore. A Taliban splinter cell said it
targeted the minority in the blast. As CNN's Saima Mohsin reports, Pakistani Christians, they are feeling isolated and neglected. And she
joins us now live.
Saima, Christians were meant to be targeted but many more Muslims died in that bombing.
How many people came out to mark the one-week anniversary?
SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Lynda, it's been a muted commemoration actually of the cathedrals around. And there are many of
them in churches here in Lahore.
People didn't even come out for Sunday church services. They would normally. It was a much smaller congregation than normal. And you're
right, a lot more Muslims died in this attack.
And this is very much part of the Taliban's splinter groups' strategic edge really. They are trying to divide and rule. They want to single out
minorities and divide them from Muslim society.
But coupled with the bombings and houses being burned down, there is a lot of discrimination and bias laws that also need to be addressed in Pakistan.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MOHSIN (voice-over): Gunmen guarding a church.
[10:25:00]
MOHSIN (voice-over): I meet Pastor Shakil (ph) and say it's strange to see gunmen outside a place of worship.
"We have 20 to guard us on a Sunday," he says.
Youhanabad is the most densely populated Christian area in Pakistan. It was attacked last year. Inside the free church school, there are usually
40 children in this class. But many are too scared to attend since the Lahore park bombing. Pastor Shakeel has buried six of his flock in one
day.
PASTOR SHAKEEL ANJUM, CHILDREN'S CHAPEL CHURCH (through translator): Our people are very poor. We can't afford the time to protest the attack. We
really need the support of Muslims of Palestinian and the government. As Christians, it is only love and freedom for Pakistan.
MOHSIN (voice-over): In a national address, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said each and every drop of blood is being counted. The score will be
settled.
It's being settled, apparently, by the military and police in raids on terrorist hideouts across the country.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What about the beast within us?
What about the beast that is within our houses and our society?
If we do not address those problems, this military operation will be a waste.
MOHSIN (voice-over): Minority rights worker Cecil Chaudhry says successive governments have made space for extremists. The roots of radicalization of
Pakistan are in its biased laws.
CECIL S. CHAUDHRY, MINORITY RIGHTS WORKER: When you exclude the role of religious minorities from your textbooks, when you start putting material
that is biased towards or discriminate people towards other faiths, so how will they actually respect minorities when they grow up?
MOHSIN (voice-over): Cecil's father, a decorated war veteran and pilot in two wars, has been removed from the history books.
And this ad clearly says it's looking for non-Muslims to clean toilets. The ad was later retracted but exposed the institutionalized
discrimination.
In Youhanabad, we found the Christian community feels isolated and neglected.
"My husband is a day laborer but sometimes doesn't find work. I only get cleaning jobs."
"It's clear our area is neglected because we're Christians. No roads or pavements, no running water."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE). How can we live here?
We are under attack.
MOHSIN (voice-over): Blasphemy law has often been manipulated to persecute minorities, including Christians.
In a highly publicized case, Asia Bibi, a Christian mother of five, was sentenced to death for blasphemy. Salman Taseer, the Muslim governor of
Punjab, calls for the death penalty to be revoked. He was gunned gown by his own guard.
At Sunday service, a special song, praying not just for Christians but for citizens of all faiths in Pakistan, who should be seen as equals in the
eyes of the state.
MOHSIN: Lynda, until laws like minorities can't be prime minister or president of Pakistan and mindsets change, things really won't improve for
minority communities and not just the Christians. We're talking about Ahmadiyyas and Shias as well.
And in fact, I spoke to one Muslim man, who told me that he, too, feels like a minority in his own country because, if you're not the right sect of
Islam, these terrorists will target you, too -- Lynda.
KINKADE: Certainly a long road ahead there.
Saima Mohsin in Lahore, Pakistan, thank you very much.
Still ahead, millions of documents leaked some of which allege that world leaders were involved in illegal activity. We'll talk to a reporter who
worked on this year-long investigation just ahead. Stay with us.
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KINKADE: Welcome back to the INTERNATIONAL DESK. I'm Lynda Kinkade, here are the headlines we're following.
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KINKADE: World leaders and politicians are scrambling to deny allegations in the so-called Panama Papers. Millions of documents have been published
by international consortium of investigative journalists.
The papers suggest that a Panama law firm helped public figures set up shell companies, some of which were allegedly used to hide billions of
dollars or illegal activity.
Now I want to get right to my next guest. Jake Bernstein is a senior reporter for the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and
he joins me now live via Skype from New York.
Great to have you with us. Firstly, just explain for us how did this information, millions of documents, become public?
JAKE BERNSTEIN, INTERNATIONAL CONSORTIUM OF INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISTS: This was a year-long effort involving almost 300 journalists, 109 different
media organizations, who have diving into 11.5 million documents for, as I say, about a year. And it became public yesterday.
KINKADE: But how did this leak start?
BERNSTEIN: Well, the leak originally came to a German newspaper, called " Suddeutsche Zeitung," and " Suddeutsche" quickly realized that, with a leak
of this volume touching so many different countries and so many different political figures and different actors, that they needed help.
So they came to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists that has done these kinds of giant journalistic collaborations before. And
ICIJ sort of brought together all of these media partners to dive into the documents.
KINKADE: These are huge allegations within these documents. Money laundering, arms and drug deals, tax evasion. And they implicate hundreds
of thousands of people, including many world leaders.
How do you know they are legitimate?
BERNSTEIN: Well, actually, Ramon Fonseca (ph), who is the co-founder of the law firm where the documents come from, Mossack Fonseca, has told
Panama television that the documents are authentic.
But we also obviously checked. There have been smaller leaks of this data in the past And so checked those leaks against the data that we had. And
we also checked through court records and interviews and every possible way that we could.
KINKADE: That director of the law firm, Mossack Fonseca, in "The Guardian" report also claimed that many of the parties listed are inaccurate. They
say many are not or have never been clients of Mossack Fonseca.
What do you make of that?
BERNSTEIN: Well, they are using an interesting distinction. Mossack Fonseca's argument has always been we just create these companies and were
kind of like a car factory. We build the car but once it leaves the factory, we have no control over it and no responsibility for it.
But what we actually see in the data is that, in fact, they continue to have connections to these companies. They appoint directors and those
directors have to sign loan agreements. They have to sign official documents. So it's sort of a disingenuous argument on their part.
KINKADE: Given the fact --
[10:35:00]
KINKADE: -- these documents go back 40 years, some are calling this the biggest data leak in history.
How significant is it?
BERNSTEIN: I think it's hugely significant. I think it's going to have impact for months and possibly years to come and then hopefully it will
cause governments, particularly in the United States and the U.K., to reassess how they deal with these offshore secrecy zones.
KINKADE: Now we know 11.5 million documents, say you and many other journalists, have already gone through.
Can we expect more documents to be uncovered or released?
BERNSTEIN: Yes. There will certainly be more stories coming in the coming days and weeks. So you should definitely stay tuned for those.
KINKADE: We will be staying tuned.
Now the Kremlin, of course, is implicated; it calls this leak "a series of fibs." It says the timing of this is suspicious in light of the upcoming
parliamentary elections.
What are the implications?
BERNSTEIN: Well, I don't know about implications for local elections in Russia. I was one of the writers on the Russia story for ICIJ. And I had
no idea that there were local elections coming up. So they certainly didn't motivate me when I was working on this project.
The implications are quite interesting. I mean, there has been a lot of speculation about the people around Vladimir Putin and how they have become
so rich and what they are up to. The U.S. government has called it a corrupt regime.
And they have pointed to some of the people who are revealed in the leak as being Putin's cashier. And what we see is a network of companies and banks
that shuffle more than $2 billion through these companies and banks.
And it's -- these people are tied to Putin. We obviously don't see Vladimir Putin's name in the files but it certainly raises some interesting
questions for the Kremlin.
KINKADE: That's right. Putin's name is not mentioned but there are many other world leaders who are from Iceland and Mexico.
What did you think when you got your hands on these documents?
BERNSTEIN: I mean, it was amazing. It's really almost a once-in-a- lifetime experience. To be able to see how money flows, this sort of secret hidden money flows to the global financial system in this way over
time and with this kind of specificity, is truly remarkable.
KINKADE: It is an incredible story. We will be staying tuned and following all the developments.
Jake Bernstein, thank you very much.
BERNSTEIN: Great, thank you.
KINKADE: This is the IDESK. One South Korean company is bringing fans closer to a galaxy far, far away. When we come back, how mobile "Star
Wars" comics have become a big hit in Asia.
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KINKADE: Welcome back.
[10:40:00]
KINKADE: Comic books have taken on a new form in South Korea. Millions across the nation are hooked on a huge library of Internet based comics,
Webtoons. They're geared towards the smartphone generation and cover genres from comedies to thrillers. Now the Webtoon craze is going global -
- as Paula Hancocks reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, a multibillion-dollar franchise was born. Seven
movies, four decades later, there's a new take on the trilogy that started it all.
A digital take, seen through the eyes of a young Luke Skywalker, this is a Webtoon, an online version of a comic book that South Koreans love reading
on their mobiles.
It starts with a stroke of a pencil, an artist's interpretation of a hallowed story with the freedom to create new scenes not in the original
films. The job of "Star Wars" fan and Korean comic artist, Hon Jaka (ph), drawing up to 30 pictures a day.
He says the only time he's not at his desk is when he's sleeping or eating.
"When I went to the 'Star Wars' celebration and visited Lucasfilm for meetings," he says, "I suddenly realized how big this was and felt under
pressure.
"Fans fight over different versions of the stories, so I realized I will never be able to please everyone."
A struggling comic industry in the early 2000s led to the creation of South Korea's Webtoon, now a $360 million market. It's expected to double within
two years.
HANCOCKS: And this is the end product. Your "Star Wars" Webtoon on your phone, your tablet, your computer, wherever you want to watch it. It's
already very popular here in South Korea. It's in the top 10.
And just a few months ago they translated it into English to tap into the global market.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): The company behind that translation exported the "Star Wars" Webtoon to the United States last October. Its other Webtoons
are already read in a number of Asian countries, including China. One in three Koreans reads a Webtoon almost every day, a cultural mania fueled by
a fast Internet and an obsession with smartphones.
Flying Webtoon (ph) hopes that this can become a global obsession -- Paula Hancocks, CNN, Seoul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Now to a high-speed chase that shut down San Francisco's Bay Bridge on Sunday morning. A Chihuahua made a mad dash across the 7-
kilometer bridge. California officers on motorcycles and cars (INAUDIBLE) the tiny dog for 5-10 minutes.
After four failed attempts, an officer finally (INAUDIBLE) the pooch using his jacket. The California Highway Patrol then posted this picture on
social media with the caption, "One in custody, all are safe." The dog's owners at this stage have not yet been found.
That's a fast dog.
Well, that does it for us here at the INTERNATIONAL DESK. I'm Lynda Kinkade. Don't go anywhere, "WORLD SPORT" with Alex Thomas is up next.
END
