Return to Transcripts main page

iDesk

Two Days before Britain Votes In or Out; IOC Confirms Support for IAAF Ban of Russia; America's Choice 2016; Inside an Anti-Doping Lab for Rio 2016; Drone Dangers. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired June 21, 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]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

ROBYN CURNOW, CNN HOST (voice-over): Ahead at the INTERNATIONAL DESK: Prime minister David Cameron tells voters that Brits don't quit.

Russia's athletes face another hurdle to compete in Rio.

And the fallout from Donald Trump's campaign shake-up.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

CURNOW: Hi, there, everyone, welcome. I'm Robyn Curnow at the CNN Center.

At this hour: it's the final push in a decisive campaign and divisive campaign over whether Britain should part ways with the European Union or

stay in.

On Thursday, voters will decide if, as David Cameron says, a short time ago, Britain is stronger and safer in the E.U. or if it has given up too

much control. It's the decision of a lifetime and a nail-biter.

Our Nina dos Santos explores what happens if Britain does quit.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNNMONEY EUROPE EDITOR (voice-over): Fifty: that's the number that will be of paramount importance if the U.K. votes to leave the

E.U. This is because it's the article of the European Union treaty that the U.K. would need to invoke to begin negotiating its exit from the bloc.

There's only five paragraphs long but those few lines could be key to determining the U.K.'s future and how they're interpreted by both Britain

and also Brussels will make a world of difference.

But first the U.K. will actually have to activate that clause. At present, it's not clear how soon after the vote that could happen or indeed whether

it would need approval from Parliament.

Then expect furious negotiations with 27 other E.U. members as the U.K. tries to keep its trading routes open. Remember that each state will have

their say on everything from access to financial markets and subsidies for farming and fishing.

Now there's another number to consider here as well. It is the number 2. The U.K. will only have two years to negotiate its exit. After that it

could be unceremoniously kicked out, unless all members agree unanimously to extend the deadline.

If there's one thing that's certain about Brexit, it's that nobody really knows what exactly will happen if the U.K. votes for it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: Well, Nina dos Santos and Nic Robertson are standing by. An they're watching these final frenetic moments from London.

Nic, to you first. We heard David Cameron speaking a bit earlier and what was interesting is that he was trying to personally speak to the British

people, saying the E.U. helps me look after you.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, well, look, we've seen these pause in the campaigning and that that really stopped to

the weekend and David Cameron was on a debate panel coming out of the weekend.

But I think there were some messages in there that he saw repeated in the press maybe that resonated for him.

Yesterday, he was at a BMW factory, again with the same message, about why Britain is better off within the European Union. The message he keeps

going back to is the economy.

But today, stepping out of 10 Downing Street, speaking for about 10 minutes, he doesn't need or didn't need to go anywhere else in the country.

But he does feel the need that he needs to continue to put that message out.

The polls here really too close to call at the moment. And one of the messages that he did talk about again was the fact that he thinks Britain

are fighters, not quitters, and that's why they should stay inside the European Union. continue fighting for that.

And he also talked about the issue of terrorism, security, British people perhaps he feels at this stage, this late stage in the debate, that it's

important to reemphasize what he believes, that Britain is safer from the threat of terrorism if it works with the European nations, if it uses the

E.U., if you will, as a buffer to be able to see and have a better idea of terrorists that might be coming to Britain.

But really, again, he went back to his core message, the one he keeps talking about and that is very simply Britain and the British people

economically are far better off in the European Union. This is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID CAMERON, PRIME MINISTER, GREAT BRITAIN: Britain is better off inside the E.U. than out on our own. At the heart of that is the single market:

500 million customers on our doorstep, a source of so many jobs, so much trade and such a wealth of opportunity for our young people.

Leaving the E.U. would put all of that at risk.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: So I think the very fact that David Cameron comes out of 10 Downing Street with just two days to go now and says his message again very

clearly, he's been very passionate in the last few days, it really emphasizes at the moment, he really wants to get every single voter out.

Every vote counts in this -- Robyn.

CURNOW: Indeed. Every vote counts. Also the implications would be felt beyond Britain and the E.U.

Nina, for you, you're --

[10:05:00]

CURNOW: -- monitoring markets. And they continue to react to the uncertainty.

DOS SANTOS: Yes, it's not just voters across the country and politicians who are unsure just two days before the vote about which way the U.K. will

decide. The markets very much on edge here, Robyn, and not just across the U.K. but elsewhere as well.

Let's start out with the FTSE and we've seen the FTSE 100, the London blue chip market, basically surrender most of its gains today earlier on at one

point. It was trading in negative territory after yesterday's really big bounce when it seemed as though the Remain campaign had managed to gain a

little bit more traction and gain a bit more ground and was looking ahead.

But as Nic was just saying before, with the polls too close to call, many financiers who are trading these markets in London and also trading the

pound are looking towards the bookmakers as well that seemed to put the Remain camp further ahead at the moment.

One of them, Ladbrokes (ph), is saying that they're pitching it as a 75 percent chance that the U.K. will decide to remain inside the European

Union in two days.

But as you said before, there are literally billions if not trillions riding on this decision, not least the economic future of the country. If

you speak to people from the Remain camp, they say, well, yes, there may be a fall in the pound if the U.K. were to decide to leave; there may be a

small fall in GDP for the next couple of years as the U.K. manages to readjust its trading arrangements with its partners.

But on the long run, what the U.K. will benefit from being more competitive and not having as much red tape. If you speak to the IMF, the OECD, the

Bank of England, the Treasury, they're all saying that there could be some really severe ramifications if the U.K. were to decide to leave.

And the markets, some people fear, may not have caught on yet to the real ramifications that we could face.

CURNOW: OK, so the markets trying to figure out the ramifications, the bookies, too. And also within families, I know you've done a lot of

reporting on how this is a vote that has divided some families.

Also, of course, celebrities weighing in.

We know David Beckham, Nic, has said that he supports one side; his wife's old anti-euro statements being drudged up as well. I mean, this is really

a debate playing across all levels of society in the U.K.

ROBERTSON: Well, David Beckham has come out very clearly and said that he is supporting the Remain campaign. And his wife, Victoria Beckham, has

reacted quite strongly to the fact that the leave Campaign took up comments that she made 20 years ago, she talked about this in the referenced the

British pound, that the British pound should continue to have the head of the queen or the king, if there was a king, should continue to be on the

coins that are used in Britain.

And now the Leave campaign took this as -- and gave it the appearance that she was for the supporting Leave campaign. Victoria Beckham has come back

very clearly and said, look, absolutely not; these comments were made a long time ago in a different context and do not represent how I feel at the

moment.

The Beckhams very clearly for the In camp. One of the things that I think we've seen through the campaigning here is that when you talk to people on

the streets, it's the -- some think -- they're not sure about who to believe on the issues.

Politicians, they seem to be very distrustful of. So there's a possibility here that David Beckham may influence a few people. Again, with it so

close and every vote counting and the importance of getting every vote out, even if he doesn't mobilize people towards the Remain camp, and is yet

another reminder from another sort of sector of society, if you will, that, well, that voters will hear and maybe it will move them.

We've had several high-profile Leave campaigners come out and make very clear statements on this. You've had Michael Caine, you've had Ian Botham,

the cricketer. There have been others who have spoken for the Leave campaign.

I don't think we've really seen a huge sway in the polls because of celebrities coming out and speaking so far.

CURNOW: Yes, and as you say, I mean, there have been questions, some voters not sure whether to trust the politicians, all the data, all the

polls.

But also business leaders, Nina, within the U.K. and without are weighing in and perhaps they have the best perspective here.

DOS SANTOS: Well, one of them, who has a very, very checkered reputation in the U.K. is George Soros. As Nic was pointing out, David Beckham, very

popular figure here, coming out in favor of Remain.

But George Soros is one of the less popular figures across the world of finance and also across the rest of the U.K., who has come out in favor of

Remain today largely because he made $1 billion betting against the British pound back in 1992, a time which caused a massive devaluation for this

country's currency and a real stock market crash called Black Friday.

What's really worrying here, Robyn, today, is that he's been writing an opinion and editorial piece in "The Guardian" newspaper, saying, quote-

unquote, "the Brexit crash, if indeed we were to see the U.K. voting out, will all make you poorer, be warned."

And he goes on to say, "My 60 years of experience with the British pound, it tells me that this currency will plummet maybe 15 percent, maybe even 20

percent along with your living expectations. And the only winners will be the speculators."

He is one of the most famous currency speculators anywhere in the world.

[10:10:00]

DOS SANTOS: And so that is why what he's said today is being quite a bit - - being given quite a bit of weight today, Robyn. And it's also been echoed by the likes of Nouriel Roubini, who has been dubbed "Dr. Doom" for

his predictions of the great big recession.

He is the guy who caused the housing crash in 2008 and he's also said it just wouldn't make sense economically for the U.K. to leave.

CURNOW: Yes.

The big question, are the Brits going to vote with their hearts or their heads?

Thanks so much, Nic and Nina. Appreciate it.

Well, if the U.K. does vote to leave the E.U., what happens next?

Here's Nina again with this explanation.

Oh, no, it seems that we don't have that piece in. Let's move on to another story we're keeping an eye on.

The International Olympic Committee says it's going to respect a ban on Russia's track and field ban. A short time ago, officials declared

unanimous support for a ban that was put in place by the sports governing body.

But the IOC chief says individual athletes may still be able to compete in Rio.

Well, Alex Thomas joins us now from London to break this all down for us. And Matthew Chance has the reaction out of Russia.

Alex, to you first. Tell us about this press conference and packet.

What did it all mean?

ALEX THOMAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're still trying to work that out in many ways, Robyn. The IOC president, Thomas Bach, looking very gray,

looking very somber and looking like the weight of the current doping crisis affecting the Rio Olympics just six and a half weeks away was

weighing very heavily on his shoulders.

We've got a five-point action plan from what was a hastily arranged summit from all stakeholders at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne in Switzerland

earlier.

And the first of those action points was just to reiterate the IOC's support for what was a ban on Russia's track and field athletes by the

IAAF, track and field's governing body. They said they wanted that suspension that's been in place since the end of last year to continue.

Which means as things stand, there'll be no Russian track and field athletes in Rio at all. This is the second most successful nation in

Olympic history, remember, with many star names there.

However, he also said that not only Russia but Kenya as well was at risk of missing out on the Olympics, not just track and field athletes, either, but

all sports in both countries. And that's because the national anti-doping agencies in both Russia and Kenya are noncompliant with the world anti-

doping code currently.

Effectively we can't trust that any of the athletes training and living in those countries that have been tested can truly have the presumption of

innocence. That's been removed from athletes.

So we've got this extraordinary, unprecedented thing as far as the 25 years that I've been in sports journalism, Robyn, of having each individual

athlete, whichever sport they're in, applying to their sports governing body, their international federation, saying, will you let me compete in

Rio?

Thomas Bach reiterating that to protect the clean athletes, they must try and eradicate any controversy ahead of those Rio games -- Robyn.

CURNOW: Yes. It really is unprecedented.

And with that in mind, Matthew, what is the reaction in Moscow?

And more importantly, could Russia boycott the games?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, they certainly haven't ruled a boycott out, although at the moment they're

stopping short of saying that. But it's been called for amongst politicians here, amongst public figures, even sports stars are saying that

we shouldn't send anyone to the Olympic Games in Rio at this point.

Remember, the ban applies just to track and field athletes. And so other disciplines like cycling and swimming, et cetera, they're all going to be

there at the moment. But we'll see how this plays out in the coming weeks.

Certainly the Russians are extremely angry and offended, I think it's fair to say, about what has taken place. The Russian Olympic committee issuing

a statement a few hours ago, saying this is unprecedented, it's against the spirit of the Olympic charter and it could point to the destruction of the

Olympic movement altogether.

And, of course, individual athletes are now lining up essentially to go to the court of arbitration for sports in Lucerne as well, where this meeting

took place of the International Olympic Committee, to try and appeal against their individual bans.

The general complaint is that, look, if you're a clean athlete, if you haven't been tested positive for any banned substances, why should you be

punished for the misdeeds of others?

Of course, the IAAF and others say the situation is so bad in Russia, the problems with doping are so deep, you don't know who's clean and who isn't.

CURNOW: Well, Alex, with that in mind, what does this mean from a procedural level organizationally?

What are these individual athletes going to be doing?

Obviously very distracting just weeks before the games.

What is happening now?

As you say, unprecedented.

What does this all mean for the athletes themselves?

THOMAS: Well, the declaration from the International Olympic Committee is so new that we've no idea how the individual sporting federations are going

to react. As I understand it, if you're a swimmer in Russia, if you're in shooting or rugby or golf, whatever the Olympic discipline is, like Matthew

was saying, that it's not --

[10:15:00]

THOMAS: -- just track and field athletes now banned, every Russian sports man or woman is facing a ban. And they will have to apply to their

individual federation to compete in Rio, because they live in Russia, which is a country whose anti-doping agency is now noncompliant.

So in some ways, Thomas Bach, the IOC president, has tried to put the decision-making on the international federations rather than himself as the

head of the Olympic movement.

but he's also opened a whole new can of worms. Remember, this isn't the end of the revelations, either. In two weeks' time, Professor McLaren's

going to report back on the allegations specifically about the Sochi Winter Games that Matthew and others have been reporting on widely, huge

allegations from the former head of Russia's anti-doping laboratory about what was state-sponsored doping and even Russian special forces breaking

into the lab where samples had been given to replace them with clean samples.

So if any of that proves -- any of those allegations prove to be true, that's a whole 'nother mess for the IOC to face ahead of a Rio games that's

already been tainted by huge controversy -- Robyn.

CURNOW: Yes, thanks so much, Alex and Matthew, both of you, appreciate it.

You're watching CNN. Coming up here at the IDESK, the Orlando night club shooting spurred national grief and shock in the U.S. But so far no gun

control reform. We'll tell you who one U.S. senator is blaming for inaction.

Plus Donald Trump's children may have a stronger hand in his campaign than anyone guessed. We'll tell you what Donald Trump Jr. says about firing his

father's campaign manager. All that ahead.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

CURNOW: Well, full gun control measures failed to pass the U.S. Senate on Monday in the wake of the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. The

amendments failed to garner enough bipartisan support to enforce stricter background checks and block gun sales to anyone on the government's

terrorism watch list.

It's the latest in a long string of failed attempts at enacting tighter curbs on firearms in the U.S. A fifth measure will be introduced Tuesday

by moderate Republican senator Susan Collins.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D), N.Y.: It's nothing new that Susan Collins is trying to make a compromise -- and it's a good thing. But the key question

is not whether Susan Collins will step forward and try to author a compromise but whether 20 Republicans will finally join her so we can get

something done. That is the key question.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: Well, the Collins measure would block people on the government's no-fly list from buying guns. That's a smaller group than the terror

watchlist.

And we go now to the U.S. race for the White House. A new CNN poll shows Hillary Clinton ahead by 5 points over Donald Trump. Clinton does nearly

as well when third-party candidates are thrown into the mix.

Still, respondents prefer Trump on the economy, terrorism and gun control.

And Trump has other pressing concerns. Police in Las Vegas say he was the target of an assassination --

[10:20:00]

CURNOW: -- attempt over the weekend. They arrested a man at a rally Saturday after he tried to grab an officer's gun. Police say the suspect

is British and practiced shooting at a Las Vegas gun range the day before. They say he tells them he planned for a year to kill Trump.

And within the Trump campaign, more commotion. Sources say Trump's family is behind the decision to fire long-time campaign manager. Well, Donald

Trump Jr. sat down with ABC just a few hours ago. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's get to Corey Lewandowski, former campaign manager. We know he's out in the last 24 hours. There's a lot of talk

that your father relies heavily on you and your siblings, Ivanka.

Were you in the room when he was fired?

DONALD TRUMP JR., SON OF DONALD TRUMP: Yes, I was.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And how did that go down?

DONALD TRUMP JR.: I think there's an understanding. We have a great relationship with Corey. You can see it in the way we've all talked about

each other. It's not an easy thing to do. He got my father to where we are today, which is historic.

When you think about to win the highest number of GOP votes ever in a primary with zero political experience prior to that, I think that's very

special. And so there is a good relationship there.

But I think there's also time to move on, it's transitioning that's growing a team, there's working with the RNC to do this for the general. And I

think things had to change.

And honestly, it worked out well. I think it was a good split-up; it made a lot of sense and those are the tough decisions that you actually have to

make when you're running for president.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: Well, CNN's Dana Bash sat down with Corey Lewandowski just after he was fired and she filed this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN SR. U.S. CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What happened?

Why were you fired?

COREY LEWANDOWSKI, FORMER TRUMP CAMPAIGN MANAGER: I don't know. I don't know the answer to that.

BASH (voice-over): But the answer, according to multiple GOP sources, is Donald Trump's lagging poll numbers, lack of campaign infrastructure plus

heated power struggles, which all led Trump's family to say enough.

BASH: Sources who I've talked to and others have talked to said that they described you as a hothead and that you just didn't treat people right.

What do you say to that?

LEWANDOWSKI: Look, I think I'm a very intense person. And my expectation is perfection because I think that's what Mr. Trump deserves.

I had a nice conversation with Mr. Trump. And I said to him, it's been an honor and a privilege to be part of this. And I mean that from the bottom

of my heart.

BASH (voice-over): CNN was told Trump watched Lewandowski's interview as it happened live a few hours after he was fired. Trump later expressed his

appreciation as he talked about moving on.

DONALD TRUMP, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He's a good man, we've had great success. He's a friend of mine. But I think it's time now for a

different kind of a campaign.

BASH (voice-over): That different campaign one with Paul Manafort, Lewandowski's nemesis, now firmly at the helm. CNN is told that,

internally, Manafort's mantra is that Trump must act more presidential, while Lewandowski kept saying, let Trump be Trump.

BASH: Sources from in and around the campaign have told us that they thought that you were feeding Mr. Trump's worst instincts.

If there was a plan in place post-primary, now that he's trying to pivot to the general, is in the general, that you would get on the plane with him

and undercut that plan and bring out his worst instinct.

How do you respond to that?

LEWANDOWSKI: I say why, what best interest would I have in doing that?

BASH: The suggestion is it's just -- it's who you are.

LEWANDOWSKI: Look, if Donald Trump wins, that's good for Corey Lewandowski and it's good for the country.

BASH (voice-over): Lewandowski made clear to CNN he supported Trump's controversial response to the Orlando shooting --

DONALD TRUMP: And goes boom, boom.

BASH (voice-over): -- and disparaging a judge presiding over a fraud case involving Trump University.

DONALD TRUMP: This judge is of Mexican heritage.

I'm building a wall, OK?

BASH (voice-over): The question now is whether Trump will tone down his rhetoric with his like-minded campaign manager out. CNN was told it was

that plus concerns anemic fund-raising and basic campaign structure that alarmed Trump's children.

DONALD TRUMP: My boy, Eric, and Don, they have been working so hard.

(APPLAUSE)

DONALD TRUMP: Ivanka and Jared have been amazing.

BASH (voice-over): And they all played an instrumental role in ousting Lewandowski, especially daughter, Ivanka, and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, a

real estate whiz and publisher.

BASH: Can you tell me about your relationship with him?

LEWANDOWSKI: I've had a great relationship with Jared. He's helped us from the onset, of having a better online presence, being aggressive in a

good way. He understands a different component than I understand.

BASH (voice-over): CNN is told Kushner will now be even more influential in trying to right the Trump campaign ship.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: Dana Bash reporting there.

Well, for more on Donald Trump, Mark Preston joins us from New York.

Hey, there, Mark.

How much is Trump's campaign in disarray?

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: It's in a lot of disarray at this point. Let me just explain for our viewers around the world why we say it

is, even though we look at these poll numbers out this morning that shows that Hillary Clinton only has a 5-point lead over him.

First of all, Donald Trump does not have much of a campaign infrastructure --

[10:00:00]

PRESTON: -- built to run against Hillary Clinton.

What does that mean?

It means as of his last reporting period, he only had 70 people on the payroll. Hillary Clinton had 700 people on the payroll. These are folks

who are organizing in the states. These are folks who are getting people out to vote. These are folks who are identifying voters in order to try to

actually win in November.

Donald Trump has nothing, no infrastructure whatsoever. Also, he has no money at all. He has not raised any money at all. And if you look at

Corey Lewandowski and what his role was for the campaign, Robyn, his role was to raise money and to build an infrastructure, two things that have

clearly failed Donald Trump up to this point.

CURNOW: Well, let's talk about that money. I want to bring out the numbers here. I mean, Secretary Clinton is crushing Trump, particularly in

fund-raising.

Take a look at this. Her campaign has $40 million more in the bank, $50 million more in terms of what's available from super PACs; advertising,

let's take a look at that. Planned advertising, look at those numbers.

I mean, Clinton has spent over $100 million more than Mr. Trump.

What does this mean?

I mean, I know this is sort of -- this money deficit is really unheard of in any modern presidential campaign.

PRESTON: Right. What's interesting is that a lot of people might say, listen, Donald Trump is an unconventional candidate and we're in an

unconventional year and this is an unconventional campaign.

However, you really do have to go back to the basics in order to win a presidential campaign here in the United States.

What does that mean?

You actually need money. You need money to pay people. You need money in order for them to make telephone calls to voters all across the nation, in

order for them to make television ads, in order for them to print even the simplest things, such as bumper stickers and signs.

So Donald Trump doesn't have that infrastructure at all. Now Donald Trump says over and over again, Robyn, that he will cut his own check and he will

self-fund his campaign. He has a fund-raising e-mail out just within the last hour that says, for everybody who donates up to $2,700 to him, he'll

match that personally.

Well, that still is not enough when you look at this campaign, Robyn, could be a $1 billion campaign as we have seen, as it was nearly back in 2012.

So Donald Trump needs money, he needs infrastructure. He now has a new person leading the campaign. And we'll find out in the next two or three

weeks whether that's enough right now to help him springboard into the November election.

CURNOW: Yes, all very good questions. Thanks so much. Mark Preston there.

We'll have much more on the INTERNATIONAL DESK after this break. Stay with us.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:30:00]

(MUSIC PLAYING)

CURNOW: You're watching the INTERNATIONAL DESK. Hello, there, I'm Robyn Curnow. Here's a check of the headlines.

(HEADLINES)

CURNOW: Iraqi forces are making significant gains in Fallujah. They've now taken back the main hospital from ISIS as they continue to flush the

militants from the city. Our Ben Wedeman has just returned from that hospital in Fallujah. He joins us now from Baghdad with the latest.

Hi, there, Ben.

What did you see?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, more than what we saw, it's what we heard. What we heard was intense gunfire, including some

artillery barrages into Fallujah, as well as some very noisy rocket- propelled grenade fire. In fact, compared to when we were in basically the same location last Saturday, if anything, it seemed like the fighting was

more intense.

Now we did have an opportunity to speak with Fadhil Jalil al-Barwari, who's the head of the Iraqi elite counterterrorism services, who is directing the

battle of Fallujah.

And he vowed to me that the battle would go on for only a few more days and then finally ISIS would be defeated and driven out of Fallujah. But what

we saw in the center of the town was quite to the contrary -- Robyn.

CURNOW: And who is left there?

Where are all the civilians?

WEDEMAN: Well, what we told me was there are no civilians left. They've all fled. We did see over the weekend as many as 30,000 people flee in the

span of three days.

And when you drive around the city, there's no civilians, not one. And it appears that either they've fled or they're hiding in the northern

neighborhoods of -- the two neighborhoods that are still under ISIS control, which is al-Junan (ph) and in al-Sajariyah. But at this point, it

appears that most of the civilians have left the city, according to Iraqi officers on the ground -- Robyn.

CURNOW: Thanks so much, Ben Wedeman there in Baghdad.

A terror scare played out at a Brussels shopping center early Tuesday. Police rushed to respond to a man who claimed he was wearing a bomb rigged

to explode. Authorities quickly discovered that the explosive vest was fake, it contained only salt and biscuits and not operational bomb parts.

Police say the man is known to have suffered from mental health issues.

To Pretoria, South Africa, now, where voters are incensed. Protesters have set cars on fire, barricaded roads, burned tires. The violence began after

the African National Congress announced nominees in local elections.

Protesters say one candidate for mayor was foisted on them by the national party leaders instead of being nominated by the ANC's regional branch. And

all of this against the backdrop of increasing protests raging against the ANC. The election for that mayor takes place on August the 3rd.

And Russia's track team may be out of the Olympics but the doping crisis is wider than just one team. Olympic organizers are working around the clock

to make sure no other athletes cheat their way to gold. Our Nick Paton Walsh takes us inside an anti-doping lab in Rio.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the race for Rio to be ready, few final tweaks matter more than in this one room,

Brazil's 24-hour anti-doping laboratory for the Olympics, testing 6,000 tiny samples from athletes in the games, each able to crush an sportsman's

dreams, where nations will be desperate for a clean slate after allegations of doping on a state-sponsored, industrial scale that's seen Russian track

and field stars banned for now.

Russia has categorically denied all allegations but says it needs to regain trust.

Here, they're hoping --

[10:35:00]

WALSH (voice-over): -- to stay clear of controversy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maybe we are really clean in the system now.

WALSH (voice-over): Doping risks overwhelming the Olympics, introducing to it geopolitical rivalry, corruption and essentially cheating at the heart

of sport.

Here urine is stripped down to the core molecules these spectrograms then identify. But it's before this stage that samples were allegedly tampered

with in the 2014 Sochi Games, Russia accused of, staggeringly, of using its security services, his new KGB, to tamper with supposedly tamper-proof

bottles, allegedly using this hole in the laboratory wall to switch samples.

With each bottle having a special random number on its seal, how do you do that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Have those millions of different caps, you could choose, open a bottle and, yes, close it with another.

WALSH: So you basically have to be the people making the bottle to be able to.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Almost that, yes. Almost that -- or have a mirror factory of that to be able to fabricate it.

WALSH: But it's almost impossible to be sure if countries are willing to do that kind of thing, that level of planning.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it is really hard to reach that point because you need to involve, well, high-ranking official from the country, from the

country anti-doping agency, from the direction of the laboratory, from the technicians.

So it's -- to do that is kind of a (INAUDIBLE) thing.

WALSH (voice-over): This, where the cold, gray worrying of science collides with that underworld of alleged breathtaking deception -- Nick

Paton Walsh, CNN, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: Thanks to Nick for that report.

Now to a disconcerting video that surfaced online. It shows a corporate training session gone way too far.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW (voice-over): This was taken inside a seminar for bank employees. Several of them, you see, are being spanked with a stick by a trainer.

They apparently scored the lowest in a training exercise and this was the consequence.

Another employee posted the video over the weekend. Of course, people are very upset.

Now the coach apologized but he said he had been using these methods for years. Bank officials, including the chairman, have reportedly been

suspended.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: Well, coming up on CNN, in the future, you could see more deliveries by drones right to your house. But all of that extra air

traffic could be extremely dangerous, of course. We'll take you to a lab that's trying to keep midair crashes from happening. Stay with us.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

CURNOW: Now to dangers in the sky. There could be new rules regarding the use of drones in the U.S.

[10:40:00]

CURNOW: In an exclusive report, Rene Marsh went to see just what happens when drone flights go wrong.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ready: three, two, one.

RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This lab is usually used for airliner crash tests. But on this day, researchers at Wichita State

University are studying what happens when a drone falls from the sky onto someone below.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh!

It just hit a dude in the face.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What happens if we really do have a drone running into an airliner, colliding with people on the ground?

We also have to answer that worst-case scenario for the FAA.

MARSH (voice-over): The federal government is about to unveil new rules that will open America's airspace to widespread commercial drone use. In a

matter of months, it's projected thousands could take flight.

Companies like Amazon have already launched ambitious marketing campaigns for how they'll use drones to deliver packages directly to your front door.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a really massive moment in aviation history.

MARSH (voice-over): Retired Air Force General James Poss leads a team of universities and private companies studying the dangers of drones to people

and planes for the FAA.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a full-scale drone that's hitting the vertical stabilizer on a wide-body transport.

MARSH (voice-over): This lab uses 3D scans to simulate midair collisions between drones and planes.

Manufacturers already test the dangers of birds to airplanes. There are about 14,000 bird strikes a year.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Going boom!

MARSH (voice-over): A flock of geese famously took down a US Airways flight dubbed "The Miracle on the Hudson" in 2009.

The fear is drones could do much more damage.

MARSH: Which is more dangerous, the drone or the bird?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Drones are made of very, very hard components, engines, cameras, batteries that could do significant damage to the aircraft.

What are researchers trying to prove or disprove is just how much damage they would do.

MARSH (voice-over): To get that proof, researchers try to duplicate a drone hitting a plane at full speed.

MARSH: This is the battery of a drone and researchers shoot components like this through this cannon at a rate of 200 miles per hour. It's meant

to mimic what could happen if a drone and a plane collided midair.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three, two, one.

MARSH (voice-over): So far, tests like this have shown a drone can do significant damage but conclusive data is still months away.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And we need to figure out what's safe to do with these drones and what's the probability of these accidents happening.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: That was CNN's Rene Marsh reporting there. Now the FAA could unveil those new rules as early as Tuesday.

Well, let's switch gears here and take a minute to relax. It's International Yoga Day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW (voice-over): India's prime minister, Narendra Modi, joined thousands in breathing and stretching exercises. Mr. Modi pushed for the

designation by the U.N. He calls yoga "health assurance on a zero budget."

Well, that does it from us here at the INTERNATIONAL DESK. Thanks for joining me. "WORLD SPORT" with Christina Macfarlane is up next.

END