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Hala Gorani Tonight

Egyptian Media: Mosque Bombed, Gunmen Opened Fire; No Claims Of Responsibility After Attack In Egypt Kills 235; London; Police Report "Incident" At Oxford Circus Underground Station; Mnangagwa Sworn In As Zimbabwe's New Leader; Trump, Turkish Leader Discuss Syrian Crisis in Call; Russia Probe: Flynn No Longer Sharing Info With Trump Lawyers; Protesters Demand Action On Libyan Slave Trade; Speculation Grows On "Grand Coalition" For Germany; Thousands Besieged In Eastern Ghouta. Aired 2:30-4 p ET

Aired November 24, 2017 - 14:30   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:00:04] ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Atika Shubert in Berlin and this is CNN.

HANNAH VAUGHAN JONES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and welcome, I'm Hannah Vaughan Jones sitting in for Hala Gorani. We begin tonight n Egypt

where a source tells CNN the military is already taking action after what appears to be the deadliest terror attack in the country's history. State

media say 235 people were killed after an attack on the mosque that you can see here.

A witness tells CNN a blast pulled people outside where a gunmen then fired on the crowds. When ambulances arrived, the witness says gunman in

different locations fired on the wounded.

Egypt's president is vowing to use "brute force against those responsible". And a source tells CNN the military is already indeed taking action.

Joining me now, CNN's Ian Lee, Ian spent nine years in Egypt and was in the Sinai just last year. Ian, the most horrendous of attacks on this Friday

day of a prayer. What is the significance of it though on this scale, in this region, and on this place?

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Hannah, this simply is what appears to be the largest of terrorist attack in Egypt definitely in Sinai. And over

the course of the day, we've been watching this death toll rise. When, you know (ph), no one has claimed responsibility but it does bear all the

hallmarks of an ISIS attack.

And when ISIS has carried out attacks in the past, they usually go after either military targets or soft targets. They've gone after churches

before, but this is the deadliest attack that we've seen militants carryout in Egypt, really well coordinated attack to create the most casualties

possible.

And we're told that ambulances after being ambushed, they couldn't go back until the security forces were able to go and secure the area. Those

militants then disappearing into the desert. We are told though that the military, the Air Force is going after them.

But President Sisi, when he came to power it was a based on security and stability. And he has been battling militancy in the northern part of

Sinai and other parts of Egypt for years, but still this attack shows that they still are very capable of carrying out deadly attacks.

JONES: We've seen deadly attacks. As you said, mostly against the Coptic Christian community in Egypt over the years. This year, I think it was

President el-Sisi who then said that it would be a three-month state of emergency. He said today that he will respond with brute force. We

understand that that response may have already begun, what might it be?

LEE: Well, as we have seen in the past, the Egyptian military will be combing the desert. You'll have the Air Force with either Jets or Apache

helicopters will be looking for vehicles. Usually in this part of Sinai you see a lot of Toyota trucks used to get around. Bedouins use them, but

also militants use them.

So they will be looking for trucks if there are a lot of people in the back of them to either try to stop them, if they can't stop them, if they look

like they're militants then possibly engage them.

This is kind of the tactics we've seen from the Egyptian military, not just in Sinai but in other parts of Egypt. And the president has said that he's

going to use brute force going after them. But we've seen attacks like this occur time after time again, and every time we hear this strong

condemnation, this vowing of revenge and retribution, but these attacks still take place.

This just shows how complicated the situation is in Egypt, especially in the northern part of Sinai. And another thing to add, Hannah, is that has

the wars against ISIS and Iraq and Syria wind down, Egyptian officials have also expressed concern that militants could be trying to come back to Egypt

or other parts of the Middle East where they have a presence.

JONES: Imagine ISIS there, I don't believe that there has been a claim of responsibility, yet what are the first initial indications as to the

perpetrators?

LEE: So, when you look at in the northern part of Sinai, yes, you're right, no one has claimed responsibility. But this is an area where ISIS

carries out attacks time after time to get, again, on a daily basis we get reports of ISIS attacks against military or security forces in the northern

part of Sinai.

The one other clue to this is the mosque itself, it may be unusual for most viewers under why ISIS would attack a mosque, but this mosque in particular

of belongs to a -- the Sufi order in the northern part of Sinai.

[15:05:04] And Sufis are mystics. They're far more tolerant than ISIS which views them as sinners, as heretics. And so ISIS has threatened them

as well.

And so, those were the clues that we're looking at to see who could possibly be behind this. But, again, Hannah, no one has claimed

responsibility.

JONES: All right, Ian Lee, thanks for updating us with the latest. Thank you.

And there have been an increasing number of attacks in Egypt Sinai in recent months. In July, at least 23 soldiers were killed in car bomb

attacks targeting Egyptian soldiers at the military checkpoint in the Sinai Peninsula. And in January, seven Egyptian police and one civilian were

killed in a bomb attack at another checkpoint in the city of Al-Arish.

In October 2016, armed terrorists attacked a security checkpoint using four-wheel-drive vehicles. That happened in the city of Bir Al Abd, a

dozen military personnel were killed in that ambush.

But this was not an attack on the security complexity and was just explaining to us. This was on a mosque as worshipers prayed on Friday.

A care of Middle East studies at the London School of Economics explains why extremists might have seen this mosque as a target, here's Fawaz

Gerges.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FAWAZ GERGES, AUTHOR, "ISIS: A HISTORY": This is a strategic attack and the mosque is in the heart of Northern Sinai. This is turf of the Wilayat

Sinai, it's an affiliate of ISIS. Wilayat Sinai pledged allegiance to ISIS about two years ago.

The mosque itself, the preacher and the mosque and is a Sufi preacher and Sufism in the eyes of the extremist of the ISIS extremist is kind of really

their sinners, because they're seen as renegade Muslims.

So, the attack is not just designed to basically puncture a whole in the security apparatus of the Egyptian State, but also to send a message

cleared allowed that ISIS and the extremist will not allow any kind of, you might say tolerant Islam to flesh in that turf, because Northern Sinai is

seen as the turf of the ISIS and like-mind Al Qaeda militants.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JONES: Well, that was Fawaz Gerges and I'll be speaking to Farwaz again as we continue on news coverage of the mosque attack in Egypt ahead on the

program, so do stay with us for that.

In the meantime though here in London, one of the city's busiest underground stations is now open again after a reported incidents created

mass panic earlier today, police responded to reports of shots being fired at Oxford circus station, but later said they could find no evidence of

that.

In a statement, police said officers responded to the incident as if it was terrorism given the nature of the information that they have perceived, but

that officers have now been stood down.

We turn our attention now to an extraordinary transfer of power in Zimbabwe. Emmerson Mnangagwa was sworn in as president earlier today.

He'll fill out the term of his former boss Robert Mugabe who resigned after the military placed him under house arrest.

Mugabe had ruled Zimbabwe with an iron fist since its inception nearly 40 years ago. Well, our David McKenzie was there for Mr. Mnangagwa's speech

and joins us now from the Zimbabwean capital, Harare.

David, I believe you've been speaking to one man who may have paid a very pivotal role in Mugabe's resignation, tell us about that.

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right Hannah. At that inauguration, you saw Emmerson Mnangagwa with all the pomp and circumstance

of a new president being sworn in. But what many people don't know is that this took a lot of intense negotiation over many hours to persuade Robert

Mugabe, the 93-year-old leader, ex-leader now of this country to step down and it took a Jesuit priest in fact, one of his closest confidants over

many years to do that persuading.

I spoke exclusively to the man who was the lead mediator in these discussions. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MCKENZIE: What did those crowds mean to former President Mugabe, what did you say?

REV. FIDELIS MUKONORI, JESUIT PRIEST: You saw that they spoke.

MCKENZIE: And he listened to them?

MUKONORI: What other else? Do you see there is else? That's a sign that he listened. Listening of a 93 year old is not the same as listening of a

25-year-old or a 17 year old. It's different.

MCKENZIE: This must have broken Robert Mugabe to see these crowds. Did it break him?

[15:10:01] MUKONORI: It moved him. It moved him in this sense that he realized they are speaking to say that this is enough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKENZIE: Well, Father Mukonori said that even at the last minute, Robert Mugabe wanted to stay on for several weeks and perhaps have a more

systematic transfer of power at Emmerson Mnangagwa. That he said those crowds on the street really calling for Mugabe to step down was what

finally got through to the 93-year-old ex-leader. And he said that it was those voices that forced him or at least persuaded him to step down,

Hannah.

JONES: Just fascinating to get an insights into what might have been going through the mind of Robert Mugabe with that interview you just done David.

But, you know, there has been so much euphoria that you've experienced as well over the course of the last week. Today we saw the new president

sworn in, how well received was President's Mnangagwa's inaugural speech?

MCKENZIE: Well, certainly for the thousands in that stadium it was very well received. And to many both in the international community, Hannah,

and in Zimbabwe he gets a lot of the notes or he said a lot of the things they were hoping he would say.

He called of for free election on schedule next year. He said that he wanted to welcome investment in the country and for civil servants to get

to work immediately.

He seems to be trying to strike a significant departure from the days of Mugabe. And, of course, because he was for so many years the right-hand

man Robert Mugabe, he's somewhat tainted in the mind of many Zimbabweans asserted.

So it was both politically expedient and perhaps trying to tap into a honeymoon period for him here that he said they shouldn't look to the past,

but rather to the present and the future of Zimbabwe. And that all Zimbabweans here and possibly even those who are looking to come back

should just get to work to rebuild this nation.

So, a momentous occasion that capped off an extraordinary week or so here in Zimbabwe that has completely changed the political landscape in this

country forever, Hannah.

JONES: And you've been covering it every step of the way. David, we appreciate it. Thank you.

Still to come on Hala Gorani Tonight, Turkey says U.S. president Donald Trump made a major promise when it comes to the conflict in Syria. We'll

find out about a phone conversation between the Turkish and American leaders, coming up next.

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JONES: U.S. President Donald Trump shared a phone call earlier with his Turkish council about Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He teased it as a discussion

on bringing peace to what he called the "mess he inherited in the Middle East".

Turkey says that Mister Trump made a pledge on the call to stop providing weapons to the Kurdish militia group YPG. But there has been no

information released about the conversation from the White House.

[15:15:01] So let's bring in CNN's White House reporter Jeremy Diamond. Jeremy joins us from New York with more on the phone call itself. So what

do we know, Jeremy, what details of this call and perhaps how long it was?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Right. Well, like you said we haven't yet heard from the White House about details of what was

discussed on this call, or how long it lasted. But what we do know is from the Turkish Foreign Minister who says that essentially six months after

President Trump announced this plan to begin funding and arming the YPG. This Kurdish militia working with U.S. backed forces in Syria, that

President Trump is preparing to scrap that arming altogether.

Stopping to supply weapons to this Kurdish militia, which of course the Turkish governments considers a terrorist organizations because of its ties

to the PKK.

That group of course is also considered a terrorist group by the United States, but they have been able to look past those connections in order to

help U.S. backed forces take Raqqa which, of course, was recaptured from ISIS last month by those U.S. backed forces, including the YPG.

So, all of this is very interesting timing, of course, but it appears from the Turkish Foreign Minister that the Turkish President Erdogan asked U.S.

President Donald Trump to and arming the YPG, and that apparently President Trump acquiesced.

We're still waiting to hear from the White House as far as when that will happen, an actual confirmation that that is indeed the U.S. plan.

JONES: Jeremy, we often find out so much about what the president of the U.S. is thinking from his Twitter feed. He didn't say anything

specifically about arms to the Kurdish YPG on Twitter as far as I understand it today. Does that mean that if he did promise it, he might

not have meant to?

DIAMOND: Well it's his certainly a question that we have to ask with this president. And as I said, the White House said to, you know, standby for

an official readout of the call not yet confirming the details about the YPG.

But, again, this does go to fundamental questions about the future of the US's presence in Syria and who it intends to support. So far, the U.S. had

given no indication that it planned to stop arming the YPG or any of the other Syrian democratic forces of which the YPG is a part of.

So, this does raise questions about the future of U.S. presence there and how they plan to continue to have influence in Syria as a lot of countries

including Turkey, Iran and Russia are looking towards the political future of Syria as the conflict there and at least the fight against ISIS has

drawn down.

JONES: OK. Jeremy, for now thanks very much indeed. Let's get some perspective then from a woman very close to the Turkish President, Gulnur

Aybet is a senior adviser to Recep Tayyip Erdogan. I'm delighted to say she joins me now onset.

Welcome, thank you so much for coming in. And let's talk first of all about this phone call today from your knowledge -- I don't know if you

spoken to the Turkish president about it. But what would have been the tone and perhaps the content of these two gentlemen's chat?

GULNUR AYBET, SENIOR ADVISER TO TURKISH PRESIDENT ERDOGAN: Well, what we know is what the foreign minister sort of declared in this press statement

about the actual conversation, because he was actually present while the conversation was taking place. And we know that President Trump himself

called President Erdogan.

So, that's -- I mean to my mind I think that was an indication about the decisiveness coming out of the Sochi summit between Turkey, Iran and Russia

on Wednesday. And there seems to be much clearer sighting about an endgame.

And you've mentioned President Trump's tweets as if, you know, it's almost like to me it seemed like there's a relief that there's a NATO ally at

table where the United States doesn't -- it seems to be distancing itself from a political solution.

And they've actually said --

JONES: Right.

AYBET: -- to us as well with the running of the YPG that is a totally tactical short-term decision to defeat Daesh and Raqqa, and then after that

there hasn't really been a strategic plan for a political solution from the states.

JONES: You mentioned there about Trump's tweets. One of the tweets today said that "We will win in the Middle East. I'll get there eventually, we

will win." What were the Trump win in the Middle East look like for Turkey?

AYBET: A Trump win for -- well, I mean for Turkey, what Turkey would like to see is a staple Middle East where conflicts are ended, where countries

intonations can prosper.

JONES: But there's the YPG element vital to that.

AYBET: Absolutely. It's an absolute red line because the YPG are an extension of the PKK, which is recognized as a terrorist organization by

the E.U. and the United States.

And after the taking of Raqqa from Daesh, you know, the YPG put up this PKK flags and, you know, photos of the PKK leader. And that was the clear

indication as to how much they are linked together and they're one and the same.

And I think the United States have been very uncomfortable about that as well, although they kept repeating that this is a decision that they have

to make to arm this group, because they had to take Raqqa quickly.

[15:20:03] But then, of course, as we know the BBC has republished this photographs of the YPG actually helping Daesh --

JONES: Yes.

AYBET: -- leave the city. So what was the original purpose, that's something we have to ask ourselves as well.

JONES: I want to bring you back to this meeting that took place in Sochi earlier this week.

AYBET: Yes.

JONES: You mentioned it just now. There was President Erdogan, Hassan Rouhani of Iran and Vladimir Putin as the host. President Trump was not

there, was not invited. Maybe didn't want to go there, but is that an indication to the rest of the world looking in that this is Turkey looking

much more now to the east rather than to the west when it comes to Middle East policy and foreign affairs?

AYBET: Not at all. I mean, look, the world is changing, the region is changing and Turkey is in a very important strategic position. It's a

rising power. It has to cultivate these relations to take care of what it wants to see as a stable environment, especially when there's a lack of

Western leadership to drive this.

Let's face it, this isn't the --

JONES: I mean from the United States?

AYBET: Look, the United States or also from Europe. Let's face it. It has not been the same leadership that we saw towards the end in Bosnia,

throughout to war to an end. So, you know, Turkey has to work with countries and partners in the region for this, but it does not mean its

turning its back to the west.

JONES: But does Turkey still want --

AYBET: Because they valued ally in NATO.

JONES: Does Turkey still want to become a member of the European Union --

AYBET: Absolutely.

JONES: -- at some point.

AYBET: It's integrated in Turkey's 2023 strategic plan.

JONES: And European Western leaders have criticized Turkey very heavily over the last year, in particular after that failed coup attempt, there

have been purchase (ph) of the military, of civil servants and the like saying that this is against democratic principles.

If you want to join the E.U., are you prepared to change paths slightly on the way you're acting right now?

AYBET: Well, I'm sure E.U. leaders understands this that, you know, a country that has suffered a coup attempt is -- and also facing terrorist

threats from three terrorist organizations at the same time, Gulenist Movement as well as the PKK, as well as Daesh is going to have a heightened

security.

And, you know, that is why emergency measures have to be in place. In order to, first of all, create a more secure Turkey and I think Turkey's

allies are beginning to understand that instead of criticizing Turkey for this, they have to help Turkey overcome this period where it needs to

stabilize the security situation that it's facing.

JONES: In the aftermath of the failed coup, the one man that President Erdogan has said he wants to extradite it back to Turkey is the cleric

Fethullah Gulen who's currently in the United States.

AYBET: Yes.

JONES: Would that have been discussed with President Trump in a phone call today? And how crucial is that to furthering American Turkish relations?

AYBET: Every time there's a conversation, this issue comes up as well as the visa crisis. I believe those two issues were also presented to

President Trump today by President Erdogan. But the issue of arming the YPG is the one tangible answer that Turkey got where President Trump

apparently said that he has given clear instructions that the arming of the YPG should stop.

He also said that this nonsense should've stop some time ago, which I think is very crucial, but at the same time we also have to watch very clearly as

to how that's being implemented.

Because the other thing that the United States promise Turkey is that, although this is a short term measure, all the weapons that were given to

the YPG will be taken back by the United States.

We want to -- we're going to watch very carefully as to how those weapons are going to be taken back from the YPG. As I think the implementation

stage is the next stage where we have to watch what's happened very carefully.

JONES: And that's the question mark still at the moment. Gulnur Aybet thank very much for joining Hala Gorani Tonight. We appreciate it.

Now in the United States, there are new developments in the special counsels' Russia investigation. A source tells CNN lawyers for Michael

Flynn are no longer sharing information about the probe with other defense teams. And that includes President Trump's legal team.

A news comes as President Trump spends the Thanksgiving weekend in Mar-A- Lago. Our Joe Jones has more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE JOHNSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A source telling CNN that fired national Security Adviser Michael Flynn's defense team is no longer

sharing information with the president's legal team, a sign that Flynn could be preparing to plead guilty in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's

investigation.

Mr. Trump's attorney Jay Sekulow disputes that in a statement to CNN. "No one should draw the conclusion that this means anything about General Flynn

cooperating against the president."

But the New York Times, which first reported the story details that the president's lawyers believe Flynn is discussing a deal with Mueller.

Pointing to that significant criminal exposure that Flynn and his son are facing.

The new revelations coming just weeks after CNN reported Flynn was concerned about his son's potential legal exposure in the investigation.

MICHAEL FLYNN, FORMER HEAD OF THE U.S. DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY: I have nothing to do with Russia, to the best of my tech -- knowledge, no person

that I deal with --

[15:25:00] JOHNSON: Flynn is one of the most prominent Trump associates under scrutiny over his long-established ties to Russia. Flynn is seen

here sitting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2015 at an event in Moscow.

During the presidential transition, Flynn misled Vice President Mike Pence about discussing sanctions with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.

FLYNN: The conversation said that took place at that time were not in any way related to new U.S. sanctions against Russia --

JOHNSON: We now know that four days after President Trump was sworn in, the FBI interviewed Flynn about his calls with Kislyak. Acting Attorney

General Sally Yates even warned the White House that Flynn was vulnerable to a potential blackmail by Russia, but Trump continued defending Flynn.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This man has served for many years, he's a general. He's in my opinion a very good person. I believe

that it would be very unfair to hear from somebody who we don't even know and immediately run out and fire a general.

JOHNSON: The president eventually forcing Flynn to resign. It was later revealed that the President Trump had been pressuring FBI Director James

Comey to back off investigating Flynn before firing him too.

Flynn also coming under intense scrutiny for failing to disclose payments he received from Russian entities. The White House reportedly bracing for

charges against Flynn after three other Trump associates were recently indicted.

But the Times notes the White House insist that neither Mister Flynn nor other former aides have incriminating information to provide about Mister

Trump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNSON: Joe Jones reporting there. Still to come tonight, black Friday means bag (ph) and deals for shoppers. But spending habits this year are

unlike any before. We'll explain why some retailers are pretty worried next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JONES: In the U.S. retailers are hoping for big sales numbers this weekend as customers flock to stores for the Black Friday deals. Shoppers are

expected to spend more money this weekend than in previous years, with some estimates up three percent on last year.

It's a critical time for many retail giants who are trying to stay afloat amid bankruptcies and store closures. Polo Sandoval has more.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we certainly have seen crowds just not what we're usually used to seeing on Black Friday, this American

shopping tradition. Officials believe that many of those shoppers really turned out on Thanksgiving Day.

That's because there are many American retailers who area really opening their doors up to shoppers the day before Black Friday. So that's one

reason why we didn't see those long lines outside of stores across the United States.

Another reason, many shoppers are simply doing their shopping from home. And in fact the national retail Federation estimating that about 59 percent

of shoppers will actually buy their stuff online. But they also are estimating that about 115 million people will still do shopping today which

means Black Friday will still continue to hold that title of one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Hannah.

JONES: Polo, thank you. Stay with our show, we'll have more coverage of the Sinai attacks in Egypt and other stories of that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:32:45] JONES: Hello everyone, I'm Hannah Vaughan Jones sitting in for Hala Gorani Tonight.

This hour, massacre in the Sinai, more than 230 people dead in an attack on a mosque. We asked how could be behind the bloodshed.

Also, after nearly four decades, Zimbabwe has a new president. We're live in the country on this historic day.

We return now to our top story. An attack on a mosque in Egypt has reportedly sparked a military response. This is footage from inside that

mosque in the Northern Sinai where state media say attackers interrupted Friday prayers with bombs and gunfire killing 235 people.

The president of Egypt is vowing to use brute force against those responsible and the White House says the U.S. president is speaking to

President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi this hour about this attack itself.

Joining me now CNN's Ian Lee. Ian spent nine years in Egypt and was in the Sinai region just last year as well. Ian, Egypt is no stranger to terror

attacks, but on this scale, and on this mosque as well, it must have left the whole country reeling.

LEE: It really has, Hannah. Just looking at what friends are posting in Egypt about this attack. It really has shaken a lot of Egyptians because

of just the sheer death toll, 235 people killed, over a hundred people injured in this attack.

And how well organized this attack and how it was carried out, you had these small explosives from what we're hearing that went off outside when

people fled the mosque, that's when the gunmen opened fire. And then with the people who remained inside, the gunmen went inside and essentially

executed them.

The ambulances that tried to get to the mosque to help those people, they were also ambushed and they had to wait until security forces were able to

come and secure the area so that the rescue personnel could move in and rescue those people.

Now, while no one has claimed responsibility, when you look at how this happened, where it happened, it bears all the hallmarks of an ISIS attack.

And that's something that we'll be looking into.

But the President right now has said that he's ordered the military, the Air Force to go after these people, to comb the desert to try to find them.

And he said he's going to use brute force in ensuring that there's retribution.

[15:35:15] JONES: Ian, for now, thanks very much indeed. We'll be hearing more in a report from Ian later on in the program, but for now, thank you.

Well, this mosque that Ian has been talking about is often frequented by Sufi Muslims. Sufi, I believe, is in a mystical form of Islam with

followers among both Sunnis and Shias.

Analysts say it's difficult to estimate how many Muslims follow Sufi practices. It's believed there are relatively few in number, but Sufis are

found throughout the Muslim world. Some Sunni Muslim factions call Sufi's heretics and consider their shrines blasphemous.

Let's get some more perspective in all of this. I'm joined now by an expert on the dynamics in the region, the Sinai region. Fawaz Gerges is

the chair of Contemporary Middle Eastern Studies at the London School of Economics. Fawaz, great to see you.

We need to talk about the attackers even though there's been no claim of responsibility yet and of course, the targets here

Donald Trump tweeted earlier saying that it was horrible and cowardly. We must defeat them. Do we know for sure who they are yet?

FAWAZ GERGES, AUTHOR, "ISIS: A HISTORY": Well, we have an idea about the multiple factions that exist in Egypt. So, in particular in North Sinai,

Hannah, an insurgency that has existed for almost more than a decade. And it has intensified since 2013 when the Egyptian government toppled Mohammed

Morsi, Brotherhood president.

And in particular in the past few years, there have been really scores of strategic attacks that have claimed hundred, if not thousands of lives.

Today's attack -- I mean, not only was the deadliest but in fact it was the most savage and cruel, killing worshipers, hunting worshipers using rocket

grenades, dozens of attackers. It's a huge, huge, attack both in terms of, I mean, magnitude and also in terms of the savagery and cruelty.

JONES: The area we're talking about is the Northern Sinai. Explain for us why this is such a volatile region and who are the players who have a

vested interest in this area?

GERGES: I mean North Sinai is populated by basically many Bedouins, Egyptian Bedouins. And you have multiple grievances, Hannah, social

grievances, economic grievances, ideological grievances.

A last segment of the population in North Sinai believes that the Egyptian government has marginalized them. They feel basically disadvantaged. They

feel that the tourism resources are not really invested in their area.

So, really, the drivers behind the insurgency in the past 15 years or so are social and economic and political. It felt excluded and marginalized,

but in the past four years in particular, this insurgency has taken on an Islamist, a hard-core Islamist basically current (ph). And in the past

three years, they have joined ISIS.

So, what you have now in North Sinai is Wilayat Sinai or Sinai province that basically has taken on the ISIS brand. But we should not be deceived

by this brand because there are multiple drivers behind this insurgency.

JONES: Which brings us on to this concept of Sufism as well, which so many of us will just not understand what it is and in particular why ISIS, a

terrorist organization, yes, but so say with an Islamic kind of ideology at its heart. Why would Muslims go after Muslims?

GERGES: What we need to understand, Hannah, you have multiple factions. So, you have the ISIS affiliate, Wilayat Sinai, you have al Qaeda and you

have freelancers. So, you have multiple players in North Sinai, in Alexandria and Cairo.

So far in the past few years, they have basically targeted mainly Christians. And dozens of Christians have been killed and --

JONES: Top (ph) Christians.

GERGES: -- absolutely. But in the past few months, we have seen ISIS particular or Al Qaeda targeting Sufis. And Sufis are perceived by

hardliners as hieratical. Because in fact, in Egypt they represent millions of people, millions of Egyptians and North Africans subscribe to

Sufism. In the past few months, ISIS beheaded two Sufi clerics in the same area.

So, the Sufis now really are being targeted and this is the first attack, for (INAUDIBLE) it was the first attack that targets a mosque in such a

brutal and cruel attack against Muslim worshipers.

JONES: We've been hearing so much over the last couple of months, year, that ISIS is losing territory. Is this anything about trying to gain

territory within this Northern Sinai region?

GERGES: It's a very, very important question because the so-called Islamic State is being dismantled physically in Iraq and Syria. It's losing badly.

It's bleeding, but yet it has expanded, has expanded to Egypt, to Yemen, to other places.

In Egypt, it's one of the most powerful affiliates of ISIS, Wilayat Sinai. It has really more than 1,000 operatives. It has been able to carry out

multiple attacks, not only that, I mean, if you have the Egyptian Army and the Security Forces are some of the most skilled in the Middle East itself.

[15:40:09] It tells you about the skilled and also the nature of this particular, you know, movement in Egypt.

JONES: Fawaz, we always appreciate your expertise. Thank you very much indeed for coming in.

And to other news now, one of London's busiest underground stations is open again after a reported incident that created mass hysteria and panic

earlier on. Police responded to reports of shots being fired at Oxford Circus Station. But later said they could find no evidence of that having

taking place.

In a statement, police said officers responded to the incident as if it were a terrorism given the nature of the information they had received.

But that officers had now been stood down.

Earlier today, Zimbabweans got to see something that has never happened since the country's independence, a transition of power. Emmerson

Mnangagwa is the new interim president of Zimbabwe. He was sworn in after an extraordinary week, which upended almost 40 years of oppressive rule.

He paid tribute to his predecessor, Robert Mugabe, but vowed a different path. Let's go live now to Harare, the Zimbabwean capital. Our Farai

Sevenzo is there for us as he has been for the last week or so.

And Farai, a new era has been ushered in by Mnangagwa, but he did praise Mugabe quite a lot. Did he need to show quite so much deference to the

tyrant Mugabe?

FARAI SEVENZO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Hannah, you have to understand what Robert Mugabe means to people like it has been to Emmerson Mnangagwa.

You know, he called him his father and mentor, and he said that the country owed him a great gratitude because he was a founding father of the state of

Zimbabwe.

Now, you not get away from those kinds of praises from ZANU-PF despite the people's words on the streets this week. But today was a different day.

It was not a time for persecution and he say that there was going to be no retribution. That we should let bygones be bygones. But it was an amazing

day, Hanna. Take a look at how the day unfolded.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEVENZO (voice-over): Eighteen days ago, this man was fired by Robert Mugabe, but a single act set off a minor revolution leading Zimbabwe to

distort. Every revolution has a soundtrack. This is Zimbabwe's. A popular song here called Kutonga Kwaro, the crowd sing along to the tune

about a hero who comes along.

Their hero today is their new president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, because the new man is not the old one. Another of the people's heroes is the army

general, who made it all happen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today was a great day and we are happy. And all the people are happy.

EMMERSON MNANGAGWA, ZIMBABWEAN INTERIM PRESIDENT: I, Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa --

SEVENZO: Zimbabwe's new president took the oath of office and signed the paperwork as the crowd rolled their approval.

(on camera): Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa has put pen to paper and has become the third president of the Republic of Zimbabwe.

(voice-over): Mnangagwa spent most of his career serving Mugabe and even went out of his way to praise him this day. He asked the nation to let

bygones be bygones.

MNANGAGWA: There is lot we can do in the present and the future to give our nation a different positive direction. As we do so, we should never

remain hostages of our past. I does humbly appeal to all of us that we let bygones be bygones.

SEVENZO: With incredible speed, the posters and the flags have been printed for this new dawn. And the country is in the grip of a new

positive energy. It's quite something to witness the people who have had no voice suddenly come back to life.

(on camera): And so here we are, Zimbabweans very excited.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

SEVENZO: A new energy has been infused in the nation, which has been asleep for so long. It's a younger president and people are very happy,

are you all happy?

(voice-over): This apparent coup has been very strange. Everybody expected the sound of guns, but the only sound that guns made were the

celebration.

Make no mistake, this is the Army's man. For decades he ran the forces from behind the ministerial desk. Now they happily salute him as

Zimbabwe's new commander-in- chief and the nation's president.

MNANGAGWA: I intend and I am required to serve our country as the president of all citizens, regardless of color, creed, religion, tribe,

totem or political affiliation.

[15:45:15] SEVENZO: The honeymoon with the Army shows no sign of abating. So as (ph) the men in camouflage were the fashion of the day and a new all-

embracing language began to emerge.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is not about color. This is not about race. This is not about anything. It's all about Zimbabwe, white, black, red, green

or what, Zimbabwe for Zimbabweans, we are all Zimbabweans. Let's unite, let's work for Zimbabwe.

SEVENZO: And is this nation's hope that they and their new president can do just that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SEVENZO: And there you have it, Hannah. It remains to be seen, of course, whether this party mood, this purple patch of goodwill, will continue with

the people of Zimbabwe. These coming weeks should tell us exactly what kind of man Mr. Mnangagwa is, what kind of people he will put in his

cabinet, and of course, we'll be here to tell you all about it.

JONES: Yes. Farai, a nation full of hope and a wonderful report there Farai Sevenzo live for us in Harare, thank you.

Still to come tonight on the program, off the back of CNN's reporting which lifted the veil on an underground slave market in Libya, people take to the

streets of Paris to demand action. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JONES: In Libya's slave markets, men are dehumanized, reduced to nothing more than the money others are willing to pay for them.

Since CNN unveiled the country's slave trade where men who traveled to Libya in search of a better life are sold for nothing more than a few

hundred dollars, people in Paris have taken to the streets to demand action. Our Melissa Bell has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the second time in a week, protestors gathered in Paris to express their anger and to

call for an end to slavery. The trigger, CNN's exclusive reporting on Libya's slave markets.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We talk about the weight of words and the shock of images. People were able to see for themselves.

BELL: This is what people were able to see. Dozens of men in Libya being sold at auction many for as little as $400. President Emmanuel Macron

wants the U.N. to act.

EMMANUEL MACRON, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE (through translator): It's a crime against humanity. It is one of the forms of trafficking that is the most

profitable today and that leads to the most serious crimes and that feeds in parts of the terrorist networks.

BELL: The French president was joined this week in Paris by the head of the African Union, he too wants more than words.

MOUSSA FAKI MAHAMAT, AFRICAN UNION CHAIRMAN (through translator): We are in a situation where human beings are threatened. Imagine you find

yourself in a state where human beings are sold in a souk to the highest bidder. This is abominable and no conscience can accept it. We have to

act and we have to act now.

[15:50:03] BELL: That sense of outrage has also been expressed this week in France's National Assembly. The MP, Max Matias Saff (ph), the great,

great grandson of a slave received a standing ovation when he delivered a passionate plea to parliament to act.

And it was the viral Facebook post of another descendent of Guadeloupean slaves, the journalist, Claudy Siar, that led to last Saturday's protest in

Paris. But he believes that the consequences may be felt elsewhere.

CLAUDY SLAR, JOURNALIST (through translator): This has to serve as a wakeup call to African leaders. And I think that with regard to the

pictures, there will be a before and an after.

It's not impossible to imagine that some political systems, that some governments in Africa may wobble and even fall in the coming months because

there has been an awakening and there is a desire for revolution today.

BELL (on camera): The numbers of this latest protest are down on what they were last week, but the anger of those here is undiminished. And the

organizers say that they will continue holding these protests so that the momentum is not lost. Melissa Bell, CNN, in Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JONES: A potential lifeline now for the German chancellor as the opposition says it is ready to talk. Angela Merkel has been caught in a

political deadlock and the Social Democrats said they wouldn't renew a coalition. Post-election talks to form a new government collapsed on

Sunday.

Now, though, in a bid for a new deal, the Social Democrats have softened their stance saying they will meet next week with Mrs. Merkel's alliance.

Our Atika Shubert is in Berlin with more.

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, earlier this week, Germany was plunged into political crisis. Now at the end of the

week, there is a possible way out. This is all due to German President Walter Steinmeier.

He has been talking to party leaders throughout the week and he has managed to get the leaders of the two biggest parties to agree to sit down for

talks next week.

Now, those two parties being, of course, Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats, the CDU, as well as the left-leaning Social Democrats,

the SPD led by Martin Schulz.

Now there is a hitch to all this. While Merkel might be happy with having another grand coalition of the two biggest parties, Martin Schulz of the

SPD had previously ruled it out saying it would not be possible.

So, it's not clear what exactly will happen next when they sit down for talks. Are we looking at the beginnings of another grand coalition or are

we looking at something more like a minority government led by Merkel but propped up by the SPD?

And we should have a better idea next week when party leaders finally sit down for another round of talks. Atika Shubert, CNN, Berlin.

JONES: Atika, thank you.

Now for more than five years, the conflicts in Syria has shocked and appalled the world. This week, the talk between the leaders of Russia,

Turkey and Iran was a finding of peaceful settlement. But as Nick Paton Walsh now reports, some parts of the war-ravaged country are still not

seeing any signs of that peace.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You may have thought this was over, but it is not. You may have heard Russia,

Iran, and Turkey talking about their peace plans. Besieged Eastern Ghouta near the capital where hunger is so profound is reportedly led to suicide.

Meals of trash, a ceasefire elsewhere means bombs here. Relentless, over ten days, reported 100 dead. The mortars continuing Friday, even the head

long dash to the rescue is deadly itself.

You may have heard of starve and surrender. A favorite regime tactic to deprive their opponents of the strength to fight on. The bombs that came

with it took the lives of their children here.

ISIS may be done, but the savagery is not neither is the hatred or the need for vengeance. Nearly 200,000 are besieged here. So short of food, a

single lemon has its price written on it. Imagine dealing with nightmares when awake but also with insane hunger.

Here, sugar is $40 a kilo and a single egg $1.20. This week, Russia, Iran and Turkey declared a conference to settle the post-ISIS peace in Syria.

[15:55:05] And a day before, Assad let the world know how grateful to Moscow he is, perhaps unwittingly with this hug. Ghouta's torture went

unseen there, but its pain may mute the victory cries you'll hear in Moscow from Damascus. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JONES: Still to come tonight, an attack on worshipers may be the deadliest in Egyptian history. We'll hear from one journalist on the ground in

Cairo. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JONES: We return to our top story now. Another attack targeting worshipers as they prayed appears now to be the deadliest in Egypt's

history. This is footage from inside the mosque where state media says twin blasts shook the building and gunmen fired then on fleeing crowds.

State media also say the attack itself killed at least 235 worshipers. No group has yet claimed responsibility, but a source tells CNN the military -

- Egyptian military is already hunting for the attackers.

Our Ian Lee spent nine years in Egypt and was in the Sinai just last year as he reports, now this attack is hardly the first to strike this region.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEE (voice-over): The scene of a massacre in Egypt's Northern Sinai. Militants attacked a mosque as worshipers conducted their midday prayers.

Eyewitnesses described small explosives going off outside of the mosque. Gunmen then shot people fleeing then entered the mosque to kill those who

remained leaving this carnage in their wake.

The militants, even ambushed ambulances, on their way to the injured and dead. The death toll continues to rise in the country's deadliest terrorist

attack. So far, no claim of responsibility, but it bares the hallmark of ISIS.

Egypt's president addressed the nation promising swift retribution with brute force.

ABDEL FATTAH EL-SISI, EGYPTIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): This act aimed to destroy our morale, destroy our steadfastness, make us doubt our

abilities. This cruel terrorist will strengthen our resolve, our strength, and our will to stand up to and resist and battle against terrorism.

LEE: Egypt's military and Air Force launched an operation to hunt the culprits. President Trump, Sisi's close ally -- tweeted his condemnation

saying, horrible and cowardly terrorist attack on innocent and defenseless worshippers in Egypt. The world cannot tolerate terrorism. We must defeat

them militarily and discredit the extremist ideology that forms the basis of their existence.

Egyptian security forces have been battling ISIS for years. In 2015, an ISIS bomb downed Russian Metrojet 9268 flying from Egypt's Sharm El Sheikh

Airport, killing 224 passengers and crew.

The terrorists frequently target Egypt's minority Christian community, killing dozens in an attack on two churches last April. The terror group

also target Egypt's security forces on a daily basis.

FAWAZ GERGES, PROFESSOR, LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL SCIENCE: This is a strategic attack. It delivers multiple messages. It shows that

the Egyptian government cannot protect its own population.

And also, it shows the ability of militants, whether you're talking about the Wilayat Sinai, which is an affiliate of ISIS, or other freelancers

because you have multiple factions who subscribe to this insidious ideology who have been operating in Egypt in Northern Sinai and even in Alexandria

and Cairo and other cities as well.

LEE: As the war against ISIS in Iraq and Syria wind down, officials express concern that radical militancy in Egypt could get worse.

Ian Lee, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HANNAH VAUGHAN JONES, CNN ANCHOR: I want to bring in a journalist now who is on the ground in Egypt. Jacob Wirtschafter joins us now on the phone

from Cairo.

Jacob, talk us through what the kind of reaction has been within the capital there to what's gone on in the northern Sinai?

JACOB WIRTSCHAFTER, MIDDLE EAST REPORTER, ARA NETWORK: You know, earlier today, in downtown Cairo, we saw all those advertisements of the Black

Friday. And this has turned into a real Black Friday here for Egyptians. And not a retail day, but a day of mourning, a day of severe distress

because it looks like you have Islamists going after Muslims, going after the Sufi Muslim who had a community in the north Sinai.

And the military is saying that basically this attack on civilians is happening because the ISIS attack on the military had failed, so that ISIS

is looking for another kind of soft target and that is the population of the Sinai. They have already chased the Coptic Christians out of there.

So, the next minority group to go after is this sectarian minority, the contemplative Sufi Muslims.

JONES: The president has already promised a response "with brute force." What can we expect and has an operation already begun?

WIRTSCHAFTER: Anecdotally, we're hearing a heavy aerial campaign that has already begun in the mountainous areas of the Sinai, where they really

believe that the Islamic state affiliate folks are hanging out.

We're also expecting, over the course of the next 24 to 48 hours, lots of round ups, both in north Sinai and also probably closer to the canal zone.

This town, Bir al-Abed, was about two-thirds of the way between the border crossing between Palestine and Egypt to Gaza and the Suez Canal.

So, in a way, the other frightening part about this for Egyptian civilians is the wave of terrorism is creeping a little bit closer to Cairo.

JONES: Jacob, we appreciate you talking to us on the program. Jacob Wirtschafter is on the line from Cairo. Thank you.

Let's get some more insight and analysis on this horrendous story. H.A. Hellyer is a senior fellow at Atlantic Council and an associates fellow at

the Royal United Services Institute here in London. He joins me on the set now as you can see. Thank you very much for coming in.

H. A. HELLYER, ATLANTIC COUNCIL SENIOR FELLOW: Thank you.

JONES: Had this type of attack been on the cards for some time? Were you surprised that we saw it on this scale and on this particular community?

HELLYER: I think everyone was surprised there. Having said that, I would mention that, especially over the last hour, there have been reports coming

through via a very reliable website in Egypt, it's called Mada Masr, M-A-D- A M-A-S-R and they claim that they've spoken people associated with the mosque that was attacked were related and that actually threats were made

against this mosque and by the people in it from radical groups about a week ago.

JONES: Right.

HELLYER: And as a result, they took certain precautions. So, I don't know if it came as much of a surprise. But, certainly, this is a phenomenon

that we've seen rising gently in terms of importance within the Sinai Peninsula, where you have radical groups targeting Sufi figures, and this

seems to be the next step, alas.

JONES: You think radical groups, everyone sort of pointing the finger at ISIS, but as far as I know, the group hasn't yet claimed responsibility.

[15:35:02] If it is responsible, why wouldn't it just claim it straight away?

HELLYER: So, very often, ISIS won't necessarily claim responsibility straight away. It might wait for a day or two. So, I suspect that it is

ISIS.

The question that I have is whether or not it's ISIS Sinai or it's another cell related to ISIS and linked to ISIS that isn't ISIS Sinai. But we'll

have to wait for that.

JONES: Is that a delay rather, is that because they're waiting to see how effective and how widespread their massacre has been.

HELLYER: It may be frankly that they are dealing with the repercussions because as your contact said, in Cairo, right now, there is a campaign that

is ongoing against groups like this in the Sinai. So, maybe that they didn't fully appreciate what sort of response would happen. We don't know.

But, generally speaking, ISIS does take a little bit of time to actually claim responsibility.

JONES: The President el-Sisi has already said that he's going to respond quickly with brute force. Should the government take a very inwards look,

though, and say security was lapse and security should be stepped up at all religious sites across the country?

HELLYER: So, this will be very interesting, right? So, after you saw attacks on churches in Egypt, this was something that was definitely raised

by the Coptic community, and the government claims that they did precisely that.

But having said that, you've had attacks on churches, so, there's obviously, some sort of breakdown there. When it comes to this particular

attack, I don't think anybody expected that mosques would be the next target. Mosques have been targeted before in Egypt, but we're talking in

the 90s.

And recently, you haven't seen these sorts of attacks take place. There was an attempt in Ponta a year ago. It was a failed attempt. This is

quite extraordinary. This is probably the largest terrorist attack that we've seen from a militant group in modern Egyptian history.

JONES: So what does that then tell us then about ISIS tactics going forward, if it's now Muslims on Muslims?

HELLYER: Yes. Well, this is what's very concerning. First, it's important to say, Muslims on Muslims, ISIS by far, has killed more Muslims

than any other community on the face of the planet.

It targets Muslims. Muslims are the ones that die fighting ISIS far more than any other community around the world. So, I think that that's

important. So, Muslim on Muslim, this is ISIS against everybody else. It has been for a very long time.

JONES: Right. They do it in the name of Islam, but it's far from --

HELLYER: They may do it in the name of Islam. But, you know, you've seen a lot of different groups use whatever mobilization tool they can in order

to claim legitimacy. But as we've seen ISIS kills more Muslims than anybody else. Muslims are the main recipients of the violence, the main

victims of the violence.

What is very disturbing about this particular attack means that ISIS has yet again redefined what civilian and combatant actually means, which

means, unfortunately, alas, yet again more proof that ISIS considers everybody that isn't onside with it to be a potential target.

JONES: H. A. Hellyer, thank you very much for your analysis. We appreciate it.

HELLYER: Thank you.

JONES: It was a killing and a trial that captivated the entire world. Now, former Olympic and Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius will be

spending even more time behind bars for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

An appeals courts more than doubled his sentence after the prosecution argued that his previous sentence was too lenient. Reeva Steenkamp's

family welcomed the longer sentence, saying she can now rest in peace. Oscar Pistorius can appeal this new sentence.

Let's get over to Johannesburg now. Our Eleni Giokos is there with the very latest. Eleni, will he appeal?

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, that's the interesting question. He tried to appeal his conviction.

Remember, it moved from culpable homicide to murder. And then the constitutional court, the highest court in the land, said that they did not

want to hear the case, that it wasn't a constitutional matter. He might just have a loophole now because the judge today had spoken about the

reasons why they decided to change the sentence from 6 years to 15 years.

Firstly, they said it was shockingly lenient, it was appropriate. But the presiding judge over the case had taken his personal circumstances too much

into consideration, that they had overstated his personal issues.

And that, of course, being the fact that he's a double amputee, that he has vulnerabilities, and immense paranoia about a break-in into his house and

that's why he fired four shots into a confined space without firing a warning shot or shouting out to find out who was behind that door.

So, the judges today didn't take his disability into consideration. So, that might just be something that they could mention to the constitutional

court. But in the past, they have failed to appeal.

JONES: Eleni, when this trial first took place, it captivated everyone. The world's media were just there taking in every single moment of it. But

it's very much gone away now in terms of the press at least anyway since he was handed down that last sentence.

[15:40:09] Has the Steenkamp family, though, long been campaigning, albeit quietly, for an increased sentence?

GIOKOS: Well, it's interesting. They voiced their concerns that they wanted justice will be served. And they lost their daughter and the man

that killed their daughter, you know, got an initial five years. That was changed to then six years. And now, they're saying that they feel that

justice has finally been served, that, you know, Reeva is going to finally rest in peace.

And they quietly have been voicing their concerns about the justice system. What's also important to note here, and the judge had mentioned that, Oscar

Pistorius was a weak witness. He didn't offer up the information that was required. And then he didn't show the remorse needed for them to look

differently at the amount of years he should be spending in jail, and that he didn't take accountability and responsibility for his actions.

And that was what really came through quite strongly today. And I think that that's also what Reeva Steenkamp's family has been reiterating through

the years that the remorse and the apology was just really not there and heartfelt.

JONES: Eleni Giokos live for us there in Johannesburg. Eleni, thank you.

Still to come on HALA GORANI TONIGHT, the crackdown on dissent in China is increasingly targeting lawyers and activists. We'll bring you some of

their stories up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JONES: Once a slave in Egypt, a Nepali woman dreamed of freedom and of climbing her country's famous Mt. Everest. She achieved both and now

campaigns to raise awareness of the thousands of Nepali women and children who are sold into slavery every single year. Ravi Agrawal reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAVI AGRAWAL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kanchi Maya Tamang going home a hero. It's been seven long months away. And in that time, she

conquered the greatest human challenge of all. She climbed Mount Everest. It's an unlikely turnaround.

Until just last year, she says she was trapped in what is known as modern- day slavery. She tells us she was a maid for a rich Arab family in Cairo. She was exploited, she says, abused, a prisoner.

Tamang says she was never allowed to leave the house without minders. She even says her passport was confiscated.

When I raise concerns, they would say we could kill you and throw away your body and no one would ever question us, she recounts.

The power dynamic was clear. She says she was enslaved and it lasted for six years.

Tamang tells CNN she begged and pleaded that she needed to return home to see her ailing mother. As sometimes happens in these cases, her employers

eventually relented, and she was free.

[15:45:00] Now, Tamang was a woman on a mission. She wanted to raise awareness about modern-day slavery to make sure what happened to her didn't

happen to others.

If you speak out normally, it's difficult to get attention, she says. But when you speak out from the top of the world, people sit up and notice.

And for Tamang, the top of the world was Mount Everest.

Nepal's government says it believes Tamang is the first survivor of modern- day slavery to have scaled the world's tallest peak. And now, she's coming home.

Sindhupalchok district is a major hub of human trafficking in Nepal. Young girls from here are often lured to work as maids abroad. Tamang wants to

stop that from happening.

Women here are illiterate, she says, they can't get jobs. They're susceptible to being trafficked. And that's why I want to encourage them

to join the mountaineering business.

A massive earthquake in 2015 has made a bad situation worse. More than 3,500 people died in Tamang's district alone. Tens of thousands lost their

homes. Again, making them more vulnerable to jobs like the one Tamang escaped from.

This is Tamang's childhood school. Here, her story is already legend.

We have to start raising awareness against this crime from the school levels, she says, as the students listen intently. The school was on her

way home all the way up the hill.

Tamang stops again. Other schools knew she was headed this way on the long journey home. Her story has spread. She warns the children to avoid her

fate.

Finally, she makes it to her parents. They're excited, proud. They've gathered friends from around the village to welcome her, a traditional

ritual, and then it's time to settle in.

The family is poor, but Tamang hopes she will win supporters to fund her antislavery campaign. She's now planning to climb other top peaks with

this message. We are people, not property.

I am a victim of modern-day slavery, she says. I want everyone who's been in my situation to not feel defeated because together we can achieve big

things in life.

It's a tall order, but Tamang says she can make a difference one mountain at a time.

Ravi Agrawal, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JONES: China's president has become one of the country's most powerful leaders ever. But his rise of power comes with a crackdown on those who

disagree with him.

CNN Matt Rivers spoke to some dissenters who say they were told never to speak out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: He looks tired on the cusp of defeat. Broadcast on state media, respected human rights lawyer, Jiang

Tianyong confesses to inciting subversion of state power. On Tuesday, a court sentenced him to two years in prison.

Half a world away, living in political asylum in California, his wife, Jin Bianling, watched in disbelief. He must have been horribly tortured, she

told CNN, tortured because there is no way, Jin says, that his confession is real. He used to tell me, if I ever admit to a crime like this, it

means I've been tortured.

In custody for nearly a year now, Jiang Tianyong's story is not unique in today's China. Activists says President Xi Jinping has overseen a campaign

of increased suppression on human rights advocates and those lawyers who represent them in court on cases that range from defending labor rights to

religious freedom.

Since July 2015, hundreds of lawyers and activists in the small tight knit human rights community have been arrested in what's become known as the

largest such crackdown in decades.

Among those arrested, Sui Muqing. We met him in secret at a Beijing apartment. They arrested me at midnight, before dawn, he says. For me,

this is kidnapping.

Picked up on charges of quote, endangering state security, he says he was held in a windowless room for nearly five months. No T.V., no books, no

contact with the outside world with guards in the room watching him 24 hours a day, including when he used the bathroom. Daily interrogation

sessions lasted hours, he said.

After one month, they forbid me from sleeping for four days and nights. By the fifth day, I felt like I was going to die. He says he only confessed

after he was threatened with being chained from the ceiling with a strobe light hung in front of his eyes.

[15:50:00] Famous Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei says he was held in similar conditions for 81 days in 2011. He detailed his experience in this

music video.

The Chinese government can hold people for up to six months in what activists call legalized black jails, completely cut off from their

families and lawyers. Activists argue that because these facilities exist outside the regular prison system, abuse and torture is more rampant.

We asked the Chinese government about these specific allegations in our story, but they did not reply to our request for comment. The government

has regularly said in the past that it does not torture prisoners. Beijing maintains these activists are criminals, dealt with under the law.

One activist pointed us to one so-called black jail where he was held in a southwestern city of Guilin.

And to be honest, we didn't know what to expect when we were walking up here. But around here, it is relatively quiet. That's an unassuming

building, but it does belie what activists say goes on inside.

The activist said he was kept here for weeks with little sleep and no access to the outside world. And his family had no idea where he was. The

government denied that this was a detention facility.

Foreign activists have been subjected to this crackdown too. Swedish human rights advocate, Peter Dahlin was held for three weeks in a different

facility and says he only confessed to quote, inciting opposition to the government after authorities targeted his Chinese girlfriend.

Dahlin's confession was broadcast across China, just like Jiang Tianyong. Dahlin was let go after his video was released. Jiang, however, remains in

prison.

In California, with her young daughter, Jiang's wife Jin knows the reality of fighting for human rights in Xi Jinping's China.

JIN BIANLING, WIFE OF JIANG TIANYONG (through translator): It's so hard, but there is no way out. I don't know how many more years it will be before

we can reunite. I have no idea how long this nightmare will continue.

Matt Rivers, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JONES: Important to hear their voice. Matt Rivers there with that report. More of our show just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JONES: Welcome back. Now if you think of think of Amazon, you may picture warehouses filled with boxes. But, today, Amazon is thinking outside the

box. It opened physical pop-up stores worldwide for Black Friday.

Now, at first, it may seem like a strange call. Bricks and Mortar stores appeared to be losing the battle with online counterparts, like Amazon.

But Samuel Burke in London has more now on the logic behind the move.

SAMUEL BURKE, CNN BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT: Hannah, there is a major shift happening right now. Fifty-nine percent of Americans say

that they plan to shop online this year. That's the first time that we've seen more people planning to do in the digital world than the physical

world.

Even though we hear so much about Brick and Mortar stores closing up because they can't compete with Amazon, that very same company is actually

opening up more and more spaces in the physical world, including an Amazon pop-up shop.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BURKE: So, Paul (ph), it's Amazon's Home a Black Friday, and this is the kitchen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's right.

BURKE: But the real question for you guys is Amazon was always supposed to be a digital space. That's what made you more efficient. You didn't have

to pay for Brick and Mortar shop. So, why a place like this, kitchen, for Black Friday.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we always try to experiment at Amazon. We did that when we first brought Black Friday to the U.K. back in 2010. That

year, we just had 300 bales just on Black Friday.

[15:55:08] BURKE: Why spend all the time creating this beautiful kitchen when you guys own Whole Foods now? There's a Whole Foods right down the

street here in London where you could be doing all this. Isn't that why you guys bought Whole Foods?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because we are selling to people in their homes. And we want people to see how this product will work in their homes. And what

we've done here is try to create what a home might look like.

BURKE: It is interesting because you see the tentacles of Amazon expanding. You've got Amazon Lockers by my work. You have this pop-up

shop. And it does make some people wonder where will it stop.

I mean, is Amazon's goal to be in all parts of our lives, literally from the living room to next door to our work?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think Amazon's goal is to make things easier for our customers. And if that means by putting a delivery locker near your work

is easier for you to get your parcel, if by putting a place like this together so that people can understand how to put our work easier, then

that's what we'll do. It's all about focusing on what makes it easier for our customers.

BURKE: As long as they sign up for Prime.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BURKE: So, who are going to be the big winners here, Hannah? When you speak to experts, they say it will be the places that have a foothold in

both the digital and the physical world, like Amazon is doing, the way Walmart is with its acquisition of Jet.com.

Left in the dust could be people like Target and Costco, which just haven't been able to build out their digital spaces as well.

JONES: Samuel Burke reporting for us there. That's it for the program this evening. Thanks so much for watching HALA GORANI TONIGHT with me

Hannah Vaughan Jones. Stay with us, though, on CNN. QUEST MEANS BUSINESS is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END