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Pope Will Not Respond to Archbishop's Accusation; McCain to Be Honored in Several Memorials This Week; Trump Says Pompeo Won't Go To North Korea; Verdict Delayed For Two Jailed Journalists in Myanmar; British-Iranian Woman Returns to Prison in Tehran; Catholic Sexual Abuse Scandal; Florida Shooting; Venezuela Mass Exodus; Arizona Sports Teams Honor John McCain. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired August 27, 2018 - 00:00   ET

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

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CYRIL VANIER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): The pope refuses to address a damning accusation he covered up sexual abuse in the church years ago.

Plus, a gunman opens fire on a video gaming competition in Florida, killing two people.

And tributes pour in for the late senator, John McCain.

Thanks for joining us. I'm Cyril Vanier in Atlanta. CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

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VANIER: So Pope Francis has ruled out saying a single word for now about a bombshell letter by the former Vatican ambassador to Washington, calling for his resignation. In the letter, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano said he told the pope back in 2013 about sexual abuse allegations against a cardinal.

But he says the pontiff did nothing about it. Pope Francis is now back in Rome, following his visit to Ireland, where he repeatedly asked for forgiveness for abuses committed by the Roman Catholic Church.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

POPE FRANCIS (through translator): We ask forgiveness for the time as a church we did not show the survivors of whatever kind of abuse the compassion and seeking of justice and truth through concrete actions. We ask for forgiveness.

None of can fail to be moved by the stories of young people who suffered abuse. They were robbed of their innocence, separated from their mothers and left scarred by painful memories. This open wound challenges us to be firm and decisive in the pursuit of truth and justice. (END VIDEO CLIP)

VANIER: The pope's visit to Ireland was marked by crowds flocking to his Sunday mass in Dublin, while others gathered in the city center to protest abuses by the church. More now from CNN Vatican correspondent, Delia Gallagher.

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DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: At the end of his two-day trip to Ireland, a trip in which sex abuse and the church's response to it was one of the main topics of the pope's speeches, the pope himself with papal journalists on the plane returning to Rome fielded questions, including one about allegations made by his former ambassador to Washington D.C., Archbishop Vigano, that the pope knew about allegations of sexual abuse of seminarians on the part of former cardinal McCarrick.

Pope Francis told journalists he had read the 11-page statement from the Archbishop Vigano, which implicates Pope Francis and a number of other Catholic Church hierarchy officials.

And the pope responded in this way. He said, "Read the statement carefully and make your own judgment. I will not say a single word on this. I believe the statement speaks for itself. When some time passes and you have drawn your conclusions, I may speak."

Pope Francis only saying he's not going to engage with the accusations of his former ambassador to Washington.

One of the other questions over the weekend in Ireland on abuse and others was a question of an action plan at the Vatican. They didn't want to just hear words, they wanted to see action. Pope Francis was not directly asked about an action plan but journalists on board the papal plane but asked about how he tends to hold bishops accountable for cover-up.

And the pope explained although the bishop's tribunal, which originally been planned, did not come to fruition, there is an office to judge bishops. The pope says it is a separate office from the one which judges priests accused of sex abuse.

And Francis said that the reason for the separate office is because it wasn't practical, he says, for different reasons, such as the different cultures of bishops. Not entirely clear what the pope is referring to there.

What is clear after this press conference and weekend in Ireland, is that, although Pope Francis has dismissed the accusations made against him on the part of his former Vatican ambassador to the United States, there are still some outstanding questions for Pope Francis and the Vatican on transparency for bishops being held accountable for sexual abuse and for the general response and action plan that people have been calling for from the Vatican -- Delia Gallagher, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE) (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VANIER: Sister Joan Chittister joins me now. She is the author of "The Gift of Years."

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VANIER: Sister, an archbishop is attacking the pope directly, by name. It's an extraordinary situation. He is accusing Pope Francis of covering up accusations of sex abuse.

What is your reaction?

SISTER JOAN CHITTISTER, AUTHOR: Well, I'll tell you very directly, Cyril -- it is almost meaningless whether this is true or untrue. Even if it is untrue, it is damaging; could even be disastrous. If it is true, it is a demonstration, as far as I am concerned, of just how destructive and how infectious the culture of clericalism is.

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VANIER: So Sister -- let's examine -- let's examine both scenarios. If it is true, if what the archbishop says is true and Pope Francis did indeed cover up and do nothing about accusations of sex abuse by a senior member of the clergy here in the U.S., do you think that the pope should resign?

CHITTISTER: Well, I'm not going to go that far at this point about resignation. The fact of the matter is that the responsibility, no matter however this particular issue is resolved, the responsibility for this entire issue lies in Rome, in the Vatican.

You have a theology of church where 1 percent of the population is a patriarchy from top to bottom male and the rest of the church is preserve. We call the church the people of God.

But when only 1 percent of the church defines its ideas, determines its future, considers its obligations, requires accountability, what you are really moving into then is the country of the episcopacy.

Or to put it another way a theology of obedience that says when we talk, you believe us. We are the people. We have the insight and the vision. We have the ear of God. So blind obedience, which I would say, quite clearly, is a sin against conscience.

VANIER: I need you to also consider the alternative scenario where the accusations are not true.

Why would the archbishop level those accusations against the pope if it is not true?

And what would you think of that?

CHITTISTER: Well, Cyril -- it would be done for the same reasons that any other human being would do it. In other words, there is a difference of opinion. He does not like what the pope is doing. Or the pope speaks of mercy. He believes that there is not enough justice going on in the church, or not enough law-giving or rule- keeping. So, he has a different philosophy of what church should be.

He might be doing it because he is not a well man. He may be carrying some of his own emotional, psychological baggage.

Who knows?

His motives can be the motives of any other human being.

VANIER: Sister Joan Chittister -- thank you so much for your insights and your reactions and your heartfelt words on this issue. Thank you.

CHITTISTER: Well, thank you -- Cyril for caring.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VANIER: Once again, a mass shooting in the United States. This was at a video game tournament in Florida. At least two people were killed in Jacksonville, when a young man who was competing in the tournament opened fire and then killed himself. We're starting to learn a bit more about him. Polo Sandoval has the latest on this.

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POLO SANDOVAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, police in Jacksonville, Florida, confirmed that the suspect behind the nation's latest mass shooting is a 24-year-old man from Baltimore, Maryland. Police confirming his identity. David Katz is among the three people dead at the scene.

Katz allegedly opened fire at a video game competition Sunday afternoon inside a Jacksonville restaurant. Police also believed that Katz was a participant at this video game tournament though they have not confirmed a motive, only saying that he used a handgun in the shooting.

An investigator says Katz shot and killed two people; nine others were also shot and now recovering from their injuries. Police now asking the community for any video. They're already going over that footage that already has been circulating online that shows the seconds before those shots rang out, keep offering a picture inside that game bar.

Investigators also conducting a search of this suspect's vehicle, as they try to piece together a motive in this case -- Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.

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VANIER: Adam Coughran is the president of Safe Kids, which seeks to educate children about --

[00:10:00] VANIER: -- how to survive active shootings.

With your background, you've had to look and analyze a number of these situations.

What strikes you most about these particular shooting?

ADAM COUGHRAN, PRESIDENT, SAFE KIDS INCORPORATED: The shooting is really close. You know, from what we can tell our viewers, it appears to be some sort of like a bankrupt room or something where it is close quarters, a lot of people playing.

And they're not really paying attention. They're paying attention to their screens and not that surround us.

VANIER: Yes. It's a -- it's a bar where people play video games.

COUGHRAN: Correct. So you have an area that people are focused not on the area around them, they're focused on their video game. And so, when we see this type of temper, presumably, some of early witnesses were talking about that he had lost a very intense game. And he had -- you know, kind of a blank stare in his eye.

He produces a handgun and now you have a close quarters area where it's very easy to hurt a lot of people very quickly.

VANIER: What do you tell the children that you work with about mass shootings?

COUGHRAN: So we say you have to be aware. And we kind of coined a term that we call hide, escape, run and overcome. That was the things that your body will watch do naturally fight, flight or freeze.

And then listen to your body. And to do something, not just stand there. And do something to get out to try to overcome, maybe physically this person if you have to. Do something to help increase your survivability as opposed to just standing by and not doing anything.

VANIER: So what would you tell children or minors who are watching this right now?

What do they need to know?

COUGHRAN: Pay attention. I mean, number one is pay attention to the surroundings. Once you see something is wrong, once said a shooting or stabbing or some sort of violence, try to find a way out.

There is no reason to stay behind. Try to find the way out of that area quickly. If you are close enough to this person or this person is hurting you directly, do something physically. Whether you have to throw something at them or run into them or push them or so something. Try to get out of that area as quickly and safely as you can.

VANIER: Look, I have to tell you something. I mean, your title, the name of your organization, the whole thing, I just find a little bit shocking. And I don't mean that in a derogatory way but -- you know, you seek to educate children about how to survive active shootings.

The fact that this even exists to me is a bit of an indictment of what's going on. In fact, a huge indictment.

COUGHRAN: It is and it's really the sign of the times. You know, it just find the surname of safe kids. You know, we have found things in life that have hurt kids all throughout. You know, whether you go back several years and you look at school fires. And you look at you're bullying.

You look at all the things, this is a sign of the times. It's a different time that these kids are growing up and then, then, you or I grew up in. And it's just the next evolution of how to be keep ourselves safe from things in life that want to really hurt us.

VANIER: Invariably, these mass shootings restart the conversation about gun control in the U.S.

Is there one common-sense measure that you wish were implemented in this country?

COUGHRAN: You know, in looking at you know, both the rights that we have in this country. And now, the vast acts of violence, you know, one of the things that I say is treated almost like a driver's license. Treat it to where there is a process to learn about the firearm, how to handle it safely.

And there is steps to get a driver's license in every state. Let's take some steps to get a license for certain types of firearms, to at least, have a safety measure behind it. Make sure the people that are getting them are supposed to have them. And those that don't operate them safely or doing something wrong, don't operate them anymore.

VANIER: Well, OK, hold on. I have to push back a little bit or maybe perhaps I'm not fully understanding what you are saying. You're saying you would like people to be better trained in the use of firearms but surely, this mass shootings problem is that is not the people aren't using the weapons properly. That's not the problem.

COUGHRAN: Correct. And so, when you look at the second half of that, so we are keep on that they can operate them safely and they know what they're doing. And not essentially train them how to bit but I can handle a weapon safely.

Then, we look at the second half, who should not have a license, who should not have a firearm?

What do the people and what's the screening process prevent certain people -- potentially there in person, if there were signs and symptoms ahead at time from even getting their hands in that firearm, to begin with?

VANIER: All right, yes. Thank you very much. Adam Coughran -- and I actually -- that brings to mind what the president said. It was a couple months ago now that -- perhaps we should even go with due process. And we should take the hand, the weapons out of people who have mental health issues but it stated that nothing was done after that. And I don't -- we have been seen any substantive policy come out of this administration on this particular issue.

Adam, thank you very much.

COUGHRAN: Thank you, my pleasure.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VANIER: The growing Venezuelan refugee crisis underlines the need for a collective response from South American countries. The U.N. warns it could soon be on a par with the mass migration of refugees across the Mediterranean to Europe.

Thousands of Venezuelans are now walking or taking buses to Peru which has one of the fastest growing economies in the region. But Peruvian authorities have imposed new border controls and are now taking in fewer Venezuelans.

Journalist Stefano --

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VANIER: -- Pozzebon has more from Caracas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Venezuelan migration crisis is quickly escalating to becoming the number one priority across the region. We see that from a meeting today in Bogota, where officials from Colombia, Ecuador and Peru will try to come together to find a solution to tackle this migration crisis.

These three countries are sharing the burden of the maximum numbers of Venezuelans on the road. From Caracas, the feeling is really of a nation (INAUDIBLE), a nation where these (INAUDIBLE) millions of Venezuelans, the only alternative (INAUDIBLE) desperate economic condition that they find here at home is to pack up their bags and leave.

The most worrying sign is that there is no end in sight for this crisis. The Maduro government has seen ruled late last week some economic reforms meant to tackle the hyperinflation and economic collapse of the country. But these reforms have not hit the street and the economy is still going down.

That is the reason why hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans are still leaving the country or still packing up to find a better solution in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru and Brazil. The crisis is spreading across the rest of Latin America -- Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, Caracas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VANIER: The legacy and the legend of the late U.S. senator John McCain. We'll see where they align and where they don't -- when we come back. Stay with us.

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VANIER: The late senator, John McCain, got a goodbye from the world of sports on Sunday. Teams in his state of Arizona held a moment of silence to honor him. He was a proud supporter of the Arizona teams, including the Arizona Cardinals, who honored McCain at their football game against Dallas Sunday night.

Senator McCain will be honored for five days in three distinct locations. First in his home state of Arizona, then at the U.S. Capitol in Washington and, finally, he will be laid to rest at the U.S. Naval Academy in Maryland.

John McCain is also being remembered by the Trump administration with whom, you might remember, he often sparred. Ryan Nobles has that part of the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It seems like almost everyone in Washington has had something to say about the death of Senator John McCain. In most cases, those responses have been very positive about the life of this icon in American politics.

One place where the response has been muted at best has been here at the White House. The flags on the roof of the White House are at half-staff in honor of John McCain. But the president himself has had very little to say.

President Trump sending out one tweet to John McCain, where he wrote "My deepest sympathies and respect go out to the family of Senator John McCain. Our hearts and prayers are with you."

Not too big a surprise the president hasn't had much positive to say about John McCain. The two had a long running feud back to before the president was even elected. Just the last few weeks at rallies and speeches, the president continued to attack Senator McCain's decision to vote against the repeal of ObamaCare, something very important to President Trump.

This feud will continue in the background because it was said Senator McCain was not interested in having President Trump attend his funeral. There will be several former presidents in attendance with two expected to eulogize Senator McCain. It's quite likely President Trump will not even be in attendance -- Ryan Nobles, CNN, at the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VANIER: Historian and CNN political analyst Julian Zelizer joins me now. He is a professor at Princeton University.

Julian what is John McCain's most enduring legacy?

JULIAN ZELIZER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: JULIAN ZELIZER, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Oh, I think when people think of John McCain, A, they will think of him as part of the Reagan revolution, he was the congressional wing of the conservative movement, the remade American politics.

They will remember certain moments in his career whether it was where -- when he push for campaign-finance reform in 2002, or when he opposed President Trump on healthcare, that he served as a maverick going against some of what his party wanted.

And finally, his biggest legacy will be also the election of 2008, where he ran against Barack Obama, had Sarah Palin as his running mate. And in some ways, helped to accelerate the transformation in the Republican Party that is playing out today.

VANIER: John McCain is a legend. There is no question about that. I mean, that is his status now and he's being remembered as such a war hero, a straight talker, putting country above party, as you said. Often though, the actual legacy is more nuanced than the legend. What else do we need to remember about John McCain?

ZELIZER: Yes, I think going back to 2008, many of the things he doesn't like about American politics that he didn't like at the time of his death, the way extremists have become part of mainstream Republican politics.

The kind of tenor that you see in rallies and in some of the conservative media, a lot of that really got underway when he decided to pick Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate and legitimated this part of the Republican Party.

And he was also -- you know, part of a Republican establishment that was within a broken system of campaign finance and money in politics. And even though he became a reformer, he did that in part because he was part of that very system.

VANIER: How do Republican voters -- I mean, current day Republican voters feel about him? Because one of the things that McCain is praise for is sometimes going against his party. But you would assume that's also earned him some enemies.

ZELIZER: Yes, it has. I mean, the irony is he has a pretty conservative voting record. The most conservative should actually be happy with his record. He rarely bucked the party line.

But because he did that on some very high --

[00:25:00] ZELIZER: -- profile issues, particularly his relationship attacks with President Trump, I think there's a lot of Republicans that see him as anything but a Republican -- a RINO, as they are often called.

Even though that doesn't reflect his voting record, but I think, some of those maverick moments will earn him some enemies. Even after he has passed away, within the Republican Party.

VANIER: And he was also a traditional hawk when it comes to foreign policy. He believed in strength through military power. Tell us a little bit more -- for our international audience about his foreign policy legacy.

ZELIZER: Yes, this is a place where Senator McCain was really part of the Reagan revolution that takes off in the 1980s. He believes in high rate of military spending. He is very committed to the international alliances that formed during and after World War II to fight against communism. And he was pretty tough against Democrats who he said were not strong on defense.

So, he was part of the hawkish, often neoconservative part of the Republican Party that pushed for proactive wars, especially since 9/11 and that was not reluctant to use force.

VANIER: Julian Zelizer, thank you so much for joining us. Thanks.

ZELIZER: Thanks for having me.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VANIER: Thousands of North and South Korean families have been separated since the Korean War. But a handful of relatives got a brief emotional break from that this week. An inside look at the joyful, bittersweet reunions -- when we come back.

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[00:30:00] VANIER: Welcome back. Welcome back. I'm Cyril Vanier. The top stories this hour, strife within the Catholic Church, Pope Francis says that for now, he will not say a single word about a letter claiming he knew of sexual abuse allegations against the Cardinal for years, and shows to do nothing about it.

Archbishop Vigano made the allegation in an 11-page letter and was calling for the pope to resign. On his way back to Rome from Ireland, where he asked for forgiveness for abuses by the church. Pope Francis told reporters the letter speaks for itself and people should make their own judgment.

Two people were killed in Jacksonville, Florida, when a man opened fire at a video game tournament on Sunday. Nine other people were taken to hospitals with gunshot wounds. The suspect identified as a 24-year-old from Baltimore, Maryland, used a handgun and then killed himself. His motive is unclear.

The late U.S. Senator John McCain, will be honored for five days, this week, in three locations. McCain died Saturday after a battle with brain cancer. He will be honored in his home state of Arizona, then at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, then, laid to rest at the U.S. Naval Academy in Maryland.

And it is becoming more urgent, the South American countries, to find a collective response to the Venezuelan refugee crisis. Peru is allowing in fewer Venezuelans. And now requires them to present valid passports to cross the border from Ecuador. Peru is sizing security reasons. Many Venezuelans without passports are now in limbo.

The thawing relations between North and South Korea, continues to bring together families separated for decades by the war on the Peninsula. There were tears, smiles and hugs all around this past week as more family members from South Korea crossed the border to visit their relatives in the north.

It was the second round of reunions in the past week organized by the Red Cross. Paula Hancocks is in Seoul, South Korea. Paula, for many of the families involved, this may be the last chance to see their relatives.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Cyril. The vast majority of them are in their 80s and 90s. Their families were torn apart by the Korean War back in the 1950s. So, certainly, there is a -- there is a race against time. Theirs was the end on Sunday of the week-long family reunions, the North Koreans asking to meet South Korean counterparts for the second time, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

And we have heard from the -- from the head of the Red Cross -- solely the Red Cross has confirmed that they have been talking about another set of reunions. We spoke to the head of the Red Cross just before he went to North Korea and he was saying he wanted more. He wanted more numbers involved. He wanted different ways of these families being able to reconnect, admitting, that time really is running out.

So there is a suggestion from the Red Cross that they're hoping for another set of reunions this year, potentially even as early as October. But of course, that has yet to be fully confirmed as they're in negotiations with the North Korean side.

But this is what many people are hoping for now including the South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, who said that he's going to make this a humanitarian priority to have more of these reunions. And the hope is that there will be more families able to connect, because 57,000 people in South Korea alone, that are still wanting to be part of these reunions. Cyril.

VANIER: So, allowing the families to reconnect, opening the border between the North and South, even if it's brief, what does all that tell us, about the relation right now between the two Koreas?

HANCOCKS: Well, it tells us that the relations are good. These reunions simply do not happen unless North and South Korea are getting on well. And in the past, North Korea has postponed or cancelled these reunions at the last minute, either to make a point or because relations had started to sour.

So there is definitely a case that the Pyongyang has used these reunions as a bargaining tool in the past. But the fact that president of South Korea, Moon Jae-in, is heading to Pyongyang next month, to meet with the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, shows just how well the inter-Korean relationship at least, is progressing.

That will be the third time that these two leaders will meet face-to- face. Of course, it's a very different situation when you look at the U.S. and North Korea, with the U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, not going Pyongyang this week, as he was expected to. U.S. President Donald Trump saying there's simply not enough progress when it comes to denuclearization to allow him to go.to Pyongyang for this meeting.

Somebody from the South Korean point of view, President Moon will have a slightly trickier position and trickier meeting with Kim Jong-un, because not only is he trying to improve inter-Korean relations, he will now potentially have to go back to his role as mediator between the U.S. and North Korea as well. Cyril.

VANIER: Paula Hancocks reporting live from Seoul, South Korea. Thank you.

[00:35:04] And a verdict in the case of two jailed Reuters journalists has now been delayed in Myanmar. Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were arrested last December. Their case could be linked to the alleged government crackdown on the Rohingya.

They were investigating the deaths of 10 Rohingya men when they were detained. They face up to 14 years on prison on charges of getting secret state documents. The verdict was supposed to be out Monday, but authorities say it was delayed for a week because of a judge's poor health.

British Iranian woman, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is back in prison in Tehran after a three-day release when she was able to see her young daughter. Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been in prison since April 2016, accused of working with others to overthrow the Iranian regime. Now, she denies those charges. CNN's Nic Robertson has the latest.

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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It has been a day of ups and downs for Nazanin. Her family saying by the end of the day, she's been left shivering, shaking, crying. Just a couple of days ago, her husband was here at CNN, Richard Ratcliffe.

And he told us then, that they really hoped and believed that they were having positive signs that Iranian officials invested some of this political capital in this furlough for his wife and that this furlough would be extended.

But he did say when talking to Hala Gorani, his concerns, for his wife if that didn't come to pass. This is how he explained it.

HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: What state of mind is your wife in, though? How hopeful is she?

RICHARD RATCLIFFE, HUSBAND OF NAZARIN ZAGHARI-RATCLIFFE: She's been up and down. I spoke to her yesterday and we didn't know any of this and she was in a very miserable way. I mean, I think -- I think -- obviously, she would (INAUDIBLE) that it's going to be extended, then, I mean, she won't be looking forward to going back at all.

GORANI: Sure, yes.

RATCLIFFE: It's been a hard long journey for all of us and with that, comes ups and downs and, you know, the potential for panic and so on.

ROBERTSON: And the family have described now was been a very harrowing day for Nazanin, in the morning, called into the prosecutor's office. The prosecutor there and she was there with her lawyer. The prosecutor told them both that all that was required was a signature on her form to extend her furlough, but he didn't have it yet.

But it was OK for her to go back to her house, since she didn't need to go to jail to wait for it. She's on her way back to her family, to her mother, to her daughter at her father's house. She gets another phone call.

We're told by the family, this time, from the people that she's been dealing with, the Iranian officials, saying that she's lived up to terms of her furlough, that she hasn't tried to leave the country, hasn't contact, hasn't gone to a foreign embassy and hasn't done interviews with journalists, so she's lived up to her part of the deal.

They say, therefore, her furlough will be extended, no need to go to jail. Barely did she get home, though, then, she gets another phone call, this time, telling her to go back to the prosecutor's office again. The prosecutor now tells her that she will have to go to jail for just a few days to wait for those signatures.

At that point, she decides it's better to do that than go home and be pulled out of her daughter's arms in the middle of the night. That's her fear. But of course, she's very distraught, shivering, shaking, crying. This thing and the tail here, as well, the family say that they contacted the British embassy in Tehran.

The British embassy according to the family, say that they've been told by Iran's foreign ministry that Iran's judiciary hasn't extended her furlough and there's no mention of a signature to get her back out of jail, so, of course, all of this, very concerning for her family, and a very trying, traumatic and bad day for Nazanin, herself. Nic Robertson, CNN, London.

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VANIER: All right. Totally different topic, next, they will not be mistaken for Jimi Hendrix or Keith Richards any time soon. And that's OK. Their specialty is air guitar. The world championship, when we come back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:40:00] VANIER: For the second straight weekend, The Crazy Rich Asians has topped the box office, making an estimated $25 million, and a drop off of just six percent from last weekend, a feat, that is nearly unheard of in the movie business. The film was already so popular that Warner Brothers is getting started on a sequel.

And because I bring you only the most important news, I give you the world championships of air guitar.

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VANIER: A Japanese artist known as Seven Seas beat out 14 other finalists to grab the title of the air guitar world championship that were in Finland. Sorry, I'm a little mesmerized. This is -- this is strange. Competitors came from all over the world and the winner walked away with a real hand-carved guitar.

OK. And before we leave you, the Paris zoo is getting a little cuter with two new baby female jaguars. They're now about seven weeks old and have just moved in. The two were named Lenka and Aloha, and they are exploring their new digs with their very attentive mom. When they grow up, they could be 2 1/2 meters long and weigh up to 120 kilos.

Thank you for watching. I'm Cyril Vanier. "WORLD SPORT" is up next. I'm back in 15 minutes with more news.

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