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Cardinal Pell Found Guilty Of Child Sexual Abuse; Labour Party Moves Toward Backing Second Vote; Guaido Gets Support From Columbia, U.S.; Univision Journalists Briefly Detained In Caracas; Trump: We'll Have A Tremendous Summit; 36 Hours with the Taliban; Iran's Foreign Minister Makes Surprise Announcement; Gaming Hardware Brings in Billions. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired February 26, 2019 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:00] JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: -- which is now being lifted. Vietnam rolls out the red carpet for Kim Jong-un as he arrives for a second nuclear summit with Donald Trump. He'll go to up -- will he go to up after besting the U.S. President at their first meeting last year? And a rare look inside Taliban controlled Afghanistan who there are small signs of the hardline Islamic group maybe moderating just a little but old habits are hard to break.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So if somebody is found guilty of stealing, you cut off their hand?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Yes. We implement the Sharia. We follow Sharia instruction.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And if somebody is found guilty of adultery you will stone them to death?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. The Sharia allows stoning to death.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: A CNN exclusive inside a world who ever get to see.
We develop -- we're following a developing story out of Melbourne, Australia. One of the Vatican's most senior officials has been found guilty of child sexual abuse. Cardinal George Pell is the third highest-ranking official in the Catholic Church and was very close to Pope Francis. His conviction brings the long-running sexual abuse scandal to the heart of the Vatican. Powell and his lawyers maintaining his innocence and the trial was a means to destroy his reputation.
They have appealed the verdict which was handed down by a jury just before Christmas last year. But the court issued suppression order has prevented the reporting of his conviction to protect the integrity of his second trial. That trial would not proceed after prosecutors withdrew the charges. Anna Coren is following the case. She joins us now live from outside the court in Melbourne. And you know, Anna, this is a stunning fall from grace for a man who
steadily rose through the ranks not just of the church but to the very tops of Australian society.
ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right, John. This is a man who had such an illustrious career. He was the boy from Ballarat about an hour-and-a-half drive west of us here in Melbourne. That is where he started off his career and he made his way up to become Archbishop of Melbourne, then Sydney, obviously a cardinal, and then all the way to the Vatican where he became number three, the Vatican treasurer, and a close adviser of Pope Francis.
But today, he was brought back down to earth. His career is now officially over after being charged and convicted of child sexual abuse. He was found guilty on all five counts including sexual penetration of a child.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: It's news that will send shockwaves throughout the Roman Catholic Church. Cardinal George Pell, Vatican treasurer found guilty of child sex abuse, the most senior Vatican official ever convicted of child sex offenses. The verdict came down in December but legal restrictions meant it couldn't be reported in Australia until now.
Pell, the country's most powerful Catholic was on trial for assaulting two choir boys in the late 90s when he was Archbishop of Melbourne. The prosecution's case hinged on the testimony of one of those boys. He told the court Pell assaulted them after mass, forced him to perform oral sex on him and committed an indecent act with his friend.
He also testified that a month later, Pell pushed him against a wall and groped him. He said "I didn't tell anyone at the time. I had no intention back then of telling anyone ever." The other victim died of a drug overdose as an adult having never told his family of the abuse. The Cardinal called the allegations outrageous.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE PELL, TREASURER, VATICAN: I'm innocent of these charges. They are false. The whole idea of sexual abuse is abhorrent to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: He didn't take the stand during the trial. Instead, a video of his interview with Australian detectives was played to the court. He pleaded not guilty and his defense lawyer said the accusations were a fantasy. But a jury convicted Pell on all five charges. One of the sexual penetration of a child and four of an indecent act with or in the presence of a child.
It's a shocking fall from grace for one of the Vatican's top officials who has long been an influential if divisive figure in Australia. He rose through the ranks of the church to become Archbishop of Melbourne, then Sydney then a cardinal, before being appointed Vatican treasurer and a member of the Pope's informal Council of advisers. But while his star rose in the Vatican, Pell came in for mounting
criticism at home as the Australian Church became the center of a global child abuse scandal. A national inquiry into institutional responses to child sexual abuse found seven percent of the country's Catholic priests were accused of abusing children between 1950 and 2010. He's identified nearly 2,000 alleged perpetrator including priests, brothers, laypeople, and religious sisters.
[01:05:16] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Cardinal had given --
COREN: When he appeared in front of the Royal Commission in 2016, Pell faced questions about whether he had done enough to weed out abuse and get justice for the victims. Now the Cardinal himself has been convicted and other survivors of clerical sexual abuse unrelated to the Pell case are elated.
PHIL NAGLE, SURVIVOR OF CHILD ABUSE: Justice is what I thought, justice for the victims. I think that should give everyone that's thinking about yes, whether you'll be believed or whether you will or won't, win the fight. That should give you the courage to come forward and at least be heard.
COREN: Pell's conviction will hurt an organization already battling decades of revelations about pedophile priests. The Pope removed Pell from his Advisory Council in December, but the damage to the church may be difficult to repair. Now, this global crisis has reached the top of the Vatican.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Well, joining me now is Lisa Flynn. She is from Shine Lawyers and she is the lawyer for the father of the deceased choirboy who died of a drug overdose in 2014. Lisa, tell me how is your client feeling today?
LISA FLYNN, LAWYER FOR DECEASED CARDINAL PELL VICTIM: I think there's a lot of emotions around this time given the conviction. I think that our client has in speaking to him today, he has expressed some comfort in the fact that the abuser of his son has been found guilty and has been held accountable. But obviously, this conviction doesn't change the fact that their son is no longer with them and that he suffered incredible psychiatric harm as a result of the abuse that he suffered.
COREN: Yes. We've mentioned that he died of a drug overdose in 2014 and that sort of destructive behavior, it is often so commonplace with abuse survivors.
FLYNN: It is. So in my experience in representing over 100 of survivors of abuse, unfortunately many people do turn to drugs and alcohol as a way of coping with the memories of these corrosive thoughts of the abuse. And so we see really destructive paths that our clients -- many survivors of abuse to go down.
COREN: And I understand that the choirboy, he never ever confessed to his family even when they asked him whether he'd been abused because of his drug use, he said no. So as a parent now learning that he had been abused, they must feel so much guilt.
FLYNN: It is -- it's a feature with many parents. When they do learn that their child has suffered abuse there is this enormous feeling often of -- that they failed to stop it or fail to know what was happening or failed to reach out. But the truth is that it's often incredibly difficult if not impossible for a victim or a survivor of abuse to report the abuse when it's happening or even to understand that what they suffered was abuse and the effects of that abuse. It can take many, many years as a lot of research has shown.
So -- but despite all of that research and in the fact that it is so difficult for survivors, there is this incredible guilt that parents often feel on learning that their -- that their child has been abused. And I think it just demonstrates that it's often not only the victim of abuse but so many ripple circles in terms of how child abuse affects not only the victim but also the family and the friends and the larger community in terms of these acts.
COREN: The surviving choirboy, he was prompted by the death of his friend in 2014 to then go to police. Your client, he must be very proud of this young man. He's really thankful that this has brought justice, some sense of justice. His son won't ever see that justice but there is some comfort in the fact that he was able to get some sort of justice and it was through the actions of the other victim that came forward and showed the enormous courage in reporting it and continuing on through the criminal process to the conviction today.
So I think that that is -- and our client is very -- take some comfort in that. Hopefully these verdicts will allow more people to have the courage of coming forward and reporting it with the knowledge that they will be believed, that people will investigate these sorts of crimes and that a court will believe them, and that the perpetrators are held accountable for the crimes no matter when they occurred and no matter who that perpetrator is.
[01:10:00] COREN: Lisa Flynn, thank you so much for sharing your story with us today.
FLYNN: Thank you very much.
COREN: Thank you very much. So John, 10:00 a.m. tomorrow George Pell, Cardinal George Pell will walk through the very doors behind me here at Melbourne County Court and this will be the last time that we see him as a free man. He will be remanded in custody and taken to prison. Tomorrow is the plea hearing. His defense lawyers will obviously argue for a lenient sentence.
We're expecting a sentence from two years to ten years. We really just don't know which way the judge will go over that sentence, John. It's expected to be handed down next week.
VAUSE: Anna, thank you. Anna Coren there live with some really good reporting on the -- on what has been a story dragging for quite some time in Australia. We appreciate that, Anna. Thank you. Britain's opposition Labour Party is raising the stakes with Brexit saying it's prepared to back a second referendum to prevent a damaging No Deal exit from the European Union.
Meanwhile, the prospect of a delayed Brexit looms over Theresa May as she prepares to address the House of Commons in the coming hours. But the British Prime Minister says it's still within our grasp to leave the E.U. on time and with a deal. CNN's European Affairs Commentator Dominic Thomas joins us now from Los Angeles.
So Dominic, Jeremy Corbyn, he seemed to cut to the chase with the reasons why Labour is prepared to back this second referendum. His public statement, "The Prime Minister is recklessly running down the clock in an attempt to force MPs to choose between her botched deal and a disastrous No Deal. We cannot and will not accept."
Which leaves me a fairly accurate assessment of where thing stands right now. What are the chances that there could actually be and do over, another vote?
DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Yes. Well, there are two issues. You know, the No Deal. We know that there is extensive cross-party support including within Theresa Mays cabinet for stopping a no deal. On the issue of a second referendum, all along, the big issue around the second referendum is that this has been backed by remainders, by those that wish to remain in the European Union and that obviously makes it a highly contentious issue.
In this particular circumstances, what Jeremy Corbyn is clearly doing here is capitulating to those members of his party that are putting him under pressure to put this back on the table. Some of whom have actually defected. The big question therefore here is the that does not seem to be cross-party support for there being a second kind of referendum being put forward.
So ultimately, what you end up with here is questioning Jeremy Corbyn's true intentions here. Now, there are two Labour backbenches that have come up with a proposition which would be for the Labour Party to support Theresa May's withdrawal agreement either through a vote or by abstaining in exchange for a second referendum which would go straight up and down. Do you yes or no support Teresa May's withdrawal agreement or do you wish to remain in the European Union.
And for the time being, that seems to be the only kind of motion that might possibly make it through to lead to a second referendum.
VAUSE: OK. Well, the Electoral Commission reportedly has contingency plans in place to respond to any unscheduled vote, whatever that may be. But it could take months to pass the required laws to get that through Parliament and just would be printing the ballots will take some time, and then there is the question what you actually ask. But the E.U. says this deadline it's not hard and fast and extensions possible. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TUSK, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN COUNCIL: The last time they started, the 29th of March, the greater the likelihood of an extension. I believe that in the situation we are in an extension would be a rational solution. But Prime Minister May still believe that she's able to avoid this scenario.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: It would seem rational solutions have no place in Brexit discussions. But at least you know, a second vote if not beyond is possible at this point.
THOMAS: It's not and so I think that as far as the European Union is concerned, really there are three kind of timelines. Short-term extension, in some ways, makes no sense. We've been through every single scenario, right? Everybody knows about you know, the backstop, the Norway plan and so on and so forth.
A midterm plan that might involve a second referendum or general election would give the European Union and something substantial to negotiate with and to -- and to grant an extension to Article 50 and provide some kind of meaningful indication as to where the British public stands on the question of Brexit.
Now that we are almost three years since the Brexit vote took place, not a long-term extension really raises a cut of question around the kind of the substantial future of Britain and the question of Brexit. And I think for the European Union is also potentially problematic because the longer this Brexit sort of negotiation and talk goes on, the more the distraction it is and the more it is contaminating the sort of the general landscape of European politics. So there are multiple scenarios we have to think about here.
VAUSE: Lots of scenarios for everything it seems. But listen to Theresa May, the British Prime Minister explaining why she opposes an extension.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[01:14:52] THERESA MAY, PRIME MINISTER OF THE UNITED KINGDOM: An extension to Article 50, a delay in this process doesn't deliver a decision in Parliament, it doesn't deliver a deal. What it does is precisely what the word delay said.
We have it within our grasp. As I've just said, I've had a real sense from the meetings I've had here, conversations I have had with E.U. leaders in recent days. A real sense that we can achieve that deal. It's within our grasp to leave with a deal on 29th of March.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: It's been within their grasp for -- you know, for two years. But the Brexit deal is pretty simple, either everything is agreed to or nothing is agreed to. And that statement from May is just totally meaningless.
THOMAS: It is, completely. And also, this was within a grasp when she suffered the most substantial defeat in Parliament. The only thing she is arguing is by pushing this down the road is that the threat of the no-deal will push people to support her particular version of Brexit and the withdrawal agreement. And we all know that there is no tolerance in parliament except with the hardcore Brexiteers, the ERG for a particular no deal scenario.
And this is the only thing she is brandishing. And if she keeps going down that road, she's going to face chaos within her party, let alone and her Cabinet. And it is simply not true. There are all sorts of options that have been -- that have been placed on the -- on the table here as we've -- as we've gone down that particular road.
And it's just simply not a viable way of doing it and the gross misunderstanding that Theresa May has of this process is that for her, just simply delivering Brexit is the yardstick for success. When, in fact, there is a wrong Brexit to be delivered that could potentially then harm -- and the U.K., the European Union.
And we've seen this all the way along and short of an extension that just doesn't seem to be any other way and out of this particularly now with the timeline that we have going forward and all the issues that we've -- that we've covered, John.
VAUSE: It's amazing. You know, take a shotgun, aim at foot and pull trigger. Dominic, thank you.
THOMAS: Thanks, John.
VAUSE: Kim Jong-un is now in Vietnam, the U.S. president is on his way and soon the two shall meet for round two of nuclear talks. Would Kim best Trump again? Or will this be a summit of substance?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Well, Venezuela's self-declared interim president, Juan Guaido has received a strong support of showing from some important allies. He was in Colombia on Monday to meet with the country's president, as well as the U.S. Vice President Mike Pence. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh was there.
[01:19:57] NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has visit this day to Bogota was really to shore up international support for the self-declared interim president of Venezuela, Juan Guaido, its opposition leader.
Now, in a meeting here, there was a show of solidarity with the presidents of Colombia and many other regional allies to part of the Lima Group here, which declared it some sort of renewed support for Juan Guaido moving forwards.
Mike Pence announced new sanctions against governors in Venezuela that had assisted in the weekend's crackdown as he opposed from trying to get humanitarian aid in to the country. And said more sanctions could perhaps follow in the days coming.
He also said that the U.S. was 100 percent united and behind Juan Guaido. Now, another interesting failed reference was that no options have been taken off the table. He assured that to Juan Guaido. That's a failed sort of reference towards military force.
And he believed here, Juan Guaido doesn't really wants it. But he doesn't want the U.S. to say they don't even ever think about it. And the E.U., in fact, even today said that they didn't want that to be part of the discussion as did many others in the meeting here.
It sort of being hung out in the distance, perhaps, as something that might be considered if Maduro doesn't think about leaving power. But a distant prospect, the key immediate question is what this Juan Guaido do next?
It seems at the weekend, when they tried to get humanitarian aid in, and found that was met with riot police violence and which lives were lost and many injured. Well, there are some cynics that perhaps suggest that was maybe inevitable to some degree that Maduro security forces were never going to simply peel away and let that in.
It provided a backdrop perhaps now for a harsher international reaction. That's Juan Guaido stay here in Colombia as a leader in exiled. As you travel around the region showing up further support. What does he go back into the country, he says he's a president enough but doesn't really have control of the levers of power over.
He might risk arrest if, in fact, he returns to Caracas. Key decisions for him, the head one possible positive outcome for him in the past days is that we now got a 160 or so, Venezuelan soldiers who have defected over across the Columbian border to Columbian officials.
But still, a stark challenge ahead of him, but at least, here international support reaffirmed. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Bogota Colombia.
VAUSE: And journalists with Univision, including veteran anchor Jorge Ramos, were briefly detained Monday at Venezuela's presidential palace. Network says the crew was there interviewing Nicolas Maduro, but he objected to a lot of questioning from Ramos, and his aides confiscated their equipment.
They were released after Univision contacted the U.S. State Department and tweeted about their detention.
For the first time since1964, North Korean leader is on an official state visit to Vietnam. Kim Jong-un arrived in Hanoi to cheering crowds just a few hours ago. His exact itinerary has not been made public, but this trip to Hanoi could give Kim an idea of the economic benefits from normalized diplomatic relations with the United States.
Wednesday, some on the denuclearization will be another step towards that. Before leaving Washington, the U.S. president said he was optimistic about this second meeting with Kim.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Tremendous things are happening for our country. I'm now right after this meeting ally for Vietnam, where I meet with Chairman Kim, and we talk about something that frankly he never spoke to anybody about. But we're speaking and was speaking aloud. And I think we can have a very good -- a very good summit. I think we'll have a very tremendous summit. We want denuclearization.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: CNN's Will Ripley, joins us now live from Hanoi. So, you know, Will, there are a lot of unknowns heading into the summit. It's unknown for example if the president is actually read his briefing material or plans to read it. Another unknown deal with Trump's plan -- you know, for economic incentives to encourage -- you know, American investment in North Korea.
It's actually the carrot that he's dangling in front of Kim Jong-un. There's a lot of legal hurdles to clear before those companies could actually invest in North Korea.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And a lot of companies would be reluctant to do so at this stage given what has happened in the past. You think about the last example of joint cooperation between a capitalist country South Korea and a socialist country, North Korea, which is the Kaesong Industrial Complex, the place I visited a few years ago.
South Korean owned businesses employing North Korean workers, of course, most of their salaries went to the state. And then, as soon as the political situation deteriorated, North Korea yanked its workers out. South Korea shut down the industrial complex. And now, you have a bunch of abandoned buildings sitting there collecting dust.
The only activity there is this -- you know, this inter-Korean office that has been opened up within the last year, or so. But even there, they don't really have Internet, can't bring their phones. They can only kind of watch television. And it just goes to underscore the difficulties of implementing any agreement that can be reached here in Hanoi no matter what is pledged.
And, of course, the goal on the United States side is to get North Korea to commit to -- you know, allowing inspectors in and verifying -- you know, details about their nuclear program, taking steps eventually to denuclearize. And North Koreans want economic relief. They want sanctions lifted so that eventually their economy can grow much like the economy here in Vietnam, which enjoyed a seven percent growth last year and really has seen an economic boom in recent decades in large part because they did eventually normalize relations with the U.S. John.
[01:25:08] VAUSE: Yes, well, the North Koreans, their old hands at these kinds of talks and fix a challenge so as a senior advisor during the W. Bush administration. He explained how they strike what essentially something for nothing deals. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VICTOR CHA, FORMER DIRECTOR, ASIAN AFFAIRS IN THE WHITE HOUSE'S NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL: We saw in Kim Jong-un's New Year speech in January, he has put forward the idea of stopping further production in the future as well as a pledge not to transfer any capabilities or knowledge. So, if you think about those things that is negotiating your past, things that you don't need anymore, and it's negotiating your future. Things you promised not to do in the future. So, you're actually not really giving up anything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So, with that in mind, there is some growing concern that Trump may give up the tangible like U.S. troops on the DMZ in return for the nothing which is a halted tests which they no longer need to carry out.
RIPLEY: Well, and what we've seen so far, our steps front by the North Koreans that a lot of experts feel have been largely cosmetic, but certainly not irreversible. You know, we were there in May when they blew up the tunnel entrances at Pungye-ri, their nuclear test site. They blew up the buildings on the site as well.
But most people said that those entrances could easily be redug. That -- you know, North Koreans back in about a decade ago, they destroyed the cooling tower of the Yongbyon nuclear reactor, but that was in irreversible, they built it back up and continue to enrich nuclear fuel.
Now, there are recent intelligence -- private intelligence analysts at 38 North that don't believe there's any activity happening at Yongbyon, the nuclear reactor right now.
But a Stanford University study out this year said that they think North Korea is probably enriched enough of nuclear bomb fuel to create up to seven new weapons during this period of diplomacy. During this period the North Korea has not tested their weapons if they still possess all of the weapons that they did and perhaps, more than they did at the beginning of the process.
VAUSE: Yes, which we met this choice of venue, Hanoi. As you know, the place for these talks to happen. In a historical context, it's also interesting because -- you know, go all the way back to the Vietnam War. Here's President Richard Nixon addressing the nation in 1970 about the -- you know, situation with peace talks and the war of Vietnam. A year earlier, he announced there was a list out of a drawdown of U.S. forces.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD NIXON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We have now reached the point where we can confidently move from a period of cut and try to a longer range program, for the replacement of Americans by South Vietnamese troops. I am therefore tonight announcing plans for the withdrawal of an additional 150,000 American troops to be completed during the spring of next year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: And you know, Trump has floated a similar situation with the DMZ there. You know, between North and South Korea withdraw the American troops. The South Vietnamese were able to defend themselves. Five years later, came the fall of Saigon on America's surrender.
And you know, North Vietnam took over the entire country. You know this is a world which relies on the presence of the U.S. military to maintain peace and stability. And that's a concept the president seems to struggle with.
RIPLEY: Well, certainly, if -- you know, as the South Korean Blue House is indicating, there could be an agreement that will be announced here in Hanoi later this week to come up with a plan to formally end the Korean War that does call into question the need for 28,000 U.S. troops in South Korea.
And the similarities with Vietnam are -- you know, pretty striking. You have this -- you know, very conservative northern region in Hanoi where I am, where the communist parties firmly in control.
You have the more westernized South, the Vietnam used to have a demilitarized zone the country, of course, has reunified. And now, is relatively unified although, obviously, in the South, there are still political ideologies much more liberal if you will than the -- than the dominant ideology here in the north.
And -- but, the North Koreans deliberately -- you know, want to come here because it is an example of a country that was divided, reunified, normalized relations with the United States and now has a booming economy. And you can look at history and you certainly hope that history wouldn't repeat itself in the way that it did here in Vietnam after President Nixon's announcement.
VAUSE: Although, it does seem that, that is something with North new. Kim Jong-un would be looking for. You know, at the end of the day, the ultimate goal is -- you know, Pyongyang to be in control of an entire reunified Korean Peninsula. I guess -- you know, that's the fear that this is where all this could head. Will, thank you. Thanks for being with us.
VAUSE: Well, after 17 years of war, the Taliban sitting down to talk with the United States and ready for victory. But few have seen inside their worlds since 9/11 that is until now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I have been coming to Afghanistan for more than 10 years. I never imagined that I would be reporting from here in the heart of Taliban territory. But we're not going to stay long here because gatherings like this can be a major target for airstrikes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Clarissa Ward and her team getting unprecedented access to Taliban-held territory in Afghanistan. A CNN exclusive after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:32:14] JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, everybody. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm John with the headlines this hour.
Vatican treasurer Cardinal George Pell is appealing his conviction on child sexual abuse charges. A jury in Melbourne, Australia found him guilty back in December but a court order kept the verdict secret until now. The charges against the 77-year-old dates back to the 1990s.
Kim Jong-un has arrived in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi. Kim is the first North Korean leader to make a state visit to Vietnam since 1964. His arrival comes ahead of his three-day summit with U.S. President Donald Trump. The two plan to tackle the issue of denuclearization but both sides say they are not about to rush it.
British Prime Minister Theresa May says a deal on the U.K.'s divorce from the E.U. is within reach but her main opposition is throwing its weight behind another referendum. The Labour Party says it's in favor of a second vote to stop what it calls a damaging Brexit. This comes just over a month before the U.K. is scheduled to leave the European Union.
Well, a senior U.S. envoy says it could be a significant moment for Afghan peace talks. Zalmay Khalilzad was in Qatar heading up talks with the Taliban and in a tweet he says he met with one of the group's cofounders on Monday.
And with these talks moving forward, the Taliban are eager to prove they could govern and not just wage a bloody insurgency.
CNN's chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward was given rare access to Taliban territory and here is her exclusive report but it comes with a warning -- some of you may find the images disturbing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This is what the Taliban wants you to know. Their moment is coming and they are ready for victory.
This is a world you have probably never seen up close. And we are some of the only western journalists to enter it.
America's enemy in Afghanistan is best known for harboring Osama bin Laden as he planned the 9/11 attacks, for its brutal repression of women and for meting out harsh justice under a draconian interpretation of Islamic Sharia law.
We want to find out who the Taliban is today and if after 17 years of war with the U.S., their Islamic emirate has changed.
Our journey begins in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif. The Taliban was forced to withdraw from here after a bitter battle in 2001. Now, they are just a few miles away.
(on camera): We're heading out now to meet up with our Taliban escorts. And as you can see, I'm wearing the full facial veil known was the niqab. I'm wearing it to keep as low profile as is possible because there are no western journalists in the areas we're headed to.
[01:35:05] (voice over): The government controls the highway out of the city, but once you turn off the main road, you are quickly in Taliban territory.
To reach our host, we have to cross a small river on a ferry. Billions of U.S. dollars have been poured in to building up Afghanistan's infrastructure. But little of that has trickled down here.
(on camera): That's our escort just there on the other side of the river.
(voice over): After months of negotiations, the Taliban leadership has agreed to give Afghan filmmaker, Najibullah Quraishi, myself, and producer, Salma Abdelaziz, extremely rare access into the group's territory.
As women we are ignored, seemingly invisible beneath the full veil that is mandatory in public.
The Taliban has allowed us to visit these areas because it wants to show it is in control. But in our first moments --
(on camera): Whoa, that's a lot of helicopters -- one, two, three, four, five.
(voice over): Our escorts tell us to stop. We are now on the other side of America's war. In recent months, the U.S. has dramatically stepped up the number of air strikes on the Taliban.
The militants' flag makes us a conspicuous target. But we have no choice but to push on.
Our first stop is a clinic that has been run by the Taliban since they took control of this area almost two years ago. A plaque at the door reveals it was a gift from the Americans in 2006.
Suddenly, a young girl outside is hit by a motorcycle. A boy rushes over to help her. The driver is a Taliban fighter. He slings his gun over his shoulder and wanders over, apparently unconcerned.
Life here is brutal. The girl is rushed inside, her frantic mother following behind.
(on camera): Is she ok? Is she ok? Are you ok?
(voice over): But no one seems as shocked as we are. The doctor gives her mother some painkillers and sends her away. After years of fighting here, he has seen much worse.
(on camera): Who's in charge of the hospital? Who's managing it?
(voice over): He explained that the Taliban manages the clinic, but the government pays salaries and provides medicine. This sort of ad hoc cooperation is becoming more and more common, and there have been other changes.
(on camera): So this is something you wouldn't expect to see in a clinic under control of the Taliban. It looks like some kind of sexual health education -- talking about condoms, other forms of birth control.
(voice over): 22-year-old midwife Fazala [ph] has worked under the Taliban and the Afghan government.
(on camera): What has been your experience working under the Taliban here?
(voice over): "The Taliban never interfere in our work as women", she says. "They never block us from coming to the clinic."
In the waiting area, these women say it's war and poverty that makes their lives miserable.
(on camera): Has life under the Taliban changed now from what it was before? No?
(voice over): "We are trapped in the middle," the woman says, "and we can't do anything."
(on camera): It's just so sad to see how desperate people are here. The women telling me they don't have enough food to eat. They don't have the proper medicines to treat their disabled children. All they want is peace and some improvement to their quality of life.
(voice over): It's getting late and we need to get to our accommodation. The Taliban turn off cell phone service after dark. This is when we are most vulnerable.
The next morning we're taken to a madrasa or a religious school. Under Taliban rule in the 90s, girls were banned from going to school. But we find boys and girls studying.
(voice over): Raise your hand if you know how to read.
[01:39:58] Ok. One, two, three -- you can read and write.
Do you know what you want to be when you grow up? A doctor? Bravo.
What's your favorite subject in school? Math. You're smart.
(voice over): Teacher Yar Mohammed [ph] splits his time between the front lines and the classroom. His AK-47 never leaves his side.
The emirate has instructed education departments to allow education for girls of religious studies, modern studies, science and math, he says, but there's a catch. Once they reach puberty, girls cannot go to school with boys. And the sad reality is that few in rural areas like this see women's education as a priority. The Taliban's focus now is on showing it can govern effectively. Across the country, the group has appointed shadow governors, like Mawlavi Khaksar. For his security, Khaksar is always on the move.
When the villagers hear that he is visiting, they quickly line up to air their issues. There are disputes over money and landownership.
"Your petition will be dealt with tomorrow," Khaksar says.
Corruption is rampant in the Afghan government. The Taliban has a reputation for delivering quick, if harsh, justice.
"The Islamic emirate has laws," this man says. "It has an Islamic Sharia system in place."
Khaksar agrees to sit down with us. His bodyguard listens for security updates on the radio. We start out by asking about the Taliban's brutal tactics and the U.S. concern that they could once again offer safe haven to terrorists.
MAWLAVI KHAKSAR, TALIBAN SHADOW GOVERNOR (through translator): Whether it's the Americans or ISIS, no foreign forces will be allowed in the country once we start ruling Afghanistan.
WARD (on camera): Are there real efforts being made to stop killing civilians?
KHAKSAR: Those responsible for civilian casualties are the ones who came with the aircrafts, artillery, B-52 and heavy weaponry.
WARD (voice-over): In reality, the Taliban is responsible for thousands of civilian deaths in the last three years alone.
(on camera): And what about these suicide bombings at polling stations, for example? These kill many civilians.
KHAKSAR: We deny this. This accusation is not acceptable to us.
WARD (voice-over): There are small signs that the Taliban is moving with the times.
KHAKSAR: I listen to the radio. Also Facebook and other media.
WARD (on camera): You're on Facebook?
KHAKSAR: Yes.
WARD (voice-over): But it's clear that the fundamental ideology has not changed.
(on camera): So if somebody is found guilty of stealing, you cut off their hand?
KHAKSAR: Yes. We implement the Sharia. We follow Sharia instruction.
WARD: And if somebody is found guilty of adultery, you will stone them to death?
KHAKSAR: Yes. The Sharia allows stoning to death.
WARD (voice-over): As we're leaving the interview, the military commander for the district arrives and a dispute breaks out about us.
"They should have brought a man," one of them says.
(on camera): So the issue right now is that they don't want us to walk outside with the government because I'm a woman. They think it's inappropriate.
(voice-over): We agree to follow the men at a distance, something I've never had to do in my career.
The commander, Mubariz Mujahid, takes us to a nearby safe house to be interviewed privately. We're warned that political questions are off the table.
(on camera): Do you want to see peace between the Taliban and America?
MUBARIZ MUJAHID, TALIBAN MILITARY COMMANDER (through translator): It would be better if this question was put to the spokesperson of the Islamic emirate.
WARD: Do you feel like the Taliban is winning the war?
MUJAHID: God willing, we are hopeful. We are supported by God.
WARD (voice-over): He wants to show off his forces for our cameras. His men are gathering just outside the village.
It is exceptionally rare and dangerous for dozens of fighters to congregate in one place.
(on camera): I have been coming to Afghanistan for more than ten years. I never imagined that I would be reporting from here in the heart of Taliban territory, but we're not going to stay long here because gatherings like this can be a major target for air strikes.
[01:45:00] (voice-over): But the commander says America's military might can't keep them from victory.
MUJAHID: We are ready for any sacrifice. We are not scared of being hit. This is our holy path. We continue our jihad.
WARD: Most of these men have been fighting U.S. forces since they were old enough to carry a gun. The question now is, are they ready to put those guns down?
Our visit with the Taliban is coming to a close. It's time to leave.
For a large part of Afghanistan, the prospect of a Taliban resurgence remains horrifying. But for many here, it makes little difference who is in charge. After decades of war and hardship, they'll turn to anyone who promises peace.
Clarissa Ward, CNN -- northern Afghanistan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: And still to come here on CNN a surprise announcement from Iran's foreign minister raising new questions about the future of the country's nuclear deal.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Iran's foreign minister has taken many by surprise by a announcing his resignation. Mohammad Javad Zarif was the key architect of Iran's nuclear deal in 2015. He has not revealed why he's stepping down but he has faced a lot of criticism from Iranian hardliners first for signing the deal and for the Trump administration pulling out of it.
CNN's Fred Pleitgen has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is certainly one of the more uncommon resignations that we have seen in Iran. One of the things that one would think would happen in a high- profile resignation like this is that Javad Zarif maybe would have gone to Hasan Rouhani, to the country's president, to formally hand in a letter of resignation or possibly even to the country's Supreme Leader. Javad Zarif however went to his Instagram account and posted there saying that he was no longer able to serve.
Now, one of the things that is no secret is that Javad Zarif was certainly under fire at home. We speak a lot about how unpopular the nuclear agreement is in the Trump administration. And President Trump obviously pulling the United States out of the nuclear agreement and putting sanctions back on Iran, was pretty unpopular and is pretty unpopular among Iranian hard liners as well.
[01:50:00] And they have been attacking Javad Zarif him for it, some of the them even calling him a traitor. So he certainly has been under a lot of fire.
And the big question now is whether or not Iran will actually stay in the nuclear agreement or whether or not it might pull out. There certainly are some forces especially among the hardliners who wants to do exactly that.
And one of the things that we have heard from Javad Zarif over the past couple of weeks, the past couple of months is he wanted Iran and wants Iran to stay inside the nuclear agreement but he does feel for instance that the Europeans need to do more to make that happen.
So certainly it's going to be some interesting times ahead for the Islamic Republic of Iran to see whether or not they stay inside the nuclear agreement and quite frankly what their political course is going to be going forward. Fred Pleitgen, CNN -- Moscow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: March 14th is the third annual My Freedom Day. CNN is partnering with young people around the world for a student led day of action against modern slavery.
Ahead of My Freedom Day, we spoke with New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. We asked her "What makes you feel free?"
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JACINDA ARDERN, NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER: What makes me feel free? the ability to speak my mind. Say exactly what I think. That freedom of expression is incredibly important and something that I will always defend.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So tell the worked what makes you feel free. Share your story using the #MyFreedomDay.
Another quick break right now. We'll be back in 90 seconds.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: It really is a thing apparently -- competitive video gaming. And it's bringing in millions of dollars in revenue. Will Ripley takes a look at one company giving e-gamers a competitive edge.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): I'm already nervous here.
(voice over): Full disclosure I'm a bad millennial.
(on camera): Oh, my gosh. You just destroyed me.
(voice over): I never really got in to video games, which is why I have no business playing against one of the best e-sports athletes in the world, Ho Kun Xian (ph).
(voice over): So if I was a student of yours, would you have any hope that I could ever be good at this?
HO KUN XIAN, PROFESSIONAL GAMER: I think with the technology these days anyone can be good at anything.
RIPLEY: That's a very diplomatic answer.
(voice over): Diplomatic as he might be, he is onto something. Gaming technology has advanced rapidly since home consoles became popular back in the 80s. And Xian plays for one of the industry's biggest names -- Razer. MIN-LIANG TANG, CEO, RAZER: E-sports today is a massive, massive
industry where win or loss could be just a matter of a single millisecond.
RIPLEY: Min-Liang Tang is Razer's CEO and Singapore's youngest self- made billionaire.
TANG: I Remember when I first started the company I remember I have all these guys saying gaming, isn't this like child's play. Razer today we have become over the past couple of years the leading lifestyle brand for gamers everywhere.
RIPLEY: He started the company in 2005, designing a highly sensitive mouse specifically for gaming.
TANG: We have to come up with something that's going to eat up all the other mice out there. We called our first mouse the Razer boomslang, you know, off the African tree snake.
RIPLEY: Today Razer's portfolio caters specifically e-sports, products are dark, edgy, futuristic. But Min says function is more important than form.
(on camera): How much of a difference does it make what you are actually playing with the hardware.
[01:55:01] TANG: It's a huge thing. Remember, some of these e-sports athletes they train 12, 15 hours a day. It's got to be able to be an extension of themselves.
RIPLEY (voice over): Razer, Min says is catering to a gamer's need for fast, accurate, ultra-sensitive products.
TANG: We sit down together with some of the top e-sports athletes in the world and we say, how do we get you that competitive advantage?
RIPLEY: Games today are unrecognizable from the ones I remember. Roberto Dillon is a gaming author and associate professor at James Cook University. He says the industry was almost nonexistent in Singapore 15 years ago but the city state is now emerging as a regional hub.
ROBERTO DILLON, JAMES COOK UNIVERSITY: And I would say that being a successful e-sport player is really even more challenging and difficult than becoming a professional football player.
RIPLEY: Well, no wonder I'm sweating bullets here. World champion or not Xian gets a gold medal for his patience.
And while expert say this booming industry is full of opportunity. I won't quit my day job.
Will Ripley, CNN -- Singapore.
(END VIDEOTAPE) VAUSE: Well, the 2006 movie flop "Snakes on a Plane" is a timeless story about snakes and planes, and Samuel L. Jackson swearing about snakes on planes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAMUEL L. JACKSON, ACTOR; Enough is enough. I have had it with these (EXPLETIVE DELETED) snakes on this (EXPLETIVE DELETED) plane.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Well, this could be the kinder, gentler sequel, serpent in a shoe. A Scottish woman found a python curled up in her shoe in her luggage after a long flight from Australia to Glasgow. The non- venomous snake taken safely to an animal rescue center in Edinburgh and now it's very cold in Scotland which is a long way from Queensland in Australia where it's warm.
You are watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause.
Stay with us. A lot more news after a short break with Cyril Vanier.
Stay with us. you are watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CYRIL VANIER, CNN ANCHOR: An explosive guilty verdict finally made public. Australia's Cardinal George Pell is now the most senior Catholic cleric to be convicted of child sex offenses.
And we're live in Hanoi where the North Korean leader has arrived for his second nuclear summit with Donald Trump.
[02:00:02] Plus a CNN exclusive -- Clarissa Ward's dangerous journey getting rare access inside Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.
END
