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A U.S. Synagogue Becomes The Latest In A Series Of Crimes Of Hate Engulfing The World; Hong Kong's Newly Proposed Extradition Law Is Raising Concerns About China's Influence; "Avengers: Endgame" Breaks A Billion Dollar Global Box Office Record. Aired: 8-9a ET
Aired April 29, 2019 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A new scene of sorrow.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RABBI YISROEL GOLDSTEIN, CHABAD OF POWAY SYNAGOGUE: I turn around and I see a young man standing with a rifle pointing right at me.
COREN (voice over): A U.S. synagogue becomes the latest in a series of crimes of hate engulfing the world.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're seeing a global trend towards nationalism.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN (voice over): Outrage in Hong Kong.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tens of thousands of demonstrators are rallying.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN (voice over): Why Hong Kong's newly proposed extradition law is raising concerns about China's influence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Avengers: Endgame."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN (voice over): And historic finale. "Avengers: Endgame" breaks a billion dollar global box office record.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everything was just out of this world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: Hello, I'm Anna Coren in Hong Kong. Welcome to NEWS STREAM. Well two communities thousands of miles apart, different faiths, but united in
grief after deadly attacks on their places of worship.
In California, the suspect behind Saturday's deadly shooting at a synagogue is facing murder and attempted murder charges. Authorities believe he
acted alone and are looking into a manifesto apparently written by the suspect, which suggests he was inspired by another hate crime -- the mosque
shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand last month.
Meanwhile, families continue to mourn in Sri Lanka just over a week after a series of deadly bombings on churches and hotels on Easter Sunday and the
country remains on high alert with a government warning that more attacks could be imminent.
Sri Lanka's President is banning all face coverings in a bid to strengthen national security and protect the public. CNN's Nikhil Kumar joins us now
from Colombo, Sri Lanka. And Nikhil, as we say it's just over a week since these massive bombings and the country and its security forces is still
very much on high alert. Tell us more.
NIKHIL KUMAR, CNN NEW DELHI BUREAU CHIEF: That's right, Anna. The government here, the authorities here have been issuing warnings that
further attacks could be in the works. Three Sri Lankan MPs have told CNN that their security details have received warnings about possible attacks
that may be in the works. They've arrested dozens of people over the weekend.
And on Friday, there was a shootout in the east of the country when security forces raided a number of safe houses, they uncovered a massive
hole of explosives that gave us a look at the severity of the threat. They uncovered 150 explosive sticks, 100,000 ball bearings, an ISIS flag, a
drone -- so all of that underlying something that observers have been talking about ever since those devastating Easter Sunday bombings, which is
just the sophistication of this terror network.
And authorities are doing everything they can, desperately, to get ahead of any potential attackers who may be out there, who may be plotting further
attacks. You mentioned the ban on face coverings. It's been supported by the Muslim community here, the top body of Islamic clerics in this country.
They backed it, saying that they want to do everything they can to support the authorities to get ahead of this threat to make sure that this country
holds together.
Remember, this is a country that went through an almost three decade long Civil War. Big concern amongst people here in the last week has been,
could this threat, could this new terror, could that cleave communities apart again? And that's something everybody from the government, to
individuals, to community leaders wants to avoid -- Anna.
COREN: Nikhil, we know that Sunday Mass was banned at churches yesterday across Sri Lanka, any indication from the government when people will be
allowed to return to church?
KUMAR: We're still waiting for a clear indication from the authorities, from the church authorities and the government of course as to when it will
be safe for them to resume, but yesterday, the Archbishop you mentioned, the threat to people over here. So the Archbishop of Colombo, whose house
is about 10 minutes from where I'm standing, he held a service at home and delivered a televised homily.
It was attended by the President, the Prime Minister and the Leader of Opposition of this country all sending out a unified message to worshipers
in their homes that this country is standing together in the face of this threat.
And you know, the government is trying all it can to convince people that it has this under control. Because remember, one thing that we learned
soon after those Easter Sunday bombings was that the government here received a number of very specific warnings, including one just one hour
before the first explosion took place on Easter Sunday.
So now the emphasis very much is to get ahead of the threat, to secure everyone and then hopefully, everyone can get back to normal including the
worshippers who want to go back into church.
[08:05:07] KUMAR: Including the many members of the Muslim community who were asked by the authorities here not to visit mosques on Friday for
Friday prayers, lest they be attacked -- Anna.
COREN: Nikhil Kumar joining us from Colombo. Many thanks for that. Well, now to the deadly shooting at a synagogue in California. Sixty-year-old
Lori Kaye was shot and killed after stepping between the gunman and the rabbi during Saturday's attack. She will be laid to rest later today.
Well, joining us now is CNN's Dan Simon live in Poway, California. Dan, it would seem that religious leaders like school teachers in the United States
must be prepared for the horrors of mass shootings. How is the rabbi and the community of Poway holding up as they prepare to bury their friend?
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Anna, as you can imagine, they are very shaken up by this. The Rabbi saying that he was in the banquet hall
preparing for his sermon when he thought he heard a loud bang and the next thing he knew, he was face to face with the shooter. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GOLDSTEIN: Terrorism like this will not take us down.
SIMON (voice-over): His hands wrapped in blue cast, Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein recalling the horrifying moment his congregation became the
latest target of a deadly attack at a place of worship, following massacres in Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOLDSTEIN: I hear a loud bang. I turned around, and I see a sight that I can't -- un-describable. Here is a young man standing with a rifle
pointing right at me. He had sunglasses on. I couldn't see his eyes. I couldn't see his soul.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIMON (voice over): Rabbi Goldstein, one of four people shot at the Chabad of Poway Synagogue in Southern California, a lone gunman armed with an
assault-style rifle opening fire upon worshippers celebrating the last day of Passover.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is shooting, shooting, shooting, shooting like crazy. He was just focused to kill.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIMON (voice over): Rabbi Goldstein was shot in both hands, losing his right index finger. Sixty-year-old congregant Lori Gilbert Kaye was killed
in the attack, police identifying the suspect as 19-year-old John Earnest.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERIFF BILL GORE, SAN DIEGO COUNTY: As the suspect was fleeing the temple, an off-duty Border Patrol agent opened fire on the suspect, but it
apparently did not hit him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIMON (voice over): Earnest eventually surrendering to the police. He is now charged with one count of murder and three counts of attempted murder.
Authorities say they believe Earnest acted alone. Investigators looking into an anti-Semitic letter posted online by someone claiming to be Earnest
before the attack.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORE: We are in the process of reviewing to determine its validity and authenticity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIMON (voice over): San Diego police and the FBI now examining whether Earnest is linked to arson at a nearby mosque last month. President Trump
swiftly condemning the attack.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We forcefully condemn the evil of anti-Semitism and hate, which must be defeated.
ALMOG PERETZ, SHOT IN LEG BY SHOOTER: I need to warn all the kids.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIMON (voice over): We are learning more stories of heroism inside the synagogue, like Almog Peretz, visiting his family from Israel. The 34-
year-old shot in the leg before helping children escape the gunfire.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PERETZ: He's like he had a vest. He's coming like the soldier. He's standing in the door like the focus, and he's staying like that. And he's
staying that way, relaxed and shooting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIMON (voice over): Peretz trying to protect his 8-year-old niece, Noya Dahan, who was injured by shrapnel.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NOYA DAHAN, INJURED BY SHRAPNEL: The world isn't supposed to be like this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(SINGING)
SIMON (voice over): Poway, the latest American city trying to heal from another hate-filled attack.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOLDSTEIN: No matter how dark the world is, we need to think of light. A little bit of light pushes away a lot of darkness.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIMON (voice over): While honoring those like its youngest victim, Noya, sitting tall on her father's shoulders at a vigil Sunday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was wounded yesterday. And today she's here with us.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SIMON (on camera): Now, the suspect, 19-year-old, John Earnest is a college student, 19 years old again, again, his apparent motive here seems
to be anti-Semitism; for some inexplicable reason as he left the synagogue in his getaway vehicle, he called police and apparently announced his
involvement and he was apprehended a short time later.
We don't know if he had any sort of formal weapons training. We don't know how he obtained the weapon. But from what it sounds like Anna, when the
shooting was taking place, at a certain point, the weapon seemed to jam and if that's the case, that likely prevented several more people from losing
their lives -- Anna.
COREN: Dan, you speak of these acts of heroism that you mentioned in your package. If it wasn't for those courageous folks who stepped in, the death
toll could have been much higher.
SIMON: Yes, no question about that. And in particular, we need to talk about once again, Lori Gilbert Kaye, who put herself in between the shooter
and the Rabbi.
[08:10:05] SIMON: And the details here, Anna are chilling. We know that her husband was with her. She was here actually to mourn the recent
passing of her mother and when the shooting took place, her husband who happens to be a physician, tried to revive her and at first he didn't
realize that he was working on his wife and once he did, he fainted and collapsed next to her. Just a horrible detail.
COREN: Absolutely tragic. Dan Simon, we appreciate your reporting. Many thanks. Well, ironically, that little girl Noya and her family moved to
the United States from Israel to find a safer place to live.
She and her father gave a heartbreaking interview to CNN about how the attack played out, as Sara Sidner reports they now feel anything but safe.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAHAN: We go to pray, and then we're supposed to like -- we're supposed to feel safe.
SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Eight-year-old Noya Dahan wasn't safe. It turned out no one was. A gunman entered their California
synagogue on the last day of Passover and opened fire.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
N. DAHAN: I don't even have any words for it. It was terrifying, scary.
ISRAEL DAHAN, SURVIVED POWAY, CALIFORNIA, SYNAGOGUE SHOOTING, DAUGHTER INJURED: All over his body. He has full magazines.
SIDNER (on camera): So he's covered in bullets.
I. DAHAN: He came to kill us. He came to grind us. The amount of bullets that he got on them, he came to destroy this place.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER (voice over): Noya's father, Israel Dahan, was beyond worried. He was terrified for his children. He had no idea Noya had already been
hit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
N. DAHAN: My uncle, he was holding my hand and he was like grabbing me and stuff. And the person who was shooting, he was aiming at him. So he -- it
hit him and the, like, it went like -- went like that. It hit me, too.
SIDNER (on camera): So you got hit with shrapnel.
N. DAHAN: Yes.
SIDNER: Little pieces.
N. DAHAN: No. Like the knee one is pretty big, but these are little pieces. So, you know, so this was like a pretty big piece, and then it
went back here.
SIDNER: So the piece of shrapnel went in your leg and then came out the other side?
N. DAHAN: Yes.
SIDNER: What were you thinking then? Did it hurt?
N. DAHAN: In the first place, when it was like gushing blood, I didn't even feel it. And then after like they wiped it and like the blood was off
and it was like -- it -- it felt like I had like the giantest bruise ever. It was just hurting bad.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER (voice over): Her uncle had been shot, too.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALMOG PERETZ, RESCUED CHILDREN, SHOT DURING POWAY, CALIFORNIA SYNAGOGUE SHOOTING: He's looking me in the face and the shoot -- and he want to
shoot me in the gun.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER (voice over): Yet Almog Peretz managed to whisk more than a half dozen children to safety as the gunman blew off round after round.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
I. DAHAN: And then I saw him shooting in our lady that she passed away -- terrible feeling. What can I say? It's scary that we need to live like
that. It's just unbelievable. Like there is no one really to protect us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER: Dahan watched his friend, Lori Kaye, slump. She died of her injuries.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
I. DAHAN: We have a big loss in the community. A big loss for the community in Poway. She was amazing woman.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER (voice over): The terror didn't end there. Their Rabbi had also been hit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
N. DAHAN: I saw the Rabbi. He like jumping from pain. His fingers were cut off. He was like shot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER (voice over): Bullets had shredded the Rabbi's hands. Noya's father tried to help him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
I. DAHAN: He doesn't want to go to the hospital. He started praying and he started praying for everybody. And he wants to keep the community
strong and tight.
SIDNER (on camera): So the Rabbi was refusing to leave the synagogue.
I. DAHAN: Yes. Yes, and he's still praying.
SIDNER: Even though he'd been shot.
I. DAHAN: Even though he's been shoot and even that he's been bleeding. And I told him, "Rabbi, please, your life is threatened right now. You're
bleeding so much, you can die." "No, I will stay here. I build it, I'm going to die here."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER (voice over): Rabbi Goldstein survived, but his index finger had to be amputated.
The Rabbi was one of the main reasons the Dahans had moved to Poway. The family left Sderot, Israel because a rocket hit their home. They wanted a
safer place to raise their five children. They moved to Mira Mesa, California, but hate found them there, too. Swastikas were painted on the
family's garage and car.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER (on camera): Did you leave there out of fear for your family?
I. DAHAN: Yes, of course. We were sleeping inside a locked bedroom with knives and with baseball pole because that's the only way I can protect my
family. And then I met Rabbi Goldstein, and he told me, come to our community.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER (voice over): They loved it and moved to Poway.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
N. DAHAN: The synagogue is always a safe place to be. We're not supposed to be worried about anything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[08:15:08] SIDNER (voice over): Three years later, terror would find them once again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
N. DAHAN: I'm feeling scared, unsafe. I just feel like I want to be with my family and in a safe place where the whole family is there and if
someone gets hurt there's like someone always behind us and like watching out for us.
SIDNER (on camera): How do you make them feel safe?
I. DAHAN: They don't. I cannot.
SIDNER: You've basically had to run from one place to the next because of anti-Semitism.
I. DAHAN: Yes. This is the right word to use, yes. And I might need to run again. It will -- I don't think it will stop soon. I might need to
run again. And I need to prepare myself for the next run.
SIDNER: That's a horrible way to live.
I. DAHAN: It is horrible. Yes. But that's where we live and it's happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIDNER (voice over): Sara Sidner, CNN, Poway, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: A horrible way to live indeed. And what a brave little girl sharing her frightening story. You are watching NEWS STREAM. Still to
come. Spain's socialists remain in the driver's seat after Sunday's election, but support for the far-right is steadily growing. We take a
look at the rise of that movement across Europe. And the danger is anything but over in Mozambique. The country is facing an increase in the
death toll from Cyclone Kenneth as heavy rain and flooding hit areas ready devastated by a tropical storm just six weeks ago.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COREN: A beautiful evening here in Hong Kong as we look across Victoria Harbour to the city. Welcome back to NEWS STREAM. Well, Spain's ruling
Socialist Party is celebrating its electoral victory after winning the most parliamentary seats in Sunday's hotly contested general election.
But the party fell short of an outright majority. The country's Deputy Prime Minister says her party will try to govern without forming a
coalition with another party. CNN's Isa Soares has been following the election and joins us now live from London.
Isa, socialists -- they have held on to power, but without an absolute majority. So how will Pedro Sanchez govern without a coalition?
ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And this is something, Anna that we knew was about to happen. We knew the socialists were going to
win. We knew the socialists would not have the majority. So what we've heard from the Vice President, as you said to me is that is in fact they
want a government with a minority. How exactly that minority government is going to push any sorts of policies through Parliament remains to be seen,
of course.
But what is clear is that they have -- we've got a couple of elections coming through. We've got European elections. We've all they've got local
elections and legislative elections, and they will be waiting to see the results of those elections before you start to see any rumblings between
Sanchez, the leader of the socialist party and any other parties.
[08:20:14] SOARES: I think they'll wait and see, it might be a bit of a long game, but he's got a period of two months or so, Anna, before he has
to announce -- before there is any decision on whether he becomes Prime Minister or not.
But there are two options really, if he does consider an alliance to try and get those numbers as support in Parliament, that is a left-wing
alliance with a like support Podemos, the Basque party and even the kind of more minor parties. He might want to dodge, though, I have to say, Anna,
the separatists, the Catalan separatists. They're the ones who have brought down in many ways call for an election in many ways because they
wanted a referendum of sorts in Catalonia and they would only back Sanchez in Parliament and back his budget -- spring budget -- if the called for
that. He didn't. And so we are where we are.
So he may want to dodge it, of course, this is a subject that's been extremely divisive in Spain, or he might want to go Anna, to a kind of more
center alliance centrist-deal with the likes of Rivera of Citizens Party, which is something that we have heard Rivera saying he doesn't want to.
So plenty for him to relook at and see what the options are. But one thing is clear, this is extremely, really broken up political field that we've
seen. And this is mainly, I have to say, fractured because of Vox, particularly on the question of the right side in Spanish politics -- Anna.
COREN: Yes, I want to explore that move to the far right, as you mentioned, the party Vox having won some seats in Parliament, the first
time since the 1970s. I want to explore that with you in just a moment. But for now, Spain is just one of several countries in Europe where far-
right parties have been steadily on the rise in recent years.
Since 2017, far-right parties have increased their support in more than 10 countries. Well, on top of that list is Hungary where two far-right
parties control a combined a 68 percent of Parliamentary seats. Well, that figure is up to 17 percent in Italy, Sweden and Finland and 13 percent in
Germany and the Netherlands.
Well, let's bring back our Isa Soares. So Isa, that move to the far-right is happening across Europe. Is it a trend or the new norm?
SOARES: It is. We are seeing it in fact, but interesting with Fox, Anna is one thing that really makes them different and is the fact they are far
right, but they are pro-European. Yes, they are anti-immigration and anti -- I should say -- illegal immigration I'd like to say. They are anti-
feminism, they are pro-bullfighting. They're about unity of Spain, keeping Spain together, but they are also pro-Europe, which really changes so much
compared to the other parties, the far-right parties we're seeing in Europe.
But this is a party who is now for the first time you said, they've got 24 seats in Parliament. The first time ever since in fact, 1974 since
Francisco Franco. And we heard from the leader in fact, in the last 24 hours basically saying, "Look, yes, we didn't win. But we've got our
position in Parliament, we've got 24 voices, and we're going to make them heard."
So expect them to shake Parliament in many ways, because these are not new kids on the block in many ways, Anna. These are politicians who came from
PP, the Partido Popular, which didn't do very well. But Partido Popular was one of the key leading parties, so again with the socialist parties,
and they really didn't do so well this year because of allegations with corruption.
And so many of those politicians within PP kind of losing hope really disenchanted and disgruntled set up Vox. So these are experienced
politicians. So don't -- I think we should be careful here to make sure that viewers know they didn't just come out of nowhere Vox. They are
experienced and they're going to make their voices heard and the questions of the topics, we're talking about identity, unity, and also nationalism.
These are themes, Anna, that you and I have been seeing throughout here in Europe and we expect to see a rise of, too. And a very quick point to just
to make here. Vox as a party had the support of Steve Bannon, and they also used a lot of the rhetoric that we saw from President Trump's
rulebook, the likes of "Make Spain Great Again," as we said and also they want to build a wall with Morocco. Just some of the rhetoric that we've
been seeing from Vox -- Anna.
COREN: Isa Soares, as always great to see you. Many thanks. Well, now to another election, the largest one-day vote in the world, Indonesia.
Officials there say more than 270 poll workers died after the nation voted in the massive election earlier this month. The reason they got sick after
working too much.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEVIN EVANS, INDONESIAN POLITICAL ANALYST: I think the first point to note is that the deaths were caused by exhaustion, they were not caused by
electoral violence. Secondly, we need to recall there are six million poll workers who were deployed for Election Day and many of them are already
senior citizens.
[08:25:10] EVANS: And related fact this time is that they added the vote for the presidential election on the same day as all of the legislative
elections. So that's five lots of the ballot papers that have to be counted in every polling station.
In many of these places, people literally worked 24 hours before they could finish, so they're there before the polls opened, and literally a day
later, they finally concluded their work. And unfortunately, for many people, it may have just been -- it was clearly too much.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: Still seems like a very high number. Well, the final results from those elections will be announced on May 22nd. Well, meantime, there's
tragedy elsewhere in the region. Indonesian state media says 10 people have died and eight are missing after heavy rain triggered severe flooding
and landslides. Non-stop rain caused multiple rivers to burst their banks in Bengkulu Province on Friday. The Governor says almost all districts and
cities in the province have been hit.
And in Mozambique, the impact of Cyclone Kenneth is still being felt four days after it made landfall in South Eastern Africa. The storm has left at
least nine people dead, five in Mozambique and four in neighboring Comoros. It's the second major disaster in the country in a little over a month
after Cyclone Idai left more than 700 dead.
Our David McKenzie is standing by in Johannesburg. David, tell us what are you hearing about the situation on the ground?
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the hurricane passed by, Anna, late last week with those record wind speeds of more than
200 kilometers an hour. But it really was the rain that came afterwards on Sunday in particular, heavy rain pouring down on the provincial capital of
Pemba, at one point killing the electricity supply, cutting off roads to those areas that were worst affected from the earlier winds.
Now people we were speaking to you today say that some of the worst affected areas in the capital aren't as badly affected now. In a way, they
feel that they really missed the worst of the storm, which is very lucky for them. But for those north of Pemba, north of the National Park there
were the epicenter of the Tropical Cyclone Kenneth hit.
They still haven't reached those areas. They've flown over them showing the shattered and flattened homesteads and lodges. But no one in fact has
touched down or foraged these swirling rivers to get there to give aid.
You know, one glimmer of hope here is that the direction of the storm and its rapid reduction in power as it hit land meant that it didn't hit very
large population centers, like Cyclone Idai did in March -- Anna.
COREN: David McKenzie, we appreciate the report. Thank you. People in Hong Kong took to the streets on Sunday in a show of force. We will tell
you what proposed changes to the law they are fighting against and why freedom of speech is at stake.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:30:48] COREN: Welcome back. I am Anna Coren in Hong Kong, you are watching NEWS STREAM. In Poway, California, survivors is speaking out
about Saturday's deadly shooting at a synagogue. The Eabbi wounded in the attacks says the gun men was wearing sunglasses. He looked at the shooter
but said quote, "I couldn't see his eyes. I couldn't see his soul." The 19-year-old suspect is being charged with one count of first-degree murder
and three counts of attempted murder. Authorities say he turned himself in after the attack.
Spain's ruling Socialist Party is celebrating its election victory after winning the most parliamentary seats in Sunday's hotly contested general
election. But the party fell short of an outright majority. The country's Deputy Prime Minister says her party will try to govern without forming a
coalition with another party.
It's been just over a week since the deadly bombings in Sri Lanka and the country remains on high alert with the government warning that more attacks
could be imminent. Sri Lanka's President banning face coverings including burkas and niqabs. A statement from his office calls them a security risk
and a flag of fundamentalism.
CNN senior international correspondent, Sam Kiley has been speaking with the Sri Lankan President and he joins us now. Sam, you've just come from
that interview. What did he have to say?
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it was a striking interview in that he maintained his position, which has been the position
he has taken right from the get-go following these catastrophic blasts that even though he was the Minister of Defense, and the Minister responsible
for the police, both portfolios he took on to himself several months ago, he was in no way responsible for the failure of Sri Lanka to deal with a
security threat that the Indian Intelligence had identified on April 4th, which he -- a day he gave in the interview.
And again, Sri Lankan Intelligence identified a complex plot to attack churches and other locations on April the 11th. He said, "I went on
holiday on April the 12th. And was on holiday in when these strikes happened." And so he was never kept informed. I also asked him how it was
possible that the Prime Minister had not been invited to the National Security Council for at least four months prior to this terrorist attack.
And he said, "Well, it wasn't really necessary for the Prime Minister to attend those meetings." And in any case, he could catch up on what was
said at Cabinet.
He did say also that the attacks were inspired by and organized by the so- called Islamic State. We know already that the so called Islamic State has laid claim to this group, a largely family group that was really at the
center of it with others involved directly in the bombing attacks. But he said there is an international element and that he was very grateful for
the help of the FBI and other nations, the United States obviously involving with the FBI, but others coming in to help Sri Lanka.
He says he's very confident that they can get to grips with this terrorist threat. But he continued to insist that the political dysfunction that has
been the characteristic of this country for the last eight or nine months in no way gave an opportunity to terrorists.
COREN: Quite extraordinary in trying to shift the blame. Sam Kiley, joining us from Colombo, many thanks for all your reporting. We appreciate
it. In Hong Kong, tens of thousands took to the streets on Sunday to protest against a government plan that would allow people to be extradited
to Mainland China.
Police say 22,000 turned up, but protest organizers put the number much higher at 130,000. We will let you take a look at the pictures and see for
yourself what the turnout was like.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COREN (voice over): People of Hong Kong march on Sunday against changes to extradition laws proposed earlier this year. These changes would allow
people to be sent to Mainland China and other countries not covered by the city's existing extradition treaties. If approved, extradition would be on
a case-by-case basis and would be able to be challenged and appealed through legal channels.
[08:35:04] COREN: The government claims these changes would close a loophole that allows fugitives to escape justice. But many Hong Kong-ers
is say it's a move that threatens the city's core freedoms, and could be easily used against political dissonance or anyone who goes against the
Chinese government.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAYSON SHING, PROTESTER (through translator): Once this law has been passed, it won't matter if you're an average person or a foreigner coming
through Hong Kong. There will be a real possibility you will be taken and sent off to the Mainland.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN (voice over): Bookseller Lam Wing-Kee is not taking any chances. In 2015, he disappeared without a trace for several months. He says he was
kidnapped and jailed by Mainland Chinese agents for selling banned books in China. He later managed to skip bail and return to Hong Kong. Reports
say, he has now fled to Taiwan.
Sunday's demonstration was not all about the extradition rules. Many who marched were also angry about the jailing of pro-democracy activists. Last
week, several prominent leaders in the Umbrella Movement was sentenced to prison, some up to 16 months for organizing massive protests in 2014 that
paralyzed parts of the city.
Despite this show of force, the proposed changes to extradition laws is making its way through the Legislative Council. Chief Executive Carrie Lam
has urged lawmakers to pass the amendment before July.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COREN: Frank Ching is a veteran journalist and political commentator for China. He joins us now from our Hong Kong Bureau. Frank, great to have
you with us.
FRANK CHING, VETERAN JOURNALIST AND POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Hello, Anna.
COREN: Obviously, this enormous turnout of protesters in Hong Kong, the largest since the Umbrella Movement back in 2014, a clear sign people here
are very worried about this extradition law. Tell us more.
CHING: I think that's very true. And I think these big protests show -- well, two things. One, that civil society is alive and well in Hong Kong,
in spite of the sentencing of Occupy Central leaders last week. And secondly, a lot of people in Hong Kong are very disturbed by the
government's proposals of this extradition law passed, which could result people in Hong Kong being sent to the Mainland for trial.
I can go more into that if you want. But there's another issue involved, which is Taiwan. What precipitated this was that a Hong Kong person took
his girlfriend to Taiwan and it turned out she was pregnant, and he killed her. There's no dispute about that in Taiwan and came back to Hong Kong.
He was just jailed today in Hong Kong for 29 months, but he cannot be charged with murder. And Hong Kong says he cannot be sent back to Taiwan
because there's no extradition agreement with either Taiwan or Mainland China.
COREN: Yes, we know that that's what the government is saying as to the reason why it needs to push this law through before July. But protesters
say the government is acting like the enemy of the people. The Hong Kong government says it's in fact the protesters have got it wrong. They don't
understand the law. But what is to say, Frank, that Beijing wouldn't abuse these new laws and target political activists and have them extradited back
to the Mainland?
CHING: Well, I think it's very odd that the Hong Kong government is making this proposal because for 70 years, Hong Kong has not had any agreement
with the Mainland regarding extradition. And even after the handover, the Hong Kong legislature has amended legislation in this area and nobody had
ever suggested that people in Hong Kong should be sent back to the Mainland for trial.
And this is because the system of -- the judicial system in the Mainland, everyone knows this is controlled by the Communist Party. So what has
happened to change that? The Hong Kong government has not explained why they are doing this now. They only use the Taiwan case as an excuse for
doing it at this time.
COREN: Yes, and we know from protesters, too Frank that they are prepared to escalate these protests next month, if the government doesn't drop these
amendments. Frank Ching, many thanks for joining us here on NEWS STREAM.
You are watching a NEWS STREAM, still ahead, it's a film that made a super heroic debut at the worldwide box office crossing the billion dollar mark
in just five days and with rave reviews to boot.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[08:41:22] COREN: Disney is billing it as the epic conclusion of an 11- year journey, but it's really just the beginning of box office domination for "Avengers: Endgame."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Three, two, one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No fears. No regrets.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Part of the journey is the end.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Avengers: Endgame" is one of a kind ...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: Marvel's superhero flick has become the only movie in history that grossed more than a billion dollars worldwide on opening weekend. Our
Brian Stelter joins us now from New York. Brian, I have not seen this movie, but our director tells us that he's found a new religion, I know
that viewers are saying it's epic on every level. What is so incredible about this movie that it is quite literally destroying the records?
BRIAN STELTER, CNN CHIEF MEDIA CORRESPONDENT: Partly because it is the culmination of more than a decade of storytelling and that's a remarkable
thing. You know, in this age of instant everything, for Marvel now owned by Disney to create this production, to bring it to a conclusion after 11
years. That's a remarkable thing. But as you said, you know, you end one chapter, you start another chapter.
Marvel has a lot more in store in the future. But as for "Avengers: Endgame," this was for the history books, for business reasons, and for
cultural reasons. For cultural reasons, we talked about that. But for business -- on the business front, $1.2 billion is a historic figure. It
was propelled by China. More than $330 million in ticket sales in China, more than $350 million domestically or in the United States. This is
something that Disney has never seen before and the movie industry has never seen before.
That's partly because ticket prices are going up, but there's a lot more going on, on that. People have been looking forward to this movie for
years. And it is proof that people still do want a communal experience, a chance to all go to a theater together. Yes, even in the Netflix age.
COREN: Brian, you've seen it, I presume you loved it, you're one of the many fans.
STELTER: I couldn't get a ticket. It was sold out when I tried to see it this weekend, so I am actually going to try to see it this week. It's
going to keep selling tickets for months. And it's going to eventually beat "Titanic" to be the biggest movie of all time.
COREN: Brian Stelter, great to see you thank you for that. And that is NEWS STREAM. I'm Anna Coren, but don't go anywhere, "World Sport" with
Amanda Davies is coming up next.
(SPORTS)
[09:00:00]
END
