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Coronavirus Outbreak Touches Every Continent except Antarctica; Former Egyptian Leader Hosni Mubarak Laid to Rest; Front-Runner Bernie Sanders Targeted in Democratic Presidential Debate; India Protests; Countdown to 2022 World Cup. Aired 11a-12:00p ET

Aired February 26, 2020 - 11:00   ET

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

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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): With the novel coronavirus inching toward what's being called a global pandemic.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The authorities are trying everything possible to try to limit the spread of the disease.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a situation of concern but we must not give in to panic.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It looks like the president is choosing happy talk over facts about the coronavirus.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Very well under control in our country.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): This hour, new cases, new countries, new fears: the coronavirus spreading farther and wider, inching

toward being called a global pandemic, now touching every continent on Earth, barring Antarctica.

Brazil confirming a 61-year old has been infected. It's the first case in South America. In the last 24 hours, Algeria, Switzerland and Greece also

confirming their first cases. The outbreak jumping from country to country by people who don't always have symptoms.

It seems the people in charge don't know the best way to stop it. Let's get the latest from our correspondents on the ground. Shasta Darlington is live

from Brazil. Jomana Karadsheh is in Istanbul and Melissa Bell is in Venice and Delia Gallagher is also live from Rome.

Shasta, the first case in South America has just been confirmed.

What's the very latest?

SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, there are a lot of concerning elements here. As you say, this is the first case with

a 61-year-old Brazilian man who arrived on Friday after just under two weeks in Italy.

The problem is he arrived without any symptoms. So he went home, spent the weekend with his family; apparently he had a family reunion with some 30

people at his home on Sunday.

Then on Monday came down with the symptoms, checked into the Albert Einstein Hospital, where he tested positive for the virus. They isolated

him while they waited for confirmation from the second test.

There are other concerning elements. We're wrapping up the four, five-day Carnival celebrations that take over, where hundreds of thousands of people

take to the streets in massive street parties, a lot of person to person contact. And while the man infected may have been at home, he was in

contact with a lot of people.

Where were they?

What were they doing during the Carnival celebrations?

On the other hand, we've heard from the health minister say this is the Southern Hemisphere. This is a tropical country and we don't really know

how the virus will react in this different environment. This is something we have to basically map out.

And that's exactly what authorities are doing. They're mapping out every single person that this man had contact with and who those people had

contact with. This is a country at the end of a recession, where they haven't been investing in their health institutions and a city with some 20

million people in the greater metropolitan area. A lot of things to worry about. We'll be keeping an eye on it.

ANDERSON: Well, Melissa, thank you, Shasta, Italy now the largest outbreak outside of Asia and the reports of more people contracting the virus having

traveled to Italy.

What's been the response from authorities there?

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they've taken it seriously. Since you and I spoke yesterday, the number of cases here in Italy has risen by

100. Now we're at 374. What we've seen over the course of the last 24 hours is cases in Croatia, Austria, France, Spain, also linked to people who just

returned from Italy. So clearly there is a problem.

[11:05:00]

BELL: But the message from authorities is very much that, although they are doing everything they can to continue the lockdown in at least 10

villages and cities, they've put up a number of red zones for those that are quarantined, yellow zones for those with special measures introduced.

The cancellation of sporting events, for instance.

They say they're doing all they can with the help of the World Health Organization to make sure it doesn't spread. But they're also trying to

strike that delicate balance of not having people panic. That's very much been the message, not least from the regional director of the World Health

Organization.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HANS KLUGE, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: At the same time, there is, indeed, no need for a panic. And for trust by the people in what the government in

Italy is doing, the ministry of health, the civil protection committee.

And together with European Commission we are ready to scale up the capacity together to ensure that all regions in the country are equally prepared.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BELL: Now he went on to say, look, four out of five people who contract this disease simply do not go on to present more than mild symptoms. And

the truth is they recover and that really echoes something we heard from a local virologist, who said the samples so far are too small to determine

how dangerous the virus is.

Of course we're worried and it's new and we don't quite understand how it gets spread. In Italy they're searching for patient zero to work out how it

got here. There are a lot of unknowns and that explains why there's a concern.

When you look at the people who contracted it, fewer than 2 percent mortality rate. That's pretty small. The message we're hearing from

specialists dealing with it is we need to contain it and understand it but now is not the time for panic.

The trouble is fear is something that politicians can all too easily jump on. It's led to a lot of chatter about something we know little about.

ANDERSON: Yes.

It's a real responsibility here to prevent panic, isn't it?

Thank you.

Delia is in Rome, where an Vatican spokesman said there will be no special coronavirus measures for pope's Ash Wednesday mass.

There's an effort to avoid panic, perhaps, Delia?

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, absolutely, Becky. I think that's something that the Vatican is very symbolic, of course. It's

the last place you would want to see closed down because of this virus.

On the other hand, there are no particular health ordinances right now for Rome. So churches are open. Schools are open. Of course, today is Ash

Wednesday. It's a very important day for Christians around the world, a day when they normally go to church.

And in the churches in the north where Melissa is, they'll watch their Ash Wednesday masses via TV or online. The pope is right now at a church in

Rome, participating in the Ash Wednesday celebrations and the Vatican says they are in contact with the Italian health authorities to monitor the

situation.

But certainly for the moment life goes on as normal at the Vatican and indeed in Rome where schools and public places are still open.

ANDERSON: We've brought you reports from South America, from Europe and thank you, Delia, for that.

Jomana is Istanbul.

And Kuwait confirming there are now 26 cases of the coronavirus in that country. The new cases associated with travel from Iran and this, going to

underscore how the outbreak there in Iran is proving dangerous for the Middle East and Gulf regions.

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. It's a huge concern, Becky, for countries in the region, especially also neighboring countries

of Iran, when it comes to how that country is handling the outbreak.

And at this point it seems that they are putting measures in place. They've closed down schools in Tehran. They've closed theaters. There are the

public images of them disinfecting and cleaning mosques and also public transport. Today authorities announcing they're banning smoking shisha in

cafes.

But the question is are they doing enough?

And that's what's not clear.

Are they capable of doing enough, considering the situation when it comes to the U.S. sanctions on Iran, the impact it's having on its health care

infrastructure?

And that is what is concerning for a lot of different countries and how transparent this very secretive regime is being about the cases in the

country.

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KARADSHEH: The big question is, when it comes to the figures that really don't add up, if you look at the pattern worldwide, what we're seeing in

terms of figures, so far, Iran says they have had 139 individuals who have tested positive. That's 44 more cases compared to yesterday.

And the mortality rate so far, they say 19 people have died of this disease. That's about 14 percent. That is significantly higher than the

average mortality rate globally. So there's a lot of concerns about why that is. And it is unclear at this point.

We've heard today from the Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, who came out trying to reassure the people in the country saying it is under control and

telling them not to listen to rumors and taking the opportunity here to slam countries like the United States, saying that they are trying to

create this panic and fear in the country and saying Iranians shouldn't allow the enemies of their country to weaponize this virus and use it to

destroy Iran's economy.

So, of course, this would be very concerning for countries in the region, neighboring countries, where you can basically trace all of these cases

back to Iran, as we heard, as you mentioned, from Kuwait, from Bahrain, also today.

So you're seeing the different countries in the region, Becky, stepping up their own preventive measures, trying to put these different measures in

place, stopping flights, closing down borders, as we also heard from Armenia, for example, closing the border two days ago with Iran and Turkey.

Of course, taking so many different measures to try and prevent the spread of the disease. As we heard from the health minister, saying there are no

cases in Turkey but he says that doesn't mean that there will be no cases. What they can do right now is put all these measures in place to try and

delay for now.

ANDERSON: Jomana is in Istanbul in Turkey this evening. Our correspondents fanned out around the world. Thank you to all of you.

Officials in Europe are racing to figure out what their response is or should be to this deadly outbreak. The coronavirus has spread to several

countries, as we have been reporting, including Spain.

Authorities say 12 people there have now tested positive for the virus. Earlier, I spoke to Spain's health minister, who told me overreaction to

the virus is understandable but Spain is confident in its response. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SALVADOR ILLA, SPANISH HEALTH MINISTER: I understand people are worried with the situation. The disease is an unknown disease, so everybody is

doing their best to discover what happens with the disease.

But I insist that to send a message of confidence to all (INAUDIBLE) and we're dealing in close cooperation with the World Health Organization, with

the European partners and with the regional governments of Spain, which have (INAUDIBLE) regarding the health services.

And we think the measures currently in place are enough to deal with the situation. So there is a kind of a overreaction sometimes by the

population, which is understandable.

ANDERSON: Tourists staying at a hotel on the island of Tenerife were asked to remain in their rooms after a couple there tested positive for the

virus. Here's what one person said about the experience.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS BETTS, HOTEL GUEST: I'm staying at the hotel in Tenerife. We're told we're in quarantine due to an Italian doctor testing for the coronavirus.

The hotel seems to be acting normally except we cannot go out either front or back. There are police cars stationed at all entrances and at the side

entrance at the side of our room, where the employees enter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: So what is your message to those guests in the hotel in Tenerife?

ILLA: We appreciate their cooperation. Four people that were in this hotel have been tested positive and we need some time to be sure they are in good

health condition before taking any further direction.

But it's a precaution. I mean, we need to be sure that all the people that were in the same hotel with these Italian people that have tested positive

are evaluated by our health people.

ANDERSON: The European Union has said no to closing European borders. Italy's prime minister is reported to have said that shutting down borders

with Italy would turn the country into a lazzaretto, a leper hospital, effectively.

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ANDERSON: Is there a political dimension to this, the idea that it would be un-European to close borders, political concerns, perhaps, overriding

medical needs?

ILLA: I am concerned only with the health of our people or citizens. And according to our (INAUDIBLE) necessary up to now to close borders. So I

would expressly comment as that it's not necessary to close borders with Italy or with any other country.

And this is what we are putting in place. And we -- as I mentioned before, we are working closely with our European partners. And from the point of

view of the expense, it's not necessary to close borders. And this is just what we are doing.

ANDERSON: Earlier today the European Union health commissioner urged people not to panic.

She said, and I quote, "We must be vigilant when it comes to misinformation and disinformation as well as xenophobic statements."

Do you share her concern?

ILLA: We are fighting a illness, not any kind of group of people, not Chinese nor Italian nor French nor German. We are dealing with a virus, a

disease and we should focus on this and misinformation is not the best way to deal with this new disease.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: The perspective of the Spanish health minister speaking to me a couple hours ago. Between the period of time that we spoke and that

broadcast, the number of cases in Spain actually increased by three.

As always, up to the minute updates at cnn.com. U.S. officials say it's not a question of if the coronavirus will spread throughout the U.S. but when.

They're testing an anti-viral drug in people who have been diagnosed. More on that online.

And do remember, that President Trump will be holding a press conference certainly making a speech from the White House on this a little later and

you can get that on CNN.

This is CONNECT THE WORLD, where the time is just after a quarter past 8:00. Still ahead, disturbing scenes from India as violent protests erupt

over a new citizenship rule. The death toll rising.

Plus a military presidential funeral for former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak. I talk to a novelist who was part of that 2011 uprising that led

to his downfall.

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ANDERSON: The pageantry and praise for a man with a fractious legacy. Former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak was laid to rest today in the

capital of Cairo. Egypt held a military funeral, filled with cannon fire and a horse-drawn carriage for a man who ruled the country for 30 years.

The current president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi attended the funeral, walking alongside Mubarak's sons has the country observes three days of mourning.

He ruled Egypt with an iron fist and his ousting sparked a revolutionary moment in the country's history.

My next guest, along with thousands of other Egyptians, considered Cairo's Tahrir Square her home during the country's revolution in 2011. She

documented her experiences and how that moment in time changed her in a novel called, "Cairo, My City, Our Revolution."

I'm delighted you are here in Abu Dhabi attending a festival and are able to join us on set tonight. We've been seeing images of the earlier funeral

or the funeral procession for Hosni Mubarak. A real contrast to the scenes of jubilation of 2011 when he stood down. The contrast won't be lost on

you.

AHDAF SOUEIF, EGYPTIAN NOVELIST: Quite. This was a state event today and in fact, the -- all the roads to it and from it have been closed off to the

general public.

So all the people that we see in the pictures are people, you know, of the state, who have been brought in there.

And, of course, it was completely different on the 11th of February, 2011, when it was very spontaneous. It was actually the people there in the

streets who were celebrating the fact that he had stepped down. So it's like two different worlds.

ANDERSON: Your book we mentioned earlier, you write, and I quote, "A month before, a week before, three days, before we could not have told you

that it was going to happen. But there have been so many protests and calls for protests over the years, that it hadn't seemed special.

"Those of us who were in Egypt intended to join for form's sake and to keep up the spirit of opposition. Those of us who weren't, well, weren't."

Veiled criticism for those who perhaps who didn't take the time to come back.

What's happened since then?

SOUEIF: We're in a far worse place than we were in those days. This -- I mean, we're seeing a country that is run very, very quickly to ruin; public

debt, external debt is sixfold what it was when President Sisi took over. The clampdown on freedoms, on freedom of expression, is unprecedented.

I mean, just yesterday, there was news that TV stations have been taken over so that now the media is completely owned by organizations of the

government.

ANDERSON: As a writer?

SOUEIF: Well, I cannot write. Now I used to have a column, a weekly column, from 2012 to 2015 or 2016. And now there's no place that is open to

me.

But I mean, it's not my problem. This is a general state of things. And of course, I am getting off lightly. A lot of my friends are in prison. And

more are banned from travel. They've had their passports confiscated. People have had their bank accounts frozen. So yes, unprecedented.

ANDERSON: Your nephew has been imprisoned numerous times over the years for his activism. Although he has been released, as I understand it, he

faces strict probation measures, which, effectively, as far as your family is concerned, and I totally get it, mean he's not able to bring up his

young family as he would want to.

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ANDERSON: Do you regret that time back in 2011?

And as you have written in your book, the years before that, I mean, we consider 2011, you know, this great moment in time. But there was years

before that when there was sort of an undercurrent. Perhaps not able to show itself as it did back in January and February of 2011.

SOUEIF: Well, you are right, of course, there was -- there was an outburst of protest every once in a while. It started in 2000, to do with Palestine

and then in 2003 against the war in Iraq and then from 2005 onward, it was about Egypt. It continued until it culminated in 2011.

No, I don't regret it. And, of course, it's a difficult thing to say, because there are people who have lost their lives and certainly people who

have lost their liberty. We're talking about people in the thousands. And as I said, we are in a worse place now than we were then.

However, it was a real revolution in the sense that things have changed which will never go back. Politically, we lost. But in terms of the way

that people think. In terms of people's critical abilities, it is ongoing.

I would just like to say that my nephew is back in prison. He had served five years for protest, peaceful protest, and then he was under the

surveillance regulations that mentioned, which meant spending the night in a police station. And then after six months of that they simply took him

again.

He's been in prison again for six months for -- since September and under much worse conditions, because now he is not allowed books. He's not

allowed any kind of media. He's not allowed exercise. So there's no fresh air, no sunshine.

And visits are from behind a barrier. And, again, it's not only him. It's really a lot of people, who are seen to have a mind of their own and to not

be content to simply toe the line with whatever is going on, are paying a very heavy price.

ANDERSON: I appreciate your time tonight. I'm so glad you're here at the Abu Dhabi literary festival. I know people have a lot of value out of

having you here. Thank you.

SOUEIF: Thank you.

ANDERSON: It was part debate and part shouting matches as Democratic candidates clashed. And front-runner Bernie Sanders, rivals slamming him

for his praise of Castro. A live report from Cuba for you tonight. That's up next.

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ANDERSON: You're back with CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson. To our top story: one in five countries now has the coronavirus as we track its

rapid spread in different parts of the world. One notable exception is Africa. Algeria has become the second country in the continent to confirm a

case.

The other is in Egypt. Both countries have one case of coronavirus each. That small number is surprising, given the close links between Africa and

China and the frequent travel between the two.

Dr. Michel Yao is a program manager for the World Health Organization joining me from the Democratic Republic of Congo tonight.

Does the lack of reported cases reflect the fact that there aren't any?

Or is this more about country's abilities to actually test for the virus?

DR. MICHEL YAO, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: I will say that countries have really made progress and, actually, we have a report every day about alert

that they are receiving these cases that comply to what is defined as a coronavirus case.

So most of the investigation, more than 60 cases that we highly suspect, turned out negative. So the system is there. And in addition to the lab is

actually a component. We have screening at entry points. We have also the health facility based in Venice (ph). It's one of the health facilities

that detects the suspect case in Algeria and performs the test to confirm.

And we have a third layer that is also community, event-based surveillance. So none of them did not report any major event related to respiratory

infection.

ANDERSON: So you are telling me that there are, as you understand it, there are only two cases of coronavirus on the continent, one in Egypt and

one in Algeria.

Correct?

YAO: It is. Yes, it is. One in Egypt and one in Algeria. Yes.

ANDERSON: The WHO identified 13 countries in Africa that are particularly vulnerable due to their close links to China, including the Democratic

Republic of Congo, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa, among others. Our viewers can see these on a map at present.

Are you expecting an outbreak?

And what measures are these countries taking to limit exposure to the virus, sir?

YAO: The race is high for this countries. There is the link but also there is a capacity to detect and the response that we're taking to account to

prioritize these countries. So the scenario is probable. The risk is high for all these countries.

Now the support that we are giving them is to ensure that they have the early detection capacity. This includes screening, hospital surveillance,

communities, as well as a laboratory capacity and there is actually daily progress made. All these countries have now laboratory capacity and tested

for the coronavirus.

The other component is related to treatment. So for them to ensure that they have treatment capacity.

[11:35:00]

YAO: And also have a plan, a contingency plan, should there be a big number of cases that could challenge many of the African health services.

ANDERSON: According to "The Telegraph," at a conference in Seattle, Bill Gates warned that the coronavirus could hit Africa worse than China. I

mean, clearly sounding alarm bells.

Do you share his concern?

YAO: I do share the concern because we have also many African countries already facing many health challenges. We still have malaria, ongoing

outbreak. If we take this up in DRC, we still have Ebola and also measles outbreaks.

Countries with a system that is already under huge pressure, having coronavirus with the same pattern that we see in China, like highly

contagious, it can be really a major issue. It is what we are appealing to countries that did not --

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON: No, I understand. Sorry. I cut you off in the middle of what you were saying. But, look, our correspondent, David Culver, spoke to a woman

at the end of last month, who was trying to leave Shanghai when China started locking cities down. This is what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JENNA DAVIDSON, AMERICAN STUDENT: No one's here. It's a ghost town. There's 24 million people in Shanghai and there's no one on the street.

It's kind of spooky. So everyone is trying to leave China right now and the airlines know that. So the prices are ridiculously high. The flights are

booked fully if not overbooked.

So it was difficult to get out of here. I'm very lucky.

DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Where are you going?

DAVIDSON: Africa.

CULVER: Who do you know in Africa?

DAVIDSON: I don't know anyone in Africa.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, her destination at that point was Africa. We've been talking about how countries in Africa should be preparing and also

processing travelers who, of course, have come from virus-infected countries.

If you had one message for people across the continent tonight, what would it be, sir?

YAO: The message will be that it's a scenario that is probable, having cases in Africa. So we should be prepared. We should inform and we should

anticipate. The earlier we will detect cases, it will give more chance for the system that we have in place to control the outbreak.

But if the outbreak starts spreading into the community, it could be a major challenge. And we're appealing also to all the partners, the ones

that have help in the past in Ebola for Ebola treatment centers.

And as I'm speaking, we are having a training for treatment for health workers to improve the treatment knowledge. And in this group we have also

some NGO partners that are joining us to do that.

We are working to ensure that, if something happened -- mainly, if we have to face a big number of cases requiring intensive care -- we can set up

quickly, scale up quickly the capacity, with also the baseline that we have in Africa, with the challenging health services facing many of our public

health issues.

ANDERSON: With that, we'll leave it there. I know you will also say people should be extremely vigilant in not spreading misinformation about this and

ensuring that they are sensible and credible with their messaging as they, for example, exchange social media messages, et cetera.

Sir, thank you very much indeed for joining us.

That is your representative in -- from the WHO on Africa.

The Democrats vying to be president talked about America's vulnerability to the coronavirus and targeted the Trump administration's missteps, as they

called them, at a presidential debate in South Carolina on Tuesday evening.

But they saved most of their firepower for the front-runner amongst them, Bernie Sanders. He took the brunt of attacks. His rivals say the Democratic

socialist is a risky candidate who could sink the party's chances of beating Donald Trump in November. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think I would make a better president than Bernie.

PETE BUTTIGIEG (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Imagine spending the better part of 2020 with Bernie Sanders versus Donald Trump.

[11:40:00]

BUTTIGIEG: Think about what that will be like for this country.

TOM STEYER (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Bernie Sanders' analysis is right. The difference is I don't like his solutions.

JOE BIDEN, FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENT AND PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Bernie, in fact, hasn't passed much of anything.

SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR (D-MN), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I do not think that this is the best person to lead the ticket.

MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (D-NY), FORMER MAYOR OF NYC AND PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If you keep on going, we will elect Bernie. Bernie will lose to Donald

Trump.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Anyone could win.

Of course, it's all to pay for, absolutely. But those kind of attacks aren't just politicking. There is an electoral mathematics. America is

overall a center right country. It's not as left as Bernie Sanders' positions.

That's why even the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, a Democrat, is expressing his reservations about having a Democratic

socialist being the nominee. Take a listen to our Manu Raju who catches up with Eliot Engel.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. ELIOT ENGEL (D), N.Y.: It's concerning, because the word "socialist" -- some people don't like the word. But I think we have a primary situation

and, you know, whoever wins, wins.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: If you don't like the word, you don't have to use it.

Back to Tuesday's debate, where Sanders' opposition -- opponents questioned his praise of some aspects of Fidel Castro's regime in Cuba.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SANDERS: When dictatorships, whether it is the Chinese or the Cubans, do something good, you acknowledge that. But you don't have to trade love

letters with them.

BUTTIGIEG: We're not going to win these critical House and Senate races if people in those races have to explain why the nominee of the Democratic

Party is telling people to look at the bright side of the Castro regime.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, the last time that Fidel Castro sparked a heated discussion was back in 1960. I'm talking about a heated debate discussion.

Let's bring in our Patrick Oppmann who joins us now from Havana in Cuba.

That was when Richard Nixon sparred with John Kennedy at one of the first televised debates.

Are people in Havana and across Cuba surprised they are back front and center when it comes to the U.S. political debate?

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Becky. I mean, people here in Cuba are blown away that this has become a central point, at least for

the moment, of the Democratic nomination process.

And we're talking about, in particular, a literacy campaign ordered by Fidel Castro that took place 60 years ago. When Bernie Sanders was asked by

Anderson Cooper about Cuba, he said, while he has visited Cuba and gone to a lot of other socialist countries like Cuba over the years, he's not a

friend of the governments in these countries.

But he is an admirer of certain programs. He talked about the literacy campaign. It's true, right after the revolution, Castro ordered thousands

of volunteers out in the countryside to help educate many poor people who didn't have access to education.

It helped raise the literacy rate. But it's also true many people here feel this was an indoctrination program. It was a way for Castro to introduce

socialism and then communism to the Cuban population.

When you look at what happened with Fidel Castro and the Cuban revolution, seizing all TV, all print and radio media, reminds me of the old Cuban joke

that, yes, everyone here can read but there is nothing to read.

So while Bernie Sanders says he is not an admirer of the Cuban education system or -- sorry -- of the Cuban government but is an admirer of the

education system and the health system, you can't really separate those things.

And it's a great worry for many Democrats, particularly Democrats in South Florida, that, entering into the debate and the fact that he's not backed

down from the comments, is going to make it much, much harder for him to reach out to the Democrat base.

Here in Cuba, while the government isn't weighing in, they're watching this closely. They cannot believe a Democratic socialist but a socialist all the

same has done as well as Bernie Sanders has.

And they would love to deal with him because Donald Trump's administration has been very, very tough. The economic sanctions have been some of the

toughest Cuba has seen in years.

ANDERSON: On that, in Havana, thank you, sir.

We'll hear from these Democratic candidates in a few hours. CNN hosts town halls with Michael Bloomberg, Joe Biden and the rest of the lineup that you

can see there.

[11:45:00]

ANDERSON: Amy Klobuchar and Elizabeth Warren from South Carolina, starting at 7:00 pm Wednesday. That is 4:00 am in the morning Thursday Abu Dhabi

time. I challenge you to get up and be in front of your televisions for those at that time.

Coming up, Saudi Arabia launches a woman's football team. We'll take a look at the latest step forward for the -- what in the past has been the ultra

conservative kingdom.

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(MUSIC PLAYING) ANDERSON: India's capital is seeing its worst violence in decades. At

least 24 killed in New Delhi in clashes over a controversial citizenship law that's turned terrifying in one part of the city, as you can see in

this video.

The new law makes it easier for certain people to get citizenship but does not cover Muslims. The prime minister saying there is a call for a military

curfew at this point. Sam Kiley is joining me from New Delhi.

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Becky, the level of violence has eased off as of this morning. But it was very, very intense

and, as you say, here in the capital, actually during the presidential visit of Donald Trump. But this is what we found on the ground.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KILEY (voice-over): Rioters desecrate the minarets of a Delhi mosque with a flag bearing the simian image of Hanuman, the Hindu god of power. It's

calculated to insult and inflame.

The mosque itself torched on the third day of communal violence that's killed at least 21 people and injured scores more. This is what remains of

Kurti's (ph) rickshaw. I ask him, how will you make a living now?

He said, "When there is nothing left, how will we earn?

"We will steal and then drink poison and die."

He told me that a mob attacked the mosque in this mostly Hindu neighborhood 24 hours earlier. They moved onto smash and burn Muslim homes around it.

KILEY: This has been not only burned but the toilet has been smashed. The shower, rendered useless. This is what communal violence really looks like.

KILEY (voice-over): Violence erupted after a powerful Hindu politician from the ruling BJP party published a video demanding the anti-government

protests be stopped. He warned if police do not stop the demonstrations, we'll take to the streets.

Soon rival mobs clashed in riots to spread across the northeast of Delhi. Victims from both communities ended up side by side in the local morgue.

Yasmin (ph) waits for the release of her brother-in-law's body. She said, "People came from behind and were shouting, 'Jai shri ram,' (hail Lord

Ram.)

[11:50:00]

KILEY (voice-over): "They took Metup (ph) away. Then we got an anonymous call that he had been set on fire."

Hamid Singh (ph), a Hindu, lost his nephew.

KILEY: Do you think the policies of Mr. Modi have contributed to this?

"That is true. If they didn't make this law, that would not have happened. But the law is right from his perspective. He is our prime minister and

people shouldn't riot like this," he said.

The Indian PM has appealed for calm. But scores have died in riots and protests this year across India and the bloodletting looks far from over.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KILEY: Now, Becky, the level of violence has gone down but the sorts of scars that are left in this sort of communal violence, when the violence is

between different communities, raise ghosts and intensify fear. And when you get fear, you often get violence.

Now there has been a substantial move finally by the central government to deploy large numbers of police on the ground. The local chief ministers

asked for the army to be deployed. That's been rejected so far by the prime minister, who has, as I say, appealed for calm.

What will be critical next is the way the leadership, both locally and nationally here, try to reduce the level of violence and fear surrounding

this piece of legislation, which is not the legislation in the works. It is an act of parliament. That's the law as it stands at the moment.

Many, many people on both sides or all sides of the communities here in India believe it's a deeply anti-Muslim piece of legislation, that does not

in any way reflect the secular traditions of India's politics.

ANDERSON: Sam Kiley is in New Delhi, Sam, appreciate it. Thank you very much.

Still to come on CONNECT THE WORLD, the clock is ticking down and preparations ticking along, with fewer than 1,000 days to go until the

Qatar 2022 World Cup. We take a look at the state of play.

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ANDERSON: Another step forward for women's rights in Saudi Arabia. The country's launched a woman's football league. Its inaugural season is set

to launch in Riyadh, Jeddah and Damman. The kingdom only ended gender segregation at restaurants in December and a few months before that,

started letting women own passports and travel without consent of a male guardian.

Saudi women have only had driver's licenses since 2018. The head of the Saudi sports for all federation calls this a, quote, "major leap forward

for the future of our country, our health, our youth and our ambitions, to see every athlete be recognized and nurtured to their fullest capability."

Just 999 days: that is how long is left until the 2022 FIFA World Cup goes to Qatar.

[11:55:00]

ANDERSON: Qatar and FIFA announced Tuesday they're making great progress, building three stadiums that will be completed this year and all eight will

be operational by early 2022. I recently spoke to one of the officials behind the cup who says its impact will be felt across the region.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

H.E. HASSAN AL THAWADI, QATARI SECRETARY GENERAL, SUPREME COMMITTEE FOR DELIVERY AND LEGACY: I think us as a nation and if the blockade told us

anything, we're a resilient nation and we believe the benefits of this tournament far outweigh any, let's say, unrequited criticism or anything

else or any pains we might have gone through or go through.

I think the benefits truly will come toward the people of the region and what we're hoping to do also and hoping this tournament can achieve is a

platform that truly serves as one of the beacons in a divisive world, where it can bring people together.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: You can find our full interview on our Twitter feeds as well as more of the stories the team has been working on and has published. That's

CNN, @ConnectCNN. That was CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson. Thank you for watching.