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Activists: Russia Unfairly Targeting Minorities For Draft; Former Italian PM Matteo Renzi On Far-Right Win In Election; Anti-Government Protests Continue Despite Crackdown; Bank Of England "Monitoring Developments" Closely; NASA Crashes Spacecraft Into Asteroid As Defense Test. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired September 26, 2022 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi. This is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Well, we are back in Abu Dhabi where the time is 7 pm. Hello and welcome back to "Connect the World".
Backlash against Russia's military call up for its war in Ukraine is building - both inside Russia's borders and on its borders were a long line
of cars waiting to cross from Russia into Georgia, as Russian men flee the prospect of being drafted and sent to fight in Ukraine.
And officials in Finland say the number of Russians crossing into their country is surging inside Russia more protests. Here we see demonstrators
in the Dagestan region. The area is predominantly Muslim an activist there says ethnic minorities are being unfairly targeted for conscription. One
monitoring group says nearly 2400 people have been detained across the country since the mobilization announcement last week.
Let's kick this off with CNN's Clare Sebastian with some of the details, and there certainly seems to be some sort of exodus happening since Putin's
plan to mobilize. What do we know at this point?
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we can see Becky from those images is a steady sort of flow of people across the land borders when the
mobilization was first announced last Wednesday. Initially, we saw a surge in flight bookings prices shot through the roof.
Now the focus seems to be on these land borders. That's the Georgian border that you're looking at there a steady stream of people as you can see from
those social media videos, the Finnish border guard has also said that they saw record crossings over the weekend, almost 17,000 Russians crossed the
land border with Finland.
The number on Sunday was about double what it was the previous Sunday. So you can see what's happening there. And if you thought that it was going to
be a relatively inexpensive endeavor to cross the land borders compared to flying take a listen to what one person had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've paid $1,200 to be escorted to the point which is three kilometers before the Russian checkpoint on the Russia Georgia
border. Because if you just honestly wait in line leaving Russia could take at least 72 hours paying our fee we made it in 30 hours.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our President having declared war to an adjacent state having illegitimately annexed part of their territory is now trying to drag
the population into the fratricidal war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEBASTIAN: Fratricidal war Becky, something we heard at the very beginning. This conflict with Russia, of course, still calls a special military
operation. Many Russians have relatives in Ukraine. They are a very close people.
But as of now the border is still open. The Kremlin says no decision has been made on whether to close the border yet no decision has been made on
whether to declare martial law either. But we did see several social media videos today showing what looked like Russian tanks appearing at the
Georgian border. So something to keep an eye on but as I said, as of now, the borders do still seem to be open for these people looking to leave.
ANDERSON: So that's the people men who are trying to get out. What are those who are staying there in Russia, and they are protesting? How
consequential are these demonstrations against the Kremlin?
SEBASTIAN: Very brave, Becky in the climate in Russia at the moment to go out and protest. I think the numbers are still relatively small but
significant in the context of the crackdown that we've seen since the start of this conflict, on freedom of speech in the context of the
intensification of criminal penalties, for avoiding the draft and for desertion and things like that.
It takes immense bravery to go out and do this and very significant that we're also seeing these protests not only in the big cities of Moscow and
St. Petersburg, where people are much more likely to be able to get access to free information via internet VPN, and things like that.
These are spreading to different territories, places like Dagestan - these are ethnic minorities in Russia that activist groups say are being unfairly
and disproportionately targeted by this draft. So very significant see that a lot of women also turning out to these protests, there were scenes in
Dagestan, where women were sort of confronting police and so don't take our children.
As I said, still seems to be relatively small numbers, but the momentum continues there and the police continue to try to push them back. So I
think this is something that's going to continue to define this somewhat chaotic and seemingly very unpopular mobilization effort in Russia.
ANDERSON: Yes, Clare Sebastian is keeping an eye on the story for you out of London. Thank you Clare!
[11:05:00]
ANDERSON: Well, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he doesn't think Vladimir Putin's the threat of using nuclear weapons is a bluff. U.S.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, warning that Russia could suffer or would suffer catastrophic consequences if it crossed that line and the
Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirming that Washington has been communicating privately with Moscow about the situation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How concerned should Americans be about the prospect of nuclear war?
ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Scott, we've heard a lot of irresponsible rhetoric coming out of Vladimir Putin. But we're focused on
making sure that we're all acting responsibly, especially when it comes to this kind of loose rhetoric. We've been very clear with the Russians
publicly and as well as privately to stop the loose talk about nuclear weapons.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Privately the United States has been in communication with the Kremlin about these threats of nuclear war.
BLINKEN: Yes, it's very important that Moscow hear from us and know from us that the consequences would be horrific. Any use of nuclear weapons would
have catastrophic effects for of course, the country using them, but for many others as well.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you can't give us specifics about a U.S. response, can you tell us that the administration has a plan?
BLINKEN: We do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: You heard there Blinken didn't specify exactly what that plan would be how America would respond? But he said the U.S. is determined to
keep the war from expanding. Well, meantime on the ground Ukraine's counter offensive continues. The City of Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region is now back
on the Ukrainian control after Russia's retreat. But the threat of Russian shelling remains and not all civilians are welcoming Ukrainians is
liberated. CNN's Ben Wedeman has a story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Where a few loaves of bread, the residents of Kupiansk risk their lives. Ukrainian
forces retook the city about two weeks ago, but the fighting is far from over. Yulya (ph) describes it in one word intense. That's the echo of
cluster bombs falling not far away. Sometimes I'm scared says Danylo (ph) over the sound of nearby shelling sometimes I don't care.
WEDEMAN (on camera): These are the few people left in Kupiansk. This city even though theoretically, the Russians have left the Russians are just
across the river and in fact, according to the soldiers here, there are still Russians inside the Ukrainian controlled part of the city.
WEDEMAN (voice over): Russian forces took control of Kupiansk with little fighting in the first days of the war, it served as the administrative
center for the Russian occupied part of the Kharkiv region. Pro-Russian sympathies linger on here. The Russians paid salaries and pensions, and the
recent Ukrainian counter offensive turned the city into a war zone, sparking resentment against both sides.
They're one in the same, says Yevgenyi (ph). The mood of the population is shocked. It's too early and too dangerous to begin clearing away the
rubble. Wreckage still scattered in the streets.
WEDEMAN (on camera): OK, basically there's a fairly constant incoming and outgoing artillery and rocket fire here.
WEDEMAN (voice over): An hour's drive away in the town of Izium, no shelling, but shell shock still shows on the faces of people waiting for
food. The fighting has moved on. The scars it left deep. They hit my home says Lyudmila (ph). War spares no one adds Katarina (ph).
The local fire station has become a warehouse for supplies donated by a town near Kyiv. In her grandfather's arms, Alina (ph) recalls intense
bombing. It killed our dog and hit the roof we were hiding in the basement, she says. Back in Kupiansk, tank rumbles toward the front. The battle rages
on Ben Wedeman, CNN Kupiansk, Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, the UK's new Prime Minister says Vladimir Putin likely didn't expect such a strong reaction from the world and that it's time to
stop listening to him and pile on more sanctions. Here's part of Liz Truss's exclusive conversation with my colleague Jake Tapper.
[11:10:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LIZ TRUSS, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: The reason Putin is doing this is because he isn't winning, that he made a strategic mistake invading
Ukraine. And I think he has been outsmarted by the Ukrainians we've seen the Ukrainians continue to push back against the Russian offensive.
And I think he didn't anticipate the strength of reaction from the free world. And we should not be listening to his saber rattling and his bogus
threats. Instead, what we need to do is continue to put sanctions on Russia, and continue to support the Ukrainians.
Because if Putin is allowed to succeed, this wouldn't just send a terrible message in Europe and, of course, huge threats to the Ukrainian population
themselves. But it also would send a message to other authoritarian regimes around the world that it's somehow acceptable invade well, for example, but
it's somehow acceptable to invade a sovereign, a sovereign nation.
So this is why it's so important that we continue to be resolute. We don't listen to the saber rattling that we're hearing from Putin. And we continue
to back the Ukrainians to the hilt, and that's what I'm determined the United Kingdom will do. I know President Biden is absolutely committed from
a U.S. point of view. We've worked closely with our American allies with the G7 and we will continue to do so until the Ukraine prevails.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Meantime, the Kremlin is condemning today's school shooting in western Russia as an "Inhuman Terrorist Act". According to state media, a
man opens fire at a school in the city of Izhevsk.
Investigators say he killed 11 children and for adults and wounded 22 children before killing himself. They say he was from the city and had gone
to that school. He was wearing a shirt with Nazi symbols and authorities are looking at whether he had Neo fascist ties.
Well, to Italy now in a sharp turn to the right at the ballot box, a conservative coalition, led by Giorgia Meloni and her brothers of Italy
party is claiming victory in general elections.
She is on track to become at least first female prime minister. And she will also usher in the most far right government since World War Two. The
45 year old mother from Rome is openly anti LGBT and calls abortion a tragedy. But she promised to unite the country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GIORGIA MELONI, LEADER, BROTHERS OF ITALY: It's important to understand that if we are called to govern this nation, we will do it for everyone. We
will do it for every Italian, we will do it with a goal of uniting these people to highlight what unites them rather than what divides them. Because
the major objective we've always given ourselves in life and that we've given ourselves as a political force is to ensure that Italians could once
again be proud to be Italian.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, earlier I spoke to former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who assured me that there was absolutely no danger to Italy's
democracy under Meloni and he is one of her opponents, it has to be added.
He also poured cold water over any risk to Italy's tough line on Russia, over its war on Ukraine, have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATTEO RENZI, FORMER ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER: I think that, first of all, there is not a change in the position of Italy about Russian crisis and the
Ukrainian war, please. That is the first point. Giorgia Meloni was the first who support the position of Prime Minister Draghi in a very strong
alliance with the President Biden and the others, member of Alliance.
About Europe, yes, I attacked in electoral campaign in Giorgia Meloni for our position about Europe. She used to say we have to change everything in
Europe. But that is a very good position, only for social media for Tik- Tok, for Instagram and for Twitter.
Then when she will be Prime Minister, when she will understand that there is in the wallet of Italian family in Italian community - 209 billion euro
will come from next generation EU, the plan for resilience of the European Union. She will change idea. So I will believe unfortunately we have to
change Italian legislation to guarantee more stability to government.
[11:15:00]
RENZI: But and I was very aggressive and she was aggressive about the position in economy because you know that everywhere is problem for
inflation cost of energy situation of families you know, in Italy is particularly true because our companies pay for energy 10 times the
American companies.
That is a historical problem and other energy in Italy. But I don't believe our - the international alliance in Europe and in NATO will be worried for
what could happen not problem from Italy.
Of course, I'm sad, because she became a prime minister, but I defend Italian democracy that is very important.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Interesting. Well, the incoming Prime Minister will be the sixth in eight years; Barbie Nadeau has the latest from Rome for you. Barbie,
2018 election Melon's party only picked up 4 percent of the vote.
This time they are projected to pick up over a quarter of the vote and they have a very comfortable position inside this coalition. How did all of this
happen?
BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes, it's an interesting question. But you have to look at the big difference globally since 2018. And especially here
in Italy, the pandemic for one Italy, of course, was the epicenter in those early days of the pandemic.
A lot of people lost a lot of money. A lot of people are in extreme economic situation right now. The war in Ukraine has also had a huge impact
on Russia. A lot of Italians believe that Russian sanctions are really harmful to the Italian economy before they're harmful to the Russian
economy.
The five star anti-establishment movement, one back in 2018. That government, they were unable to form a coalition government, two
governments fell since then. And so Italian seems to be looking for something more stable and the right, the center right anchored by the far
right, Giorgia Meloni was able to sort of speak to the needs and wants and discontents of the voters and it paid off for them, Becky.
ANDERSON: Thank you, Barbie. Barbie is in Rome. This is "Connect the World," I'm Becky Anderson. Still ahead, more protests, more arrests and
reported deaths in Iran as the government there answers growing protests, while activists say this is the beginning of a brutal crackdown.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Death to the dictator that rallying cry heard in Iran from protesters who are outraged over the death of a 22 year old woman in police
custody.
[11:20:00]
ANDERSON: Protests in dozens of Iranian cities have now been going on since Iran's morality Police detained Mahsa Amini almost two weeks ago. Protests
are also happening in Western nations.
London's Metropolitan Police reports officers seriously injured in clashes outside the Iranian embassy there and a similar situation in Paris, where
police used tear gas to try and disperse protesters.
Back inside the country, the government responding to these protests with a crackdown that has led to hundreds of arrests and dozens of reported
deaths. Jomana Karadsheh has more on that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Regime supporters out on mass. These organized pro government rallies a show of unity against the so
called rioters they say. Iran's leadership is dismissing the thousands of protesters across the country as a handful of mercenaries.
They claim it's all a foreign plot to destabilize the Islamic Republic that is only just beginning to unleash its brutal force to crush the rising
voices of dissent. It's throttling the internet, blocking social media sites, dragging protesters off the streets in using lethal force to silence
things rising up for their rights.
No one really knows how many lives have been lost. But the gut wrenching scenes of those grieving their loved ones are slowly trickling out. The
heart ache the agony of families burying their dead, need no words to explain. - was 36 shot at a protest last week. His family says he bled to
death. Amir Fouladi was only 15 one of several children killed according to Amnesty International.
Her name is - Hadis Najafi (ph), one of countless women who've said enough to tyranny and repression. Hadis never made it back from a protest. Her
family says she was shot six times.
Her Instagram posts tell the story of a young woman who loved her country, loved life, music, dressing up and dancing. Her devastated sister is
warning her in this Instagram post.
She writes, sis, how did they have the heart to shoot you? My tears have dried up. I can't breathe. Forgive me. I wasn't there to defend you. Hadis
was 23. The threat of bullets of prison of flogging hasn't stopped the protests.
Nightfall brought hundreds back on the streets. They're daring chants of Death to the Dictator echoing through the dark streets of Iran. A defining
generation is risking it all for freedoms they've never known. Jomana Karadsheh CNN, Istanbul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: I want to mention that CNN cannot independently verify death toll claims coming from inside Iran. It is extremely difficult to get any
information on the ground.
Iranian state media meanwhile, reporting that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targeted Kurdish groups in northern Iraq with artillery and
drone strikes today, Tehran accusing those Kurdish groups of destabilizing Iran by supporting the protesters. Well my next guest is British Iranian
actress Nazanin Boniadi. She says on Twitter the Islamic Republic is aware that the Iranian people detest outside meddling.
So for 43 years they respond to mass protests by spreading propaganda that these are masterminded by anti-Iran forces, thus denying the people their
autonomy. Don't fall for it, she said.
And Nazanin is joining me now via Skype tonight from Los Angeles. Your tweet is an interesting one, you essentially say that the Islamic Republic
is falling back on old tactics claiming that outside forces are meddling with the regime and supporting protesters.
And we are certainly seeing some form from this Iranian government. How do Iranians lay claim to their autonomy at times like these?
NAZANIN BONIADI, BRITISH-IRANIAN ACTRESS: Thanks for having me Becky. I think the most important thing is as Amnesty International has been calling
for is international response to call for an independent investigative mechanism to hold these human rights violators to account.
[11:25:00]
BONIADI: We don't have adequate human rights governance to be able to do that. We had a very decisive and united response to Putin in Ukraine; we
are not having the same for the Iranian government. And that's, you know, we now had a 43 year case study of atomic Republic, and nothing has
changed.
ANDERSON: Well, not only is there no appetite, it seems for what you've just suggested. But at the moment, I mean, it's stalled. But at the moment,
the U.S. Washington, the EU3, and I were trying to cut a deal with this government trying to get back into the JCPOA.
Iran has seen multiple protests that have been large scale over the last 15 years. I'm not saying they happen on a regular basis, but we have seen them
happen before. And as I said, the government the authorities have form, they tend to describe these as rioters blame the rioters for violence.
And then they close down the internet. Off the back of that we find out that things are really, really difficult on the ground once the internet is
turned back on. Do you see these demonstrations as any more consequential or creating any further consequence for the people of Iran than those in
the past?
BONIADI: Yes, I think these are unprecedented in the sense that in 2009, people were calling for reform. They were calling for, you know, they were
demanding, where's my vote, nobody was calling for this regime to beat.
But the sentiment changed in 2019, when we started to hear death to harmony, the supreme leader. And now we're seeing that escalated to
toppling of patrol vans, protesters fighting back against security --.
I want to be clear, these are not rioters, these are people who are being attacked by security forces, and they're simply fighting for their lives.
They're innocent protesters.
So you're seeing tearing down of banners of Qasem Soleimani, the Founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Khomeini, are you seeing the burning down
of statues of masterminds and founders of the Islamic Republic, these are unprecedented? You're seeing women burning their headscarves for the first
time, not just simply taking them off and waving them as they were in 2019. They are burning; they're dancing in the streets.
They are demanding their freedom. But they're also demanding an end to the Islamic Republic. I will add that for many years, we've called it the
Islamic Republic of Iran. What we're seeing now is it's the Islamic Republic versus Iran. ANDERSON: That's fascinating. We know, given what
we've seen before, that the government is not likely to make any concessions here. In fact, it is likely to be more repressive. Where does
this go at this point?
I mean, you're suggesting you really genuinely believe these are different. Are you confident that these protests get young, old Iranians somewhere at
this point? And where is that?
BONIADI: The response we're seeing from the international community I'm talking about the public in general is very different. We've had more than
85 million tweets of Mahsa Amini's name and I want to keep her name alive because she was the powder keg that ignited this.
And that is significant because that the population of Iran is just over 85 million. So what you're seeing is a greater global response and in the same
way that we saw --. But I think elevated because you're seeing celebrities, Western celebrities joining this conversation now.
So it's only hopefully a matter of time where Western leaders have to pay attention. Do they choose to side with the Islamic Republic and stand by
them and continue shaking hands and smiling when talking to someone like Raisi who's implicated in crimes against humanity.
Or will they decisively stand with the people of Iran help internet freedom inside Iran? These are the things we want self-determination for the people
of Iran, but there are acts there things that we can do that make it easier for them to fight.
And I think they've had it, they just - you know, you repress it people enough, and they will take to the streets and they will risk their lives.
ANDERSON: We will absolutely stay across this story as you would expect us to do. And Nazanin Boniadi thank you very much indeed. Your perspective is
hugely important this evening. Thank you. Well just ahead the markets are keen on the UK finance minister's new mini budget, neither is the Chief
Economic Adviser of Allianz for example. We'll be asking him why up next?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:30:00]
ANDERSON: Could the British pound sink to parity with the U.S. dollar? Well, the Bank of England being forced to act. These are just some of the
questions being asked right now after Sterling sank to a record low against the dollar earlier. Now look, the UK currency does look as if it is trying
to recover it certainly found a resistance level around 108. That's though after being dragged down in earlier Asian trading by the UK's biggest tax
cut plan in 50 years.
Right now the UK government has just released an update saying further growth measures will be unveiled in October and in early November. And that
follows a $49 billion package announced on Friday.
And the British finance minister has been hinting at more tax cuts to come. Well, my next guest reacted to the UK mini budget saying and I quote him
here. The numbers show is only part of the picture. Behind these numbers is the risk of even greater hardships for millions of families.
Mohamed El-Erian is the Chief Economic Adviser and Financial Services for Allianz and he joins me now live from New York. There's an awful lot to get
into here and I'm just keeping an eye on the British pound round about 107 at the moment taken a little bit of a dip since I last looked about three
or four minutes ago.
The Treasury, the UK Treasury is just releasing a statement. One assumes in an effort to try and stabilize this market some watch, the government
sticking to its guns, Mohamed. Just give us a rundown of how practically weak Sterling and what we assume will be subsequent higher interest rates
will affect normal families in the first instance.
MOHAMED EL-ERIAN, CHIEF ECONOMIC ADVISER, ALLIANZ: They will hurt and we have seen interest rates shoot up in historic fashion biggest every single
day moves. So if you are the typical household right now, your imported inflation is going up because the currency is weakening.
Your borrowing costs are going up. So that is further - into your purchasing power. And because the Bank of England will most likely be
forced into being more hawkish than it would have been otherwise, we're also looking at a longer recession which means that your income stream is
more uncertain.
[11:35:00]
EL-ERIAN: That is the concern that one would have for households, and it's the most vulnerable households that are most at risk.
ANDERSON: This decision has been described as a gamble at best reckless at worst by the government's opponents. By the government itself, they call it
radical. Let's just cut through the jargon here for a moment, because what we're seeing isn't exactly a run on Sterling.
Although Sterling has taken a 1 percent hit since basically you and I've been talking here, but we're not as low as we were beginning of trade
today, which is 103. Some commentators, let's have a look, actually have a look at what we're seeing here.
We're facing an extremely strong dollar right now. Other currencies have actually sold off, haven't they? So this isn't just a peculiarly British
Sterling story.
Kwasi kwarteng, who is the Finance Minister has said markets move all the time, it's very important to keep calm and focus on the longer term
strategy. And the longer term strategy, as far as the UK Government is concerned is to spur growth. Let's just get out of the kind of, you know,
minute to minute weeds here. Does he have an argument? Is he correct in that position?
EL-ERIAN: So I don't know of anybody who would disagree with the statement that we need to promote higher and more inclusive growth. That is an
absolutely correct objective.
I also don't know of many people who will disagree with two of the three elements of the package, the first being pro-growth, pro productivity,
structural reforms, and the second being, energy price stabilization.
What is under significant debate, and what has concern markets significantly is the size and shape of the unfunded tax cuts. That is the
issue. It's not the first two, the markets would have lived happily with the first two and the first two would have produced higher economic growth.
It's the third one that is threatening your objectives of the first two, by destabilizing markets. And by making people lose confidence in the policy
approach, and therefore require higher compensation, which means higher borrowing costs for the whole economy.
ANDERSON: While I've got you on that point, what was the alternative? How otherwise were this government expected to finance these tax cuts, which
they say will spur growth?
EL-ERIAN: So what came out of the blue are two things and that is why the market moves so much on Friday. And that's why there's so much questioning
because again, no, no one doubts, the correctness of the objective consumer economic growth.
Why cut the income tax rate for the richest? What does that bring you in terms of growth? That was a question number one.
And question number two was, is this the time to cut taxes in general? Shouldn't we sequence this more cautiously? So these are the two big
issues. The other elements of the package are designed in a way that most people would support it is these last things that have cast a big shadow
over the whole package.
ANDERSON: OK, Mohamed, we've been waiting to get to see what the Bank of England will do. They've just released this statement. The bank is
monitoring developments in financial markets very closely in light of the significant reprising of financial assets.
They say the role of monetary policy is to ensure that demand does not get ahead of supply in a way that leads to more inflation over the medium term.
As the MPC is made clear, it will make a full assessment at its next scheduled meeting of the impact on demand and inflation from the
government's announcements and the fall in sterling and act accordingly.
The MPC will not hesitate to change interest rates as necessary to return inflation to the 2 percent target sustainability in the medium term in line
with its remit. There is another statement in there, but I don't think it's necessarily pertinent to what we are looking at here.
We've been looking for two things, haven't we? A forward looking some forward looking guidance from The Bank of England or them stepping in with
some sort of emergency response.
[11:40:00]
ANDERSON: Again, I'm looking at Sterling, it's moving around, but round about 106, 107. So it's not reacting significantly to that. What do you
make of that statement?
EL-ERIAN: So it's good to know that the Bank of England is paying attention. And that's a very well profit statement. But it will not be
enough. The markets have priced in, as you know, up to 200 basis points, two percentage points increase in interest rates in an emergency intra
meeting.
So remember, the next meeting isn't till November. So this is a long time to wait to stabilize markets. So I can't see my screens right now. But it
wouldn't surprise me if you're starting to get somewhat more of an anxiety, trade if you'd like coming in there. And it wouldn't surprise me if
Sterling goes weaker, because we haven't seen any indication of more immediate action.
ANDERSON: Fascinating. I mean, these, these are very, very volatile times getting your insight and analysis at a time like this is hugely important
to our viewers, as we continue to watch these markets.
And as we suggested, you know, the UK needs to do something at this point, to try and avoid what feels like very difficult times going forward, as
does Europe, we've got a very strong dollar. Keep an eye on that U.S. market as well.
And indeed, these Asian markets, it's tough. It's tough around the world. Good luck with what you do. Thank you, sir for even more nuance on the UK
economy. And why the markets haven't been impressed with the government's new mini budget do use the website cnn.com.
Of course, we find at new CNN app, something we haven't seen in a lifetime. That's what a forecaster in western Florida is saying about hurricane in
now a relatively minor category one stormy and is gaining strength in the Caribbean, and heading north.
That is expected to be much more powerful by the time it reaches Western Cuba. It should start impacting Florida in the days to come. So this is
shaping up to be a big one off. Meteorologist Chad Myers is tracking Hurricane Ian from CNN Center in Atlanta. We say this could turn out to be
a big one. Just how bad could this get?
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: A couple of different scenarios, Becky. I mean, obviously we're going to get an impact of Iran a category two, maybe
almost a three into Cuba tonight with storm surges somewhere around three or four meters.
But this storm could be very, very close to a super typhoon category, as it makes its eye at Florida where millions of people live along the coast live
inland. There's going to be a half a meter of rain in some spots.
Here's where it is right now, only 130 kph and I say that tongue in cheek, because this thing is really wrapping up. This is the National Weather
Service radar from Grand Cayman, and there is the eye now beginning to spin.
For this entire storm we never had that. We never could see an eye we never really had that much circulation. But all of a sudden it is rapidly
intensifying and it gets to 220 kph.
And that right there is Fort Myers and that right there is Tampa St. Pete millions and millions of people in these cities that live on bays where the
water could push into those bays and do this catastrophic storm surge.
Hurricane warnings are in effect for parts of Cuba. Tropical Storm watches for parts of the southwestern parts of Florida. And here's the surge I
talked about up to four and a half meters of surge.
All those people in that area, they're going to have to get away from the water. That is salt water surge. And then eventually, the biggest time
we're worried about here in America is Tampa St. Pete, a very populated area right through here on the western shores there of Florida and right
here at all along the Gulf of Mexico where the water temperature is extremely warm.
This thing isn't going to die off. This is going to continue to move up to the north. Something else I don't even know that this is possible, but 12
to 15 meter waves just offshore crashing onshore in the coming days. Becky.
ANDERSON: Thank you sir. Well, in India where elephant habitats overlap with humans it's a struggle to coexist. Up next we're going to look at a
new device designed to solve that problem that is after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:45:00]
ANDERSON: In the emerging field of bio acoustics scientists are looking at how to protect and conserve our planet by listening to it. Well on today's
Call to Earth. Bill Weir heads to a biodiversity hotspot in India, where a local researcher has developed a device to alleviate the growing issue of
human elephant conflict, have a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTPAE)
BILL WEIR, CNN REPORTER (voice over): Sunset on the border of Kaziranga National Park in northeast India. And former computer engineer Seema
Lokhandwala stands in the field of a neighboring village scanning the edge of the forest for one of her favorite animals.
SEEMA LOKHANDWALA, FOUNDER, ELEPHANT ACCOUNTICS PROJECT: I went to Nepal as a very young kid, along with my uncle and, and saw elephants for the first
time we interacted with them saw them.
That itself fascinated me that there is this huge, intelligent animal and that we know very little about. I started watching documentaries and what
fascinated me about elephants is just the way they communicate.
WEIR (voice over): That childhood passion never went away. And now as a conservation scientist, she's less interested in getting closer to the
animal as she isn't keeping them away.
LOKHANDWALA: Human elephant conflict is a big issue in India.
WEIR (voice over): India has the largest population of wild Asian elephants around 26,000. They are an endangered species and each year, approximately
500 people and 80 to 100 elephants die and the ongoing struggle to coexist.
Here in Assam deforestation has led to a staggering loss of habitat, driving the elephants out of the forest more often just looking for a meal.
LOKHANDWALA: 80 percent of the people in this area have agriculture as their primary occupation. And because of this, there is a lot of human
elephant conflict.
WEIR (voice over): Determined to find a solution for people and packet earns to live in harmony. Seema founded the elephant acoustics project.
LOKHANDWALA: The idea is to understand Asian elephant communications.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are capable of high frequency record.
LOKHANDWALA: And use acoustics as a medium to mitigate human elephant conflict.
WEIR (voice over): Her teams of likeminded engineers are currently developing the elephant called detector.
LOKHANDWALA: What is the frequency that you know about these microphones?
WEIR (voice over): Using a combination of hardware, a vocalization database, artificial intelligence and local cell networks, the devices
designed to detect an elephant sound, alert local officials of its presence and then make the right kind of noise to hopefully send the animal in a
different direction.
LOKHANDWALA: We're trying to use a combination of all the natural sounds that are occurring in the elephant landscape. We are trying to use Bee
sounds, Tiger calls and leopard calls which the elephants don't like.
And we will try to do it in a round robin fashion that so that the elephants don't get adapted to the sounds. In Assam there are about 229
human deaths that happened in last three years because of some reasons related to elephants. So we are trying to reduce this debt.
[11:50:00]
WEIR (voice over): She has conducted an estimated 500 interviews and finds that the majority of people are eager for a solution like the elephant
called Detector.
LOKHANDWALA: I have been working in the Kaziranga Karbi Anglong landscape since 2015. And with any technology, most of the people are a little
apprehensive in the beginning, but then they started working with the community understanding the language speaking in the language, I think
they've been very, very accepting of new ideas and how they can implement it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: That was Bill Weir reporting. Let us know what you are doing to answer the call that is #calltoearth keeper - here much more to come when
we come back. You're watching "Connect the World", I'm Becky Anderson for you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, in the coming hours, NASA will endeavor to save the planet with its latest mission. Yep, that's what they say. It's aimed to find out
if deliberately crashing a spacecraft into an asteroid could help deflect any kind of threat to the earth in the future. CNN's Space and Defense
Correspondent Kristin Fisher has the details for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE AND DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Hollywood's been scheming up ways to save the world from Killer comets or
asteroids for decades. But instead of bringing in Bruce Willis, NASA has a different idea. And it's about to test it for the very first time.
ELENA ADAMS, DART MISSION SYSTEMS ENGINEER: It's kind of what we all fear, right? What if there was an asteroid that was coming toward Earth? Can you
really stop it? Can you really do something about it? And for the first time, our technology allows us to actually do something about it.
FISHER (voice over): NASA is planning to ram a refrigerator sized spacecraft called DART into an asteroid named Dimorphos, which is roughly
the size of the Pyramid of Giza and poses no threat to planet Earth.
The goal is to see if the impact will push Dimorphos slightly off course. If it works, it means that this technique could be used to deflect a future
killer asteroid that is headed for Earth.
BOBBY BRAUN, JOHNS HOPKINS APPLIED PHYSICS LABORATORY: This inaugural planetary defense test mission marks a major moment in human history. For
the first time ever, we will measurably change the orbit of a celestial body in the universe.
FISHER (voice over): Mission control is inside the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland.
FISHER (on camera): What is this place going to be like, on impact day or impact night, I should say?
ADAMS: Oh, my goodness, it's going to be filled to the brink with people. There's going to be people in every single seat in the whole Mission
Operation Center, but 44 people in here alone.
FISHER (voice over): And there'll be able to watch the impact live as will everyone on Earth, thanks to a camera that's mounted on the spacecraft.
ADAMS: These are live images.
FISHER (on camera): Live images from DART right now.
FISHER (voice over): One of the most tense moments for the team will happen at 50 minutes to impact. When the spacecraft will switch its sights from a
bigger asteroid, it's pointed at now to a smaller second asteroid, which is the real target.
EVAN SMITH, DART DEPUTY MISSION SYSTEMS ENGINEER: That's a very, very sweaty time for us. So we have a lot of contingencies built right around
that 50 minute transition. We're going to be watching the telemetry like hawks, very scared, but excited.
ADAMS: Then we're going to have it get closer and closer in or build the field of view of our imager, then we're going to have.
FISHER (voice over): It's a moment this team has been training for months, but even the rehearsals have been tense.
[11:55:00]
ADAMS: We're just oh, one by one stood up with all over our headsets. And all of us were intently watching the screens, just watching the asteroid
get bigger and bigger. And my heart was actually palpitating because I was like, this is not normal, right? It's just the rehearsal. But yet you
really felt that you were about to hit that asteroid for the first time.
FISHER (on camera): You're really testing.
ADAMS: We're testing.
FISHER (on camera): This technology that could potentially save all of humankind down the road.
ADAMS: Down the road right.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FISHER: Now, we should know almost immediately on Monday night if the Dart spacecraft successfully hit its target. But NASA says it's going to take a
few weeks to determine if Dart was successfully able to move that asteroid just a little bit off its current orbit. Kristin Fisher, CNN, Washington.
ANDERSON: And that is it from here on earth at "CONNECT THE WORLD". "One World" with Zain Asher is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
