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Emmanuel Macron Holds Crisis Talks as Protests in France Rage; More Protests Expected Over Quran Burning; Documents Show Russian General a Secret Wagner VIP; U.S. Supreme Court Ends Affirmative Action; The Push for Anti-Discrimination Laws in South Korea. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired June 30, 2023 - 10:00   ET

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

[10:00:42]

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: I'm Becky Anderson, live from Abu Dhabi where the time is 6:00 in the evening. This is CONNECT THE WORLD.

Coming up, another destructive night of rising in France over the fatal shooting of a teenage boy by police. Happening now, the U.S. Supreme Court

poised to hand out more decisions today on gay rights and student loan forgiveness. More protests are expected outside the Swedish embassy in

Baghdad over the burning of a Quran in Stockholm. And the upcoming Women's World Cup embraces rainbow armbands.

Well, the French president holding more crisis talks today after a third night of violent protests over the police shooting death of a teenager.

Emmanuel Macron leaving E.U. summit in Brussels and returning home to scenes like this.

France deploying 40,000 officers across the country overnight. The Interior Ministry says about 250 of them were injured. 875 protesters arrested.

And we're seeing images of widespread damage. The mother of the slain team is speaking out, trying to defuse this outrage. She says she blames one man

for her son's death, not the entire police force.

Well, Nic Robinson is connecting us this hour from suburban Paris.

Nic, tell us where you are right now and what you've witnessed there.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: What's going on behind me, Becky, is the clean-up after a night of violence. In this particular

bus station alone, 12 buses burned, another bus station in this area, 14 buses burned. That was 26 total, plus a tram total value local officials

told me about $11.5 million.

OK, write that large across the country because the protests were across the country. In Lille in the north and Nantes in the west, and in Bordeaux

in the southwest, and Marseille on the southern coast of the Mediterranean, in Leon in the center. Government officials are saying about 500 buildings

set on fire. 200 of those were government buildings. 79 buildings belonging to the police were set on fire. 34 townhalls set on fire, 24 police

stations set on fire, 1900 vehicles set on fire.

OK, you begin to get the picture of the cost of all of this and I asked the transport minister who came to this particular bus station earlier on

today, what is it going to take to stop the violence?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLEMENT BEAUNE, FRENCH TRANSPORT MINISTER (through translator): It's in the interest of those who are expressing their anger today to protect our

public service, and then we live in the society of law. The justice system needs to be able to carry out its work. No one is above the law, but

everyone has their rights protected by the law. We also need to leave the justice system in tranquility. It's what we owe to the young man who was

killed. Calm, tranquility, and justice carried out in good conditions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON: And people around here are telling us that they are concerned that that common tranquility isn't going to come anytime soon. They say,

look, we use these buses, we need them, but everyone is to blame in all of this. President Macron, after that crisis meeting said there's no

justification for targeting all these government institutions at all. But he also put the blame on some of the French parents.

He said a third of all those who have been detained, the 900 that have been detained, 37 were young children, young children, but he said it was down

to the parents to keep them off the streets at night and keep them out of trouble -- Becky.

ANDERSON: We know that Emmanuel Macron, the president, is ditching talks that he is at a E.U. summit to return to France. What are we expecting to

hear from him if anything?

ROBERTSON: Yes, what he is saying is, and this is a message that he has said from the get-go, that it was inexcusable that Nahel was shot.

[10:05:05]

But he said there's no justification for the damage of government property. And that's what we're hearing from him now. No justification for damage of

government property, he said, and putting responsibility on the heads of parents, saying that of those 900 people around the country detained, a

third of them he said, a third were young, very young people. He said it's the responsibility of the parents to keep them off the streets.

So the government here is saying that they will press ahead with stopping protests and holding those accountable, but looking to the community to

support them in that, by discrediting what the protests are doing but there is so much resentment that's been built up over the years and some of the

neighborhoods on the outskirts of Paris and elsewhere where they feel this sense of racism. They feel that the police don't treat them properly.

They feel that they get worse treatment from the police, where they feel they're not so economically well-off or privileged. This sense of

disenfranchisement exists, and it's historic. And just to give you one other piece of context here, the French, as you said, deployed 40,000

police, security officials last night, well, at the peak of the pension protest, which was a pretty long and pretty messy affair a little while

back, only 13,000 police were deployed. So you get the sense of the scale of this, as the French authority see it.

ANDERSON: Nic Robertson on the scene. Nic, thank you.

More protests are expected in the next hour at the Swedish embassy in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, where crowds are beginning to gather. This

follows angry demonstrations across Iraq, including setting fire to the Swedish flag. This is after a lone protester burned a copy of Islam's holy

book outside a mosque in Stockholm. Sweden allowed Wednesday's incident calling it free speech. But more than a few critics describe it as

incitement.

CNN's Jomana Karadsheh is tracking this story for us.

And we, as we understand it, we can see that anger is now growing. We hear the denunciation of this act and criticism from around the Muslim world.

Specifically, what are you watching at this point?

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, Becky, I mean, anger is growing because this is not the first time this has happened. This is the

second time at least this year that Sweden has allowed and authorized the burning of the Holy Book, the Quran, in Sweden. And you also have the issue

of the timing of this. This was allowed to go ahead on one of the most significant days in the Islamic calendar. The first day of Eid-al-Adha.

So you can imagine how offended, insulted, angry, and outraged Muslims around the world are. And we are seeing this right now playing out in

Baghdad. You've got these crowds that are beginning to gather near the Swedish embassy. This is a protest that was called for by the Shia cleric,

the powerful and influential cleric Muqtada al-Sadr who can really mobilize the masses of his supporters.

He wants them to put pressure on the government essentially to expel the Swedish ambassador. Now we're not expecting this at this point to turn

violent. It is expected to be a peaceful protest. We saw what happened yesterday when dozens of his supporters did end up pouring into the

compound of the Swedish consulate. But there was no violence and the Swedish Foreign Ministry said that their staff were safe.

We'll have to wait and see but the expectation is today that we're going to be seeing really huge crowds in Baghdad and also demonstrations in other

parts of the country as well. We've seen pictures emerging overnight of people burning the Swedish flag -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Jomana, an outraged Muslim world sees Wednesday's act by this lone protester, not as a protest but as Islamophobic and the U.N. talking

about incitement. And that does beg the question, what does this say about Sweden?

KARADSHEH: Look, Becky, I mean, Sweden is in a very tough position. They say that this is freedom of expression, this is freedom of speech. This is

protected by the Swedish constitution. And it is central to its democracy and this is why they've allowed far-right politicians in the past to carry

out this act that is viewed as sacrilegious by so many Muslims around the world. And this time it was an Iraqi refugee with anti-Islam views who was

allowed to do this. And Swedish officials are continuing to say, look, we, don't support this. We are against this. They have condemned it.

[10:10:03]

But, again, refer you back to their constitution and democracy, but like you mentioned, Arab and Muslim countries, one after the other, issuing

these statements. They are not really concerned about who it is that carried out this act. What they are furious about is Sweden allowing this

to happen. Again they don't believe it should be allowed to happen under the pretext they say of freedom of expression because this is incitement,

this is hate speech they say, and Islamophobia, and they want to see Sweden do something about that.

ANDERSON: Jomana Karadsheh, on the story out of London for you. Jomana, appreciate it, thank you very much indeed.

Well, to a CNN exclusive now. Documents show that a Russian general not seen in public since weekend's insurrection was a secret VIP member of the

mercenary group that was behind the revolt. Sergey Surovikin is not the only one in documents obtained by the Russian investigative Dossier Center,

at least 30 other senior Russian military and intelligence officials are also listed as Wagner members.

CNN's Matthew Chance joins us from Moscow.

Tell us what you've got and why this is, Matthew, significant.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, these are documents that were obtained by the Dossier Center as you mentioned and

shown exclusively to us. And they're significant because there is a whole debate going on at the moment and a lot of suspicion underway in Russia at

the moment about the potential of divided loyalties among the security services because the context to it is that last weekend, there was a

military uprising and that Wagner mercenary group that carried out that uprising basically was met with very little opposition by the security

forces and it's kind of raised those questions in the Kremlin about who was sitting on the fence, who was watching from the sidelines.

Well, General Surovikin, whose whereabouts we have to say are still not clear, there were reports he may have been arrested, but that's not been

confirmed by the authorities. But these documents show that he was a secret VIP member of Wagner along with 30 other people. And we knew he had a close

relationship with the mercenary group, but, you know, what's new is that relationship seems to have been much, much closer than we previously

considered.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHANCE (voice-over): This is the last time we saw General Surovikin on Saturday looking nervous, imploring Wagner mercenaries to end their brief

rebellion.

SERGEY SUROVIKIN, COMMANDER OF THE RUSSIAN AIR FORCE (through translator): We had victories together. We are the same blood. But you must do this

before it's too late.

CHANCE: There was clearly pressure for his words to make a difference. It's well known that Surovikin, nicknamed General Armageddon, for his ruthless

tactics bombing cities in Syria, was very close to Wagner. But just how close is only now becoming clear. Documents shared exclusively with CNN

suggest he was, since 2018, a secret VIP member of the group with a personal Wagner registration number.

The documents obtained by the Russian investigative Dossier Center list Surovikin, along with at least 30 other senior Russian military and

intelligence officials that the Dossier Center says are also VIP Wagner members.

Wagner hasn't answered CNN's request for a response. It's unclear what VIP membership entails, like if there's any financial benefit, but it does

imply an overly close relationship between the Russian military and the mercenaries. They failed to prevent from staging a military uprising at the

weekend, even allowing Wagner fighters to take over an entire Russian city with virtually no resistance. It all raises suspicions in the Kremlin of

divided loyalty.

But General Surovikin, whose whereabouts remain unknown, is one of Russia's most capable, highly decorated commanders. What's unclear is if the Kremlin

still trusts him.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

[10:15:02]

CHANCE: Well, Becky, today in Moscow, the Kremlin are still refusing to comment on the whereabouts of General Surovikin, although, you know, within

the past 24 hours, the Moscow prisons ombudsman who oversees prisoner rights in the city has said that the general is not in any prisons or jails

in the Moscow region. But that just further deepens the mystery about where and why he has vanished.

ANDERSON: Matthew Chance is in Moscow. Matt, thank you.

Well, it's the last day of the Supreme Court term in the U.S., meaning some big decisions, including the ruling just handed down on a Web designer who

refused to work on gay wedding sites. We're going to walk you through the most impactful cases, up next. Plus, the admissions process at American

universities is suddenly tossed into turmoil after yesterday's Supreme Court upends decades of policies that benefited minority students.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson. 17 minutes past 6:00 here, out of our Middle East broadcasting

hub in Abu Dhabi.

The U.S. Supreme Court has been handing down big decisions all week. And I mean really big decisions. These are really impactful on American life. On

the last day of the term, the court has just handed down another major opinion. In a case pitting free speech rights against an anti-

discrimination law in Colorado. Well, the court sided with a Web site designer who did not want to provide her services for gay weddings on the

basis of her faith.

We are also expecting the court to rule on a pair of cases mounting challenges to the Biden administration's student loan forgiveness plan. But

the most notable of the decisions came this week in another stunning reversal of decades of legal precedent. One year after overturning the

right to abortion, the high court sadly rejected the policy including race in college applications.

CNN's Jessica Schneider has the details for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Supreme Court stirring up protest with its decision gutting affirmative action,

saying colleges and universities can no longer rely on race in the admissions process. But prospective students are still allowed to talk

about how their race has shaped their experiences in their applications.

The 6-3 opinion written by Chief Justice John Roberts will now prohibit students from checking a box indicating their race, specifically saying the

practice at Harvard and University of North Carolina cannot be reconciled with the guarantees of the Equal Protection Clause.

The majority not explicitly saying they are overruling more than four decades of precedent that allowed affirmative action, but the three liberal

justices writing, "Today, this court stands in the way and rolls back decades of precedent and momentous progress."

[10:20:12]

ANGE GABEAU, PRESIDENT, HARVARD BLACK STUDENTS ASSOCIATION: I'm really most worried about, you know, the youth and like the students younger than us

and high school and middle school and elementary school who might not get the same opportunity that I did.

SCHNEIDER: The two cases were brought by the group Students for Fair Admissions, led by activist Edward Blum, who has fought for nearly a decade

to eradicate affirmative action.

EDWARD BLUM, PRESIDENT, STUDENTS FOR FAIR ADMISSIONS: Classifying students by race and ethnicity, treating them differently because of their race and

ethnicity, is unfair.

SCHNEIDER: At the forefront of the Harvard fight, Asian students who argued they were disadvantaged because Harvard prioritized other minorities and

used a personal rating score that did not rank them favorably.

The issue is deeply personal to Justice Sonia Sotomayor as the first woman of color on the Supreme Court. She issued a fiery dissent accusing the

majority of employing an unjustified exercise of power that will only serve to highlight the court's own impotence in the face of an America whose

cries for equality resound. Justice Sotomayor has been outspoken in the past saying that using other methods to ensure diversity won't work.

JUSTICE SONIA SOTOMAYOR, U.S. SUPREME COURT: It's not that I don't believe it works. I don't think the statistics show it works.

SCHNEIDER: In fact, when California banned affirmative action in 1996, U.C. Berkeley said black and Hispanic representation on their campus dropped by

50 percent. But Justice Clarence Thomas, one of two black justices on the high court, spoke in personal terms, too, saying he believes the

Constitution is colorblind.

"While I am painfully aware of the social and economic ravages which have befallen my race and all who suffer discrimination, I hold out enduring

hope that this country will live up to its principles that all men are created equal, are equal citizens, and must be treated equally before the

law."

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first black woman on the court, pushed back in a separate dissent, bashing the majority opinion as exuding a let-

them-eat-cake-obliviousness and said, "deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life."

(On camera): The Supreme Court, however, saying that U.S. military service academies can continue to take race into consideration as a factor in

admissions, essentially exempting those military schools from this ruling.

Now this was spelled out in a footnote in the majority opinion, but Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson calling this out in a dissent, saying that the court

is essentially prioritizing diversity in the bunker versus the boardroom.

Jessica Schneider, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, in South Korea, the LGBTQ community and its supporters are pushing for anti-discrimination laws, but they are facing a tough battle.

Here's CNN's Paula Hancocks with the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): It is a hard won celebration. The Seoul Queer Culture Festival has attracted thousands

since the year 2000. But this year, the Pride Parade was denied access to the venue that it's used since 2015, Seoul City Hall Plaza. Officials cite

a scheduling clash. LGBTQ groups cry discrimination.

The venue promised to a Christian youth event. City Hall says events for children take precedence. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon adding his personal view

at a council meeting.

OH SE-HOON, MAYOR OF SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (through translator): I personally cannot agree with homosexuality. I'm against it.

HANCOCKS: Conservative Christian groups said they're hoping some 300,000 people will protest this year's parade. LGBTQ activists say without an

anti-discrimination law in South Korea, it is almost impossible to fight for their rights.

CHA HAE-YOUNG, MAPO-GU COUNCIL MEMBER (through translator): The constitution may say that no one should be discriminated against. But the

anti-discrimination bill clarifies what discrimination is and there could be legal penalties.

HANCOCKS: Cha Hae-young is the first openly LGBTQ elected official in South Korea. She says her sexual orientation was used against her by her rivals

when she entered politics.

CHA (through translator): In the political or public realm revealing one's identity as a sexual minority is a handicap. Some people said that I should

not be in politics because I'm a sexual minority. They made my identity my weakness.

HANCOCKS: Since 2007, lawmakers have proposed 11 anti-discrimination bills. Five have expired, two were withdrawn, and four are still pending in the

National Assembly. Lee Jong-Geol went on hunger strike last year with another activist to try and push the government to move one bill forward.

LEE JONG-GEOL, GENERAL DIRECTOR, CHINGUSAI (through translator): I believe our society should be ashamed that there is no law that protects the

principles of equality, even though it is one of the most basic laws out there. No matter how much our country has developed economically or

socially, we should be ashamed.

HANCOCKS: Lee's hunger strike ended on day 39 when he was taken to hospital. A survey conducted by the National Human Rights Commission in

2020 shows that almost 90 percent of the 1,000 survey participants said an anti-discrimination law is needed.

[10:25:10]

But opponents argue that such a law would discriminate against them.

SUH JUNG-SOOK, PEOPLE POWER PARTY LAWMAKER (through translator): When the majority of people who are normal and reasonable say that homosexuality or

same-sex marriage is not reasonable or normal based on South Korea's social orders or long-respected custom, they could face punitive damages or a

fine.

HANCOCKS: Suh argues a new law would lead to the legalization of same-sex marriage. Something she does not support.

(On-camera): The National Assembly has less than a year to take action on any of the four remaining non-discrimination bills. If nothing happens,

those bills will expire and it will be up to the next National Assembly to start the process all over again.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Seoul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Coming up on CONNECT THE WORLD, the cost of Russia's war in Ukraine is frankly billions and billions of dollars. But there is a plan in

the works it seems to make Russia pay for it. What the European Union has in mind and the pros and cons on debate in Brussels. Plus, India's

opposition leader meets with displaced residents amid an eruption of violence in Manipur.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. Time here is half past 6:00. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD, and if you are just joining

us, you are more than welcome.

Busy headlines this hour, French President Emmanuel Macron holding more crisis talks after a third night of violent protests across the country.

The outrage sparked by the police shooting death of a teenager during a traffic stop. Police arrested nearly 900 protesters overnight.

Well, demonstrators are gathering again in Baghdad, a day after Thursday's angry demonstrations across Iraq. And the U.N. has joined Malaysia and

other Muslim nations condemning Wednesday's burning of the Quran by a lone protester in Stockholm. Swedish authorities say they allowed it because it

is free speech.

And documents shared exclusively with CNN show that a top Russian general who hasn't been seen since the weekend revolt was a secret VIA member of

the Wagner mercenary group, which of course was behind that attempted insurrection. They show more than two dozen other top Russian officials are

also members of the mercenary group.

Well, $411 billion, maybe even a bit more.

[10:30:02]

That is how much the World Bank at least says that Ukraine will need to rebuild itself. The European Union and its allies say Russia should pay a

large part of those war damages and they have found a way to generate billions of dollars a year using Russian assets.

Anna Stewart is in London. She is following this story.

And Anna. What's the plan here? How exactly will this work?

ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, ever since they first imposed sanctions on Russia, there's been a discussion about the frozen assets and

whether they could be used to aid Ukraine, and at this stage, selling any of Russia's assets, particularly foreign reserves is considered a big no-no

both legally and politically. However, there is a huge amount of interest generated by the assets that are frozen.

In terms of the foreign reserves, which is more than $300 billion that's been frozen by Western allies, around two-thirds of that is held within the

E.U. which is kind of why the E.U. is leading this discussion. And a huge chunk of that is currently sitting in a clearinghouse in Belgium

essentially because transactions were made but money was never able to hit the Russian accounts.

So it's just been sitting there and making a huge amount of interest. I think it was just over $800 million in the first quarter of this year. So

the discussion now is could you use the interest generated from these frozen Russian assets to put into an account to go towards rebuilding and

reconstructing Ukraine.

That's what's under discussion. It would mean underlying assets, which are Russia's, would still be there at the end. It could be returned to Russia

at some stage.

ANDERSON: This is fascinating. I understand that some E.U. members are concerned. One, that this might be a breach of international law or, and,

have a negative impact on the euro. Perhaps you can explain how that might work and whether these worries are indeed valid.

STEWART: They are valid. These are two huge concerns. First of all, is this legal? And it's hard to stay at this stage. There's not really a precedent

for it. It's something for E.U. lawyers to look at as this proposal moves to the E.U. Commission. The second concern, also a really interesting one,

would this put off central banks from around the world from putting foreign reserves in euro denominated assets because this could potentially happen?

Well, I would say that perhaps that ship has already sailed. I think freezing the assets, the foreign reserves of a he country, in many ways is

what would have sparked that kind of concern. And we haven't really seen a huge fallout there.

In terms of the concerns, I think at the end of a two-day E.U. summit, if anything, there's more support than opposition. This is what the E.U.

council president, Charles Michel, had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHARLES MICHEL, EUROPEAN COUNCIL PRESIDENT (through translator): With frozen assets, we continue to believe that we should maintain our efforts

with our partners to mobilize assets in favor of Ukraine and Ukraine's future.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEWART: And I think what he said there in terms of mobilizing partners is key because I think even if the E.U. decides this is legal and they have an

agreement, they will want to see themselves backed up by the rest of the G7. Like we've seen actually frankly in all the rounds of sanctions,

they'll want to show unity on this -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Yes, whether they will get unity on this, if they proceed is -- or if they plan to proceed is another question of course at this point.

Anna, it's always good to have you. Thank you very much indeed.

Let's get you up to speed on some of the other stories that are on our radar right now. And the U.S. special envoy for Iran, Rob Malley, is on

leave right now without pay. Sources say he is under investigation by the U.S. State Department for the possible mishandling of classified material.

His security clearance was suspended earlier this year.

More than 100 million people in the U.S. are still under air quality alerts as smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to drift across the border.

Washington, D.C. seeing a slight improvement from Thursday when they were in a code red for unhealthy air. There are more than 500 active wildfires

raging across Canada, making this its worst fire season on record.

Pakistan, one step closer to getting much some needed monetary aid. The IMF has reached a preliminary deal with the country worth about $3 billion.

Last year's floods dealt a crushing blow to what is and already ailing economy. The IMF's executive board is expected to consider the request

sometime next month.

Well, two people, including a police officer were killed by gunfire in India's Manipur state on Thursday. This area has been rocked by ethnic

unrest for months. And this latest violence, coming the same day that India's most influential opposition leader, Rahul Gandhi, paid a visit.

More from Vedika Sud.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VEDIKA SUD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A crowd gathered to welcome India's best known opposition leader met with tear gas in the country's

northeast.

[10:35:03]

Police on Thursday blocked Rahul Gandhi from visiting relief camps in Manipur where fighting between the ethnic groups has killed scores since

May. Security forces said it was too dangerous to allow the Congress party leader any further along the road. He later visited by helicopter, but

Gandhi and his supporters say the Indian government halted his progress in the latest attempt to stifle the opposition.

People in Manipur and across India will vote next year in the country's general election. Two-time Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ruling BJP

appear in an assailable political position and Gandhi, the would-be challenger, is unlikely to be able to run.

In March, the Congress party leader was handed a two-year jail sentence for mocking Modi. A day later, under Indian laws, he was disqualified as member

of parliament.

SHASHI THAROOR, INDIAN PARLIAMENT MEMBER: This is part of a very deliberate decision to silence the voice of a prominent opposition leader. That can't

be good for democracy, can it?

SUD: The BJP enjoys a massive majority in Indian parliament where Modi now has no formidable challenger. Despite that his government has been widely

criticized for its increasingly strident ban of Hindu nationalist politics and crackdown on dissent.

ARATHI JERATH, JOURNALIST: Today, I think the acceleration that we're seeing, in the erosion of democracy, that scale, that sweep, is

unprecedented. We have not seen it before.

SUD: The BJP insists democracy prevails in India and all these political rivals are just nervous ahead of next year's vote.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're trying to plant this narrative that democracy is dead and everything is wrong in this country.

SUD: Modi's political dominance at home is matched only by his popularity with world leaders. But a lavish trip to the United States this month

turned the spotlight on the state of democracy in the world's most populous nation.

Narendra Modi rarely takes questions from journalists. Opposite Biden in Washington, he didn't get a soft one.

SABRINA SIDDIQUI, WALL STREET JOURNAL REPORTER: What steps are you and your government willing to take to improve the rights of Muslims and other

minorities in your country, and to uphold free speech?

SUD: Modi answered the question but later "Wall Street Journal" reporter Sabrina Siddiqui was hit with online abuse. Abuse so ugly, it had to be

condemned by the White House.

JOHN KIRBY, WHITE HOUSE COORDINATOR FOR STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL: It's completely unacceptable and antithetical to the very

principles of democracy.

SUD: Globally Modi has taken every opportunity to project India as a beacon of democracy. But these very claims are coming under increasing scrutiny at

home and abroad.

Vedika Sud, CNN, New Delhi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson.

Still to come, messages of inclusion at the upcoming Women's World Cup. Who will be wearing these special armbands? That after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:40:26]

ANDERSON: Scientists are scratching their heads after seeing this image captured by one of NASA's rovers on Mars. It's an ancient rock which looks

almost like a perfectly shaped donut. The Perseverance rover is too far away to explore it so scientists are not sure how it ended up looking the

way it does. One hypothesis is that it could be a meteorite that broke up upon landing on the red planet. Another is that it's a sandstone shaped by

ancient rivers and weather. Amazing.

The Women's World Cup kicking up next month in Australia and New Zealand, and it will feature something not seen at last year's men's tournament in

Qatar. Captains of all 32 teams will get to wear special armbands.

Amanda Davies is here to tell us more about the significance of this and significance not least because this breaks out from the, you know, huge

controversy that you and I reported on in Qatar in November of course, when there was so much said and so much controversy about these armbands. Just

explain why it is that these teams want to wear them and what the message here is.

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN'S WORLD SPORT ANCHOR: Yes, well, Becky, in fact these images we're seeing, they are what became the infamous "One Love" armband,

aren't they? And they were not officially sanctioned by FIFA. So the captains of the Men's World Cup were not allowed to wear what many of them

hoped to wear as a real sign for equality and a fight against discrimination.

In an attempt to avoid the controversy, looking ahead to this Women's World Cup, FIFA have now decided to identify eight social causes and for those

social causes they have revealed these images of these armbands. They are not compulsory. Captains can choose to wear one of them, one each match or

indeed a neutral one that doesn't support any of these causes. It's more a football is a source of good.

The interesting thing is whether these go far enough. And that is the reaction that's starting to filter through. Does it avoid the controversy?

Is it what the players want to be wearing the causes they want to be supporting? And that's what we're going to be looking at in a couple of

minutes in "WORLD SPORT."

ANDERSON: Good. "WORLD SPORT" up after this short break. I'm back for you at the top of the hour after that so do stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

END