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Germanwings Crash; Russian Fighter Closely Approaches US Recon Flight; Dominique Strauss-Kahn Latest; Tourists Fined, Jailed for Nude Photo in Malaysia; New York Escapee Manhunt Continues; More US Troops to Iraq

Aired June 12, 2015 - 10:00   ET

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

[10:00:09]

ROBYN CURNOW: Hello there, and welcome to the International Desk. I'm Robyn Curnow at the CNN Center. Well, we begin the show with new

developments in the crash of Germanwings Flight 9525 in the French Alps. A French prosecutor confirms there's now a criminal inquiry into what

happened. Prosecutors also say co-pilot Andreas Lubitz feared he was going blind and saw dozens of doctors about it over the course of several years.

In just the months before the March crash, he consulted doctors seven times, including three visits to a psychiatrist, and he told friends life

had lost all meaning. Well, investigators believe Andreas Lubitz intentionally crashed the jet into the French Alps killing all 150 people

onboard. Well, our Atika Shubert joins us now from London with more on this story. This gives us very disturbing insight into Lubitz's state of

mind, doesn't it?

ATIKA SHUBERT: It is. He was clearly in a very dark place and seeking medical help. The question is, how much of that was learned by

Germanwings? How much of that did they know? And this is why French authorities are now opening up the possibility of this criminal

investigation for what's termed in France as involuntary manslaughter, and that basically looks at what responsibility other factors may have had;

specifically, Germanwings in detecting -- preventing this from happening. Take a listen to what Marseille Prosecutor Brice Robin had to say about

this.

THE INTERPRETER: He was taking anti-depressants. He had seen seven doctors within the first of the last month, including three appointments

with a psychiatrist. He had been on sick leave for 10 days, and some of the doctors -- and this is the German investigation that determined this --

some of the doctors found that he was very down, very unsure of himself, tense, focused on his own illness, and he gave him the impression that he

was psychologically unstable, and some of them when they were heard believed that he was not apt to fly.

SHUBERT: In total, he saw in five years, forty-one doctors and had seven appointments in the last month before the crash, and his focus seemed to be

on his loss of vision. It's not clear why exactly he was losing his vision, but, obviously, for a pilot, it's a very key part of the job, and,

as a result, he appeared to be falling into a depression, but what the prosecutors are now looking at, not only at his medical history, but how

much of that Germanwings may have known before the crash.

CURNOW: Indeed, and questions why then those doctors didn't report it, but there's a very real historical reason as to why that kind of information is

protected in Germany.

SHUBERT: There is very much so. I mean, there is medical confidentiality, and, of course, this is not only in Germany, in many countries, what -- you

know -- what -- the conversation you have with your doctor is considered private, but there are some jobs like pilots that, obviously, have medical

checkups pretty regularly, and so the question is, did Germanwings conduct those medical checkups? If they did, why were they not able to detect what

appears to be a number of red flags in this case. Were the doctors under any obligation, for example, to communicate what they found to Germanwings.

This is what the French prosecutor will be looking at, and that's why they have opened up this criminal investigation.

CURNOW: Atika Shubert, thanks so much for that update. Thank you. Well, now, a week after a Russian warplane buzzed a US warship, a Russia fighter

jet had a much closer encounter with a US surveillance aircraft. Our Phil Black now joins me from London as well, and, Phil, hi there. This latest

fly-by described as being straight out of a movie, but it's really happening with increasing frequency, isn't it?

PHIL BLACK: That's the point, Robyn. Certainly, we know that for a fact, but this one is concerningly close, and that's why US officials, which have

given us some of the details about this incident, are so worried. It took place on May the 30th in the Baltic Sea. They say an America surveillance

aircraft was flying in international airspace, when it was intercepted by a Russian fighter, which flew alongside at the same altitude with a

separation of just 10 feet. Now, US officials say that is very close. That is very dangerous, and that's why that's a concern. They say the

aircraft eventually broke away. We don't know how long this went on for. Continued to shadow the US aircraft for a period of time before leaving the

area. Some key points, as I said, these are all the details that we know at this stage. We don't know specifically what aircraft were involved.

Important context, we don't know if the US aircraft was flying in accordance with civil aviation rules; that is, was it's transponder going?

Had it filed a flight plan? This is normally a point that is stressed by NATO and the US when it is reporting on these sorts of incidents, but it's

further proof of what we do know that, yes, these sorts of interactions between NATO and Russian aircraft are happening much more frequently, and

this is been going on for some time now, but the reality is when they get this close, the concern is, from the American side, that its personnel are

at risk, but in a bigger sense, certainly, with interactions that take place this close, where there is the increased chance of some sort of

accident happening, there is also the increased chance of tensions escalating pretty quickly, Robyn.

CURNOW: Yeah. I mean, that's clear because the message seems to be clear, Russia flexing its muscles. Is this all just about posturing? And then

the real worry is how quickly can these incidents escalate?

PHIL BLACK: Yes. Well, since the Ukraine crisis began, both sides has started moving greater forces, firepower, into a couple of key areas,

notably, the Baltic and the Black Seas, and that's where a lot of these interactions have certainly taken place. There's a lot difference in terms

of how these actions are sort of interpreted, and, therefore, described publicly. We only get to here about some of them, remember, and the

details are often quite limited, but the US and NATO is also -- always keen to stress. They believe that their forces are acting responsibly. They

usually say, in a routine way, and they're always keen to point out the Russian behavior as being less so, quite often. For example, a lot of the

surveillance and fire -- and long-range bomber aircraft that have been patrolling international air space, notably, in the Baltic, and towards

British airspace and so forth, NATO is usually keen to stress that in those cases, these aircraft are not flying in accordance with civil aviation

rules, and so, therefore, present a threat to civilian aircraft as well. Russian perception and portrayal of some incidents, well, it also stresses

things a certain -- in certain ways as well. There was an incident on the Black Sea recently with a fly pass-by Russian fighter aircraft involving a

US warship. In that case, the Russians stressed that the warship was approaching Russian territorial waters, and the aircraft had to scare them

off, if you like, deter that course of action. The US Navy took the extraordinary step of actually releasing video of that encounter, which in

-- which they say showed it was a routine encounter, one direct fly-by, and the US warships were always in international waters and did not take any

sort of action as a result of that fly-by either, so muscle flexing, certainly, increased presence, increased risk, and that's why the Americans

say they're concerned about these sorts of encounters that get just a little bit too close for comfort, Robyn.

CURNOW: Okay. We'll leave it at that. Phil Black in London. Thanks for the update. Former French presidential hopeful, Dominique Strauss-Kahn,

has been acquitted of aggravated pimping charges. The former head of the IMF was accused in connection with sex parties he had attended in various

cities around the world. Well, our Jim Bittermann joins us now with more from Paris. So, just to remind our viewers, what exactly is aggravating

pimping, and why has Strauss-Kahn been let off?

JIM BITTERMANN: Well, in fact, aggravated pimping means that he was alleged to have been involved in organizing sex parties, basically,

pimping, organizing prostitutes for sex parties. He, as in his defense, always said all the way along the line that he never knew that these were

prostitutes involved. He thought these were just very sexually liberated people that wanted to enjoy the sort of sexual freedoms, and so that was

what held sway. No one could present evidence that could prove to the contrary, so, in fact, he was let off, and not only was he let off, but 13

of the 14 defendants were let off. The only person who actually got a sentence, was found guilty, was the communications director for the hotel

where some of these parties took place, and he was doing a one-year suspended sentence, Robyn.

CURNOW: So, what next for DSK, as he was formally called in France?

JIM BITTERMANN: Formerly or infamously called in France, yes. In fact, he's probably dead in the water in terms of politics. It's just impossible

to believe that he could come back politically. I mean, he was once the man who was the presidential hopeful who had the highest standing in the

public opinion polls, and he was also the head of the IMF, but fell from grace rather rapidly after being arrested in New York. Next? Well, he's -

- you know, the years since those charges originally were brought in New York, he's tried to revive his career as a financial consultant and

advisor. He's got a couple of clients in the form of countries and companies around the world who come to him for financial advice. That's, I

think, the direction he'll go, but he's been so derided and he's been the subject of so much derision because of his admitted sexual proclivities,

that, in fact, he is almost for certain out of the political realm for the -- at least the future as far as any of the analysts here can see, Robyn.

CURNOW: Jim Bittermann, as well always, coming to us from Paris. Thank you so much. Well, another story that's raised eyebrows, four tourists who

posed naked on a mountain in Malaysia paid fines after avoiding long jail terms. The four pleaded guilty to obscenity charges for stripping nude or

topless on Mount Kinabalu. This is the photograph taken on the mountain that sparked the controversy. CNN's David Molko joins me now from Hong

Kong. Okay. So they were jailed for three days, but their sentences were backdated to reflect the time already served, I understand. Any reaction

from these climbers?

DAVID MOLKO: Yeah. Robyn, a three-day sentence backdated, as you said, a $1300 fine for each of them. They were either -- have been released or on

their way to being released. Nothing from them yet. We are hearing this in pieces from their parents actually. You know, these are young

backpackers, college students, who recently graduated from college, traveling the world, you know, their parents sending them out saying, of

course, you know, have a great time. Be safe. Call me. And maybe don't do anything stupid. And in this case, maybe that's exactly happened. I

talked to the father of Lindsey and Danielle Peterson. They're the Canadian brother and sister. They're from a small town, Southern

Saskatchewan, prairie country. I talked to him early in the morning. He said he hadn't heard anything yet. I talked to the father of Eleanor

Hawkins. She's the British national, and he said he was waiting to hear an update, waiting to hear what was happening. They're certainly hoping that

their children

are on their way home or at least out of the jail in safer hands now. Robyn, the question now, for all of this, for everything that's happened,

the way it's been handled, the uproar in media. Will they apologize?

CURNOW: Well, I think this is also -- I mean, besides the sort slightly jokey element to some of this, many people in Malaysia took this as a great

insult. That mountain is considered sacred, and this certainly has explained, you know, or examined that real clash between culture and

tradition and tourism.

MOLKO: Robyn, that's right. And there's certainly a complicating factor here. You know, Malaysia is certainly Muslim majority nation,

conservative. You have to add to that, though, the fact that this is in Borneo. It's a rainforest, heavily rural, and there are lots of indigenous

tribes with their own local traditions, own beliefs. One of them believing that the spirits of the ancestors actually reside up on Mount Kinabalu.

The tourism minister for the region weighing in here, too, and saying, you know, quote, locals are angry against the strippers. He calls them

mountain strippers on Mount Kinabalu. Their anger was boiling hot even before the earthquake, and multiplied a thousand times when it happened, a

reference there to an earthquake, a 6.0, that killed more than a dozen people just a few days after this incident occurred. Now, whether or not

you believe that, or you agree with how Malaysia handled this, whether it was justified, whether arresting them and detaining them, and this sentence

was justified, certainly a lesson for these young people traveling the world in

respect, in sensitivity, perhaps for young travelers, Robyn, not a bad lesson to learn.

CURNOW: A hard one. That's for sure. Okay. Thanks so much. David Molko in Hong Kong. Thank you. Well, Pakistan has ordered the UK-based charity,

Save the Children to shut down operations in the country after working there for 35 years. A spoke woman for the NGO says Pakistani authorities

have closed and sealed off the office and Islamabad. She says no notice was given, and that Save the Children is strongly objecting and raising its

concerns at the highest levels. And sniffer dogs are helping authorities to track down two killers who escaped from prison in New York. Next on the

iDesk, our correspondent finds out how these amazing animals are trained to hunt down their prey. And a US woman who's become a leader in a African-

America civil rights group is not answering questions about her heritage, and her parents and birth certificate indicate she's not quite who she says

she is. That and much more here at the International Desk.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CURNOW: Welcome back. Now, the manhunt for two convicted murders who broke out of a prison in Upstate New York a week ago continues, and now

we're learning from sources that a prison employee gave the convicts hacksaw blades and other tools to help them escape. Well, our Jason

Carroll joins me now from the New York area where all this is playing out. Hi there, Jason. Just give us an update on the latest in this

investigation.

JASON CARROLL: Well, let's start out with the search, and that's where we are. We are in Upstate New York, as you know, in this section of Route

374. You can see behind me some of the signs there, still shut down, shut down yesterday, this particular section about several miles long shut down

as the search in the area continues. There is a new bit of information, Robyn, specifically dealing with a possible trail of Richard Matt and David

Sweat, the escaped inmates. Apparently, bloodhounds picked up on a scent at a gas station located just about a mile away from the prison.

Basically, the theory is that perhaps the two inmates had stopped there on their escape trying to look for food, trying to find supplies, maybe go

through a dumpster there. They're going to be checking out security cameras to see if that can provide any more leads. In terms of where we

are, bloodhounds also found a particular spot, keyed in on a spot, not far from where we are now, just a few miles up the road into the rural wooded

area, where perhaps these two had bedded down for a period of time. That's where they found those used wrappers and a fresh boot footprint there as

well. They're going to be checking over the material that they found there to find out if it was, in fact, directly related to the two escaped

inmates. In the meantime, they've got a perimeter set up in the wooded area. They're narrowing in on that particular perimeter, but, as of yet,

still no sign of the two escaped inmates, Robyn.

CURNOW: And the reason this is just absolutely captured attention is, first of all, they've managed to avoid being caught nearly more than a week

later, and they're two very dangerous men who clearly have had this help from inside. Tell us about this woman who police are asking a lot of

questions of.

CARROLL: Absolutely. Her name is Joyce Mitchell, and I know you've probably heard a lot about that name. She is a prison employee, works

there. Her husband works there as well, worked in a tailor shop. She was investigated and she was investigated actually before about having a cozy

relationship with the inmates. She was actually questioned over the weekend about her relationship with these two men, and what we're learning

now, according to two law enforcement sources, is that she provided a hacksaw blade to these inmates, also bought recently, two pair of

eyeglasses with lights on them, provided that as well, as well as drill bits. This is a woman who could, in the very near future, face charges in

-- related to what she allegedly did, but in the meantime, Robyn, she seems to be helping investigators actually on a daily basis, providing them with

information, and so for now, she has not been charged. For now, she is working with investigators, but in the future, she could be in a world of

trouble,

Robyn.

CURNOW: And I'm also wondering if she gave them the Post-it notes and the pen to write that have a nice day message on the smiley face they left

behind. We're just showing a picture of it there, but, will we go. That's what they left behind that said, have a nice day. But, clearly, a lot of

questions being asked, but it's an investigation that really has focused much of the law enforcement in that area. Jason Carroll, thank you so much

for updating us, and it's important to note also that K-9 units are playing a major role in the search for these escaped inmates. CNN's Gary Tuchman

takes a look at how police train dogs like those.

GARY TUCHMAN: This is DeKalb County Georgia Police Officer, Lynn Eschelman (ph) and Andore (ph), her seven-year-old K-9 dog, and this is DeKalb

Sergeant, Frank Cuzamano (ph) and his four-year-old K-9, Jingo (ph). Both dogs are Belgian Malinois. Like bloodhounds, they catch fugitives with

their sense of smell.

FRANK CUZAMANO (ph): Their sense of smell is extraordinary, about a thousand to ten thousand times better than humans.

TUCHMAN: But unlike bloodhounds, they also use their teeth to apprehend. We're going to test Andore (ph) with a police dog drill using my scent. So

when the dogs train, they use toys like this. This is the reward when they find it in lieu of a real person, so I'm going to go into the woods right

now and hide it. We need an origin point where the dog's officer will tell the dog I was last seen and, therefore, where the dog's last sniff should

come from. We'll do it right from this tree. This is where I'll start from. The dog will start there, and then I will go to my hiding point,

which will be, let's say, right by this log. This is where I'll be hiding, the symbol will be hiding, put it right here.

LYNN ESCHELMAN (ph): Right here.

TUCHMAN: And then Officer Eschelman (ph) goes into the woods with Andore (ph). When it's wet, or when time has elapsed, it's not as easy for these

amazing animals, but it's dry, and I was just in the woods. If it were a real criminal.....

LYNN ESCHELMAN (ph): The felon is going to be pouring out that fear scent, and he's going to be putting out a lot more skin rafts (ph) and fear scent

coming out, and we're going to be able to narrow it down to that one guy.

TUCHMAN: Andore (ph) is having an easy time of it.

LYNN ESCHELMAN (ph): You got it. Good boy, good boy, good boy, good boy, yes, you got it.

TUCHMAN: Next, Sergeant Thomas Duvoy (ph) is putting on so-called white sleeves. He's about to become the bad guy for this drill.

THOMAS DUVOY (ph): You in the gray, stop or I'll send my dog. (Inaudible). Stand still, (inaudible). Slowly come to my voice, slowly

walk towards me. We want to, if need be, stop the dog, if the guy gives up. We want to be able to stop the dogs.

TUCHMAN: The dog stops as commanded, but if the felon is threatening.....

DUVOY (ph): Slowly come to my voice. Slowly walk towards me. Keep your hands where I can see them. (Inaudible). That's a good boy. Good boy,

(inaudible). Good boy, (inaudible). Let me see your hands. Stop fighting my dog. Stop fighting my dog. The dog is going to protect my -- me, as a

handler, and himself, and so he apprehended the suspect.

ESCHELMAN (ph): Yeah. Oh, yeah. That's a good boy.

GARY TUCHMAN: The cops who work with these dogs also love them.

ESCHELMAN (ph): Good boy.

TUCHMAN: And when he does retire, what happens to him then?

ESCHELMAN (ph): He stays with me. He's with me till the very end.

TUCHMAN: So he'll be your pet forever.

ESCHELMAN (ph): Yeah.

CUZAMANO (ph): He's mine. I couldn't let go of this dog now, so, I mean, he's going to be mine forever, for sure.

CURNOW: Here at the International Desk, a great piece there by Gary Tuchman. Well, still to come, the 450 US troops heading to Iraq, could be

just the tip of the iceberg. We'll look at how Washington's plan could see that number balloon.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CURNOW: Hi there, welcome back. I'm Robyn Curnow, and you're watching the International Desk. Now, US defense officials say even more troops could

be heading to Iraq in the future to help in the battle against ISIS. Washington is already deploying 450 military trainers to the country.

CNN's Jim Sciutto explains why the top US military official is now suddenly talking about, quote, Lilly pads.

JIM SCIUTTO: The 450 additional US troops heading to train Iraqi forces are just the beginning. Today, the Pentagon is saying the deployment of US

advisors at Al-Taqaddum Air Base in Western Iraq could be the model for more US outposts around the country. Lilly pads, joint chiefs chairman,

Martin Dempsey, called them, telling reporters, quote, our campaign is built on establishing these Lilly pads that allow us to encourage the Iraqi

security forces forward. We're looking all the time to see if additional sites might be necessary. The military is now considering three to four

possible locations, including a base in between Baghdad and the ISIS controlled City of Kirkuk. These US forces would not be involved in

combat, but they would be closer to combat and possibly in greater numbers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you bring forces out, that far out in front, what you're doing is, you're getting them as close to the frontline as you

possibly can without actually stepping onto the frontline. It's a very risky strategy.

SCIUTTO: The new plan is, at its core, a recognition of failure by the Iraqi Military. In battle after battle, from Ramadi, to Baiji, to the fall

of Mosul, one year ago today, Iraqi forces were often overwhelmed even as they greatly outnumbered ISIS fighters. US forces will give Iraqi troops,

command support, logistics, and, crucially, confidence. Today, the administration acknowledged the danger to US troops while drawing a

distinction between these new deployments and a full-scale occupation of Iraq.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a significant difference between a 150,000 troops in a combat role and 3500 US troops not in a combat role.

CURNOW: Well, this is the International Desk. Ahead, we go out into the streets of South Korea's capitol to see how day-to-day life has been

impacted by the MERS outbreak. Plus, many escape hardships in their homeland only to face more difficulties in a new country. A migrant

family's store. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CURNOW: Welcome back to the International Desk. I'm Robyn Curnow. Here are the headlines. Former French presidential hopeful, Dominique Strauss-

Kahn has been acquitted of aggravated pimping charges. The former head of the IMF was accused in connection with sex parties he attended in various

cities. A judge says there wasn't enough evidence to convict him. A criminal inquiry has been opened into the March crash of Germanwings Flight

9525. A hundred and fifty people died when investigators say the co-pilot intentionally crashed the jet into the French Alps. Prosecutors say

Andreas Lubitz visited doctors seven times in the month before the crash and took ten sick days. They say Lubitz feared he was going blind and was

given medications for depression and anxiety. Bloodhounds have picked the scent of two convicted murders who broke out of a prison in Upstate New

York. The men have been on the run for six days, and now we're learning from sources that a prison employee gave the convicts hacksaw blades

and other tools to help them escape. Four tourists who stripped naked or topless on a mountain in Malaysia have pleaded guilty to committing an

obscene act. A court fined them about $1300 each, and sentenced them to time served in jail, three days. Locals called the stripping a sign of

disrespect and say it caused an earthquake that killed 16 people. And the 11th person in South Korea has died from the respiratory virus MERS, and

officials there say the number of people infected is now 126. Despite the slightly increased numbers, there are signs the outbreak is easing. The

health ministry is gradually reducing the number of people under quarantine which is now about 3700, and it says thousands of schools may reopen next

week. South Korea's tourism industry is taking a big hit during this MERS outbreak. CNN's Kathy Novak toured Seoul and discovered normally busy

spots in the capitol are now much quieter.

KATHY NOVAK: A trip to a country in crisis mode battling to contain the MERS outbreak. A good dose of hand sanitizer, a quick selfie and they're

off. There are free face masks for everyone, and bus company has sanitized everything. You can smell the disinfectant. When I arrived in Seoul, the

first thing I did was take a tour on a bus like this one, and then the aisles were so packed, that at some stops, people couldn't get on. We've

been riding this one for about a half an hour now, and the whole time, there have been empty seats available. Bus drivers noticed it, too. I've

seen a huge decrease in the number of tourists, he says. Normally, at the museum, war memorial, and palaces, it's so busy. These days, it's hard to

even fill seats on the bus. Even though MERS hasn't spread to the public, the fear is enough to keep many visitors away. Daniel Glithbreak (ph)

thought about cancelling, too.

DANIEL GLITHBREAK (ph): Originally, yes, and we talked a lot of about it with our family, but since we got here, we're not worried anymore. They're

getting off at Myeong-dong, a popular shopping destination. It's usually packed with people buying cosmetics, clothes, and food. Now the shoppers

are notably absent. The Korean tourism organization says package tours from China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan are down by 80 percent compared to this

time last year. Hong Kong and Macau told their citizens not to travel here unless absolutely necessary. The ones who came anyway are taking

precautions.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We wear the mask on every public transportations [sic], always wash our hands because, you know, Hong Kong, more than ten

years before, we had the SARS.

NOVAK: The SARS outbreak killed hundreds, and had lingering economic effects. The Bank of Korea is so concerned about the effect of the

outbreak here, it cut its main interest rate to a record low. There is at least one sector doing well at the moment. It's not a bad time to be in

the surgical mask business. Kathy Novak, CNN, Seoul.

CURNOW: Well, refugees from around the world are fleeing to Europe hoping to find a better future. One family shared their story with CNN's Isa

Soares about how they ended up where some migrants have, in Greece.

ISA SOARES: He has little to smile about, but he doesn't even know it because, unlike others, he's made it to Europe unharmed. Walk the streets

of Central Kos, and you start to get a sense of the challenge authorities have on their hands. Just behind me, the majority there are from Pakistan.

This is a group of friends who have arrived from Syria. Next door, a family from Aleppo with three children. The other two houses have been

rented, full of people also from Syria, and right at the far end, a group of friends from Afghanistan, all these people desperate, looking to Europe

for a way out. The Batakan (ph) family from Aleppo arrived in Kos only ten days ago, making the perilous journey from Bodrum in Turkey.

BATAKAN (ph): It's so hard because a small shipping and air, not good shipping, and (inaudible), and all the children and woman [sic] so scared.

SOARES: Here, they're a fractured family.

BATAKAN (ph): This is my cousin. This my wife, my daughter. They don't have no mother, no father in Syria.

SOARES: A family ripped apart by war and torn by sacrifice. Why didn't the mother come?

BATAKAN (ph): No money.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No money.

SOARES: Now living in this (inaudible) apartment, they wait to be transferred to Athens. Time is all they have here, so they tidy and dote a

six-month-old Anna (ph). The boredom is so that even playing with pillows makes time go faster, but a life on pause is better than one in conflict.

BATAKAN (ph): I leave in [sic] Syria because I don't have nothing now. My home, it's finish [sic]. I am scared for my family. So much war is big,

big war.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Inaudible).

BATAKAN (ph): A view of this house, if you're looking, you see people die.

SOARES: In case I still didn't understand, the grandmother, filled with emotion and anger, tells me what has been their biggest struggle to date.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Inaudible).

SOARES: The Batakans (ph) are one of thousands of Syrian families seeking shelter here. According to UNHCR, 70 percent of the refugees arriving in

Kos are Syrian. The war back home means their asylum applications are given priority over other nationalities, but others are not forgotten, and

everyone night, as the sunsets over Kos, hundreds leave to Athens, and for these refugees, this is part of their journey is just beginning. Isa

Soares, CNN, in the Greek Island of Kos.

CURNOW: Well, a US woman who's been a prominent member of a Washington State black community is facing allegations she's been lying about her own

racial identity.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you African American?

RACHEL DOLEZAL: I don't understand the question.

CURNOW: How that interview ends, coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CURNOW: The racial identity of a long-time civil rights activist is under the spotlight because evidence produced by the woman's parents suggests

she's been passing as black. Rachel Dolezal is the president of the Spokane, Washington chapter of the NAACP. That's the oldest and largest

African-American civil rights organization in the US. Dolezal identifies herself as African-American, but her parents say Rachel is white, not

black, and they presented this photo of Rachel as a teenager as proof along with a birth certificate. According to the birth certificate, these are

Dolezal's parents. Larry and Ruthanne told a local news station, their daughter had always identified with the African-American culture. The

couple adopted several African-American children, Rachel's half siblings, and the couple says she also married and later divorced a black man. On

Thursday, a reporter questioned Dolezal about a photo she posted on her organization's Facebook page. She had announced that her father was coming

to t own for a visit, and the photo shows her standing next to an elderly black man.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This man right here is your father, right there?

DOLEZAL: Do you have a question about that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wondering if --

DOLEZAL: (Laughter).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- your dad really is an African-American man.

DOLEZAL: That's a very -- I don't know what you're implying. I don't understand the question of -- I did tell you that, yes, that's my dad, and

he was unable to come in January.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are your parents --

DOLEZAL: I'm like -- I.....

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- are they white?

CURNOW: Well, Dolezal later brushed off for controversy and refused to answer a newspaper's questions about her racial identity directly saying

she wanted to talk to local NAACP leadership first. She told the Spokane Spokesman-Review, quote, that question is not as easy as it seems. There's

a lot of complexities, and I don't know that everyone would understand that. Well, the issue came to light after Dolezal made several complaints,

multiple complaints, to police about racial harassment, and the City of Spokane, Washington is now investigating for possible ethics violations.

Well, Boeing's latest version of its Dreamliner aircraft is giving some aviation fans some dream-like images to ponder. Take a look at this video

of this 7879 taking off during a test run in Washington State. It looks like a rocket, and appears to be ascending at near vertical 90-degree

angle. Wow, here it is again. I've got to show it to you again. Boeing won't reveal specifics of the take-off angle, one 767 pilot tells us,

despite what you see, it's not truly vertical ascent, and he points out the plane could make a steeper than normal take off because it was nearly empty

and had a light fuel load, but, still, amazing capability there. Well, that does it for us here at the International Desk. I'm Robyn Curnow.

Don't go anywhere, World Sport with Amanda Davies is up next.

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