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iDesk
Russian President Plans Additional Nuclear Weapons; Missing Woman, Believed in Syria, Contacts Home; Latest on FIFA Investigation; Manhunt for New York Prison Escapees Continues; Undocumented Haitians May Be Deported from Dominican Republic; Hong Kong Election Process Examined
Aired June 17, 2015 - 10:00 ET
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[10:00:07]
ROBYN CURNOW, CNNI: Hi there, and welcome to the International Desk. I'm Robyn Curnow at the CNN Center. We begin the show with rising tensions
between Russia and the West, and the fears of a return to Cold War era-type facilities with showy displays of military muscle and the rhetoric that
goes with all of that. Well, these are pictures of Russian President Vladimir Putin at the opening of a military exhibition outside Moscow. The
US is voicing alarm at remarks he made there about boosting Moscow's nuclear arsenal, but Mr. Putin says Russia must defend itself if
threatened. Matthew Chance reports from the new military theme park outside the Russian capitol.
MATTHEW CHANCE: Well, you join me here at this vast military theme park about an hour's drive from Moscow. It's brand-new. It's called Patriot
Park, and when it's finished, it's set to become a kind of Russian military Disneyland where children can clamber over heavy weaponry, even play with
grenade launchers instead of riding on the normal kind of fairground attractions. You can see there children and some adults all over this
military hardware right behind me. Now, the park was opened earlier this week by Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, at a time of heightened
nationalism and confrontation between Russian and the West; particularly, over the conflict in Ukraine. President Putin used the opening to announce
the addition of 40 new intercontinental ballistic missiles to the Russian arsenal. A move that's been criticized by NATO as unjustified and
dangerous. The Kremlin says it's just part of a wide-reaching program to modernize the country's military. The park itself won't be completed fully
until 2017. At the moment, you can see there is an arms fair under way here as well, and thousands of people have come to visit, many with their
families. There are souvenir shops selling a new range of military clothing and, of course, Russia's -- some of Russia's most modern and most
lethal military hardware apart from these tanks. There's a book missile launcher just over here of the kind that's-believed to have shot down MH17,
the Malaysian airliner in Eastern Ukraine. There's even a nuclear missile launcher. All of this is proving immensely popular amongst what is an
extremely patriotic Russian public here at Patriot Park. Matthew Chance, CNN, at Kabinka outside Moscow.
CURNOW: And thanks to Matthew for that report, and now I wanted to bring in William Taylor from our Washington Bureau for more on this. He's the
former US ambassador to Ukraine, and the acting executive vice president of the United States Institute of Peace. Thank you so much for being with us,
sir. So, Mr. Putin has said Russia will add 40 new intercontinental ballistic missiles to its arsenal. What do you think of this?
WILLIAM TAYLOR: Well, this sounds like the kind of statements that come out of smaller third-rate powers that are not so sure of themselves. I
mean, we hear this from the North Koreans when they talk about their nuclear capabilities, so this is to be -- is more concerning than the
statements out of the North Korea because this is coming from a country and a man who has invaded its neighbor, so Mr. Putin's invasion of Ukraine
demonstrates that we have to be prepared. We have to be ready. We don't have to panic. We don't have to take extraordinary measures. We have to
defend ourselves. We have to contain Mr. Putin and defend our allies.
CURNOW: You talk about containing Mr. Putin. I mean, there's been a lot of criticism in the way the West has dealt with Mr. Putin. He said last
week that he had no relations with members of G7 countries. I mean, is isolation an effective foreign policy tool here?
TAYLOR: Mr. Putin, has -- of course -- has isolated himself. You don't engage with the international community when you have invaded the your
neighbor, when you have illegally annexed a part of a sovereign state of Ukraine. This is not the way to engage in the international community. He
has violated all treaties, all understandings, all standards of post-war and post -- certainly -- post-Cold War behavior by this invasion and, as
your reporter just said, by shooting down an unarmed civilian aircraft.
CURNOW: Indeed, so let's also then talk about NATO's response. I just want to play a sound bite from Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO Secretary
General, and also want to get your reaction on that as well.
JENS STOLTENBERG: This nuclear Sabre-rattling of Russia is unjustified. It's destabilizing and it's dangerous.
CURNOW: Dangerous, and you're talking there about how the landscape seems to have shifted. It's now about military deterrence rather than treaties.
What about the relevance of NATO? I mean, there was a survey out recently saying that many Europeans might not feel as enthusiastic about Article V,
that sort of essence of if, you know, one for all, all for one. I mean, how do you think this is all going to play out?
TAYLOR: I think the NATO members and the populations of NATO states who are closest to the Russians are very supportive of Article V, and I think
their very supportive of the guarantee that they have from the NATO alliance, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has defended them, has
been there during easy times and tough times. This is a tough time, so the commitment of the United States to its allies to help them defend
themselves, and to contain the Russians and deter -- what we're trying to do, of course, is deter conflict, and the way to deter is to be prepared to
defend.
CURNOW: Be prepared to defend, and, you know, there has been a lot of talk about how this -- it reminds people of the Cold War environment. I mean,
is it at that stage? And will it ever be like that again? I mean, this, as an arms race, is quite slow for an arms race, and neither side, if you
want to call it sides, I mean, in terms of budget cuts, I mean, there really isn't that appetite to build up arsenals to the sort of levels of
mutual self-destruction, like it was during the Cold War.
TAYLOR: You are absolutely correct. The economic constraints, in particular, on the Russians, are ever more stringent. The Russian economy
is struggling. Inflation is high. The Ruble is low. Oil prices are low. The sanctions are having an effect, gradually squeezing the Russian
economy, so that is a difficult time for them to be building up their armed forces. The West never wants to spend more than it has to, but the West
has a very large economy compared to the Russians.
CURNOW: William Taylor, thank you so much for your analysis. William Taylor, former ambassador to the Ukraine. Thank you.
TAYLOR: Thank you, Robyn.
CURNOW: Well, severe flooding swept through Georgia's capitol over the weekend, destroying the city's zoo. Hundreds of animals escaped, including
a white tiger, which today, met a violent end, not from the flood, but from police who shot and killed the tiger after it killed a man and injured
another at a warehouse in the center of Tbilisi. Now, a local news website says at least 19 people have died in the flooding. Six remain missing.
Well, journalist (Inaudible) joins me now on the phone from Georgia's capitol with more details. I mean, there is this very tragic human toll,
but just tell us about this very dramatic standoff between this tiger and two men. What do you know?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So the tiger is shot dead in the center of (inaudible), but (inaudible) residents of city feel unsafe here because
right now, the police is [sic] searching for a tiger or a lion. It's not confirmed yet. The building where the attack happened is very near to the
zoo. It's next to the zoo, which was flooded, which was fully flooded, several days ago, and more than 50 percent of animals died and others is
(inaudible) of Tbilisi, so the building where happened (inaudible) it's the old Soviet factory, and there some private warehouses there, so the men of
age of 43, he was working in one of these warehouses, and this afternoon, when he entered the warehouse, a (inaudible) tiger attacked him
immediately, and doctors confirm that he had a very bad injury in his throat, and he died very soon after attack, even before he was taken to
hospital. Very soon after, (inaudible) police was mobilized on the (inaudible), and after about an hour of search, (inaudible), confirms that
they have shot, they have killed the white tiger, the tiger who attacked the man in the warehouse. Also, yesterday, the government of Georgia, the
prime minister, announced that it absolutely safe in the streets of Tbilisi, and there are no more new animals in the city, but today he has
just recently (inaudible) had to apologize for disinformation, and he said that he (inaudible) information from a new administration. What about
people? People are -- people feel quite unsafe here. Some of them are so -- even so afraid that they don't let their children out in the streets,
and with the help of media and social network, they call on government to give them accurate information about what happens in the streets of
Tbilisi, and as I said, these attack [sic] is unfortunately not the end of the story because right now, they all close the TV channel (inaudible).
Police is [sic] searching for another tiger, and we don't know yet how the search will end, but the factory said that right now, we don't know how
many wild animals are walking freely in the capitol of Georgia.
CURNOW: Absolutely, no doubt, terrifying residents, and animals terrified themselves, but you're saying we still need to confirm this report that
perhaps a second tiger, maybe a lion, you say, is on the loose and also unclear just how many other of these zoo animals are still out there in the
capitol city there of Georgia. Thank you so much there, local journalist, (Inaudible). Thank you. Now, UK police say that contact has been made by
one of the three British sisters missing with their nine children who are believed to have traveled to Syria on Tuesday. Family members issued a
heartfelt plea for their loved ones to return home to Bradford in the North of England. Well, Nic Robertson is there for us with the latest. Hi
there, Nic. What are you hearing from authorities that contact has been made with one of these women?
NIC ROBERTSON: It has been made, and the authorities are saying this contact suggests that at least one of the adults of the group; meaning, one
of the three sisters, is already inside Syria. Now, this is the worst of all possible pieces of information for the husband who made that very
dramatic and emotional appeal for their wives and the children to come back home. What the police are essentially saying here is that a phone call has
been made. It appears to be from inside Syria, and as this group had been traveling together up until now, the implication would seem to imply that
if one of the sisters is making a phone call from Syria, then, potentially, the whole group is inside Syria, and that, of course, is a concern for
authorities. The police are saying that their -- that the priority is being placed on the children, who's ages are three to fifteen, the priority
being placed on getting them home, getting them safely back into the UK, Robyn.
CURNOW: No doubt that's going to be difficult. What do we know about why they went, how they went, the contacts they had in Syria?
ROBERTSON: Very little is known about that. Certainly, there is concern and our community leaders here say they believe and understand that the
brother of the sisters had already traveled to Syria. The lawyer representing the husbands says that the brother is currently under
investigation by the police, and the implication does seem to be at the moment that the brother is, indeed, inside Syria, has been there for some
time and that may have exerted some influence or pull over the sisters to encourage them to come into Syria, but it really isn't known at the moment.
I mean, community leaders here talk about the need for engagement, what we hear in between all parts of the community, they talk about the issue of
radicalization that they face here, but, really, the details of what precipitated these three women and their nine children to go missing is
really unclear at the moment, Robyn.
CURNOW: Okay. Nic Roberson, we'll leave it at that. Thank you so much for that update. Well, just ahead on CNN, the latest on the scandal
surrounding football's governing body, plus, in the face of personal tragedy, an incredible display of determination.
HUNTER TRESCHL: Got to fight and live a normal life with the cards I've been dealt.
CURNOW: Coming up, a 16-year-old's will to keep going on in his own terms after a shark bit off his arm. Also, an extended manhunt and new questions
about the escape of two killers from a New York prison. We'll have a live update. All that and much more here at the International Desk.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CURNOW: Well, welcome back. I'm Robyn Curnow. And you're watching the International Desk. Now, the Swiss Attorney General says FIFA President
Sepp Blatter could face questioning over the controversial 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids. Michael Lauber discussed the probe into the bidding
process at a press conference earlier today. There you see him. He says the investigation will be long and complex. Well, CNN's Alex Thomas spoke
exclusively with the Swiss Attorney General. He joins us now from Bern. What did he say, Alex?
ALEX THOMAS: Robyn, very early days for the Swiss investigation and for the Attorney General Michael Lauber speaking to the media. Just six months
in, really, into starting this case, handed the Michael Gosier report by FIFA, who, at the moment, are being treated as the injured party, but if
you look at the bigger picture, the net is almost widening while tightening at the same time. You've got FIFA's independent ethics committee saying it
is also widening the scope of the people it might speak to or look to punish for possible corruption into that 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding
processes. At the moment, of course, no wrongdoing has been done. Russia will still host the tournament in 2018 and Qatar four years later. The
same could be said for FIFA President, Sepp Blatter, but, although, as you pointed out, Lauber did say that Blatter will almost inevitably be
interviewed, and so will Jerome Valcke FIFA's general secretary. What was really interesting was that Lauber compared, Robyn, his investigation,
which is independent, to the American one, where we heard so many indictments read out two days before Blatter was reelected as FIFA
President, and Lauber admits he's way behind where they are because they've had some years head start on him, and he is appealing for those with any
inside information to come forward.
MICHAEL LAUBER: We have also the rules that we can get information from people who really are willing to give us (inaudible) information. The
thing is that we have different rules. We are, perhaps, more (inaudible) than the US, but if there is anybody out there who wants to give me
information and helping me in this case, we have our rules. They are known and I'm welcoming any useful information for this case.
THOMAS: Robyn, Switzerland's Attorney General, Michael Lauber, says he set up a tailor-made taskforce to examine nine terabytes of data they've
collected so far, hundreds of suspect banking relationships. He's an expert and so is his team, that kind of forensic accounting investigation,
trying to track the money. Where is the source of it all? But he admits, it could take years to get the bot -- to get to the bottom of it, Robyn.
CURNOW: Indeed, all these concurrent investigations, it is going to be long and complex. They're not going to be any quick answers. Alex Thomas,
as always, thank you very much. Well, you're at the International Desk. Still ahead, the latest on that perplexing manhunt in the US State of New
York. Plus, this T-shirt says it all, at least for one side of the debate. We'll look at the controversy in Hong Kong over Beijing-backed electoral
reforms.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CURNOW: Heavy rain, cars forced off the road and trees uprooted in Texas after Tropical Storm Bill came ashore. The bad weather is further
battering a state trying to recover from record-setting rain fall last month. Bill has been downgraded to a tropical depression, but up to 20
centimeters of rain could still come down over the next two days, leading to fears of more flooding. Investigators have new questions as they expand
the search for two convicted killers who broke out of a New York prison 12 days ago. A source says, a prison worker accused of helping the men told
her husband about the escape. Well, Polo Sandoval has the latest on the manhunt from Dannemora in New York. Hi there, so the question is, so how
much did the husband know?
POLO SANDOVAL: You know, that's the main question, Robyn. We do expect to hear from the Clinton County District Attorney in the next couple of hours,
and we do hope to get an update and ask those questions; exactly how much did he know? I can tell you at that point, CNN sources are now telling us
that if he knew anything about this active plot was because his wife, Joyce Mitchell, pretty much warned him that these two very dangerous inmates
planned to escape the Clinton Correctional Facility, so, as a result, he turned to them, basically, told -- shared story with him and said that his
life could be in danger. At this point, according to this information from those two sources, it doesn't seem to indicate that he actively
participated in the plot, but now that question remains, Robyn, simply knowing of this plan that was in the works at the time, is that enough to
present charges against him? That's something that we hope to learn in the next hour or so.
CURNOW: Absolutely, but it is -- it's quite complicated (inaudible) because, apparently, he visited her in prison yesterday, but she was,
according to some reports, having relationships with one or both of these men.
POLO SANDOVAL: Right. According to this information that's coming from our sources, Mitchell was likely involved in a sexual relationship with
Richard Matt, this going back as far as 2013 according to reports. Now, what's interesting here, though is, neither the New York State Police,
who's heading this investigation and the manhunt, or prosecutors have actually addressed that, so we do hope to learn more about that, and, of
course, what led to that relationship, how that was possible, and then, of course, with this investigation that's now ongoing, on behalf of the New
York Office of the Inspector General will find.
CURNOW: And, meanwhile, the hunt for them has gone cold. I mean, Andrew Cuomo, the New York Governor, is saying they could be in Mexico by now.
POLO SANDOVAL: Right. That has to be disheartening, Robyn, for the hundreds of men and women who've been searching through the woods, going
door-to-door, through some of the communities here in Upstate New York. A couple days ago, the focus was in an area closer to west Plattsburgh, New
York, which is the next community from where we are here in Dannemora. Well, yesterday, we learned that, that search will now be moving closer to
the correctional facility because, well, the reality here is about 11 or 12 days after this escape happened, Robyn, there still hasn't been a whole lot
of physical evidence that's been recovered from the area.
CURNOW: Okay. We'll leave it at that. Polo, thank you so much. Now, one of the teenagers who lost an arm in a pair of shark attacks off the US East
Coast is recounting his experience as our Michaela Pereira reports, the boy says he's refusing to let what happened affect how he'll live his life.
MICHAELA PEREIRA: One of the victims of that brutal pair of shark attacks off the coast of North Carolina, speaking out for the first time from his
hospital bed. Sixteen-year-old Hunter Treschl recounting that traumatic shark encounter that cost him his arm.
HUNTER TRESCHL: I was just in about waist-deep water, I would say, playing with my cousin like I said, and I felt this kind of hit on my left leg,
like it felt like I -- like normal like it was a big fish coming near you or something. That was the first I saw it, was when it was biting up my
left arm.
PEREIRA: The teen from Colorado was swimming in the waters off Oak Island when the shark attacked.
TRESCHL: I didn't see it coming. Like I said, I felt it on my leg, and then I saw it once it had attacked my arm.
PEREIRA: This happening a mere 90 minutes after another shark attack unfolded on the same beach less than two miles away where 13-year-old
Kiersten Yow had her left arm torn off by a shark, bystanders leaping into action to prevent the victims from bleeding to death.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A kid just got his arm bit off.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Okay. Are you with the person now?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My husband is. He's got it wrapped up in a towel as tight as he can.
PEREIRA: Just two days after that life-changing attack, Hunter vows to remain positive.
TRESCHL: I have kind of two options; I can try to live my life the way I was and make an effort to do that even though I don't have an arm, or I can
kind of just let this be completely debilitating and bring my life down and ruin it in a way. Out of those two, there's really only one that I would
actually choose to do, and that's to try to fight and live a normal life with the cards I've been dealt.
PEREIRA: Michaela Pereira, CNN, New York.
CURNOW: Brave, inspiring young man there. Now, a programming note, all this week, our Nima Elbagir has been following the plight of child migrants
and has shown us how they're trafficked across the Mediterranean and boats most of us would be afraid to board. Here's a taster of her latest report.
NIMA ELBAGIR: Rome's Termini Station is one of the country's main rail terminals. This is where thousands of illegal migrant children arrive,
desperate to make money however they can. Groups of boys were clustered together (inaudible) in a known pickup location.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The illegal stuff, that's the easiest, and not just here in Rome but across the country.
CURNOW: Well, CNN's exclusive reporting on Egypt's child migrants concludes on Amanpour starting at 7:00 p.m. in London, 8:00 p.m. in Rome
and in Cairo. That's only on CNN. Here at the International Desk, still to come, the debate in Hong Kong over whether citizens can directly elect
their next leader without Beijing's advanced approval. We'll have the details next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CURNOW: Welcome to the International Desk. I'm Robyn Curnow. Here are the headlines. UK Police say that contact has been made by one of the
three British sisters missing with their nine children and believed to have traveled to Syria. On Tuesday family members issued a heartfelt appeal for
their loved ones to return home to Bradford in the North of England. Syrian refugees who have fled fighting in the border town of Tal Abyad are
returning home. Violence between Kurdish forces and ISIS militants forced thousands of people to cross into Turkey. The Kurds were able to
completely push ISIS out of Tal Abyad on Tuesday. Police in Georgia's capitol of Tbilisi have shot and killed a white tiger, which escaped from
the city's zoo after flooding inundated it and much of the city over the weekend. Now, the tiger had attacked and killed a man and injured another.
Also, though, we're hearing in the last half an hour, a journalist telling CNN the capitol -- that in the capitol, another tiger or perhaps a lion is
also on the loose. And a Swiss official says FIFA President Sepp Blatter could face questioning over the probe into the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bid.
In a press conference, the attorney general said his taskforce is looking through suspicious banking activity conducted by the organization.
A deadline is looming for hundreds of thousands of undocumented Haitians living in the Dominican Republic. The migrants had until Wednesday to
register their presence with the government, that government. Now, human rights group fear mass deportations. The workers who have crossed the
border, who have crossed the border for generations to cut cane, care for children or clean homes, and they've been ruled that they should be sent
back home. Rafael Romo has the story.
RAFAEL ROMO: They patiently wait in line, ID's in hand, hoping to get documents that will allow them to stay here legally. They are Haitian
immigrants living in the Dominican Republic. Some migrated right after the devastating 2010 earthquake, but most have been in the Dominican Republic
for much longer, even decades. Now, their status is on the line as the deadline looms. In 2013, the Dominican Supreme Court ruled that people
born to non-citizens as far back as 1929, did not qualify for citizenship. Immigrants have until Wednesday evening to show documentation to legalize
their status. The Dominican Foreign Minister announced that those without legal papers will have to return to their country of origin. Human rights
groups fear massive deportations. The Dominican Republic immigration authorities say Haitians are the largest group of foreigners in their
country with about half a million, and applying for residency hasn't been easy. I've been waiting for 15 days here, and I have yet to get any
papers, this immigrant says. Haitian authorities are getting ready for what they consider imminent deportations. This Haitian border official
says his government is opening two repatriation centers along the border to receive the migrants that will have to return to their county. Dominican
officials say, all is not bad news. On the positive side, he says, we will have more than 200,000 people who were in our territory without status and
are now in the process of getting their documents, but there will also be at least a quarter million who don't have papers. Haitians who will have
to go back to their country, even though they've called the Dominican Republic home for years. Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.
CURNOW: Hong Kong lawmakers have adjourned debate on Beijing-backed electoral reforms until Thursday. Pro-democracy lawmakers are vowing to
veto the package. Now, the issue is whether citizens can directly elect their own leader without Beijing approving the candidates in advance, and
as our Anna Coren now reports, people in Hong Kong are divided.
ANNA COREN: Well, Hong Kong legislators in the building behind me continue to debate the plan on how the chief executive will be elected in 2017.
Demonstrators for and against the vote have come out to have their voices heard. It's an issue that has deeply divided the territory and paralyzed
much of Hong Kong last year. According to the latest poll, the slim majority of Hong Kong residents actually support the vote backed by Beijing
that if passed, would give Hong Kong universal suffrage on the condition that Beijing preselects the candidates for chief executive. For those in
favor, they believe that this is the best chance of moving towards democracy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Hong Kong people, the majority of people is [sic] support the government to change for a freedom of vote. We wait for
hundred fifty years. This is our day to vote. Those in a small minority people, only very small, they try oppose the government. That's not right.
It's our Hong Kong people. We want the right to vote.
COREN: To those against the vote, they believe that Hong Kong would be selling out to what they call fake universal suffrage. They believe the
territory needs to uphold and safeguard its core values.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That is not what we want, not what Hong Kong people like we want. We want our own like cheerleader. We can vote for our own
leader, and this whole like plan just ridiculous. I feel like we're not stupid. We can actually -- we have the right to vote for own leader.
COREN: A two-thirds majority a needed to pass a proposal, and at the moment, that is looking highly unlikely, but whether the vote fails or
passes, it is still going to leave this territory of seven million people deeply divided. Anna Coren, CNN, Hong Kong.
CURNOW: Thanks, Anna, for that report. Now, the Greek Central Bank warns the country could be heading towards a crushing debt default if it fails to
reach an agreement with its international creditors. Athens must reach a deal to pay back $1.8 billion to the IMF by the end of the month. Samuel
Burke reports on why talks between Greece and its European creditors have stalled, and what could get an agreement back on track.
SAMUEL BURKE: Everyone is using the word final when it comes to Greece, final deadline, final payment, and instead of digging themselves out,
everyone is digging in.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The ball lies squarely in the camp of the Greek Government to take the necessary steps.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What shalt? We are arriving at a time that could be turbulent if we don't reach and agreement.
SAMUEL BURKE: Thursday's critical meeting of Eurozone Finance Ministers could be one of the few chances left, but Greece says it isn't bringing any
new proposals to the table, so what progress can be made? Entrenched positioins are clear. The only thing unclear now is, who blinks first?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The term Greek tragedy is 2000 years old, and we're going to see one of the biggest ones ever if something is not done.
BURKE: There are still two sticking points; cutting benefits for Greek pensioners, and increasing tax on electricity. With Europe and Greece so
far apart on these two, a Greek default looks ever more likely.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would say that the exit it is inconceivable for the simple reason that it is a mutually catastrophic decision. Clearly, Greece
would have much more to suffer from such an event, but the losses would be very significant for the Eurozone as well. Something that is so disastrous
doesn't have to happen.
BURKE: Much like Eurozone politicians, Eurozone citizens can't come to a consensus either. The vast majority of Greeks say they want to stay in the
Eurozone. Their most influential creditor, Germany, more than half of its people now say it's time for Greece to go. Samuel Burke, CNN, London.
CURNOW: You're at the International Desk. Still ahead. Someone smells a rat at a US fried chicken outlet, but is it for real?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CURNOW: Welcome back. Now, a lot of things taste good when they're deep fried, but some other things just shouldn't be in the kitchen let alone
make their way into the fryer, frankly. Jeanne Moos has the story of a fast food surprise with a tale to tell.
JEANNE MOOS: A fast food chain is taking a lickin' for its finger lickin' good chicken shaped like a rat.
DEVORISE DIXON: Very hard and rubbery.
JEANNE MOOS: California security guard Devorise Dixon says he brought a three-piece box of tenders at a KFC in LA. On the Randy Economy radio
show, he described taking a bite.
DIXON: It was very nasty. I spit it out. I looked down on my hand, and I realized that it was in the shape of a rat with a tail and everything in
it.
MOOS: Dixon posted photos on his Facebook page, and he put the tender in the freezer. He says he returned to the restaurant with photos and his
receipt.
DIXON: The manager actually freaked out to confirm that it was a rat. She apologized for it. They actually just offered me a free meal.
MOOS: Which he declined. He says he's lawyering up. This is what a chicken tender tends to look like, but shape alone is not enough to prove a
chicken tender guilty of being a breaded rat. KFC says, our chicken tenders often vary in size and shape, and we currently have no evidence to
support Dixon's claim. Reminds us of the flap over a breaded chicken head that showed up amid some McDonald's wings, but in the case of the supposed
rat, the unanswered question, what's lurking under the breading? We sure don't know, and Dixon isn't returning our messages.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, so gross.
MOOS: KFC tells CNN, we have made various attempts to contact him, but he is refusing to either talk to us personally or through a lawyer, nor has he
come forth with the chicken piece in question for verification, which KFC offered to have done free of charge at an independent lab. Dixon claims
that single bite affected his appetite.
DIXON: Nauseous, woozy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yeah.
DIXON: I can't eat.
JEANNE MOOS: But amid this finger lickin' finger pointing, heck if we know who's the chicken and who's the rat in this story. Jeanne Moos, CNN, New
York.
CURNOW: Nasty, nasty, nasty, nasty. Apologies to any of you trying to enjoy a meal as we end this edition of the International Desk. I'm Robyn
Curnow. Don't go anywhere. World Sports with Christina Macfarlane is up next. Thanks for watching.
END
