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Hala Gorani Tonight
NATO Gets Behind Turkey As It Steps Up Its Fight Against Terror; Muammar Gaddafi's Son Sentenced To Death; Police Hunt For American Over The Death Of One Of Africa's Best Known Lions; The Giants Of Tech Fighting Back Against The Killer Robots. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired July 28, 2015 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:11] MAX FOSTER, CNN HOST: Tonight, standing in solidarity.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: NATO gets behind Turkey as it steps up its fight against terror.
Plus Muammar Gaddafi's son is sentenced to death. The police hunt for an American over the death of one of Africa's best known lions. And why the
giants of tech are fighting back against the killer robots.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Hello, I'm Max Foster, live from CNN, London. This is the World Right Now.
Well NATO says it stands in strong solidarity with Turkey as it dramatically expands anti-terror operations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: That declaration came after an emergency NATO summit in Brussels today. Turkey called the extraordinary session saying it's facing security
threats on two fronts. Last week it began bombing not only ISIS targets but also PKK forces. Turkey's military released this video today showing
strikes against Kurdish fighters in Northern Iraq. It says it also bombed PKK militants inside Turkey after security forces came under attack. NATO
says it supports Turkey's fight against terror.
JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: All allies stand in solidarity with Turkey. We strongly condemn the terrorist attacks. We express our
condolences to the Turkish government and to the families of the victims in Suric and other attacks against police and military officers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Well whilst NATO welcomes Turkey's battle against ISIS it may not be as enthusiastic about its war on PKK forces. After all Kurdish fighters
are battling ISIS themselves. Let's bring in Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr. This is difficult isn't it particularly for the Americans
who are working with those Kurdish forces?
BARBARA STARR, PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well indeed Max, good evening. Here in Washington you know there is, officials will tell you, there's
understanding about the Turkish concerns about the attacks launched by the PKK Kurds. But over in Syria the group better known perhaps as the YPG,
the Syrian Kurds, the U.S. is working with them in Northern Syria on the ground.
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STARR: The U.S. feels they're very effective fighters, that they are fighting ISIS and that they are having success in Northern Syria. And
they're seen as one of the lynchpins in this sudden new effort that we're hearing about, this ISIS free zone in Northern Syria.
U.S. Officials today briefing reporters talked about it as being a multi- part effort. U.S. airstrikes out of Southern Turkey into Northern Syria. The Turkish military effort, the Kurds on the ground there and you know so
called Syrian moderate rebels. Who those may be and how the U.S. will work with them not clear. But really laying the groundwork that the Kurds in
the area will be part of this.
So a lot of work to be done in figuring out who's who on the ground and how it's all going to fit together. But the U.S. making it clear that it does
see some value in working with the Kurds in Northern Syria.
FOSTER: And just describe how this safe zone will work Barbara.
STARR: Oh, well this is fascinating because the real answer there is nobody knows yet. They've agreed to it, this is apparently something
that's been under discussion for some time and in the last several days President Obama and the Turkish leader agreed to it. Now it's all up to
the military planners on both sides.
So what are they doing? They're looking at the airfields in Southern Turkey, what kinds of airstrikes, how many, what could they generate out of
there? How would they stay on patrol? Stay overhead, patrol the skies, look for targets on the ground?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: If you're going to have so many elements that we just talked about operating on the ground, the Kurds, the Syrians, the Rebel forces and
indeed Bashir Al-Assad regime forces how do you pick out the targets?
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STARR: How do you know exactly who's who and where to strike? So what we are told is while they're talking about creating this zone of safety free
from ISIS in Northern Syria it is going to take some time to get all of it worked out.
And they're also emphasizing that right now this is an area of about 98km west of the Euphrates River.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: They believe this is really the last border area where ISIS is maintaining extensive ongoing control so the idea is to focus on all of
that, push ISIS out as they feel they've done in other areas and then not have ISIS be able to use that border as a crossing point for fighters or
explosives, Max?
FOSTER: Barbara thank you very much indeed to try and explain that to us, very complex, but very important and interesting.
[15:05:05] Now a court in Libya meanwhile has sentenced nine people to death for attempting to put down the 2011 revolution including the son of
slain leader, Muammar Gadhafi.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: But it's unlikely that Saif al-Islam Gadhafi will face the firing squad any time soon. Jomana Karadsheh explains why.
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Saif in Islam the Gadhafi once the irreverent of former Libyan strong man Muammar Gadhafi
sentenced to death by firing squad.
Tripoli court handing down the same sentence to the other former top officials for their role in attempting to suppress the 2011 uprising.
Saif was sentenced in absentia, he's been held in the Western mountain City of Zintan by the former rebels who captured him in 2011 and have refused to
hand him over to Tripoli or the International Criminal Court in the Hague where he is wanted for charges of crimes against humanity.
The 43 year old Gadhafi made a few appearances via video link during this trial but that was before Libya descended into chaos and a civil conflict
creating two rivaling governments fighting for control of the country.
Zintan is allied with the internationally recognized leadership in the east, not the self-declared one controlling Tripoli where the trial took
place.
Saif has not been seen publically since June of last year. It's highly unlikely that Zintan will hand him over to Tripoli anytime soon and it's
unclear what justice he might face in a militia controlled state.
Muammar Gadhafi's brother in law and former spy chief Abdullah al-Senussi was among those sentenced to death along with former Prime Minister Al-
Mahmoudi al-Baghdadi and former head of foreign intelligence Buzeid Dorda. The sentences will automatically go to the Supreme Court for confirmation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KARADSHEH: The United Nations said it was deeply disturbed by the sentences because the trial did not meet the international standards of a
fair trial and Human Rights Watch also calling for an independent review because it says "the trial has been plagued by persistent credible
allegations of fair trial breaches." Some see this as yet another missed opportunity post-Gadhafi Libya this time to deliver justice.
Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Oman.
FOSTER: Next on The World Right Now a major breakthrough for Zimbabwe police.
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FOSTER: Police have identified the man they believed lured this revered lion out of a national park and killed him. Our correspondent is live for
us on the story in South Africa.
And the head of European football is expected to enter the race to replace Sepp Blatter as FIFA President.
All that and much more when The World Right Now continues.
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FOSTER: A spokesman for Eurotunnel, France says 2,000 migrants tried to enter the tunnel late on Monday.
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[15:10:05] FOSTER: She says the migrants tried to enter the tunnel on the French side. Eurotunnel confirmed some migrants were injured but it's
unclear how many.
We've been reporting on the migrant crisis for months now and this video is from June. Migrants were so desperate to get into the U.K they jumped on
moving trucks at the port of Calais.
British Home Secretary Teresa May says France and Great Britain will work together to return migrants to their home countries.
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FOSTER: It was a struggle at the negotiating table and now the Iran nuclear deal is taking a beating in the court of public opinion it seems.
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FOSTER: 52% of Americans say congress should reject the deal. The opinions reflected in this CNN ORC poll are likely to increase normally
'cause of hostility. As one of the deals architects, it was up to Secretary of State John Kerry to combat that negativity. He did so by
detailing exactly what Iran is giving up.
JOHN KERRY, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: You know all of those other nations have nuclear power or nuclear weapons and all of them are extremely
knowledgeable in this challenge of proliferation.
So under the terms of this agreement Iran has agreed to remove 98% of its stock pile of enriched uranium, dismantle two thirds of its installed
centrifuges, and destroy by filling it with concrete the existing core of its heavy water plutonium reactor.
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FOSTER: So is Kerry making a strong enough argument to sway congress and the voting public? Elise Labott joins us live from D.C. Bureau. He had a
lot of opposition didn't he from the political classes. But the fact that the public might be going against the deal is a real problem.
ELISE LABOTT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right Max. Well you know we thought this hearing today would be a little bit tamer, Secretary
Kerry got quite the grilling last week from senators. I thought it was a little bit tamer, it was very ugly and very personal today but congress
really under the gun because the new CNN poll finds that 52% of Americans are looking for congress to reject this deal. Only 44% feel it should be
approved.
So while the biggest pushback really coming from Republicans even Democrats are you know really in the hot seat here.
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LABOTT: You know Chuck Schumer who's the leading Republican on tap - number three Republican on tap to become the next senate majority leader
has said he's undecided. And even the chairwoman of the Democratic Party, Debbie Wasserman Schultz has been luke warm at best saying there's a lot of
merit to the deal. But you know she's in a very pro-Israel constituency and she says that there's a lot of legitimate concerns.
So everybody being very careful about deliberating the deal but the President really needs the Democrats on his side to block a presidential
veto.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: And for those within America they've been following the developments and the ups and downs. But for those outside America does it
look as though this deal might not get through in Washington?
LABOTT: I think in the end the Democrats are going to rally and support President Obama, certainly the Republicans are looking. You know they're
all united against the deal and they're trying to pick off a few kind of pro-Israel Democrats. But I think that at the end of the day you kind of
see Democrats trying to rally around the President, support one of the President's you know biggest foreign policy legacies it could be at the end
of his term.
And so, I think it'll be close, but I think in the end the President will be able to make his veto stick.
FOSTER: OK, Elise, thank you very much indeed.
Well Iran's supreme leader isn't making John Kerry's job any easier.
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FOSTER: A twitter account affiliated with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei posted this image on Saturday. A shadowy figure apparently represents President
Obama holding a gun to his own head. The text reads "we welcome no war nor do we initiate any war, but if any war happens the one who will emerge the
loser will be the aggressive and criminal U.S."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Now, Police in Zimbabwe are looking for an American in connection with the killing of one of Africa's best known lions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Cecil the lion was lured out of a National Park with food and shot with a crossbow according to the head of Zimbabwe's conservation taskforce.
Walter Palmer from the U.S. State of Minnesota is being sought over the killing.
Let's get the latest from CNN's David McKenzie, he joins us live from Lions Rock in South Africa.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: You've had a response haven't you from Mr. Palmer?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes well that's right, in fact Dr. Palmer, he's a dentist in Minnesota and he's contacted our
affiliate WCCO and has told them "that he did in fact kill this lion but that "I had no idea that the lion I took was known a local favorite that
was collared or that it was collared or part of a study until the end of the hunt, and that I relied on the expertise of local hunters to ensure
that it was a legal hunt."
So he's certainly coming out saying that he regretted that he killed this lion that was well-known and that effectively he's putting the blame on the
professional hunters that he would have hired to conduct this hunt.
[15:15:10] However the police in Zimbabwe have told CNN that they are seeking Dr. Palmer in relation to killing this lion and also that they've
already detained the professional hunter in question that was working with their client and suspended the license of the hunting outfit.
Certainly this has created a great deal of anger amongst conservationists about - amongst people just around the world that this lion was killed, a
very well-known lion in Zimbabwe and certainly a big tourist draw as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCKENZIE: And now they are seeking Mr. Palmer to try and see if he should face charges. At this point it's unclear where exactly it is though, Max?
FOSTER: Is it normal for hunters to have licenses to kill lions? In which case did they just shoot the wrong one? I mean what's - what went wrong
here?
MCKENZIE: Well, generally it's not the lion in question that is - that poses a legal issue, it's either where the lion was shot or how the lion
was drawn out.
You know any lion in terms of conservation is equally important as the next lion.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCKENZIE: But in this case the allegation is that they drew or lured the lion out of a conservation area with bait, and then killed it. Certainly
the local hunters would have known most likely the identity of this particular lion because it was so well known in the area, it was the head
of a very large pride of lions. And certainly it appears that it was killed very near to the border of the park.
Conservations certainly have been campaigning Max to try and end trophy hunting entirely particularly for big cats and other sort of notable
species like that. You know one thing to bear in mind is that lion populations have been decimated in the last few decades. But the hunting
group say this brings in a lot of dollars that can be funneled back into conservation efforts.
But certainly this issue most people agree that this was very ill-advised and potentially illegal, Max?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: OK, David McKenzie, we'll see how the investigation proceeds. Thank you.
Right now the woman accused of helping two killers escape from a New York State prison last month has pleaded guilty.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: 51 year old, Joyce Mitchell, a prison tailor, is charged with promoting prison contraband and criminal facilitation.
She faces up to seven years in prison. A massive three week manhunt ended when law enforcement officers fatally shot one of the inmates and
recaptured the other.
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FOSTER: A convicted Israeli spy has been granted parole. The U.S. Justice Department says 60 year old Jonathan Pollard will be set free in November.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: His release comes exactly 30 years after his arrest. For more we're joined by U.S. Justice Correspondent, Evan Perez, in Washington.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Evan, just explain the terms of this release, if I can call it that.
EVAN PEREZ, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Right, the terms of the release are this; he's coined to come out of prison on November 21st, that is the end
of his 30 year sentence. Thereafter he says he's required to remain in the United States for five years. Now that's where his lawyers have now said
that they're petitioning President Obama to grant him clemency so that he can return to Israel, so he can go back to Israel, where his family lives,
where he has Citizenship before that five years and perhaps even before November 21st.
We don't expect certainly that he is going to get out before November 21st, but then the pressure on the Obama administration begins to provide some
kind of clemency so that Pollard can travel to Israel if that's what he wants to do.
We should note that the Justice Department, the Obama administration and Pollard's attorney's all say that this is completely unconnected to all the
disagreements that the United States has currently with the Israelis over the Iran agreements, the nuclear talks that have been going on. And they
say that this is a completely unrelated matter simply because Pollard was always required to spend 30 years in prison and that time is now up on
November 21st.
FOSTER: A lot of his defenders say it was an excessive sentence considering the sort of secrets he was - he was - he was leaking; they
weren't meant to damage the U.S., right. What was the - what was the allegation at the time?
PEREZ: That's right, some of his supporters have always said that look the secrets that Pollard gave, he worked for the U.S. Navy as a civilian at the
time and the information he provided to the Israelis was information where there were definitely classified documents but they were - there was - it
was information related to Israel's enemies and competitors in the region and the Soviet Union.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PEREZ: The U.S. Intelligence officials however say that Pollard betrayed his country and that he definitely damaged U.S. National Security with this
information that he passed on. A lot of them are -- have been pressing for him to spend the rest of his life in prison. And certainly if this crime
was committed now, that's the sentence that he would likely be serving.
[15:20:17] FOSTER: OK, Evan Perez in Washington, thank you.
PEREZ: Thanks.
FOSTER: A law maker has resigned from the U.K's House of Lords following allegations he took drugs with prostitutes.
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FOSTER: Lord Sewell apologized for "the pain and embarrassment I've caused." He's facing a criminal investigation after a Sunday newspaper
released video of the alleged incidents.
Coming up; Twitter has become one of the world's most powerful forms of communication and in the coming hours we'll soon find out if it's power
translates into earnings. That's next.
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FOSTER: Well, welcome back to The World Right Now. This is what's happening in the business world right now as well. You can see the Dow
Jones threatening to break a five day losing streak, China and all those problems there seem so far away right now, so positive news on Wall Street.
The other main markets are similar stories; you can see are up around 1%. And in Europe a great relief that the Chinese markets weren't down lower
than they were today. So all the main European markets were also up today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Twitter will release its latest earnings just after the closing bell on Wall Street. Its share values are edging towards a 52 week low.
Active monthly user growth is slowing but the social media site's power to shape public opinion is definitely on the rise as Claire Sebastian
explains.
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CLAIRE SEBASTIAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: From politics to popular culture, over the past few months Twitter has been at the center of
it all.
In Athens on June 27th, the Greek Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras announcing a shock referendum on the bailout terms set by Europe. It didn't end
there.
Throughout that day he tweeted 23 times each more defiant than the last.
We don't need to ask permission from Mr. Schauble or Mr. Dijsselbloem to let the voice of the Greek people to be heard."
As the crisis escalated parallel protests unfolded on the streets and on twitter. The Greek Finance Minister even tweeting out his resignation.
MARK SCHAEFER, AUTHOR, SOCIAL MEDIA CONSULTANT: Today, there's an expectation of transparency, there's a lot of politics that take place on
twitter and it can be perilous because some of these negotiations are extremely complex.
SEBASTIAN: And they don't come much more complex than a nuclear deal with Iran.
To say key parts of this historic moment played out on twitter would be an understatement. On the day the deal was reached @hassanrouhani, the
Iranian President's twitter account, sent out 21 tweets.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SEBASTIAN: And the White House faced with the task of selling the deal to a skeptical congress, well they went one step further.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEBASTIAN: They set up a brand new account @theirandeal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Finally using twitter for what it was designed for, explaining complex international nuclear agreements involving several
nations.
SEBASTIAN: Jokes aside twitter has become a powerful tool and no-one knows that better than Taylor Swift.
On June 21st the pop star tweeted To Apple Love Taylor to her 61 million followers. It was an open letter saying she would not release her album on
Apple's new music service because the company wasn't paying artists during its three month free trial.
[15:25:13] Her protest worked, Apple reversing its policy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that's an amazing example of how influence and authority has really been democratized today. And here we have this
performer who stopped one of the most powerful companies in the world in their tracks really within 24 hours.
SEBASTIAN: User growth at twitter is slowing yet the power those users can wield seems to be greater than ever.
Claire Sebastian, CNN, New York.
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FOSTER: The latest world news headlines just ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Plus Turkey intensifies attacks against Kurdish rebels as NATO gives the green light to its expanded war on terror.
And, could a robot like this ever become a killer? Leading experts in science and tech are warning it could happen. Stay with us.
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FOSTER: Welcome back, this is what's happening in the World Right Now. Turkey is intensifying what it calls its war on terror after a show of
support from NATO allies.
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FOSTER: The alliance declared it stands in solidarity with Turkey after an emergency meeting today in Brussels. Hours later Turkish jets launched
new airstrikes against PKK forces inside Turkey.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: A court in Libya has sentenced the son of Muammar Gadhafi to death.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Saif al-Islam Gadhafi and eight others were ordered to face a firing squad for trying to suppress the 2011 revolution.
The UN Human Rights Office criticized the verdict say the trail did not meet international standards of fairness.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: We now know why virgin galactics rocket ship crashed killing one of the test co-pilots and injuring the other in October.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: The NTSB says the main caused was a pilot prematurely unlocking the braking system on spaceship 2.
Now the company that virgin galactic contracted to build the ship reportedly failed to protect against a single human error.
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FOSTER: President Obama told the African Union that he could win a third term if the U.S. constitution did not bar him from running.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: He was criticizing the failure by some African leaders to relinquish power. This is the first ever speech by a U.S. President to
that body.
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FOSTER: Term limits was just one of the touchy subject Obama tackled in his historic speech.
Michelle Kosinski has more for us.
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MICHELLE KOSINSKI, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: This is President Obama's last speech on his Africa trip. The first time a sitting U.S.
President has addressed the African Union, speaking to the entire continent and clearly he wanted to make this one memorable.
[15:30:06] He started out on a personal note saying that he's a son of an African, and that has shaped who he is and how he views the world. He
lauded Africa for its progress but he clearly wanted to call out as well virtually everything that he sees as needing to change repeatedly hammering
home the issue of dignity and human rights for everyone, including the phrase no matter who you love. Another reference to the highly
controversial subject of homosexuality here.
At times he was fired up, nearly shouting, slamming what he called the cancer of corruption, the oppression of women, the jailing of journalists
which has happened right here in Ethiopia.
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KOSINSKI: And African leaders who don't want to leave their officers ever. He got enormous reactions from the crowd on that one. Listen to this.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I love my work. But under our Constitution, I cannot run again. (Laughter and applause.) I can't
run again. I actually think I'm a pretty good President -- I think if I ran I could win. (Laughter and applause.) But I can't.
So there's a lot that I'd like to do to keep America moving, but the law is the law. (Applause). And no one person is above the law. Not even the
President. (Applause).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOSINSKI: On terrorism he said let's call these groups what they are, they're not Islamic, they are murderers. And you know we were watching the
speech with a group of Africans who really couldn't believe at times how bluntly he was tackling these very touchy subjects. At times they were
laughing and cheering him on saying they couldn't believe he was going there, but clearly he wanted to and he did.
Michelle Kosinski, CNN, travelling with the President in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
FOSTER: More now on the convicted Israeli spy who's been granted parole in the United States.
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FOSTER: The U.S. Justice Department says 60 year old Jonathan Pollard will be set free in November. His release comes exactly 30 years after his
arrest. Successive Israeli governments have lobbied for his release for years.
Reaction from Jerusalem, I'm joined by Erin McLaughlin, Erin?
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Max, well according to the Jerusalem Post Pollard has released a statement through his
attorney, let me just read it to you. It reads as follows "I am looking forward to being reunited with my beloved wife, Esther. I would like to
thank the many thousands of well wishes in the United States and Israel and throughout the world who provided grass roots support by attending rallies,
sending letters, making phone calls to elected officials, and saying prayers for my welfare. I am deeply appreciative of every gesture large or
small."
Now in terms of reaction from Israeli officials Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has yet to comment on the release though we know his
release is something that Prime Minister Netanyahu has sought for years.
We're hearing from other government ministers however, the agricultural minister releasing a statement saying - praising the release, saying it's
something that they've been working towards for quite some time.
We've also heard from members of the committee. There's an entire committee within the Knesset that has been dedicated to Pollard's release.
I spoke to Nachman Shai on the phone just a short while ago. He told me was "very happy that this ugly and embarrassing chapter in Israeli
relations is finally over." And he added that, you know he says that he did betray America no-one he said is disputing that but he said he paid
fully for this. Adding that it was not justified to keep Pollard in prison for such a long period.
Now Shai also added that he will - the hope here is that he will be able to leave for Israel immediately. And there is a question mark over that. The
terms of his release indicates that he be - that Pollard must stay in the United States for some five years. Israeli officials saying they're hoping
that he'll be able to immediately depart for Israel. That's something that U.S. President Obama would enable - would be the only person really that
would enable that to happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCLAUGHLIN: And Israeli officials saying that tonight at this point that is the hope, Max.
FOSTER: Erin, thank you.
We are going to return now to our top story; NATO publically backing Turkey's expanded fight against terror which includes strikes against ISIS
and PKK militants.
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FOSTER: But behind the scenes, some members are calling for restraint against Turkey's long time Kurdish enemies. They were urging Turkey not to
give up on the peace process with the PKK.
But President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says peace right now is impossible.
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[15:35:00] PRESIDENT RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN: (As translated) it is not possible for us to continue the peace process with those who threaten our
national unity and brotherhood. There should be national unity and brotherhood. Brotherhood comes above the peace process and it is a very
comprehensive subject.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Now we're going to get a better understanding of Turkey's war on terror and the complicated, very complicated battlefield that we're talking
about. Fawaz Gerges joins us now to dissect a few maps of the region. He's a Professor of Middle Eastern Politics and International Relations for
the London School of Economics and Political Science just around the corner.
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FOSTER: First of all you want to look at this area of Northern Syria. We've got this dotted line, it's what they're calling a safe zone. Just
explain what they're trying to do here.
FAWAZ GERGES, PROF. MIDDLE EASTERN POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL SCIENCE: Well I mean reportedly
there's an agreement Max with the United States and Turkey about establishing a 60 mile safe zone.
The idea behind the safe zone is to clear the 60 miles, to clear ISIS or (inaudible) fighters and replace them with (inaudible) opposition.
If you ask me what's the - what does - what is it in (inaudible) Turkey has three major objectives. First it wants to get rid of the ISIS fighters on
its borders. It wants to prevent the establishment of a contiguous Kurdish regions, look at the safe zone. That basically it prevents the Kurds from
having a contiguous region (inaudible). And thirdly of course it wants to speed up the process of ousting the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
This is what Turkey wants, and the United States has obviously reluctantly accepted a limited free zone as opposed to a larger and wider free zone
that Turkey wanted.
FOSTER: So it's a compromise. You pointed out the Kurdish areas here and here. What does it mean for them?
GERGES: This is the major question, the major challenge facing both I mean the United States the - I mean Turkey has joined the international
coalition. If you tell me what's the most potent and skilled fighting force in Syria, what would it be?
FOSTER: It would be the Kurds.
GERGES: For the last year or so the Kurds have basically defeated ISIS in Kobani, in (inaudible) they have captured almost 200 villages, they are
really an ideal local force.
FOSTER: But separate groups of Kurds as well because that's complicated in itself, we're not talking PKK, right?
GERGES: Absolutely. So the question is on the table; will there be a kind of a compromise, coordination between the United States and Turkey and the
Syrian opposition on the one hand, and the Kurdish forces. Or will we see now basically the fracturing of the local fighting force inside Syria?
FOSTER: Now we've seen Turkish forces hit these PKK targets haven't we and we've got some - we've had some video about that as well. And they're not
just attacking ISIS, that's the point here and that's what's really complicating things.
How do you think this is going to actually affect the fight against ISIS?
GERGES: Well again you're asking really a critical question.
I mean Turkey basically views ISIS through the same lens it views the PKK.
FOSTER: They are terrorists, all of them?
GERGES: They are terrorists. Including some of the Kurds who are fighting ISIS inside Syria. The Americans and the Europeans are saying look, to
Turkey; you have the right to basically defend your interest but don't basically compare ISIS to the PKK. Don't use excessive force, show
restraints. Because if you take on the Kurds inside - I mean inside Turkey, and inside Syria you're going to have a security problem inside
Turkey itself.
And you have a peace process for the last few years. There was an insurgency in Turkey between the PKK and the Turkish government plus for 30
years thousands of people were killed and injured. So this is what the international (inaudible) is saying to President Erdogan and the leadership
inside Turkey.
Take on ISIS welcome to the coalition the U.S. led coalition. You have the right to defend yourself against some terrorists, the PKK, but don't
basically undermine the peace process that has been in place for the last two years.
FOSTER: It shows what a complicated web of relationships there is across that region.
GERGES: Really complicated. And that's why ISIS is using and manipulating the tensions and the contradictions in the U.S. led coalition.
FOSTER: Oh, as ever. Thank you very much indeed.
Now to a chilling case to the U.S. State of West Virginia.
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FOSTER: Investigators believe this man may be linked to a series of unsolved murders. And the woman who killed him in self-defense led them to
the evidence.
CNN's Boris Sanchez has more on this story.
"HEATHER": I knew he was there to kill me, I could tell that he had already done something 'cause he said that he was in - going to prison for
a long time.
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: After opening her door to a stranger who answered her escort ad on backpage.com, a West Virginia
woman who police only call Heather, says the man became aggressive wrapping his hands around her throat.
HEATHER: He was saying you're going to be quiet, I'm going to call the orders.
SANCHEZ: Moments later she runs from her Charleston home pleading for help and chasing down a neighbor who calls 911.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's a lady in the alley here and she's saying that some guy tried to rape her and she had to defend herself. she's got
cuts and stuff all over her.
HEATHER: When he strangled me he just wouldn't let me get any air. And when he laid the gun down to get the (rake) out of my hands, I shot him.
[15:40:12] SANCHEZ: The attacker, Neil Falls, a 45 year old man police believe could be a serial killer, a kill kit inside his Subaru has led
investigators to a string of murders.
Items inside included a machete, axes, knives, a shovel, a large container of bleach, and trash bags.
L.L. STEVE COOPER, CHARLESTON POLICE DEPARTMENT: We also found four sets of handcuffs in Mr. Falls' pockets. And the brutality of the attack that
took place in the - in the house where the victim was able to defend herself and survive, all those things together lead us to believe that Mr.
Falls has been involved in similar crimes. He's 45 years old, it's unlikely that this is his first violent crime.
SANCHEZ: The case now extending far beyond West Virginia. Investigators in Nevada, Oregon, and Illinois all looking at potential clues that may
reveal insights into his past. Authorities tell CNN an item found in Falls car is believed to be linked to evidence discovered on several dismembered
bodies in Las Vegas back in 2005 where Falls lived at the time. They were remains found in trash bags.
All of the victims, escorts. One of the cases, Lindsey Marie Harris, whose dismembered legs were recovered in Illinois three weeks after she
disappeared.
Investigators also looking at any potential cares in Eugene Oregon where Falls lived in 2010.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A little creepy, very kind of tight lipped and you know not a chummy guy. Definitely not a chummy guy. Somebody who doesn't
want to be exposed.
SANCHEZ: His former landlord describes his behavior as odd. She had him evicted a year after he moved in. All sources tell CNN that no evidence
has yet pointed to a direct link Heather believes she stopped Falls from hurting others.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you feel like you possibly saved other women's lives?
HEATHER: I know I did.
SANCHEZ: Boris Sanchez, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: This is The World Right Now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Coming up; could robots like this become part of the next military arms race? A group of experts certainly thinks so.
We'll have that full story for you just ahead.
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(BEGIN COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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FOSTER: Concerned scientists and researchers have warned the new arms race could develop using autonomous weapons or killer robots. The group which
includes Steven Hawking and Elon Musk have signed the letter saying that an artificial intelligence arms race would "not be beneficial to humanity."
Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[15:45:07] The idea of killer robots threatening to take over the world is nothing new. Movies like Terminator have made sure of that. But fears
that this science fiction could become science fact are now growing more real.
A group of the world's leading scientists and tech experts including physicist Steven Hawking, and Apple Co-Founder, Steve Wozniak have issued a
stark warning in an open letter published today.
They say autonomous weapon systems which use artificial intelligence to select targets without human intervention should be banned. Predicting
that in the wrong hands killer robots could be used for assassinations and ethnic cleansing and would lead to a global arms race to rival the nuclear
era.
U.S. military has invested heavily in the development of robotics for use on the battlefield but mostly in a non-lethal capacity. This four legged
friend has been designed to help soldiers carry heavy gear across rough terrain without the need for a driver.
And this tiny machine can creep across enemy lines and is equipped with infra-red cameras.
Lethal drones have been used for years by the United States and others to hunt terrorists in countries like Afghanistan. Operating without a pilot
on board they still rely on a human being for the final deadly pull of the trigger. Both Israel and South Korea have used semi-autonomous lethal
century robots on their troubled borders. But until now no-one has developed a machine that can make decisions and kill entirely on its own.
Tuesday's letter from experts warns that fully autonomous killer robots could be deployed within years, not decades.
The warning comes ahead of a UN meeting in November which will see countries discuss whether to pursue a ban.
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FOSTER: We're going to get more now. I'm joined in New York by Dr. Peter Asaro who is the spokesperson for the campaign to stop killer robots.
It's really something that's been bubbling up in the tech world for some time. But it's only now really hitting the public consciousness isn't it?
DR. PETER ASARO, SPOKESPERSON FOR CAMPAIGN TO STOP KILLER ROBOTS: Yes, I think the high level celebrities like Elon Musk and Steven Hawking and
Wozniak and Bill Gates who in the last few months have been making statements about the dangers that these systems posed have really put this
on the media agenda.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ASARO: The UN has been talking about it for one or two years now.
FOSTER: Yes, one of the things that is really frightening about what they're saying is that these sort of robots that can make their own
decisions in terms of weaponry could be around in a matter of years as opposed to decades. So it's actually an imminent consideration.
ASARO: Yes, I mean I think the technology already exists to make very crude systems that use simple image processing and sensory analysis to
automatically target and fire weapons. What we're seeing though is the development and investment in developing sophisticated systems that would
really be able to you know use sophisticated artificial intelligence processing in order to select and engage targets and do that without human
intervention.
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ASARO: And what we're really looking for is how do we you know really create a prohibition that requires humans to be involved in these targeting
decisions.
FOSTER: The boundaries haven't been set have they? The agreements haven't been set between companies, between governments? And they need to do so
now don't they before there is an actual sort of piece of equipment out there operating in a battlefield.
ASARO: Right, we still look at this as a pre-emptive ban, we don't feel that most of the systems out there are really fully autonomous in this
sense. But the possibility is there and how we define these systems and how do we define meaningful human control over these systems I think is
really what's the crux of the discussion at the United Nations right now.
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FOSTER: How do we?
ASARO: Well, I think we look at the fully autonomous weapons as those systems that are selecting and - targets and engaging those targets with
force without any human supervision. And I think the real problem with that if we look at the Geneva conventions is that the Geneva Conventions
require commanders to assess the potential threats to civilians before they launch an attack.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASARO: And these systems could do this in an automatic way but are they really doing it in the kinds of proportionality judgments, what are the
impacts and potential threats to civilians that launching an attack on a given case will have? And they don't really have the situational
understanding to make these kinds of moral and legal judgments.
[15:50:07] FOSTER: In a lot of the movies you see these machines taking control don't we or humans losing control of them. Is that a realistic
threat in the near future?
ASARO: I think in the near future the more realistic threat is that humans are going to you know abdicate or delegate their responsibility to machines
and they won't be fully responsible for the consequences of what happens when they deploy these machines because they won't really know or have an
intention of what these machines are going to do because they'll be very complicated and sophisticated.
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ASARO: And making decisions based on environmental data and potentially interactions with other autonomous systems which would make them
intrinsically unpredictable in their ultimate behavior.
And so while you try to design them to do certain things, you can't fully predict what they're going to do. And legally speaking you can't really
hold them responsible, the people who would deploy such systems if they don't really know what they're going to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: It's fascinating. Thank you so much for joining us with your insight on that and to raising the concerns, at least people should be
talking about it at this point. Thank you very much indeed.
Now coming up.
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FOSTER: The former French football star and the head of European football, Michel Platini is expected to enter the race to replace Sepp Blatter as
FIFA President. We'll have details on that coming up.
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(BEGIN COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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FOSTER: European Football President, Michel Platini is expected to announce that he is running for the top job at FIFA.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: The former mid-fielder for the French national team has led UEFA since 2007. This special election to determine if he will succeed Sepp
Blatter takes place in February.
World Sports, Patrick Snell, joins me now from CNN Center. He'd be a popular choice in Europe at least?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: No question about that Max, yes you're quite right.
A historic former player as you say, Michel Platini, he won the European Cup of course for Juventus, he helped his country France to the 1984
European Championships. But right now as a 60 year old he is dedicated, and we now know this, that he will be announcing his candidacy to replace
Sepp Blatter, the outgoing FIFA President.
He wants football's top job. The speculation has been rife for quite some time. Now it's official it's just a question of which day. We know it
will be this week, it may even be as early as Wednesday. But this is a man, this is a Frenchman who only earlier this year, in March of this year,
he signed on again for another term as the most powerful man in European football as the current UEFA President, Michel Platini, Max, now has his
eyes and sights firmly trained on the most powerful job in football.
FOSTER: Currently held by Sepp Blatter. And we've been hearing some interesting pronunciations about Blatter from Moscow haven't we?
SNELL: We certainly have and this all goes back to this past weekend when the current FIFA President as he is, Mr. Blatter, was in the Russian
capital, Moscow, rubbing shoulders with the Russian Premier - The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, this was at the World Cup - the FIFA World Cup
prelim draw for 2018.
The prelim draw was made over the weekend but what struck me from those proceedings over the weekend was that Blatter came out in full support
saying he had confidence and trust in the vote. This despite alleged voting irregularities in connection with the bidding process, not just for
Russia 2018, but Russia, Qatar 2022 as well.
[15:55:09] But the Russian Premier saying; look people like Sepp Blatter are well worthy of awards and storied accolades even as high as the highly
(inaudible) Nobel Peace Prize, take a listen.
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT: (As translated) I believe that people like Mr. Blatter such heads of major international sports federations
deserves special attention and gratitude from public organizations. And if anyone should be awarded Nobel prizes it is these people. Because it is
they who improve cooperation between nations and make an enormous humanitarian contribution to the development of good neighborly relations
between people and states.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNELL: The Russian President there having his say in the Russian capital. But just to re-cap we have that key date Max, concerning Michel Platini the
special FIFA emergency congress election is February 26th of next year is the date the holding will take place in Zurich.
FOSTER: Quickly what sort of opposition would he face do you think at this point?
SNELL: It's going to be interesting. Who are the candidates. I mean clearly the early speculation surrounds Michel Platini making clear
favorite without any question. This is a man that was widely tipped to succeed Sepp Blatter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SNELL: There was as reported alleged gentleman agreement going back sometime that Blatter would one day step down in favor, in possible favor
of Michel Platini, but this was not quite the way that Sepp Blatter envisaged it would all play out, Max.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: OK, thank you very much indeed Patrick, we'll wait to see what happens of course.
And finally, one astronaut is giving us earthlings a glimpse of the important scientific experiments going on at the International Space
Station.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: (inaudible) floating away in zero gravity, in case you're wondering. It's certainly more fun that if you did it here on earth.
Now Terry Virts is the astronaut conducting this effervescent experiment. He was a commander on the Space Station he's spent 212 days in space and
completed 19 hours of spacewalks but returned to earth last month, and he knows how to keep himself busy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: That has been The World Right Now, thanks for watching. Quest Means Business up next.
END
