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Hala Gorani Tonight
Iran-US Prisoner Swap; Searching for Missing American Contractors in Baghdad; Another Arrest in Paris Terror Attacks Investigation; Democrats Debate Examined; Pro Tennis Match Fixing Alleged; UK Parliament Debates Banning Donald Trump. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired January 18, 2016 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HALA GORANI, "THE WORLD RIGHT NOW" HOST: Tonight a major milestone. American -- apologies for that. Coming up on "The World Right Now,"
American prisoners are freed. Some sanctions against Iran are lifted. I'll speak to a Congressman who helped pushed for one of the prisoner's
release.
Plus, this hour, a CNN exclusive, insider access to France's deradicalization program.
Also, British M.P. debate whether to ban Donald Trump from coming to the United Kingdom. I speak to two M.P.s with opposing views.
And, was there or was there not match fixing at some of the world's biggest tennis tournament.
Hello everyone, I'm Hala Gorani, we're live at CNN London, thanks for being with us on this Monday. This is "The World Right Now."
(MUSIC)
Well, a year of diplomatic efforts and talks have culminated in 48 hours of historic breakthrough. The U.S. and Iran have swapped prisoners on the
same weekend that some sanctions are lifted because Iran is holding up its end of the nuclear deal. Phil Black, reports from Germany.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Amir Hekmati free and happily in his family's arms for the first time since he was detained in Iran in 2011.
The joyous reunion they dreamed about and fought for. This is how Amir and the recently free Americans took their first steps outside Iran. The Swiss
government organized the operation to get them out because its diplomats represent the United States in Iran.
So, their first brief stop was the Swiss capital, then, another short hop to Germany and this U.S. medical center specializing in trauma. It's where
another emotional reunion took place between Jason Rezaian and his family.
Ali I didn't think I can sort of imagine what you must be feeling today.
ALI REZAIAN, JASON REZAIAN'S BROTHER: Yeah, I'm still kind of in shook, I mean right now I'm just starting to kind of absorb it.
BLACK: We spoke to Ali Rezaian just before he was allowed to see his brother. The Washington Post journalist held in Iran since July 2014.
JASON REZAIAN, WASHINGTON POST JOURNALIST: Well I love it. I love it and I hate it, you know, but its home.
BLACK: This was Jason Rezaian speaking to CNN's Anthony Bourdain in Tehran shortly before his arrest and later conviction for espionage, charges he's
always denied. Rezaian was one of four Americans freed by Iran in exchange for the U.S. government releasing seven people, mostly dual Iranian-
American citizens convicted of breaching economic sanctions against Iran.
A. REZAIAN: I don't have the details about it, I'm glad Jason is out.
BLACK: And gracious obviously.
A. REZAIAN: Absolutely. For all the hard work, for the, you know, for the support from the President, hard work from Secretary Kerry.
BLACK: Christian Pastor Saeed Abedini had been held in Iranian prison since 2012. North Carolina Congressman Robert Pittenger campaigned for his
release and his travel to Germany.
ROBERT PITTENGER, U.S. HOUSE MEMBER: I'm thrilled for them and for their families.
BLACK: But he's concern too about exchanging. Longly (ph) detailed Americans to convicted Iranian criminals.
PITTENGER: They are out. No I wouldn't have negotiated that way. I think we could have negotiated all along for the last several years in a much
tougher way.
BLACK: One of the four free Americans choose not to leave Iran, the other three are now undergoing physical and phycological assessments at the U.S.
health center. As the doctors decide they're ready, they're allowed to see their families. The first of many slow, careful steps in the hope of
recovering, reintegrating and making out for lost time.
Phill Black, CNN, Landstuhl, Germany.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, the prisoner swap is only half of the weekend's breakthrough. It came the same day as the nuclear watchdog agency, saying
that Iran was holding up its end of the nuclear deal. Taking the two developments together you see a geopolitical landscape that looks very
different now that it did just three years ago.
Our Wolf Blitzer has been speaking to the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, and he joins us now from Washington. And Wolf, one of the things
you asked John Kerry was about concerns now for a regional arms race now that Saudi Arabia in particular is not happy about this deal, what did he
tell you?
WOLF BLITZER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, as you know Hala, the Saudi relationship with Iran is terrible right now. The Saudis have severed
diplomatic relations after the Saudi embassy in Tehran was ransacked, the Iranians condemned, brutally condemned Saudi Arabia's decision to execute
more than 40 people including a cleric who was beheaded. That relationship is awful, the Saudis, no great secret, they don't like what's going on,
they don't like all the money that's about to flow into Iran, they don't like the nuclear deal. A lot of other Arab countries in the region don't
like it. The Israelis certainly hate it as well, at least the Israeli government guys.
[15:05:07] And I asked the Secretary of State about the concerns in Saudi Arabia, about Iran's nuclear program and what that potentially could lead
to. Listen to this exchange I had with John Kerry.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
The Saudis have not even -- rolling out the possibility, given their concern about this nuclear deal with Iran, they could go forward and buys
some -- maybe buy a nuclear bomb, maybe from Pakistan, you've heard those concerns.
JOHN KERRY, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Sure we've heard those things, but you can't just buy a bomb and transfer ...
BLITZER: Why not? They got a lot of money.
KERRY: There's all kinds of NPT consequences, I mean there are huge implication to that. And Saudi Arabian knows I believe that that is not
going to make them safer, nor is it going to be easy, because the very things that Iran went through, they would then be subject to with respect
to inspection, NPT and so forth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Despite some major differences right now, Hala, between Saudi Arabia and Iran, Secretary of State Kerry fully expect both of those
countries to be represented in this effort to try to come up with some sort of solution, peaceful resolution of this, the crisis, the civil war that's
unfolded over these past four years in Syria. They're both expected to be represented there.
What Secretary Kerry is hoping is that, Iranians and the Russians for that matter, they have a lot of influence, over the Bashar al-Assad, Bashar al-
Assad regime, he's hoping that they will use that influence to see Bashar al-Assad go, but clearly there's no certainty that that will happen. It's
a very, very sensitive moment right now, and the strain in Saudi-Iranian relations, Saudi-Iranian relations is only going to make matters more
complicated.
GORANI: And Wolf, of course we know Republicans in the United States, many of whom have publicly said so, opposed the Iranian nuclear deal. Is the
feeing of these American prisoners changing any minds in Washington?
BLITZER: Probably not, everybody's happy obviously that the American prisoners have been reunited with their families, although a lot of the
Republican presidential candidates are saying, the price was awful, that by giving up these -- by giving up the prisoners the U.S. was holding in
American jails, the U.S. -- they accused the administration, like Marco Rubio for example, of basically encouraging more Americans being taken
prisoner or hostage, if you will, knowing that the United States will negotiate for their release, for their freedom in the process, might get
their own people who are being held by the United States released.
So there's still a lot of concern about that among those Republican circles, largely Republican circle, some Democrats as well.
GORANI: All right, we'll be speaking to a Republican Congressman in just a matter of seconds, Wolf Blitzer in Washington as always, thanks very much
for joining us here on CNN International.
Let's get more on the status of the newly freed Americans from the member of the U.S. delegation who is in Germany and who greeted them. You heard
from him a little bit in Phil Black's reporting.
House Representative Robert Pittenger has been lobbying for the release of Saeed Abedini, Pastor Abedini. He joins me now live from Germany this
evening. Sir thanks for being with us. First of all, were you able to speak to Mr. Abedini at all?
PITTENGER: Good to be with you Hala. No, I certainly have not. He is undergoing a medical and a psychological test. This could be, could take
several days. Certainly he's been -- for three and half years, and their enormous suppression and brutal treatment and -- this is going to take some
time to unfold, it's been a long journey to get here, it's going to be a long journey for his healing.
GORANI: And have you spoken to any of his family members, have they been allowed any kind of access even in terms of phone calls?
PITTENGER: Well Naghmeh Abedini, I've spoken to her three times right before I left again to come over here, and she will be flying over here
tomorrow. I am certain that she's probably talked to Saeed, I don't know that for sure, but she could have and he could have if they wanted to, that
would be their choice. He's not here under duress, he's here because he wants to be here, the United States government is not keeping him hostage
here against their will. But they are in a great institution that has remarkable people who could really help him.
GORANI: So, one of the -- I mean, one of the things that was a concern for you, and you've been lobbying for the release of Saeed Abedini for a while.
But did he suffer injuries while he was in prison in Iran? What kind of -- do you know what he is being treated for?
PITTENGER: We don't for sure. His family members who were there were told to leave the country about a year ago so we didn't get any more specific
reports after that. We did believe that he is possibly in decent physical health, but I think the mental health, the mental capacity is righty now,
need a lot of attention. You know when you -- whenever decisions made for you, when you're harassed or brutalized and tortured, that has an enormous
affect on you, over a three and a half year period.
[15:10:10] So, that's what we're going to wait and see, and he needs to be here as long as it takes.
GORANI: Let me ask you about the deal that lead to the release, not just of Saeed Abedini but at least three other Americans possibly, four in
exchange for seven, Iranians who are convicted on crime -- of crimes related to sanctions violations. Did you think this was a good deal?
PITTENGER: Well I've had concerns all along, I -- clearly I have real concerns over, what Iran is going to be doing in the future. And frankly
so do other Gulf state allies of ours. The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Sudan, Kuwait, they've all ceased diplomatic relations with Iran. You know
we're embracing this strategic alliance with them now.
Iran has been the biggest sponsor to terrorism that we've ever had. They have broken already since this agreement, two ballistic missile tests.
They have threatened the Strait of Hormuz. I don't know how we're going to trust them, but certainly we're in an agreement now where we're in a
position where we have to. Yet they're going to receive a hundred million dollars, in excess of that, sanctions are lifted, they've been emboldened.
We treated them totally differently than we treated the Soviet Union back in the '80s.
And I think we may see an outcome of this will not be to the benefit of our nation's security.
GORANI: Are you -- I mean, one of the things, one of your aide was quoted as saying was, "Barack Obama had played his cards right, this could have
happened two years ago." What did he mean by that exactly?
PITTENGER: Well two years ago we granted Iran $700 million a month for 16 months, that's $12 billion as a precondition to go negotiations, before
they ever had to show up. We gave them that commitment. It seems to me, there ever been a time you can easily said, hey by the way there's three
people in Iran that you're holding, we like you to release them. It will be a small price to pay for $12 billion.
GORANI: All right, Robert Pittenger, thanks very much for joining us from Germany there. Robert Pittenger, representative in the United States who
has been lobbying and pushing for the release of one of these prisoners, Pastor Saeed Abedini. Thanks very for joining us on CNN.
A lot more ahead this evening. Oil prices are sinking even lower as Iranian oil gets ready to hit the market, we'll get all the details from
our Richard Quest, in Davos.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
Falling oil prices are continuing to generate more stock market chaos around the globe. And with sanctions lifter, Iran has moved to increase
its output by about half a million barrels a day, but the extra output only adds to the current glut.
[15:15:07] As you can see oil prices have dropped well below $30 a barrel, Brent Crude trading at $28.67. The following price of oil is a major
agenda item at the World Economic Forum, that's where we find our Richard Quest, the host of "Quest Means Business," he's in Davos.
So Richard, this extra output of half a million barrels a day, how will it change things overall, has it been priced thin already?
RICHARD QUEST, "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" HOST: They say it has been priced thin Hala. But I think the reaction of the last 24 hours, down a couple
more percent, perhaps suggest that maybe it's not been fully priced. And I think that's going to be the way this one move forward. Yes you'll get
half a million, they got 35 million barrels in storage, but Hala they're promising another half a million by the end of the summer and over up to a
total of over a million by the end of this year or beginning of next.
So, looking where the pressure point is, and at the moment the pressure Hala is down.
GORANI: It's down, but also this is affecting countries in a major way, countries like Russia, countries like Saudi Arabia, like Qatar. I mean,
all these countries that rely on oil sales are having a tough time of it this year, what's the word in Davos?
QUEST: And that's the dangerous part of this. You mentioned Russia Hala, well the Russian finance minister, just last week said, he was going to
have to revise the budget numbers because they were all (inaudible) on $40 or $50 a barrel. Now he has to read through the month $30 a barrel. We
know that Qatar is hurting because of this, Nigeria has serious economic problem as a result.
So net-net, yes, consumers are better off, but the reason oil is so serious is because of the ripple effect that have unintended consequences way past
from the pond.
GORANI: All right, thanks Richard, we'll see you at the top of the hour. Meantime Americans and Canadians I hear are planning their road trips
already.
Coming up, Donald Trump's remarks on Muslims haven't just caused controversy in United States. Here in the U.K. members of parliament have
been debating on whether to ban him from the country. I'll speak to two politicians with opposing views, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
Members of the British Parliament have been debating whether to ban Donald Trump from the country, it wouldn't be a first, other people have been
banned for saying hateful things, for instance Geert Wilders, you all remember. But, a petition was started following his controversial --
Donald Trump's controversial comments about Muslims, it received nearly 600,000 signatures, if any petition gets more than 100,000 signatures, it
is considered by parliament, that's the rule.
Tulip Siddiq from the opposition labor party argued for Trump to be banned, here is what she have to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TULIP SIDDIQ, BRITISH MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT: This is not just any man that we're talking about, this is a man who is extremely high-profile, embolden
the American show business industry for years and years, a man who is interviewing for the most important job in the world. His words are not
comical, his words are not funny, his words are poisonous, a risk in flaming tension between vulnerable communities.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Now, this debate is non-binding, no vote will be held but this debate was aired in public, it was actually broadcast as well for people to
watch on television.
[15:20:06] Let's get more on this, I'm joined here in the studio by Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh, who supports banning Trump from the United Kingdom, welcome,
thanks for being with us. I'm also joined from West, Mr. Paul Flynn. He organizes debate and does not support the ban.
Mr. Flynn, let me start with you. You do not support banning Donald Trump from the United Kingdom, why not? When so many people feel he said very
hateful things against Muslims and other minorities?
PAUL FLYNN, BRITISH MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT: Because I think it's probably the best thing that could happen to him would be a ban, I'm sure he would
exploit it to give himself that halo of victimhood, and it would attract more people to his side. He's not a person that we should ban in this way.
It would have been an overreaction.
We have banned people but for people who are likely to stir violence among the community, he hasn't got to that stage yet. The things that he said
have been hateful and very poorly informed. So I'm not defending him an in way, I'm just saying, politically it would be foolish to give him the
oxygen of publicity with a ban.
GORANI: OK, what do you think then Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh, because, does Mr. Flynn have a point there? I mean essentially, let him come to the United
Kingdom, say anything he wants, that's what a democracy is all about and freedom of speech is a major value here, and those very much important and
central to the system for this country.
TASMINA AHMED-SHEIKH, BRITISH MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT: First of all Donald Trump made the remarks in the first place, I agreed with the Pentagon
spokesperson who said, these type of remarks perpetuate Daesh's narrative, and that is something we have to deal with together because its a matter of
U.S.'s and indeed U.K. national security in relation to this particular debate.
It is then the gift of the U.K. home secretary if he sees -- to ban people from United Kingdom by vote -- being here to what they see, that maybe non-
conducive to the public good. I believe when compared to other people whom you banned to the United Kingdom of which there are 84, Donald Trump
actually meets that standard in terms of what he said, because, he's actually, ridiculous actions, speaking to ban myself, my family, my
children and we love coming to the U.S. city ...
GORANI: Yeah.
AHMED-SHEIKH: ... from coming there.
GORANI: And Paul Flynn, you actually went to invite Donald Trump to the United Kingdom. I mean, you actually would encourage him to come to the
U.K., why?
FLYNN: I love to show him around Brixton where there's a very risk mix of races, of colors, of creed, very happy community there. I'd like to -- for
him to show me where these no-go areas are for the police, I've never come across them at all. And I think the leader of the labor party has
suggested that he comes around to Islington for a tour of the mosques there, and see again a settled, happy, multi-fit cultural community.
And he might like to meet, Jamie Coleman's wife who happens to be from Mexico. And I'm sure they have something very interesting to talk about.
GORANI: Let me tell you Tasmina by the way, Trump International has issued a statement and I want to quote it to you.
"For the U.K. to consider banning someone who made a statement in America, about American borders during a U.S. election campaign is ridiculous."
How do you respond to that?
AHMED-SHEIKH: Well, in respond to that I would say that I do not seek to interfere at all with the American elections, absolutely and correctly,
match (ph) for American people top choose who their presidential candidate would be for Republicans and then eventually who their president is going
to be. This debate isn't about that, this debate is about the fact that within the United Kingdom, we can if saw -- see fit, ban people from
entering this country ...
GORANI: But what would you achieve by banning Donald Trump?
AHMED-SHEIKH: Well I think -- Donald Trump is seeking to ban me from entering the United States of America. I haven't done anything wrong, the
whole Muslim ...
GORANI: But is the right response to then ban him back?
AHMED-SHEIKH: No absolutely not, because remember, the U.K. government has already responded to people, this is not a novel concept, there are many
hate pictures who's been banned, my contention is, that Donald Trump falls within that (inaudible) so we're not seeking to get involved of what's
happening on U.S. soil quite correctly so. What we're saying is if Donald Trump wants to come to U.K. soil, I believe -- and there's also his
comments, he's made there, he will come here and cause the same damage. And we've seen a perpetuation of crimes against Muslim women as a result of
some rhetoric statements.
GORANI: I want to ask Paul Flynn, is this not in a way -- does debating this in the U.K. parliament at all elevating this to a level in way that,
that perhaps it shouldn't be elevated? I mean, this whole question about what Donald Trump is saying on the campaign trail, why is it for U.K.
members of parliament to debate and discuss?
FLYNN: Because we have free, open parliament. None of the main parties of the government of the opposition would have chosen this subject for debate,
it was chooses by 600,000 people, this is box vault, a thunderous box vault. And it's virtually impossible for us to say, that it only P.M.
should decide what's being discussed in parliament.
[15:25:04] But, Donald Trump isn't like the others, the others were small preachers who sought to -- see some division within the United Kingdom, I
don't think Donald Trump has much interest in that whatsoever, he wants to appeal to the American public, and by victimizing him we would have made
him more retractive. He would just say these Brits, why don't they mind their own business or something to do with them.
And he's right, we shouldn't interfere with the election, but -- we have a real interest in who's going to be the leader of the free world, and it
does matter to every country in the world who is the leader in America, but it's your choice.
GORANI: Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh, you're from Scotland, you're an S&P member of parliament, now, Donald Trump's next project in Scotland is 700 million,
is worth 700 million pounds, is this something that Scotland should be -- should willing to forgo if indeed a move to ban him ever succeeded?
AHMED-SHEIKH: I think if we look even what is being done in relation to Donald Trump's comments right now, Scottish government moves smooth and
they quickly moved his global ambassador state to something sort of called him labor administration because he simply wasn't a global ambassador at
all. And of course, Robert Gordon University students had honorary doctorate from their (inaudible) view, but when we question Donald Trump's
credentials in Scotland, an interesting facts appear, number one, it is absolutely clear that as long as Donald Trump is ownership of 20 (ph), we
will not have the honorary (ph) open there. That has a potential loss to the Scottish economy of 100 million pounds.
GORANI: OK. So you're willing to take some loss. Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh, Paul Flynn, thanks to both of you for joining us for this very interesting
conversation, we appreciate it. And don't forget, you can go on our Facebook page, we'll post some of this debate as well on there,
facebook.com/halagorani, a quick break when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Welcome back, a quick check of our top stories, Ali Rezaian says his brother Jason is in good spirit after being released from an Iranian
prison. The Washington Post journalist is one of five Americans freed over the weekend, the U.S. released seven Iranian Americans jailed for violating
sanctions. Charges were dropped against 14 others.
Also among our top stories, Iraqi federal police are hunting for three American contractors and an Iraqi who were kidnapped from an apartment
known to be a brothel in southeastern Baghdad.
That information comes from an Iraqi security official who spoke to CNN. The official says the missing men work for a security company called
Sallyport. Investigators are trying to figure out if the men were lured to that brothel or whether the kidnapping was a crime of opportunity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Five soldiers are dead after an avalanche in France. Another one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: It happened during a military training exercise in the Alps close to the Italian border. The victims are from the 2nd Foreign Engineer
Regiment of Saint-Christol.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: French and Moroccan authorities have identified a man arrested for alleged connections to the Paris terror attacks.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: They say he's 26 and his name is (Jalal Atar) born in Belgium and of Moroccan descent. He was detained on Friday near Casablanca. A Moroccan
anti-terror official tells CNN the detainee traveled to Syria with one of the Paris suicide bombers.
Our senior international correspondent, Nima Elbagir joins me now with more.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Now, I have not heard this name before. Did we know this name before?
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No. No. This is a new name and it really gives us -
GORANI: -- (Jala Atar)
ELBAGIR: Yes. This gives you a sense now of this broader network, this broader recruitment network. He was tried in absentia in Belgium and given
a sentence of five years specifically for recruitment this (inaudible), this is the man that he is believed to be an associate of and to have
traveled to Syria with the man that we know was the suicide bomber in Saint Denis. So now you start to get this picture of this web pulling outwards
from those seven would-be eight attackers. (inaudible) and their relationship is with Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the alleged ringleader of the
Paris attackers. So now they're closing in on the broader network.
GORANI: OK. So now this would be a recruiter, not an active operational participant in the Paris terror attacks.
ELBAGIR: Absolutely. So now we're looking at the recruitment, that terror pipeline from Belgium to Syria and the broader ramifications of it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELBAGIR: And I think what's going to be really interesting for the intelligence authorities in Europe looking at it now is the route he took
back. How many other people took that route. He moved very broadly across Europe before finally being picked up by the Moroccan authorities to have
gone through Turkey, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands before finally being picked up by the Moroccans. Those are going to be the kind of questions
they're going to be asking.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Do we know how -- because he was in Syria in 2013. Do we know how he made it back?
ELBAGIR: Over land through Turkey is the sense I'm getting from those I've been speaking to and you know that that's the route that's generally used.
GORANI: And now what happens to him?
ELBAGIR: Well, that is the big question. The Moroccans -
GORANI: They're holding him now.
ELBAGIR: -- they're holding him at the moment in (inaudible). This has - this has really been a point of contention between European authorities and
the Algerians and the Moroccans when you've had these kind of issues in the past, Moroccans and Algerians have said, well they're dual nationals but
for all intense and purposes, they're Europeans. The Moroccan government authorities -
GORANI: He's dual national?
ELBAGIR: He's dual national. He's a Belgian-Moroccan well we understand -- this is what we're hearing at the moment. Obviously you know these are very
new details right now.
But the Moroccans and Algerians have been very clear in the past. They've said these are a product of Europe. If the crimes were committed in Europe,
they need to be charged for them in Europe. Essentially saying this is not our problem.
GORANI: Now, if he does and would Belgium request extradition? How would it -- I know it's very early, but how would it technically work? Because this
guy -- if this guy is indeed connected to the Paris attacks and he's a major recruiter, this is major intelligence here you can glean from him.
ELBAGIR: Yes, absolutely, and this is --
GORANI: --and he's alive as opposed to the all the other guys who are dead.
ELBAGIR: Yes. And actually the Moroccan intelligence authorities have been very strong on this because remember the intelligence that led to Saint-
Denis came from Morocco. So they're clearly going to be getting a lot from him. But the Belgians are going to be looking for much more. Generally
with extradition law, it is the country where the crime is committed that asks for the extradition. So the Belgians and the --
GORANI: It could be France.
All right, we'll follow that story. Nima, thanks very much always a pleasure.
GORANI: France is just one of the many countries we were discussing it of course as we covered it pretty much it feels like throughout 2015, a
country struggling with radicalization. CNN has gotten exclusive access inside a program that tries to rid ISIS converts of their ideology. Our own
Atika Shubert has this exclusive report on an intervention that saved one young woman from being brainwashed. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: In the midst of the Paris terror attacks in 2015, a 15-year-old girl found herself in contact
with one of the women directly involved in the attack.
(JOANA), PARTICIPANT OF THE DERADICALIZATION PROGRAM: As translated: This woman spoke to me on social media. She wanted to go to Syria with someone.
She didn't want to go alone. She was also trying to control everything I was doing.
[15:35:06]
SHUBERT: Joana, not her real name, is one of the youngest in France's deradicalization program. Along with mandatory counseling, she must now
report to police every day. She and her mother allowed CNN to observe her counseling session, both wanted to remain anonymous. She tries to explain
to her counselor the grip ISIS recruiters had.
[Speaking foreign language]
SHUBERT: Joana was recruited entirely online, groomed by propaganda that painted ISIS as a defender of Muslim. As a fervent convert seeking more
understanding of Islam, (Joana) was an easy target.
[Speaking foreign language]
SHUBERT: At first, (Joana's) mother chocked it up to teenage rebellion, but when her daughter called her an infidel, she called the national hotline to
alert authorities.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (As translated) I felt really bad. I was feeling guilty. Our first reaction is to feel guilty as a mom. We try to find out
the reasons why our child suddenly changed.
SHUBERT: (Joana) says the program has allowed a way for her to reconnect with her family and still remain in her faith far from the toxic ideology
of ISIS.
(JOANA): (As translated) I took the decision not to get a new phone. It's better this way. I need to learn how to think by myself, without a phone
and internet, there's no one to tell me what to do anymore. For now, I don't feel like going back on social media.
SHUBERT: What advice do you have for other girls like you on how not to fall into the same traps?
(JOANA): (As translated) You should always be careful on the internet. Don't even go there. Don't speak with them. Don't take any risk. For those
who are already radicalized, please open your eyes to reality. Don't go to Syria. It's suicide. It's death.
SHUBERT: There are some days when (Joana) is confident, but she still fears a relapse. She refuses to have a smartphone and won't touch a computer with
internet access. But it's a daily struggle, especially for a girl so young.
Atika Shubert, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, we can still count (Joana) among the lucky ones for whom intervention came in time to interrupt her plans. Atika spoke with another
young woman (Ananay) who made the trip to Syria, lured by ISIS propaganda like this.
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GORANI: What she found there shocked her and when she refused to marry an ISIS fighter, (Ananay ) was thrown in prison and beaten. Hear about her
escape, how she's trying to rebuild a normal life and her message for the girls she left behind. That is Tuesday we'll have it on our program as well
as on "Amanpour" the hour before at 7:00 p.m. in London on CNN.
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GORANI: British Prime Minister David Cameron has unveiled plans that he says will encourage Muslim women, particularly women, and other migrants in
the U.K. to integrate.
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GORANI: According to his office, migrants on the five-year spousal settlement program who fail language tests after 2 1/2 years in the U.K.
may be deported, even if they have British-born children. Mr. Cameron explained his reasoning behind the proposal.
DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We want to build a more integrated, cohesive one nation society where everyone can make the most of their
talents. You can't have a country of opportunity if people -- some people can't speak the language. There are many cases, no fault of their own, it's
because they've been put into a situation where they've been encouraged not to integrate, not to go out, not learn the language. And that's not good
enough. That needs to change in our country, and these proposals will make sure it does.
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GORANI: David Cameron there. To Mexico now where recent headlines have been dominated by the recapture of drug kingpin El Chapo Guzman. But in El
Chapo's hometown, they're keeping quiet.
CNN's Rafael Romo has more on a place where a culture of silence is also a means of survival.
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RAFAEL ROMO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's the kind of place where everybody abides by a code of silence. (Inaudible) In the rugged mountains
of northern Mexico, is the birthplace of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the leader of the Sinaloa drug cartel.
[15:40:12]
ROMO: The town of less than 4,000 has learned to look the other way, it's a survival instinct learned over several generations. Among the handful of
people willing to speak to CNN in Badiraguato was Father Jesus Rafael Limon. He arrived six months ago to lead St. John The Baptist Church.
JESUS RAFAEL LIMON, ST. JOHN BAPTIST CHURCH LEADER: (As translated) One comes here with the purpose of bringing peace, bringing god. And god's
presence is always pleasant, especially for families who are crying and suffering, families who feel discouraged for whatever reason.
ROMO: Not far from this church, you can see the town's name spelled out in white letters on a hill; a modest attempt to re-create that much more
famous sign in Hollywood. Badiraguato is the gateway to the so-called golden triangle, an area where the states of Sinaloa, Chihuahua, and
Durango meet and more importantly for law enforcement officials a region with high production of marijuana and poppy.
(CLAUDIA) (As translated) You see humble people always trying to get ahead. People who work hard and that sometimes migrate (inaudible) to the state
capital so that they can become attorneys or doctors who return to work here and live a normal life.
ROMO: But Badiraguato in the state of Sinaloa are also the cradle of some of the most powerful drug traffickers known to law enforcement, men like
(inaudible) the deceased Juarez cartel boss and (inaudible) who was at one point the leader of the (inaudible) cartel.
(JOSE REVELS, MEXICAN AUTHOR): (As translated): it's a state that has produced the most important and relevant drug trafficking bosses.
ROMO: Residents who did not want to be identified said the mountains around Badiraguato are where things happen. Things that nobody wants to talk
about, things that prudence and a survival instinct have kept hidden from law enforcement and the rest of the world for generations.
Rafael Romo, CNN.
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GORANI: This is "The World Right Now." Coming up; first soccer, then athletics, and now tennis? Yet another scandal rocks the world of sport.
We'll bring you the latest next.
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GORANI: World tennis officials are having to answer some pretty tough questions. They are denying claims of a match fixing cover-up at the top
level of the sport, including at Wimbledon.
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GORANI: Documents reportedly handing over to the BBC and the Buzzfeed by a whistle-blower allege that for years some players may have thrown games,
fixed games for money. Now no names were ever mention. World number one Novak Djokovic says match fixers approached his team nearly ten years ago.
He said, I was approached by people working with me at that time that were with my team of course. We threw it away right away. He also said some of
the report was, "speculation." Women's world number one Serena Williams also weighed on - weighed I should say into the debate. Listen.
[16:45:16]
SERENA WILLIAMS, WOMENS TENNIS CHAMPION: Not that I'm aware of. When I'm playing, I play - I can only answer for me. I play very hard and every
player that I play seems to play hard. And I think that, you know, we go - you know as an athlete, I do everything I can to be not only great but you
know historic. You know, if that's going on, I don't know about it. You know I'm kind of - sometimes (inaudible) bubble.
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GORANI: That was Serena Williams. Let's get more on the allegations. I'm joined by Don Riddell. So Don, let's talk about this. First of all, no
names are out. Will we ever - I mean will those ever be revealed?
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORTS: Well, who knows? I mean, you certainly wouldn't rule that out. I mean both the BBC and Buzzfeed who've acquired
these documents say that they haven't named these players because it's impossible to actually prove that they did throw these matches. But
certainly there seems to be a lot of suspicion around them.
We're talking 16 players from the top 50 over the last decade, including grand slam champions in both singles and doubles and some of these matches
allegedly also occurred at Wimbledon, the spiritual home of Wimbledon. So potentially very, very serious allegations, the most serious of which I
suppose is the fact that tennis authorities didn't do enough to sort this mess out. In fact, they may even have ignored some of the evidence that was
presented to them. But the ATP Chief Chris Cuomo today absolutely denied those allegations. This is what he had to say, Hala.
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CHRIS CUOMO, ATP EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN: All of us here in tennis absolutely committed are to stamp out any form of corrupt conduct in our sport. There
is a zero tolerance policy on this. We are not complacent.
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RIDDELL: Of course, Hala, this news completely overshadowing the opening day of the first tennis grand slam of the year, the Australian Open, and
coming hot on the heels of what was an absolutely disastrous 2015 for sports governance.
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RIDDELL: We had the whole corruption fiasco at FIFA, also world athletics accused of taking bribes to cover up doping. So now, 2 1/2 weeks into the
New Year, tennis is in the same predicament, it would seem.
GORANI: So are we going to hear any more of this reporting? I mean will we be able to sort of - because if you don't name names, then essentially
you're just leaving it at allegations of overall perhaps match fixing in top tennis tournaments and then it doesn't go any further than that. So are
we going to hear more, or is this it?
RIDDELL: Well, we may well hear more. I mean certainly the spotlight is now very much on the governing authorities in tennis.
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RIDDELL: And I suppose to use a tennis phrase, the ball is very much now in their court. I mean, when you look at how vulnerable the sport of tennis
is, and I think this is a really key point to make, it's incredibly vulnerable. I mean, the former vice president of the ATP Richard Ing said
if you were going to design a sport specifically for match fixing, it would be tennis. He says tennis is tailor-made for it.
You've got players who are incredibly vulnerable. I mean look at the Australian Open, 128 players in each of the men's and women's draws.
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RIDDELL: These guys don't earn very much money. They're basically paying for peanuts. They're financing their own careers. They fly themselves
around the world. The prize money they make is next to nothing. And they are very, very vulnerable to people who can offer them $50,000, $100,000 to
throw a match. And it's very easy to do in tennis. You only need a conspiracy of one. You only need one player to throw a match.
So it sequentially could be -
GORANI: But even Novak Djokovic, Don, is saying he was approached. I mean, he wasn't a big - I mean ten years ago, obviously, he wasn't at the level
he was today. But even he's saying he was approached. Not directly but someone in his team was.
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RIDDELL: Yes, absolutely right. Now, you make a valid point. Djokovic wasn't earning as much as in '07 and '08 as he is now. But I mean I've met
these fixers in football, Hala I mean they are incredibly brazen. They brag about what they're able to do. They know how to play the system and they
don't mind approaching these players. They're very accessible. They're in hotels. They're traveling on their own a lot of times. They're very much
there to be got at. And it can be very, very difficult to say no, particularly when you don't have that much money yourself. So potentially a
big problem for tennis.
GORANI: Don Riddell, thanks very much. We'll keep following that story.
To Europe now, and its sensational story grabbing headlines. A Swedish doctor has been charged with drugging, raping, and kidnapping a woman who
he allegedly imprisoned for six days in a bunker. Erin McLaughlin has that story.
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[15:50:01]
ERIN McLAUGHLIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What began as a romantic date quickly turned to bizarre horror. The 38-year-old doctor served
strawberries dipped in chocolate and champagne. What the woman didn't know, the strawberries were laced with a date rape drug called Rohypnol.
The prosecutor says that once the victim was unconscious, the doctor loaded her into his car and took her to a remote area of Sweden. It was there that
he had allegedly built a cement house concealed within a wooden barn. There were no windows and the house was sound proof. Chillingly, authorities say
it was designed to hold more than one captive.
Police say the doctor wanted to have unprotected sex with the victim but he was worried about disease. So he created a false identity in a lab file at
a local hospital where he worked. He began collecting samples. Six days after the alleged kidnapping, authorities say the doctor became concerned
the police were looking for the woman. So he drove the victim to a police station in order to let authorities know they were a couple. That plan was
foiled when police interviewed the victim in private.
The prosecutor has not released the doctor's identity, but he's been dubbed Sweden's Joseph Fritzl after the Austrian man who locked his daughter in
his basement for 24 years. The chief prosecutor says the accused told police during interviews that he, "wanted to have a girlfriend." His lawyer
says that her client regrets what he's done though he denies the rape allegation and the, "degree of deprivation of liberty charge." She says her
client is mentally depressed.
Erin McLaughlin, CNN, London.
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GORANI: Coming up, just a few weeks away from the Iowa caucuses and tensions are rising between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.
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GORANI: Hear what was said at the latest democratic debate coming up. Stay with us.
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GORANI: It is getting closer. The first vote in the U.S. Presidential race is just two weeks away. We've been through many, many months together, and
the final democratic debate before the Iowa caucuses was intense. Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton sparred over everything from gun control to
health care and even President Obama's record.
Phil Mattingly has the highlights.
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PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The gloves --
BERNIE SANDERS, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think Secretary Clinton knows that what she says is very disingenuous.
MATTINGLY: Are off.
HILLARY CLINTON, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm not sure whether we're talking about the plan you just introduced tonight or we're talking
about the plan you introduced nine times in the congress.
MATTINGLY: Just weeks before the first votes are cast, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders putting an exclamation point on a week of sharp sparring on
Sunday night.
CLINTON: The authority which is regulated --
SANDERS: Let me give you an example of how --
MATTINGLY: Clinton at one point in the campaign unwilling to even mention Sanders' name. Now targeting the Vermont Senator's record on guns and how
he will pay for his health care plan.
CLINTON: I have made it clear based on Senator Sanders' own record that he has voted with the NRA with the gun lobby numerous times.
MATTINGLY: Sanders moving to blunt both criticisms.
SANDERS: What her campaign were saying -- Bernie Sanders who has fought for universal health care for my entire life, he wants to end Medicare and
Medicaid and the Children's Health insurance program. That is nonsense.
MATTINGLY: Shifting on guns a day before the debate.
SANDERS: What I said is I would relook at it. We are going to relook at it and I will support stronger provisions.
[15:55:02]
MATTINGLY: And releasing his single payer health care plan just hours before taking the stage. Clinton criticizing Sanders for the taxes required
to pay for the proposal and its shift away from President Obama's signature achievement.
CLINTON: There are things we can do to improve it, but to tear it up and start over again, pushing our country back into that kind of a contentious
debate, I think is the wrong direction.
SANDERS: We're not going to tear up the Affordable Care Act. I helped write it. But we are going to move on top of that to a -
(CROSS-TALK)
SANDERS: A little bit more in taxes, do away with private health premiums, it's a pretty good deal.
MATTINGLY: Sanders going on offense against Clinton's corporate ties.
SANDERS: You've received over $600,000 in speaking fees from Goldman Sachs in one year.
MATTINGLY: Clinton defending not just her stance on Wall Street reform but President Obama's as well.
CLINTON: But he's criticized President Obama for taking donations from Wall Street and President Obama has led our country out of the great recession.
President Obama's work to push through the Dodd/Frank - the Dodd/Frank Bill and then to sign it was one of the most important regulatory schemes we've
had since the 1930s. So I'm going to defend Dodd/Frank and I'm going to defend President Obama.
MATTINGLY: Sanders definitely turning a question on Bill Clinton's personal life into one of his best moments of the night.
SANDERS: We've been through this, yes, his behavior was deplorable. Have I ever once said a word about that issue? No, I have not. I'm going to debate
secretary Clinton and governor O'Malley on the issues facing the American people, not Bill Clinton's personal behavior.
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GORANI: Phil Mattingly reporting there. We'll continue to follow all the latest developments in the race as it's all getting closer to Iowa.
Now, the latest attempt by Spacex to safely land a rocket in the ocean has failed unfortunately.
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GORANI: The rocket almost made it onto the landing pad, which is actually a barge floating in the ocean, but Spacex says one of the legs failed to
latch on the platform and the rocket toppled over. Eventually it exploded. Spacex is working on reusing rockets which could save millions of dollars
and cut the cost of travel -- space travel - not regular travel. The rocket accomplished its main mission, though, putting a satellite into lower
orbit. So I guess that is something.
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GORANI: This has been "The World Right Now." I'm Hala Gorani. Thanks for watching. "Quest Means Business" is next from Davos.
END
