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Hala Gorani Tonight
Teenage Bride Auction Sparks Outrage; False Claim Of White Genocide Pushed BY S. Africa's Far-Right; Saudi FM Uses Trump Statement To Back Crown Prince "Innocence"; U.S. Missionary Killed On Remote Indian Island; Dolce & Gabbana Cancel Shanghai Show; Devastated Town Finds Reasons To Be Thankful For. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired November 22, 2018 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
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HALA GORANI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, everyone. Live from CNN London, I'm Hala Gorani.
Tonight it is a diplomatic storm between Britain and United Arab Emirates. We have an exclusive interview with the wife of Matthew Hedges, who was
handed a life sentence, accused of spying.
Also tonight, Britain and the E.U. agree on a deal on their future relationship but is it a Brexit step forward or just another deal no one
can agree on?
And Ghosn, Ghosn, gone. The head of Nissan is out after his arrest for financial misconduct. We look at what will happen with regard to his job
at Renault.
We begin with a compromise that satisfies no one. I'm talking about Brexit and Theresa May's deal after a messy week and months of tense negotiations,
the British prime minister is one step closer to sealing the deal.
Or is she?
Today she announced that E.U. and British officials have agreed on a declaration of the U.K.'s post-Brexit relationship with the bloc and now it
all comes down to a crucial summit in Brussels. That is just three days away. Her greater task is persuading her own Parliament to approving the
agreement.
And it doesn't seem like she has the numbers for that. Earlier today, she touted the terms of this agreement to members of Parliament where she said
that it is a critical time for negotiations.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THERESA MAY, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I want to be very clear about the stage we've reached in these negotiations and the scale what is now at
stake. We have agreed to the text between the U.K. and the European Commission.
The text is today being shared with the leaders of the other 27 member states ahead of the special E.U. Council on Sunday. The negotiations are
at a critical moment and all our efforts must be focused on working with our European partners to bring this process to a final conclusion in the
interest of all our people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: And let's get more on this with Nina dos Santos.
So Theresa May is holding on, she's working through it all. Even though this deal that she has, the most important hurdle she has beyond this
summit is to get it through Parliament and it doesn't seem like she has the support she needs.
NINA DOS SANTOS, CNNMONEY EUROPE EDITOR: And we also heard Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the opposition, and she's going to need some help from the
opposition to make up the numbers, saying that this deal, now that they have both parts of it, really doesn't meet the six criteria that the Labour
Party has always said that they would need to try to agree to.
So while he hasn't officially told his MPs to vote against it, that's the indication. Basically she can't count on the numbers from them. Of course
she has alienated the members of the DUP, the Northern Irish party, with the withdrawal agreement.
So essentially the problem is she is having trouble pleasing everybody. On the one hand, the withdrawal agreement is legally binding and has some red
lines. The E.U. saying they don't want to open up that document after two years of negotiations.
And then the political declaration will be the building block for the future relationship that the U.K. has with the E.U., that is nonbinding but
too vague for some.
GORANI: And you mentioned Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the opposition. This is what he said in Parliament today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEREMY CORBYN, LEADER, U.K. LABOUR PARTY: A little over a year ago, we were confidently told by the government that by the end of the Article 50
period, we would have a trade deal. The international trade secretary said it would be easiest in human history.
Instead we have 26 pages of waffle. This empty document could have been written two years ago. It is peppered with phrases such as "the parties
are look at," "the parties will explore."
What on Earth has the government been doing for the last two years?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: So she has the opposition, members of her own party, not agreeing on supporting her.
So what happens?
No deal or a new referendum?
DOS SANTOS: So what we saw repeatedly earlier on today is that Labour back benches asking about a second referendum. So they are beating the drum to
this and it is not Theresa May they are trying to convince, because she said no second referendum. It is people like Jeremy Corbyn on the
opposition front bench.
And the real question is how the E.U. will play ball on this. Theresa May will be going back to Brussels, I believe, on Saturday.
[14:05:00]
DOS SANTOS: She will be meeting with Juncker again to try to move the ground forward. In the meantime we've had a bit of a stumbling block on
the issue of Gibraltar with Spain saying they want some assurance that they can carry on bilaterally.
And then there have been some stumbling blocks on things like fishing and so on. But the key part for Theresa May is that she is able to say to her
MPs, I have both parts of the agreement now, so you have no excuse to say you don't have the full picture when it comes to voting on it.
GORANI: All right. It is Thanksgiving in the United States.
Does Theresa May have anything to be thankful for?
DOS SANTOS: She still has her job.
GORANI: Well, there is that but potentially not for long.
And who replaces Theresa May if she is forced out or if she resigns?
DOS SANTOS: Well, those two statements are actually dependent upon each other at the moment. The real reason why we see already two failed
agitations for leadership bids among Tory back benches is largely because they can't seem to find anybody else that the broad members and the elected
members of the party, which are so divided between pro- and anti-Brexit factions, can actually crystallize upon and agree to.
So what we saw over the course of the weekend was a lot of noise on social media from pro-Brexit MPs, saying they almost had the numbers to try to
unseat her. Turned out they have didn't for the second time in about six months.
But it may be that if we get to that crucial vote and it looks potentially more and more obvious that she hasn't convinced the MPs in all parties and
got the numbers, that they may decide to try to find somebody else who can push through a different type of Brexit deal with Brussels and with the
U.K. Parliament.
GORANI: Thank you, Nina dos Santos, for the very latest on that.
It is a busy Thanksgiving holiday for the American president. He is showing support for the troops and mixing politics with pleasure, though
some people were a little bit surprised at how the U.S. president decided to show that he was standing shoulder to shoulder with the troops.
Mr. Trump is on the golf course now after visiting a Coast Guard station near his Mar-a-lago resort in Florida. He also spoke by phone to military
personnel around the world but this was no ordinary holiday greeting.
Mr. Trump got political very quickly and he talked everything from trade deals to court decisions to, quote, "criminals" in the caravan of migrants
who want asylum in the United States. It was unusual, it was bizarre, there were many non sequiturs in his conversations with troops serving
abroad. Here's a snippet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Keep them away from our shores and that's why we're doing the strong borders. You probably see over the news what is happening in our
southern border. Large numbers of people and in many cases we have no idea who they are and in many cases they are not good people. They are bad
people. They're the large numbers of people are forming at our border and I don't have to even ask you, I know what you want to do, you want to make
sure that you know who we're letting in and we're not letting in anybody essentially because we want to be very, very --
So you're right, you're doing it over there, we're doing it over here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Mr. Trump is also escalating his extraordinary public clash with a U.S. Supreme Court chief justice. CNN's Jeff Zeleny is following all of
these developments from West Palm Beach, Florida.
And this phone call that the president -- I'm not sure if they could see him but he was filmed on the phone. And he was really dragging in all of
these active service members, who were talking with him on the phone, into hot button political topics like the migrant caravan and the wall and trade
deals and the rest of it.
Did this -- it was very unusual to say the least.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: No question about it. It certainly is normal for a U.S. president to visit either in person or on
the phone with members of the military serving abroad. Every troop or soldier likes to hear from their commander in chief.
That part of it was normally. But beyond that, it was very abnormal, certainly unscripted; free flowing with the president again asking members
of his military, the U.S. military for their own opinions about these specific operational details and also equating what is going on in the
fight against terrorism in Afghanistan to what he is trying to do on the southern U.S. border, stopping the caravan.
Of course, that is apples to oranges, to say the least. And also the president doubling down on his defense of Saudi Arabia and the situation
there, that they were not responsible, the crown prince was not responsible or did not have knowledge of the murder of "The Washington Post"
journalist, simply defying his own CIA and his own intelligence community there.
So from start to finish, the president largely unplugged and largely unconventional here as he went extraordinarily beyond what most normal
commanders in chief have done.
[14:10:00]
GORANI: And you mentioned Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia. This is what the president had to say about that earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: They said he might have done it. That is a big difference. They're vehemently denying it.
And we have hundreds of thousands of jobs, do people really want me to give up hundreds of thousands of jobs?
We wouldn't be able to have anybody as an ally because look at what happens all over the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: So once again doubling, tripling down on this notion that, you know, the intelligence agency said he might have known, might not have
known. But look, we're making a lot of money off Saudi Arabia, so perhaps it is wise to turn a blind eye here.
ZELENY: In blunt terms, the president said just that. He said this is an economic decision; it is worth the jobs. A brutal murder is essentially
worth the jobs.
We should fact check, it is nowhere near the amount of jobs that the president has said or nowhere near the amount of investment that the
kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been making with U.S. companies, like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, other things.
There's a 10-year span, a contract for this. And that is overstating even that. So the economic impact and effect is largely overstated and the
moral argument certainly is underestimated, if mentioned at all, particularly when the president says he believes that the Saudi crown
prince feels just as badly about this as anyone.
GORANI: And what is puzzling to me is the feud with John Roberts, the U.S. Supreme Court justice, because with other things you could say that, this
is, you know, talking to his base or the migrant caravan, imagined threat, this is something that works with people who support him, he is trying to
get people behind him.
What is in it for the president to pick a fight with the Supreme Court chief justice?
ZELENY: It's one more example of tribal politics as the president sees them. You are either with him or against him without any delineation
there. So the president clearly believes that the federal judiciary has been ruling against him and against his executive orders.
Never mind the fact that the president has the authority to, you know, convince a Congress, persuade Congress to pass laws that he can sign into
law that would be indeed constitutional. But he signed an executive order, which one judge blocked in terms of changing asylum rules. So the
president went after that judge.
The chief justice sort of in a rare extraordinary statement of his own, saying there are no judges of political stripes, they don't have a
Republican or Democrat behind their name. But the president going after that, simply bringing the judiciary into his ongoing fight on immigration.
He does believe it plays well with his base, he believes it is one more example of a U.S. institution here, being the judicial branch, that he is
trying to raise questions about and diminish.
So it is certainly not a smart long-term strategy but the chief justice, of course, is unlikely to use any of this as he makes decisions on what surely
will be cases that will land on his desk; many of these things the appeals court is either throwing out or putting a hold on.
GORANI: All right. Jeff Zeleny, thanks so much from West Palm Beach.
As I mentioned, we will shortly air our exclusive interview with the wife of Matthew Hedges, who is detained in the UAE and sentenced to life in
prison on charges of spying. That will be in a moment. So stay tuned for that.
I want to go to the exclusive CNN story from Afghanistan, where the war with the Taliban has caused more than a decade of suffering. And now the
weather is fueling even more pain to families there because, with extreme drought, it is leading to incredible acts of desperation. Nick Paton Walsh
has this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tropical (ph) violence with the Taliban control of territory (INAUDIBLE)
ISIS unparalleled airstrikes by the coalition has finally forced them from their homes.
They're instead running from drought, a record dry spell forcing more families in Afghanistan from their homes this year than the war has.
And as if Afghanistan hasn't already broken all superlatives for its misery, this is what it's driving them to.
Meet Memerine (ph) and her 6-year-old daughter, Akila (ph). You'd think a tiny family, united under plastic sheeting but desperation means it hasn't
turned out that way. Memerine (ph) has sold Akila (ph) for $3,000 to this man, Najamuddin (ph) --
[14:15:00]
WALSH (voice-over): -- who will give her to his 10-year-old son, Sheraga (ph). Listen to how they got here. Memerine (ph) first.
"I fled my village," she says, "with my three children because of severe drought. I came here thinking I would receive some assistance but are
nothing. To avoid starvation among my children, I gave my daughter to a man for about $3,000 but have only got $70 so far.
"I have their money; no food and no breadwinner. My husband was also killed. She doesn't know that I sold her.
"How could she know?
"She is a child. But I had no other choice."
"And what if Akila (ph) tries to run?" we ask.
"Well, in tears or laughter," she says, "Akila (ph) will have to go.
"Who would sell a piece of her heart unless they really have to?"
Akila's (ph) buyer, Najamuddin (ph), thinks buying a 6-year-old girl is an act of charity.
"Her family don't have anything to eat," he says. "They are hungry. I know. I'm also poor but I'm sure I can pay it off slowly in two or three
years."
The cameraman asks, "But aren't they children?"
"Doesn't matter," he says, "these things happen here. Even an old man marries a young girl. It happens."
Najamuddin (ph) also fled the drought. The U.N. says it has put 275,000 people on the move this year, about half from around the area of Badghis
(ph).
"The weak crop has failed us," he says. "We couldn't grow melons. All the other crops failed because of the drought. We lost our livestock, the
sheep, cows and goats all died of hunger because there wasn't any fodder for them."
Around the camp, we hear this kind of horrific story repeated. Here, this man sold his 4-year-old daughter to a 20-year-old man to settle a debt. It
is a world of survival and unimaginable choices, where families must betray each other just to live. And winter is ahead, promising to be colder and
arid and hungrier, too -- Nick Paton Walsh, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: So I was telling you at the top of the hour about this case of a British academic, who was arrested in the UAE in May on charges of spying.
He spent several months in jail during his pretrial period.
His wife, Daniela Tejada, and this academic, Matthew Hedges, and the family of the couple, have said from the beginning that he is innocent of these
charges, that he was there doing research.
What happened a few days ago stunned everybody and is very worrying to Matthew Hedges but also all those who love him, he was sentenced to life in
prison on these espionage charges.
Daniela Tejada, the wife of Matthew Hedges, is now back in the U.K. after having heard that shocking verdict in court in the UAE. She spoke with us
exclusively about what she hopes will happen and that her husband will eventually be freed. She insists he is innocent. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANIELA TEJADA, WIFE OF MATTHEW HEDGES: It was a very tense environment. A massive room; Matt and I were set in opposite sides of the the room. I
was sitting; he was standing, surrounded by armed guards with a judge and a big podium facing him, very intimidating.
It lasted less than five minutes. And we were all pretty much incredulous to hear that the sentence, the final verdict, particularly knowing the fact
that Matt is fully innocent of what he's being accused of.
GORANI: Authorities are saying he was given care, psychiatric and medical care, that he was allowed to meet with British consular officials, that he
had representation, that this was a case that was thoroughly investigated and prosecuted.
What is your response to that?
TEJADA: He did not have sufficient consular access. He only had access to three visits, the first one after six weeks of being detained. He did not
have medical and psychiatric support. He was heavily medicated but that is not medical support. And he did not have psychiatric support at any point
during his detention.
He did not have access to legal counsel throughout the interrogation process nor the months that followed. As a matter of fact, he only met his
lawyer on the second hearing. And he did not even know his lawyer's name until three or four days ago.
GORANI: OK. And you were able to be -- have you been able to speak to him since the verdict?
And do you know where he is now?
TEJADA: I don't know where he is now. I have not been able to --
[14:20:00]
TEJADA: -- speak to him. We didn't even get to say goodbye.
GORANI: In the courtroom, you weren't able to hug or kiss goodbye?
TEJADA: No. The second the sentence was given, we were both made to leave.
GORANI: Is it possible that he did or said or spoke to someone that might have led to some sort of misunderstanding?
TEJADA: Absolutely not. I think the only misunderstanding is his research. It is not unheard of that government -- and authoritarian
regimes, particularly -- misinterpret academic research as espionage work or as a threat. And Matt sadly is the first person to endure such a
travesty in the UAE as a Western academic.
GORANI: And you just met with the foreign secretary of this country, Jeremy Hunt.
Did that meeting encourage you?
What came out of it?
TEJADA: I am very hopeful that, now that the British government have taken a firmer stance about the matter and emphasized through their stance the
fact that Matt is innocent, that the UAE will come to terms with reality and the fact that Matt indeed is innocent.
GORANI: And I wanted to read to you this statement that came out just a short time ago, it goes through a list of several paragraphs of how the UAE
-- this is from UAE officials -- thoroughly prosecuted the case.
But then it ends with this line, "Both sides hope to find an amicable solution to the Matthew Hedges case."
Does that give you hope that maybe something is being discussed?
TEJADA: I hope that indeed they reach an amicable solution and that solution is to bring Matt back home. But I will not rest until I have him
back and safe at home with me.
GORANI: I can't imagine, you must be really worried because you can't contact him, you don't know where he is, you know he is subject to panic
attacks and anxiety. And here you are, thousands of miles away, and he is in prison in another country.
What is that like?
TEJADA: It takes me back to the first week when I found out that he had been detained. It is the uncertainty and it is the trauma of not being
able to be there for him as I was able to in the past couple of weeks, to hold him and reassure him that he is safe and that he is innocent and that
he will be out hopefully soon.
It is very -- tough to just think about what might be going through his head, the terrors that he must be feeling and just the sheer sadness that a
country that he considered to be his second home, since he lived there for so many years, has paid him back with such mistreatment and injustice.
GORANI: And you know him better than anyone. You're his wife.
How do you think that he is handling this?
TEJADA: He said one thing to me when we were on our way to court.
I asked him, what is it that scares you the most?
It sounds nearly egotistical to say it but these were his words. He said that his greatest fear was not knowing when he would be able to see me
again. We got married less than two years ago. And we have so many plans for our life and for our future that have been interrupted indefinitely
because of this horrible, unjust episode.
And I just wish that the people who have decided to take his fate into their hands could see that he is not just a man on his own; he is a man
with a family and he is a man with a young wife who loves him, who he has plans to have children and a dog and a house in the countryside and a man
who means no harm.
I never meant any harm when --
[14:25:00]
TEJADA: I went out to the press. I just want him back.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Daniela Tejada, the wife of Matthew Hedges, who was sentenced to life in prison in the UAE, speaking exclusively to us on CNN. We'll have a
lot more after a quick break.
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GORANI: The man who took Nissan from 0 to 60 has now been booted out of the driver's seat. The company voted unanimously to remove chairman Carlos
Ghosn following his arrest over allegations of financial misconduct.
Another top executive, Greg Kelly, is also out. There are worries that the scandal could damage Nissan's powerful alliance with both Mitsubishi and
the French giant, Renault. Melissa Bell has more from Paris.
And Melissa, we haven't heard from Renault, where he is CEO and chairman. We've heard from Nissan, though.
But the expectation is that he is out from Renault as well?
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, earlier this week Renault confirmed that they were putting in an interim person while these accusations were
being investigated. All this happened this week as a result of a several- month long investigation within Nissan.
And it was something that the French economy minister was at pains to say, to remind his audience of, to remind the journalists at the press
conference that he held, of, which was that Carlos Ghosn has yet to be charged.
And what he urged Japanese authorities to do is to provide some of the proof of wrongdoing that is behind the accusations, the charges that hang
over his head for the time being.
So the French are looking for much more information on what Carlos Ghosn is being accused of and what the future is likely to bring. But as you say,
lots of interest in what this will mean for the wider group, for the future of the alliance.
There had been this belief that Carlos Ghosn was going to take that alliance one step further, that it would go further than it had before this
disquiet, especially on the Japanese side, of the idea that this was a sort of an alliance that did not have the right equilibrium, the right balance
since Renault has greater shares of Nissan than Nissan has of Renault.
And so there was this disquiet with the Japanese and this idea of moving ahead with an alliance that many believe on their side was not entirely
balanced. But for now, lots of questions remain unanswered about exactly when he will be charged, if he will be charged and what that will mean,
whether this alliance will survive.
GORANI: Certainly he is someone who saved Nissan, he was revered in Japan. The future of this group is very much in doubt now. Melissa Bell now, live
from Paris, thanks very much.
Still to come, the president of South Africa takes on the president of the United States, saying Donald Trump is promoting false claims by white
supremacists. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Let's get an update on that story of that child bride in South Sudan who was reportedly auctioned online. The teenage girl was sold into
marriage which is not an uncommon practice in that particular part of the country. But it was the Facebook angle that caused a lot of outrage.
But now, it seems there are new developments. Farai Sevenzo joins me from Nairobi, Kenya. What more do we know about this story? And, potentially,
how this auction or this post about a dowry for a young bride was conducted?
FARAI SEVENZO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: First of all, Hala, we have to say, unequivocally, that Facebook did not behave like eBay on this. So what
we're finding out, the members of the community, the Dinka community within South Sudan were gobsmacked by apprises that are going on.
And remember, the winning bid for this young girl's hand in marriage are reached 500 cows, three cars and $10,000. Those are the figures that we
have at the moment. And they're fluctuating between 300 or so cows to this very huge figure.
And just in keeping with the whole viral sense of the word, it's a classic case of a tradition meeting with identity and then of course bang in the
middle is modern day technology of Facebook. So people were commenting about it and trying to understand how it is that a South Sudanese girl --
remember, how poor South Sudan is, can command such a price. And what is this doing to their culture.
Earlier on, David Mayom Riak was one of the bidders. He's a governor and politician, deputy governor of an East Lake region. He was also trying for
a hand of this girl and this is what he had to say to a Dinka website out in Melbourne, Australia.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In 2011, when Nyalong was 10 years old and our families were neighbors to theirs, she was a people in Yei, a town in South Sudan.
I even paid her school fees at that time because I grew up knowing her and her parents know this is the truth. This is when I approached the parents
and asked for the girl's hand in marriage when she matures.
It's common practice here and is accepted in our culture since time in memorial. In our traditional Dinka culture, it's allowed. Why can't it
happen now?
SEVENZO: And this is where we have it now, Hala. We're talking about a very rich man, Mr. Kok Alat was a businessman whose wives also live here in
Nairobi where he's sometimes based. He has four other wives and he's chosen to make Nyalong Ngong Deng at only 17 to be one of his -- to be his
fifth wife.
[14:35:11] We are trying desperately, at the moment, to speak to Mr. Kok Alat, he's the man who won this thing. And he has given us indications
that he wants to talk and give his side of the story and we shall be obviously, Hala, getting back to you as soon as we know more.
GORANI: Sure. And what is next for -- in this story for this bride, what happens?
SEVENZO: Well, we understand that as soon as the marriage and the parents accepted this extremely high figure, he came over to Nairobi and he's now
back in South Sudan. By all indications, the marriage has been legalized in Dinka community laws, but it does throw all kinds of questions about
what happens now to the young man who can't afford such high figures. And whether or not marriage, as a tradition and as a ceremony, is bound to be
commercialized.
So all of Africa is talking about it, particularly South Sudan. And we shall here more about it, I'm sure, as the days go on ahead.
GORANI: All right. Farai Sevenzo in Nairobi, Kenya.
And I want to read out that statement that Facebook first put out on Monday. "Any form of human trafficking, whether posts, pages, ads or
groups is not allowed on Facebook. We removed the post and permanently disabled the account belonging to the person who posted this to Facebook.
We're always improving the methods we use to identify content that breaks our policies including doubling our safety and security team to more than
30,000 and investing in technology."
As we continue to put the pieces of the puzzle together regarding this story, what exactly was discussed on Facebook and how this auction was, in
fact, conducted.
The South African president is criticizing the American president, Donald Trump, for helping advance, he says, far-rights group's claims of the
murder of white farmers.
In an exclusive interview with CNN, Cyril Ramaphosa said Mr. Trump's recent tweet about land reform and farmer killings was ill-informed. Yesterday,
we showed you our exclusive investigation into how some South African white supremacists has been inside the U.S. actively pushing their far-right
propaganda, warning of genocide of whites. And in their case of white South African farmers. The numbers don't support anything like that.
Our David McKenzie got those exclusive interviews. He joins me now from Johannesburg. So what is the president saying? What message does he want
delivered to the American president, Donald Trump?
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Hala, I think the message he wants is that the program here to redistribute land, to those who had it
taken away from them during a party is a way to unlock the economic potential of this country.
But Cyril Ramaphosa and the South African government, Hala, have a problem on their hands. And that is that these fringe right-wing groups here in
South Africa and around the world, because of social media and the reach of the web, are able to perpetuate these myths on things like this myth of a
white genocide which is certainly not happening here in South Africa.
And take the trauma of people who might have been killed on farms and extrapolate that into something that is helping white supremacists in the
U.S. and here in South Africa gain followers. So I put that question to the president whether he's worried about this. And the context of the land
issue. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MCKENZIE: There are groups lobbying overseas saying that in one case there is a looming threat of ethnic cleansing in South Africa. But they seem to
be getting some traction with that.
CYRIL RAMAPHOSA, PRESIDENT OF SOUTH AFRICA: Well, we know that there are a number of South Africans, small group that represents a very tiny minority
view within the population of South Africa that are going around the world spreading messages. And in the main, most of them are people who are
hankering for a return to their old apartheid ways.
MCKENZIE: Are these racists?
RAMAPHOSA: Yes, in the main, most of them are racists and they are not very positively exposed to black people.
MCKENZIE: They are getting resonance in the U.S. and Australia and even getting mainstream politicians like President Trump and the Australian
interior minister to talk their talking points.
RAMAPHOSA: They are finding people who get some resonance with what they are saying. And these are people who are ill-informed.
[14:40:00] MCKENZIE: But this is the president of the U.S.
RAMAPHOSA: About what is happening here just as President Trump was ill informed about the messages that they were beaming out. Those people
overseas who are taken in by this message of whites in South Africa being under threat, they are looking at South Africa through the lens of black
versus white. And South Africa has long moved away from that.
MCKENZIE: What if you fail in this quest? If the government has, on so some level, failed up to this point, what is at stake here?
RAMAPHOSA: A lot is at stake. You could even say that the stability of the country is at stake. And I am not fond of failing at anything. And
this issue we will not fail on.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCKENZIE: Despite his confidence, the president of South Africa has a very difficult path to tread, Hala, trying to keep investors happy, the American
government and others investing in South Africa, but still trying to push this agenda of land expropriation without compensation. I put it to the
state department what they had in reaction to Ramaphosa's comments.
They came back saying still again that the policy of land expropriation without compensation quote, "risks sending South Africa down the wrong
path." So effectively doubling down on their policy with South Africa. So you could see this come to a head in the coming months. Hala.
GORANI: David McKenzie with that exclusive interview with the South African president, thanks very much.
There is new fallout over here in Europe over the killing of Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi. Now, France has just announced that it is
sanctioning 18 Saudi citizens and banning them from the country. The French foreign minister says Khashoggi's murder is a crime of, quote,
"extreme gravity." And France expects from the Saudis a transparent and detailed response.
Worth noting Germany had already banned them from Schengen. So not exactly sure what France is adding to that. Germany made a similar announcement on
Monday. It also suspended arm sales which is taking it a step further obviously.
And just hours earlier, Finland said it will not authorize any new arms deals with Saudi Arabia and the United Emirates because of the alarming
humanitarian situation in Yemen.
Denmark is also stopping weapons sales to the Saudis citing the killing of Khashoggi, as well as the war in Yemen.
The American president, Donald Trump's statement on Khashoggi's death signaling that he will not take strong action is now being used by Saudi
officials to assert that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was not involved.
In a new interview, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister cited Trump stance while downplaying the killing as a simple misstep.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADEL BIN AHMED AL-JUBEIR, MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF SAUDI ARABIA: We are in the middle of a review of our procedures and policies with regards
to intelligence operations and make sure that the lines of authority are clear so that we don't have a mistake like this.
HOLLY WILLIAMS, CBS NEWS FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT: I mean, that's a pretty extraordinary breach of authority, murdering somebody inside a Saudi
consulate.
AHMED AL-JUBEIR: Absolutely, yes. But unfortunately, these things -- mistakes like this happen with other governments.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: The foreign minister went on to say that the crown prince, in his words, has the confidence of all Saudis including, probably the most
important Saudi in this case, his father King Salman.
Now to a story that's being talked about around the world. An American Christian missionary has been killed on a remote island off the coast of
India. Authorities say John Allan Chau went to North Sentinel Island to preach, but a tribe of hunter gatherers killed him there.
Chau found fisherman to take him to the island and after a few trips, he told him he wouldn't return. The fisherman later saw tribes people
dragging Chau's body across a beach and burying it.
Now, the people living on North Sentinel Island are considered the last pre-Neolithic tribe in the world. And under Indian law, it is illegal to
go within three nautical miles of the island. And this is perhaps one of the reasons this story has captured people's attention because obviously
there is the tragic killing of this explorer or this missionary, but also the fact that these tribes are so rare, so remote. We know so little about
them. And that they are -- authorities at least are trying to preserve their way of life. It did end in tragedy for one young missionary.
We'll be right back. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:45:49] GORANI: Customer is always right, as they say. In this case, they're not happy. Fashion house, Dolce & Gabbana are starting to lose
business in one of there biggest markets amid a backlash following accusations of racism. They've had to cancel a fashion show in Shanghai
and the brand has been pulled from big name online retailers. What is the fuss about? Here's Kristie Lu Stout.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In a series of Dolce & Gabbana adverts, a model attempts to eat Italian food with chop sticks, accompanied
by Eurasian and stereotypical Chinese music.
The ad was intended to promote the luxury brand's so-called Great Show billed as a tribute to China to be held in Shanghai this week. Instead, it
caused a massive backlash and criticism for allegedly mocking Chinese people. Fueling the controversy, a screen shot of alleged racist comments
posted on Instagram by the company's cofounder, Stefano Gabbana reacting to criticism of the videos and accused of making derogatory remarks toward
China.
He later reposted it with the words, "Not me," claiming his account had been hacked. "I love China and the Chinese culture. I'm so sorry for what
happened, "he wrote.
The designers apologized for any distress caused. And in an official press statement said this, quote, "Our dream was to bring to Shanghai a tribute
event dedicated to China which tells our history and vision. It was not simply a fashion show, but something that we created especially with love
and passion for China and all the people around the world who loves Dolce & Gabbana."
But it was too late. Social media had erupted with criticism of the company and cofounder calling the advert and post offensive and racist.
The controversy was the number one topic on China's Twitter-like Weibo platform with more than 120 million reads.
ZHAO XUEQI, STUDENT IN BEIJING: I think we need to be rational, but I think that we should see how they explain this matter to us. If they
maintain this vicious attitude and, of course, we can't accept this and we'd need to boycott the brand.
LU STOUT: Celebrities and models pulled out of the show which was eventually canceled. Movie stars like Zhang Ziyi said they would boycott
the brand.
TIFFANY AP, BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF, WOMEN'S WEAR DAILY: Among your everyday customer, we've just seen social media light up with videos, people taking
their Dolce & Gabbana clothes and destroying them in some really creative ways. So burning them, cutting them into shreds, using it as cloths to
wash their toilets, et cetera.
I think this is nothing short of a real crisis for the brand.
LU STOUT: As negative sentiment grows, police and security guards have been stationed outside Dolce & Gabbana their stores in Beijing and
Shanghai. CNN search results show Dolce & Gabbana products had been pulled off major Chinese e-commerce platforms like JD and Taobao.
What was supposed to be a great show has turned into a great fiasco for the brand. A massive market lost in just a matter of days.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: All right. Kristie Lu Stout reporting there. Lost but for how long? We'll see if they're able to recover from this.
[14:50:58] More to come including turning out for the turkey. Millions brave the cold for the hottest parade of the holidays. We have got a front
row ticket for you for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Half the food we produce ends up in landfills and that adds up to $680 billion a year in the industrialized world. Incredible. But a
California based startup has come up with a pretty genius solution.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMES ROGERS, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, APEEL SCIENCES: Food waste is an issue across the globe. If you look at estimates today, somewhere between
a third and half of fresh produce that's grown ends up in a landfill. In places of the world that don't have the same type of cold chain
infrastructure, that we take for granted here in the United States, those losses can be as high as 80 percent, 90 percent.
And so appeal here is really here help start addressing those issues by reducing the amount of food that we end up throwing into a landfill.
My name is James Rogers and I'm the CEO of Apeel Sciences.
It's amazing that every single form of life in this planet, employs some form of protective barrier en route to insulate it from the environment.
With an avocado, that's the skin.
The name of our company, Apeel, comes from the idea that fruit with a peel on it has naturally a five times longer shelf life than fruit without a
peel.
By creating this thin barrier of plant material on the outside of the produce, we slow down those first two processes, so we slowed down the rate
that the fruit is losing moisture and we slow down the rate that oxygen is getting in. And that creates a healthier piece of produce which is
naturally able to resist those bionic stressors for much longer.
It's going to be better quality, longer lasting, more nutritious and you're going to be less likely to throw it away.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: That sounds like a really good idea. I hope it's mass produced and available to more people.
Dinosaurs are roaming the earth again and they've taken over the streets of New York. Joining their ranks, Sponge Bob SquarePants, Pokemon, Power
Rangers and other inflatable wonders. Of course, I'm talking about, what else, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
And New York institution that has seen millions line up in freezing conditions to take part in the festivities. This year's musical highlights
included Diana Ross, John Legend and Rita Ora.
Away from the pageantry is the real meaning of Thanksgiving, being grateful for what we and you all have in life. But what about -- or what about
things that made your life great have been in fact taken away from you? What about when the idea of feeling thankful is still too painful to
contemplate? Martin Savidge went to a part of Florida that was destroyed by hurricane Michael and remarkably he found people there are more thankful
than you might believe possible.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL SCOGGINS, OWNER, KILLER SEAFOOD RESTAURANT: There was a building here, I promise. It was called killer seafood.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's been more than a month since the hurricane obliterated Mexico Beach.
SCOGGINS: Here, you would be inside the building.
SAVIDGE: But as Michael Scoggins shows me what used to be his restaurant, it's obvious the pain is still fresh.
[14:55:02] SCOGGINS: An open kitchen where everybody could see what was going on.
SAVIDGE: Killer Seafood, a town favorite for years, is gone. Hal Summers was general manager. He's lost his job and his home. Both men could have
wallowed in self-pity and left town. Instead, they decided to help the only way they could, they cooked.
In a church parking lot amidst the roar of generators and the smoke of a grill, they began feeding first responders and residents three times a day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chicken, tomatoes, corn of course.
SAVIDGE: Seven days a week. For free.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're welcome.
SAVIDGE: They call it Camp Happy Tummies, fueled by donations, it provides one of the greatest comforts in dark times, a hot meal.
HAL SUMMERS, GENERAL MANAGER, KILLER SEAFOOD: This is my planning menu. And this is the way I --
SAVIDGE: This is your menu right here? This is one of those parchment papers.
SUMMERS: That is parchment paper.
SAVIDGE: But over the weeks, this tent has come to mean much more than a meal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a safe place to cry, safe place to let your feelings out.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everybody has a feeling that they're all together and we're all in this together.
SAVIDGE: At these tables, they have prayed, mourned the dead, even held a wedding reception. Hal and Michael baked the wedding cake.
This is a place where folks temporarily escape what lies just outside.
Crews are making progress cleaning up. And power, sewage, and water are all making a comeback. But there is still one staggering figure. At least
75 percent of the homes in Mexico Beach have been destroyed.
Camp Happy Tummies is closing. Most of the first responders are gone and food in Mexico Beach is easier to find. But before then, Michael and Hal
will help prepare one last meal to be distributed around town for Thanksgiving.
Is there reason to be thankful in Mexico Beach?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, yes. Definitely. Absolutely.
SAVIDGE: Even with all of the destruction and all that's been lost?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Even, even, even.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're still here.
SUMMERS: So we have a lot to be thankful for. We have our lives. And we can rebuild and it's just going to take time.
SAVIDGE: A month after the hurricane, people here have stopped looking for reasons to be sad. Instead, they're finding reasons to rejoice.
SCOGGINS: Look at that, there you go.
SAVIDGE: Yes. To be grateful.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a beautiful place and it will come back.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And it's still paradise.
SAVIDGE: And instead of looking back, they're looking forward. In Mexico Beach, they've come to learn that every day is Thanksgiving Day.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you so much.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're very welcome.
SAVIDGE: Martin Savidge, CNN, Mexico Beach, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: And we're thankful for you this evening. I'm Hala Gorani. Stay with CNN. "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
