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Transforming Zimbabwe Under New Leadership; Rohingya Muslims to Start a New Life; Possible Explosion Detected In Hunt For Lost Submarine; Turkey Has Heavy Presence In Syrian Town; North Korea Defector Recovers After Daring Escape; Harassment And Abuse About Power Not Sex Aired 3-4a ET

Aired November 24, 2017 - 03:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:00:00] NATALIE ALLEN, HOST, CNN: Emmerson Mnangagwa is set to be sworn in as the new president of Zimbabwe. We'll have a live report ahead for you.

CYRIL VANIER, HOST, CNN: Plus, what freedom looks and sounds like in Zimbabwe's capital of Harare.

ALLEN: Also ahead here, in Argentina time is running out for the family of the crew inside a missing navy submarine as we learn more about perhaps what might have happened on that sub.

Hello and welcome. Thank you for joining us. I'm Natalie Allen.

VANIER: I'm Cyril Vanier. You're watching CNN Newsroom.

Zimbabwe is about to turn the page of Robert Mugabe's rule. In the next few hours interim president Emmerson Mnangagwa will be soon be sworn in as interim president and address the nation.

He was once the right hand man to Robert Mugabe, the dictator who rules Zimbabwe for more than three decades.

ALLEN: But now he represents the country's best hope at sweeping change. The so-called crocodile earned that nickname for his political cunning. But Zimbabweans will trust him to lead until the next general election which is set for 2018.

VANIER: CNN's David McKenzie is live in Zimbabwe's capital He joins us now with journalist and talk show host Redi Tihabi, who joins us from Johannesburg, South Africa.

David, first question to you, can you describe the atmosphere in Harare on day like today.

DAVID MCKENZIE, INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Well, it's an electric atmosphere, historic day in Zimbabwe. And the people have been streaming into the stadium. They're still crowding behind me trying to get in. And there is a real sense of history with 37 years under Robert Mugabe that came to an end in such dramatic fashion, pushed by the military. And the deal sealed by Emmerson Mnangagwa. The man who will be sworn

as the only second president that independent or Zimbabwe at all has ever known. And so the people in the stand are telling they came here to witness this historic day.

One mother said she brought her 2-year-old son, Robert, because she wouldn't miss it for the world. I just spoke to man which he said he wanted to come here. He's happy to see Emmerson Mnangagwa coming in and he said that the time for Mugabe was to go. As he put it, you blow the whistle at the end of the match and you just go to leave the field.

ALLEN: Thank you, David. We'll talk to you again. Let's go to Redi Tihabi. Again, she's a journalist and talk show host joining us from South Africa. What do you feel about this moment, Redi?

REDI TIHABI, JOURNALIST AND TALK SHOW HOST: Well, it's certainly is a historic moment. I never thought that I would see the end of the Mugabe presidency in my lifetime. I mean, he's been president for 37 years, which is just two years younger than what I am. But he's been a part of our political landscape on the African continent for so many decades.

Not only that. There is a close relationship between South Africa and Zimbabwe because they are our closest neighbors. But more importantly, a lot of Zimbabweans who fled to the oppression in that country came to Johannesburg, South Africa. So our society is as integrated as it can possibly get. So we're feeling the impact of the political huge developments in Zimbabwe.

VANIER: David, is Robert Mnangagwa -- I beg your pardon, is Emmerson Mnangagwa, Robert Mugabe by another name. In other words is it going to be more of the same under Mnangagwa?

MCKENZIE: Well, in a way you raise an important point there. Because, you know, a lot of people are worried this is more of the same. Emmerson Mnangagwa was the right hand man of Mugabe for so many years. In fact, he was the one who helped orchestrated the very extremely disputed in at times violence election period.

So, I think a key question for the international community looking at this particularly the U.S. and others, is that whether he will in fact change the direction of Zimbabwe. Will he elections as is mandated by the Constitution by August next year?

And hopefully we have some sound from the ambassador of the U.S. to Zimbabwe. I spoke to him yesterday, and he really said look, they're willing to play ball and really they will have to see what happens next with Emmerson Mnangagwa.

ALLEN: All right, apparently, David, we don't have that sound right now. But I want to get back to you, Redi, and ask you, can you even begin to think about the disappointment if this new leader more mirrors Mugabe than striking out and really crafting a future for this country that it deserves? [03:04:59] TIHABI: We can't even begin to contemplate that. I think

that what is working in Mnangagwa's favor is the humiliation of Robert Mugabe. What do I mean by that? He's a very proud man, he's got a formidable history in Zanu PF, their ruling party in Zimbabwe.

I just think that being a widely politician as he is, he will see who got these things for the fate of the failed Mugabe as a huge lesson and a reminder to him that he dare not fail. That is the first thing. The second thing is that he's successfully managed to lobby regional leaders to support him. Even though this was a coup, although they are not calling it that, but we know that it's the military that initiated this.

So I'm saying that the support, the messages that he received from the regional leaders should be able to give him the confidence that he needs to go forward. And I don't think that he can afford to even disappointment them.

And then thirdly, of course, he's already spoken about jobs, jobs, jobs. Politicians do that a lot, don't they? They promise what they can't deliver. But now that he's publicly said that his government is going to deliver jobs. How is he going to do that. He will need donors. He will need the IMF.

And I think he's got very little room to maneuver there and that may turn out to be a very positive thing for him and for Zimbabwe. Meaning, that he will be able to accept these astringent conditions that organizations like the IMF may bring to the table. He may just be able to introduce those structural reforms that Zimbabwe's economy needs in order to start showing some signs of life.

So I'm saying that to the circumstances a negative and difficult, but that may very well be the circumstances that will propel him to a successful era. But I reserve my judgment. I'm still skeptical about him because of that history that David so eloquently described of him being at the forefront of the violence oppressions, stolen elections and all of that. That's something that we must keep in mind even as we assess Emmerson Mnangagwa.

VANIER: Redi, you raise a great point with the promise of jobs may which one of the first things that Emmerson Mnangagwa said when he came back to Zimbabwe. That was on Wednesday.

David, Emmerson Mnangagwa was part of the team and part of the successive government under Robert Mugabe that ruined this once prosperous country. How can he be the man to now set the economy back on track.

MCKENZIE: Well, if history was any word he said he would have zero credibility. But in fact, he's got this honeymoon period that in a way Redi describe because a lot of people are just wanting to see the back of Robert Mugabe. He was the leader of this country. Ultimately, he pays the responsibility -- he takes the responsibility of what happened here.

So there will be this period that everyone will sort of catch their breath, wait and see what he will do. Just on the way here to the stadium, we saw people lining up at the bank trying to draw their money. They can only draw $50 a day here in Zimbabwe.

To a person, everyone I've spoken to, they've said they want the economy to improve. So they're less interested on the streets about necessarily which personalities are needed in this country and even those who are directly affected, maybe willing to not forgive but forget, suspend disbelief about who Emmerson Mnangagwa is if he delivers the money or the jobs that he is promising.

You know, politicians often do make the same mistake twice. But we will have to see if Zanu PF as a party can kind of shake off the dictatorship ways and try to bring an inclusive dispensation in Zimbabwe. If they can do that, they'll certainly have friends all over the world including the millions in the diaspora who would be willing to help.

ALLEN: Again to you, Redi, as a journalist, what do you expect and hope from this new leader as far as how the news media is able to operate in Zimbabwe and how people are able to respond and speak out for or against their president?

TIHABI: You know, Natalie, that is such an important question. Because even here in South Africa, we were told that we got a progressive Constitution and we do, but we often see the silencing of dissent or framing truthful news as fake news.

So I think it's a global phenomenon. Look, I really do think that Zimbabwe, and even Zanu PF is a very patriarchal party, so they don't take to criticism very well. And secondly, they don't see open media as being an ally. I think it is healthy to have some sort of acrimony between the media and the powers, precisely because our job is to put the spotlight on political power and to make sure that it doesn't transgress the principles of democracy.

So, he will have to. I don't think that that's going to happen overnight, because the kind of abuse, Natalie, that we've seen metered out to journalist, the kind of unrest and violence attacks. And there are a lot of South African journalists who are banded from covering Zimbabwe. I'm sure there are others from other parts of the world.

[03:10:02] So what I'm saying is I'm not hopeful that the relationship between the government and the media is going to change overnight. Even here in South Africa which is a democracy the government doesn't like us very much, but that's OK. It means we are doing our job.

But Zimbabwean journalists are some of the most tenacious, confident, and principled that we have seen. The state media of course, which has spreading the state or government propaganda but it is also free and independent and courageous journalism. And they must continue with their job.

I would say, Natalie, if they survived Mugabe, they certainly will be up to the task and can survive Mnangagwa, too.

ALLEN: Well said, and we certainly hope that is - will be true. Redi Tihabi, thank you so much. David McKenzie, thank you both. We'll continue to follow these developments.

VANIER: And if elections do come in Zimbabwe the struggling economy will be one of the biggest issues. We just touched on that. The once prosperous country is now synonymous with perpetual inflation and endemic poverty.

The downslide accelerated back in 2000 when the Mugabe government began violent seizures of mostly white-owned commercial farmlands, once the backbone of the economy.

ALLEN: The lands were redistributed to inexperienced farmers and political cronies. The end result, an economic collapse and hyperinflation, rendering Zimbabwe's currency almost worthless.

Empty shelves lined every store. Unemployment soared it's now estimated at between 75 and 95 percent. One journalist says fixing that maybe the key to righting the whole country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEOFF HILL, AFRICA CORRESPONDENT, THE WASHINGTON TIMES: There's about 90 percent unemployment rate, and love him or love them, Mugabe is a former schoolteacher has had a classical education rolled out right across the country in the past 37 years. Kids learn algebra, they learn Shakespeare. It's a highly literate, highly educated population with no jobs. That is -- that's the key thing to bring to the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: All right. Other news we're following, a significant development in the probe of Russian meddling the 2016 U.S. election.

VANIER: A source familiar with the matter tells CNN that attorneys for the fired U.S. national security advisor Michael Flynn notified the legal team for President Donald Trump that they can no longer communicate with them about the special counsel's investigation. That could mean that Flynn is cooperating with prosecutors.

ALLEN: Joining me now from Los Angeles is Troy Slaten, a criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor. Thank you so much for joining us.

TROY SLATEN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Thanks for having me tonight. Happy Thanksgiving.

ALLEN: Yes, and to you. Thanks for taking the time for doing this on a holiday.

So let's talk about this headline. Mr. Flynn's lawyers have stopped sharing information with the president's legal team about the Russia investigation. What could this signal?

SLATEN: Well, it could mean a lot of things and it's really hard to read the tea leaves this early in the game. Attorneys have joint defense agreements, information sharing agreements all the time. But it becomes unethical if one of the parties is actually dealing

with prosecutors and may be working out some sort of plea agreement to then share information with the others because it becomes a conflict of interest. Because then the interests of all those parties, all those represented parties become adverse to each other.

ALLEN: Right. So what else could it be?

SLATEN: Well, it could mean that a plea deal is likely. It could mean that General Flynn is just providing information. It could mean a whole host of things, and we really just don't know at this point. Especially because it seems like the special counsel's office is keeping it quite mum.

ALLEN: I want to talk, though, about when someone does cooperate with an investigation, and they may have a truth problem, would that compromise this witness?

SLATEN: Absolutely. Anytime the prosecutors whether be federal prosecutors or even in state courts, when they work out in immunity agreement with a defendant or with a witness the condition of that immunity is that everything that the person says is truthful.

And if anything that they say turns out to be a lie during that cooperation as part of that immunity agreement then immunity is off the table, and everything that they say can and will be used against them.

ALLEN: Very interesting. They have already charged, the investigators, three former Trump associates. How does Flynn compared to them? Would he be a bigger get for them?

SLATEN: Well, General Flynn was a three-star general. He was the national security adviser to the president of the United States albeit for a little bit less than a month. And he was very intricately involved and intimately involved with the campaign.

[03:14:54] So the special counsel here is looking at Russian interference in the election. And if there is anyone who was part of the Trump team that knew about that, it would be General Flynn, especially considering his close ties to Russia, to Turkey, and to the Russian ambassador.

ALLEN: And we know that his son could also be involved here and certainly it's been indicated that is concern to General Flynn. We thank you so much for joining us and for your analysis and helping us understand. Troy Slaten in Los Angeles. Thanks, Troy.

SLATEN: Thanks for having me.

VANIER: Next up on CNN Newsroom, the families of a missing submarine crew grow desperate. The new clue that might change the search for the ship, when we come back.

ALLEN: Also from protest to indignation. Reaction to the exclusive CNN report on slavery in Libya. Now accusations the west may be to blame.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VANIER: A breaking news just into us here at CNN. South Africa Supreme Court of Appeal just increased the prison sentence for Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius to 13 years and five months. This for the murder of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. It's the latest ruling in a drawn out case that has transfixed the nation for years.

The state argued that his earlier six year prison sentence was just too lenient. But Pistorius' legal team has always argued that the star mistakenly believed he was shooting an intruder and not his girlfriend in that 2013 incident.

ALLEN: Well, hope is fading in the hunt for that missing Argentine submarine. Official say a noise detected near the sub last known location may have been an explosion. It was picked up the same day the AR San Juan vanished with 44 crew members aboard.

VANIER: Now that was more than a week ago, and the relatives of the crew fear the worst. They're devastated by the latest news and some are lashing out to the navy for not doing more.

The potential explosion was picked up by censors meant to look for nuclear blast.

We're joined now by a man whose group runs those censors. Mario Zampolli is a hydroacoustic engineer with the Comprehensive nuclear Test-Ban Treaty Organization. Tell us a little bit more, Mario, about the technology behind this and more importantly, what it tells us about what may have happened.

MARIO ZAMPOLLI, HYDROACOUSTIC ENGINEER, COMPREHENSIVE NUCLEAR TEST-BAN TREATY ORGANIZATION: So the technology that the (Inaudible) has embraces is essential both by (TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY) atmosphere (TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY). In this case, (TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY).

VANIER: All right. We'll get back to this interview as soon as we can fix that sound issue there.

For the moment, more reaction in the wake of the exclusive CNN reporting on slave auctions in Libya.

ALLEN: Yes, you may remember our Nima Elbagir and her team witnessed African migrants, human beings being sold as slaves. Here's a short clip of her exclusive report.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[03:20:04] NIMA ELBAGIR, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: We're ushered into one of two auctions happening on this same night. Crouched at the back of the yard, a flash light obscuring much of the scene. One by one men are brought out as the bidding begin.

Four hundred, 400, 500, 550, 600, 650, 700. Very quickly it's over.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Since that report there have been protests, outrage, condemnation. France called for a meeting of the U.N. Security Council. The French president calling it a crime against humanity. The U.N. Secretary-general calling it appalling and the most egregious abuses of human rights.

Libya opened a formal investigation into the practice. The country's interior minister speaking out on Thursday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AL-AREF AL-KHOGA, LIBYAN INTERIOR MINISTER (through translator): We will not be complaisant but those who violate these rules and principles of humanitarian treatment. Whether it's our own citizens or any foreigners, this is a global humanitarian demand which people wi1l not accept anything less than. We are now currently waiting for the results of the investigations, which I believe are coming to a close.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: The head of the African union says concrete measures must be taken to make sure people and those slave markets are freed. He also says the west bears part of the blame for leaving Libya in chaos after topping Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOUSSA FAKI MAHAMAT, CHAIRPERSON, AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION (through translator): What happened in Libya, we were not consulted at the time. We were actually excluded from managing this. Those who carried it out didn't follow up. So we're now seeing total chaos in an African country that today is shared between criminals and terrorists who destabilize the Libyan people and its neighbors.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VANIER: The head of the African union there speaking to CNN.

Now, a new agreement between Myanmar and Bangladesh could allow hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees to go back to their lost homes in Myanmar.

ALLEN: But while that country called it a win-win situation, human rights advocate aren't so sure it's a good to deal for the Rohingya.

Here's CNN's Ivan Watson.

IVAN WATSON, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: After months of immense suffering, allegations of appalling atrocities, as well as the exodus of more than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims across the border from Myanmar to neighboring Bangladesh, now government officials from both countries have announced an agreement for the repatriation of these refuges.

We don't have a time frame yet, we don't have real details about how this could be implemented. But this is a sign of a step towards both governments trying to come some resolution of this crisis. Now it's not clear also what fresh diplomatic pressure from the U.S. government, what role that may have played in pushing both governments to announcing this repatriation agreement.

For the first time the U.S. secretary of state has used very rough language against the Myanmar government over this crisis. Rex Tillerson, issuing a statement that says, quote, "These abuses by some among the Burmese military, security forces and local vigilantes have caused tremendous suffering and forced hundreds and thousands of men, women and children to flee their homes in Burma to seek refuge in Bangladesh."

He went on to say, "It's clear that the situation in northern Rakhine state constitutes ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya."

The Myanmar government has flatly denied accusations that its security forces have engaged in what one U.S. State Department official described as systematic planned and organized ethnic cleansing.

If there's going to be a repatriation program, implementation will be key. Will traumatized people dare to go back to their home villages, some of which have been burned? Will any of them have any documentation left to prove that they once lived in Myanmar?

And the agreement, it's not clear, whether it will get to the crux of the crisis, which is that historically the Myanmar government refuses to recognize the citizenship, the citizen rights of this community of Rohingya Muslims, denying them access to health care, education, and even the rights to travel freely within the borders of that country.

Ivan Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.

VANIER: OK, we want to continue that earlier conversation with Mario Zampolli, he's a hydroacoustic engineer with the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Band Treaty Organization. They helped to detect the latest sound that was picked up from the missing Argentine submarine. That sound was consistent with explosion.

[03:25:05] Mr. Zampolli, what is the margin for error here? When you hear that and when the navy reports that there was a sound picked up a week ago, consistent with an explosion, as far as you're concerned does that mean there are necessarily was an explosion or could there be an alternative theory to what happened?

ZAMPOLLI: So, the degree of confidence in the localization, so where the sound originated from and what time the sound was emitted, that degree of confidence is high. The connection to the explosion is not necessarily sure.

The signal had some features which have been observed into those signals before but there could be many other situations in which an impartial signal like that can have such features and be not an explosion.

VANIER: OK. That's relatively good news in a sense. It could be something else?

ZAMPOLLI: Yes.

VANIER: Is it possible for a submarine to survive an explosion, if indeed that's what it was?

ZAMPOLLI: Well, submarines are not part of our business normally. And I'm not an expert. But we must consider that these warships, so they are built to being in situations if there are explosions.

VANIER: What more can you tell us about the sound that was picked up? What theories can we build based on that latest data point that we got?

ZAMPOLLI: So the sound was picked up by two of the hydroacoustic monitoring stations of CTBTO worldwide network. That is the network that listens to nuclear explosions all over the globe in the ocean, in the atmosphere, in the earth.

In this case, two of the so-called hydroacoustic stations with motion sensors one in Ascension Island in the south, in Atlantic Ocean and one in the Crusoe Islands right between the South Africa and the Atlantic picked up a sound which by our experts could be determined to be the same sound originating from a location which is not far from where the submarine was last reported, and at the time which is about three hours and 21 minutes after the last contact that the submarine had apparently had with the base.

So this information led us to go forward and contact the Argentine authorities and communicate this to them in the hope that this could help contribute in narrowing down the search area focusing the search efforts if the authorities decided that this was worthwhile issuing.

VANIER: All right. Mario Zampolli is coming to us from Vienna in Austria. Thank you very much for your insights. Thanks.

ZAMPOLLI: Thank you so much.

VANIER: Now in years past, political dissent in Zimbabwe was barely an option. It could get you hurt or worse.

ALLEN: But now as the Mugabe era officially end, that seems to already be changing, celebration after the ouster of a dictator. That's coming next.

[03:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:30:24] VANIER: Welcome back and good to have you with us, I am Cyril Vanier.

ALLEN,T: I am Natalie Allen, today on our top stories at this hour here in CNN Newsroom. Zimbabwe is expected to swear in Emmerson Mnangagwa as the new president in the coming hour. He previously serve as the right hand man to Robert Mugabe, the country's leader for the past 37 years. But Zimbabwe Herald newspaper says Mugabe may not attend the inauguration. VANIER: Argentina's navy says an explosion may have been detected

near the last known location of the missing submarine. News devastated family member of the crew. 44 people were aboard the ARA San Juan when it vanish more than a week ago.

ALLEN: We are getting more reaction to CNN's exclusive report on slave auctions in Libya. The head of the African union says concrete measures must be taken to make sure people in those slave market are now freed. He also say the west bears part the blame for leaving Libya in chaos after top Muammar Gadhafi in, 2011.

VANIER: South Africa's supreme court of appeals has increase the present sentence Oscar Pistorius to 13 years and five months for the murder of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius had argued that though he was shooting a home intruder back in 2013, but the state said the Olympic star's earlier six year sentence was too lenient. Dictator violence.

Under Mugabe's dictatorship decent was punish with violence, but since his removal, there been jubilation in the streets of the capital.

ALLEN: Our Farai Sevenzo visited part of Harare that is reveling in its new found freedom.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

FARAI SEVENZO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is high fields, one of Harare's oldest townships. Robert Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo, the founding fathers of the ZANU-PF have lived here. Now is a stronghold for the northern opposition Party. The movement for Democratic change. And life here is about survival. The jobs are informal. Mechanics, market women, barbers, and a great deal of unemployed, hustling. It is now a traditionally opposition here in high hills. Robert Mugabe did their operation (inaudible) which means clear out the fields. The raise peoples house without planning permission. But the aim really was to smash the newly formed movement with Democratic chains oppositions support base, which is all over here.

Maxwell is one of those who had his home destroyed in 2005. The father of three used to be a bank manager, now he like so many others has no job.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All these years I've been working in the bank for 19 years, I am the manager.

SEVENZO: He is desperate for a chance to vote for change, freely and fairly.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Both of them, Mnangagwa they must come together and work together and bring reforms to election for a proper election to be done. If an election is not done, it's unfair.

SEVENZO: Unfair because people are so euphoric, but right now incoming president Emmerson Mnangagwa has the edge. The boys at the barber shop are optimistic. In fact they can't even believe they are allowed to speak to us. Mugabe era if this, they would have been beaten up for talking to us.

Only that people wanted change. They all view things will change.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The view right now seems to be a bit simpler. We just call it the mistakes of e old man.

SEVENZO: These schoolgirls tell us they also believe the future is suddenly brighter with Robert Mugabe's departure.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think its ok that way, but for the meantime --

SEVENZO: Farai Sevenzo CNN, high fields, Harari.

(END VIDEO)

ALLEN: We continue to wait for the arrival Mnangagwa in the stadium where he will be sworn in as the next president of Zimbabwe.

Syrian opposition group meetings at Saudi Arabia, a serious president should not play a role in any peace deals supervise by the U.N.

[03:35:05] In a draft resolution the group say and to Syria's civil war can only be achieved if Bashar al Assad and his regime are removed ahead of any transitional period.

VANIER: The group met to confirm the unified position ahead of U.N. peace talks in Geneva.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A participant stress the importance of the departure of President Bashar Al Assad and the regime of the Moscow platform express reservations at the demand.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VANIER: The Russian President Vladimir Putin has been among Mr. Assad's top supporters both militarily and I helping to negotiate cease-fires in the civil war. And while we wait for negotiations, Turkey's already helping to rebuild the Syrian City, a town once brutally held by ISIS forces.

ALLEN: Our Arwa Damon explains why Turkey has an interest in helping the city prosper and move forward.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

ARWA DAMON, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: At a round about where ISIS used to display the head of its victims, there is a brand new Turkish post office. It's complete with an atm. A man we meet takes us just around the corner to his cousin's home. He was one of ISIS' first victims. But the family here does not want to relive the unspeakable pain of the past.

They placed their brother's head just at the front of the door. It was Syrian rebels backed by Turkish military might that drove ISIS out more than a year ago. And since then Turkey has gone all in. With reminders of that everywhere. Turkey is funding a fully functioning hospital with Turkish expertise to bolster the staff. It's also supplying the town with electricity and water and working out with the local police force and as they call themselves, a free Syrian army rebel units that are in the area.

Turkey has multiple reason to want to both militarily and financially invest here. It wants to secure its own borders. Stop the Syrian Kurdish advance. And it is hoping by creating, safe zones that are relatively prosperous, Syrian refugees will perhaps begin returning to their homeland. And the population has swelled to around 70,000. About 3 times it original inhabitants. And Turkish hopes to use the town as an example, to prove to others that its patronage brings progress. Along with everything else, Turkey is also funding school, cramp with children from all over Syria, eager to learn after having been deprived for so long.

This school used be an ISIS training site and a prison. She may never understand why her parents deserted her. She says that her father left fighters left abandoned her and the rest of the family., Syria's scars run deep, and , there is no certainty that its future will be any kinder to its people than its past. Arwa Damon, CNN, Syria.

VANIER: The U.S. navy has halted its search for three sailor's missing since the plane they were on crashed into the Philippine Sea on Wednesday. Eight other crew and passengers on the flight were rescued and are in good condition.

ALLEN: The plane like this one went down during a routine flight while approaching a U.S. Aircraft carrier from a base in Japan, it's not clear why it crashed, but one official says engine trouble may have been a factor.

Reactions still pouring in over a dramatic footage showing a North Korea defector being shot by his former military comrades as he fled across the demilitarize zone.

Our Anna Coren track down another defector, who knows all too well what this young soldier just went through.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can see him moving down at a good rate of speed.

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Speeding down a deserted road on DMZ. A North Korean soldier is attempting something the U.N. Command say, no one has ever done before.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You will see some KPA soldiers come out of this building here as the vehicle quickly moves past them.

COREN: Using an army jeep, he drives within meters of the South Korean border and under a rain of bullets from his own comrades, he runs cross the demarcation line, defecting. There have been many defectors, but this is the first one I want to

praise for bravery. He was heroic. I never thought to do this because it's a suicide mission. This 32-year-old comrade would know. He spent 10 years as an officer in the North Korea people army based in the DMZ.

[03:40:03] And while he thought about defecting, he never imagine the pulling off such a daring escape. Instead he crossed the border in to China, made his way to Thailand and then defected to South Korea four years ago. And that is where he met his wife also a defector, who doesn't want her identity revealed fearing for the safety of her family back in North Korea.

Conditions were hashed, everyone was hungry even the soldiers she says. The U.N. is sending rice and fertilizer and all goes to ranking officials. There are many soldiers who also die from diseases, because they are not given medical treatment. The latest defector, the third this year, suffered serious injuries to his arm and abdomen from at least four bullet wounds. By the time he was medevac to hospital, he had lost more than 50 percent of his blood and was almost dead. And while surgeons were operating, they discovered dozens of parasitic worms some up to 27 centimeters long, which doctors say were the result of poor hygiene and malnutrition, back in the 1990s famine and starvation plague North Korea. But the U.N. says malnutrition is still a major problem.

More than 40 percent of the population in under nourish and 1 in 4 children face chronic malnutrition. While North Korea soldiers generally treated best than civilians, life is still a constant struggle. This exclusive footage obtain by South Korean Christian mission shows North Korean soldiers physically plowing the soil instead of using livestock. And here there foraging through a birds nest hunting for chicks presumably to eat. The head of the mission has rescued hundreds of North Koreans. He says while is footage is bleak, it's not hunger that motivates defectors, but rather the desire for freedom.

North Korea are thirsty for the outside world. And frustrated by the reality they face, he explains. Those who defect including soldiers are hungry for information and have a strong desire to get out. Kung says he too wanted a better life especially for his new family. And now working as a journalist, he occasionally broadcasts loudspeaker message to the North Korea soldiers and has this message for his fellow defector.

Congratulations on your defection, happy South Korea. I wonder if you heard my broadcast and helped with your decision. I hope we can meet and have a (inaudible). Anna Coren, CNN, Seoul.

(END VIDEO)

VANIER: We want to bring you this scene from the stadium in Zimbabwe capital Harare, where Emmerson Mnangagwa is set to be sworn in. The next president of Zimbabwe arrive just moments ago at the stadium. You see him on the screen. We will be bringing you those pictures here on CNN. He is also going to be addressing the nation after at. Of course a great interest not only to us here, but mostly to Zimbabweans, what will he say? He messages will he send out, both on the economy and of course the future of the country, the political system there. We will be bringing you those pictures.

ALLEN: Mnangagwa will take over at the old president to elections are held most likely next year. It is plan for the summer, he laid the part in the long standing dictatorship there acting as Robert Mugabe's number two man. But the so-called crocodile man, a welcome change for Zimbabweans. You can see the scene right there in the stadium that is 60,000 people, he is there and he will now be inaugurated momentarily. Our coverage continues after this.

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[03:45:50] ALLEN: On Thursday two men, two of the number of powerful men recently accused of sexual misconduct across the U.S. release statements about the allegations against them. Senator Al Franken address head on a new accusations that he groped a woman during a public photo-op in 2010. He said I recognize that, I need to be much more careful and sensitive in these situations. I feel terribly that I've made some women feel badly for that I'm so sorry and I want to make sure that never happens again.

Meantime Alabama senate candidate Roy Moore took a more indirect approach to the allegations against him of abusing a young woman underage. In his statement he thanked supporters for their prayers during what he called the toughest spiritual and political battle of his life. Some observers say this harassment scandals are a cultural game changer.

VANIER: Joining me now is Gloria Feldt, former president of Planned Parenthood here in the U.S., advocate of women's rights and founder of take the lead, a non-profit that aim to put women in position of leadership. Gloria, I'd like you to help us assess this moment that we're in. And accusations of sexual misconduct against dozens of men in power, powerful men and it looks like it's going to continue. How significant do you think is really is? And how much staying power do you think this really has?

GLORIA FELDT, FORMER PRSIDENT OF PLANNED PARENTHOOD: Well the second part of your question is very prescient, because the difference at this moment will make will be fully dependent upon what women do now, and what men do now. What men and women do now? You know for millennia, men have been able to basically behave badly. Let's face it. The way our culture has been structured women have been secondary for millennia. That has changed. It has changed in the law. We have opened doors. We have change laws. We have seen a woman first almost everything, but we haven't really changed the culture in totality as yet. So what is happening is you can sort of liken it to, you know, a baby puts a blanket over its head it thinks nobody can see it. And men culturally have been able to have that blanket over their head and think nobody can see the behavior that they were exhibiting.

VANIER: So what is your gut instinct when you see all of this happening, all these accusation? The men that have to step down and you know it happens within minutes? Are you skeptical of this? Or do you think, somebody who work on this issues for years if not decades, you think this is the moment we have been waiting for?

FELDT: I think this is the moment that we have been building to, it is not a moment that we have been waiting for. As I said, we had to change laws. We had to change women's perception of ourselves. You know, the work that I do would take the lead now, really focuses profoundly on women's relationships with power. And what everyone can now see is that sexual abuse and harassment is about power. It's really much more than being about sex. It is about who is in control.

VANIER: Do you think this trickles to ordinary people in the everyday workplace and everyday life? Because you look at the men who are concern here and who have been accused and those who have stepped down, it is men who are in the spotlight, right? Who are in some kind of position where they get a lot of public attention? Whether it is the producer Harvey Weinstein or politics or in the media, but what about people who are not in the spotlight?

FELDT: Well, you know it is in that sense a watershed moment for everyone, because when we see this things in the media it not only informs us, but also inform our behavior. And I will bet you that there are lot of men, particularly men over the age of say 50 or 60 who are quacking in their boots. Because they know they had exhibited some kind of harassment.

[03:50:06] What I think we as women and as men however need to do going forward is to teach people starting with young people, starting with young men and women, proper behavior toward one another and respect toward one another. And when you look at, you know I saw a statistic that Charlie Rose had about 80 percent of the people on his panels where men. Well, that tells you something right there about respect and recognition of what women are able to bring to the table. Women now know what we can bring to table. And we have to value ourselves enough, to be able to say, no, that is not behavior that I'm willing to tolerate. And so it works both ways.

VANIER: You say a lot of men are probably quaking in their boots right now, what would you say to women for looking at this allegations, accusations that have been made public and think, well, I have the same story, experienced similar things, what would you tell them?

FELDT: Right. I think it's really magnificent so many women are coming to tell their stories. I grew up at the time when, what I learned to do was to smile and move away. It is not that I didn't experience these behaviors, it's at I never would have called them out. I just smile and move away. What is great is that when you need a hill situation which you recalls now over 20 years ago, when I need a hill began a national conversation about sexual harassment, suddenly we had a name for it. But it took really a generation of women who now understand they don't have to take that. They really know it's wrong and that they can call it out. So we are going to learn from the young women how you set your own, terms from the very beginning, how you dint let men even starts to exhibit harassing and diminishing and demeaning behavior towards you.

VANIER: And Gloria, we're not done analyzing this moment and this shift in our society and culture. We'll speak to you again. Thank you very much for your time on coming on the show.

FELDT: Thank you Cyril.

VANIER: Facebook says soon you'll be able to see if you've been following Russian trolls in your newsfeed.

ALLEN: It our fault isn't it? Not really. Critics say it is not gain back public trust. We'll have that story coming up here.

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VANIER: Welcome back. So Facebook wants you to know if you were duped by Russian trolls during the 2016 U.S. presidential election. On Wednesday the company announce a new tool that will let you see certain pages that they liked or followed for link to the internet research agency. That is where the Russian trolls formed which are tied to the kremlin.

ALLEN: The tool will be available at the end of the year. But our Samuel Burke tells us there are some caveats.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

SAMUEL BURKE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This has left a lot of us scratching our heads because on this surface you would think it' a good move that soon Facebook will be launching this tool which will show you if you were exposed to Russian link content, but if you read between the lines, Facebook will only be giving access to his tool for the users who click like or followed this Russia linked accounts. Now you don't have to like one of this accounts to have been exposed to the promoted post that they had all across Facebook.

[03:55:00] Keep in mind that 150 million American where shown in this post. That is more than the entire U.S. Electorate. So why only show this to a smaller group of people? Why not make the tool available to everybody? Keep in mind that CNN Money has seen and shown the evidence that this very same accounts are also posting around Brexit here in the U.K. So the ranking member of the U.S. House Intelligence Committee Adam Schiff says that he believes that this is a positive move that the social media networks needed to take an additional steps for more transparency, so that people can better understand everything that happen around Russia and Facebook and the other social networks in the 2016 elections.

(END VIDEO)

VANIER: In Canada, residents of the province new found land are noticed as party animals, so a group of them were waiting for a flight home at Toronto airport, the celebration was on.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(MUSIC PLAYING)

ALLEN: Out came a guitar and accordion and pretty soon, a concert was under way. People sang along, dance, jigged and clapped. VANIER: New found landers are known for sentimental ballads and sea

shanties drawn from their roots. When it is time to board the plane, the airline announce the flight was delayed, so out came the instruments and the people were clapping again. In a mince of an airport delay, there you go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: All right, we need more of that in the airport, around the world, don't we? Say I act like that.

VANIER: No.

ALLEN: All right the city of lights also living out to its dazzling reputation.

VANIER: Here is a look of the holiday displays, this time along Paris. People say the sight warms their hearts.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was amazing, magical. There were lights everywhere. It was amazing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It represents Christmas which is on its way. And the cold wrap up well and we are happy to be here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ALLEN: Other sites from around the world, the Vatican is marking the season with a 28 meter Christmas tree. It arrive all the way from Poland but won't be lit for another two weeks.

VANIER: And Russia, the side of Christmas are everywhere. Christmas balls, adoring trees, on red square and one mall in Moscow is completely decked out.

ALLEN: More of that to come.

VANIER: Pretty nice. Thanks for watching CNN Newsroom. I am Cyril Vanier.

ALLEN: I am Natalie Allen, news with Max Foster in London, right after this.

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