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Man Shot Dead Outside Paris Police Station; China Suspends Stock Market Circuit Breakers; European Markets Drop after China Turmoil; Tensions Soar on the Korean Peninsula; Iran Claims Saudi Warplanes Hit Embassy in Yemen; South Korea to Resume Propaganda Broadcasts over DMZ; Young Syrian Refugee Plans to Change the World. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired January 7, 2016 - 10:00   ET

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


[10:00:00]

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ROBYN CURNOW, CNN HOST: Hi, there. I'm Robyn Curnow. Want to take you straight to Paris, where we understand the French interior minister is

going to be speaking in a moment. This, of course, after a man was shot outside a police station. Let's listen in.

BERNARD CAZENEUVE, FRENCH INTERIOR MINISTER (through translator): As you know, the anti-terrorist prosecutor's office is dealing with this matter,

has been dealing with it this morning, and the prosecutor will express himself about the first elements of the inquiry.

The person who proceeded with this aggression and who was -- who died following the need for the police to shoot and that identification will

need to take place in the following hours to find out more about this -- what this person was doing and his motivations.

Information will be provided where possible and I'll be able to give you other information other than what we have at the moment.

Finally, I would like to conclude by saying that in a country where the threat level is extremely high, the police and gendarmes are in the front

line, as the president -- French president has said and so I'd like to thank them for their very great courage and this bears -- test me from

their commitment to protect the French people in the fight for which I would like to speak about the -- speaking about these particular

circumstances, express my solidarity, my gratitude for their remarkable work. Thank you.

CURNOW (voice-over): OK. You are listening there to the French interior minister.

CURNOW: And of course, Paris is already under high alert after November's terror attack. And of course, we had the incident today. I'm going to

take us straight to Jim Bittermann to give us more clarification on what the interior minister said.

Not much. Not a lot of new details about this incident that took place outside the police station. Hi, there, Jim.

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Hi, there, Robyn. Well, in fact, we did hear a little bit more information from the prosecutor, the

terrorism prosecutor's office here in Paris, who issued a statement just minutes before the interior minister.

The terrorism prosecutor told us that, in fact, this assailant, who portrayed (INAUDIBLE) charging at the police with a meat cleaver and

basically -- and also a very suspect belt on that the police then looked at afterwards and decided that he had been trying to look like a terrorist

with a body bomb on him but, in fact, it didn't -- it wasn't a real bomb. It was a fake.

And that when they examined the body, they found no identification for who this terrorist might have been but they did find an ISIS flag, a daish

flag, as it's called here in France, in his pocket as well as some kind of a demand in Arabic and they're still translating that demand.

So they're quite clearly making this connection to terrorism and it's a very terrorist event and, as you heard the interior minister say just then,

that, in fact, there are -- a lot of people here are congratulating the way the police reacted to it because of the fact that it was a direct attack on

the police station and on the policemen.

CURNOW: So is there this suggestion then this is some sort of copycat?

It is not connected to ISIS?

I mean, the fake suicide bomb, suicide vest.

BITTERMANN: Well, fake suicide bomb but some kind of a copycat; obviously had an ISIS flag in his pocket so he had some kind of a connection. They

also found, by the way, a cell phone on his -- in his person.

So he was, you know, they're going to look over that as well to sort of see who he was talking to, how he may have been communicating, if there were

any communications with known terrorists, that sort of thing.

So I think we'll see more in the next few hours but definitely this has now taken over a terrorist -- we were wondering before whether this is perhaps

somebody that just was a crazy person who had decided to do something against the police.

But in fact, it looks like more than that. Looks like some kind of a terrorism plot.

Also the other thing, the connection was made to the fact that this attack came almost exactly to the hour of the attack, one year ago, on "Charlie

Hebdo," and it came at just as the commemoration ceremony for that attack was wrapping up at the central police station. So clearly the timing made

it look like a terrorist event as well.

CURNOW: OK. Jim Bittermann, we'll come back to you if there are any more details.

[10:05:00]

CURNOW: Thanks for that update from Paris.

I do want to talk about another story here at CNN. Another global selloff for financial markets. The downturn started in China where trading lasted

less than 30 minutes, then moved to Europe and now to Wall Street.

Here's a look at the Dow Industrials about half an hour into the trading day. There you can see, down over 230 points. Not as bad as, I must say,

that the futures had predicted. But still, we have reporters covering all angles of this market drop. Our Maggie Lake is at our New York bureau.

Nina dos Santos is at our CNN bureau and John Defterios following the impact on oil prices and he is live in our Abu Dhabi bureau.

Thanks, guys.

Maggie, I want to just get to you and in the last 15 minutes, while, in fact, you were on air, we heard about a major about-face by the Chinese

government in relation to these circuit breakers. Just take us through that.

MAGGIE LAKE, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Absolutely, Robyn. So there was a widespread feeling in the market that these circuit breakers,

that the Chinese had put into effect to try to stop selling, overdone selling in the market, were not working and were, in fact, stoking panic.

So the news came through as we began trade here that they have reversed course. They're not going to put them into effect. They're going to let

the market trade freely and that did help pull us off our lows. That is seen as a sign that they are responding and that they are not just sticking

with policy as our guest just said for the sake of consistency.

That is seen as good news; however, it does not erase all the concern in the market that the Chinese economy may be weaker than we think and Chinese

authorities may not completely have a handle on trying to manage this transition to a more open market.

There are concerns about that and that is why you are seeing us continue to trade down some 200-odd points.

The other thing you've got to worry about is once those circuit breakers come off, what does that selloff look in China and how unnerved do people

become because of that?

So I think those China worries are absolutely going to dominate throughout the day. However, investors here still looking at a very large drop. This

has been a very brutal week so at some point when you see those selling by the short-term people, you are going to see some of those long-term

investors start to step in and look for some bargains on beaten-down stocks.

So that's the sort of to-and-fro that you're seeing play out on the market right now -- Robyn.

CURNOW: Indeed. OK, let's go to Nina --

Thanks so much.

This is the second time this happened this week, Nina. Happened fast. I mean it was the shortest trading day on record in China. It's not just

investors in China unnerved. Tell us what played out in Europe this morning as well.

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. When I got in, the markets opened; they tumbled in excess of 2 percent within just the first 30

minutes or so, nowhere near 7 percent which is the level that traded that circuit breaker. But now the Chinese authorities have decided to suspend

after twice, it seems to have caused something of a global market meltdown this week.

Robyn, we should point out that the Chinese markets are very, very different, though, from the markets in the United States and also the

European markets. The nature of the investors completely different. One of the reasons why the Chinese markets have been selling off so quickly and

hitting those circuit breakers is because we have a large number of retail investors in that market, getting in very late into what analysts have been

saying, cautioning has been some very overvalued stocks potentially and also buying those stocks with a lot of debt as well.

So putting up 10 percent collateral, borrowing the rest to buy those stocks which means they lose so much more heavily when the market falls and that's

one of the reasons why, when the market opens, they press the sell button and the system overloads.

CURNOW: Indeed. Still on those markets, still very much a negative territory.

John, I want to move to you. A lot of this uncertainty also has to do with oil. I mean, at levels we haven't seen in over a decade. Just tell us how

that plays into all of this.

JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: In fact, Robyn, we hit a new 11.5-year low. The bear sentiment prevails. North Sea Brent, the

international benchmark, was down 5 percent yesterday and another 3 percent today and believe it or not we've seen a 65 percent correction from top to

bottom in the last 18 months alone, better than 10 percent of that since the start of 2016.

It boils down basically, Robyn, to oversupply in the global oil market today and worries about China going forward in terms of demand. Two major

producers going all out right now. One from the Middle East, in Saudi Arabia, with over 10 million barrels a day of production. Russia at a

record 10.8 million barrels of production and OPEC has increased production by 1.5 million barrels a day in the last nine months.

The challenges against the United States, the Central Asia producers, producers like Mexico and Canada, because their cost of production is much

higher. So no one's cutting any production right now.

They're waiting for everybody to blink and we're knocking on the door of $30 a barrel and that is a new 11.5-year low.

Now three key factors we should watch out for, China, number one, in terms of its demand.

Will it drop in the second half of 2016? [10:10:00]

DEFTERIOS: We saw record surpluses in the United States in terms of oil stockpiles. Over 2 billion barrels in supply in the United States. Again,

that is a record.

And number three, Saudi Arabian and Iranian tensions right now, normally that would drive the price higher. The worry in the market today is that

the two will fight for oil market share instead. In fact, Saudi Arabia's already cutting prices into Europe in anticipation of Iran coming back to

the market.

Iranian sources, including the minister, have told me directly they want to add 1.5 million barrels a day in 2016 if they can get the sanctions

lifted. So it's an all-out market share war and it's going to be a price war testing $30 a barrel. Very likely in the next couple of weeks,

according to the sources I'm speaking to.

CURNOW: Yes.

This huge geopolitical nature to all of this and thanks to all of you, John, Nina and Maggie. Appreciate it.

Well, we're at the INTERNATIONAL DESK. CNN is in Pyongyang. Next up, we'll talk to Will Ripley. The North Koreans say there's proof that they

tested a hydrogen bomb. The rest of the world says that's highly doubtful.

Plus, Saudi-led warplanes launched overnight airstrikes in Yemen.

Did one of them hit the Iranian embassy there?

What Iran and Saudi Arabia are saying about those strikes. Stay with us.

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CURNOW: Hi, there. Welcome back. It's 13 minutes past the hour and an update on a major story we have been covering here at CNN.

Four countries, including the United States and China, have been unable to confirm claims by North Korea that it successfully tested a hydrogen bomb

this week. Well, CNN's Will Ripley is in Pyongyang right now to learn more about the test and joins us now live.

And I must just also warn you, before we even speak to Will, that there is a very long delay so you might see him taking time to answer the question.

But, Will, we have just heard that there's -- that there's no proof that there was -- this was a hydrogen bomb but the North Koreans are saying

otherwise.

Yes. It appears that not only have we had a delay before we went on during break but we might have lost his connection. We will try to get back to

him. But in the meantime, we're going to move on to South Korea, which is in talks with the U.S. to deploy strategic assets on the Korean Peninsula.

Ivan Watson is in Seoul.

Hi, there, Ivan.

What more do we know about that?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know that the two governments have been in communication. There were late-night

calls between President Obama and the South Korean President Park and that the South Korean government has declared that there should be some kind of

a corresponding price --

[10:15:00]

WATSON: -- that North Korea will have to pay as a result of its nuclear test, which has, of course, ratcheted up tensions, nuclear tensions, here

on the Korean Peninsula.

Thus far, we do know that diplomats have gathered at the United Nations Security Council to discuss putting forward a new resolution, perhaps,

against North Korea as a result of this. That could take days, I'm hearing from CNN's Richard Roth, who covers the United Nations.

In the meantime, South Korea has announced one retaliatory measure and that is to resume a Cold War tactic. That is, broadcasting propaganda from huge

banks of loudspeakers set up on the South Korean side of the demilitarized zone, broadcast that across the DMZ into North Korea.

And that would include everything from news bulletins, of course, into heavily censored and controlled North Korea and even music, K-pop, Korea's

fabulously popular brand of pop music.

That is a measure that, believe it or not, has very much frustrated and angered the North Koreans in the past and has resulted or led to an

escalation in tensions as recently as last August and September. Both governments had to sit down and talk for days to try to come to a deal and,

as a result of that, South Korea turned off those loudspeakers.

It may sound a little bit funny but this is against a backdrop of a much more serious issue and that is this explosion that North Korea claims was a

hydrogen bomb.

There is still no conclusive evidence that neighboring countries, governments have been able to put forward to say whether or not it was, in

fact, a hydrogen bomb. If it was, it would mark, analysts say, a dramatically forward in North Korea's nuclear weapons technology -- Robyn.

CURNOW: Well, let's talk about trying to assess what this explosion was. We understand so-called sniffer planes have been trying to analyze

radiation in the air.

What do we know about that?

WATSON: That's right. Japan, for example, within hours of the nuclear test, announced that it had put up two military planes to try to gather up

dust in the atmosphere, which presumably then would be tested for radioactive material.

What's interesting is the environmental agencies and ministries of China, South Korea and Japan have all announced that they have not found any

uptick in radioactive material in their airspace.

Of course, that does not conclusively prove whether or not this was actually a hydrogen bomb that went off in North Korea. Presumably, that

takes days of additional testing and sniffing, as you put it, done by some of these planes which fly along the outskirts of North Korean airspace.

North Korea, of course, standing by its guns, saying that it made an enormous leap forward, saying that this was an act of self-defense, this

nuclear test, in response to what it describes as a campaign of threats and intimidation by the U.S.

It is not a move that has been welcomed by its long-time traditional ally and trading partner, China, which summoned North Korea's ambassador,

presumably for a dressing-down. China has condemned this nuclear test -- Robyn.

CURNOW: Thanks for that update, Ivan Watson there in Seoul.

Well, coming up here at the INTERNATIONAL DESK, he's a long way from home and after making the perilous journey from Syria to the shores of Greece, a

young refugee says his only wish is to help others. We hear from him next.

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[10:20:00]

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CURNOW: Hi, there. Welcome back.

Well, a hospital is overwhelmed in Syria after a truck bomb kills at least 50 people. Most of the victims are policemen or trainees who had gathered

for a morning meeting. Now this is one of the deadliest attacks since the fall of Moammar Gadhafi back in 2011. Libya has become a hotbed of

militant activity because of the political instability there.

Meanwhile, Germany's chancellor says she wants a full investigation into the New Year's Eve attacks on women in Cologne. Some 90 women say they

were robbed, sexually assaulted or threatened by groups of young men. Chancellor Angela Merkel calls the attacks "completely unacceptable."

Thursday she hinted that she may increase police numbers and revise deportation policies.

Well, back now to North Korea, where we have reestablished our contact with Will Ripley from Pyongyang. As I was saying earlier, Will, there is a

delay but I do want to know, North Koreans say they have proof this was a hydrogen bomb they tested yesterday.

Do we know --

(CROSSTALK)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: my phone because it's been weird, audio quality.

CURNOW: I think we might have lost him again.

Let's just see if that delay hits him.

No.

Unfortunately, Will Ripley -- we are having those connections but bear in mind this is Pyongyang and it's live television. It's never a dull moment,

is it.

Well, there is also new growing concern in that dispute between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Iran says Saudi warplanes deliberately targeted its embassy

during an air raid in Yemen late Wednesday.

Our senior international correspondent Nick Paton Walsh is standing by, gathering details from Beirut.

Hi, there, Nick. I mean, this -- if this is the case, this would be a major escalation.

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SR. INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Exactly. But we don't actually knows what is the case at this stage. We know that Iran's foreign

ministry is saying their embassy in Sanaa, the Yemeni capital, was hit by Saudi coalition warplanes late last night, late Wednesday night and the

guards were injured, the building itself was damaged.

The Saudis themselves, their coalition spokesperson, Ahmed Asiri (ph) is saying there's no, quote, "credible evidence" of this yet but they're still

investigating the claims none the yet.

And I have to say we ourselves are struggling to get some kind of tangible proof that the embassy itself has been damaged. Not to say that isn't the

case but, frankly, given the climate in the Middle East right now, the exact facts of the matter, obviously regardless of the fate of those

potentially injured, the exact facts of the matter are less the point.

It is more the ratcheting up of the rhetoric here, the scope of the accusations. Let me explain why obviously that's relevant. Saudi Arabia

right now are busy severing diplomatic and commercial relations with Iran, who are retaliating with whatever means they have, too, on the diplomatic

level.

That's because Saudi Arabia executed a Shia activist cleric, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, along with some more Sunni related terrorists in a wave in just

the past week or so. That sparked this outrage, damage to the Saudi and Arabian embassy, one of their buildings in Iran.

And that has led to this more regional spat where Saudi Arabia and allies are diminishing their diplomatic relations with Iran and now we have this

troubling move away from what we have seen as proxy warfare, where Saudi Arabia's backing opposition to the Assad regime, that's being backed by

Iran and Syria but a clear effort here for them to exchange accusations about who's, in fact, attacking who on the ground in Yemen.

Yemen, of course, another arena in which Saudi Arabia and Iran are facing off against each other. Saudi Arabians are attacking the capital, Sanaa,

which is currently held by a group called the Houthis, who are backed by Iran.

This massively complex series of allegiances and conflicts here is why the Middle East is aflame right now. It's a long rivalry between Saudi Arabia

and Iran. It's coming to the head. It's no longer about proxy wars and posturing and this one instance in Yemen -- we're not quite clear what

happened -- is a worrying potential shift away from diplomatic and commercial retaliation against each other to potentially the battlefield

itself -- Robyn.

[10:25:00]

CURNOW: Nick Paton Walsh in Beirut, thank you so much for that update on a very dangerous situation there in the Middle East. Thank you.

Well, we're going to try again to go back to North Korea, where I understand we have re-established our contact with Will Ripley. He's in

Pyongyang.

And I want to know, Will, the North Koreans say they have proof of a hydrogen bomb.

What is it?

Do you know?

RIPLEY: We don't know exactly what proof the North Koreans say they have, Robyn. But we are told that tomorrow we're going to be speaking with some

scientists who have knowledge of this purported H-bomb and they're going to talk to us about the technology that was used.

I just met a short time ago with some North Korean government officials and they gave some very interesting insight into the mindset here. They said

they're overjoyed as a nation by this nuclear test, the fourth nuclear test in the last 15 years. North Korea, the only country in the 21st century

that has conducted nuclear tests in 2006, 2009, 2013 and then again this latest test.

They also are saying that because of the way that the test was conducted, deeper inside of a mountain at their launch site on the northern part of

the Korean Peninsula near the Chinese border, they're saying that there will be less radiation emitted into the atmosphere and that may explain,

Robyn, why China, South Korea and Japan are all saying that they have so far not detected any change in radiation levels although it could take

weeks for those measurements to actually be accurate -- Robyn.

CURNOW: And they're also talking to you about the possibility of more sanctions.

What's been said?

RIPLEY: It was interesting because I asked how the North Koreans would feel if, as a result, as a penalty for this fourth nuclear test, more

sanctions were slapped upon the country and they said, the officials that we were meeting with, said they're expecting more sanctions. They're

prepared for more sanctions.

They pointed out that this country's nuclear program has grown aggressively in recent years in spite of the international sanctions. They say it is

something that they will just have to tighten their belts and move forward.

So it really does give you some insight into the mindset here, the fact that this country is willing to sacrifice, in some cases, food and other,

you know, generating electricity, other vital resources in exchange for the ability to develop these atomic weapons, these nuclear weapons, because

they feel it's the only way that they can protect their sovereignty from what they feel is an imminent threat from the United States.

They compared themselves to a hunter and the rest of the world to a pack of wolves just waiting to strike. They said they're not going to lower their

rifle but they also said they're not going to fire unless they're provoked first. So we plan to meet in the coming days with more North Koreans to

learn exactly what's going on here in Pyongyang and why this country, this reclusive country, is acting the way that it is.

CURNOW: Maybe questions to that answered in terms of the fact that its leader, Kim Jong-un, definitely trying to project a certain profile,

sending a message. It is his birthday this week. You talk about him speaking to the outside world.

What about domestically?

There's been some suggestion that he might be on sort of shaky ground domestically and this is also a message, an internal message.

RIPLEY: Yes. Kim Jong-un will turn 33 years old just a short time from now, actually, in about two minutes. It's just before midnight here in

Pyongyang, Pyongyang time. Kim Jong-un will turn 33 and certainly this nuclear test is an effort to send a message to his domestic audience and

not just the people of North Korea but also the members of his inner circle, the Workers Party, the ruling party here, that he commands.

A number of Kim's inner circle -- well, just recently, one of his high- level aides died in a car accident. There are other government officials who have been suspected of being purged in recent months although when we

ask government officials here about that, they denied the Supreme Leader's direct involvement.

But there's another development that could really escalate this situation and it's important that we talk about it because South Korea is saying that

about 12 hours from now they're going to turn back on the propaganda loudspeakers that they blasted over the summer after there was an incident

on the DMZ when two South Korean soldiers were injured in land mine blasts.

The propaganda loudspeakers are infuriating to the North Korean regime. They consider it an act of war and the last time that the loudspeakers were

turned on, North Korea responded with artillery fire.

So in the coming hours, today, on the Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un's 33rd birthday, we could see a dramatically escalating situation and it's

something we're going to have to watch very closely here in the North Korean capital to see how this young leader responds -- Robyn.

CURNOW: Indeed. And it is. It's great having you in Pyongyang. Thanks so much.

[10:30:00]

CURNOW: And we look forward to your reports in the coming days. And of course, third time's a charm. I'm really glad we got to speak to you

eventually. But good luck. Thanks so much.

Will Ripley there in Pyongyang.

Well, still ahead here at the INTERNATIONAL DESK, the French capital is even more on edge after police shoot a man dead on a dark anniversary of

terror. A live report coming up next.

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CURNOW: Hi, there, everyone. Welcome to the INTERNATIONAL DESK. It's 32 minutes past the hour. I'm Robyn Curnow and here's a check of the

headlines.

(HEADLINES)

CURNOW: And the anti-terrorism branch of the Paris prosecutor's office is now investigating that attack outside a police station. I want to take us

straight to Paris, to the scene. Our Atika Shubert is right there.

Hi, there, Atika.

What more do you know?

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Robyn, this is as close as they'll let us to the scene but we just had a press conference with the interior

minister Cazeneuve. And he basically gave some more details of what he called an aggression. It has not been identified as a terrorist attack

just yet.

Basically, he said a man attempted to attack the police station less than 100 meters behind me. He was wielding a butcher's knife, a meat cleaver --

[10:35:00]

SHUBERT: -- on the man. He was then shot four times. On the man they found a piece of paper with a black flag of ISIS, according to the

prosecutor's office. It was -- he also had a handwritten note in rambling Arabic. Haven't really been made -- haven't been able to make sense of

that note just yet.

So they're still trying to identify the man and figure out if he was acting alone, did he have accomplices and perhaps, most importantly, what exactly

motivated him to carry out this attack today. They still don't know if he has any connections to any other terror suspects, organizations, and the

investigation is still ongoing -- Robyn.

CURNOW: And we also understand he was wearing a fake suicide vest. And that, of course, triggered a bomb disposal robot to go and check about

that.

What more do you know on that issue?

SHUBERT: Well, we spoke to one eyewitness, who said that he was wearing a very bulky vest and so it did seem strange. They were concerned about it.

And this is why they sent out this remote controlled device to check it out.

The police, however, say there were no explosives. They described it as a fake explosives vest. Now it's not clear exactly what made it fake, if it

was wired to appear as one or if it was simply mistaken as a detonation device. We're still trying to get more details from police on that --

Robyn.

CURNOW: And of course, this is a terrible anniversary.

What's the mood like in Paris?

SHUBERT: Well, it is very tense, as you can imagine; as it is, people were attending events for memorials for those victims who died in the attacks

last year. Police and law enforcement were on high alert anyway because of the anniversary.

And I was actually in a meeting of law enforcement, where they were discussing the process of de-radicalization, how to take out this toxic

ideology that some youth here are drawn to with ISIS and other terror groups.

So it is a city on edge. Paris is now, unfortunately, the sad reality of the city is that people are now prepared for terror attacks. They're given

instructions, what to do if shooting happens, where they should hide, how they should duck and try and get out, away from the crossfire.

So, this, unfortunately, is the new reality here. But Parisians are insistent that they will continue on with their lives. They'll go to the

cafes, drink their glasses of wine and try to retain as much normalcy as they can, despite fears of another attack.

CURNOW: Yes, difficult times. Thanks so much, Atika Shubert there on the scene. Appreciate it.

Well, more than a dozen miners rescued in upstate New York. This is a survival tale. Wait for this.

After spending nine hours trapped in a freezing elevator 270 meters underground, the 17 men were working in a rock salt mine when the elevator

became stuck. Rescuers were able to send down warm blankets to the men while they awaited rescue. No injuries were reported.

Well, after a harrowing thousand-mile journey, 14-year-old Alaa Alabsa arrived on a Greek shore not with fear in his eyes but with a glimmer of

hope for changing the world. CNN has more on the Syrian refugee and his dreams for the future.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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ALAA ALABSA, SYRIAN REFUGEE (from captions): Our country there is too destroyed and problems. We can't live there.

I am from Syria, from Damascus. And I am 14 years old. I love my country, Syria. I love playing football and swimming and playing computer games,

PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3. And I love very much driving a car, a race car.

I am very happy when I came to Greece because, the sea, it is very big.

I am very sad for what happens in my country with the war and the terrorists.

I hope be a doctor for help the people around us, the people. I hope the world can live in peace and not there are war, and not war in any country

in the world.

Greece!

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[10:40:00]

CURNOW: Just one story magnifying an entire crisis.

Thank you so much for watching. I'm Robyn Curnow. There's much more after this break. Stay with us. You're watching CNN.

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CURNOW: America's largest gun rights organization is refusing to appear with the U.S. president in an internationally televised town hall

discussion on gun control.

This comes just days after Barack Obama brought more tension to the controversial topic with an emotional speech. There you can see him

shedding a tear. The NRA says it sees no reason to participate in what it calls a public relations spectacle orchestrated by the White House.

But you can watch that town hall. It is being hosted by CNN. Our Anderson Cooper has this live one-on-one event. It happens Thursday night at 8:00

in Washington. That's 1:00 am Friday in London. Do tune in.

Well, that does it for us here at the INTERNATIONAL DESK. I'm Robyn Curnow. I'll be back in just over an hour with more on how the U.S.

markets are faring. In the meantime, don't go anywhere. "WORLD SPORT" with Amanda Davies is up next.

END