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Turkey Blames ISIS for Suicide Bombing; U.S. & Cuba Restore Diplomatic Relations; U.N. Security Council Endorses Iran Nuclear Deal; Greece Reopens Banks, Pays Billions To Creditors; Former Chinese Presidential Aide Arrested; Mogul Leading U.S. Republicans For President; Voting is Underway In Burundi Election; North Koreans Vote In Preordained Elections; Surfing Pro Details Terrifying Shark Attack; Infidelity Website "Ashley Madison" Hacked. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired July 21, 2015 - 00:00   ET

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


[0:00:02] JOHN VAUSE, CNN NEWSROOM ANCHOR: Clashes in Turkey has demonstrated his blame, the government, for not stopping a suicide bomber.

ZAIN ASHER, CNN NEWSROOM ANCHOR: And in China, a former rising star and top aide to the president is under arrest, charged in a corruption crackdown.

VAUSE: Gun fire in Burundi just hours before the polls open, the country's president is seeking a controversial third term.

ASHER: Thank you so much for joining U.S. wherever you are around the world. I am Zain Asher.

VAUSE: Hello everybody, I'm John Vause. This is CNN Newsroom.

We'll begin this hour this Turkey where police and protesters have clashed on the streets of Istanbul. The demonstrators say that Turkey's government did not do enough to prevent a suicide bombing, which killed 31 people on Monday. Turkey's Prime Minister is blaming ISIS for the attack.

ASHER: And we do want to warn you about the video we're about to show you of the moment of the attack is certainly graphic. It is very disturbing. We want to show it to demonstrate the inhumanity and the horror of the attack as well.

The explosion ripped through apart where people were gathered for a rally. More than 100 people were wounded. It happened at the Turkish town of Suruc, near the Syrian border.

Here's our Arwa Damon with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Reality transforms in an instant. The suicide bomber detonates, lives immediately lost. Screams and wails of survivors, some in shock, others crying out in pain.

A resident describes how frantic individuals arrived pulling sheets back off corpses, desperately searching for their loved ones.

This was a gathering of mostly Kurdish activists for the Kobani reconstruction efforts. Kobani, the town just across the border in Syria, where for months last fall predominantly Kurdish fighters backed by coalition air strikes launched pitched battles against ISIS. Eventually driving them out, but leaving the town decimated.

The Turkish government insinuating this is the work of ISIS. Revenge for the role Turkey is playing in the war on terror.

AHMET DAVUTOGLU, TURSKISH PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Initial findings point to a suicide bomber in ISIS, but it is hard to reach a judgment before investigation is concluded. ISIS does not only post threat to Syrian people, but also Turkey.

DAMON (on camera): The mood here is pretty somber. Investigators are continuing with their work well into the night, blood still staining the ground.

It was only a matter of time before the violence in Syria spilled over across the border. And this is not the first attack. But this strike, in particular, is raising a lot of questions, especially when it comes to how the Turkish government is handling the threat posed by ISIS.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Suruc, Turkey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: Now, in the meantime, British Prime Minister, David Cameron is announcing new steps to prevent his country's youth from joining terror groups.

VAUSE: In his speech on Monday, Mr. Cameron laid out a five-year plan. He said more needs to be done to protect Muslim youth who are often easy targets for ISIS recruiters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISER: Like so many ideologies that have existed before, whether fascist or communist, many people, especially young people are being drawn into it. We need to understand why it is proving so attractive.

And some argue it's because of historic injustices in recent wars or because of poverty and hardship. This argument, what I would call the grievance justification, must be challenged.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: A close friend of the man who killed five U.S. servicemen in Tennessee says Mohamed Abdelaziz called ISIS "a stupid group", completely against Islam. ASHER: That's right. The 24-year-old opened fire on two military buildings last week. He was killed in a shootout with police. Now, a friend that tells CNN that Abdulaziz was very much against radicalism.

VAUSE: Investigator say, they haven't found any connection yet between the government and ISIS or any other terror groups. Officials are looking at writings by Abdelaziz that indicated he was angry at the U.S. government.

ASHER: Meantime, a historic day in Washington and Havana. The U.S. and Cuba officially reestablished diplomatic ties Monday, toring 54 years of Cold War, animosity, and mistrust as well.

Cuba's Prime Minister, Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, raised his country's flag over Cuba's embassy in Washington, DC.

VAUSE: In Havana, the U.S. embassy was also reopened.

[0:05:01] Earlier, I spoke with Jim McGovern, a U.S. Democratic Congressman who has been pushing for normalization of U.S. relations with Cuba.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JIM MCGOVERN, (D) MASSACHUSETTS: Well, I'm a believer that the more interaction between the two countries, the more political space will be created. My first visit to Cuba was in 1979. And so, the Soviet Union was there. Since then, the Europeans, Canadians and everybody else have kind of descended on the island. I think one would argue there's more political space there today than there was in 1979. So, I believe this is a positive step.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Parrilla and the U.S. Secretary State John Kerry shook hands on Monday. And Secretary Kerry welcomed what he called a new beginning.

ASHER: Kerry is going to be traveling to Havana on August 14th to formally raise the American flag over the U.S. embassy there.

VAUSE: Same with U.S. diplomacy by unanimous vote, the U.N. Security Council has endorsed the Iran Nuclear Agreement, but tensions clearly remain between the United States and Iran.

The resolution says sanctions relief will be implemented after the International Atomic Energy Agency verifies Iran has taken certain steps, which have been outlined in that deal.

ASHER: Now, U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power emphasized the agreement doesn't change America's position towards Iran on other issues, which prompted a strong response from the Iranian ambassador.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAMANTHA POWER, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: This nuclear deal doesn't change our profound concern about human rights violations committed by the Iranian government or about the instability Iran fuels beyond its nuclear program, from its support for terrorist proxies to its repeated threats against Israel, to its other destabilizing activities in the region.

GHOLAMALI KHOSHROO, IRANANIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS: It is ironic that the distinguished ambassador of the United States accused my government of destabilizing the region and terrorism.

The country that invaded two countries in our region and created favorable ground for the growth of terrorism and extremism is not well placed to raise such accusation against my country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Iran's government still hasn't signed up on the deal. Its supreme leader has not taken a definitive decision. And the commander of the powerful hard-line Revolutionary Guards said on Monday, we will never accept it.

ASHER: In an effort to ease Israeli concerns about the agreement, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter made Israel the very first stop on a regional tour of Middle East. Carter met with Israel's defense minister, assuring him that United States is going to be continuing to help Israel counter Iranian support, Hezbollah.

VAUSE: Prime Minister Benjamin Natanyahu has condemned the deal, calling it a historic mistake that will not prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

And to Greece now, with the government fresh out of the vote, must vote Wednesday on new reforms.

Greek banks reopen on Monday for the first time in three weeks. Withdrawals are still limited to $450 each week. And after a bridging loan from the E.U., Greeks has made billions in payments to two of its creditors, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank.

ASHER: Now, Greece's former Finance Minister, Yanis Varoufakis, is unimpressed, speaking Monday to CNN's Christiane Amanpour. He considered that Greece made mistakes in bailout talks. But he says most of the blame for the country's economic growth falls on its creditors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YANIS VAROUFAKIS, FORMER GREEK FINANCE MINISTER: If you look at the way that they have behaved, from the very first day, we assumed power on the 25th of January to last week or so.

I think that close inspection is going to reveal the truth of what I'm saying. They were far more interested in humiliating this government and overthrowing it or at least making sure that it overthrows itself in terms of its policies, than they were interested in an agreement that would, for instance, ensure that they would get most of their money back.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: Now, many say last week's third bailout agreement imposes tougher terms on Greece than the deal composed earlier this year.

VAUSE: From Greece, we head to China where authorities have arrested a top aide to Chinese president, Hu Jintao. Ling Jijua has been expelled from the Communist Party and is facing prosecution.

ASHER: Now, according to Chinese state media, Ling is accused of taking bribes, stealing state secrets, and he's also accused of adultery as well. Now, his arrest comes amid current president Xi Jinping's crackdown on corruption.

VAUSE: Senior international correspondent, Ivan Watson, joins U.S. now live from Beijing with more of the details on this.

So Ivan, what are the details surrounding all of these accusations of what Ling is alleged to have done? And what could be the consequences for him beyond party expulsion?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, he's been under investigation all the way since last December. But now, of course, stripped of his communist party membership and placed under arrest now.

Now, some of the accusations against him include are basically accepting a huge bribes, violating communist party discipline, seeking to benefit his wife's businesses, and "committing adultery with a number of women and trading power for sex."

[00:10:13] Amid the possible consequences, well already, he's been stripped of a number of positions that he was in, in various organs of the Communist Party. He could face an extended jail sentence. That's what just last month, the former director of Internal Security, a man named Zhou Yongkang, who was once very, very powerful in this country. He just received a life sentence as part of this anti-corruption campaign. And it is possible that Ling Jihua, who's described as a so-called Tiger, one of the former communist party elite, he could face that.

And this is a country that also uses the death sentence quite a bit. We haven't seen cases like that of former top officials getting the death sentence in part of this anti-corruption drive, but that is a possibility down the road.

VAUSE: Ivan, you have mentioned that one of the accusations here is actually committing adultery. Why is that considered a criminal offense?

WATSON: Well, you know, I looked into Chinese state media reports and they don't say that this is actually a legal crime. It's not a criminal offense adultery. But you do find that when charges are brought against people such as against human rights lawyers, just last week who were rounded up, or in this case, that often there are murky sexual allegations, suggestions of adultery that are kind of thrown into the pot as well, and that may be true or not. That the investigators came up with evidence to that, but it certainly seems to be a popular method for destroying a suspect's reputation at least on moral grounds. John.

VAUSE: And, you know, this is quite interesting. It comes a few weeks before the annual gathering of senior leaders there in Beijing. It leads to speculation that President Xi Jingping is sending some kind of political message as well?

WATSON: Well, I mean, if this anti-corruption campaign that he's led has led to some really big fish or so-called tigers of being arrested. And there is a debate, is this really anti-corruption or is he going after potential political rivals?

Take a listen to what one experienced China analyst has to say about this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW WEDEMAN, CHINA STUDIES INITATIVE, GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY: There are these high-level cases which are certainly political. Are they -- Is he simply clearing them out because they're their political rivals? I think that's not entirely the case.

Xi Jinping has an important job, which is he needs to reassert central control over the party, which seems to have slipped under his predecessor, Hu Jintao. So, it isn't a political witch hunt and the kind of crude sense of that notion. But certainly, there is -- It's a highly political campaign.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: And this is likely to resonate with Chinese people, the arrest of Ling Jihua, who many, many know as the father of a man who killed himself crashing his Ferrari in Beijing in 2012, John. And that was in a story that was scrubbed from the media and from the internet, and something that breeds resentment among many Chinese. John.

VAUSE: Yes, absolutely. Ivan, thank you. Ivan Watson, live in Beijing this hour. Thank you.

ASHER: We turn now to the Vatican where more than 60 mayors from around the world will be descending for an important conference today. The two-day event is going to be focusing on climate change and human trafficking as well. The mayors are expected to sign a declaration against modern-day slavery.

VAUSE: Representatives from the U.N. will also be there. Pope Francis is expected to make some kind of statement. We'll have more from the event, which is said to begin just a few hours from now.

We go to the CNN Freedom Project now in our latest documentary called "Children For Sale: The Fight To End Human Trafficking." ASHER: Actresses -- actress rather and activist Jada Pinkett Smith appears while a young survivor right here in the U.S. who was sold for sex at the age of 15. She says she was lured in by someone she thought was her friend.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JADA PINKETT SMITH, ACTRESS AND ACTIVIST (voice-over): Sasha Ray was born and raised in Florida. By the time she was 14, she was constantly being teased at school.

SASHA RAY, VICTIM OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING: What I got picked on a lot about was being black. I have really, really dark skin I guess.

SMITH: She felt alone at home and at school. Sasha Ray says that's why when an older classmate offered friendship, she jumped at it.

[0:15:03] RAY: I thought she was like my best friend because I could like tell her anything. One day she asked if, you know, I want to skip school, want to have fun, you know. So, we went to this barber shop. When I was there, she introduced me to these guys.

SMITH: Sasha Ray's new friend had just led her to the man who would eventually become her trafficker.

RAY: They talked about how I was going to make money, how it was going to be easy. We didn't have to depend on nobody. And it was all sounding good and stuff, so I fell for it.

SMITH: Was there any kind of grooming process like when this first started or it's just something that's just happening? You -- He was just expecting you to learn on the way?

RAY: He slowly brought it on when we got closer, when we he felt like he got closer to me to use it, the back of the barbershop. And then he'd even people that were with the post office mailman come in. Mailman came in and paid their money to him, came back there to me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: And please join us all this week for an in depth look at this global problem and be sure to watch the CNN Freedom Project documentary, "Children For Sale: The Fight To End Human Trafficking", Wednesday, 8:00 p.m. in London, 9:00 p.m. Central European time. You will see it only here on CNN.

ASHER: And we'll have time for a quick break here on CNN. When we come back, going after American POW record doesn't appear to be hurting Donald Trump.

Up next, how Trump is doing in the U.S. presidential polls after saying, and I'm quoting here, "He likes people who weren't captured."

VAUSE: Also, ahead of British Comedian prank Sepp Blatter, why he made it rain on the president of FIFA.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[0:20:53] VAUSE: Welcome back everybody. A new national poll has American billionaire Donald Trump, leading the field of Republican presidential candidates leading the field. That's despite some controversial comments over the weekend. Trump has the support of 24% of likely Republican voters nearly double his closest competitor.

ASHER: Now part of this poll was taken after Trump slammed Senator John McCain on Saturday for being a prisoner of war, saying that he likes people who are not captured. He also questioned whether McCain was legitimate war hero. Trump tried to pivot away from those comments on Monday night on Fox News.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I'm going to say this, I have respect for Senator McCain. I used to like him a lot. I supported him. I raised a lot of money for his campaign against President Obama. And certainly, if there was a misunderstanding, I would totally take that back. But hopefully I said it correctly. And certainly shortly thereafter, I said it correctly.

I would like him, however, to do something with the 15,000 people that were in Phoenix about illegal, you know, immigration. They are being decimated. These people are being decimated and I would love to see him do a much better job taking care of the Veterans Bill.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Trump says, he did raise money for McCain's 2008 presidential campaign. About $1 million he claims. But said this weekend, he didn't like the Arizona senator because he lost in the past. He's also called him a dummy.

ASHER: And several politicians and influential newspaper are calling for Trump to drop out of the race. McCain says that Trump should apologize to military veterans as well.

VAUSE: McCain has handled this incredibly well.

We shall move on. FIFA's embattled president is speaking out for the first time since announcing his decision to resign. Sepp Blatter now says his replacement will be selected during a special election on February 26th. And he made it clear there is a lot he would like to get done before his time is up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEPP BLATTER, OUTGOING FIFIA PRESIDENT: My duty and mission now is to defend the institution, FIFA, and not to defense myself. I can defend myself. I don't need help for that, but FIFA. And I'm happy that today, the executive committee together with the confederations, they have said, "Yes president, we will help you."

(END VIDEO CLIP) ASHER: Now, actually in one of the more bizarre moments from the news conference, as you can kind of see here, there's a British prankster who threw a stack of fake cash at Blatter before security ended up leading him away.

Now, FIFA has of course been in crisis since May when 14 officials were indicted for racketeering, money laundering and wire fraud.

And in about 20 minutes on World Sport, where we'll have a closer look at how FIFA plans to carry out some of their reforms.

VAUSE: He'd have a better reception if it was real money.

ASHER: It was a very embarrassing moment for Sepp that he actually had to leave and excuse himself and then come back in and continue his speech.

VAUSE: OK. A sudden downfall has trapped more than a thousand tourists at several scenic spots in East China's Jiujiang province. Everyone though was evacuated to safety during a five-hour long rescue operation.

ASHER: Violent storms batted parts of Poland. Thousands of homes reportedly lost power and falling trees caused car accidents as well. Officials say that sudden gale force winds and downpours damaged hundreds of buildings.

VAUSE: OK, a lot of weather to get to, meteorologist Ivan Cabrera joins us S. here at the news desk for the very latest. Also have been very hot, been very hot.

IVAN CABRERA, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Incredibly hot, yes.

VAUSE: Over so many parts of the world. I think last month was yet again another record breaker.

CABRERA: Record breaker once again, incredible. And the storm track here is going to remain the same. And so basically, all the storms, and the wet weather, and the cool wind up to the north and the heat remains to the south. So that's going to be initial.

Let's talk about the storms that we had as well in China. And then we'll take you further to the west and then work our way towards Europe and show you what's been happening out there with some hot temperature.

Look at these totals here. My goodness, Japan, 175 millimeters in just the last 24 hours, and Yakushima, 213 millimeters. That is an incredible amount of rain in just one day.

[0:24:59] And that's what they have been seeing over the last few days with this boundary that has just been firing terrific amounts of moisture here across the region.

383 millimeters in China, we've showed you the flooding there. It just keeps going. And the fronts is not going anywhere, so basically where it lies, it will continue to be very stormy over the next couple of days. We'll watch that very closely.

And so what happens is, well, we get these disturbances that ride along the front. What that does is creates additional lift in the atmosphere, and that just enhances a shower or a thunderstorm activity. And boy, do we have that continues over the next a few days. So, more heavy rain for the same areas that have been getting hit with those 200-300 millimeters of rainfall tallies in the last 24 to 48 hours.

Wow, look at this. This is a forecast now for the next 48 hours, more heavy rain across the region. It has just been an incredible time.

All right, we'll take you to Europe where we have ping pong-sized hail coming out of the clouds here. That's how strong the updrafts were to suspend that hail up in the atmosphere, 4 centimeter hail there.

And then Poland, you saw the damage there, a 112 km/hr winds. We're talking almost near a hurricane force winds across the region. That is because the storm track continues here to pump a lot of disturbances across the region. And that's what's been triggering that.

But further to the south, it has been quiet, and it has been high pressure, and it has been hot with temperatures well into the 30s, and in some cases, the 40s as well.

All right, that's the latest. CNN Newsroom continues after the break with Zain and John.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Welcome back everybody, great to have you with us. You're watching CNN. I am John Vause.

ASHER: And I am Zain Asher. Let's give you your headlines.

[30:01] Police in Istanbul, Turkey clashed with protesters who say the government did not do enough to prevent the suicide blast earlier in the day. That attack near the Asyrian border killed 31 people. The Turkish Prime Minister suggests that ISIS is to blame.

VAUSE: The U.N. Security Council had unanimously backed the Iran Nuclear Deal. The resolution spells out that sanctions will be lifted after nuclear inspectors certify Iran is complying with the agreement.

There is opposition including the commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards who says, "We will never accept it."

ASHER: The U.S. and Cuba have officially reestablished diplomatic ties, toring a 54-year Cold War freeze. Cuba's foreign minister raised the Cuban flag over its embassy in Washington, DC.

The U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, is going to be traveling to Havana in August to raise the American flag over its embassy there.

Now, voting is underway in Burundi's presidential election. VAUSE: The contest is highly controversial. The incumbent, Pierre Nkurunziza, is running out of post for the third term that many consider unconstitutional. His decision to run sparked months of instability and violence.

ASHLEY: I'm joined on the phone now by Journalist Julia Steers. She's in Burundi's capital, Bujumbura.

So Julia, thank you so much for being with us. The polls there are now open. How much of an up tick in violence are we seeing? And how much real support does Pierre Nkurunziza, still have?

JULIA STEERS, JOURNALIST (via telephone): Right. The polls, you know, were scheduled to open at 6:00. It's now 6:30. But voting seems to be off to a slow start here after a night of heavy gun fire and explosion that could be heard throughout the capital city of Bujumbura.

There were several grenade attacks reported overnight by residents. So far, no deaths or injuries have been reported. But people here are really fearful and the events overnight had really just added to that general sense of fear and concern about insecurity here in the capital, which we've seen a violent crackdown over the last several weeks in response to demonstrations against the president's run for a third term.

So, turnout is expected to be relatively low here in the city. The president enjoys less support here than he does in the countryside. And many residents told me this week, they will not vote in what opposition candidates have called a fraudulent election. Others say they will not turnout just simply due to the recent turmoil and concerns about possible attacks at the polls today.

ASHER: And at least three opposition candidates, I'm hearing, have withdrawn from the race, you know, in protest of Nkurunziza running.

But Nkurunziza -- How is Pierre Nkurunziza justifying seeking a third presidential term to the people?

STEERS: Well, he says that because his first term here, he was not directly elected, but he was elected through a treaty and a peace accord. He says that he is due for a third term as elected by the people. But many in the international community and here in Burundi say his bid for a third term violates both Burudian constitution and the international Arusha Accords.

And as you know, there have been weeks of demonstrations against his third term by the people here and a violent response from the government in order to put down those protest.

ASHER: And we will continue to monitor the violence there, the protest. And we'll of course monitor the outcome of these elections.

OK, Julia Steers, live from for U.S. there in Bujumbura. Thank you so much. We appreciate that. VAUSE: Just eight weeks after taking office, Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari, has met one-on-one with U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House where they discussed Nigeria's fight against Islamic extremist, Boko Haram.

ASHER: And Mr. Obama pledged U.S. Corporation in that fight as well as efforts to bring down corruption in the West African nation.

Now, Buhari will meet with members of the U.S. Congress, the cabinet, and the World Bank during his four-day visit to Washington, D.C.

VAUSE: North Koreans were sent to the polls over the weekend to vote in a presidential election, and the outcome was never in doubt.

ASHER: And as CNN's Brian Todd reports, the top human rights monitor says the election were nothing but a sham.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's a big event in North Korea. Women dressed in long gowns, men in suits. It's voting day, where people cast their ballots for provincial, city, and county people's assemblies.

But here, voters are simply handed ballots to place in a box. The candidates, the winners pre-decided by Kim Jong-un's government.

For each election, there's just one candidate on the ballot. A vote against the selected candidate goes into a separate box. But a no vote is considered an act of treason, as is the failure to show up to vote.

BRUCE KINGNER, HERITAGE FOUNDATION: People will be questioned and then they may go to political prison. And knowing how North Korea works, they could even have several generations of a family go to a Gulag for the crimes one person, which may simply be voting against the candidate that has been pre-approved or not showing up to vote.

TODD: North Korea's government-controlled news agency says, for this election over the weekend, voter turnout was 99.97%.

Analyst say, for Kim's regime, there's an unsettling strategy behind the balloting.

KINGNER: It is a way of checking up on people. Are they aware they're supposed to be? If someone doesn't show up, that may indicate they've tried to defect or they're moving elsewhere in the country, it's something that the central government does not want.

TODD: This comes as Kim continues a bloody campaign of purges, keeping senior members of his regime on edge.

South Korean intelligence says he's executed at least 70 top officials, including his own uncle, since taking power in late 2011. Far more than his father did in his first years. Analyst say, with the reported execution of Defense Minister Hyon Yong-chol with an antiaircraft gun this spring, he's gone through at least four defense ministers.

GORDON CHANG, CONTRIBUTOR, FORBES.COM: This is a fight between generals and admirals and Kim Jong-un and it's not over yet.

TODD: Does this mean Kim is threatened from within? A U.S. official tells CNN, Kim has so far carried out these purges without repercussions. But some believed he's constantly looking over his shoulder.

CHANG: Every time you kill somebody, you create an enemy, and that enemy then needs to be eliminated. So Kim Jong-un right now is on a downward slope, and I don't know if he can bring this situation under control.

TODD (on camera): Analyst say, no one who's close to Kim Jong-un is completely safe, but the one person who's least likely to be purged is his younger sister, Kim Yo-jong. She is a rising star, 27-years old, said to be Kim's closest advisor.

Kim Yo-jong is believed to be taking on key roles in her brother's security agencies and having a huge say in who gets appointed to top posts.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: OK. We're going to take a quick break here on CNN. When we come back, the search is on for intelligent life --

VAUSE: Let me know when you faze up.

ASHER: -- in space. Is there anybody out there? Coming up, who is behind a new project to find aliens?

VAUSE: Also, ahead of world champion surfing describes what went through his mind while punching a shark in the face, live on T.V.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[40:25] VAUSE: Here's the scene right now at Sydney airport, two surf boards, three chairs, so by that, you can put together that we are waiting for a news conference by Mick Fanning, Julian Wilson, and a third person who we don't know. They'll be just arriving. We understand they had arrived back from South Africa.

Mick Fanning, of course, is the Aussie surfer who punched the shark and follow him off live on television in a spectacular fashion. As soon as that happens, we will bring it to you.

In the meantime, Mick Fanning may in fact be rattled a little, but he says his run-in with a shark will not keep him from the waves. ASHER: Now, the entire world watched in horror as Fanning fought off his attacker, i.e., the shark on live television during a surfing competition.

CNN's David McKenzie spoke to Fanning and shares his terrifying account.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The terrifying moments of a great white shark attack unfolding on live T.V. In nightmarish of slow motion, Mick Fanning, one of surfing's greats stalked by an awesome predator in the Eastern Cape.

MICK FANNING, CHAMPION SURFER: He came for me.

MCKENZIE: And he is still deeply shaken.

FANNING: That all of a sudden, I sort of sensed something behind me, and then all of a sudden, I just jumped him aboard and, you know, I just -- It was like, OK, something's going on. And then I felt myself getting dragged under by malaise and then the next thing I know, I saw his fin. And then the next thing, it came back around and went again on my board. And yes, and then it was like a rush and saw the male, the shark.

TODD: On the other side of the world, pride turned into horror as Mick's mom watch the attack live from Australia.

ELIZABETH OSBORNE, MICK FANNING'S MOTHER: I just couldn't believe what I was seeing, really. I saw this sort of fin, big fin, and then Mick sort of scrambling and sort of turning around. And then he went down and I realized then, it must be a shark attack and I just -- Well, I was absolutely terrified. I thought we'd lost him.

TODD: But instead of swimming away, Mick turned to face the sedan- sized shark and swung a few punches.

FANNING: If I'm going to get down, I'm ready to go down with a fight. And like you see there and you say all these different things when you're on the beach and you joke around with friends, but I don't know, it's just instinct, right? It's one of the things, like fight or flight pretty much.

TODD: Mick Fanning says it was ultimately up to the shark whether he lived or died. For pro surfers, surfing is like a religion. But he says that this attack has put his life into focus.

FANNING: Right down to small aspect to more family and friends and, you know, cry a little bit. It's, yes, it's just, you know, it's -- And you never know. Like you're just lucky. You just think whatever gods were out there or whatever just to say thanks, thanks for looking after me.

TODD: The attack has rattled the pro surfing community but this story could have ended so much worse. And Mick says he just wants to get home to Australia to give his mom a hug and decompress. But Mick says he'll be riding the waves against soon.

David McKenzie, CNN, Jeffrey's Bay, South Africa.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: And that hug between Mick and mom will come fairly soon.

ASHER: Yes.

VAUSE: Because we understand that Fanning has actually arrived back in Australia from South Africa.

ASHER: His mother actually watched the whole thing unfold live on television. You know, she thought her son was gone.

VAUSE: Yes.

ASHER: But fortunately, he did emerge. I can't even imagine --

VAUSE: Quite an emotional roller coaster.

ASHER: Can you imagine? Yes.

VAUSE: So we are waiting for the news conference from Mick Fanning and also Julian Wilson, who is the unsung hero in many ways. He was his friend.

ASHER: Right, he swam towards, yes.

VAUSE: The example, to see if he could help. And of course, he was also badly shaken by what happened in the waters in Jeffrey Bay, the shark infested waters in Jeffrey Bay.

In the meantime though -- oh, here we go. We have people arriving over there. Is that Julian Wilson? I think it could be.

ASHER: We're still waiting for Nick Fanning.

VAUSE: And we're still waiting for them. I think it's just getting ready for the news conference.

In the meantime, Fanning though has a whole new legion of fans have come after that incredible images on live television of him fending off that shark attack.

ASHER: Now, the surfing star says he was unscathed yet shaken by the incident.

Here's Amara Walker with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMARA WALKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Australian surfer, Mick Fanning, is now world-famous for this video, fighting off a shark during a competition in South Africa over the weekend. [0:45:02] The 34-year-old is already known among his peers as one of surfing's greats. More than 12 years as a pro, currently ranked number two on the championship tour, and a previous three-time world champion.

Only two other male surfers have one more titles. One of them is Kelly Slater, a long-time rival. He shared a hug with Fanning on Sunday, saying their competition pales in comparison to Fanning's close call.

KELLY SLATER, PROFESSIONAL SURFER: Mick and I have had a lot of great, great situations, you know, to surfing each other. But it's sort of made it -- made us have a good friendship. And so, you know, that's sort of what come flashes on your mind. Not like, you know, your competitor or something like that. It's -- it just brings everything right back down to earth.

WALKER: This isn't the first hardship Fanning has overcome. He's battled back from career threatening injury and personal tragedy. His older brother was killed in a car crash when Fanning was a teenager. But Fanning has always returned to surfing and says this weekend's shark attack won't change that.

FANNING: Surfing was -- you know, when everything's -- you know, it doesn't matter if you're up or down, it gives you a sense of balance, for me anyway. It's one of those vices, if I didn't do it for a job or I didn't do it, I would always do it. And, you know, I still will just maybe a little bit more cautious.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: That was Amara Walker there.

I mean, how do you go back to surfing after something like that? He has watched the footage himself over and over again. And he said that mentally and emotionally, he's still a mess. But, you know, he changed his mind. He's going to go back.

VAUSE: But he survived. They know the risks. And I guess the risks are relatively small.

ASHER: Right.

VAUSE: Less than a hundred shark attacks globally each year. So there is still the small risk.

ASHER: Those borders are shark infested though.

VAUSE: And we had -- but I spoke to one expert who said that some of those best borders are the sharkiest.

ASHER: Right.

VAUSE: The most shark infested waters, because that's where the good waves are. So you know, then going back, they take the chance.

ASHER: We have to balance the risk, I guess, so.

VAUSE: And we're still waiting for this news conference in Sydney where Mick Fanning has arrived from South Africa along with his good mate, Julian Wilson. They both ended up sharing the prize money. The point for this surfing contest, after it was canceled because of the shark attack on Fanning.

ASHER: Julian Wilson, also extremely brave as well because he actually swam towards Fanning to help him while he was being attacked by a shark. So that's incredibly brave of him. That's his rival, by the way, swimming towards him to help him.

VAUSE: Well, that's the shark there right now.

ASHER: Yes, yes. That is the shark. That's correct. Yes.

VAUSE: We will continue to keep a close eye on what's happening in Sydney, because it looks that the news conference is about to get underway any moment. And as soon as it does, we'll bring it to you live.

In the meantime, we will take a short break here on CNN. You're watching CNN Newsroom.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: And welcome back everybody. We're still waiting that news conference in Sydney at the airport there for Mick -- with Mick Fanning and Julian Wilson and a third person, because there's three chairs there. So well, we're hoping that they will be speaking shortly.

[0:50:00] We do understand that they have arrived back in Sydney from South Africa. Of course, Mick Fanning, now world-famous after beating off that shark, check live on television both the weekend.

ASHER: Truly a hero there in Sydney after that.

VAUSE: Yes. And certainly, he's getting a --

ASHER: Three-time champion and then now he's going through this.

VAUSE: He's getting a lot of good press about all of these.

ASHER: Yes.

VAUSE: So again, we're keeping a close eye on this, and as soon as it gets underway. It was meant to begin about 20 minutes ago, but these things are often delayed. So we will continue to wait and hopefully it won't take too much longer.

ASHER: OK, in the meantime, on to another story. We are start following cheaters around the world, maybe feeling, especially which you say jittery right now.

VAUSE: A little nervous. ASHER: A little nervous after a security breach at the website, Ashley Madison. What is that website do, John? Explain to our viewers.

VAUSE: So I've been told, apparently it is there to hook up people who are interested in having extramarital affairs.

Hackers stole the use of database and tens of millions of members, 37 million, in fact are now at risk of being exposed.

Amara Walker spoke with CNN's Samuel Burke about all of this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMARA WALKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Why did this hacker group target Ashley Madison? I'm sure they are getting some salacious information.

SAMUAL BURKER, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Without a doubt, I think the only group happy about this hack are divorced lawyers because lord knows how many husbands and wives will be going to the court if they publish this information.

Now, keep in mind they say they have not only the personal records of users of this website, and there are 37 million users of Ashley Madison, according to the site. But they say they also have the financial information. That may be the least of people's concerns. You can change your credit card but you can't change the proof that you are cheating on your spouse if this information is published.

To answer your question, Amara, these hackers say they are unhappy with the website because the site charges $19 for a service they called full delete. What is that? Well, you can delete everything you've ever had on this site for this charge. And these hackers are saying the site doesn't actually delete all of your information and they're wanting to prove that with this hack.

Now, Ashley Madison says that's just not true, that they actually do delete the information. They have apologized and acknowledged this hack. And they say they've already fixed the hole that made this possible in their workspace.

But they said the following in a statement, "We are working with law enforcement agencies, which are investigating this criminal act. Any and all parties responsible for this act of cyber-terrorism will be held responsible." Those are their words, calling it cyber-terrorism. Interesting twist on all this information.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: And Samuel Burke there with Amara Walker.

ASHER: 37 million very nervous customers right now.

VAUSE: OK. We shall move on and as they say, it is --

ASHER: Let's move on. VAUSE: -- good to be the king. Saudi Arabia's king is said to holiday along the French Riviera. And one public stretcher sand is now suddenly off limits.

ASHER: And as our George Howell reports, many locals are upset over this world visit.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It is a popular spot along the Mediterranean coast. But now, this beach on the French Riviera has been sealed off in preparation for visiting Saudi royalty, a move that has many locals here livid.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I've been coming here for 70 years. I used to come here with my parents. And it was here that I learned to swim, so it shocks me a little at what's happening at this beach.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We've been deprived of our holidays because of a king who I have all respect for. But just because he's king doesn't mean he has more say than the citizens, whether they're Europeans, French, or any other nationality.

HOWELL: Near valley, it sits between Cannes and Antibes on the French Riviera, a destination home to many exclusive resorts and marinas that's usually open to the public. It's also the place where the Saudi King Salman owns a villa.

Though French authorities say the king's visit is not confirmed, local officials say members of the royal family entourage are already on site preparing for the arrival of the monarch and some 500 people.

And it's evident at some point to cement being poured on the beach to install an elevator, linking the house to now private shores, also by the installation of a gate blocking the only public access to the beach through a tunnel just below the king's villa.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): So as you can see here, there are holes that have been drilled into the wall. This was in preparation for the grid, which was then rejected to protect the residents.

HOWELL: A French official tells CNN, the beach's closure is a temporary security measure and necessary in the wake of recent attacks that had put France on high terror alert.

No Saudi officials were available for comment due to the public holiday. But authorities rarely comment on the king's personal travel.

Still, people who live here say it is clear what's happening. The public is getting pushed out and they don't like it.

George Howell, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[00:55:03] ASHER: Physicist Stephen Hawking and Russian billionaire, Yuri Milner, are teaming up on a new mission, a $100 million search for intelligent life in space. Here's a clip from their announcement in London.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTFIED MALE: Pick a star, any one of the hundreds of billions of stars in our Milky Way galaxy. Suppose on one of its plants, there lives an intelligent species who believes that their world is the center of the universe. A universe made for them.

YURI MILNER, ENTREPREENUR AND PHYSICIST: Today, we are launching the most comprehensive search program ever. Just in one day, "Breakthrough Listen" will collect more data than a year of any previous search. The scope of our search will be unprecedented.

STEPHEN HAWKING, PHYSICIST: The recent experiments like the Kepler Mission have changed the game. We now know there are so many worlds and organic molecules are so common that it seems quite likely that life is out there.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Yes. It's an incredible project and we'll be -- they will be looking in more areas than SETI has looked that which is the search for intelligence.

ASHER: Right, right, right, right.

VAUSE: Has over all these years. Keeping you close on that news conference in Sydney, having it soon. We'll be right back in just a moment. I'm John Vause.

ASHER: And I'm Zain Asher. See you in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)