[Kristie Lu Sout:] And let's begin with breaking news from Scotland. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced she will seek approval for a second referendum on Scotland's independence She told a press conference in Edinburgh that Autumn 2018 would be the earliest point such a referendum would take place. Now, this comes as the British prime minister prepares to pull the trigger on Brexit. A crucial vote will get underway in the British parliament today. And if passed, Theresa May could begin divorce proceedings with the European Union as earlier as Tuesday. Now, let'go straight to Phil Black. He joins us live outside of parliament in London. And Phil, what more can you tell us about what the Scottish first minister said in that press conference which is still under way.
[Phil Black, Cnn International Correspondent:] So, Kristie, the Scottish first minister says it's important for Scotland to have a plan for her to do what she believes is right and so that is why, she says, she has signaled her intention to go to the Scottish Parliament next week and get permission for yet another referendum on Scottish independence, keeping in mind that the last time Scotland voted on this was back in 2014, not that long ago where the decision to stay with the United Kingdom won by 55 percent to 45 percent. That was supposed to be a once in a generation vote. But, of course, since the Brexit vote, the Scottish First Minister, her government, well, they have consistently said that this changes things. This is not what the Scottish people voted for last time around and she's insisted that she has a clear electoral mandate from the Scottish people to proceed with yet another referendum if she believed that it was in Scotland's interest to do so. Today, she said, yes, that is indeed the case. Throughout her justification there was clearly the belief that she feels Scotland has been excluded from all consideration in the Brexit process so far. She said the decision for a hard Brexit. One that wouldn't keep Scotland, or the UK, within the European single market had been made without her, she said, but it tells its own story and especially the fact she she as first minister did not yet know precisely when the Article 50 would be triggered so the Scottish first minister said she will go to parliament next week, and indeed her preferred timing, although it's not locked in, would be from autumn next year up until spring the following year, that's Spring 2019. The goal, she says is to have vote at a point when the Scottish people have an idea what the Brexit terms would look like, but also giving Scotland time to declare intention before Brexit actually takes place. Let's dip in now to the first minister Nicola Sturgeon as she continues to speak now.
[Black:] So, the Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon there explaining why justifying if you like, why she is pushing for yet another referendum on Scottish independence to be held by her own preferred timetable, some time either late next year, late 2018, or in the first half of 2019. Now, what she was also talking about there was the process of making that intention a reality, because it's not just up to her, she will go back to the Scottish parliament where she controls a minority government to seek its approval for such a move, but ultimately permission must be granted by the British government here in London for yet another referendum to be held. And we know that the prime minister Theresa May's view on all of this is that it is unnecessary, that in her words it's a distraction, that Scotland has already voted on this as recently as 2014, and it should not happen again soon, particularly at a time now when Britain is so focused on the exit process from the European Union. And think about this from the British prime minister's point of view. She is suddenly in a situation where not only is she on the one hand juggling, managing the extraordinarily complex process of Britain withdrawing from the European Union, she must now also deal with the potential for the break-up of the United Kingdom itself, Kristie.
[Lu Stout:] And your thoughts on the forecast of a second referendum for Scottish independence. As you point out, it wasn't that long ago, it was September 2014, when we had that first referendum for Scottish independence. That was rejected 55 percent to 45 percent, but a lot has changed since then. Brexit, the rise of populist politics. What do you think is the public sentiment today in Scotland?
[Black:] So you're right. Back in 2014, 55-45 Scotland voted to stay, which was considered something of a decisive victory for the remain vote back then, if you like. The Scottish first minister has always said, however, that in the event of what she has described and what her government described in their recent election manifesto is significant and material change that that could be revisited. And specifically reference the possibility of Scotland being pulled out of the European Union against its will. And, really, the referendum vote, the Brexit referendum vote, did reflect those sorts of circumstances in the sense that 62 percnet of Scottish voters voted to stay with the European Union, but the UK as a whole, and particularly the vote in England, said or voted in favor of Brexit. Ever since then, the Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has insisted this does change things, that [inaudible] referendum highly likely. However, she has been focused on trying to secure some sort of compromise, some sort of arrangement that would accept Scotland and Britain comes out of the EU, but Scotland could perhaps in some way maintain access, for example, to the European single market, which Nicola Sturgeon believes is so important to Scottish trade, business, the Scottish economy generally. Since then, she has clearly become of the view that Scotland and her government have been excluded from all considerations when it comes to the Brexit process, has not been notified, has not been the suggestions for compromise have not been in her view I think given the consideration that she believes they are worth. And so now this brings us to this point where after a lot of suggestion she is finally declaring her intention to hold yet another Scottish referendum. How that goes down with the Scottish people themselves, well, that is in a sense much less clear because up until very recently the opinion polls have suggested that the there is no clear majority of political will desiring yet another vote on this, let alone a clear majority of people who want independence. The Scottish first minister has today justified her call for yet another referendum in the face of not having that sort of popular will behind her by saying she believes it's important to do the right thing to give the Scottish people a voice, a real choice about what sort of country they want to be in an environment where she believes Scotland's options, its choices are being significantly taken away Kristie.
[Lu Stout:] We know that Britain is on the verge of triggering Brexit. And right behind you in the houses of parliament we have British lawmakers debating the withdrawal bill. How do you think that announcement from Nicola Sturgeon is going to affect the tone of that debate today?
[Black:] This will no doubt be met with great annoyance by the British government and the Prime Minister Theresa May and the fact that Nicola Sturgeon has got out ahead of the government, if you like, and declared her intention to hold this referendum not just before Article 50 can be triggered, but even before the British government has the approval of British parliament to trigger Article 50. Now, it expects to have that approval by the end of the day, probably late tonight. The very simple bill that the British government has been pushing for that says you have British parliament's authorization to begin the Brexit process. It hopes to have that clear the House of Commons and again of the House of Lords later today. That process has been complicated, because the House of Lords added a couple of amendments to the bill. The British government is pushing for those to be stripped away. Assuming all of this happens, it means that Article 50 could, in theory, be triggered a is soon as tomorrow. We don't know that that's going to happen. The only sense of timing we have is the prime minister's own deadline which says by the end of March. Now, just when she chooses to declare this, there will be a lot of things to consider her, both in terms of domestic politics and also European politics as well, trying to get the timing exactly right in such a way that she is able to showcase and declare this truly history moment, the beginning of the process of exiting the European Union, one that doesn't clash with elections and other significant events on the European continent as well. And now she'll also have this to contend with also, not just Nicola Sturgeon's declared intention to ask for yet another referendum, but as she said this now goes to the Scottish Parliament next week, so there will be a lot of focus on that as well. The British Prime Minister Theresa May is going to try and choose a moment to declare Article 50 that is free of those sorts of distractions. Nicola Sturgeon has simply made it much harder for her to do that today, Kristie.
[Lu Stout:] That's right. With that announcement from Nicola Sturgeon, the stakes and the level of difficulty here just got higher. Phil Black reporting live for us, thank you. Now, there is uncertainty in Eat Asia after the dramatic downfall of South Korean President Park Guen-hye. Now, she was removed from office in a corruption scandal involving some of the country's top business and political elites. Now, let's take you to Seoul now. Our senior international correspondent Ivan Watson is there. He joins us now. And Ivan, after her ouster, what is next for Park Guen-hye? And who will enter the Blue House next?
[Ivan Watson, Cnn International Correspondent:] Well, that's a good quetion, because the Blue House, the official presidential residence is effectively empty right now. There is an acting president in this country, but there not really be a resident there until elections are held and they are expected to take place somewhere around the date of May 9th, about 60 days after Park Guen-hye was stripped from office. She left the Blue House and symbolically really ended her post and all the privileges of president after being impeached, after being stripped of her powers Sunday night under cover of darkness. She was greeted by crowds of supporters. And she issued a statement via a spokesperson that was surprisingly unremorseful, arguing that the truth would come out in the days and weeks and perhaps months ahead. She will likely face criminal prosecution as an ordinary private citizen now. I asked a senior lawmaker in the national assembly, Kim Young-woo, who is also the chairman of the national defense committee precisely about this situation, this historic and unprecedented situation that South Korea now finds itself in.
[Watson:] Who did you feel seeing the former president leaving the Blue House?
[Kim Young-woo, National Assembly Defense Committee:] It's a very sad scene and maybe including me, most of the Korean people felt very sad about that situation. But seeing her kind of smile, well, I don't understand how she could make smile on that very serious situation. It means, maybe, she do not accept the constitutional court's verdict.
[Watson:] Are you worried about the leadership vacuum in Korea right now?
[Kim:] Of course I'm worried about leadership vacuum, because without president, we cannot have a summit meeting with foreign countries, and it is very big matters in terms of diplomatic dialogues.
[Watson:] And do you feel like your North Korean neighbor is more dangerous right now during this time of political transition in your country?
[Kim:] I think it is more dangerous because with leadership vacuum we cannot react very rapidly.
[Watson:] This is a tough time for South Korea.
[Kim:] Very tough. As we know North Korea, Kim Jong-un, acxtually he's crazy and she killed his own brother in public, in another in foreign countries, so that means he can do everything no matter what he wants.
[Watson:] Kristie, the lawmaker was referring to the airport assassination last month of Kim Jong-nam, the half brother of the current North Korean leader. The Malaysian government has openly accused North Korea carrying out that murder. North Korea vigorously denies it. Now, North Korea comes into play in this impeachment and the removal of Park Guen-hye in that it celebrates it. It called it a victory for justice, which perhaps gives you a sign of how much the Pyongyang regime disliked Park Guen-hye, who was as conservative politician, who was quite tough on the North Korean government. In the upcoming elections as of now, again, with nearly two months to go, one of the leaders in the polls, if he declares his candidacy, is Moon Jae-yin. He is a left-wing liberal lawmaker and that side of the political spectrum in South Korea has traditionally been much more open to negotiation and diplomacy with the North Korean regime Kristie.
[Lu Stout:] So much political turmoil and uncertainty after the ouster of Park Guen-hye. Ivan Watson reporting live from Seoul, thank you. Now, turning now to the growing rift between Turkey and several European nations, the Dutch consulate in Istanbul is closed on Monday. It's warning Dutch citizens to stay away from protests. Over the weekend, the Netherlands blocked two Turkish ministers from holding political rallies there. The Turkish president responded in anger, calling the Dutch government, quote, Nazi remnants and fascists. Now, protests broke out in both countries. Now, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is trying to drum up support among Turkish citizens in Europe. In fact, next month the country votes on constitutional change that would expand to get the president power. To help us understand what's at stake here and also to get the pulse of the mood in Istanbul, Jomana Karadsheh joins us now from the Turkish city of Istanbul. And Jomana, as a result of the scenes of that played out in The Netherlands over the weekend, how much anger is there across the country there in Turkey?
[Jomana Karadsheh, Cnn International Correspondent:] Well, you know, Kristie, this is a very divided country, a polarized society, but it's not everyone agrees with the president, with the government, but it seems that many here feel that that episode that unfolded over the weekend in The Netherlands is an insult humiliation and humiliation for Turkey. Now we haven't seen much in terms of street protests since those initial protests took place in Ankara and here in Istanbul outside the Dutch diplomatic missions. But at the same time, we are seeing this war of words, this diplomatic crisis between the two countries seems to be escalating at this point. Today, the the foreign ministry saying that it has summoned the Dutch charge d'affaires. This is the third time since Saturday that the deputy chief of mission, because the ambassador is outside the country, has been summoned by the foreign ministry. And they say what they did today was they have officially condemned the events of this weekend and they say that they have handed him two diplomatic protest notes as they were described, one about the treatment of the Turkish minister of family affairs and saying that, you know, the way she was treated really defied diplomatic norms. And so that they are asking for a written apology. And the second one has to do with the status of Turkish citizens who they say were mistreated by Dutch authorities. They say they the police, they accuse the police and security forces of using excessive force in dealing with the protests that broke out in The Netherlands where they say that at least seven Turkish citizens were injured and 14 others were detained. And they are asking for legal action against the security forces involved in these alleged incidents. So, it would seem, Kristie, right now we're not seeing that anger not really translating no protests anymore on the streets but Turkish officials don't seem ready as of yet to put this behind them.
[Lu Stout:] Got you, so no protests on the streets, but the animosity is still there. Jomana Karadsheh, reporting live for us from Istanbul, thank you. The Turkish Dutch rift, it appears to be tied to larger global issues and CNN's senior international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson joins me from London with that. And, Nic, is this proof of how this year's crucial election campaigns can flare into international incidents?
[Nic Robertson, Cnn International Correspondent:] There's a lot at stake here for Turkey. We thought we heard Jomana there talking about humiliation for the Turkish people. President Erdogan is trying to consolidate power in his hands at the moment. And it was to that end that he sought to have his foreign minister and minister of family issues speak at rallies in The Netherlands over the weekend. And that is what has come into confrontation here. The Dutch obviously saying they weren't comfortable with that happening, that they denied permission for the foreign minister, the minister of foreign affairs [inaudible] from Germany and into Holland not obviously it has emerged it is now clear that the Dutch were expecting that to happen. So, what this rift that has emerged here, it does come at a very delicate time for The Netherlands, it does come at a time when they have elections this week. And elections upon which immigration, Muslims in the country, are an election issue. So, it is a sensitive time there in The Netherlands, it is a sensitive time in Turkey as well. But bigger picture here is Europe is becoming increasingly uncomfortable with what they happening on Turkey, a country that on the one hand says it wants to join the European Union, on the other hand is putting the power of the parliament, transferring that to the hands of the president, President Erdogan, you know, has closed down 140 media organizations, has arrested 41,000 people since last summer, has turned 100,000 people out of their jobs following the coup last summer. This makes a lot of European governments uneasy about the direction that Turkey is going in. So the underlies all of that. But at the same time, Turkey is very important to Europe at the moment. The issue of ISIS in Syria. Turkey is an ally against ISIS there. It provides the air base there for the U.S. forces fighting inside Syria at the moment. Incerlik Air Base. And it provides counterterrorism assistance for European nations. Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, recently talked about the borders of Europe, that being with Turkey, the front line against radical Islam at the moment. And, therefore, you know, Turkey has an important role of assistance to play with the European Union. So all of these things are in play at the moment, but perhaps most of all it is a very important time for President Erdogan, he does want to win this vote. And the incident that happened in The Netherlands over the weekend, and the broader context, reflects badly on him internationally, perhaps, less so with some of the population back in Turkey, but this is why it's becoming so heated and such an issue.
[Lu Stout:] Nic Robertson, reporting for us. Many things indeed for that analysis there. Now, you may have heard parents complain about teenagers spending too much on social media, but one school thinks time online can change the world. We're going to show you how its students are using it to help fight slavery.