Syrians Struggles Continue Through Eid al-Adha
ANDERSON: Welcome back. 14 minutes past 8:00 here. A look at some of the other stories that we are following for you tonight. A plane crash in southern Laos has killed as many as 47 people. Witnesses and the national news services are reporting the crash of a Lao Airlines turbo prop plane which happened at Champasak Province. Witnesses report bad weather in the area. Remnants of a typhoon has still been hitting that region. Well, in Japan at least 17 people have been killed as Typhoon Wipha pummeled the Tokyo area on Wednesday. The island of Oshima just south of the capital has been hardest hit with heavy rain triggering flooding and landslides. Rescuers were unable to reach some people, because of road closers. More than 500 domestic and international flights have been canceled at Tokyo's two major airports. Meanwhile, the death toll from a powerful earthquake in the Philippines continues to rise. Authorities say 144 people died and almost 300 others were injured when the 7.1 magnitude quake struck on Tuesday. The epicenter was located near a town in central Bohol province. Well, a two-day round of negotiations between Iran and six world powers has wrapped up in the Swiss city of Geneva. Reports suggest Iran is willing to scale back its nuclear activity and allow greater inspection of its nuclear sites in exchange for a deal to win relief from harsh economic sanctions. Now the two sides have agreed to meet again for another round of talks on November 7. I want to get you the very latest from CNN's chief U.S. security correspondent Jim Sciutto. He's in Geneva for you. And Jim, we've seen Iran meet with the P5+1 many times over the last few years. This time it actually seems to be a sense of progress. What's new?</s>JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I've been to a number of those talks over the last several years and these really are talks between the west and Iran unlike any we've seen really in recent memory. But I think it's important to get a sense of what they've achieved here and what they haven't yet. Certainly on the good side, we heard from a senior U.S. official involved in the talks here that the U.S. and the European side are seeing a candor, a directness and an intensity of negotiations and details from the Iranian side they've never seen before as Iran has presented this proposal. And from the Iranian side you hears something similar saying that they feel that this can really be a point where you change the very nature of Iran's relationship with the U.S. and the west. But what is lacking so far, what needs to come as these meetings continue in the next several weeks is considerable more detail from the Iranian side about how they're going to reign in their nuclear program, also senior U.S. official telling us that there's still a big gap on how quickly and how much the west would easy these economic sanctions on Iran. And that's one of the key disagreements here. Iran wants those sanctions to be eased as its reigning in its program, the west standing by its position that they want to see confidence building measures from the Iranians first. So these are the things that have to be worked out in the next couple of weeks, but the importance is they are talking. In fact, those talks are going to continue, because the experts are going to be staying here in Geneva working out and working on some of these details that still need to be filled in to this proposal.</s>ANDERSON: All right, Jim. Jim is in Geneva. Interesting stuff. Lacking substance, I think is the headline message at present. But as he says these talks continue and at least the signs this time are positive. Jim Sciutto there in Geneva. Well, opposition activists say at least 21 people have been killed after an explosion struck a minibus in the southern Syrian city of Daraa, including four kids. The bus probably hit a landmine as it passed through an area controlled by troops loyal to the government. Now government officials have not yet responded to the allegations. Well, staying in Syria, there are growing pleas for help. Many Syrians struggling just to get in enough to eat. Things are so bad. That was all religious edicts have reported being issued that would allow hungry citizens to eat dogs and cats despite Islamic dietary laws forbidding that. Our Hala Gorani reports there was no respite from the crisis even as Muslims marked the Eid holiday.</s>HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is one of the most important days of the year for Muslims, but in Syria this year, like last, there is nothing to celebrate. At the Atmeh (ph) refugee camp in northern Syria, refugees set up improvised vendor stands, but few people can afford to shop at them.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Before the crisis during Eid we used to go to shops and buy items. We were happy. Eid was a wonderful holiday here. Now these days I can't even buy my boy a pair of trousers or shoes or even a loaf of bread. I have eight children. I can't support them all. We are living in despair.</s>GORANI: Most people here are struggling to meet the most basic of needs: food, water and shelter. Celebrating a holiday just isn't an option.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We are not celebrating Eid. We have nothing for Eid. We have nothing to celebrate. We used to celebrate with food, drink, desserts. We used to make pastries. Now there's nothing.</s>GORANI: In Aleppo, residents are doing their best to mark Eid, praying and preparing for the traditional animal sacrifice for the poor. For them, there is at least one sliver of light from an unknown source.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): These sheep were donated to us. God blessed those who gave them. We slaughter them and then divide them up and give them to the poor and to the families who have relatives on the front line.</s>GORANI: Children ride rickety little Ferris wheels and play in the streets, but use words no child should even know the meaning of.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Eid today is not good, because of the shelling.</s>GORANI: Trying to play like children everywhere, hoping their lives will be more peaceful this time next year. Hala Gorani, CNN, Atlanta.</s>ANDERSON: Well, whistleblower Edward Snowden's father, Lon, has spoken to reporters at Moscow's airport. He's -- Edward Snowden, of course, has been in Russia since revealing that the NSA have been keeping tabs on some of its allies. Now Mr. Snowden said his son is satisfied with his situation, but refused to go into very much detail.</s>LON SNOWDEN, EDWARD SNOWDEN'S FATHER: I'm not going to discuss specifics of my son's circumstances for multiple reasons, other than to say, again, that I'm extremely thankful for his attorney Mr. Kucherena, people like Valentina and others who have been supportive of him. He has a very substantial support network that extends across international boundaries. And I am extremely comfortable with his situation.</s>ANDERSON: Lon Snowden there. Well, meanwhile the journalist who worked with Snowden to break the story on the intelligence leaks is leaving his newspaper. Glenn Greenwald announced that he is quitting The Guardian paper for what he describes as a dream journalistic opportunity. He's not revealed any more details just yet. The founder of the online auction eBay site says he is teaming up with Greenwald for a new media venture. More on that as we get it. This is Connect the World. Coming up, she is the youngest Booker Prize winner of all time. We'll be talking to the person who has been breaking multiple records by winning one of the biggest awards in publishing. And ecstasy for qualifying teams across Europe. We speak to football fanatics hoping to follow their national teams to victory in Brazil in 2014. That, after this.