Yemen's Forgotten Conflict; Hong Kong Selects Carrie Lam as Next Chief Executive; Australia Bracing for Tropical Cyclone.
KINKADE: Well, Australia is bracing for Tropical Cyclone Debbie. It is expected to be the worst cyclone to hit the country's northeastern region in years. Some low lying areas have been advantage evacuated and people are stocking up on water and other essentials. Well, meteorologist Allison Chinchar is tracking the storm. And until now it had been a rather quiet cyclone season.</s>ALLISON CHINCHAR, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And that's just it. And it is kind of ironic that it is happening outside of the peak of the season, too. This isn't usually - it is still within the season, but usually our peak is January into February. We are nearing the end of March. So, again, not necessarily the peak time in which you would expect to see this. So, here is a look, this is from NASA, kind of showing the downward look onto this, a very impressive storm. The one ironic thing is even though it is rather large inside, it is incredibly slow moving. And that's going to cause some long- term problems with this particular storm. So, we take a look at what we have right now, winds right now about 110 kilometer per hour. They're gusting up to around 160 at the moment. Movement south by southwest again 7 kilometers per hour, not a fast mover by any means. Now, your short-term threats from this particular storm are going to be the very strong damaging winds and also your storm surge. But the longer term effects are actually going to be the flooding, because when the storms tend to move incredibly slow like this one is, it allows days upon days of very heavy rain. So, here's a look at the track. We do expect it to strengthen a little bit more, likely making it up to about category four by the time it makes landfall early Tuesday morning local time in Australia. And continues to weaken as it furthers itself in inland. Here is a look at the forecast radar. Again, as we got to see we really start to pick up a lot of those heavier bands of rain really within the next 24 hours as it gets a little bit closer to shore. Here's a look at forecast accumulations. Obviously the closer to that center of the storm the higher your amounts are going to be. But, Lynda, one of the things that is going be a concern as we talked about, it's a slow moving storm. That's going to allow this storm to drop in excess of 400 millimeters of rain or even higher in some of these communities.</s>KINKADE: That is a lot of rain, hopefully all those communities are safe people are evacuating. All right, Allison Chinchar, good to have with us. Thank you. Well, a message of the world from a people forgotten. Thousands rallied in Yemen on Sunday in the rebel-held capital of Sanaa. A defiant marking of two years since the start of the Saudi-ld airstrikes against Houthi fighters, protests against the coalition bombings, which have killed thousands of civilians. Yemen is an impoverished neighbor of Saudi Arabia. And as our Nick Paton Walsh reports, the war there has pushed an already fragile country to the brink of disaster. A warning, that you might find some of this footage in the report disturbing.</s>NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Lynda, as the war in Yemen enters into its third year, such a lengthy conflict, particularly given the scale of the military firepower the Saudis are using against their adversaries, the Houthis here. As it enters its third year, there are some shocking figures that explain the scale of the humanitarian catastrophic we're seeing unfold. And one of the world's poorest countries. The UN believe 18.8 million people are in need of aid, just over 70,000 died in this war, 4,500 of them civilians, and 2 million people have been displaced. This is a desperately poor and troubled country where things, frankly, are just slipping from awful to worse. These are the drawn, deathly faces of a war the world forgot now in its third year that has fostered famine, geopolitical hatred and al Qaeda. You've probably heard little of Yemen's horrific conflict, but as with most problems ignored, it is not going away. Back in 2015, a rebel group called the Houthis seized the capital, causing the western-backed President Hadi to flee. We saw them swiftly kick out his forces from Sanaa's ancient streets, but Hadi came back with heavy firepower. Neighboring Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states saw the Houthis as too close to their foe Iran and intervened, pitching their well-funded army and firepower against the Houthis motley street fighters. Slowly, from the country south, the Saudi-backed government returned and pushed north kin bloody battles like this one (inaudible) town for the Hadi forces only recently, but often caught civilians in the crossfire. But, with Houthi territory and the capital Sanaa effectively besieged, a ghastly humanitarian crisis spread, unprecedented fears of famine, appeals for the roads closed by the fighting around the country to be opened so emergency food can flow.</s>ERTHARIA COUSIN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WORLD FOOD PROGRAM: We have about three months stored inside the country today, but we don't have enough food to support the scale up that is required to ensure that we can avoid a famine.</s>WALSH: These scenes have caused intense criticism of the Saudi- backed campaign and civilian deaths from Saudi aristrikes caused the Obama administration to ban some weapons sales to Riyadh. But the Saudis, determined to reduce Iran's influence, are persisting, saying they want to reduce civilian casualties. And in a vacuum, as before in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, terror is using the chaos to thrive. In the southeast, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the group thought most advanced in plots to attack the homeland, is growing in the chaos. In this interconnected world, suffering and horrors continents away can still hit home. Now, Lynda, it is that point there, really, the instability is enabling al- Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula to have much more of a foothold there, too. That's passably behind the increase in intensity of U.S. operations against them in that country, too. But it also sits at the heart of the broader power struggle between Iranian influence and those of Gulf states in the broader region. It hasn't stopped. It shows no signs of doing so. It is for both - all sides involved an absolutely vital that they achieve victory. And caught in the middle of that are millions of civilians, Lynda.</s>KINKADE: Very tough situation there. And Nick Paton Walsh with that report. Well, now to Hong Kong where the incoming chief executive is promising to bring unity after a controversial election. Pro-democracy protesters have been calling for more of a say in the process. Our Kristie Lu Stout explains the new leader has her work cut out.</s>KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hong Kong has a new leader.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Congratulations Mrs. Lam.</s>LU STOUT: As expected, it's Carrie Lam, the first female chief executive in the history of the territory. Mayor cheers here in the public gallery, but according to the polls she was not the people's choice. Lam was selected by a near 1,200 member election committee, a committee that is said to be broadly representative of Hong Kong, but is dominated by pro-Beijing interests. Her appointment as chief executive will also be approved by Beijing.</s>ERIC CHEUNG, LAW PROFESSOR, HONG KONG UNIVERSITY: (inaudible) today tells the world that the election is not a genuine one at all, it is really an appointment in effect by Beijing.</s>LU STOUT: Fighting for universal suffrage, that was also a key demand in the 2014 pro-democracy Umbrella Movement protest. Hundred of protesters out here today, because they are still frustrated at the stalled pace of democratic reform. Earlier today, we saw some key pro-democracy leaders in Hong Kong come out, including Joshua Wong, about one point was involved in scuffles with police. Managing a deeply divided society and anger over China increasing influenced in Hong Kong will be key challenges for Hong Kong's new leader, a challenge Lam was quick to acknowledge moments election victory was announced and yellow banners for democracy was unfurled.</s>CARRIE LAM, HONG KONG EXECUTIVE-ELCT: Hong Kong, our home, is suffering from quite a serious decisiveness and has accumulated a lot of frustrations. My priority will be to heal the divide and to ease the frustrations and to unite our society to move forward.</s>LU STOUT: Carrie Lam will take office on July 1 and serve five years as the leader of this global financial hub and home to 7 million people who had no say in electing her. Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.</s>KINKADE: Well, in your Parting Shots this hour, a pithy line from the American president is generating a lot of reaction. No one could argue with Donald Trump when he told Time magazine "I am president and you are not." But to some that comment sounds familiar. Jeanne Moos reports.</s>JEANNE MOOS, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "TIME'" cover, "Is Truth Dead" pays homage to a 1966 big question cover, "Is God Dead?" But do you know what isn't dead? Donald Trump's ego. As we saw when he met with trucking CEOs, the president isn't shy about blowing -- his own or anybody else's horn. Consider how he ended the "TIME" magazine interview on the question of his credibility. "I can't be doing so badly."</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because I'm president and you're not.</s>JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm president, you're not.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm president...</s>KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: And you are not.</s>MOOS: The quote ignited Internet mockery. "I'm a narcissist and you're not. I'm rubber and you're glue." Some thought President Trump sounded Peewee Hermanesque.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're an idiot.</s>PEEWEE HERMAN, COMEDIAN: I know you are but what I am?</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know you are but what am I?</s>HERMAN: I know you are but what am I?</s>MOOS: But the president's supporters like a man who knows what he is. Alpha male president commented one. "Oh, Trump, this is why we love you." (</s>On camera): I'm president and you're not. Does that remind you of anyone?</s>CHEVY CHASE, ACTOR: Good evening. I'm Chevy Chase, and you're not. Good evening. I'm Chevy Chase.</s>CROWD: And you're not.</s>MOOS: One critic reacted to the "TIME" interview by tweeting, "Days without embarrassing the U.S.? Zero." But others brought up Barack Obama's presidential pronouncement on a Jimmy Kimmel "Mean Tweets" segment back when it looked like Trump would lose the then candidate tweeted, "President Obama will go down as perhaps the worst president in the history of the United States."</s>BARACK OBAMA, FORMER UNITED STATES PRESIDENT: Well, @realDonaldTrump, at least I will go down as a president.</s>MOOS: Well, we all know who got the last laugh. Actress Sally Field captioned this photo "Eastbound and demented." But he's the trucker- in- chief and we're not. Jeanne Moos,</s>CNN. TRUMP: If I ever fell, would they be happy?</s>MOOS: New York.</s>KINKADE: Well, that does it for this edition of Connect the World. I am Lynda Kinkade. Thanks so much for watching. See you next time. END