Follow Christiane on social media:
What time is Amanpour on CNN?
Check showtimes to see when Amanpour is on CNN where you are. Or watch online.
Tom's Take
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/11/16/christianetom.jpg caption caption="Sr. Writer for Amanpour, Tom Evans, works on scripts with Christiane"]
On AMANPOUR. today, we look at the Catholic Church global sexual abuse scandal. Has it now reached into the top levels of the Vatican? There are new questions about what role, if any, Pope Benedict XVI played in handing pedophile priests to new parishes rather than to the law when he was an archbishop of Munich from 1977 to 1982.
We look at the culture of impunity at the root of this crisis. Could this be due to a lack of women in positions of real power? Would the extent of the abuse have been averted if women provided a moral compass? Some cite the clergy’s celibacy vows as the culprit. Will all this force a debate about fundamental reform? This scandal is just one of the stories in the news today. Here are some perspectives.
Tom Evans
Sr. Writer, AMANPOUR.
CATHOLIC SEX ABUSE SCANDAL – How far did the cover-up go in the Catholic Church?
– Pope today says he hopes upcoming pastoral letter on the scandal will “help repentance, healing, and renewal”
– Sources say Pope’s letter is likely to be released on Friday or Saturday
– Abuse scandal extends across the globe, from Germany to Ireland… Brazil to Australia… from the U.S. to Switzerland. It’s worst crisis in Catholic Church in centuries
QUESTION: Was there an international conspiracy by the Catholic Church to hide the true extent of the scandal over priests who abused children?
Activist: China trying to silence critics
Watch the complete edition on Ai Weiwei on our podcast.
Watch the complete edition with Ai Weiwei on our podcast.
By Tom Evans; Sr. Writer, AMANPOUR.
(CNN) - Leading Chinese activist and artist Ai Weiwei declared that China's government has no humanity - and that the Communist Party is trying to silence anyone who disagrees with it.
"They crack down on everybody who has different opinions - not even different opinions, just different attitudes," Ai told CNN's Christiane Amanpour in an exclusive interview on Tuesday.
"Simply to have different opinions can cost (dissidents) their life; they can be put in jail, can be silenced, and can be disappeared," he said.
Ai is no stranger to controversy or danger. He helped design the iconic Bird's Nest stadium for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but then called for a boycott of the games because in his opinion China was using them as propaganda.
He also faced a barrage of official criticism in 2008 when he assembled activists to collect the names of thousands of unidentified students who were killed in the massive Sichuan earthquake. He also slammed local governments for allowing the construction of shoddy schools that collapsed.
Ai has paid a heavy price for his dissent. He says he was beaten in a hotel room by Chinese police and later needed emergency brain surgery for injuries he suffered in the assault.
Rwandan president rejects human rights criticism
Watch the complete interview with Rwanda's president on our podcast.
Watch the complete edition on 'The Story of Stuff' on our podcast.
By Tom Evans; Sr. Writer, AMANPOUR.
(CNN) - Rwandan President Paul Kagame hit back Monday at human rights activists who say he's behaving like an autocrat and fueling a bloody civil war in Rwanda's neighbor, Congo.
"If you are talking about people in the human rights community from outside... I have an issue with this," Kagame said, 16 years after he was hailed as a hero for ending a genocide that killed at least 800,000 people.
"You tend to make a judgment of a country, 11 million people, on what a couple of people have said and (they) don't take into account what Rwandans say."
Kagame added, "Nobody has asked the Rwandans ... it's as if they don't matter in the eyes of the human rights people. It's our own decisions in the end."
He said everyone in Rwanda has to play by the rules and be accountable. "There has to be leadership to make things move in the right direction," Kagame stated.
Tom's Take
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/11/16/christianetom.jpg caption caption="Sr. Writer for Amanpour, Tom Evans, works on scripts with Christiane"]
On AMANPOUR. today, we focus on human rights and freedom of speech in China. Christiane speaks, in a global exclusive, with leading Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei. Ai Weiwei, who designed the “Bird’s Nest” stadium for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, has continued to highlight injustice through both his art and through social media like Twitter, despite surveillance, threats and physical attack. We ask Ai Weiwei about his art, the role of the social web and digital activism in China and beyond, as well as about the challenging role he plays on the world scene as an artist and social activist in China. That’s not the only story we are focusing on today. Here are some perspectives.
Tom Evans
Sr. Writer, AMANPOUR.
MIDDLE EAST – Is the diplomatic dispute between U.S. and Israel worsening?
– U.S. peace envoy George Mitchell postpones trip to Middle East amid heightened tensions over Israel’s decision to build 1,600 new homes on disputed territory
– Dozens of masked Palestinians throw rocks at Israeli police and burn tires in east Jerusalem
– U.S. demanding that Israel abandon construction project, a demand that Israel calls “unreasonable”
QUESTION: Will growing tensions between U.S. and Israel be accompanied by new violence by Palestinian protesters furious at Israel?
FULL POST
Lennox: HIV/AIDS crisis "breaks my heart"
(CNN) – The HIV virus and AIDS, the debilitating condition it causes, are the leading killers of women of reproductive age in the world, the singer and activist Annie Lennox told CNN in an interview aired Friday.
“The world needs to wake up and realize that the HIV/AIDS pandemic has changed its face since the 1980’s. It has been affecting women and children at an enormous rate,” Lennox told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour.
“As a woman and a mother myself, I want to contribute to keeping this issue on the table. HIV is invisible”, she added.
“You have swine flu, you have bird flu, and everybody is up in arms. But this has been a killer for years and it’s not getting any better.”
Islamic scholar who condemned terrorism: 'I am not afraid'
By Tom Evans; Sr. Writer, AMANPOUR.
(CNN) –The Islamic scholar who issued a powerful fatwa, or religious ruling, against terrorism and suicide bombers said Thursday that he was not afraid of reprisals from his enemies and did not fear for his life.
"I am not afraid of any human being on the surface of Earth," Sheikh Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri told CNN's Christiane Amanpour.
"I am working ... to bridge up the Muslim world and the Western world, to remove the hatreds, to remove all misunderstandings."
"So this is a good cause. I am not afraid of anybody. It depends upon whatever my Lord wants. If I have to live, I will live. Otherwise, I am not afraid."
Ul-Qadri was speaking to CNN just over a week after he issued a 600-page fatwa in London denouncing terrorists as "the biggest enemies of Islam."
Tom's Take
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/11/16/christianetom.jpg caption caption="Sr. Writer for Amanpour, Tom Evans, works on scripts with Christiane"]
On AMANPOUR. today, we bring you an interview with former Eurythmics and solo artist Annie Lennox, who is now fighting the AIDS epidemic in Africa and trying to protect women and girls from HIV. She’s been at the United Nations to help launch a five-year plan to address these urgent issues. She’s one of our guests in today’s broadcast. There’s plenty of news to tell you about today as well. Here are some perspectives.
Tom Evans
Sr. Writer, AMANPOUR.
PAKISTAN – Why are insurgents stepping up their bomb attacks in Pakistan?
– Twin suicide bombings in Lahore today killed at least 39 people and wounded around 100
– Suicide bombers targeted military convoys, but most of casualties were civilians
– It was the fourth major attack in Pakistan this week, indicating insurgents are stepping up violence after a period of relative calm
QUESTION: Are the bomb attacks a sign that the Taliban in Pakistan has regrouped after recent setbacks?
Fatwa for Peace
Today we speak with Dr. Tahir ul-Qadri who has issued a 600-page fatwa against terrorism. Can it stop suicide bombings and encourage moderate Muslims to take a stand against terrorism? We want to launch a conversation how much influence you think a Fatwa has on different societies. So please read the English summary here and tell us what you think in our comment section below:
[scribd id=28220562 key=key-2981yg5zttgztgd2f6ec mode=list]
What we've covered. What we haven't...
We have a world map in our office and we put in a pin for the location of every story we cover. Check out our maps and tell us what stories and places you’d like to see covered on our program:
Nigerian violence fed by ethnic, economic issues, ex-president says
By Toms Evans; Sr. Writer, AMANPOUR.
(CNN) - Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo insisted Wednesday that this week's explosion of violence that claimed at least 200 lives is not driven by religious tensions between Christians and Muslims - but by ethnic, social, and economic problems.
In Sunday's violence near the central city of Jos, Christian villagers said a mob armed with guns, knives and machetes killed and burned at will, leaving a trail of death and destruction. The attack came in the same area that 150 Muslims were killed in January.
In an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, Obasanjo said, "If you have one group or a community that has land that's been encroached upon by another community or even by itinerant cattle farmers, then the people who lay claim to the land will fight back."
"If there are job opportunities in an area, and persons believe they are indigenous to that area, and (are) not getting enough out of the jobs that are available, they will fight those who are getting the jobs," Obasanjo said.
Obasanjo said he's convinced the conflict in the oil-rich nation does not have religious roots, because Nigerian religious leaders have come together and deliberated on the problems in Jos, which lies on a faith-based fault-line between Muslim-dominated northern Nigeria and the mainly Christian south.
@camanpour on Twitter
