-- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com . as iran fulfilled its commitment, sanctions related to iran's nuclear program are lifted. >> with those words, iran emerges from economic exile. we'll explain what's next. plus, free from captivity. u.s. citizens held by iran now headed home after a prisoner swap. and terror in west africa felt around the world. the many nationalities caught up in the chaos there. from cnn world headquarters in atlanta, welcome to our viewers here in the united states and around the worldment i'm george howell. "cnn newsroom" starts right now.

good day to you. we begin with the major milestone for iran. economic sanctions now lifted by the united states and the european union. it comes after the u.n. nuclear agency announced that tehran has met its obligations to restrict its nuclear program. israel's president and some in the united states say it's premature. they insist iran is still intent on building a nuclear weapon. meanwhile, the u.s. and iran are engaged in a prisoner swap. five americans once held in that country are now headed home. four of them were released in exchange for seven iranians held bit u.s. for sanctions violations. a fifth american was freed as part of a separate deal. u.s. secretary of state john kerry said the exchange was sped up by the lifting of sanctioning and iran's compliance with the nuclear deal. iran's president also praised these latest developments.

>> but the fact is that today marks the first day of a safer world. one where we believe it is possible to remain safer for years to come and particularly with the compliance of this agreement. >> as far as skr c. pea le is concerned, they're happy with the exception of designists and war mongers and those causing disunity and the american hard liners and extremists. >> cnn is covering this major story from all angles. orien lieberman is live with reaction from israel. but we start live in germany where the newly freed americans will soon be arriving. fred, good to have you with us this hour.

do we have any sense or a new idea of the timing when they will depart iran? >> reporter: good morning, george. it's unclear whether or not they have actually already departed iran. whether or not they're in the air and when exactly they're going to come here. the first point much entry will be here. the air base here close to the medical facility, which is america's main military hospital outside of the u.s. and is a place where many americans who have been in harm's way overseas, one of their first points where they get a medical checkup and they get medical treatment. we expect four of the five americans to arrive here at ramstein during the day at some point. there are different cases as far as the five individuals are concerned. there is one who apparently left iran. he was not part of that actual prisoner swap. his release happened on top of that swap deal. then you have the four others include the "washington post"

reporter who was in iranian captivity for 1.5 years. another in captivity for more than 4 years. he's a marine veteran who was on holiday in iran when he was detained. of course, you have syed abedin i. a pastor from boise idaho. all of them are going to receive medical treatment here. unclear when exactly that will be. however, what is clear is that their release, as the secretary of state said, was very much happening on the side of the nuclear negotiation. he said it's certainly one of the things that became possible because of the direct channels between the u.s. and iran. >> the americans set to arrive where you are and we will stay in touch with you as that happens. i'd like to ask you from your own experience and travels and speaking to people there. what does this deal mean for

everyday people in iran? >> reporter: yeah. i mean it means a lot. it means a lot to everyday iranians. there was a lot of controversy about this deal, george. the hard liners didn't want to ener negotiations with the u.s. they wanted to maintain that course of confrontation. many of them still do but the vast majority of the iranian population wanted the sanctions to be lifted, wanted a nuclear agreement, wanted better relations with the u.s. and the west entirely. they're behind this. they want sanctions relief. this is a population that's very young and very well-educated for the most part. they feel the economy can't get ahead. they believe there's going to be an economic boost and there's a lot of things that the iranian government thinks will happen. the unfreezing of foreign assets, selling oil on international markets. development of oil sector. first and foremost, probably the

most important thing is the fact that iran is going to be able to do business internationally because its banks will be able to do business internationally. right now if you go day ron, you have to go with a sack of money to do business. it will make it easier for companies to invest. i can tell you from flying to tehran at various points over the past couple of months, those planes even at this point are filled with european business people looking for the markets of the future. >> iran reconnecting with the international community. fred pleitgen live for us. >> let's turn to oren lieberman who joins us from israel. the more measured response from benjamin netanyahu. more measured than when it was negotiated. >> he used harsh criticism as the negotiations were ongoing. since that agreement was signed,

essentially since the agreement was finalized, netanyahu has scaled back the criticism. he released a statement almost immediately after the e.u. press conference where he said it's up to now the powers and the iaea and make sure iran sticks to the letters and conditions of the agreement. they have to closely monitor what iran does with hits nuclear program. the prime minister says that iran still wants to achieve nuclear weapons and may still do this secretly. but not the sort of rhetoric, not the language we've seen him use in previous statements. now, he does say at the end of his statement that he released last night, he says israel will continue to do whatever it has to do to maintain its own security. that perhaps a reference to what he's said repeatedly and what other israeli politicians have said, for israel all options remain on the table. which is to say, nobody ruled out a strike if it's necessary. as you point out, george, he's much more measured in his criticism of what's happening. and his insistence is that the

international community monitor iran as the sanctions are lifted. >> fred, i'd -- i'm sorry. oren, i'd like to put the same question to you that i put to fred. what is the overall reaction to people in israel about this deal? >> well, it's almost the polar opposite from what fred tells us is the reaction in iran. the vast majority of iranians support the deal. i suspect in speaking to many israelis, the vast majority oppose the deal. the difference here was that how best to handle that criticism. some align with prime minister netanyahu and said go all out against it even, criticizing the u.s. there were others who said that he took the wrong tactic here and should have gotten a better deal for israeli. no surprise here, many oppose it and still oppose it to this day. >> live from jerusalem, thank you. oren lieberman and fred pleitgen

in germany. on the campaign trail, republicans running for president were quick to slam the obama administration for lifting sanctions against iran. and even more so after learning about the prisoner swap with tehran. listen. >> so i've been hitting him hard and i think i might have had something to do with it. it's a part of my staple thing. i go crazy when i hear about this. we're getting back four people that didn't do anything wrong. that's the way we negotiate. that's the way we negotiate. it's so sad, it's so sad. this has been going on forever. >> let me say, there is a false moral equivalence in a deal like this. pastor say he had was in pris en for the crime of preaching the gospel. he shouldn't have been there. a miles an hour hekmati, a u.s.

marine shouldn't have been there in that prison. jason rezian, a reporter shouldn't have been there. >> while we celebrate their return, this deal serves as a piece of propaganda for both iran and the obama administration. while u.s. officials are praising the nuclear agreement, they've also been urging caution as well. >> there's ample reason to distrust what iran says about their nuclear program. their track record on this is less than stellar. >> for a little more context on this, a short time ago, my colleague natalie allen spoke with a research director for the national iran an american council and a close friend of

jason rezaian who was freed as part of the prisoner swap. >> i want to first ask you about the prisoner release. did you think it would happen concurrent with the implementation day for iran? >> it was far from guaranteed. but that was certainly the hope not only by myself but by many others. i think there's no doubt in my mind that the nuclear deal helped facilitate jason's freedom along with the freedom of others. u.s. and iran now have a diplomatic channel to resolve issues. that was used to get jason and others out. i think it's important to note that the longer the iranian government holds on to prisoners like jason who haven't done anything wrong, it increases their political cost. they were looking for a face saving way out as well. the prisoner swap was a win-win situation. >> as far as bigger picture, what does this moment represent with all of the mistrust on both sides, on several sides, the

world has arrived at letting iran back into the global community. >> well, it's a triumph of diplomacy. because iran, verifiably can no longer build a nuclear weapon, does not have the technical capability to do so and will never be allowed to develop the capabilities. the community was able to achieve without dropping a single bomb or firing a bullet. that's light years ahead of and from where we were in 2003 when we invaded iraq. truly, it's a victory for the united states and the rest of the international community. >> moving forward, how do you convince israel conservatives in the united states and elsewhere that this is something that is positive for the world and we can rebuild trust with iran? >> well, the interesting thing about the israeli reaction to the iran nuclear deal is that it has not been homogenous.

while you have prime minister netanyahu and other officials closely aligned with the prime minister saying negative things about the iran deal, you have senior military and intelligence officials in israel saying now, wait a minute, this deal does prevent iran from building a nuclear weapon. that's a good thing, not just for israeli and -- but for global security. it's not as clear-cut as the prime minister would pick it out to be. >> among the tweets that came out from this day, was this from the iranian prime minister, he said it's now time for all, especially muslim nations to join hands and rid the world of violent extremism. iran is ready to respond to that tweet. >> well, i think the iranian government more generally and the iranian foreign minister more specifically is saying all of the right things. because you read a tweet like that and say great, let's get down to business. now it's time for not only the iranian foreign minister and the government, but also governments

in the middle east to practice what they preach. and really take the various conflicts that they're participating in to negotiating table to try and find win-win outcomes to stop the killing in places like syria and iraq and places like yemen. no side can force their wilpon the other. that's why it's going to take countries like saudi arabia to hash out their differences once and for all. >> we thank you for joining us. >> to get to this point, it has taken years of diplomacy. looking back, between 2006 and 2010, the u.n. security council passed six different resolutions, all targeting ir iran's nuclear program. the u.s., russia, china, france, britain and germany reached an interim deal with iran calling on the country to limit their --

while a long-term agreement was negotiated. talks were extended until april of last year when a framework agreement was reached. then in july, the u.s. and iran agreed to a nuclear deal during a final meeting in vienna. iran is ready to ramp up oil production after sanctions were lifted. but that could worsen oil prices which are already at their lowest. details just ahead. plus, they vow to put terrorists out of action after militants kill millions of people in his country's capital. you're watching "cnn newsroom."

more on the top story, the u.s. and european union lifting sanctions against iran coming after the u.n.'s nuclear agency says at that tehran fulfilled requirements to restrict the nuclear program. in return, they get access to the international banking system again. it also opens the door for iran to sell its oil on the open market. but the idea of more oil in an already flooded market got an unfavorable reaction from

investors. crude prices in dubai and qatar dropped 6% on news of the deal. we take a closer look on why iran boosting its oil production could make an already brutal price war even worse. >> from oil-rich west ka roon on the border of iran to tehran's bustling bazaars and ultramodern malls, iran looks forward to prosperous times when oil is sold again on world markets. >> it is their one big saleable commodity. they have a growing population that they have to get economic growth for. >> economic sanctions badly damaged the iranian economy which is on the brink of recession as regional -- they believe it could reach 6% after sanctions end. no wonder that the oil minister says maximizing output is a must. >> can we wait and not produce

after lifting the sanction? who can -- can we lose our share in the market? it's not fair. >> in recent days, iranian officials hinted it will take a slower, more subtle approach towards ramping up production as oil prices collaps. its official goal is to get to pre-sanction levels by adding 1.5 million barrels a day by the end of the yeefrmt iran says increased investment could further boost production. >> we have to invest. we have to invest under any condition. >> arch-rival saudi arabia is anticipating the added supply. >> the saudis have already started to discount their sales to europe in order to better price their product against the coming iranian sales. >> all this comes as iranian and saudi leaders vow for political influence in the middle east. their rivalry has stoked bloody prox i wars in syria and yemen and has hurt the effort to battle isis.

saudis fear the added oil revenue will further embolden iran and allow it to act more aggressively in the region. >> you're seeing the struggle for power between iran and saudi arabia shifting over to the oil supply area. >> in other words, an already brutal price war could get even worse. >> it's a pure business competition. and i think this business competition will continue regardless of any opportunity that could take place in the near future. >> oil revenues will help iran, but lifting sanctions could not come at a worse time for all the other producers. cnn, abu dhabi. as you heard there in john's report, the lifting of sanctions should provide a much-needed jolt to the iranian economy which has cratered in recent years. another reporter spoke to natalie allen on the view from

tehran. >> the reaction on the streets last night was relatively muted, actually. but i think we'll see more celebrations tonight. broadly speaking, this is going to be a huge amount for the iranian economy. ordinary iranian across the middle classes are going to be positively affected by this news. already we've seen a reaction on the tehran stock exchange that was positive. it broke a six-month record yesterday. there's a huge amount of anticipation that what happened yesterday, implementation day is going to bring a huge amount of economic relief and relief to a large number of funds for iran and bring in a huge amount of foreign investment for the economy. >> remind us how bad the economy has been there, iran, and what the outlook has been up until now for younger people in iran with work. >> reporter: well, unemployment,

youth unemployment particularly here is very high. i think it's touching around 24%. massive impact on iran's ability to export oil. iran's access to the banking system, financial transactions. it hit every sector of iran's economy here and by 2013, we saw the economic growth had gone down to around -- gone into negative figures. minus 6% at some point. gradually, there's been some signs of a recovery. nowhere near enough what iran needs. hopefully, officials are saying that the removal of these sanctions are going to boost economic growth for iran so they can have a recovery so by next year the gdp will grow between 4% and 5% according to the imf. in addition to the lifting of sanctions, the u.s. and iran agreed to a historic prisoner swap. cnn spoke earlier with the wife of pastor syed abedini, one of

the captives release and her family is overjoyed at the news. >> it's a great joyful day. my kids cannot stop running around and asking me every other second when they will get to hug daddy. it's 3 1/2 years and waiting. this morning, i got messages through my iranian friends that there was news out in the iranian media that four americans were released. soon after that, i got a call from state department. >> as we heard earlier, "washington post" journalist jason rezaian has also been released. the newspaper publisher released a statement saying the following. weech couldn't be happier to hear the news that jason rezaian has been released from the prison. once we receive more details and can confirm that he's safely left iran, we will have more to share. you're watching "cnn newsroom" and still ahead, more on the talks that freed these u.s. prisoners from iran.

plus, we'll hear from an ex-iranian captive on her reaction to the news of the release. >> in the fight against terror, mourns victims of a deadly attack. we look at why al qaeda gunmen targeted a popular hotel in a west african country. live from atlanta and around the globe this hour, you're watching cnn worldwide.

united states and around the world. i'm george howell, the headlines we're following at this hour. the united states and the e.u. are lifting economic sanctions against iran.

this after the international atomic energy agency verified that iran fulfilled the steps to curb its nuclear program. this means that iran will now be able to sell oil on world markets. several reports are emerging from eastern syria of new bloodshed between the syrian regime and isis. activists say 135 people were killed on both sides while fighting on saturday. taiwan appears to have elected its first female president. official results have yet to be released, but the incumbent conceded and she's claimed victory. it could unsettle relations with china. the democratic progressive party has favored taiwan's independence though the candidate has said she supports the status quo. burkina faso says the struggle

against terrorism is part of his daily life. they're mourning the dozens of victims killed or wound north dakota friday's terror attack at a hotel in the capital city there. the president says soldiers shot and killed at least three of the attackers. that nation now is observing three days of mourning for the many victims involved and we're learning more details about them. let's now go live to david mckenzie who has been following this situation live in johannesburg for us. david, what more can you tell us about the many nationalities of people caught up in this attack? >> reporter: well, last night the presidential team in burkina faso say 18 nationalities were involved. but the details of who was killed in this horrific attack is slowly trickling out. the latest from the canadian prime minister, justin true dough saying six canadians were killed most likely in the cafe that the attackers first struck in the opening hours of this attack that then led to the

siege in the hotel. there were also two swiss, four ukrainians, including tragically, a 9-year-old child, two french and one american according to u.s. state department officials. a missionary working in that region. so this is clearly a very international burden that is being given out of this attack with the attackers. four were killed, two women attackers it appears. george? >> david, what more can be done about this threat? we're talking about a nation surrounded by other countries that have many of these jihadist groups operating. what could be done within that country to help stop the threat? >> reporter: this area is very huge geographical area, much covered by desert. often not tightly controlled by government troops. you saw next door to burkina faso was islamic groups pushing in, almost taking over the

entire country some years ago. though they pushed them back and though burkina faso has now a more stable government, that entire region is dealing, as you say, with multiple threats from terror groups. al qaeda and the islamic was seen to be a spent force, at least a disorganized one. that it appears, say analysts, to be regrouping with these two attacks, both the one in burkina faso and the radisson hotel. this expanse, the collapse of libya and other countries in that region means that there's a difficult scenario facing both the country and the security forces and international players, which are very much on the ground, particularly the french and the american in both an advisory role when it comes to the americans and to an active military role when it comes to the french. george? >> david mckenzie live in johannesbu johannesburg.

thanks for your reporting there. as david mentioned, al qaeda claims it carried out the burkina faso siege. an expert in the region tells cnn that the militant group is increasing attacking so-called soft targets, like the splendid hotel in burkina faso's capital. >> they're remarkably resilient. they've gone from full-fledged insurgency to territorial occupation. they were part of coalition that took over mali several years ago in the beginning of 2013. they've engaged in hidden run attacks against the u.n. peacekeeping force in mali which turned that mission into the deadliest u.n. mission. they're constantly evolving tactics. the targets, like this hotel and the hotel in mali in november frequented by the international

community, the number of nations involved. >> pham also told cnn there are growing concerns that other jihadist groups will further spread across africa. you're watching "cnn newsroom." five american prisoners in iran set free. more on the international talks that led to their release next. plus, the look back on the persian gulf war 25 years later. stay with us.

welcome back. our top story, the united states and e.u. are lifting economic sanctions with iran. after it was verified that iran fulfilled the steps needed to curb its nuclear program as part of an agreement with world powers. the announcement came as iran

released five american prisoners. four prisoners were exchanged for seven iranians held in the united states and a fifth american was freed as part of a separate deal. cnn's global affairs correspondent elise labott has more on the release of the u.s. prisoners. >> the freeing of four u.s. prisoners, including "washington post" journalist jason rezaian came as part of an unprecedented prisoner swap. it was the result of 14 months of secret negotiations between american and iranian diplomats. >> i'm very happy to say that as we speak, we have received confirmation that five americans who had been unjustly detained in iran have been released from custody. >> the release came on the same day when the international atomic energy agency, the united nations nuclear watchdog, announced that iran is in compliance with the deal to restrict its nuclear program.

as a result, the u.s. and the international community has lifted economic sanctions against iran. u.s. officials say that after the deal was reached in july, talk on the prisoner swap intensified. secretary of state john kerry said that nuclear agreement certainly accelerated the prisoner swap, as did the improvement in u.s./iranian relations. but that those talks were on a separate track an the nuclear talks. as part of the release, they agreed to release amir hekmati, abedini and nosratoliah khoshawi who we haven't heard that much about him or the circumstances surrounding his detention. a fifth u.s. citizen, matthew cher advice he can was not part of those negotiations. that longer talk over 14 months. but was also released along with the four americans by iran as a goodwill gesture.

meanwhile, seven iranians facing charges in the u.s. will be pardoned or will receive clemency as part of this deal. u.s. officials say none of those iranians were charged with terrorism or violence and said those were only considered had been convicted of sanctions violations or the violation of the trade embargo against iran. washington has also agreed to drop charges for 14 iranians considered fugitives and there's what they call a red notice out by interpol for their arrest. namazi, a dual u.s. iran ran businessman was detained in october. he was not part of this deal, was not released and neither was robert levinson, that former fbi agent who disaerd a. period in 2007. iran says it has no information on levinson but as part of this recent deal, u.s. officials say that iran has assured them they

will continue to seek information about levinson's whereabouts. he elise labott, cnn. we spoke about the prisoner release with a journalist who was held by iran in 2009 and recalled her own experience in an iranian jail. >> well, i was very surprised when i heard the news in morning. but ecstatic. i'm very happy for the families. i know they've been waiting for a long time. this has been a long journey. i'm just very happy and relieved for those prisoners to be freed. >> so much of this is bizarre and hard to understand. if anyone does, you do. you endured it. what do you think these men have suffered? what did you suffer when you were behind bars in iran? >> well, jonathan, everybody's experience with a little different but there are some parallels. most often when prisoners are put into jail in iran for the

first several days, you undergo intense interrogation. you'll be put in solitary confinement and that can last weeks or months, for some years. some people experience physical torture. i did not. i was under a lot of psychological pressure or called white torture that doesn't leave a mark on your body but can devastate your mind or conscience and that's a combination of being put in isolation and being told you committed crimes you didn't commit and being pressured to confess to those things. they're very good at trying to rob you of your dignity. that can be difficult. i hope that these men who are going to be freed, that their path ahead, they'll be able to sort through some of these things. >> what did it feel like for you when you were free? what do you think is going through their minds now? >> it was bittersweet for me. i was shocked when i was told i would be freed. i had been in prison for espionage which i denied. i went through an appellate

trial and freed the next day. i couldn't believe it until i was on the plane getting out of the country. i thought what if these guys change their mind? it was bittersweet for me because i was leaving behind political prisoners, iranians whom i believd should be freed also. it was sweet, of course, because i wanted freedom. i wanted to walk down the street without a blindfold on. to ride in a car without handcuffs on. to shut off the lights at night or to see the blue sky and make phone calls and write e-mails. and to be with my family and my friends. >> why do you think iran arrests people like you, like these folks? >> it's a really good question, jonathan. i still can't be sure why they arrested me. but i think there are possible reasons. one is that they want to make an example out of some people that they arrest, for example a journalist, dual national citizen. they might be trying to send a message to other people like you, don't try to cross any

lines, don't be too outspoken. they might have wanted to use these prisoners as political pawns or part of a prisoner exchange. we don't know that yet. they might try to get information from you. in some cases for political prisoners, they're pressured even to spy for their captors once they're released. so it could be any one or maybe more of these reasons. >> one last question for you. in all of the appropriate celebration about the people who will be going home on both sides, there are two americans still in iran. one who is clearly behind bars, one who is missing. do you have any idea why they were left out of this arrangement? >> i don't know. one of them you're talking about robert levinson, been missing i believe since 2007 is a good friend of mine. an iranian american jailed for more than three months. no charges have been made against him, no evidence presented according to his family and friends. i hope that he will be released soon. maybe they're holding on to them or one or both of them for some

kind of future deal. i don't know. >> roxana sverre i speaking with our jonathan man. we look back on how it changed tv coverage in conflict zones. stay with us.

want to update our viewers in united states about a tornado was confirmed on the west coast of florida. >> that's correct. sarasota county, south of tampa bay. that's the area we've been monitoring closely for 45 minutes to an hour. multiple tornado warnings have been issued by the national weather service and several confirmed tornadoes that have actually made landfall within the west coast of the u.s. state of florida. we'll show you the latest graphics and give you the latest information to pass this along. it's still an ongoing situation as we speak. this is the latest watches. you can see a strong line of thunderstorms moving through southwestern florida as we speak. it's all thanks to a gulf low that's developed across this area bringing multiple rounds of severe weather.

similar situation played out yesterday at this time as well. you can see there are still ongoing severe thunderstorm watch and tornado warning at the moment for sarasota county and points eastward. we're going to monitor that closely. it was just south of sarasota. the town of sarasota that appears to have some damage thanks to a tornado that moved through that region about 45 minutes ago. still watching twitter and other social media areas available. there's damage shown. remember this concern had been that it's still nighttime in this part of the united states. so a lot of times people are sleeping, tornadoes are often well-disguised by the nighttime skies and the heavy rain associated with these stronger storms moving through. damaging wind gusts and isolated possible from tampa to ft.

myers. the severe weather threat is deteriorating as the cold front moves further and further eastward. we'll look for it to reach the east coast of florida. this is the setup at play at the moment. it's the coastal lows that develop and there's an associated cold front. the systems move very quickly. we get the interaction from the warm ocean waters. once is reaches the topography or the land, it often creates several areas of spin that can often rotate a tornado or a rotating supercell creating strong gusty winds and of course tornadic weather as well. that storm system is going to move up the east coast of the united states. the next focus is the extremely cold weather that will impact the upper great lakes with windchill values well below freezing. look at south florida once again. our timing through the rest of the morning for nift viewers

coming out of florida. the severe weather flet will improve for tampa. but looking to the east coast, the severe weather threat through 8:00 this morning. george, again, multiple tornadoes being sighted by professional trained spotters. some of them were on the ground and there's damage coming out of that area as well. >> one of the worst situations happening overnight when people are sleeping. >> that's correct. >> derek, thank you. we'll stay in touch with you. updating our top story that we're following this day. a milestone for iran with sanctions now lifted by the you its stand the european union. this after the iaea says tehran is complying with the deal to restrict its nuclear program. the united states and iran agreed to a prisoner swap. five americans held in iran are on their way home, four of them being exchanged for seven iranians that are held by the u.s. for sanctions violatins. a fifth american has been freed as part of a different deal. this historic day for iran comes 25 years after the start of the

persian gulf war. it was the first major conflict that featured live reporting from the frontlines and those who were there, they remember it vividly. former and current cnn journalists take a look back. >> this is something is happening outside. the skies over baghdad have been illuminated. we're seeing bright flashes going off all over the sky. >> for the first time that so-called reporting from behind enemy lines was going to be attempted and many people -- as a journalist you want to be there. it's a defining moment. it's history happening. that's why we're journalists, we want to tell the world about it. we manage to establish a full wire which is a simple device, like having to open phone lines

installed. >> well, the first person to recommend it to us in atlanta was robert wiener. he was our combat producer. what is ironic is that we were able to get the cooperation of the iraqis in putting it in. >> the sky continues to be filled with tracers, the anti-aircraft weapons continue to fire. >> i will never forget as up on the monitors in our newsroom first the live feed of cnn continued and then within minutes without permission, other networks started to take our feed. >> looking back, we were almost freer to report what we saw in baghdad than the western press corps in saudi arabia and certainly the journalists in

israel. the censorship was much tighter. it was one of the greatest moments of my life. not only because of what we accomplished journalistically but the bonding that took part between those of us who were there and those of us who remained. >> between those, the first war in iraq and the second, the war in bosnia, a quarter of a million people killed and when you look at it today, so little really on the ground changed. slightly different political dynamic. that's the perspective that you get from covering wars close up is that you realize there's a certain amount of futility. >> our cnn colleagues looking back at the persian gulf war. with that, we thank you for joining us this hour. i'm george howell at the cnn center in atlanta. i'll be back after the break with another hour of news from around the world. thank you for watching cnn, the world's news leader. "why are you checking your credit score?"

"you don't want to live with mom and dad forever, do you?"

"boo!" (laughs) "i'm making smoothies!" "well...i'm not changing." "so, how can i check my credit score?" "credit karma. don't worry, it's free." "hmmmm." "credit karma. give yourself some credit."

today marks the first day of a safer world. >> the u.s. secretary of state welcomes the reduction of iran's nuclear capability and the lifting of sanctions against a long time foe. but not everybody is celebrating. plus, an attack in west africa felt around the world. 18 countries report victims from friday's hotel siege in burkina faso. with the election of taiwan's first female president, beijing feels the slight jab from a new thorn in its side. from cnn world headquarters in atlanta, welcome to our viewers here in the united states and around the world. i'm george howell, "cnn newsroom" starts right now.

good day to you. we begin with a major milestone for iran. sanctions now lifted for the united states and the european union. this comes after the international atomic energy agency announced that tehran met its obligations to restrict its nuclear program. some republicans in the united states and others say it's premature. they insist iran is -- iranian's president praised the deal. >> as far as they're concerned, all the parties are happy with the exception of designists and the war mongers and those who are causing disunity among islamic and the american hard liners and extremists. >> meanwhile, the u.s. secretary of state, john kerry, announced

an additional sign of warming relations between iran and the u.s. >> very happy to say that as we speak, we received confirmation that five americans who had been unjustly detained in iran have been released from custody, and they should be on their way home to their families before long shortly. >> four of those americans were released in exchange for seven iranians that were held by the united states for sanctions violations. a fifth american was freed as part of a separate deal. we are covering this major story from all angles this day. our oren liebermann joins us live from jerusalem with reaction from israel. but first, we start with nic robertson live in vienna with what is next to come in this deal. so much has happened, nic. iran now gets access to $50 billion in assets that were

frozen. it can now sell its oil on the world markets. talk to us about what this means for iran. >> reporter: well, one of the things it also means beyond a stimulant for their economy and a vital invig ration of cash to rein -- to increase their output at a time when oil prices around the world are at a long-time low, it provides them with the cash to do that. this is much-needed. they've been waiting a long time for it. what it also provides is the joint comprehensive plan of action, which is what the next phase of this nuclear deal that was struck and hammered out in the summer in the hotel behind me here. for the next phase, it really does mean a lot of compliance and inspection for the iranians. the director of the iaea is

expected to leave forte ran. he's talked about the inspections that will come, the new phase of the relationship between the iaea and iran. on the one hand, iran does get this infusion of frozen assets, large amounts of cash that it desperately needs, but at the same time, they've got this ongoing commitment to honor the nuclear deal. this is something that secretary kerry talked about. they essentially closed down two of the pathways that iran could use to make a nuclear weapon by virtue of the reduction of enriched uranium, the closing of some potentially nuclear facility, water plants, a research facility as well. but also now as part of the inspection system, cameras and monitoring equipment 24/7 that will be placed on storage facilities and placed on production facilities. the third pathway that secretary kerry laid out that iran could

make a weapon is a covert facility. so the new iaea inspection system will have oversight over the uranium mines, the mills where it's refined in preparation for the next phase, the enrichment facilities. so all the way down the process chain there will not be iaea oversight. of course, that's going to put a burden on the manpower resources and the technical skills and capacity of the iaea going forward. george? >> nic, i remember you standing in front of that building for many, many days following the touch and go negotiations that led to this deal. certainly a historic deal for iran. lts talk about the other side of this. what does this deal mean within the region? what does it mean for the tensions between saudi arabia and iran and what does it mean for the ongoing proxy wars throughout the region? >> well, certainly if we look at

the couple of days leading up to where we are today, u.s. secretary of state john kerry was meeting with the foreign minister. they had two days of talks there. there are vital talks coming up regards the peace process in syria that are expected to take place in geneva beginning a week from tomorrow. the fact that secretary kerry was able to sit with the saudi foreign minister perhaps be able to bring him up to speed on how the deal was progressing, the saudis have been opposed to iran brokering and being part of this nuclear deal. their real concern is they feel is the growing influence of iran in the region and the long-term intentions. so in some part, if iran ups its oil production, has greater access to money and cash reserves, then potentially the tensions in the region can build. that's a potential.

what the sort of long-term goal that both saudi arabia and iran is going to be is to maintain a significant part of oil sales. that doesn't have to come at the expense of lives and war in the region. however, the tensions that exist, that's the central point. going forward, it certainly does -- oil production of both countries and how they negotiate and how at a time when there's low oil prices, how that plays other is going to be critical.- but it does change the dimension or the dynamic in the region. however, everyone has known that this was coming, has seen it was coming, has registered their disapproval on some parts of this and other arab nations. george? >> nic robertson live in vienna. thanks so much for the context and now let's turn to oren liebermann who joins us in jerusalem. given the initial reactions from the prime minister benjamin

netanyahu when this deal was being negotiated, he made no bones about it. he disliked this deal. now we're hearing a much more measured response. >> reporter: right. up until now, essentially we had heard strong criticisms and rhetoric against this deal. now, as you pointed out, it seems to be a little more measured. not outright criticism of the deal. but prime minister netanyahu essentially issued a warning after the iaea statement that iran was in compliance. his warning was that the power of the iaea needs to closely monitor what's going on in iran to make sure that iran is in compliance and to hold iran responsible if they're not in compliance with the agreement. he does go on to say, israel will do what's necessary to maintain its own security and defend itself. that could be a reference to when he said earlier last year that israel has all of its options on the table in terms of perhaps even a strike if israel deems it's necessary. this statement, as you said, more measured than his previous

statements. essentially pointing out they have to monitor what iran does. he says iran is still trying to develop nuclear weapons. it's very much a concern for the israelis as well. >> we're hearing from from the prime minister obviously. but what is the overall reaction would you say from people across israel about what has happened? >> well, they're still very much opposed to this deal, they were from the deal seeing the proxy wars and seeing -- there is that threat and there is that concern that has always been there here. so criticism against this deal has been very widespread. the vast majority of israelis oppose this deal. as netanyahu pointed out in a press conference he held a few days ago, the deal is a fact. this deal is in place. now it's up to the international community to hold iran responsible to that deal. the deal doesn't in any way nor does implementation day change the opposition to the deal. now it's up to the israeli government and the israelis to

see where and how this deal moves forward. other israeli politicians, much more critical of implementation day saying it allows them to continue to destabilize the region. the leader of a political party in the opposition says it will allow them to spread the global spread of terrorism. >> oren liebermann thank you for your reporting and nic robertson as well. let's bring in our london bureau, he's the chair of the contemporary studies and also the author of the new middle east protest and revolution in the arab world. he joins us live. thanks for your time. let's start with what this means for the iranian economy. >> well, george, last night the iranian president summarized what's in the deal for iran. he said this injects between 50

and $100 billion in the economy. this could be opening a page in the golden renewal of the iranian economy and society. it integrates iran into the world economic market. iran is back in the banking and international banking system. this would basically -- the leadership would like to have between 8% and 9% annual growth rate. unemployment in iran is between 20 and 30%. the president says they hope that this particular deal could basically bring down the unemployment rate. and that's why president rouhani has made it clear that they're hoping by integrating iran into the world economy they would basically help the middle class that has been decimated by more than three decades with economic sanctions on iran. >> let's talk also about again

what it means for the present leadership in iran. against the hard liners in that country who may not have wanted to see this deal come to fruition. >> well, george, if it was not for the supreme leader, this particular deal would not have taken place. the supreme leader is the commander in chief even though he's not elected. even though president rouhani was elected by a majority of the iranian republic, he does not have the final say. the fact is that the supreme leader has empowered rouhani to go ahead with the deal is a testament that basically the iranians have a vested interest in opening a new page with the united states and ending the state of isolation, breaking basically the cycle of more than three decades of hostility with the united states. so all in all, even though the hard liners and the revolutionary guards would like to maintain a kind of a position

of recess tense against the united states, they realize that iran needs to be integrated into the world economy, that iranian society and the middle class have been decimated by the sanctions. so all in all, you have a balance of power between the new leadership, rouhani and za riff and the allies and the revolutionary guard. i think the balance itself shows that iran is receptive to being integrated into the world economy. this does not mean that iran and the united states are best friends. this does not mean that their interests in the region does not divert. we know there are diversion interests between the united states and the iran and same in iraq and lebanon and israel. the reality is, the new lim basically has been able to have this particular deal and to begin the process of opening a

new page of relation with the united states and the international community. >> fawaz gerges. we'll have more on the talks that freed the u.s. prisoners later on this broadcast. plus, you'll hear from republicans running for the president here in the u.s. who are not so happy about it. plus, a water crisis in the u.s. has people in the state of michigan demanding accountability and now washington, d.c. is getting involved. stay with us. does your makeup remover every kiss-proof,ff? cry-proof, stay-proof look? neutrogena® makeup remover does. it erases 99% of your most stubborn makeup with one towelette. need any more proof than that? neutrogena.

theand to help you accelerate,. we've created a new company... one totally focused on what's next for your business. the true partnership where people,technology and ideas push everyone forward. accelerating innovation. accelerating transformation. accelerating next. hewlett packard enterprise. with new trublend primer covergirl makes flawless as easy as... one... "tru"... three. preps and smooths skin and trublend makeup blends flawlessly plus new trublend blush and bronzer from easy breezy beautiful covergirl. does the smell of a freshly fill you with optimism? do you love your wireless keyboard more than certain family members? is your success due to a filing system only you understand? does printing from your tablet to your wireless printer

give you a jolt of confidence? if so, you may be gearcentric. someone who knows that the right office gear helps you do great things. and there's one place that has it all. office depot officemax. gear up for great. is youyou may be muddling through allergies.lode? try zyrtec®-d to powerfully clear your blocked nose and relieve your other allergy symptoms. so, you can breathe easier all day. zyrtec®-d. at the pharmacy counter.

welcome back. more on our top story this hour. the united states and e.u. are lifting some economic sanctions against iran, this after the international atomic energy agency verified that that agency fulfilled the steps to curb its nuclear -- this announcement came as ryan released five american prisoners, exchanged for prisoners held in the united states and a fifth american freed as part of a separate deal. our global affairs correspondent elise labott gives us a closer look at the talks that led to the release of the u.s. prisoners. >> the freeing of four u.s. prisoners, including "washington post" journalist jason rezaian came as part of an unprecedented prisoner swap. it was the result of 14 months

of secret negotiations between american and iranian diplomats. >> i'm very happy to say that as we speak, we have received confirmation that five americans who had been unjustly detained in iran have been released from custody. >> the release came on the same day when the international atomic energy agency, the united nations nuclear watchdog, announced that iran is in compliance with the deal to restrict its nuclear program. as a result, the u.s. and the international community has lifted economic sanctions against iran. u.s. officials say that after the deal was reached in july, talk on the prisoner swap intensified. secretary of state john kerry said that nuclear agreement certainly accelerated the prisoner swap, as did the improvement in u.s./iranian relations. but that those talks were on a separate track an the nuclear talks. as part of the release, they agreed to release amir hekmati,

jason rezaian, abedini and nosratoliah khoshawi, who we haven't heard that much about him or the circumstances surrounding his detention. a fifth u.s. citizen, matthew cher advice he can was not part of those negotiations. that longer talk over 14 months. but was also released along with the four americans by iran as a goodwill gesture. meanwhile, seven iranians facing charges in the u.s. will be pardoned or will receive clemency as part of this deal. u.s. officials say none of those iranians were charged with terrorism or violence and said those were only considered had been convicted of sanctions violations or the violation of the trade embargo against iran. washington has also agreed to drop charges for 14 iranians considered fugitives and there's what they call a red notice out

by interpol for their arrest. sigh mack meck namazi was detained in october. he was not part of this deal, was not released and neither was robert levinson, that former fbi agent who disappeared in iran in 2007. iran says it has no information on levinson but as part of this recent deal, u.s. officials say that iran has assured them they will continue to seek information about levinson's whereabouts. elise labott, cnn. washington. in the united states on the campaign trail, republicans running for president were quick to slam the obama administration after learning about this prisoner swap with tehran. listen. >> so i've been hitting him hard and i think i might have had something to do with it. you want to know the truth, it's part of my staple thing. i go crazy when i hear about this. we're getting back four people that didn't do anything wrong.

that's the way we negotiate. that's the way we negotiate. it's so sad. this has been going on forever. >> let me say, there is a false moral equivalence in a deal like this. pastor sigh ed was in prison for the crime of preaching the gospel. he shouldn't have been there. amir hekmati, a u.s. marine shouldn't have been there in that prison. jason rezaian, a reporter who was in prison for reporting on the news, shouldn't have been there. >> while we celebrate their return, this deal serves as a piece of propaganda for both iran and the obama administration. just ahead, we'll have a

live report from the air base in germany where the prisoners are being taken from iran. as the war of words continues over iran in washington, the u.s. president barack obama is facing another pressing domestic issue. on saturday he declared a state of emergency in flint, michigan. that's where people are dealing with water that's contaminated with lead. sara began um has the story. >> as the national guard arrived with clean bottled water, more agencies are looking to see if anyone is criminally responsible for the water crisis in flint. almost immediately after the city switched its water source two years ago, brown water came out of the tap and children developed rashes. >> i feel helpless. >> the water is tainted with lead because it wasn't treated properly and now allegations that state government officials were not only slow to react but that they may have hidden the truth. >> i think that is the biggest

trauma that our community feels right now. relax, that there's no problems. that we're meeting all guidelines. and then they've been lied to for 18 months. >> dr. mona hanna-attish, a pediatrician. took it upon herself to look at the levels in children. she found levels doubled x even tripled in some cases even though they insisted the water was safe. >> why do you think their information was flawed? >> it's a good question. their information wasn't flawed. they had the data. they had even looked at it back in july and they have seen the abnormal spikes. >> a draft memo shows that as far back as june, the epa knew of reports that flint water had high levels of lead and that the city's testing was skewing results by free flushing before samples were taken.

but no action was taken for months. the epa says it was urging the state to fix the problem. what's more, mark edwards, the researcher who shed light on these documents said the state not only tested the wrong home but also altered a report eliminating results from two flint homes that would have shown toxic levels of lead. >> in essence, the state took an f grade for flint water's report on lead and made it into an a grade. >> the state says the alterations were legitimate. e-mails show state officials were determined to prove the water was safe. one official writing, i would like to make a strong statement with a demonstration of o proof that lead blood levels seen are not out of the ordinary. >> letdown by the city and this county and the state. let down by the government that's supposed to keep us safe. >> sara began 'em, cnn, new

york. >> want to update our viewers in the united states. specifically the state of florida, south of tampa where a tornado was confirmed overnight. our meteorologist derek van dam is here to tell us the latest. derek? >> the severe weather started about 2:00 eastern standard time. there were multiple counties in the tampa bay area with tornado warnings. sarasota county has beared the brunt of the worst tornado damage. we're starting to get some of the footage coming out of that area. take a look. the sarasota fire rescue now reporting multiple rescues that have taken place or are still ongoing. you're looking at new video fresh to cnn. this is mainly near the siesta key region in sarasota county. several people reportedly injured. there's obviously home damage ongoing. reporting no power for about 23,000 customers. just in sarasota county alone. manatee county, about 6,000

customers without power and you can imagine the cleanup effort that is going to be ongoing once the sunrises this morning local time in florida roughly about 6:30 to 7:00. take a look at my graphics. you can see the line of severe storms that's progressing eastward very quickly. let's zoom in to southwestern florida to show you the current ongoing threat. ft. myers, they're getting a route of strong winds at the moment. it will continue to move eastward. that line of thunderstorms will reach west palm beach in the ft. lauderdale region in a significantly weaker state, but nonetheless, gusty winds with this storm as it continues to move eastward. it looks as if tampa and sarasota are out of the severe weather threat as the system moves eastward thanks to an area of low pressure that is moving across the gulf coast state at the moment that will bring, again, the strong winds to the eastern side of florida within the next 45 minutes.

so our viewers down there want to take cover as we speak. >> again, several people reportedly injured you say, derek. >> that is true. >> stay in touch with you. thank you very much. you're watching "cnn newsroom." still ahead, iran is re-entering the global economy after sanctions are lifted. we look at what it's taken to reach this point and what's next for that nation. taiwan is entering a new political era. we discuss how the new president could impact the future. live in atlanta and broadcasting around the globe this hour. you're watching cnn. then, woosh, it's gone. i swear i saw it swallow seven people. seven. i just wish one of those people could have been mrs. johnson. [dog bark] trust me, we're dealing with a higher intelligence here. ♪ the all-new audi q7 is here. ♪

you've finally earned enough on your airline credit card. now you just book a seat, right? not quite. sometimes those seats are out of reach, costing an outrageous number of miles. it's time to switch... to the capital one venture card. with venture, you'll earn unlimited double miles on every purchase, every day. and when you're ready to travel, just book the flight you want, on any airline and use your miles to cover the cost. now that's more like it. what's in your wallet? the gillette mach 3 turbo still feels better after 10 shaves than a disposable on it's first. mach 3 blades have twice the coatings. for a closer shave with zero redness. get an incredible experience shave after shave after shave. gillette. the best a man can get.

welcome back to our viewers in the united states and around the

world. you're watching "cnn newsroom." good to have you with us. i'm george howell. the headlines we're following this hour. several reports are emerging from eastern syria of new bloodshed between the syrian regime and isis. activists say at least 135 people were killed on both sides while fighting in deir ezzor. there were 300 villagers massacred. the president there says the struggle against terrorism is now part of his country's daily life. the west african nation is mourning the dozens of victims, people who were killed or wounded in friday's terror attack at a hotel in the capital city. the president says soldiers shot and killed at least three of the attackers. taiwan appears to have elected its first female president. official results have yet to be released. but the incumbent conceded and tsai ing-wen, you see her there. her democratic progressive party

favored taiwan's independence. the u.s. and e.u. are lifting economic sanctions against iran after the aoea verified that iran fulfilled its deal -- it will now be anyone to sell oil on world markets. let's turn to fred pleitgen who joins us from germany where the americans will soonl land for a medical checkup. do we have information on the timing when the prisoners are due to arrive there? >> reporter: george, we're not even sure whether they've taken off from iran just yet. it's interesting because the timing has been in flux since it was announced that the americans were released. what we know, you have the four that were released as part of the prisoner swap with iran. then you also had a fifth american, matthew, he has apparently left iran. he's not part of that actual

prisoner swap deal. he's someone that the iranians released as a gesture without that deal in place. it's unclear when they're going to arrive here. once they do take off from tehran, if they haven't done so yet, it's about a 4 1/2, 5-hour flight here to europe. it's unclear whether they would land anywhere else before coming here to the military base here, one of the biggest air bases outside of the u.s. then from here, from ronstein, they would go a mile, mile and a half to the regional medical center, which is one of america's biggest and best hospitals outside of the u.s. military hospital and then they would get medical treatment. it's unclear how long the four would then stay here before moving on to the u.s. but that's what the folks here are expecting in the next couple of hours. again, the exact timing at this point, still unknown, george. >> four prisoners freed and a fifth separately.

our fret fred pleitgen live in germany for us. also a close friend of jason rezaian. he's that "washington post" journal i was who was freed as part of the prisoner swap. >> i want to first ask you about the prisoner release. did you think it would happen concurrent with the implementation date for iran? >> it was far from guaranteed. that was certainly the hope. not only by myself but by many others. i think there's no doubt in my mind that the nuclear deal helped facilitate jason's freedom and the freedom of others. the u.s. and iran now have a diplomatic channel to try and resolve issues. that's the channel that was used to get jason and others out. also, it's important to note that the longer the iranian government holds on to prisoners that haven't done anything

wrong -- they were looking for a face saving way out and the prisoner swap gave everybody what they needed. a win-win situation. >> as far as bigger picture, what does this moment represent with all of the mistrust on both sides, on several sides, the world has arrived at letting iran back into the global community. >> well, it's a triumph of diplomacy. because iran, verifiably can no longer build a nuclear weapon, does not have the technical capability to do so and will never be allowed to develop the capabilities. the international community was able to achieve that without firing a single bullet or firing a single bomb. that's light years ahead of and from where we were in 2003 when we invaded iraq. truly, it's a victory for the united states and the rest of the international community. >> moving forward, how do you convince israel conservatives in the united states and elsewhere that this is something that is

positive for the world and we can rebuild trust with iran? >> well, the interesting thing about the israeli reaction to the iran nuclear deal is that it has not been homogenous. while you have prime minister netanyahu and other officials closely aligned with the prime minister saying negative things about the iran deal, you have senior military and intelligence officials in israel saying now, wait a minute, this deal does prevent iran from building a nuclear weapon. that's a good thing, not just for israeli and american security but for global security. it's not as clear-cut as the prime minister would make it out to be. >> among the tweets that came out from this day, was this from the iranian foreign minister. he said it's now time tore all, especially muslim nations to join hands and rid the world of violent extremism. iran is ready. could you respond to that tweet?

>> well, i think the iranian government more generally and the iranian foreign minister more specifically is saying all of the right things. because you read a tweet like that and say great, let's get down to business. now it's time for not only the iranian foreign minister and the government, but also governments in the middle east to practice what they preach. and really take the various conflicts that they're participating in to negotiating table to try and find win-win outcomes to stop the killing in places like syria and iraq and places like yemen. because no side can force their will upon the other. that's why it's going to take countries like saudi arabia to sit down at the negotiating table and hash out their differences once and for all. >> we thank you for joining us. thank you. >> to get to this point, it has taken years of diplomacy. looking back, between 2006 and 2010, the u.n. security council passed six different resolutions, all targeting iran's nuclear program. then in 2013, the p5+1

countries, the you state, russia, china, france, britain and germany, reached an interim deal with iran calling on the country to limit their -- while a long-term agreement was negotiated. talks were extended until april of last year when a framework agreement was reached. then in july, the u.s. and iran agreed to a nuclear deal during a final meeting in vienna. so now that that deal has been reached, let's take a closer look at what iran can offer its new trading partners. iranian exports totaled nearly $50 billion in 2013 according to the u.n. the majority of that, 68 perts, was oil. the country exports billions in other goods, including chemicals, plastics and metals, also textiles, including persian styled rugs and carpets and agricultural products. iran is one of the top producers of pistachio nuts. you're watching "cnn newsroom." still ahead, a deadly terror

attack stuns a west african nation. the united states is calling it a senseless assault. how burkina faso is trying to recover, next. by kiss ♪ beth, i hear you calling.♪. ♪ but i can't come home right now... ♪ ♪ me and the boys are playing.♪. ♪ ... all nig♪t text beth, what can i do... [siri:] message. pick up milk. oh, right. milk. introducing the newly redesigned passat. from volkswagen. does your makeup remover every kiss-proof,ff? cry-proof, stay-proof look? neutrogena® makeup remover does. it erases 99% of your most stubborn makeup with one towelette. need any more proof than that? neutrogena. go to ziprecruiter.com and post your job to over one hundred of the web's leading job boards

with a single click. then simply select the best candidates from one easy to review list. and now you can use zip recruiter for free. go to ziprecruiter.com.

welcome back. burkina faso's president says they must mobilize. they're observing three days of mourning for the victims of friday's terror siege. 28 people were killed there, dozens injured. all when al qaeda linked gunmen opened fire at a hotel popular with westerners. one was ayu crainian girl who

was nine years old. david mckenzie joins us from johannesburg following this story. david, we know a bit about the nationalities, the people who were involved in this. can you tell us more? >> reporter: that's right. the victims of this horrifying attack in burkina faso, in the capital, who were either enjoying an evening at that cafe or in the hotel where those attackers stormed through this hours-long siege, we learned from various people that there were four ukrainians, two french, two swiss and of course, that american missionary seen here in a photograph with his wife. we're learning new details of him. he was there at that cafe having coffee. he helped run an orphanage and women's crisis center, lived in burkina faso for five years

trying to help the people of that country. and those who died are being mourned. but the victims are also, of course, those who lived through it, the survivors. many of them injured who had to deal with the harrowing scene late friday. >> fiery scenes, both shocking and horribly familiar. authorities say at least four heavily armed attackers, two of them women, storming a cafe popular with westerners in burkina faso's capital late friday. >> translator: it's horrible because everyone was panicked and was laying down on the floor. there was blood everywhere. they were shooting at people at point-blank. the sound of the detonation was so loud, we could hear them talking and they were walking around and kept shooting at people that seemed alive. >> officials in burkina faso say it was a complex attack. some terrorists posing as tourists during the day before

striking at night. moving from the cafe to a popular hotel across the street. burkina area forces joined by french special forces flown in from mali and american intelligence support. hours into the bloody siege, the security operation moved in and the shooting soon stopped. but the attack left dozens dead from at least 18 countries, more than 120 hostages were freed and many still injured. >> translator: they came in, we were all lying on the ground and they shot at everybody. maybe i was lucky it was just my arm. the attacks allegedly claimed by al qaeda in islamic and executed led by this man, the one eyed sheikh. the same groups behind the deadly radisson hotel attack in mali made last year. >> some years ago, they were

believed to be a fractured squabbling force but it seems after this attack they are looking to have terror through that region. the question is what's next? many of the countries, particularly burkina faso who deal with internal strife and fighting through -- still reeling from that, the vast areas are difficult to police, difficult to monitor. people, particularly these militant groups can move between those borders very easily. they are clearly trying to make a statement here. a statement that this region is their region and many analysts believe they're trying to compete with isis which has claimed its affiliation with other groups in west africa, particularly boko haram. so that competition and that effectiveness shown by aqim is a

very disturbing trend indeed. george. >> david mckenzie live in johannesburg, following this for us. thank you very much. on to indonesia, where 12 people have been arrested in connection with a deadly terror attack in central jakarta on thursday. according to indonesia's national police chief, one of the suspects received a money transfer from the alleged organizer of the operation seen here. investigators believe that money was then used to finance the attack. but just days after the bloodshed, the streets of jakarta have been filled with people. indonesia standing determined to show the terrorist that is they are not afraid. senior international correspondent ivan watson has this report. >> reporter: look at this scene in downtown jakarta. it feels like a festival. ♪

♪ >> but this is not a special holiday. this is just your average sunday morning in the indonesian capital. it's part of an initiative called car-free day in which the city shuts down vehicular traffic on main boulevards running through this teeming, steamy city and opens it up to joggers, cyclers and musicians ♪ >> what's all the more remarkable is these families are out enjoying the open streets just a few hundred yards away from where isis militants carried out brazen daylight terror attacks. >> how are you feeling this sunday? >> this sunday, i'm quite happy. because you look, everybody there. i don't care. we don't care about the

terrorism. >> nobody is afraid right now? >> no. >> no. i don't think so. no, no one afraid. we're not afraid. >> it's hard to believe that just a few days ago there were gunmen and suicide bombers attacking people in this very intersection in broad daylight. and now look at this show of national pride and defiance with indonesians determined to prove that terrorism will not strike fear into the heart of their country. ivan watson, cnn, jakarta. >> taiwan is ushering a new president in. what her election could mean for ties with china, next.

you can't breathed. through your nose. suddenly, you're a mouthbreather. a mouthbreather! how can anyone sleep like that? well, just put on a breathe right strip and pow! it instantly opens your nose up to 38% more than cold medicine alone. so you can breathe and sleep. shut your mouth and say goodnight mouthbreathers. breathe right

it took joel silverman years to become a master dog trainer. but only a few commands to master depositing checks at chase atms. technology designed for you. so you can easily master the way you bank. theand to help you accelerate,. we've created a new company... one totally focused on what's next for your business. the true partnership where people,technology and ideas push everyone forward. accelerating innovation. accelerating transformation. accelerating next. hewlett packard enterprise. with new trublend primer covergirl makes flawless as easy as... one... "tru"... three. preps and smooths skin and trublend makeup

blends flawlessly plus new trublend blush and bronzer from easy breezy beautiful covergirl. the 88th southern parallel. we had traveled for over 850 miles. my men driven nearly mad from starvation and frostbite. today we make history. >>bienvenidos! welcome to the south pole! if you're dora the explorer, you explore. it's what you do. >>what took you so long? if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. it's what you do. >>you did it, yay! do something! get on the floor! oh i'm not a security guard, i'm a security monitor. i only notify people if there is a robbery. there's a robbery. why monitor a problem if you don't fix it? that's why lifelock does more than free credit monitoring to protect you from identity theft. we not only alert you to identity threats,

if you have a problem, we'll spend up to a million dollars on lawyers and experts to fix it. lifelock. join starting at $9.99 a month. political era. vote elected their first female president. tsai ing-wen, a stark contrast to the nationalist party that preceded her. despite all that, she says she will keep the peace with china.

we've been following this and we have more from taipei. >> reporter: she works as a consultant but flew back to taiwan to cast her ballot for change. >> i already working in shanghai for five years. it's important o to taiwan and still want to feel come -- >> she's one of scores of taiwan citizens who returned home for the vote. many pinning their hopes on this woman. a landslide victory for the opposition democratic progressive party or dpp. she completed a ph.d. at the london school of economics. dr. tsai is staring down an array of challenges. a stagnating economy and uphill battle to work with china while asserting taiwan's own identity. many voters were angered by this viral video. a taiwan pop star forced to bow and apologize after waving the

taiwan flag at her recent performance. >> it's very important for taiwan, which is we want to come close to china or we want to be a taiwanese. >> what do you want? >> i want to be a taiwanese. that's the reason why i vote this dpp for the president. >> as the next president of taiwan, what do you plan to do to assert taiwan's identity on the world stage? >> i want -- >> translator: this serves as a reminder to me that the most important thing for taiwan is the unity and strength of the country. only through strength will we gain more respect and protect our people and our democratic way of life. >> reporter: taiwan was a youth movement, the parties had a strong showing at the parliamently polls. they're led by an activist that stormed the occupied building in

2014 and death metal rocker freddie lynn. >> colorful candidates in a boy industrious election in sharp contrast to the one party state next door. >> taiwan is a vibrant democracy and a young one, too. this year, 2016 marks 20 years since taiwan elected its first president. after casting her vote, stella flies back to shanghai on sunday. she says it was well worth the trip. cnn, taipei. finally, we leave you with pandemonium at the washington national zoo. pandemonium, the 5-month-old panda cub made a debut at the zoo on saturday. beyond adorable there, you see. looked a little shocked with the flashing paparazzi. his name means precious treasure in mandarin. for our viewers in the u.s., new day is next. for other viewers, the best of quest is ahead. the gillette mach 3 turbo

still feels better after 10 shaves than a disposable on it's first. mach 3 blades have twice the coatings. for a closer shave with zero redness. get an incredible experience shave after shave after shave. gillette. the best a man can get. itswhen you're engineeredct to literally to drive circles around the competition. go to ziprecruiter.com and post your job to over one hundred of the web's leading job boards

with a single click. then simply select the best candidates from one easy to review list. and now you can use zip recruiter for free. go to ziprecruiter.com. does the smell of a freshly fill you with optimism? do you love your wireless keyboard more than certain family members? is your success due to a filing system only you understand? does printing from your tablet to your wireless printer give you a jolt of confidence? if so, you may be gearcentric. someone who knows that the right office gear helps you do great things. and there's one place that has it all. office depot officemax. gear up for great.

that's why i switched from u-verse to xfinity. now i can download my dvr recordings and take them anywhere. ready or not, here i come! (whispers) now hide-and-seek time can also be catch-up-on-my-shows time. here i come! can't find you anywhere! don't settle for u-verse. x1 from xfinity will change the way you experience tv.

good morning. i'm christi paul. >> i'm victor blackwell. welcome the viewers in the u.s. and around the world. breaking news out of the iran at any moment. >> we are heard the four americans freed in a prisoner swap is out of their way of iran. we are talking about rezaian and hekmati and