joining us now from brussels, senior correspondent ivan watson. he is there. ivan, what can you tell us about the raids in belgium and the latest on the investigation there? >> reporter: john, we are waiting for the update from the belgium authorities as to what they learned since the number of detentions in the neighborhood which left receiseven people ard there. this investigation focuses on three brothers. one is abdeslam salah. born in belgium. a french national on the run. french authorities said do not approach him. they believe he is dangerous. he is 26 years old. two of his brother, one killed in the attacks in paris, an apparent suicide bomber. another brother arrested here in brussels. now there are a lot of cateind r indicators that suspected militants were planning here friday night. for example, authorities say two of the cars suspected of being used by the attackers in paris were rented here around brussels last week. the person that rented the cars was believed to have been moving from france toward belgium over the course of the weekend. the car

i'm joined by senior correspondent ivan watson. ivan, give us a sense of what is happening. >> reporter: that's right. the announcement that the police conducting the raids came just as the belgium prime minister addressing parliament and addressing new measures to address combat in the country. john, the prosecutor's office say the police targeting six locations across the city. the family and entourage they are looking for is the family of hadfi. he is one of the suicide bombers from the paris attacks. now he had been on the radar of bell begin authoriti bellgian authorities. they believe he left to join the ranks of the isis community. what the officials did not know he was here until he blew himself up. they are targeting his family and entourage. they say they have detained somebody for questioning in connection with the paris attacks. again, this comes as the prime minister came out with the speech claiming credit for the intelligence that the belgian security forces gave to france to carry out the raids in saint-denis that we

our ivan watson on the scene right now. ivan, what can you tell us. >> reporter: john, the federal prosecutor in belgium has said the target of the police raids are the fame of hadfi. he is one of the suicide bombers from the paris attacks friday night. he was on the radar of belgian authorities long before the attacks. they believe he had gone to syria to be a volunteer firefighter. he was a resident of brussels. they did not know he had gotten back to europe. they did not know he got back to europe until the attacks on friday night. they say that part of the series of raids under way and the announcement that the raids were being undertaken came out almost coincided with the speech by the belgium prime minister in which he allocated another 400 million euro to security forces and recruiting more intelligence and security forces and new measures to try to control the large member of jihadis coming into the belgium population to come and join and fight isis. such as stripping people of belgium citizenships and putting bracel

ivan watson is there and has our report on the historic days for that nation emerging from isolationatic fold. >> reporter: the people are singing and dancing in the streets. celebrating as myanmar's largest opposition party claims to have won a landslide victory in sunday's parliamentary elections. the official results are just trickling in still, but the military-backed ruling party has conceded defeat, and for once, people here feel like their voices have been heard. they lined up before dawn on sunday, hours before polling stations opened. committed to casting their ballots. critics say there are serious structural flaws in sunday's parliamentary election. and yet, it's still being promoted as the closest thing myanmar has seen to a democratic national election in 25 years. >> the atmosphere in these polling stations is hushed and solemn. for many people, this is the first time they've ever voted in a general election. some here hope this election will help bring an end to decades of military rule. and many have pinned those hopes on this woman, aung san suu kyi, the noble peace

ivan watson is with me right now.ust describe what the russian action has been over the area in recent times. >> max, we know the russians intervened in syria and carried out air strikes for weeks. the turks have been reacting to the air strikes because they say they have not just been bombing isis, but also bombing rebels supported by turkey. turkey is a strong supporter of the anti-assad opposition for some time now. and particularly objected to what it claimed russian war planes bombing ethnic turkman. now we have a dramatic escalation there. turkish government agency confirming that the turks have shot down a war plane. presu presumably the russian war plane and presumably the russians have attacked their proxies in syria. >> the turks have to prove the russian planes went into the turkish air space otherwise there will be a problem. >> this is not the first time we have seen the syrian war dispute over whether or not a plane was in syrian air space. there was a plane shot down by anti-aircraft fire. there was a d

ivan watson is live for us in paris. ivan, what more do we know about this third suspect? >> reporter: not a whole lot. basically, the french now still trying to piece together some of the bloody events of the night of the 13th of november with this very public appeal now and this photo that they published. we don't know quite where they got the initial photo. calling for any information possible to try to figure out who this third potential suicide bomber could have been outside that stadium. so it just goes to show what a massive project the authorities have to try to put together the people who carried out this atrocity here in the french capital. >> and then, ivan, we just heard from the belgian prime minister. we talked about subways remaining closed and even schools. so how long is this expected to take place? >> reporter: i don't think we really know, but it really shows how worried right now the authorities are in belgium, in brussels. you have to remember that brulsz else is not just the capital of belgium or relatively small country of 11 "people," it's also the

ivan watson, cnn, paris. >>> i'm max foster in paris. thank you for joining us. you see copies of that book by the memorial. people leaving it. that is what they have done in the response to the horrific attacks ten days ago. "early start" is next. >>> new terrorism raids in belgium. 16 people arrested. what we are now learning ahead. >>> new information on the get away on one of the paris attackers as we get a first look at this unidentified suicide bomber. we are live. >>> president obama vowing to defeat isis and preparing to meet with the french president. welcome to "early start." i'm alison kosik. >> i'm christine romans. welcome to the viewers here in the u.s. and around the world. let's start in belgium. maximum terror alert right now. fears of attacks in brussels just like those in paris. they were carried out ten days ago. officials in the belgian capital extending partial lockdown of the city. they closed the schools and closed the subway. 16 arrests. belgian prime minister warning officials have intelligence of attacks with weapons and explosives, may

let's go straight to ivan watson, live here in paris with me. ivan, we have also learned in addition to the two threads, we know the sense of urgency from the raid because potentially this eminent plot and now we have learned theyme menwanted te on the financial. area of the city. >> yeah, this is a chilling detail. basically the french prosecutor saying that abdelhamid abaaoud, the man who was killed in that raid, that he was planning an attack just five or six days after the initial attack on november 13th. he and at least one other accomplice were planning to attack an area in paris that's basically you head straight down this boulevard past the financial district. a lot of international companies there, a shopping district as well. and so the timing there very crucial that they were able to intercept him before that took place. . they also noted that he was believed to have been in touch with one of the suicide bombers on the night of the november 13th attack. and then that other chilling detail that this man who was believed to have helped o

ivan watson, cnn. >> to a different story.ers the a kans, get ready to learn new moves. a new dance has people flocking to south korea. learning the grooves and the moves to k pop isn't easy. >> if i say k pop and you're still thinking this ♪ you should know gangdom style was so three years ago. now -- it's all about xo. and if you want to master these moves, come to the place where the stars rehearse. and learn from a real x pop instructor. this is serious business, and some people have clearly been practicing. me? not so much. i'm not the only foreigner trying to follow along. this woman came all the way from latvia. >> i've been into k pop, like, six years. finally here, finally my dream came true. >> reporter: and marcus paige is representing the u.s. state of virginia. >> it's surprising how many people, like, just in my state know who this group is. >> reporter: and that is music to the ears of seoul city government which is partnered with sm to offer three classes to foreigners in the hopes it will lure more tourists. k

john and hala. >> ivan watson for us in belgium where the raids and investigations continue. thanks, ivan. >> let's bring in our guest, an expert on terrorism and a professor at the university of versailles. melissa bell. let's start with the shooting in mali at a hotel there. it appears it would not be a stretch to assume there is some sort of link there? >> you know we intervene normally. this has been in complete turmoil and then linked more to al qaeda. it is not too isis. it is france is on the branch. >> if you want to make a statement, france has a military presence, it would be in mali. it could be at the hotel near the capital. it is something we are watching. it has to be a concern that there could be other attacks. not just here, but elsewhere. >> this is something we have seen over the course of the last few weeks. over the course of the last few weeks. a number of targets. as you said in mali, so far here on well known parts of the region. it does tend to be groups linked to al qaeda. what we have seen going back to the islamic state group is the increasing strate

i want to go to ivan watson in belgium with the very latest. good morning, ivan. >> reporter: good morning, john. people are on edge here. there was a bomb scare in this town about an hour's drive southeast of brussels where the main courthouse was ordered to be evacuated by police. schools stopped as well. fortunately, police have since announced everything is back to normal. there have not been any explosives found there. that taking place as ministers of the interior and justice of all of the eu countries come together for an extraordinary session to discuss measures to battle the threat of terrorism in the eu. they are discussing ways to try to strengthen the borders of the eu. of course, in the wake of the paris attacks, people stunned to learn that some suspects who were wanted here in belgium with international arrest warrants sneaked back into europe without authorities knowing until that terrible night when they themselves started attacking and blowing themselves up in paris. in addition to that, we are waiting for results of a series o

>> ivan watson live for us. ivan, thank you so much for your reporting there. you're watching special coverage here on cnn of the paris terror attacks. be right back after the break. right when you feel a cold sore, abreva can heal it in as few as two and a half days when used at the first sign. without it the virus spreads from cell to cell. only abreva penetrates deep and starts to work immediately to block the virus and protect healthy cells. you could heal your cold sore, fast, as fast as two and a half days when used at the first sign. learn how abreva starts to work immediately at abreva.com don't tough it out, knock it out, fast. with abreva. your loving touch stimulates his senses and nurtures his mind. the johnson's scent, lather, and bubbles help enhance the experience. so why just clean your baby, when you can give him so much more? >>> welcome back. italy is ramping up security after a new propaganda video from isis. isis says it's part of a crusade against the holy city that started thousands of years ago. senior international correspondent ben wed

george. >> ivan watson explaining a lot to us about this process playing out in myanmar. but again, described as the freest election process in some 25 years. ivan, thank you so much for your reporting there. >>> let's take a look now at how myanmar's election works. the upper house has 224 total representatives. voters choose 3/4 of them or about 168. one quarter are chosen by commander in chee of the military. 3/4 of the lower house is 440 representatives are also publicly elected. the other quarter are appointed by the military. after election day, representatives from three groups, the military and the upper and lower houses, pick three presidential candidates. parliament then elects the president and the other two candidates become vice presidents. to break this down more, let's go to richard crockett. former southeast asia correspondent for the economist and joining us via skype. good to have you with us. let's talk, richard, about this process. it is billed as i mentioned, freest in many, many decades. some are critical about what's happening and the fairness of thi

let's go to belgium and ivan watson. he is there tracking this manhunt. ivan, what do we know now? >> reporter: a lot of the focus has been on three brothers hailing from belgium. french nationals. one of them, authorities say, was one of the suspected suicide bombers in the paris attacks. brahim abdeslam. his brother, salah abdeslam, is the focus of the international manhunt. authorities believe he may have helped rent two of the cars used in the attacks. he may have actually been one of the eighth attackers. he is on the run. nobody knows where he is right now. a third brother, almuhamed. he was detained by authorities and released because there was not enough evidence against him. he came out and spoke in defense of his brothers. take a listen. >> translator: you also need to understand that in spite of the tragedy, my parents are in shock. we do to the realize what has happened. my family and i are affected by what happened. we found out by tv just like many of you. we did not think for a moment that one of our brothers was releaded to the attacks. >> reporter: the french presi

so we're going to go right now to our senior international correspondent ivan watson who was in brusselsh the latest. ivan, what are the authorities doing there now? what is the latest from belgium? >> well, at this stage, we're preparing for a meeting, an extraordinary session of interior ministers and justice ministers from across the european union. they're coming together of course in response to the terrible attacks in paris to discuss a whole framework of possible new measures to try to prevent a repeat of these types of attacks. so they're going to be discussing trying to strengthen the external borders. and as we have seen, a number of suspects who are believed to have left europe. and then authorities discovered they were back in europe only after they started killing people in paris. they're also going to be discussing a passenger name record initiative. that's trying to find a way to better track people moving around the european union. of course, this is the schengen zone. once people get in europe, they're not checked for their passports as they move across borders. that's s

i with want to begin with my colleague ivan watson who is standing by in paris. we don't have a lockdown in paris paris, but the beautiful city of lights is still on edge. tell me about what they are doing in regard to the schools for instance in that city. >> that is right. i mean, it is not that the muscular show of force in belgium of armored military veeck mls the streets. you don't feel the police presence to such a degree here, but it is clear that the mood is more somber, and the ministry of education putting out guidelines by which parents are urged to drop their kids off quickly at schools, and that administrators have the right to search children's backpacks when they come into the school, and a number of school trips have been canceled here, field trips here in paris. so we do see the measures put in place, and the cafes are more empty than usual. i went into a cafe last night, and the security guard asked to see our backpack before going n and these are some of the measures implemented here after the deadliest attacks that the french capital has seen

ivan watson, cnn, paris. >> thank you for watching cnn newsroom live from los angeles.i'll be back with another hour of news after the short break. you're watching cnn. some cash back cards love to overcomplicate things. like limiting where you earn bonus cash back. why put up with that? but the quicksilver card from capital one likes to keep it simple. real simple. i'm talking easy like-a- walk-in-the-park, nothing-to-worry-about, man-that-feels-good simple. quicksilver earns you unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, everywhere. it's a simple question. what's in your wallet? it's gotten squarer. over the years. brighter. bigger. it's gotten thinner. even curvier. but what's next? for all binge watchers. movie geeks. sports freaks. x1 from xfinity will change the way you experience tv. from los angeles. we're following mass arrests and on going manhunt as brussels remain on the highest terror alert level. french police released this photo of the third stadium suicide bomber. but who is he and how did he get to paris on 1313th in they're asking the public for help.

so let's begin this hour with cnn international correspondent ivan watson, who joins me here in parisivan, do we have an update on what police say resemble that suicide vest in the trash can? >> reporter: we do. cnn's affiliate here in france is report iing that the suspect item in the trash can appears to be a a suicide vest containing bolts and the explosive tatp. that's the same kind of explosive that was used in the suicide vests of the paris attackers on the night of november 13th. it was also where the explosives that was found back in january in the belgium town when another isis cell was broken up by belgium officials. we can't confirm this independently yet. we have to attribute that to cnn's affiliate, but it's a disturbing development, but perhaps it will put people at ease because there's one fugitive who has been missing since the paris attacks who was thought to have perhaps been carrying a suicide belt. that's part of why belgium officials have said that that suspect is believed to be dangerous right now. so we'll bring you updates as we get more on that development. >>

let's talk more about it with cnn international correspondent ivan watson in brussels with us. cnn security expert peter bergen. you spoke to the belgian prosecutor and they said something that is incredibly disturbing. they are preparing for the worst and they can, quote, barely keep an eye on the 130 people who have returned from syria. 130 and they can barely keep an eye on them. >> well, that's right. i mean, belgium has this dubious distinction of being a major recruiting ground for jihadis who have been joining the islamic state and fighting in syria. this little country of 11 million people has had, by some estimates, close to 500 volunteer foreign fighters. according to belgian authorities, about 130 of them have since returned home. and the belgian federal prosecutor says the law enforcement here have their hands full, keeping an eye on them. they are the first priority category of radicalized belgian citizens. the two brothers who are key suspects in the paris attacks, the abdeslam brothers, the younger of which is salah abdeslam, who is on the run right now, and an o

ivan watson, you're in brussels for us in belgium, they've issued an international arrest warrant fors man, salah abdeslam. we saw police swarm a suburban neighborhood there, take several people into custody. is it clear what police have learned from this men as we speak right now, ivan? >> reporter: we still don't have results of whatever questioning has gone on there, but we know very clearly from the belgian authorities that there is a strong belgian link to the deadly attacks that took place saturday night in paris. you have this belgium-born man named abdeslam salah and part of a group of three brothers belgian authorities are focusing their investigation on. one as who nic explained was believed to have been killed in paris during the attacks. another who was arrested here in brussels in a neighborhood called mullenbeck. that is a neighborhood with a very large immigrant community and that is also the neighborhood where belgian police descended and arrested at least seven suspects today. at least two of the vehicles that were believed to have been used in the paris attacks had b

ivan watson live for us.. >>> croatia's conservative opposition party is claiming victory. the early results from sunday's voting show the conservatives won 61 seats in parliament and the ruling said the left party won 53. the conservatives are expected to start talks soon. >>> two police officers facing murder charges for the death of a young boy. >> it is the most disturbing thing i've seen. i will leave it at that. >> coming up, the evidence that investigators say led to the officer's arrest. and football players at a u.s. university are boycotting upcoming games after a series of race related incidents. what they're demanding, next. ♪ we stop arthritis pain, so you don't have to stop. because you believe in go. onward. today's the day. carpe diem. tylenol® 8hr arthritis pain has two layers of pain relief. the first is fast. the second lasts all day. we give you your day back. what you do with it is up to you. tylenol®. >>> african american football players at the university of missouri say they're pboycot

our ivan watson in brussels. so many threads from brus els where ivan is. the hunt is on there. in sontene, north of paris, raids overnight of huge significance. >> this is really a story that's unfolded and expanded over two countries. what was it? so much connection right now through the suspects to belgium as well and right back to sontene. our senior correspondent joins us with the latest on this dramatic overnight raid. tell us more. >> reporter: that's right. it started at 4:30 this morning. residents woke up to automatic gunfire and an explosion. it was a round first and a lull and a second round of gunfire, sustained gunfire. in fact, we spoke to one resident when all of a sudden he had to evacuate and police were telling him to come out. he rushed in to get his 3-year-old daughter and came out safely. but this was the kind of tense and surreal and dramatic situation there morning. we thern heard those explosions, one after another six or seven explosions in alling possibly controlled detonations. it now appears the operation is winding down. there are still police behin

i want to get to ivan watson right now, who is in belgium, with the very latest. ivan, what do you know? >> reporter: john, that's right. that series of raids taking place in and around the belgian capital, brussels. now,le several of these raids were conducted in connection with the investigation into the paris attacks. you had at least two people detained for questioning. belgian investigators say. and then there were another series of search warrants and raids that were carried out in connection with a case that has been open since the beginning of 2015, police here say. and that's into a man named bilal hafdi. he is a resident of belgium, also one of the suicide bombers from the paris attacks. he had been on the radar of belgian investigators for some time when he was believed to have left belgium and gone to syria to join the ranks of isis. but what the belgian investigators say they did not know is that he had somehow gotten back into europe. they only discovered he was back in europe when his remains were found among all the carnage in paris. when asked abou

we have senior correspondent ivan watson who's been following from there. ivan, what's the latest now? >> reporter: well, the belgium investigators announce they had carried out a series of a half dozen raids. and they were targeting a man, the family of one of the suicide bombers in paris, a man named bilal hadfi, a man who had been on the radar of investigators long before the attacks because he was suspected of going to syria to be a volunteer fighter with isis. they didn't know he would come back to europe until he blew himself up in paris last friday night. so police swooped into this area, before dawn this morning, and a number of other locations around the belgium capital. they say they detained at least one person for questioning. and this is coming as the belgium government, the prime minister addressed parliament today, calling for a raft of new measures to combat terrorism, to combat the serious problem that belgium has with young men coming from this country and joining jihad, joining isis in syria. calling for things like electronic ankle bracel

. >> cnn's senior international correspondent ivan watson is standing by live in brussels with the latestm there. ivan, there have been several raids carried out in belgium, particularly a suburb named m e molebeek. help us understand the belgium connection here. >> it appears the militants behind these attacks in paris operated out of belgium and appear to have coordinate somd logistics from here as well. at least two of the attackers who were killed in the attack in paris are from brussels and, in particular, a neighborhood here called molenbeek that you just mentioned. salah abdeslamish, arrest war rasht i rant, he is born here in brussels. his brother was arrested in this neighborhood of molenbeek and a second brother of his cuzz kill was killed in the attack in paris. belgium authorities say at least two cars found in paris believed to have been used in the attack, they were also rented here in the brussels area last week. and then another car, a driven by the person who rented those two cars, was discovered here again in brussels, in that neighborhood of molenbeek in the 24, 36 hour

as reporter ivan watson shows us... people flocked to the polls. 3 --reporter pkg-as follows-- they line up p fore dawn.hours before polling stations open... committed to casting their ballots.critics say there are serious structural flaws in sunday's parliamentary electionand yet it's still being promoted as the closest thing myanmar has seen to a democratic national election in 25 years.(ivan watson) "the atmosphere in these polling stations is hushed and solemn. for many people, this is the first time they've ever voted in a general election."among the new voters, hlaing myint and his wife tar yar.for them, this election has been hard work. they waited in line for five hours to cast their ballots.he says it was worth the wait. (hlaing myint, voter) "this is the only way, we hope that we can change the things in the future. our future. our baby. my daughter, i have one daughter. 9 years old. so for their future, , have t tvote."some here hope this election will help bring an end to o cades of military rule.and mananha

joining me, cnn international correspondent ivan watson. ivan, what have we learned now?bout more links between some of these suspects here with abdelhamid abaaoud, evidently having spent time in prison in 2011, according to belgian authorities with that fugitive right now, salah abdeslam whose house is directly behind me about 100 feet away from here. and the last time that salah abdeslam was seen was driving away from paris in the direction of belgium. and he was stopped by french police, questioned and then released. this despite the fact that earlier this year, belgian authorities had questioned him when they suspected that he and his older brother, ibrahim, wanted to go to be jihadi volunteer fighters in syria. the french authorities let him go. he has since been missing. but the car that he was driving in was later found here in this brussels neighborhood of molenbeek. let me set the scene what's going on right now. in the main square here which was full of journalists yesterday talking about how this neighborhood has been a recruiting ground for a disturbing number

senior national correspondent ivan watson is live in brus sells. there have been raids across belgium. what are the details? >> that's right. on thursday throughout the morning, the belgian authorities were conducting raids across the belgian capital, and they detained at least nine people for questioning. now some of the middle and some of the raids and search warrants were in connection with the paris attacks. but some of the other ones were in connection with the case that had gone back to, they say, to the beginning of 2015. and that is in the case of belal hadfi. hi's blooeed to the gone to syria to gin the ranks of isis. and he was not known to be back in europe until the attacks in paris when he was one of the apparent suicide bombers outside the football stadium in paris. so the belgian authorities say they were targeting his family and his entourage for a series of those raids. in the meantime, they're also still looking for the missing suspect, salah abdeslam whose older brother mohammed was questioned last weekend and has been released.

ivan watson on the line there. you. >> thanks. >>> for the first time in more than a year israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu met with u.s. president barack obama. >> monday's meeting a the white house was their first face to face discussion since the iran nuclear deal which caused tension between the two countries. which is one year remaining in the official relationship, the pair are seeking common ground as they try to put the tie between their nations on a more stable footing. >> five suspects accused of orchestrating the massacre of over 140 students at kenya's university in april are set to go on trial in a few hours in ney obserairob nairobi. >> the suspects have been called the five and linked to el shabab when they took responsibility for the attack. they've been charge with acts of terrorism and aiding attackers. robyn joins us now with the latest from the trial. robyn, good to have you with us. there have been a number of delays at the start of the proceedings. what's the reason for the latest one?

for more on this, we go to our international correspondent ivan watson. e of the suspects of the terrorist attacks in paris, what more can you tell us about mohammad abrini's trip to paris? >> just one moment, because i want to point out that the e french and the german leader is here on the place de la publique. one of the issues is to discuss the serious security problems po posed by the citizens of syria who is like this suspect mohammad abrini who we are learning was believed to be in syria in 2014, and investigators don't know when he came back to europe, but he is wone of the suspects in the investigation. the international arrest warrant was issued yesterday. he joins another suspect salah abdeslam, a resident of belgium as being some of the most warranted men in europe. they were filmed by security cameras two days before the november 13th paris attacks, and abrini is believed to have dropped off one of the suicide bo bombers at the football stadium here in paris just moments before the attack. so a lot of reason to be looking for them, and nobody

ivan watson, cnn, paris. >> a book giving strength to the frefshlg there. fantastic.rch. >> and i'm errol barnett. our second hour begins after this break. has 30% protein. support your active dog's whole body health with purina one. plan well and enjoy life... ♪ or, as we say at unitedhealthcare insurance company, go long. of course, how you plan is up to you. take healthcare. make sure you're covered for more than what just medicare pays... consider an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company... the only medicare supplement plans that carry the aarp name, and the ones that millions of people trust year after year. it's about having the coverage you need... plan well. enjoy life. go long. when emergency room doctors choose an otc pain reliever for their patients muscle, back and joint pain. the medicine in advil is their #1 choice. nothing is stronger on tough pain than advil. relief doesn't get any better than this. advil. ...feel like a raging storm. i've tried laxatives... ... but my symptoms keep returning. my constipa

we have senior international correspondent ivan watson there. een reporting about this. why does belgium have such a robust, radical environment? and the question of poverty. the question of services, of education comes up, but people don't want to hear it. they say it's jihad, not poverty. what's your take? >> reporter: i think that there's clearly been, and we've sensed this in our discussions in some of the neighborhoods that have tended to draw a lot of recruits to isis, that there is a sector of society here, very frustrated, very alienated by what they see. again, this is what people have told me. as western governments bombing muslim countries for years. they see that as a great injustice, and there was even a woman who spoke to us yesterday and said, you guys keep attacking islam. you guys keep attacking muslims. i feel sad that this abaaoud guy died because he was fighting to defend islam. when you have that sentiment on the ground in communities, you can see why that would lead in the end to young people becoming radicalized, and convin

ivan watson joins us live with the latest.ve been discussing that the last time aung san suu kyi won, she was placed under house arrest. >> that's right. that was in 1990. the election was annulled. and this country hasn't seen an openly contested election in a quarter century since. that's part of why this has been such a big deal. now, in her first real interview, she sat down with the bbc, and she predicted that her party would win the seats in the upcoming parliament. take a listen at this interview with the bbc. >> results have been coming in steadily, and we probably will get between -- around 75% in the legislature. >> and that will be enough, more than enough. to form a government? >> the minimum requirement is about 67 government to be able to form a government on our own. >> do you believe that the generals, the people who have controlled here for so long will allow you to do that? >> well, they've been saying repeatedly that they'll respect the will of the people and implement the results of the election. >> reporte

. >> ivan watson joins us life from brussels. the site of the paris attacks ongoing. what can you tell us about belgium's ongoing efforts. >> well, again, that search does continue with the investigators very much waiting for the results of the dna testing on the people who were in that flat in saint-denis to figure out who exactly was there. the fact that a cousin of abdelhamid abaaoud was believed to have been a suicide bomber, a woman. well, we heard from the belgium investigators that they believe that he had a female cousin. and it goes to show, there are not only some family links, but also childhood links involved in this deadly conspiracy. we're in the neighborhood of mullenbeck. at least three of the suspects involved in the paris attacks last friday night, their families lived here. they grew up literally just five minutes walk away from each other. in fact, we've learned from the belgium investigators that the suspected ringleader of the attack attacks was partners in crime with the fugitive right now to seems to have escaped the terrorist attacks. and ther

we want to go to our ivan watson, who's in brussels with the latest on that. know much about these raids, ivan? >> reporter: well, certainly the investigators here say there's no real time to celebrate the death of abaaoud. they're very busy looking for the missing fugitive, salah abdeslam. he's suspected accomplice in the paris attacks. notably, those two men had been convicted together of the same crime of theft in 2011 and ended up spending a month in prison. so, they knew each other by effectively being convicted partners in crime, anderson. the raids that the police have conducted this morning at at least a half dozen locations, three of those search warrants related to the paris attacks. and in those raids, the police detained at least two people. we're trying to find out a bit more about that, anderson. in the meantime, reactions here, well, the government so far has not reacted officially to the death of buelgium's most notorious jihadist but talking to people on the street, one man said, there's one less terrorist, i'm a muslim man and nothing i've re

let's go to our correspondent ivan watson he's in belgium. ome the focus of the manhunt for the believed eighth attacker two men to be believed at large. what do we know now, ivan? >> well, 26-year-old salah abdeslam hails from the neighborhood of molenbeek where i'm standing right now in the belgian capital of brussels. now, the police have looked into three brothers from the same family salah, who is at large and a car that he was believed to have been traveling in from paris after the attacks was actually found here in this neighborhood by belgian investigators over the course of the weekend. his brother, ibrahim one of the suicide bombers, who died in the paris attacks carrying out the attacks and another brother, mow ham was -- mohamed he was briefly detained and released. he was speaking out in defense of his brothers. listen. >> in spite of the tragedy my parents are in shock. we do not real eye yet what has happened. my family and i are affected by what happened. we found out by tv just like many of you. we did not think for a moment t

ivan watson joins us live from myanmar this morning. any word on what the numbers are looking like?porter: only the first results are starting to come out, alison. a dozen of the seats of the 500 seats up for grabs have gone to the main opposition party that is led by the nobel peace prize winner sung kyi. i cannot stress enough what a big deal this election was for the country. i met people who waited five hours in line just to cast their ballot. when i asked them was it worth it, they said yes, absolutely. because every vote counts. this is the first time in 25 years that people here have been able to vote in an openly contested national election. the military that ruled the country for decades used to crackdown hard with deadly force on any sign of dissent. people were lined up, if you can believe it, an hour before dawn before polls opened just waiting for their chance to vote. this was a very emotional moment for people and now much of the country on edge waiting to hear the results of the election. it sounds like the ruling political party that's backed by the military had a b

that's where we have ivan watson. there have been a lot of raids there and discoveries. one of the identities of the attacker brussels born. ivan, what is the latest there? >> reporter: chris, belgium state broadcaster reporting that the police are conducting some raid in a neighborhood known as molenbeek. we cannot confirm if this is linked to the paris attacks, but we know the belgium authorities went into the same neighborhood and detained seven people. we know two of the attackers in paris are french citizens who are believed to have lived in that very neighborhood. we know that manhunt for the belgium born french citizen. 26-year-old abdeslam salah. he is one of three brothers. one of whom was killed in the paris attacks. he is believed to have been one of the attackers and another one of his brothers was also detained here in paris over the course of the weekend. so french and belgium authorities saying there does appear to have been a group of suspected militants operating out of brussels and that particular neighborhood organizing some logistics. at least two cars

we want to go straight to belgium where we find our own ivan watson, our senior international correspondent following the investigation from there. and ivan, a number of raids carried out by the belgian authorities as part of this search for the perpetrators of the terror attacks in paris last friday. tell us what we know. >> well, we know that at least three of the suspects in the paris attacks were on the radar of the belgian authorities months before the attacks took place. belgian authorities telling cnn that, in fact, they feel quite overwhelmed by the challenges, the number of people that they feel they have to follow. this small country has a population of only about 11 million people. it's the biggest contributor in syria with iraq, with volunteer firefighters going to the middle east to fight. and many being recruited in the neighborhood i'm in right now. that's the neighborhood that two of the suspects, brothers, basically come from. i'mened staing about 100 feet from the home of the abdeslam family. they are believed to be in contact or in some kind of communication w the possibl

our correspondent ivan watson was aboard when the helicopters that went in and ended up flying out as many people they could fit on board. you see babies being handed on there. u.n. estimates 5,000 men and boys have been slaughtered by isis there and young girls and women sold into slavery. >> joining us now retired brigadier who returned from iraq yesterday. general, thank you for being with us. obviously, returning those people's homes to them is of serious importance. let's talk about the strategic value of sinjar. hopefully we can put up a map to show where it is. tell us why sinjar is important in the battle against isis, both in iraq and syria. >> as nick brought out, it really is a choke point between raqqa in syria and mosul to the east. the real objective for the iraqi security forces is mosul. retaking mosul in the near term has been an objective for them for quite some time. by taking sinjar you cut route 47, which makes it easier to take mosul because it cuts off the ability of isis to supply logistics, supply troops, supply ammunition from syria. >> general, as nick was s

ivan watson is join ing us from brussels in belgium where there's a huge investigation under way right now. police there have rounded up suspects. what's the latest, ivan, you're learning? >> reporter: wolf, at least two of the paris attackers were residents of belgium, of the capital of the european union, brussels, and another man who there's a manhunt under way for him, salah abdeslam, belgium-born man, 26 years old. his brother was one of the attackers killed in paris. he has a second brother who was arrested as part of a wave of arrests that took place here in brussels on sunday. at least seven people detained. top officials in the belgium government are saying there is a major problem, particularly in one largely immigrant neighborhood, of this city which has had serious jihadist activity in the past. belgium has a population of only 11 million people but it's had more than 400 suspected jihadis, citizens who've gone to fight in the middle east, and that is part of why authorities here are quite alarmed at the recurrence of jihadi activism and terrorist activity from the small co

ivan watson was told by a belgium official that they believe that the other man on the run, the eighthaped on friday, salah abdelsalam, spent time in jail together with abaaoud. >> very common. >> very common. earlier this year we found out that one of the "charlie hebdo" terrorists spent time in prison with the guy who carried out -- one of the brothers spent time and met each other in prison. this is a real problem. >> it is a real problem. we are all -- to various attacks last year in france, been in jail. and many of them have radicalized in prison. >> in prison they radicalized. >> what additional factor is that you make very good friends in jail. and it's ideal place to form a very united terrorist group which use to violence and using guns. >> paul, i can't think of a place that's better theoretically than prison to keep an eye of individuals like this if they do fall under the sway of extremists. but apparently -- >> well, it's very hard. unfortunately in europe there's a huge muslim prison population. and some of these muslims coming into prison and then getting exposed to the

joining me now with the latest from brussels, cnn international correspondent ivan watson.f activity there. >> reporter: that's right. it's very clear that a lot of the organization of these deadly paris attacks appear to have taken place here in brussels, the capital of the european union, john. we're learning more about the suspects in the attacks. for example, the mayor of the neighborhood of molenbeek has told cnn that just eight days before the attacks authorities here shut down a bartha was registered to the name of brahim abdeslam. he's one of the suicide bombers in the paris attacks. that bar shut down for drug-related offenses. now, his brother, salah abdeslam, a 26-year-old, born here in brussels, is the number one man most wanted man in europe right now, at large. we've learned from the belgian prosecutor's office he -- these two brothers, as well as a third suspect, a suicide bomber, another suicide bomber in the paris attacks, were all known to the belgian authorities. they had all been on the radar of officials here months before the attacks took place. in fac

ivan watson is in belgium right now for the latest on that search and also the latest just from what has now become a hub of feared terrorist activity. ivan. >>. >> reporter: latsz right. john, met me interrupt by pointing out the french national police, they put out another detail they thought was important to add about that raid in paris, that among the casualties, a police dog diesel that was killed killed by the terrorists in that raid the manhunt. salah abdeslam, 26 yee yeerd-years-old, his brother one of the suicide bombers in the initial attacks on friday that killed so many innocent people. the vehicle that he was seen driving from paris in the direction of belgium after the attacks in paris ended up being found here by belgium authorities. his brother, whose family lives in an apartment about 100 feet from where i'm standing. his brother was questioned by belgium authorities after the paris attacks. this is a brother mohammed, a third brother in the family has since been we leased and had spoken to cnn, urging his fugitive brother salah to turnles in. he fears his brother is

we go to ivan watson. ivan, the name abaaoud, is believed to be the mastermind of the -- and people believe he was the target of the operation. round out the picture of who he is, and just tell us more about him. >> he's a belgian citizen. he's, perhaps, one of the most notorious of the belgians to have joined isis. known well here because he brought his 13-year-old brother to syria, to join in isis. he's been in seen in propaganda videos. one he was driving a truck and dragging the bodies of victims behind them, through a field, in syria. he -- his father, his family, lived in the neighborhood i'm in right now, which is a largely immigrant, largely muslim community. part of brussels, a ten-minute drive from the center of the city. and this neighborhood has bizarrely been a fruitful recruiting ground for isis militants, for a number of people, who have been involved in violent attacks in europe, as well as in the middle east. so, he was also implicated in a cell that was broken up by the belgian authorities

hala. >> ivan watson for us in brussels right now. ivan's at the parliament.t discussion going on in brussels right now. the parliament there. right here in france there's a debate right now about extending the state of emergency. in the united states over the next few days they'll be having votes in congress about the refugee issue with syrians. this is truly now an international discussion being had. >> absolutely. but it all boils down of course in this case to the victims. up next, a powerful interview with a widower of friday's paris attacks and why he tells us he will not succumb to hate. listen. we'll be right back with that and more. he wrote an open letter to isis. you don't want to miss this. we'll be right back. right when you feel a cold sore, abreva can heal it in as few as two and a half days when used at the first sign. without it the virus spreads from cell to cell. only abreva penetrates deep and starts to work immediately to block the virus and protect healthy cells. you could heal your cold sore, fast, as fast as two and a half days when use

our ivan watson has the details. >> reporter: a street party for the full moon festival in what up until of the world's most isolated countries. on this buddhist holiday it looks like the whole city is out celebrating in the streets and praying in the temples. around 90% of this country is believed to be buddhist and yet some powerful voices here insist myanmar's most popular religion is in danger. who is threatening buddhism in this country? >> muslim. >> reporter: muslims, he says, a radical buddhist monk who leads a group called the committee for the protection of nationality and religion. >> translator: muslims threaten buddhism through americans and they date very wives and have many children. their population grows and it threatens us and they are vial len. >> reporter: muslims only make up an estimated 4% of the population and yet he is calling for a boycott of muslim-owned businesses in myanmar. critics call this hate speech and some accused him of inciting violence. this is what happened two years ago in the central town when a dispute in a market between muslims and buddhists e

. >> let's begin with our cnn international correspondent ivan watson here in paris and beginning with this piece of information, ivan, that this driver, abrini, who was in syria, came back to ultimately france and came back without any warnings or red flags being raised, which has to be extraordinarily concerning for these investigators. >> reporter: yeah. and another problem here, brooke, is he's not the only suspect to have that kind of story behind him. one of the suicide bombers at the stadium of france where mohamed abrini is believed to have dropped the suicide bomber off at, another man was wanted by belgian authorities with an international arrest warrant since the beginning of 2015 after he was believed to have traveled from belgium to go to syria to become a jihadi to fight alongside isis. so you have a couple of people here who went to syria and then investigators and authorities did not know that they had gotten back into europe. that's a big, big concern right now for european leaders. it's part of the reason why the french frez francois hollande is trying to push a new d

he spoke to ivan watson and openly admitted that the big problem isn't just those going out to syria. the big problem here in belgium and in many other parts of europe is they haven't been able to keep tabs on who has been able to come back and forth. this continuing traffic of jihadis, and the ease which they're slipping through european borders, and are able to recruit, it seems, pretty extensively, that is now the focal point. we're hearing candid statements from the officials here, that belgium needs to figure out a way to cease being, and this is a direct quote, the weak link in the war on terror, anderson. >> nima, we'll continue to check in with you. these are fast moving developments, which is why we have correspondents all throughout the region. all throughout europe and the middle east, as well. we want to try to bring together as many strands of this investigation as possible in real-time for you. french authorities have launched a massive sweep, as you heard from clarissa ward, carrying out 150 raids. one home targeted belongs to the family of one of the suicide bombers. n

ivan watson, cnn. >> and the spokesman for myanmar's president has defended the arrests. has the responsibility to balance new freedoms with maintaining law and order during the difficult transition from decades of authoritarian rule. >>> there's growing concern over an increase in religious intolerance in the world's largest democracy, and recent attacks on muslims are at the center of it. we have reports of opponents blaming indian prime minister and what some are calling the rise of hindu nationalism. >> every person has the right oh to the practice their faith how they choose. >> reporter: it's something even the president eluded to during his india visit earlier this year. >> india will succeed so long as it's not splintered along the lines of religious faith. >> reporter: but today religious divisions are dominating headlines. >> even if it was beef. do we live in a country where a man should be killed? >> reporter: on september 28th, a muslim man is lynched after rumors that he ate beef. october 9th, one young muslim is set ablaze by a mob on rumors that he was tra