United states and around the world. Im max foster. We begin in saudi arabia where people are welcoming a new ruler whilst mourning the death of a longtime king. Funeral services were held on friday for King Abdullah who died earlier in the day at the age of 90. He led the kingdom for close to a decade. His halfbrother is calling for unity amongst all muslims and promising no major changes in the countrys direction. So far it appears the transition in power has been a smooth one, but the new king salomon has a number of important challenges ahead including Falling Oil Prices and the crisis in neighboring yemen. Cnns reporter joining us by phone from amman in jordan with more. Today is a significant day because the International Community will arrive wont they and they will pay their respects today after yesterdays very solemn process. Reporter yes, max, a day after we saw the outpouring of messages of condolences from around the globe, really to saudi arabia to the royal family, praising the late King Abdullah. They were going to be seeing the arrival of more and more World Leaders expected to take part in the more formal ceremonies now following the burial to meet with the new monarch, with the king. As we know Prince Charles is going to be headed to saudi arabia the king of jordan King Abdullah and other World Leaders. Vice President Joe Biden is expected as he said in the coming days to lead a president ial delegation. Of course all eyes are on saudi arabia and what this change in leadership means, although experts really dont expect much change. As we mentioned yesterday, hearing the new kings address yesterday, he is promising the continuity really seeing what we have seen over the past decade under the rule of King Abdullah. Max . Considering the challenges ahead, the regional challenges first of all, what change might you expect there . As you say, a promise of continuity but this is a different king as well. Reporter absolutely. Its said that no king in the history of modern saudi arabia has inherited a neighborhood a kingdom with so much turmoil in it right now. If you look at whats going on to the southern border in yemen, this is something very alarming for saudi arabia with you know the sunni saudi arabia seeing the Shia Movement consolidating power in the capital, sanaa and in the government there. There are concerns also about this chaos, this political chaos and the vacuum in yemen, giving more power to al qaeda in the arabian peninsula, aqap there. And of course theres also the concern from isis to the north, gaining, you know its power there in iraq and syria. Just last month, there was a crossborder attack on saudi arabia that came from isis in iraq. So theres a lot of concern about this. And of course the relationship with iran here. These tensions between iran and saudi arabia the rival iran the shia power in the region weve seen them engaging in somewhat of a proxy war in the region trying to gain dominance in this region. And many feel that this proxy war has really translated into violence with the rise in sectarian tension in the region. So a lot of hope that there could be change in this relationship but so far, if these changes do not happen of course if we see much of this continuity that is also cause for concern when it comes to saudi and iranian relations when it comes to the tensions and the violence in the region, max. Thank you very much indeed. Now, with the ascension of another elderly son of saudi arabias founder comes a new round of health concerns. The government is very tightlipped on the subject, but there is talk that the king could be suffering from some very Serious Health problems. Our brian todd reports. Reporter hes seen as a nononsense, savvy player inside the monarchy able to sort out the house of sauds legendary internal feuds and bring the hammer down on princes who go astray. He was also the enforcer in the family slapping people across the knuckles if they did things wrong. Reporter the Washington Post reports saudi arabias new King Salman Aziz even maintained a jail on his own property while he was governor of riyadh province. Someone has to discipline the royal family he has his role. Reporter there is genuine concern about the new kings health. He may have suffered a stroke. Hes lost two sons to heart attacks, and there are questions about his mental acuity. In meetings with foreign dignitaries, he can function for about five minutes, keeping to his briefing notes, but then he gets confused. He goes off message and becomes very muddled. Im told by medical experts that this is the classic sign of dementia. There are two theories. One is he has real health problems. After all, hes 79 years old. And the other one is hes a very busy man at 79 years old that he shows stress. And for instance in the past two or three years when the king has had his own Severe Health problems hes had two jobs. Reporter analysts say theres little question hell maintain saudi arabias role as a crucial u. S. Ally and will keep up the fight against isis. What will also likely continue the brutal system of discipline inside saudi arabia which include floggings and public beheadings. The new king the interior minister to the number three position. He once survived an assassination attempt by an al qaeda operative carrying a bomb inside his own body. Ali al ahmed, a critic of the regime says he uses fear and intimidation to wield huge influence behind the scenes. He is seen by the west as the counterterrorism hero but inside the country, hes seen as the evil man who oppresses human rights and throw a woman in prison for driving. Reporter we pressed saudi officials for comments on the human rights record and on the concerns over the kings health. They didnt respond. Brian todd, cnn, washington. The isis deadline for japanese men its holding as hostages has passed and their fate is unknown. On tuesday, the terror group gave japan 72 hours to pay a 200 million ransom or it would execute the men. Will is covering the story and joins us live. We talked yesterday about the information you were getting. Have you had any more details about their state, if i can call it that . Reporter no updates from the spokesperson for isis who was emailing with the japanese broadcaster. 24 hours ago they were saying a statement was coming at any time. Well its been eerily silent since then. There is no statement. And this calm is in many ways even more nerveracking than the days leading up to this deadline because one can imagine that at any moment a video could appear online or perhaps some sort of other development. Of course family members praying for a positive development, hoping that perhaps there is some sort of discussion happening behind the scenes. However, the japanese government continues to tell us the very latest confirmed information that they have had no direct contact with isis leaving the fate of these two hostages 24 hours after the deadline, still unclear. Just hours before the deadline his mother made an emotional plea for her sons life. Translator i would like to say to all the members of islamic state, kenji is not an enemy of islamic state. I ask for his release. Reporter gotas mother also noted her surprise that her son left his wife and then twoweekold child to search for his friend in syria. Translator my son left this very very young baby to go and leave his family. And i asked my sons wife why he had made this decision. And the response was that my son felt he had to do everything in his power to help and rescue his friend. Reporter gota a freelance journalist who frequently reported from war zones made for unlikely friends. Cnn has learned that over the past decade he attempted suicide, then lost his wife to cancer and lost his home and business to bankruptcy. After changing his first name to its feminine form he believed he was the reincarnation of a chinese princess who spied on the japanese in world war ii. In his blog he once wrote, i look normal outside, but inside im mentally ill. But his travels to syria appear to be an attempt to rebuild his life. Yukawa met gota last summer and tried to learn from him how to survive in combat. He soon portrayed himself as a soldier of fortune and the head of the private military company, a Security Company that reuters says existed only online. Now these two unlikely friends are in the hands of isis with the very real fear that like five western hostages before them they will soon meet the same horrific end. Max, you have to imagine just how difficult it must have been for kenji gotas mother to get up there and stand before all of those cameras and not only beg for isis to spare her son but also to apologize to the japanese people for the inconvenience that this has caused. That is partially Japanese Culture and also partially the result of the fact that there are some in this country who feel that these two men, by ignoring warnings and crossing into syria, in some ways brought this onto themselves. Nonetheless, you wont find anybody in this country who doesnt want these men to come home safely. And at this point, its anybodys guess if thats even possible. Well have to wait and see. Yeah. Thoughts with them and their families. Will thank you very much indeed. A colorado woman was sentenced to four years in prison on friday after admitting she tried to become an isis bride. Shannon connelley told the court she was not a danger to anyone and was misled by isis. She was arrested at denvers airport last year after she told investigators she was fleeing to turkey to marry an isis member. Prosecutors say they hope the sentence sends a clear message to any american who may seek to join the terror group. Coming up next on cnn, with its government in crumbles and rebels controlling the streets, who is actually in charge in yemen . Well examine who could rise to power. Plus on the same day the u. N. Raises its death toll from violence in Eastern Ukraine, the leader of a prorussian rebel group says hes not ready for peace talks. Its been two days since yemens government came crumbling down as rebels stormed the capital city of sanaa forcing the resignation of yemens president and other officials. For the moment uncertainty rules the country. As Cnns Barbara Starr reports, u. S. Counterterrorism officials are closely watching what happens next in yemen. Reporter yemen, a country in crisis with the government resigning and dozens of u. S. Diplomats heading home. At least publicly the white house insists it still can go after al qaedas most dangerous branch. We continue to have a strong Counterterrorism Partnership with the National Security infrastructure of yemen, and we continue to be very vigilant about the ongoing effort to counter aqap in yemen. Reporter cnn has learned behind the scenes u. S. Intelligence and military officials are urgently reaching out to crucial counterparts in yemen, trying to keep alive Counterterrorism Operations to track and target al qaeda in that country. The group that claimed it was behind the paris attacks. The u. S. Continues collecting eavesdropping, satellite and other intelligence on potential locations for aqaps top operatives including this leader. Make no mistake about it, if they have the intelligence and they have the shot they will take it. Reporter taking the shot could mean more drone strikes deeply resented by yemenis. There hasnt been a strike since december. But there is also a covert u. S. Military special operations Commando Team nearby perched and ready to conduct a mission on the ground against aqap if ordered. The u. S. Is still struggling to catch up to the lightning advances by the rebels this week and is assessing what their plans may be. I wouldnt say that it comes as a complete shock, but yes, it did happen very quickly, and of course in a pretty abrupt fashion. Reporter the unrest may reach a crisis point sunday when parliament meets. It may reject the resignation of president hadi making the next step by the rebels uncertain. The hutis have been very consistent for years that they are dead set against any foreign presence in yemen, regardless of the mission, and that would certainly include the United States. Reporter and there could even be more trouble ahead. There are reports of fighting between huti rebels and al qaeda in yemens oilrich areas. Thats the last thing this fragile country really needs. Barbara starr, cnn, the pentagon. Now, a blunt statement from a rebel leader in Eastern Ukraine suggests months of fighting there will only get worse. Alexander says theres no sense talking about peace because his prorussian forces are now on the offensive, battling to expand their area of control. At the same time russian president Vladimir Putin is accusing ukrainian troops of launching a major offensive of their own. Translator unfortunately, we not only did not get any distinct answer to our suggestion but we saw opposite actions, namely kiev authorities gave an official order about fullscale military actions almost all along the perimeter of contact of opposing force. The u. N. Says the conflict in Eastern Ukraine has killed nearly 5,100 people since last april. Greeks are heading to the polls this weekend to choose a new parliament and a new head of state. The conservative new Democracy Party led by the Prime Minister is trying to hold on to power. After parliament failed to elect a new leader in december. But polls now project a win for the far left party. The party is popular amongst greeks who say theyre tired of the austerity measures. Its promised to do away with austerity completely and secure a debt writeoff from the 2010 bailout. A victory could lead to greece exiting the eurozone which has other eu governments concerned. A contagious disease is spreading at a u. S. Amusement park. Next details on the Measles Outbreak at disneyland. Plus a closer look at a growing movement to parents who refuse to vaccinate their children. A Measles Outbreak linked to disneyland is now spreading to other u. S. States. So far there are 78 confirmed cases, 68 of them are in california. 48 have been linked to the amusement park. Nine cases have been reported in six other states and mexico. A California Health official recommends that children under 12 months old and anyone whos never had a measles vaccination stay away from the park. Measles can spread in large part due to children that have never been vaccinated. Many u. S. Parents still refuse to immuneize their children because they fear theres a link to autism despite Scientific Evidence showing otherwise. Elizabeth cohen reports. Parents need to know what is being injected into their child. Reporter call it the jenny effect. Without a doubt in my mind i believe vaccinations triggered evans autism. Reporter almost a decade ago, actress generalmyjenny mccarthy became the spokesperson for the anti antivaccination movement despite science showing over and over theres no link between autism and vaccines. In california for example, a study out this week shows low rates of vaccination in San Francisco and marin county both wealthy areas. In Southern California affluent areas in los angeles have had immunization rates that rival south sudans. When parents choose not to vaccinate, other parents around them may have similar ideas. And so what you get are pockets, groups of people who think the same and so you now have a cluster of children who are susceptible, all kind of living and playing together going to similar schools, houses of worship and the like. So if that bad germ gets into that group, all of a sudden youll have an epidemic. Reporter so why dont parents believe the scientists . Some of them are convinced the government is working with the pharmaceutical industry and just want to sell vaccines. I am more willing to take the chance of her getting one of these, you know rare viruses or diseases than give her these side effects of these vaccines which a lot of the times is autism. I do not see that there is ever an acceptable time to inject a known toxin, a known poison a heavy metal, into the body of a sixpound and up child in order to help save their life through a vaccine. No poison is safe. No poison can be given to a child and its okay. Reporter the supposed link between autism and vaccines was championed by british scientist andrew wakefield. But his paper was discredited and redacted from the british medical journal in 2011. The study is not a lie. The findings that we made have been replicated in five countries around the world. Sir, thats not true. Youve been offered the chance to replicate your study and youve never taken anybody up on that. Youve had plenty of opportunity to replicate your study. I am telling you that this work has been replicated in five countries around the world. Reporter that was not true. But even so many parents still believe wakefield was right, still believe the government is lying to americans, and still refused to vaccinate their children no matter what. Elizabeth cohen, cnn, reporting. Now, the recovery of airasia flight 8501 enters a new phase. Just ahead, how divers are planning to bring the planes fuselage up from the bottom of the java sea. The u. S. 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