Americans, Briton Honored in France
LU STOUT: Welcome back. And we turn now to a story that's being talked about around the world, an act of courage that may have stopped a terror attack. Now French President Francois Hollande has given his country's highest honor to four men who subdued a heavily armed gunman on board a high speed train on Friday. Americans Anthony Sadler, Spencer Stone and Alex Skarlatos have been awarded the legion of honor. Mr. Hollande also pinned the medal on Britain's Chris Norman who also intervened. Now CNN's Nic Robertson is following the story. He joins me now live from Paris. And Nic, how did the ceremony proceed earlier today? And what is the mood in France as it honors these heroes from the U.S. and Britain?</s>NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, from the top of the president on down through society here, there's a real sense that there is a debt of gratitude owed to these four men, that the country needs to thank them. The French president put it this way. He said that the gunman had about 300, more than 300 bullets with him in those two automatic weapons. That there were more than 500 people on the train. The ultimate carnage could have been caused by this gunman, is what the French President, if it hadn't been for the action of these men. So he wanted to honor them by giving them this award and to praise them as well, but also, he said, that they were an example and should be an inspiration to everyone, because he said -- and here again he quoted one of the young Americans here, Anthony Sadler, he said if you're faced with a crisis, then you have to react. I spoke to Chris Norman, the British businessman who received his legion of honor medal from the French President today and asked him how it felt to receive that award.</s>CHRIS NORMAN, AWARDED LEGION OF HONOR: I am very, very honored, if you like. I -- a little bit difficult to believe that this actually happened. And I will try to do honor to the medal, but don't forget that this was not my medal, it was the medal of the team, and really Spence and Alex are the two guys who you should probably thank the most, because they were the first ones who got up and actually did it. When I heard that they were moving, that gave me the impetus to get up into it, (inaudible) as well.</s>ROBERTSON: You sound quite emotional today. How do you feel in your heart? In your heart, how do you feel?</s>NORMAN: How do I feel? I feel happy to be alive. I mean, frankly that was the real thing. And I'm happy that nobody got murdered (ph).</s>ROBERTSON: The French president also said that there would be a review of the transport network, security on the transport networks inside France, the interior minister will be looking into that and meeting with transport chiefs. But he also said again holding these men up as an example that there is only so much that security services can do that we, all of us, have a responsibility to go -- to be collective. And he pointed to these men -- British, French, American -- all working together. He said, we're strong when we're united in the face of terrorism, we are not weak, we can be strong. So, he really told people that this threat out there is a real threat and people should have in the back of their minds how they might respond to it and be inspired by these men -- Kristie.</s>LU STOUT: Yeah, so much gratitude for these four men. They saved so many lives. An inspiration indeed. And yet, Nic, there are these lingering questions about security. I mean, how is it that the suspect was able to bring dangerous weapons on board a high speed train? And have security checks been stepped up significantly since?</s>ROBERTSON: Well, most train stations around Europe don't have airport style security. And when you're inside Europe, on the mainland Europe, trains don't stop at borders for security checks and passport checks, there's that free movement. So, it is quite possible to get on board a train with a heavy bag that's got lumpy metalwork inside of it and nobody is going to stop you and ask you questions. There are security cameras at station, certainly intelligence authorities around Europe are aware and track certain numbers of terrorists, particularly when they fly in and out of the country, perhaps not so much when they're traveling by train. And there has been in recent years increased security in stations, in transport facilities, you know, around Europe. Belgium had a terror threat against its underground network, subway network, in Brussels a few years ago. Security has been stepped up, the Belgium police say that they've -- that they've arrested more terror suspects in the past two years than they have done it in the past 30 years. The reality is, they say, that there is a threat out there, that it is a very large threat, and it's hard for them to thwart it. So, security -- so, security at stations, it's not like airports, but there are certainly levels of security that go into trying to protect people. But the assessment is that perhaps that needs to be reviewed and stepped up at this time, Kristie.</s>LU STOUT: All right, thank you very much for that security assessment in the wake of what happened earlier this weekend. Nic Robertson reporting live from Paris. Thank you, Nic. Now to Syria. And ancient treasures are on the firing line. The country's head of antiquities tells state media that ISIS militants have blown up a 2,000 year old temple in Palmyra. The city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is home to well preserved ruins. ISIS overran the area in May and has already destroyed a number of monuments. You're watching News Stream. And still to come, refugees risk their lives to get to Europe. And now, they say that they were shocked to find themselves stripped of basic necessities, even their dignity.