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Trump Questions Value of One-China Policy; Trump Rejects Intel that Russians Helped His Election; Kurdish Militant Group TAK Claims Istanbul Bombings; Throngs of People Flee Aleppo Battle; IMF Chief Lagarde Stands Trial in Fraud Case; Israel Soon to Receive First F-35 Stealth Fighters; British Surgeon Teachers Art of War Surgery. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired December 12, 2016 - 00:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:00:10] CYRIL VANIER, CNN ANCHOR: As Donald Trump raises eyebrows by pivoting towards Putin the U.S. President-Elect is causing yet more consternation in China.

Kurdish militants take responsibility for twin attacks killing dozens in Istanbul. We'll bring you the very latest from a city in mourning.

Plus, in a war with no apparent end, healing hands are a crucial commodity. We've got the story of a surgeon teaching Syrian medics how to help those caught up in the conflict.

Hello and a warm welcome to all our viewers around the world. I'm Cyril Vanier, live from Atlanta. And CNN NEWSROOM starts right now.

U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump is again poking the dragon, this time suggesting that he may not adhere to long-standing U.S. policy toward Beijing. Under the one-China policy the U.S. only has diplomatic relations with Beijing, not with Taiwan. Well Trump suggested on Fox News that the policy may be due for review in his administration.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP (R), U.S. PRESIDENT-ELECT: I fully understand the one- China policy but I don't know why we have to be bound by a one-China policy unless we make a deal with China having to do with other things, including trade.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VANIER: All right. Let's go to Matt Rivers in Beijing for the reaction to that in China. Matt -- how is that going down where you are?

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No official reaction from the ministry of foreign affairs quite yet. We do expect them to address this at their regularly-scheduled daily press briefing a little bit later this afternoon here in Beijing. So while we haven't officially heard from the government we are though getting some reaction from government-run media. It was the tabloid newspaper, "The Global Times", which is a state-run newspaper, subject to the same Communist Party review that lots of other newspapers here are, that frankly all other newspapers here are.

"The Global Times" usually take a more provocative tone than some of the other papers here. And in an editorial they came out pretty quickly and strongly against what Donald Trump said in that interview, and we can show you part of what this editorial said. It read in part quote, "He -- referring to Donald Trump -- is like a child in his ignorance of foreign policy. The one-China policy cannot be bought and sold. Only by going through some tough times will he come to realize that China and other international powers are not to be bullied."

So, some very strong words there. We do see that kind of provocative language from "The Global Times" pretty regularly here in Beijing but Taiwan, issues dealing with Taiwan, so sensitive here to the government in Beijing, so really not surprising that we see this kind of an editorial and we have to wait a little bit later on in the day for the official reaction we're expecting from the Chinese government.

VANIER: And look, when Donald Trump spoke with the president of Taiwan a short while ago, there was pushback, of course, and predictably from Beijing. But no one knew exactly how seriously to take Donald Trump. Are they taking him seriously now?

RIVERS: I think they absolutely are. One thing that "The Global Times" did write in this editorial was that they will wait and see what Donald Trump will actually do when he gets into office, whether this is just blustering on Donald Trump's part in an attempt to gain some leverage in possible future trade negotiations between the both sides.

But there's no doubt that Beijing is going to take this seriously. The one-China policy is one of these issues here in Beijing that the government just does not take lying down and any negative reaction to it, any attempt to undermine the one-China policy. It is something that the Chinese government takes extremely seriously.

And so when the President-Elect addresses that policy, says that maybe he'll take a look at walking away from it, that is something that we can expect the Beijing government to take extremely seriously. And it will be very interesting to hear what the spokesperson for the ministry of foreign affairs has to say at a press conference that's scheduled for about 3:00 p.m. local time here in Beijing later today.

VANIER: Look, what's the actual risk if Trump really turns his back on the one-China policy when he's in office?

RIVERS: Well, this -- there are so many implications if Donald Trump were, once he reaches the Oval Office turns his back on the one-China policy. There are huge implications but that is an enormous hypothetical at this point. And frankly, what Beijing would do in response to that is really up in the air whether it would be economic, whether it be some kind of military response.

But one thing we would know is that if, and that's a huge if, Donald Trump were to turn his back on the one-China policy, Beijing would not simply take that lying down.

[00:05:02] How exactly they would react, we're not sure. No one can really say. But you can expect that the reaction would be something that would be very, very significant and the implications of which could easily be felt globally.

VANIER: All right. Matt Rivers reporting live from Beijing. And of course, that's a question we're probably going to be asking for weeks, months, possibly years to come. And looking at that reaction depending on what Donald Trump's policy is when he is in office.

Thank you very much -- Matt Rivers in Beijing.

Meanwhile in the U.S. a group of Democratic and Republican senators is calling for a full investigation of Russian hacking during the U.S. presidential election. U.S. intelligence agencies say the hacking actively tried to tip the scales in favor of Donald Trump. The FBI however says it doesn't have conclusive evidence of that.

And the President-Elect Donald Trump rejects the idea of a Russian interference as another excuse from the Democrats to explain their loss.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: They have no idea if it's Russia or China or somebody. It could be somebody sitting in a bed some place. It could be Russia. It -- I don't really think it is, but who knows? I don't know either. They don't know and I don't know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VANIER: Now, Donald Trump's stand puts him at odds with the intelligence community and senior lawmakers. Ryan Nobles reports on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN NOBLES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This has the potential to be a major showdown in the early days of the Trump administration -- a bipartisan group of senators calling for a full investigation into Russia's attempt to influence the American election. Among them powerful senators like Republican John McCain and Democrat Chuck Schumer.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY), MINORITY LEADER: The fact that the CIA and FBI disagree shows the need for a bipartisan investigation that gets to the bottom of this. The investigation should be tough, strong, and bipartisan and should have access to all materials, classified and not.

A lot of this is now, it seems, done by governments, foreign governments and that raises things to a much higher level. And the fact that they hacked and may have tried to influence an election is even more serious still. Our election process should be sacrosanct.

NOBLES: Schumer is, of course, the incoming minority leader in the U.S. Senate. And McCain is obviously someone with a lot of influence. Both say that this shouldn't be a partisan issue -- it's something that affects all Americans. And McCain making the point that even though it was Democrats that were the victim this time around, it could easily be Republicans that next time around.

One person who doesn't agree with that assessment, the incoming President-Elect, Donald Trump saying he just doesn't believe the intelligence assessment that the Russians were behind the hack and he forcefully believes it had nothing to do with the outcome of the elections.

Ryan Nobles, CNN -- New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VANIER: I want to bring in Ellis Hennican on this, a political analyst, joining us from New York. Your book, one of your books is called "How to Catch a Russian Spy", which of course is very topical for us. Now, how long do you think Donald Trump can keep up his denials that Russia interfered in the U.S. presidential campaign? Because I mean every intelligence agency in the U.S. is pretty clear on that point?

ELLIS HENNICAN, POLITICAL ANALYST: Yes, I think it's 17 and 0 at this point -- zero. Listen, if history has been a guide, Donald Trump can keep up denials a good long while even after very few people agree with him. But, you know, The Trump base, they are likely to stick with him for a good long while, I think.

VANIER: Yes, but look, he's going to be in office, you know, soon -- just a month and a half from now. Right now he's saying this as still something of an outsider because he doesn't hold the reins of power. Soon these people will be briefing him on a much more regular basis and he's going to be heading the whole show.

HENNICAN: That's an excellent insight -- Cyril. But here's the history on this I think is that when he keeps saying that when Donald Trump just reaches the next stage, everything's going to be different. It's going to be different when he gets the Republican nomination. It's going to be different when he wins the election. Now I guess we're saying it's going to be different when he finally moves into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. I don't know. I'm not sure how different he's really going to be.

VANIER: All right. So you're saying he can keep this up even when he's in power?

HENNICAN: You know, listen, the facts may ultimately overwhelm him here but so far at least I would say that we all have to acknowledge that Donald Trump has shown a remarkable ability to stick by his guns even in the face of widespread opposition.

VANIER: Look, how much of a price do you think he might end up having to pay for this, both in terms of his relationship with the intelligence community and with some leading Republicans who are not aligned with him on this?

HENNICAN: Well, there could be some costs. And I'll give you a couple of them right now. I mean it really might end up affecting who becomes our secretary of state, right. Rex Tillerson, the ExxonMobil chairman who, over the past 24 hours or so, is seen to be, you know, increasingly the leading candidate for that job runs headlong into some very uncomfortable questions on this issue.

[00:10:02] And as this becomes a bigger issue with the media, with the public, even with some Republicans in the Senate, you might see some real pushback around that. And increasingly -- I mean, his position is intellectually, I would say, a little, untenable. It's hard to argue against the idea of conducting a thorough investigation. And at this point that's really all that's being demanded.

VANIER: How do you see all this affecting Trump's future relationship with Russia?

HENNICAN: Well, I mean the Russians so far are -- I think, mostly they're popping champagne corks. I mean I think they look at him as a very promising U.S. president. It's -- it might not be so good with his relationship of the American intelligence community who he has essentially thrown under the bus in the past couple of days.

VANIER: But I mean, I ask the question about the relationship with Russia because there will come a point when if he's seen as perhaps defending Russian interests as opposed to interests at home, you know, with his own political party telling him hey, Russia interfered in our elections, with his own intelligence community saying the same thing, at some point, it's going to become costly, politically speaking.

HENNICAN: Yes, it could. And you're absolutely right to ask the question of how does that bounce back in terms of his ultimate ability to maneuver in terms of his relationship with Russia. But you know, there are so many bank shots between here and there. We've got to see whether he can tough out this call for investigation. We've got to see what the exact facts are once they do get gathered.

We've got to see how the Republicans in Congress line up. Paul Ryan, the head of the House, has shown some reluctance to press ahead with an aggressive investigation, so there's just still a lot of unknowns here but, boy, there are a lot of questions swirling around it.

VANIER: One of them is the idea that he might just be really damaging his relationship with the intelligence community. Do you think that holds any sway because after all, once he's president, they answer to him.

HENNICAN: Yes, but you know what? He also needs them. It's a very -- at least traditionally it's been a very symbiotic relationship. But boy, Cyril -- we're in some uncharted territories here. I mean we really haven't had a President-Elect for instance who has made himself so unavailable for the daily intelligence briefings that incoming presidents have traditionally received. He has shown, I guess disdain almost might be the word but certainly some strong reluctance to give the intelligence community the role that they usually have in the administration. And I just don't think we know yet how all that's going to play out.

VANIER: Yes. His argument is -- and I mean literally this is what he said in an interview. I'm an intelligent guy, you tell me once you don't need to tell me the same thing every day.

HENNICAN: Right.

VANIER: You don't buy that?

HENNICAN: Well, you know what, there are 190 some-odd nations in the world and believe me something crazy is happening in a few of them every day. There's always some kind of new development somewhere in this big, bad world of ours. It's hard to imagine that boredom would be the response that most curious public leaders would have.

VANIER: All right. Ellis Hennican, political analyst, joining us from New York. I should point out his Vice President Mike Pence is receiving and will continue to receive those daily briefings.

HENNICAN: He is. He is indeed.

VANIER: All right. Thank you very much for your time.

HENNICAN: Interesting stuff -- thanks.

In Turkey now, the Kurdish militant group TAK, also known as Kurdish Freedom Hawks, has claimed responsibility for Saturday's twin bombings in Istanbul. 38 people, mostly police officers are dead and more than 150 others are being treated for wounds.

Our Muhammad Lila has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MUHAMMAD LILA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This was the first moment of terror. Watch as cars drive along a busy street outside a football stadium, then the unthinkable.

From another angle, these musicians with a camera rolling capture the moment of the blast. And just listen to this inside as commentators run for cover.

The explosion caused by a car bomb -- the football match had just finished and fans were flooding into the streets. Before ambulances could even arrive, a second blast, this one a suicide bomber detonating barely a kilometer away, the bright flash of light seen around the city.

A Kurdish militant group claimed responsibility saying they weren't targeting civilians, only the police. Turkey's president today vowing revenge. RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, TURKISH PRESIDENT: They need to know that we

will not let this go unpunished. And that they will pay a higher price for which they need to understand.

The site of the attack, once a place of celebration is now a somber memorial.

This right here is the exact spot where the car bomb exploded. All day, people have been gathering, offering prayers for the victims.

[00:15:04] "We in Turkey are a very strong country," this man says. "These explosions will reinforce our solidarity, unity and integrity."

But this is just the latest in a series of attacks terrorizing the country in the past year, leaving many feeling trapped.

"I worry about being outside in the daytime, evenings, or night," this young woman says. "Because the time and the place, it doesn't matter anymore."

And for many that is their biggest fear, that the terrorists could strike anywhere at anytime.

Muhammad Lila, CNN -- Istanbul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VANIER: When we return after the break, IMF chief Christine Lagarde stands trial. How a fraud case from nearly a decade ago could threaten to derail her career. That's all coming up.

[00:15:52] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VANIER: A furious battle raged on Sunday between ISIS and Syrian and Russia forces in Palmyra. This propaganda video from ISIS media wing purports to show some of the fighting.

[00:20:00] The terror group was driven from the ancient settlement last March. But on Saturday activists say it pushed back in and almost seized the entire city. Russia says its air force responded backing regime troops with over 60 overnight air strikes and ISIS was forced to withdraw but reportedly still lurks in Palmyra's outskirts.

And north from there, still in Syria in Aleppo, Syrian and Russian forces continue their offensive to retake the entire city. Now this video from Russian state TV claims to show Russian Special Forces battling rebels in the city.

As opposition forces continue losing ground, there are people who are ever more desperate to flea.

Our Fred Pleitgen reports form inside Aleppo.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is as close as journalists can get to Aleppo's southern front line. Airstrikes, artillery and gun battles, the shrinking opposition enclave is getting pounded by Bashar al Assad's forces.

For tens of thousands of civilians trapped inside, the only escape is to walk right through this front line. In a situation, the rebel area is so bad that many are an exodus under fire.

There is a massive, almost avalanche of people trying to make it to safety. As you can see, there are people who are carrying their children but also a lot of children left to make the trek themselves. It's so difficult for many of them. Of course, they've been under siege for such a very long time.

This is what total exhaustion from starvation and war looks like. This woman wounded when her house collapsed during the fight.

"It is undescribable inside," she says. "Hunger, suppression and everything bad you can imagine. No medicine, we have nothing. Literally we couldn't get any treatment for our injuries."

All of this, of course, as the rebels continue to lose control of those eastern districts of Aleppo and also while the fighting is going on here. We're hearing constant barrages of artillery. We're hearing rockets being fired. It's a very dangerous trek that these people are making and it's a trek also into a very uncertain future.

We found this family about half a mile from the front line, too tired to walk any further. "I left my house in there," the father says. "I don't want my house. I want to be safe. I want my children to be safe."

And thousands like them are also risking their lives going through one of Syria's most violent front lines hoping somehow to reach a safe place.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN -- Aleppo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VANIER: Amid that Syrian regime offensive, a young girl living in east Aleppo has grabbed the world's attention. With the help of her mother, seven-year-old Bana has been tweeting about life in the besieged city. She even caught the eye of "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling. The writer sent her e-books of the fantasy series after an exchange of tweets.

But as the regime assault continued, Bana's Twitter account was deactivated. Well, we can now tell you the next part of her story. She has now returned to Twitter but lives in hiding. On Sunday, Bana and her family spoke exclusively to CNN's Jomana Karadsheh via Skype.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BANA: Hello my friends. How are you? We're in Aleppo.

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The seven-year-old captured the world's attention as her mother, Fattemah tweeted almost daily about Bana's life under siege in Eastern Aleppo.

Then this chilling tweet came last month. "Tonight we have no house. It's bombed. I got in rubble. I saw death and I almost died." With a photo of a shell-shocked banner covered in dust.

As regime forces advanced and captured their neighborhood, the family disappeared for a while and rarely tweeted.

On Sunday Bana and her mother spoke exclusively to CNN from an undisclosed location in rebel-held eastern Aleppo.

FATTEMAH ALABAD, BANA'S MOTHER: I feel that we are really targeted from the regime people. So I can't tell anyone, even my parents doesn't know where I live really.

KARADSHEH: Tens of thousands of people have left east Aleppo and have gone out. Why are you still there?

ALABAD: I am afraid to lose one of my kids if I flee with all the people because they think I am work against the regime.

I don't belong to any side. I am just what I was speaking about the civilian people about children.

KARADSHEH: Fattemah said she decided to speak to us because some have accused them of being an empty regime propaganda tool, something she denies. She admits helping her daughter articulate their messages to the world. Fattemah says she feels doing it in English is more effective.

[00:25:08] ALABAD: Bana can speak a little English. I help Bana to make sure that her voice reach to a lot of people in English.

BANA: It's all right. I'm in England at night.

KARADSHEH: Bana's answers in English are short and her mother in the background helps her. We switch to Arabic. She clearly is more comfortable.

BANA: My brother, Noor doesn't speak of the bombing. We don't know what he says and we are so scared of the shelling. When our house was shelled we were so scared and we suffocated because of the dust and we were going to die.

KARADSHEH: Bana says she misses school. She misses her home. And with barely any food available, she also misses fruits.

Two months ago Fattemah told us she would never leave Aleppo. Now all she wants is for someone to evacuate them to safety. Bana sings her favorite song, a 1980s song about children of war.

BANAN: I am a child with something to say please listen to me. I am a child who wants to play why don't you let me. My doors are waiting. My friends are praying, small hands are begging.

KARADSHEH: Jomana Karadsheh, CNN -- Amman. (END VIDEOTAPE)

VANIER: When we come back after the break, the head of the IMF finds herself in legal trouble. More on the allegations of negligence from her time as French finance minister -- just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:30:08] VANIER: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Cyril Vanier with your headlines this hour.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump suggested on Sunday that he may no longer adhere to the long-standing U.S. policy of One China. Trump told "Fox News," he understands the policy but doesn't see why the U.S. must abide by it unless it's part of a larger agreement with Beijing on trade and North Korea. The Chinese state-run newspaper called Trump a, quote, "Child who is ignorant about foreign policy."

Slow and steady won the race. The New Zealand's former finance minister Bill English, he was sworn in as prime minister on Monday. English led his party to its worst ever defeat back in 2002, but the former farmer stayed in parliament and quietly balanced the nation's book. He now replaces John Key who resigned unexpectedly last week.

Egyptian state media say a bomb caused Sunday's lethal blast at a Coptic church in Cairo. At least 25 people were killed and dozens were injured. The explosion happened at a church next to Saint Marks Coptic Orthodox Cathedral, a key sight for Egypt's Coptic Christians. So far, there's been no claim of responsibility.

And Venezuela's government is replacing the country's highest bank notes. Venezuelans have 72 hours only to trade in the 100 Bolivar bill for coins. President Nicolas Maduro announced the switch in a televised statement on Sunday. He said the purpose is to prevent mafias from smuggling the bills outside the country.

Now International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde is standing trial for alleged negligence in a major fraud case. The accusations stem from 2008. At the time, she was the French finance minister and prosecutors say that Lagarde gave a supporter of then President Nicholas Sarkozy preferential treatment in awarding him a massive settlement. She, of course, denies any wrong doing.

Our Melissa Bell has more from Paris.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the man at the heart of Christine Lagarde's troubles, Bernard Tapie. Never far from the limelight or controversy, he's been a singer, politician and businessman, most famously saving the sports world giant Adidas from bankruptcy in the early 1990's.

In 1993, he sold Adidas for 318 million euros. By 1994, the company sold again this time for 533 million. The big winner was Credit Lyonnais bank, who had not only overseen the sale, but profited from it. Bernard Tapie sued the bank which was by then in state hands and won a $135 euros. The award was overturned, which was where things stood when Nicolas Sarkozy took on a new economy minister.

The problem became Christine Lagarde. She decided to put the matter to arbitration rather than leaving it in the courts. A few month's later, the arbitration panel awarded Bernard Tapie 292 million euros before interest. An award of tax payer's money that raised questions in parliaments at the time about the highest echelons of power.

CYRILLE LACHEVRE, ECONOMICS JOURNALIST, L'OPINION: In France, people are more focus on Bernard Tapie than on Christine Lagarde to be honest, because now that she left for Washington, she's very popular, but not that famous. I mean, people will rather ask themselves, OK, can somebody prove that Nicholas Sarkozy gave money back to Bernard Tapie. She is just an intermediary somehow.

BELL: The last time Christine Lagarde answered questions on the matter in 2013, she was just a witness. This time the head of the IMF will be in the dock herself. Accuse of negligence and her decision to hand the Tapie case to arbitration, Lagarde denies any wrongdoing.

(on-camera): It is inside this building that the special jury of three magistrates and 12 parliamentarians will be delivering their verdict on the question of Christine Lagarde's negligence. If they find her guilty, she risks up to a year in jail and a fine of up to 15,000 euros. But perhaps more than that, there's a question of what a guilty verdict would mean for her future at the helm of the IMF.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VANIER: A few hours from now, Israel will begin taking delivery of the most advanced stealth fighter jets in the world, the F-35 Lightning. U.S. defense secretary Ash Carter will be at the ceremony. The U.S. made fighter jets far eclipse the capabilities of other warplanes in the Middle East.

CNN's Ian Lee has more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Mirage jets streak across the summer sky. Israel's surprise attack destroyed hundreds of Egyptian planes in hours. Their air superiority shortens the 1967 war to just six days. The new sound of air domination in the 21st century say Israeli generals. The F-35 stealth fighter will be the most advanced plane in the region. Israel ordered 50.

[00:35:14] The initial two arriving Monday, making Israel the first country outside of the United States to receive Lockheed-Martin's fighter. The price tag, more than $100 million.

Lieutenant Colonel Yotham will lead the squadron. His identity concealed for security we're told. LT. COL. YOTHAM, F-35 SQUADRON COMMANDER (through translator): The F- 35 stealth capabilities widen our operational theater. It allows us to bring into action many abilities that the leaders of Air Force for superiority.

LEE: As it looks around its neighborhood, Israel perceives many threats. The Syrian conflict is on its doorstep. Hezbollah in Lebanon rearming since the last war with Israel in 2006. Russia's S300 and advanced S400 surface-to-air missile systems introduced into Syria last year to support President Assad's military efforts. The advantage of the F-35, Israel hopes, is that it can fly virtually undetected.

YOTHAM (through translator): The F-35 is built to deal with a lot of threats on the ground. It knows how to deal in the best possible way with everything that guys in the region of the interest of the IDF outside the borders of Israel.

LEE: But the plane has faced growing pains, including problems with software of the engines and weapons. Retired Air Force Brigadier General Ephraim Segoli has seen this before.

EPHRAIM SEGOLI, MILITARY ANALYST: When you're developing new technology, you suffer from problems and you fix it.

LEE: But Segoli insists this plane is a game changer.

SEGOLI: The idea that you're a first state, the first Air Force in the area that gets it, it's a lot to your reputation.

LEE: A reputation that Israel hopes will make any rival think with twice.

Ian Lee, CNN, Jerusalem.

VANIER: Treating war wounds is not taught in many medical schools, but one surgeon is helping Syria's doctors learn to heal the traumas that they face daily. More on that after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VANIER: Welcome back.

Syria's civil war has left the country with an onslaught of injuries to deal with and a shortage of doctors to do it.

British surgeon David Nott has worked in war zones for two decades and he is using that experience to create a special course that is teaching doctors from Syria how to treat patients wounded in conflict.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[00:40:00] DAVID NOTT, SURGEON: My name is David Nott. I'm a consultant surgeon in London, and I'm here running the course called Hostile Environment Surgical Training Course in Gaziantep. I've used 23 years now of experience of going to war zones and distil this all together and made this course, which gives them the best training in the shortest possible time.

If you read every trauma manual that's been written, the patient should always be in this position. But I will explain that you need to think about that position, but maybe not use it always.

More surgeries are out of its own to be really honest. If I go to a war zone, I'm there for six weeks or two months. And I can withdraw myself and go home. But they're constantly there for five years.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I remember one patient after air strike. I find that vena cava is damaged. And that one first time I see this case. Then I manage it with many suturing like I learn from the course and the from Internet and now he has saved a life. I'm so happy I did that one, that operation.

NOTT: These people are dealing with mass casualties on a daily basis, and not only that, they are dealing with injuries which they would never have seen anywhere else before. I sometimes feel that if you've got a surgeon coming from New York or London or whatever and put them into the position that these young surgeons are in, they probably will make the wrong decisions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How much longer do you think you can save it?

NOTT: Well, I mean, it depends on how long I live. I mean, I think the thing is I love the job I'm doing. I really love this job. And I think if you're passionate about it and the fire is still burning, you'll do it until you can't do it anymore, and I don't know when that time will come.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VANIER: And before we wrap up the show, we want to share with you that CNN has announced its "Hero of the Year." The hosts of the 10th annual show CNN's Anderson Cooper and Kelly Ripa did the honors a few hours ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KELLY RIPA, CNN HOST: Ladies and gentlemen, the 2016 CNN Hero of the Year is Jeison Aristizabal.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VANIER: Jason is 33 years old. He grew up in one of the poorest parts of Colombia and he has battled cerebral palsy his entire life. He created a foundation out of his parents' garage to help provide free medical care and services for more than 1,000 disabled youths.

Now you can watch the entire "CNN Heroes: An All Star Tribute" Monday at 10:00 a.m. in London and at 6:00 p.m. in Hong Kong. Thank you so much for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Cyril Vanier. "World Sport" is up next. And I'll be back after that with another hour of news from around the world. You're watching CNN. Stay with us.

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(WORLD SPORT)