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Aung San Suu Kyi Sentenced To Prison; Ministry Group: Haitian Gang Release Three More Hostages; Police Clash With COVID Protesters In Belgium. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired December 06, 2021 - 10:00:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:00:43]

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Two years behind bars. Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi is sentenced to jail by the military junta that ousted

her.

More coronavirus restrictions just in time for the holiday period. The U.K. and U.S. implement new testing rules for international travelers.

And they are neck and neck in the race for the title. The two fastest men in F1. Last pitstop is Abu Dhabi's Grand Prix. More on that is coming up

Here in Abu Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson. Hello, and welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD. Well, a chorus of outrages echoing across the world. The U.N. and

Amnesty International are among those condemning the jailing of Myanmar's ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. A court in the military-ruled

country had originally sentenced her to four years in prison. But that has now been reduced to two years.

Suu Kyi was found guilty on charges of incitement and breaking COVID-19 rules. She's denied all charges. Now this is the first ruling in numerous

cases against the Nobel Peace Prize winner since the military sees power in a February coup. I want to bring in CNN's Ivan Watson who's watching this

story from Hong Kong. And it's developing as we speak. What do we know at this point?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We know that Aung San Suu Kyi, the -- who was the de facto leader of the elected government has

been held incommunicado in detention for 10 months, periodically appearing in this closed secret of court where we're not even really allowed to talk

to her lawyers. And on Monday, two sentences were handed down to her and to the -- Win Myint, the former president who was also deposed in the military

coup with February 1st.

Four years, four, as you mentioned, incitement and violating COVID protocols. And then just in the last hour or so we've heard from state-run

television that the general, Min Aung Hlaing who declared himself ruler of the country after the coup that he has chosen to remove two years from both

of those individuals sentences. The fact of the matter is that Aung San Suu Kyi still faces 10 criminal charges.

She is 76 years old, we -- likely, she will be convicted on those -- some of those other charges, which include she's accused of importing walkie

talkies illegally and using them. That's one of the charges but others include corruption. And she's also accused of faking the election of

November of last year which her party won resoundingly. And she could -- basically if these convictions go through, disappear from public life for

the rest of her life.

This has been condemned by the U.K. Foreign Secretary, by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, who's called it a sham trial

and secret of proceedings by Amnesty International. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMERLYNN GIL, DEPUTY REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR RESEARCH, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL ASIA PACIFIC: This is also an example of the harshness and the viciousness

of the military at once -- it wants to impose itself on the people of Myanmar.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: Becky, the U.N. is also drawing attention in addition to calling for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi. And Win Myint, the deposed president.

It's also drawing attention to reports that more than 10,000 political opponents of the regime have been detained since February 1st, and more

than 100 have died in detention of ill treatment and or torture. Back to you.

ANDERSON: Ivan Watson reporting Thank you, Ivan. For more breaking news now. The U.S.-based Christian Aid ministry says a Haitian gang has released

three more hostages from a group of 17 missionaries kidnapped in October. The U.S. State Department and Haitian police are not yet commenting.

[10;05:03]

ANDERSON: CNN's Matt Rivers is tracking developments for us from Mexico City. There you are of course on the island when just after this kidnapping

happened. What do we know? What's the latest there?

MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, just like the last time hostages were released, Becky, which came just a few weeks ago. It was

on a Sunday night that they were released. And this appears to have happened yet again with Christian Aid Ministries confirming this

information to CNN this morning in a statement. I want to read that statement to you that says, in part.

We are thankful to God that three more hostages were released last night. Those who were released are safe and seem to be in good spirits. As with

the previous release, we are not able to provide the names of the people released the circumstances of the release or any other details. Just like

the last time, Becky, this group is saying that doing so might put the jeopardy --might put the safety of those 12 people that remain kidnapped in

Haiti at this point.

They might put that in jeopardy, they might put in jeopardy the current status of the ongoing negotiations to free the other 12. But there's no

doubt that this is very good news that three more people have been released. But like the group says, we don't really know anything more than

that. What we are really trying to find out is amongst this group, remember, there is an infant, there is a three-year-old, there is a six-

year-old and there are two teenagers.

So what we don't yet know, what we're trying to find out is whether the people that were released, these three people released yesterday do those

include the children. That is of course the number one question that we have at this point. But there still remains 12 people and it has now been

well over -- been more than six weeks now. This group of 17 missionaries were originally kidnapped back in mid-October.

You're now looking into the early part of December. It's been more than six weeks in staying in conditions that I can tell you are not great. And so

there remains great concern over the 12 people that still remain kidnapped by this gang. One of Haiti's most powerful, called 400 Mawozo. That is the

gang that kidnapped these missionaries back in mid October and continues to hold a dozen people some of whom we think might include children, though.

We're not sure at this point if any of the children were released, Becky.

ANDERSON: Matt, just reminder us what we know about this gang.

RIVERS: Well, it's one of Haiti's most powerful. It is located -- its area of control really is just outside of Port-au-Prince. It's in a suburb of

Port-au-Prince called Croix-des-Bouquets. And they utterly dominate that area to the point where even police patrols don't often go into that area.

And that is the area that this -- these missionary groups were traveling through back in mid-October. They were visiting an orphanage on the other

side.

And they were having to travel back through Croix-des-Bouquets to get back to the area where they were staying there. And that's where they were all

kidnapped. And there have been a lot of questions raised right from the very first days of this kidnapping as to why that group was in that area in

the first place. Why Christian Aid Ministries leadership would even dare to send people into that area because it is well known that kidnapping risk in

Haiti is extremely high.

Not only for foreign missionaries, but also far more important for -- far more greater than the risk. If you are just an ordinary Haitian, the risk

of kidnapping on that island remains extremely high, Becky. This group would have known that but still 12 people remain kidnapped at this point,

even with this good news, the three being released on Sunday.

ANDERSON: Matt Rivers on the story for you. Matt, thank you. Well, these countries around the world trying to beat back the Omicron variant. Here's

what we know at this point. We're seeing a significant increase in COVID cases in South Africa where the variant was first sequenced. Daily

infections up fivefold in a single week. The wave driven by Omicron. But although it is spreading very quickly, South African officials say cases do

appear to be relatively mild.

More than 200 cases of the variant have been confirmed in Europe where we've seen more protests against COVID restrictions. Police clashed with

demonstrators in Brussels over the weekend. Well, new restrictions going into effect today in Italy. CNN's Ben Wedeman is in Rome with that. First

to Larry Madowo Moreau who's in Johannesburg where the President, Larry, says hospitals have been ramping up preparations to admit more patients at

the same time.

He is urging the country not to panic. What do we know about the Omicron variant at this point?

LARRY MADOWO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So Becky, at this stage, we know that it does appear that this Omicron variant is more transmissible

but could potentially be less severe. So we have seen the patient profile at two hospitals here in Gauteng province where the Omicron variant was

first detected. And doctors there say 70 percent of the patients who are hospitalized do not need ventilator support.

They don't seem to have problems breathing. There was a saying that 80 percent of the people are under the age of 50 and the 30 to 39 age group

are those who are the largest who were hospitalized.

[10:10:09]

MADOWO: But across South Africa, COVID-19 is still surging across the nation. In fact, in the past week, daily cases have increased fivefold. The

positivity rate here in South Africa is now almost 24 percent. About two weeks ago, the positivity rates, Becky, was just two percent. That's how

quickly that the rate of infections has grown in the country. And that's why authorities here are encouraging people to get vaccinated even though

that word is not necessarily going through to everyone.

ANDERSON: Yes. And the President absolutely urging South Africans to get vaccinated in a newsletter that he sent out today. Do those vaccine

supplies exist? Are there enough for those who are determined to get vaccinated to get a job?

MADOWO: President Cyril Ramaphosa says there's enough vaccines there in South Africa for everyone. They have availed them in all parts of the

country, but -- and he says the reasons to get vaccinated are more compelling now because of the surge in COVID-19 in South Africa, but not

everybody agrees. In fact, some South African companies are now putting in vaccine mandates.

MTN became the latest. It is Africa's largest telecom companies. Got thousands of employees, it says by January, every single employee will have

to get vaccinated or get fired. And several other companies have done the same. Huge multinationals based here, old mutual and Standard Bank being

the others. But I've been speaking to people who tell me, you know what, I don't want the government making that decision for me.

And that one woman who's 29 told me she only decided to get vaccinated because she needs to travel. But otherwise, she didn't like that her

friends and family was sending her articles telling her why she should get vaccinated. She said, you know what, I can do my own research and find

counter evidence.

ANDERSON: Larry's in Johannesburg for you. Larry, thank you. Let's get you to Rome. And Ben, a super green pass as it is known in Italy being

introduced. What does that mean? What does it do?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, here it is. I picked up mine today. It's not green. But here it is. Basically, if you

have been vaccinated or can show that you've recently recovered from coronavirus, you are free to basically do what you'd like. If however, you

have not, you will not be allowed into bars, restaurants cinemas, gyms, theaters, discotheques, and stadiums.

And if you try to enter any of those places, you will be charged with a fine of starting at 400 euro and going up to as much as a thousand. Now

this is the Italian government's way of trying to compel those who still have not gotten vaccinated to actually get the job. Now, Italy has a fairly

good rate of vaccination. 85 percent of the population over the age of 12 is vaccinated. A total of 77 percent of the population has received at

least one vaccination.

Now the government has put out and this is Italy, so what is simple elsewhere becomes complicated. Here in Italy, they have this simple set of

instructions to let you know how the supergreen pass works. The way to get around having to read this complicated piece of information put out by the

government is just to get the job. Becky?

ANDERSON: Thank you, Ben. Well, starting today, travelers coming to or going to the United States must test negative within a day before their

departure. That is down for three days. The U.K. also tightening its travel restrictions. CNN Anna Stewart connects us to that from Gatwick Airport.

ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: The travel rulebook keeps on changing. Nigeria has been added to the U.K.'s red list. That brings it to a total of 10

Southern African nations which only U.K. citizens can travel from. Now you need to quarantine in a hotel facility. Now if you're coming back from one

of these countries for 10 days, and it costs around $3,000. From tomorrow there's additional testing requirements.

Anyone arriving into the U.K. will need to take a predeparture test within two days before arriving. 48 hours. It can be an antigen test or a PCR and

it is regardless of vaccination status. There's also in addition to having to take a test within two days of arriving into the U.K. Now that before

could have been a rapid antigen test. Now that needs to be a PCR which of course does bring up those costs.

And that is why there are concerns that it could deter some people from traveling and the travel and tourism industry is not happy. There are calls

for the U.K. Government to give them more financial support given these new restrictions. Either in the form of a furlough scheme returning for the

sector or additional financial support or even paying for the mandatory tests.

[10:15:10]

STEWART: Traveling during this pandemic is possible. It's totally doable. It's just the cost of the tests need to be taken into account, you need to

be organized to get them all booked in advance. And of course, you have to be flexible given the rules can change where you are and where you're

trying to get to. Anna Stewart, CNN, London.

ANDERSON: All right. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD from our Middle East programming hub here in Abu Dhabi. Coming up. A very rare meeting between

Iran and the United Arab Emirates. What this means for the region and indeed for the Iranian nuclear tools. That's up next.

Plus, space is the final frontier and the race to set up shop there is growing more fierce. Why the U.S. is concerned about China's growing

presence.

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ANDERSON: The UAE's top national security advisor visited Tehran today in a sign of foreign relations between two important regional neighbors. Sheikh

Tahnoun bin Zayed met with the Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Iran's top national security official. Now the UAE serves as an important link for

Iran to the rest of the world. But the two have been on opposite sides of regional conflicts like the war in Yemen, for example.

Anwar Gargash, a diplomatic adviser to the UAE president said the rare visit, "Comes as a continuation of the UAE's efforts aimed at strengthening

bridges of communication and cooperation in the region and in a manner that serves the national interest." This meeting comes on the heels of nuclear

talks, of course between Iran and other world powers where apparently little progress was made.

Negotiators still very far from a deal and they have returned to their capitals from Vienna for consultations. Well, my next guest led Israel's

intelligence gathering on Iran for years. And he says that the inability of politicians to adopt a nuanced approach on Iran led to a colossal policy

failure and sped up Tehran's nuclear efforts. Well, Danny Citrinowicz joins me now from Jerusalem.

And before we talk about Israel here, I just want to get your take on the significance of the images that we've seen today. Images of the National

Security Advisor from the UAE with the Iranian President and his national security counterpart in Tehran. What do you make of that visit and the

strengthening ties between the two?

[10:20:09]

DANNY CITRINOWICZ, SENIOR FELLOW, UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE FOR POLICY AND STRATEGY: All right. Good evening, Becky from Jerusalem. Extra --

extraordinary meeting today in Tehran. Sheikh Tahnoon meeting Ali Shamkhans' counterpart. And of course President Raisi. I think it's really

highlights the new approach of the UAE to the region. I think we need to connect that with MBC visit to Turkey.

And understanding that really seeking new approach, new policy to make sure that its interest is being met in the region. They understand that the U.S.

presence in the region is diminishing. And they're looking for a new counterpart. I think that they are weary and threatened by Iran. But I

think that they are looking for a new approach to hug Iran in a way to make sure that they can -- they can defuse the tension between Iran and the UAE.

So it's very extraordinary meeting. And I think that also, we can speculate that there was some sort of a transfer of messaging between the U.S. and

Iran through Tahnoon itself. I think it's a unique opportunity and probably they took advantage of it.

ANDERSON: Is that an approach that Israel applauds?

CITRINOWICZ: Well, I think that in terms of Israel, I think it's extremely important meaning as well. I think that there is a notion in Israel

regarding the -- how to extort or to use the Abrahamic codes to build some sort of original NATO. Now, I think still that the UAE and Israel see eye

to eye regarding the threat coming from Iran, but I think they have a new approach how to deal with it.

Other different approach. Meaning that Israel looking for threatening or putting maximum pressure on Iran while the UAE will seek how to build some

sort of economical relations with Iran and invest diffusing the tension between the both countries.

ANDERSON: Yes. This this regional recalibration and his outreach by the UAE, for example, to Iran happening as a sort of twin track to a certain

extent as these JCPOA talks go on between Iran and P5+1. You've said, and I quote you, the current structure of talks and especially the continued

perception in the current Iranian leadership that they have other alternatives, will eventually lead to the collapse of the Vienna talks.

To return to the JCPOA things, sorry, JCPOA, things need to significantly change. What did you mean by that?

CITRINOWICZ: I think that the best example for that is we saw yesterday at Raisi interview to the Iranian television. Actually I spoke about the JCPOA

not more than half a minute, and actually highlight the fact that he is not prioritizing the JCPOA even further than that is negotiators, they don't

know how to work with the U.S. They don't know how to negotiate with the U.S. And the fact that the U.S. is not present in the negotiation table in

Vienna, actually, all those reasons, I think leads us to understanding that the stalemate is here to stay.

And I think that in order to break the stalemate, something dramatic needs to happen. For example, the -- maybe China will support the U.S. position,

I think it's crucial because if U.S. really think about imposing new sanctions, they need to have China's support in this matter, maybe to find

some other way to build a back channel to the Iranian leadership. The current structure is really is not helping both sides returning back to the

agreement because of the Iranian position and the -- and the fact that the U.S. is not in the room.

So, I think something dramatically to happen in order to find some sort of a breakthrough. If not something that that will happen, then I think that

will counter a stalemate that eventually will lead to the collapse of the JCPOA.

ANDERSON: And what does Plan B look like for the Americans as far as you can tell?

CITRINOWICZ: I think that the American side, they have actually two options in front of them. One option is really to put more pressure on Iran,

imposing more sanctions, but we saw that the maximum pressure campaign is not working, the Iranian will put forward at the enrichment plant that they

have. So I doubt that it has some sort of effect. The other option is really to find ways to the Iranian leadership backchannels or through

mediators.

Like for example, the visit of Sheikh Tahnoon today. Now again, I don't know if this is what they are thinking of. But I -- my assumption is that

returning back to Vienna, without any change to the current structure of the negotiation, actually lead to another statement that at the end of the

day will lead to the -- to the breakdown of the JCPOA discussion. So in that regard, something else need to happen in order that the both sides

will find ways to return back to the JCPOA to nuclear agreement.

[10:25:01]

ANDERSON: So, the Israeli prime minister last week called on U.S. and Western nations to walk away from these talks. You wrote, recently, Israel

is still thinking in terms of zero enrichment of uranium in Iran. That's like talking of achieving a COVID, infection rate of zero. It's no longer

relevant. And I just wanted to get a sense of what Israel's position is then. As we see what's going on in Vienna or what's not going on at

present.

And we see, you know, these images of Sheikh Tahnoon for example in Tehran today. What's Israel's positioning here? Can, for example, Israel ever

accept Iran enriching uranium?

CITRINOWICZ: Well, I think that the Israel or the current Israeli government is really duplicating the previous government approach towards

Iran. Meaning no discussion with Iran, putting more pressure on Iran and threatening using military options in order to attack the Iranian military

sites. And I don't see any change in this regards. I think, because of this position, actually, Israel, its ability to influence a negotiation right

now is very, very limited.

Actually, when we're looking at the Israel approach, it's very different from the international community approach. Israeli actually speaking in

what we call a zero enrichment mentality. For Israel, a good agreement is actually dismantling all the enrichment facilities in Tehran -- in Iran.

And I think this is a of course, it will be very hard to accomplish. But it's a gap between that and it international community that thinks that the

most important thing is preventing Iran from utilizing its civilian infrastructure and build a nuclear bomb.

And as long as the gap is still there, Israel will find it very hard to influence the negotiation in the -- in the negotiation table.

ANDERSON: Fascinating. It's good to have your insights, sir. Thank you very much indeed for joining us.

Folks, you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD live from our Middle East to programming headquarters here in Abu Dhabi. Still ahead, sports and

politics butting heads again ahead of the Winter Olympics. How China is responding to a likely U.S. diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Games and the

competition between the U.S. and China not just sitting up here on Earth, it's in space as well. We'll look at why the stakes up there are so high.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:30:00]

ANDERSON: All right. You're back with CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson thanks for watching. China lasting the Biden administration. The head of

it's expected announcement of a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics. China's foreign ministry calls the potential boycott politically

manipulative. Mourns Beijing would take "resolute counter measures if it happens." The U.S. lawmakers have been advocating for a diplomatic boycott

to protest China's human rights records.

American athletes would still be allowed to compete. Let's bring in David Culver who's connecting us from Shanghai. Symbolic, yes, won't stop U.S.

athletes from competing. This has been an idea floated for some months now. The Chinese clearly finding this very irritating countermeasures. What do

they mean by that?

DAVID CULVER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Resolute countermeasures and it's really unclear how that would play out. But we've

seen this in the past, whether it has to do with anything with visas, or anything with restrictions to diplomats. Reciprocity, that's how they've

really looked at it here. And they've done it with sanctions as well. But resolute countermeasures with this instance.

I mean, for example, if there is an event that the U.S. is holding internationally, China could say that they don't want to participate, it

could be something as simple as that. It's unlikely that they're going to elevate it to a level that would then require the U.S. to respond again,

for example, blocking diplomats in the midst of their daily duties. But going forward, this is also something that China has seen as kind of a

middle ground as well.

So it's perhaps not that total withdrawal but total boycott of U.S. athletes attending the Olympics. It's that middle ground that appeals for

the U.S. side, Becky, to the domestic audience in the U.S. And here, they're reacting saying that this is politicizing sports, that this is

something that really as they see it is a maneuver that has no merit. They weren't even going to invite U.S. officials as the spokesperson for the

foreign ministry put it out there.

But it then appeals to the domestic audience for China. So they're both able to kind of appease their own people. That said, this could pose a

bigger challenge for China because you've got to think, if the athletes are still coming forward, what's worse than not allowing the athletes to

attend, having athletes attend, and then speaking out, not during podium award ceremonies, because that's against the IOC, but when they're speaking

to the media.

And so to have athletes on Chinese soil here in the mainland, and it's speaking out on a range of issues of human rights violations in Xinjiang

with ethnic Uyghur Muslims on Tibet, on pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong being crackdown on rising tensions at the South China Sea on Taiwan, on

COVID origins. So many issues, Becky. That would pose an even greater concern for China to try to contain that dialogue and restrain folks from

talking once they're here in China. To control that narrative, Becky amongst athletes is going to be a challenge.

ANDERSON: Yes. Absolutely. David, thank you. David Culver is in Shanghai for you. But another arena where China and the U.S. are competing this will

come as no surprise to you is of course space. When the top U.S. space experts gathered in Washington to discuss the country's space program. They

made the case for more funding saying that China's space program is growing so fast the U.S. may not be able to keep up.

CNN's Kristin Fisher moderated that former -- forms. Jjoins us now live from Washington. Fascinating stuff. It's more than just about space

exploration at this point in. General Thompson wrote in a Washington Post op-ed that U.S. satellites are being attacked on a daily basis. What we

know about this is competition. And could it -- could it eventually lead to to an arms race in space?

KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE AND DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, I actually asked the general that very question, you know, are we now in an

arms race in space, particularly with China? And and he kind of demurred and didn't fully answer that question, but what he did answer and what

every other panelists during that panel agreed with was that we are 100 percent, the United States is in a space race with China.

And, you know, we've known this that it's kind of been building for some time, but it really came to a crescendo with that China test of a

hypersonic weapon just a few months ago. And Becky, just to kind of put this in perspective for you, because this really kind of sums up part of

the issue here, in addition to funding as you were talking about, just look at this. General Thompson was telling me that China has tested hundreds of

hypersonic weapons over the last five years, while the U.S. has only tested nine.

And so, when I really pressed him on that point and asked him why. Listen to what he said and why it's so important that the U.S. moves faster.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[10:35:01]

GEN. DAVID THOMPSON, VICE CHIEF OF SPACE OPERATIONS, U.S. SPACE FORCE: The fact that in essence on average they are building and fielding and updating

their space capabilities at twice the rate we are means that very soon, if we don't start accelerating our development and delivery capabilities, they

will exceed -- it will exceed us and 2030. It's not an unreasonable estimate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FISHER: So 2030, not an unreasonable estimate for China to surpass the U.S. in terms of its space capabilities. And Becky, that, of course, just nine

years away.

ANDERSON: Yes, he talks as well, didn't he? About going beyond Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos' imagination. What did he mean by that?

FISHER: Well, he means that the U.S. government and larger defense contractors, they need to come up with more creative and cutting edge

technology than what is available on the the commercial market right now. Congressman Jim Cooper, who was also on the panel, he said, you know, right

now, I'm looking at this -- he called -- he described it as a catalogue that, you know, all the world can set -- can see.

And he was like, we need to get back to work on developing more cutting edge classified technology, bring that innovation from the private sector.

What companies like SpaceX are doing right now and really bring that to the Department of Defense in terms of how they are building offensive and

defensive capabilities in space.

ANDERSON: Fascinating, thank you for that. Well, let's get you up to speed on some of the other stories that are on our radar right now. And Pope

Francis has wrapped up his trip to Cyprus and Greece, returning to Rome a day after calling the global migration crisis a "shipwreck of

civilization." And stinging criticism came during the pontiff's visit to the Greek island of Lesbos. The site of frequent migration bottlenecks in

Europe.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has just touched down in India for meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Moscow says Mr. Putin's aim is

to boost military and energy ties with its neighbor. Russia and India are expected to sign several agreements focused on trade and on defense.

Winter brings yet another crisis to Afghanistan where the U.N. says more than half the population is facing extreme levels of hunger. The U.N.

Refugee Agency launching a global fundraising campaign to bring food fuel and medical supplies to more than 3-1/2 million people who are displaced by

conflict. Story sadly you are familiar with if you're a regular viewer on this show.

Coming up on CONNECT THE WORLD. A nail biting finish in Jeddah. The fastest man of F1 went head to head or rather bumper to bumper. Details of the race

up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:40:10]

ANDERSON: Well, we are coming to you from our Middle East programming hub here in Abu Dhabi. The UAE is -- become somewhat of a nucleus for small and

mid-sized businesses in this region. A part of the country's wider strategy diversity -- diversify its economy, as its oil rich nation tries to adapt

to a changing world. Well, a new initiative called Access Abu Dhabi is setting its sights on attracting women and minority-led businesses from the

U.S.

The founder of the program is hails from Ohio but has been in Abu Dhabi for the past 10 years. We have a chat about what success might look like for

minority businesses here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH OMOLEWU, MANAGING PARTNER, MAVEN GLOBAL ACCESS: I founded the program to showcase to primarily minority and women businesses. Help them and

support them in expanding to Abu Dhabi.

ANDERSON: So what will success look like to you?

OMOLEWU: We have a very defined metric, where our goal is to support the expansion of 100 women and minority businesses over the next three years.

ANDERSON: Are you going to make that?

OMOLEWU: We'll definitely try.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: One of the industries being explored through the initiative is the world of sports. And with the NBA set to tip off for the first time

ever in the UAE next October, it's attracting a lot of attention. I also caught up with former player Metta Sandiford-Artest on why he thinks the

league being in the -- in the region is so important.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

METTA SANDIFORD-ARTEST, FORMER NBA PLAYER AND ENTREPRENEUR: I think the NBA coming here is a turn setting basketball league and obviously, there are

leagues across the world. Right? So the NBA coming here is going to show the UAE how to embrace the NBA and then also how to run your league, right?

And the things to do and how to, you know, train your players and develop your players and then potentially get some more UAE players in the NBA. And

when the NBA steps foot somewhere, they usually leave an impact.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, that's next October before that way before that, of course. Abu Dhabi will host the NBA's debut to pregames season in October 2022.

Sorry, 2022. Before that though, it's been a rivalry which kept F1 fans on the seat or the edge of their seats for an entire season and it's not over

yet. Look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- and they collided. Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, how much damage --

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ANDERSON: Lewis Hamilton and title rival Max Verstappen in an action-packed race in Jeddah. It was a sizzler. The results. We'll let Amanda Davies fill

(INAUDIBLE) in Amanda.

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Oh, Becky, the result is you are absolutely sitting in the right place to see the final act of what has been

an incredible season. 21 races, 10 months, it all comes down to Sunday and Abu Dhabi because Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time world champion heads into

the race with exactly the same number of points as the young pretender, the Red Bull driver, Max Verstappen.

And it ultimately is a straight shootout between the two of them, whichever of them wins the race or finishes higher ultimately, essentially will claim

the title. Yesterday had a bit of everything. You could see just how much these drivers, these teams that are giving it their all. The margins for

error are tiny. The team principles say they hope it'll be decided on the track. But certainly you are absolutely in the best place to see it all.

ANDERSON: I'm sure more on the inaugural raise of course in Saudi and yes, that's my Sunday sorted. Thank you. World Sport is up next with more on all

of that. We'll be back top of the hour for you.

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