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Connect the World
Hamas Calls IDF Claims of Tunnel at Hospital "Baseless Lies"; Final Day of Indo-Pacific Leader's Summit in San Francisco; Israel Claims Hamas Tunnel found at Hospital Raided by IDF; Abu Jamous and His Family Reached Southern Gaza; Journalist Films Family's Evacuation from Northern Gaza; Luiz Diaz Inspires Colombia to Win Over Brazil. Aired 9-9:45a ET
Aired November 17, 2023 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[09:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Hello it is 9 am here in Atlanta, I'm Lynda Kinkade. Welcome to "Connect the World" happening over
the next two hours. Under pressure, Israel offers visual evidence which it says proves Hamas operated tunnels under Gaza's largest hospital.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: To the possibilities of all we could do together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: The U.S. President rallies APEC Leaders promising strong economic ties. And this night, Luis Diaz made his father cry wasn't out of sadness,
but out of pride. We begin this hour in Gaza as Israel is facing mounting pressure to justify its siege of Gaza's largest hospital.
The army now says its troops have recovered the bodies of two hostages from near the hospital. 65-year-old Israeli Grandmother, Yehudit Weiss seen
there on your left and Noah Marciano, a 19-year-old corporal in the IDF a video released by Hamas claims the young woman was killed by an Israeli
airstrike.
Israel also says troops found a Hamas tunnel shaft on the grounds of the hospital enclave and they released images. Hamas is calling those claims
ridiculous, and doctors and hospital officials have continuously denied such claims. CNN can't independently verify those images.
Well, Al-Shifa's Hospital Director describes patients on the brink of death and children close to starvation. CNN's Jeremy Diamond has a closer look at
the situation at Al-Shifa.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A Hamas tunnel below Gaza's largest hospital. That's what the Israeli military says this
video shows. Nearly 48 hours after Israeli forces raided Al-Shifa Hospital, these are the first images of what the Israeli military says is an
operational tunnel shaft on the grounds of the hospital complex.
CNN cannot independently verify those claims. But using this frame CNN has geo located this video to the Al-Shifa complex, about 30 meters away from
one of the hospital's main buildings.
REAR ADM. DANIEL HAGARI, ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES SPOKESPERSON: It is here in Al-Shifa Hospital where Hamas operate some of its command and control
cells.
DIAMOND (voice-over): For weeks Israeli officials have laid the groundwork for an operation targeting Shifa Hospital, claiming Hamas operates a
massive underground complex below it. And in recent days, the U.S. has also backed up those allegations.
BIDEN: One thing that has been established is that Hamas does have headquarters, weapons, material below this hospital.
DIAMOND (voice-over): As Israeli Special Forces continue searching the hospital complex; they are also uncovering weapons and ammunition.
LT. COL. JONATHAN CONRICUS, ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES SPOKESPERSON: There is an AK-47, there are cartridges and ammo. There are grenades in here.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Which the Israeli military calls concrete evidence that Hamas used Gaza's largest hospital to wage war. Near the hospital,
Israeli officials also say they found the body of 65-year-old Yehudit Weiss, who was among those abducted on October 7th.
Israel's decision to send troops into a hospital has drawn fierce criticism with the U.N.'s aid chief saying he is appalled by the raid. President
Biden is standing by Israel's actions.
BIDEN: It's not like you're rushing to a hospital knocking down doors and you know pulling people aside and shooting people indiscriminately.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Amid the fighting, the families of hostages held by Hamas ramping up the pressure.
ZOHAR AVIGDORI, NIECE, SISTER-IN-LAW HELD HOSTAGE: This whole huge march of families up to Jerusalem comes to make a very clear stand to our government
that they need to take any deal that they have and pay, any price for these people for their citizens pretty much.
DIAMOND (voice-over): As negotiations drag on over a deal that could see Hamas free dozens of women and children in exchange for a multi-day
ceasefire.
AVIGDORI: This is my sister-in-law. And this is my niece. She's 12-years- old.
DIAMOND (voice-over): Their families are wracked with anxiety.
AVIGDORI: It's been nerve wracking to tell her the truth because again, we don't know who to believe. We are trying to kind of scrape the last
remnants of faith and trust in our government, that when a relevant deal comes to the table, they will take it.
DIAMOND (voice-over): For now they march and wait, Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Ashkelon, Israel.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: The Israel Hamas war is about to enter its seventh week. And as we mentioned, it is increasingly becoming a war of claims and counterclaims.
But the Israeli military has not yet shown evidence of a larger scale command structure at Al-Shifa Hospital. Scott McLean is live from Istanbul
where he has been following the developments for us, good to have you with us.
[09:05:00]
So the IDF has released photos of a tunnel shaft, claiming it is evidence of Hamas operating in and around that hospital. But so far at this stage at
least no evidence of some more extensive Hamas control and command center, which is what they've been claiming all along.
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Exactly, Lynda. So the Israelis had not been claiming or not been justifying their entry into the Al-Shifa Hospital
complex by saying that if there's hospitals around the -- or that there's tunnels around the hospital, they didn't say that there is a large scale,
very sophisticated, multi-level underground tunnel structure that -- they can control center of Hamas that is located underneath the hospital.
And then earlier this week, they put out a video showing weapons they say were found inside the hospital than yesterday. As you mentioned, they
released this video showing a hole in the ground about 30 meters or so from one of the main hospital buildings that looks like it's a concrete lined
tunnel.
But none of this, so far at least has indicated the existence of this very sophisticated command center underneath the hospital. The Americans say
that they are confident in their intelligence that it's there, but none of the publicly available evidence supports this thus far.
The U.N. Human Rights Chief has called for an investigation and for that to happen he says that he needs access. He also says that, look, there are two
competing narratives here and oftentimes they don't line up very well.
You know, even on the humanitarian aid issue in the hospital, you have the Hospital Director Al Jazeera saying that there are children who are
starving because there's not enough water to make any formula. The Israelis though are saying that they're providing directly food and water to the
people who are still at the hospital.
And of course when it comes to these tunnels as well, Hamas blatantly denies that they amount to anything what the Israelis have accused them
off, Lynda?
KINKADE: All right, Scott McLean, we'll leave it there for now. Our apologies to viewers for some of those audio issues, we will get that
sorted and join Scott next hour. With the UN's agency for children is giving a stark and troubling assessment of the situation in Gaza.
UNICEF Chief Catherine Russell, who has just been to Gaza, describes "Grave violations against children". She says they include killing, maiming
abductions, attacks on schools and hospitals, and the dark denial of humanitarian access, all of which UNICEF condemns.
She has called for an immediate ceasefire to allow for more aid to reach Gaza, especially fuel. And Catherine Russell joins us now live. Catherine,
we appreciate your time today. Thanks so much for joining us.
CATHERINE RUSSELL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, UNICEF: Happy too, of course.
KINKADE: So you entered the south of Gaza a little over a week into this war. Why was it important for you to be there? And what did you witness?
RUSSELL: Yes, so you're right, Lynda. I was there just a couple of days ago. And it was really horrifying to see it honestly. It's such a bleak
landscape. It's the place where I went as called Khan Younis and I visited a hospital there called the Al Nasr Hospital.
And it was just surrounded by just teeming numbers of people who were camped out around the hospital. People were living in the hospital, each
and every hallway; I saw there were people sleeping, or living with blankets and things and really trying to stay there to be safe.
I saw piles and piles of garbage in the street. I mean, it was just a very, very bleak, very, really just terrifying situation I think for the children
and families who live there, many of whom have come from other parts of Gaza to try to find some refuge in the South.
KINKADE: And Catherine, this is such an unusual war in that the people inside can't escape, can't really seek refuge elsewhere. Yet, they are
facing so many challenges just trying to get basic needs like fuel, like clean drinking water, medical supplies, into Gaza. Just describe what the
greatest needs are right now.
RUSSELL: Yes, you're right. It is such a unique situation, because in many places, people are able to leave, you know, but they can't go anywhere.
They're just trapped there. And so what we see on the part of UNICEF is that people don't have enough access to water. We're worried very much
about children having enough food and nutrition.
We're worried about basic things like medical supplies and diapers. You know all the things that anyone needs for their children. We're just having
trouble getting enough into the area and having the key thing for us, which is humanitarian access, so that we can move around and get the supplies
needed to the population that's there.
And that makes it so challenging for us to do our work. And that's why we called again and again for humanitarian access, so we can get our people
safely there. I mean, they're already there; honestly most of them are you know, trying to do their work while also seeking cover.
[09:10:00]
But get people there who can move around and get supplies in the population who desperately, desperately need them.
KINKADE: And I understand Catherine, you also planning to meet with families of the hostages but weren't able to do so, what happened?
RUSSELL: Well, I was scheduled to go. I was in Gaza. I was scheduled the next day to go to Israel to meet with some of the families of the children
who were abducted, which is also a horrific situation. But unfortunately, we had a car accident. My car kind of tumbled over. And I'm fine, everyone
in the group was fine, but I'm just a little banged up. So I came back, and then I'll go back to the region in a couple of weeks.
KINKADE: I'm sorry to hear about that car accident, but good to hear that you're doing all right. But we can't overstate certainly the risks in Gaza,
especially for aid workers. This of course is the deadliest conflict ever for U.N. workers, right, the deadliest in just five weeks, six weeks.
RUSSELL: Yes. Yes. 100 -- over 100 aid workers have been killed from the UN. And you know, it's interesting, I was with one of our aid workers
there, a UNICEF staff member who was telling me so proudly about the work she was doing to provide some water program that we were doing and how much
the population needed it.
And she was really excited about it. The next sentence she said, well you know I have lost 17 members of my extended family. And I thought good lord,
you know, these people are so dedicated working so hard, but they're at risk themselves, their families are at risk.
And she said she has four children. She's worried about that. Then you can imagine just like any, any parent, just worrying about what's happening to
your own family, while you're trying to help others. So they're really courageous aid workers, I have to say the UNICEF staff is amazing. They're
working so hard but it is a very, very complex and very difficult situation.
KINKADE: And Catherine, I read at the start of this a quote from you about the fact that during this conflict we've seen hospitals, schools, shelters,
continually attacked in this war. We have heard claims by Israel that there was a Hamas command and control center under Al-Shifa Hospital, which is
why they went and conducted the raids there. They're yet to show any evidence of that.
What do you make though, of the fact that these sorts of places it's particularly hospitals, which are not only being used to treat people, but
shelter people are continually being attacked?
RUSSELL: Yes, I think the key piece of information here is that all parties to a conflict have an obligation to make sure that places like that
hospitals, schools, where civilians and children seek refuge and should be safe, have an obligation, one to keep those as safe as possible and two,
not to use them as shelters, particularly if they're combatants.
And so, I think that -- me it's very hard you sort of described as in this fog to understand exactly what's happening in all these places. But what we
do know is that children are the most vulnerable in these situations, right? They're little, they're innocent, they have no ability to stop
conflicts like this, but they are the ones who suffer the most.
And I think as adults, we have to do everything we can to protect them in places where they should be safe, like schools and hospitals. But also more
generally, to take every step humanly possible to make sure that you know, 4700 children or whatever the number is now, it just keeps moving.
You know are dying in a conflict and as you say five or six short weeks. I mean, it's really devastating. And I think all children need to be
protected from things like that from abductions. It's all terrible. And I think we as adults have got to do better by children.
KINKADE: Absolutely. Catherine Russell, Executive Director of UNICEF, you and your team do such an amazing job. We really appreciate your time and I
hope to speak to you again soon.
RUSSELL: Thanks so much. Appreciate it.
KINKADE: Well, you were watching "Connect the World" live from CNN Center in Atlanta. Still ahead, APEC Leaders are wrapping up their Summit in
California. We'll have another look at the big meeting between U.S. and Chinese Presidents and what it means going forward.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:15:00]
KINKADE: Welcome back. It is the final day of the APEC Summit in California. Leaders and top officials from the Blocs 21 economies have been
courting each other, hoping to solidify alliances, win foreign investment and in the case of the U.S. and China ease political tension.
That last part seemed to be accomplished during lengthy talks between the U.S. President and the Chinese President. Chinese media have portrayed the
event in a positive light. The Foreign Ministry though criticized Mr. Biden's comments that he still believes President Xi is a dictator.
Mr. Biden meets with Mexico's President later today, followed by a leaders retreat. MJ Lee is covering the Summit for us in San Francisco. Our Marc
Stewart is in Beijing. Good to have you both with us. I want to start with you first MJ.
Because I want to understand what has been achieved on this summit, especially in light of that meeting between President Biden and President
Xi? Of course, after that meeting, Joe Biden referring to Xi, as a dictator you had the chance to ask the President for some clarification. What did he
say and what was achieved during that meeting?
MJ LEE, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this came at a moment at the very end of that press conference that President Biden had. And I asked
him the question of whether he still believes that President Xi is a dictator. This is a reference to a comment that he had made earlier this
year.
And the President responded that he does believe that. He said President Xi is somebody who runs a country that's based on a form of government that is
totally different than ours. You know initially we did hear a fiery response from the Chinese Foreign Ministry, saying those comments were
erroneous and irresponsible.
But really since then from both sides we've seen that they are not wanting to dwell on these comments at all. Of course back in Beijing the state
media has completely ignored it. There's no sign of the comment having been made on Chinese social media which of course, is heavily censored by the
government as well.
And here in the United States when the White House has been asked about this comment, they were not dwelling on it either. And I think it just goes
to show that both countries are very eager to point back to this week as a moment when they were able to sort of hit the reset button on the U.S.
China relations that they were able to get some things done and get to some sort of agreement on the need for the two countries to practice diplomacy
to actually communicate.
Of course, the opening up of the military to military communications was one of the real deliverables that came out of this meeting. So yes, in some
ways we saw how this comment from the -- President Biden that is, did overshadow things for a little bit.
But I think in the big picture again, both countries are very eager to say that this would have been a moment that showed real progress for the two
countries and their relationship.
KINKADE: Yes, interesting that neither side wants to dwell on it. Thanks, MJ. I'll come back to you in just a sec. But I want to go to Marc Stewart,
because despite that dictator comment, as MJ was pointing out, they do want to move forward on this. They have indicated that they are going to restart
military communications. What exactly does that mean?
MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, Lynda. What it means is that in good times and perhaps even in the worst of times if there is some kind of
military conflict or military tension leaders, military leaders in both the United States and China can basically pick up the phone and talk to each
other establish some kind of vessel for communication.
As we have been chronicling on CNN in several months, the last several months we have seen U.S. aircraft and Chinese aircraft coming very close to
each other in some of the more volatile regions of the Pacific.
[09:20:00]
There is obviously this potential for something catastrophic to occur. This perhaps could help cool things down. In fact if we look back Lynda, over
the last year or so we had that incident with the Chinese balloon over American airspace that eventually was shut down.
There is a theory that perhaps if communication was much stronger, communication channels were established that that whole situation could
have been averted or could have been quelled much more easily as opposed -- as opposed to it escalating into something much more that we have seen
unfold.
KINKADE: All right, Marc Stewart for us in Beijing, MJ Lee covering the APEC Summit. We will talk again very soon. We'll leave it there for now.
Thanks so much. Well, I want to get you up to speed on some other stories on our radar right now.
Ukrainian officials in Kherson report at least six people killed, ten injured from Russian shelling on the city. And official says residential
areas were hit including a medical facility, gas stations, and a carwash. Ukraine liberated Kherson a year ago that it has continued to come under
Russian attack.
Sri Lanka's Supreme Court has found the Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his brothers responsible for the country's worst economic crisis. The
court's ruling said that their conduct had "Violated the public trust and led to violent nationwide protests in 2022".
In Australia school students are calling for more renewable energy and firmer action against climate change. Thousands skipped class Friday to
join the school strike for climate. They're demanding the Prime Minister embrace policies to reduce Australia's reliance on fossil fuels.
Well, 30 minutes to leave a Palestinian journalist tracks his family's journeys south from Northern Gaza. It's a dangerous and difficult trip
every step of the way. Stay with us for that report coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade at the CNN Center. You're watching "Connect the World". The Israeli military says a second hostage held by
Hamas. A 19-year-old Israeli soldier has been found close to Gaza's Al- Shifa Hospital.
[09:25:00]
Earlier the IDF says it recovered the remains of a 65-year-old Israeli woman. Israel's Prime Minister says there were strong indications Hamas was
holding hostages at Al-Shifa. The IDF also released this video what it claims is a Hamas tunnel shaft on the hospital grounds.
CNN can't independently verify that, but we have geo located this to the hospital complex. Israel says it is evidence that Hamas was running a
command center beneath Al-Shifa. Hamas and hospital -- officials consistently deny that claim.
Well for more I want to bring in our Oren Liebermann on the ground in Tel Aviv. Good to have you with us, Oren. I want to start first with those
images and video released by the Israeli Defense Forces. We kind of independently verify those images and what they mean. But what have you
seen? And does it give any credence to claims that there is some sort of Hamas command center under the Al-Shifa Hospital?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Lynda, we have been able as you pointed out to geo locate where that picture and those images were taken. And those
are on the Al-Shifa complex. The problem is the challenges from what we see, yes, it looks like an entrance to a tunnel. But we don't see what's
behind that tunnel.
Israel was under tremendous pressure to prove its assertion that Hamas had what it called terror infrastructure underneath the hospital itself and was
using the hospital as protection for its complex of tunnels. This, the IDF seems to say is the beginning of that proof with more to come in the coming
days.
This is the major part of the effort on the Al-Shifa complex to uncover as much of that as they can. They believe there is a much, much more than just
a single tunnel. There a complex of tunnels that they are looking to uncover to show their assertion that this really was a terror base for
Hamas.
They've gotten the backing of the United States. President Joe Biden said the U.S. has its own intelligence not relying solely on the Israelis that
Hamas used the hospital above for protection of what they had below grounds. And a lot was at stake here now not just the credibility of the
IDF and of Israel, but also the credibility of the U.S. because of the amount of backing they gave Israel.
And that's why this is as important, especially as doctors, health officials in the Hamas run enclave have repeatedly denied those
accusations. The IDF is still working in the hospital complex itself. And now we'll wait to see what more information, what more evidence they prove
that it's not just the tunnel shaft, but a shaft and a tunnel used by Hamas.
KINKADE: And Oren, Israel also said they recover the bodies of two hostages in and around that hospital. What more can you tell us about where they
were located and how they might have been killed?
LIEBERMANN: We don't have more specific information on the cause of death in this case. The announcements came about 24 hours apart first the
announcement that 65-year-old Grandmother Yehudit Weiss who was kidnapped from Kibbutz of Be'eri on October 7, had been killed in Gaza.
The IDF didn't offer a specific cause of death but the spokesperson says she had been murdered by Hamas. She was found in a structure near the Al-
Shifa complex, along with according to the IDF AK-47s and rocket propelled grenades just a short time later a few hours later or so the IDF announced
that the body of 19-year-old soldier Noa Marciano had also been recovered and brought back to Israel for identification.
The challenge here we don't know more specifically where they were on the outside or near the complex itself. But it does seem that were found
separately and that strongly suggests the hostages are being held individually and separately in different locations.
And that's part of why it's so difficult to know the well-being the condition of the hostages as efforts to try to some sort of -- to try to
find some sort of hostage exchange between the Israeli hostages held in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners here. The U.S. working on that Israel part
of those discussions, of course the Qataris as well and Hamas, but so far that exchange those negotiations have not come to fruition.
KINKADE: All right. Oren Liebermann for us in Tel Aviv, good to have you there for us, we will talk again very soon. Thank you. We want to give you
a first-hand look at the harsh reality of civilian evacuations from Northern Gaza. Israel says hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have used
an evacuation corridor to leave the area where the IDF is focusing its ground operations.
A Palestinian journalist recorded his family's journey south, showing the dangers along the way. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh has his story. And a warning
some of the images in her report are graphic.
[09:30:00]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Gaza City 2-year-old Walid [ph] just -- it through his family's most difficult night of the war
so far. With daybreak the Israeli military calls with an order. You have 30 minutes to get out. It was 9:30 am on November the 10th. With makeshift
white flags, they say the military told them to hold up, they prepare to move.
With a little they can carry they head out and into the unknown some too frail to walk. Journalist Rami Abu Jamous is filming the forced evacuation
of his family along with more than 30 of their neighbors. His phone in his right hand and then the other his son will eat. He speaks French with his
son looking for his wife ahead. While waiting for other elderly neighbors struggling to catch up.
That constant buzz you hear is Israeli drones overhead it's been the soundtrack of Gaza for years as they get to the other side of the street
Rami spots his neighbor Abu Ahmed [ph] something's not right.
Ahmed was shot in the head he didn't make it. And around the corner two others a man and a woman also shot. It's uncertain who opened fire on the
group, CNN geo located these videos and traced this deadly journey out of Central Gaza City.
We provided the Israeli military with details of this incident and these coordinates but they did not respond to our request for comment. We reached
Rami now in the south. Like most here, they were on their own. They got to Al-Shifa Hospital, but so did the war. Witness to it all two year old Walid
[ph].
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I kept trying to make sure he's not scared and make him feel like what he's seeing around us as a circus or an amusement park. I
don't know if I succeeded. Even the journey of humiliation where you take a donkey here and a horse there I was trying to make that entertaining for
him.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): I asked Rami why he decided to film.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just want this to get to the world so they know the injustice that we're facing. They cast doubt on everything we do. They're
stronger in every way. Not just militarily but with the information that comes out the narrative that comes out the news that comes out what they
say is the truth and our words are lies.
Please just deliver our message. I don't want anything else. I don't want all those who have been killed to have died in vain.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): Rami doesn't know what they'll do now, but says he will only leave his homeland forced at gunpoint or dead. Jomana Karadsheh,
CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTPAE)
KINKADE: Israel says they have tried to call people in Gaza to evacuate areas where military operations are underway to minimize civilian
casualties. There has been worldwide criticism of the number of deaths in Gaza. The Hamas controlled Gaza Ministry of Health says more than 11,400
people have been killed, including about 4700 children. We're going to take a quick break stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:35:00]
KINKADE: Welcome back. Airline bosses met playmakers at the Dubai air show this week and they weren't in the mood to spend big, Boeing and Airbus both
bragging orders worth tens of billions of dollars. CNN's Richard Quest was there to find out what's shaping the future of the industry.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD QUEST, CNN HOST: The 777X being put through its paces. I'll give you a bit of indigestion in first class. The Dubai air show brings together
the airlines, the manufacturers and of course military and commercial, but all the airports for takeoff and landing although they just lost their
champagne.
QUEST (voice-over): Dubai's Airport has grown in leaps and bounds over the years. For the ninth consecutive year it's now keeping its title as the
busiest travel hub in the world. Next year, 88 million passengers will fly through DXP. Dubai has made a specialty of what comes next as I heard from
Paul Griffiths, the CEO of Dubai Airports.
PAUL GRIFFITH, CEO OF DUBAI AIRPORT: We are 100 percent back to where we were pre pandemic now. And we've still got room to grow probably even up at
20 to 30 million before we fully exhausted.
QUEST: So when you say room to grow, do you mean runway capacity and airfield or passenger?
GRIFFITH: Well, all of those things, because unless you've got growth in all the categories of an airports, you can't actually operate at any higher
capacity.
QUEST: The reality is can we keep building Airports?
GRIFFITH: The thing is, if you look around the world, we've probably got enough airport capacity is just in the wrong place. We need to make this
sort of airport location agnostic. And the efficiency of the road and rail options to get there needs to improve. And if you can get from a major hub
like DWCR Maktoum International to any city you know in Saudi or in Oman, or across the UAE in minutes then, of course, the utility of that hub
increases.
QUEST: You and I've talked about this before the misery of the airport process. The opportunities those are originally traumatic of digital
biometric. We haven't really got there yet.
GRIFFITH: Not yet. There's too many stakeholders involved Richard that's the problem and they're misaligned. And I think the problem we've got is a
bit like bumping a shopping trolley across a load of railway track. Immigration and checking should be one process what other products when
they've already got your money require you to say are you sure you really want to take this journey so those processes have to be looked at from the
top down.
[09:40:00]
QUEST: The thought of you pushing a shopping trolley over railway lines is simply too precious.
GRIFFITH: It would be a very supersonically aligned and beautifully designed shopping trolley. I can promise you that. And I probably push it
along the track, not across them.
QUEST: Thank you.
GRIFFITH: Pleasure.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, it was an emotion might for Soccer Star Luiz Diaz. The Colombian player helped his team reach a win in a World Cup qualifier
against Brazil. But there was something even better his dad was there. Diaz Senior had been released from kidnapping ordeal just days ago. World Sports
Amanda Davies joins us now for more. It's certainly an emotional night all round Amanda?
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yes, Lynda. Not that Columbia ever needs any extra motivation to beat Brazil of course such tense regional rivals
but you felt that all the emotion everything that not only the Diaz family but his teammates had gone through over the last two weeks since the
kidnapping of not only his father.
But his mother before she was more immediately released played out and came out with Luis Diaz performance on Thursday night. We're going to look a
little bit more at it and see more of that reaction from his father, in just a couple of minutes in World Sport.
KINKADE: A wonderful result and plenty of tears that we look forward to that on the other side of this break. Amanda Davies thanks so much. "World
Sport" coming up and then we'll have much more news at the top of the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:45:00]
(WORLD SPORT)
END
