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Connect the World
Pakistan: Strikes Targeted Separatist Hideouts inside Iran; Youngest Hostage held by Hamas Turns One in Captivity; Qatar: Supplies for Gazans and Hostages Enter Gaza; Trump won't be in Court after being warned he was Disruptive; Russia: Ukrainian Drones Targeted Moscow, St. Petersburg; Prince William Visits Princess of Wales in Hospital. Aired 9-10a ET
Aired January 18, 2024 - 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)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Well, it's a busy day here in Davos with several events focusing on the Middle East Connect the World's
home base, of course, Israel's President announcing the World Economic Forum -- to the World Economic Forum a few hours ago calling for a
coalition of nations willing to commit to rebuilding Gaza after the Israel- Hamas war and pointing to normalizing relations with Saudi Arabia as a key towards that goal.
And we'll hear from Saudi Arabia next hour as the Kingdom pushes for a resolution of the war, the Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel
Bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir speaking today. Also my interview with Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, the CEO of Mubadala in the UAE an investment company
responsible for deploying over $17 billion in fresh capital last year.
We start with a new flashpoint for tension extending to the outskirts of the Middle East. Pakistan launching attacks inside Iran, striking what it
calls militant hideouts coming just two days after Iran targeted militant bases inside Pakistan. In both cases, civilian deaths are reported.
Fighting militants along the volatile border is nothing new for either country. But these cross border attacks marked a serious escalation between
nations that consider themselves friends. Sophia Saifi is connecting us today from Islamabad. Sophia, what has Pakistan said about this attack and
why this escalation now?
SOPHIA SAIFI, CNN PRODUCER: Becky, this attack, these strikes by the Iranians into Pakistani territory came as what seems as a bit of a
surprise. The Pakistani Prime Minister was in Davos, the Foreign Minister was in another trip in Uganda. They're both coming back.
Pakistan has said that it strikes which took place this morning, Thursday morning Pakistan time were targeting separatist groups who are operating
inside Iran. And Pakistan has said that it has shared information regarding these hideouts multiple times with Iran. It's got a pretty long western
border with Iran.
And it has said that this information was shared before. But again, while these strikes have taken place, Pakistan has reiterated that it does want
to have back -- continue to have good relations with Iran. And it seems that they want to de-escalate. So have a listen to what the Spokeswoman of
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said this morning in Islamabad during a presser.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MUMTAZ ZAHRA BALOCH, SPOKESPERSON, PAKISTANI MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: Iran is a brotherly country and the people of Pakistan have great respect
and affection for the people of Iran. We have always emphasized dialogue and cooperation in confronting common challenges including the menace of
terrorism and we'll continue to endeavor to find joint solutions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAIFI: Now at the same time during that presser she also said that there were no Iranian citizens that were killed in these strikes by Pakistan. She
said that they were only Pakistani citizens, foreign citizens that had been targeted in the strikes and no -- none of the Iranian civilians had been
injured or killed in the strikes by Pakistan.
Pakistan's military after being quiet for a very long time since Tuesday night finally put out a statement this evening. And it's a very interesting
thing that was said in the end of that statement by the Pakistani military that it would be prudent for both Pakistan and Iran to continue to have
better bilateral relations through mutual dialogue and co-operation.
So there's definitely a tit-for-tat that's taken place, but it seems that Pakistan definitely wants to de-escalate. There are lots of Pakistanis who
have been sympathetic to Iran regarding its support and its activities in the Middle East.
And that seems to be something that Pakistan wants to continue. Again, it came as a bit of a surprise. But Pakistan wants de-escalation. And they're
hoping that this doesn't bleed into something that moves into South Asia, Becky.
ANDERSON: Sophia, thank you. Well, to take a step back and give you some context on the Balochistan region. It lies at the intersection of three
nations Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan. Baloch people are some of the region's poorest people and Baloch separatists complain they are not seeing
the benefits of those mineral rich lands.
[09:05:00]
For decades insurgencies have erupted on either side of what is the volatile 900 kilometer border between Pakistan and Iran making certain
Baloch militants a common enemy for both countries.
Well, U.S. officials say American forces carried out a fresh round of strikes against the Houthis in Yemen. It is the fourth time that the U.S.
has launched attacks on the Iran backed rebels in less than a week. Now this comes after the Houthis used drones and missiles to attack U.S. owned
ships.
The latest exchanges are stoking fears that conflict in the Middle East and the hostilities there spreading beyond Israel's war on Hamas. CNN's Paula
Hancocks has more.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: To understand the very real fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East it's useful to take a closer look at the
axis of resistance, the proxies and allies of Iran stretching from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean.
Now this latest regional tension was sparked by the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7th, and Israel's subsequent war in Gaza. The U.S. says that
Hamas is funded, equipped and sometimes trained by Iran. Although Tehran claimed it was not involved in the October 7th attack.
Then Iran's other proxies became involved. October 8th, Hezbollah in Lebanon one of the most powerful forces in the region boasting some 100,000
fighters and links with the Lebanese government. They fired missiles across the border into northern Israel which Israel's military responded to. Now
this first raised concerns of a wider conflict.
Next, on the 19th of October, the Houthi rebels in Yemen started with missile launches first against Israel then they changed their focus to
target commercial vessels in the Red Sea causing global chaos in the shipping industry. U.S. and U.K. strikes against targets in Yemen have not
stopped these continued attacks in Iraq.
There are a number of Iranian backed militia groups that are increasingly active since the war in Gaza targeting U.S. troops in the country on a near
daily basis operating under an umbrella group the Islamic resistance in Iraq. They're united in ideology, but they are splintered in operations
making them more challenging to target.
Finally Syria, Iran is believed to have deployed as many as 80,000 men to support the Leader Bashar Al-Assad in Syria's civil war from 2011. It is
unclear how many of those men remain. After October 7th, U.S. troops have also come under drone and missile
attacks here in Syria, as well with injuries to some U.S. service members.
When it comes to all of these countries all roads lead to Iran, which itself engaged in attacks in Iraq and Syria this week including the largest
and most complex missile operation according to Iranian state media reaching some 1200 kilometers or more than 740 miles putting Israel within
its reach.
There is little to suggest at this point that Iran does actually want direct conflict with Israel or the United States. But the sheer number and
reach of its proxies engaging the U.S. and its allies inevitably sparks fears of an unintentional wider conflict. Paula Hancocks, CNN, Abu Dhabi.
ANDERSON: Well, as we've been reporting the danger in the Red Sea is forced shippers to re-route vessels away from this heavily used water way. And now
CNN has learned that the disruptions could last for more than a month resulting in delayed deliveries and higher costs according to the CEO of
Maersk. He spoke to CNN about the situation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VINCENT CLERC, CEO OF MAERSK: The exact cost of it is something that is really unfolding and that we're trying to get our arms around. You have
different levels of cost. The first one is it takes about 8000 miles more to get from China to the U.K., south of the horn that takes these couple of
weeks that means that we have ships that suddenly have to sail full throttle, that means more emission, more fuel.
It means also that they will not be despite that back on time in China. That means also the containers take longer time to turn. So you just have
costs piling on here. And the longer this is going to last the more this is going to cost.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, a first birthday spent in captivity. The youngest Israeli hostage taken by Hamas has turned one. Baby Kfir seen here in photos taken
before the October 7th attacks is one of 132 October the 7th hostages believed to be held in Gaza.
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His family has been holding a public event in Tel Aviv today, pleading for his release. It is however unclear whether he is still alive. CNN's Jeremy
Diamond following lines from Tel Aviv in a horrific way of course for this youngster to spend first birthday, what do we know about the health of this
baby?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, listen it was a couple of months ago when Hamas claims that Kfir Bibas his brother as well as his
mother, Shiri were killed. They say in an Israeli airstrike. The Israeli military has yet to confirm that and the family themselves haven't been
able to get any additional information out of the Israeli government concerning Hamas's claims.
And so in the meantime what they are doing is that they are holding out hope. They're holding out hope and they are continuing to fight for their
loved ones. I know that -- you know several cousins of Shiri Bibas have been pressing the Israeli government to find a new deal to rescue more
hostages out of the Gaza Strip.
And of course, Kfir's first birthday falling today is another opportunity of course for that family to raise his case, to raise his mother and his
brother's case as well. In fact just yesterday one of the cousins of the Bibas family spoke to our Jake Tapper. Just listen to what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY MILLER, COUSIN OF BIBAS FAMILY: Actually I'm thinking that it's very, very bad that a child that have only one years' old is captivate and is in
the -- you know in Gaza. Kfir Bibas is not the enemy of the Hamas. It's very; very sad that is first birthday it's over there in Gaza.
I don't know if even Shiri knows that it's the day of his birthday. We don't know if she knows the day that he needs to celebrate his birthday.
Probably they don't you know celebrate it somehow over there. And we are very, very sad all the family about the situation of all the hostages and
about the situation of our family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DIAMOND: And I spoke with Yifat Zeiler who was another relative of the Bibas Family she is Shiri's cousin. And she told me that look they know
that there is a very real possibility that their family members are no longer alive. But she said that they have no other choice but to continue
to hold out hope to continue to fight for their release.
She actually met with the Prime Minister of Qatar alongside other relatives of hostages just a few weeks ago to raise his case and to get a sense of
the status of these hostage negotiations. We know that these negotiations are very much on ongoing but as of yet there does not seem to be some kind
of a breakthrough.
The only thing that we have seen which just happened yesterday was the delivery by Qatar to Egypt and then ultimately into Gaza of medicine for
some 40 hostages believed to have chronic illnesses requiring medication. The first time they're getting that medication in over 100 days of
captivity. Israel of course believes that 132 hostages are still held hostage by Hamas, 105 of whom are believed to still be alive, Becky.
ANDERSON: Jeremy Diamond is in Tel Aviv in Israel where the time is quarter past four. It is becoming increasingly difficult to get information out of
Gaza as the strip experiences its longest communications blackout since the war started there. Khan Yunis has been cut off for a week now making it
almost impossible for people to talk to each other by phone or contact the outside world.
According to reports people have to access Egyptian or Israeli networks if they can close to the border fence. Well, as Jeremy mentioned Qatar
reporting some movement on the humanitarian front. It said on Wednesday evening that medicine and aid for Palestinians and Israeli hostages has now
entered Gaza.
It is part of a new deal struck between Israel and Hamas and mediated by Doha to deliver medical supplies to Israeli hostages. In exchange
Palestinian civilians in the worst affected areas of Gaza would receive humanitarian aid. Well, for more on that deal I want to get straight to the
source.
Qatar's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Majed Al-Ansari joining me now from Doha. Majed it's good to have you. We know the aid medicine arrived last
night but has it reached the Palestinians and the Israeli hostages yet, do you know?
MAJED AL-ANSARI, QATARI MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS SPOKESPERSON: Good to speak to you again, Becky. The information we have right now is that the
medicine was transferred and the aid of tons of medicine and medical supplies and humanitarian aid was transferred into -- to the Egyptian Red
Crescent and received by the Palestinian Health Ministry over there.
[09:15:00]
We still don't have confirmation on as you said; there is a communication blackout in -- that it's very difficult to get any information out of
there.
ANDERSON: Right.
AL-ANSARI: But we are glad at least now that we have a 11 tons of medical aid that otherwise we didn't even -- you know all the hospitals in -- are
out of service. It's completely out of any kind of medical aid except for that coming into the humanitarian side.
And especially when it comes to the hostages some of them have some chronic cases as you said and as a diabetic myself, I can't imagine living a day
without my medication. And therefore it's good that we step now and hopefully it will lead to further steps in the future.
ANDERSON: I understand that you're saying that communications are very, very tough. But let me just press you as far as the deal was concerned. I
mean when was this medication expected to reach the individuals? And exactly how will that be facilitated, Majed?
AL-ANSARI: In all likelihood that could have already reached the hostages. We know that as I told you the pallets of medicine and medical kits have
already entered Gaza and already are in the hands of the health ministry officials over there. So it is a matter of getting it to the people who are
in need.
So in all likelihood, it has already reached, but we don't have any confirmation on that. And I'll certainly keep you posted. The idea was for
the health ministry officials to transfer the medication to those in need directly and that was agreed between both sides on very strict parameters
between of course Israel and Hamas.
ANDERSON: Right. So let me get this quite clear, the Red Cross is not directly involved and if not, why not?
AL-ANSARI: Well, the Red Crescent from the Egyptian side, the equivalent to the Red Cross in Egypt has been mandated with delivering the medicine to
the border. As you know the situation inside Gaza is very volatile. There's a complete as you said blackout of communication.
But the security situation is certainly not that easy to be very difficult to involve people from the Red Cross or any other organization at the
moment. They're great people in the health ministry in Gaza are working day and night. Over there of course are having mandated with delivering the
medicine.
We are working with what we have, obviously, in better scenarios we would have seen better ways of getting the medicine across and making sure that
reaches but this is the situation we have. And we're working of course and the time pressure.
ANDERSON: Yeah. And I just want to be very clear about this because the ICRC the International Red Cross has obviously been involved in the sort of
the getting the hostages last November of course released or certainly moving them from release into safe hands. So you're saying that they're not
directly involved in this process, correct?
AL-ANSARI: Not in this particular instance. As you know the situation in Gaza has changed dramatically since then. Since that period of calm where
the Red Cross was able to function in some viability inside Gaza, the humanitarian situation has gotten much worse inside Gaza. Now security
situation is much worse.
And understandably, it will be difficult to mobilize a lot of the capabilities of all the organizations including the Red Cross. However, we
are still in contact with the International Red Cross and Red Crescent and we are working with them on various aspects of the humanitarian side of
this.
ANDERSON: Yeah. I think it's important for us to be very clear about this, about what Qatar -- what sort of guarantees Qatar has been giving or can
give about that medicine and aid actually reaching the Israeli hostages and indeed the Palestinian civilians of Gaza? Because Israel of course, for its
part says and I quote here, it does not have the ability to guarantee that medicine will reach Israeli hostages in Gaza. What do you make of that?
AL-ANSARI: Well you know Becky, I'm sorry, every time -- I get on with you, I have to give the same answer. But you know it's sensitivities of the
talks where we can't release all the information regarding the specificities of the agreements. What I can tell you is that both sides
were happy with the agreement as it stood.
And there was faith by both sides that the agreement would lead to what we agreed upon, which medicine is reaching those in need from the hostages and
the civilians.
ANDERSON: Right.
AL-ANSARI: We are confident that this was done in good faith by both sides and we are hopeful that would lead to something more concrete in the
future.
ANDERSON: Right. Majed, this agreement of course is seems to be the first deal of any kind between Israel and Hamas since the temporary truce that of
course, you were involved in mediating, that broke down at the end of November.
[09:20:00]
Does this pave the way for any future agreements? Or is this totally separate from talks to free the hostages?
AL-ANSARI: Now Becky, I won't exaggerate the success that was accomplished for this deal. This deal is certainly it's a niche deal. It's been done on
the specific situation for specific needs of those inside Gaza. It does not amount (ph) to a breakthrough and the thoughts between both sides.
But it's certainly a welcomed deal, because it shows that we can still in this dire in this bleak moment in the conflict reach such a deal, bringing
in 11 tons of aid and medicine into Gaza. And doing it in a way that both sides understand what's happening and --
ANDERSON: Yeah.
AL-ANSARI: -- happening and know how it's going to be done. We are hopeful that this will allow us to introduce more of these agreements. But
obviously, our main aim here is an end to this war mediated between both sides and the move to a peace process that will provide sustainability and
security to the Palestinian and other people in the region, including --
ANDERSON: And that is crucial, isn't it? Because not only do we not have a conclusion or any sort of opportunity for an end to this war in Gaza at
present, but it is spilling over into the wider region. And we've seen even Pakistan drawn into this. Israel saying on Wednesday that the likelihood of
war with Lebanon is getting much higher and done in the past.
Majed, I have to ask you how concerned is Qatar about this spillover? And how concerned are you at this point that this is going to get a whole lot
worse?
AL-ANSARI: You know if you remember Becky, the first time we met in Doha, we discussed this at length how concerned we at Qatar are worried that this
would lead to regional spill over? We are now at a moment where there is regional spillover in the Red Sea in Lebanon and Iraq and even in Syria.
And now the situation between Iran and its neighbors and we need to make it very clear that we are still at the moment where we can save the people of
the region and international security from this regional spillover. We can still work together towards the end to this war.
And if we wanted an end to all these escalations that are happening in the region, the solution to that is for the international community to work
together to end this war. And to go back to the negotiation table and to talk about the peace process that is sustainable in Palestinian territories
and Israel.
And that cannot be done through just surrendering to the escalations that are happening here and there and attacking them separately and dealing with
them as they are completely separate from the original cause. The cause why we have all these escalations is because we have the war in Gaza.
And the pictures and images coming out of Gaza are driving a lot of the escalation and lots of public opinion -- in the region and beyond. And this
is a recipe for disaster in the future. The only way forward is for us to pressure together as an international community end this war and show the
viability of the international community in bringing about peace.
ANDERSON: Majed Al-Ansari, it's good to have you sir. Thank you very much indeed for your time. That's the latest for the time being for me in Gaza.
I'm going to hand it back to my colleague in Abu Dhabi, Eleni Giokos.
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks so much Becky Anderson in Davos at the World Economic Forum for us. And right after the break, we'll be looking at
some other news. Donald Trump is facing a judge who is slamming him for interrupting the woman who's suing him in court. Now the judge told the
Former President, he had no need to be at that trial, if he continues acting that way. We'll bring you news on that in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:25:00]
GIOKOS: Welcome back. I'm Eleni Giokos in Abu Dhabi. And in just five days New Hampshire will hold its Presidential Primary. CNN is holding a Town
Hall with Nikki Haley tonight while Ron DeSantis is back in Florida. This next primary could be a huge moment in the Republican presidential race,
where Donald Trump continues to focus his attacks on Haley.
Though the Former President is also focusing on his legal troubles once again Trump was told by the judge to not be disruptive Wednesday in the E.
Jean Carroll defamation trial. He won't be at the trial today when Carroll is back on the stand for cross examination.
I want to bring in Katelyn Polantz CNN's Senior Crime and Justice Reporter. She joins us from New York. The judge making it clear to Donald Trump that
he cannot be disruptive. But I mean, the question now still becomes is what legal issues is Donald Trump facing and how that's going to influence or
impact the Republican primary?
KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN SENIOR CRIME AND JUSTICE REPORTER: There always is a question of how it will impact the Republican primary as well as the
general election because Donald Trump clearly sees these court appearances which he's now having on a multiple times a week or at least a weekly basis
as opportunities for him to campaign and say things publicly about how he believes he's being attacked unfairly or pursued unfairly, treated unfairly
by judges and others in the justice system.
In this case, in the E. Jean Carroll lawsuit this columnist she testified all day yesterday in the courtroom is back again this morning on the stand.
Trump is not there today. He is at the funeral of his mother in law out of state. However, this is a situation where he was in the courtroom and the
jury was there watching.
So they were hearing from E. Jean Carroll on in the witness box speaking about how she thought she was going to be shot because of the amount of
harassment she was receiving from Trump and his supporters. People were talking to her, sending her threatening messages very soon after Trump
would speak publicly about her and condemn the fact that she accused him of sexual assault.
They also, the jury also would have seen Donald Trump in that room whispering to his attorneys apparently at times whispering so loudly that
he was saying this was a witch hunt and a con job after the jury left the room. That is whenever the judge admonished Donald Trump and said you can't
do that or I will take you out of the courtroom.
You need to keep your voice down. You can't be disruptive. There is a possibility Trump could come back next week to this court to testify in his
own behalf. But of course the trial also could wrap today and then it would be to the jury to decide how much Trump should be fined for the defamation
of E. Jean Carroll.
GIOKOS: Katelyn Polantz thanks for that update. Well, Nikki Haley will join Jake Tapper for Republican Presidential Town Hall at New England College in
Henniker, New Hampshire. That is 9 pm Eastern and 6 am Friday for any early birds who want to tune in here in the UAE that is 6 am local time here in
the UAE.
Well still to come, faced with shortages of ammunition Kyiv appears to be attacking by air instead. Russia says it stopped several Ukrainian drones
launched deep into its territory, details and a live report that's coming up next.
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GIOKOS: Welcome back. I'm Eleni Giokos in Abu Dhabi, and you're watching "Connect the World". Well, markets just kicking off in New York as you can
see, it's pretty much a mixed start to the trading day. The NASDAQ almost 1 percent higher, DOW Jones is flat but to the negative.
It's all about the U.S. retail sales data that came out yesterday showing the U.S. consumers are not shy of spending. That could be bad news. That
means a very hot economy. And that means that expectations of the Fed rate cuts in March are diminishing. So people are looking at those probabilities
right now.
In the meantime, artificial intelligence has been front and center in Davos this week, with the boss of one of the world's biggest AI companies today
seeking to reassure the world it will be safe. Speaking at the World Economic Forum, Sam Altman, who's behind the revolutionary Chatbot ChatGPT
admitted the new technology could go very wrong, but said he's working to ensure that it doesn't.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAM ALTMAN, CEO OF OPENAI: When I think about my job, I'm certainly not a great AI researcher. My role is to like, you know, figure out what we're
going to do? Think about that and then like work with other people to coordinate and make it happen.
And I think everyone's job will look a little bit more like that. We will all operate at a little bit higher of a level of abstraction. We will all
have access to a lot more capability. And we'll still like make decisions. They may trend more towards duration over time, but we'll make decisions
about what should happen in the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Well, yesterday the United Nations warned that each new development of AI increases the risk of serious unintended consequences.
Well, it appears drones are increasingly becoming the weapon of choice in the war between Russia and Ukraine. Russia says it intercepted two
Ukrainian drones overnight. One headed for Moscow and the other for St. Petersburg, both of them far from Ukraine's own territory.
CNN's Senior International Correspondent Fred Pleitgen is live in Dnipro, Ukraine for us Fred, good to see you. Give me a sense of what we're seeing
on drones being used and what this means for the rules of engagement?
[09:35:00]
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think you're absolutely right, Eleni, you just say that drones certainly are
increasingly shaping the battlefield here in Ukraine to becoming ubiquitous on both sides of the front line. And that was interesting because the head
of the military intelligence for Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov.
He recently gave an interview to a French publication where he said that he believes that one of the reasons why neither of the two sides were able to
make major territorial gains in 2023 was the prevalence of drones on the front lines, because you had armored vehicles, armored columns moving
towards each other's territories or the territories they held in the conflict, but drones were able to spot those and attack them so quickly.
So certainly cheap drones, drones that can carry ammunition, drones that can fly for a very long time those are all things that are very much
shaping the battlefield. And I think that you're seeing that right now. What we saw last night around St. Petersburg was the Ukrainians flying a
very long distance drone apparently towards that city hundreds of miles within Russian territory.
And I think one of the things that are very concerning for the Russians is that it was not only a long distance in Russian territory but in the west
of Russia where they do have very capable air defenses. And apparently it wasn't spotted until I've gotten to the Leningradsky also, the St.
Petersburg area.
And other Russians say that they managed to down that drone. And then it crashed near an oil terminal in St. Petersburg. The Ukrainians for their
part are saying that it was a successful mission as they put it. But one of the other things that we're hearing from the Ukrainians is that they want
to build a large quantity of more drones.
Some of them short distance drones that they use directly on the front lines but some of them also these longer distance drones that they want to
increasingly use to hit Russia in the rear echelon in some of the places that Russia needs for its logistics.
The Russians of course doing the exact same things, one of the things that we're seeing on the battlefields here in Eastern Ukraine is the Russians
also increasingly using drones. The Ukrainians were pretty much the ones that were doing that more successfully for most of the time, this full on
war has been going on.
But now if you look at some of these Russian drones, they can fly further. Some of them have night vision capabilities as well. So drones are
definitely the big weapon if you will, that has become prevalent as this war is going on, Eleni.
GIOKOS: Yeah. Fred Pleitgen, thank you so much. Well still ahead, it's a comeback on the quarter stunning game for world number one, Iga Swiatek at
the Australian Open. I'll bring you details in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: Welcome back. And some news just in, we've heard that Prince William has paid a visit to his wife Catherine as she recovers in hospital
from planned abdominal surgery. And you're looking at new images showing the Prince in his car outside the private London clinic.
[09:40:00]
This as Queen Camilla says her husband King Charles is doing fine. As he prepares for hospital treatment, the King will undergo a procedure for a
benign enlarged prostate. Max Foster has more on the health of both Royals.
MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: From her recent engagements, the Princess of Wales has looked well and been in good spirits. The first
suggestion that she may have been unwell came on Wednesday, when Kensington Palace announced she was in hospital recovering from abdominal surgery.
It was successful and a source told CNN it wasn't cancer related. She would need to remain in hospital for up to two weeks though and up to three
months recuperating at home in Windsor. All engagements and travel have been put on hold as they have for Prince William as he takes care of his
family.
Then news that King Charles would also be going to hospital next week with an enlarged prostate. We're told it's benign. And it was announced on the
same day, because it meant he had to cancel a meeting with government ministers on Thursday in Scotland.
In total three out of four of the most senior British working Royals out of action and no further updates expected until the Princess leaves hospital
or takes a turn for the worse. Kate is keen on fitness and enjoys playing sports so she is expected to recover well.
The Palace has rarely released private medical details which are why they haven't explained what the surgery was actually for. But she could have
been spotted leaving the hospital and questions would have been asked why she was canceling engagements. A source told CNN that the King took the
view that sharing his condition would encourage other men to have their prostates checked. Max Foster, CNN, London.
GIOKOS: Well, she may be world number one. But Poland's Iga Swiatek certainly got a run for her money in the second round of the Australian
Open. But Swiatek was able to pull through thanks to a stunning comeback in the third set. We've got Patrick Snell, who's going to tell us all about
the stunning one.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Hi, Eleni. Yeah, what a comeback for her? You know, she's a four time major winner Iga and she's seeking her fifth
major title and her first Aussie Open crown. But I tell you what? She had a mighty scare earlier against the American player Danielle Collins 4-1 down
she was in the deciding set. What does she go and do? Well, she responds like the true champion she is.
She wins basically every game that remaining that set closes out of her sight at 6-4. But a real shock for her. We've also got some amazing play
coming up from the Spanish player Carlos Alcaraz two time major winner. He's looking as well for his first Australian Open crown. The one shot in
particular, we just have to show you in his match against Lorenzo Santiago of Italy. You just have to watch "World Sport" for that though, in just a
few moments.
GIOKOS: Yeah, we'll see after the break, and I'll be back at the top of the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:45:00]
(WORLD SPORT)
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