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Connect the World

More than Half of Gaza's 2.2 Million Residents Believed to be in Rafah ; At Least 123 People Dead, Hundreds Missing; Zelenskyy Considers Major Shakeup of Military Leadership; Asharq Discovery to Launch Seven Arabic Language Programs; Messi Hoping to Play in Inter Miami's Friendly in Tokyo after Missing Match in Hong Kong. Aired 9-10a ET

Aired February 06, 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: It is 6 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson. You are watching Connect the World. Wherever

you're watching from, you're more than welcome. Happening this hour the U.S. Secretary of State heading to Qatar amid rising tensions in the

region.

More on King Charles's shocking cancer announcement as Prince Harry rushes home to be by his father's side. And California braces for more wet weather

as mudslides rip through Beverly Hills and Bel-Air.

Now the markets in New York will open in about 30 minutes from now, currently the futures indicating a higher slightly higher opening, more

than that at the bottom of the hour. Well, a sliver of land bursting at the seams with more people cramming into it every single day. That is the

situation in Rafah as the Israel Hamas war pushes more and more Palestinians south to the very tip of Gaza.

Here is what Rafah's tent city look like in October and what it looks like now. A staggering 1.3 million people living here now facing shortages of

just about everything that it takes to survivors fighting and Israel raids are reported up and down the territory. Top U.S. Diplomat Antony Blinken

taker is in region right now.

He has a narrative about how to pause the fighting. He is taking that to Egypt and to Doha. I'm joined by Paula Hancocks and Jeremy Diamond in Tel

Aviv. Jeremy, let's start on the ground. What do we understand to be the latest?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Israeli military and Palestinian journalists on the ground in Gaza reporting heavy clashes

between the Israeli military and Palestinian militants, not only in the southern city of Khan Yunis, where the Israeli military has been focused on

a major offensive over the last week and a half, but also in central and Northern Gaza as well.

In Western Gaza City heavy bombardment is reported by journalists working for CNN on the ground there. And in in Southern Gaza there have been

multiple videos now of clashes between the Israeli military and Palestinian militants. Heavy gunfire can be heard in numerous videos posted to social

media.

And it's clear that this activity is still being focused on areas very close to Al-Nasr Hospital where there are not only hundreds of patients and

medical staff, but also thousands of internally displaced Palestinians who have been sheltering there.

And it appears that despite the fact that the Israeli military has been urging the evacuation of that area evacuating is very, very difficult and

dangerous. Videos posted to social media show gunfire on the streets right around that hospital.

In fact, one video at the northern gate of that hospital complex, a man in that video says that the roads are empty because snipers are shooting at

anybody who crosses the road. The Gaza Health Ministry, which is run by Hamas, also accused the Israeli military of preventing the entry of key

medical supplies to that hospital and also the movement of ambulances around that hospital complex.

The Israeli military for its part says that they have killed dozens of militants in the last 24 hours or so and apprehended 80 individuals that

they say are suspected of terrorist activity. But the major question now, Becky is where will Israeli forces move next? We know that in Rafah that is

one of the areas where the Israeli military has yet to operate on the ground.

They believe that there are significant Hamas forces embedded in that city. But critically, there are also more than 1.2 million people, more than half

of Gaza's population that have now been displaced to that city, which has been viewed as kind of a safer area in Gaza than anywhere else, where a lot

of the humanitarian aid has been focused as well.

And so, now the major question, as Israeli government officials have indicated that they will indeed move to Rafah. What will happen to those

more than 1 million people who are sheltering their major, major humanitarian questions looming, Becky?

ANDERSON: Jeremy Diamond is in Tel Aviv. Paula Hancocks is joining me here in the studio. Jeremy's reporting on the death destruction and displacement

of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians right down into the south of the Gaza Strip.

This is you know, really crushed up against that sort of Egypt border only underscoring the importance of international mediation at this point in

trying to affect at least a pause, if not a ceasefire. Antony Blinken is in region. What do we understand that he has achieved if anything?

, [09:05:00]

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At this point, we don't hear that he's achieved anything; he's clearly come here hoping he's going to get the

breakthrough that the U.S. is hoping for, hoping that they'll be able to have some kind of cessation in hostilities, in return for releasing some of

the hostages. Now, at this point, he's meeting with all the leadership of all the key countries.

He was in Saudi Arabia today, he met with the Egyptian leader, he's on his way to Qatar, he's going to meet in Israel. These are the elements that are

needed to be on the same page in order to try and get some kind of deal. Now, the U.S. has said that the balls in Hamas is caught at this point,

because they've come up with a broad framework of what this deal would look like in order to release these hostages.

But then at the same time, you have the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for example, saying that he does want to kill Hamas leadership

before a ceasefire. So it's difficult to see with all these elements, how a deal will be hammered out at this point, the details and what each side

once appear to be quite different.

ANDERSON: There are clearly discussions going on behind the scenes about what the day after would look like. That day after is once the guns are

silent in Gaza, what happens next, what the pathway to a Palestinian horizon might look like? But you know, in this region, the key

stakeholders, quite frankly, even though we know there are discussions going on behind the scenes, very unwilling to talk about this out loud

until they say and you hear this echoed around the region, there is a ceasefire.

Hamas looking at this proposal that you rightly pointed out a proposal, which doesn't have a ceasefire at the back end, but a permanent ceasefire

at the back end of it. My sources is telling me it's unlikely, therefore, they will concede to this question is, what happens next?

HANCOCKS: Well, that's the thing. I mean, the secretary of state is talking about the day after. But if you can't get to that day, when there's a

cessation of hostilities and there's a ceasefire, it is difficult, but they do have to look beyond that. They have to hope that at some point, there

will be enough compromise on each side, that there will be this ceasefire, especially if the Israelis are then going to start pushing into Rafah,

where you've got half the population of Gaza that is displaced.

Where you've got potentially a lot of Hamas leadership that Israelis say have been hiding there at this point. So when it comes to the day after we

heard from Secretary Blinken last time he was in the region as well, saying to Israel, there are countries that will be willing to talk to you that

will be willing potentially to normalize relations with you. But you have to set the groundwork for a Palestinian state that that is non-negotiable.

And that has to happen in order for other normalization, rebuilding of Gaza, the restoration of the Palestinian authority can happen. And at this

point, that seems to be a fairly large stumbling block for the Israeli prime minister.

ANDERSON: Paula, good to have you. Paula Hancocks is in the House. Well, the prospects of getting additional U.S. aid to Israel in the short term

appear dead in the U.S. Congress. That is because a bipartisan bill tying or pairing aid for Israel to U.S. Border Security currently doesn't have

enough Republican support to pass either the Senate or the House.

Then President Joe Biden says he'd veto a proposed standalone aid package for Israel, the White House calling any such bill a cynical political

maneuver. More on that as we move through this next couple of hours here on Connect the World and be shorter -- to follow the developments in the

Israeli Hamas war on the website.

We've got updates on Israel's military activity in Gaza, the dire situation there and the current diplomatic push to end the conflict, albeit

temporarily, you can download the CNN app on your smartphone for all the latest. While a hopeful British Prime Minister is telling a shocked UK that

King Charles has cancer was and I quote him, caught early.

Rishi Sunak talking to the BBC earlier also says he will remain in close contact with the King. Now this comes after Buckingham Palace announced the

monarch's cancer diagnosis saying that he is undergoing treatment, Prince Harry expected to arrive in the UK today to be with his father after being

spotted at Los Angeles airport. That's according to British media reports. Let's get you live now to Buckingham Palace and to our Royal Correspondent

Max Foster, Max.

[09:10:00]

MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Becky, so lots of photographers out in London trying to catch a glimpse of Prince Harry arriving, lots of

speculation that he's arrived already, we haven't seen him. I'm not sure how many updates we're really going to get about that. Because there's this

careful balance isn't there between what the public has a right to know about the family that represents the head of state, but also about the

privacy angle here.

The palace has always believed that members of the royal family have a right to medical privacy like anyone else, and they're trying to balance

the two constantly, I'm being told we're not going to get a running commentary. We have been told -- we haven't been given the actual form of

cancer that the king has.

But I have had indications that he may reconsider, may decide to put that out there at some point off the back of his extensive charity work with

cancer charities and also with the success that he had, in revealing details about the procedure he had for an enlarged prostate. And that, you

know, had a huge impact on inquiries to the National Health Service.

And he, he got a lot of satisfaction from that. So I think, you know, there is a possibility, he may tell us at some point, what form of cancer he's

got, which would go against the tradition, which is not sharing this sort of information. But he's been treated currently at Clarence House as an

outpatient, which is just down the road from here.

And until he's in good spirits and actually quite frustrated that he's not able to go out on his public duties. He feels well enough to be able to do

that. But actually his doctors are saying it's too much of a risk going out into a crowd and you know the vulnerabilities that would come with that,

alongside the treatments that he's receiving.

ANDERSON: But that's false is outside Buckingham Palace, Max. Thank you. Chile is in a state of devastation because of deadly wildfires there, the

bad situation setting records now getting support from important countries looking to help, plus another day of bad weather in store for California

after being pounded by flooding winds and mudslides. More on that is after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Well the wildfires in Chile are thought to be the deadliest forest fires that that country has ever had. That is according to the

U.N.'s Office of Disaster. Now the Biden Administration is offering assistance saying and I quote, The United States stands with Chile. The

authorities say the wildfires have left at least 123 people dead in one local area, Vina del Mar, firefighters are still battling dozens of fires.

CNN's Patrick Oppmann has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Abraham returns to the place where his home once stood. Nothing remains the home is reduced to

rubble. Memories of his life burned to ashes. He says he has nothing left but the clothes on his back, a pair of overalls and some slippers.

ABRAHAM MARDONES, VINA DEL MAR RESIDENT: Everything was consumed in its path, memories, comforts, your home, our things, I was left with nothing.

At the moment, I have nothing but overall. I'm wearing slippers that were given to me, so I have nothing. I'm left with nothing.

[09:15:00]

OPPMANN (voice-over): A haunting reality for many as wildfires -- across swaths of Chile, killing more than 100 people and leaving hundreds missing.

Coastal cities like Vina del Mar and Valparaiso are choked in Smoke. Chili announced a two day mourning period as firefighters race to battle fires

and save lives. The Governor of the Valparaiso region, Rodrigo Mundaca announced curfews to help authorities battle the blazes.

GABRIEL BORIC, CHILEAN PRESIDENT: It is the whole of Chile that is suffering and mourning is dead. And from the region of Valparaiso, I send a

hug of solidarity and my heartfelt condolences to each of the victims who have lost their loved one. And also to those who have lost their homes,

their memories and their belongings.

OPPMANN (voice-over): Loved ones embrace each other as they find themselves forced to live makeshift tents surrounded by what was once their homes now

razed to the ground. Chileans are calling on younger people to volunteer.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you have the possibility to come and help, come, because what is needed most our hands? This is not the first time Chile has

gone through this type of thing. So we know that Chileans know how to get up, how to prepare, how to help for this.

OPPMANN (voice-over): The satellite imagery showing the areas of Chile before and after the fires illustrates how old consuming the fire was.

Chile's wildfires are not an isolated incident, as the continent faces the growing impact of climate change, particularly from El Nino, a natural

phenomenon characterized by warmer than average waters in the tropical Pacific that influences weather around the globe.

Compounded with a drought the country has been facing for years, the wildfires were lethal. December through February is the peak months of the

fire season in Chile. And officials warned more deadly blazes could be in store. Patrick Oppmann, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, voters in Nevada head to the polls today is the first of six swing states holds its presidential primary. But for Republicans, it'll

be the first of two contests in Nevada just this week. That's because of a quirk in the election process. Nikki Haley is the only major contender on

the ballot in today's primary which must be held by state law, if more than one candidate from a party runs.

Let's just be quite clear here. Former President Donald Trump chose to participate instead in this Thursday's Caucus. And the candidate cannot

take part in both the primary and caucus although voters can cast their ballots in both. Here's the other catch. Only the caucus awards delegates,

which means it's the only one that actually counts towards winning the nomination.

Well butted up against Nevada of course is California, which is in for another day of bad weather from a system known as an atmospheric river.

Heavy downpours are now moving into the San Diego area after hammering Los Angeles in other parts of the state over the past two days. More than 120

mudslides have been reported across the LA area, with some running through the communities of Beverly Hills and Bel-Air. CNN's Chad Myers has more

from Southern California.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An onslaught of rain pummeling California killing at least three people and there's more rain on the way.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was like thunder like and then the sound of trees I thought snapping like twigs. It was just this house just completely

disintegrating.

MYERS (voice-over): The National Weather Service is calling this atmospheric river weather event one of the most dramatic weather days in

recent memory in Los Angeles.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It sounded like a plane crashing or maybe of freight train or something like that, just boulders and mud.

MYERS (voice-over): In Los Angeles mudslides lift cars stranded in the impassable streets and let homes destroyed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the foundation of 10334 caribou lane. And this is where the house sits now.

MYERS (voice-over): 120 mudslides reported in this highly populated city, marking the third wettest two days stretch on record. Flooding was also a

factor after this massive rain event slammed into Southern California leaving roads like raging rivers.

The Los Angeles Fire Department is seen here lowering down to grab a man from the floodwaters after he jumped in to rescue his dog. The dog was also

rescued and is safe. President Biden is pledging his support for California during the State of Emergency by calling into a press conference with Los

Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.

KAREN BASS, LOS ANGELES MAYOR: State Emergency Operations Center and resources across the state we'll get any help on the way as soon as you

guys request it.

[09:20:00]

MYERS (voice-over): Downed trees were concerned in the Santa Cruz community with one hitting a mobile home. Luckily, no one was inside at the time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were just looking out the window and just start falling down. Just kind of screamed and kind of hide, hoping it wasn't

going to hit the house.

MYERS (voice-over): And in the small community of Boulder Creek one man was killed when this tree fell on his home. His neighbors heard the moment of

impact.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The thing we heard was some were screaming, but then the screaming stopped. Like, like you've ever heard a wounded dog like that.

But it wasn't a dog. It was human.

MYERS (voice-over): And this atmospheric river is reaching all the way into the Sierra Nevada Mountains where heavy snowfall is helping the season

snowpack.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will take it where we can get it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Chad Myers reporting from California for us there. Let's get you up to speed on some of the other stories that are on our radar right now.

And to Senegal, where there was uproar among some lawmakers as the country's parliament voted to delay its presidential election until

December. That vote had been expected this month until the Senegalese President announced it would be postponed.

News of the election delays triggered protests and widespread anger in the West African nation. El Salvador's Nayib Bukele is headed for what appears

to be a landslide reelection victory in his country's presidential race with 70 percent of the votes counted as of Monday. Preliminary results

showed President Bukele with a wide lead. He enjoys immense popularity over his crackdown on gangs. He declared himself the winner late on Sunday.

Every two hours at least one child is dying from malnutrition in a Sudanese camp called Zamzam. Those numbers are hard to get your head around. That is

according to Doctors Without Borders. The 20-year-old camp is for internally displaced people, the situation there has significantly

deteriorated since the country's civil war started in April of last year.

Doctors Without Borders says people living in the camp are among nearly 18 million across Sudan facing acute hunger. This is 2024. While Ukraine is

relying more on drones to try and level the playing field with Russia both in the air and at sea. CNN's Fred Pleitgen spoke with a member of a

secretive Ukrainian unit who says they used sea drones to sink a Russian warship last week. This is Fred's report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was one of the most brazen and most successful operations by Ukraine's military

intelligence service. Sea drones attacking and the Ukrainian saved sinking a Russian warship inside occupied Crimea. And he was one of those involved.

His call-sign is 13 from the elite sea drone unit named Group 13. So secretive we had to hide his face and change his voice.

We use 10 drones on the operation, he says, six of them hit the corvette Ivanovets. CNN cannot independently verify that the Ivanovets was sunk. But

video provided by the intelligence agency seems to show the mini sea drones evading machine gunfire from the warship and then massive explosions.

Their weapons are not designed to deal with such small sea drones 13 says in most cases they use anti-ship guns. Ukraine barely has a functioning

Navy, but the Madura drones pack a massive punch, around 500 pounds of explosives.

PLEITGEN: These sea drones might not look like much and they might not go very fast. But the Ukrainians say they've been extremely effective at

attacking Russia's Black Sea Fleet and even sinking warships.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): The main thing is to feel the drone 13 says Not everyone can hold a firm grip, if you squeeze a little, you can lose

control of the drone. I would say it's like working with jewelry.

Asymmetrical warfare they call it and the Ukrainians outmanned and outgunned say they need to do a lot more of it. After visiting the southern

front this weekend, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy telling Italian media, he not only plans to fire his top General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, there

could be a larger government shakeup.

A front runner to become the new commander in chief, the defense Intel boss known for a brazen attacks against Russian military and infrastructure

targets. The Russians are waking up at night to explosions he says, explosions in the air, and explosions directly at the facilities. They see

the real picture of war. They see burning oil depots, destroyed buildings and factories and so on. This is all beneficial.

[09:25:00]

And the Ukrainians vowed to continue hunting Russian military vessels in this battle of David versus Goliath on the high seas. Fred Pleitgen CNN in

Southern Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well in Germany, thousands protested against right wing extremism in Frankfurt on Wednesday, I'm sorry on Monday. The rally comes after weeks

of nationwide demonstrations against the far right Alternative for Germany party. Now these protests were prompted by a report that two senior party

members have attended a meeting to discuss plans for the mass deportation of migrants and citizens of foreign origin.

Now the AFD has denied that the proposal represents party policy. The U.S. House Rules Committee is voted to advance an impeachment resolution against

the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Republican leaders believe it will pass a full House vote today. If so, it would make him just

the second U.S. cabinet secretary in history to be impeached.

The White House issued a statement strongly opposing the House resolution calling an impeachment of Mayorkas quote, unprecedented and

unconstitutional. Tech Company Snap Inc is set to lay off 10 percent of its workforce accounting for about 500 jobs.

Snapchat's parent company made the announcement on Monday in a regulatory filing. It comes amid massive tech industry layoffs as big players seek to

insulate themselves from economic concerns. That said in part quote, in order to best position our business to execute our highest priorities and

to ensure, we have the capacity to invest incrementally to support our growth over time.

We've made the difficult decision to restructure our team. You're watching Connect the World. I'm Becky Anderson. Still to come, parts of China

slammed by winter weather creating a nightmare for tens of millions of people hoping to travel for what is the very busy Lunar New Year Holiday,

more on that after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:30:00]

ANDERSON: Well that is the Opening Bell on the Wall Street at 9:30 am for you welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi, where the time is 6:30

in the evening. You're watching Connect the World. Now as these markets get off to a start this morning. Chinese and Hong Kong Stocks rallied earlier

Tuesday amid signs, Beijing is ramping up efforts to support its slumping markets.

China's blue chip Index jumped three and a half percent that its biggest one day percentage gains since 2022, but some context for you. That is

after plunging to a five year low last week. And Hong Kong's HANG SENG rose 4 percent its most in a day in six months. Heavy snow, rain and ice are

causing all sorts of headaches for China's Lunar New Year celebrations.

And that is the time of course when tens of millions of people are expected to hit the roads or fly to visit their loved ones for the country's biggest

travel holiday. CNN's Marc Stewart has more on how those who are trying to get on the move are dealing with the delays.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The Lunar New Year holiday rush is well underway. Billions of individual trips will be made. The

government does what it can to keep things orderly, but there's one thing it can't control. And that's the weather.

Parts of China at a standstill during one of the most treasured times of year. Cars are stuck. Some highways look like parking lots. There is such

desperation, people are doing whatever they can to chip away the ice covered pavement. It's all part of a winter blast hitting as hundreds of

millions of travelers head home for the Lunar New Year holiday. Tang Zitao is in the middle of it.

TANG ZITAO, HUBEL PROVINCE RESIDENT: This journey has been too long, and it is indeed a torture.

STEWART (voice-over): He told me his six hour drive is now taking more than 24 hours.

STEWART: What are the road conditions like? Are you seeing snow? Are you seeing ice? How bad is it?

ZITAO: The snow has been falling since the day before yesterday. It has melted a little but it didn't turn into ice. So the road is very wet and

slippery.

STEWART (voice-over): He is one of many on a treacherous journey that has left some travelers stranded without food and water. Who needs warm water

this little girl asks as she goes car to car with her mother. Other villagers offer noodles and porridge from over the fence. It's not any

easier if you're taking the train.

It's packed inside the station in Central China as passengers deal with delays. Much of this mess a flashback to 2008 when blizzards left 24 people

dead and hundreds of thousands of people stranded. Yet there's a spirit of determination to make it home.

ZITAO: No matter what, we always had home for the Spring Festival. It is a Chinese tradition.

STEWART (voice-over): A tradition that could be hindered by unforgiving forces of nature.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STEWART (on camera): This is a tough time in China. The economy is in rough shape, and many people are wondering about what the future holds as they

head home for the holidays. The bad weather, the disruptions are all adding yet another layer of stress. Marc Stewart CNN, Beijing.

ANDERSON: Well, Japanese trading giant Itochu is severing ties with an Israeli defense contractor over the war in Gaza. Japanese company faced

protests over its relationship with Elbit Systems and calls for boycotts against its Family Mart convenience stores. Itochu says that it was

severing ties in good faith with the International Court of Justice which last month ordered Israel to prevent genocide.

Well to the business world right here in this region, a new free to view Arabic language channel in the manor regions. CNN's Parent Company Warner

Brothers Discovery is partnered with Riyadh based Saudi research and media group to launch Asharq Discovery.

Now one of the shows in the lineup is being touted as the Arab world's first ever true crime docu series looking at some of the region's most

infamous serial killers. And being new to the scene, well they had to get pretty creative with their marketing as General Manager Paul Edwards told

me, have a look at this.

[09:35:00]

PAUL EDWARDS, GENERAL MANAGER, ASHARQ DISCOVERY: What we felt was how can we really in a meaningful way launch this series this show? So last week,

people would have woken up to mysterious billboards with pieces cut out of them. What we did quickly after that, we followed up with a viral video

showcases a mysterious saboteur cutting outside pieces of Billboard.

And actually, it was a campaign that we put together with some brands, including bozi [ph], including Dyson, they were like sort of very, very

happy to do it. And really, it was just about bringing awareness.

ANDERSON: Dark Minds is the first show in the region to take on serial killers across the Middle East Africa and North Africa.

EDWARDS: That's correct.

ANDERSON: Crimes that shook the society as advertised on the wall behind you here gives us the lowdown on this.

EDWARDS: Yeah, so we felt the crime. And those true crime stories are really zygosity. So we wanted to adapt some of the shows that I think are

quite familiar to other global audiences. And do a version that was our own using like sort of cases from and across --. So we've developed and created

a six part true crime series.

We have a case that's based in Lebanon with a couple of brothers, who were dubbed the taxi driver -- they killed 11 people in the space of three

months. We have psychologists talking through those crimes, and really kind of understanding like sort of where they were with those crimes. Then in

addition, and with that episode, we've also got an exclusive interview with the killers themselves.

ANDERSON: What's your ambition for Asharq Discovery? How much Arabic language content will there be? How much will be mostly ambitious?

EDWARDS: Yeah. So the, the dark mind show that we're talking about is only one component part of a larger campaign and larger selection of originals

that we're in the process of launching. So we have a new food show called - - which we're launching which is essentially an origin story of popular Arab dishes.

Then we also have a really great series called Basma, which is a 10 part series looking at how some key aspirational, empowered kind of women have

gone through like with all the challenges in the world, with their careers, from people that are working in the media industry, to music and to

lawyers. So we're launching seven shows over the next couple of months or so.

ANDERSON: We are talking in this industry finally about just how long the linear TV world has. And we talk about that sort of in the global space,

very specifically looking at the U.S. Space, which is getting, you know, there's a shorter and shorter lifespan then about for this region.

EDWARDS: So streaming, I think has to be like sort of at the forefront and what our plans are like sort of in the next two to five years. However,

there are still markets where free to air content or three to eight channels really, really mean something. And I think that that's what we

still feel as though that there's a kind of enough kind of skin in the game, in terms of kind of eking out all of that value from those free to

air channels.

ANDERSON: While Edwards speaking to me earlier. Well, ahead in sports, Lionel Messi hoping to return to the pitch after missing a match that left

fans angry and demanding refunds. What he is saying to those fans today.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:40:00]

ANDERSON: Lionel Messi hoping to play an inter Miami's next friendly in Tokyo. His squad is training ahead of Wednesday's match with Messi hoping

to take to the pitch and to avoid or where quite frankly the unfortunate circumstances of inter Miami's last match in Hong Kong. Amanda Davies joins

me now.

Lionel Messi has been doing some crisis management. We talked this time yesterday about you know, whether inter might have managed the whole Hong

Kong episode better. What's he being saying today?

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Yeah, and I guess you get a sense of the seriousness of the issue with the fact that Lionel Messi gave a press

conference. That is not something we say often Atol [ph], since his Barcelona days he doesn't willingly often front up to the media. But he

really said he appreciates the understanding, but did say it's an unfortunate part of football that players sometimes get injured.

He didn't go as far as making an apology. But he did say he hopes that into Miami might be able to go back to Hong Kong in the future play another

match. And the weight goes on now to see what happens as you rightly mentioned on Wednesday inter Miami have already moved to Tokyo in Japan.

He says he's feeling a little bit better, but hasn't issued any guarantees. But we've got more on that. And of course the build-up started in earnest

to the Super Bowl in Las Vegas, the first Super Bowl in Vegas. That's what we're focusing on in a couple of minutes in World Sports.

ANDERSON: Good stuff. I wonder whether they would give away or should give away tickets to that match if it is indeed played again in Hong Kong once

you discuss. Thank you. World Sport coming up with Amanda; stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WORLD SPORT)

[10:00:00]

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