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Hong Kong Fire Death Toll Rises To 128; National Guard Member Dies After DC Shooting; Trump Vows New Military Action Against Venezuelan Gangs; Anti-Corruption Police Raid Home Of Zelenskyy Adviser; Israeli Military Investigating Deadly West Bank Shooting. Aired 9-9:45a ET

Aired November 28, 2025 - 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, these are live pictures from Hong Kong this hour where the full horror of Wednesday's fire is

becoming steadily more apparent. It is currently 10:00 p.m. there. It is 06:00 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson from our Middle East

programming headquarters.

See you're watching "Connect the World". Also coming up this hour, violence in the occupied West Bank continues. Disturbing video shows Israeli troops

killing two men who appear to have surrendered. And following a deadly attack in Washington, the U.S. says it will review all green cards issued

to people from 19 countries.

Well, the stock market in New York opens for a shortened day in about 30 minutes from now, after a break, of course, for the Thanksgiving holiday.

And the indications at least at present, half an hour out, are that these markets will open slightly higher. Well, the death toll in Hong Kong's

worst fire in decades has now soared to 128.

Authorities are warning that it could climb further, as with as many as 200 people still unaccounted for. Firefighters have finally managed to put out

the fire two days after it began. Thoughts now turning to how this tragedy happened. Officials say the fire alarms in the apartment complex were not

working properly.

And it has been found that residents first raised safety concerns about the construction materials being used on the buildings more than a year ago.

Eight more people connected with the construction works have now been arrested. Well, CNN's Hanako Montgomery is at the scene.

And Hanako, tell us what's happening there as we speak, what more do we now know about these concerns raised by residents?

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Becky, as you said, residents had raised concerns about some of the materials being used for these

construction sites at the apartment complex behind me. We know that mesh nets, also bamboo scaffolding and polystyrene, which is actually a pretty

highly flammable material, were being used.

Now, as you mentioned, residents had raised some of these concerns about a year ago. And of course, during this fire, we did see the polystyrene,

again, a highly flammable material catch fire. And actually, authorities said at a press conference earlier on Friday that, that fire is what led to

windows breaking in one building, and then brought that fire inside the building.

And then subsequently led to the fire going from one floor to the other, from one building to the next. Now Becky, we don't actually know the exact

cause of this fire, but again, it sounds as though, according to the authorities, that these materials are what caused this fire to spread so

quickly.

Now Becky, also, you mentioned the fire alarms, and some of the survivors we spoke to said that when they were evacuating the building, they didn't

hear any fire alarms. They said that they actually only found out there was a fire by looking outside the window and seeing that there were flames, and

of course, they subsequently evacuated to safety.

But again, lots of questions here, lots of concerns about just the safety standards and also just how these evacuations took place. Listen to this

one survivor speaking about just how frightening the situation was for them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As for my feelings, honestly, I don't even know how I feel right now, just taking things one step at a time. Now I'm just

thinking about where I'm going to sleep tonight, because I probably won't be able to go back home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MONTGOMERY: And Becky, I'm at the base of the apartment complex right now, and behind me there are hundreds of people holding candlelight vigils

laying down flowers for the victims. And I can tell you the atmosphere is really heavy with grief as they are waiting for more information about the

200 people still uncounted for, Becky.

ANDERSON: It's good to have you. Hanako, thank you. Well what U.S. President Donald Trump called an act of terror near the White House has now

turned into a deadly tragedy. U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, one of the National Guard members shot in an ambush style attack on Wednesday, has

now died.

The other National Guard member who was shot in that incident, Andrew Wolfe remains in critical condition after undergoing surgery. Now the suspect, a

29-year-old Afghan national, will face a first-degree murder charge. And U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said she would seek the death penalty in

his case.

CNN's Zachary Cohen following the story for us. He joins us now from Washington.

[09:05:00]

And the investigation clearly now ongoing, what more do we know about what it's finding and where it leads?

ZACHARY COHEN, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yeah, Becky prosecutor is making clear this morning that the suspect will face at least

a murder charge and that more charges will be on the way. As you mentioned, one of the two National Guardsmen who has now been announced as having died

and the other in critical condition.

Attorney General Pam Bondi making clear that she would pursue the death penalty against this -- shooter, but at a minimum, says that he could face

life in prison on terrorism charges. So, this investigation is ongoing as you mentioned, it continues. Investigators are looking into trying to find

whatever they can about the shooter himself.

And one of the most striking details that they've released so far, though is that he drove from his home state of Washington, across country to carry

out this shooting, which, you know, they've called targeted and the president has called an act of terrorism. So, we're going to have to have

to wait and see, though what investigators determine is the actual motive here.

But that has not stopped President Donald Trump from initiating a series of broader immigration-based responses to the shooting really cracking, using

it as an opening to crack down further on green card holders and immigrants from Afghanistan specifically.

ANDERSON: What do we actually know about this suspect at this point, Zachary?

COHEN: Yeah, we're actually learning a lot about the suspects background, 29-year-old Afghan national who appears to have come to the United States

based mostly on his previous work with the U.S. government and the CIA, specifically in Afghanistan. We're told that he was part of a partner force

in Afghanistan that worked directly with U.S. forces and the CIA, and this part of a counter terror -- elite Counter Terrorism Unit.

That was at times, used and fought side by side with U.S. forces against the Taliban before the U.S. withdrawal. These members of this unit were

given preferential evacuation status when the Taliban took over and the U.S. pulled out. But I'm told, too, by a senior U.S. official that because

of his prior work with the CIA.

He would have been vetted by the agency at the time, going all the way back to when he started working with the agency in around 2011 and further

before he came to the United States, I'm told that U.S. intelligence agencies vetted him again and looked into his background for any connection

to terrorist organizations.

And one U.S. official said, as far as the vetting goes, nothing came up. He was clean on all checks. Now it's important to remember that once he

arrived in the United States and applied for asylum, the vetting process changes, and it's in the hands of domestic facing agencies overseen by the

Department of Homeland Security that vetting process is supposed to be very rigorous.

But there have been questions raised about how this individual apparently either slipped through the cracks. There's a massive amount of Afghan

immigrants and refugees who were brought over to the United States when the U.S. pulled out. You know, the vetting process during that time has really

been questioned in the aftermath of the shooting, and will continue to be something that we've seen the president focus on in the last few days.

ANDERSON: Good to have you, sir. Thank you. Well, President Trump says a new phase of U.S. military action against drug trafficking networks will

begin very soon. In a Thanksgiving call with military service members, he said that the next step would focus on the overland roots allegedly used by

Venezuelan drug gangs.

In recent weeks, the Pentagon has deployed over a dozen warships carrying 15,000 troops to the Caribbean. U.S. strikes on boats said to be engaged in

smuggling have killed more than 80 people. Let's bring in CNN's Stefano Pozzebon. He is in Venezuela's capital of Caracas.

So, there's very little detail at this point, it seems about this new phase suggested by President Trump. What are you hearing there?

STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, Becky, yes, there is very little detail. And there has been very little for the last 2.5 months, since at

least the operation down in the in the Southern Caribbean Sea began with the deployment of thousands of men, dozens of warships, aircraft, and now

roam around the Venezuelan Coast almost every day.

What we know, of course, and what we're hearing here, is that it will be extremely difficult for the United States to conduct any operation on

Venezuelan soil without risking an open war, an open confrontation with the government of Nicolas Maduro, the Venezuela leader who has been on

television over the last few weeks, almost every day, he was once again on television yesterday and the day before.

[09:10:00]

On Wednesday, for example, he showed up with in military camouflage, brandishing a sword and saying that any threat coming down from Washington

would be responded with might and force. We know that the situation here, is extremely and extremely serious.

For days, we've been hearing, Becky, that there was a last-minute attempt at mediating that, for example, Donald Trump was open to speaking with

Nicolas Maduro, the Venezuelan leader. Trump had said that publicly in the past, but I think that yesterday's announcement towards the end of the

Thanksgiving holiday, saying that we will see very, very soon some form of action here on Venezuelan land.

Well, that, of course, escalates and inflames the situation even more. And one more thing is interesting to analyze, that the White House is still

bending down on this narrative that Venezuela is a hot spot of drug trafficking, and going after Maduro for his alleged role in the drug

trafficking and narco-trafficking route, when we know, for example, that the vast majority of cocaine coming up to the United States actually comes

from Colombia and via the Pacific Ocean route, not through Venezuela.

Of course, that doesn't mean that Nicolas Maduro is not an anti-Democratic leader, of course, and has been involved in nefarious activities for the

last 12 years. But it's interesting that the angle, especially the Trump is coming down on, is still drug trafficking, and narco-trafficking in

particular, Becky.

ANDERSON: Stefano Pozzebon is in Caracas in Venezuela, that the time is 11 minutes past 10 in the morning, 10 past six here in the evening in Abu

Dhabi. Let's move on, Ukrainian anti-corruption police have raided the home of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Top Adviser.

Andriy Yermak is officially Mr. Zelenskyy's Chief of Staff, and he has been leading the Ukrainian delegation during recent talks in Geneva focused on

the U.S. plan to end Russia's war on Ukraine. Yermak confirmed the raid in the social media post and said he is fully cooperating with authorities.

Paula Hancocks has more.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As Ukraine's President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is facing U.S. pressure to accept a peace deal with Russia. He

is also now facing even more domestic pressure as a political crisis in his country is increasing. Now, what has happened on Friday is that Ukrainian

anti-corruption agencies have raided the home of his chief of staff.

This is Andriy Yermak, one of Zelenskyy closest aides. It's a position that's often seen as the second most powerful position in the country. And

Yermak is also the man that Zelenskyy has put us as the head of the negotiations that are ongoing to try and end the war in Ukraine.

Talks of which are expected to be ongoing over coming days. Now, we heard from Yermak himself saying that he is fully cooperating with anti-

corruption authorities. At this point, it was two weeks ago where a sweeping investigation was launched by these agencies into an alleged

kickback scheme concerning Ukraine's critical energy infrastructure.

Now it is an investigation that is already taken two of Zelenskyy's ministers down. It is embroiled a former business associate into this.

Corruption has long been an issue in Ukraine. It is one of the major obstacles it faces when it's trying to gain membership to the European

Union.

We also saw President Zelenskyy campaigning on an anti-corruption ticket back in 2019. So, this is increasing pressure on the president at a time

when he is trying to secure a peace deal which is more favorable to his country. And of course, these domestic pressures and issues he is

undergoing will be played upon and will be used by Russia. Paula Hancocks, CNN, Abu Dhabi.

ANDERSON: Well, next up a new Israeli military operation in the West Bank, as the Palestinian Authority calls one deadly incident a war crime. We'll

be live from Jerusalem for you. And carrying a message of unity and peace. The pope continues his travels to two Muslim majority nations. More on

that, is after this.

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[09:15:00]

ANDERSON: Right. You're watching "Connect the World". I'm Becky Anderson, and let's connect you to this region. We are broadcasting to you from Abu

Dhabi, of course. Israel says it is reviewing an incident where its soldiers shot and killed two people in the West Bank.

The men appeared to have been surrendering. In this video, you can see them come out of a building with their hands above their heads. They are

surrounded by what appear to be Israeli soldiers. Later, the two are seen on the ground as multiple rounds of gun fire are heard.

CNN is not showing that moment. Israeli officials say the men were wanted for alleged terror activities. The Palestinian Authority has condemned

Thursday's killings, calling them, quote, a fully-fledged war crime. Well, Nic Robertson is in Jerusalem with more. And Israel, Nic says it is

reviewing the incident. Do we understand what exactly it will investigate at this point?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, it does appear as if an investigation is under way, and that's what we heard from the border

police and the IDF in a joint statement, which came out pretty quickly last night after that incident became known.

That video that so many people have now seen began circulating on social media and really triggering a lot of concern among Palestinians and others

in Israel as well about precisely what had happened. Now the police, the border police and the IDF, say that this was part of a long surrender

process.

They had to sort of break down part of the building to get these two men. They accused of being terrorists, accused of having attacked Israel in the

past. And during that process, this is where the video picks up and speaks for itself, rather than any official statement.

And you see, in this surrender process, you see these two men with a number of what we understand to be border police very close to them. That the men

are sort of down on their knees on the ground. They're clearly in a position would very clearly seem to be of surrender to these soldiers with

weapons.

And then the soldiers appear to tell them to stand up again. And the men sort of appear to be told, you know, from the gestures you can see to go

back into this garage space, and as they're doing that, you know, sort of crouching level, then the soldier's guns pointed at their direction, and

the men fall to the ground.

Now, it's rare to see something like this captured on video, and it does speak very strongly for what has happened here, Hamas for a cold-blooded

execution. Palestinian authority is saying, you know, this violates the rights of the of international law and human rights law as well.

We're hearing, interestingly, very little, if nothing, in fact, from the Prime Minister of Israel on this or some of the leading opposition figures.

However, the hard right minister who's in charge of the police, Itamar Ben- Gvir, in charge of the border police, who were involved here even before the investigation was announced said that he supported these men through

the investigation.

[09:20:00]

He said he -- they had done what people expected them to do. Terrorists should die. That's what he said. And in the last short time, we've

understood that Itamar Ben-Gvir has now visited the border police to show support and has even called for an abandonment of this investigation at the

moment.

That's where the sentiment is within his party, again, the silence from the prime minister and others, but as far as an investigation that is believed

to be ongoing at this time.

ANDERSON: Thank you, Nic. You're watching "Connect the World" here on CNN. Pope Leo has met Catholic bishops and church goers in Turkey. Part of his

first official overseas trip. This is a six-day tour and is focused on unity and peace, according to the Vatican, especially between people of

different faiths.

On Sunday, he will arrive in Lebanon, another country that has a majority Muslim population, yet is also home to ancient Christian communities. Ben

Wedeman is in Beirut, where people are eagerly awaiting and anticipating the pope's arrival.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's evening mass in the Monastery of Saint Maron high in the mountains of

Lebanon. For centuries, the mountains have provided a refuge for the Christians here in times of trouble.

Protecting and preserving a community almost as old as Christianity itself. Pope Leo is scheduled to visit this monastery during his three-day visit to

Lebanon. Hopes are high that visit will change the fortunes of this battered country. He brings his blessings. He strengthens our faith, says

Saud Khuri (ph).

And we are praying to our Lord that peace prevails in Lebanon and throughout the whole region. Lebanon is pulling out all the stops to ensure

the success of this papal visit, the third of its kind in almost 30 years. The high point will be a huge mass led by Pope Leo Tuesday on the Beirut

waterfront.

Lebanon has 12 officially recognized Christian sects, Catholic and Orthodox. At this Greek Orthodox Church in Beirut, we found two nuns

praying in Arabic.

WEDEMAN: Pope Leo comes to Lebanon after a period when the Lebanese Christians as well as Muslims have suffered from a series of seismic

shocks, first, a failed revolution back in 2019 followed by an economic collapse, followed by the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by the catastrophic

Beirut port blast and most recently hit by yet another war with Israel.

WEDEMAN (voice-over): A war that ended it might appear with a U.S. brokered ceasefire in November 2024. But just days ago, an Israeli air strike killed

a senior Hezbollah military commander in Beirut. Israeli drones and war planes have been hitting alleged Hezbollah targets almost daily over the

last year.

Israel claims Hezbollah is rearming and regrouping. Hezbollah has until now, held its fire. War has driven many from Lebanon, but increasingly, the

young are fleeing abroad because of a lack of jobs in a country run by an elite seen as corrupt and incompetent. Father Nehmi Saliba believes

religious leaders, with the help of the likes of Pope Leo, could change that.

NEHMI SALIBA, INTERFAITH FACILITATOR OF ADYAN FOUNDATION: There is a voice for the church and for religious leaders. There is a big voice in Lebanon

for the religious institutions to say that we need a clean Lebanon, not just from garbage on the street, but from the garbage is our head and our

hearts.

WEDEMAN (voice-over): The calls for change here across the religious spectrum have rung loud and clear. Perhaps Pope Leo will lend his voice,

and those in power will finally hear. Ben Wedeman, CNN, Beirut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, you're watching "Connect the World" with me Becky Anderson. Still ahead this hour, the U.S. President cracking down harder on

immigration after the fatal shooting involving U.S. National Guard members in Washington. The potential impact for green card holders from nearly 20

nations. That's after this.

[09:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. You are watching. "Connect the World" and wherever you are watching, you are more than

welcome. These are your headlines this hour. The number of people killed in the Hong Kong apartment complex.

Fire has risen to 128 and as many as 200 people are still unaccounted for. Here is Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, one of the National Guard members

shot in an ambush style attack near the White House on Wednesday, has died. The other National Guard member shot in that incident Andrew Wolfe remains

in critical condition.

Authorities say the suspect, 29-year-old Afghan national will be charged with murder. As Israel pushes ahead with a new military operation in the

West Bank, the Palestinian Authority is denouncing one incident as a war crime. Two men were shot dead by Israeli soldiers in Jenin on Thursday.

The men had appeared to be surrendering. Israel says they had been wanted for alleged terror activities. Well, the shooting of those two U.S.

National Guard members in Washington and subsequent death of one of them is having an immediate impact on U.S. immigration policy.

President Donald Trump says he will, and I quote him here, permanently pause migration from all third world countries. His words, it's unclear

exactly which countries he is referring to. Well, earlier, he ordered the Director of U.S. Immigration Service to reexamine the green cards of

resident aliens, as they are known from 19 countries, including Afghanistan, where the alleged shooter came from.

Well, Areva Martin is a Civil Rights Attorney and Legal Affairs Commentator, she's joining me now from Jerusalem, from Los Angeles.

Apologies. It's good to have you. Thanks for joining us. Basic first question to you, is it legally possible to revoke green cards? Let's start

there.

AREVA MARTIN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Well, I can tell you this, Becky, this is an unprecedented sweep that will destabilize millions and millions of

lawful residents. This kind of blanket reexamination of green card holders has no modern precedent.

ANDERSON: Right.

MARTIN: It injects so much fear and instability into communities, and it raises the question about whether they're being reexamined simply because

of their birthplace. There's no evidence to suggest that these millions of lawful residents have done anything or are in any way more dangerous or

likely to be more dangerous than anyone else in this country, including U.S. citizens who were born here.

ANDERSON: Right.

[09:30:00]

MARTIN: And does raise serious constitutional questions about due process, rights and our protection under the constitution.

ANDERSON: I think there's -- there could be many people watching this who may know people who have green cards may have applied themselves. And so, I

guess you know, I'm going to just press you on the legal point here. Is it legal to revoke a green card?

MARTIN: Well, it's illegal to revoke it, Becky. If there are grounds to revoke it. It's not legal to blanketly say we're going to reexamine and

potentially revoke the green cards of millions of Americans who have done no nothing wrong.

ANDERSON: Yeah.

MARTIN: They've committed no crimes. They violated, you know, none of the attendance of the constitution. So, what's potentially illegal here is the

targeting of individuals simply because of their birthplace, is to say that just because one Afghan national shot someone.

ANDERSON: Yeah.

MARTIN: That, that makes everyone from that country or these 19 other countries that have been identified, that, that makes them dangerous or

that makes them in some way unfit to have a green card. So, it's important to note, Becky, that green card individuals, individuals that possess green

cards in this country, are the most vetted immigrants in the world.

And again, there's just no data to support that millions of them have somehow become more dangerous or pose a threat simply because of this

tragic shooting.

ANDERSON: I'm wondering about the logistics of even reevaluating this. I mean, it's going to be massive, according to the Office of Homeland

Security, in 2023 over 30,000 Afghans alone received permanent resident status. Other countries in the list include Venezuela, for example, which

had over 18,000.

So, let's just talk for a moment about the enormity of this process. You know, how do you begin at this point?

MARTIN: Well, that's really unclear at this point. And what we do know is that since Trump has been into office and since he's been executing his

immigration policies, that law enforcement has been, what some would say, disproportionately preoccupied with immigration enforcement, and therefore

leaving void other kinds of really important law enforcement efforts.

So, you're right. Logistically, this is going to be a nightmare, and again, you are targeting people not because of individual suspicion, not because

of individual acts that they have engaged in, but a blanket discriminatory policy that says just because of your birthplace, just because of the

country, of your ordinance, that you are now somehow suspicious of potentially posing a threat to this country or crime.

ANDERSON: Yeah. So --

MARTIN: And again, the constitution requires individualized suspicion, not this kind of blanket targeting.

ANDERSON: Is it clear at this point? And I know the detail on this is rather scan at this point, but is it clear what happens to people from

countries who are current, from these countries, the ones that we just put on the screen who are currently in the process of getting their green

cards?

MARTIN: Well, Donald Trump has made it clear that he is going to halt the examination or the processing, I should say, of those individuals who are

in some stage of receiving their green card. Again, not clear that, that's illegal, that there's any precedent for doing so.

The constitution requires that, if there is going to be some revocation of a green card, that there is some individual act that has been committed by

that individual, not this blanket, again, targeting of individuals because of their birth place. This is how civil rights are eroded of individuals.

This is how discriminatory practices are administered. And we've seen this time and a time again with this administration, one individual does

something, and now there's this blanket statement that all individuals from one country, on this case, 19 different countries are somehow dangerous.

ANDERSON: So, it's good to have you. Your analysis is hugely important. Thank you very much indeed. Well, Fatima Bosch Fernandez is victory in the

Miss Universe Pageant this month is being overshadowed by controversies. The Mexican contestant was a fan favorite, but she was criticized by a

pageant official contestants staged a walk out.

Now Mexican authorities are investigating one of the pageants owners on multiple criminal allegations. CNN's Valeria Leon explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VALERIA LEON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From hitting Miss Universe to being investigated, Raul Rocha Co-Director of the Pageant, is being

targeted by Mexican prosecutors for alleged arms and drug trafficking, as well as for smuggling fuel illegally into the country.

[09:35:00]

In a statement, Mexico's Attorney General's office said they are still in the evidence gathering stage of the investigation, and haven't issued a

warrant for Rocha's arrest yet. The case dates back to 2024 but the timing of the allegations added doubt to an already turbulent Miss Universe.

Just days after Mexico's candidate Fatima Bosch won the contests, accusations of corruption spread fueled in part by Pageant Judge Omar

Harfouch claims the competition was reached by Rocha, who allegedly kept close ties with Bosch's father. CNN reached out to Rocha for comment, but

has not received a response.

Bosch, the fourth Mexican to win the Miss Universe crown, says she's being harassed online with posts accusing her of buying the title. On Wednesday,

Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum defended the beauty queen, insisting the Rocha investigation is unrelated to the legitimacy of Fatima Bosch's

crown.

CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM, MEXICAN PRESIDENT: It's different, isn't it, because then they want to take away her merit, whether we agree with pageants or

not, credit goes to the person who won.

LEON (voice-over): Amid the glamor of the 74th edition of Miss Universe has been swept up in a growing corruption scandal, one still far from settled.

Valeria Leon, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, it's been a big week for Arsenal already. One more big challenge remains as they look to make it three wins from -- in what has

been a pivotal period. Some football coming up for you.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Let's take a look at the U.S. markets then for you. And this is the story off to a decent start. It's a short and working day today. Of

course, it was Thanksgiving yesterday. So back of the week for investors who at least are hoping these markets will go higher. Well, it's not a bad

start.

Today is what is these days known as Black Friday. And if you are in London and you're feeling flush. You might just want to head down to the most

expensive shopping street in the world, and that's just for the posh retailers. CNN's Anna Cooban explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS & ECONOMICS REPORTER: I'm standing on the most expensive retail strip in the world.

[09:40:00]

New Bond Street in London has overtaken Milan and New York as the priciest place to be selling stuff to the ultra-wealthy.

COOBAN (voice-over): According to a new report from commercial real estate company Cushman & Wakefield, rents over the last year on new Bond Street

increased by 22 percent to over $2,200 per square foot per year. Rents in New York on Upper Fifth Avenue stayed at around $2,000 per square foot.

And losing the top spot is Milan's Fashion District Via Monte Napoleone. Again, there have been no rent increases this year. So why are these luxury

brands scrambling for a spot on this sidewalk?

COOBAN: Burberry. It's an iconic British fashion brand. And the company recently posted its first quarter of growth in two years. Now, as CEO

Joshua Schulman has talked recently about the importance of going back to basics, displaying the iconic scarves and trench coats in the shop windows.

And the report by Cushman & Wakefield has made it clear that how important it is for brands to really lean into their flagship stores, being in

person, smelling, touching, sealing the clothes that is really good for business. It's not just coats and scarves that are really pushing up the

rents here.

I'm here between Burlington gardens and Clifford Street. Now this is the most hotly contested slice of retail real estate in the world right now.

And it's where you get your diamonds.

COOBAN (voice-over): It's so easy to get swept up in the glitz and glamor before you remember the price tag, I guess I'll just settle for a spot of

window shopping.

COOBAN: Most people will do their shopping a stone's throw from here, neither Oxford Street or Regent Street, but even there, there have been

double digit rent increases. So, it's going to be an expensive Christmas, not just for shoppers, but for the shops. Anna Cooban, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: There you go. Well on Sunday, a top of the table showdown in the Premier League. Yes, Arsenal's big week continues with another London

derby, this time against second place Chelsea. Amanda Davies joining me now, and this should be, or at least it's building up to be a cracker.

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yeah, and we were talking earlier, Becky, when we looked at this week on paper, we didn't expect this Chelsea against

Arsenal to be at the table topping clash. We knew it was going to be a big week for Arsenal spurs. Then by and now, they're London rivals.

But Chelsea have slowly crept up the table as Manchester City and the rest have fallen away. They're on that run of three victories in a row, but they

won't want to be reading the tea leaves and looking back over the history books. They have only won one of 11 matches against Arsenal in recent

times.

And I was looking they haven't won this meeting at Stanford Bridge for seven years. However, they're on a good run of form, and I have to say,

there's a few fans in this office who are pretty confident of Chelsea pulling off surprise, but we're getting the take from the Arsenal camp in

just a couple of minutes on "World Sport".

ANDERSON: I do feel like Chelsea have come out of nowhere this season. I know they've been building a squad, but it's quite a run they're having at

the moment. Good for you. Amanda, thank you. We'll stand by for "World Sport" that is coming up after this short break.

I will be back as ever in 15 minutes time with more "Connect the World". Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:45:00]

(WORLD SPORT)

[10:00:00]

END