Return to Transcripts main page

Connect the World

Saudi-Backed Yemeni Forces Begin Offensive against Houthis; Spanish PM Calls Snap Election Amid Growing Housing Protests; Israeli Sources: Co- Pilot Accused of Attack Likely Acted Alone; UAE to Launch Autonomous Asteroid Probe in 2028; Ronaldo-Less Portugal Win Again, Beat Norway 2-1. Aired 9-10a ET

Aired October 05, 2026 - 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: You're looking at live pictures from Madrid today, where Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has

caught a snap election after weeks of growing anger across the country over a housing crisis. 03:00 p.m. in the Spanish Capital, 05:00 p.m. here in Abu

Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson. You're watching "Connect the World".

Also coming up this hour, a scramble to prevent a deadly disease outbreak in Siberia after the unexplained death of a scientist from a lab that

studies the plague. The U.S. Air Force pulls its long-range bombers out of a British airbase amid intelligence of a threat. And we are just about 30

minutes away from the start of trade on Wall Street, this is the picture as indicated by the futures market. If all stays steady, expect a slightly

weaker opening 30 minutes from now.

Well, Brazil's presidential race will go to a runoff later this month. Neither of the top two candidates secured 50 percent of the vote in

Sunday's general election. Right-wing Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro won 47 percent of the vote. Just days ago, polls showed that he was

trailing sitting President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva.

While the leftist incumbent is seeking his fourth non-consecutive term in office, he took second place with just shy of 45 percent of that vote. The

two candidates, of course, represent very different political visions for the country, both domestically and internationally.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LUIZ INACIO LULA DA SILVA, BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT: It is time for us to show the true picture of Brazil today and the Brazil we want. So, starting

tomorrow, we are beginning a new campaign, a campaign in which, with only two candidates, we will be able to show the difference between the

proposals that exist for Brazil.

FLAVIO BOLSONARO, BRAZILIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am very happy about the real possibility that three weeks from now, Brazil will give a

definitive answer that it wants a modern government, a government with fewer ministries, a government that will restore democracy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Also, want to get you back up to date this hour on the intensifying conflict in Yemen. Saudi-backed forces launching a major

military offensive to stop advances by the Yemeni Houthi militants who are backed by Iran. The multi-pronged attacks by Yemeni government forces

targeting Houthi strongholds in Sanaa and key points along Yemen's Red Sea coast, which is controlled almost entirely by the Houthis.

That includes the coastline facing the Bab Al Mandeb Strait, crucially another choke point for oil tankers and other vessels in a region already

struggling with Iran's efforts to control the Strait of Hormuz to the east. While the Houthis fighting back, claiming they have hit oil installations

in the Saudi Capital Riyadh, and taking control of a critical highway in Yemen that links the key City of Taiz to Aden.

Nic Robertson, my colleague, tracking developments for us. He filed this report explaining what could come next as Yemeni government forces try to

reclaim territory from the Houthis.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: It's expected to expand and intensify. This was laid out in speeches by both the head of the

presidency council leadership, if you will, of the internationally backed government in Yemen, stating very clearly that they were going to retake

all the territory from the Houthis, the Iran-backed proxy inside of Yemen.

Who control the capital, and as you say, in recent weeks had a lightning offensive in the south west of Yemen to take control of Bab Al Mandeb, that

vital narrow strait of water where the Red Sea goes out into the Gulf of Oman, vital for international maritime traffic, vital to get oil supplies

from Saudi Arabia to the international markets, particularly in Asia.

So, this has been the Houthis' expansions recently, and current offensive in the south west of Yemen is causing a great deal of concern. The current

offensive that the Houthis have is around the City of Taiz, the third largest city inside of in Yemen, but the real concern around that city at

the moment is that the high mountains are a strategic advantage.

And if the Houthis get control of them, it will make it much harder to dislodge them from their control of all of the Red Sea coast line, so

that's sort of the background narrative.

[09:05:00]

But you also have a step up over the past weeks of offensive -- Houthi offensives inside of Yemen. You have Saudi air support for those Yemeni

government, internationally recognized Yemeni government forces on the ground. The Houthis say that the Capital Sanaa, that they control, was

struck by Saudi air strikes over the weekend.

The Houthis also say that they've been striking Saudi oil infrastructure inside of Saudi Arabia over the past few days around the capital and in

other locations. So, the whole temperature around this is heating up. So, the move and announcement this week, this weekend, just last night by the

internationally backed Yemeni government is a very clear signal that they are going to upscale their efforts now, not just to sort of resist the

Houthi advances.

But to try to take the fight to the Houthis and defeat the Houthis and retake control of the whole country. So, it's significant. You have those

statements, and then sequenced within a few hours later, you have the Saudi statement saying that they will give full operational support as they have

been to this Yemeni force.

And at the same time today, you have the field marshal, the most powerful military figure from Pakistan, his foreign minister, his defense minister,

with him in Saudi Arabia, along with the Turkish Foreign Minister, Defense Minister, and head of the military, gathering for a meeting of this Saudi-

Pakistan-Turkey military pact and alliance.

And forces have been committed to support the Saudis in whatever they do in their coalition to support the Yemenis. So, this is -- this conflict in

Yemen stands at this moment apparently to expand and get bigger with the aim of forcing out the Houthis completely.

ANDERSON: Well, investors and traders on the oil markets, clearly keeping a keen eye on what is going on there. Oil prices mix today amid what is this

volatility in the Middle East? You can see the latest prices there; Brent that's the international benchmark slightly higher. WTI, the U.S. benchmark

slightly lower today there at 89.67.

Well, in the week of those, sorry, let me start that again. In the wake of those weekend attacks on Saudi Aramco facilities, a warning today from the

company's chief executive, I mean Nasser, says he expects supplies for crude and refined oil to remain thin, and that refilling global stockpiles

might take two years.

A researcher at a lab in Siberia that is devoted to studying the plague has died of a mysterious illness. Now, the World Health Organization says it is

in contact with Russian authorities and says the public health risk appears low, at least for now. 28-year-old scientist was diagnosed with pneumonia

of an unknown origin, according to Russia's Infectious Disease Agency.

Part of the hospital where that work was treated has been placed under quarantine. Unofficial reports say nearly 200 people are under observation.

One local official suggested the victim may have died of the plague. CNN's Fred Pleitgen is following the story. Joins us now.

At this point, what is the very latest on this? Because this has been a story that has been sort of bubbling now for a couple of days. Now, how

concerned should we be about what we are learning?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, you're absolutely right. It's been bubbling for a couple of days, and the

messaging has been, to a certain extent, sort of going back and forth on all of this. First of all, all this is happening in a place called Chelyov,

which is very far away from the Russian capital Moscow, near Lake Baikal and near the border with Mongolia.

And this lab that you were talking about is one that is dedicated to fighting the plague, but also other infectious diseases. Now you're

absolutely right. This was a 28-year-old female lab researcher who died of what the Russians say was an unknown pneumonia. And there's one key

statement that came out for the Russian Institute from the Russian Institute for Infectious Diseases, and they say, I want to quote this

really quick.

No microorganisms associated with the employee's professional duties were detected in samples taken from the patient, and this comes from that

agency. However, the head of that agency obviously believed that all this was serious enough for her to actually travel down to that region, and the

reason for that travel was then stated by the local governor.

Another quick quote that I want to read, that it was a suspected case of dangerous infections affecting a resident of the region. As you noted,

Becky, the governor of the neighboring region saying that that person may have died of the plague. Now the Russians at this point in time are saying

that everything is stable.

There's nothing to indicate that all of this has actually become contagious, or whether or not that person actually did die of the plague.

[09:10:00]

They are saying that no samples of any microorganisms were found. However, those measures to prevent any sort of spread are indeed in place. And if

you look at some of those quarantines, this apparently affects the hospital where this person was treated. Where right now there are no new admissions.

And people who were in that hospital as inpatients are not being allowed out of that hospitals, and other hospitals in the region are also being put

under quarantine. And of course, all the people who had any sort of contact with the person who died. So, the Russians are saying the situation is

under control, but they're also saying and they're warning.

This comes from the Kremlin earlier today, saying that they're warning against any sort of rumors and speculations. But this is a significant lab

that we're talking about. About 95 researchers work there, and again, it deals with fighting the plague in that region, but also other infectious

diseases as well.

And certainly, it's a situation that many people in that region, specifically in that town, also folks that we've spoken to, say they're

quite uneasy about at this point in time, Becky.

ANDERSON: Yeah, and we continue to monitor this. Fred, thank you. You are bang up to date on that. Let's get you to the political turmoil gripping

Spain now. The prime minister there admitting his government made mistakes, his words, and he is now calling for an early election.

For days, hundreds of protesters are camped out in Madrid, as you can see in these live pictures, following nationwide protests over Spain's housing

crisis. Public anger swelling when an 87-year-old woman was evicted from her home after her rent skyrocketed to nearly $3,000 a month, from about

600.

My colleague Pau Mosquera live for us in Madrid. We've been reporting on this story now for some days. The story of the protests and demonstrations

against the government. Pau, why has Pedro Sanchez decided to take this electoral gamble now?

PAU MOSQUERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, the general understanding is that Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has announced this major

political move as he is trying to capitalize the discontent that we have seen on the streets over the last days over the housing crisis that is

affecting the country.

And you can see that this content is already representing itself. For example, at Central Madrid, here at Puerta Del Sol, you can see here an

image how hundreds and thousands of tent camps are still occupying this very central square of Madrid.

So that said, many analysts that I was talking to over the morning they say that with this movement, Sanchez has been able to shift the national

attention from other pressure points like it was before the migration crisis in Ceuta, or the legal scandals that were affecting to some of the

figures in the orbit of the government, to the housing crisis.

And he's trying to capitalize to transform this anger into boats when the Spaniards get to the polls next November 29th. But actually, what do people

on the streets think about that? Well, have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I reckon we need an election right now, for sure. We've got to get rid of him straight away. At least, in my opinion, he's

doing a terrible job.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I think it's good given the situation that's arisen. They could have called the election a bit sooner. I still say the

situation is bad. We needn't look further than this. Young people have been given little prospect for the future, and I'd like to see a truly left-wing

government finally come to power.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's brilliant that we're moving forward, that they're putting an end to him because he's destroying Spain. That's what I

think, in my humble opinion.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MOSQUERA: So, it isn't unclear, Becky, how Sanchez is going to benefit from this myth because if we pay attention to the latest polls that were

conducted by the Central for Sociological Research, they say that socialist party that Sanchez is leading would come first in terms of voters, but they

wouldn't get enough power as to get again to the government.

Instead, it would be the popular party and Vox, the two right parties that would get a chance to get to La Moncloa Palace. So that said, Becky, it

seems more that this political move, it's less about securing victory, but limiting the political damage that they could get if conditions continue to

get worse, Becky.

ANDERSON: Sounds like a big risk. More on that, of course, as we get it. Thank you, Pau.

[09:15:00]

All political uncertainty on the European Continent is hitting the euro. The currency is at its weakest against the U.S. dollar since May of 2025.

Of course, interest rates higher in the U.S. will support the U.S. dollar, so it won't just be the European politics. But they are not helping. Plus,

the U.S. military pulls its long-range bombers out of a British airbase after a new threat. A closer look at that just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: The United States military has withdrawn its long-range bombers from a British airbase after an unspecified new threat, according to a U.S.

official. Now, this of course, comes just days after a number of people were arrested in connection with an alleged Iranian plot targeting that

base.

A CNN source says it's unusual that the U.S. has moved these planes back to their home stations instead of deploying them to another base in the

region. So, let's see if we can get to the bottom of this. CNN's Zachary Cohen, following the story for us from Washington. Firstly, who made this

decision, and is it clear why, Zach?

ZACHARY COHEN, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Becky, this does appear to be a decision that was made by the Pentagon, and it's

one that I'm told was made in response to what source qualified as a real- world threat.

Now, this means that this was a threat that was verifiable enough for the U.S. to quickly make the call to move these bombers from this air base in

the U.K. back to their home bases in the United States, which, as you mentioned, is unusual in the sense that typically the U.S. will redeploy

assets from one base in a certain region of the world to another base in that same region.

If the U.S. had moved these bombers to Diego Garcia, which is also in Europe, that would have been less unusual. So, the movement of these

bombers, all of them, back to the U.S. is something a source did point out as an unusual element to all this.

Now, of course, this base has been used as a launching point for U.S. strikes against Iran, and it does come after that incident last week, where

several arrests were made in connection to what officials described as a terror plot targeting this base in the United Kingdom.

Now, Downing Street, a spokesman for the Prime Minister at the UK, also declining, frankly, to comment on this decision by the U.S., effectively

saying that they won't comment on military moves made by an ally. But still, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was asked about this decision that

just this morning, as he was departing on a foreign trip, take a listen to what he said as he tried to downplay the significance or any connection to

the incident last week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: The Department of War is constantly reallocating resources where they need to be. There's regular rotations

that happen as well, so. I think you guys are just -- well, I mean, we've documented what happened last week. I wouldn't directly tie that to the

move that was made.

[09:20:00]

The only reason why you guys are focused on how many planes are Fairfield is because of the threat that happened last week. But it's not unusual to

see rotations happen and movement of assets to different parts of the world based on exercises, redeployments, people changing out and new people

coming in, new planes coming in, old planes going out. So, crews are changing all the time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COHEN: So, Becky, in some ways, what Secretary Rubio is saying there about it's not unusual to see assets redeployed to other areas of the world. That

is correct. The U.S. does regularly move its assets around, depending on exercises, depending on needs around the globe.

But at the same time, in this case, it is unusual we're told that these bombers, all of them that were at this base in the UK, are being sent back

to the United States, which of course does impact the U.S.'s ability to project power globally. And of course it does tie, it seems, to the

conflict with Iran, given this base's role in that ongoing conflict.

ANDERSON: Zach, I just want to be clear, and perhaps you know our viewers who are just joining us will not have heard everything you said. I mean,

how significant is the U.S. presence at that base and at other bases around the U.K.?

COHEN: Yeah, it's very significant. This is a base that is the operating location for U.S. Global Strike Command, which manages long-distance

strikes for the U.S. military. And the B-1 bomber has been a very heavily used tool, not just in the war against Iran, but one again that's used to

project power globally beyond the Middle East and beyond Europe.

So, this is a base, and not just this base, but bases across the UK and across Europe that are essential to the U.S. military's operating posture.

And for long-distance strikes, that is a key piece of what the U.S. calls its nuclear triad. It's these bombers are not technically nuclear capable;

don't operate as nuclear bombers per se.

But they are a key piece of that ability to project power long distances away from the United States, and that's really a core element of the U.S.

military strategy.

ANDERSOM: Yeah. Good to have you, Zach. Thank you very much indeed. Well, the investigation into the attempted hijacking of a Fly Dubai plane is

yielding new key pieces of information. Israeli sources say that the Omani co-pilot accused of stabbing the flight's captain and trying to seize the

controls probably acted alone.

We're also getting a new view of the frenetic moments after that attack. Footage obtained by Reuters shows passengers trying to help the wounded

pilot and a warning the following video does contain some graphic images.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: David, David, my head is --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just the head of the tee.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My head is failing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is hurting. It is hurting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Give me the --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No sleep. My hand is hurting.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Take this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Jerusalem Correspondent Jeremy Diamond joining us now with the very latest. We are getting a lot from Israeli sources, Jeremy. What do you

understand to be unfolding right now?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Well, these investigations are very much still ongoing, and the picture that is developing, though, is one

of a lone wolf attack. At least as of now, Israeli sources indicating that this co-pilot, who we've identified as Hammam Al-Hammami, very likely acted

alone. There are no known links that he has so far to any foreign government or any terrorist organization as of now.

Of course, that picture could change as investigators understand more about exactly what happened here. The United Arab Emirates, where this suspect is

currently being held, is also continuing to conduct an investigation into this matter. And we know that Emirati authorities have now referred to this

as an attempted terrorist attack.

Interestingly, the Australian Federal Police and New Zealand Police are also looking into this individual because he had apparently spent time in

both countries, no updates provided as of yet into what they may have found. But Australian police have indicated that this was somebody who had

been known to the country's authorities.

But here in Israel, the conversation is really shifting from one that has focused last week on the heroic efforts of the passengers on board to why

those heroic efforts became necessary in the first place. What fell through the cracks here in the Emirates, but also here in Israel?

And a lot of the attention has begun to focus on the Ministry of Transportation, which would be responsible for any kind of security matters

related to foreign airlines.

[09:25:00]

The Ministry of Transportation said that its procedures did not include checking the names of flight crew members, even though those names are

submitted, you know, before each flight by these airlines to the Israeli tax authority. So clearly, a huge, huge issue here. Something that's going

to be looked into in addition to the investigation into the suspect himself.

What went wrong here in Israel and with the broader airline safety procedures that could have resulted in an enormous disaster? Just imagine

if these passengers and that captain of that plane had not acted in the heroic manner that they did, had not been successful in their efforts. You

could be looking at a mass casualty event here.

Not only the 270 something passengers on board, but also if that plane had crashed into somewhere here in Israel or another city. That, of course,

would bring the casualty count up even higher. So clearly, a disaster averted, and one that is now going to be the focus not only of

investigators but also, of course, of the political conversation here in Israel. We are, of course, in election season with the campaign stretching

for the next few weeks, Becky.

ANDERSON: Copy that. Good to have you, Jeremy. Thank you very much indeed. All right, we're going to take a very short break at this point. Up next on

"Connect the World", we will get you your business news headlines, and it is the start of trading on Wall Street. The opening bell after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi. You're watching "Connect the World" from our Middle East Programming Headquarters. These

are your headlines this hour. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has caught a snap election for next month, sparked by mass protests over the

country's housing crisis.

The announcement comes less than 72 hours after his government failed to gain parliamentary support for housing measures aimed at protecting

tenants. Well, the World Health Organization says it is in contact with Russian health authorities after a lab worker died of an undisclosed

illness. The victim was working at an institute that studies the plague based in Siberia. Russian authorities say she was diagnosed with pneumonia

of a quote unknown origin.

Saudi-backed forces in Yemen have launched a major offensive against the Iranian-aligned Houthi militants. They are targeting Houthi strongholds in

Sanaa and along Yemen's Red Sea coast, including the Bab Al Mandeb Strait. The Houthis fighting back, claiming to have taken control of a highway that

links the cities of Taiz and Aden.

[09:30:00]

Right, I want to get you the opening bell on Wall Street. Ringing that today, the Estee Lauder Company. That is in honor of Breast Cancer

Awareness Month, and you can see those dressed in pink to honor that for you today. We are anticipating a slightly weaker open on Wall Street.

Certainly, that was the indication from the futures market.

Let me get you the DOW down about an eighth of 1 percent there or thereabouts, we would expect the NASDAQ and the S&P to be around the same,

but we'll let those markets settle out. One of the big headlines just breaking, in fact, involves CNN itself. The CEO here, Mark Thompson, will

remain as CNN Chairman.

Our network's parent company, Warner Brothers Discovery set to merge with Paramount Skydance tomorrow, October 6th, Tuesday. That merger has been in

the works for months and cleared a major regulatory hurdle in the United States two weeks ago. That combined company will be called Skydance, one of

the biggest merger media mergers, if not mergers, in the world.

Well, SpaceX Crew 12 has handed over command of the International Space Station to the newly arrived Crew 13 in what was an emotional ceremony. Now

the crews switching roles as Crew 12 prepares for its splashdown back on Earth, and the new crew begins its long-duration mission. Now, if weather

and conditions are perfect, the returning crew could begin their trip back to Earth as soon as Wednesday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JESSICA MEIR, SPACECRAFT COMMANDER: We are so excited for the continuation of Expedition 75 to see all the incredible things that they will do;

they're going to have a very, very busy mission, lots of science, lots of spacewalks, lots of space station upgrades and maintenance. So, we're so

excited to see what they will pull off.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: They also preparing for a unique space project. The Emirates launching its first locally built and tested space probe as part of the

Emirates mission to the asteroid belt. Now the Explorer spacecraft is scheduled to take off in March of 2028, and it's set to travel 5 billion

kilometers in an eight-year mission, flying by six asteroids before finally making contact with the surface of an asteroid known as Justitia.

If successful, the mission will add to our knowledge of the asteroid, which would be only the seventh that humanity has made physical contact with.

Well, I got the chance to speak to the Executive Director for Beyond Earth Exploration at what is known as the Technology Innovation Institute here in

Abu Dhabi, which is developing the probe. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANTON IVANOV, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR BEYOND EARTH EXPLORATION, TII: Launch takes place in March 2028. Then we swing by Venus, so we go very close and

get very warm. Then, swinging by Venus, we go back to Earth and back to Mars, and then into the asteroid belt.

So, once we pass Mars, we start flying by these little asteroids, and then the last target is the seventh asteroid that we fly, Justitia. Around

Justitia, we go into in orbit, and this is where we drop the lander. And after eight years of travel, we just have four hours of descent, four hours

of autonomous travel, and then we impact the heavy surface.

ANDERSON: How far away is this?

IVANOV: It's a huge number. It's 5 billion miles. It's 2.3 AU in astronomical units.

ANDERSON: What's the purpose of the trip, and why now?

IVANOV: So, the Justitia asteroid, it's the reddest asteroid that we have seen in the solar system right now, and it's a mystery. We don't know why

it's red. We think that it formed out in the Kuiper Belt long time ago, and then it just traveled through various gravity wells into the asteroid belt.

And it's a unique opportunity for us to actually study objects that are much further away than the asteroid belt. So, this is why it's very. We

don't know what it is, we have some theories that maybe some organic compounds, it may be rust, it may be something else. But this is the

mystery that we want to look into.

ANDERSON: My understanding is that the mission will be generally fully autonomous. What does that mean? And how much control do those back on

Earth have once the mission is launched?

IVANOV: So, of course, there is a right. There is a main Mohammed Murshid spacecraft which is fully controlled. We talk to it. It returns also

scientific data. There are five other instruments, but our probe will be fully autonomous. So, once we fix that on the spacecraft. We cannot command

it.

We can only turn it on and off. That's all we can. We can on, off, and deploy. These are like three things that the main spacecraft can do. But we

cannot talk to it.

[09:35:00]

ANDERSON: So once programmed now or in March, effectively, that's it.

IVANOV: Right. That's it. That's it. Now, like we once we deliver the probe later this month, we cannot touch it.

ANDERSON: This probe has been developed, as I understand it, built in the UAE. It'll be the first UAE board with an AI component, and these things

are really important. So, walk me through the sort of implementation of AI as a technology in all of this.

IVANOV: So, this probe has been fully built, manufactured, and tested here in the UAE. There are some components that we built here locally in

Musafir, if you know the city?

ANDERSON: Not far from here.

IVANOV: If you ever have to fix your car?

ANDERSON: Of course.

IVANOV: So, we are very much --

ANDERSON: Going forward.

IVANOV: Yes. And we are very proud of this. And there are some other local companies that helped us out. Of course, we do have also international

partnership, international suppliers, but we own the design, we own the supply chain, we own the testing, so it's our thing.

The AI component is a capability that does exist on the satellite, but for the space missions, it's very difficult to use AI because you know there

are hallucinations, and its 20 percent of the time it gives mistakes. So, for some very deterministic things, like for guidance and navigation or for

landing, we cannot use it because it just takes too much energy and time, and it may be wrong.

So, we don't need to use it. There are some applications, however, that are not so critical mission critical. So, for example, understanding which

image is good or bad. So, if we can have AI just to tell us this image is good and this image is bad, that's fine. It's OK. So, and we can triage

images which we would like to send down to Earth.

ANDERSON: Why does the UAE have such an ambitious vision for space? Such a small country punching above its weight here.

IVANOV: Because they grew up in the desert, and they grew up in a time when there was not too many lights, and they looked in the stars. You know, the

Milky Way spot here is very well known for observing stars, and they were always wondering what's out there. Why don't we just, you know, go there?

And finally, they have the means, they have the capabilities, they have the people. This is the most important part. Without the Emirates engineers, we

would not be able to do it. And space requires a lot of dedication, sleepless nights, long hours, and all this. And we have people to do this,

and they are motivated, and they want to do it, and they want to reach out for the stars that are out there.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: And more on that as we get it of course. Let's get you up to speed on some of the other stories that are on our radar right now. And

King Charles's younger brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is taking legal action against British police over his arrest earlier this year.

He's challenging the legality of search warrants executed at his homes following information from the Epstein files. No charges have so far been

filed, and he has vehemently denied any and all wrongdoing. Britain's Green Party has voted to classify Zionism as a form of racism, drawing

condemnation from British Jews and from Israel.

The Israeli government says it now views the party as a body that gives legitimacy to terrorism. Party calling for an end to British arms sales to

Israel and says it supports a single democratic state in historic Palestine.

Three scientists have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine after developing a technique that helps decode the workings of our brain. They

found a protein in algae and transformed it into what is described as light-sensitive switch, enabling scientists to map out the function of

specific brain cells.

The Nobel Prize Committee said the trio's work had opened the way to a new era in neuroscience. So, congratulations to them. Up next in sports, no

Ronaldo, no problem for Portugal once again. More on that up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:40:00]

ANDERSON: Well, another match for Portugal on Sunday, and another win once again without the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo. He, of course, left the team

camp on Wednesday. My colleague Coy Wire with me now. It was a bit of a milestone for this squad, and they came out of it on the right side, I

guess.

COY WIRE, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yeah.

ANDERSON: Thoughts?

WIRE: Absolutely. So, you have Portugal's greatest goal scorer, Cristiano Ronaldo, is now their biggest question mark. Jorge Jesus, he put -- he

benched him, right? Told him to warm up, but then benched him. Never got in the game. Well, the next two matches, Ronaldo's nowhere to be seen.

Here's the plot twist, though. They have now won all three of those matches. But imagine, you know, doing that to someone like Messi, right?

You can imagine there might be some discomfort with how that might feel for Ronaldo, telling you to warm up and then you don't even get to play.

There were some reports that suggested that Jesus might publicly apologize. He came out and said for what? You know, he said it's going to be up to

Ronaldo to decide whether he wants to come back for Portugal. And I guess the biggest question now, Becky, is with these two Portuguese legends, can

there be peace, or is Portugal going to have to go on to defend their title in Nations League without their greatest goal scorer? That remains to be

seen.

ANDERSON: And more on that in "World Sport", of course. Coy, good to have you on board, mate. Please join Coy after the break for that. I'm back with

more "Connect the World" in 15 minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:45:00]

(WORLD SPORTS)

[10:00:00]

END