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South American Experiencing Worst Flooding in Decades; Iraq's Prime Minister Vows To Push ISIS out of Iraq in 2016; United Tie with Chelsea Buys Manager Time. Aired 11a-12p ET

Aired December 29, 2015 - 11:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[11:00:36] BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: An ambitious promise. Iraq's Prime Minister vows to drive ISIS from the country in the next 12 months.

In just a moment, we're going to hear more from a government void after declaring victory in Ramadi. I ask an Iraqi minister about strategy,

next steps.

Also ahead, submerged streets in South America as the worst flooding in decades drives thousands from their homes.

We're live from a community struggling to cope.

And managing to survive, Manchester United's beleaguered boss says he won't resign after another draw. All the latest on that story is just

ahead.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is Connect the World with Becky Anderson.

ANDERSON: A very good evening. Just after 8:00 here in the UAE. We're getting you to those stories in a moment.

First, though, breaking news in the last half hour. The U.S.-led anti-ISIS coalition says an ISIS loader connected to the Paris attacks is

dead.

Charaffe alMouadan was killed in an airstrike.

I want to get the very latest from our global affairs correspondent Elise Labott.

Elise, what are your sources telling you at this point?

ELISE LABOTT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, the coalition just announced Colonel Steve Warren, the spokesman, that this gentleman was

killed along with ten ISIS leaders. Some of them directly in contact with the Paris

attackers, Becky.

And obviously this is not taking out the head of ISIS, Abu Bakr al- Baghdadi, but what Steve Warren said is that, look, these airstrikes, this gentleman killed in Syria, which is where they believe most of these

leaders are right now, definitely they feel like they're having a touch on the synergy, really attacking the narrative that ISIS is on the rise.

The fact that they're going after these leaders might, in fact, instill fear upon some of the middle management of ISIS, not to undertake

these attacks because they'll be hunted down, Becky.

ANDERSON: As far as I can tell the Pentagon saying he was actively planning more attacks from ISIS territory inside Syria. Can you stand that

up?

LABOTT: They haven't really gotten into much detail about that. And obviously they want to be careful of the operational details so as not to,

you know, put people on to the fact that they're trying to foil these attacks. But you saw this announcement that came out of Vienna the other

day that they are actively attacks being planned for New Year's Eve, perhaps, in some European cities.

Across Europe everyone is really on high alert and no doubt you have heard from the coalition, from the U.S. and from European capitals that they

believe that attacks are being planned, some of them inspired by ISIS, some might be directed by ISIS.

So they do think that some of these gentlemen were planning attacks if not directly, were in touch with some of the attackers in Europe and so

they think that by getting them one by one -- and right now, don't forget this is the middle

management here. They're not talking about the upper echelon, but they do feel

that this does put a dent in their ability to plan attacks worldwide, Becky.

ANDERSON: Interesting. All right, Elise, thank you for that. Out of Washington for you this evening.

Well, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abady is making a bold pledge after

declaring victory over the militant group in Ramadi. He's now vowing to defeat the Sunni extremist group within the next year, in 2016. The prime

minister also expressed confidence that Iraqi troops would soon be coming to liberate Mosul, a move he said would be the, and I quote, final crashing

strike for ISIS.

Well, the Iraqi leader congratulated his forces in person today in Ramadi.

Well, despite the prime minister's confidence, tribal leaders there say 25 percent of Ramadi, the city that's about 60 kilometers away from

Baghdad, remains in the hands of ISIS.

Nima Elbagir joins me now with the latest from the capital.

A morale boosting operation, but clearly clearing the center of the city and actually holding it going forward, quite different challenges,

Nima, and yet the prime minister today insisting ISIS will be beaten in 2016.

Is that realistic?

[11:05:00] NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, he's doubling down, Becky, with that visit to Ramadi. It wasn't just about

boosting the troops' morale, carrying the Iraqi flag in himself is also about showing that if Anbar, the most restive of Iraqi provinces, is safe

enough for me to come that means we've done our job.

But we've seen the Iraqi government do this before in Tikrit, for example. When they take the central district they then bring to a pause as

they put, they describe it, the military campaign.

The clearing out of what they're referring to as these pockets of resistance, that is a purge, again, their words that continues over perhaps

two to three weeks, that's the timeline we are hearing. But the issue is how big are these

remaining pockets? And those tribal leaders speaking from inside Ramadi putting it at 25 percent, which is not insubstantial.

But at the same time given the humiliation that was dealt to the Iraqi army saying 25 percent and not insubstantial and given the humiliation that

was dealt to the Iraqi army, the real concerns about their ability to hold and to

protect the territorial integrity of this country back in may when Ramadi fell, it is

perhaps understandable that the prime minister is keen to claim this victory as

quickly as he can, Becky.

ANDERSON: Yeah, lest we forget, there are hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians displaced by this fighting. How are they coping?

ELBAGIR: Well, and that really has been one of the real moments of hope and optimism in this. We're hearing hundreds of families have been

able to move from other territorial possessions in Anbar, other ISIS-held territories into

that central Ramadi district where the government is in control. They're taking shelter there, they're being fed, they're being looked after. So

that for people who have gone through some of the most horrific experiences will be a real moment of mercy.

But that comes against the backdrop of the International Organization of Migration announcing that it's here in Iraq that they have seen both the

highest rates of displacement this year and the fastest rates of displacement. And given what we're witnessing just across the border in

Syria, it is absolutely heartbreaking that it is perhaps worse in parts of this country, Becky.

ANDERSON: Yeah. All right, Nima. Nima is in Baghdad for you this evening, thank you for that.

Challenges, then, clearly remain for Iraqi troops and indeed for civilians across the country, but particularly in Ramadi. I'm joined now

by phone from Baghdad by the Iraqi finance minister, former foreign minister, Hoshiyar Zebari.

Sir, how long before Ramadi is fully secure and life returns to normal for civilians?

HOSHIYAR ZEBARI, IRAQI FINANCE MINISTER: Yes, Becky.

Well, Ramadi is liberated literally. I mean, the Iraqi security forces have taken the main government compound in downtown Ramadi. And

this we have seen before like Tikrit. It will take some time to clear from remaining pockets and ordinance and to get rid of all this mines and bombs

that, car bombs and house bombs I would say.

Really but this -- I think today it was a declaration of victory by the prime minister's visit there. And there are some remaining areas of

Ramadi. Ramadi, Becky, is one of the largest provinces in Iraq in terms of territory.

ANDERSON: Right.

ZEBARI: Still, fallujah and some other parts are still under the ISIS or

Daesh control.

But this victory would not have been achieved without the sustained support and the airstrikes and the -- by the U.S. and the coalition and the

support in terms of logistical and training that really have led to this...

ANDERSON: Let me -- yeah. Let me...

ZEBARI: Let me ask you, Mr. Major victory over ISIS.

ANDERSON: Will Shiite militia be coopted again in the fight for Mosul, because clearly that wasn't something that happened in Ramadi for

all the obvious reasons.

ZEBARI: Well, let's well, first, Becky, the popular mobilization forces, or the Hashd al-Shaabi are a major supportive force for the Iraqi

security forces. And their goal is won by the Peshmerga, by the Iraqi security, or the volunteers forces.

Definitely they have cleared large areas. They are holding ground. They are supporting. But every area has its own peculiarities, I would

say. I think they were instrumental in the clearance of Tikrit or the neighborhood of Tikrit, but the storming was done by the Iraqi security

forces.

Recently, Sinjar was liberated by the Peshmerga. The Pershmerga closing in on Mosul from three directions.

So, therefore there would be a role for everybody, for all the key player. But that has to be coordinated very carefully.

ANDERSON: And that's important. So, you're saying there could be a role for Shiite militia in the push on Mosul.

Is Turkey's support welcome in the fight to liberate Mosul? This has been very controversial, hasn't it?

ZEBARI: Well, it has been controversial because of the recent episode of Turkish incursion, really, that was not endorsed by the government. And

it created a great deal of confusion.

But the Iraqi government has called for all countries to support it to get rid of this evil of ISIS. Turkey, as an important neighbor of Iraq,

and it has many interests, definitely, we have common interests. But this has to be coordinated with the Iraqi government and security forces.

ANDERSON: I understand.

ZEBARI: Not unilaterally.

ANDERSON: Let me ask you very last question very briefly. The Iraqi prime minister has said that Iraq will be free of ISIS by the end of 2016.

Do you think that's slightly ambitious? Is that really realistic at this point?

ZEBARI: Well, I think the recent successes in Ramadi, Sinjar, elsewhere by some special forces operations to interdict (ph) ISIS leaders

really shows that their narrative of successes can be defeated and can be neutralized and I believe with this boost of morale, with this new

successes and the demonstration of great deal of honor by the Iraqi security forces I think the momentum is there to move more aggressively

against ISIS and with the sustained support for them from the United States and the coalition. I think the job is doable.

ANDERSON: Well, the former foreign minister now finance minister of Iraq out

of Baghdad for you this evening. Hoshiyar Zebari. Sir, thank you.

And there is a lot more about why the liberation of Ramadi from ISIS is so significant on our website. Do read my colleague Tim Lister's

editorial expelling ISIS from Ramadi, why it matters. That is cnn.com/world. You can find it there.

All right, well ISIS, then, diminished somewhat in Iraq and some success against its leadership in Syria as we have learned in the past

hour.

But European capitals are still tense after the group's assault on Paris last month and now Belgian police have arrested two people of

suspected of plotting attacks in Brussels over New Year's.

Now, a counter terrorism official there tells CNN they appear to have been inspired by ISIS.

CNN's Erin McLaughlin joining us now live from London with more details.

Erin, what were their targets?

ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Becky.

We are actually getting new information about the targets of this alleged plot. According to a senior official, they believe that the

targets, bulletin, was sent out on Monday to police officials and in that bulletin they warned the police of a specific threat against the Grande

Place which is this very ornate, historic tourist attraction in the heart of Brussels. They also warned of specific threats against police, as well

as police stations and headquarters in Brussels.

Now, that was followed up this morning by the public announcement, the public

announcement from the federal prosecutor's office warning members of the public of this attack, alerting them potential attack, rather, plot,

alerting them to to the two arrests that were made, six were questioned Sunday and Monday in a series of raids out of those six four were released,

two were charged with terrorism-related offenses, one of which is charged with coordinating or being the leader of

the attacks as well as a recruiter.

Now, the identities of the suspects detained has not -- have not been released as this investigation is ongoing. Though out of this, authorities

have taken the decision today to raise the terror threat level for police and military from two to three out of a possible four, meaning that an

attack is possible and likely.

Keep in mind, following the Paris attacks, the threat level for all of Belgium has remained at three.

[11:15:40] ANDERSON: All right. Erin McLaughlin is out of London for you this evening.

We are broadcasting from the UAE. Thank you, Erin.

Still to come tonight, floods, snow, tornadoes and rainstorms: several continents struggle with extreme weather and it is not over yet. Taking a

very short break. Back with that after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Well, parts of the United States bracing for more extreme weather after at least 43 weather-related deaths in the past week alone.

Now, the storm that is causing much of the havoc now heading east, heavy rainfall in the northeast and rain likely to drench the southeast.

Now, other parts of the U.S. struggling to catch a bit of a break. Flash floods have ravaged central Missouri. Authorities now say the state

could face flooding through early next week. And Texas dealing with freezing temperatures after a series of deadly tornadoes just a few days

ago.

Talking about them on this show at this time yesterday.

Well, South America also facing devastating weather. The region is seeing some of the worst flooding in decades. Heavy rain has displaced

more than 160,000 people across Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.

Conditions blamed on El Nino, a weather phenomenon that you will be aware warms up the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Well, CNN en Espanol correspondent Diego Laje joins us now near Salto Grande Dam (ph) in Uruguay. And Diego, you're right at the epicenter of

this crisis. Describe conditions where you are and the importance of this dam, if you will.

[11:20:48] DIEGO LAJE, CNN ESPANOL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. We're at the epicenter of the crisis because first I'm going to show you the pictures

and let you see what's going on. You see a dam behind me that joins Argentina and Uruguay. Right now, the authorities are letting water

through. Why? Because the dam is inches, centimeters away, from being overflown by the water behind this dam.

If -- just to give you an idea, this very ground we're standing on would be completely underwater if this dam was not here and two large

100,000 plus people towns on both sides of the river, Uruguay and Argentina, would be completely submerged.

Right now, authorities have to open the gates and let the river, the Uruguay River on my right, gain level. Yeah. Go up in level and really

threaten a number of levees that protect the towns, but they have to let this happen because they can't let the water run above, over the dam.

So right now, many people are taking very, very hard choices.

They have not spoken with us yet. They're telling us there's going to be a press conference tomorrow morning to discuss -- to further discuss

what's going on because if it's -- if the bad weather stays, if it keeps raining, Becky, what will happen is that they will have to further open the

flood gates and let the river just go up in level.

This will mean immediately in a very short time tens of thousands more evacuee that is will add to the very long list of 160,000.

So, the situation right now is critical. Authorities are looking to the sky

and praying that the rain just stops. But in reality it just stopped a few minutes ago and the forecast still has a lot more water, Becky.

ANDERSON: This is remarkable.

What is the forecast at this point?

LAJE: The forecast at this point is more rain. And the discussion here, what weather people cannot really foretell or it's very hard to

foretell is how much rain.

They have rain in the forecast. That is as bad as it gets. And now they say that if it rains more than 30 to 40 millimeters above that figure

then the full dam will have to be opened, all the water will have to be allowed to go through and this will mean tens of thousands more evacuees in

Concordia, on the Argentine side to my right, and Salto here on the Uruguay side almost instantaneously.

They're trying in some cases -- we have already spoken to the police. They have -- on the Argentine side, they already have a contingency plan in

place because, of course, the weather is looking really bad and this is the wrong season. This is the rainy season anyway, Becky.

ANDERSON: Yeah. And Diego, just as you're speaking we have got these aerial shots, which really give us a sense of just how bad things are. For

the time being, thank you very much, indeed and the best of luck to those in the area, of course.

Across the Atlantic, the UK struggling to cope with what is unprecedented flooding, as well. And parts of Northern England still

inundated, even though water levels have begun to recede. But a new storm system is threatening to reverse the progress. It is expected to sweep in

Tuesday evening.

Several severe flood warnings are in place and hundreds of soldiers have been deployed to help with evacuations and emergency services.

Well, the pictures there out of York in England.

Live from Abu Dabai, this is Connect the World with me Becky Anderson.

Coming up, will he stay or will he go? We've got the latest on the fate of the Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal.

First up, though, we head to the historic city of Rome where an Italian renaissance is capturing the attention of foreign investors, that

is in One Square Meter and that is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[11:28:15] JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rome's Via Vaneto, a street that's synonymous with the Italian scooter.

As I tour the area where I once lived, it's hard not to think of Federico Fellini's La Dolca Vita.

The king of papparrazi Reno Barillette (ph), who shared tales of famous photos and being roughed up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It was like a theater. All the international stars -- John Wayne, Kid Douglas (ph), Humphrey Bogart --

they all walked this street.

DEFTERIOS: Today's Via Veneto is a shadow of its former self. The best example, the once famed Cafe de Paris, shuttered by police for alleged

links to an Italian crime family.

But times are achanging. Five star hotels have struck a cord with foreign buyers. This liberty styled hotel, the Regina Balloni (ph) was bought by a

Qatari sovereign fund. Next door, there's the Grand Palace, scooped up by a Singaporean hotel group. And across the street, the fabled

Excelsior is on the sales block.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And who are we to change the essence of the history of Rome. No, no, no.

DEFTERIOS: Marc Lanoir (ph) is general manger of the Excelsior and the St. Regis (ph), yet another purchase by Qatari hotel group allowing for a

well funded renovation plan.

How would you describe this burst of investment into the hospitality sector throughout this zone of Rome?

UNIDENITIFIED MALE: In the city center of Rome, there is not much space to build new hotels. I mean, what you need to do is whatever is there

I mean, just renovate it and I mean you're going to have a return on investment, which is going to be very fast.

DEFTERIOS: A map of the area captures the investment picture. All told, there have been six hotel transactions in two years.

This buying spree stretches from here, Via Veneto in Rome, to Venice in the north and cities like Milan and Florence. And it's been interpreted

in two ways by Italians. One, as an endorsement to the country's potential in tourism. But number two, there are real concerns expressed about selling

hospitality treasures of the country to foreign buyers.

But patriotism aside, locals are keen on investment, whether from home or away. The general manager of Harry's Bar and the head of the Via Veneto

association has produced five books to illustrate how he believes the city government of Rome has neglected the brand of the street.

[11:30:48] UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The government has not invested in Via Veneto. The people don't possible walk, you know, everything is closed.

DEFTERIOS: His friend Reno sees the foreign investment wave as the last hope.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): If they don't invest, everything collapses.

DEFTERIOS: It's not reliving the 1960s, but today the beauty of Via Veneto lies in the eyes of the foreign beholder.

John Defterios, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(HEADLINES)

[11:36:16] ANDERSON: Well, it's been a regrettably familiar story, this one this year with one controversial police shooting in the U.S. after

another grabbing the headlines, something activists claim disproportionately targets American -- African-Americans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENITIFIED MALE: Wait to shoot a black man. He couldn't wait to shoot an unarmed black man.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: One of the police officer Jason Vandyke arriving at his arraignment in Chicago earlier. He's been charged with murder over his

shooting of a 17-year-old Lauchlin McDonald (ph) in 2014. He has pleaded not guilty.

And on Monday, a grand jury in Ohio decided not to indict two police officers involved in the deadly shooting of this 12-year-old boy Tamir

Rice.

Rice was shot outside a recreation center by a trainee officer while holding a pellet gun.

We can cross straight to New York now to speak to CNN's correspondent Jean Casarez. And Jean, what's been the reaction to the decisions?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think there's been a lot of reaction. I think the police union on the side of law enforcement, they

believe that justice was served, that a grand jury of the community that has had this case for two months now hearing evidence determined that there

was not probable cause that a crime had been committed so they chose not to indict.

The family of Tamir Rice believes that the system is corrupt, the prosecutor is corrupt. A lot of emotion, but they also believe that

correct evidence wasn't presented in the right way.

We want the show everybody a statement that the family has come out with. They have said, prosecutor McGinty deliberately sabotaged the case,

never advocating for my son and acting instead like the police officers' defense attorney. In a time which a non-indictment for two police officers

who have killed an unarmed black child is business as usual, we mourn for Tamir and for all of the black people killed by the police without justice.

In our view, this police and process demonstrates that race is still an extremely troubling and serious problem in our country and the criminal

justice system.

Now, of course, Tamir rice was holding a toy gun -- actually, a pellet gun. It did shoot. It was pellets. And it should have had an orange end

to it denoting that it was a type of a toy gun. That had been ripped off, torn off, removed in some way. And the officers received the call of code

one, possible active shooter. That was in their mind as they drove to that area.

Also, it is interesting that if you look at the guns, the toy gun and a real gun, you are looking at it right there, they look almost identical.

So the police and the prosecutor say that in the officers' minds, state of mind, he thought it was a real gun.

And so interesting, Becky, the original caller to 911 said, you know, it's possibly a juvenile and it's possibly a toy gun. But the dispatcher,

Becky, did not say that to the officers. He or she neglected to say that, simply code one, possible active shooter. Get there immediately.

ANDERSON: Fascinating. All right, thank you for that.

I want to take a look for viewers at the numbers for police shootings in the United States. The Washington Post looked data nationwide and found

a total of 975 people have been shot and killed by police in 2015. By race, it breaks down to 50 percent white and 26 percent black.

But watch how these numbers change when we look at the 91 unarmed people fatally shot. Whites made up just 34 percent of those deaths while

blacks for 41 percent.

Do keep in mind according to the U.S. census 77 percent of Americans are white, just 13 percent are black.

Much more on this, an important story on the website, including this article where a CNN legal analyst explains the legal dynamics of Tamir

Rice's case calling it a lawful tragedy.

For all that and more, do use the website CNN.com. You'll know that.

I want to get you to some football now and what a difference a day makes. On Monday, pressure was mounting on Louis van Gaal ahead of his

side's clash with Chelsea. The game may have ended in a goalless draw, but Manchester United put in a much improved performance easing some of the

pressure on the Dutchman.

Let's get very latest world sports, Don Riddell with us.

And Don, this is one of the biggest clubs in the world. And what goes on at Old Trafford is important not just on the pitch, but in the board

room of course, too.

That draw does seem to have bought van Gaal some more time, doesn't it?

DON RIDDELL, WORLD SPORT: Some time, Becky. It will remain to be seen how much

time.

Of course, going into this game, there were two questions. And it really may not have depended on result in the end. Would he be fired at

Old Trafford or would he walk? He had indicated after the weekend defeat against Stoke that he might walk away from the club. But he said he saw a

much improved performance.

United actually hit the woodwork twice in that game and so when he spoke to the media afterwards, this is what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LOUIS VAN GAAL, MANCHESTER UNITED MANAGER: when the players can give such a performance, with this lot of pressure, then it is not any reason to

resign for me. But maybe the media wants that, but I shall not do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIDDELL: So there you go, Becky. He is staying.

He says he believes he has the support of the board. He says he thinks the players are going to play for him. And he was much more

confident in his dealings with the media last night, much more bullish whereas at the weekend he really seemed like a broken man. So he certainly

is optimistic of turning things around, but whether the board will have a different view remains to be seen.

ANDERSON: Yeah. Any football fan will tell you that this is such an open race in the

English Premier League this season and how exciting it is.

He said after last night's game that things will look different in a month. Do you think he can turn this around?

RIDDELL: Well, he needs to sign a striker or he needs to find someone who can score goals, that really is United's biggest problem at the moment.

Defensively, when you look at their games this season, they're actually not that bad. But when you look at their last eight home games at Old

Trafford, the theater of dreams where United have always been so good over the years, they have only -- well, in five of those eight games, they've

been goalless draws. They've not been scoring goals at all. Rooney's not been playing that well. A former striker of theirs Chicharito is currently

playing in Germany. They sold him, and scored in 19 of his last 22 games, so that's particularly galling for United

fans when they look at what they could have had.

In fact, because they don't have anyone right now who can score goals. They need to go out in the January transfer window and purchase a goal

scorer otherwise I think it's going to be difficult for them to really turn anything around in the next few months.

ANDERSON: And to keep his air style under control, as well. What a choice of pictures.

Thank you very much, indeed. Certainly he looking a lot better so far as his hair style concerned last night after the match.

Thank you, Mr. Riddell.

Live from Abu Dhabi this is Connect the World. Coming up, a wealthy American teen

wanted in Texas is nabbed across the border. He had been on probation for a deadly drunken driving crash. We're going to get you the very latest on

what is known as the Affluenza Teen saga. That's after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER)

[11:47:17] ANDERSON: Well, an American teenager and his mother on the run from authorities in Texas, have been caught by law enforcement in

Mexico. 18-year-old Ethan Couch disappeared earlier this month. He was on probation for a 2013 drunk

driving crash that killed four people. You may remember that.

Couch became known at the time as the Affluenza Teen, because his lawyers used his wealthy

upbringing as part of their defense.

Well, CNN's U.S. justice correspondent Evan perez joining me now with more details from

Washington. And I know we have just had a news conference, Evan. How did authorities find him and

his mother?

EVAN PEREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the authorities at this press conference in Tarrant County, Texas, said they have had a lot of leads

coming both from the United States and from overseas to try to help them track down this teenager.

And I'm told that the U.S. marshal service had a key piece of information and that was they had a cell phone that they were tracking that

was tied to Couch and that's one way where they were able to find his location.

And in recent days, they were able to tell Mexican authorities where to find him.

So it appears that with the help of the U.S. marshals, Mexican authorities yesterday moved to

arrest the teenager Ethan Couch and his mother Tanya.

Now, that's going to raise some interesting questions because she was listed as a missing person in the case although authorities said they

believed she was helping him.

ANDERSON: So he was on probation for what was, what, a 2013 drunk driving crash that killed four people. I think our international viewers

perhaps will remember this case called the Affluenza case.

Why did he run? What was he doing there?

PEREZ: That's the great puzzle, actually, because we do know that they seemed to have taken to the road after this video surfaced by -- on

social media appeared to show couch playing a game called beer pong and that would have been a violation -- anything involving alcohol would have

been a violation of his probation. He was facing -- he was having -- serving ten-year probation sentence. And obviously, that's the sentence

that outraged the victim families because they believed he belonged in jail but he was treated as a juvenile. That's what his -- he was sentenced for.

So after this video emerged, the sheriff there began investigating it and they believe that's when the mother and son decided to flee.

They were tracked in a pickup truck and it appears that's the pickup truck they were driving when they were picked up in Mexico yesterday.

ANDERSON: So what happens to him next? And what charges is his mother facing?

PEREZ: Well, first he is going to be turned over to the U.S. Marshalls in Guadalajara. We expect that that should happen as soon as

today.

They're deemed by the Mexican authorities as being illegally in that country so that makes it a little simpler for them to simply be expelled.

The mother will be facing charges of hindering the apprehension of her son. He could be facing a lot more time in prison now, because the

authorities there in Texas say that they want to move the case out of the juvenile system and into the adult court system where they can make sure he

serves several years in prison. We'll see whether that happens, Becky.

[11:50:50] ANDERSON: We're on it for you here at CNN. Thanks, Evan.

Live from Abu Dhabi, this is Connect the World. I'm Becky Anderson. Still to come...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENITIFED FEMALE: Paper is old. Paper is old. Bills. Old, you know, credit card bills, our bank statements. I'm learning how to finally

get rid of things.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: She wasn't alone. We're going to take you to New York. See why people are going shredding in Times Square.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Your Parting Shots this evening. Saying out with the old as 2015 draws to a close. New Yorkers lined up in Times Square on Monday

to write down their regrets or just things they really haven't enjoyed about this year and shred them. It's all part of the action for good

riddance day.

Here's a taste of what people pledged.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I lost 75 pounds. I'm a happier, healthier, more fulfilled person and I look forward to 2016 being my best year yet.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think the game is that we can thrive with unconditional love. We don't need people like Donald Trump or anybody else

creating fear for no reason and people buying into it.

UNIDENITIFED FEMALE: I shredded -- I'm saying good-bye to my carelessness. I need to be more focused in the new year I have to focus

more on school, my family, things that really matter to me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: A message for all of us there perhaps.

What would you get rid of from this year? And more importantly, what are you looking forward to in the new one? Get in touch, love to hear from

you at Connect the World. Let us know. You can contact us by using Facebook page, Facebook.com/CNNConnect.

Before we leave you, a reminder of our top story this hour. And the U.S.-led coalition says it's killed a leader with the group ISIS who had

links to the Paris terror attacks. Officials say Charaffe al Mouadan killed in an air strike in Syria on Thursday. It is believed he

had direct contacts with Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who is the mastermind of last month's attacks, which left at least 130 people dead.

More details on that story just ahead.

I'm Becky Anderson, that was Connect the World. CNN, of course, continues with iDesk up next with Robyn Curnow.

END