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Settling Syria; Putin And Assad Meet In Russia; After ISIS; Making Moves; Former Militant Fighters Try To Rebuild Lives; Mugabe Clings To Power; Stories On Our Radar. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired November 21, 2017 - 10:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:00:21] BECKY ANDERSON, CONNECT THE WORLD, CNN: A picture worth a thousand words. A victorious meeting between Russia and Syria. The first

of a series set to score out the post war future. We are in Moscow and across the region on this, including inside Syria for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Khalid was wounded within a day. The bullet went through his chest and out on his armpit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: CNN meets child ISIS fighters trying to turn over a new leaf. Our Arwa Damon exclusive reporting this hour.

Plus a slow motion ouster in Zimbabwe. Impeachment proceedings start, but a longtime leader Robert Mugabe clings on.

Hello, you're watching "Connect the World." I'm Becky Anderson for you in Abu Dhabi where it is just after 7:00 in the evening. Hundreds of

thousands of people have been killed millions more led homeless and much of his country lies in ruins, but Syrian President Al Assad was all smiles

during a surprise visit to Russia as he and Vladimir Putin declare victory is near. Now these pictures say it all. A projection of confidence and

success as they plan for the next phase of the Syrian war.

Russia says military operations are wrapping up making way for new peace talks that would include Iran and Turkey. Iran taking it a step further

declaring outright victory over ISIS. President Hassan Rouhani says the terror group has been destroyed. We have CNN International correspondent

on the story for you tonight Matthew Chance is in Moscow and Ben is following developments from Beirut. To you Matthew in Moscow, being

presented this, the warm and triumphant meeting between Putin and Bashar Al Assad, is Syria a straightforward win for Moscow at this point?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I certainly think Becky that both leaders are presented this as their mission accomplished

moment. They met under a shroud of secrecy on Monday, yesterday. We didn't learn about this meeting until today, Tuesday, presumably when

Bashar Assad was safely back in his palace in Damascus. All the two leader spoke about according to the kremlin leader in the television pictures of

this meeting in southern Russia is that, the military phase of this operation is basically come to an end. There is still some ongoing

operation but the major combat has come to an ends and the focus is in very much on finding a political sentiment to the political conflict in Syria.

Assad thanked Vladimir Putin for his help in upholding the territorial integrity of Syria and then two men sort of hugged on Russian television

underlying this close personal relationship that is been building over this period since 2015, when the Russians intervened decisively military in the

Syrian conflict. The optics for Russia are incredibly important, because first of all, the kremlin wants to show that sticks by its allies and that

when it backs its allies, its allies win in a military environment and secondly, it wants to show and this is important for the kremlin that it's

back as a player in the Middle East as a power broker not just in Syria but in the Middle East in general. That is the message it really wants to put

across.

ANDERSON: Yes. Fascinating. Ben, this meeting then and the one on Wednesday, tomorrow, between Russia, Iran and Turkey, comes as an Iran's

President announces the end of ISIS in Syria. Words echoed by Russia and indeed by Syria. What will and we've been having this discussion for a

couple of weeks now, but what will a post-ISIS Middle East look like? Is it clear yet?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's actually not clear that ISIS has been completely defeated yet, Becky. It's

important to keep in mind that there's still the danger of sleeper cells in Iran and Syria. And also that ISIS continues to operate in North Africa,

in parts of the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt, in Afghanistan and as far as the field of the Philippine.

[10:05:04] However having got out of the way, I think what we're seeing is the reemergence now of a very important rivalry and that is between Saudi

Arabia and Iran. It's important to keep in mind that Iran has a very old alliances with Syria going back to the 1979 Iranian revolution. It's

backed Hezbollah since its creation in the beginning of the 1980s, it's back Iraq in its fight against ISIS and fact just two weeks ago the

Hezbollah media unit put out a video of Lebanese, presumably, Hezbollah Syria and Iraqi fighters meeting up on the Syrian-Iraqi border.

Essentially underscore the fact that Iran now has a friendly corridor from its borders to the Mediterranean Sea, the entire northern tier of the Arab

world and of course that says of alarm bells in Riyadh and the other gulf countries, also perhaps in Washington, D.C. If anybody's paying attention.

Now what we are seeing now are the Saudis trying to cobble together a coalition, a coalition of Arab states which are normally squabbling, also

trying to get support from the Trump administration, also rather trying to build up a relationship with Israel as well.

But they are up against a very old and solid set of Iranian alliances, as I said, going back decades. Now as far as this meeting between the Turks,

the Iranians and the Russians, it's important to keep in mind, they are talking about Syria and they essentially will be deciding Syria's future

without the involvement significantly of the United States or any Arab country. So this post-ISIS Middle East that is emerging is going to be

pitting this shaky new Saudi alliance in the making against an Old Iranian alliances going back decades. It's going to be messy and it's going to be

dangerous, Becky?

ANDERSON: You've taken the words right out of my mouth, Ben. Thank you for that. Messy, complicated, dangerous, complex, the chaos left by ISIS

isn't just a mess to be cleaned up on a political scale, on the most basic human level, Syria is shattered, millions of lives changed or destroyed on

all sides of the conflict. Arwa Damon recently visited a detention in a rehabilitation center where she met some former militant, some of them

heartbreakingly young. Here's Arwa's exclusive report.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

ARWA DAMON, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT, CNN: Khani, is the youngest of the class. He says he ran away from home to join ISIS about

year and a half ago. When he was 13 or maybe even 12. He is not sure. He is sheepish, shy and struggles to verbalize what he was thinking and

feeling. Their lecturer who doesn't want to be filmed is dissecting and disproving ISIS's interpretation of Islam and their draconian rule as part

of the rehabilitation program. He is categorized as level 2, an active fighter. He says his mind was blank his fit time in battle.

A unit of children, teens at best, used as cannon fodder on ISIS front lines in Al-Dabaah. They would get to a fight and just told which

direction to shoot. He was wounded within a day. The bullet went through is chest and out his armpit. Days he was shot.

Again within days, he was shot, this time through the leg. At the Syrian center for anti-extremist ideology, he is with other ISIS members, battled

hardened fighters and level three detainees, the foreign fighters, most from Eastern Europe and central Asia. The wives of the foreigners live in

the same compound along with their children. This little girl was born in Iraq.

[10:10:01] Her mother says she had no idea what they are getting in to. She is Russian born in Ukraine, her husband is from Kiev and they ended up

in Tal Afar where he was assigned to the front lines with a Russian speaking unit. Her husband claims he is turned away from ISIS and its

twisted beliefs, but behind bars, they all say the same thing. He was once a kid who just loved history and geography. He still has the demeanor of a

child, one who regrets his actions and is desperate to rejoin a world that may not accept or forgive him. Or it could very well push him back towards

a brutal way of life. The center leaders say if the ISIS ideology that is the most dangerous, its grip on a person psyche more profound than

imagined. Combatting that is a necessity, but it's also unchartered territory.

(END VIDEO)

ANDERSON: Remarkable stuff. Arwa joining us tonight from Istanbul. We are talking about this hour what a post-ISIS region in the Middle East will

look like on the ground, these scars in societies and communities are very, very visible, aren't they?

DAMON: They really are, Becky, one must also realize that ISIS has been an entity that has repeatedly morphed over the course of the years, pretty

much since 2004. It is one that is also proven to be underground as ISIS's predecessor, the Islamic State of Iraq back in 2010 to 2013. Hiding out in

the deserts, which is why you see this real focus at this stage in some areas at trying to eradicate its ideology, because the battle in Syria is

not over against ISIS it might be, but there are still multiple front lines that exist in multiple front line that will very likely emerge in the

future and ISIS is an entity that knows very well how to manipulate and exploit people when there is a security vacuum, when there is a void, when

there is desperation, when there is frustration, when there is anger, so we might have seen ISIS's physical territory lost right now, but again as you

heard in that report, it's the ideology that really needs to be the center and focus of the battle.

ANDERSON: Sure. Arwa is in Istanbul for you tonight for our viewers, Benin in Beirut and Matthew in Moscow. Thank you, we'll be checking back

with all of you tomorrow to what is this three-way summit is Russia when the President of Russia, Iran and Turkey discuss Syria's future. Thank you

for the time being. Still to come tonight, viewers, Robert Mugabe by may be down, but he is not out at least. Now the coup that is not a coup is

training the country's most powerful weapon on Zimbabwe's President. That being the country's constitution. We are live in Harari up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:15:58] ANDERSON: You're back with us. It's quarter past seven in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Welcome back. If you are just joining us, you are more than

welcome. I'm Becky Anderson in Zimbabwe. And an apparent coup in slow motion in impeachment proceedings against President Robert Mugabe have

begun. The 93-year-old has been defiant since the military took control of Zimbabwe last week. Now his ex-vice President, the man known as the

crocodile is breaking his silence and calling for Mr. Mugabe to go, but the President still clings to power. Let's get to you to David McKenzie within

Harari in Zimbabwe. The question is this, how long can Mugabe hold on?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that is a question everyone's asking, Becky and there's an opposition rally behind me and I want to show

you something quite powerful. These are messages written by activists and just ordering the Zimbabweans, now many of them say they want Mugabe to go.

This one over here is written by Nicholas. 21 year-old graduate, he says that Mugabe and his wife need to be arrested and we ask, him, well, a few

weeks ago could you do this on the streets and he said absolutely not. The fear is gone. Zimbabweans are talking with one voice and we spoke to the

leader of the flag movement. He says people are getting impatient but they want to push and push until Mugabe is gone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have waited for 37 years. We will do whatever it takes to make sure that he goes, so one more day or one more week is not

going to make a difference. The fact is this, the military has spoken, the people has spoken, parliament has spoken, and his own Party has spoken. So

there's nothing left. He is all by himself. Maybe if takes one more week or two more weeks, as the people of Zimbabwe we know it's time for him to

go and that he must go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCKENZIE: Becky, there's a joint session of parliament right now where they are starting proceedings to impeach the 93-year-old leader, because he

just seems to refuse to go willingly, I think that will be the test that they can do that rapidly then there will be a sense of jubilation here in

Zimbabwe. If takes a longtime, I think people will maybe mistrust the process and possibly believe that eventually you don't be able to come out

on the street like this again and put these statements up, Becky.

ANDERSON: And this is remarkable to see this vision. I don't know if you want to stand away from the camera and move around, when you think of the

images that we've seen out of Zimbabwe over the years, the idea that there would be this sort of protest against Mugabe, is remarkable. David, very

briefly just walk us through this process. The government at least in principle is trying to do this the Democratic way.

MCKENZIE: That is right. I think Democratic might be too strong of a word. They're trying to do it in a constitutional way, in a way Becky, to

try and paper over the fact that this is a coup. The military keeps on using words like we need the process to go forward, we need the people's

voices to be heard. It appears they're stepping a little bit back from their earlier statements and attempting to let the politicians run this

through. Make no mistakes, just a couple yards away from me there's a military armored personnel carrier. This was an attempt to push o the

ruling Party. Effectively, the President who has ruled this country for 37 years is still under house arrest. A President on paper, but retro

actively it seems, Becky, they're trying to push him out using an impeachment process but that would take time, Becky?

[10:20:00] ANDERSON: David McKenzie in Harari for our viewers. Let me get you up to speed on some of the other stories that are on our radar right

now. We've been following. At least 50 people are dead after a suicide bombing in a northern Nigeria mosque. Worshippers gathered for the dawn

pray. The bomber who police say was about 17 years old carried out the attack. No group has yet claimed responsibility.

The Trump administration says it will end the temporary protected status designation for Haiti by July 2019. Now that status protects individuals

from conflict ridden countries from deportation. This means, tens of thousands of Haitian immigrants could be forced to either leave the U.S. or

live there illegally.

New pictures show North Korea's leader touring a vehicle factory, but there's been no official response from Pyongyang yet to Washington's move

to relist it as a star sponsor of terrorism. The U.S. is expected to announce more economic sanctions later on Tuesday. Anna Coren reports from

Seoul.

(BEGIN VIDEO)

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: U.S. President Donald Trump decision to place North Korea back on the list of a state sponsor of terrorism has been

met with mixed reaction here in Asia. Both South Korea and Japan fully supported the decision, backing President Trump, believing this step of

placing further economic and diplomatic pressure on Pyongyang will ultimately denuclearize the Korean peninsula. China however, was not so

enthusiastic. A spokesperson for the foreign ministry said this was a highly complex and sensitive situation calling on all parties to ease

tensions and return to the negotiating table. It comes just days after China sent a special envoy to North Korea following pressure from President

Trump to begin talks with North Korea about concerns over its nuclear weapons program.

Some analysts believe that whatever progress was made at those talks has been eroded by Trumps announcement of even further sanctions. It's been

two months since North Korea fired a missile test, a long time considering the frequency of testing leading up to that last test on September 15th.

Only yesterday, South Korea's top spy agency the NIS said North Korea is ready to fire another ballistic missile and carry out a new nuclear test

further developing its nuclear weapons program. The fear now is that one or both of these tests could be fast tracked as retaliation.

A North Korean state newspaper issued an editorial calling Trump the lunatic President who should pay dearly for his hideous crimes against

North Korea. But we are still waiting for official word from Pyongyang reacting to its inclusion as a state sponsor of terrorism, what is certain

is that it will respond with strong objections, angry rhetoric and more threats. Further destabilizing the Korean peninsula. Anna Coren, CNN,

Seoul.

(END VIDEO)

ANDERSON: Well the Europe economic powerhouse may be headed for new elections just a couple of months after the last vote. That is an option

that seemed unthinkable even a few weeks ago, but German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been unable to form a coalition government. Talks eventually

falling apart on Sunday and now Mrs. Merkel said she would rather hold new elections than try to run or would be a minority government. CNN Atika

Shubert joining us from Berlin and we really cannot overstate just how challenging times are for Germany for the wider European Union at a time,

quite frankly, when Europe doesn't need it.

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. This couldn't have happened as a worse time and it's an unprecedented political crisis here in Germany,

I mean, you know Chancellor Merkel is stable in the position as chancellor, she is still running the government, but she is also at her weakest point

that she is been in many years. She is failed to put together a governing coalition. She says she does not want to rule a leader minority government

and this means that we are one step closer to having new elections and there's no guarantee that if voters go to the polls we won't have the same

problem all over again and, in fact, what we could see and some people fear is that you could see votes again going to the far right alternative for

Germany or AFD party and in the meantime Brexit any possible E.U. reforms that France maybe hoping for all of that gets put on hold, as far as

Germany is concerned.

(END VIDEO)

ANDERSON: Atika Shubert is in Berlin and an extremely important story and Atika thank you for that. We'll take a very short break. After that

sexual harassment allegations against longtime television host Charlie Rose, the swift reaction of the U.S. Networks involved coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:28:52] ANDERSON: It is just before half past 7:00 here in Abu Dhabi. You are watching "Connect the World" from your Middle East programming hub

at CNN. I'm Becky Anderson. A story that we are following closely for you, navy officials tripling efforts they tell us to find a missing

submarine as they race against time off the coast of Argentina. The sub has been missing since last week with 44 crew members aboard and they could

have as little as two days' worth of oxygen left. Searches sought yesterday that a banging sound picked up on sonar could be a distress

signal from the crew but now officials say they don't believe the sound came from the submarine. The weather off the coast of Argentina a major

challenge for these search crews. CNN Meteorologist Chad Myers here to explain, Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Becky, any time you're in the springtime here in the southern hemisphere, this roaring 40's rolling 50's they are

filled with storms. Wind storm that just went by this area was at 70 kilometers per hour. That whipped up the surface of the ocean itself,

almost making it impossible to find anything, just white foam everywhere. Well tonight the winds will die down a little bit, down to about 20

kilometers per hour. That is good. Now this may actually be on the surface and they can't find it because the waves are so whipped up.

That would be the saving grace. If they're just floating along, can't power, can't communicate, no power, no electricity, that would be the best.

But like you said, they're running out of time.

Probably less than 48 hours worth of oxygen left if they are down at the bottom of the ocean waiting to be rescued and here's how that rescue would

happen, the sub all the way down on the surface of the ocean bottom.

Let's say 100 meter deep, that's a pretty good depth, that's about where the continental shelf is here in Argentina. A rescue ship with a

pressurized rescue module would park itself over the sub, after it already finds the sub.

That's part of the problem. This rescue module would come down and mate to the top of the submarine itself. There it is. It gets down on to the

hatch. It opens a hatch, a lot like getting in to the international space station just kind of different technology to get there.

It mates to the bottom of the sub then the top of the sub and they get together the people inside, the sailors, they crawl out, get into the sub,

stay in that pressurized chamber, almost like a decompression chamber.

Get back up to the surface and they are rescued. But this takes time. Decompression takes time and these sailors don't have much of it left.

Becky.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN ANCHOR: Chad Myers, on the story for you. Well, for weeks now claims of sexual harassment have engulfed everything from the

Hollywood A-list to the Washington elite.

And it seem as though new cases are coming to light around the world almost every day driven by the, me too hashtag. CNN's Oren Liebermann has this

look at the effect in Israel for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Israel's brightest Hollywood star, Wonder Woman, Gal Gadot on empowering figure for women trying to bring the

message off the silver screen as well. In the growing Me Too campaign, Gadot tweeted support for women coming forward, bullying and sexual

harassment is unacceptable.

I stand by all the courageous women confronting their fears and speaking out. Together we stand. We are all united in this time of change. Gadot

confirming on NBC's Today Show, Producer Brett Ratner had been removed from highly anticipated sequel.

Ratner has been accused of sexual misconduct by half a dozen women, allegations Ratner's attorney denies. Ratner has also filed suit against

one of the accuser's calling the accusation malicious.

GAL GADOT, ACTRESS WONDER WOMAN: But the truth is you know, there are so many people involved in making this movie, it's not just me, and they all

echoed the same sentiments.

LIEBERMANN: The Me Too campaign has now reached Gadot's native Israel. Channel 10 Anchor Oshrat Kotler was initially skeptical of Me Too, a viral

social media campaign empowering women to come forward with their stories of sexual harassment and assault.

OSHRAT KOTLER, ANCHOR, CHANNEL 10 (through a translator): My first instinct was to say why now, where were you until now, why weren't you

speaking up, what is this hypocrisy?

LIEBERMANN: Kotler changed her mind as she reflected on why she sounded difficult to tell her own story 25 years ago.

KOTLER (through a translator): When I try to evade and suggest lunch, he clarifies to me, no, no, dinner, and make sure you keep the evening free,

too. Then I tell him, Mr. Gilady, I'm really flattered that you invited me for dinner, but you know I'm married. Then he explains to me, what has

that got to do with it? Don't you know how they advance in TV in Hollywood?

LIEBERMANN: Kotler was accusing Alex Gilady, President of Israeli media giant, Keshet and a member of the International Olympic Committee.

She says it was an indecent proposal that didn't go any further. But Gilady stands accused by at least three other women of rape or sexual

misconduct.

Gilady has temporarily stepped down from his position, he says to focus on proving his innocence. In a statement given to CNN, Gilady's lawyer said,

Mr. Gilady denies all accusations and will vigorously defend his name and his reputation in any relevant proceedings.

MERAV MICHAELI, ISRAELI POLITICIAN: They know, they're just -- could not dare speak about.

LIEBERMANN: Politician Merav Michaeli is an outspoken advocate for Women's Rights. She sees here an opportunity for progress, even at the risk of

backlash.

MICHAELI: What you see in Israel now is yet another wave, which is extremely important, as it is in the States. But it's not over yet. It's

not the end. It's just another wave which will move us forward and we will also have to suffer backlash and deal with it. But that's how we go on.

LIEBERMANN: Defense Attorney Leo Epstein warns about the goal of this cultural process.

[10:35:00] LIOR EPSTEIN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY (through a translator): If claiming is for the purpose of sanctioning, for the purpose of annihilating

a person, then I see it as a lynch per se, a virtual lynch.

But if this process is there in order to float and to clarify and to say we were living in a sick norm and we are building a now norm and we are

powerful enough, we will not collapse from it.

LIEBERMANN: Oren Liebermann, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, of course, the fight against sexual abuse goes far beyond a mere hashtag. It's a battle many women here in the Middle East have been

part of for decades such as our next guest, Dr. Charlotte Karam who is associate professor at the American University of Beirut.

We welcome you to the show. Hashtag Me Too or Ana Kaman in Arabic, trending across this region, in your country, in Lebanon, and Egypt, and

Kuwait, and Saudi, before we move on and talk about where else we've been

And when we need to go, I just wonder whether you can explain why the response in this region is not necessarily mirroring that of the response

to the hashtag Me Too -- the hashtag, in either the U.S. or the west? How do you explain that? I think we're having problems hearing.

DR. CHARLOTTE KARAM, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF BEIRUT: I can't hear you. So can you repeat the question?

ANDERSON: Yes. You've seen the -- I think we're having some technical problems. I think we should come back to this. Let's come back to this.

And we'll -- we'll see because this is really, really, really important story.

So we will ensure that our guest is ready for us and we'll get back to that. Another major media story this Tuesday, the U.S. Justice Department

suing to block the merger of AT&T and Time Warner. Of course, the parent company of CNN.

The government claims the deal violates antitrust law and result in higher bills for American families. AT&T CEO is slamming the lawsuit saying that

it defied logic. CNN's Richard Quest in the house this week following developments for us from Abu Dhabi.

The CEO of AT&T was really quite robust in his words. Any agreement he said that results in us losing control of CNN, either directly or

indirectly is a nonstarter.

Let's be completely transparent about why he said that, the president of the U.S. constantly criticizing this network and during the presidential

campaign very vocal in his opposition to this deal, correct?

RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes and that might scuttle the Justice Department's attempt because...

ANDERSON: Ironically.

QUEST: Well, ironically because the judge who has just been appointed to hear this case, no doubt there will be claim that there is bias, that the

Justice Department's case is not based on bonafide, it is actually bad fait.

Let me read a quote tough, this is the actual law suit. It says AT&T would use its control of Time Warner as a weapon to harm competition, in other

words, Comcast, Verizon or these new ones, Amazon, Netflix and the like.

It also said the merged company would have the power to make video distribution less competitive to the rivals and that's really what this is

all about. What's fascinating, Becky, is all of this was predictable.

There's nothing completely revolutionary in this lawsuit. AT&T would say that it is because it's vertical integration not horizontal. But frankly,

it seems to have all been entirely predictable.

ANDERSON: The irony of this lawsuit, though, is that the broadside as it were from Donald Trump in the run up to him becoming president and since

highly critical of CNN, this news organization, may just scupper this. And just explain to make it clear.

QUEST: The question is, is this lawsuit a fig leaf? Is it nothing more than a cover for something that poltically...

(CROSSTALK)

QUEST: Well, is this political to do this? If it is and the animus can be shown against Donald Trump in exactly the same way as with the travel ban.

Remember judge after judge, after judge in the travel ban cases against Muslim countries has said Donald Trump's comments leading up to the travel

ban show that that was his real intention.

So if you can make an argument that says to the Justice Department against them, this is rubbish. This is nothing more than political nonsense based

on the back of the president's comments then you've got a strong case.

Unfortunately, I think that the judge involved -- an antitrust judge is also going to look at this from an antitrust point of view.

ANDERSON: And it's interesting that you have come up with this because many, many experts in this business have said since the announcement of

this deal that there is simply no precedent for knocking it back. You're saying it's been clear from the outset that there is an argument, an

antitrust argument.

[10:40:00] QUEST: Absolutely the antitrust argument is this, AT&T has a vested interest in insuring Time Warner product doesn't go on to Comcast,

Verizon, Netflix or any of the others.

Now, AT&T has said, not at all. Time Warner sells its product wherever he wants. The antitrust, the Clayton Act which is what this is really all

about, there is -- there is an argument or albeit an arguable argument that says, no, actually, there's a possibility this is an antitrust case, even

though it's a vertical merger and that's what they say here.

ANDERSON: Fascinating. All right, well, we will see.

QUEST: I think, it's going to take months.

ANDERSON: It is going to take Months.

QUEST: Months.

ANDERSON: So if you're still here in months...

QUEST: After this?

(LAUGHTER)

ANDERSON: Richard in the house for you this week. Thank you, Richard. Let's get back to out guest from earlier on Me Too in the Middle East, Dr.

Charlotte Karam is associate professor at the American University of Beirut.

We've seen Me Too or Ana Kaman in Arabic trending. What's your response? How do you -- how do you describe as it were or explain how women mostly in

the Middle East have been responding to this?

KARAM: So I think that the Me Too campaigns really coming on to joining the efforts and the mobilization that's been going on in the Middle East

for quite some time around sexual harassment -- anti-sexual harassment movements that, you know, there was a campaign that was led last year

called the (Inaudible) campaign actually in August and I think that the Me Too campaign comes and joins forces with this and moving it forward.

ANDERSON: Yes, well, let's have a look at that campaign. Charlotte, we know Lebanon is seen as one of the most progressive countries in the Middle

East when it comes to women's right.

But of course there's still an awful lot of work to be done especially when it comes to changing attitudes. Let's just pause for a moment and have a

look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through a translator): (Inaudible)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: You helped create, Mesh Basita, meaning it's not OK. As you say earlier on in any year of social media campaign designed to raise awareness

of things like cat calling, an unwanted attention, did the campaign, do you think, would it help change the conversation around sexual harassment in

Lebanon and further what more needs to be done?

KARAM: Absolutely. I think that the campaign did quite a bit and it comes on from a long history of I would say, over the last five to 10 years of

grassroots organizations and NGOs within the Lebanese context working to promote efforts around legislation that would be antiviolence or

antiviolence against women.

And so the Mesh Basita campaign, I think what was unique about it, is that it came out of the Olayan School of Business which is at the American

University of Beirut and the idea was to mobilize across sectors.

So you had private sector joining hand, with public sector joining hand, with the active civil community to try to work together to create this

multi-stakeholder dialogue around anti-sexual harassment legislation.

And I think our efforts, although very short, it was a two week campaign were quite successful. You the video itself reached over a million hits

within Lebanon which I think quite telling to hitting -- hitting a cord within the community.

ANDERSON: I was interested to see that the Me Too hashtag did do very well in this region, but it did well in an odd way, didn't it? There were

negative as well as positive responses. Again, can you explain?

KARAM: Yes, I think that this is an excellent point and we had the very similar experience with the Mesh Basita campaign where you had a large rise

of voices that were in support of the Mee Too campaign and support of the Mesh Basita campaign.

But on the other hand, you had people who disagreed with, you know, raising these issues, not quite seeing the point, thinking that it's really taking

the feminist, quote-unquote, agenda to a different level.

Some people saying that this should be perhaps a colonial effort, so there was quite a bit of controversy but in our view this is very positive, the

controversy, we want the different voices to come forward to create a platform for discussion so that we can work through this together from a

local perspective.

[10:45:00] ANDERSON: And you're making a really good point because combating sexual harassment, of course, isn't just a question of changing

attitudes, although that is a great start. Laws, of course also need to be changed.

Here in the gulf and Iran, reporting rape for example, can lead to prosecution. Several women have experienced being charged for having sex

outside of marriage and just as worryingly countries.

Some countries in this region still allow rapist to escape punishment by marrying their victims. Jordan and Lebanon recently banned this practice.

Are you hopeful that attitude changes then are leading to legal shifts?

KARAM: Yes, I believe so. I would like to, you know, also mentioned that the Mesh Basita campaign and many of the local activists here in the

country have been lobbying and partnering with particular sections of the government.

So, you know, the Mesh Basita campaign was in partnership with the office of minister of state of women's affair which is the new office of a

minister and we believe that through private sector partnership with the government and civil society this is how legislative change is going to

happen.

It's not going to happen in the regular route, it has to come forward by mobilization of multiple voices. So, you know, there was a law pushed

forward earlier by (Inaudible) in 2012 and then this year by (Inaudible), and we pass through the counsel of ministers and now we are looking for

mobilizing to pass through the parliament.

ANDERSON: Interesting times. With that we'll leave it there. It's been great having you on, Dr. Karam out of Beirut in Lebanon for you this

evening and while countries in the Middle East like Lebanon are shedding light on sexual harassment.

The wave of allegations continues in the United States as well. Eight women have now come forward accusing a very well-known American journalist

of misconduct.

Charlie Rose is known for his lengthy interviews and appeared on two networks, CBS suspending him after accusation of unwanted sexual advances

and at PBS has halted distribution of Rose's talk show. His co-host on CBS This Morning say they are having a hard time processing all of this. Have

a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NORAH O'DONNELL, CO-ANCHOR, CBS THIS MORNING: This, I know, is true, women cannot achieve equality in the workplace or in society until there is a

reckoning and a taking of responsibility.

GAYLE KING, CO-ANCHOR, CBS THIS MORNING: I'm really struggling because how do you -- what do you say when someone that you deeply care about has done

something that is so horrible?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Those are the responses from his co-host in the morning, Rose himself releasing a statement saying he deeply apologizes for his behavior.

You're watching Connect the World. I'm Becky Anderson live from Abu Dhabi for you. Coming up, they said the truth is out there but they never said

it would look like this. New details emerge about strange visitor to our solar system.

[10:50:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: More breaking news for you from Zimbabwe. Reuters says according to the country's parliamentary speaker, President Robert Mugabe

has resigned. Now the news came as parliament had begun debating impeachment proceeding.

The 93-year-old Mugabe has been hanging on to power by his fingertips since last week when the military carried out an apparent coup. He led the

country for 37 years. Let me just get you this information again as we understand it.

This is Reuters reporting at the moment according to the country's parliamentary speaker, President Robert Mugabe, president of this country

for nearly four decades has resigned. This news as parliament had begun debating impeachment proceedings and we've been talking about that all of

this hour.

That was the constitutional construction for this process -- this impeachment proceeding. How long that was going to take was unclear, the

93-year-old Mugabe who has been hanging on to power by his fingertips since last week now reported to have officially resigned, when the military

carried out this apparent coup.

Of course, he has at that point led the country for 37 years. Well, he's been leader of Zimbabwe the country's only leader since it gained

independence from Britain in 1980. He is as I say 93-years-old.

And this was his seventh term -- seventh term as president. Under his rule, Zimbabwe's economy and infrastructure have crumbled, and due to the

continuing economic meltdown, cash shortages, and high unemployment, he is vastly unpopular.

Let's bring in Robyn Curnow who has been following these developments for you. I'm waiting our correspondent out of Harare to pop up.

Robyn, interesting times in what was once the bread basket of Africa. Now an economy on its knees, but did you ever think that we would see this day?

Certainly many on Zimbabwe we didn't.

ROBYN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Now and I think this is what important here. At this moment, the man who had clang on to power and has an iron

grip on Zimbabwe has resigned.

The fact that Robert Mugabe, one of Africa's most revealed liberation heroes who then turned out to be a totalitarian but with a very iron grip

over the military and his people has now resigned from power.

He did this without being impeached, a deal, Becky, has clearly now been reached with the military that took over this attempted coup last week.

Becky, many were starting to wonder if momentum had been lost, what exactly was happening, why it was taking so long.

[10:55:00] But right until the end, Mr. Mugabe was stubborn as many Zimbabwean have told me, he held on, he refused to give up but in the end,

the military has won out. His party wanted him out.

They were going to try and do it constitutionally in the parliament but instead what we're seeing the streets of Zimbabwe, a whole new era as we

now confront that Reuters is saying that Robert Mugabe has resigned.

ANDERSON: Well, these are live pictures, Robyn, coming to us now from Zimbabwe and as we look at these pictures we are hearing from reports that

there are demonstrations of support and celebration as a result of this and what we do also understand is that Robert Mugabe himself has said in a

letter that he resigned to allow for a smooth transition of power and he said that it was a voluntary decision on his part, your thoughts?

ANDERSON: Yes, and I think this is what is so key and when we ask why this has taken so long, why this has been perhaps the most slowest peaceful coup

or attempted coup in recent historical memory, the point of all of this is that Robert Mugabe is still viewed as a liberation hero.

The general who essentially have been his henchman for the last 37 years wanted to give him the dignity that they felt they owed him. They did not

want him to go out in an undignified way. They still feel like he needs the respect that is due of an elder statesman.

This is why also Mr. Mugabe has managed to go out on his own terms, perhaps. I understand from sources within Zimbabwe that I've been speaking

to who are close to Robert Mugabe that he will remain in Zimbabwe, that he will not go into exile, same his wife.

We understand that he will stay and it is important to note that there is a veneer of constitutionality, a veneer of a smooth hand over of power, and

that's very important to the generals, and of course, also Mr. Mugabe who's legacy here is at stake.

Yes, fascinating. All right, stand by, Robyn. Let's bring in David McKenzie whose following developments from Zimbabwe's capital, Harare.

Excuse, David, as we talk, it's hard to keep up these live pictures that are cong to us from Harare.

We hear there are celebrations. It sounds as if those celebrations are right behind you there, what is the atmosphere as people find out this

news?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's incredible, Becky, just throughout this part, people started getting word -- come, let's watch together here.

The situation here is that slowly people got word, I'm going to walk a bit faster.

People got word that Robert Mugabe had resigned. The letter was read in parliament. Now we're going to walk this way. I'm actually going to run.

The letter was read, Becky, in parliament.

It took a while for people to get the word on the streets here, in Harare and I want to show you now these incredible scenes as we show the military.

Getting the people -- they're celebrating (Inaudible), waving flags. Some of them are cheering, slapping high-fives of the people and there's a whole

real sense of celebration. Let's just listen in to these crowds for a second, Becky.

This is a historic moment here in downtown Harare. Robert Mugabe the leader of this country for nearly 37 years has stepped down. It didn't

take impeachment. All it took in the end was him to see the pressure on the streets, the pressure from the military and the power of the people

here in Zimbabwe.

There is real sense of (Inaudible) here on there streets. Once the word got out, everyone screamed on to the streets, celebrating. First it was

slow, a couple of people cheering.

And then thousands are screaming on to this park here near the Houses of Parliament celebrating the end of an era in Zimbabwe, Becky, that has

lasted nearly four decades. Incredible scenes here, just a week ago -- less than a week ago, it all came in with this military. Now they are

celebrating, Becky.

CURNOW: Thank you so much. It's Robyn Curnow here. I'm going to start continue with our coverage here. Both of us have reported from Zimbabwe

for many years.

And, David, put your mike on. Extraordinary times, after all this (Inaudible) over the past few days, suddenly that final -- there it is,

that final joy, the final realization that this is the end of Robert Mugabe.

END