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U.K Prime Minister and Opposition Leader Aim to Devise Unity Plan; Juncker Says, No Extension If Deal Not Adopted By April 12; Pilots Followed Boeing Procedures Before the Crash; Brunei Stoning Laws Draw International Outrage; Junior Brexit Minister Resigns Over PM's Policy Shift; Venezuelan's Struggle for Basic Supplies and Many Blame Maduro; Some 900,000 Doses of the Cholera Vaccine in Beira, Mozambique; New Poll Netanyahu's Likud Party Overtakes Gantz's Party; U.K MP Delivers Impassioned Plea Against Brexit. Aired 11-12p ET

Aired April 03, 2019 - 11:00   ET

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

[11:00:00] (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THERESA MAY, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I'm taking action to break the logjam. I'm offering to sit down with the leader of the opposition and to

try to agree a plan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: Well, that sounds like an awkward first day after going at each other for years. Britain's Prime Minister turning to

the opposition to team up and finally fix Brexit. So it turns out this lady is for turning after all in a far more serious political disaster.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: President Trump come and help us, she says. We cannot take it anymore.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Everything is falling so badly apart in Venezuela. Even the President's fans are turning against him. CNN takes you there.

That connects us to Algerians partying after booting out their President, but out with the old and in with the what? We dig in ahead.

Hello and welcome. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson for you live from Abu Dhabi where it is 7:00 in the evening.

The Brexit saga has brought us many things from fiery debate and steely assessments to the surprisingly frequent use of the word no. But there's

one thing we haven't really seen. That is until now. Unity. That's what the Prime Minister is now banking on. She sits down with opposition leader

Jeremy Corbyn to thrash out a plan to finally reach a break through. And they need to act fast. The European commission President says there won't

be an extension to Brexit if Britain can't reach a deal by April the 12th. That is just nine days away. Meaning lawmakers can't afford to be at sixes

and sevens for too much longer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAY: The purpose of meeting with the leader of the opposition today is indeed to look at those areas that we can -- we agree on. I think there

are actually a number of areas that we agree on in relation to Brexit. I think we both want to deliver leaving EU with a deal. I think we both want

to protect jobs. I think we both want to ensure that we end free movement. I think we both recognize the importance of the Withdrawal Agreement. What

we want to now is to find a way forward that could command the support of this House and deliver on Brexit, deliver on the result of the referendum

and ensure that people can continue to have trust in their politicians at doing what they ask us to do to.

JEREMY CORBYN, BRITISH LABOUR PARTY LEADER: I welcome the Prime Minister's offers for talks following the meetings I have held with members across

this House and look forward to meeting her later today. And I welcome her willingness to compromise to resolve the Brexit deadlock.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: About time, too, many will say. Bianca Nobilo is outside parliament. Erin McLaughlin has reactions as ever from Brussels for us.

Bianca let's start with you. We are already seeing evidence of how divisive the Prime Minister's decision to work with the opposition is.

Nigel Adams the government minister for Wales has resigned saying there's now a risk of both failing to deliver on Brexit and failing to prevent what

he calls the calamity of a Corbyn government. Will leading Brexit here Jacob Rees-Mogg said, and I quote, I think getting the support of a known

Marxist is not likely to instill confidence in the Conservatives. This is a risky game, Bianca. Can the British Prime Minister pull it off?

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the reaction has been massive from her back benches. A huge backlash to the Prime Minister's decision and she

says puts national interest before party interest and reach across the aisle to Jeremy Corbyn. That word Marxist has come up a lot in

conversations I've had with backbench MPs. And that just exemplifies the gulf between the two leaders. This isn't like previous political times in

the U.K. where really leaders of both parties were pretty much in the center of the ideological divide.

Here Jeremy Corbyn is very far left. He has celebrated Marx. The conservatives have demonized him over the last couple of years. Tribally

for both parties it's very difficult to countenance the idea of their leader working with the other. You mentioned that she's already had a

resignation from the Wales minister. And he also alluded to that ideological gulf.

Now whether or not the Prime Minister can pull this off it's too soon to tell. They're still meeting or perhaps wrapping up that meeting now. We

know that Brexit can only get softer from this point onward. That's because Jeremy Corbyn his position we know is a permanent customs union,

dynamic alignment with the single market.

[11:05:00] Lots of involvement in EU bodies. And he's not opposed to a second referendum. There remains a question mark about that because the

Brexit Secretary, Stephen Barclay, today didn't dismiss it when it came up in a question session in a Parliamentary committee. Yet, Jeremy Corbyn

hasn't mentioned it. So we'll see what he asked the Prime Minister for and how far she think she can go. Because

bearing in mind now that if they need to pass that deal before next week, the Prime Minister risks losing a lot of the Brexiteers which she managed

through attrition to win over the last couple of months and weeks by getting on side with Jeremy Corbyn and working with him. So as you say, an

incredibly risky move, but the Prime Minister yesterday had no good options left.

ANDERSON: Well, that's right. And Jeremy Corbyn of course using the word compromise almost as a weapon in his speech in the chamber. Erin, Brussels

keeping warning Britain that the clock is ticking. This is what Jean- Claude Juncker said a few moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEAN-CLAUDE JUNCKER, EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT (through translator): 12th of April is the final date for possible approval. If the House of

Commons does not adopt a stance before that date, no extension will be possible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Erin, the Europeans eager to insist that their patience is running out but they would say that, right? But any sign that the U.K.'s

future is more aligned not less with the EU is actually a win for Brussels. After all, they never wanted Britain out of the block in the first place,

correct?

ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, at this point, Becky, many people here that I have been talking to see Brexit as a forgone conclusion.

They do see that the U.K. will be leaving the European Union. The question on everyone's mind being will they leave in an orderly fashion or a

disorderly fashion and a prerequisite EU leaders have said time and time again for U.K.'s departure, in an orderly fashion, is to pass the

Withdrawal Agreement. The deal that is on the table.

There is a healthy dose of skepticism aimed at the plan here that Theresa May put forward last night. This idea in the 11th hour she's going to

reach cross party and suddenly her red lines are blurring has been met with doubt by diplomats I've been talking to here in Brussels which is why I

think that we heard from Jean-Claude Juncker, the President of the European Commission, earlier today say that she can still have that so-called short

term extension to May 22nd which is on the eve of Parliamentary elections if this Withdrawal Agreement passes with a viable majority prior to that

April 12th cliff edge. Viable being the key word here. Given that she is operating with a minority government. There are serious doubts here she's

going on the able to achieve that. If she fails the question becomes how will the EU respond to whatever Theresa May puts on the table at that

summit which is expected next week.

ANDERSON: No sleep for you guys for the next what, nine days. Everything is up for grabs still of course, to both of you. Thank you.

Well, disturbing video has emerged that appears to show Britain's political divisions boiling over into something far uglier. The British army has

launched an investigation into these images which seem to show four service men using a picture of Jeremy Corbyn for target practice. The video

apparently filled in Afghanistan and shared on Snapchat. The message below it reads, happy with that? CNN cannot yet independently verify the

pictures. The army calls the behavior totally unacceptable.

Well, to a disturbing new report now on that Ethiopian Airlines crash last month. "The Wall Street Journal" reporting that pilots -- that everything

they were supposed to do when the plane began to nosedive and initially followed Boeing's procedures for just this type of emergency. They still

couldn't keep it in the air. CNN hasn't been able to confirm details of the report. The crash, of course, killed all 157 people on board. And led

to the grounding of all Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft.

Well, the report portrays a desperate fight for control and raises the question of why Boeing's recommendations didn't work. Robyn Kriel is

following the story from Addis Ababa in Ethiopia and CNN aviation analyst and friend of the show, Mary Schiavo joins us via Skype from Charlestown,

South Carolina. Robyn, let's start with you. What's the response there to this report that the pilots followed Boeing's emergency steps before the

crash?

ROBYN KRIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sure. Well, the European authorities are tightlipped. In fact, not responding to our requests for comment on this.

[11:10:00] However, we do know from another pilot that was -- well, he does not fly this same aircraft, he does say that if this is the case -- and he

has not seen the final preliminary report that we're waiting for -- if this is the case then it would have been a monster, it would have been like

trying to control a monster. Obviously, a desperate tug of war as you described, Becky. And only six minutes which I imagine a number of

warnings and sirens going off within the cockpit. It would have been terrifying for those pilots as they tried to go through those emergency

safety procedures proscribed by Boeing and then trying to pull the plane up. Of course, then turning off the automated switch that automated trim,

then going to manual. And then going back to the automated trim. We're not sure exactly why that would have happened. This is all of course

according to that "The Wall Street Journal" report. However, we are awaiting this preliminary report from Ethiopian Airlines, from Ethiopian

investigative authorities.

ANDERSON: Yes, and we can't stand up -- and let's repeat, we can't stand by the details of this report as of yet. But, Mary, this anti-stall

software known as MCAS, of course, at the center of investigations into both the Ethiopian Airlines crash and that of Lion Air. As you look at

this initial reporting, what are your thoughts?

MARY SCHIAVO, CNN AVIATION ANALYST (via Skype): Well, this is very damaging for Boeing because if it is correct, it's correct that the pilots

did follow the emergency procedures and still were not able to pull that nose up. And certainly the report last week of what the final words were

of the pilots to get the nose up basically. That would indicate that the - - you know, the emergency procedures to take care of this problem don't work. And it would suggest something further wrong with what -- there's

actually a disagreement of the terms, whether it's the anti-stall system or trim control system.

But appears that if they followed the emergency procedures and the trim control system still could not, you know, be released and the pilots could

not pull that nose back up this is yet a bigger problem that's not going to be fixed with the software patch and additional desktop training. This is

a very serious problem and if they were following it and still couldn't get the plane to respond, you've got a real certification issue on that plane.

ANDERSON: Boeing official quoted in this report, Mary, suggests that a proposed update will make the system more robust. Without going so far as

to suggest that the original design was inadequate. Is that sufficient given that over 350 people are dead across these two crashes with family

and friends wanting answers?

SCHIAVO: No, it's not sufficient because now if this reporting is correct that they tried the sort of patch if you will, if they tried to control the

plane with the instructions from Boeing after the Lion Air crash, after the October crash, and they tried the system, the correct if you will, from

Boeing and it did not work then that suggests that you have something more wrong with the plane than just this software controls. And Boeing also

said that they would make the deflection of the nose less severe. And so in other words, it would only go perhaps 6 percent down as opposed to some

other percentage. I forget the exact percentages.

But if what happened here, is they turned the system off and they couldn't get the nose back up, then they've got another issue. The degree

deflection of the nose is not the issue. It's something else that they're going to have to work on. And it's very frightening. I think that even if

the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration certifies the plane again with the software patch, I don't think the rest of the world is going to be so

accommodating to Boeing. This is scary to passengers. Obviously, it's difficult for pilots. And regulating authorities need some better answers.

ANDERSON: Mary and Robyn, thank you.

Still to come, outrage in many parts of the world grows as a brutal new law goes into effect in Brunei. During the country's Sultan refuses to back

down.

Plus --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't have water. We don't have electricity. We don't have security. We don't have so many things, like the hospital. We

have broken down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Simply out of patience. Diehard supporters of the Venezuela's President now blaming him for their daily struggles.

[11:15:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Well, the Sultan of Brunei is refusing to bow to international pressure over a brutal law that will punish gay sex and adultery with death

by stoning. The controversy of sharia Penal Code goes into effect today. In a public address the Sultan called for stronger Islamic teachings and

insisted that Brunei is a fair, happy and global friendly country. CNN's Ivan Watson has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Sultan of the small, oil-rich, Sultanate in Southeast Asia of Brunei gave a speech on

Wednesday in which he did not directly address the avalanche of criticism directed against Brunei about its imposition of strict Islamic sharia law.

Instead, he talked about wanting to strengthen Islamic teaching in his country which he insists has a system of government that is quote, global

friendly.

SULTAN HASSANAL BOLKIAH, BRUNEI (through translator): Touching on the attainment of blessings from Allah I want to see Islamic teachings in this

country grow stronger and more visible in this country.

WATSON: Criticism from around the world has been heaped on Brunei after it imposed sharia law on Wednesday. Which could lead to the death sentence to

people convicted of crimes such as adultery or homosexuality. The U.S. State Department has said that this is a violation of international

conventions. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights calling on the government in Brunei to back track on this controversial decision.

And Hollywood celebrities, such as George Clooney, have led a campaign to try to boycott hotels around the world owned by the government of Brunei on

these grounds as well. CNN has spoken with members of the LGBT community from Brunei. Some of whom have fled the country in fear, others inside

Brunei describing a climate of fear that they could potentially now be stoned to death simply because of their identity or who they chose to love.

Meanwhile, the Sultan of Brunei -- who also happens to be the Prime Minister there -- insists that the system of government there respects the

human rights of all people, regardless of their race or faith. Ivan Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, Sharhiran Shahrani, was forced to force Brunei after criticizing the government on social media. He's come out as gay since

moving to Canada. He spoke to CNN about what it was like growing up in his home country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHARHIRAN SHAHRANI, EXILED BRUNEIAN: I never heard of anyone in Brunei actually and say, hey, look at me, I'm gay. It was something that I always

felt that I needed to hide.

[11:20:00] My mom would tell me like -- I remember my mom saying -- she saw somebody who was trans on the streets. And then she turned to me and said,

if you end up like that, I will disown you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Oh, Sharhiran says that's grateful to those bringing attention and speaking out on Brunei's draconian laws.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHAHRANI: I still can't believe, fathom the idea of my country installing such horrific punishment for people just like me and for the simple reason

that we are just being who we are. Without George Clooney and Elton John and the like and Ellen DeGeneres, without these people like bringing

attention to the country, there wouldn't be such a focus. So I have to thank people like them. I have to say thank you very much for your -- for

helping focus the world upon Brunei.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, the U.N. calls the punishments inhuman and a breach of international human rights law. Ravina Shamdasani is the spokeswoman for

the U.N. human rights office. She is joining us from Geneva in Switzerland. The U.N. slamming Brunei's new laws. On Monday, the high

commissioner, Michelle Bachelet, urging the government to rethink its position. She said any religion-based legislation must not violate human

right, including the rights of those belonging to the majority religion, as well as religious minorities and those nonbelievers.

Brunei is a signatory of the United Nations convention against torture, so what action does your office plan to take?

RAVINA SHAMDASANI, SPOKESWOMAN, U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS OFFICE (via Skype): Various parts of the U.N. human rights mechanisms have been trying to

engage with the government of Brunei to urge them not to bring this law into force. As you have rightly pointed out, this law is hugely

discriminatory against the LGBT community and could result in further discrimination and violence against them. But it is also very

discriminatory against women now. Adultery is punishable now by stoning to death and we know that adultery laws in the parts of the world where they

exist are disproportionately applied against women.

One-fifth of the population of Brunei is not Muslim. Exposing a child, a Muslim child to the believes and practices of any religion other than Islam

is now punishable as a criminal offense in Brunei as well. This is -- flies in the face of international human rights law of Brunei.

ANDERSON: Let's be absolutely clear. Although most Muslim nations do incorporate elements of sharia laws in their legal systems, very few carry

out the harsher punishments. Were it not for the celebrity backed campaign which our last speaker thanked, do you think this would have made

headlines? Would the U.N. have been speaking out as it is now?

SHAMDASANI: Well, yes, absolutely. In fact, we've been engaged on this issue since 2014. When Brunei first proposed this change to the penal

code. There was a real international outcry at that time as well, including by the U.N. Human Rights Offices, and various U.N. special

operators, this law was then shelved. We were hoping for a similar outcome this time.

And just to be clear, there is no contradiction between religious doctrine and international human rights law. Indeed the fundamental tenets of both

are very much compatible. What we are urging the government of Brunei to do is to shelve this law and to initiate a consultation including religious

leaders from different communities, governments leaders, civil society. People from different walks of life to come up with the law that can

effectively fight crime while at the same time upholding human dignity and human rights. This is possible.

ANDERSON: Is that likely?

SHAMDASANI: Well, we are stretching our hands out to the government of Brunei and offering our assistance. Our office has quite a bit of

experience in this field and has developed a declaration called, "Faith for Rights" involving members and leaders of various religious communities from

around the world. It is possible and our hand is outstretched for the government of Brunei to accept.

ANDERSON: With that we're going to leave it there. We thank you very much indeed for joining us. Just to close out here, according to the ILGA, six

United Nations member states already impose the death penalty for consensual same-sex acts. Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Nigeria, Sudan and

Somalia.

And you can always follow the latest on this story at CNN.com. Many of Brunei's LGBT community have fled their homes fearing for their safety.

They're encouraging others to follow their lead. You can read about that by logging on to CNN.com.

[11:25:00] Coming up, Venezuela's government ramps up pressure on Juan Guaido, as supporters of President change their tune.

And then -- two decades of rule over in an instant. Algeria's President steps down. The protesters say, it's not enough to meet their demands.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Welcome back. And if you are just joining us, you are more than welcome. I'm Becky Anderson. This is CONNECT THE WORLD out of the UAE.

Some news just into us from the U.K. Junior Brexit minister, Chris Eaton Harris has just resigned from the government saying that the Prime

Minister's shift on Brexit quite makes my job in the government irrelevant. He made the announcement on Twitter. Now this all follows the resignation

of the governments minister to Wales over what is Theresa May's decision to sit actually sit down with the opposition leader, Jeremy Corbyn, and try

and hash out a solution to this Brexit mess.

Well, no electricity, no water and simply fed up as Venezuelans struggle with the most basic of necessities. Support in some neighborhoods for

President dwindles. The government of Nicolas Maduro is stepping up pressure on the National Assembly President, Juan Guaido. The national

constituent assembly has voted to allow an investigation of Guaido to move forward. David McKenzie explains why this is significant from Caracas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[11:30:00] DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Becky, the moves by the Maduro regime shows they're trying to pile on the pressure on opposition

leader Juan Guaido. Possibly paving the way for his arrest. And despite that apparent confidence, a new draft U.N. report suggests that the

humanitarian situation in Venezuela is in a crisis.

(voice-over): Venezuela's President could always count on this neighborhood in Caracas for support. Now they want Nicolas Maduro out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We don't have water. We don't have electricity. We don't have security. We don't have so many things in the hospital. We

have broken down. Venezuela right now is broke down.

MCKENZIE (on camera): Are you're angry right now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yes. Very angry. Very angry.

MCKENZIE (voice-over): Angry and some asking for help.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): President Trump, come and help us, she says, we cannot take it anymore.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We'll see. We'll see.

MCKENZIE: Trump hasn't ruled anything out.

TRUMP: Just so you understand, all options are open.

NICOLAS MADURO, VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Donald Trump said he had all options on the table. They didn't go ahead with the

invasion because they couldn't. They went ahead with the sabotage of the electrical service instead.

MCKENZIE: Maduro blames the nationwide blackouts on the U.S. but years of government mismanagement and corruption and little money for maintenance

has hammered the grid. U.S. oil sanctions could make it difficult to fix. So the shops are shuttered. And the people jam into buses for the

shortened workday. A draft U.N. report seen by CNN found that more than 90 percent of Venezuelans now live in poverty. Even in the capital, it's a

struggle for the very basics.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Listen, brother, us Venezuelans are very upset, says Javier. If it was up to me, we would have forced this

government out.

MCKENZIE: More than 3 million people have fled Venezuela because of this. The U.N. believes almost 2 million could leave just this year. But one man

still refuses to go.

(on camera): Opposition leader, Juan Guaido, says he does not recognize what he calls an illegitimate assembly that made that decision against him.

He's called on his followers to hit the streets in protest -- Becky.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, let's get you up to speed on some of our other stories that are on our radar right now.

Disgraced former Malaysian Prime Minister, Najib Razak, was in court today for what is a long-delayed trial on corruption and abuse of power. He has

pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors say he and a Malaysian financier embezzled billions of dollars they spent on luxury items like yachts, paintings and

jewelry.

A U.S. Congressional committee has just authorized a subpoena for the full unredacted Mueller report and its underlying evidence. The Democratic

chairman hasn't said when he might use it. Donald Trump's Attorney General has released just a full-page summary of Mueller's report so far. He said

he's working to strip out confidential material.

And ballots are being recounted in eight districts in Istanbul. Turkey's election board approved the recount after an appeal by the ruling party.

Initial results show the AKP narrowly lost Sunday's narrow race. A humiliating defeat in one of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's traditional

seat of power.

Well to a new political era. This time in Algeria. President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has stepped down after 20 years in power. He yielded two weeks

of mass protests. Algerian's Constitutional Council now meeting to officially declare his seat vacant to make way for a caretaker government.

Protesters celebrate the news of Bouteflika's departure but they say it's not enough. They want full-scale political reforms.

So just who is President Bouteflika? And what will his legacy be? We look back now at the highs and lows of the ailing leader's long political

career.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON (voice-over): A revolutionary. That is how Abdelaziz Bouteflika was once seen. As a former freedom fighter, he helped end French colonial

rule of Algeria in the mid-20th century. But his political career ended on a much different note. The 82-year-old leader stepped down on April the

2nd after weeks of protests over his plans to seek another Presidential term.

Despite rarely being seen in public since a stroke some five years earlier. Bouteflika was first elected President in a controversial vote in 1999.

This after a seven year long civil war where 150,000 Algerians lost their lives.

[11:35:00] Bouteflika granted amnesty to militants in return for peace. While the violence didn't end overnight, many fighters laid down their

arms. And Bouteflika helped to breathe new life into the economy. As new roads and shopping malls emerged, much of this funded by rising oil and gas

revenues.

Bouteflika is also credited with reopening Algeria to the world. Emerging as an ally for the U.S. in the war on terror. In 2001, Bouteflika was

criticized when security forces quelled protests by ethnic Berbers seeking greater rights, which they also did a decade later. Alongside thousands of

Algerians who demanded more freedom during the Arab Spring.

Bouteflika managed to survive, but militant Islam in Algeria did too. A series of bombs rocked the capital Algiers in the 2007 attack claimed by Al

Qaeda's North Africa branch. In 2013, dozens of hostages were killed in a terrorist attack on a gas plant in the south. And in 2014, ISIS inspired

militants beheaded a French tourist.

Bouteflika won a fourth term the same year, which would also prove to be his last. His successor now inherits an oil rich OPEC member on the

doorsteps of Europe still trying to put an end to militant Islam at home.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson for you.

Coming up, he's facing indictment on fraud and bribery charges and a stiff challenge in upcoming elections, but a new poll has some encouraging news

for the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. More on that after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: UNICEF says cholera is spreading rapidly in Mozambique after a devastating cyclone tore through the country last month. The aide group

says that Mozambique's Health Ministry has now confirmed more than a thousand cholera cases. One person so far has died. We'll do more on that

with a guest on the ground from UNICEF in just a moment. This is a mammoth task. We'll find out just how realistic it is before a second disaster in

Mozambique.

Before we do that, a new poll shows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's gaining momentum just a week before crucial elections. His

Likud Party has taken a slight lead over his main rivals Blue and White Party. But they are still essentially neck and neck. The channel 13 news

poll projects 29 seats in Parliament for Likud and 28 seats for Benny Gantz's party.

[11:40:00] But in Israel, governing is all about building coalitions. So there are other factors at play. Our Michael Holmes is live in Jerusalem

for you with the details tonight -- Mike.

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, there, Becky. Yes, Benjamin Netanyahu has been busy rallying his supporters this week. He's been

saying despite the poll numbers they should not get complacent. As you said, the latest channel 13 poll for first time in weeks has his Likud

Party ahead of his main challenger. That main challenger is a man called Benny Gantz and his Blue and White Party. Of course, trying to dislodge

Netanyahu as Prime Minister and bring in a new era of Israeli politics. Let's have a look at it.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES (voice-over): The man who wants to be Israel's next Prime Minister, Benny Gantz. He served as his country's military chief under the incumbent

Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Together they led the country through two wars in Gaza, but that hasn't stopped Netanyahu's Likud Party from

slamming Gantz on the campaign trail. Gantz has fired back at those who say he might have military credentials but no political experience,

particularly on the world stage.

BENNY GANTZ, ISRAELI BLUE AND WHITE PARTY LEADER: I said to the Prime Ministers before, Presidents before, chief of staff before, what are you

talking? Is my starting point anywhere worse than what was Netanyahu's 13 or 15 years ago?

HOLMES: Security is always the main issue in Israeli elections and Gantz has support from former defense chiefs and front-line soldiers. Alon

Ziderman was a paratrooper in the 2014 Gaza war. He had no direct contact with the then chief of staff, but the impression Benny Gantz made him on

him was a factor in his decision to support him.

ALON ZIDERMAN, STUDENT: I think that Israelis vote for their Prime Minister because of his security background. And I think that with Benny

Gantz and his partners, former -- three former chief of staffs, I think he has that covered.

HOLMES: Then there's Ehud Barak, former prime minister, and his country's most decorated soldier.

EHUD BARAK, FORMER ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Benny said for many years the meetings of the cabinet and government meetings they're discussing the most

political issues of the country. So he's much better prepared than Bibi when he came to power.

HOLMES: In Tel Aviv, Gantz will when voters in the homestretch. He's neck-and-neck with Netanyahu in the latest polls. But Israeli politics

isn't about head-to-head, neither man will win outright and it's all about who can form a coalition with nearly a dozen smaller parties.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Yes, and, Becky, that recent polling that you mentioned, putting Mr. Netanyahu ahead of Gantz's Blue and White, that's going to confirm the

former military chief of staff. But you've got to remember, only days ago Gantz was the one leading in another usually reliable poll. But overall,

the polls here are not terribly reliable. As polls can be. And we have seen in the past. And as we said in that report it's not about the head-

to-head because neither man is going to get enough to win outright.

They do then need to negotiate a coalition with what is nearly a dozen smaller parties at the moment. Netanyahu has the edge in that regard. And

with less than a week to go before the election, Benny Gantz, well he may have risen to the top of the defense hierarchy in Israel but now he has to

convince the electorate he can also run the country -- Becky.

ANDERSON: Yes. Fascinating. Michael, a week to go, busy times out there. Thank you, sir.

Well, aid organizations are now nearly a million doses of cholera vaccine in the hard-hit coastal city of Beira. And as we know, time is of the

essence. Cholera can kill quickly if it is left untreated. But getting the vaccine administered to people who need it is a monumental task.

Joining me now is James McQuen Patterson. He chief of health and nutrition with UNICEF in Mozambique. These are oral vaccinations as I understand it.

How quickly do the doses need to be delivered and administered to prevent a second massive disaster in Mozambique, sir?

JAMES MCQUEN PATTERSON CHIEF, HEALTH AND NUTRITION AT UNICEF (via phone): Well, the vaccine has already arrived and are currently being delivered as

of today. The vaccines arrived last night, nearly 900,000 doses. And early this morning, the provincial governor, together with the partners,

launched a campaign that would vaccinate everyone in Beira over 1 year of age, as well as several of the surrounding districts that are at high risk

for cholera transmission.

ANDERSON: We were on the ground, sir, just a week ago. We witnessed the impact of the cyclone Idai on Beira. Also witnessed a city, you know,

getting back to business.

[11:45:00] It was the challenge of getting to people away from the coastal city in remote areas. That was so clear. Conditions that they are

surviving in, living in would be too generous of a word for the conditions. How realistic is it that outside of Beira you can get these vaccines to

people who will need it the most?

PATTERSON: We're very optimistic now. We can see a significant improvement in that aspect. You can see every day many people who work on

the front lines, there is the doctors and nurses that were directly affected by the cyclone, and they continued to working daily. So the plan

that has been put together for the cholera vaccination campaign, we couldn't use cars and motorbikes to these remote areas, but boats and

helicopters are also being called in. There's boats and helicopters who will take teams of five people with necessary vaccines and place them in

the communities that are not currently reached by road access.

ANDERSON: And these vaccines have to be delivered as I understand it within about five days, correct?

PATTERSON: The campaign is scheduled to take five days. If necessary, it would be extended for additional days. But there's a huge enthusiasm

amongst everyone on the ground to implement this campaign as quickly as possible. It's really a monumental feat. It's the partners coming

together to make this happen as a collaborative effort.

ANDERSON: Sure. Do those partners include the government? When we were on the ground, you know, we witnessed and I reported on the incredible

effort by the sort of global aid operators in the makeshift headquarters in Beira. And it was clear that emergency response was going to be some

months before the aid agencies really felt sufficiently confident to not pull out necessarily, but to scale down the operations. How would you

assess the government doing in their coordination with agencies at this point?

PATTERSON: I think that they're doing a monumental job. I think it's really important to remember that the people that are leading this to

impact direct -- directly impacted by the response, nonetheless, they have continued to do their service and to do their duty. It's an incredible

thing, to see so many international partners come together that are being coordinated under the leadership of government.

ANDERSON: Yes. We're looking at the pictures now. Again, got to see the pictures are of flooded lands. But lands where at least communities are

evident these days. We go back and we have a look at pictures from just after the cyclone that we're looking at now. And we are reminded of just

the inland ocean that was created and the desperation of the people as they sat with water some 8, 10, 12 meters high. As they survived on the top of

roofs. It's not just cholera, of course. And you will be well aware of this.

As this cholera vaccination campaign gets under way and you sound optimistic about that and that's good news. There are other risks of

course, aren't there? That of malaria and other waterborne diseases. Again, I'll ask again how is the government coping with the aid agencies in

ensuring that those are prevented?

PATTERSON: Well, I hope you saw last week in the first days of the response, working with the support and we think we were able to put the

water supply back on in Beira. That service 500,000 people and water continues function. And in fact, part of the cholera response is to make

sure that that water continues to flow in and is of a high quality. Not something that would transmit any sort of illness and cholera or otherwise.

Since you were there last week, water (INAUDIBLE) put on in Macurungo, and Nhamatanda, which are two of the communities that were directly affected.

I think the remaining challenge is (INAUDIBLE) which did receive very significant flooding. Access remains a challenge. Work teams, whether it

be health teams or water teams or food teams or shelter teams, are all flying in to provide support under the leadership of government.

ANDERSON: And when will -- do you think when will people who've been displaced by cyclone Idai and the subsequent flooding, when will they be

able to go back home?

PATTERSON: I wouldn't be able to give you an exact estimate of when that would be. I would say my own experience I have seen directly that large

numbers of people are extraordinarily resilient and recovering very quickly. Beira and the other cities that are reachable by road, very much

have the characteristics of people that are getting back to their lives. Putting their lives back together which is remarkable.

[11:50:00] But inside of that, you still have tens of thousands of people that are displaced and are in camps. These are the people that really lost

everything. They're at the greatest risk of infectious disease and need support to get their lives back on track. That I think will take some time

for it to ensure that we can reach and identify all of the people with the first basic package of support and services. And then to identify together

under the leadership with the government how the people can safely reintegrate and resume their lives with everyone else.

ANDERSON: And that will be the challenge and the government will be held accountable for that. James, thank you for that. An update for you from

the ground in Mozambique.

Well, live from Abu Dhabi where we are based here in our Middle East broadcasting hub. I'm Becky Anderson, this is CONNECT THE WORLD.

Coming up, debate, division and defiance. The British lawmaker standing up to make the days against Brexit no matter what the government or the public

might think.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Well the backstop, Article 50, Withdrawal Agreement, we have heard this jargon again and again, haven't we. To the point where many

people in Britain and I'm sure around the world, including you viewers, have simply stopped caring about Brexit. But one MP, one lawmaker, hasn't.

That is Labour's David Lammy and this is why.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID LAMMY, BRITISH LABOUR MP: Most MPs now recognize in private but do not say it in public. Brexit is a con, a trick, a swindle, a fraud. A

deception that will hurt most of those people that promised to help. A dangerous fantasy which will make every problem it claims to solve worse.

A campaign won on false promises and lies. Vote Leave and Leave EU, both broke the law.

You were sold a lie. Parts of the media used your fears to sell papers and boost viewing figures.

Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson exploited the same prejudice to win votes. Shame on them. Immigrants have not taken your jobs, our schools and

colleges failed to give you the skills.

Hospitals are not crumbling because of health tourists, not because of decades of austerity that ground them down to the bone.

[11:55:00] You cannot afford a house because both parties failed to build, not because of Mohammed down the road who moved it. And wealth was hoarded

in London when it should have been shared across the country.

Blame us. Blame Westminster. Do not blame Brussels for our own country's mistakes and do not be angry at us for telling you the truth. Be angry at

the chancers who sold you a lie.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, holding nothing back there, Labour MP David Lammy. Not everybody is going to agree with him. But many are hoping that the Prime

Minister and the opposition can now reach what is in the best interests of the British people despite all the divisions we have seen. Don't forget,

this referendum result was back in 2016. In June of 2016. There may be a Brexit war in Theresa May's own party. In fact, I wager there is but no

one wants that. The British people deserve some Brexit peace.

I'm Becky Anderson. That was CONNECT THE WORLD. Thank you for watching.

END