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Syria "A Living Nightmare" After 10 Years Of War; Military Declares Martial Law In Several Yangon Districts; Hospitals In Brazil Overwhelmed With COVID Patients. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired March 15, 2021 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[10:00:14]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): She doesn't dream of a life without four because she can't even imagine that.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR (voice-over): Syria through the eyes of children their entire lives dominated by war. Then.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think everyone's angry. There's a lot of feeling that comes to the forefront. But we also need to remember there is a victim
in our family at the heart of it.
ANDERSON (voice-over): From London to Sydney, protests grow over gender violence following the death of Sara Everard. And.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): When you run out of beds, doctors tell us people die.
ANDERSON (voice-over): CNN takes you inside a Brazilian Intensive Care Unit. Doctors left with few options to save lives.
I'm Becky Anderson. Hello and welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD. Live from our Middle East programming hub here in Abu Dhabi at 6:00 p.m. here locally,
this is our new start time over the summer months. Thank you for being with us. Well, it started 10 years ago today with peaceful protests,
prodemocracy protests in Dara'a. A decade on we mark the depressing reality that is Syria in 2021. The country and its people brutally torn apart.
When protesters hit the streets in March 2011, the Syrian government quickly crushed the dissent. War broke out, ISIS moved in, terror rained,
international players exerted influence, chose sides and dropped bombs. And Syrians over time experienced every type of horror you can imagine. And
many more that you can't even begin to imagine. You can see how it all began on the left of your screen, how it looks now on your right.
Over the past decade, hundreds of thousands of people have died in this conflict. More than six million have been displaced. More than five million
have fled the country. On this 10th anniversary, United Nations Secretary General says Syria remains a living nightmare.
Well, fighting has largely subsided since Russia and Turkey brokered a ceasefire a year ago. But the trauma inflicted by years of war is apparent
everywhere you look in Syria, and it is taken an especially brutal toll on serious kids. CNN's Arwa Damon has an exclusive look for us at the enduring
horror faced by the war's youngest victims.
ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: For many of those who are here, this is in some ways painfully reminiscent of the early days when
they were full of hope, and utterly convinced that if they just hung in there long enough, something would change for surely the world would not
merely sit by and watch them suffer.
What do I do? Use a bucket of water? A blanket? I tried using my hands like this to put out the flames. I couldn't. Amar son's body was a ball of fire.
Sultan was playing on his bike when a rocket blew up fuel canisters nearby.
SULTAN, WOUNDED CHILD (TEXT): My belly was on fire. My belly looked like all the flesh came out of it. My belly and my back.
DAMON (voice-over): An ambulance brought Sultan to Turkey. He and his mother have been there ever since. This is the last photo of Sultan before
the airstrike.
No, you are not ugly. You are beautiful. Amar constantly tells him. Sultan has an utterly disarming smile with eyes that fluctuate between sparkling
like a 10-year-old should. But at times darken as his past sets in.
He has these nightmares where he is on fire, his whole body is on fire, even his eyes are on fire and he wakes up screaming, screaming for his
mother to put out the flames.
Sultan is as old as Syria's war itself. A life that carries the emotional and physical scars of a nation. When he was five, his baby brother was
killed in the bombing.
AMAR, MOTHER OF WOUNDED CHILD (TEXT): The neighbors removed the glass. They pulled him out. His neck was slit.
DAMON (voice-over): When Sultan was six, his father died in a strike on the market.
AMAR (TEXT): I saw so many children die in front of me. I couldn't save even one.
DAMON (voice-over): This is where Sultan was born into unimaginable violence, where he lost so much. A gray, dusty town of smothered childhood
laughter, stolen by war.
[10:05:07]
Renad's family did not know that mines were daisy chained along the wall of their home. Her grandfather shows us where the first one went off.
She was swinging off the door with her siblings, and then all of a sudden there was just an explosion from a mine right there.
She lost her left leg under the knee. She has a prosthetic now.
She says her father disappeared a decade ago, at the start of Syria's war. She tells us he was blindfolded and she was thrown to the ground in the
forest.
RENAD, SURVIVED MINE EXPLOSION (TEXT): There were people passing by who heard me crying.
DAMON (voice-over): It's the longest sentence she speaks. Mostly she gives one word answers or fall silent. Her grandfather says he feels like she's
just gone blank. She doesn't dream of a life without war because she can't even imagine it.
It's been over a year since we were last covering Russia and the Syrian regime's most intense assault on what remained of rebel-held territory.
There's been a cease-fire in place since then that has been relatively speaking holding.
COVID-19 peaked here late last year. Now, ICU beds are mostly empty.
It's all sandbagged underneath here just in case there is more bombing that resumes.
This is a pediatric hospital. One of the few that remains intact. Sayeed is 2-1/2 months old and severely underweight.
They've seen a three-fold increase in malnutrition cases in this clinic alone for a number of reasons.
Years of bombings and displacement leading to greater poverty. And then, further fueled by COVID-19 border closures and humanitarian aid slowing
down.
We passed ramshackle camps with each bombardment more of them blotted the countryside. A decade, for so many, a lifetime of compounded trauma. The
past permeates everything. For most, there is not a month, a week that goes by that isn't the anniversary of the death of someone they loved.
Perhaps all that is left to save are the shreds of innocence of a scarred generation.
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DAMON: A few years ago, when we would come in a report from Syria, people would often ask us why does anyone care? How can they watch what is
happening to us and do nothing. Now they don't ask us those questions anymore. It's been 10 years of unimaginable wars. But what many of the
people here are also saying is that even though they lost territory, even though in some cases, they may have lost hope, this is proof that it wasn't
all for nothing.
They say at the very least what they have managed to prove that no matter what they will still stand and fight for their rights.
ANDERSON: Well, Arwa is the only Western reporter in Idlib in Northern Syria right now. And you can read a lot more of her reporting on Syria at
cnn.com. That's our digital site, of course, including a photo gallery of the war over the past decades. That is a look at the suffering on the
ground. But what about moving forward? Who can fix what's gone on there? America says it continues to promote a political settlement to end the
conflict and seeks to restore U.S. leadership for humanitarian aid.
But the U.S. State Department is offering mixed messages on the fate of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad, a spokesman saying President Assad has
done nothing to restore his legitimacy with the Syrian people. And there is no question of U.S. normalizing relations with the Assad government anytime
soon. But he would not say Assad must leave office words that were repeatedly heard during the Obama administration.
Well, Ben Wedeman has covered Syria since long before the Civil War. That he shows is how a peaceful uprising descended into a multinational
bloodbath.
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BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Al Assad or We Burn The Country Regime loyalists like the chant. And over the last 10 years as
Syria has plummeted deeper into the abyss. The country has burned and President Bashar Al Assad has clung to power. An uprising that started
peacefully has left as many as half a million dead by some estimates, the United Nations gave up counting five years ago. More than half the
population has been driven from their homes or is fled the country.
[10:10:05]
WEDEMAN: Unwilling to concede that its dynastic regime and decades of oppression were to blame Assad on call today foreign conspiracy. And indeed
the uprising has become a multinational bloodbath. The U.S. and its Gulf allies initially provided the divided opposition, with just enough money
and weapons to keep fighting, but never enough to win. And the failure of that opposition opened the door to ISIS in its brutal brand of madness
which brought American and European boots to Syrian soil.
Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah came to Assad's aid, followed by the full might of Russia.
Turkey also joined the fray along with Israel. Syria today is a kaleidoscope of conflicts
between superpowers, regional powers, local powers against one another, now in a stalemate.
A quagmire where it has become costly to stay, perhaps even more costly to leave. Dreams of freedom baited long ago.
Syrian American author and journalist Ala Malek witnessed the early years of the conflict.
ALA MALEK, AUTHOR AND JOURNALIST: Order instability I think have emerged as things that are more important to the international community then the
messiness of a true sort of open or Democratic society. The fear of like ISIS type, Islamic militants or psychologically terrorizes
people more than the idea of like a butcher in an Armani suit.
WEDEMAN: The official Syrian media portrays Assad survival as a victory that has left him ruling over just part of his devastated country, a
traumatized population and an economy in freefall due to corruption and sanctions. If this is victory, what is defeat?
Ben Wedeman CNN, Beirut.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, later this hour, I'm going to speak to the director general of the International Committee of the Red Cross on how millions of young
Syrians are paying a heavy toll. Also an interview with a member of an independent commission investigating human rights violations in Syria. That
is CONNECT THE WORLD in the next hour or so.
Well, there's more violence in Myanmar as the military junta tightens its grip even further. Reports say several people were killed in protests on
Monday. And this after the bloodiest day since the military took power February the 1st.
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ANDERSON (voice-over): At least 38 people were killed some name clashes between anti coup protesters and security forces, but activists believe the
real death toll could be higher. Meantime, the government has declared martial law in several districts of Yangon after China complained its
factories were attacked. China is an ally of Myanmar and many protesters believe it supports the coup.
Well, next outcry over violence against women. Fury growing after women were handcuffed, dragged in handcuffs at a London vigil for a murder
victim. We'll bring you alive report on that. And.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's the most busy time we have ever been in this last year.
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ANDERSON (voice-over): Healthcare are weary and frustrated in Brazil. Coming up next. How the stark reality that see -- they see every day, COVID
patients dying, just waiting for a bed in intensive care.
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ANDERSON: The pictures you are seeing have ignited a storm of outrage over violence against women in Britain. This protest that along with others
pinned to the ground by police and handcuffed during a vigil for Sarah Everart, who was abducted and murdered while walking home in South London.
As the outcry grows louder.
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ANDERSON (voice-over): (INAUDIBLE) over Coronavirus dangerous (INAUDIBLE) is now fighting for her job while there's a scramble in the corridors of
power. The outrage is escalating hundreds protesting again in London calling attention to the misogyny and violence they say they face every
day. Let's connect you to London and to CNN's Nina dos Santos.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN EUROPE EDITOR (voice-over): -- suburb all the way to the makers and enforcers of the country's laws.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The people united will never be defeated.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The people united will never be defeated.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The people united will never be defeated.
DOS SANTOS (voice-over): The upswell of indignation started less than two weeks ago after a young woman, Sarah Everard, was allegedly kidnapped while
walking home in the dark and later found dead.
The vigil for her highlighting many women's fears for their safety, was aggressively dispersed by officers from the very force that the man charged
with her murder served on.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shame on you! Shame on you!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shame on you! Shame on you!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shame on you! Shame on you!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We think so many people have been told to keep up appearances and to shut their voices off so that they don't anger people,
but without the anger and without talking about it, nothing can change.
DOS SANTOS (voice-over): The Metropolitan Police say that they haven't wanted to break up the demonstrations but felt the need to protect people
from the pandemic, which has left large gatherings banned for much of the past year.
The women who had originally planned Saturday's event said that things could have been different, had the police allowed a safe moment of silence
to take place.
LUDOVICA ORLANDO, ORGANIZER, RECLAIM THESE STREETS: We were going to have COVID marshals. We're going to keep distancing. And we offered the police
quite a few alternatives, including staggered times so there wouldn't be a congregation at the same time altogether. But we clearly were forced to
cancel, and we saw what happened. And, you know, this week of all weeks, they should have understood that women needed a safe place to mourn and
show solidarity.
DOS SANTOS (voice-over): London's mayor called the Met's handling of the vigil completely unacceptable. The home secretary ordered a review.
Scotland Yard's first ever female commissioner says she's not stepping down.
CRESSIDA DICK, METROPOLITAN POLICE COMMISSIONER: I fully understand the strength of feeling. I think, as a woman, and hearing from people about
their experiences in the past. Indeed, if it had been lawful, I'd have been there.
DOS SANTOS (on camera): The police's heavy-handed attempt to try and disperse crowds seems only to have prompted more people to come and lay
floral tributes and to stand up for women's safety.
Peaceful mourning continues, despite COVID regulations. Yet on Saturday night, this local landmark was the scene of ugly clashes, as officers
handcuffed women and pinned them down.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I really think that they should have been here in a much more supportive role.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I appreciate so many people coming to pay their respect, and everything. Yet, on the other hand, it's not so good so many gathering
during the epidemic and everything.
DOS SANTOS (voice-over): To the many paying their respects, the emotions were no less raw as the weekend drew to a close.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're all the same age as Sarah. She worked in my company. We live two minutes from here, so I think we're all --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're all feeling very unsafe.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And it gets brought to -- brought to the surface a lot of issues that we may have buried.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Buried, yes.
[10:20:06]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And that we've all been exposed to, and it's just -- I think we've said we've let a lot of things slip too long, and suddenly,
yes, we're feeling less safe than ever.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think everyone's angry. There's a lot of feeling that comes to the forefront. But we also need to remember there's a family
at the heart of it.
DOS SANTOS (voice-over): The U.K. Parliament will this week debate new policing and crime legislation further extending powers over protests.
Without profound amendments to better protect women, a growing number of Parliamentarians have made it clear that the bill is unlikely to pass.
Nina dos Santos, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, ahead of a special meeting today to discuss ways to keep women safe. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been speaking out.
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BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: The country is united is still in shock and grief in about what happened to Sarah Everard and we must do
everything we can to find the answers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, Bell Ribeiro-Addy a British Labour Party M.P. who has been speaking out about the weekend events. I want to connect to her now at
Clapham Common. The scene of the vigil and a stone's throw away from where Sarah Everard was seen alive. This is an appalling act. And we can only
think of her family and friends at this point. You were born and raised on Brixton Hill, a stone's throw away from the scene of the abduction of Sarah
Everard and close to where this vigil was held over the weekend.
And you tweeted the purpose of the police is to keep the peace and keep people safe. They cannot do this without listening to the communities that
they serve. What is your position on what happened over the weekend?
BELL RIBEIRO-ADDY, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT OF THE UNITED KINGDOM: Well, it was absolutely disgraceful and very worrying for me because this is my
constituency. And stratum stretches, the constituent stretches up right up to clap on common. And I think, you know, the police really did not show
the themselves in the best light. At the beginning we had the support of the local police, the organizers reclaim the streets.
And we were going to move forward with the support of Lambeth Council as well with COVID marshals for a completely socially distance event. There
were so many different measures being put in place, there was a risk assessment, everything was ready to go then it seems like a decision was
handed down from the top to stop the vigil. Now what happened is that when there was no leadership at the vigil, because the organizers of the reclaim
the streets were threatened with prosecution, we saw that it descended into what it did.
And those scenes were absolutely disgraceful. Women had come together in particular, to remember Sarah and remember all of those women that had lost
their lives to violence, of coming to pay tribute to saw the Duchess of Cambridge had come early on in that day, everything was quite peaceful. So,
to see the police man handling women, and towards the end of it really set a terrible tone at a time when the police should have been showing their
support in a community that is quite afraid many of my constituents, women in particular have been expressing their fear following what happened to
Sarah Everard.
ANDERSON: Yes. I grew up in South London myself and it doesn't need to be south lawn. It could be any streets, in any big city in many parts of the
world where women simply feel unsafe, particularly as youngsters, and I'm sure that you will -- you will sympathize with everybody, every constituent
who has expressed their fears. Look, Sarah Everard's abduction is brought to light a reality for women in the U.K.
Harassment is not an isolated event. In fact, about seven in 10 British women have experienced harassment in public. That's according to new data
from the group U.N. Women U.K. That number rose to 86 percent amongst women between the ages of 18 to 24. Worse only. What's worse, only four percent
of those responding say they reported the incident to an official organization. There's a -- there's a number of things going on here. But I
just wondered whether you just want to respond to those depressing statistics.
RIBEIRO-ADDY: They are truly depressing. And what's worse is that when women come forward to report rape and harassment, we're finding that
actually, the number of prosecutions are at an all-time low. Some people are saying they are in fact almost decriminalizing rape and harassment, I
think that's a disgraceful message to send out to our society. Since Sarah's abduction what we've seen in amongst my constituents, particularly
when the appeal went out is more women reporting instances where they had been harassed.
[10:25:04]
RIBEIRO-ADDY: And these instances happened, let's say in the past few months. And we have to ask ourselves, why they didn't feel that they could
report these instances soon? And when you speak to women, you hear that when they do, they don't feel like they're taken seriously. And you know,
if their reports don't really result in anything, we can see why they're being quite reserved about coming forward.
ANDERSON: Right. The U.K. in the midst of debating a new crime bill, one expert that I read today said this expressively, after the Sarah Everard
vigil scandal, who still thinks that police need extra powers? The answer to violence against women and girls cannot simply be more police. I know
that is a -- that is a sentiment that you share. Just explain what your position is, on this new crime bill.
RIBEIRO-ADDY: Well, on this particular bill again, it's a disgraceful piece of legislation that will restrict our civil liberties, restrict our right
to protest. And at a time like this, we shouldn't be sending the message that women's voices can be silenced in any way, if they want to express
these issues they should be able to freely, that's the kind of country that I thought that we lived in. So, putting forward this bill at a time like
this and the measures are completely wrong and included in this bill.
As you would have seen from the Black Lives Matter protests, you know, people were taking action against statues. Now, no one's saying that, you
know, defacing a statue or destroying it in any way is the right thing to do. But people are going to get up to 10 years if they do that. Now, what
kind of message does it send out that if you violate a woman, you're likely to get no time at all, or very, very minimal sentence that if you violate a
statute, which is made of stone or metal, and usually is a statue of a man, that you're going to get up to 10 years since completely the wrong message
about what our priorities are in the society.
ANDERSON: With that, we're going to leave it there. It has been a truly traumatic weekend for so many people in London. But again, you know, I take
this back to Sarah Everard and her family and friends who must be going through a deeply traumatic time at present. And the noise that women are
making on the streets of London at present is important. Thank you very much indeed for joining us.
Well thousands took the streets across Australia to demand justice for victims of sexual assault. The protesters specifically drawing attention to
allegations against government officials. Among those accused Attorney General Christian Porter. He was recently accused of sexually assaulting a
teenage girl in 1988. Porter denies the accusation and has today filed a defamation suit against the ABC Australia after the network posted an
article claiming the alleged assault led to the woman taking your own life last year.
The founder of MeToo, Tarana Burke has previously warned that Australia's defamation laws silence victims. Also in recent weeks, Brittany Higgins
former government staffer allege she was raped by an unnamed colleague in the defense minister's office in 2019. The defense minister Linda Reynolds
issued a formal apology after it was reported that she called Higgins a lying cow in her office over the allegations. Higgins was on hand at the
protests and told the ground, things have got to change.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRITTANY HIGGINS, FORMER LIBERAL PARTY STAFFER: And there are significant failings in the power structures within our institutions. We are here
because it's unfathomable that we are still having to fight this same stale title fight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And what if Prime Minister Scott Morrison, what's his take on the protests when moment -- monument -- moments for tone deafness he calls them
a triumph of democracy since protesters were able to rally for women's justice without being in his words, match with bullets.
We right back after this.
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[10:31:27]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAMI ASFAR, DISPLACED SYRIAN ARTIST (through translator): These 10 years were self-destructive. Everything that could have been built on is now
destroyed. We are now forced to build on destruction.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: A 29-year-old displaced Syrian artist there describing the toll after 10 years of conflict which has killed hundreds of thousands of people
and displaced millions more. The United Nations Secretary General says Syria remains a living nightmare. The International Committee of the Red
Cross surveyed 1400 young Syrians between the ages of 18 and 25, in Syria in Lebanon and in Germany, the findings are stark.
Almost half set, a close relative or friend had been killed in the conflict. One in six report, at least one parent was killed or seriously
injured. For more on that survey and the plight of Syrians 10 years on and counting, I'm afraid let's bring in Robert Mardini. He's the director
general of the International Committee of the Red Cross. And he joins us now live from Geneva in Switzerland. Just walk me through what else that
survey revealed, if you will.
ROBERT MARDINI, DIRECTOR GENERAL, INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS: Can you repeat the question Becky? Sorry, I --
ANDERSON: We just provided some detail on the survey that was done by your organization of 18 to 24 year olds in a -- in a number of countries of
Syrians. And I just wondered what else came out of that survey.
MARDINI: Yes. Well, this survey shows, tragically, that decades of conflict devastation, disruption is Syria, when a conflict is allowed to continue
for 10 years, it has a terrible impact on the young people. And you have one in two Syrians who had a close friend or family member killed. Two-
thirds of Syrians have seen -- half -- of young Syrians have suffered anxiety and struggle with depression.
And have their dreams shattered and the loss of total opportunities and perspective for the future. And I think this is -- this is a wake-up call
for the international community now to get its act together and to invest in the young people in Syria because at the end of the day, those are the
ones who will be rebuilding back better this country which has been totally devastated by a decade of conflict.
ANDERSON: And they make up more than half of the population. Half of Syria's population is under the age of 25. This war has defined a whole
generation. Through this survey, you documented the anxiety, the depression, the sleeplessness that kids live with every day. There is clear
psychological impact of this conflict. I just wonder how you believe that generation can make a difference going forward.
What do they need? What sort of support can the rest of the world who had close its eyes to Syria, what can -- what can the rest of the world do
support Syria youth?
MARDINI: Well, I have deep respect for the young Syrian generation because they have demonstrated extraordinary resilience in the face of adversity
that one of the good news of the survey is that seven in 10 Syrians, young Syrians are still optimistic about the future.
[10:35:15]
MARDINI: And I think this is where the opportunity should not be lost for the international community to invest in them. At the end of the day,
Syrians need simple, basic things. They need stability, they need security, they need that the children go back to school, they need that the adults
can have an income. Today, 90 percent of Syrians live below the poverty line, live with less than $1.25 a day. 75 percent of Syrians depend on
humanitarian assistance.
So, what is needed is political leadership, political capital, to have a sustainable political solution in Syria than to invest in recovery and
reconstruction. And I think what is important is also all efforts to reconcile the society. So, the issue of detainees, the issue of the missing
people, is absolutely critical to bring back people together and have a better future for this wonderful country.
ANDERSON: I want to -- do you see, you make -- you make a number of very good points there. But do you see the right noises being made on either a
political solution or some sort of truth and reconciliation? Be that an inquiry or support for people on the ground to be able to coexist going
forward. Do you see enough being done on either of those two issues?
MARDINI: Certainly not, unfortunately. So far we have seen destruction, devastation, and also a great deal of political polarization. And I think
this report should be taken as a wake-up call for the international community to now join forces and to put aside political differences and to
think in terms of how can this young generation of Syrians be supported for the future because this is the only way -- the only meaningful way forward
for not only Syrians but for the international community at large.
ANDERSON: How does this country rebuild, build back better were that even to be more than just a catchphrase for Syria going forward with Bashar Al
Assad still at the center of Syrian affairs?
MARDINI: Well, I think the situation today, if you take a snapshot of the situation, it is, of course bleak. I mean, over the past year, only the
combination now of conflict, the economic situation, the sanctions now COVID is even pushing more millions of Syrians into poverty. And what is it
is an electroshock for really political leadership around Syria. All states have an influence on what is happening in Syria to work in the same
direction in the direction of the people, of the Syrian people.
And this is a tall order, I know this is -- it did not happen for a decade, we have been repeating this day in and day out bearing witness to the
devastation of this conflict, and we will continue to repeat this. And for the time being humanitarian needs are huge and we need more support, more
funds to help those most vulnerable Syrians who need today humanitarian support and basic essential services such as water supply, access to
healthcare, access to education, to be able to get back to a certain level of normalcy.
ANDERSON: Robert Mardini, we thank you very much indeed for joining us. The director general of the ICRC. Well, for many Syrians, his story of war
began in a quiet border town called Dara'a where about a dozen teenage boys were arrested because of graffiti spray painted on a high school wall.
Cnn.com is where you will find the story of Dara'a and more analysis there for you as well. And what is this 10-year anniversary.
You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD live from our Middle East broadcasting hub here in Abu Dhabi. We will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:42:00]
ANDERSON: Now then, the North London Derby lived up to the high pass (INAUDIBLE) grabbing their first win against Tottenham Hotspur since 2018
but it was Spurs' goal that will be shown on highlight reels for decades to come. Just check out what Erik Lamela did. That focuses for a (INAUDIBLE)
style finish. So crafty that you have to see it again and again and again to believe it. And if you are a Spurs supporter, you will just put it on a
loop because the rest of that game was horrible.
Looking and immense skills always reminds me of one man, Patrick Snell is with us. Patrick, surely that has to be the goal of the season. That's all
what we really need to talk about in this game. You know, we don't need to talk about the score or the performance or anything else.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: We weren't men --
(CROSSTALK)
SNELL: We all mentioned the fact that Spurs lost to one there. You're quite right. Thank you so much. Flattery will get you everywhere. I've been
trying that for years on my Wednesday night soccer team here in Atlanta and failing miserably. It was incredible, wasn't it? Not only just it goes
through the defender's legs, it got an arc on and forgive me as I looked at the monitors, got an arc on it, goes well indeed in the (INAUDIBLE) for
corner.
Way to bet Leno there that in the goal. Just amazing. A bizarre day though for Lamela because he'd come on a sub, Becky, then what happen to him later
in the game. He got a second yellow card and he was sent off. Incredible. Just couldn't script it. Back to you.
ANDERSON: Yes. And I'm sure you've got more in that game. So I'll go off and take a short break. Turn the tele off so I don't have to see the Spurs
performance. I'm a Spurs fan, of course and it's always a horror playing. Also the best of times if there's any chance they might be unaided. Over to
you for the next 15 minutes, sir.
SNELL: Thank you, Becky.
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[10:45:36]
SNELL: Hi there. Welcome to CNN WORLD SPORT. I'm Patrick Snell. We are going to get going with golf's unofficial fifth major. The Players
Championship in Florida which played out Sunday to a thrilling climax in the sunshine state. The American Justin Thomas celebrating a huge career
victory rallying from three shots back at one point to edge out the English player Lee Westwood. This win now for J.T., second only to his 2017 PGA
Championship triumphant.
After the year he's had, this is so very special for him indeed a final round 68 for Thomas, leaving him at 14 under par. Good enough for a one
shot victory over the British player. The 27- year-old Thomas really had to dig deep though to get the job done here. It was laser focused when it
mattered most. Three birdies and an eagle between holes nine and 12, all thing to put him in a very commanding position.
You know the Thomas family is a real goal family too. Emotions running, very high indeed. Look at this moment here. Justin hugging his father Mike,
the only coach he's ever had. J.T. now joining us idol Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Johnny Miller is the only players in PGA Tour history with 14
wins before turning 28. An emotional Thomas also revealing his grandfather Paul who passed away last month aged 89 was at the forefront of his mind as
he sealed the victory.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUSTIN THOMAS, AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: Yes. Right. I wish I could talk to him but I know he's -- I know he's watching.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNELL: Emotion win there for J.T. I want to get to news now from the French champion out where Paris Saint-Germain suffered a shank home defeat Sunday
to none. But that loss well and truly overshadowed by events off the field of play there in the French capital, especially as far as Argentinian
superstar Angel Di Maria is concerned. Now during the second half of that match, PSG sporting director Leonardo in conversation with the club's head
coach Mauricio Pochettino.
Di Maria there you can see substituted off minutes later with the score at one all after receiving news his home had been burgled per AFP reports. The
South American player reportedly one of two players whose homes have been burgled during the encounter at Le Parc des Princes. Club skipper
Marquinhos also had his parents' home burgled with his family on the premises to now not going on to get the win. But as I say, this is not the
story here at all here at all.
Here now I want you to listen to the words of the PSG head coach Pochettino. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAURICIO POCHETTINO, PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN F.C. HEAD COACH (through translation): There are situations outside of football that you have to
take into account. I think the players are the first to be aware of it as we are or the disappointment of having lost three points. But there are
things that you already know that the group is concerned about. They are concerned not only about the defeat, but about things you probably already
know about.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNELL: Well, it was an incident pack. North London Derby Sunday in the Premier League, drama even before they kicked off in that one. The Gunner's
Pierre Emerick Aubameyang left out of his team starting lineup against Pochettino's former team Tottenham and benched after allegedly breaching
his club's pre match protocols. The game seeing an amazing goal from Eric Lamela, stunning Rabona style finish for the opener.
The Argentine would be late to sent off for a second yellow, had come on for the injured son who mean and what an impact. That goal is just
outstanding. The curl on the ball through the defender's legs and beyond the Gunner's keeper Bernd Leno who was totally caught out by it. Just
before half time though, the host will level a first our Premier League strike for the young Norwegian player Martin Odegaard who scored last week
in the Europa League in Greece.
The 22-year-old on loan from Real Madrid seeing a shot deflected in for one old van. The game winner from the man who'd replaced Aubameyang, it's the
Frenchman Alexandre Lacazette who makes no mistake from 12 yards. Arsenal to one winners.
We're checking in on the 36th edition of sailings America's Cup, destination New Zealand next up. Why the Kiwis and their fans who've been
out enforced there in Auckland have two very special reasons to be celebrating today.
[10:51:23]
SNELL: We're back now with Sailing's prestigious America's Cup competition. This the 36th edition of the world famous event. An event that's also
brought with some really nice images to see first of all to behold fans, this was after the Cup was initially delayed by four days due to COVID-19
locked down in Auckland. Well on Monday, the Kiwis surging into a five- three lead. Over there Italian challenges Luna Rossa.
Just looking at a spectacular backdrop there. The first race going away of New Zealand. Victory by 58 seconds. A dramatic race, eight in particular
with both boats facing their own challenges and pressures amid the breezes. The Italians with the lead, a four-minute lead in fact at one point but
then Luna Rossa splashing down near the third gate, it cost them boundary penalties as well in team New Zealand taking full advantage.
The two victories putting the Kiwis within touching distance now that famous old trophy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLAR TUKE, TEAM NEW ZEALAND FLIGHT CONTROLLER: On a race it's certainly one to keep, that was pretty unreal fight back from the -- from the guys. They
obviously made a pretty costly jiving right behind them on the first downwind and fell off the coils but got it back up reasonably quickly and
then, you know, start a great race from here and obviously they've made a mistake.
And one of the techs at the top marquee underneath motor here it's really light wind and patchy and they made a mistake and we never look back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNELL: All to play for there in Auckland still. Now to Formula One news were three days of testing wrapped up in Bahrain ahead of the new season,
which starts later on this month. Now one of the key storylines has been the return of Spain's two-time world champion Fernando Alonso. His first
appearance for the Alpine F1 team, Alonso recently needing titanium plates fitted in his jaw this after breaking it a month ago in a cycling accident
in Switzerland.
He's been speaking with WORLD SPORTS' Amanda Davies about his return to the F1 Arena.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: And so, what's it like being back in the paddock back in the car? Does it feel like you've never been away?
FERNANDO ALONSO, ALPINE F1 DRIVER: Oh, honestly, it feels like I was here all the time. Even if I did change different series and endurance races,
Indy 500, all the things that I have done in the last two years. I was always like the F1 driver on that product. You know, I was considered
always like that one guy that was racing, the Indy 500 computer, that's for coming back here. I'm more or less seeing the same people, same drivers.
I think there are changes on the driver from 2018. So, it's basically all the same and map. I think you have a memory of how to drive these cars. And
after three or four laps you immediately are comfortable with everything you are feeling. So, it was not an issue that come back.
DAVIES: How much of testing do you focus on yourself and what you're doing and how your car is going? How much of it are you paying attention to
what's happening in the other teams?
ALONSO: Very little attention to the other teams. Honestly, our program is so intense, and we have to take so many boxes before the race happening
that we don't have even, you know, time to look at the others. But we have, you know, an incredible team's behind us. You know, there are 600 people
within the engine guys and the chassis side and we are here on track around 60, 65 people.
[10:55:00]
ALONSO: So there are a lot of people at the factory that they are analyzing every lap of our opponents and, you know, after three or four days, we will
have a complete report of everybody else testing and maybe we'll have a better idea of how we are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNELL: Thanks to Fernando there. Big story that broke yesterday here in the United States, one of the most prolific quarterbacks in the history of the
NFL, Drew Brees officially retiring. The 42-year-old veteran are wrapping up his story. 20-year career. 15 of which was spent with the New Orleans
Saints. Brees won the team's only Super Bowl that was back in 2010 and retires as the league's all-time leader in career passing yards. This now
the verdict on it all from his kids.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After 15 years most things.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In 20 years in the NFL.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our dad is finally going to retire.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So he can spend more time with us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNELL: Kids have spoken. When I said a truly stellar career and such impact off the field of play too. He'll be remembered for reviving not only the
Saints' franchise but the city itself is in the wake of the devastating Hurricane Katrina back in 2005. While Brees steps away from the game seven
times Super Bowl champion Tom Brady just signed a contract extension with the Buccaneers and it seems he's getting some offseason ramps sitting on
the beach with none other than global former football icon star named David Beckham himself.
The pair who are friends playing some pickup action here in the Bahamas with some other pals. Brady, a quarterback naturally Beckham now looking at
a place there. A very impressive display from backs, Brady and Becks. A pair of legends, Becky. Just strutting their stuff on the beach in the
Bahamas over the weekend as you do. Great to say I tell you. Back to you.
ANDERSON: As you do. Yes, as you do, as you say. Good stuff. Thank you, Patrick Snell in the house for you tonight. We're back with CONNECT THE
WOLRD after this.
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ANDERSON: Tonight, imagine growing up knowing nothing but war. That is the reality of so many of Syria's kids today. A decade of destruction and
despair and no clear path forward.
[11:00:05]
ANDERSON: Today is the 10th anniversary of the start of the Syrian civil war.
END
