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Children Face Starvation in Gaza as Supplies Run Out; 2-Day Air, Rail Strikes Affecting Millions of Passengers; Scientists: Coastal Cities Sinking Faster than Thought; Business Traveller Named Dubai the Best Airport in the Middle East in 2022; Dubai International Airport Tops Pre- COVID Passenger Levels. Aired 9-9:45a ET

Aired March 07, 2024 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Well, this is a view of the Israel-Gaza border, a ceasefire deal ahead of the Muslim holy month of

Ramadan. Now looking increasingly unlikely, it's 4 pm in Gaza. It's 6 pm here in Abu Dhabi. I'm Becky Anderson and you are watching "Connect the

World" here on CNN.

Also happening this hour, the U.S. is pushing for Haiti's Prime Minister to speed up a political transition after a powerful gang member threatens

Civil War. Millions of travelers in Germany are stranded as strikes bring that country to a standstill. And to the ninth month in a row, the world

shatters its heat record.

Well, the stock markets in New York open in about 30 minutes from now. The futures are looking pretty positive today they are edging higher. After a

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said he expects the Fed to cut interest rates at some point this year. More on that bottom of the hour for you,

while hope is fading fast for a Gaza ceasefire agreement by Ramadan, which begins just a few days from now.

A Hamas delegation left Cairo earlier without a deal on a ceasefire in Gaza or the release of hostages. Sources familiar with the negotiations tells

CNN a deal is now unlikely before Ramadan and it is raising fears for what can happen next in Gaza. Will CNN's Paula Hancocks joins me now. Paula, how

are these talks broken down to it? What do we understand at this point?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, at this point, we've heard that Hamas has left Cairo that the delegation has gone. So they have said that

they were being flexible. They have said that they had given something back to the delegations, but the fact that Israel didn't have a delegation

there, they say was the reason for the breakdown.

And then from the Israeli side, we have heard them say that until Hamas gives them this list of the hostages, which ones are alive and which ones

are not, then they can't move forward. Now, Hamas has said that they can't give that list until there is a ceasefire, which an Israeli official told

CNN today, they simply don't believe.

They believe that this is just a game now, if you want to try and find a positive of this, and it is quite difficult at this point. We do believe

according to one diplomat familiar with the negotiations that Hamas has changed its mind about demanding that all the Israeli military is out of

the Enclave as soon as the ceasefire starts.

They have said they want them away from the cities in the first phase, and then in the second phase, they would like them out of Gaza. But again, the

Israeli military is not going to agree to that.

ANDERSON: As we understand it, talks likely to pick up once again, either in Qatar or Cairo next week. We have to see how those lands at this point,

I want to just pivot to the situation in the Red Sea while I've got you seeing fatalities from the Houthi attacks on ships for the first time the

U.S. has since carried out strikes. What do we understand to be the latest?

HANCOCKS: So this is a ship that was Barbados flagged, Liberian owned. It was in the Gulf of Aden, it was on its way to the Red Sea and it was hit by

Houthi rebels. They claimed that it was affiliated with either the U.S. or Israel but we know at this point that it was not.

So three people have been killed on board that ship two of them were Filipino and for have been injured. We've heard from U.S. and Western

officials that more than 45 commercial ships have been targeted at this point. So there was real fear that at some point there would be loss of

life on one of these commercial ships and more than a dozen have been hit in the past month.

So we've heard from the State Department that they said it was, "sadly inevitable". It has been wrongly condemned. But this is the first fatality

that we have seen from the Houthi rebels. They are saying that they will continue to carry on these attacks until there is a ceasefire in Gaza.

ANDERSON: Paula Hancocks on both of those stories, thank you. Well, South Africa is asking for extra emergency measures against Israel. It submitted

an urgent request at the International Court of Justice on Wednesday, pointing to widespread starvation. At least 20 people have now died from

malnutrition since the war began, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.

[09:05:00]

That includes a teenage boy who died on Wednesday. CNN's Nada Bashir reports how parents are burying their children as hospitals run out of food

and supplies and while these images are very distressing. The mothers interviewed say they want the world to see them.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tiny limbs, bones protruding. The constant sound of crying -- children now facing starvation in Gaza. In

this overrun hospital ward, anxious mothers watch on as doctors provide whatever care they still come. But for some, there is nothing more to be

done.

Three year old Mila (ph) had been suffering from acute malnutrition, now another victim of this merciless war. She was healthy. There was nothing

wrong with her before Mila's (ph) mother says. Then suddenly, everything dropped. She wasn't eating anything. We had no milk, no eggs, nothing.

She used to eat eggs every day before the war. But now we have nothing. Across Gaza, too many are feeling the pain of this deepening hunger crisis,

small children emaciated and malnourished. These were little years and final moments, his tiny fingers gripped in his mother's hand.

He like Mila would not make it. Others are still just barely holding on. But there is no telling how long they will survive. Standing beside me this

body, Dr. Ahmad Sanam (ph) says many children at this hospital are now dying due to a lack of food and oxygen supplies. With limited aid getting

in many has grown desperate, searching for food wherever they can.

Nine year old Mohamed says he walks for about a mile every day to collect water for his family. You seem sad, why this journalist asked him. Because

of the war, he says. It is all too much. On Tuesday, U.N. experts accused Israel of intentionally starving the Palestinian people in Gaza.

Noting that, the Israeli military is now targeting both civilians seeking aid and humanitarian convoys. Israel has denied targeting civilians and

says that there is "no limit to the amount of humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza". But the reality on the ground paints a very different

picture.

There is no food, no water, no flour, cooking oil or anything. This woman says death is better than this. According to a senior U.N. official, at

least a quarter of Gaza's population is now said to be just one step away from famine. With aid agencies, facing overwhelming, obstacles in getting

the bare minimum of supplies into Gaza.

And as Israel's ground offensive threatens to push further into the strip's densely populated south, time is quickly running out. While international

efforts to airdrop humanitarian supplies have provided some respite. It is simply not enough with stalling negotiations, leaving a little hope for an

end to the suffering and hunger of the Palestinian people in Gaza. Nada Bashir, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: UNICEF's Executive Director have warned the world a month ago that hunger and disease would skyrocket in Gaza taking more children's

lives if the last remaining hospitals and vital systems there were allowed to collapse and I'll be speaking with her in the next hour of "Connect the

World".

The United States insists set is not pushing for Haiti's Prime Minister to resign but it is calling on Ariel Henry to urgently establish a

presidential Transitional Council, which will clear the way for elections. But the gang leader known as barbecue warned Haiti will suffer genocide, if

the Prime Minister remains in power. CNN's David Culver recently returned from Haiti.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A major escalation of gang violence is taking Haiti hostage. Scenes like this

playing out in Port-au-Prince Wednesday.

[09:10:00]

Banks looted with ATMs smashed open, people scrambling to gather whatever they can. Several police stations bombed out by powerful gangs, who now

freely stroll through the streets. The rising anger directed towards Prime Minister Ariel Henry. One gang leader in the capital threatening that if

only he does not step down, it'll mean genocide for the Haitian people.

And it is most often the people who pay the price. We were in Haiti just before this recent surge in violence, people venting to us their

frustrations, wanting only to go and barricade in their neighborhoods to stop would be gang kidnappers. Perhaps the biggest indicator of dysfunction

comes from the top.

All of this happening while a major mystery looms, where exactly is Prime Minister Henry, he was last seen last week signing an agreement in Kenya,

securing the deployment of Kenyan police officers to Haiti expected to arrive any day now. The Miami Herald says Henry then boarded a flight that

went first to the U.S. and then on toward Haiti's Island neighbor.

The Dominican Republic for an indefinite stopover, but officials in the DR blocked his arrival, instead on his plane went on to Puerto Rico. The Miami

Herald reporting that Henri was midflight when the Biden administration asked him to agree to a new transitional government and resign, the White

House pushing back on that.

KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We are definitely not pushing the Prime Minister to resign. That is not what we're doing. But we

have underscored that now is the time to finalize a political core to help set Haiti on a path to a better future.

CULVER (voice-over): Where Henry is now is not clear. No ways, the direction of his country which is increasingly under the tightening grip of

gangs. David Culver, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Let me bring in CNN's Patrick Oppmann, he joins us live from Havana, in Cuba. And Patrick, you have been observing what is going on, on

the ground. And the U.N. High Commission of Human Rights, vulgar term calling on the international community to act to and I quote him here,

prevent Haiti's further descent into chaos. What is the plan to stop this?

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, it seems like something, they're making a bomb on the fly here, despite all the warning signs for so

long that that Haiti was about to fall off the precipice into chaos. And you know Ariel Henry is increasingly looking like a Prime Minister, without

a country on able to turn to Haiti.

You know, however, the U.S. wants to qualify, you know, certainly, they are urging him to begin to transition that would at least call for elections.

But it's unimaginable that elections could be held at this point, where you have so much violence, so much chaos.

Certainly it's not safe, which is the point that Ariel Henry is made for quite some time that the situation doesn't allow for elections, which has

allowed him to stay past his mandate. And we are, of course, talking about a Prime Minister was never elected, he became essentially a Head of State

after the Haitian President was assassinated nearly three years ago.

So you know, the U.S.'s plan, other Caribbean nations plan is to urge on -- to leave to set this Transitional Council. You know, is that enough to

placate some of these gang members? You know, probably not. These are people that are fighting to hold on to very valuable turf.

They bring drugs through Haiti, to other places, including the U.S. that is what they're fighting to keep a hold of this force from Kenya 1000 troops

that is scheduled to come to Haiti that the U.S. and Prime Minister Henry hoping to bring to Haiti soon, you know, that threatens their businesses

and that is what they are fighting to protect.

ANDERSON: Good to have you. Thank you Patrick Oppmann is on the story for you. And to Germany now where millions of passengers face disruption by

aviation and rail strikes. A planned walk out by security staff has closed both Frankfurt and Hamburg airports, stranding passengers and security

personnel also staged and impromptu strike today at Dusseldorf airport.

Now unions for train conductors also on strike which is having a major impact on rail services. This is the latest wave of disruption affecting

Germany. CNN's Fred Pleitgen, who is live for us in Berlin with more what seems to be the sticking points to resolving these walkouts are they close

at this point, Fred?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I don't think they're close at all. And I think that goes to the Lufthansa ground staff,

security staff at the airports.

[09:15:00]

And I think it also goes to the train drivers union as well. And we were just seeing some of the video as you were leading into our live shot just

now those empty escalators at the Berlin main Railway Station, which is just right around the corner from here. And it is really an eerie sort of

thing.

When you go to these places right now, there are almost no trains at all going. In fact, the German railway company, Deutsche Bahn is saying that

only about 20 percent of the long distance trains are actually going today. So a lot of people obviously coming late to work or getting late to any

other destinations and the same are true in the air as well.

And to get to the question, Becky, I don't think that either side is very close at this point in time. If you look, for instance, at Lufthansa, the

ground staff there and the union that represents them say that they want 12.4 percent more in the way of payment. And Lufthansa saying it's just not

willing to do that they were offering 4 percent and a couple of other bonuses as well.

So those two sides still seem pretty far apart. For Lufthansa's part, one of the things that the union is talking about is the fact that Lufthansa

has the third best annual results, financial results in the company's history that were announced today. So certainly, the union is saying, look,

it's time to give some of that to the actual staff rather than to give it all of it to shareholders.

And as far as the train drivers are concerned. In that aspect, it is really less about money. It's also about money, but also about working hours as

well, where the union says that they want shift workers to work three hours a week less going from 38 to 35 hours. And there it seems as though there

was some movement over this past week.

But it also doesn't appear as though the two sides are very close right now much to the detriment of course, not just of commuters and of passengers

here in this country, but politicians are now chiming in and saying, look, these two sides really need to get together because these strikes need to

end because they're weighing not only on transport here in this country, but of course also very much on the economy of this country as well.

One of the figures that we got today was that Lufthansa was saying that just from the strikes that they've had this year. They've lost about 109

million Euros just because of that. And so certainly this is something that is taking a toll on the airline industry. It's something that we're taking

a toll on Lufthansa and also taking a toll on rail travel and on the railway company as well, Becky.

ANDERSON: Good to have you, Fred. Fred Pleitgen is in Berlin for you. It is 17 minutes past 6 here in the UAE 17 minutes past 9 on the East Coast of

America. Still to come some moms to be in Alabama could restart their IVF treatments today as a new law protecting patients and doctors goes into

effect but some say the legislation doesn't go far enough.

And who bears responsibility for a school shooting? Well a trial is beginning this hour. In the case against a father charged in his son's

shooting rampage. That is coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:20:00]

ANDERSON: Welcome back. You're watching "Connect the World" with me Becky Anderson. IVF treatments in Alabama may be starting back up today after the

government in that state signed a new bill into law overnight. Now the legislation aims to protect IVF providers and patients from civil and

criminal liability.

Lawmakers scrambled to get it passed after last month's controversial ruling by the state Supreme Court that through, the future of fertility

care into turmoil. The Court declared that frozen embryos are children and those who destroy them can be held liable for wrongful death.

Our CNN's Correspondent Isabel Rosales is joins us now live from Montgomery in Alabama. Just reminders, what exactly does this law protect? And how

significant is it that a Republican Governor signed this into law?

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Becky, good morning to you. Speed was certainly the priority for lawmakers. This ruling by the Alabama Supreme

Court sparked national outrage. And what we saw here was a Republican led legislature that got this bill to the Governor's desk. And then we saw a

Republican Governor signing this into law.

And this is significant. We saw Republicans scrambling not only here in Alabama, but in Washington to announce their support for IVF. Because they

know that this is a significant issue that sparks a lot of emotion, a lot of outrage and puts them in political jeopardy.

This is the sort of issue that can run voters to the ballot box. So let me go into this law and what exactly it protects. It is designed to protect

those who provide or receive IVF by offering them criminal and civil immunity. That is the word. This is crucial, because in the process of IVF

oftentimes clinics and patients they make the decision to dispose of embryos, embryos that are non-viable or embryos that are not wanted.

So they needed they say this sort of immunity in light of the Alabama Supreme Court ruling. Now what it doesn't do where it falls short is it

doesn't address the issue of personhood when life begins, which is at the crux of that state Supreme Court ruling. This is a problem to a lot of

experts and advocates of IVF including the American Society for Reproductive Medicine that warns without addressing if an embryo is legally

considered a person while it leaves clinics vulnerable.

This is what they had to say, "We believe these bills will not provide the assurances Alabama's fertility physicians need to be confident that they

can continue to provide the best standard of care to their patients without putting themselves their colleagues and their patients at legal risk."

Now already since the signing of this law, we're seeing impacts, two out of the three clinics that pause IVF in light of that ruling, are set to

restart IVF treatments, including Alabama fertility that this afternoon, they have embryo transfers scheduled. So they will be seen patients today,

the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the first facility to announce it was pausing IVF treatments also saying that it is moving properly to

restart that treatment.

But then the third clinic this is the Center for Reproductive Medicine in mobile health. The very clinic that's at the center of the suit that led to

that classification of embryos as people says it will not resume services. The CEO Mark Nix of Infirmary Health saying that they need legal

clarification as to the extent of immunity that they're getting saying at this time, we believe that this law falls short of addressing that

fertilized eggs currently stored across the state.

It leaves challenges for physicians and fertility clinics trying to help deserving families have children of their own. But Becky, I'll leave you

with this. I spoke to three patients, the moment that was signed into law and they feel cautious relief.

They said that even if this is a band aid they needed this to continue with their treatments are on such a tight schedule so many of them making so

many bodily and emotional and financial sacrifices to be able to undergo IVF. But they say that a deeper conversation certainly needs to happen,

Becky.

ANDERSON: Good to have you. Thank you. Well reproductive rights have emerged as a hot button topic in U.S. politics. A new poll says 12 percent

of American voters regard abortion is the most important issue affecting their vote in 2024. That's one in eight. At the same time, more than half

of all voters say elections for President Congress and state legislatures will have a major impact on access to abortion.

[09:25:00]

Well, a new study shows dozens of U.S. coastal cities are sinking at alarming rates. This map shows the cities that are sinking the fastest they

are in red. The analysis showed the 32 coastal cities started from were far more vulnerable to devastating floods than previously thought particularly

those along the Gulf of Mexico, followed by those on the East Coast.

The study in the journal Nature says almost 1400 square kilometers of land and area a little less than the size of London could be exposed to

disruptive floods by 2050. While at the same time we are repeatedly seeing new record set for heat which can fuel extreme weather.

Data from Europe's climate monitoring service shows last month was the hottest February ever recorded. And that was the ninth month in a row that

global records tumbled. Meteorologist Chad Myers explains what it means for our planet.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: According to the very latest press release from Copernicus Climate Change Service, February of 2024 globally was the

warmest February on record. And really to no surprise, it was 1.77 degrees C above pre-industrial levels. And in fact, there were some days at the

beginning of February that were more than two degrees C above normal globally.

Again, we're talking land and sea and all that and look at this. This is the warmest sea surface temperatures we have ever experienced here. But --

think big of a gap that is to 2.2 degrees higher than any time we've ever seen that we've been measuring ocean surface temperatures. Something that's

disturbing for the Atlantic hurricane season is this big red area here.

The warmest on record for this time of year for that eastern part of the Atlantic, it is so warm that there was a very rare tropical system that

moved into Brazil over there summertime of course, but still very rare for that to happen. Moving farther on down to the South because we know we lose

the southern hemisphere summer. We did have a near record for Antarctic sea ice a near record low but not quite still about the third lowest.

But look how close that was to the bottom of this scale, so not much ice down there either. And now with sunshine, the northern hemisphere is

starting to heat up as well.

ANDERSON: Good to have Chad on the story for you. Well, a trial is just started in the U.S. State of Michigan. For the father of a teenage school

shooter, Ethan Crumbley, James Crumbley faces four charges of involuntary manslaughter, one for each of these students killed in his son's shooting

rampage in 2021.

His wife was recently convicted on the same charges. CNN's Jean Casarez is following this for us. She joins us now from New York. What can we expect

at this point Jean?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the opening statements they have just begun and cameras in that courtroom with James Crumbley in a suit. We

have only always seen him in orange jumpsuits from the jail. But there is a jury now and there's a presumption of innocence. So he looks very

different.

But the prosecutor just began by showing pictures of the four victims the four students so young, so vibrant that were murdered that day by Ethan

Crumbley his son and now in this precedent setting case in the United States. The father is being charged with homicide. And the prosecution is

saying you James Crumbley you cause the death of those four students because you exhibited gross negligence.

And the prosecutor just said this was a nightmare come to life and it could have been preventable. What he's focusing in on right there is number one,

the gun because there was a nine millimeter gun that shot and killed those four students. And Ethan Crumbley got it on Black Friday, four days before

the shooting because his father bought it for him.

Now in and of itself, that is not a crime parents buy guns. The family uses them as a hobby together. But the focus would be how was the gun cared for

and controlled and stored. And they're saying that it was grossly negligent that it was not in a lock safe, there was not a lock on it that Ethan was

able to find it. He was able to find the bullets and he also then pulled the trigger.

And something else is the mental issues. They believe that James Crumbley should have seen that his son had some mental health issues going on. And

he did nothing about it. What he did was buying that gun.

ANDERSON: Jean Casarez and we will get back to this story a little later this hour. You're watching "Connect the World", thank you Jean, with me

Becky Anderson. Coming up after the break, Dubai International Airport wants to see you this year how the award winning hub is courting even more

passengers we'll talk to the CEO up next.

[09:30:00]

That and at the start of the Trading Day on Wall Street. As we get the Opening Bell there, we'll let you know how stocks are looking on this

Thursday right after this short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Right, welcome back. I'm Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi where it is just after 6.30 in the evening. You're watching "Connect the World". It is

just after 9.30 in New York, it's the morning session. And stocks are out of the gate and on the up, investors still waiting for more testimony from

Jerome Powell when U.S. Congress starting later this hour.

Many looking for signs on when and by how much the U.S. could cut interest rates. And that's not just a story that affects America. And Americans of

course see so many currencies pegged to the dollar around the world that what happens in the states doesn't stay in the states. And of course where

I am here in the UAE that -- is pegged to the dollar, what happens there as far as interest rates consent reflected here of course.

Well, you know, flying the friendly skies has changed in a major way when an airport becomes a destination in itself. And Dubai International Airport

builders, the world's busiest international hub has become just that it says passenger numbers should climb close to records this year after

surpassing pre-pandemic levels in 2023.

Not bad for what started out as a wasteland in 1960. And it is not just about glossy lounges and duty free shopping anymore whether you are a weary

business traveler or a first time flyer. Dubai International is proud of the recognition it garnered in its industry with business traveler crowning

at the best airport in the Middle East in 2022. Well the CEO of Dubai Airports Paul Griffiths is here with me in Abu Dhabi.

[09:35:00]

My parents remember Dubai airport back in the 60s and are always shocked to hear news from me about just what is going on. First of all,

congratulations on your success, what's driving people hear, Paul?

PAUL GRIFFITHS, CEO, DUBAI AIRPORTS: Well, I think the Dubai government and in fact, the UAE government does such a great job during the pandemic of

reassuring everyone that this was a great place and a safe place to visit. And we've seen that come through in the numbers. We had 17 million visitors

to Dubai last year.

And of course, over 99 percent of them use my airport. So what we've done is recognize that actually, we're not just in the infrastructure business,

we're in the hospitality business. And we recognize that we needed to reassure our customers. And we're now a people business serving people. And

I think the world has responded.

ANDERSON: What do you mean by that?

GRIFFITHS: Well, what we mean is that actually, we took the whole business of serving our customers better and having a no red lights policy, which

means we're only asking our customers to stop when they want to stop. So we've worked on eliminating queues, we've worked on new technology to speed

people through the airport. And that's had the dual benefit of giving us a much happier customer base and also boosting the capacity of the airport

without building things.

ANDERSON: And it's not rare, but it's not that often that I can sit and listen to a guest on my show and say well, actually I've experienced that

myself. I mean, there is no doubt that the exercise of getting through the airport is a good one. We're talking about people moving through this

airport. This is a hub of course this is full of connections. It's also about people stopping here in Dubai as well.

How has the regional conflict, what is going on in Gaza and the spillover affected numbers? Because there is certainly there are fears I know from

people around the world that you know, when you get a regional conflict here, it's right across the region.

GRIFFITHS: That's correct. But I think the thing is, remember that Dubai and the UAE has always been a safe haven when we've had global conflict,

it's been a place of refuge. And when traffic flows between trouble spots have declined, there's always been a corresponding uptick in traffic to

alternative destinations. And now we've got 262 cities around the world in 104 different countries directly connected to Dubai with 102 airlines as

our customer base now.

So we've never been bigger or busier than ever before. And very fortunately, we've not just become the biggest international airport in the

world. We're now also the best we got 4.5 out of five in the ACI scores, which we've never had before.

ANDERSON: We are seeing a significant uptick in demand. I mean, you know, when you when you think back to the sort of doldrums sort of period of

three, four years ago, when the pandemics had such as swindling effects on the airlines and a knock on effect on the airports, of course. I mean,

we're in a much, much better place.

I just wonder what your sense is of Boeing's issues of late and whether that could hamper the ability of airlines to meet. What is this uptick in

demand at this point that will have an effect on what's going on at your airport?

GRIFFITHS: It certainly will. Obviously in May 2020, we had the same amount of traffic in the whole month as we had in four hours in May 2019. So the

effect on the industry has been dramatic. But a lot of airlines retired a huge amount of aircraft during the pandemic. And of course, when that

hockey stick recovery took effect, there was a sudden rush to get me on a plane; I'm not really sure where I want to go, just get me on a plane.

And there's nothing better to reinforce demand than actually creating a massive shortage. And we were all in some sort of lockdown for two years.

So airlines are really struggling now with a shortage of aircraft to get back into the air. And of course, that's put a lot of pressure on the

supply chains. And Boeing and Airbus, I think are struggling to keep up with the order books of airlines that are desperate for more capacity and

more lift.

So that I think has created this sort of short term gap between supply and demand that we're seeing, but I do think growth is incredibly strong. We've

had the strongest January we've ever seen. And it looks as though we're going to crash through our forecasts. We've just revised it from 88.8 to

90.3 for the end of this year. We're probably going to have to revise it in the upward direction several times as we go through.

ANDERSON: It's good to have a guess -- and report some good news. And some optimism about you know how this is sustainable going forward, good stuff.

[09:40:00]

GRIFFITHS: We're very optimistic about the future figures look good. And let's see where we end up.

ANDERSON: Thank you.

GRIFFITHS: Thank you.

ANDERSON: Still to come, this 12-year-old was overjoyed when he instantly became big man on campus. We'll explain his sporting success up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Watch this, master class on putting by a 12-year-old. Yes the preteen nailed a full quart putt and one 5000 bucks for his trouble. Amanda

Davies says that next on "World Sport" right after this short break. I'll be back at the top of the hour with another hour of "Connect the World".

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:45:00]

(WORLD SPORT)

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