Return to Transcripts main page
Connect the World
CNN International: Macron Tours Notre Dame Ahead of Official Reopening; Truce Appears to Hold Despite Accusations of Violations; Russia Launches More Than 130 New Drone Attacks; Protests in Georgia Over Ending EU Membership Talks; Manchester United Rally Past BODO/GLIMT 3-2. Aired 9- 9:45a ET
Aired November 29, 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)
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: This is the scene in Paris, where five years after a fire ravaged, Notre Dame, the iconic jewel, is
rebuilt and ready to reopen. It is 03:00 p.m. in the French capital, it is 06:00 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi. I'm Eleni Giokos. This is "Connect the
World".
Also coming up, the Israeli Prime Minister is not ready to end the war in Gaza unless Hamas is defeated. We are live in Tel Aviv. Ukraine is reeling
after Russia launches a second night of attacks will survey the damage that day after more than 1 million Ukrainian homes were left in the dark. Also,
the holiday shopping season is here, and millions of people are looking for bargains on Black Friday.
Right. The stock markets in New York will open in around 30 minutes from now. The arrows are currently all pointing upwards as you can see, we're in
the green. And there was no trading on Thanksgiving Day yesterday, and the market will close early today, remembering that the DOW has closed off its
best month of 2024.
And as you can see, the rally will be continuing today. Right, moving on. And there is joy in Paris this hour, we are getting our first glimpse
inside the Notre Dame Cathedral, more than five years after catastrophic fire ripped through it. Earlier today, French President Emmanuel Macron
invited the world to join him on a televised tour as France celebrates the landmarks restoration.
The 2019 fire was a major setback for France, and Mr. Macron vowed back then that iconic cathedral would be rebuilt and be, quote, more beautiful
than before.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT: I tell you tonight with strength, we are a nation of -- We have so much to reconstruct. So yes, we will rebuild
Notre Dame, even more beautiful, and I want that to be done in the next five years. We can do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Right, the cathedral's formal reopening is set for December 7, even though the $738 million restoration project will not be finished by then.
CNN's Melissa Bell joins us now from Paris. Melissa, great to have you on the ground. I'm sure a lot of excitement where you are.
I have to say, I was in Paris earlier this year, and I saw the scaffolding as they were working behind the scenes. And now you've got caught a
glimpse. We've seen some of those images. Tell us what we can expect going forward.
MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It really was a sneak preview, Eleni, because the real opening, the official opening, won't
happen till next Saturday, with the first mass next Sunday. But as you can see, so much of that scaffolding remains and will remain on the outside.
The actual full renovation restoration won't be done until 2030. But still, the cathedral opening, as Emmanuel Macron had promised, and few had
believed that it was possible when he said it just over five years ago. Five years after those flames had engulfed such a huge part of its roof.
You'll remember taking down the spire, causing such damage that there had been questions that evening, in the days afterwards, whether parts of the
structure, and specifically the towers on the front facade, would stand. And it took a couple of years of just securing the building to make sure
that it would remain intact.
So, all the more remarkable, what I had the great good fortune of witnessing today, which is an interior not just still standing, but
entirely restored and to a sort of splendor far greater than that of five years ago. You'll remember before that Notre Dame was huge, its scale,
extraordinary, its detail intricate, but it was dark.
There was -- it was somber inside. Now there is this sense of light of luminosity, and you can see the intricacy of the artwork and the splendor
of the entire thing. It's quite extraordinary. It's been achieved. The French President was here today, not just to take the cameras inside on a
last visit of the construction site, thereby giving us this neat preview, but also to thank the 2000 men and women who have been so closely involved
in that labor of love.
It's taken so many people, so much time, 2000 oak trees to rebuild the roof exactly as it was. And he was really very moved as he spoke to them, not
just to the fact that they had managed to do it on time, but he told them also, Eleni, that they had been on the construction site of the century,
that they had been the alchemists of that site, and turned it into something quite extraordinary.
And really it is returned to a magnificence even that was not there five years ago. So, an extraordinary feat, and one that few have believed could
be achieved in just five years.
[09:05:00]
The grand opening though next week, when the general public will be able to get back inside to discover what's been achieved, Eleni.
GIOKOS: Yeah, I mean, it's truly beautiful. I'm seeing some of those images. I have to say, I'm quite jealous that you got a sneak preview of
that. You know, one thing I remember just how catastrophic the fire was. I think everyone was glued to their screens at the time, and we saw that
iconic spire falling to the ground, and the incredible craftsmanship, Melissa, that it required to rebuild that to the original specifications.
BELL: That's right, you'll remember the night of the fire, because the images on social media and then from cameras are like ours had followed
from the first few minutes with the Gulf the flames that engulfed the roof. Crowds had formed all around the -- city, where Notre Dame is positioned to
watch it.
And it was the moment when the spire fell that you could hear the cries of the crowd as they watched it go down. And that spire, of course, 19th
century, a reminder of how different parts of this cathedral were built at different times. When we were able to come back in 2021 there was a huge
hole at the top of the cathedral.
Everything was happening sort of outdoors where the spire had been. Now the spire reconstructed, and the interior entirely closed off. And again, you
have a sense of a cathedral that is reborn in a way that you couldn't have imagined, really when you looked at the damage that had been caused. Some
of those relics, some of the statues, the statue of Virgin Mary, the organ, for instance, that had to be entirely rebuilt.
The most important relic of Notre Dame, which is the crown of thorns, which had been kept here since the revolution, that had been taken out intact and
miraculously saved, brought back now and exposed in a new way, with a sculpture, for instance, around the crown of thorns entirely of gold to put
it, to make it more visible than even it was before.
So, the individual works of art inside, not just restored their former -- beauty, but in some cases, really reinvented entirely. And the result is
something that is luminous and colorful and full of gold.
GIOKOS: Yeah.
BELL: And not the sort of somber black of Notre Dame as we remember that before, Eleni.
GIOKOS: All right, Melissa Bell, great to have you on the ground there. Thank you so much. I want to take you now to Syria, where opposition forces
say they have entered Aleppo after rebels launch a surprise offensive and the government-controlled city for the first time in years.
A statement by a newly formed rebel umbrella coalition says clashes with Syrian forces intensified overnight into Friday morning. The rebels and
Bashar al-Assad's regime had agreed to a cease fire, mediated by Russia and Turkey in March 2020. CNN's Senior International Correspondent Ben Wedeman
has covered Syria extensively over the course of his career.
He joins us now to give us some perspective on the latest development. Ben, this is the first major escalation in Syria in around seven years. Rebels
claiming to have taken control of Aleppo's Western countryside. What is the latest?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, what we're hearing from Aleppo is they've now entered the new Aleppo neighborhood as
well as the Hamdaniya neighborhood on the western side of the city. This comes after they launched this sort of coalition of rebel groups led by
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which is a rebel group that, at one point was affiliated with al Qaeda.
But they launched this lightning offensive on Wednesday. And since then, they've taken, according to them, 63 villages to the west of Aleppo, which
of course, is Syria's second largest city, and they say they have now entered the western edge of the city.
This is an offensive that comes after keeping in mind, of course, that the rebels lost control of most of Aleppo back in 2016. And there's been
basically a stalemate since March of 2020 when Russia and Turkey worked out a cease fire agreement for the northern part of Syria.
Now, there have been clashes among the rebel groups themselves, but it appears that they've put their differences behind perhaps to exploit the
fact that, for instance, Hezbollah, which was a major backer of the regime of Bashar al-Assad, essentially pulled out of Syria starting in October of
last year, when they focused their fire on Israel. And of course, other backers of the Syrian regime.
[09:10:00]
For instance, Iran has been distracted by its involvement in hostile activities with Israel. And Russia has been distracted by its war in
Ukraine. And therefore, perhaps these rebel groups are seeing this as a golden opportunity to target a weakened Syrian regime, a regime that
doesn't have the kind of backing that it enjoyed going back to, for instance, 2015 when the Russians became directly involved in bolstering the
regime of Bashar al-Assad.
So certainly, this does represent a dramatic change on the ground in an area where the Syrian regime was starting to feel fairly confident. They've
been trying to rebuild parts of old Aleppo that were severely damaged in the civil war that's been going on there since 2012, but it does appear
that the regime has been taken by surprise by this rebel offensive, Eleni.
GIOKOS: Indeed! I mean, a huge surprise, and they're calling it a shock offensive. What is their aim, Ben? And as you say, they're feeling
emboldened now that Hezbollah and Iran are distracted with their own worries, specifically in what we seeing in Lebanon. So, what is their aim
right now?
WEDEMAN: Well, what they've said this the military operations command, which is the name of this umbrella for this coalition of rebel groups. They
said that their aim was to stop Russian and Syrian regime forces from targeting Idlib province and parts of Western Aleppo province that are
under the rebel control that they've been targeted by Russian and regime artillery and air strikes.
So, they say that the purpose was to put an end to those strikes. But clearly, they see that the regime is feeling exposed, that it doesn't have
the kind of backing that it had until quite recently. And clearly, they're seeing that this is an opportunity to go after, to try to retake Aleppo,
which, of course, keep in mind, it's not only the second largest city in Syria.
It really is the industrial heartland of rather the industrial sort of center of Syria. And it would be a major achievement for them to retake
that city and after a period when it was thought that the opposition was essentially isolated in Idlib province, and the regime was slowly regaining
control of some of the country. Keep in mind, of course, that Syria has in addition to the rebels.
GIOKOS: Yeah.
WEDEMAN: There's a Turkish military presence, an American military presence, a Russian military presence. Basically, the country is cut up in
pieces, and the regime's control at the best of times has been tenuous in many parts of the country.
GIOKOS: Ben Wedeman, always great to see you. Thank you so much. Well, day three of the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire is largely holding, even as both
sides accuse the other of violations, while thousands of displaced Lebanese civilians return home. Israel's military is warning residents of 70
villages in Southern Lebanon not to go back due to what a spokesman calls safety concerns.
And a Senior Israeli Official tells CNN, the IDF could take unilateral action against Hezbollah if it perceives immediate threats from the group
in that area. This as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he's ready for a ceasefire in Gaza at any moment, but not ready to end the war
until Hamas is eliminated.
Jeremy Diamond is connecting us from Tel Aviv. Jeremy, good to see you. Look three days in, to the cease fire, both sides accusing each other
violations. The big question is, will the cease fire hold?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, that's exactly right. And for now, it is despite the fact that both sides have been claiming
violations by the other at this stage. And listen, when we listen to Israeli officials, including the Israeli Prime Minister, in an interview
last night, they are trumpeting the fact that they are -- that they feel like they have the right and the ability to unilaterally enforce this cease
fire by striking at Hezbollah when they see fit.
And that is both a political message for the residents of Northern Israel who have been extraordinarily skeptical of this cease fire deal with
Hezbollah, but it is also, of course, also a message to Hezbollah itself, which in the wake of the 2006 cease fire between these two sides.
[09:15:00]
In the years after that, we saw Hezbollah covertly re infiltrate Southern Lebanon and build up military positions there, which the Israeli military
then dismantled in large part during this latest conflict between the two sides. Now I did speak with a Senior Israeli Official who provided a little
bit more detail about when and how Israel feels it can act unilaterally to, as they describe it, enforce the cease fire.
And this official said that on the one hand, it is if Israel perceives that there is an immediate threat, meaning militants preparing to fire rockets
on Israel, for example, or if the target is time critical, meaning something that Israeli intelligence or military have seen, but fear that
they may lose that target if they allow too much time to pass by.
When it comes to southern Lebanon, this Senior Israeli Official said that Israel believes it has the right to act against any threat for any reason
when it comes to Northern Lebanon, however, that is where the Israeli government is going to work much more through this new U.S. led monitoring
mechanism.
It's not exactly clear how frequently they intend to work through that mechanism when it comes to Southern Lebanon, and clearly, they feel like
they have a much freer hand in the areas closer to their border. But this is the risky gambit here, in the way in which the cease fire agreement was
put together, and what the Israeli government feels that they can do.
And that is the fact that you have a party to this conflict, a party to the cease fire agreement, that is doing the enforcement of the cease fire
itself. And that's not in the agreement between these two sides, but it is something that the United States has provided separate assurances to Israel
about that it understands that Israel still has the right to defend itself and the right to take these kinds of actions unilaterally.
But how that is perceived by Hezbollah, how that is perceived by the Lebanese government, which has already accused Israel of violating the
cease fire multiple times, that may be the trickier part, and that may be where you could see these kinds of unilateral actions by Israel trigger
some kind of escalation here.
GIOKOS: Yeah. All right, Jeremy Diamond for us in Tel Aviv. Good to see you. And still to come, why U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a warning
against Donald Trump's tariff plan details straight ahead. And reaction from the social media giants after Australia bans the platforms for kids
under the age of 16. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: Welcome back now for the first time since Donald Trump won re- election, the Current U.S. President has issued a warning about his policy plans. Joe Biden says that Trump's threat to impose steep tariffs on
America's neighbors would be a mistake. CNN's Arlette Saenz has the story for us.
[09:20:00]
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Joe Biden weighed in on President-Elect Trump's tariff threats for the first time, saying he
hopes he will rethink some of the tariffs he wants to impose on Canada and Mexico, warning that it could jeopardize U.S. relations with some of the
country's closest allies.
President Biden was speaking to reporters as he visited a firehouse here in Nantucket, Massachusetts, really offering his first criticism of President-
Elect Donald Trump and his policy proposals since the November 5th election. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I hope he rethinks it. I think it's a counterproductive thing to do. You know, look, one of
the things you've heard me say before is that we have a usual situation in America. We are surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and
two allies, Mexico and Canada. And the last thing we need to do is screw up those relationships.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAENZ: These comments from President Biden are significant and really serve as a reminder that he has very different views from President-Elect Donald
Trump about how to approach issues like the economy, trade and also relations with U.S. allies. The president and Democrats during the campaign
had warned that some of Trump's tariff threats would have inflationary impacts back at home.
Could potentially raise prices on goods across the board for Americans. But President Biden made these comments as he's spending the Thanksgiving
holiday here in Nantucket, Massachusetts. This is a bit of a family tradition for the Biden clan, as they have been traveling to this island
for decades now to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday.
But it is a poignant one, as President Biden is preparing to leave office in January. He placed a round of calls to troops who were serving overseas
this Thanksgiving holiday away from their families, calling into bases across the world, including in Guam, Bahrain and also Saudi Arabia, trying
to thank those U.S. service members for their time.
President Biden told reporters that he is most thankful this holiday season for a peaceful transfer of power, for diplomatic efforts, and also a hope
that they could try to achieve more progress when it comes to the conflicts in the Middle East, as Biden is trying to work towards a hostage and cease
fire deal in Gaza. Arlette Saenz, CNN, traveling with the president in Nantucket, Massachusetts.
GIOKOS: Ukraine is reporting another wave of intense attacks. The air force says Russia launched more than 130 drones overnight across the country.
Several people have been reported injured. Now this comes just after Russia targeted critical Ukrainian energy sites.
An attack Thursday has left more than 1 million homes without power, caused rolling blackouts. And Russian President Vladimir Putin is threatening to
hit Ukraine again with a powerful new weapon. CNN's Fred Pleitgen has more for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the early warning hours, Russia launching yet more massive aerial strikes
against Ukraine. The sheer size of the attack, more than 90 missiles and about 100 drones laid out clearly by the Russian President himself. On our
part, these strikes took place in response to the continuous strikes on Russian territory by American ATACMS missiles, Putin said.
As I have said many times, there will always be a response from our side. The Russians irate as the Ukrainians continue to use U.S. supplied attack
on surface-to-surface missiles to hit targets deep inside Russia after getting the go ahead from the Biden Administration. Top Russian politicians
now accusing the U.S. President of playing with fire.
PLEITGEN: How big do you see the danger of escalation right now?
KONSTANTIN KOSACHEV, DEPUTY SPEAKER OF RUSSIAN FEDERATION COUNCIL: I believe we are right now in the most dangerous stage for the simple reason,
we have a lame duck in the United States of America, with all my respect to Mr. Biden.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): And the Kremlin threatening further use of their massive, experimental, multiple warhead ballistic missile Oreshnik, which
they fired on the Ukrainian city, Dnipro, last week. Everything that is in the epicenter of the explosion will be decimated, Putin said.
Turned into elementary particles, essentially into dust. The missile hits even well protected objects located at great depth. This as Moscow is
trying to maintain support at home for what it still calls its special military operation in Ukraine. The Defense Ministry publishing the slickly
produced video urging Russians to join the army.
We are with our warriors until victory. This is our land, the narration says. The Kremlin has said Vladimir Putin is willing to talk to U.S.
President-Elect Donald Trump both about ending the Ukraine war and improving U.S.-Russia relations, but they want Washington to make the first
move. The spokeswoman for Russia's Foreign Ministry tells me.
[09:25:00]
MARIA ZAKHAROVA, SPOKESPERSON OF RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY: We are open to normal relationships which are based on mutual respect and international
law. If the country, I don't know, United States or other countries, would like to, on this base to improve, to promote, to develop, to reconstruct,
rebuild relationship with us. We can do this.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Scores of Ukrainians spent Thursday morning sheltering from Moscow's latest missile blitz, and despite Kyiv saying they
were able to shoot down many drones and rockets, more than a million people had to deal with blackouts after the raids. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: In a world first law, Australia has approved a social media ban for children under 16, a trial will run beginning January, after which social
media platforms will be required to stop minors from logging on or face fines into the millions of dollars. CNN's Hanako Montgomery has more on the
bill and its controversy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): How kids use social media is a problem, millions of parents' face. And Australia says it's now
found the solution.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: World leading action to make sure social media companies meet their social responsibility. Social media
is doing harm to our children.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Under Australia's new law, kids under 16 are banned from accessing social media platforms. And tech companies breaking
the rules could face fines in the tens of millions.
MONTGOMERY (on camera): But the bill rushed through in just a week is drawing criticism from those not convinced it will keep kids off the
internet.
SARAH HANSON-YOUNG, AUSTRALIAN SENATOR: I mean, it's almost embarrassing. I mean, this is boomers trying to tell young people how the internet should
work.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Tech giants, including Meta and X's Elon Musk argue more time and evidence are needed before enforcing the ban. But for
some parents, the law couldn't come fast enough.
KELLY O'BRIEN, MOTHER OF CHARLOTTE O'BRIEN: I will miss your hugs, your kisses, your laugh, your beautiful, beautiful smile.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): 12-year-old Charlotte O'Brien took her own life. Her parents say, after years of being bullied online, cases like hers and
Allem Halkic, who ended his life at 17, have driven Australia's push to protect kids from online harm.
ALI HALKIC, FATHER OF ALLEM HALKIC: If that was in place today, and I know he would be alive and that's some the guilt that I have to live with every
day.
MONTGOMERY (voice-over): Australia's new law is divisive, but for grieving families, it's a fight worth leading. Hanako Montgomery, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: And so ahead, retailers plan for this day, all year will be live from New Jersey, where shoppers are on a mission to hunt down door buster
deals this Black Friday. We'll bring you in updates, right after the short break. Stay with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:30:00]
GIOKOS: Welcome back. I'm Eleni Giokos in Abu Dhabi, and you're watching "Connect the World". Markets just started trade in New York, and of course,
they've got a very short trading day today, just 3.5 hours. And let's take a look to see those opening numbers. As you can see, all in the green, it
is expected we'll see very low liquidity today.
And of course, because it is the big holiday weekend, Thanksgiving yesterday, today is Black Friday. But again, the DOW JONES actually coming
off its best month for 2024. In the meantime, the race to the cash register is officially on today. Black Friday is the official start of the holiday
shopping season in the United States.
It's also one of the biggest shopping days of the year. Retailers count on it to help meet their bottom line. Analysts predict more than 180 million
shoppers are expected to hit the stores, either in person or online, this weekend, and the hunt for big bargains, and that is expected to be a record
turnout.
CNN's Meena Duerson joins us now, to give us a bit of a taste of what's going on in shopping centers. And in fact, you're out with shoppers in East
Rutherford, New Jersey. And Meena, I want you to tell me what we're seeing. I know a lot of people opting for online. They don't want the drama in the
store, but some actually do enjoy it. So, what can you tell us?
MEENA DUERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, so actually, you know about 65 percent of those shoppers who are projected to shop this weekend said they
would be doing that in person. So, we should be seeing a fair amount of foot traffic in the stores. We're out in the mall in New Jersey, and there
are a decent number of crowds here.
When we spoke to shoppers, you know, people said they do still enjoy coming to the mall. They do still like touching things. You know, they're looking
for items, you know, for gifts. Maybe they're trying to find deals in person. A lot of people said maybe they feel a little more skeptical about
some of the deals that they see online, but they do trust things in the stores that they see.
So, they are interested in, you know, coming and checking out maybe some offers in person. We did see people getting some of these door buster deals
at some of these stores in person where they can take advantage of some, you know, offers or deals that are available in person that maybe are not
online. So that's a little bit of what we're seeing in person today. You know, here in the mall.
GIOKOS: I hope you get some time to do some shopping yourself, by the way. But I have to ask you, I mean, you know, a lot of people in the United
States voted for Donald Trump. And of course, the big issue on what it is going to mean for the economy. One of the big unknowns is how tariffs is
going to affect inflation down the line. Is that bearing any influence in the way that people are shopping today?
DUERSON: Well, you know, I think it's probably a little bit too early to tell, but what we are hearing, you know, from experts, is that there is,
you know, some anticipation of some big-ticket items that will probably cost a little bit more down the line. So, there are some projections that
some of these household items or electronics.
Things that are manufactured overseas, China, Canada, Mexico, places where the tariffs are likely to take effect to impact consumer prices here, that
those are maybe items that will become more expensive, you know, post Inauguration Day. So those are things that experts are saying, if those are
items on your shopping list.
You know, if you're in the market for a new smartphone, a new tablet, a new laptop, an E-bike, let's say, a washing machine, a fridge, those are things
maybe you should be looking out for those deals and taking advantage of purchasing right now before those tariffs do go into effect. So, if
consumers are paying attention to that, then perhaps they will be taking advantage of those deals, you know, right now.
GIOKOS: Well, Meena, I would say, have a good day of shopping, but I should rather say, have a good day watching people shopping, and we'll see you
soon looking forward to more updates as the day goes on. All right, with CNN's Meena Duerson for us. I want to get you up to speed now and some
other stories that are on our radar right now.
Ireland is holding parliamentary elections today with two center right parties on track to maintain a governing coalition, but it's not a
guarantee, after video of Prime Minister Simon Harris walking away from a visibly upset care worker went viral. A poll taken after that showed a
drop-in support for his party, leaving the results in doubt.
Protesters clashing with police in Tbilisi, Georgia over the government's decision to suspend membership talks with the European Union. The country
has been in turmoil since last month's disputed elections, which the pro EU opposition said were falsified.
[09:35:00]
And the family of a long-time state media journalist in China says he's been sentenced to seven years in prison. That's according to Reuters. He
was detained for alleged spying back in 2022, he frequently met in person with foreign diplomats as well as journalists. And still to come, why Ruben
Amorim is the man of the moment at Manchester United? Details coming up right after the short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: The quest to live longer and healthier lives, rather, is fueling a multi-million-dollar industry, wellness industry, which, of course, is
growing significantly from Silicon Valley billionaires to everyday people. There's a growing fascination with the potential of science to defy aging.
Our Anna Stewart is finding out more about those longevity treatments for CNN's "Decoded" series.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): In the last year, I've been on a health and fitness challenge.
STEWART: I don't think of myself as a bio hacker, but I do take quite a few supplements each day. And I just say all of these have been recommended to
me by a physician and a nutritionist, but I wouldn't recommend anyone just takes things I take, which include multivitamins, three times a day that
has vitamin D, metal folate, a few bits and bobs. In addition to that, I have something called NMN powder, which is a precursor to NAD, hold up.
STEWART (voice-over): I should probably explain NAD plus is a vital coenzyme that helps our cells create energy. In fact, it works like a
shuttle bus, picking up electrons and transporting them to the mitochondria in our cells. Typically, as we get older, our bodies produce less and less
NAD+.
And when there are too few shuttle busses, the lack of energy slows our metabolism and all cell repairs. This makes us age. Luckily, you can now
boost your NAD levels through IV infusions or oral supplements. And the best part is clinical trials have proven that restoring NAD improves
cardiovascular function, cognitive function, and can even slow that pesky phenomenon called aging.
Leonard Guarente has produced an NAD booster made from the natural compound often found in milk, nicotinamide, riboside or NR.
LEONARD GUARENTE, NOVARTIS PROFESSOR OF BIOLOGY AT MIT: So, developed a product that had NR at a dose that we thought it would just again in older
people, it would bring their NAD levels back up to youthful levels, not overshoot it, but just to youthful levels. And so, we did a human trial.
STEWART: How many people?
GUARENTE: I think it was 200 now.
[09:40:00]
STEWART: You say, OK, but does it slow down aging?
GUARENTE: Yes, have they lived longer? That's what I want to know.
STEWART: How long would that take?
GUARENTE: That'll take a while. That'll take a while to know.
STEWART: I'm here to see Dr. Allen (ph).
STEWART (voice-over): To see if my own lifestyle changes have worked. I'm heading to a longevity clinic in Dubai.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wide open --
STEWART (voice-over): This must be quite the flattering view.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's it.
STEWART: That's it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.
STEWART: That's all you need to know how long my telomeres are?
STEWART (voice-over): Telomeres, I've learnt, are protective caps at the ends of chromosomes. Recording their length will determine my biological
age.
STEWART: I'm really hoping to be 20 years old, again, from the inside.
STEWART (voice-over): And catch the full show of "Decoded" to find out whether those hopes were dashed or realized. Anna Stewart, CNN, Dubai.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: All right, the outcome of last night's Europa League game at Old Trafford was at times in doubt, but in the end, Manchester United beat
Norway's champions BODO/GLIMT, but the fans focus was on Ruben Amorim Man U's new head coach. It was his first home game. It wasn't a bad start. and
Amanda Davies is going to tell us a lot more about it. Amanda, good to see you.
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yeah, hi. There was no escaping the relief that Ruben Amorim felt after finally getting Manchester United over the
line in just his second game in charge.
GIOKOS: Yeah.
DAVIES: He only had four full training sessions with the team heading into this European encounter. He admitted he was feeling the pressure. He
doesn't know the players that well. The players don't know him that well.
GIOKOS: Yeah.
DAVIES: But I think it's fair to say, United have been in such problematic times. The feeling is the only way is up. That was their eighth win they've
recorded since August. It was in the Europa League. The question now is whether they can build some momentum. Take it into the Premier League.
They're up against Everton on Sunday. United have only won 4 of their 12 games so far this season. So, we've got to look ahead to what we can take
from it.
GIOKOS: Yeah.
DAVIES: What more there is to come in "World Sport" in just a couple of minutes, Eleni.
GIOKOS: Right, fantastic! Looking forward to your update, Amanda. We'll see you after the break, and I'll be back at the top of the hour with more
news. Stay with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[09:45:00]
(WORLD SPORT)
END
