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Connect the World

Venezuela's Problems Persist Despite Ousting of Maduro; Americans Return to U.S. After Leaving Hantavirus-hit Ship; Ship Passengers to Be Monitored for Hantavirus Symptoms; Africa CDC Defends Cape Verde's Refusal to Let Ship Dock; Venezuela's Problems Persist Despite U.S. Ousting of Maduro. Aired 9-9:45a ET

Aired May 11, 2026 - 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 the scene off the Coast of Tenerife as dozens of passengers are evacuated from that

cruise ship hit by the deadly hantavirus. 02:00 p.m. there on the Spanish island. 05:00 p.m. here in Abu Dhabi. From our Middle East programming

headquarters, I'm Becky Anderson.

You're watching "Connect the World". Also coming up, a new proposal on the table to end the U.S. war with Iran has not brought the sides closer

together, with one calling it generous, and the other calling it totally unacceptable. And new details on back-channel talks between Washington and

Caracas just before the move to oust Nicolas Maduro. CNN is on the ground in Venezuela.

Well, the stock market in New York opens about 30 minutes from now, with deadlock in that U.S.-Iran ceasefire as it enters its second month, markets

are expected to be lower on the open. And Iran and the U.S. locked in a diplomatic standoff over the latest efforts to end the war.

Here's what we know about the latest on the deal. This version from the Iranian side. State media reporting it includes a demand to end hostilities

on all fronts, including Lebanon release frozen Iranian assets and recognize Tehran's sovereignty over the blockaded Strait of Hormuz.

CNN's Julia Benbrook reports on President Trump's response to that proposal.

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It really was a waiting game here at the White House this weekend, but the United States has now received a response

from Iran on their proposal to bring the conflict to an end. And President Donald Trump says he doesn't like it.

I want to pull up that post for you now in it, he said quote, I have just read the response from Iran's so-called representatives. I don't like it.

Totally unacceptable. This response came later than some in the administration had predicted. In fact, Trump and other officials said on

Friday that they expected to hear from Tehran that day.

At the time, Trump was pressed on the timing of this, and if he thought that Iran was slow rolling the response to that, he said, we'll see soon

enough. Now there are still a lot of questions about what is in that response. What is clear is that Trump thinks it doesn't go far enough to

address his concerns.

We have reached out to the White House for more details. What was included and how far did it go when it comes to addressing Iran's nuclear

capabilities. In an interview with Axios, Trump confirmed that he did speak on Sunday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the Iranian

response and other matters.

The two have been in close contact throughout these peace negotiations. He did say that it was a good call. Julia Benbrook, CNN, the White House.

ANDERSON: And in response to Donald Trump's criticism, here's what Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ESMAIL BAGHAEI, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON: Everything we put forward in our proposed text consisted of reasonable and responsible

demands and generous proposals, not only for Iran's national interests, but for the good stability and security of the entire region and the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, spoke this weekend to CBS on how Israel views ending the war. Jeremy Diamond is in

Jerusalem. Tell us more about what Netanyahu said at this point.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Becky, the Israeli Prime Minister, making very clear that he does not believe the war with Iran is

over yet, because all of the objectives that he and President Trump laid out in this war, in his view, have not yet been achieved.

This has been a pretty consistent view from the Israeli Prime Minister, but the timing of his remarks is quite interesting, given the fact that

President Trump is clearly dealing with this stand still of diplomacy weighing whether or not to return to all out kinetic confrontation with

Iran, or whether to allow diplomacy to play its course for more time. Here's what the Israeli Prime Minister said still needs to be done in Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: There are still enrichment sites that have to be dismantled. There are still proxies that Iran

supports. There are ballistic missiles that they still want to produce. Now we have degraded a lot of it, but all of that is still there, and there is

work to be done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[09:05:00]

DIAMOND: And the Israeli Prime Minister also put a specific point of emphasis on the nuclear material, the hundreds of kilos of enriched uranium

that are still inside of Iran and could allow Iran, with the necessary equipment, to quickly reach the required weapons grade enrichment.

The prime minister said that removing that nuclear material would need to be done physically. He wouldn't discuss potential military means. We know

in the past, there have been discussions about U.S. and potentially Israeli Special Forces going into Iran to retrieve that material in what would be

an extraordinarily complex and very dangerous mission to extract that uranium.

But also, the prime minister making clear that, through diplomacy, through an agreement with Iran, would, in his view, be the best way to remove that

material. But so far, there is no indication that Iran is going to agree to allow that material to be removed from Iran, even as various ideas have

been battered around about that material being taken to a third-party country like Russia, for example, that would be more friendly to Iran.

But that idea is not really getting much traction. And of course, we are seeing that this broader diplomacy is already failing to crack some of the

bigger issues here, in terms of how long of a moratorium there would be on Iran's ability to enrich additional nuclear material inside of Iran.

And of course, the broader issue of the control of the Strait of Hormuz that it is, as it appears, that Iran's response to President Trump's latest

proposal hinges on Iran maintaining control of that Strait of Hormuz, which is a non-starter for President Trump and the United States.

ANDERSON: And as we understand it, it also includes a demand to end hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon. We do understand there were

renewed strikes in Lebanon. What more do we know at this point?

DIAMOND: Well, Becky, we are about three and a half weeks into this ceasefire in Lebanon, and it increasingly appears to be a ceasefire in name

only, and that's because we have seen daily cross border attacks, daily Israeli strikes in Lebanon, daily Hezbollah attacks against not only

Israeli troops in Southern Lebanon, but also against communities in Northern Israel.

Just yesterday, Hezbollah killed an Israeli soldier, a 47-year-old reservist who was near the Lebanon border. He was the 18th soldier to be

killed by Hezbollah since this war began. Israeli strikes yesterday alone killed 22 people, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry.

Among those 22 people who were killed was a 12-year-old girl. We do expect that despite the continuation of strikes between these two sides, that

there will still be the next and third round of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon, once again being held at the ambassadorial level, with Israel

and Lebanon's ambassadors to Washington joining U.S. officials in the U.S. capital for the next round of negotiations.

The Lebanese government has been very clear that these are preparatory talks. Basically, they're not addressing the substance of how to disarm

Hezbollah, which will of course, be the central issue going forward, but rather trying to create the conditions for that diplomacy to actually take

place.

All very, very difficult to do as Israeli strikes continue in Lebanon and as Hezbollah also continues to fire at Northern Israel, Becky.

ANDERSON: Good to have you, Jeremy. Thank you very much indeed. You are up to speed on our reporting from the region and more. As we move through this

next two hours. I want to connect you at this point to the ship at the center of the hantavirus outbreak now, from which the remaining passengers

are expected to depart today.

Dozens of people disembarked on Sunday after the MV Hondius reached Spain's Canary Islands. Authorities say at least two more people have tested

positive, while several others are showing symptoms. Well, in the past few hours, 17 American passengers from the ship arrived by air in Nebraska.

At least one person is presumed to have the virus. Melissa Bell is in Tenerife. She is close to where that ship is anchored. Melissa, what are

you hearing from officials there at this point?

MELISSA BELL, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The very latest here at the Granadilla Port in Tenerife. As you can see there, the MV Hondius

still just over my shoulder, Becky, it's now been refueled, and we'll head off this evening from Tenerife towards the Netherlands and the Port of

Rotterdam, where it will be properly disinfected.

Taking it back will be 32 crew members that will remain on board. So that the last evacuation we have to go today will be of 22 passengers.

[09:10:00]

Now those include not just the Dutch passengers and crew still on board, but also five Australians and one New Zealander who could not be

repatriated straight back home because of issues with their flight. So, they're going to travel to Amsterdam and then be taken on home.

We've also been hearing this morning, Becky, beyond the logistics of what happens to the ship next more about the operation itself from Spanish

health authorities who are speaking to journalists here at the port. Just a short while ago, they were asked about these latest positives that have

emerged as a result of those evacuees yesterday, both the Americans heading back to Nebraska and the French group heading to Paris, asked whether this

is a sign that things had failed, not at all.

They explained, this is a sign of just how well these evacuation processes have gone really reminding journalists, Becky, of the extraordinarily

complex operation that this had been coordinated across the World Health Organization, CDC, European officials, different countries.

23 nationalities in all after all that were on this ship, and what they speak of is the necessity to not just get these people off the ship, but

continue coordinating. And that's what's happened. We've also been learning a little bit more about those patients that we believe have now tested

positive to hantavirus, which would bring the total of hantaviruses cases associated with a ship to 10, including the three who sadly passed.

What we understand about the suspected positive in the United States now, Becky, is that this is someone who'd been closely watched over the last

couple of weeks because they were suspected of having been in close contact with one of the people who died early on.

And that's one of the things we're learning about this particular strain of the virus, that it is transmitted when one person is symptomatic and

another is in very close contact that American now, we're waiting to get the firm results, a suspected positive. A number of tests had suggested

that they were weak positives.

That's now firming up. There is, of course, another person on the plane who started showing symptoms, but we don't yet know the status of that

passenger. The other certain positive is that French woman who got on the flight with the other four French passengers yesterday, from here in

Tenerife on the plane, started feeling unwell, has now tested positive for hantavirus.

They are all these French passengers now being treated at a hospital in Northern Paris. So, a long process now continues for all of these

passengers that are considered by the World Health Organization at high risk because they were on that ship for as long as they were.

But they are now being kept through quarantine, monitored, and even then, will face an isolation period, Becky, of 42 days, so a long time before

they get back to life as it was.

ANDERSON: Yeah, absolutely. Thank you for that. Melissa is in Tenerife. Cape Verde in West Africa, was meant to be the ship's final destination,

but authorities there refused to let the vessel dock. Larry Madowo joining us now with more and just understanding you've been talking to officials

there. What have they told you?

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The belief in Africa is that Cape Verde did everything they should have done under international law, the

cooperation expected in a public health emergency situation. The MV Hondius was docked in prior off the Coast of West Africa, just the capital of Cape

Verde for about three, four days before they went on to the Canary Islands.

And in that time, health officials in Cape Verde did board the ship to provide some medical care to those that needed it, but they did not allow

the passengers of the crew to disembark. And because they felt this is a small country, but just over half a million people.

They were not equipped to handle an outbreak of hantavirus if all of these passengers had disembarked in that country. And the head of the Africa,

CDC, says, under the circumstances, they did everything they should have.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. JEAN KASEY, DIRECTOR GENERAL OF AFRICA CENTRES FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION: -- did what they had to do at that moment. But we can still

discuss about other actions. What I also know they accepted some colleagues like W.H.O. staff to go to the cruise.

And currently, this person is still in the cruise, supporting and collecting all information samples. I think, for now, we are still

assessing the situation, but I cannot criticize Cape Verde for the action they took.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MADOWO And Dr. Kasey has said one other lesson from this is that outbreaks are a global security issue. Is not confined to one country, because this

is a ship that began of the southern tip of Argentina, went through the Atlantic Ocean, ended up in Cape Verde, and now you're seeing these

different countries in the U.S. and Spain, and the UK, et cetera, having to deal with that.

And he said he remembers instances from COVID when African nations were kind of at the back of the vaccine queue, and the kind of support available

to African nations was not as strong, and so that's why he says it's very reluctant to criticize what Cape Verde in that circumstance.

[09:15:00]

And it's one of the issues getting discussed here, as France has combined more than 30 African heads of government and state talking about the areas

that can cooperate and in pandemic preparedness is one of them, Becky.

ANDERSON: Yeah, it's fascinating, isn't it? It's good to have you there. Thank you very much. All right, still at this hour, the British Prime

Minister vowing to fight on. Keir Starmer makes his case to keep his job after major losses for his party at the most recent polls. We're live from

Downing Street for you, up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Well in the months before the U.S. raided Venezuela and captured President Nicolas Maduro talks about a transition happened in Qatar. But

we're now finding out they did not discuss a role for opposition leader, a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Maria Corina Machado, that is, according to a

cash resource he spoke to CNN.

After the U.S. removed Maduro in January, President Donald Trump said he thought Machado lacked support to lead Venezuela instead. His

administration pushed Vice President Delcy Rodriguez to take power as interim president. Well, the source tells CNN, Rodriguez made several

visits to Qatar in 2024 even meeting the prime minister.

Well, Venezuela has been under Rodriguez's leadership for four months now. But many Venezuelans say, even with Maduro gone, very little has changed.

My colleague, CNN's David Culver with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: He says, you can't go any closer because the police have blocked it off. And you can see they've

got a big barricade --

CULVER (voice-over): A public demonstration, and we can't get in. These Venezuelans are calling on their government to raise wages and ease

repression. The police keep turning folks back.

CULVER: He's trying to tell us that there's another side to go to. We've driven all the way around this area for about 30 minutes, and we haven't

found a way to enter. It looks like now we might have found one possible entry here, but, I mean, it's now towards the end of the march and

demonstration.

She's saying elections have to come for a radical change. He says they took meaning the U.S. Maduro, but left the rest of the system in place.

CULVER (voice-over): Delcy as an acting president. Delcy Rodriguez, who governs behind layers of security, several blocks of armed guards.

CULVER: Mobile command force right there.

CULVER (voice-over): Not surprising, given how her predecessors rule ended on January 3rd, when U.S. forces captured Nicolas Maduro and his wife,

Cilia Flores, their names and faces now plastered across Caracas bill boards, graffiti, homemade signs the government at least wants them back.

[09:20:00]

CULVER: The reality is Maduro, a man who ran this country for some 13 years, even though he faces is everywhere here in Caracas. Well, he's in

custody, locked up in the U.S., the system he built that is still standing, and that's not lost on the people here.

CULVER (voice-over): Especially the families of the more than 450 political prisoners still in custody.

CULVER: We've driven about an hour outside the capital. We're headed to El Rodeo, which is considered to be one of the better-known prisons where many

of these political prisoners are believed to be held.

CULVER (voice-over): At the prison gate, family members live out of tents waiting for weekly visits.

CULVER: Because they don't have the money to make the trip multiple times they camp out, and on days like today, they have visits with their loved

ones.

CULVER (voice-over): Though, the repression has not totally lifted. It has loosened a lot.

CULVER: It's also worth noting that not everyone feels like the United States should be involved in Venezuela matters.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- the --

CULVER: You think he's crazy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- crazy --

CULVER: At a pro government rally, we had folks coming up to us to say, Venezuela is not a colony, that sovereignty here matters to them.

CULVER (voice-over): But for most here, the deepest suffering is economic. The official minimum income just went up to $240 a month. Most Venezuelans

earn far less, and food alone cost nearly three times that amount. There is a small bubble of wealth, nice cars, weekend clubs, but most here live like

Maria Perez's family inside her parents' home, the scarcity is hard to miss.

MARIA PEREZ, CARACUS RESIDENT: Yeah.

CULVER: Is your dad --

PEREZ: Yeah --

CULVER: She said her dad is a diabetic. Her mom's got severe arthritis when it comes to health care. It's really bad.

CULVER (voice-over): Her home is a 20-minute walk up hill from her parents, no real roads to get there.

CULVER: They only really have running water, she said, every 45 days. And so sorry, I'm out of breath a little bit, but the remainder of the days

they rely on these big tanks.

CULVER (voice-over): Venezuela's leaders acknowledge how dire the economic situation is, and they often blame U.S. sanctions, though, the Trump

administration points to years of corruption, mismanagement and authoritarian rule as the cause.

CULVER: Most everyone that we spoke with over the past few days has given us some version of the same sentiment, and that is that they're grateful

that the U.S. captured Maduro. They're glad that he's gone. But as to what happens next when you ask them that question, they stress that is for

Venezuelans to decide, though they also emphasize they need the rest of the world to keep on watching.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: David Culver reporting there. You can read more on this on CNN about the Qatar mediated talks that helped shape Venezuela's future after

Nicolas Maduro's capture, read that exclusive report now at CNN. Well, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is vowing to stay in his job and fight

on.

He spoke earlier today, days after his Labor Party suffered major losses in local elections. Starmer says he takes responsibility for the dismal

results last week's votes, or a surge of support for Nigel Farage is right wing reform UK party. Starmer has faced criticism over various issues,

including his appointment of the Former UK Ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson, who has links to Jeffrey Epstein.

Well CNN's Clare Sebastian is live on Downing Street for us this hour. Sort of get a sense from you of what Starmer's main messages were today, after

what were really tough election results for him and how those messages landed.

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, look, the prime minister's message today was that he is not walking away from this project that he

started when he swept to power less than two years ago with one of the biggest mandates in modern British political history.

He feels that the best course for the country is if he keeps going, albeit on a faster timeline, to deliver the kind of change that he promised. He

took responsibility for the catastrophic results for his labor party in last week's local elections. He says he understands the frustration of the

public with his government and with him, but he clearly sees this as a moment to reset, not to resign, and here's how he justified that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEIR STARMER, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I think what we witnessed with the last government was the chaos of constantly changing leaders, and it cost

this country a huge amount. A huge amount. Yes, I acknowledge the frustration. Yes, I acknowledge the results are tough.

[09:25:00]

Yes, I acknowledge that we lost brilliant representatives across the United Kingdom. I have a responsibility for that, but I also have a responsibility

to deliver the change that we were elected and that we promised this country, and I'll deliver on that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SEBASTIAN: Well, look, I think obviously this was a speech that represented a huge moment for Keir Starmer. It was big on energy. It was heartfelt, but

many critics are saying off the back of it that it was a little short on substance, on the kind of radical change that they want to see from him

right now.

At the heart of the speech was a pitch for closer ties to the European Union as a big part of this reset. He said that he sees the EU summit

coming up in June as an opportunity for a new direction. He's pitching a new program to give young people in Britain the opportunity to work in

Europe as a way to create more opportunities.

As to where this leaves the prime minister, I think he is still in a precarious position. We are seeing more MPs coming out of the back of the

speech and calling for him to step down. But what we're not seeing are calls for him to step down immediately. There was a back bench MP Catherine

West over the weekend, who came out and set up a challenge to the cabinet to come forward after this speech today and present a leadership challenge.

She is now calling for MPs to sign on to, essentially a petition for him to leave in September. So, I think perhaps he's bought himself a little bit of

time with this. But this is still a very precarious administration, and the question now is, if they wait several months for a leadership challenge,

does this mean that the government will have trouble making the kind of change that it's promising in the meantime,

ANDERSON: Good to have you, Clare. Thank you very much indeed. Clare is on Downing Street outside number 10. Later in this show, we'll have a special

CNN investigation out of the UK. Terrifying attacks on Europe's Jewish communities are escalating. So, who's behind them?

Will CNN uncovers a recruitment group that may have links to Iran? This brand-new reporting from my colleague Jomana Karadshe is ahead. That is in

the second hour of "Connect the World" and do stay with us for that. Well, just ahead on the show we are watching for the open on Wall Street as new

fierce surface of the war with Iran.

Expert insight on that and the rat holes global economy, up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Well, we are keeping an eye on oil prices for you, Brent crude and the U.S. benchmark, WTI, rising again. There is some concern in the

market about a possible new escalation in the war with Iran, which would keep the Strait of Hormuz at a virtual standstill.

[09:30:00]

This comes after U.S. President Donald Trump called Tehran's latest peace proposal, quote, totally unacceptable. We are officially into month two of

what is a very fragile truce with no end in sight to all of this. Let's see, then, how the markets open. That's the bell on Wall Street for you,

and the futures were indicating a weaker open.

Let's have a look and see how these markets are getting on. I talk about a week open. I mean, frankly, there's very little activity out there at all.

It's an interesting story for these markets at present, up and down just into positive territory. We'll wait to see how the rest of the other two

markets settle in.

But this is sort of, you know, investors sitting on the sidelines. Is a classic sort of markets term, but it really does feel like that the moment.

I want to bring in Julien Mathonniere who is Energy Markets Economist at Energy Intelligence. Couple of stories, I think that we should note here.

The head of the world's biggest oil company, which, of course, is Saudi Aramco says that the war with Iran could disrupt global oil markets into

next year. Look the CEO, I mean, NASA has told Bloomberg, quote, if trade and shipping remain curtailed by more than a few weeks from today, we

anticipate the supply disruption to persist and the market to normalize only in 2027.

I mean, when -- I mean, NASA speaks the markets listen to what extent do you believe traders have priced in this sort of narrative at this point?

JULIEN MATHONNIERE, ENERGY MARKETS ECONOMIST AT ENERGY INTELLIGENCE: Hi, Becky, I think the problem right now is that the oil market is

contemplating a nearly 1 billion barrel supply loss, which means that, you know, more or less, the same quantity will have to be drawn from oil

inventories by the end of May if you want to balance this market, given the loss.

In other words, you know the scale of the disruption may eventually overwhelm the safety scaffolding, but has kept this market sort of not in a

state of complete panic.

ANDERSON: Yeah.

MATHONNIERE: I mean, remember, we've got Brent, 105, 106, I mean, absent any deal between the U.S. and Iran, it seems likely that this price will

remain anchored at 100 or possibly more for Brent. But now price has been reluctant to move higher, because the market has been able to tap into

those huge inventories, an estimated 500 million barrels of inventories.

Now we are getting closer to the edge where, you know disruption is getting too large to be to keep under control. And even if things get better, it

will take time to put this market back onto its feet --

ANDERSON: Yeah, because we're talking about inventories, sort of, you know, getting tighter and tighter at this point. And, you know, no real spare

capacity out there. At the same time, Aramco posting a net profit of 32.5 billion in the first three months of the year. That is a 25 percent year on

year increase.

So, there is an upside, of course, to these huge oil prices. Who do you see out there as winners and who do you see as losers?

MATHONNIERE: Probably oil company outside of the Middle East. I mean, you are right. It's a striking paradox of the current crisis. And I think it's

deeper than just, you know, oil companies profit from high prices and more importantly, rising profits alongside loss supply.

It's not the market anomaly. It is the market functioning exactly as design and rewarding the actors who had the foresight to build around, you know,

their vulnerabilities, like, for example, this alternative pipeline that has helped Aramco to find to reroute their supply to the Red Sea, and, you

know, manage to get it back on the market.

So, if you take the case of Aramco, one, it has a structural advantage because of this east west pipeline. It's running flat out maximum capacity,

7 million barrels per day in Q1 first quarter. It's crucial, because it has a load Saudi Arabia to reboot that export and entirely bypass the Strait of

Hormuz something Kuwait, Iraq or Qatar cannot do.

Second, the price effect, as you mentioned, overwhelms the volume effect, for a producer with a low, very low extraction cost, like Aramco, this

price search, or even reduced volume can more than compensate for barrels not shipped. So, you know, the math is straightforward.

If you sell 20, 30 percent fewer barrels, but at 60 percent higher prices, revenue and profits still go up.

[09:35:00]

And then of course, this -- has rescued Aramco from -- which is probably the most harassing details. It's the first time. It's the first quarterly

profit increase for Aramco after 12 consecutive quarter of decline. So yes, you know it works -- for the company.

ANDERSON: Yeah. It's fascinating, isn't it?

MATHONNIERE: Absolutely.

ANDERSON: Again, there's an awful lot going on in these markets. Because despite these numbers. I mean, this is a massive company and massively

important to Saudi and its government. The government has said just last week that its oil revenues fell in the first quarter along with much higher

spending that pushed the kingdom's finances into the biggest quarterly deficit in years.

So, you got to, you know, you got to see every layer of this story. You've said this is not COVID, because energy demand still exists. The Indian

Prime Minister was drawing on the same reference. Have a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NARENDRA MODI, INDIAN PRIME MINISTER: During the corona period, we developed many systems for work from home, online meetings, video

conferences, and we even became accustomed to them. Today, the demands of the times are such that if we restart these systems, it will be in the

national interest.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: So, Modi there calling for Indians to curb fuel use. If they listen, how quickly will that change in consumer behavior, and therefore

change in the outlook for energy markets be clear at this point?

MATHONNIERE: Well, the timing is very difficult to call, Becky, but I think the market somehow has built a much better scaffolding around, you know,

potential supply disruption. One, you know, this strategic reserve deployment is working as designed, which helps mitigate the impact of the

shock, at least up until now.

Two, demand adaptation, as per the example of Modi, is visibly happening, you know, from government issuing guidance on, you know, remote working or

greater use of public transport, to countries reducing the work week or imposing hard bands. So, you know that anticipatory behavioral shift is

real, and it's dampening the demand curb faster than in past crisis.

And I think the third factor, maybe it's marginal, but it's still important. The U.S., the world's largest economy, is not -- but it also

benefits from higher prices, like Saudi Aramco, which mutes the global recessionary feedback loop. You know, it's still selling the its gas,

World's biggest LNG exporters, it's less reliant on almost an Asian buyer.

The U.S. is there and kicking, and it helps the global economy, at least up to this point.

ANDERSON: Yeah, fascinating. Good to have you, sir, thank you very much indeed. Well, folks, you're watching "Connect the World". There is more

news ahead, stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:40:00]

ANDERSON: Well, the star of the Netflix blockbuster squid game Actor Lee Byung-Hun is one of South Korea's most prolific actors. In his 30-year

career, his roles have spanned multiple genres across Hollywood and Korea. Was part of our original "K-Everything" series. Lee sat down with fellow

actor Daniel Dae Kim to reflect on why Korean cinema has such wide appeal. Have a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEE BYUNG-HUN, ACTOR: Journalist asked me, even in America too, why Korean contents is so popular these days. I think it's an unpredictable storyline.

DANIEL DAE KIM, HOST OF K-EVERYTHING: I've heard people talk about this as a sort of compressed modernization, that since the Korean War, since the

colonization, everything in Korea happened so fast, poverty, hardship, success and struggling with those things in a very compressed period of

time. Would you agree with that?

BYUNG-HUN: Yeah, I think -- Korea is very competitive society, so everyone is trying to survive in those competitions.

KIM: How would you describe Hun in Korean?

BYUNG-HUN: Positive and happy energy.

KIM: Coming from where?

BYUNG-HUN: From the spirit or from their soul -- K-Pop Demon Hunters -- contents --

KIM: So, if you want to know what Hun is what K-Pop Demon Hunters? You know, that's the first time we've ever worked together, by the way, K-Pop

Demon Hunters.

BYUNG-HUN: I wanted to watch some movie that I am involved in with my kids. So, I watched it with my son, 10-year-old boy. He asked me, so who did you

act? Do you see that fire? That's me. And then he asked me, are you feeling? So, I said, yes. And then he said again. He was so disappointed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: And you can stream the full series on CNN All Access and on HBO Max. Well, I want to get you some "World Sport" that's up after this short

break. I'll be back with more "Connect the World" in 15 minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:45:00]

(WORLD SPORT)

END