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One World with Zain Asher
Key Issues Remain Unresolved In Gaza Ceasefire Plan; Trump Wins Praise With Gaza Ceasefire But Questions Remain; Israel Turns Page On Dark Chapter After Hostages Freed; Moshe Lavi's Brother-in-Law Is Reunited With Family; Madagascar's President Impeached After Fleeing Country; What Awaits Ex-French President Sarkozy Behind Bars; Cape Verde Seal Historic Debut Place After Win On Monday; Aired 12-1p ET
Aired October 14, 2025 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:00:38]
ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR: All right. The hostages are home, Palestinian prisoners have been released, and the ink on the ceasefire deal is dry. The
question is, what now?
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN ANCHOR: The second hour of "One World" starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: What were the rules of engagement? The questions like that. We got none of that sense of detail
from -- from President Trump.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Celebrations are underway, but diplomats still have a long way to go. What is next for the Gaza Strip?
ASHER: Also ahead, civil unrest, a military coup, and a vote for impeachment. Where is Madagascar's president? And why has he fled the
country?
Plus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE YOUNG, HALL OF FAME QUARTERBACK: Football, at its root, was made for girls. Because we're, you know, 100 years behind in a way. We owe it to
them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Play like a girl. How an NFL Hall of Famer is making a difference on and off the field.
Hello, everyone. Live from New York, I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: And I'm Zain Asher. You are watching the second hour of "One World."
A day after a major ceremony and the implementation of the first phase of the ceasefire deal, Israel and Hamas are coming to terms with the reality
on the ground.
U.S. President Donald Trump says the ceasefire agreement has moved into phase two after Hamas released the last remaining living hostages and
Israel freed hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees on Monday.
And now, a source in Israel says negotiations are ongoing in Egypt and on what comes next. Many crucial issues remain to be ironed out though, such
as the makeup of the peacekeeping force in Gaza.
GOLODRYGA: Many Israeli families were dismayed that the remains of only four of 28 deceased hostages were returned from Gaza Monday.
The Red Cross is warning, finding victims amid Gaza's wasteland of rubble presents a massive challenge and could take considerable time.
ASHER: The vital aid is now flowing into the battered enclave for the first time in months. And as the region absorbs the reality of the first phase of
the U.S. brokered deal.
GOLODRYGA: CNN's national security correspondent Natasha Bertrand joins us now live from Washington, D.C.
Natasha, yesterday, truly a historic day with the president visiting both Israel and then Egypt, signing off on somewhat of at least a framework of a
peace plan between Israel and then obviously all of the Israel was not a signatory, but many other regional players were.
A lot yet unknown though as to the details of this deal. And even here we are 24 hours later and there are some major roadblocks potentially,
especially with the return of the deceased hostages. What more are we learning?
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right, Bianna. And I think that a really interesting question about what's next
here is just what U.S. troops as well are going to be doing on the ground there coordinating with NGOs, with the civil society organizations to
figure out how to continue getting aid into Gaza, and importantly, how to set up civil society structure inside Gaza for governance purposes.
Now, we're told that approximately 200 U.S. troops did arrive in Israel on Sunday and they are expected to remain there for an indefinite period of
time, essentially coordinating with all of these groups to try to get aid into the enclave to try to make sure that a ceasefire is upheld.
But it's really unclear at this point just what kind of enforcement mechanism there actually is for the ceasefire, the troops that are expected
to be on the ground there for quite some time. It's not clear what the rules of engagement for them are, for example, whether they're actually
going to be out and patrolling or whether they're going to be in a civil military kind of coordination center as it was described by military
officials last week.
But one thing is clear, and that is that U.S. troops are not going to be on the ground in Gaza, even though some regional leaders, like Egypt, for
example, have said that U.S. troops should be. That right now seems like it's off the table for the Trump administration.
They have repeatedly emphasized that they do not want to put American troops in harm's way there. They do not want to take any risks. Instead, as
of right now, they are going to be watching instead from a safe distance in Israel, Bianna.
[12:05:03]
GOLODRYGA: All right. Natasha Bertrand, thank you so much.
ASHER: All right. In his latest piece on cnn.com, CNN politics reporter Stephen Collinson looks at how Trump's Middle East triumph could change his
presidency, but as Stephen says, probably won't.
Let's bring in Stephen Collinson. He joins us. I like the title, Stephen, I have to say. Could change his presidency, but it probably won't.
GOLODRYGA: Must be optimist.
ASHER: But this idea, one of the things that you touch on in your piece is that, yes, obviously it is a huge win for Donald Trump, especially in terms
of his legacy, that he managed to cobble this together, but he does still have, especially domestically, his focus is still on unrestrained power and
also settling the scores with his enemies. Take us through the piece, Stephen.
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes. In many ways, Trump is a peacemaker abroad and the exact opposite at home. He's been
trying to send troops into American cities to fight what he calls the enemy within.
He's got this massive crackdown on undocumented migrants off the coast of Venezuela. He is taking action against what he says are cartel speedboats
on very dubious legal and constitutional grounds.
So the idea, I think, that Donald Trump is going to simply transfer this new face that he's showing to the world and that won him great adulation at
home probably is not going to be the case, even though there are almost as many divisions these days inside the United States as there are around the
rest of the world.
I think a key thing, and following on from what Natasha was saying is, did Trump basically decide yesterday that he'd made peace in the Middle East,
he got the hostages home and that's it? Or is he going to be in on the details of Hamas withdrawing from governance in Gaza, their disarmament,
the Israeli commitments that it has made under this, and finally pushing forward those 20 points?
We're probably at point one or two in this 20-point peace plan. For this to survive, it needs Trump's constant engagement.
One positive on this, I think, is that this is his legacy now. It's his biggest win. And if he doesn't act, it's not going to be possible to
protect it.
GOLODRYGA: Right. And, Stephen, the president was hoping to continue along with this win that he's achieved, at least thus far in the Middle East,
towards Europe and Ukraine, and saying that there's a similar model that can be played out. There's some of his negotiators, especially Steve
Witkoff, he made that point uh yesterday.
Quite a difference between these two wars, quite a difference between the leverage that President Trump has exerted and has been able to exert on
Hamas and even Israel versus what he has at least been willing to do when it comes to Vladimir Putin.
Just talk about the uphill battle that remains in terms of seeing peace in Ukraine as he's expected to welcome President Zelenskyy on Friday.
COLLINSON: Yes. One lesson you could draw from events in the Middle East for the last few weeks is that this only started moving when the president,
in the last month or so, decided to stop applying pressure to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He was able to get the Arab states to lean
more heavily on Hamas to back down on some of its demands, at least temporarily.
But the -- the bond he'd forged with Israelis, through his strong support for them across two terms, enabled him to really box Netanyahu in and take
him to a place where it did not seem that he was willing to go. And that was what was the breakthrough here.
Is he able to impose similar pressure on President Putin? A lot of people have been, including on Capitol Hill, among them Republicans, want Trump to
go much harder on Putin to impose more sanctions.
The Zelenskyy -- President Zelenskyy of Ukraine is coming to Washington this week amid talk that Trump may even uh endorse the handing of Tomahawk
U.S. cruise missiles to Ukraine, which would then allow it to strike deeper into Russia.
So this could be a sign that he's concluded that after pressuring Netanyahu, a similar model would work with Putin. But as you say, these are
very different circumstances. Putin is not as isolated globally as Netanyahu was. He's done quite a good job of rebuilding Russia's support
from non-democratic nations following the initial anger after the invasion of the Ukraine. So very different circumstances.
But President Trump is on the roll. He'd just proved that when American presidential power is applied, it can make a big difference. So it's going
to be interesting to see if he does the same with Ukraine.
[12:10:00]
ASHER: All right. Stephen Collinson live for us there. Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: Thanks, Stephen.
Well, the Red Cross says it could take weeks to secure the remains of the deceased hostages who remain in Gaza. Some bodies, sadly, may never be
found.
The hostages in Missing Family Forum is urging U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to act swiftly to make sure Hamas releases their loved ones. Only
four of the deceased were returned yesterday, while 24 remain. Though there are reports, CNN has not yet confirmed, that Hamas has agreed to release an
additional four of the bodies later this evening. We'll continue to follow that story.
ASHER: But it's really so hard to imagine the dismay and the anguish of some of these families who, you know, really, really need closure at this
point in time. We did see some relief after the 20 living hostages were really -- were freed.
The sister-in-law of Eitan Horn spoke earlier about his release.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DALIA CUSNIR, SISTER-IN-LAW OF RELEASED HOSTAGE EITAN HORN: I don't know, it's ups and downs all the time. He's sharing something and then we're
laughing about something else and he's hugging my kids all the time. He needs to touch them and embrace them and -- and, you know, and -- and see
that he's really home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: CNN's Clarissa Ward has more on the hostages' emotional return.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two years of anguish and agony finally giving way to joy.
For the mother of 23-year-old hostage Bar Kupershtein, taken at the Nova Music Festival on October 7th, this was the hug she had dreamed of.
Bar's paralyzed father is helped out of his wheelchair so he can finally hold his son amid wails of raw emotion.
For hostage Segev Kalfon, even the sight of his family was all too much.
(CRYING)
Scenes of tearful reunions between the final 20 living Israeli hostages and their families punctuated this historic day.
"You're home. You're home," the mother of 24-year-old Guy Gilboa-Dalal cries in disbelief.
In Hostages Square, the beating heart of the movement to bring them home, tens of thousands of Israelis gathered from the early hours, singing
"HaBayta" or coming home.
The crowds cheered as the first images of the hostages emerged before their release.
Surreal scenes of them calling their loved ones as Hamas militants stood in the background.
After reuniting with their immediate families at Re'im military base, they were flown to hospitals looking down at the crowds gathered to welcome them
home.
WARD: You can hear the crowd cheering as you see those hostages traveling via helicopter to Ichilov Hospital. This is a moment that these people have
been waiting for, for 737 days.
WARD (voice-over): In Gaza, they have known the pain of waiting, too. Applause erupted as some 1,700 Palestinian detainees emerged from crammed
busses outside the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. Held without charge by Israel throughout the war, they waved to the crowds, tearful. Some returned
to the worst possible news.
This man learned that his wife and daughters were killed in an Israeli airstrike. "My wife and my children. My family is gone," he says, clutching
a birthday gift for his two-year-old daughter.
For many in Gaza, joy still feels like a distant dream. The scale of loss and destruction leaves little room for it.
And as Israel turns the page on a very dark chapter, Gaza is opening a new and uncertain one.
Clarissa Ward, CNN, Tel Aviv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GOLODRYGA: And since the beginning of the war, we have shone a light on the plights of those who were held captive by Hamas. We have had the
opportunity to get to know the family members of many of those who were detained, like the family of former hostage Omri Miran, seen here with his
wife, Lishay.
This was yesterday, by the way, at their reunion. Miran's brother, Moshe Lavi, is a friend of the show and never gave up trying to reunite him with
his wife and two small children.
ASHER: On Monday, Lavi tweeted this picture along with the caption saying in part, I promised my sister I would do everything in my power to help her
bring Omri home. And boy, did he. Omri is now home and it's the happiest day of my life.
[12:15:05]
Lavi vowed to fight for his brother-in-law's freedom and fight he did. He appeared on T.V. countless times. There he is. Including, of course, right
here many times on "One World."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Moshe Lavi joins me from Kibbutz Kramim in Israel.
We're joined now by his brother-in-law Moshe Lavi, who has been fighting for his release since October 7th.
Time now for "The Exchange." Our guest is a familiar face to this show, Moshe Lavi.
MOSHE LAVI, BROTHER IN-LAW OF OMRI MIRAN: We can't stop fighting for him. We can't stop living his story and making sure his name appears everywhere
so that people can relate.
Prime Minister Netanyahu is -- is not decisive enough in -- in committing to the deal that is on the table right now.
I'm trying to be as optimistic as -- as I can because this is the source of energy that gives us the -- that gives us the ability to keep advocating
the -- the sense of optimism that we can see on way home.
We do believe that putting pressure through the public -- through public announcement is a vital and crucial way to make sure that the issue remains
on the top of the table, remains on the top of the public mind and reminds the -- the public that Hamas is preventing access.
We focus on the fact he's alive and it's the second video they released. And he's alive, we can still bring him home to Roni, Alma and Lishay.
GOLODRYGA: Moshe Lavi, thank you so much for your time. Thank you for your strength.
LAVI: Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: And joining us now from Tel Aviv is Moshe Lavi.
Moshe, I should say you gave us strength through the numerous times that we've spoken to you. You never gave up hope over these horrendous two
years. We've spoken after there was proof of life. We've spoken when there was no information as to the whereabouts or the status of your brother-in-
law, Omri Miran.
And now, for the first time since we've met you, we can say Mazel Tov. Congratulations.
ASHER: Congratulations.
GOLODRYGA: Omri is home with you, with Lishay, with his two daughters. I -- I tweeted earlier that the best photo of the week was Omri with his wife,
your sister, and their two daughters playing with toys, as he should have been all of these two years.
Just talk to us about this moment. And it's a loaded question. But -- but how is everyone doing? How -- how are his two daughters? How are Roni and
Alma doing?
LAVI: First of all, thank you for having me. And it's a very, very emotional day for us. We're still trying to process everything that has
happened yesterday.
And to be honest, everything that happened there since October the 7th, 2023, we are a complete family again. And I can say it for the first time
in two years with -- and smile truly for the first time in two years because Omri is here with us, he's standing, he's strong as much as
possible and he's with Lishay and the girls.
And this is the best outcome we could have hoped for. Everyone is -- is simply focusing on -- on how we can make this reunion and our new future
the best possible. And we're here to support Omri and the girls and Lishay, of course, as they reacquaint with each other in the next couple of days.
ASHER: I mean, as well, Bianna was just saying there, I -- I mean, I'm getting emotional now because I'm looking at the scenes of Omri being
reunited with his family. And I cannot help but think.
I wonder if he knows how much you fought for him. I mean, you fought tirelessly for your brother-in-law and it was consistent. Any opportunity,
you were on T.V. talking about him, talking about how much he meant to the family, how distressing it has been for your sister to be without her
husband for this length of time.
I mean, out of -- I mean, obviously, every single hostage family did fight, but I -- I -- I look at you as somebody who really -- you gave it your all.
You really gave it your all, and that is what's so inspiring.
My question to you is that, as you know, there are a lot of families who are not going to have this happy ending, right? There are a lot of families
who are waiting for the remains of their loved ones and who might have thought that yesterday and today they'd be reunited and -- and sort of able
to have closure with a proper burial and who aren't going to have that and who are going to have to end up waiting.
I mean, what advice would you have for them? I mean, you've obviously experienced what it's like to have false hope, what it's like to have
disappointment. Obviously, that's not the case for you. As again -- as I've said, you have had a happy ending.
[12:20:09]
But what do you say to those who are experiencing the exact opposite this week?
LAVI: Yes. First of all, you're far -- far too kind. Second, I want to emphasize as my sister emphasized earlier today, and she's also going to
deliver a statement to the press tonight. We are not going to stop fighting and advocating until every single hostage is returning home.
We currently still have 24 hostages, deceased hostages murdered on October the 7th or during their captivity. And their remains must return to Israel
as stipulated by the agreement between Israel and Hamas that -- that President -- that President Trump orchestrated and brokered.
We are going to support those families and be their back and give them the opportunity to decide how they want to conduct their fight. But I will
continue to do what they want me to do. And it is to advocate for the release of all the hostages.
We had a happy ending, but I want a similar ending in terms of closure. Sadly, it can't be the same in terms of physical reunion. But closure is as
important and burial in the land of Israel is as important to Jewish families and Israeli citizens as reuniting with our loved ones who are
alive.
So my -- my -- my -- I'm really going to emphasize how important it is we keep supporting these families until they have that closure.
GOLODRYGA: We should note that Omer Neutra's parents, who we have had on the show as well, today is their son's birthday. Sadly, he was killed on
October 7th and his body remains in Gaza. We are thinking of them. They have been so brave throughout all of this as well.
And as you and your family have rejoiced, we obviously are -- are thinking about the families that have not had that opportunity, have not had that
closure in bringing the bodies of their loved ones home for a proper burial.
But, Moshe Lavi, I hope this is the last time we're speaking with you about this issue. We have become good friends with you so please come back on.
ASHER: We haven't talked about you actually.
GOLODRYGA: About anything else, your favorite food, music, any other issue, enough talk about war. Let's hope for peace now and please do keep us
posted on how your family is doing. And we are just so happy that Omri is home with -- with his daughters, with his brave wife. You guys have all
been the true unsung heroes, all of the hostage families throughout this ordeal.
So thank you so much, Moshe Lavi, for joining us.
ASHER: Thank you, Moshe.
LAVI: Thank you for Omri.
ASHER: Wow. All right. Still to come on "One World." Fast moving developments in Madagascar. The military says it's now in charge after the
president fled the country. Details, coming up.
GOLODRYGA: Plus, former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has just a few days until he reports to prison. After the break, we'll look at what awaits
him when he gets there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:25:12]
GOLODRYGA: Well, this is the scene today in Madagascar's capital after the president fled the country. Andry Rajoelina is refusing to step down. But
now an army colonel says the military is in charge following a vote in the lower house of parliament to impeach the president.
ASHER: Earlier, he said he had dissolved the lower house of parliament, a move the opposition says is not legally valid. Rajoelina had been
increasingly isolated after weeks of protests led mainly by young people over a lack of basic services and accusations of corruption. An elite
military unit join the protests over the weekend as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDRY RAJOELINA, MADAGASCAR PRESIDENT (through translator): We have all seen that the crisis that has occurred in the country have led to ruin and
recession. There have been real plans since September 25th for a coup and an assassination attempt against me.
When other African presidents proposed sending military contingents on the peacemaking mission, I told them that this does not reflect the values of
the Malagasy people. And I refused.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: CNN's Larry Madowo has the latest. So these protests, just to put it into context for our audience, they began in late September and people were
protesting over a lack of water and also electricity outages as well.
But then the protest kind of morphed into just general anger towards Rajoelina and his government because of what they viewed as in part
corruption.
Just walk us through what happened because this is the second time that we've seen Gen Z protesters topple the government in Madagascar, recently.
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Zain. And as you mentioned, they began over acute water and power shortages, but then they began --
they really became about the state of things in the country in the Indian Ocean Island, where three-quarters of the people live below the poverty
line, according to the World Bank.
And so they are dissatisfied with the corruption and the cost of living and just how Andry Rajoelina has been running things since he too came into
power in 2009 in another military coup. And this is the second time we've seen gen Z protesters essentially overthrow a government based on popular
protests like we saw in Nepal.
And what's specific about Madagascar that's interesting is that they appear to have essentially succeeded. And this elite military unit known as CAPSAT
that helped Rajoelina come into power in 2009, on Saturday turned against him. They rode into the streets and supported the protesters.
And on Tuesday afternoon, they said they had taken over, dissolved all institutions except the lower house of parliament. And that lower house of
parliament is what President Rajoelina appeared or tried to dissolve by decree, but then they went ahead and headed this vote anyway that
overwhelmingly voted to impeach him.
And local media now reporting that the Constitutional Court has essentially confirmed that Rajoelina has been impeached and there's a vacancy in the
presidency and in the president of the Senate. So still a lot of confusion.
But one of the interesting other parts of this is Reuters reporting that on Sunday, President Rajoelina fled the country on a French military jet. And
President Emmanuel Macron was asked about this specifically. He did not confirm or deny it, but he said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): If the international and constitutional order were broken, we know what happens.
Madagascar has already experienced it. It would be, obviously, the first victim would be the population.
And besides that, I want to say here as everywhere that we look at the youth of these countries with great admiration, affection. We have a youth
who has expressed itself, who is politically active, who wants a better life. And that is a very good thing. It just must not be taken over by
military factions or foreign interference.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MADOWO: One of the criticisms of President Rajoelina is that he's seen as a French stooge. He gets support from France. He's said to be a dual citizen
of Madagascar and France. So if he -- it is true that he did escape on a French military jet, that would just add to this background for that.
[12:30:07]
He said in an address on Facebook that he is in a safe place after an attempt on his life. But right now, tonight, it appears that the young
people of Madagascar who've been on the streets since September 25 have prevailed and the military are supporting them. The security services are
on their side and now they have to figure out what happens next and how do they go forward.
Zain and Bianna.
ASHER: All right. Larry Madowo live for us there. Thank you.
GOLODRYGA: Speaking of France, the country's reappointed prime minister, who quit last week, has offered to suspend controversial pension reforms.
ASHER: Sebastien Lecornu outlined the proposal. In a speech to parliament a short time ago, he's proposing that the reforms, which sparked widespread
protests, should be suspended until after the next presidential election. He hopes the gesture will prevent his government from being toppled. Here's
what he told lawmakers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEBASTIEN LECORNU, FORMER PRIME MINISTER (through translator): No rise in the pension age will take place from now until January 2028.
Suspending for suspending does not make any sense. Would it be responsible to suspend without anything in return? The suspension must instill the
necessary confidence to create new solutions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: Meanwhile, former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has just one more week before freedom, before a jail cell door clangs behind him.
Sarkozy has been ordered to report to prison on October 21st. He was convicted of criminal conspiracy over a scheme to get election funds from
Libya's late dictator, Muammar Gaddafi.
ASHER: Yes. Sarkozy will spend his five-year stint in La Sante prison's so- called VIP wing. However, he'll likely be paroled partway through this.
What awaits him in the VIP wing? Our Saskya Vandoorne takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SASKYA VANDOORNE, CNN PARIS BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): An unlikely home for a former head of state, Nicolas Sarkozy will be the first French president
ever held behind bars. He's been handed a five-year prison term and will soon start serving it here at La Sante in Paris.
A typical cell here looks like this, a bolted metal bed, a small desk, a fridge, a television, a shower and a phone. Pierre Botton, a former
businessman sent here for embezzlement in 2022 and a longtime friend of Sarkozy, knows exactly what awaits him.
PIERRE BOTTON, FORMER INMATE, LA SANTE PRISON (through translator): That's when you hear two sounds no inmate ever forgets, the lock going clack,
clack as it bolts shut. That's the moment you know you're locked in. From then on, nothing happens until 7:00 A.M. the next morning. You're alone
with the T.V. and the noises.
VANDOORNE (voice-over): It's the same prison that once held Panama's former dictator Manuel Noriega and international terrorist Carlos the Jackal.
Sarkozy was sentenced after he was convicted of criminal conspiracy to finance his 2007 campaign with funds from Libya in exchange for diplomatic
favors, a verdict he calls political persecution.
I am innocent, he said, vowing to sleep in his cell, quote, with his head held high.
VANDOORNE: Behind these walls, Sarkozy is likely to receive the same treatment as the other inmates as set out in France's prison code, 22 to 23
hours a day alone in his cell with two walks in the courtyard and a few visits from the family during the week.
VANDOORNE (voice-over): His arrival kit will include blankets, a towel and basic toiletries.
BOTTON (through translator): On his first night, the guards will come by every two hours. They'll wake him up. They'll turn on the light and make
him raise his hand to show he is alive.
VANDOORNE (voice-over): Sarkozy's lawyers are working to shorten his time behind bars, but it's a stunning fall from grace for a president who once
prided himself on being France's crime fighter-in-chief.
Saskya Vandoorne, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ASHER: All right. Still to come here on "One World."
And one of the most unlikely cup qualifiers in history. How a tiny island nation reached the pinnacle of the sports of football, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:35:57]
GOLODRYGA: All right. Welcome back to "One World." I'm Bianna Golodryga.
ASHER: I'm Zain Asher.
GOLODRYGA: Imagine if the German city of Dresden or Lyon, France, qualified for the World Cup all by itself. Well, that is sort of what happened on
Monday when the tiny West African island nation of Cape Verde reached its first ever World Cup.
(CHEERING)
ASHER: Cape Verde has about 600,000 inhabitants, similar to a medium, I would say a small city, actually. It's the second smallest country by
population to ever qualify for the World Cup after Iceland.
GOLODRYGA: CNN World Sport's Don Riddell is here with more. And, you know, we talk about corruption in sports and a lot of negative headlines at
times, especially when it comes to football.
But these types of stories --
ASHER: We love.
GOLODRYGA: -- the Cinderella come from behind, you know, little unknown country, all of the sudden beating a titan like Cameroon and -- and coming
this far being cheered on. Obviously, this must be the most exciting day in Cape Verde's side, you know, the last few years, I don't know. I don't know
what else they can compare this to.
But talk to our viewers that may not be aware the small island nation, why -- why this is such a big deal.
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: So, I mean, we talk about the beautiful game of football. And I think it's all here right in this story. Cape Verde, as
you say, tiny, tiny, tiny.
This is a country that only celebrated its independence 50 years and 100 days ago, so they'd only just commemorated the centenary and now here they
are going to the World Cup.
This is a country that was barely even playing football 25 years ago. They're already saying this is the third most prominent day in the history
of the country, the first one being independence, then establishing their own elections, and now they're going to the World Cup. They now can say
they are a player on the world stage.
And they didn't just fluke their way into this. I mean, they finished top of their group. They beat Cameroon. They finished ahead of Cameroon. And
that is a country that's been in eight of the last 11 World Cups.
[12:40:08]
So they deserve their place at the top of the table. The scenes you are seeing now are from their final group game where they beat Eswatini at
home. And just -- it's just magical. It's absolutely magical.
But there are a number of reasons that have enabled them to be able to do this. They've had a lot of investment. so many good players. Well, this
country experienced a bit of an exodus in the 60s and 70s. FIFA have helped. There's been Chinese investment. They've had consistent coaching
for the last five years. So they had a plan of how they could do this.
But I think you also have to consider from such a small country, how do you find so many good players?
Well, this country experience a bit of an exodus in the '60s and '70s. And as a result of that, there is a huge Cape Verde diaspora all over the
world. So they were able to tap into all these kind of other communities around the world. And that's where they got about half their players to
join this squad, to take them to the World Cup.
But incredible scenes, really, really emotional. And I mean, let's just hear from a couple of the players who are involved. And that'll give you an
idea of what it means to them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTO LOPES, CAPE VERDE DEFENDER: The main (INAUDIBLE) since I was a little boy and I know it's the same for the guys that (INAUDIBLE) since we
were all little kids playing football, we dreamed of playing football at the higher stage. And there's no bigger stage than the World Cup.
STEVEN MOREIRA, CAPE VERDE DEFENDER: I can't -- honestly, I can't explain. It's just a lot of emotion right now. I still don't believe for the moment
we're in the World Cup. That's -- that's crazy, yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLODRYGA: All right. Don Riddell bringing us a great, amazing come-from- behind story. And we've all learned a little bit more.
ASHER: Yes. We'll see what happens to Nigeria. I'm still focused on Nigeria if they -- if they end up in the World Cup.
GOLODRYGA: One-track mind.
RIDDELL: It's not looking good. It's not looking good.
ASHER: My brain has one lane. That is it.
GOLODRYGA: All right. Don, thank you so much.
ASHER: All right. Turning now to the other football. A U.S. football legend has launched a new effort to get women involved in the sport.
GOLODRYGA: Yes. We call this the American football, right? Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young is partnering with his old team, the San Francisco
49ers, to promote flag football for girls. That's a non-contact version of the sport where players wear belts with flags like you see here. And plays
are stopped by pulling the flag rather than tackling the opponents.
This is the only form of American football I'll let my son play, by the way.
The initiative will provide flag football opportunities for girls at the youth level and all the way up to high school competitions. Young says that
after 100 years of boys playing the sport, well, it's time for women to join in as well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YOUNG: For me, it's rooted in my love of the game and that's where the girls took me back to. It's like when I was a kid and when I was learning
to throw the football and I was trying to throw like, you know, the pros that I was watching.
I'm excited about our efforts to get more girls playing, more -- more women coaching, more in schools and in the area and like just develop the game.
JUSTIN PRETTYMAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, 49ERS FOUNDATION: Access and expanding the reach and making sure that every girl who wanted to play flag
football had the opportunity and removing those barriers. So that's really where we're starting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ASHER: The initiative comes at a time when flag football is exploding in popularity. In fact, the 2028 Olympics will feature the first ever flag
football competition with the winners getting gold medals.
I loved how you said that American football.
GOLODRYGA: I said, American football. American football.
All right.
ASHER: Sounds like the Oscars.
GOLODRYGA: We already know what that was.
ASHER: The music is telling us it's time to go. OK.
GOLODRYGA: That is it for "One World." Thank goodness for you viewers at home.
I'm Bianna Golodryga. I'll be back in about 15 minutes, speaking normal English with "Amanpour."
ASHER: I'm Zain.
GOLODRYGA: Bye.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(AFRICAN VOICES CHANGEMAKERS)
[13:00:00]
END
