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New Zealand Honors Mosque Victims; E.U. Agrees to Request for Brexit Extension; Trump, Time To Recognize Israel's Sovereignty In Golan; Powerful Storm Leaves Destruction in Mozambique; Two Cyclones Heading for Australia; Japanese Legend Ichiro Suzuki Retires; Future NBA Players Tip-Off in March Madness. Aired 12m-1a ET
Aired March 22, 2019 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): A week after the sound of gunfire rang out, the call to prayer echoed around New Zealand and is heard around the world as this nation stops to honor those that died in the country's worst ever terrorist attack.
The E.U. gives Theresa May a two-week lifeline that could be extended if Britain's Parliament could approve a deal.
And in a tight race, it was a gift like no other. The U.S. president tweeting over the Golan Heights.
Welcome to those of you around the world. We're glad to have you with us. I'm John Vause. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
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VAUSE: One week ago a white supremacist walked into a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, and opened fire. He then walked into another mosque and opened fire again.
This small island nation paused to remember the 50 lives that were taken and remember the 50 other that were wounded in a symbolic and unifying gesture. The call of prayer heard around the world, replacing the horrific sound of automatic weapon fire and desperate cries for help.
One week on and what was meant to be two minutes of silence seemed to stretch into four and the prime minister Jacinda Ardern repeated her call for unity with three simple words, "We are one."
JACINDA ARDERN, NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER: According to Muslim faith, the Prophet Muhammad, (Speaking Arabic), said the believers and their mutual kindness, compassion and sympathy are just like one body. When any part of the body suffers, the whole body feels pain. New Zealand mourns with you. We are one.
Now to CNN's Ivan Watson in Christchurch.
What we saw earlier today was a nation united in grief and compassion and sorrow but we also saw the power of inclusivity there.
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right. A country came to a stop, where ferries, buses, trains were all pausing and people coming to a stop as well. The imam of the Al Noor mosque here was giving his sermon just last week when the gunman began shooting and killing worshippers.
This time, a week later, he addressed this open air gathering and talked about unity and thanked his fellow New Zealanders for coming together in support of the victims. Take a listen.
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GAMAL FOUDA, AL NOOR IMAM: We have shown that New Zealand is unbreakable. The world can see in us an example of love and unity. We are brokenhearted but we are not broken. We are alive. We are together. We are determined to not let anyone divide us.
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WATSON: In addition to the ceremony and the two minutes of silence people observed all across the country, we're now witnessing a burial service behind me here at a Christchurch cemetery, where the organizers plan to bury some 26 victims of last Friday's attacks.
And one of the victims, 3 years old, Mucad Ibrahim, buried, and one of the eldest victims here is 77-year-old Moussa Iwaled (ph). They're just some of the 50 people killed.
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WATSON: Many more wounded. Some still in critical care but a sign of how this has been the most violent day, the most violent and deadly terrorist attack in New Zealand's modern history.
And this is an example of how this city and this country have come together to try to honor the dead, amid vows that this kind of violence should and will never happen again in New Zealand.
VAUSE: We've seen a lot of praise for New Zealand and for the prime minister and how she has dealt with this national tragedy. The latest comes from the editorial board of "The New York Times."
"America deserves a leader as good as Jacinda Ardern."
"After this and any such atrocity the world's leaders should unite in clearly condemning racism, sharing in the grief of the victims and stripping the haters of their weapons. Ms. Ardern has shown the way."
The question is, how long will it last? Will the kindness and outreach we have seen over the past week, will they become permanent obvious features of everyday life there?
WATSON: That is a difficult question to ask and just something that we have to watch. Other countries that have experienced atrocities have gone through stages. I recall the aftermath of September 11th and the unity there and we have seen mixed record since then in the U.S. ad Europe after attacks on "Charlie Hebdo, the publication; the Bataclan in Paris, where people come together.
There are incredible signs of empathy and sympathy but eventually society seemed to get back to usual.
The reaction here makes you wonder how leaders in a country and leaders that made campaign platforms and policies around targeting immigrants, it makes you wonder how they would react if a largely immigrant Muslim community had been attacked as savagely in their countries as we have seen here.
Certainly there seems to be a great amount of goodwill and gratitude not only from Muslims in New Zealand but also from Muslims around the world and from leaders of Muslim countries.
Imran Khan, the prime minister of Pakistan, thanking Jacinda Ardern for the empathy she has shown to this minority here in New Zealand.
Muslims make up just 1 percent of the population that were so attacked and the reaction from the leadership here making it clear that the minority in this country that were targeted are equal to everybody else in this country and should be mourned equally.
VAUSE: Thank you. Ivan Watson, who's been there almost from the very beginning. So we appreciate you, thank you.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome. So with that we move on to Brexit.
The European Union threw Theresa May one last lifeline and agreed to a Brexit extension. If British lawmakers can approve the prime minister's divorce bill, the U.K. will be allowed to leave the E.U. May 22nd. But if it once again fails in Parliament as it has twice before, the U.K. has until April 12th to try to figure out what happens next.
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DONALD TUSK, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN COUNCIL: What this means in practice is come the due date, all options will remain open and the cliff edge date will be delayed. The U.K. government will still have a choice of a deal, her deal, long extension or revoking Article 50.
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VAUSE: Article 50 is that the clause to leave the E.U. and it stops Brexit. Ms. May says she has no intention of stopping anything.
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THERESA MAY, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I hope we can all agree we are now at the moment of decision and I will make every effort to ensure that we are able to leave with a deal and move our country forward.
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VAUSE: CNN's Nina dos Santos reports now from London.
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NINA DOS SANTOS, CNNMONEY EUROPE EDITOR: Theresa May got a stay of execution from Brussels for her Brexit plan just days before March 29th, when the U.K. was technically supposed to leave the E.U. The E.U. granted her an extension to try to get her deal back through Parliament for a third time but some big questions still remain.
Largely, will the speaker entertain a third vote of a subject?
Will the actual deal be substantially different enough to convince him of that?
And can she get 75 members of her own party --
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DOS SANTOS: -- on board to try to make up the numbers that she needs after this deal has been spectacularly defeated on two previous occasions?
If her deal is thrown out, she has until mid-April to inform the E.U. of where she plans to take things from there. In the meantime, though, the pressure is rising after to consider revoking Article 50 after (INAUDIBLE) Parliament's website leans more than 2 million signatories -- Nina dos Santos, CNN, in Westminster.
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VAUSE: CNN's European Affairs Commentator Dominique Thomas joining us once again from Los Angeles.
Hey, Dom.
DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Hi there, John.
VAUSE: OK, so Theresa May this is not what she kind of expected in the beginning the week. She has just you know, essentially two weeks to come up with some kind of ingenious plan that she has may overcome so far. And from a lot of reporting out there, it seems that she made everything worse.
The Financial Times reports this. When challenged by E.U. leaders on what would happen, if she lost the vote on a deal in the House of Commons next week, Mrs. May frustrated them by refusing to speculate on her plans because she doesn't have any.
Well The Guardian says one aide is quoted as saying, she didn't even give clarity if she is organizing a vote. Asked three times what she would do if she lost the vote, she couldn't say. It was awful, dreadful, evasive, even by her standards. You know, this whole negotiation politics thing isn't just really isn't her bag is it? THOMAS: It is not. And it's absolutely incredible when you think over the day with all the chaos and the craziness around this that 27 European leaders came together from radically different political persuasions including big hitters like French president Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
And in one day, in one day of meetings, they were able to think carefully about how they would protect the integrity of the E.U. institutions, reach consensus and at the same time demonstrate tremendous flexibility. It was a lesson to Theresa May and a lesson to political parties back in the U.K. that have been fighting over Brexit for over three years now as to how to go about proceeding.
And you're absolutely right that when questioned by them she was incapable of coming up with a concrete solution beyond simply wanting to present her plan back in Parliament. And my feeling is that she has less chance of getting this deal through now than she had even and the first time when she went about presenting it.
VAUSE: Emmanuel Macron of France, he seems to be the one who's sort of leading this hardline charge against any extended delay to Brexit. This is what he said.
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EMMANUEL MACRON, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE: I'm just here to say we do respect the vote of British people. We do respect what the Prime Minister and the Parliament are making. But we have to be clear, we can discuss and agree an extension. It is a technical extension in case of a yes vote on the agreement we negotiated during two years. In case of no votes, or no, I mean, directly it will guide everybody to a no deal.
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VAUSE: That stance has put him at odds with the German Chancellor. There was apparently you know, some reporting you know, there's much race voices, there was almost a confrontation between the two, but they you know, worked it out in the end. But why is Macron taking such a hard-line position here?
THOMAS: Yes. Well, there are two things. I think first of all what he said then earlier in the day disagrees with what essentially the 27 agreed later on which is that if you're unable to get the deal through, come back to us and we all have a short period in which we will discuss the various options. And actually, all options remain on the table as Jean-Claude Juncker pointed out from the no deal to a longer extension and so on.
But the specific issue for Emmanuel Macron is he has from the very beginning of his presidency being an unambiguous supporter not just of the E.U. but of Greater EU integration. And he spoke just two weeks ago about how these elections coming up in May are absolutely crucial and that they are essentially going to fit two visions of Europe moving forward. The Europe that embraces the model that is in place that recognizes the value of this institution and those political elements in the E.U. today the Eurosceptics, the detractors the far right wingers, the anti-immigrants, the anti-Muslims and so on and so forth.
And so for him, one of the great concerns is that if the UK does not leave or does not crush out that they would be involved in the elections coming up in May. And the likelihood is that they will then return or bring to Europe an even greater group of disgruntled people potentially a larger group of kind of Brexiteers who are going to disrupt the operations of Europe.
And they're already concerned about right-wing candidates from the AFD in Germany coming in, from Italy and so on and so forth. And this will be extraordinarily disruptive to E.U. --
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THOMAS: -- institutions. And I think that by setting that deadline today of April 12th should she be unable to get that deal through, they're making a very clear statement that that is the cutoff point essentially for deciding whether or not you're going to run in these E.U. elections.
VAUSE: You know, we now have a situation where the worst case scenario is looking you know, odds-on favorites that is crashing out of the E.U. and that's bringing a red joint plea from the trade unions as well as business leaders. They've written an open letter to the Prime Minister. Here's part of it.
Our country is facing a national emergency. Decisions of recent days, of course, the risk of no deal to saw. Firms and communities across the U.K. are not ready for this outcome. The shock to our economy would be felt by generations to come. We cannot overstate the gravity of this crisis for firms and working people.
Well, you know what, no offense here, but tell us something we don't know. Those warnings have been out there for almost the beginning of this fast and the governor has taken absolutely no notice of them.
THOMAS: Right. But I think too that the government has been -- has been ignoring this. It's clear that that's also true even a strategy that is essentially my deal is the best deal and the alternative is the no deal. I'm not sure that's what the European Union was saying today.
They talked about the fact that the no deal was an option but there's also been talking about the possibility to revoke article 50 or to look at a much longer extension period that would involve participating in E.U. election so it's not a done deal.
I think if anything, they opened the door and Juncker was quite clear here that it is not absolutely clear where we're going to go from here. But they have set a line in the sand that if this deal does not go through, then you have must come back within a two-week period, not three months, not six months, but two year period in which we're going to decide.
And I think that Theresa Mays prime ministership hinges on whether or not this deal goes through Parliament next week. And if that doesn't happen, we're going to see some fairly significant moves in Parliament either for a vote of no-confidence. We already know that the parliament has voted against a No Deal and it is possible that she will not survive this time.
I don't see how anybody no matter which side of the political spectrum you're on would want Theresa May to be negotiating something beyond this moment. And she herself has said that she would not be interested in negotiating a long term. So she set herself up for vulnerability in that -- in that regard.
VAUSE: We're out of time, but I just see this all heading to a no deal Brexit crashing out worst-case scenario possible, but I guess we'll see. Dominic, we will be talking with you again. Thank you.
THOMAS: Thanks, John.
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VAUSE: With one single tweet, decades of U.S. policy upended. The U.S. president said it's time to recognize Israel's right to the Golan Heights.
Is this anything more than a gift to his good friend Benjamin Netanyahu?
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VAUSE: In a major reversal of U.S. policy, President Trump says the time has come to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. The timing is interesting. It comes just before an Israeli election.
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BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL: President Trump has just made history. I called him. I thanked him on behalf of the people of Israel. He did it again.
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VAUSE: That was Benjamin Netanyahu, a very happy man right now.
CNN's Oren Liebermann has more details, reporting in from Jerusalem.
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OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Donald Trump upended decades of U.S. policy and now for the first time in recognizing Israeli sovereignty in the Golan Heights.
Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 six-day war and it's been considered occupied territory ever since. Israel annexed the Golan more than a decade later, a move no country had ever recognized until now.
Trump said after 52 years it was to recognize it as officially part of Israel. The move comes just a few weeks before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a tough re-election campaign and the U.S. recognition is certain to give him a boost.
No one, not Trump, Netanyahu, or U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, made mention of the election but it seems apparent that the Trump administration is openly campaigning for Netanyahu.
Earlier today Pompeo visited the Western Wall in the old city of Jerusalem with Netanyahu. When Trump visited a couple years ago, when Vice President Mike Pence visited, that was done alone because of the sensitivity of the site between Israelis and Palestinians.
Well, no more. Pompeo went to the wall with Netanyahu which lends even more credence to the idea that Trump is pushing for Netanyahu to win. And this could be just getting started.
Netanyahu heads to Washington this weekend for AIPAC, the American Israeli lobby conference. He'll be staying at the Blair House as an official guest of the White House and he'll meet with Trump in what will basically be a campaign stop for Netanyahu.
Now, Turkey and the Palestinian authority have already condemned the White House move saying it will further destabilize the region and could lead to more violence. Lebanon and Syria will also certainly condemn the move.
And that's worth noting because Pompeo flies from Israel to Lebanon for meetings with officials there who are not going to look favorably at Trump's move -- Oren Liebermann, CNN, Jerusalem.
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VAUSE: Dalia Dassa Kaye is the director of the RAND Corporation Center for Middle East Public Policy. She joins us now from Los Angeles. Dalia, thank you so much.
DALIA DASSA KAYE, RAND CORPORATION CENTER FOR MIDDLE EAST PUBLIC POLICY: Thanks.
VAUSE: OK, President Trump, but specifically asked about the timing here of this decision and whether it was made now to help the Israeli prime minister who was in the midst of a pretty tight reelection. Here he is -- this is was he said.
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MARIA BARTIROMO, FOX BUSINESS ANCHOR: It's not about Netanyahu's reelection?
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No, I don't -- I wouldn't even know about that. I wouldn't even know about that. I have no idea he was doing OK. I don't know if he's doing great right now, but I hear he's doing OK. But I would imagine the other side whoever's against him is also in favor of what I just did.
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VAUSE: If the U.S. president really doesn't know anything about the Israeli election, are there some pretty big problems here that we should be worried about, seriously?
KAYE: Well, I can't answer -- I can't answer that. But I have a feeling he follows it a little more closely than he might be suggesting there. But what he did say was correct in the sense that this is a popular move across the political spectrum in Israel.
There is definitely concerned about what's happening in Syria, Iranian influence there. The Golan is a strategically important plateau for Israel, third of its water sources comes from there.
So it is true that it's welcomed in Israel but I think, you know, my concern and many others concern is that from a U.S. strategic perspective, it's not really clear what this move accomplished, while it really poses a lot of risk for long-term U.S. interest.
And that's what I think is very puzzling and it fits a pattern of moves by this administration that leaves the U.S. rather isolated. We're the only country in the world now doing this. We are breaking international law and it's setting a very dangerous precedent that claiming territory by force is acceptable. And that's a very dangerous message to be sending.
VAUSE: I want to get actually talk about breaking international law, because a lot of people said that this is, in fact, in defiance of the U.N. Security Council resolution, in particular, 242, which was passed after the Six-Day War.
So, much of that, this is getting a little long into the week, so bear with me, because 242 emphasizes the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by war. And as the word "war" which is important because often war is replaced by the word "force".
And that matters because --
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VAUSE: -- Israel took control of the Golan Heights, you know, as an act of self-defense during the 1967 War. And it's actually, you know, they took the territory and if they were forced to give that territory back to the people who started the war, essentially, they can declare war whatever they want, they wouldn't lose anything, everything would return to the status quo.
The other important line in 242, it calls for the withdrawal of Israel from territories occupied in recent conflicts. Specifically, not that territories or as the French version says, du territoire, which translates to, of the territory.
You know, the Israelis they lean on the English versions to argue the resolution does not require to give up all the territory that you gain through the Six-Day War.
KAYE: Yes.
VAUSE: So, -- you know, like I said, it's very much in the weeds but words matter. So, is there an argument that can be met the U.S. is, in fact, not breaking a Security Council resolution?
KAYE: Yes. Yes. Well, you know, I'm not a legal expert but I do think that the issue here is that we are breaking the principle of land for peace deal.
And it is true that Israel has a right to defend itself, but I don't think anybody and it's -- I think, it's a misleading discussion to be talking about whether we're trying to push Israel out of the Golan Heights.
I don't think anybody who's realistic about the situation in the region is really believing that Israel is going to leave the Golan Heights anytime soon. Especially given the situation in Syria and a horrendous civil war that has been underway there.
But the idea is that this so -- this settlement should be decided ultimately in a diplomatic process and there was no one clamoring for this. You know, it's not like -- you know, U.S.-Israeli relations would have been abandoned. That it would have been the -- in a major crisis had the U.S. now done this.
The status quo was working perfectly fine for dozens of years. And, in fact, even in 1981, when Israel first unilaterally annexed the Golan Heights, the Reagan administration was concerned and opposed the move by Israel. Arguing that it violated the Camp David accord.
So, putting international law aside, it violates a very important U.S. principle. And again, puts us at odds with the rest of the international community which is setting up a pattern here that we've seen again and again from this administration.
And most worrisome, I think, was the U.S. embassy moved to Jerusalem. But this fits a very similar pattern.
VAUSE: Yes, maybe Donald Trump will get a train named after him or another train or bus or something. That's happened with the Jerusalem move, I think.
Just add to your point here, just over a week ago, the Secretary of State gave no indication that this change to U.S. policy was coming.
He is quoted as saying in a "The New York Times" story, "On Wednesday morning, before flying to Israel, Pompeo held a news conference in Kuwait City with the foreign minister of Kuwait. An American reporter asked Mr. Pompeo for the exact position of the United States of the West Bank and the Golan Heights.
"Were they or were they not occupied by Israel?
"Pompeo said only there is been no change in U.S. policy never be he did not lay out what that policy is."
You know, it's possible Pompeo didn't want to reveal details before any kind of official announcement. It just seems to unlikely they did just know anything was coming. No one knew anything was coming. There's been no planning in preparation ahead of time and as you say, there are consequences.
KAYE: Yes, it could be this role it was a little more chaotic than expected, but most of us observing the region. I don't think or terribly surprised. This administration has really shown again and again an inclination to kind of support Israeli preferences. And what worries I think a lot of observers is the question of what long-term consequences, will this have for U.S. strategic interest.
So, again, this issue had been coming up over the past months, in fact, even the -- even last years since Trump came into office. I think there were Israeli leaders again across the spectrum. They saw this as an opportunity and administration favorable to U.S. interest, a very devastating war in Syria.
Nobody is expecting Israel to give up the Golan anytime soon. So, I think, Israel saw an opportunity to capitalize on it. And you know, the timing, you know, may be linked or may not be linked to this particular moment in Israel's electoral politics.
But I think this was not a particular surprise. And ultimately, does not change, I think that's the other concerning thing. Does not change the fundamental Israeli concern about Iranian influence in Syria.
This is really symbolic, though it does create international friction with no clear gain. Including for Israeli security interests because Israel's going to have to continue to be bombing and containing Iranian influence and Iranian military assistant to Iranian allies in Syria with or without this recognition.
So, there's no real concrete changes on the ground in terms of what the U.S. is delivering here.
VAUSE: Yes. All practical sets, you know, everything stays the same, but it's the long-term consequences which are -- you know, which should be noted here.
KAYE: Yes.
VAUSE: Dalia, thank you so much. It's good to see you.
KAYE: Thank you.
(END VIDEOTAPE) VAUSE: Well, they survived the brutal first impact of cyclone Idai. But one week on, hundreds of thousands of people in Southern Africa are desperate for rescue and fighting to stay alive. We'll have an update from Mozambique in a moment.
[00:30:04] Also, severe weather heading for Northern Australia. Not one but two cyclones in the forecast for this weekend.
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VAUSE: Welcome back, everybody. I'm John Vause. An update now on our top news.
Moments of silence and calls to prayer in New Zealand. The nation coming together to mark one week since a hate-filled gunman mowed down worshippers at two mosques. Fifty people were killed, 50 more wounded. Twenty-six victims are expected to be buried on Friday alone.
E.U. leaders have agreed to give the U.K. more time to ratify a Brexit deal. Brussels has offered two options. Brexit will be delayed until May 22 if the British Parliament approves Theresa May's exit deal. But if it fails again, the U.K. has until April 12 to try and work out what to do.
And bucking decades of U.S. policy, President Donald Trump says it's time to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights. Israel seized the territory from Syria in the 1967 war, annexed it in 1981. The move comes less than three weeks before Israeli voters go to the polls.
The European Union has promised $4 million to help countries in Southern Africa hit by Tropical Cyclone Idai. The threat of more downpours still is not over, but the heavy rains are at least starting to ease. That's been hampering rescue efforts, leaving scenes of destruction in Mozambique, as well.
CNN's Farai Sevenzo reports.
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FARAI SEVENZO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Almost a week after Cyclone Idai hit the coast of Mozambique. Here, in Beira, where CNN is at the moment, it was obvious that a huge clear-out and rescue operation was still underway.
On the streets of Beira, massive trees that have stood for generations could be seen uprooted and into people's houses. We also saw many signs of zinc and tin roofing all over the streets. Hanging by lamp posts, hanging on people's fences. And men were at work all over the streets of Beira, trying to clear all this debris away a week after the cyclone hit.
Over at the beaches, a young man came and arrived by boat from the fairly hard-hit area of Buzi, where 200,000 people are still stuck and strapped because of rising waters. He told us that, when the cyclone hit, he had no idea that there was going to be so much water. He said that everybody knew that a cyclone was on its way, but they were prepared. They thought they were prepared.
Soon, the rivers of the River Buzi and its tributaries started rising and filled up people's homes and knocked down their ramshackle, feebly-cemented buildings. And soon, he told CNN, everybody was chest-high in water. He said he came to escape what he thought was the possibility of disease, because many people were still stuck there, and it was very difficult for rescuers to get to them.
And of course, at the airport of Beira itself, many people were arriving to help in the efforts to relieve people. The United Nations against like WFP or the choppers from South African government, all manner of volunteers were gathered in Beira Airport.
But of course, the situation is still very grave for those that have not been rescued or been seen since a week has passed since the cyclone hit.
Farai Sevenzo, Beira, Mozambique.
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VAUSE: Bad weather also threatening parts of Australia, with many now on the move before two huge storms arrive this weekend. Cyclone Trevor could hit the Northern Territory on Saturday with wind speeds in excess of 200 kilometers per hour. And then Cyclone Veronica expected to cause significant flooding as it approaches the coast of Western Australia on Sunday.
CNN's meteorologist Derek van Dam joins us with more. It's important that the wind speed of Trevor, about 200 kilometers an hour, but it's pretty much the same as Cyclone Tracy, which devastated Darwin all those years ago, back in what, 1970, I think it was.
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. And in fact, it has been several years since we've had such an impactful storm in this part of the Northern Territory, but what's impressive here is that we're talking about two simultaneous cyclones impacting northern parts of Australia within a 24- to 48-hour window.
We're looking at Veronica and Trevor here across Western Australia and the Northern Territory. The only saving grace here is that these are sparsely populated parts of Australia; but sometimes, that's what makes it that much more difficult once the storm exits the region. Getting to some of the indigenous communities across the Northern Territory can be extremely difficult.
There are evacuation orders taking place along the coastal areas of the Northern Territory in advance of Cyclone Trevor, and then we focus our attention into Western Australia. Both of which we'll get to in this weather hit.
A hundred and forty kilometers per hour with Trevor at the moment. Gusts in excess of 160 kilometers per hour. It will make landfall within the next 24 hours across this region with extremely high winds. The potential for destructive winds exists for the extreme northwestern sections of Queensland, as well.
But what's impressive about this storm system is that it's going to have a significant amount of moisture with it. The potential for flooding exists over the next several days from the Northern Territory right through the central and western sections of Queensland.
Now let's go to Western Australia. This is Tropical Cyclone Veronica, 205-kilometer sustained winds. A little more organization with this storm system. And unfortunately, it is headed to a slightly more populated part of Australia, the Port Hedland region. We expect impacts from this storm within the next 24 to 48 hours. That being strong destructive winds, high coastal storm surge, and the potential for flooding in this area exists as well.
And the reason for that is because the storm is going to stall as it moves across the coastline, dumping significant amounts of precipitation. Our computer models show over 500 millimeters of rain over the next five days just south and west of Port Hedland. So John, with more people living in the path of the storm, the potential there exists for more threats.
VAUSE: Yes. I should note, Cyclone Tracy was 1974, for anyone keeping score at home. Thanks, Derek.
VAN DAM: All right.
VAUSE: A holiday tragedy in northern Iraq has claimed at least 92 lives when an overcrowded ferry capsized in the city of Mosul. The boat was carrying about 150 people, twice its capacity. They were celebrating the Persian New Year and Mother's Day. Dozens are still missing, and families are checking a public bulletin board for the latest information. The river was very high and fast, and the bodies were quickly swept downstream before would-be rescuers tried to save them.
The death toll from a pesticide plant explosion in Eastern China has risen to at least 47 people. According to state media, 90 others have been seriously hurt. A security camera captured the moment of the explosion. Windows in the surrounding area are shattered. Vehicles parked outside were damaged. Officials say the main fires have been put out, but crews are still working to control smaller flames.
One week after the deadly mosque attacks in New Zealand, the nation gathers together in mourning, as well as remembrance.
When we come back, scenes from a very sad day.
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[00:41:07] VAUSE: In the midst of sadness, there was strength. In despair, we saw hope. New Zealand marked a week since the mosque shootings with dignity, empathy and inclusiveness.
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(MUSLIM PRAYER) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have shown that New Zealand is unbreakable. And that the world can see in us an example of love and unity. We are broken-hearted, but we are not broken.
(MUSLIM PRAYER)
JACINDA ARDERN, NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER: According to Muslim faith, the Prophet Mohammed, (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE), said the believers in their mutual kindness, compassion and sympathy are just like one body. When any part of the body suffers, the whole body feels pain. New Zealand mourns with you. We are one.
(MUSLIM PRAYER)
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VAUSE: Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. WORLD SPORT is next.
KATE RILEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and welcome along to WORLD SPORT. I'm Kate Riley at CNN Center.
Earlier on Thursday, we witnessed the end of a baseball era. Ichiro Suzuki played a competitive game for the final time. The curtain fell on his legendary 27-year career after the MLB game over in Tokyo between his Seattle Mariners and the Oakland A's.
[00:45:07] This was Ichiro's last at-bat, and when the 45-year-old was pulled from the game, he received a standing ovation from the Japanese fans who simply worship him.
It was perhaps fitting that, on such a momentous occasion, the game went to extra innings, with Seattle winning in the 12th. Ichiro has enjoyed a stellar career, making 7 all-star games in Japan before leaving for the United States in 2001. He's one of only 32 players in league history with 3,000 or more hits. The icon has the most of all time if you include his record in Japan, as well.
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ICHIRO SUZUKI, RETIRING FROM BASEBALL (through translator): When you feel something and you're happy, you always look back and you say, "Oh, that was some happy moments," but tonight it doesn't get any better than this. There is no happiness more than this tonight.
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RILEY: "TIME" magazine senior writer Sean Gregory spoke to me a little earlier on and started by telling me about the legacy Suzuki will leave in the sport and beyond.
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SEAN GREGORY, SENIOR WRITER, "TIME" MAGAZINE: He was a great player once he came over here. And just his style of play. You know, baseball over the last ten years, specifically, has gotten away from the kind of game that Ichiro plays. We have a power game now. It's a lot of home runs. A lot of strikeouts.
Ichiro wasn't that kind of player. He didn't hit a ton of home runs. He'd have these little slap hits. He'd, you know, kind of fade out of the batter's box and start running towards the basis before he swung at the ball. So his style of play was mimicked in Little Leagues around the United States, no doubt.
RILEY: Is there a case to be made here that he's not just the best Japanese player to come to MLB but perhaps one of the all-time greats, period?
GREGORY: Without question. I mean, for ten straight seasons, to get more than 200 hits. That's remarkable. The consistency of production. You know, he had already started his career in Japan. Comes over here, ten straight seasons of such consistency. I think he's a Hall of Famer. No doubt because of -- because of what he did.
And again, his style. It was just a different kind of way to play. And you know, he was kind of a fun guy, a quiet guy. But you read some of the tributes, as this retirement comes out, and one thing he did before a bunch of all-start games was like give, like, a pep talk to the team that included profanity about the National League. All tongue in cheek, but so he had this kind of other side that we didn't get to see. But he seemed like a well-rounded, interesting guy.
RILEY: Just to pick up on our point there about tributes. The quote, "I don't know if there's been a more impactful player than Ichiro, at least since I've been doing this." And those were the words of the A's manager, Bob Melvin. What has his impact been on the league domestically but also around the world?
GREGORY: I mean, it just gave MLB even more exposure. When he came here, he was trailed by hundreds of Japanese reporters, you know, around the country. So baseball was big in Japan already, but it got even bigger. It became more of a global game. We've seen the NBA expand globally, and MLB didn't have as big a global imprint. But, you know, the interest in baseball, not only in Japan but throughout Asia kind of increased once he came here, so that's a -- that's a huge impact.
And again, as we've been talking about, just the way he played the game, the consistency and those little slap hits. You know, when you see kids kind of start running and swinging at the ball, you say, they're doing an Ichiro. That's Ichiro. He kind of became a noun, almost, in himself. A kind of a one-name star. So it's pretty awesome.
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RILEY: Meantime, as one Japanese legend retires, there was one making his Major League Baseball debut on Thursday. Ichiro's teammate, Yusei Kikuchi. A surely emotional night for Kikuchi became even more so as you could clearly see him tear up during Ichiro's farewell. He grew up watching and idolizing his countryman, and when asked about that embrace after the game, he simply could not find the words.
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(YUSEI KIKUCHI TEARING UP)
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RILEY: That speaks volumes doesn't it? Well, the emotion getting the better of him there. And who could blame him?
And speaking of emotion, why was this the moment that was all about turning emotional? We'll reveal why this would turn out to actually be a moment to savor for a lifetime.
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[00:51:56] RILEY: All right. Over in the States, you may know Zion Williamson as the guy who burst through his shoe, but he's set to become far more famous for his incredible basketball ability in the months and years ahead. He's so good that he's even being compared to LeBron James and will be a player every team would love to pick in their NBA draft.
Earlier, our own Andy Scholes explained why Zion will be front and center for the NCAA's March Madness.
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ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS: This is one of the most anticipated tournaments in years, and it's because of Zion Williamson. He's the best college basketball player we've seen in decades; and when he and Duke take the floor, it really is must-see TV. You know, throughout this season, I've spoken with many of the stars in the NBA, and they all say Zion is a special, special player.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We really haven't seen somebody quite like him a Zion.
CHARLES BARKLEY, NBA HALL OF FAMER/BROADCASTER: He is explosive.
LEBRON JAMES, THREE-TIME NBA CHAMPION: At his size, his speed, his agility, his quickness.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's going to become an even better player over time.
SCHOLES (voice-over): Zion Williamson has taken the game of college basketball by storm, delivering jaw-dropping highlights every time Duke takes the floor.
ZION WILLIAMSON, DUKE UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL PLAYER: When I'm out, seeing that rectangle, I mean, nothing else matters. It's just poetry in motion for me. It's what I love to do.
SCHOLES: Zion's unique skillset is something the game of basketball has never seen. He's 6'7" and 285 pounds and can jump out of the gym. JAMES: His athleticism, what we all see. His ability to jump well
beyond the 10-foot rim is incredible.
SCHOLES: Zion experienced an epic growth spurt during high school. From the time he was 15 years old to 17 years old, he grew 4 inches and gained 100 pounds. Zion's rare athleticism has drawn comparisons to LeBron James, and LeBron has become a big fan of the 18-year-old.
JAMES: The comparisons to me and Zion, and Zion to me, I think is great. I think it's great for the game.
WILLIAMSON: I try to model my game after, like, a lot of players and just try and combine it. A little LeBron, Jordan, Magic. Just any great player I see, I just try to take something from their game and just add it to mine.
STEPHEN CURRY, THREE-TIME NBA CHAMPION: When you watch him play, he's playing hard every possession. That's the thing for me that I respect the most; and we'll help him be successful here when he gets to -- when he gets to the league, too.
SCHOLES: There's no question, Zion will be the No. 1 pick in June's NBA draft, but for now, he's concentrating on cementing his legacy in college basketball.
WILLIAMSON: I'm enjoying my college experience, and I'm trying to go for the national championship. That's the end goal in college, like, you'll never be forgotten if you win a national championship.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCHOLES: Zion and Duke will begin their quest to win the college basketball championship on Friday. The tournament gets started on Thursday, and it really is the best two days on the American sports calendar.
There are 32 games over the first two days of the college basketball tournament. Sixty-eight teams compete in all over the three-week period. One hundred forty-one players from 41 countries outside the U.S. will be competing this year.
[00:55:07] And according to the American Gaming Association, Americans are expected to wager $8.5 billion during the competition. And more than half of that number comes from people wagering on this, the bracket. So even non-sports fans like filling this out, see if they can do it better than their friends.
So the 64 teams, they're separated into four different regions around the country. It's a single elimination tournament. So each round, the number of teams is cut in half until you get to the Final Four. And that's always a huge event just like the Super Bowl. It's held in a different city each year. This year it's going to be in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
One champion is crowned at the very end. You need six wins in order to win it all. And again, it being a single elimination tournament, gives you no room for error. It's what makes that, this tournament one of the greatest events in all of sports.
And even Zlatan Ibrahimovic filled out this bracket this year, but he chose to skip all the games, going straight to the very end where he just penciled in "Zion." I guess all those guys that have names that start with "Z," they must stick together.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RILEY: Andy, very good.
Finally, a story which struck a chord with all of us over in the CNN sports desk.
This is Allen and Alek Thomas, father and son, on opposing teams in Major League Baseball's pre-season. Father Allen is the director of conditioning for the Chicago White Sox. His son Alek was drafted last year for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Fast forward to the ninth inning here, and Alek hits it out of the park for a three-run homerun. Not a bad thing to do in front of your dad, even if he is in the opposing dugout.
And after the player crossed the diamond, son grabs -- tries to grab the attention before proud father and son silently shared this unspoken moment.
After the game, Alek tweeted out, "Love you, Pops," to which Dad responded, "Love you more. Go beat up other teams."
That is definitely the best thing we've seen today.
All right. That's it from us. Many thanks for watching from me and the whole team here. The news is next.
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VAUSE: Brussels dictates the terms.
