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World Health Organization Declares Coronavirus Outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern; United Kingdom is Just Hours Away From Official Exit From the European Union; Key Republican Decides Against Impeachment Witnesses; Trump Admin Expected To Loosen Military Restrictions On Landmines Aired 2-3a ET
Aired January 31, 2020 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR: Live from CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, welcome to our viewers around the world. I'm Natalie Allen. This is "CNN Newsroom."
Ahead here, the coronavirus outbreak now declared a global health emergency. More countries are stepping up surveillance and warning against travel to China. We will have a live report.
The impeachment trial against the U.S. president is winding down, but the battle over calling witnesses is far from over.
Also, Brexit is finally upon us. Can you believe it? Today is the day the U.K. officially says goodbye to the E.U.
Thank you all for joining us. We appreciate it. Our top story, the World Health Organization is now declaring the Wuhan coronavirus a global health emergency. The immediate impact was a warning from the U.S. State Department telling Americans not to travel to China, and those who are there should leave.
One week ago, the WHO held off declaring an emergency, saying it appeared limited to China. But much has changed since then. The number of confirmed cases is up sharply to nearly 10,000. Two hundred thirteen have died since the disease surfaced seven weeks ago.
Global health experts are concerned the virus is now spreading from person to person, including the first such case in the United States. We get more now from CNN's Sanjay Gupta.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: The designation of public health emergency of international concern really came about after the SARS outbreak back in 2003. The World Health Organization wanted to wait to basically send a signal to all these countries to potentially get resources and funding, at least allocated to countries that would need it, and to address things like travel and trade. That is really what this public health emergency declaration means now. They say that this is a sudden, unexpected outbreak that has worldwide implications. Now, clearly, this has been an emergency in China for some time. It was an emergency in China the last time the World Health Organization consider this.
What has changed over the last several days is that this is now -- this coronavirus is now in several other countries around the world and is spreading in several countries as well, at least six now, including China. So, that's part of what's driving this. It does not mean there are new resources or funding specifically, but it might mean that there is allocation of funding to places again that need it.
It also means that countries within the next couple of days should really look at their own public health measures to make sure they are doing everything they can to mitigate the spread of this coronavirus. Only a few times in history have this public health emergency declaration has been made: H1N1 back in 2009, polio in 2014, Ebola in 2014, Zika in 2016, and Ebola again in 2018.
So this obviously is not taken without significant consideration. They recognize -- the World Health Organization recognizes there will be an impact overall on the economies of several countries around the world as a result of this declaration. But they still say that it is important to do to try and slow down the spread.
The numbers of coronavirus infected do continue to grow. What we are starting to try and learn though is, is it possible there is a large population of people who do carry the coronavirus are infected but showing minimal or no symptoms. If that is the case, that might mean this is more like a bad cold, bad flu versus a new pandemic that is very deadly.
That is what public health researchers are trying to figure right now. This is a rapidly changing story as we get new numbers and new information. We will certainly bring it to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ALLEN: CNN's Steven Jiang is covering the story for us from China. Steven, has there been reaction from Beijing to the World Health Organization's declaration?
STEVEN JIANG, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: Natalie, the reaction has come very swiftly.
[02:04:57]
JIANG: Remember, one impact of this declaration is now China will be expected to coordinate much more closely with the rest of the world when it comes to containment effort of this virus. Now, to that end, the Chinese government is now saying that's exactly what they have been doing all along, with the foreign ministry spokesperson saying the Chinese government has always been transparent and responsible when it comes to sharing information and data on this virus with the rest of the world. She says such efforts actually happened, reaffirmed and praised by the WHO's director general. She also said that the Chinese had been implementing the most comprehensive measures since this outbreak began and far exceeding its international obligations.
But still, even with these reassurances, this virus and its impact especially with the WHO declaration is going global. We already are seeing a lot more international airlines cancelling, reducing or even suspending their services to China. That obviously has impact on Chinese travellers overseas.
We understand to that effect the Chinese government is now sending special charter flights to overseas destinations to pick up stranded passengers, especially those from Wuhan in Hubei province, the epicenter of this outbreak.
In the last hour or so, they just said two such flights have been organized for today, Friday. One is going to Thailand and the other is going to Malaysia to pick up these stranded passengers and fly them back to Wuhan. Natalie?
ALLEN: Developments continuing to happen quickly. Thank you so much, Steven, for us there in Beijing.
The rapid spread of the virus is fueling fears outside the Chinese mainland. Hong Kong, for instance, suffered through the devastating SARS outbreak in 2003 when more than 280 people died. Now, the territory is taking no chances. Travel from China has been restricted and protected. Face masks are in high demand. CNN's Will Ripley is in Hong Kong.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Hong Kong, a city full of empty stores. This one has a line around the block.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (UNTRANSLATED).
RIPLEY (voice-over): A three-hour wait for surgical face masks.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They give only one a pack for one person.
RIPLEY (voice-over): I see.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Are you coming back tomorrow?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maybe. Yeah, maybe. We need more masks.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Demand is high. Supplies are low. Stores are quickly running out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They seem not to have anticipated the seriousness of the problem. It came so quickly.
RIPLEY (voice-over): The same Hong Kong leaders, who try to band protesters from wearing masks to hide their faces, now cover their own. The government is taking an emergency measures to prevent a public health catastrophe, severely restricting travel from mainland China, the epicenter of the outbreak.
(On camera): Normally, there would be a steady stream of people from mainland China coming through these now locked doors. High-speed rail services have suspended until further notice and that is really having a knock-on effect because this adjacent mall, just like malls all over Hong Kong, is pretty much deserted.
Hong Kong has about 300 reasons not to take any chances. That is how many people died in the SARS outbreak 17 years ago in 2003. This neighborhood, Emily Gardens (ph), was ground zero. Are people living here scared that that could all happen again?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think all Hong Kong people are scared something like SARS would happen again in Hong Kong.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Those who lived through Hong Kong's darkest days described psychological terror, akin to 9/11, only stretched out for months. That fear of an invisible enemy has many heeding the government's advice: stay inside, avoid crowds. If possible, work from home.
(On camera) It is almost easy to forget that we are in the middle of the Lunar New Year here. This is supposed to be one of Hong Kong's busiest tourism weeks of the year. But all we have are these decorations. All the public events have been cancelled. The people are gone.
(Voice-over): More than seven months of protests emptied out hotels, stores and restaurants. Now, it is even worse.
(On camera): Have you ever seen a Chinese New Year like this so slow?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, never.
RIPLEY (on camera): Never in your life?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Since 15 or 16 years, I have never seen that.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Sales are down 70 percent, he says, and this is supposed to be a good week. Hong Kong's economy was already on life support. Now, an even bigger worry for some is staying alive.
Will Ripley, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ALLEN: Yes, it is a momentous day ahead for Brexit. Let us head to London where our Max Foster is standing by at 10 Downing Street. Good morning to you, Max, on this --
(CROSSTALK) MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: (INAUDIBLE).
ALLEN: Yes, it's been a bit of a topsy-turvy road to get there.
[02:10:02]
FOSTER: Yeah. It has been quite a buildup. One referendum in the U.K., it led to two general elections, of course, three and a half years of postponing deadlines and tough negotiations. But now, in the coming hours, Britain will finally get Brexit done. In the prime minister's words, at midnight in Brussels, 11:00 p.m. here in London, the U.K. will leave the E.U.
Hundreds gathered in the heart of the European Union on Thursday to mark the historic moment. However, the hard work is far from over. The U.K. has until the end of this year to hash out the new relationship with the E.U. and create new trade deals.
For more on what's to come, CNN's Nic Robertson is standing by in Sunderland, England where the cabinet is expected to meet in the coming hours. CNN's Nina dos Santos is in Brussels. Nick, first to you, the message today is this is a beginning of a new era for the U.K., at least for Downing Street.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, not the end of something, but the beginning of something else. That's the way the prime minister is going to talk about when he speaks to the nation later today. It is fascinating that he should choose to move the cabinet for the day up to Sunderland here. Of course, this was the place that first voted for Brexit.
Of course, everyone voted on the same day at the time, but Sunderland called it first. The results came in at 61 percent. The people here voted to leave the European Union. Across the nation, it was 48 to remain, 52 to leave.
The prime minister is coming here today to sort of commemorate that, if you will. But, you know, that said, this is not a town that is particularly favorable towards the prime minister. Why? Well, the last general election a few months ago, each of the three constituent here were won by Labour MPs, not like Boris Johnson, not conservative. So, it is interesting for him to make this visit.
It comes as well -- it is not just exceptional that the cabinet should meet outside of London and this is part of the prime minister's big effort to say that north of Britain counts for something to level up the opportunities for people going forward, to have better employment, better infrastructure, better trains, better roads, all of these things to make the north of the country as prosperous as the south, and this is sort of what underwrites the message today, if you will, Max.
FOSTER: OK. Nic in Sunderland, thank you. Nina, we have been talking about how this is just the beginning of a fresh process and arguably a much harder one. On the European side, some tough words already on what sort of relationship will come out of this between the block and the U.K.
NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, some tough words from the presidents of the institutions here in Europe, not just the European Parliament, the European Commission, which is the executive arm that writes the laws of this bloc that Euro sceptics (ph) had such issues with. And also, the European Council has convened the meetings of head of state to rubberstamp those said laws.
The presidents of all those institutions have just sent (ph) an open letter which has been released by the spokespeople over the last 10 minutes. It is quite lengthy. It essentially bids goodbye to British citizens, saying, thank you very much for your contribution, you have done so much to help shape this bloc, we want to keep a close relationship with you, but if you think that we are going to make any concessions that would harm the single market, you will be sorely mistaken.
So that is the firing gun for that free trade agreement that they are going to try and hammer out once Brexit is done by midnight here in Brussels.
In the meantime though, this has been a week of sorrow, a week of tears and joy for some Brexiteers, tears of sadness for other greens and liberal democrat MPs of the European Parliament who have been so committed to the European project, and also lots of European and British workers who worked for the E.U. and worked for the U.K. here in the capital of Belgium, which is of course the beating heart of the E.U.
Overnight, what we saw -- and you see these pictures now -- is the Grand Place, the famous medieval trading market town square of Brussels being lit up in the colors of the British union flag, the red, white and blue. We saw marching bands coming from various parts of the British aisle, Scotchmen and their quilts with their pipes there. Also, some Irish bagpipe players as well and some Belgium musicians as well.
This was a ceremony of solemn togetherness, if you like, to try and mark the cultural ties that the U.K. has with its neighbors on the European continent.
Now, a quick quote here again from this letter that Ursula Von Der Leyen, Charles Michel and David Sassoli here of the European Parliament have just put out.
They say, "Our thoughts are with all of those who have helped to make the European Union what it is today, those who are concerned about their future or disappointed to see the U.K. leave, those British members of our institutions who helped shape policies that made lives better to millions of Europeans. We will think of the U.K. and its people, their creativity, ingenuity, culture, and traditions that have been such a vital part of our Union's tapestry."
[02:15:12]
DOS SANTOS: At midnight, Brussels time, I have said this before, not U.K. time symbolically, when this clock, the famous clock in the central part of Brussels strikes midnight, we will be there with many other people watching as the U.K. finally dissolves that 45-year plus relationship with its closest trading partner, Max. The biggest question is what economically is it going to replace that loss capital with thereafter? Back to you.
FOSTER: Nina and Nic, thank you both very much, indeed. At 11:00 U.K. time, at that moment when the U.K. leaves the European Union, there will be a light show here in London. We will bring you that as well. We will be back in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ALLEN: Welcome back. Donald Trump's impeachment trial could be over by the end of the day Friday. Republican Senator Lamar Alexander says he will vote against hearing from any new witnesses, and that may be the last nail in the coffin for Democrats' plans. They have spent the past two days demanding more testimony. CNN's Athena Jones has the latest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Enough is enough. Stop all of this.
ATHENA JONES, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the final day of questions, both sides pushing for and against witnesses and bringing this all to a swift end.
REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): There are a few things about this trial that Americans agree on, but one thing they are squarely in agreement on. Well, two. They believe a trial should have witness testimony and they want to hear from John Bolton. Let us cabin the depositions to one week. In the Clinton trial, there was one week of depositions.
JONES (voice-over): The president's defense team arguing Democrats failed to prove their case and the Senate should not remove a president in the midst of an election year.
JAY SEKULOW, OUTSIDE LEGAL COUNSEL FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP: We are literally at the dawn of a new season of elections. I mean, we're at that season now. And yet we are talking about impeaching a president. This is really taking the vote away from the American people.
JONES (voice-over): House Democrats spending what could be the trial's final hour, challenging Trump's lawyers over abuse of power.
[02:19:58]
SCHIFF: If we are to accept the premise that a president essentially can do whatever he wants, engage in whatever quid pro quo he wants, I will give you this if you will give me that to help me get elected, I will give you military dollars if you will give me help in my reelection.
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): It would send a terrible message to autocrats and dictators and enemies of democracy and the free world.
JONES (voice-over): Using Trump's own words to argue he represents an ongoing threat to the integrity of the next election.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Russia, if you are listening --
It is not interference. They have information. I think I will take it.
Likewise, China should start an investigation into the Bidens.
JONES (voice-over): Republican senators and President Trump's lawyers again focusing their attention on former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter.
PAM BONDI, TRUMP IMPEACHMENT ATTORNEY: The vice president, by his account, never once asked his son to leave the board. We would not be sitting here if he did.
JONES (voice-over): And blasting the process, including Kentucky's Rand Paul, who try to ask a question that may have named the alleged whistleblower.
JOHN ROBERTS, CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE UNITED STATES: The presiding officer declines to read the question as submitted.
JONES (voice-over): Both sides at times directing sharp barbs at one another.
JEFFRIES: One of the arguments that we consistently hear on the floor of this Senate, this great institution in America's democracy, is conspiracy theory after conspiracy theory after conspiracy theory.
SEKULOW: There is not a conspiracy that Christopher Steele was engaged to obtain and prepare a dossier on the president -- presidential candidates for the Republican Party, Donald Trump.
JONES (voice-over): Republicans sought to highlight the partisan nature of the proceeding, a point also raised repeatedly by Trump's defense.
PAT CIPOLLONE, WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL: They don't talk about the horrible consequences to our country of doing that. But they would be terrible, they would tear us apart for generations, and the American people would not accept it.
JONES (voice-over): Still after some 12 hours of Q&A, there was a moment of bipartisanship. The first question to come from members of both parties, including Lisa Murkowski, a Republican who has said she could vote for witnesses.
ROBERTS: The question from senators Murkowski and (INAUDIBLE) directed to both parties. Would you agree that almost any action a president takes or indeed any action the vast majority of politicians take is to one degree or another inherently political? Where is the line between permissible political actions and impeachable political actions?
PATRICK PHILBIN, DEPUTY COUNSEL TO PRESIDENT TRUMP: There's nothing wrong with that. That is good. It is part of the way representative democracy works.
SCHIFF: Yes, everyone in office has a political motivation, but certainly that doesn't mean that we can't draw a line between corrupt activity that is undertaking yes for political reason and non-corrupt activity. Indeed, we have to draw that line.
JONES (voice-over): Athena Jones, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ALLEN: Thomas Gift joins me now. He is a lecturer in political science at the University College London. Thomas, thank you so much for coming on.
THOMAS GIFT, POLITICAL SCIENCE LECTURER, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON: Thank you, Natalie.
ALLEN: As you have watched the proceedings in this trial, have Democrats, in your mind, made their case that there should be witnesses in the impeachment trial?
GIFT: Well, I think that they have made their case certainly. And I think one of the points that Adam Schiff made from the very outset was that any basic notion of fairness, which seemed to suggest that a trial should have witnesses, and witnesses are essential in order to be able to obtain facts, gather information, and then to make some sort of objective assessment in the end for both sides, both for Democrats and Republicans.
Certainly, there is so much evidence of wrongdoing by President Trump in Ukraine that it would seem to be the case that we would want to hear from key witnesses, especially John Bolton, to get a fuller narrative of what actually happened.
ALLEN: Yeah, but all indications from White House lawyers in this trial is they aren't buying anything the Democrats put out about witnesses. They are holding firm. No surprise there, I reckon?
GIFT: Certainly no surprise. I continue to think that witnesses ultimately will be unlikely and report seemed to suggest that Mitch McConnell has the votes to block any requests going into Friday. Mitt Romney, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski seem to be on the fence or they may be exceptions.
But if that is the case, if there aren't any witnesses, then I think GOP leadership will almost certainly try to move for a swift end to this trial. It almost strikes me that Republicans have made the political bet that it is easier to defend against accusations that they are not pushing to uncover the full story in Ukraine than it is to defend against the president's actual misconduct.
[02:25:04] ALLEN: Yeah. The question and answer period has presented roughly 150 questions, both sides asking and answering various questions surrounding Mr. Trump's actions and historic precedent and impeachment. What stood out for you in that particular process?
For me, one example was Senator Rand Paul putting the Whistleblower's name in a question. These questions are read aloud by the chief justice at the Supreme Court and the chief justice refused to read the name. Anything else stood out for you as these questions have gone back and forth?
GIFT: Well, I think there also was a very interesting question by Senator Elizabeth Warren, who basically directed a question directly to the chief justice and essentially said that if there is a trial here and there are no witnesses and no new evidence that is being considered, does that actually reflect negatively on the chief justice and the Supreme Court more broadly?
And so it was an interesting question and certainly did not go over well with Republicans. But I think many Democrats were also taken aback by it. Democrats to some extent have courting the chief justice with a chance to vote for witnesses in a sort of 50-50 tie, and John Roberts would deliver the tie breaking vote.
Probably, Warren did not do the Democrats any favor in that respect. I actually felt that Adam Schiff's response was appropriate and well delivered. He basically said, you know, if there aren't any witnesses, it is going to reflect on Congress, it is not going to reflect on the chief justice.
ALLEN: Well, you talked about the senators that were believed may be on the fence. Why do you think that these senators haven't been convinced? Is it that they are just too worried about reelection if they go against Mitch McConnell and the president?
GIFT: Well, I think these are politicians and they are always responding to their constituencies and they are always responding to electoral incentives. That is kind of politics 101. We certainly have seen some moderate Republicans saying that they may be interested in witnesses or at least pay lip service to that act.
But ultimately, you know, they are on the republican side. Mitch McConnell is very effective at whipping votes and clamping down on any sort of dissent within the party. To a large extent, he has been extremely effective. We may see some of these more moderate Republicans, the ones that you just mentioned. But I think it is very unlikely that Democrats will get the four votes from the republican side that they would need in order to actually have testimony from these witnesses.
ALLEN: Well, at this point, we will know sooner than later. Thank you so much, Thomas Gift. We always appreciate your insights. Thanks.
GIFT: Thanks so much, Natalie.
ALLEN: As infection from the Wuhan coronavirus spreads internationally, we talk with a specialist in infectious diseases about how this compares with other seasonal illnesses such as the flu. Plus, the United Kingdom just hours away from cutting ties with the European Union. We will look at what is next for Britain straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:30:49]
ALLEN: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Natalie Allen. We appreciate you staying with us. Let's take a look at our top stories in Brussels.
Headquarters of the European Union, hundreds march Britain's final hours as a member of the E.U., Brexit officially happens later Friday at midnight, Brussels time, ending 3-1/2 years of drawn-out negotiations.
The U.K. will now work to create new trade deals and a new relationship by the end of this year.
The U.S. Senate will vote in the coming hours whether to call witnesses in Donald Trump's impeachment trial. But they've lost one Republican who was on defense. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, says he doesn't need to hear anything more. Democrats need four Republican votes to move forward with new testimony.
China now reports nearly 10,000 people are infected with the coronavirus, a jump of about 25 percent from the day before. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a global emergency.
That prompted the U.S. State Department to advise Americans to avoid all travel to China.
Let's bring in an expert to talk about all of this, Celine Gounder is an infectious diseases specialist and epidemiologist at NYU School of Medicine in Bellevue Hospital. Thank you so much for joining us, Ms. Gounder.
CELINE GOUNDER, HOST, AMERICAN DIAGNOSIS PODCAST: My pleasure.
ALLEN: What does it mean now that the World Health Organization has declared the coronavirus, a public health emergency?
GOUNDER: I think it's important to distinguish, you know, what the threat is to us, and why this is a fear of public health emergency. So, I think the reason that the WHO and the experts who are weighing this decision declare this public health emergency of international concern is because they're concerned not about how China is responding to the outbreak, but rather about other you might be able to respond.
And we're now seeing some potential cases in Africa and these are countries that have very weak health care systems, you know, which is why, for example, the Ebola outbreak in 2014-2015, propagated as it did.
And so, this is really about saying, it's not just about China, it's about coming to the support of other countries that may not be so well to deal with the situation.
ALLEN: Got it. Well, we are now have -- we'd now have the first confirmed case in the United States of a husband being infected by his wife, this is in Chicago. What, if anything, does this mean to people in the United States?
GOUNDER: Well, so the woman who infected her husband, she was actually the second case of the six cases in the United States. Her husband was case number six. Her husband was being very closely monitored after she presented to health professionals, public health professionals in this country.
So, to me, this is a demonstration that the system is working. That she presented, we did the appropriate monitoring, an appropriate contact briefing, the -- you know, making sure that the people who are in contact with her who were actually quite a limited number of people, really the folks in her household, but they were monitored closely. And as soon as her husband developed symptoms, he was appropriately tested and isolated.
ALLEN: Let's look at two slides here that give us some comparison. The first shows when you look at the coronavirus versus the flu, there are 5 million global flu cases a year and 650,000 deaths from it. The next slide shows the death rate for coronavirus estimated at two percent. We know that cases have gone up in China, but what do we glean from these numbers?
GOUNDER: So, I think the thing with the two percent, and we've already seen that people we call it face a fatality rate, but it's basically the percentage of people who have been infected or who have the disease die.
So, right now that number is two percent. That number is actually pretty down a little bit since the outbreak first begin. It's not that the disease is becoming less deadly, it's that -- it's a question of what the denominator.
[02:35:10]
GOUNDER: And so, we're not really counting the people with very mild cases, because a lot of those people aren't even getting tested. They're not even coming into the hospital. You know, think about the flu. How many people in the United States have the flu and never go see their doctor, never go to the hospital, they just have it at home?
Now, we have other ways because who's been around for a long time of estimating what that total number is. But in this case, with the coronavirus, we only are counting the patients were coming to see their doctor going to the hospital.
And so as we have a better handle on this, that total number, that denominator will actually get bigger and where our estimates of the case fatality rate. So, in other words, the percentage of people who die from this and that number, that percentage will actually go down because of the way we operate. ALLEN: I will end on that note because this is something that -- you know, the world is watching. Celine Gounder, thank you for your expertise. We really appreciate it.
GOUNDER: My pleasure.
ALLEN: Well, as you can imagine, the coronavirus crisis is also impacting the Chinese economy and world markets. Kaori Enjoji joins me now to assess the outbreaks economic effect.
Certainly, we've seen lots of companies' shutter their processes, their production, and Wuhan, hundreds of Starbucks have shut down. Is this could be a bigger concern for China in the long term if companies retract?
KAORI ENJOJI, TOKYO BUREAU CHIEF, CNBC: Absolutely. I think you have to look at China as a market place as an industrial hub. As you pointed out, with a lot of businesses doing building things in Wuhan. This is an industrial hub.
I mean, take Honda, for example. They have three factories that may not seem like much. Remember, they have a lot of other producers around there and suppliers. So, imagine if you're an automaker and you can't get the seat belts, for example, that are made in Wuhan out of the country, one that the factory may be closed, you can't get it out.
This is going to trigger a supply chain problem. So, as long -- if that is prolong this could have a fairly dire impact on the global economy. And I think for companies like Honda, the Japanese companies that rely on China as a market, this is a huge risk.
Then, you also have to remember China as a consumer. I mean, I'm standing in the middle of Ginza, which is a central part of Tokyo. This is the favorite spot for Chinese tourists.
On a Friday night in the middle of Lunar New Year, Natalie, this place would be full of Chinese tourists. It caters to them over the last 10 years. While the signage on the street is more in Mandarin than in Japanese. But it's very, very quiet today.
I mean, 9.6 million Chinese tourists arrived in Tokyo in 2019 alone. The average person spends 2,000 U.S. dollars. If they stop coming, and if they stop coming for a long period of time, that could have a huge impact on an economy like Japan, especially when people retailers here are feeling that perhaps maybe they've been putting all their eggs in one basket too much over the last decade.
So there's that. I think, on the average, though, the Japanese public has had a fairly measured approach towards this. And I think that's reflected in the Japanese government's approach to this.
The Japanese government has an advisory warning out there. Its four levels, one to four, one is the lowest. Today, they raise that to two, which means that they're advising people to not go to China if they can avoid it. So that hasn't -- it has been a fairly measured approach. And I think that is taking into consideration the political ties, of course, and the relationship that has been thawing between China and Japan.
But I think, as so long as this is -- if this becomes more prolonged, it couldn't come at the worst time because you have global consumption faltering possibly, justice companies, were signing a relief that the U.S.-China trade tensions were thawing. You have this, you have a sales tax increase that happened a couple of months ago in Japan.
So, I think this poses a big headache for global economies, and particularly those in the periphery like Japan who were counting and who have been counting on China to hold up the economy for so long. Natalie?
ALLEN: Yes, there's a health component and a risk to people and there is a risk to economies. We appreciate your reporting for us, Kaori Enjoji. Thank you, Kaori.
We are just hours away from the U.K. finally getting its Brexit. Let's head back to London where Max Foster is standing by at 10 Downing Street to count it down for us. Max, hello again.
[10:39:55]
FOSTER: Natalie, when clock strike 11:00 p.m. here in London, the U.K. will officially leave the European Union. Many took to the streets of Brussels, the heart of the E.U. to mark the historic event. Whilst Britain, maybe getting its Brexit, and many questions still remain about what the next chapter will look like for the U.K.
It has until the end of this year to hash out a new relationship with the E.U., according to the prime minister, and create those new trade deals. Now, after a drawn-out bitter divorce, the day has come to say farewell to the European Union. Then, it will happen at midnight, Brussels's time. It will all become a reality.
Phil Black takes a look at the challenges ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Brexit is happening. So, the British people can move on and we can all stop talking about it, right? Not even close. Because even once, British clock strike, Friday's Brexit hour, Boris Johnson's punchy election-winning pledge --
BORIS JOHNSON, PRIME MINISTER OF THE UNITED KINGDOM: Where do they get Brexit done?
BLACK: -- will only be partly fulfilled.
And after more than three years of Brexit inspired angst, bitterness, and paralysis, January 31, marks the end of what many consider the easy path. Now, there's a new deadline and a whole new mountain of uncertainty. The end of 2020 marks the close of what's known as the transition period. Until then, the U.K. is out of the E.U. but still following its rules. It's an 11-month window for both sides to trash out a new functioning relationship, especially on the hugely important issue of trade.
MATTHEW OXENFORD, ANALYST, ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT: Most trade agreements take between three and five years to negotiate. Moving to 11 months is a very condensed schedule. Most trade experts don't believe that it will be possible.
BLACK: And yet, Boris Johnson has already vowed he won't extend that window. So, the cliff edge is back. It's once again possible Britain could topple out of the E.U. without a trade deal in place, without easy access to his most important market, causing enormous economic harm. But don't worry, it won't happen, says the prime minister.
JOHNSON: Brexit will -- Brexit help farmers in lots of ways. We'll be --
BLACK: His cheery optimism extends to the quality of the new free trade agreement, he wants to negotiate with the EU.
JOHNSON: I think that it's massively in our interests for -- in the interest of both sides of the channel to have a wonderful zero-tariff, zero-quota, all singing, all dancing FTA. And I'm absolutely confident that we can do that.
BLACK: But scratch the surface of Johnson's hopeful assessment, and you see a big ominous contradiction. He says he wants to close trading relationship, but he doesn't want to closely follow E.U. regulations. That's not possible, says Brussels.
URSULA VON DER LEYEN, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN COMMISSION: Their precondition is that European and British businesses continue to compete on a level playing field. We will certainly not expose our companies to unfair competition.
BLACK: So, not everyone thinks the coming negotiations or the consequences will be quite as rosy as Boris Johnson suggests, especially if the Brexit slope so far is any measure. Even now, as Britain finally leaves the European Union, no one knows what Brexit will look like in a year's time, or ultimately what it will mean for the country's future prosperity.
Phil Black, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Natalie, there'll be a lot to show here at 11:00. There'll also be events in Brussels. So, whatever the future holds today is really about the moment in history really, that it represents for the whole continent of Europe.
ALLEN: Absolutely, this is the start of it. Thank you so much, Max Foster, for us. Well, Palestinians are already furious about Donald Trump's Mideast peace plan. Now, there's a new reason for them to like it even less. We'll share that coming next.
And later, recent rains had given Australia's residents and firefighters a break, but rising temperatures are heating up the fire danger once again.
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[02:46:49]
ALLEN: More Palestinian leaders are speaking out against Donald Trump's Mideast peace plan. The U.S. president previously said it would double the Palestinian territories, but the administration acknowledges Palestinians are now being told they've had to give up their claim to about 30 percent of the West Bank.
Listen to what the chief Palestinian negotiator had to say about that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAEB EREKAT, CHIEF PALESTINIAN NEGOTIATOR (through translator): These ideas that legitimize settlements, annexation, and subjugation of people against their will by force of arms, this has only one name in international law. That is war crimes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN: The reaction from Israeli settlers is quite the opposite, as you might imagine. CNN's Oren Liebermann visited with one man in the West Bank who says Palestinian still have a place in his vision of the future.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: In the settlement of Kfar Adumim, Aryeh Eldad, stands to gain a lot.
ARYEH ELDAD, RESIDENT, KFAR ADUMIM: This is the founder of the road.
LIEBERMANN: Since its founding 41 years ago, his West Bank settlement has been considered illegally built on occupied territory.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They want peace and they want peace badly.
LIEBERMANN: The White House's vision for peace would recognize this as Israel, even if no one else will. And yet, he ideologically opposes any plan that calls for a Palestinian State.
The Trump administration's vision, you vote in favor or against?
ELDAD: I vote in favor.
LIEBERMANN: Why? ELDAD: Because all that in the plan will prevent a creation of a Palestinian State.
LIEBERMANN: Despite calling for what?
ELDAD: Oh, yes. I mean, that's politics. You call, you lie, you say the opposite.
LIEBERMANN: About 4,500 people live in the settlements along this bridge line. Among them, three of Eldad's children and 13 grandchildren.
Just last year, he says, the settlement began construction on its first new homes in a decade. He sees all of this land as undeniably Israel with a religious and national right to live here. Despite the plan calling for a future state of Palestine, Eldad accepts it. He sees this moment as a clash between ideology and politics.
ELDAD: Even though I know it's an ideological thing to say, yes, principally, I support such a state.
LIEBERMANN: Critics say the White House's map for peace formalizes an apartheid system, subjecting Palestinians to a governance over which they have no say. Eldad believes West Bank Palestinians should have the right to vote but in Jordan, not Israel.
ELDAD: Why should be an apartheid state? They can live wherever they want. They can go wherever they want. They can work in every -- only the issue of where do you vote for your parliament. If you are citizens of another country, you vote for this parliament, not for our parliament.
LIEBERMANN: Eldad sees little chance of anything happening soon. Promises to start a joint U.S.-Israel committee. Sound to Eldad like a plan to keep on planning. To lower resolution vision he says but one that doesn't guarantee the recognition he wants.
Oren Liebermann, CNN, Kfar Adumim, in the West Bank.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[02:50:03]
ALLEN: The Trump administration is expected to make it easier for the U.S. military to use land mines. The move would be a major rollback of an Obama administration policy under which the U.S. largely adhered to a 160 nation agreement banning the use of the explosives.
Defense officials say the move would reverse restrictions that prevent the U.S. military from using landmines outside the Korean Peninsula. They say the ban increase the chances of U.S. personnel suffering casualties.
In her lifetime, the late Princess Diana campaigned against land mines. The devices have killed more than 130,000 people in the last two decades, mostly civilians. We often hear that scientists use technology to track the movements of sharks or birds or endangered species. But what if we could track an insect that may be the key to the world's food supply.
A group of students from the island nation of Mauritius believe they have a device to do just that. And that's in today's "INNOVATE AFRICA" report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ZOUBEIR EMAMBOKUS, FACILITATOR, ALC: My name is Zoubeir Emambokus, I am Mauritian and I'm a faculty member in the electrical power systems engineering program on the African College.
So, two years ago, I was giving a guest lecture to some MBA students. And this is where I met this guy named Terrence. And he had this very passionate project about the conservation on the continent. And as we spoke more about it, we identify potential use for technology, and that's waking me to click that this was an ideal opportunity for my undergraduate students back in Mauritius.
First thing we did was we actually went to Black River. We met a beekeeper to understand what it is that they actually need. And this is what we started picturing, understanding more about the inner workings of the hive, and what kind of parameters beekeepers would actually like to track.
And based on these fundamental requirements, we go to the drawing boards and we start tracking, OK, what sensors are going to be able to do that? What process are we going to use?
So, we start basically from the outcome that we want and backtrack from there.
Thank you so much.
Now, the end vision of this project is a future where we have tech enable the beekeeping industry in Africa. These are critical to pollination, which is the fundamental process for the food chain for life on the planet.
So, very often when people hear the word innovation, especially in the engineering space, they tend to think of state of the high tech, et cetera. I would say that innovation doesn't always have to be high tech. And in our case, actually, and quite of the opposite, what we're trying to do here is minimal design.
The fundamental goal is to have this spread and deployed across Africa. So, we want to make it affordable for the African farmer. So, we're trying to do is instead of overengineering it, trying to look at off the shelf components and finding the right selection that can work together to have an affordable device. That's where the innovation is for me personally.
Yes, then you put it wherever you think it's necessary. As an educator, however, I see a different kind of innovation also applicable to this project, which is the way in which we are teaching the students. The students who work on this project, work with me on it, not just for a technical experience, but because they were passionate about the outcome, and they were passionate about conservation.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ALLEN: You can watch our innovative Africa series this Saturday, it airs at 7:30 in the morning in London. That's 3:30 in the afternoon, in Hong Kong, right here on CNN. We'll be right back.
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[02:55:30]
ALLEN: Fire warnings are posted for several areas in South Australia as a severe heatwave and high winds threatened to reignite bush fires. Temperatures could get into the mid-40s. And officials warn that could put pressure on power grids and trigger electrical blackouts.
This comes as the state government in New South Wales launches a probe into this response to the season's deadly bushfires, and they can spread fast as we all know.
CNN's Lynda Kinkade has the story of a firefighting crew that found itself in the middle of a firestorm and caught it on camera.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: In a matter of minutes, this seemingly calm situation becomes perilous. Filmed on the dashcam of a fire truck on the New South Wales, South Coast. Firefighters can be seen getting into position, smoke pillars in the background, then, a change in the wind.
We see a fresh urgency from the fire crews the sky blackens, the smoke gets thicker, the fire closes in. 90 seconds into the video sparks and embers are raining down on the fire crew.
Just 15 seconds later, the rural firefighters measure the wind speed at 100 kilometers per hour. The fire crew said embers and spot fires were overtaking their position at this point.
Just two minutes into the video, the fire is now spreading rapidly, visibility has diminished to virtually zero. Firefighters activate water sprays on their fire trucks to protect themselves and their equipment. Despite the terrifying conditions, the crew holds its position and continues to fight the blaze for nine minutes.
Amazingly, the crew eventually withdraw safely, the fire truck intact. They're unhurt, and they've saved the nearby property. Lynda Kinkade, CNN.
(END VIDEO CLIP) ALLEN: Thank you for joining us. I'm Natalie Allen. Be sure to follow me on Twitter or Instagram, Natalie Allen, CNN. We will be back in a minute with much more news. Stay with us.
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