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South Korea Breaks the Ceiling at Oscars; Coronavirus Victims Not Slowing Down; All Eyes Now to Mayor Pete Buttigieg; Chinese Economy Rattled by the Virus Outbreak; The Old and New Fashion Seen in Full Display; Sixty-Six Cruise Ship Passengers Affected by Virus; Journalist Nowhere to be Seen; South Korean Movie Won the Oscars; Northern Europe Battered by Storm Ciara. Aired 3-4a ET

Aired February 10, 2020 - 03:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[03:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. You're watching CNN Newsroom. And I'm Rosemary Church.

Let's get started.

Stranded on board a cruise ship with coronavirus cases on the rise, we are live in the harbor where thousands are still trapped.

A night full of surprises as South Korean film "Parasite" makes history at the Academy Awards.

And days overdue, the results of the Iowa caucuses are nearly final as the 2020 Democratic presidential contenders prepare to face off in New Hampshire.

Good to have you with us.

Passengers on board a quarantined cruise ship are facing some bad news. At least 66 new cases of the Wuhan coronavirus have been found on the Diamond Princess currently docked in Yokohama in Japan. And that brings the total number of infections on board to 136.

Now some people have been taken to hospitals, but thousands are still on that ship under lockdown. Another vessel, the Westerdam is still waiting to hear where it can anchor. It had been denied port at three different locations despite having no confirmed cases of the virus.

Meanwhile, in China, officials are still struggling to contain the virus, but they are about to get some help. The World Health Organization says a team of experts has been sent to the country to investigate the outbreak, and it comes as a citizen journalist who had been reporting on the virus has seemingly disappeared in Wuhan, the outbreak's epicenter.

For more on all of this, Matt Rivers joins us now from Yokohama in Japan, and Steven Jiang is live in the Chinese capital Beijing. Good to see you both.

But, Matt, let's go to you first. As we mentioned in Yokohama, there just standing in front of the cruise ship that we've talked a lot about, docked there under quarantine.

Now, of course, we're hearing about these additional new cases, 66 and there was a great concern for a lot of those passengers on board that this could mean that their 14-days of quarantine starts all over again. But apparently that is not the case. Talk to us about that.

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's not the case, Rosemary. And I'll get to that in a bit more detail in a second here. Just to update our viewers. We have 66 new reported cases on board that ship behind me. This is information that was just released in the last hour or so according to an announcement made by the captain of the ship that we actually heard here down below.

We also listened to a recording of that announcement taken by a passenger on board that we're in touch with. And the captain said 66 new cases that brings the total amount of cases to 136. Sixty-six new cases today is nearly 100 percent increase from yesterday, and that's significant.

Now, before anyone was able to panic too much, what the captain said was, look, these cases, the 66 new cases, yes, that's a high number, but that is not entirely unexpected given that they believe that the quarantine is working and that the incubation period of this virus, the time that it takes to show up, could take as much as two weeks.

So, they believe these new cases were people that contracted the virus before the quarantine process began. So, they are sticking with the protocol as is planned right now. They say it is working and there still might be more new cases that come out, but that's why this quarantine is in effect to make sure anyone who currently would have the virus now or would show up a bit later in a few days, that they're not infecting anyone.

Still, Rosemary, this is news that came as a bit of a shock to us and people on board. It's quite a big number. And we ask for reaction from both Rose and Greg Yerex. These are two people we've been in touch with who are on board the ship. Here's what they had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GREG YEREX, PASSENGER, DIAMOND PRINCESS CRUISE SHIP: We still feel good. We still think we're in a good safe place. We quarantined ourselves. We're not getting in touch with -- we're not dealing with any other people on a personal basis.

ROSE YEREX, PASSENGER, DIAMOND PRINCESS CRUISE SHIP: So, we've decided not to participate in the walks on deck that the captain's arranged for people. We're fortunate we've got the outside cabin with the balcony.

G. YEREX: This is one of the nicest prisons in the world. A hint, we're going to stay until we ride this out. (END VIDEO CLIP)

[03:04:58]

RIVERS: A tough situation, Rosemary, but some pretty, you know, spirited people there who are making the best of a tough situation.

CHURCH: They definitely are. Good on them. Because it helps to have that external balcony. Matt Rivers, thank you so much for bringing us up to date on the situation there.

And, meanwhile, in Wuhan, China, another person who spoke out about the virus appears to have disappeared.

Our Steven Jiang is live from Beijing with more on all of this. Steven, of course, this is a citizen journalist who has disappeared. What are you learning about his situation?

STEVEN JIANG, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: Well, Rosemary, the disappearance of citizen journalist Chen Qiushi has reminded that many people here of another case -- the doctor who passed away last Friday after contracting the very virus he was trying to warn people about back in December.

Now, these two young men actually share something in common. Both 34 years old, and from the northeastern part of the country. But in the case of Mr. Chen, he, according to his friends and family, he actually has now been taken away by local police and placed under forced quarantine ostensibly for his own health.

But friends say they now worry about his safety because the authorities obviously view him as a troublemaker after he had been documenting what was going on in Wuhan for some two weeks before his disappearance last Thursday.

Now, he used his camera to capture really grim reality in the city in the epicenter. Often in stark contrast to what was presented in state media, he captured the desperation and helplessness from the people there whether they were trying to seek medical attention or just have lost a loved one or trying to get their loved one into a hospital.

Now, this citizen, of course, his media, his social media accounts had long been closed by the government here, but he managed to upload his videos on YouTube attracting millions of views and also huge attention.

The silencing of Mr. Chen of course of course comes amid this increasing propaganda effort by the government here trying to shape news coverage and online conversations about this outbreak. The government here has been shutting down more independent reporting on the ground, as well as many online posts and images about this outbreak.

So, in the minds of many government critics, the Chinese authorities are now not only trying to control the flow of people in their effort to contain a virus, but also trying to control the flow of information, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Yes, absolutely. Steven Jiang bringing us the latest on what's happening with that citizen journalist reporting there live for us from Beijing. I appreciate it.

Well, the Japanese government is treating patients in dozens of hospitals.

CNN's Will Ripley spoke with one passenger from the Diamond Princess who has the virus and is now recovering in a quarantine ward.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm standing outside one of the hospitals here in Japan that is treating coronavirus patients. And I have to say when we arrived, I was surprised that there's no signs, no additional security to let you know that coronavirus patients are inside this hospital which sits in the middle of a quiet residential neighborhood in Tokyo.

But when we actually spoke with one of the patients, an American named Rebecca Frazier from the U.S. state of Oregon, she tested positive for the virus. She was taken off of the Diamond Princess cruise ship, and she was brought here.

I was able to speak to her. She actually was able to waive to us from her hospital room. And I have to say she is doing very well. She's not showing any symptoms at all. They're not even giving her fluids or any sort of medication to treat coronavirus because it's simply not an issue.

And she was telling us about some of her friends on the ship who have also tested positive and they are in a similar condition.

And so, I think this is one of the under reported angles of this story. This is absolutely a global health emergency that needs to be taken very seriously. People need to be washing their hands on a regular basis. Mindful of protecting their health.

And some of the stories coming out, particularly out of China and Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, they are just heartbreaking. But what we often don't hear about are the vast majority of other patients who have this virus, who, you know, maybe have some symptoms, many of them are not showing symptoms at all, and they are going to recover. They're going to be OK.

And hopefully, hearing from Rebecca will help dial back some of the hysteria, some of the fear that people are feeling right now. You can see that interview on CNN's New Day on Monday morning in the U.S.

Will Ripley, CNN, Tokyo.

CHURCH: Thanks for that, Will. And passengers are now allowed to re- board the Anthem of the Seas cruise ship in New Jersey after four people tested negative for the coronavirus test.

CNN's Natasha Chen has more now on what's next for those on board. NATASHA CHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Four cruise ship passengers were

discharged from a New Jersey hospital Saturday after they were tested for novel coronavirus. Three of the four people were diagnosed with the flu, not the coronavirus, and had stayed in the same cabin of Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas.

[03:10:08]

Now the fourth person was also cleared and had been in a different cabin with no symptoms. This comes after a team from the Centers Disease Control and Prevention board the ship Friday after it docked in Bayonne, New Jersey, to screen passengers who had recently traveled from mainland China according to the New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy.

He says the state has no confirmed coronavirus cases and the risk to residents remains low. After getting final test results from the CDC, Royal Caribbean allowed guests to start boarding Sunday. Because of the delay, they have changed their itinerary to a Bermuda cruise instead of the Bahamas cruise.

The cruise line is also offering guests a 50 percent refund on this trip along with the 50 percent discount on a future trip. Many cruise lines have canceled and modified trips and already had protocols in place to restrict passengers who may have recently traveled to mainland China.

But this weekend Royal Caribbean and Norwegian cruise lines tightened policies to prevent any guest from boarding who has a Chinese, Hong Kong or Macau passport. More than 900 people worldwide have died from the coronavirus exceeding the death toll exceeding the SARS outbreak nearly 29 years ago.

Natasha Chen, CNN, Atlanta.

CHURCH: The U.K. has declared the Wuhan coronavirus a serious and imminent threat to public health. This gives the government additional powers to delay or prevent the further spread of the virus.

In a statement, the government said it has designated two locations in England as isolation facilities and named Wuhan and Hubei province in China as infected areas. Now, this comes after a fourth case of the disease was confirmed in the United Kingdom.

All right. We turn to a completely different topic, to the Oscars now, and the movie that dominated the night "Parasite." The South Korean dark comedy won best picture, becoming the first-ever non-English language film to take home the top prize.

Now, the film and its director, Bong Joon-Ho were also honored for best director, best international feature film and best screen play.

CNN's Stephanie Elam caught up with now Oscar winning director and asked him about his big night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Your hurdle has been hot and the glass ceiling has been broken. You said that you're feeling pretty good. How are you feeling right now?

BONG JOON-HO (through translator), DIRECTOR, PARASITE: I think we destroyed the barrier too much. We should have taken our time actually.

ELAM: Wait, wait, wait. Why should you have taken your time?

(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

JOON-HO (through translator): I mean, you just need some time to adjust, but I think it's great in life to have things happen so fast and that's what's happening tonight.

ELAM: So, when you won, I think it was at the screen play, you stopped and you looked at your Oscar off to the side like you didn't believe what has happened. Like you looked like you left us for a minute.

JOON-HO: Yes, yes. When he was doing speech, I was like this. Yes.

JOON-HO (through translator): Like the Oscar trophy was staring at me so we locked eyes for a second.

ELAM: And that was before the drinking.

JOON-HO: Yes. I was sober, totally sober.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Yes, that very picture went viral, of course. But for more on the excitement of the win, of course, how it's been received back home, we want to turn to CNN's Paula Hancocks joining us from PyeongChang in South Korea.

Paula, incredible news. I mean, this historic win for Bong Joon-ho and his film "Parasite." Talk to us about what people are saying in South Korea about this.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you can imagine people are excited here in South Korea, this new social media is going crazy. There have been accolades coming from Korean Americans around the world. Some in Hollywood, the Korean President Moon Jae-in has congratulated Bong Joon ho. The crew and also the cast, saying that the Koreans are proud, that it shows courage.

The Korean history of the film industry is actually just celebrated 100 years. So, President Moon Jae-in said he's looking forward to the next 100. We also spoke to some people on the streets of Seoul who showed just how happy they were.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It's hard to win an award in a foreign country with a foreign picture, so it feels like it's overcome obstacles. It's a it's a meaningful and special day for the Korean film industry.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I'm so happy the movie has won the best picture.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I feel very proud watching the director and actress winning the awards and making speeches. It was a proud moment as a Korean watching them at the Oscars.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[03:15:06]

HANCOCKS: And that's what we're seeing, Rosemary, on social media. A lot of Koreans saying how proud they are that this has happened. Bong Joon-ho and his films are well known in this country. He has been a household name for many years. But now they can see that he is being respected and appreciated internationally. So, for many Koreans that is really something.

Now we are just hearing from the cinemas in South Korea as well. Many of them are starting to show "Parasite" once again, those that weren't still showing it months after. And it looked to be a black and white version of the film coming out at the end of this month. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Just impressive. I mean, it is, it's fantastic. I can't wait to watch it myself. Just incredible. Thanks so much, Paula Hancocks there reporting. I appreciate it.

So, let's recap the major winners of the night. As we just said, "Parasite" has won four best film. Bong Joon-ho is also taking home best director award for the film. Joaquin Phoenix wins for his performance in "Joker." And Renee Zellweger was honored with best actress for her performance in "Judy."

Brad Pitt won for best supporting actor in Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood." And Laura Dern taking home the best supporting actress award for "Marriage Story."

We'll take a short break here. Still to come, it was touch and go at London's Heathrow airport as high winds made a mess of air travel. Take a look at this. That was across northern Europe of course, all of that bad weather. And there are some of the consequence just there. We'll take a closer look.

[03:20:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Well, a powerful storm is battering northern Europe. These people stood their ground on the beach in the Netherlands as high winds blasted sand and water all around them. And in England, flooding remains a threat as the storm moves on.

ITN's Neil Connery has more. NEIL CONNERY, ITV NEWS CORRESPONDENT, ITN: storm Ciara's arrival

lived up to the forecasters' warnings. In Yorkshire the rising water left residents in a desperate race to protect their home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So worried what we're doing, trying to protect as best we can. As you can, you can see, it's fairly horrendous.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONNERY: Sirens sounded to alert those living near the river banks of the impending floods.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It actually came over the wall. Hate to think what the situation is going to be like -- yes, quite -- I'm stress.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONNERY: In between the bands of severe weather, the vast volume of water spilled out wherever it could. Fire and rescue crews did what they could in the face of the powerful storm.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can sum it in one word, grim. And that's through the hall of the valley.

CONNERY: Ciara's impact on transport was felt far and wide. At Heathrow, pilots contended with extreme winds. Not every attempt to land first time proved successful.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Missed approach. Didn't land there. He didn't land there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONNERY: On the railway, some lines were blocked by debris like this trampoline, with speed restrictions in place, it was a challenging day for travelers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's why we are limited to 52 miles an hour today because of the storm.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONNERY: In Hastings, this life boat crew battled severe gales as they went to rescue a surfer. Thankfully despite the conditions, the crew and the surfer all returned safely. In Hoyt (Ph) on the Scottish borders, this swollen river spelled

disaster for this cafe. In North Wales, flooding brought misery for motorists and residents. Business owners said they'd never seen anything like it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CRAIG DANIELS, BUSINESS OWNER: Within an hour, it was four and a half foot deep, literally couldn't get to the back room because the kitchen had come off the wall. The fridge freezer had fallen down over the door.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONNERY: The forecasters had predicted that storm Ciara would pack a punch, and for much of the country that's been borne out. Here in West Yorkshire, the cost and the impact of the floods has been devastating.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RACHEL HAYES, RESIDENT, WEST YORKSHIRE: We're safe so far. And all ornaments plants, pets are all upstairs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CONNERY: Tonight, Rachel Hayes is one of those here counting the cost after her home was flooded.

HAYES: This is terrible. This is going to take months to sort out and this is going to affect a lot of people on this road.

CONNERY: In the deserted streets nearby, storm Ciara's worst may have moved on, but her impact is just sinking in.

CHURCH: Karen Maginnis is in the CNN weather center with more looking at the and of course the forecast. So how much longer do people have to put up with these conditions?

KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is not over yet. But what we have already seen has been staggering. Hardly anyplace was left unscathed. We saw widespread wind damage and those bands of rainfall were extraordinarily heavy. What caused all of this?

We saw this on our computer models days in advance. We knew that the weekend was going to be just horrendous. As a huge wind event, as a huge rain event. And that really bore out.

Just to give you some idea, area of low pressure up here, this also a secondary area of low pressure that's traversing across Scandinavia. And then we've got that very powerful jet stream that is just aiming everything right across the British Isles and into the mainland of Europe. And this is going to continue to progress toward the east.

[03:24:53]

Now, probably the worst of the winds have ended across the United Kingdom and Ireland, but they're not over. We may not see those 200 kilometer-per-hour winds. Maybe we'll see 100 to 150.

So there still is the potential there. We'll see bands of heavy rainfall. The rivers are already out of their banks in a number of areas as we saw from the packet.

Also, Paris, Frankfurt, Berlin, Prague, you're all expecting some very gusty winds over the next several days. Now, for the highlands of Scotland, this is where we're looking at snowfall. So the impact is still not over. Lots of cold air diving to the south and we could see near blizzard conditions.

Already, we have hundreds and hundreds of flood warnings, also flood alerts out. Where there are warnings, that means you need to be alert immediately. The watch with the advisories that suggest that perhaps you should be paying attention to kind of the deteriorating weather conditions.

All right. I mentioned it looks like across the mainland we'll pick up heavy wind and rainfall expected here across the low lands region, northern sections of France extending over across in northern Adriatic. Those higher peaks, you're looking at snowfall. It could be significant.

Some of the rainfall totals we've seen across the British Isles have been around 100 millimeters.

And, Rosemary, in recent times it was 2013 when we last saw a system like this. But we go back to 1993, equally as damaging and destructive a system there. Back to you.

CHURCH: Just incredible. The images we've been looking at extraordinary. Karen Maginnis, many thanks to you. I appreciate it.

And if you're watching internationally, thank you so much for being with us. Iconic Budapest is next. If you're joining us from here in the United States, do stay with us. We'll have more news for you on the other side of the break. Stick around.

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[03:30:00]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States. You are watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Rosemary Church. Let's check the headlines for you this hour.

South Korean film "Parasite" made history while dominating this year's Academy Awards. It became the first non-English language film to win best picture. The dark comedy all took home wins for best director, screen play, and international feature film.

The number of people who have died from the Wuhan coronavirus has jumped past 900 worldwide, with more than 40,000 infected. Most of those cases are in mainland China.

Meanwhile, the number of cases on a cruise ship quarantined in Japan has nearly doubled, now with 136 people infected on board.

After days of waiting and confusion, the Iowa Democratic Party says U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg has won the most delegates in the Iowa caucuses. The updated numbers show the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor with a very slim lead over Senator Bernie Sanders. But the Sanders campaign says it will ask for a partial recanvas of the results on Monday.

And after the Democratic debacle in Iowa, voters in New Hampshire will go to the polls on Tuesday. Not for caucus, but for the first primary of this election year.

In a new CNN poll, Bernie Sanders is leading the pack in New Hampshire with Pete Buttigieg in second place, Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren are in third and fourth place respectively.

Now, it's very different from the Democratic field last February when Biden was in the number two spot. Even though he hadn't formally jumped into the race yet.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny has more on the latest poll numbers.

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: A little more than one day remaining before the New Hampshire primary campaign voting begins, Bernie Sanders leading this race over Pete Buttigieg by about 7 percentage points in our latest poll.

Notable that Elizabeth Warren falling behind, of course, she was one of the leading competitors here to Bernie Sanders throughout the last year in this New Hampshire primary. Joe Biden also trailing even below that.

That is a central question here in New Hampshire. Has he been able to change the dynamic to vault him back into the conversation? He placed fourth in Iowa. That certainly was a stinging defeat. He now is going aggressively hard after Pete Buttigieg urging New Hampshire voters to consider his experience or, in the view of the Biden campaign, his lack of experience to be president.

Now, the New Hampshire primary campaign can often deliver surprises, so the Sanders team is not taking anything for granted. But there is no question that Bernie Sanders is certainly enjoying the moment where he believes he's rattling the Democratic establishment.

Of course, we'll see what happens when the voting comes on Tuesday. And then this race goes on to Nevada and South Carolina. It's just beginning. But the question will all these candidates remain in? Certainly, that is unlikely. That's why the voting on Tuesday so, so important.

Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Hanover, New Hampshire.

CHURCH: And it's worth noting Sanders and Buttigieg also clashed in separate appearances on CNN, taking mild swings at each other and treating the upcoming New Hampshire primary as a two-person race.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (D-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I am running against a candidate, Pete Buttigieg, among others, who has raised contributions from more than 40 billionaires, including the CEOs of some of the largest drug companies in America. So, we are independent of our revolution. All these other groups, they are legally able to do what they want. So, my message to all of the candidates, let's end all of that stuff.

MAYOR PETE BUTTIGIEG (D-FL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Bernie is pretty rich and I would happily accept a contribution from him. Look, this is about making sure we bring everybody into the fight at a moment when we're going to be going up against Donald Trump who, with his allies, are raising -- I think the other day they raised 25 million bucks in one day. This is the fight of our lives.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Not to be outdone, President Trump is also headed to New Hampshire to fire up his supporters.

CNN's Kristen Holmes has that report.

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If Monday night's rally in New Hampshire looks anything like this weekend, President Trump will be in full attack mode. On Sunday he spent the day on Twitter lashing out at Democrats for everything from impeachment to the Iowa caucus. He also hit those senators who voted against him in impeachment.

[03:35:01]

I want to read one of these tweets in particular. He says, "they are really mad at Senator Joe munchkin," he means Joe Manchin in West Virginia. "He couldn't understand the transcripts. Romney could but didn't want to."

He also lashed out at Democratic Senator Doug Jones of Alabama saying he was looking forward to beating him in this election. It should be noted that these messages are really intended for his base. They are intended to rile up his supporters which they will do.

And back in 2016 President Trump shocked the political establishment winning the New Hampshire primary, using this kind of rhetoric. But as we head into his reelection, it is a bit of a different scenario this time around. His own campaign advisors have acknowledged that in order to win in 2020, President Trump will have to court some of those moderate voters.

So, as he picks up on the campaign trail, that is one thing that we are watching very closely. How will he marry his tweets and his rhetoric at these rallies with the courting of the moderate voter, or will he at all? Will there be any change as he begins really ramping up this campaign season?

Kristen Holmes, CNN, the White House. CHURCH: And vote counting in Ireland is producing some unexpected

results. Sinn Fein has won the most seats so far in the country's general election. Sinn Fein's party leader Mary Lou McDonald told supporters a revolution occurred after securing 29 seats. That's almost twice that of the second place, Fianna Fail, with the ruling Fine Gael in third.

The count is still underway and it may take weeks for a coalition to be formed. The current prime minister says he's unwilling to govern with Sinn Fein. The party once associated with the Irish Republican army.

Well, millions of people across China have returned to work after the coronavirus extended the lunar New Year break. Still to come, how the outbreak is affecting markets and the global economy.

[03:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Well, thousands of people gathered at a vigil in Thailand to mourn the victims of Saturday's shooting at a shopping mall and military base. Monks led the prayers as mourners left flowers in memory of the 29 people killed. At least 58 others were wounded. Here's what some tearful mourners had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The whole family, the parents and the little girl, those are just innocent lives.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I'm here to pay tribute to those who died. I feel depressed that something like this could happen here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And police brought in the gunman's mother hoping she could get her son a Thai soldier to surrender, but he refused to speak to her. Police killed him after a 12-hour standoff.

Just recapping, one of our top stories. At least 66 new cases of the Wuhan coronavirus have been found on a cruise ship in Japan, bringing the total number of infections on board to 136.

Worldwide, the virus has now killed at least 910 people and infected more than 40,000 others. Most of those cases have come from mainland China where millions of people returned to work Monday after an extended lunar New Year break.

Stocks in the country have just closed and ended higher for the fifth straight session.

We want to turn to CNN's emerging markets editor John Defterios joining us now from Dubai. John, that's an interesting turn of events. What does that signal to you, and also talk to us generally about the impact of the coronavirus so far on China's economy.

JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN BUSINESS EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Well, it's amazing, Rosemary, because a week ago Monday we had panic selling in Shanghai with the drop of 8 percent. So, I would describe what we're seeing right now is cautious calm returning to China as the factories start to rev up again. The port activity is picking up at the same time.

If we look at the major markets, what I like to call the big four in Asia, Shanghai was higher, so that's a domestic reflection. They feel business is get being back to normal, if you will. But it's far from that. But we see Tokyo, South Korea, Hong Kong, all down a half a percent, if not more. It's because these economies are more intertwined than ever before.

And we use the benchmark of the SARS crisis in 2003. China back then, Rosemary, was just a $1.6 trillion economy. It is nine times the size right now. So, a healthy -- I don't mean to be cliche about it, but a healthy economy in China is good for the rest of the world. Demand domestically is very important and trying to grow 6 percent this year. That's under threat because of the crisis we see right now. But also, the outbound demand from Chinese citizens traveling abroad.

They spent $250 billion on various tourist destinations, for example, here in Dubai and the wider UAE, main stay is in in Europe like Italy, of course, and then you had France and Spain, fantastic destinations. Those things are under threat.

And now we even have the business conferences and the concerns from the U.K. and a threat we saw emerging from Singapore and a conference there, that the virus is spreading. They say it is a critical case for U.K. citizens who have been traveling abroad to Asia. So, it's not all calm by any stretch of the imagination. So, we can't overread that rise in the Shanghai market.

CHURCH: Absolutely, not at all. And what other indicators are you watching in terms of economic impact of the coronavirus in China?

DEFTERIOS: You know, this is I find fascinating, Rosemary. Because I've been talking to various sources in Asia to see what they're tracking themselves. One of the main indicators for me is the demand for oil and gas, and dropping rapidly in China.

One source from a regional commodity trading group said that the demand for oil, for example, is down by three million barrels a day. They import 10, so that's a radical departure.

We're seeing force majeure by some of the major state Chinese energy companies blocking LNG gas imports into China because there is just no demand for it. So, if we have in the pipeline the factories not needing the oil and the gas for operations, it's a clear indicator that growth is slowing down.

The initial indication for the quarter is going from a level of around 6 percent down to 4 percent. Everybody seems to think it will be over by the second quarter of this year, and we're back to normal. [03:44:52]

There is a greater threat to the global economy because it's fairly weak going into 2020. Three percent sounds decent, but if we get below 3 percent down to 2.5 percent, which are some of the indications right now, that would almost tilt us into a global recession because the emerging markets have to grow much faster to create jobs.

So, this is the front end of the curve of the scare right now. Initial stability coming back into the market, but I wouldn't suggest we have a green light when it comes to the economy.

CHURCH: Yes, a real concern there. And just a very quickly, how much interference does the Chinese government have in its own market, its own stock market? Any?

DEFTERIOS: Well, you know, that's an interesting thing because they have $3 trillion of reserves, Rosemary. So, if they wanted to prop up Shanghai to send an indication, they could do so.

They have provided stimulus to the economy by the tune of better than $170 billion. There's a major Central Bank meeting taking place on February 20th. Do they cut interest rates and show another signal here they're willing to support the economy?

They were slow to respond to this challenge, Rosemary. I would say at the start of 2020 they won't make that mistake again when it comes to the economy, the health of the economy going forward.

CHURCH: Right. We'll keep a close eye on all of this. No. You will. John Defterios, many thanks as always. I appreciate it.

We'll take a short break. Still to come, Hollywood's biggest night always starts on the red carpet. When we come back, we'll take a look at who and what the styles they're wearing and the big theme of the of night, sustainability.

[03:50:00]

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CHURCH: At Sunday night's Oscars there was no shortage of fashion on the red carpet, designs from Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Gucci were all grazing the event. But this year, the award show were sporting a theme of sustainability. Much of the fashion had been worn before or repurposed for the show.

Joining me now via Skype from New York City to talk more about red carpet fashion at the Oscars is Booth Moore. She is executive director of Women's Wear Daily and former style and fashion news director at the Hollywood Reporter. Good to have you with us.

BOOTH MOORE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WOMEN'S WEAR DAILY: Thanks for having me.

CHURCH: So, which gowns stood out at the 2020 Oscars? What were your top picks?

MOORE: Well, it's funny. I feel like there was a rumor that Harry and Meghan were going to be at the Oscars. And though that didn't come true, I feel like there was really sort of a modern regal trend that was going on, and there were lots of ball gowns and big statement necklaces and capes and really sort of classic looks.

I thought that, you know, all of the big brands made a good showing. But one of the biggest themes actually was sustainability.

So, you know, now Oscars fashion is as much about the substance behind what you're wearing as the style of what you're wearing.

So, it was interesting to see Louis Vuitton, for example, had two looks that were made of ecofriendly materials. And I thought Kaitlyn Dever was really beautiful in her red look which was Louis Vuitton and made of some sustainable biodegradable materials.

CHURCH: Yes, good to see. And Natalie Portman wore a custom Dior cape embroidered with the names of female directors snubbed by the Oscars, carrying a message with poisoned grace. Should we see more of this, do you think?

MOORE: I think so. I mean, you know, politics has made its way into every corner of life. So, it's only natural that it would show up on the red carpet.

You know, back to the sustainability theme. We saw Saoirse Ronan wearing a Gucci fat hat a bit of fabric that was recycled dress from her BAFTA's gown. So that was another sort of, nod to sustainability.

And then Margot Robbie was in a Chanel dress that was vintage couture from the 1990s. So, kind of an example of re-wearing something from the past.

CHURCH: So, is there a way to pick the best?

MOORE: You know, picking the best is hard. You know, fashion is really subjective, but these brands spend a lot of money to sometimes pay the talent to wear these dresses. And, you know, they want to make sure that the fit is perfect, that the, you know, color and fabric suits the mood and the actress -- the actress's look. It's just fun to watch. But, you know, basically you want something that sort of makes you gasp.

CHURCH: And we're always used to fashion shows deciding what's the best look, what's the worst look. Is that -- is that out now? Do people don't talk about the worst look any more?

MOORE: I think that's a little bit out of style, you know. We're all sort of a bit more enlightened in many ways as a culture and, you know, and I think that all are welcome and it's kind of in the eye of the beholder.

CHURCH: So, how difficult is it for designers to come up with a sensational gown that will have everyone talking about it the next day, even copying it, and also, you know, being on the right side of politics and history?

MOORE: It's a, it's a hard line to walk, you know. And also, you have so many people to please, you know. The actresses themselves and also agents and managers and stylists and a whole crew of people. So, it's really a joint effort. And it's hard because an actress can say at the last minute, as I heard one the other day, you know, I don't know that I want to wear the belt. You know, so it's -- it is, it's hard work.

CHURCH: And as you said, it is so subjective, isn't it? Which I guess makes your job even harder as a critic of this, to actually look at a gown and decide whether that's a great look or whether it isn't.

I mean, a lot of the time people would look at some of those outfits -- so I won't mention which -- and they'll go that's not a particularly appealing look, but maybe we are more enlightened saying, well, that is what reflects that person's personality. So, it should be accepted by all, right?

[03:55:09]

MOORE: Yes. I think, you know, Billy Porter is a really good example of that. He's someone who has really been pushing the boundaries of gender with all of his red carpet looks.

And, you know, whereas maybe at one time people would have said, my gosh, you know, that's just crazy or too over the top or inappropriate or whatever. Now I think it's really just seen as an example of, you know, of creativity, of who he is.

CHURCH: So, you think people are becoming a little more accepting of all the looks?

MOORE: Yes. Somewhat. I mean, although if you've been sort of, dive into social media and what --

(CROSSTALK)

CHURCH: You get the truth.

MOORE: -- the upper -- and what the keyboard fashion critics are saying, you know, sometimes that can be a little rough. And that's the other aspect that designers and talent have to deal with, is kind of both sides of the coin of like do you want your look to become a meme or don't you?

CHURCH: Right. So, we may be getting the real honest opinion there on social media platforms perhaps.

MOORE: Yes.

CHURCH: Or just -- or just spite.

MOORE: But even being vegan can be good.

CHURCH: Booth Moore, thank you so much for joining us. I appreciate it. MOORE: Thanks a lot. Have a good night.

CHURCH: And thank you for your company. I'm Rosemary Church. Early Start is up next. Have a great day.

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