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Trump Begins First Official Visit To India; Coronavirus Outbreak Spreads Beyond China; Number of Cases Surges Beyond Mainland China; Italy Imposes Strict Measures To Contain Outbreak; South Korea Raising Crisis Alert To Highest Level; Total Number Of "Diamond Princess" Infections Rises To 691; Global Stocks Fall As Virus Continues To Spread; CNN Projects Bernie Sanders Wins Nevada Caucuses; Israel And Palestinian Militants Exchange Fire; Global Stocks Fall As Virus Continues To Spread. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired February 24, 2020 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:14]

VOICE-OVER: This is CNN Breaking News.

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us here in the United States and of course all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN HOST: And I'm George Howell. Right now, we are watching these live images, the U.S. President Donald Trump in India kicking off his 36-hour visit there.

CHURCH: It is a trip that will play heavily into his fondness for spectacle. Soon, Mr. Trump will head to a Namaste Trump rally at a cricket stadium that holds more than 100,000 people and he will also visit the Taj Mahal in Agra and hold formal talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

HOWELL: And live in Ahmedabad there, we have our senior international correspondent, Sam Kiley, following these events as well with us. And Sam, tell us more about what the president is at this particular moment and what's next on the schedule as we continue to follow this?

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, he's on his way here to the Motera Stadium which is going to effectively be inaugurated by his visit. It's been a lot of celebrations, a lot of really Jingoistic, Hindu nationalists ballads and anthems being sung with great deal of support from the capacity crowd here of some hundred thousand people.

But the president, the first lady, and the Indian prime minister will first stop on the way to pay their respects at the Ashram which was the home of Mahatma Gandhi here in -- Mr. Gandhi, of course, was assassinated by an extremist Hindu nationalists.

There's been a lot of criticism on Mr. Modi after the -- over the last six months for overplaying the Hindu nationalist part that got him elected with the substantial majority in the Indian parliament last summer; particularly, this year with the new legislation which many people say discriminates against Muslims who are part of a refugee population here from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.

They would be allowed to apply for Indian nationality but only if they're not Muslim. So, it's an important stop for Mr. Modi to show up his secular credentials in the widened India (INAUDIBLE) culture, Donald Trump coming to a country where he can step out in front of a crowd of a hundred thousand people where his brutal ratings of between 53% and 56%.

He'd love to see those sorts of numbers back in the United States in an election year. He's obviously well below 50% so far in the U.S. polling. But nonetheless for today though, it's all about optics, the real nitty-gritty, the formal processes of discussions, bilateral, and other meetings will get underway tomorrow and culminate with a state dinner presiding over by India's ceremonial state president tomorrow night before they leave.

No great expectations of a major breakthrough in a trade deal. But this is part of ongoing American members (ph) to shore up the relationship with India, very important strategically because, of course, India's stance physically in many ways right next to potentially competition with China. So, it's a very important relationship to keep it under a firm embrace and not the least because of those in the Egypt (ph) paid a state visit here in the fall of last year, so very bold relationship also with the Chinese. A lot of competition for the soul of India at the moment.

HOWELL: Sam Kiley, live for us following advance there. And Sam, standby because we're looking at this image if we could take that image full. Rosemary, it is interesting to see the U.S. president there right there beside the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. And you can tell that this is a moment where you can get a sense of their relationship.

CHURCH: Yes, absolutely. And of course, as we continue to follow those pictures, we do want to take a moment to look at the significance of this trip for both the United States and India. And for that, we're joined by the former Indian ambassador to the U.S., Navtej Sarna. Good to have you with us. And of course, we're following these pictures --

NAVTEJ SARNA, FORMER INDIAN AMB. TO THE U.S.: Thank you.

CHURCH: -- so, watching the U.S. President make his way to that cricket stadium because later this hour, President Trump and India's Prime Minister Modi will take to the stage there and make joint remarks. What will you be looking for and what all should we expect to come out of this very short trip? I mean, it's not even two days really that Mr. Trump is taking in India.

[02:05:12]

SARNA: It's of a significant trip and I think 36 hours should be quite a lot. Today, you will see a lot of good pictures and a lot of ceremony and color and something that India does best. And I think this is something which President Trump has been looking forward to, a large crowd, a cultural extravaganza, and all that's going to be happening today.

He'll also go to the Taj Mahal for the famous picture with the first lady in front of the Taj. And tomorrow, you will see a lot of the official aspects of the visit, the talks.

But I think today should not be underestimated because I think the Indian-American community in the United States is gaining political significance, so that's one box that will be checked. And also, I think it shows the power of India's democracy, the people-to-people relationship, and as well as the fact that this is a country with which President Trump can do business in more ways than one.

CHURCH: Indeed. I mean, there will be a lot of -- I mean, we're talking about -- we're looking at these pictures now as he's walking with the first lady and India's prime minister. Mr. Trump, as you point out, loves to attract a big crowd. And of course, we know that he has been promised 7 million people. We know this cricket stadium only holds -- well, I say only holds -- a hundred thousand there and the population of Ahmedabad is what, about 5.6 million. So, he may not get the 7 million he's promised. But there are going to be some incredible visuals along the way aren't there?

SARNA: Yes. I'm not sure about the promise part. But he has certainly said that, you know, he's been raising the numbers in his pre-visit commentaries. But I think it's not the literal figure that counts. It's the fact is that all of Ahmedabad has turned up on the streets and you have a huge stadium and millions more was watching. So, I don't think we should set a line on the exact number of people together. I think it's the spirit behind this huge public rally.

CHURCH: Right, certainly. Mr. Trump will be happy with the crowds, no doubt. And we have seen growing tensions between the U.S. and India on trade. How might they resolve those trade issues? Could we expect to see any steps forward in this veritable trip do you think?

SARNA: I think it will be a good time to have a frank conversation on trade from all indications, a trade deal, which sorts out all the differences, is not on the cards. But I'm sure there will be some steps towards making that happen.

And frankly, I think a trade here is important simply because of the Trump Administration's priority and putting up trade upfront. There's a huge amount happening in the rest of the relationships. And I think the Indian side would like to place the trade relationship in proper perspective in part of the big picture, part of the strategic convergences between the two countries, part of the security relationship, the counter-terrorism relationship, and not a standalone thing on its own.

There are number of issues and market access issues on both sides. There's the withdrawal of the GSP by the United States as the imposition of steel and aluminium tariffs. And so, there are conversations which need to go on. They may -- they are quite clearly not ready yet to resolve all of these. But once you have a visit of this level and you have a successful visit then the hope is that, you know, the warm feeling, the positive feeling will rub off on the -- on the differences also. And we should be able to resolve them given the fact that the United States recognizes the long-term economic potential of India as a partner.

CHURCH: Right. And of course, as you were speaking, we were looking at the three monkey; see no evil, hear no evil, say no evil. President Trump, of course, making it very clear he admires India's prime minister and the feeling appears to be mutual. In fact, they share a number of similarities, don't they? Both are conservative nationalists. Both share a distrust and disdain for the media. And both have a tendency to be anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant.

Is it those very similarities that bring these two leaders together and allow them to understand each other? And which one of them will benefit more from this short visit do you think?

SARNA: Well, I don't know if they will all agree with those characterizations that have been made on their personalities. But certainly, I can tell you that they get along very well together and they know how to converse with each other and they have an admiration for each other.

I think President Trump, of course, you know, has -- is in an election year and I'm sure he's got one eye on the fact that 4 million strong Indian-American community is part of his election calculus. For Prime Minister Modi, it brings him to the global stage this moment, something with which he's been very comfortable and confident with particularly in his -- in his first term. So, I think it is, as said by both sides, it's a win-win situation for both of them.

[02:10:52]

CHURCH: Navtej Sarna, we thank you so very much for lending us some perspective as we watch these incredible pictures there in India. Many thanks.

HOWELL: And now, let's get more perspective on what's happening. Again, we're watching the U.S. president there live in India with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Now, to get that perspective, we have Natasha Lindstaedt with us. Natasha, a professor of government at the University of Essex in England. Good to have you with us.

Natasha, so, we're watching these images, Mr. Trump together with his Indian counterpart, with the first lady there as well. Here's the thing, Mr. Trump has made it clear that he and Prime Minister Modi, they get along very well. Talk to us about the significance of this relationship and whether that personal bond would mean any sort of breakthrough when it comes to these sticking points like trade?

NATASHA LINDSTAEDT, PROF. OF GOVERNMENT, UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX: Right. Well, they definitely do have a strong relationship. There's a lot of chemistry there and they do share things in common as has had already been mentioned.

They have been characterized as right-wing populists, those that want sort of a more exclusive national identity. They have been characterized both of them as being anti-Muslim. And they have, as already mentioned, attack the press.

Modi has been dealing with a faltering economy and mounting protests over the citizenship law which Muslims knew as being exclusive to them or targeting them.

And so, they share in common that they both face attacks from people within their own country. And they both want to draw attention to this relationship for a number of reasons. One is because Trump's relationship with China is under tremendous strain and Trump wants to show that there are other big countries like India with huge economy, of course, that Trump can deal with and make trade deals with and both are hoping to come out of this with the hope that there will be some sort of possible trade deal of sorts.

You're also going to see them looking to make some sort of military deal with a multibillion defense deal and India wants to diversify its buyers. And you're also going to see Trump maybe hoping to change his image a little bit.

Now, there are only 4.5 million Indians that live in the U.S. Only 16% of those actually supported Trump. And he's hoping to project an image of someone who can attract voters that are not just white voters that can attract a diverse coalition. And for Modi, of course, this puts him on the global stage with one of the most powerful leaders in the world and he wants to assert his own legitimacy because he's been under fire recently.

HOWELL: Let's talk just a bit more about that. You point out the fact that the president is certainly showing here that he can attract, to your point, other voters. But how important is it when it comes to fundraising simply looking back at the "Howdy Modi" event that took place in Houston, Texas when Narendra Modi was here stateside. That was a bit of good optics for President Trump and certainly important for him when it comes to fund-raising?

LINDSTAEDT: Yes, it is good for fundraising that it looks like he's attracting huge numbers and that's one of the things that's going to happen in India is he's going to be at this enormous cricket stadium where there'll be just so many people there. And that's one of the things that Trump loves.

I think it's a combination of the fact that he's hoping that this then leads to bigger campaign funds. But also, he just loves the attention. He loves speaking in front of huge crowds and nowhere in the world would you get such huge crowds as in India. There's a lot of excitement about him being there whether it be good or bad. We don't know. But there's a lot of excitement around and who loves attracting attention. He's going to be attracting some of the biggest crowds. HOWELL: So, again, Natasha Lindstaedt with perspective there. Thank you. And just, you know, for our viewers around the world, we're watching these images right now. It really is, Rosemary, just about the pomp and circumstance around the president being there. Certainly, we will see millions of people come together along the side of the road, there at the stadium as well. These are the images that the U.S. president, we know, does like to capture.

[02:15:07]

CHURCH: He most certainly does. We're covering that but we're also covering another big story here, the novel coronavirus is quickly spreading beyond China. It's now forcing Italy, South Korea, and Japan to implement tougher measures. And we will have live reports from each of those countries when we come back. Do stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. With the novel coronavirus is morphing into what many world health officials feared an outbreak surging beyond its epicenter in China spreading rapidly in Asia and beyond. And here's some of the latest information we have. Italy now has the largest number of infections outside of Asia that's more than 150 with at least three deaths. Venice is suspending its popular carnival to halt the spread of the virus.

HOWELL: On the other side of the globe, the number of cases has spiked again. In South Korea, there are more than 760 with seven deaths, most are certainly in the country's southeast at this point. And around the world, the number of cases now exceeds 79,000. More than 2,600 people have died.

Our CNN correspondent's covering every angle of the story right around the world; in Rome, our Barbie Nadeau standing by; in Seoul, South Korea, Paula Hancocks with the story; and CNN's Blake Essig following the story in Tokyo.

Starting with you there, Barbie, in Rome, where do things stand right now with the concern about infections rising in the northern part of the country?

[02:20:34]

BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, I think the word of the day is containment. And officials across the north of the country are working very hard just to stop people from moving around. They are ten towns that are on lockdown right now. That means no movement whatsoever and those who do defy that order risk a three-month jail sentence and a substantial fine. They've got food corridors into those ten towns in order to try to get people the supplies that they need.

But we're seeing also in Venice just a complete reaction out of an abundance of caution. I think there've been two cases in that city confirmed but they've, as you said, cancelled the carnival celebrations. Now, that's the biggest celebration really that the Venetian's honor every single year and it draws people from all over the world. Those celebrations are cancelled. That just won't be happening.

But we've seen kind of voluntary measures in Milan. They've closed the Duomo, several of the Milan fashion week big names. Even Georgia Armani are holding their Fall 2020 shows in empty theaters and live streaming it just to try to stop people from gathering in public places. And the authorities are yet to give us an updated number of cases yet this morning, George.

HOWELL: Barbie Nadeau, live for us in Rome. Barbie, thank you for the reporting.

CHURCH: All right, let's get the latest now from Seoul in South Korea with our Paula Hancocks. So, Paula, what are the latest numbers you have one coronavirus cases and deaths across the South Korea? And what's being done to try to contain this?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, in recent days, there's been a fairly serious spike of confirmed cases here in Korea; 763 is the number at this point and seven people have been confirmed to have died.

Now, what we do know is it is mainly focused, not exclusively, but mainly focused on an area in a city called Daegu, which is a few hours south of the capital. Now, this is an area which does have one religious group based there. We understand that's more than half of those 763 confirmed cases have links to this particular religious group. This is something that officials are focusing on right now.

They say there's about 9,000 other members that are under self quarantine. They say they will be tested. They're doing about 5,000 to 6,000 tests every day single day in South Korea. But this is not the extent of the infection increase here.

Most provinces around the country, north, south, east, and west, now have a number of cases including the capital Seoul. Now, we know Daegu is a focused though because airlines in Korea have started to suspend flights to Daegu. Korean Airlines, Asiana, a couple of the low-cost carriers are no longer going to fly to Daegu.

We also know that the religious group itself the police have been drafted in to try and find some of those missing members of the group. We understand there's hundreds that still haven't been contacted. It's a matter of priority clearly to contact everybody who may have come into contact with the infection to try and contain the infection. So, 600 police officers are now knocking on doors. They're tracking phone records. They're scouring through CCTV footage trying to narrow the search down and find those hundreds, at this point, of religious group members that are missing.

So, certainly, there's a lot being done within the country. The President Moon Jae-in has raised the national alert level to the highest level that it can be which effectively releases more funds. We will see more money being injected into the area that's worst hit, more doctors and facilities being set up there.

And one more thing to confirm today, 11 members now of the military personnel at the military here in South Korea have been infected. That of course is a key concern for the defense ministry. You have an awful lot of soldiers living in close quarters in the barracks. That is something that they would want to contain very quickly. Rosemary.

CHURCH: That is indeed a big worry. Paula Hancocks bringing us the very latest from Seoul in South Korea. Many thanks.

HOWELL: And now, live to Tokyo where CNN's Blake Essig is standing by. Blake, what is the latest there with regards to this virus?

BLAKE ESSIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, George, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs actually just held a media briefing where they essentially said that they will not be focusing on the Olympic schedule to take place here in Tokyo this summer.

Instead, they will be focusing on the next one to three weeks calling that time period crucial in order to stop the spread of the coronavirus here in Japan, and this comes as a reset where the ministry actually acknowledge that the quarantine that took place on board -- or the cruise ship docked here at Yokohama Port was not a perfect quarantine.

[02:25:29]

We saw that multiple examples actually just in the past couple days. Twenty-three passengers who initially got tested before the quarantine period started, they had to get tested again during the quarantine, that 14-day quarantine on board the ship, that never happened. They're in the process of retesting those 23 people.

We've also learned about a woman in her sixties. She actually completed the quarantine protocol on board the cruise ship. She disembarked on Wednesday. Within two days, she developed symptoms and then later tested positive for the coronavirus.

These two examples are why the Japanese government has now kind of changing the way that they're operating. When it comes to all the passengers that have been disembarking over the past several days, the Japanese government is going to be in contact with them on a daily basis to do health checks. They've also asked that those people do everything they can to stay indoors and avoid public transportation at all costs. George.

HOWELL: Wow. Blake Essig, live for us in Tokyo. Blake, thank you.

CHURCH: All right. Let's look at how the outbreak is affecting global stock markets and we turn to Asia first. We just bring up those numbers. You can see in Seoul, South Korea, the KOSPI, it's nearly lost 4%. That is a considerable lost. It started at around 2%. It's now down near four.

And Hang Seng in Hong Kong is down 1.67%. So, we're keeping an eye on that. And then in the United States, "Futures" are also down across the board. So, there are a lot of jittery feelings across the market. Investors are not happy. HOWELL: And consider it, Rosemary. So, you have the engine of the world, you know, slowing down in the sense that people are not going to work, not doing the things that they would typically do.

CHURCH: Yes.

HOWELL: People staying indoors. Certainly --

CHURCH: Yes.

HOWELL: -- the markets are seeing an effect.

CHURCH: And you know, the auto industry is going to be impacted considerably because parts can't get in. They can't get out. It's very problematic.

HOWELL: This will be something to watch for sure.

CHURCH: Yes.

HOWELL: Still ahead here on CNN "Newsroom", Israeli forces say they struck back after militants launched rockets from Gaza.

CHURCH: The exchanges follow a graphic video that went viral. What it showed as well as the images Israel says depict a foiled attack. We are live in Jerusalem with the details. Back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:30:00]

HOWELL: Welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM live from Atlanta. I'm George Howell.

CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church. We're going to check the headlines for you this hour. The novel coronavirus is spreading rapidly beyond Mainland China. Italy has confirmed more than 150 cases and at least three deaths. Venice is suspending Carnival because of the outbreak. And cases are also surging in South Korea with more than 760 confirmed and seven deaths mostly centered around areas in the southeast.

HOWELL: CNN monitoring these live pictures right now from Ahmedabad, India. This is Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister's hometown. The U.S. President is visiting that country he arrived just a short time ago. The two men hugged as honor guards played traditional music at the airport ceremony. This visit to include a huge rally, a visit to the Taj Mahal, and formal talks between these two leaders.

The U.S. President is there in India, but certainly, he has chimed in now on the outcome of the Nevada caucuses. With 88 percent of precincts reporting, CNN is projecting Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is the winner of the Nevada caucuses and is expected to get at least 18 pledged delegates.

CHURCH: Meanwhile, Democrats Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg are trailing far behind. Mr. Trump had this reaction to the results.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think Bernie is looking more and more like he'll be the nominee unless they cheated out of it. A lot of people thought he was going to be the nominee the last time and that didn't work out. I think they're watching it very closely. I would imagine so.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: And the race moves to South Carolina this weekend, where a Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is hoping to convince voters there that he's a better candidate than Bernie Sanders.

CHURCH: CNN Senior Washington Correspondent Jeff Zeleny has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: The Democratic presidential contest now in South Carolina, the last of the first four early states. The South Carolina primary on Saturday, so critical for all candidates particularly Joe Biden, trying to make a stand here to revive his candidacy, of course, also trying to slow the ascent of Senator Bernie Sanders who had a commanding finish in the Nevada caucuses over the weekend.

Now, Mr. Biden, as he campaigned here in South Carolina on Sunday, made the case that he believes Bernie Sanders is too liberal for Democrats, would hurt the party down-ballot, even like George McGovern did so many years ago. Take a listen.

Would Senator Sanders as the nominee be a McGovern-like mistake for this party?

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, that's for the voters. Look, I think it's going to go down the race between Senator Sanders and me for the nomination. As I said all along, it's not just, can you be Donald Trump, can you bring along -- can you keep a Democratic House of Representatives in the United States Congress, and can you bring along a Democratic Senate? Can you help people up and down the line? And I think I'm better prepared to do that than Senator Sanders is.

ZELENY: But as much as the former Vice President may like, this is not a two-person race. In fact, so many other moderate candidates still in the race, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar, Pete Buttigieg, even Tom Steyer, potentially complicating the former vice president's path here in South Carolina.

But one thing is clear, this is a different electorate here in South Carolina. Some 60 percent of the Democratic electorate, African American voters, Joe Biden certainly has a strong appeal and is making that case directly. Of course, he was former President Barack Obama's Vice President for eight years and has a long civil rights record of his own.

So the South Carolina primary has a history of surprising voters, has a history of delivering an upset or something different. So keep an eye on what could happen here over the next five days or so. But then only three days after the primary, Super Tuesday comes. That is when some third of the delegates are selected. That's where Mike Bloomberg will weigh-in for the first time. This Democratic race is still very much alive. Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Charleston, South Carolina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[02:35:09]

CHURCH: Another story we're following, the Israeli military says it's launched a series of strikes targeting militia group Islamic jihad in Gaza and Syria.

HOWELL: That's right. It says that in response to militants firing more than 20 rockets into Israel, tensions then escalated on Sunday after Israeli soldiers opened fire on two men they say we're laying an explosive device on the Gaza border fence.

CHURCH: The exchange came hours after a video showing an Israeli army bulldozer scraping the body of a dead man off the ground went viral. And we're going to show you that video, but we must warn you first aid is graphic, along with what Israel says was that foiled attempt to plot an explosive device.

So for more, we're joined now by Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem. Oren, talk to us about that attempt to set an explosive device and then, of course, this graphic video that followed and went viral.

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: So Rosemary, this all starts on Sunday morning when the Israeli military says to Palestinians approach the Gaza border fence, and you can see that in this video here provided by the IDF, the Israeli Military, and attempted to plant an explosive on the border fence. Israel -- the soldiers open fire there killing one and wounding another.

And that then led to this. And this is a graphic video as we have warned you before. This is when the Israeli military sends in a bulldozer to try to pick up the body of the Palestinian who was killed there and bring him back across the border. And you can see in the video as the bulldozer attempts to pick up this body, there are Palestinians trying to pull the body away. You can even hear gunshots in the background and screams in the background.

The bulldozer then it seems, runs over the body as it's attempting to pick it up. That angers the crowd and this video continues for quite some time as the bulldozer attempts to pick up this body eventually, and the video does get even more graphic. The bulldozer is successful in picking up the body with its scoop. But it is then seen hanging off the scoop as the bulldozer, and the body returned to Israel protected by a tank.

As for who that body is, Al-Quds Brigade, the militant wing of Islamic Jihad has claimed that Palestinian as one of their own. And they see this body in the way it was treated as a defiling of the body. And that's where the anger comes in.

Israel was expecting a response. And that response began on Sunday night when Israel says there were some 21 rockets launched from Gaza into southern Israel. A number of those were intercepted by Iron Dome. And that then led to Israel's response striking Islamic Jihad targets not only in Gaza, but in Syria.

Israel, of course, has struck Syria in the past, but rarely does Israel take credit this quickly. Israel says it struck headquarters of Islamic Jihad in both Gaza and Syria in an attempt to essentially show Islamic Jihad that if this continues, Israel will act strongly in this case. But there is still anger here.

Now it's important to note, George and Rosemary, that there has not been anything kinetic. there has not been fire across the border either Gaza or Syria since early this morning, but the situation remains tense, it remains fluid. Schools, roads, and trains around Gaza remain closed at this time although there are no restrictions on civilians throughout the rest of the country.

CHURCH: All right, many thanks to our Oren Liebermann following this story from Jerusalem. And we know you will continue to bring us details on this in the hours ahead. Many thanks.

HOWELL: We continue following the coronavirus, and here's the thing. It's claimed at least eight lives in Iran. What neighboring countries are now doing to try to contain the outbreak.

[02:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOWELL: Live pictures of the motorcade here as the U.S. President is in Ahmedabad, India right now. That is the hometown of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They are headed to the Motera Stadium, this huge stadium, this Cricket Stadium that holds more than 100,000 people. That is where they're expecting to have this Namaste Trump Event that we will be monitoring here live on CNN.

But again, President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, they're in India with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi headed toward the stadium now.

CHURCH: Yes. We will certainly bring you those joint remarks. But for now, we do want to cover this other big story on coronavirus. The second person in Israel has tested positive for that virus. He was a passenger on the Diamond Princess cruise ship who returned to Israel last week before testing positive.

HOWELL: In the meantime, more than 700 people are under self- quarantine in Israel. The country had also expanded its restrictions on foreign nationals to include South Korea after members of a tour group tested positive for the disease upon returning home. CHURCH: Now, as we've mentioned, the outbreak continues to take a toll on stock markets around the world. In South Korea. The KOSPI has been down more than three percent in Monday's trading. We saw those figures earlier. And U.S. Futures are down across the board. Let's go to Manisha Tank. She joins us now from Singapore with the latest on the market.

So Manisha investors no doubt is disturbed by these market losses. What are all those numbers looking like now and what more are we learning about this?

MANISHA TANK, CNN REPORTER: Yes, well, it's not looking great actually, Rosemary, in the last few hours. The KOSPI, for example, let's take that. That has been one of the markets most heavily impacted here in Asian trade down now more than 3.8 percent. So, as I've been watching it since the open where it opened down two percent, it's been extending its losses.

And you've got some of the mega stocks, the mega-companies of South Korea being affected by this. Hyundai Motor, for example -- and we already know that Hyundai has been impacted by factory shutdowns in China and through other parts suppliers across Asia. You know all of these supply distribution networks have been impacted by the covert 19 sorts of lockdown as it were, that has occurred.

So Hyundai Motor down more than four percent at one stage. You had Samsung saying that it had an employee at a factory complex that had confirmed coronavirus case and that they had to shut the complex down. So these sort of shutdowns don't look good. But the big thing here is it's all about uncertainty. All of the major Southeast Asian markets are lower.

And it's worrying because even the likes of the IMF for example, Kristalina Georgieva, who is the managing director of the IMF at the G-20 finance meeting -- Finance Ministers Meeting in Saudi Arabia that had been taking place over the weekend, talking about how we could see more dire scenarios. When you hear that sort of language, it's not something that you wake up to and think, OK, I'm trading with certainty in a market atmosphere like this.

But let's talk about Dow Futures. You mentioned that, so here in Asian trade, we've had Dow Futures down significantly more than 350 points right out of the gate here in Asian trade. Now what that suggests is that we're going to have a big push to the downside on the Dow when those U.S. markets open.

On top of that, it's the same story for the S&P 500 and for NASDAQ Futures, and for all of those European markets stock index futures. So this is what everyone's thinking about. It's really uncertainty that's playing these markets, and the predictions for global growth which are now being trimmed right here in Singapore, for example. Singaporean GDP out recently and it was the forecast that was downgraded for growth. It could even go into negative territory.

[02:45:40]

CHURCH: All very unnerving. Manisha Tank bringing us the very latest there from Singapore, many thanks to you.

HOWELL: The virus has claimed at least eight lives in Iran and it has infected more than 40 people in that country. Neighboring countries are also now closing their borders and imposing all sorts of restrictions. Ramin Mostaghim has the least now from Tehran.

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RAMIN MOSTAGHIM, CNN JOURNALIST: Today in Tehran, cultural activities brought to hold, cinema and theaters are closed down until further notice. Matches, stadiums are closed down. Our university dorms, schools, preschools, high school, junior high schools are closed. So the big question for the families is just how to entertain their children, their young at home because living in an apartment in Tehran is not so easy nowadays.

Until further notice, everything is broken to halt and the only governmental employees have to go to work. Traffic, everything is heavier than before. And at the same time, the country is isolated, airlines are closing down there. Activities, even neighboring countries, they don't want to see the Iranian passenger to their soil and the pharmacies are under pressure to replenish their shelves and try to address the problems of the people.

People are in great demand of buying Vitamin C and surgical masks. And surgical mask are sold in black markets five or six times or even 10 times more than real prices. Ramin Mostaghim CNN, Teheran.

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HOWELL: That was Ramin Mostaghim reporting for us. We'll be right back after this break.

[02:50:00]

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HOWELL: What you're seeing right now, the U.S. President Donald Trump has arrived here to the Motera Stadium, this in Ahmedabad, India. Take a look at that stadium. The stadium holds more than 100,000 people. The President essentially inaugurated, just kicking off, you know, this massive, massive building for this Namaste Trump event.

This is US President Donald Trump along with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi together showing the relationship between two nations.

CHURCH: Yes. And of course, there'll be making joint remarks. We want to turn to CNN's Senior International Correspondent Sam Kylie. He is there in Ahmedabad at that Cricket Stadium. 100,000 people gathered there. We saw people lining up outside. Sam, talk to us about the ambiance, what people are saying, how excited they are to see the U.S. president there, and what we can expect to hear from the two leaders when they speak.

KILEY: Well, Natalie, we expect to hear from them or at least see them momentarily. They have arrived at the stadium. Donald Trump, the President in the famous presidential limousine known as The Beast, Narendra Modi in a Range Rover, which people might assume to be a British mark but is actually Indian owned, the symbol really of the burgeoning importance of India on the international stage in terms of its geostrategic importance.

India stands as a formerly non-ally nature, now quaking to make friends with a massive nation, the second biggest democracy on Earth, main friends with United States but also keep itself free to make alliances or friendships elsewhere, notably with China. It's for that reason geostrategically that Donald Trump is here.

But today is all about celebration, pomp, and circumstance. The announcer behind me talking about the leaders of two great nations who seem to walk out onto the stage together. Donald Trump delighted to be received by a crowd of at least 100,000. The turnout judging from the television pictures are being fed in on the drive-in may not as extensive as he might have hoped.

But certainly, here in a stadium its full capacity. The first time the biggest Cricket Stadium on Earth has been used for any other purpose than groundsman work ahead of the opening of the stadium formerly as a sports location.

Narendra Modi came to burnish his reputation domestically, at least, in terms of its widespread condemnation from opposition groups here for what has been described as anti-Muslim legislation passed earlier this year regarding citizenship regulations. He's now being challenged in the supreme court. But they're soon to walk out onto the stage just behind me where both men will speak, one assumes.

Narendra Modi welcoming the U.S. President first and then they're expected to go on to visit the Taj Mahal before returning to Delhi and starting the day of formal business tomorrow culminating in a presidential dinner. You can hear the swelling response of the crowd beginning to emerge as they anticipate the arrival of the U.S. President and the Prime Minister.

This is Narendra Modi's home state. He was the chief minister for 13 years in the 2000s period of rule, cemented his leadership of the Hindu Nationalist BJP party, cemented him as really one of the foremost populist leaders in the world, indeed a pioneer of modern populism, but also earned him widespread criticism indeed.

[02:55:19]

He was actually banned from the United States or refused a visa in the early 2000s, following the sectarian violence that hits this state in which more than 1,000 people, majority of them Muslims were killed in sectarian bloodletting. Many of his critics pointed the blame for towards Mr. Modi and his BJP.

But he has been able to re-emerge really unassailable as the Prime Minister at the moment of India with commanding domination through his BJP Party of India's parliament, and very close indeed to Donald Trump. There have been at least five meetings I believe in the last year

between these two leaders. The last significant one being of course in the Howdy Modi celebrations in Texas last year. Now it is the opportunity for the Indians to play host with the Namaste Trump. He has just come from visiting the former home of Mahatma Gandhi.

CHURCH: All right, Sam Kylie bringing us the very latest there from the Cricket Stadium as we await those remarks from President Trump and the Prime Minister of India. It is incredible. These are the crowds that President Trump has been looking for.

HOWELL: And these are the crowds that he likes to see. Certainly, that has been teed up for him there in Ahmedabad, India. We will continue to follow this live here on CNN on the other side of this break. Stand by.

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