Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
COVID Has Killed 250,000 Americans; Lockdown Works in France; BioNTech and Pfizer Ready to Supply the World; P.M. Benjamin Netanyahu Thanked Trump's Success in Jerusalem. Hurricane Iota Left Total Devastation in Central America; Australia Apologized for Crimes Committed. Conflicting Accounts of Military Gains in Ethiopia; Ethiopian Government Denies Civilian Casualties; Arrest of Presidential Candidate Bobi Wine Sparks Protests; Nigerian Activist, Peaceful Protest Turned Deadly; Boeing 737 Max Approved to Fly Passengers Again; Emirates, We Can Bridge The Gap in Vaccine Distribution; Thousands in Peru Take Part in Sinopharm Chinese Vaccine Trials; Buttery Goodness from Nigella; New Zealand Police Introduce Hijab as Part Of Uniform. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired November 19, 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 (on camera): Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. You are watching CNN Newsroom. And I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead, bad an getting worse. COVID deaths top a quarter of a million in the U.S. as the country barrels toward a bleak winter.
Competitions, killings, and bloodlust. An apology from Australia after war crimes investigation finds evidence that elite troops murdered Afghan civilians.
And U.S. officials clear Boeing's troubled 737 Max to fly passengers again following two fatal crashes.
Thanks for joining us.
More than 250,000 Americans have now died from COVID-19. And health experts warn much worse is ahead. More than 1,800 people died on Wednesday. The last time the U.S. saw those kinds of numbers was in early May. Hospitalizations are the clearest indicator of how serious the pandemic has become.
A record 76,000 patients are currently being treated across the country. Frontline medical workers say they are rapidly running out of beds. For the nation's top infectious disease expert, the situation is beyond frustrating.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: When you look at the heat map of the country, where the colors that get darker and redder, show that there is increased activity, it's almost the entire country.
So, things are going in the wrong direction, in an arena of increased risk, namely the cooler and colder weather. I mean, let's go, folks, what about that don't you understand?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH (voice over): In the absence of a coherent national strategy, state and local officials are forced to make their own hard decisions.
New York's mayor reluctantly closed the city's public schools effective today, and Boston's mayor is asking university students not to return to campus if they go home for the holidays.
CHURCH (on camera): U.S. President-elect Joe Biden will have to try to manage this historic crisis as soon as he takes office next January. But his incoming administration has been shut out of every government agency, while President Trump refuses to concede the election. Biden warns that could set his team back by weeks or even months.
Jeff Zeleny has the latest.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice over): President-elect Joe Biden praising medical workers tonight on the frontlines of the coronavirus fight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT-ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: It's not enough to praise you. We have to protect you. We have to pay you.
ZELENY: He is shining a light on their heroism, and calling out President Trump's obstructionism, as his administration still refuses to cooperate with Biden's transition team, especially on fighting COVID.
BIDEN: We've been unable to get access to the kinds of things we need to know about the depth of the stockpiles. We know there's not much at all, and there's a whole lot of things that are just -- we just don't have available to us. Unless it's made available soon, we're going to be behind by weeks and months.
ZELENY: Yet staffers inside the Department of Health and Human Services were instructed to not communicate with any Biden advisers, CNN has learned, and asked to report any outreach to top agency officials.
ALEX AZAR, SECRETARY, UNITED STATES HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: We've made it very clear that when GSA makes a determination, we will ensure complete cooperative professional transitions and planning.
ZELENY: As the U.S. reported the deadliest day of the pandemic in six months, a Minnesota nurse begged Biden for more help. MARY TURNER, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL NURSES UNITED: I've taken care of
coworkers, as they fight for their lives on a ventilator. And knowing that they got sick because of the hospital, or their government hasn't protected them.
ZELENY: Biden showing his empathy, said this.
TURNER: I'm sorry I'm so emotional.
BIDEN: No --
TURNER: It's just --
BIDEN: -- you got me emotional.
ZELENY: Tonight, members of Biden's COVID-19 advisory board say Biden's team will be ready, but said they were skeptical of any credible plans that exist inside the Trump administration.
RICK BRIGHT, MEMBER, BIDEN COVID-19 ADVISORY BOARD: We will be ready on day one. We've waited 10 months for a plan to be shared with the American public, and the healthcare experts on the vaccine program.
[03:05:03]
ZELENY: The Biden transition team is also placing a high priority on building the government, particularly the Health and Human Services Department.
Officials tell CNN the two Democratic governors are now top contenders for the post. Gina Raimondo of Rhode Island and Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico. They, along with Dr. Vivek Murthy, a former surgeon general, are among the leading contenders for the post.
All this as Biden's advisers are blasting Trump's attempt to undermine democracy by firing Chris Krebs, who is in charge of U.S. election cybersecurity for telling the truth about the election.
REP. CEDRIC RICHMOND (D-LA): It's dangerous, the entire transition, Trump's whole behavior right now should frighten the American public.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENY (on camera): We're also learning that a handful of current and former Trump administration officials are reaching out privately to the Biden transition team. They believe it's important to put country over party. They are reaching out to them directly, one-on-one, trying to help with this transition, even as President Trump refuses to acknowledge the outcome of the election.
Now Mr. Biden clearly is sounding the alarm, as more than a quarter of a million Americans have now died of COVID.
Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Wilmington, Delaware.
CHURCH: Julie Norman lectures on politics at University College London. She joins us now. Thank you so much for being with us.
JULIE NORMAN, LECTURER IN POLITICS, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON: Good morning.
CHURCH: So, the people have spoken in the United States, but the outgoing president is refusing to listen, and he is blocking the transition of President-elect Joe Biden while most Republicans stand by silently. How sustainable is this, and what needs to happen next?
NORMAN: Well, Rosemary, I think we'll see some changes in the next week as states start to certify their election results, including with Georgia this week, and we have seen some Republicans push back at Trump so far, but many of those have been from unelected positions from Trump's current and former national security advisers, and we are seeing more reluctance from those in elected positions.
And I think they are kind of going along with the president's current strategy, which is not necessarily to overturn the results, which looks pretty much impossible at this point, but to essentially delay and to cast doubt on the election results, and to kind of delegitimized the Biden presidency, and doing so.
And that tactic, so far, has been working. We saw a new polling data out yesterday that showed that 77 percent of Republicans acknowledged maybe that Biden won, but did so by voter fraud. And in a separate Reuters poll, that 52 percent still think that Trump won, and the election was rigged.
So, this messaging from Trump does seem to be working, in terms of that casting doubt on legitimacy of the election which will cause big problems for Biden, and also potential long-term problems for democracy.
CHURCH: Yes. I mean, the problem is if you throw enough mud, it sticks, doesn't it, at some point? The State of Georgia is set to certify its election results today, sending a clear message to President Trump that he still lost this election, and his baseless claims of voter fraud lack any evidence.
Let's talk more about at what point would you expect more Republicans to realize the emperor has no clothes here.
NORMAN: Well, I think the big days where we will see a shift is December 14th, when the state electors actually have to cast their vote. At that point, it will be a lot harder to sustain this narrative that there's still a chance, that there are still things that can be done.
Once those votes are cast, I think there are just going to need to be some decisions that are made, and especially in the light of what we are facing right now with corona, and also with just other threats that we know need a very clear transition.
We've heard from public health officials this week, from Biden himself, that again a smooth transition right now, with the coronavirus getting worse, is something that people will not be able to ignore much longer.
CHURCH: And I want to look at a new Monmouth University poll, because it shows 61 percent of those surveyed strongly or somewhat disapprove of how Trump is handling the transition process, while 31 percent strongly or somewhat approve. How should Republicans be reading these numbers, the majority of people showing they are not happy with the blocking of Joe Biden's transition.
NORMAN: Well, Rosemary, I think what we are seeing in those numbers is a lot of what we saw before the election as well. We do see a majority of Americans who believe in the electoral system and in robust institutions, and whatnot. But a lot of that falls down along partisan lines, especially with someone like Trump, who is pushing a narrative that there was voter fraud, or attempts to disenfranchise voters.
[03:10:04]
And so, when you breakdown those numbers, again, more by party lines, we see that the majority of Republicans very much still buying to what Trump has been messaging, that this was not a legitimate election, and so that's where Republicans, again, elected officials are going to be keeping their attention to.
They see that this messaging still has sway a lot of voters, and they don't want to alienate that base.
CHURCH: Yes. Of course, that same Monmouth poll also found more Americans are happy about Trump's loss than Biden's win. How surprised are you by those results?
NORMAN: Well, indeed. We did see this in the numbers as well, and even just among Democratic voters, 57 percent were happy that Biden won, but over 70 percent were happy that Trump lost. And I really don't think that is too surprising. We knew throughout the whole campaign that voter enthusiasm for Biden was not nearly as strong as Democratic voter enthusiasm for voting against Trump.
And again, we saw that with the very broad coalition that Biden had in the election, with voters from really across the ideological spectrum who were very disappointed with either Trump, or Trump's policies or incivility, and were voting more on a referendum on the incumbent, rather than the necessarily throwing their weight behind Biden as a candidate.
CHURCH: Do you have any fears this country is in any jeopardy because of this transition being blocked?
NORMAN: Well, I do think the transition process being blocked is a temporary challenge for sure, it's going to be a difficult one to really get over in terms of restoring faith across the political spectrum for elections. But Biden has been projecting a very consistent message of unity, of trying to pull the country together, and really quite crucially focused on the key crises that are facing the country. So, after the inauguration, once things actually move on, I do think
most of the country will go along with that, but this delay process is certainly causing damage in the meantime.
CHURCH: Yes, it is a rocky road until January 20th. Julie Norman, many thanks for joining us. We do appreciate it.
NORMAN: Thank you.
CHURCH: Well, while the U.S. struggles with its current surge of COVID-19 infections, Europe is seeing its first decline in cases in more than three months. The World Health Organization reports the region saw new cases drop by 10 percent during the past week, after countries tightened restrictions. But deaths are still on the rise.
Melissa Bell joins us now from Paris. So, Melissa, what is the latest from France, and from across the rest of Europe?
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it is, of course, according to what the World Health Organization says, of course now in that last week, a drop of 10 percent in terms of new cases is important. And the World Health Organization attributes that to these various restrictions that have been put in place in several European countries.
France is a good example, Rosemary, because the restrictions here that have been in place for more than two and a half weeks now, this partial lockdown that we are under, has really managed to bring, to put the peak behind us, first of all, of the second wave, with things like new cases, the number of people in hospital, the people in ICU falling.
However, just as the World Health Organization warn for throughout Europe, the deaths continue to increase here as well. So, we are in that phase where some of those partial restrictions, those partial lockdowns have managed to bring the beginning of a turnaround.
It's the case in Belgium as well which brought its partial lockdown into effect, the same time as France. There is that beginning of a turnaround where you see in many countries, drops in all of those key areas that reflect the end of that first wave, but of course, there are those countries that continue to battle with worrying figures.
I'm thinking here of Germany where Angela Merkel had said that she would like to see further restrictions of the measures. And they could come into effect next week. Italy recorded its highest death rate yesterday for the first time since the beginning of the second wave.
So, there are those countries that still have some way to go before they record the sorts of declines that they need to in order to go back to life as usual. And what we are hearing more and more now, Rosemary, as European countries start to look beyond the bend of that turnaround, is what happens next?
These lockdowns, many of which are due to end in early December, how do you deconfined? How do you lift them without producing those areas of the first lockdowns that were lifted too suddenly and led to this terrible second wave?
Already the British medical association in the United Kingdom is urging authorities to think of what restrictions need to follow when the partial lockdown is lifted in England, for instance, on December 2nd. The idea that we cannot go back to life as usual.
And again, the World Health organization warning that for all the enthusiasm that the idea of these vaccines has brought, not just to markets but to people all over the world, it will take some time. Many months, no doubt, for them to be widely available and therefore able to battle this epidemic, this pandemic.
[03:15:09]
And in the meantime, they warn that governments are going to keep having to have the sorts of restrictions balanced in different ways, perhaps not as strict as they are at the moment. Simply to help the world get through in a way that allows its health systems to cope, Rosemary.
CHURCH: Yes. We cannot let our guard down and wear those masks. All of the time when we are out in public. Melissa Bell joining us live from Paris. Many thanks.
Well, final drive result shows the coronavirus vaccine from Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech is more effective than previously thought. Now the companies are ready to apply for emergency use authorization in the U.S.
CNN's Frederik Pleitgen has the details.
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Yes. Some potentially really good news coming from German vaccine maker BioNTech and from Pfizer. The companies announcing some really good data in their phase three trials. Ninety-five percent efficacy and also over 94 percent efficacy in older age groups of people above the age of 65.
Now in our exclusive interview, the CEO of BioNTech told me that they are going to apply for emergency use authorization with the FDA this Friday. Let's listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UGUR SAHIN, CEO, BIONTECH: We might get authorization or conditional approval already in 2020. Which might help us to start the distribution of the first vaccine batches already in 2020. Our goal is to supply several hundred million of doses in the first four to five months in 2021. This will already have an impact beginning impact on the control of COVID-19.
PLEITGEN: Are you confident that these vaccines are now or the existence of these vaccines signal the beginning of the end of the pandemic?
SAHIN: I am confident that if everything goes well, and if we have a very organized vaccine supply that we could have a normal winter, 2021. Normal summer and winter, 2021.
PLEITGEN: I want to go into the logistics a little bit because there were some questions. Obviously, your vaccine needs to be stored at minus 70, to minus 75 degrees and there are some who say that makes the shipping quite difficult of it. How do you feel about that?
SAHIN: Since the development was so fast, we weren't able to work out better conditions. So better conditions or more stable conditions are under evaluation, and we are working on a formulation, which could allow us to ship the vaccine even maybe at room temperature.
PLEITGEN: The data that you released today showed very good efficacy in older people. Because they are obviously some of the most vulnerable. Can you just walk us through how important that is?
SAHIN: Now, we see that we have an overall efficacy of 95 percent. And in elderly people, we have more than 94 percent. So that means there's no difference here. There's no difference between their age, different ages, and there's no difference between the ethnicities, which makes of course the pandemic supply and control very, very, very efficient.
PLEITGEN: Now I know that you said at the very beginning that you believe that making this vaccine is a duty. How do you feel about that now?
SAHIN: Now, with our first product, most likely being approved in the next few months, we are accomplishing our dreams to enable something that we develop could be used by people worldwide, and could be helpful to control a disease.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PLEITGEN (on camera): So, if everything works out for BioNTech and Pfizer, they could be putting a lot of vaccine on the market in the not too distant future. In fact, the two companies are saying that they could supply up to 50 million doses of their vaccine this year, and up to 1.3 billion next year.
CHURCH: Fred Pleitgen with that report. Again, from Berlin.
Well, Tokyo is raising its coronavirus alert to the highest level. The city's governor says new infections are increasing rapidly. Wednesday's count went up by nearly 500, the biggest jump since the start of the pandemic. Health officials are sending a familiar message. Wear masks, socially distance and keep dine-in groups to a minimum.
And just ahead here on CNN, how Hurricane Iota ripped through parts of Honduras taking lives and causing massive flooding and destruction.
And an apology from Australia's top military brass, the damning report that forced the expression of regret. That's next.
[03:20:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH (on camera): Parts of Central America are still reeling from what was once Hurricane Iota. The deadly storm has now dissipated, but the torrential rain it brought is still causing flash floods.
In Nicaragua, the death toll has risen to 16 and six people in Honduras are dead. And one is missing after the storm went through the area. Thousands of others had to flee their homes. Here is what some are saying.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEO VEBRI, HONDURAN RESIDENT (through translator): There are children. There are sick people. There is no medicine. The houses are destroyed. Now what am I going to sleep in? Where are the children going to sleep?
ESTEFANIA JACOBO WASHINGTON, HONDURAN RESIDENT (through translator): First, Hurricane Eta came and destroyed my house. They still didn't give me anything. And now that the other one has arrived the house was also destroyed. We are in the street without clothes, without food.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH (on camera): CNN's Gustavo Valdes has this report from Honduras on the widespread flooding there.
GUSTAVO VALDES, CNN EN ESPANOL CORRESPONDENT: We're in San Pedro de Copan in Honduras. Behind me, the River Aruco, Rio Aruco which locals tell me spans about 15 meters, about 45 feet. You can see the bridge, you can see the debris still left behind from where the river over toppled this bridge and left debris over after the storm passed by.
The locals came to find out that even though the bridge is standing, the rest of the road is gone. We are talking about 100 meters near river that now you can see the strength of this water that keeps coming from the mountains in Honduras.
This is not the only damage associated with Iota. We know that in Nicaragua the government reports at least 16 people dead, and they are still trying to evaluate the damage because the communication and access is hard. The situation similar to what we are seeing here in Honduras.
In Guatemala, the government, the army has had rescue operations all day Wednesday, trying to reach areas that are flooded. Rivers are overflowing their banks. The problem with Iota is that the rain continues to flow -- to fall in this region, and they expect that all the water falling in the mountains of the areas of Central America, Nicaragua, Honduras and Guatemala, that water will continue to create flood issues and other problems for the region.
Gustavo Valdes, CNN, Honduras.
CHURCH (on camera): To find out how you can help hurricane victims in Central America, just go to cnn.com. In Australia, a long-awaited military investigation reports that there
is evidence special forces sent to Afghanistan committed war crimes.
Now Australia's top general has apologized to the Asian nation.
[03:25:01]
The inspector general's report claimed to have credible evidence of nearly 40 killings between 2009 and 2013. Some of the accused are still serving in the military. And here is how Australia's top soldier described a key allegation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANGUS CAMPBELL, AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE FORCE CHIEF: Those alleged who had been unlawfully killed were all people under control. In light terms, prisoners, farmers, or other civilians. This shameful record includes alleged instances in which new patrol members were coerced to shoot a prisoner in order to achieve that soldiers first kill in an appalling practice known as blooding.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH (on camera): Well both the chairperson of Afghanistan's independent human rights commission and Australia's defense force have called for a criminal investigation into the killings.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in Jerusalem where he has been meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. During his visit, Pompeo is expected to be the first top American diplomat to visit a Jewish settlement in the West Bank. Most of the international community consider those settlements illegal.
And CNN's Oren Liebermann is covering the story for us from Jerusalem. Good to see you, Oren. So talk to us about the reason for this visit.
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu right now is meeting with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. No surprise there. That's how the two started their day. And in joint statements, again, no surprise how Netanyahu began his statements thanking both Pompeo and the Trump administration for a list of moves that Israel sees as a success.
Moving the embassy to Jerusalem, recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Recognizing Israeli sovereignty in the Golan Heights. And the list for Netanyahu and for Pompeo goes on.
It's after this, and in fact, a short time from now where Pompeo's itinerary will very much diverge from that of a secretary of state who's visited here before. He is expected to visit that Psagot winery in the West Bank, a Jewish settlement in the West Bank, a land the rest of the world that are international laws considers occupied territory.
It will be a break from decades of U.S. foreign policy but not very much a break from Pompeo's position. He ruled not all that long ago with the Trump administration that Jewish settlements in the West Bank and in the Golan Heights are not de facto illegal under international law.
The visit to Psagot winery significant not only because it will be the first secretary of state to visit the settlement, but in celebration of that they have also named a wine after Pompeo. After that he will visit the Golan Heights. Again, that's the Trump administration recognize Israeli sovereignty a couple of years ago.
Again, a major break in decades of U.S. foreign policy. Pompeo very much celebrating the past four years for Israel and for the Trump administration, as well as, perhaps building up his own base in case he chooses to run in 2024. A base built largely on Evangelical Christians.
From here he is expected to head to Qatar and Saudi Arabia where the Trump administration this isn't over yet. And they are still pushing perhaps for those countries to normalize relations with Israel. Let's remember, Rosemary, Pompeo has not yet publicly acknowledged that President Donald Trump lost the election.
CHURCH: He has not. Oren Liebermann joining us live from Jerusalem. Many thanks.
And still to come, violence in Ethiopia is forcing tens and thousands to make a dangerous journey into Sudan. I will speak to a representative from the U.N.'s refugee agency about what they need to help the refugees.
And a little later, how one airline is stepping out to handle the challenge of distributing a COVID-19 vaccine around the world.
We're back in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:30:00]
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): Conflicting accounts are coming out of Northern Ethiopia where federal forces are battling a defiant local government. A government spokesman says its troops are closing in on the capital of the Tigray region, in their fight against the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front. The TPLF, as the group is known says the opposite. Claiming remarkable victories in a Facebook statement.
CNN cannot independently verify either account. Communication in the region has now been blocked out for more than a week after this footage of troop movements were shown on state TV. So, what we know is that more than 30,000 refugees have crossed into Sudan, according to the United Nations.
And Babar Baloch is a spokesman for the United Nations Human Rights Agency, he joins me now via Skype from Geneva. Thank you so much for talking with us.
BABAR BALOCH, SPOKESMAN, UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS AGENCY: Thank you for having me.
CHURCH: So, a government spokesman claims Ethiopian troops are closing in on the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front, but that group denies the government's version of events. What is the situation on the ground in the Tigray region?
BALOCH: Sadly, this conflict is now turning out to be another tragedy for humanity. With thousands of civilians being effected since it started two weeks ago, inside Sudan, where UNHCR and my colleagues are present. On the ninth of November, the arrival of refugees started with a trickle just (inaudible) of 50 refugees that arrived.
The second day, on the 10th of November, the number went almost to 7,000. So the daily average of refugee arrivals for (inaudible) has been 4,000 per day, and my colleagues who are on the border inside Sudan, say that even yesterday, nearly 2,000 new refugees arrived. So, this is the consequence of a (inaudible).
CHURCH: So, what does the U.N. need to help these people, when you are talking tens of thousands of people?
BALOCH: It is exactly overwhelming the humanitarian response inside Eastern Sudan. This part of Sudan has not seen such a refugee influx in the last 20 years. We, as UNHCR, and our humanitarian partners working with the government, are rushing stuff, have deployed staff at border points are trying to build shelters for these refugees who are arriving with just nothing.
My colleagues tell me that the images they are receiving at one border point, refugees have to cross a river to arrive into Sudan with nothing. Majority of them being families, women, and children, and coming with horrible stories in terms of their fear for their lives. They need to be in safety, that's why the example that Sudan has set in terms of keeping the borders open for these desperate people is very important, but with that, Sudan needs international and everyone support as well.
CHURCH: And has there been any response from other countries? I mean, the problem is that the world is dealing with a pandemic, a COVID-19 pandemic. It's a difficult time to be asking other nations to help in these sorts of situations, isn't it?
BALOCH: Indeed. This mass displacement comes on the top of a pandemic, and this is our concern as well. So, we are rushing around to set up hygiene stations, water pumps, where it is possible, but the refugees are scattered into many locations. But we cannot just let Sudan handle this alone.
[03:35:08]
Let's not forget that even before this, there were nearly a million refugees already in Sudan, and this comes on the top of that. So, the need now is first, we call inside Ethiopia, in the Tigray region, we call for the safety of civilians to be respected and for a ceasefire. Immediate ceasefire and allow us as humanitarians to establish a humanitarian corridor to help those who are stuck there. UNHCR and our partners are on standby to provide assistance to the displaced inside Tigray as well.
CHURCH: And in the meantime, while that occurs, what happens in terms of housing and feeding all of these people?
BALOCH: That's a huge challenge. Where people are arriving, we had established a transit center, receiving people at the border, we had initially 300 spaces for people, then we increased our capacity, we keep continue working, but thousands arriving. So these shelters are overcrowded.
There was a camp where the Ethiopians had left decades ago, they had to kind of work on it to make possible for these people to live there, but many of these people who are arriving, families, women, children, they are living for the moment out in the open, so the effort continues to rush more support to them.
CHURCH (on camera): A tragic situation there, Babar Baloch, joining us live from Geneva. Many thanks for your time.
Well, at least three people have died, and 34 have been injured in violent protests in Uganda. Reuter's news agency reports Ugandan police fired live rounds at demonstrators, but police have not confirmed that. The deadly protest was sparked by this, the arrest of the presidential candidate Bobi Wine.
Uganda's inspector general says Wine was arrested for breaking COVID- 19 restrictions on campaigning, but Wine supporters think it's because the popstar turned presidential hopeful has amassed a large following as he tries to replace a leader who's been in power for three decades. Wine tweeted to his supporters, resistance against tyranny is not only a right, it is a duty.
We have new details on the alleged shooting of peaceful protesters last month in Nigeria. Demonstrators tells CNN multiple people were killed and wounded when the army fired on their protest against police brutality in Lagos. Here is part of one woman's account.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DJ SWITCH, NIGERIAN PROTESTER: Everybody look at this. These are the (inaudible) that had fallen. They were fallen by our side by the way who are dodging bullets.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH (on camera): Local authorities are downplaying witness accounts and the army denies any involvement, but CNN spoke to that protester again who is now in hiding. She says the Nigerian government still has not addressed the incident.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SWITCH: The Nigerian army that is supposed to protect us came with no warning. None. Nobody, no representative to come to speak to us first at least. They just came in gun blazing. We heard gunshots from behind the toll gate, because we were on one side of the toll gate. And we heard gunshots from behind us and people running.
So, what we did was just to go down and sit down and just stay still. Waved our flags. So, because we believe that if we waved our flags they would see that we are not here to cause any harm. We are not here to cause any trouble. So, we are just here protesting as is our right to do so.
So there was no warning, nothing. They came shooting. People were just dropping. I cannot even explain that to you. It was such a chaotic scene that most times I find it difficult to close my eyes without seeing those things. It is our right to protest anything that we see and change that we demand.
The Nigerian government has used force from the beginning, starting with trying to infiltrate a peaceful protest with thugs. That did not work out. And then they moved to bring in the military in. So the same government that says that they had ban songs and this is going for four to five years. Now they keep banning the same songs. It seems that he wants to have a dialog. The president hasn't even called once to address the shooting at the toll gate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[03:40:00]
CHURCH (on camera): The Nigerian army has not responded to CNN's request for comment.
Boeing's trouble 737 Max jetliner has been cleared for takeoff, some two years after a pair of deadly crashes. We'll hear what the victims' families and the FAA had to say about the plane's return.
Plus, some COVID-19 vaccines trial participants are sharing their experiences. Why they are willing to be among the first in the world to take part and take the risk.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH (on camera): Well, 20 months after two deadly crashes grounded Boeing 737 Max passenger jet, the FAA has now cleared the plane to fly again. But the jetliner returned to the airways, will not happen immediately. CNN's Pete Muntean reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: It has been 20 months since an emergency order grounded the Boeing 737 Max worldwide. And now the FAA says it can fly again. What is so interesting here is the FAA administrator, Steve Dickson says he believes that Boeing's changes make it impossible for the 2018 and 2019 crashes to happen again, 346 people died.
The change is focused on the airplanes flight control computers making them less powerful and less likely to misfire, although families of those who died on those two crashes believe that the airplane is fundamentally flawed and a software patch cannot change that. Airlines before they begin flying these airplanes again, first have inspect the airplanes and then have to retrain the pilots.
United Airlines and Southwest believe that they will fly the airplanes starting next year. American Airlines is laying plans to start flying the airplane again, next month. The FAA administrator Steve Dickson insists that the 737 Max is now emerging as the most scrutinized airplane in the history of aviation. Pete Muntean, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH (on camera): While the world waits for a vaccine to end the COVID-19 pandemic, one airline is already ramping up its preparations to help distribute it. CNN's John Defterios spoke with Emirates President Tim Clark and joins me live from Abu Dhabi. Good to see you, John. So, what all did you learn about how the airline plans to help distribute future COVID-19 vaccines?
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Well, I'll tell you in the last week or so, Rosemary, the mood has changed dramatically for the sector. And I think that applies here in Dubai from an infrastructure standpoint, but also to leverage the route network for Emirates. This is the strategy of Sir Tim Clark, who was the President of Emirates and has been for years.
The consumer market of about 2.5 billion people within a range of this neighborhood, South Asia, the Middle East and Africa, and they are going to use Dubai World Central which has been underutilized but cleared by the drug makers for cold storage. Here is the president.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIM CLARK, PRESIDENT, EMIRATES AIRLINES: We saw an opportunity to create a hub, both in this airport and the Dubai World Central. And that's what we did. So fortunately we are now in a position that with our fleet of aircraft, including all the freighters that we can now create a hub for all these vaccines and then distribute them to Africa, South America, West Asia, India, Pakistan and further east.
[03:45:23]
DEFTERIOS (voice over): So this is global logistics on a scale you probably have never seen before. Are you well positioned as a carrier and as a hub in Dubai to deliver on that?
CLARK: I think we are better positioned as a carrier. I think we are better positioned as a hub to deal with the scale of things. A lot of other airports and countries and airlines can deal with much smaller scales, and no doubt they will.
But in terms of a logistical center of distribution, under the conditions that these vaccines have to be stored, and of course distributed, I am not sure there are many that really equal us in this part of the world. Certainly sitting as you rightly say between the east and the west major population (inaudible).
DEFTERIOS: Do you think that the vaccines that we are seeing coming out of the West with Moderna and Pfizer can prove to be the silver bullets, because of the expectations are so high and the test results are so solid?
CLARK: I can see no other way out of this pandemic. And there have to be the silver bullet. We've got track and trace. We've got lockdowns. We've got all sorts of protocols, social distancing, etcetera, etcetera. But still, in the West, in America, in Europe it is rampant. Even under nine months of all sorts of protocols to try and mitigate the risk of infection.
DEFTERIOS: So, let's talk it through. What is realistic in terms of global distribution? You have the hub here set and ready to go. We are looking at the second half of 2021 or the second quarter of 2021 on a global scale?
CLARK: No, I think if they do come out and we have got the logistics of the supply chains sorted, of course in Europe and America they could be road transported. They could be integrated to FedEx, UPS can fly them around and all that. But when you are talking about this Trans-Oceanic remote continent from the actual production source of the pharmaceutical side of things, you need to get all this sorted out. And it is that -- that in tandem with the scaling of the production. In tandem with the scaling up of the supply chain, whether the ground or air will take time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEFTERIOS (on camera): So, Tim Clark there, the president of Emirates. You can hear the narrative though, Rosemary, right. They want to be a pace setter on the recovery of the airline sector. So, one of the first global carriers that will be open in May. They now have an air quarter to set the safety protocol worldwide with London Heathrow. They think they can add additional, according to the sources there at the airport.
And you can hear what they are doing on the vaccine distribution front and they are taking advantage of the fact that there are bridge between east and west and the infrastructure. They think it could be profitable again by 2022. Very different than what he was saying back in February and March during the depth of that pandemic.
CHURCH: All very encouraging. John Defterios joining us live from Abu Dhabi. Many thanks.
In Peru, thousands of people are participating in COVID-19 vaccine trials Journalist, Guillermo Galdos, found out what motivates some of these volunteers to take the risk.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GUILLERMO GALDOS, LATIN AMERICAN CORRESPONDENT FOR CHANNEL FOUR: 8:00 p.m. at the Peruvian University Cayetano area in Lima, the classroom is full. These are not students. They are volunteers for China Sinopharm vaccine for COVID-19.
China is looking to prove it has a fully functioning vaccine and has been undergoing clinical trials in COVID hotspots around the world. After China and the United Arab Emirates, Peru has the third highest number of participants.
UNKNOWN: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
GALDOS: Captain (inaudible) 30 years old, and comes from (inaudible), a neighborhood in Lima heavily affected by COVID-19. She signed up for the clinical trial as soon as registration opened a few weeks ago.
Doctors have to give her a thorough medical examination to be sure she's a good candidate for the vaccine. It's a long process. First she must keep plot and take a COVID test to confirm that she's not infected with the virus.
UNKNOWN: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE). Everything is good. You are ready to participate in the study. Many thanks for trusting us.
[03:50:00]
UNKNOWN: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE). Welcome. I feel emotional and grateful to participate in the study. It is important. If the vaccine works it will be made available to the rest of population.
GALDOS: Three hours later, and Katya is finally cleared to receive the vaccine. She is nervous. Doctors have warned her that there may be some side effects like fever or nausea.
UNKNOWN: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE). Breathe in.
GALDOS: More than 7,000 people have already been given China's Sinopharm vaccine in Peru. Scientists aim to reach 12,000 volunteers before the end of the year.
Do you think, Doctor, are we being the guinea pigs of the world?
GERMAN MALAGA, CHIEF INVESTIGATOR, SINOPHARM VACCINE TRIAL: We have to keep in mind that prior to Peru and 45,000 people have been vaccinated. That the problem is (inaudible) that they don't have new cases. So without new cases it's very difficult to demonstrate effectivity of the vaccine.
GALDOS: Peru was one of the country's worst affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which makes it an ideal ground to test the vaccine. More than 40,000 people have died here, and the disease is still far from under control. The Peruvian government is hopeful they can have a working vaccine within the next two months. We went to see Katya in (inaudible) to see how she was doing. She received the vaccine yesterday.
UNKNOWN: Hello.
GALDOS: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE) Hello, may I speak to Miss Katia Mamani?
UNKNOWN: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE) Yes, this is she.
GALDOS: Katia will get a call every day for the next year to check how she's doing. (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE) Can you tell me why you decided to get the
vaccine?
UNKNOWN: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE) I got the vaccine to be protected because all my neighbor on my street were sick. It was horrible to see how they removed their bodies from their homes.
GALDOS: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE) Do you trust the Chinese vaccine?
UNKNOWN: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE). They say the virus came from a lab in China. So they must know how to fight against it.
GALDOS: But with coronavirus infections still on the rise, people like Katia are more important than ever. Guillermo Galdos, for CNN, Lima.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH (on camera): When TV chef Nigella Lawson cooks, her descriptions of food are steamy and luxurious. So, when it comes to buttering toast, you just know the domestic goddess will create an indulgent recipe. That is just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH (on camera): Well, police in New Zealand have unveiled a new feature on their uniforms, designed specifically for Muslim women. It's a specially made hijab designed in part by one of their constables. Zeena Ali, she was also the first member of the department to where the new garment, you see here. Ali says having the police branded hijab means Muslim women who may not have previously considered policing will now feel more comfortable about the idea.
Well, Nigella Lawson has been called a domestic goddess for knowing her way around a kitchen, and for her saucy descriptions of food. A drop of rosewater, she says, is a hint of exotic promise. Too much, she says, and it is your great aunts bubble bath. So, imagine the reaction when the cooking star came up with an over the top way to butter toast. Jeanne Moos got a taste.
[03:55:12]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If you think buttering toast doesn't require a recipe, check out TV Chef Nigella Lawson teaching how to butter toast.
NIGELLA LAWSON, TV CHEF: I favor the two stage buttering approach.
MOOS: Double buttered toast started popping up like pop tarts. Stage one?
LAWSON: The minute this came out of the toaster, still it's hot, I spread it with butter and it will give it a fabulous, crumpety bite. MOOS: Inspiring tweets with bite, shook to the core that Nigella
invented buttered toast, stage two after the toast has cooled, pile on more butter.
LAWSON: In some golden patches on the surface.
MOOS: Causing comments to surface like thoughts go out to all the single buttered pieces of toast I've consumed, and I've been doing my toast all wrong for 40 years. But there is more, Nigella prefers using unsalted butter. So, at the end --
LAWSON: What I need to do, is sprinkle some sea salt flakes over.
MOOS: Her show is called Cook, Eat, Repeat, and boy, did the toast segment get repeatedly toasted. OMG, she can even complicate toast. Some tried double buttered toast and found it really just taste like toast with twice as much butter on it, but others buttered up Nigella, declaring it's a game-changer. And this greyhound tongue showed he doesn't care which side his bread is buttered on as long as it's buttered twice.
Nigella got burned by the British tabloids.
The sun pun butterly ridiculous, next week, how to suck eggs. One Twitter user wrote, Nigella might as well just eat the bar of butter if she's putting that much on her toast. My mom. It may or may not be the best thing since sliced bread, but Nigella seems smitten.
LAWSON: This is the platonic ideal of toast.
MOOS: We will never know whether Plato buttered his toast, but with all this attention, you better believe usually humbled toast is patting itself on the pat. Jeanne Moos, CNN --
LAWSON: A fabulous, crumpety bite.
MOOS: New York.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH (on camera): And add some Aussie vegemite and you'll be set. Thanks for joining us, I'm Rosemary Church. I'll be back with more news in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
