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India's Healthcare System Struggling to Cope Up; P.M. Benjamin Netanyahu's Political Career Could Soon End; G7 Leaders Wrap Up Their Meeting; Israel Looking to Have a New Prime Minister; Russians Taking Aggressive Steps in Contested Waters with Ukraine; WHO, India Accounts For 25 Percent Of COVID-19 Deaths Last Week; Osaka Nears Hospital Bed Capacity For COVID-19 Patients; Myanmar Announces Ban On Satellite Televisions; Americans Charged With Murder Await Verdict In Italy; European Union Considers Easing Travel Restrictions; French National Assembly Approves Climate Change Bill; Post-Brexit Dispute; Dramatic Video Shows Truck Ambush In South Africa. UFOs Over United States Of America; Belgian Farmer Moves Border. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired May 05, 2021 - 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 around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead here on CNN newsroom, India's government faces increasing calls for a nationwide COVID lockdown as one health minister tells CNN the country could face a third wave after this one.
Israel's prime minister fails to meet his deadline to create a new governing coalition. Has Benjamin Netanyahu reach the end of his political road?
And later, in a drug bust gone wrong, two Americans could soon hear their fate for allegedly killing an Italian police officer.
Good to have you with us.
Well, the coronavirus surge that's devastating India is showing no sign of letting up. The health ministry reports more than 382,000 new infections and nearly 3,800 deaths on Wednesday. The country's COVID- 19 modeling committee says the peak of this outbreak could still be two weeks away.
Doctors are urging a nationwide lockdown to slow the spread of the virus. The state of Delhi wants the military to help distribute oxygen and other medical supplies. The Rajasthan's health minister is taking aim at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He says the government has kept states in the dark about where aid is going.
CNN's Clarissa Ward has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNKNOWN: Modi! Modi! Modi!
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): As a raging pandemic tore across the country, thousands flocked to the streets for political rallies with hardly a mask in sight. At one gathering, India's prime Minister, Narendra Modi, praised the turnout.
"I've never seen such a huge crowd at a rally." On that same day more than 260,000 cases of COVID were recorded in India. Shortly after, millions of worshippers were allowed to congregate for the end of the weeks long Hindu Kumbh Mela pilgrimage. After all, Modi had already declared victory against COVID.
NARENDRA MODI, PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA (through translator): In a country where 18 percent of the world population lives, we averted a major tragedy by effectively controlling the coronavirus. We saved mankind from a big disaster by saving our citizens from the pandemic.
WARD: As a second wave of coronavirus ravages this country, those words have come back to haunt Modi. Critics accuse him of putting his political interests ahead of the health of the nation.
YAMINI AIYAR, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE, CENTRE FOR POLICY RESEARCH: We didn't even ask the question of what we needed to do, based on learning from this last year in the event that we have a second wave, a second wave was never off the table. You just have to look around the world. You don't have to be scientist to say that. We did nothing. Instead, we celebrated a bit to prematurely Indian exceptionalism.
WARD: Now India's healthcare system is on the brink of collapse. Shortages of everything from doctors and drugs to beds and oxygen after years of neglect.
It was always going to be difficult to contain the spread of COVID here in India. This is a densely populated country of nearly 1. 4 billion people. The Indian government is blaming the rapid spread on this new double mutant variant, and it says that it warned states to remain vigilant.
Still, many doctors agree that the devastating toll of this second wave could have been mitigated, with better preparations and a coordinated response. Assured of victory against the virus, India began exporting in the vaccines it was producing instead of inoculating its own population.
How much responsibility does Prime Minister Modi bare for this?
AIYAR: He is the prime minister of the country. He takes full responsibility for all that we do good and all that goes wrong.
WARD: Do you think this will have an impact on his popularity?
AIYAR: I think as of now what we have seen especially over the last three weeks, is complete policy abdication, and certainly, I hope, that we hold our government accountable for what we are seeing today. (END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD (on camera): The government has announced a raft of measures to try to combat this crisis including drafting medical students to help doctors getting the navy involved, getting the air force involved.
[03:05:07]
But some are saying simply that it's too little too late. And while it's not clear what the political fallout might be for Prime Minister Modi, people are saying here that this problem is not going away. One state health minister warning that there could be a third wave on the horizon.
Clarissa Ward, CNN, New Delhi.
CHURCH: So, let's bring in CNN's Anna Coren. She is following developments live from Hong Kong. Good to see you, Anna.
So, a lot of questions being asked about where all the overseas medical aid is going and where Prime Minister Modi is right now. Because no one has heard from him. What is going on?
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. He is tweeting, Rosemary, about politics, but he's certainly not present when it comes to the second wave. The last time we actually saw the prime minister was on the 20th of April, more than two weeks ago. He gave a 15-minute speech. The next time was five days later when he gave his monthly radio address.
But since then, Rosemary, we have not heard from the prime minister. He has yet to speak to his people. And you know, when a country is going through the catastrophe that it is, people want to hear from their leader.
You mentioned aid. And more than 300 tons of aid has arrived in India in the last five days. You know, oxygen generators, oxygen plants, oxygen concentrators, cylinders, testing, PPE, drugs, medical supplies, everything that was needed yesterday it is arriving in country. We have seen the pictures, but it is very slow to get to those hospitals, particularly those public hospitals in desperate need that have been sending out those SOS's and saying that their oxygen supply is running frighteningly short.
On the weekend, we saw 12 people die at a hospital in Delhi because oxygen ran out. Now the health ministry announced today that it has set up to oxygen plants at Delhi hospitals. And it is planning to run out -- roll out another five plants in the coming days. This will support these hospitals and make sure that their oxygen doesn't run out.
Now earlier, Rosemary, you mentioned those numbers from the health ministry today, 382,000 infections, more than 3,700 deaths. Still very high, and yet the head of the COVID modeling committee in India believes that the end could be in sight. Take a listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATHUKUMALLI VIDYASAGAR, HEAD OF INDIA'S COVID-19 MODELING COMMITTEE: The (Inaudible) of peak right now, and we should expect to see a downturn in the number of cases within a matter of a week or two, possibly within days.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN: Rosemary, we can only hope that it's only going to be a few more days until we see the peak. But the reality on the ground is that people are still suffering, people are still dying, people are still running out of oxygen, Rosemary.
CHURCH: Yes, it is a horrendous situation. Anna Coren joining us from Hong Kong, many thanks.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has failed to meet a deadline to form a new governing coalition and end Israel's political deadlock. President Reuben Rivlin can now assign coalition building to another member of parliament. And if that person succeeds, Mr. Netanyahu's long run as prime minister likely will be over.
Many expect one of Mr. Netanyahu's top rivals, Yair Lapid, to get the nod. And we will know of course more in the coming days after the president decides his next move.
And for more on all of this, we want to bring in CNN's Hadas Gold. She joins us live from Jerusalem. Good to see you, Hadas.
So, what does happen now? And what does this signal for Netanyahu's political future?
HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, just minutes before midnight was when we receive the statement that Benjamin Netanyahu was not able to form a coalition government. He technically could have asked for an extension, but he did not. Maybe it's because it was pretty clear and it has been clear for some time that he would be unable to pull off the numbers. He needs 61 seats to form a majority. And he just wasn't able to reach that.
Now what happens now is the president is going to be potentially offering the mandate to somebody else. He will be discussing with at least two leaders of other parties today about their chances of forming a coalition government.
And as you noted, many people are saying that it's most likely the next will go to Yair Lapid, he is the head of the centrist party. They got the next highest number of votes in the last election. The president also has a few other options. He could go to another member of parliament. He could also send the mandate actually back to the entire parliament and ask them to try and recommend a candidate.
[03:10:05]
But as we said, most analysts think that it will go to Yair Lapid. But despite the fact that Yair Lapid might be the one with the mandate, all eyes are actually on another person. His name is Naftali Bennett. He is the head of a small right-wing party called the Yamina. And he holds the unique position of having been offered a rotating prime minister deal by both Netanyahu and Lapid.
He is definitely the sort of the bell of the ball right now of Israeli politics, and he rejected the offer from Netanyahu to do a rotating prime minister deal with. Netanyahu has and his party has blamed Bennett pretty much for the reason why they weren't able to form a governing coalition.
So, now all eyes will be on Yair Lapid or whoever gets the mandate, and if that person will be able in the next 28 days to somehow form a coalition government. It will not be easy. There is no very clear and obvious path because Yair Lapid will have to bring together a lot of parties from across the different spectrums and try to get them to sit together in a coalition government.
But if they succeed, as you noted, that could be the end of Prime Minister's very long -- Prime Minister Netanyahu's very long run as prime minister. But until then, until a government is formed, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains as prime minister, and I should keep in mind, that if all these other options fail, then Israelis could be headed to an unprecedented fifth election. Rosemary?
CHURCH: All right. Hadas Gold joining us live from Jerusalem, many thanks.
Joining me now is Dahlia Scheindlin, a political analyst and fellow at the Century Foundation, a nonpartisan think tank. Thank you for talking with us.
DAHLIA SCHEINDLIN, POLITICAL ANALYST: Thank you for having me.
CHURCH: So, what is likely to be taking place right now behind closed doors in the wake of Netanyahu's failure to form a new governing coalition, and who will President Rivlin likely select to get this done?
SCHEINDLIN: Well, everybody is trying to think of some unexpected scenario, but the truth is, there aren't that many options. At this point, the president by law would have the option, as your reported pointed out, of tapping the head of the second largest party in the Knesset, the centrist party of Yair Lapid, or going to the Knesset and asking the members of Knesset to recommend any other member of Knesset the parliament with a majority of 61 seats.
That second option is very unlikely. It looks most likely that the president will tap Yair Lapid. And that's simply because there have been feverish discussions over the last couple of days between Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett, the other person who was mentioned who had been wavering between the two options, Netanyahu's coalition or what they're calling it change coalition.
And they have communicated that Lapid and Bennett have worked out many of the details of a possible coalition. It would look strange for the president to tap Naftali Bennett because he only has seven seats. That means if Yair Lapid is tapped, and we know this fairly soon, theoretically, the president has three days, but he has to ask the party leaders to make recommendations until two o'clock this afternoon.
In that case, Yair Lapid would be leading the formation of the government, but they have also communicated that he is likely to offer Bennett to have the first shot at being prime minister because of the strained situation that we have been going through of the paralysis of the political system.
CHURCH: And if they can't get this done, whoever is tapped in the end, how will Israel's political deadlock get resolved? The country can't keep holding elections that will obviously deliver the same result. So how does it find a way out of this madness?
SCHEINDLIN: Well, apparently, nobody has told that to the political leadership, because that's what we have been doing for the last two years. Again, there is this other option of going to the Knesset, the parliament, and asking for 61 recommendations for somebody else, and that person can be anybody else from the parliament.
But so far, that looks extremely unlikely. And if that fails, Israel will be going into a fifth election. I mean, you know, it is a very extraordinary situation. The country is under a paralysis also not only of the political coalition building but of leadership.
There has been no permanent government since the end of 2018 at this point. We have been living under interim governments. We have not had a permanent budget. And the only way out is for the political leadership to make significant compromises or for Mr. Netanyahu to heed the calls for him to step down.
And so far, he has been very unlikely to do that. He is a political fighter. He's been called many things. A fighter, a magician, a wizard, a chess player. So far, none of those names have helped him. And until he realizes that the political system is increasingly against him. We have to remember the reason we are in the current situation is because the right-wing parties themselves have broken over Netanyahu.
They could have 72 seats as a strong majority out of 120 seats in the Knesset. But because two of the parties representing 13 seats will not go into a coalition with him that's why he's unable to form a government.
[03:15:01]
CHURCH: And why do you think they refused to do that? Why did he fail, Netanyahu, and what does it signal for his political future?
SCHEINDLIN: Well, this really depends on which analysis you believe. If you believe what the political -- what the leaders of those two right-wing parties who have broken with Netanyahu are saying, and we can increasingly add a third party, that's Naftali Bennett with another seven seats. They are saying he's been in power too long. He is under indictment.
He is currently standing trial. His trial reopened yesterday for -- on three counts of corruption. And that's not an appropriate leadership for the country. And that is their reasoning at least in public.
Of course, the private analysis, people who think that they know what's going on inside politicians heads, believe that this is a matter of personal competition and that they think that Netanyahu has been around too long that it's time to hand over the leadership of the Israeli right wing parties to a young guard of new leaders.
A number of these people who lead these right-wing parties have grown up under Netanyahu's tutelage. They were senior figures in his -- in his cabinet in previous years or the head of his office. So, you know, many of them, he has been the patron for many of them and they've grown up under him and they think that it's time for them to be leader -- to have the leadership now.
That is one other possibility. Netanyahu's future like that of every politician is eventually to leave the political scene.
CHURCH: Right.
SCHEINDLIN: The question is how much longer he can hang on.
CHURCH: We shall see of course. Dahlia Scheindlin, thank you so much for your analysis. I appreciate it.
SCHEINDLIN: Thank you for having me.
CHURCH: America's top diplomat is gearing up for a trip to Ukraine. Coming, up we are live in Ukraine as Antony Blinken wraps up the G7 meeting.
Plus, this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We gained rare access to a Ukrainian coastal patrol setting out in high seas. The challenge and what they say for this Russia's illegal naval cord. Something Moscow rejects.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH (on camera): Welcome back, everyone.
Well the G7's top diplomats are wrapping up their three-day meeting in London. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been making the rounds, meeting Tuesday with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The U.S. and Britain are looking to build a unified front on Russia and China. And Blinken is set to head to Ukraine later today.
The pandemic has also been a major focus. Downing Street says the two sides agreed G7 countries can help increase vaccine manufacturing worldwide. And for the latest, CNN's Scott McLean is live in London. He joins us
now. So, Scott, bring us up to date on what's going on here and the latest.
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Rosemary. Yes. So, as you mentioned, the U.S. and the U.K. certainly agree that more can be done amongst these G7 nations to ramp up manufacturing capacity.
[03:19:57]
But at least yesterday, there weren't any specific commitments on anything like say, loosening patent or international property rights which many argue could help to speed up the vaccine rollout around the world.
Vaccines are back on the agenda today and so we'll be listening closely to see what specific commitments, if any, are made on that topic. As we speak right now, the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is meeting with the foreign ministers of Japan and South Korea.
Right now, there is a bit of tension between those countries over Japan's plan over the next couple of years to release some water from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, which South Korea is currently taking legal action to stop.
But the U.S. needs these countries to be on the same page, especially given what State Department officials say is the biggest topic on the agenda right now, which is China and what State Department officials describe as sort of economic coercion in addition to the human rights violations that we are seeing in Xinjiang.
And so, you know, British, and certainly American officials are saying we don't need all of these countries to be, you know, necessarily just for or just against China. It's not a binary decision, but they do need them all to get on the same page to, at the very least, have a unified response to what China is doing.
And even you can tell the importance of this issue if you look at the agenda that they have laid out, that they have laid out yesterday. An hour and a half was set aside for Russia, and an hour and a half was set aside for China, while these other really big issues like Syria, Myanmar, even Afghanistan and Libya took up only 30 minutes of real estate each.
So that ought to tell you a lot about what the priorities here are, Rosemary.
This G7 meeting it is the first in-person meeting in the last two years. And in many ways, it's sort of a reset, a chance for these countries to sort of revitalize their relationship especially after the last four years under the Trump administration.
But progress is slow. This sort of a return back to the pre-Trump era where statements were carefully crafted, each word carefully chosen, rather than the sort of bluntness and unpredictability that we saw under the Trump administration. And so, this is a chance to revitalize the relationship but also address rehearsal for the G7 leaders' summit which will happen in Cornwall in the southwest of England in June, Rosemary.
CHURCH: All right. Many thanks to our Scott McLean, bringing us up to date from London. I appreciate it.
Antony Blinken aims to bolster support for Ukraine when he heads there later today. And right now, Kiev needs it. A military buildup stoked fears of a Russian invasion last month. And now, Moscow is beefing up its navy in the Sea of Azov. Those waters border Russian controlled Crimea. And the Kremlin has made clear it will challenge Ukraine and even U.S. ships in the region.
Russia has downplayed the latest buildup as just military exercises. But Ukrainian forces tell Matthew Chance the threat is very real. He went out on patrol to see how rough the Sea of Azov can be.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHANCE: This is a first glimpse of Putin's latest armada, wrestling with weapons in disputed waters between Russia and Ukraine. The Kremlin says these are just naval exercises, the missiles are real and for Ukraine, so is the threat. Ukrainian vessels on the strategic Sea of Azov have been warned to steer clear.
Ready on board? No, I'll do it.
But we gained rare access to a Ukrainian coastal patrol setting out in high seas, to challenge what they say is Russia's illegal naval cordon, something Moscow rejects. Recent weeks, Ukrainian navy says its boats have been harassed by Russia, with Moscow shifting its military focus.
So, we've come out here to the very rough sea of Azov, as you can see as Russian forces pull back their troops from the border of Ukraine, there really deploying naval forces here into the Sea of Azov. Raising concerns in Ukraine and around the world that the military pressure they are applying on Ukraine from the land has now moved to the sea.
The commander of the patrol boat tells me how Russian forces are increasingly behaving aggressively. "Blocking access" he says, "to what should be shared even stopping what our routine coastal patrols."
[03:24:53]
On cue, the Russians make radio contact. This is boat 444, says the message, reminding you to keep a safe distance. Confirming you're receiving the Russian voice commander. Receive, Ukrainian sailor responds, we are proceeding according to plan.
All right. So, we've come to a stop now, you heard the captain there say there is a Russian ship in horizon. You can just see it over there, it's a Russian coast guard ship. We are about two nautical miles away, which is just over two regular miles. And we can't go any closer, because if we do, there could be some interception by the Russians to us. So, I think Ukrainian coast guard want to avoid that.
It wouldn't be the first naval clash in the region. This is the extraordinary moment the Russian coast guard rammed a Ukrainian tugboat in the area back in 2018. Russian ships also fired on Ukrainian naval vessels, seizing three and escalating tensions in the seas of Crimea, annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
American ships have been challenged too, this low pass by a Russian warplane witness from the deck of a U.S. Destroyer earlier this year. Now tensions on the seas are ratcheting up once more.
This heightened alert on dry land too, at the Ukrainian port of Mariupol, we saw these marines on force protection drills. Naval officials say new Russian deployments at sea are forcing them to step up security and plan for a Russian attack.
ROMAN GONCHARENKO, CAPTAIN, UKRAINIAN NAVY: In the last two weeks it became more dangerous.
CHANCE: More dangerous?
GONCHARENKO: Yes. Because the Russian Federation sent to the Black Sea.
CHANCE: Yes.
GONCHARENKO: -- several landing ships from the Baltics and the North Sea.
CHANCE: So, the Russians have sent landing ships --
GONCHARENKO: Landing ships.
CHANCE: -- into the Sea of Azov and to the Black Sea.
GONCHARENKO: Yes.
CHANCE: They are saying that that's for exercises though. Yes?
GONCHARENKO: Officially it's for exercises. But these ships are still here --
CHANCE: Yes.
GONCHARENKO: -- in this area. And in our vision, it can be dangerous for this area.
CHANCE: Back on the coastal patrol boat, we changed course safely away from the Russian fleet. What happens if we don't turn?
UNKNOWN: Not good. I don't have --
CHANCE: Not good. Not good.
UNKNOWN: It's maybe not good.
CHANCE: Not good at all when Ukraine feel so threatened in this turbulent sea of trouble.
Matthew Chance, CNN, on the Sea of Azov.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Coming up on CNN Newsroom, I will speak to a doctor in India who is back at work just days after losing his father to COVID-19. Why he made that decision, that's next.
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[03:30:00]
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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): Welcome back to CNN Newsroom. The World Health Organization has just come out with some staggering facts that put India's COVID crisis into greater perspective. It says India accounted for one in every four COVID deaths and nearly half of all infections in the world in the past week. The country just marked its 14th consecutive day with more than 300,000 new infections. And the health ministry reported nearly 3,800 deaths today.
Meanwhile, the federal government denies claims of a weeklong delay in distributing foreign aid. The U.S. alone has shipped more than 100 million dollars in supplies, including oxygen concentrators and PPE.
Joining me now from New Delhi, Zakka Jacob, is the managing editor at CNN news 18. Good to see you.
ZAKKA JACOB, NEWS 18 ANCHOR (on camera): Thanks for having me.
CHURCH: So, what more are you learning about where these supplies from overseas are being sent and why the distribution appears to be delayed?
JACOB: So, we had a clarification on that from the federal government yesterday. That primarily, a bunch of this aid has been sent to a federal government run facility, hospitals and primary healthcare centers across 30 odd states is what they had there clarified to us. I think you know, one of the things that has happened again, is a classic sort of situation that you encounter in India with most things, bureaucratic red tape seems to have stopped a lot of these aid, particularly aides that come from foreign countries.
So, the customs department for example, there is still, we are given to understand a few thousand oxygen concentrators that are stock for customs clearance. This matter was taken up at the Delhi high court yesterday and the high court had some rather scathing observations to make, not just about, you know, some of this foreign aid getting stuck in bureaucratic red tape.
But also the matter in which both the federal government, which is ruled by one political party, and the Delhi government, which is ruled by another political party seem to be bungling in their response to this massive oxygen shortage that seems to be consuming one too many lives in this second surge of COVID-19.
CHURCH: That is simply infuriating and very frustrating for so many people, no doubt across India. Prime Minister Modi was very quick to take credit for controlling this pandemic earlier this year. Now that cases and deaths are soaring, he is nowhere to be seen. Where is he? And why isn't he making sure that his people are getting this lifesaving medical aid and oxygen?
JACOB: So, you are right, Rosemary. The Prime Minister has not been seen in public view at least. In fact, the last televised national address that he had was a couple of weeks ago. And in that address, he famously said that we should guard not just against the virus, but also against the national lockdown.
The question that many people are asking, you know, we are literally neck deep in this crisis. Why is there a national lockdown not been announce yet? So, he has been conducting meetings behind the scenes. He's been meeting with doctors, other public health officials. There had been some moves that had been announced, but it is very unlike Mr. Modi's sort of modus operandi or the way he does his politics or his governance.
He is very much in the eye of the public most times, except for these last two and a half weeks where much of the activity has been behind the scenes. In terms of you know, how this might impact his own governance record and his own governance sort of chances, if you will, of coming back to power. I think that bridge is a bit away, because the next general election is about three years away.
And one of the things about Mr. Modi has been at least up until now, we don't know about this current crisis, but at least certainly up until now is, no matter what national crisis the country is going through, somehow, the political blame for it would never stick to him. He always had a way of you know, countering that and winning elections.
[03:35:05]
A classic case in point being in 2016. I'm sure you remember this when in one fell swoop a bulk of the currency that was in circulation in India was taken out overnight, about 80 percent on India's currency was taken out. There were long queues of people outside banks and ATMs. I mean, literally the economy had come to a standstill, and yet three or four months down the line from then, the BGP which is the ruling party at the federal level went on to win the biggest state in the country.
So, we are not sure how much of an electoral impact or political impact this current crisis will have on the ruling BGP or on Mr. Modi, but certainly, people are asking him some very tough questions in a way we have not seen in the six years that he has been Prime Minister.
CHURCH: Asking him tough questions, but he is nowhere to be seen to answer them, of course. CNN News 18, managing editor, Zakka Jacob, many thanks for bringing us up to date on that. I appreciate it. Well, Osaka, Japan has nearly run out of hospital beds for COVID-19
patients with serious symptoms. The city's government has opened up waiting centers for those who cannot find beds. The latest data from Johns Hopkins University shows less than 1 percent of Japan's population is fully vaccinated.
The country reported nearly 37,000 new COVID infections in the past week. And CNN's Blake Essig, joins me now live from Tokyo. So, Blake, what is the latest on this situation and of course, a possible consequences for the upcoming Olympics?
BLAKE ESSIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Yes, you know, I talked to medical professionals over the last 24 hours who say that the medical system here in Japan is a disaster. It's hard to see from the outside, but inside those hospitals, the way that they described things is just pure chaos.
As you mentioned, Osaka has nearly maxed out its hospital bed capacity for the most serious COVID-19 patients. And according to government officials, nearly 99 percent of beds are now full and more than 3,200 people are waiting to be hospitalized.
Now, to deal with the number of people waiting, the Osaka government has opened up two waiting centers for those who can't find bed space and those centers are equipped with ventilators. A state of emergency order was declared in Osaka nearly two weeks ago and there are now talks of extending the state of emergency order which is set to expire next week on May 11th.
Now, as the case counts remain high, Medical experts and government officials say that virus variants are responsible for these latest wave of infections. And Osaka's Governor acknowledged today the difficult situation that they are in as infections continue to spread and the bad situation remains incredibly strain.
Now, as I mentioned, I recently spoke with doctors treating COVID-19 patients in both (inaudible) prefectures, as well as Osaka prefectures. Now, they both told me that the medical system there has completely collapsed citing bed and staffing shortages. Now, all of this with less than three months to go before the Olympics.
Now, while organizers remain determined to hold the safe and secure games, the doctors that I have spoken with said that, they don't think that that is possible in any way, shape, or form. Rosemary?
CHURCH: Hard to think that it could be when we are looking at these sort of details. Blake Essig, bringing us the very latest from Tokyo, many thanks.
Well, Myanmar's Junta is banning satellite television in its latest move to isolate the country from the outside world. Mobile internet access has been largely cut off as the military tries to suppress anti coup protests. But the demonstrations persist and the violence is escalating. Myanmar media reported an ousted lawmaker and three police officers who joined the protests were killed Tuesday by a package bomb. The protesters are not just marching in the streets. Some are training to fight now.
CNN's Paula Hancocks has this exclusive report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Learning the skill of stealth in the jungles of Myanmar. The sound of (inaudible) masks the approach of the attackers, but these are not soldiers. Many of them are just students.
MAJ. GEN. NERDAH BO MYA, CHIEF OF STAFF, KNDO: They are quite young, mostly 24, 25. And some are nurses and most some doctors.
HANCOCKS: Young men and women who have left their cities, left their colleges, and jobs to train to fight. Ethnic armed groups are teaching them how to defend themselves against a brutal, merciless military that's killed well-over 760 protesters according to one advocacy group, since they seized power three months ago. .
BO MYA: How to handle weapons, different kind of weapons and how to be able to defend themselves and the people.
HANCOCKS: Have any of them even held a gun before?
BO MYA: No. Never.
[03:40:00]
HANCOCKS: More than 200 anti-coup protesters have graduated from this one training camp alone and are heading back to the cities to defend themselves against the military. This is happening on the border lines. The general leading the training says the protesters need weapons, but would not indicate whether he had provided any nor if bomb making was part of the course.
BO MYA: This is responsibility to protect lives. If we don't train them, who's going to help them?
HANCOCKS: The military has not responded to our requests for comment, but it has been carrying out air strikes in these areas since late March. Chanting for the people, the protesters spend three to four weeks in the jungles before returning home.
BO MYA: Well, they are very determined. They are very hardworking people and they want to achieve something. They will never give up, because they say there is nothing to lose anymore.
HANCOCKS: One 18-year-old who was manning a roadblock in the city of (inaudible) last month when dozens of protesters were killed, said many of his comrades had traveled to the ethnic areas for training. We are hiding his identity for his safety.
UNKNOWN: We have two groups, one to protect the neighborhood, and the other one went to get training. When they come back, they will teach us what they have learned. HANCOCKS: Doctors, nurses, students being trained into an unofficial
defense force shows how just quickly the situation has deteriorated in Myanmar, and how much more violent the days ahead could become. Paula Hancocks, CNN, Seoul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Two Americans charged with murder in Italy will soon know their fate. For now, they are waiting on a verdict that could change their lives forever. We are live in Rome after the short break.
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CHURCH: The final hearing has just began in the case of two Americans charged with the murder of an Italian police officer. The jury is expected to hand down a verdict very soon. Prosecutors have asked for life sentences for each of the men. The two Americans were part of a drug bust gone wrong and are accused of stabbing the officer.
So, let's head straight to Rome, where Barbie Nadeau is outside the prison where the trial is being held. Barbie, what's the likely outcome here and what details are known about what happened?
BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR (on camera): it's you know, as a final arguments get underway right now, we expect this to last about an hour, and then the jury led by two female judges will begin deliberations. What's at stake here is whether one or both of these young men will face up to life in prison. Now the case so is far more complicated than it may seem at face value.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NADEAU (voice over): Two Americans from California standing trial in Italy for murder are about to learn their fate. Finnegan Lee Elder, now 21 and Gabriel Natale Hjorth now 20 are charged with extortion and a stabbing death of Mario Cerciello Rega, a Carabinieri officer who had just returned from his honeymoon in July 2019. They face life in an Italian prison.
[03:45:20]
Rega, a 35-year-old officer and his partner Andrea Varriale working undercover, intervened in a drug deal gone wrong after the two Americans admit to buying what they thought was cocaine in a lively district in Rome. When they found crushed aspirin instead, they stole the backpack from the man who had set up the bad drug deal.
Then they tried to get their money back in exchange for the stolen bag. Rega and his partner Varriale met the Americans on behalf of the drug dealer to retrieve the stolen bag. What happened next is unclear. The surviving officer Varriale says they identified themselves as Carabinieri. Elder and Natalie Hjorth say they didn't. The Americans say they were expecting the man who fixed the drug deal. When the two undercover cops showed up instead, the Americans testified they thought they were thugs. Elder admitted in court to stabbing the officer 11 times with his
military grade knife he brought from America. He says it was self- defense. All the dead officers' wounds were on his back and sides, according to the autopsy. The prosecution has asked for life in prison, some of it in isolation, for both. The case has divided Italy. Everyone feels sympathy for Rega's young widow who lost her newlywed husband.
But many wonder why the police intervened in a drug deal without their weapons or backup. Varriale was investigated for inconsistency in his story and ultimately put on probation for not carrying a weapon that night. Elder's Americans lawyer, Craig Peters, who has collaborated with his Italian defense, tells CNN that the boys have taken responsibility for what they did. Now he wants the Carabinieri to do the same.
CRAIG PETERS, FINNEGAN LEE ELDER'S LAWYER: So it is easy. It's convenient. It's expedient to lay the blame at the feet of this boys, right. Because everybody else gets to walk away unscathed, but the reality is, if you want your police force to get better, if you want anybody to get better at being a human being, at doing their job, you hold everybody accountable and everybody responsible for their portion.
NADEAU: Now, a court has to decide if the young Americans acted in self-defense or in cold blood. Their life depends on it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NADEAU (on camera): Now, you know, that's really key. It's just what these two judges and these six jury members believed. Believe that these kids really didn't know they were police officers and then they probably not get life in prison. If they believe they were, these kids are looking at the rest of their lives here in Italy. Rosemary?
CHURCH: Alright. We will see what's decided in the end. Barbie Nadeau, joining us live from Rome, many thanks.
The European Union is discussing plans to ease international travel restrictions throughout the block as new infections slow. But Poland will require people traveling from Brazil, India, and South Africa to quarantine, that's after 16 cases of the variant first detected in India were found in Poland.
France on Tuesday extended a three-week trend of slowing new COVID infections. While the German cabinet is considering lifting some restrictions for people who are fully vaccinated. So, Jim Bittermann joins us from Paris with the latest on Europe's restrictions. Good to see you, Jim. So, how is it looking across Europe in terms of the easing of these restrictions and of course the slowing of cases?
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Well, looking somewhat better, I mean, here in France, like you say, the fact is that the number of cases has been slowing down gradually over the past three weeks or so. They are still a long way from where the government would like to be and the health minister said yesterday, they would like to see the case numbers -- the daily basis come down to about 15,000 on a daily average. That's about 40 percent less than where they are right now.
At that point, he says, they could begin a program of testing, tracing and isolating people who have COVID and that will help track down the disease a lot further. Now in Italy, across the way in Italy, the Italians are saying they are not going to wait for that European Union passport or digital green certificate. They are calling it -- they are going to start their own green certificate probably by before the end of this month. So that tourism can revive here.
According to the tourism minister, they've lost closed to 30 billion Euros in most revenue from tourists who just haven't come. And in Germany, they are also loosening the restrictions as well, slightly they got a proposal before the parliament that the parliaments is going to vote on the next few days to allow people to go out to hairdressers and zoos and things like that. But it is very, very small steps in very, very gradual as the numbers come down very slowly. Rosemary?
[03:50:12]
CHURCH: Alright, our many thanks to Jim Bittermann joining us from just outside Paris, I appreciate it.
Well, a normal day on the job turns desperate and dangerous for two cargo security guards. After the break, the incredible video of their escape from heavily armed robbers.
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CHURCH: France is national assembly has approved a far-reaching environmental bill, this after a court ruled the country must do more to combat climate change. Among some of the measures, the bill would reduce packaging waste and prevent future airport expansions in one of the world's most visited countries.
France is aiming to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, but environmentalists said the legislation does not go far enough to effectively tackle global warming. Climate activist Greta Thunberg says world leaders are dragging their feet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRETA THUNBERG, SWEDISH ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST (through translator): As climate activists, we have had I don't know how many meetings with people in power and it's more or less the same discussion every time. We are living in total denial. The insight of the crisis is absolutely none and with that, I don't only talk about people in power. All of us are not aware of the largeness of the crisis. We are totally unaware that we are in the middle of an existential crisis.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And France is warning, it's ready to cut electricity to the British island of Jersey as tensions rise over post Brexit fishing rights. The self governing channel island is about 22 kilometers off the French coast, 95 percent of its electricity comes from France through underwater cables. The French maritime minister claims the Jersey government placed new restrictions on fishing vessels, a breach of the Brexit agreement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNICK GIRARDIN, FRENCH MARITIME MINISTER (through translator): As you know, the agreement can changed retaliatory few measures. While we are ready to use this retaliatory few measures. Europe, France has the means. It's reach into the agreement. As far as Jersey is concerned, I would remind you for example, of the transport of electricity by submarine cables. So we have the means and even though I am sorry it has come to this, we will do so, if we have to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Jersey's minister for external relations responded saying quote, we want to heal the relationship as soon as possible and we hope the presidents will take the opportunity to reverse the decision.
Well, it was his first week on the job and he quickly found out why his new gig may be one of the most dangerous in the world. A rookie security guard and his driver were ambushed on the road in South Africa by robbers firing ak-47s, it's not an uncommon event in fact. CNN's David McKenzie takes us inside their truck to show us the ambush.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Inside a cash in transit van, moments before the ambush. Behind the wheel, former police special task force veteran Leo Prinsloo. It's Lloyd Mtombeni's very first week on the job, the transit company said, one of the most dangerous jobs in South Africa, and this is why.
(GUNSHOTS)
[03:55:00]
Gunmen firing ak-47's from a speeding luxury sedan. They are trying to kill Prinsloo, shoot out his tires on a highway in the capital, Pretoria. He forces the sedan off the road, but threat is not over. Security experts told us that this is the criminal's M.O., using at least four vehicles with multiple gunman. Watch as a pickup comes in from the left.
They try calling for backup. Often, cash-in transit teams pay with their lives. On this day, they were carrying cellphones. There were more than 150 heist like this in South Africa last year alone, according to police data. Just in the last few weeks, several dramatic incidents like this one in Cape Town, have shocked South Africans. Prinsloo has been praised for his calm head and quick thinking. Remarkably, no one was injured and nothing was stolen in the attempted heist. David McKenzie, CNN, Johannesburg.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: A terrifying situation there. Well, the U.S. government has its eyes on the skies, and there is pressure on the Pentagon over UFOs. The Department of Defense inspector general has launched an inquiry into how the U.S. Military has handled reports of unidentified flying objects such as this one. Officials now refer to such mysterious flying objects as UAP, or Unidentified Aerial Phenomena. Congress expects to receive classified reports on them next month.
And finally, we are tracking tensions along the French-Belgian border over a rock. A Belgian farmer has ignited a mild diplomatic standoff by moving his country a few meters into French territory. And here is how it happened. The farmer thought this stone was a nuisance, so he moved it. The problem? The stone was laid down in 1819. It became part of a treaty establishing where the border lies.
Luckily, cooler heads are prevailing. Officials from both countries say this can be worked out peacefully and the border will be put back where it belongs. That's a relief. Thanks so much for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. I will be back with more news in just a moment. Do stick around.
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