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First Person Charged Under National Security Law on Trial in Hong Kong; U.N. Envoy: 50 Afghan Districts Fall to Taliban Since May; Olympic Preps Enter Final Stretch; Nicaragua's Former First Lady Detained by National Police; Ethiopia Elections: All Opposition Parties Report Harassment; WHO Warns of Vaccine Shortages in Developing Countries; Cuba Says Home-Grown COVID Vaccine is Highly Effective; Bumble Gives Its Entire Staff a Week off the Recharge; Britney Spears to Break Her Silence about Conservatorship; Billionaires' Friendly Space Race. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired June 23, 2021 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:47]
PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: And hello, everyone. I'm Paula Newton. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM.
Trial without a jury. The first person charged under Hong Kong's national security law heads to court. We will take you there live.
One month to go. Officials push ahead with the Tokyo Games despite warnings it could turn into an Olympic-sized super-spreader event.
And there are new concerns that COVID vaccine inequality could get even worse and warnings nations are running out of a little supply they have.
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NEWTON: A year after Hong Kong enacted to the national security law aimed at cracking down on protests, the first person charged under that law is now on trial. The 24-year-old defendant pleading not guilty to secession and terrorism charges for allegedly running into police with his motorcycle last year.
CNN's Anna Coren is live in Hong Kong this hour, watching it all.
And, Anna, it's fair to say the national security law has already transformed Hong Kong in a way. What's at stake during this trial especially the fact there are dozens more to come?
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Paula. It's a very different Hong Kong we are operating and living in compared to what it was before the national security law came into effect almost a year ago. As you said, we are standing outside Hong Kong's high court where the first national security trial is underway, first day of a 15-day trial. The defendant, 24-year-old, Tong Ying-kit, a Hong Kong waiter, who was arrested on the 1st of July last year, a day after the national security law came into play. He was riding his motorcycle. There were protests on that day. He was
riding his motorcycle, flying a flag that celebrate Hong Kong, revolution of our time. That is the slogan that is now outlawed here in Hong Kong.
He crashed into a police roadblock, injuring three police officers including himself. And he was charged with incitement to secession, as well as terrorism. He was also charged with dangerous driving, causing grievous bodily harm. Now, the court has just broken up a launch, but I can tell you we are in there earlier and it was a packed courtroom. He's being flanked by three police officers.
Interestingly, he is receiving the prosecutions opening remarks in Cantonese. He's getting a translation in Cantonese. The prosecution is delivering his opening remarks in English to three judges, two women, and a man. These judges handpicked by city chief executive Carrie Lam, and as you say, there is no jury. Where the jury normally sits in the courtroom, it is empty.
Now, he seemed quite relaxed, he's listening, taking notes. He had attempted, made to legal attempts to have this trial heard by a jury. How, the justice secretary intervened and said, no, citing perceived risk of personal safety of jurors and their families.
Since his national security law came into effect, Paula, 113 people have been charged. More than 60 -- sorry, I beg your pardon, hundred 13 arrested, more than 60 have been charged. The latest arrest, Paula, happened this morning. A Hong Kong police said 55-year-old chief editorial writer of Apple Daily, that pro democracy newspaper, which was rated buy more than 500 police last week.
The chief executive, Carrie Lam, saying this is not a crackdown on press freedoms here in Hong Kong but rather the protection of the Beijing-backed national security law -- Paula.
[01:05:09]
NEWTON: Anna, we'll continue to watch what unfolds after that break in Hong Kong. Appreciate it.
Now, as Anna was just saying, you've heard of the latest resist arrest at the Apple Daily that just happened in the last few hours. Well, officials as we were saying have used the national security law as a way to silence pro-democracy, anti-Beijing rhetoric and even journalism.
And to that end, the Apple Daily was raided. Now, you also heard Anna say that chief executive Carrie Lam says the paper's executives are national security threat, and can't keep hiding behind the shield of journalism.
CNN's Ivan Watson explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hong Kong's provocative pro democracy tabloid "Apple Daily", a symbol of the cities embattled free press. As that freedom shrinks, the newspaper is reporting its own days maybe numbered.
REPORTER: What's being said around the newsroom? What are people saying about what's going on?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Maybe we are a little bit unhappy, or sad. But we are still working as normal.
WATSON: Last week at live streams to Facebook as 500 police descended on "Apple Daily's" newsroom, and declared it a crime scene. Journalistic materials seized as top editors and executives were arrested.
Hong Kong's leaders believe they are a threat to national security, accusing them of publishing articles that urged foreign governments to impose sanctions on the city's leadership.
CARRIE LAM, HONG KONG CHIEF EXECUTIVE: Our action is not attacking press freedom just because the suspects are people in charge of a news outlet.
WATSON: Apple daily has continually fallen afoul of last year's national security law. Beijing's legislative counter stroke, the 2019's fiery summer of protests in Hong Kong. The law bans sedition, secession and subversion of the Chinese central government in the city.
BILL HOLSTEIN, OVERSEAS PRESS CLUB: This signifies the Chinese are determined to impose absolutely control over (INAUDIBLE) expression and assembly in Hong Kong.
WATSON: A true tabloid, often home to salacious stories and entertainment gossip, "Apple Daily" is now better known for its habitual criticism of the city's pro-Beijing leadership, and it's documentation of the sharp change in the city following the enacting of the national security law.
That first graph of Hong Kong history including the jailing of editor and chief Jimmy Lai.
JIMMY LAI, FOUNDER, APPLE DAILY: It's always the right thing to do to fight for your freedom because without freedom, we have nothing.
WATSON: The maverick media mogul and present as his paper fights for survival. Business as a swing to point $3 million frozen by the national security police. The latest chill permeating through Hong Kong, where pro-democracy activists and politicians have been thrown in jail and out of the legislator.
"Apple Daily" looks like the next domino to fall.
Ivan Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE) NEWTON: Now, we are getting a better sense of the Taliban's recent advances in Afghanistan as the U.S. continues its military withdrawal. Now, the U.N. special envoy on Afghanistan says since May, militants have gained control of 50 of the country's 370 districts. Now the Taliban's intensifying campaign comes just months ahead of the U.S. deadline to and America's longest war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEBORAH LYONS, HEAD OF U.N. ASSISTANCE MISSION IN AFGHANISTAN: For the Taliban to continue, this intensive military campaign would be a tragic course of action. It would lead to increased and prolonged violence that would extend the suffering of the Afghan people, and threatened to destroy much of what has been built and hard lined in the past 20 years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now, Debra Lyons also says most districts taken by the Taliban surround provincial capitals, and that suggests they will try and take those capitals once U.S. and NATO forces are fully withdrawn.
Now, at a critical moment in the talks to revive the Iran nuclear deal, the U.S. seized 30 theaters connected to Iran. If you go to the website of the Iranian news network press TV right now, this is what you're going to see. The Justice Department says all the news and media sites were part of disinformation campaigns, to subvert U.S. democracy.
The move comes just days after Iran elected a new hard-line president, Ebrahim Raisi. He has made it clear he will take a tough stand with Washington when he takes office in August.
Fred Pleitgen reports on the president elect's first speech to his supporters.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This was a victory lap for Ebrahim Raisi as he came here to the Imam Reza Shrine at the holy city of Mashhad to deliver his speech to people who no doubt are very much Raisi followers.
[01:10:08]
Now, of course, this is also a very, very important day this was taking place with folks here are commemorating the birth of Imam Reza.
And Ebrahim Raisi, of course, has a lot of followers here. There were tens of thousands of people who came here to the shrine to listen to him speak and Ebrahim Raisi said that he would do exactly the things he said in his election campaign. He said he'd fight corruption and it also try to improve the economic situation of the country but also move Iran on a more conservative track.
EBRAHIM RAISI, IRANIAN PRESIDENT-ELECT (through translator): The domestic and foreign policy upholding the dignity of these people of our nation and our people, and no negotiations that we allow the dignity of the Iranian nation to be damaged, when our foreign policy, and in our engagement with everyone across the globe, our foundation will be the safeguarding and increasing of the dignity of the people of Iran.
PLEITGEN: Of course, one of the things that Ebrahim Raisi has said is that he plans to follow a much tougher line towards the United States. He's said categorically he will not meet with U.S. President Joe Biden. He has also said while he hopes the nuclear agreement between the U.S. Iran and other world powers can once again be fully implemented, there is no way with the current Iranian leadership that it could be expanded for instance to include Iran's ballistic missile program and also other regional issues as well.
Now, a lot of the things Ebrahim Raisi is criticize for internationally, being very tough when he was ahead of Iran's judiciary, that's exactly the thing that endears him to some of the folks here who are his followers.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Raisi is the candidate of the revolutionary front. We totally support him because he has the right beliefs and also he's been in the judiciary a few years and has shown good performance.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We hope that he will solve people's problems. We hope the economic issues of the country will be solved and that the youth will have an easy life.
PLEITGEN: Even before Ebrahim Raisi began his speech, there were many people who are out here listening to a lot of prayers, waving Iranian flags. Of course, a lot of them are hoping that indeed this country will move in a more conservative direction, despite the fact that, of course, the voter turnout for the election that took place was at a historic low.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Mashhad, Iran.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: It's go time for the Tokyo Olympic Games. After a year-long pandemic delay, the games are said to kick off in a month. We are live from Tokyo with the latest on the preparations, that's next.
Plus, employees over at Bumble have been busy bees all year long. But now the dating app is giving everyone a special week off. We'll see why, and why now.
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[01:15:11]
NEWTON: So, it is game on for the Tokyo Olympics as preparations enter the home stretch. The games will officially kick off about a month from now after the pandemic delayed them by a year. This is the countdown clock right there. Now, on Tuesday, organizers unveiled the official posters for the
Olympic and Paralympic Games. They will be housed at the Olympic museum in Switzerland.
The posters are a long standing tradition, this time for games that will be anything but traditional. Organizers have made widespread changes to prevent the Olympics from becoming a COVID super-spreader event. That hasn't won over a skeptical Japanese public with a majority of people still opposed to holding the games.
CNN's Blake Essig joins me live from Tokyo with more. And that is a significant majority that are still opposed to these games.
Blake, what are you hearing now in terms of what the precautions are at this point?
BLAKE ESSIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, I mean, look, we are learning more and more every single day, regarding new precautions that are put in place in order to protect the health and safety of not under the Japanese people, but all the athletes and foreign delegates coming in to Japan, and say constantly evolving fluid situation.
When you talk about the excitement level of these games, the health and safety remains a bit concerned. It's been a concern for months. It remains a big concern. We've heard a chorus of voices calling for the games to be canceled or postponed because of those health and safety concerns. Exactly one month from right now, in all likelihood this stadium right here behind me will host the opening ceremonies of the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics Games, and some people living here in Japan who couldn't be more excited about it.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ESSIG (voice-over): At the Olympic Games in Tokyo, summer here to compete for glory, while others have a different mission.
KYOKO ISHIKAWA, OLYMPICS SUPER FAN: For the well-being of the world, and the success of Tokyo Olympic Games.
ESSIG: That's Kyoko Ishikawa, a self reclaimed Olympics super fan and unofficial International Olympic cheerleader who can't wait for the Summer Games to begin. She's dressed in a traditional Japanese costume, equipped with a headband and fans to cheer on athletes and celebrate the Olympic spirit.
ISHIKAWA: The purpose of my cheering activities at Olympic Games is basically I get to share the message of love, smile, friendship, and peace with people around the world.
ESSIG: It's a message she says she's been sharing at every Olympic Games since 1992, making friends and gaining fans along the way. Back then, she was a student traveling around Europe. As luck would have, it she managed to get a ticket to the opening ceremonies for the games in Barcelona.
A moment in time that forever changed her life. ISHIKAWA: When I saw that vision, the diversity, I was amazed.
SHLOMI TSRAFRIR, OLYMPICS MEMORABILIA COLLECTOR: Unless you've seen it with your eyes, you would never understand. It's actually --
ESSIG: For Shlomi Tsrafrir, he got hooked in 1998 at the Winter Olympics in Nagano while operating a souvenir shop. Since then, what started as a hobby has turned into an all-consuming obsession.
TSRAFRIR: It's almost everywhere, pins and pins and pins and --
ESSIG: Altogether, Tsrafrir says he's collected roughly 100,000 pieces of Olympic memorabilia.
To the point where it's everywhere.
TSRAFRIR: Yes. Literally, almost every drawer, every cupboard you open in the south. Something Olympic will pop out.
ESSIG: Can we test that theory here?
TSRAFRIR: Sure, go ahead.
ESSIG: How about this?
TSRAFRIR: Sure, something will be there.
ESSIG: Wow.
TSRAFRIR: There you go.
ESSIG: There it is. You weren't lying.
TSRAFRIR: No, that is a rare item, actually. That is a teacup from 1940 Tokyo cancelled games.
ESSIG: Those were canceled because of World War II. This time around, it's a global pandemic that's led medical professionals and a majority of the Japanese public to call for the games to be canceled or postponed. Despite all that Olympic organizers are adamant that the Tokyo Olympics can be held safely and will go ahead of the summer.
TSRAFRIR: This is 1958.
ESSIG: A prospect that Tsrafrir hopes will happen. Not so you can continue his role promoting Olympic history and memorabilia, but also to bring pride to the country he calls home.
TSRAFRIR: For the whole country, I really hope it will be very big games, very good games, and very successful games -- games that the Japanese people afterwards will be proud that they staged.
[01:20:01]
ESSIG: And even through a foreign spectators have been banned and only a limited number of fans will be able to attend the games, Ishikawa says she is going to keep cheering for her fans around the world and the one that matters most, right here at home.
ISHIKAWA: I think I need a super fan of super fan, which is me.
ESSIG: We all have a role to play.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ESSIG: While there are people that are excited about these games happening, there is no question these games still remain unpopular with a majority of the people here in Japan. In, fact, there's a large anti-protest plan later this evening. None of that will change the reality that in 30 days from now, the Olympic flame will be lit, the games will take place -- Paula.
NEWTON: Yeah, and as you point out, it will take place during an unprecedented pandemic.
Blake Essig live for us Tokyo, I appreciate it.
For more, let's bring in Jules Boykoff. He is a politics and government professor at Pacific University in Oregon and an expert on the Olympics.
I have to ask you, are you surprised that the IOC is still so determined to go ahead with this?
You know, you've pointed out, Japan doesn't have a choice here, but the IOC does.
JULES BOYKOFF, POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT PROFESSOR, PACIFIC UNIVERSITY: I'm not surprised. As someone who studied the International Olympic Committee and the Olympics for sometime now, I'm not surprised that the International Olympic Committee is pushing ahead with the Olympics even under pandemic conditions. After all, the Summer Olympics are the golden cash spigot for the International Olympic Committee. And they're not about to put it shut just for a little old pandemic.
It's caused a whole lot of problems in Japan where 86 percent of the population says they are concerned if the games go on, there could be a resurgence of coronavirus in the country. It's perfectly understandable that people in the country would be jittery about hosting an optional sports spectacle during a global pandemic.
NEWTON: Yeah. And you make such a good point, right? Optional. This is not a matter of life and death. As you've pointed out in your books, a lot of this is about money.
Let's turn to the athletes for a moment. You know, Blake, you know, just set out of the risks, right, the risks that there could be an outbreak, it's a serious risk. It's a real risk.
The athletes don't seem very happy about it. Some pulled out of the events altogether.
You are a former pro-athlete. What do you think about the protocols that you have seen thought that have been put in place so far? BOYKOFF: Well, don't take it from this political scientist. Taken
from a medical scientist who took a close look at them and wrote an editorial for the New England Journal of Medicine, and said these were not scientific practices they were seeing in their so-called playbooks of the International Olympic Committee. There were many substandard elements.
For example, they opened up the Olympic Village where all the Olympic athletes will stay this weekend. They opened it last weekend. They saw there were multiple beds in some of these rooms. The best practice would, of course, we have each individual athlete housed separately.
In addition, they are being asked to use a mobile app to track their contact tracing rather than wearable materials you could wear for that kind of thing. Also, the International Olympic Committee is not even supplying top quality masks. And on top of all, that many athletes have been disgruntled about the fact that they've been asked to sign a waiver that releases Olympic organizers from liability should they contract COVID-19 or get killed by the heat in Japan, which is also another issue.
So, I've signed many waivers in my day, let me tell, Paula. But to see it in black and white that the International Olympic Committee were saying the athletes, all the risk is piled on your shoulders even if you die from COVID-19, that was a lot.
NEWTON: Yeah, and as you say, a lot in terms of the expectations, they are going there for this top athletic event and yet some of the maybe really concerned about their safety limit they get there.
You know, your books on the Olympics have been very blunt, very clear view about money in the politics that surround the Olympics.
Do you consider this a pivotal moment for the Olympic movement depending on how these games go?
BOYKOFF: Absolutely. This is an unparalleled moment in our political history of the Olympics. What's happened with Tokyo and the International Olympic Committee ramming for during a pandemic is really stripping the varnish off the Olympic project. It's gotten a lot of people around the world to take a deeper look.
And what they are seeing isn't necessarily pretty. We're talking with the money aside before. These Olympics at all before them always bust their budgets. These are supposed to cost $7.3 billion in Japan. Now they are $30 billion.
People around the world are looking deeper and seeing there is a pattern of militarization of the Olympic City, and those militarized items stay there after the games. Also of displacement enforced depiction of everyday working people in the Olympic City. And, finally, greenwashing, talking a big green game but not really following through. Because Tokyo has been such a debacle in the recent months, it's opened up a lot of eyes around the world about some of the deeper, more ingrained problems with the Olympics.
[01:25:06]
NEWTON: Yeah, absolutely.
And before I let you go, how do you think they will handle any -- called a catastrophic event, where they have a huge outbreak? Do you actually think they will cancel whole events, hold competitions even if not canceling all the games?
BOYKOFF: That is a really good and difficult question. Hopefully, it won't come to that. But there needs to be a solid plan in place. And we are hearing from athletes and athletic administrators that this all needs to be set out in advance. And it really raises questions about even where athletes will be staying in the Olympic Village.
Should they really be housed with their team, from the same country? Or be by sports so if there's an outbreak, at least it's just one sport that's affected instead of all the sports. These are open questions, unfortunately. And that's been one of the biggest critics of the committee in Tokyo organizers, is that their plan isn't solid, even now a month before the games.
NEWTON: And as I said, just a month to go here. Not a lot of time to figure this out.
Jules Boykoff, thanks so much. Really appreciate your perspective.
BOYKOFF: My pleasure.
NEWTON: Political turmoil in Nicaragua. Former first lady is under arrest as the government goes on what's being called a campaign of violence and repression. Details ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: Welcome. Back you're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Paula Newton.
A sweeping wave of unrest continued Nicaragua. Now the national police have arrested former first lady Maria Fernanda Flores Lanzas. Now, police say she's being detained in her home on charges of threatening national security.
CNN's Matt Rivers has more on the country's recent crackdown on opposition leaders.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the political crackdown against dissent by Daniel Ortega and his regime in Nicaragua continues, as we've seen the detention of two more prominent opposition figures in Nicaragua, including a former Nicaraguan first lady, Maria Fernanda Flores Lanzas, she was detained at her home on Monday as well as prominent sports journalist and frequent Ortega regime critic, Miguel Angel Mendoza Arbina.
Both of them were detained under the so-called National Security Law 1055, that the Ortegan regime according to critics has been using to essentially criminalize anyone that speaks out against the regime.
And this is the continuation of what we have seen over the past several weeks, with a total of 17 opposition leaders now having been detained in this ongoing crackdown by Daniel Ortega.
[01:29:50]
Of course, this is garnering a lot of international attention. But some activists are saying that other governments around the world need to do more to speak out against what is happening in Nicaragua.
Human Rights Watch, for example, released a report this week saying the international community needs to do more. The U.N. Security Council needs to get involved, saying as a part of the report quote, "The gravity and intensification of the Ortega government's brutal crackdown on critics and members of the opposition in recent weeks requires a redoubling of international pressure."
Matt Rivers, CNN -- Mexico City.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: Spain has pardoned nine Catalan separatist leaders for their roles in Catalonia failed 2017 bid for independence.
Now the prime minister says it's aimed at fostering reconciliation between Spain and the separatist region.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PEDRO SANCHEZ, SPANISH PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Today, we are looking at the future with more optimism. Today, with this action, we want to open a new dialogue. A reunion phase, and end, once and for all, divisions and confrontations.
PERE ARAGONES, CATALAN REGIONAL LEADER (through translator): The decision taken today by the Spanish government is recognition that the sentences were unjust. This is why we are glad that the colleagues who have been in prison for more than three and a half years average have re gained their freedom.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now, opinion polls show there is still a long way to go for that reconciliation. Reuters is reporting that about half of Catalonia's population want independence and roughly 60 percent of Spaniards opposed freeing the nine leaders. Some separatist protesters dismissed the pardons as a farce.
The head of Ethiopia's national electoral board says all opposition parties have reported facing harassment or intimidation on election day. Now, they are counting votes in many places right now while some districts have begun posting preliminary results.
CNN's Larry Madowo is in Addis Ababa with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): They have been here all night and they just finished counting at this polling station in Addis Ababa. They're sealing the ballot boxes and the party agents are signing against the results.
The final results are posted outside polling stations around the country so the public has a chance to look at which parties have won the elections. The National Elections Board of Ethiopia says there were instances where, because of logistical challenges, they had to extend voting to Tuesday.
It also reported that in isolated incidents as in parts of the country, opposition agents were either intimidated or harassed.
BIRTUKAN MIDEKSA, ELECTION CHAIR: We have received complaints from all parties except the ruling party. We've informed the local administration to take corrective measures. If it's not corrected, if the representative of the party is not able to observe, they should know the process and the credibility of the result will be jeopardized.
MADOWO: This election did not take place in the northern region of Tigray, where there is a violent conflict ongoing. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed while casting his votes contradicted aid agencies who say 350,000 people there are in famine conditions.
ABIY AHMED, ETHIOPIAN PRIME MINISTER: There is no hunger in Tigray. There's a problem Tigray and the government is capable of fixing that.
MADOWO: Despite some international concern about the environment around these elections, one major opposition candidate has told CNN it really came down to the Ethiopians to decide.
BERHANU NEGA, OPPOSITION LEADER, EZEMA PARTY: I really don't need the blessing of any western government. Although it is important if they were here and they observe -- that would've been, you know, good. That's why at the end of the day it is what we, as Ethiopians feel, what we as Ethiopians who have a lot to lose from an election that is not credible, how we see it.
MADOWO; Ethiopian wants to liberalize its economy and reform its politics but the country is fractured by so much ethnic violence that has led to a lot of death, destruction and displacement. And that will be the priority for whichever government takes over.
Larry Madowo, CNN -- Addis Ababa.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Ok. Still to come for us here on CNN. The World Health Organization is warning of more COVID-19 vaccine shortages in dozens of countries. We try AND explain why this is happening.
[01:34:20]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: 10 percent of the world's population or almost 800 million people are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Now, that's according to a major data research group Our World in Data.
But vaccination coverage varies, as you know, greatly by region, and by a country's income level, of course. So far, North America, Europe, and China not surprisingly, are leading the way with the most vaccinations worldwide.
Many African nations are lagging behind, of course. Less than 1 percent of the population right across the continent is now fully vaccinated. And COVID-19 cases are increasing across Africa.
The World Health Organization warns dozens of developing countries receiving vaccines through the COVAX program -- that's the vaccine sharing program put together for these countries and that includes many in Africa -- are now running out of stock.
And as regional director for Africa says many countries have used only half the vaccines they have received, due to logistical and funding issues, and of course, vaccine hesitancy.
Joining me now from Atlanta is Dr. Carlos Del Rio. He is an executive associate dean of Emory University School of Medicine at Grady Health System.
Thanks so much. It is good to see you again.
And yes, we are still at this, still talking about the fact that although so many of us have had vaccines now, the majority of the world does not. I mean the WHO has been complaining about this for months. Its director general being really blunt and saying look, we are failing at this.
What is at stake here for the world if we don't get our act together so to speak.
DR. CARLOS DEL RIO, EMORY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: A lot is at stake for the world. I mean as long as there's ongoing transmission and we have major outbreaks happening not only in India but in Latin America, many Latin American countries are having major outbreaks happening.
When there's outbreaks of this virus from the transmission, there's the opportunity to produce new mutants, new variants. And those variants will then come and affect us in this country in the U.S.
So in the best interest of the U.S., in the best interest of the world, to end this pandemic we have to really scale up vaccination globally.
NEWTON: And to your point, about variants, you know, the Delta variant is the one that everyone is talking about now. And of course, it's spreading quickly. But it's worth noting right that if it's not this variant, it will be another one. So as we are now trying to actually out-run these variants, do you think we have a chance about running this thing? About vaccinating this virus. And when do you think that might happen? You know, before the projections said ok, end of 2022. Now most people don't believe it'll happen until 2023.
DR. DEL RIO: Well, I think it's really going to depend on how much we can organize our resources, how much we can create vaccines and produce vaccines and get them to the people that need them the most in low and middle income countries.
I think it really is going to require a very coordinating global strategy to get the vaccines in the right places at the right time and ahead of the virus.
And I think the issue here is how do you get -- stay ahead of the virus, right and trying to play catch up every time?
NEWTON: You know, the wealthiest nations just met, the G7. They said they were going to donate all of these vaccines. But you make such a good point, right. I mean there has to be a concerted effort at this, not just flinging vaccines.
[01:40:00]
NEWTON: And when countries -- even countries like Japan are struggling to get the personnel they need to administer these vaccines, do you think it'll take more than doses? You really have to bolster public health in a lot of these countries. How do you even do that?
DR. DEL RIO: Well, you know, it's interesting. In some countries, I'm thinking about countries in Africa, for example, where (INAUDIBLE) has really built public health infrastructure. You can actually use resources. You can actually use the facilities that (INAUDIBLE) has to do exactly that.
But in many other countries, you don't have that. In Latin America, you don't have that. So you really have to rely on shoelace public health. And public health in those countries has to be really scaled up. It has to be supported and we have to get people to the most remote places of the countries to do this.
But we have done it before. Latin America has been really a champion in childhood immunizations. So I'm convinced we can do it. It just requires at the end of the day, it re quires political will. If the politicians want it done, it will happen.
NEWTON: And you don't think the WHO is going to be able to motivate this on their own?
DR. DEL RIO: Well, I think again, it requires -- I'm surprised, you know. Recently there was a U.N. high-level meeting on HIV/AIDS. We've got to have a U.N. high-level meeting on COVID where really it's beyond the G7. Or really all the countries pledged to put all their resources to make this happen. I do think that political will at the highest level, call it, you know, Prime Minister Modi, call on the President Bolsonaro of Brazil, President, you know, Lopez Obrador in Mexico. If the president of country says we are going to make this happen, it will happen. But we need the high-level political commitment of presidents or political leaders of low and middle income countries and then we need the political will of the presidents and leaders in high income countries and we can make it happen.
NEWTON: Yes. And I'm glad to hear you say that although it still seems like a herculean effort at this point.
Before I let you go, I want to ask you about vaccines vis-a-vis the variants. You know, we've had lots of countries use different vaccines because not all of them could get mRNA vaccines. In fact even places like Europe still don't have enough of those doses.
So because we are seeing less efficacy with whether it is AstraZeneca, or the Chinese vaccines, let's say, against the variants, does it concern you, do you think that we should start to really be truthful about saying the fact that at times not all vaccines are created equal here?
DR. DEL RIO: Well, you know, I mean at some point in time, myself and others were saying the best vaccine is the one you can get, right. Well, at this point in time, we need to start -- we need the data to say which vaccines are better against which variants and how to be more targeted in the approach to vaccines.
At this point in time, we haven't been targeted. I think we need more data. I still think that any vaccine is better than no vaccines. But among the vaccines, there are clearly vaccines that do a much better job against variants than others.
And I think we need that data and we need to be very blunt and very transparent about it. Because otherwise, it may be that it gets people confused.
At the end of the day, you may need to do Bahrain, for example, all their population received the SINOVAC vaccine. And Bahrain has made the decision to give everybody a dose of mRNA vaccine because we have shown very clearly boosting of immune response was doing that.
We need to have the data in order to proceed appropriately.
NEWTON: Yes. And again, this is just all still emerging especially as the new variants emerge.
I really want to thank you for weighing in on this. Appreciate it.
DR. DEL RIO: Happy to be with you.
NEWTON: So our next piece of news here could go a ways to getting more doses to developing countries. Scientists in Cuba now say that their homegrown vaccine, a 3-dose shot, is highly effective against the virus. CNN's Patrick Oppmann has more on what this means for the country as it faces a surge in cases.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Cuban scientists are breathing a sigh of relief and celebrating after one of two most advanced vaccine candidates called Abdala which has shown an efficacy rate of more than 90 percent. The other vaccine earlier, Cuban scientists had said an efficacy of more than 60 percent.
But it really is the news that Abdala apparently has one of the highest efficacies of any vaccine announced at this point. That has got Cuban scientists feeling that they had made the correct choice not to import vaccines from other countries, but to focus on making their own vaccines.
For 30 years, Cuba has produced its own vaccines. This is a country that is often cut off from the outside world. It is under U.S. sanctions, so they have a long-standing program to develop their own vaccines and their own medicines.
The question now is whether Cuba will be able to increase production of Abdala and Soberana, enough of these vaccines to not only vaccinate their entire population, but also as Cuban officials have said they intend to do offer those vaccines to other countries.
Patrick Oppmann, CNN -- Havana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[01:45:04]
NEWTON: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is giving Filipinos two options when it comes to the coronavirus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RODRIGO DUTERTE, PHILIPPINES PRESIDENT (through translator): You choose. Get vaccinated or I will have you jailed. I'm telling you, those police jail cells are filthy and foul smelling.
Police are lazy in cleaning. That is where you will be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now, you'll know he is no stranger to controversy. The president's threat to jail those who don't get vaccinated goes against his health officials who have urged the vaccines be voluntary.
Now his justice secretary later clarified it is not illegal to refuse a vaccine. But then also the president's spokesperson suggested Congress could pass such a law.
The Philippines is battling one of Asia's worst outbreaks averaging more than 6,000 new cases a day with over 1.3 million overall. Officials say more than two million people there are now fully vaccinated.
London is planning huge celebrations to mark its recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. The city's iconic Wembley Stadium will host more than 60,000 fans for the semifinals and the final of the Euro 2020 tournament.
Now those matches are still two weeks away. But the crowds will be the largest assembled for a sporting event in the U.K. in more than 15 months. Ticketholders will have to prove they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or show a negative test result.
But German Chancellor Angela Merkel is wary.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANGELA MERKEL, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): Great Britain is a virus variant area. So we will simply quarantine anyone traveling there for 14 days. There are very few exceptions to that and I think or hope UEFA will be responsible and I don't think it would be good if you have full stadiums there. And I support all the efforts of the British government to have the necessary hygiene measures in place.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Ok, so a few more wins and home team England could be part of the Final 4. They beat the Czech Republic, thank goodness for them -- one-nil on Tuesday. I mean you want to think about what happened if they didn't. They now advance to the knockout round.
Bumble has made a reputation for shaking up the dating app scene. Now it's innovating again to try and help its employees. Bumble has shut down all of its offices this week and staffers will still get their pay.
Let me repeat that. They're shutting down for a week but still paying everybody. It's one way companies are looking to help their employees unwind and recover from COVID-related burnout as CNN's Clare Sebastian explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bumble, the dating app known for empowering women to make the first move is giving all of its employees a little extra love this week.
Now 15 months into the pandemic the company says that this extra paid time off is a way of thanking staff for their hard work and resilience. Bumble has had a lot of hard work. The company went public in February, that is no small undertaking. It's also seen really strong user growth, paid users are up 30 percent in the first three months of the year.
And one staff member writing on Twitter, that tweet now unavailable, said that this move shows that the CEO of Bumble is picking up on staff's quote, "collective burnout".
Well this sense of burnout is not limited to Bumble. It is starting to show up in data. In April in the U.S. almost four million Americans quit their jobs. That is the highest that it's been over the past 20 years.
Microsoft also did a survey out this month where they surveyed 30,000 workers across 31 countries, and found that 41 percent are considering quitting their jobs in the next 12 months.
Now, all this means that employees are really thinking about retention. We are seeing some companies the likes of Google and Uber offering hybrid work options, some days in the office and some at home. We're seeing widespread wage increases particularly across leisure and hospitality.
Bumble's paid free week off of work just another sign that if the jobs market or a dating app it would be the employees doing the swiping.
Clare Sebastian, CNN -- New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Now it's a friendly and expensive competition between billionaires. Coming up, Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson are each working to be first in space tourism.
[01:49:32]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: After more than a decade pop sensation Britney Spears is expected to break her silence regarding her court-ordered conservatorship. Now her father has been in control of her multi million dollar fortune for the past 13 years.
CNN Entertainment reporter Chloe Melas has a look at what we might expect during Wednesday's highly anticipated hearing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER (voice over): Britney Spears isn't shy about sharing with her fans on Instagram. But for the first time the world may hear from Britney regarding her court-ordered conservatorship in a hearing on Wednesday.
Britney has yet to address the court since her court-ordered attorney filed to suspend her father Jamie Spears as a conservator of her $60 million dollar estate last year. The singer's father has been overseeing her finances since the conservatorship began in 2008 following a series of health issues that played out publicly.
The highly anticipated hearing has fans and reporters clamoring for a seat in the courtroom. Although Spears is expected to appear virtually, the Los Angeles County superior court has already issued a press release stating that they are going to have an overflow courtroom.
Everyone is wondering what Britney might say. And conservatorship attorney Lisa MacCarley (ph) who does not work on Britney's case has been vocal about the court having had appointed Samuel Ingham as her attorney.
LISA MACCARLEY, ATTORNEY: There's no legitimate reason why Britney Spears was deprived of an attorney of her own choice. What I'm hoping that she will say is -- and all she really needs to say, I want to hire an attorney of my own choice to talk about my options.
That is something that they have steadfastly refused to allow her to do.
MELAS: Spears' attorney had no comment citing pending litigation.
CNN has also reached out the to two judges who have issued rulings on this case over the years. Both declined to comment to CNN.
Members of the Free Britney Movement plan to demonstrate outside of the courthouse. They want the "Give Me More" singer released from the conservatorship. But they say this is bigger than Britney and want an overhaul of a system that they believe has widespread potential for corruption.
LEANNE SIMMONS, FREE BRITNEY MOVEMENT: We know that conservatorship abuse is much bigger than Britney Spears. And that what this has evolved into.
Of course this movement started because we're Britney fans, a lot of us. It has evolved into a global movement now. There are activists and advocates from across the globe some of whom are not Britney fans who are family members, or victims themselves of conservatorship abuse. So this is much bigger than just Britney.
MELAS: As for an end in sight this legal battle is far from over with another hearing scheduled for mid July.
MELAS (on camera): It feels like the entire world is watching to see what will Britney Spears say during the hearing. We have no idea if this hearing is going to end up being closed because she might talk about some very sensitive subjects that require the judge to actually clear the courtroom.
Also many people are wondering will Britney ever take the stage again to perform. Well, she just posted a video on Instagram the other day saying that she doesn't know. She is still taking time for herself.
So in the meantime all we can do is sit back, wait and watch.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: And our thanks to Chloe Melas for that report.
[01:54:46] NEWTON: Now there's an elephant in the room? No, I mean it. Literally a wild Asian elephant was found in the middle of the night rummaging through a woman's kitchen in Thailand.
I still cannot believe this picture. Now, it stuck its head through a hole in the wall which stunningly had already been made by another elephant that smashed through the wall last month.
Wildlife experts believe the elephant was, of course, looking for food and say the house may been targeted because it's near a national park. These types of encounters have been on the rise in Asia as wildlife habitats continue to shrink.
Now a growing number of companies are working to get into the space tourism business, successfully putting people at the edge of the atmosphere or into space is a competition, of course, for the very rich. Two billionaires are in position to be first although one of them insists it is not a race.
Rachel Crane has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And we have lift off.
RACHEL CRANE, CNN INNOVATION AND SPACE CORRESPONDENT: The billionaire race into space is taking off. Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos competing to be the first into space with their space tourism flights. Bezos' Blue Origin currently set to be the first up with his historic space flights scheduled to lift off on July 20th from west Texas on the 52nd anniversary of the moon landing.
It seems the Amazon mogul leapfrogged Branson whom many people believed would win this race.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sold $28 million.
CRANE: And that is how one unknown bidder is paying to be part of history and take the 11 minute trip into space with Bezos.
JEFF BEZOS, AMAZON: It's a thing I've wanted to do all my life.
CRANE: The billionaire will also be joined by his brother Marc Bezos.
BEZOS: I really want you to come with me. Would you?
MARC BEZOS, BROTHER OF JEFF BEZOS: Are you serious?
BEZOS: I am.
CRANE: And a fourth unknown traveler. The journey is a sub orbital flight and going just 100 kilometers into space allowing customers to have about three minutes of weightlessness.
And while Bezos is making all the headlines now, Virgin Galactic's tagline is to be the world's first commercial space line. (voice over): Does it sting a little bit that it looks as if Virgin
won't be, you know, the first? And that Blue Origin might win that part of the race?
RICHARD BRANSON, VIRGIN GALACTIC: I will point out that we've now sent seven people into space. And we've made five, you know, five new astronauts. We were the first of the space companies to get people up there. But we honestly don't see it as a race.
CRANE (voice over): Branson tweeted his congratulations to Bezos on their spaceflight plans. Virgin Galactic telling CNN while they remain on track to finish their final test runs they have not set an official launch date.
Both space companies have had successful suborbital test flights over the past decade. Virgin Galactic had a set back in 2014 when a copilot was killed during a test flight of a previous model of their spacecraft.
But the company has since sold about 600 tickets at more than $200,000 each -- a cost that is likely to go up.
So far fewer than 600 people have been into space. And whether it's Bezos or Branson, this first flight is sure to kick off a new type of tourism, allowing those that can stomach the price and the adrenaline rush, their own set of astronaut wings, and bragging rights for life.
Rachel Crane, CNN -- New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: So that does it for me. I want to thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm Paula Newton.
I leave you in the capable hands of Rosemary Church. She's here right after this.
[01:58:16]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(CNN SOUNDBYTE)
RASHAD ROBINSON, PRESIDENT, COLOR OF CHANGE: Racism doesn't have borders. Racism can't be solved just by hopes and g dreams and wishes. We have to put effort and energy into it. Far too often we tell our cell stories about how inequality happens. It almost makes it seem like it's a car accident rather than it's unjust. Inequality is manufactured through a set of choices we make in our society. A set of rules. We have the opportunity to make other choices and other rules. That doesn't happen overnight. It doesn't happen without as pushing and making demands. The road ahead will require people of all races and backgrounds to be willing to push on the barriers and the systems that stand in the way of change. That means we have to recognize there are barriers in the way of change. That race isn't actually exists.
