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Death Toll Rises to Nine as Rescuers Race to Find Survivors; U.S. Airstrikes Hit Iran-Backed Militias in Iraq and Syria; Sydney Under Lockdown; HK Police Arrest Former Apple Daily Journalist at Airport; Hungary Bans LGBTQ Content in Schools; Princes William and Harry to Unveil Prince Diana Statue; Fashion Industry Adapts to Impact of Pandemic. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired June 28, 2021 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[01:00:26]
PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and a warm welcome to our viewers all around the world. I'm Paula Newton.
Ahead right here on CNN NEWSROOM:
Grief, anger, and fear in Florida as day five of the search begins. Families prepare for the unimaginable. And residents all along the coastline worry whether their buildings are safe.
Also, Sydneysiders are told to stay home. A country with extremely low rates of COVID throughout the pandemic are now facing a spreading outbreak.
And just days after Hong Kong's largest pro-democracy newspaper is forced to close, police arrested another former "Apple Daily" journalist under national security charges.
(MUSIC)
NEWTON: Rescue crews are fighting weather, time, and fading hopes, at a side of a collapse building in Surfside, Florida. Now, the death toll there has now risen to nine, and more than 150 people are unaccounted for as of Sunday. Now, rescuers have cut a 40 meter trench, across the rubble, in an effort to suppress smoke, and fire, and recovering new victims. Officials insist this remains a rescue operation. That is as the hours pass, of course, you have to believe that everyone there is now praying for a miracle.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHARLES BURKETT, MAYOR OF SURFSIDE, FLORIDA: I think we all believe, and expect miracles. We all believe and expect miracles. We have armies, ready to go, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It's not going to stop until we pull everyone out. That's just the way it's going to be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now, rescue crews, of course, are pushing right through the overnight hours. Families face an agonizing wait, desperate for any word on the fate of their loved ones.
On Sunday, they were given an opportunity to visit the site of the collapse. The mayor of Miami-Dade County calling it a private, but deeply emotional moment. Now, rescue teams from Israel, and Mexico, are joining around the clock sure search effort. The Israelis arrived on Sunday, and got straight to work, while the Mexican team is expected to arrive in the coming hours.
The head of the Israeli rescuers says, they will do everything they can to help.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLONEL GOLAN VACH, COMMANDER, IDF NATIONAL RESCUE UNIT: We will do our best. We brought our best people. Engineers, first responders, search and rescue, population behavior, and I can hope that we will succeed to help your people, your great people, here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Rafael Romo with more on the latest search efforts in Surfside, Florida.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rescue crews continue to sift through a mountain of rubble here in Surfside, Florida, now have additional help. A team from Mexico has joined the effort. According to a local fire department chief, there are over 400 personnel who, are strictly, utilizing for search and rescue.
The initial rescue efforts were hampered by a fire that was finally suppressed over the weekend. In another major development over the weekend, crews cut a deep trench, 125 feet long, 45 feet deep, to help in the search effort. The trench allowed rescue personnel to recover additional bodies, and human remains, from the rubble.
And for the first time Sunday, families of the missing were given a chance to visit the site of the tragedy.
DANIELLA LEVINE CAVA, MAYOR OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA: We did give all of the families an opportunity to, privately, visit the site. This was something that many family members had requested, and so, our teams worked to set up something to accommodate them. And, I think, that it turned out quite well, and they were very grateful.
ROMO: And as a search and rescue effort continues, there is new information, showing the building had visible structural damage, years ago. In 2018, the structural engineer reported significant cracks, and breaks in the concrete, among other significant issues.
The engineering firm Morabito Consultants issued a statement Saturday, confirming it had been hired this month by the condo association to prepare the building for its 40-year repair plan. It said roof repairs were underway when the building collapsed, but noted that the restoration of the concrete hadn't started yet. And now, the city of Miami has sent letters to managers of buildings
that are sick stories and higher, and more than 40 years old, urging them to get an inspection from a qualified, structural engineer.
Rafael Romo, CNN, Surfside, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[01:05:00]
NEWTON: Now, families of the missing were able to visit the site of the collapse, as we told you earlier. The Miami-Dade County mayor spoke with our own Wolf Blitzer about what they're all going through.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEVINE CAVA: I think we know, in grieving, there is a process. There is steps. And, obviously, people are angry, and frustrated, and as they see what's being done, they see the work that is around the clock, and they believe that people, are truly caring for what happens to their loved ones. To have some pieces, and some closure, even as they are still grieving for the potential to see their loved ones alive again.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN HOST: Are they still holding out hope though you think?
LEVINE CAVA: I think some are, I think some are. But I think others are recognizing that the chances are closing, and, for example, not only bodies have been found, but even body parts. So, that's very sobering news. It doesn't mean that there couldn't be a chance that there is an air pocket, or a place where someone could still be rescued. So, we are all holding out hope for that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Joining me now, Fiorella Terenzi is a witness to the condo collapse, and an astrophysicist at Florida International University.
I have to admit that I cannot even comprehend what it was like for you to witness this, let alone have to go through the aftermath. Please describe, exactly, what that night was like for you? What you saw and what you heard?
FIORELLLA TERENZI, ASTROPHYSICIST, FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY: The night of the tragedy, I was asleep. And, suddenly, I got woken up. These very loud sound, this thundering, this bang of some metallic undertone, and it kept going. And the more I paid attention to it, the more it sounded very strange. Something I had never heard.
So, I decided to go to the balcony. The balcony looks down on Collins Avenue, and I could see white dust, debris, and then I knew that something strange, something unfortunately, tragic -- a tragedy must have happened.
So, I went downstairs. As soon as I went downstairs, from the side, the east side of Collins, I could look to the Champlain Tower South. I could see the building. The slice of the building, still, standing up. However, I didn't notice that the building had, on its own, horizontal cracks, on every floor. I was very stressed already. I was wondering, what happened? What could cause this?
So, I crossed Collins, and on the west side of the curb on Collins, that is when I saw it.
(CROSSTALK)
NEWTON: And we are looking at the pictures, as you're describing this.
But do you -- describe -- was there panic? When you say that you saw debris, exactly, how close are you at this point in time to the actual collapsed condominium?
TERENZI: The sound was around one 30. I went downstairs around one 50. I am one building away from the Champlain Tower South. Within those 10, 15 minutes, police and fire truck arrived. But (INAUDIBLE).
So, there were four or five people, already there, like me, taking a look, taking pictures, wondering what's going on, asking. There was a panic. We didn't know how to explain what we were seeing.
Imagine having friends in the building that you could see the day before sipping coffee, the pregnant woman, the elder woman. People you see daily. They are your neighbor. You know where they live.
And that part of the building was flattened down, 12 stories, compacted down to few floors.
NEWTON: And I imagine --
TERENZI: And I've --
NEWTON: Sorry, I would imagine that's become even more profound for you, since the days have worn on, you've realized the enormity of what's happened to those friends.
TERENZI: The day of the tragedy, it's almost like you are in denial. You ask yourself, if what you are seeing is real.
[01:10:06]
Are my eyes really seeing this catastrophe? This loss of life? Then, as time goes by, you think that you can heal, but you don't. I thought that when I voluntarily evacuated my building, and I flew, almost out of desperation, to Los Angeles, where I am, right now in Woodland Hills, I was hoping to heal my emotional turmoil. But I can't.
I'm here, physically, but my mind is there. I am reviewing those images, looking for answers, trying to understand, remembering stories that my neighbor told me. And, you know, as a physicist, even computing this tragedy, in terms of a parameter that, analytically, I can solve, the pressure of the concrete, the force of the impact, 12- story building collapsing down.
Yet, you know, I am teaching physics from close to 18 years, there is no way I can make sense. This is something that, really, goes deep inside those were -- this was home to me.
NEWTON: I know, I can hear, certainly, you are with the people there, the family, and the friends, trying to figure out what happened to your friends that were there as well. Our condolences to you, as all of you try to recover from such a trauma.
Fiorella Terenzi, thanks so much for being with us.
Now, we are also hearing from family who managed to escape the building before it collapsed, they told CNN, they were asleep in their 11th floor apartment, when they woke up to the wall shaking, violently. From there, it was a race against time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JANETTE AGUERO, ESCAPED BUILDING COLLAPSE: All I was thinking, we need to get out of here, before this building completely comes down on us. After seeing the walls, and how badly, and violently they swayed, I honestly don't know how it didn't come down when we were startled basically out of our sleep. So, yeah, that was the only thing on our mind. Let's get down, let's get down as quickly as possible and away from the building.
ALBERT AGUERO, ESCAPED BUILDING COLLAPSE: When we opened the front door, that is when we were really made aware of the devastation to the building. I looked to the left, and the apartment was half sheared off. But, right ahead, that is where the elevator is supposed to be, was two empty elevator shafts. And, thankfully, the emergency exit light to the staircase was on, and lit up. So, we sprinted to the staircase, and open the door. We had realized that the wall had partially collapse there as well.
At that moment, it really hit me, that we were racing against time to get to the bottom of the building before the entire thing came down -- caved in. At least that was my initial gut.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Incredible, isn't it? Now, the family says they also helped an elderly woman escape on their way down. And for dozens of families whose loved ones are missing, of course, they are watching this tragedy unfold from abroad. At least 31 Latin American nationals are among those still unaccounted for. As our loved ones, desperately, await answers, officials are looking to get those families to the United States.
Journalist Stefano Pozzebon is in Bogota, Columbia, with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEFANO POZZEBON, JOURNALIST: The tragedy of the collapsed building in Surfside, south of Florida, reverberates far beyond the United States border, with dozens of families across south America, who remain an apprehension over the fate of their dear ones gone missing when the building collapsed over 3 days ago.
At least 31 people, from six different countries, in South America, are believed to have been inside the condominium. When the building fell down, and every hour that passes makes it the possibility of safely rescuing more remote.
Nevertheless, rescue officials are urging to keep their hopes alive, pointing that survivors have been found, after several days, in similar circumstances. And consulates across the region, are working to provide the expedited visas, and the travel options, so that relatives can travel to Miami, to follow the search and rescue operations from the site.
[01:15:06]
And some of those gone missing, including the family of the first lady of Paraguay were traveling to the United States in order to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. And their loved ones back in South America can now only hope to see them back home against all the odds (ph).
From CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Bogota.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Now, many families who live nearby rushed to the scene as soon as they heard about the collapse. Among them, the family of 92- year-old Hilda Noriega, a longtime resident of the building. As our family gathered the scene, they made an incredible find amid the rubble.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE NORIEGA, GRANDMOTHER MISSING AFTER COLLAPSE: When we arrived here, around 2 30 am on the night this all happened, while we were waiting, and praying, and sobbing, we were just looking at all of the debris. My father looked down, his mother was actually in the building when this happened, my grandmother, and he actually found this. And it's a birthday card.
So she had a birthday brunch a few weeks ago. So this is all addressed to my grandmother. This is a picture of my grandmother, and my grandfather that, unfortunately, is no longer with us, and that's my dad in the middle. It's just a beautiful message in the massive everything, and it's very comforting to be able to see this, because really, what are the chances?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: That is one of the reasons of the family is willing to go to the site. Such a connection there with what happened.
Now, another heartbreaking detail of the story. Noriega's family says that they were preparing to move her out of the building very soon. Now, in an op-ed, "The Miami Herald" newspaper, expressing the fears
that many residents of Florida high-rises are feeling at this very moment.
And they wrote: If a failure like this could happen in a building, constructed in 1981, what might happen in older buildings or those with delayed or shoddy maintenance? Hundreds of thousands of condo residents, perhaps even millions around the country, deserve to know, exactly, what happened in Surfside. They need an honest, open, and urgent investigation of how our condo safeguards went so catastrophically, lethally wrong. This horror must never be repeated.
With more and more concerns being raised about Florida high-rises, as you heard them there, I spoke earlier with a geologist Harold Wanless. I asked him if there are places people are living right now that might be unsafe.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAROLD WANLESS, GEOLOGY PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI: The not-to- distant future I always look at as the mortgage cycle. You buy a condo, or a house, and you hope to build it, sell it, and have it still standing in 30 years. So, like I said, we could have a 2 or 3 foot rise in sea level within the next 30 years. So, that's -- that puts almost every coastal building at risk for -- if not flooding, and at least the groundwater, the saline groundwater, moving up into the lower parts of the structural foundation.
So, I think --
NEWTON: And to here -- yeah.
WANLESS: But, right now, you know, it's a hard question to say no, absolutely not, because there are areas that have major subsidence, like areas along -- excuse me, the Louisiana and eastern Texas coast, that are having a sea level rise already over three feet, percentage. So, those have low-lying buildings that already are feeling the effects of increase salt.
NEWTON: Yeah.
WANLESS: And there other areas around some of the major cities that had subsistence, and our, already, moving capitals out of where they are because of subsistence and flooding. All of those areas already are being affected by salt water intrusion.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: And our thanks to Professor Wanless there for his expertise.
Now, there's much more to come on CNN, including details on COVID case surges in the area around Sydney, and elsewhere, in under-vaccinated Australia. We have a live report.
Plus, some bosses don't want employees to get too attached to working from home. We talk about the future of work, next. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:21:52]
NEWTON: U.S. President Joe Biden has ordered military airstrikes against Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria. The Defense Department says the strikes targeted operational and weapon storage facilities. And House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says there are a response to a, quote, serious and specific threat.
President Biden did not answer questions when asked about the strikes on Sunday, but said he'd address the matter Monday. There has been a series of attacks in recent months by Iranian-backed groups, targeting U.S., and allied forces in the region.
New COVID cases emerging across Australia are prompting tighter restrictions in several territories. Queensland and Western Australia are among the latest regions to impose tough new rules. A stay at home order is now in effect in the greater Sydney area through July 9th, driven by a growing case cluster in the neighborhood near the beach.
Now, separate, shorter restrictions have been imposed in parts of the northern territory.
We want to get you up to date on the latest developments from there. CNN producer Angus Watson joins us now live from Sydney.
You know, Angus, you are right there at a testing facility. Throughout this whole pandemic, Australia has been known, test and trace. And they have been so successful at it. And yet, now, is it the delta variant, at this point, that they believe is fueling this new outbreak?
ANGUS WATSON, CNN PRODUCER: That's right. I'm here at what was the epicenter of that outbreak, Bondi Beach here in Sydney, Australia, where there has been 130 cases, the majority, linked to just one person who caught the Delta strain, a driver, who was transporting people, airline crews that had come into the country, and brought the Delta strain.
Now, Sydney having to lock down for the first time in over one year. People here in Australia's largest city told to not leave their homes unless it's absolutely necessary. Some people here at Bondi Beach, coming to get their permitted exercise per day, and some people coming, as well, to get tested at these mass testing sites. Fifty- eight thousand people getting tested across New South Wales, staying here, in Australia, 18 positive cases of COVID-19. That's all just yesterday.
So, people are taking this quite seriously, this rare lockdown being made, so much more frightening from people here because of the Delta variant.
But, Australia has been quick to put these lockdowns in through the history of the pandemic. As you say, Paula, here in Australia, people don't want to see community transmission, and are not willing to live with the virus at all, so they are willing to do these lockdowns -- Paula.
NEWTON: Yeah, it's kind of a theory of a COVID zero environment. Before I let you go, Angus, though, any sign that they can do more to get more the population vaccinated? You've pointed out to us many times, it's less than 5 percent in the country right now.
WATSON: Absolutely, Paula. So, the big problem that Australia is facing is this vaccine rollout, under 5 percent of the population vaccinated. People here feel that these lockdowns would've had to happen if more people had been vaccinated. The problem is both a supply issue, and a hesitancy issue.
[01:25:02]
Australia is the big on the AstraZeneca vaccine, and the only COVID-19 vaccine that is produced locally. Otherwise, it has to rely on imports of the Pfizer vaccine. Now, because of the very rare chance of the AstraZeneca vaccine, patients getting a rare blood clot, the Australian health authorities have said that only people over the age of 60 should get it. That has slowed the vaccine down terribly, and also created hesitancy in the population -- Paula.
NEWTON: Yeah, and that has to be overcome for sure in the weeks ahead.
OK. Thanks for the update. Appreciate it, Angus.
Now, a strict lockdown is place in South Africa as well as the country fights a third wave of the coronavirus driven now by that Delta variant. Schools are closed, and travel is restricted, and restaurants can only do takeout, and delivery. An overnight curfew is in place, and all gatherings, except funerals, are prohibited.
South Africa's president said the new measures will be reassessed in two weeks. And here is his warning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CYRIL RAMAPHOSA, SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT: We are in the grip of a devastating wave that, by all indications, seems like it will be worse than those that have preceded it. The peak of this third wave looked set to be higher than the previous two waves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now, as we all know, many people found themselves working from home during the pandemic, and now, many have come to prefer it. But, now, we have more of those vaccines in some countries, some of those employers want those employees back.
Anna Stewart takes a look at the new debate of the future of working from home.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): The morning commute, a welcome return to normal for some, but others are less keen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was looking forward to maybe two days in the office.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I work from home, and I actually do like working from home. But I'd like a bit of both, to be honest, moving forward.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I do work in the office, and I prefer that actually.
STEWART: The divide is only deepening as businesses implement their post-pandemic strategies. For those at Twitter, Facebook, and Google, remote working, part-time, or full-time, is now a permanent option. Apple and Uber want their employees back in the office for at least part of the week.
And then there are the banks of Wall Street, some of which we want to see back at the desks full-time.
Goldman Sachs CEO, David Solomon, called working from home an aberration, saying: For businesses like ours, which is an innovative, collaborative apprenticeship culture -- this is not ideal for us. And it's not a new normal.
It's New York employees are already in the office. Meanwhile, the CEO of Morgan Stanley made clear that the banks New York employees should be back by September, saying, if you can go to a restaurant in New York City, you can come into the office, and we want you in.
MICHAEL SMETS, PROFESSOR OF MANAGEMENT, SAID BUSINESS SCHOOL: Even if it is so beneficial to be in the office, why are so many people choosing not to be there? And in fact, you have to start threatening pay cuts for them? That is a little bit of a cultural disjoint, I would say.
STEWART: Telling people to go back to the office may not be popular, but can they actually compel employees to comply?
SINEAD CASEY, PARTNER, LINKLATERS LAW FIRM: Generally, yes. Governments around the globe have taken the approach of ensuring that an employer has some discretion, and to work from home, if it's not feasible the work to be done from home. And we can see where there is legitimate grants for that, because clearly, not every job can be done effectively from home.
STEWART: Forcing workers back to the office, full-time, may have some undesired consequences.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wouldn't do it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not sure I would feel so calm evident about that at this point because I think we've shown that is not necessary.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's up to the individual, really. Yeah.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah, I wouldn't be happy to be forced to be back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
STEWART: Anna Stewart, CNN, London.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTO: Still to come, police in Hong Kong arrest yet another journalist who had worked for the "Apple Daily". He's the latest to be charged as a threat to national security. We'll have the details from Hong Kong.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:31:39]
PAULA NEWTON, CNN ANCHOR: And welcome back. I'm Paula Newton. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM.
Now, even after shutting down, Hong Kong's fight against newspaper "Apple Daily" continues. A former executive editor of the pro- democracy anti-Beijing newspaper was arrested by police Sunday at Hong Kong International Airport as he was attempting to leave the region.
The man was arrested on charges of endangering national security, the same vague charge used by police to take over "Apple Daily" executives -- take "Apple Daily" executives into custody earlier this month.
The newspaper says it was forced to close after police raid resulted in all of its assets being frozen. "Apple Daily" executives have been charged with using journalism as a shield to violate Hong Kong's strict national security law.
CNN's Ivan Watson recounts the paper's last days.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A final show of defiance. This the emotional end to a 26-year journey for Hong Kong's biggest, loudest, pro democracy newspaper, "Apple Daily".
(on camera): In the predawn hours, the final edition is now being printed. And the headline here says "Hong Kong's painful farewell in the rain".
(voice over): Outside "Apple Daily's" offices, an impromptu gathering of demonstrators.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do not go gentle in that good night.
WATSON: Chanting slogans, waving lights and tying yellow ribbons on the gates of the "Apple Daily" complex. That show of support carried on well into the morning as a million copies of "Apple Daily's" final edition hit the newsstands.
Lines of people snaked through the streets as readers bought up the final chapter of the tabloid-style newspaper.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So what does this newspaper signify to you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Democracy, freedom, and space.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Space.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Dignity, identity, a lot.
WATSON: For more than two decades, "Apple Daily" divided opinion in Hong Kong, valued by those who shared its liberal values and loathed by conservatives who accused it of causing chaos.
The death of the paper ringing alarm bells about freedom of the press in Hong Kong.
U.K. foreign secretary Dominic Raab said the paper's closure was a chilling blow to freedom of expression in Hong Kong. Sentiment echoed by the Foreign Correspondent Clubs in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
While the U.S. consulate general posted this picture reading, "press freedom" with an apple.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How do you feel now that you're buying the last issue of "Apple Daily".
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Horrible.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why do you feel horrible about it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I don't have a choice. I am basically reading all the messages that the authority prescribed for us.
WATSON: Newsstands now brace for the absence of the apple-bearing masthead that has been a staple for decades. Founded in 1995 by Jimmy Lai who channeled wealth earned from textiles into Next Digital, the parent company of "Apple Daily".
[01:34:51]
WATSON: Its tabloid sensibilities made it a market leader, and gave Lai a huge platform in Hong Kong, one now all but crushed by the government's escalating campaign against dissent.
The government denies this accusation, insisting it's still ok to criticize the authorities. Officials argue they targeted the newspaper, not because of its journalism, but because of alleged acts that endanger national security.
Now its assets frozen, its top editors under arrest including founder Jimmy Lai, who sits in jail barred from speaking to the press.
The newspaper that was a noisy thorn in the government's side has now gone silent.
Ivan Watson, CNN -- Hong Kong. (END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: And we want to get you more now on the latest arrest. Kristie Lu Stout is standing by for us there in Hong Kong. Kristie, really good to have you on this story.
I feel as if we're only scratching the surface of what this national security law will mean to perhaps even the next generation of people in Hong Kong. Just give us more details about what seems to have happened here with this arrest.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, here apparently the national security law strikes again. According to local media reports, Fung Wai-kong was arrested at Hong Kong International Airport on Sunday as he attempted to leave the city.
Fung is the latest editorial staffer at the now shuttered pro- democracy newspaper "Apple Daily" to be arrested under the national security law. He was a top editor and columnist at the newspaper.
The Hong Kong police have issued a statement about the arrest. They refrained from explicitly naming him but rather said that the 57-year- old local man was arrested on Sunday for conspiring to collude with foreign forces and foreign countries to endanger national security.
The Hong Kong police add that he was detained, that he was -- and has been interrogated and also warned of more arrests saying that there could be further arrests down the line.
Of course it was last week when the "Apple Daily", a popular pro- democracy anti-China tabloid was closed after its assets were frozen and a number of top editors were arrested under the national security law.
Critics say that the national security law has undermined autonomy in Hong Kong, and its freedoms, including its press freedom. But supporters they say no. In fact we heard from Carrie Lam, the top leader, the chief executive of Hong Kong who vehemently denied that the law was being used to stifle press freedom.
Take a listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARRIE LAM, HONG KONG CHIEF EXECUTIVE: Don't try to accuse the Hong Kong authorities for using the national security law as a tool to suppress the media or to stifle the freedom of expression.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STOUT: Now in another move that's seen as a blow to press freedom in Hong Kong, we learned that on Sunday, yesterday here in Hong Kong, a popular online pro-democracy news outlet called Stand News is now asking for its viewership to no longer offer monthly sponsorships to the Web site. A number of directors of Stand News have also resigned. We also learned that they have removed or tabled a number of op-eds and commentaries on the Web site.
For months now, western governments from the U.K., the U.S., the E.U. -- they have condemned the national security law in recent months. They've also condemned what the national security law and this era of tightening Chinese control has done to press freedoms here in the territory. But make no mistake about it, China is unwavering in its support for the law, Paula.
NEWTON: Yes. And it has been absolutely swift as well with the arrests and then also getting any defendants to court.
Kristie, thanks for staying on the story. Appreciate it.
Now, Hungary's prime minister claims he is a defender of gay rights, while banning LGBTQ content in schools. Why the government says they have no plan to reverse the country's controversial new law.
Plus the U.K.'s Prince William and Prince Harry will reunite once more. Details on the event helping them set aside their differences.
[01:38:51]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NEWTON: That was the scene in Istanbul over the weekend where police in riot gear fired tear gas into crowds, trying to break up a Pride March. Istanbul and Ankara have both banned Pride events in recent years.
Local reports say 20 people including a photojournalist were detained Saturday after clashes you're seeing there between demonstrators and police.
And in Eastern Europe, Hungary has banned materials in schools deemed to promote LGBTQ content. E.U. leaders are speaking out forcefully against the law saying it violates the bloc's values.
CNN's Scott McLean reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): On the banks of the Danube River, the striking Hungarian Parliament was built more than a century ago. Another era that some say is better suited for a bill that just passed inside of it.
The bill which erodes gay rights in a country where there are already precious few, passed with almost no objections inside the chamber but plenty outside.
Last week, protesters filled the streets of Budapest to rally against the bill just signed into law. It outlawed any content available to children which "portrays diversion from gender identity assigned at birth, gender alteration or homosexuality" effectively barring any discussions on the topic inside classrooms or even in advertising like this 2019 Coke ad which was controversial in Hungary. This was all added to a bill meant to better to protect children from pedophiles, making it difficult for lawmakers to vote against. Leftist opposition parties boycotted the vote.
ATTILA KELEMEN, SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST (through translator): To mix up homosexuality with sexual crimes is disgusting.
SZEKERES ZSOLT, COORDINATOR, HUNGARIAN HELSINKI COMMITTEE (through translator): Each abused child who fears asking for help because of homophobic or transphobic hatred will suffer because of those MPs who voted for his hate-provoking law proposal.
MCLEAN: Prime Minister Viktor Orban says the law simply states clearly that only parents can decide on the sexual education of their children and the ban does not place limits on the content adults can view.
European Union Commission president Ursula Von Der Leyen tweeted she was very concerned about the new law, saying she believes in a Europe which embraces diversity, not one which hides it from our children.
The government says it is not going to apologize for "protecting our children" and Orban himself insists that criticism of the law reinforces the Central European conviction that today's liberals are in fact communists with degrees.
(on camera): I wonder what you think this bill says about the direction that Hungary is headed in.
GRAEME REID, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: Well, I think it's a continuation of what we've seen in the past. This is straight out of an (INAUDIBLE) label. It's part and parcel of the erosion of the rule of law and a sustained attack on human rights in Hungary.
MCLEAN (voice over): Gay people in Hungary already can't marry or adopt children. But it's not just Hungary clamping down on gay right. Last year some Polish towns declared themselves LGBT ideology-free zone and a 2013 law in Russia banned so-called gay propaganda.
REID: In Russia we had groups that billed themselves as anti-pedophile groups who targeted young gay men, would subject to harassment and torture, filmed that and then uploaded that on to social media.
MCLEAN (on camera): You think that this law goes even further than the Russian law did.
REID: It does go further in the sense that its wording is broader than the Russian law. I expected it could have graver implications than the propaganda law in Russia.
MCLEAN (voice over): One more example of Hungary looking less and less like the rest of Europe.
Scott McLean, CNN -- London.
(END VIDEOTAPE) NEWTON: Now the president of the Czech Republic was defending Hungary's new law, an anti-LGBTQ law when he was speaking on that channel, he made disparaging remarks about the transgender community.
[01:44:57]
NEWTON: Milos Zeman said in a Sunday interview with our affiliate CNN Prima News that he finds transgender people quote, "disgusting". He also said he doesn't understand transgender people and equated gender reassignment surgery to a crime quote, "of self-harm".
The Czech president's remarks come as many cities and countries around the world celebrate June, of course, as Pride Month for the LGBT community. Pride Festival in Prague is planned for the first week of August.
Palestinian protesters were out for a fourth day Sunday, following the death of an outspoken critic of the Palestinian Authority. Hundreds of people demonstrated in Ramallah, in Bethlehem and the West Bank. Police fired tear gas and scuffles broke out.
Nizar Banat accused the authority of corruption. His family says Palestinian Authority forces beat him repeatedly with a metal rod before arresting him at a relatives home Thursday.
Now to the U.K. where Prince William and Prince Harry will reconnect this week amid growing speculation about a royal rift between he brothers. They plan to unveil a memorial celebrating their late mother's life.
Our Isa Soares has the details.
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ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's being said that death brings the living together. That will ring true this week when Prince Harry and Prince William, distant and living on separate continents, reunite to celebrate the legacy of their late mother, Princess Diana.
The two will unveil a statue of Diana at Kensington Palace on Thursday on what would have been her 60th birthday.
The brothers co-commissioned a statue from British sculptor Ian Rank- Broadley. This portrait of the queen appears on all British coins. And the memorial would live in the palace's sunken garden, a place Diana loved, allowing those who visit Kensington Palace to remember and celebrate her life, the princes said in a joint statement issued in 2017 when the project was announced.
Ahead of the unveiling of Diana's memorial, there's been increased speculation as whether there'll be visible tension between her two sons.
The last time Harry and William saw each other in person was at their grandfather Prince Philip's funeral and whether tea was seen to have been quietly (INAUDIBLE) before he passed away. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fortitude and (INAUDIBLE)
SOARES: Since then reports of their relationship break down have continued to fill the British tabloid, citing the decision by Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, to step away from royal life as a main catalyst.
Along with a bombshell interview the couple gave to Oprah Winfrey the (INAUDIBLE) in March in which they suggested racism and increased neglect had forced them to flee the palace.
But while the brothers' bond may not be what it once was they seemingly still agree on one thing, the importance of keeping their mother's memory alive. And its' expected Thursday's event will do just that.
Isa Soares, CNN -- London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Now in the next hour we'll talk with Best Life Royals editor Diane Clehane. She talks about the impact that Princess Diana had on the royal family, and more about Prince William and Prince Harry's strained relationship.
From how we dress for work to what we buy in stores, the fashion industry is taking notes. Coming up, how the pandemic is changing the way designers are doing business.
Plus, from the U.S. Mexico border all the way to Canada an unprecedented heat wave is breaking records and even interfering with Olympic trials. We'll have the details ahead.
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NEWTON: Now every industry has had to find ways to cope with the pandemic, but the fashion industry is facing challenges on a number of fronts. Fewer shoppers in the stores, a change in the way people dress for work or not and a growing demand for sustainability.
Clare Sebastian reports on how fashion is looking to set new trends.
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CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Models first walking through glum fluorescent lit tunnels before stepping out to a sunny white sand beach. Prada's latest fashion show seemed an obvious metaphor for a world emerging from the coronavirus pandemic.
The Italian fashion debuting its men's wear line in Sardinia's scenic shores, while only (INAUDIBLE) stunning Mediterranean vista. With the backdrop of the Dior's most recent cat walk.
The French luxury brand unveiling its cruise collection from the 2000 year old (INAUDIBLE) stadium in Greece. A celebration of both high fashion and Greek history as designers pull out all the stops to entice consumers starved for an experience.
PIETRO BECCARI, CHAIRMAN/CEO, DIOR: People will want to go and do things even with more intensity, with more pleasure than they were doing it before, because they appreciate the absence of everything we love to do. You know, traveling, dining in restaurants, visiting hotels, discovering places and buying luxury (ph).
SEBASTIAN: Dior's chairman and CEO tells CNN that the company is investing heavily in store front real estate while also working to make their digital channels a more seamless extension of instore shopping.
It's a move towards experiential retail. That other industry leaders also seem to be embracing.
The grand reopening accompanied by the French President drew lines of shoppers in Paris, after luxury goods group LVMH funded the revival of a 150 year old shopping center that had been shuttered since 2005.
They're hoping to grab a greater slice of tourist spending as pandemic travel curbs ease.
But high-end retailers looking to capitalize on an anticipated rise of in-store shoppers well, they may have to reckon with the public now accustomed to dressing down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Definitely got more relaxed. I definitely wore more tracksuits to work. Well, it's obvious.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People are walking to the office more, not getting on the train, so they've got comfy shoes on and things like that. so yes, definitely more relaxed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's all very smart casual. So you're faithful (ph) to jeans, trainers, you know, like your everyday wear.
SEBASTIAN: During the pandemic, athletic and leisure wear also called athleisure saw huge growth, with companies like Lululemon increasing their market share, while the need for work from home apparel may now be subsiding, the trend is partly to blame for the bankruptcy of some established brands with more formal attire.
Another major hurdle of growing interest in sustainable fashion as consumers become more aware of the industry's role in the climate crisis.
According to the World Bank, the sector accounts for about 10 percent of global carbon emissions each year. That's more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined.
STELLA MCCARTNEY, FASHION DESIGNER: In my industry itself, I think that there's a huge desire to make positive changes. I just think people don't really know how to do it yet. Our industry is shifting. I hope that the fact that we've all joined in this pandemic, we've all hopefully realized that actually we need to be kinder to our planet.
SEBASTIAN: Whether it's towards sustainability, the sensory experience, or more relaxed attire, brands seek the right pivot towards consumers' anticipated demands as fashion giants like everyone else find their footing in a post COVID future.
Clare Sebastian, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: Now, the death toll from Thursday's rare tornado that ripped through the Czech Republic has risen to six, sadly. Hospital officials say a two-year-old succumbed to injuries sustained during the storm.
More than a hundred other people are injured. The tornado hit a part of the country that doesn't often see that kind of severe weather. Wind speeds topped 330 kilometers per hour or more than 200 miles an hour.
The storm also brought hailstones the size of tennis balls. They damaged hundreds of homes and knocked out power for thousands of people in the worst-hit area.
Now nearly 20 million people in the western United States are under excessive heat warnings. Some areas broke records on Sunday with temperatures as a high as 113 degrees Fahrenheit or 45 degrees Celsius.
Eugene, Oregon is one of those places that hit an all-time high of 110 degrees Fahrenheit. It was so hot the U.S. Olympic track and field trials had to be suspended there. The final day of the event resumed just a few hours ago.
[01:54:48]
NEWTON: Now, this oppressive heat of course, also extends into Canada. The village of Lytton in British Columbia reached 116 degrees Fahrenheit Sunday, over 46 degrees Celsius, marking the highest temperature ever recorded in Canada.
Joining me now is meteorologist Pedram Javaheri. We are all running out of superlatives for this Pedram. We really are.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's an incredible heat wave, you know. And Paula, what's interesting is that I grew up across this region, Seattle area, and experienced plenty of warmth in the summer season, but by warmth we were talking about 25 to about 30 degrees Celsius or into the middle 80s Fahrenheit.
That is above average for anytime of year. But we're talking 40s close to 50 degrees in a few spots. And it' s really a remarkable and dangerous heat wave. You noted, coming in with the warmest weather even all-time into Canada. British Columbia observation at 46.6 degrees Celsius. And you look at the heat advisories and heat warnings, they reach all the way up to the arctic circle. It really speaks to the severity, the widespread coverage of this heat wave in this massive dome of high pressure that has essentially pitched the tent, camped out across the western United States and enroute just setting some 300 record temperatures. Many of them all-time records.
Cities like Seattle, they've been keeping records since 1894. You count every single calendar day since 1894 -- it's about 46,000 days on record, only three days had ever reached 100 Fahrenheit, 37 Celsius.
The last three had matched 126 years of data, essentially doubling that number from three days all time to six days all time. But they're even hotter than the three days that were on record and of course, these are what the numbers are breaking down and looking like.
Middle 40s in Portland, previous record 42 degrees, in Salem 44, Seattle 40 degrees Celsius, temperatures this time of year into the lower 20s on average.
And what's really important to note is heat is the number one weather killer in the United States. You take lightning, you take hurricanes, you take tornadoes, put them together, then you're talking about getting it to be comparable to the amount of death that heat typically produces across the U.S.
And again, these all-time temperatures, the previous record in Portland just sat about 24 hours ago. Another forecast expected to exceed that 44 we saw on Sunday in Portland, taking it up to 47 degrees.
These are warmer than temperatures you find even in say Kuwait this time of year, so you can imagine one of the least air conditioned areas in the United States here, seeing temperatures equivalent to what's happening into the Middle East this time of year. Incredible heat though in place.
NEWTON: Yes. Pedram, I'm so glad that you mentioned the fact that it is dangerous, especially the elderly if they don't have air conditioning will need to go to some of those cooling centers.
Appreciate the update there.
JAVAHERI: Yes.
NEWTON: And I want to thank you for spending part of your day with me.
I'm Paula Newton.
I'll be back with more news in just a moment.
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