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Officials: Kabul Could be Surrounded with Weeks; Hottest Temperature Ever for Europe?; China Accuses Canada of "Double Standards" After Criticism. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired August 12, 2021 - 01:00   ET

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

[01:00:20]

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. I'm John Vause.

You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

Coming up, first they took control of Afghanistan's north. Now, Taliban fighters are on the move in the south. The latest U.S. assessment puts the capital of Kabul within their reach a month from now.

The hottest day ever just recorded in Europe, so hot meteorologists are double checking their data to make sure it's right.

And one on one with football's biggest star. What a week it's been for Lionel Messi.

(MUSIC)

VAUSE: It's taken just days to see a ramp up Taliban offensive has laid claim to two-thirds of Afghanistan, and the military seems to be moving faster by the day, soon the Capitol could be theirs.

U.S. assessments indicate Kabul could be surrounded in as little as 30 days and captured within 90 days. The speed of the advance has taken U.S. officials by surprise. This seizure of northern areas raised alarm because that region is considered central to the defense of Kabul.

The Taliban have taken over nine capitals in the past week. They include the one of the city Farah in the west where these pictures were taken on Wednesday. Afghanistan's foreign minister says more than 6,000 Afghans have been killed since April. That includes 2,000 civilians. The U.S. is pushing now for a political solution.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NED PRICE, U.S. STATE DEPARMENT SPOKESMAN: We remain confident in the fact that this is the only path to stability. We remain cognizant of the fact that this is the only path to stability in developments in Afghanistan. So, progress has been slow. It has been painfully slow. The violence has been a cause for grave concern. We've been very clear about that. (END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: We'll hear more from the State Department in a moment, but we begin our coverage with CNN's Clarissa Ward, reporting in from Kabul.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There's a very real fear here on the ground, especially in Kabul, that nothing can be done to sort of turn the tide of this rapidly expanding offensive. We did hear from President Ghani. He was trying to rally troops in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif which has been coming under attack from the Taliban. He also took to Twitter and basically urged ordinary citizens to pick up a gun analyst with their local warlord and take part in popular uprisings if you will.

But clearly, that is not going to be enough to turn the tide here. We see the Taliban have spread across provincial capitals. You mentioned 9. We also visited other cities, Kandahar, which is the second largest city in the country, the frontline position we visited in a wedding hall. That is now completely under the control of the Taliban. The entire city is surrounded.

And we saw similar thing in Ghazni, again, major provincial capital, entirely surrounded by the Taliban and Afghan forces, more and more, are simply deserting or surrendering when they find themselves under Taliban attack, because morale here is very low.

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: The State Department said that progress towards a political solution between the Afghan government and the Taliban has been painfully slow, but also continued to reiterate the U.S. position that a political solution is the only way toward peace in Afghanistan. And the State Department spokesperson said that the U.S. is pushing the international community to support intra Afghan dialogue.

Now, the U.S. representative for Afghanistan is in Doha, in talks with the Taliban. The State Department says that he will urge them to stop their military offenses in Afghanistan and also urge them to engage in a negotiated political settlement.

But he himself has also said that the Taliban feel emboldened by the gains that they have made on the battlefield. And there are concerns about what kind of pressure the U.S. can really apply here. What kind of leverage the U.S. really has here to push the Taliban to really engage in any of these negotiations in a real way, particularly given the fact that President Biden continues to double down on his decision to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by later this month.

Kylie Atwood, CNN, the State Department.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: General Wesley Clark is a CNN military analyst who has served as NATO's Supreme allied commander. He is with us again from Little Rock, Arkansas. Thanks for coming back.

[01:05:01]

GEN. WESLEY CLARK, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Thank you. Good to be with you.

VAUSE: OK. So, last hour we talked about Pakistan's support for the Taliban, in particularly the intelligence service, which is traditionally always supported the Taliban. It raises the question, why is the U.S. hoping that Pakistan will pressure the Taliban into a power sharing arrangement? It seems kind of delusional at this point.

CLARK: I'm sure that's going on behind the scenes. I would certainly hope it is going on behind the scenes. However, like many efforts to pressure Pakistan, they've been very scaled at dodging the pressure.

It's always been a reluctance to put pressure on because they are a nuclear weapon state. And we know that their nuclear program was used to proliferate nuclear weapons, back 30 years ago. And so that's clear, there is a limit therefore to how much pressure the United States can put on Pakistan. It's a large country, 200 million people. So it's not to be trifled with, ideally.

And then there's the issue of how much control did the Pakistanis really have? They want the Pashtuns, who were on the Taliban, on their side. They've always viewed them as the safe area, leaving it as a safer area in the case of a conflict with India. And so the last thing they want to do is to alienate the Pashtuns in the northwest frontier area, as well as along the border. So there's only so much that the Pakistanis are going to be willing to do, regardless of U.S. pressure.

VAUSE: The Afghan prime minister said on Wednesday that his government is probably experiencing one of the most opportunistic military campaigns of violence and terror by the Taliban in its history of our country. It is true that the Taliban offensive has been incredibly successful.

And if the Afghan national forces are unable to stand up to the Taliban, unable to repel this offensive, what about the warlords and they're heavily armed forces? Will they have more success? There's a piece that they made becoming into the battle as well.

CLARK: Well, I think the options for the Afghan government really drawdown into the military, because at this point, until they can show fortitude, militarily, they're not going to get the kind of compromise with the Taliban. They will not get the compromise they like. How would they do that? They've got to pull their forces together. They've got to reinvigorate their fighting morale, of the Afghan forces, and they have to concentrate their combat power.

And they are attempting to do that now. But you know, the problem is that when army start to retreat, army morale collapses really quickly. Just look back at what happened in 2001, when the United States forces intervened in Afghanistan, and in 4 or 5 weeks to complete Taliban government had collapsed. And all the forces had dissipated or been destroyed.

So if things can happen very quickly in Afghanistan if the momentum turns against you. So I hope that the government there in Kabul will concentrate on pulling its forces together, see the commitment from political leaders in Afghanistan. And will work together and perhaps be able to eke out a compromise, that spares the country to full brunt of civil war.

VAUSE: Very quickly, we'll just finish up here, when armies retreat, they also left behind a lot of weapons and materiel.

This is CNN's reporting from Wednesday, in capturing military police and military bases, the Taliban have acquired armored vehicles, Humvees and heavy weapons, as well as dozens of ubiquitous pick up trucks, a steady stream of captured vehicles, many of them have been provided by the U.S. (INADUIBLE) base on Wednesday.

So, the situation now is that the Taliban are not only taking territory but they're becoming better armed, and that advantage, if there really was an advantage the Afghan national forces ever had with U.S. supplied weapon is diminishing.

CLARK: That's right. And so, the balance of forces is changing very quickly. And this is characteristic of what happens when momentum shifts in a country like this.

So, none of this should be a surprise. It's all to be expected. And now, the weight really falls on the political leadership of Afghanistan. Can they rally together? Deal with the remnants of the military? Pull the military together and inspire their soldiers to fight to the death? Can they do that?

That's the question. If they value freedom, if they value democracy, and trying to provide that, if they value alignment with the west, and safety for their families, education for their women and children, they will do this. If not, then Afghan state as we know it, will go back under Taliban control.

[01:10:02]

VAUSE: Yeah, the latter seems to be the more likely path at the moment. But let's hope that it will change.

General Clark, thank you for being with us.

CLARK: Thank you.

VAUSE: For almost a year and a half, closed borders spared New Zealand the worst of the pandemic. But fortress New Zealand is coming to an end, with the phased reopening to the world starting early next year.

But first, the government plans to ramp up vaccinations to blunt the impact of the delta variant.

Manisha Thank joins us now from Singapore with more on this. And they're opening up an they're also at the same time implementing a plan for zero COVID, eliminate the entire thing if they can.

MANISHA TANK, JOURNALIST: Yeah, well, they've maintain this elimination strategy from the beginning. If you recall, John, they were one of the first countries to benefit really from their geographic location, but also had a really strict policy, managing to keep cases low, just 2,500. You and I both know that compares very fair verbally, given the caseload we've seen from other countries.

But what is happened is very significant. New Zealand saying they will ramp up vaccinations, from early next year travelers going to New Zealand if they come from low risk countries, will not have to quarantine. This is the beginning of the idea of opening up.

And I say the idea, because in her press conference, the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, made it clear that this is a moderated, softly, softly approach. Here's what she had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACINDA ARDERN, NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER: We're not in a position to fully reopen just yet. When we move, we will be careful and deliberate, because we want to move with confidence and with as much certainty as possible. Rushing could see us in the situation many other countries are in, after the same periods of case numbers falling, through the vaccination, they're finding them rise again after relaxing their settings and opening their borders. So, our plan is to reopen in a phased way, where we check and assess before we take each step.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TANK: Very clear, to be a softly, softly approach to make sure that they can make this as successful as they have, been on this virus. John?

VAUSE: Yeah, and they've done a great job. Jacinda Ardern has certainly lead the way around the world.

A very different story, though, across the Tasman, three hours flight to Sydney, Australia, where a lockdown has been extended, in fact, much of Australia is now been dealing with a surge of cases in COVID- 19. And they too are trying to eliminate the coronavirus, but not having much success.

TANK: Yeah. Well, it depends on where you go in Australia. So let's talk about New South Wales. This week we've seen a surge in cases. Sidney, for example, which is the capital of the state of the New South Wales, has seen cases mean that they have gone into a 7th week of lockdown. We've also heard of extended lockdowns.

Let's take, for example, the capital territory of Canberra, authorities they're saying that they are now going to go into a 7-day lockdown. This as a result as a case the first case of COVID-19 in an entire year. But let's weigh in with the Australian Olympic committee were very

upset about returning athletes from the Tokyo Olympics who have already done 14 days quarantine in New South Wales. They are now being told that to return to their home state in South Australia, a neighboring state, they will have to do another 14 days. So, the Australian Olympic committee saying that this is cruel and uncaring -- John.

VAUSE: Manisha, thank you. Manisha Tank there live for us in Singapore.

When we come back, from fires to floods, there is widespread damage on turkey's coast. And this latest emergency is expected to get worse.

Also ahead, on the front lines of Algeria's wildfires with little more than a bucket, a tree branch and determination to save their homes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:16:05]

VAUSE: Flash flooding in northern Turkey has destroyed homes, damaged roads, bridges, affected cars and debris, sent it through towns. Two provinces on the Black Sea coast have been affected with, power outages in nearly 300 villages. People stranded on rooftops have been rescued by helicopters in some instances.

On the Greek island of Evia, they can see the sound for the first time in days. The thick heavy smoke from recent wildfires is starting to clear, firefighters slowly gained control. At least 3 people have been killed. Hundreds left homeless.

Tourism and agriculture said to be facing extinction. The fire emergency has spread to other parts of the country.

Southern Italy is scorching as well. A 77 year old man in Calabria was killed trying to save his animals from a fire. More than 100 fires burning in the region. Local officials are urging residents to evacuate.

And a town in Sicily were just shy of 49 degrees Celsius. That's another breaking of Europe's all-time heat record. Will tell you why it was an official in a moment.

In the other end of the Mediterranean, the death toll has climbed to 67 from wildfires in Algeria.

CNN's Jomana Karadsheh has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: These wildfires have been absolutely devastating. More than 100 according to state media, according to officials since Monday. The area most impacted -- this is in northern Algeria, 16 provinces where they have seen these fires spread across forest, mountainous areas, villages, some really hard to reach areas, which has made the battle against these wildfires so much harder for the authorities.

Now, the government says it is reaching out to European allies, to try and hire more capabilities, to help in the fight against these wild fires, and also asking for support. We heard from the French President Emmanuel Macron saying that France is going to be sending firefighting planes and that they stand with Algeria in trying to assist them during these wildfires. Dozens of people have lost their life, including service members, soldiers were deployed to the region to assist civilians and the and in the firefighting efforts, absolutely terrifying images that we have seen coming from Algeria, not just firefighters and soldiers trying to extinguish these flames, we saw civilians doing all that they can, grabbing but they could find, including tree branches and filling a buckets of water and water containers to try to put out the flames, to try to save their homes and their livelihoods.

The government says it is investigating these fires while they have not denied that the current weather conditions, the heat wave that is impacting the country with some record temperatures, may have contributed to these fires. We have heard senior officials including the prime minister blaming this on arsonists saying that there were criminal elements involved.

And we've heard from some government officials through state media saying that it is not normal seeing these sorts simultaneous fires taking place in so many different areas. But what we have seen in recent days, in recent weeks, in the Mediterranean region, whether it's here, or in Turkey, also in Greece, Cyprus, Italy, it's that scientists are saying that these wildfires that become larger in scale, more ferocious, that this could be the new normal. They are warning that the Mediterranean region right now is becoming a wildfire hot spot.

Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Istanbul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[01:20:02]

VAUSE: Let's go to CNN meteorologist Pedram Javaheri.

So, yeah, this is one of the concerns. All these things coming together, and just very quickly, we heard that 49 degrees Celsius temperature, in Italy. But they are double checking the data to make sure it's right? That's why it's unofficial at this point?

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You know, John, I have that graphic here to show, with regards to that. It's remarkable. Because you have to keep in mind, there are tens of thousands of weather stations scattered throughout Europe, very much, one of those areas around the world where weather data is as reliable as it gets as is in the United States.

We see an observation like that, you see some of these weather observations have been kept from over 100 years in some of these areas across Europe, and we've never seen a temperature that high. That really speaks to what is happening across Europe, and the images coming out of places like Algeria, Northern Africa, you see the perspective in someone that has covered fire activity. You can see elevated terrain like this, that's concerning as well.

(INAUDIBLE) and hold it next to your finger, it burns slowly towards your finger. But you get a little bit of smoke, it runs rapidly. That sort of elevated terrain allows fires to rapidly expand up the mountain sides, that's a concern. High pressure is part of that. And you have air compressing, sinking, warming. Of course, we're getting prime tremendous heat, including in areas like Sicily. It should be 31 here in the middle of August for this time of year, but continental records have been around 49 degrees around Sicily, records going back to Athens, further observation.

And this record is likely going to fall soon. And I would put it in a question at a fall again for the next year.

VAUSE: Pedram, stay with us. There's a lot of weather and there will be a lot more weather as we move forward.

But in the meantime, we want to look at Tropical Storm Fred, which is weakened to a tropical depression, dumping rain on parts of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The system is heading northwest towards Cuba with now heavy flooding there expected, I should say.

CNN's Patrick Oppmann has more now reporting in from Havana.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fred continues to turn through the Caribbean, causing heavy flooding in the Dominican Republic. Streets are full of water there, and there is spreading rain, through the Dominican Republic and it's expected to impact Haiti and then as it continues westward, eventually reach Cuba and also caused heavy rain to the Bahamas.

In Cuba, there is a lot of concern because it is expected to go up the entire North Coast, just about the entire north coast of the island. And in Cuba, previous storms, as then, people have to evacuate areas due to flooding. And during the pandemic, we have seen that causes people to have to go into shelters, travel across the island. And that invariably leads to higher numbers of coronavirus. And that comes as Cuba is seeing some of the highest numbers over the last several weeks of the entire pandemic.

So, officials are concerned that this will continue to make a bad situation worse. As well, if it does lead to power outages, it's power outages that were one of the sparks that caused unusual, unprecedented protests in Cuba in July. So, the power is out here as a result of the tropical storm for any extended period of time, that could cause more discontent. The kind of discontent we saw the lead people to go into the streets and say they want better living conditions and freedom.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.

(END VIDEOTAPE) VAUSE: Okay, Patrick, thank you very much.

Let's go back to Pedram Javaheri at the CNN weather center with more.

So, what more do you got about Fred's movement, because it is unlikely to strengthen to a hurricane, right?

JAVAHERI: That's right. There's a lot of wind shear, meaning winds above the storm systems are beginning to shred it apart, as it tries to gain strength, and the water temperature is incredibly warm, in some areas 31 or 32 degrees. And 28 is what you need to sustain a tropical system.

A very mountainous landscape is interacting with. And that is why it is a tropical depression. So, a lot of good for the storm system as far as not allowing it to strengthen, keeping it at bay, as it runs into the land, interacts with the coastline, wind shear above it, whips it apart.

Certainly could have been a far worse system, but if you take a look we do have tropical storm watches in effect across parts of Cuba. This is done we expected to parallel the northern coast of Cuba, these are the water temperatures I'm speaking of, going up to 34 degrees when you go up into the Gulf of Mexico.

So if you find a storm that navigates around masses here, and unfortunately, plenty of time in a season here for storms to pull off something like that. But if that is the case and they end up going up into that area of Mexico, that is why the season becomes very concerning. And models are in pretty good agreement, that at least in the initial phase in this forecast, it parallels the coastline, hugs around areas of Cuba.

[01:25:06]

But once we get to Sunday and to Monday and early next week, that is where we get to the system may end up. Does it hug the western coast of Florida, and make maybe landfall as a weaker tropical storm, or does it reemerge over portions of the Gulf of Mexico? Which looks less likely right now, John, but if it were the case, a little more possibility there for the system to strengthen into a hurricane. So certainly we are following next few days, John.

VAUSE: Yes, you are busy today, next week, the rest of the year. Thanks, Pedram.

JAVAHERI: Yeah, seems like it.

VAUSE: Well, the anger is growing in Canada after a court in China finds two Canadians guilty on trumped up charges. When we come back, we'll explain why those convictions have everything to do with the arrest of that woman there, a Huawei executive when she was arrested in Vancouver.

Also ahead, so many are dying every day from COVID-19 in Indonesia, that undertakers can't keep up. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

The angry diplomatic insults are flying between China and Canada, with Beijing accusing the Canadians of double standards for criticizing a prison sentence for one Canadian businessman on espionage charges and prosecution of another Canadian citizen. Both cases are seen as countermeasures by China after the arrest of a Huawei executive in Vancouver three years ago.

CNN's Paula Newton has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Certainly troubling events, not just for Michael Spavor but also Michael Kovrig who was also been found guilty of espionage, his sentence has yet to come down.

This is the case of the two Michaels, both Canadian citizens who have been detained in China. Really since Meng Wanzhou, a Huawei executive, the daughter of the founder of Huawei, was detained in Canada on an extradition request from the United States. And by all accounts, this is really all interconnected.

Now, certainly, Canada condemned this latest sentencing as unjust and completely unacceptable. The foreign minister going as far as to say it was a mock trial, and saying that this was arbitrary detention and this was in the interest of all countries to make sure that China does not get away with this.

What is crucial here though is that Canada's foreign minister says that there are, what he describes as, intense discussions behind the scenes to trying and come to resolution. Take a listen.

MARC GARNEAU, CANADIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: I can assure you, and you heard President Biden comment back in February that the detention of the two Michaels is completely unjustified. [01:29:52]

That they were treating them as though they were American citizens and that they were working with us to try to find a solution for the release of the two Michaels.

And I can't go into any further details but those intense discussions continue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What is interesting here is that these negotiations involve the United States. It will depend on what the U.S. Justice Department decides what they want to do with the Meng Wanzhou that is all connected to the case of the two Michaels, Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig, who Canada says have been basically detained for no reason at all with no transparency to the trial and no evidence.

It is those intense negotiations on which everything hinges right now. And remember, the calls have been louder to boycott the winter Olympics in China if these kinds of issues go any further.

It is realistic that in the coming weeks or months, perhaps we will see some kind of negotiated resolution.

Paula Newton, CNN -- Ottawa.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: It seems nowhere around the world has been spared the surge of the delta variant. In the western Pacific, according to the W.H.O., the number of cases increased by 18 percent in the past week. The number of deaths up by almost 50 percent.

With us now from Kuala Lumpur is Dr. Abhishek Rimal, with the Red Cross and Red Crescent Society which is responsible for emergency health coordination across the Asia-Pacific Region.

So thank you for being with us again.

(INAUDIBLE)

VAUSE: You know, we'll talk vaccines in a moment, but from China to Japan, South Korea to Malaysia, all the traditional non-pharmaceutical interventions that worked fairly well a year ago -- lock downs, masking up, social distancing -- just not making the same impact with the delta variant. Is this just because the delta variant being so contagious or is it also because there's pandemic fatigue. People are just not as vigilant? Where is the emphasis here if it's a combination of both?

DR. ABHISHEK RIMAL, ASIA PACIFIC EMERGENCY HEALTH COORDINATOR, IFRC: The recent recorded surges of COVID-19 across the Asia Pacific region is definitely fueled by the delta variant which is regarded as one of the most transmissible SARS-Coronavirus 2 virus which we have known so far.

We have to also remember like we are 20 months into the pandemic and people are a bit sick and tired of all the rules and regulations and maintaining all the public health measures. And they desperately want to go back to the normal life.

And in doing so, they are also lowering their guard, which is allowing the delta variant to transmit even faster. And on top of that we have the vaccine, the vaccines are -- the vaccination rate in the Asia Pacific is lower.

And I think it is the combination of the delta variant, the pandemic fatigue, and lack of vaccination that is really contributing to the massive surge of COVID-19 in this region.

VAUSE: Because this is the big difference here now between places like the United States, the U.K., where they have the vaccine and the vaccination rates are relatively high. And that means that people are getting infected but sort of the worst of the symptoms are being avoided. People are still going to hospital, but it's nothing like we have seen in the past. And you know, hospitals are filling up but not like they are in Asia.

So the reality is, it would seem that many people, especially in Asia where they don't have access to vaccinations have died. You know, where wealthier nations, sit on these large -- you know, millions -- not just several (ph) doses, millions of doses doing nothing.

DR. RIMAL: Yes. Like this unequal access to vaccine is really affecting us all. I think one of the most critical thing at this point of time is successfully sharing the vaccine doses across the world.

If we want to genuinely end this pandemic, there is only one thing that we can do with a rapid pace is to share those doses of COVID-19 vaccines across Asia. It is quite encouraging to see like countries like the United States and many other rich countries are pledging to give millions of doses in several countries in Asia.

But these promises need to turn into action as soon as possible. And that will give us a genuine chance to end this pandemic.

VAUSE: I want you to listen now to the head of the W.H.O., the World Health Organization, on the surging numbers of COVID cases in recent months. Here it is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, W.H.O. DIRECTOR-GENERAL: Last week, the 200 million cases of COVID-19 was reported to the W.H.O. just 6 months after the world passed the 100 million reported cases.

And we know that the real number of cases is much higher. Whether we reached 300 million and how fast we get there depends on all of us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: So if countries in Asia, like Malaysia, do not see a boost in vaccine supplies, what happens in the short, and what happens in the medium term?

[01:34:55]

DR. RIMAL: If we are unable to ramp up the vaccine production or the vaccine distribution and the vaccination of the people as soon as possible, we will give a chance to virus to circulate in the environment for a longer time. And this will allow the virus to mutate. And we can very well see a mutant variant which is more transmissible and more (INAUDIBLE) even than the delta variant, which has every possibility to reverse all the progress we have made, even the countries where the vaccination has been done in a massive scale.

And we can very well see a pandemic within a pandemic if we do not vaccinate more and more people across the globe. And just tell me quickly, what is the situation like there in Malaysia? We've seen doctors go on strike because they have been overworked. They're being pushed to the very brink.

Hospitals just simply are not coping. Oxygen is in short supply. What has it been like?

DR. RIMAL: The cases are increasing but now the health system has really ramped up its support to increase the efforts around this. And what we have seen like more and more people are now getting vaccinated across the country, which is now more than 20 percent.

And the government believes that by September, more than 60 percent or 70 percent of the people will be vaccinated in the country where we generally believe the cases will start coming down by the end of August or beginning of September in the country.

VAUSE: Dr. Abhishek Rimal, thank you so much for being with us there from Kuala Lumpur.

DR. RIMAL: Thank you for having me.

VAUSE: We appreciate your time. Thank you, sir.

Police in northwest Germany are investigating a nurse who is suspected of replacing COVID vaccines with saline solution. Authorities say more than 8,000 people may have received the wrong vaccine, or no vaccine, and they're urging them to come forward to get a new shot. Officials overseeing the case say police found the nurse had anti-vaccine motivations.

Mexico's president has promised to protect a prominent TV anchor after her life was very publicly threatened by one of the country's most notorious drug cartels.

Azucena Uresti says on her newscast that she will not back down from doing her job. She has been covering cartel violence for Milenio TV.

Matt Rivers has more now reporting in from Mexico City.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): One of Mexico's most powerful criminal groups, the Jalisco New Generation cartel, has directly threatened an extremely prominent journalist here in Mexico by the name of Azucena Uresti. She works as an anchor hosting a show for Milenio, a pretty big channel and media group here in Mexico.

And it was earlier this week that this criminal group posted a video that circulated widely on social media where they directly threatened the life of Uresti with one of the group's leaders saying in this video that CNN cannot independently confirm its authenticity, but in this video this alleged leader says, quote, "I assure you that if you continue talking about me Azucena Uresti, wherever you are I will get you and I will make you eat your words even if they accuse me femicide because you don't know me." Uresti did respond to this video on her own show. Here's a little bit of what she had to say.

AZUCENA URESTI, TV ANCHOR (through translator): I have joined the federal system of protection from the government. I repeat, our work will continue to be based on the truth and with the intention of providing information on the reality of a country like ours.

And also, as has happened on other occasions, I express my solidarity and support to hundreds of colleagues who are still threatened or who have had to leave their areas but who keep on showing the volley of information and their love for this profession.

RIVERS: And you hear her there talking about the threats that other journalists here in Mexico face. This is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a local journalist. Mexican journalists here routinely risk their lives just doing their jobs.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists since the beginning 2020, 13 journalists have been killed here in Mexico. Going back 10 years, 76 journalists according to the Committee to Protect Journalists have been killed here in Mexico.

It is an incredibly dangerous job. And what we're seeing with Uresti is a high-profile example of the threats the journalists face here every day.

Matt Rivers, CNN -- Mexico City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: It is now looking much more likely that the former leader of Sudan will stand trial for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity. Sudan's new government has taken a big step towards sending Omar al-Bashir to the International Criminal Court to answer for atrocities in Darfur more than a decade ago.

CNN's Scott McLean has the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Former Sudanese president Omar al- Bashir is already locked up in Sudan after being convicted for corruption in 2019. And he's also facing trial there for the 1989 coup that brought him to power for the next 30 years.

[01:39:57]

MCLEAN: The indictments against him in the Hague pertain specifically to the Darfur conflict in the mid-2000s which killed hundreds of thousands and displaced well over two million.

There are 10 charges in total covering war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. Al-Bashir specifically is accused of directing Arab militias to put down non-Arab rebel groups in Darfur who were attempting an insurrection. But in the process, those militias also targeted innocent civilians.

And prevented aid that was desperately needed like food and medicine, from getting in.

In February last year, Sudan which is now run by a military transitional government promised it would hand over al-Bashir to the International Criminal Court. And now the foreign minister is making good on that by signing on to the Rome Stature which allows the formal hand-over of al-Bashir to take place.

One of his lawyers told CNN that the government's decision to hand him over to the ICC is a conspiracy and warned that if he is extradited to The Hague, it will be a disaster for Sudan.

He also indicated that there are legal steps that the defense can take to drag out the process. And so it is not clear when that handover could take place or how many others might go with him.

Scott McLean, CNN -- Nairobi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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VAUSE: So now with the deal done, Messi mania continues to spread across Paris. There were long lines outside Paris Saint-Germain flagship store on Wednesday. Fans were eager to buy Lionel Messi's new number 30 kit. And it's not cheap.

Men's jersey sells for almost $200 U.S. PSG's social media accounts are bursting at the seams, gaining thousands of new followers.

The former Barcelona star was officially unveiled at a news conference Wednesday. He says he believes PSG is the ideal best place for him to win a 5th Champions League title. And he sat down with World Sports Amanda Davies.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: And so a new chapter begins for Lionel Messi here in one Paris, Saint-Germaine -- here the park de France. It has been such a whirlwind few days for the 34-year-old.

There has been people here telling me they can't quite believe the move has happened and happened so fast. So perhaps it is no surprise that the man himself admitted he's still trying to process and put it in to work.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVIES: Congratulations, lovely to see you. We have seen you this week go through the whole range of emotions. Can you even begin to sum up the last few days?

LIONEL MESSI, FSG FORWARD (through translator): Well, the truth is, it's hard to put into words what I have had to live through this week, it was really difficult what happened with Barcelona. Saying farewell after being there my whole life in one place.

[01:44:55]

MESSI: And after three days, without forgetting what happened, everything changed. I was living with a lot of doubt, a lot of nerves, a lot of anticipation that this would happen and, well, a lot of excitement and desire to get started.

It was a special arrival. The welcome from the people who welcomed me, who came out into the streets. I'm very excited to start this new era that I'm going to live. And I'm ready to ready to start my new life here in Paris.

DAVIES: You have won league titles, you have won champion league titles, but this is new to you. Are you ready for a life as the new guy in the dressing room?

MESSI: Yes, honestly I'm aware of my background and the objective this club has. Fighting for a while to win a champions league, and it came close these last few years.

For me, on a personal level, I would love to win another champions league, like I've said in previous years. And I think I've come to the ideal place that is ready for that.

We have the same goals that clubs got impressive players, one of the best squads in the world. And god willing, we can achieve that goal which Paris want so much, I want so much, and hopefully, we can enjoy it with the people of Paris too.

DAVIES: What is the aim, why does success for you here?

MESSIE: Well, honestly I live day to day, I think about enjoying in the dressing but there's a lot of guys I know. I have friends there who are, like I said, among the best in the world. I know them. And being able to enjoy playing with them, to be able to achieve the goals that the club has, and doing it all in a relaxed way and going slowly. I'd love to be able to keep winning titles and to do it here in France. To fight for everything. I think those are the objectives and hopefully it happens.

DAVIES: Have you allowed yourself to contemplate the prospective PSG against Barcelona in the champions league?

MESSI: Well, it could happen. It would be strange for me if it happens. On the one hand, it would be special going back to my home with a different shirt on.

But we'll see what happens in the future. And if it does, we will enjoy it as well.

DAVIES: There have been fans queuing up, desperate to get their hands on the new 30 Messi jersey already. We got a sneak peek as he came out wearing one for a kick-about with his children after all his commitment had been done. But if there was hyped around today, just imagine what it's going to

be like when he takes to the field properly for his debut in a few weeks time.

Amanda Davies, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

And you can watch Amanda Davies' full interview with Lionel Messi on our website, go to cnn.com/ world sport.

You're watching CNN NEWSROOM and we will be right back after a very short break.

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VAUSE: The U.S. state of Missouri has the dubious honor in the United States of having one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country at the same time the number of children diagnosed and admitted to hospital with COVID is surging. So those who did not get the vaccine are impacting those who cannot get the vaccine.

Gary Tuchman reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Knock, knock.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A children's hospital in Missouri. Sitting on the couch is Angel Baker, a mother who has gone through a horrifying week. Her 14-year-old daughter Marionna tested positive for COVID. Got very sick and was put on oxygen for five days.

Angel says her daughter has received excellent treatment here at the Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital in St. Louis.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It might make you cough but that's what we want.

That was a good one. Oh. I warned you. Good job.

TUCHMAN: Marionna and her mother live about 150 miles away in southern Missouri. She started feeling ill at home. It quickly got worse.

ANGEL BAKER, MOTHER: I was scared, I was panicking. Monday, the 2nd, August the 2nd, I decided to take her urgent care because she told me she could not breathe.

TUCHMAN: The decision was made for Marionna to be transported by ambulance to this renowned children's hospital. For Marionna, it was like a nightmare.

MARIONNA BAKER, COVID PATIENT: It was very scary.

TUCHMAN (on camera): When you saw her struggling to breathe with the oxygen, what was going through your mind?

ANGELA BAKER: Just praying. Asking God to bring her back. Keep her safe.

TUCHMAN: Were you afraid she wasn't going to make it?

ANGELA BAKER: Yes sir.

TUCHMAN (voice over): The 40-year-old mother said she received the COVID vaccine, but says her daughter did not.

(on camera): Why didn't she get vaccinated?

ANGELA BAKER: I don't know. I listened up to her and she decided that she did not want to get vaccinated.

TUCHMAN: I don't mean to make you feel badly, because you are going through so much. My guess is, and I'm making an educated guess, that you wish you had insisted upon her getting vaccinated.

ANGELA BAKER: Yes.

TUCHMAN (voice over): There are currently children as young as two years old in the pediatric intensive care unit and the regular patient rooms at this hospital. Of course, children under 12 cannot yet get the vaccine.

(on camera): Last year at this time, doctors here say the typical numbers of children with COVID coming into the emergency room on a daily basis were zero, one or two. Now, they say, their daily number is usually 11, 12, or 13.

Dr. Wail Hayajneh is a pediatric infectious disease specialist at the hospital.

DR. WAIL HAYAJNEH, PEDIATRIC INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST: We're seeing more serious cases. We are seeing more cases in ICU. And seeing more cases that require longer duration of treatment in the hospital.

TUCHMAN: Dr. Alin Tanyo (ph) is the surgical unit medical director here.

DR. ALIN TANYO, SURGICAL UNIT MEDICAL DIRECTOR: It's agonizing sometimes especially when you see some of these sick -- some of these kids spiraling down before they head to the ICU.

[01:55:02]

TUCHMAN (on camera): How many children who are ill with COVID in this hospital have gotten the vaccine also?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: None.

ANGELA BAKER: You want another --

MARIONNA BAKER: Yes. TUCHMAN (voice over): Marionna has turned the corner and is looking

forward to recuperating at home. And then being well enough to start her life as a high school freshman. She left us with this message.

MARIONNA BAKER: Get the vaccine so you won't have to be in the hospital bed where you can't breathe.

TUCHMAN: And her mother has one too.

ANGEL BAKER: Please, parents -- get vaccinated and get your kids vaccinated. It is real. Don't let no school, no governor, none -- it's real.

TUCHMAN: There are certainly wonderful people who work in this hospital, but it's a sad and sullen (ph) place to be. And that's why the news I'm about to tell you is very nice. Marionna has been released from the hospital. She is back home recuperating with her mother by her side.

She was supposed to start high school a week from Monday. She won't be able to go to school just yet. But her mother's hoping she is healthy enough to attend school perhaps before the end of September.

One more interesting note, Marionna has a 12-year-old sister who also hadn't gotten her vaccine. Her mother Angel was here by Marionna's side at this hospital, but drove this past Friday more than two hours to their hometown in southern Missouri and took her younger daughter to get her vaccination.

This is Gary Tuchman, CNN -- in St. Louis, Missouri.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Instagram has unveiled a new future to block racist and other unwanted offensive comments. It's called Limits and it can filter direct messages and lock down an account when facing a flood of nasty comments.

The head of Instagram wrote, "We hope these new features will protect people from seeing abusive content whether it's racist, sexist, homophobic, or any other type of abuse none of which have any place on Instagram." How about Twitter? How about -- anyway.

Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause.

I'll be back with a lot more news after a very short break. You are watching CNN.

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