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Suspect Arrested and Charged in Norway Attack; Biden's Round- the-Clock Plan to Combat U.S. Supply Shortage; IEA Calls for Clean Energy Investment to Triple by 2030; U.S. Vaccine Advisers to Tackle Question About Boosters. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired October 14, 2021 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, everyone. You're watching CNN Newsroom. I'm John Vause.
Coming up this hour, deadly rampage in Norway five people killed by a suspected lone attacker, allegedly armed with a bow and arrow.
Two of the busiest ports in the U.S. will soon both be operating 24/7. Part of the U.S. president's plan to clear supply chains and shortages to try and slow rising prices.
And William Shatner, who spent much of his life playing the captain of a starship finally travels to the final frontier. 10-minute-long life changing experience.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.
VAUSE: We begin with the very latest on the violent rampage in a small town in Norway, which led five people dead, two others are badly wounded.
A 37-year-old man armed with a bow and arrow has been charged. Police say it appears he was acting alone. The crime scene is spread across a wide area of Kingsburg where with the first attack in a supermarket in the center of town.
The suspect was in police custody less than half an hour after the first emergency calls. Right now, a motive is not known. Investigators are not ruling out a possible link to terrorism.
Murder is rare in Norway just 31 cases reported last year according to the New York Times. Just months ago, Norway marked the 10th anniversary of a deadly attack by right wing extremists who killed 77 people.
CNN's Melissa Bell following developments as far as yourself from Paris, she joins us live. So, Melissa, there's a lot of unanswered questions here most notably, why?
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Why precisely no idea of what the motive might have been whether there was any political motive at all, just the extraordinary facts of the case so far that five people have died, two now wounded after that extraordinary attack involving a bow and arrow, John, began yesterday evening, just after 6 p.m. in that town in Norway. We wait to find out more about why and also who was involved?
WE know that one man is now in custody, a Danish citizen. We don't know very much more about him than that, we don't have a name yet. And this is something that of course, Norwegian authorities will continue to track over the course of the day to try and figure out exactly what happened. Here is what the country's outgoing Prime Minister had to say about the attack.
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ERNA SOLBERG, OUTGOING NORWEGIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translation): We don't know if it's a political attack that has taken place, the police will have to investigate that. We know that in many countries over a long-time, attacks have been prevented by good police work, but that the issue of lone perpetrators is difficult, but we need to know more to find out if this is one of these situations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BELL: Erna Solberg there, the resigning Prime Minister pushed out by an election that we'll see the Labor Party come in, in Norway. And again, that question of what the motive might have been in a country that simply isn't used. As you mentioned, a moment ago, John, to these kinds of violence attacks. Police normally unarmed have been told to carry weapons until more is known, although the level of emergency in Norway has not been raised, John.
VAUSE: The fact that he was using a bow and arrow I guess is one of the mysteries here that many people want to know exactly, why is there a case of strong gun control laws in Norway? Are bow and arrow is freely available? What do we know about the situation?
BELL: Very little. We know that the authorities who gave a press conference last night often used with the arrest emerge of the incident emerge, announced that they were investigating also whether he'd been carrying other weapons beyond that bow and arrow.
We know that the attack happened over more than half an hour beginning in a small supermarket then spreading out over a wide area. Whether it was simply with his bow and arrow that he managed to kill five people or whether other weapons may have been involved is under investigation. But yes, that is one of the most bizarre facts of this case, John, you're quite right. The weapon that we know to venues so far local press photographs showing one of the bows planted in a wall nearby. It seems extraordinary that that kind of carnage couldn't have been created by just a man wielding a bow and arrow within the space of half an hour. And again, five people dead, two wounded that is a pretty high-def tone. We await this morning more details both about the man who carried out the attack and as you mentioned, why he chose to go on the rampage last night in that small town in Norway, John.
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VAUSE: Melissa Bell, thank you. Melissa Bell, live for us there in Paris.
Well, the lead up to holiday shopping global supply chain problems are leading many retailers short on merchandise. Demand has surged as pandemic lockdowns and other restrictions have come to an end. But labor shortages around the world being containerships are not being unloaded, and their goods got transported to retailers some cases leading to empty store shelves as well as rising prices, which could slow the global economic recovery.
On Wednesday, U.S. President Joe Biden announced a 90-day sprint to try and unblock those supply chains.
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JOE BIDEN, (D) U.S. PRESIDENT: With the holidays coming up, you might be wondering if gifts you plan to buy will arrive on time. We have some good news we'll going to help speed up the delivery of goods all across America. After weeks of negotiation and working with my team, and with the major union retailers and freight movers, the ports of Los Angeles, the Port of Los Angeles announced today that it's going to be began operating 24 hours a day seven days a week.
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VAUSE: In the UK cargo ships carrying holiday toys and electronics were diverted from the port of Felixstowe because of a shortage of truck drivers to clear the docks. British officials are downplaying the delays I think the country should plan for holiday shopping as usual.
In the midst of an energy shortage, the European Commission is now proposing targeted short-term measures to help homeowners and businesses with rising costs. But long-term, the International Energy Agency says investment in clean energy is needed to triple by the end of the decade to fight climate change and keep energy costs under control. CNN's Clare Sebastian has more on the IEA's report, and how Russia could play a role in helping ease this crisis.
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CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This was a stark warning from the International Energy Agency that without drastic action, the world will fail to meet its net zero emissions target by 2050. The IEA says even if all current commitments are fulfilled, CO2 emissions will only fall by 40% by 2050. But this wasn't just a warning about the risks of climate change. This was a warning about the risks to economies if energy transitions aren't managed properly.
Current price volatility it says is giving countries quote advanced warning of what could happen if they fail to invest quicker in clean energy technologies. And that's exactly what Europe is grappling with right now, the EU Commission Wednesday outlining a dual approach, a short-term package of measures like tax cuts and vouchers to shield households from soaring energy prices this winter and accelerating longer term investments in renewable energy to ensure a sustainable transition and greater energy independence. All right now, of course, Europe is not energy independent. In fact, it's heavily dependent on Russia, which has been criticized for using the current crisis to further its own political gains and accelerate the approval of new pipelines like the controversial Nord Stream 2. President Putin Wednesday denied this and said he would be willing to talk about doing more.
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translation): RUSSIA flawlessly fulfills his contractual obligations to our partners, including our partners in Europe. We ensure guaranteed uninterrupted gas deliveries to Europe. We have all the reasons to believe that by the end of this year, we will reach record levels of gas deliveries to global market. Moreover, we always strive to meet our partners halfway. We are prepared to discuss any additional steps.
SEBASTIAN: All of this coming just weeks before the cop 26 climate summit in Glasgow. The IEA says there needs to be a, "unmistakable signal from leaders to spread the needed investment." Clare Sebastian CNN, New York.
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VAUSE: Megan Green is an Economics Commentary Writer for The Financial Times and a senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School. She joins us this hour from Boston. Megan, thank you for being with us.
MEGAN GREENE, SENIOR FELLOW, HARVARD KENNEDY SCHOOL: Yeah, thanks for having me.
VAUSE: OK, so here's a little more from Russia's president. He's responding to those outrageous, those outrageous allegations that the Kremlin is weaponizing gas supplies during this crisis. Here he is.
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PUTIN (through translation): You were talking about accusations against Russia that it uses energy sources as a weapon that is complete nonsense and rubbish, politically motivated, non-justified blather.
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VAUSE: Non-justified blather, except on the many occasions in the past when Russia has actually weaponized gas supplies in Europe.
GREENE: Yeah, absolutely. Russia has formed when it comes to doing this. It's done a number of times when there's been an energy crunch in Europe, when it wants to exert power certainly externally. To be fair on Putin, this time around the energy crunch isn't actually Russia's fault, per se, but I do think that Putin has seen an opportunity to come in and exert power in a somewhat benevolent way by saying, you know what, we'll go ahead and help you out here, of course expecting that a favor will come back Russia's way further down the line.
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VAUSE: Would you describe this, the E.U. energy commissioner said last week, our initial assessment indicates that Russia has been fulfilling its long-term contracts while not providing any additional supply. And then additional supply would be through spot deals or one-off purchases of gas. So, as you say, Russia is not to blame for the cost increases, but the Kremlin is not helping a whole lot here, is making a bad situation worse?
GREENE: So, I'm not sure that it's making a bad situation worse, that Russia is doing that necessarily, there are a lot of reasons for higher energy prices in Europe right now, you know, stretching from not enough wind this summer to not enough inventory from last winter. So, it's not all down to Russia. But energy prices being up are certainly making a bad problem worse and that prices have been rising across Europe, across the developed world, in fact, writ large.
VAUSE: Yeah, you mentioned the lack of wind, which is impacting the cost of energy in many parts of Europe, this, you know, this is another bump in the road, if you like and that transition from fossil fuels to renewables. And we heard from the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency with this warning. Listen to this.
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FAITH BIROL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY: Looking at the challenges we have in front of us both energy challenges and climate challenges, we need to accelerate our efforts in terms of the solar, wind, electric cars and other clean energy technologies. Otherwise, we may well see, A, more turbulence in the energy markets as we are experiencing now. And, B, we may very well be short of reaching our climate course.
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VAUSE: How much turbulence do you see in the years ahead, and can that be avoided?
GREENE: So, I think we are going to have a lot of turbulence. There's sort of two narratives on this one. One is that we need to hurry up and switch over to renewables. The other is, oh, God, we can't go too fast. Because if we haven't replaced what we're now consuming from fossil fuels, we're going to end up with huge supply shocks. I think that no matter what we are going to end up with supply shocks going forward. And the longer we wait to actually make this transition, the more abrupt the transition will end up having to be the bigger the supply shocks.
VAUSE: Yeah, there's also one of the other issues, which is being sort of playing out right now in the sort of the return to almost pre- pandemic normalcy if you like. And this is the supply chain issues. In the U.S. right now there's a record number of cargo containers anchored off the Southern California coast. The president on Wednesday announced the Port of Los Angeles will join the Port of Long Beach, moving to a 24/7 operation. Here he is.
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BIDEN: 24/7 system, what most of the leading countries in the world already operated on now, except us until now. This is the first key step toward moving our entire freight transportation and logistical supply chain nationwide to a 24/7 system.
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VAUSE: He also said that Walmart, which is the biggest retailer in the U.S., as well as FedEx, and UPS are ramping up their operations as well to try and just move inventory. How big of a dent will all of this make? Because what right now when you go to the supermarket, when you go to the stores, there are empty shelves still?
GREENE: Yes, so this should help. I think a big problem though, on the U.S. side of the supply chain disruptions is a lack of workers, so a lack of longshore workers and also truckers and this doesn't actually address that problem. So even if we run the ports 24 hours a day, we don't necessarily automatically have the workers to go ahead and do that. So, I think that will continue to be a challenge.
And also, don't forget that, you know, one issue in the supply chain can gum up the entire supply chain. And it's not just the U.S. ports that are a problem. I'll point to factories in China that are closing down in order to reach emissions targets, for example, and we can expect that to continue particularly given the China's hosting the Olympics next year, and they want blue skies. So even if we managed to address our side of supply chain disruptions, other countries might not actually manage to address theirs and then the entire chain can be disrupted. So, I think we'll continue to see these kinds of disruptions for at least the next six months, if not a year, and that will keep prices higher than they otherwise would have been.
VAUSE: Megan, thank you. Megan Greene. We appreciate you being with us.
GREENE: Thanks for having me.
VAUSE: Almost two years after Brexit became a reality and the U.K. and E.U. are still arguing, particularly over Northern Ireland's unique trade status. London is unhappy over restrictions on the movement of British goods says, current arrangements agreed to pre-Brexit are just not working. The E.U. has refused to scrap the current deal but on Wednesday proposed creating a so-called express lane for British goods destined for Northern Ireland.
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MAROS SEFCOVIC, VICE PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN COMMISSION: Indeed, we have completely turned our rules upside down and inside out to find a solid solution to an outstanding challenge that involves the E.U. changing its own rules on medicines. (END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Northern Ireland is part of the U.K. but remained within the E.U. Single Market after Brexit to avoid the need for a hard border with the Republic of Ireland.
Still to come, authorities in the United States, we'll take a closer look at the benefits of mixing and matching different vaccines with boosters. Also, ahead, a grand reopening for one of the world's most popular tourist destinations but no flights for days, means no tourists inside.
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VAUSE: Another sign of a return to normalcy with one of the world's most popular tourist destinations. Indonesia's result island of Bali said to reopen on Thursday. The past 18 months Bali has been close to international tourism way to try and slow the spread of the coronavirus. Visitors from a select number of countries will be welcomed in hopes they will bring a much-needed economic boost.
Let's go now to Manisha Tank, live in Singapore. Yes, they could bring a boost if they come.
MANISHA TANK, JOURNALIST: Yes, if they come. And I think that's the operative question, will they, John? As of a week ago, I can tell you that it wasn't tourists that were slated to be able to arrive come the 14th of October. It would be urgent skilled workers, paramedics, potential investors in Bali and it's still not entirely clear what international arrivals actually refers to. But if those tourist dollars do come back, that would be a massive boost for Bali's economy.
The island's governor coming out and saying 54% of tourism dollars actually contribute to the economy there. And I think that's really important also to note in hand and hand with the fact that of those 19 countries, they include the likes of India, and China and Japan, countries from which a tourism has been very strong to Bali in the past. But like you say it's been closed for 18 months.
One of the questions is why now? Well, it's partly down to vaccination rates. We know that across Indonesia, which were just months ago, you and I were talking about the fact that coronavirus was rampaging across the country. Vaccination rates are 20% but in Bali, the health ministry says they are some 90% for double vaccinations, and that's part of the deal. For those going to Bali they will have to be double vaccinated. They will also have to do a five-day quarantine in a hotel room. That doesn't mean you can roam around your beautiful tropical hotel. Nope, you will have to be confined to that space, but also you need $100,000 worth of COVID insurance as well. So, the deed tells as to who is actually getting visas issued in this list of 19 countries. Those are still quite patchy.
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And as you threw to me, as you handed to me, you sort of mentioned whether or not they turn up. Well, there is a question overflight scheduled. So far, we're hearing from the International Airport in Bali, that there are no international flights scheduled. And we are certainly checking in with them for updates.
VAUSE: Yeah, you need the flights to get the people to go to the beach.
TANK: Exactly.
VAUSE: And flights and this is a problem. Manisha, thank you. I appreciate the update.
Well, Canada and Mexico are hoping for a boost in tourism and business. Now the U.S. has decided to reopen land borders. The easing of COVID restrictions comes more than a year and a half after the pandemic began. A senior Biden administration official says increased vaccine availability and higher vaccination rates factored into the decision. We have reaction down from CNN's Raphael Romo in Mexico City. But first, we got to Paula Newton reporting in from Toronto.
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PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: U.S. losing those border restrictions was met with a great deal of relief here in Canada, no one thought the border would stay close for 19 days, let alone 19 months when this pandemic started. At issue now is what will fully vaccinated mean in terms of going into the United States here in Canada, more than one in 10 Canadians has likely what they call a mixed dose. So, they might have gotten AstraZeneca. But then they may have gotten a Pfizer or Moderna to follow that up. Right now. They are waiting to hear from the Centers for Disease Control in the United States as to whether or not that constitutes being fully vaccinated.
Having said that Canadians now can finally cross the border in November, again, if they are fully vaccinated. And that was actually met with a great deal of relief in the United States as well. It has been those communities all along the border from Washington State to Maine, that have been saying, look, Canada opened its land border in August, it is time for us to do the same. Our communities are suffering, our businesses are suffering.
Many expect that there will be some wrinkles along the way in the coming weeks or months. The border is certainly going through some staffing issues. But again, this will usher in a new stage of this pandemic. Something many people on both sides of the border have been waiting for. Paula Newton, CNN, Toronto.
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RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Families with relatives on both sides of the border could not be happier, closing the border more than 18 months ago, meant people belonging even to the same family were separated by the pandemic and businesses on both the American and Mexican sides have taken a big hit. According to officials, their reopening is thanks to a joint effort by Mexico and the United States to improve vaccination levels. Mexico's Health Department announced Tuesday that 75% of the country's adult population nearly 67 million people have received at least one dose of any of the different coronavirus vaccines. And according to health authorities, vaccination levels are as high as 95% in places like here in the Capitol, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador reacted to the announcement of the border reopening, saying that it was the result of hard work made by the governments of both his country and the United States.
ANDRES MANUEL LOPEZ OBRADOR, MEXICAN PRESIDENT (through translation): We're going to have normality at our northern border. Mexico has made many efforts and procedures with the United States government. There have been many meetings with the goal of achieving the reopening of the border. And at the same time, we decided to vaccinate in the border areas to help bring about this agreement.
ROMO: And let's remember that three top U.S. officials including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Attorney General Merrick Garland, and Homeland Security Secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas met with President Lopez Obrador here in Mexico City on Friday. The meeting was about a new bilateral security agreement, but there were other issues discussed as well. The Mexican government announced last month that more than 3.8 million people who live in 45 cities on six different states along the U.S. border had been vaccinated.
Mexican Foreign Minister Ebrard says, improved vaccination levels meant a faster border reopening.
MARCELO EBRARD, MEXICAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translation): The vaccination levels in Mexico, especially in the northern region, but also in the rest of the countries are very elevated or comparable with those of the United States. I will even say that there are cities in Mexico that have a higher vaccination levels than those in the United States.
ROMO: President Lopez Obrador had pushed since mid-September for a full reopening of the border given the improved vaccination levels. American border towns were also pushing for reopening because they have lost millions of dollars in the more than 18 months. They haven't had any Mexican shoppers spending money in their businesses. Rafael Romo, CNN, Mexico City.
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VAUSE: We say this with some caution, but there are signs of progress in the global fight against COVID. The World Health Organization says the number of deaths is down 10% last week, the number of new cases fell 7%. Much of the world is now in the yellow and green, but new infections and deaths are up in Europe.
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Meantime U.S. vaccine advisors are preparing to dive into the next round of questions about booster shots. Should Moderna and J&J boosters be authorized? And can any of the shots be mixed and matched for any extra benefit? Dr. Amy Compton-Phillips is the president of clinical care at Providence Health System, she's with us live this hour in Seattle. It's been a while good to see.
DR. AMY COMPTON-PHILLIPS, PRESIDENT OF CLINICAL CARE AT PROVIDENCE HEALTH SYSTEM: Good to have you, good to see you.
VAUSE: Now there's a slow downward trend in numbers of infections in most places around the world. And in Israel, read the headlines, they've declared the Delta variant defeated, at least for the next six months because of immunity from the vaccines. While there is a doctor in Boise, Idaho in the United States, who's actually declared defeat. Here he is.
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DR. STEVEN NEMERSON, SAINT ALPHONSUS HEALTH SYSTEM: Sadly today, I'm here to tell you that we've lost the war, that COVID is here to stay.
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VAUSE: And the reason why he says that is that not enough people are getting vaccinated. So, these numbers can be misleading, depending on how you read them. How do you see the current state of play where we're at right now, within this pandemic?
COMPTON-PHILLIPS: Well, I definitely see the pandemic starting to wind down with the number of people getting vaccinated and the number of people who've actually had COVID, we're starting to get up to some level of immunity that is going to protect us against the worst of the worst surges that we had, you know, particularly at the beginning of 2020.
That said, what we're probably likely to see from here on out is COVID turning from a pandemic disease into an endemic disease, one that we're going to be living with from here on out. And so, what it's going to be interesting over the next year or so trying to figure out how we keep the worst ravages of COVID away from people with waning immunity over time.
VAUSE: Well, one way, I guess I could do that will be with vaccine booster shots, we have Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson going under review Thursday and Friday respectively. But what's interesting is that after that, depending on the outcome of those reviews, but you know, we're looking at the potential benefits of mixing and matching your vaccine with a different booster. Is there enough data out there to know for certain if this mixing and matching is a good idea in terms of boosting an immune response?
COMPTON-PHILLIPS: Well, we have some real-world data because as you know, in places like Canada, and Israel and even the U.K., with the scarcity of vaccine, initially several countries actually rather than sticking with Moderna, and then Moderna booster or, you know, AstraZeneca, and then an AstraZeneca booster started doing some mixing and matching. And so outside of a normal clinical trial, several countries actually started doing this. And now we're starting to get back information from that real world evidence, in addition to these much smaller clinical trials. And at least initially, what the data looks like is mixing and matching might not only be OK, it might actually even be a little more protective. And so, it's going to be interesting to see how all the data comes out with the FDA is review.
VAUSE: It's interesting because the different technology used in these vaccines to, meeting Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. One of the things you mentioned living with COVID, we're going to get to that point. As we head into the northern winter, there is again fears of a flu outbreak alongside the COVID pandemic. A lot of people talk recently about getting the worst cold they have ever had. They've wondered if it's COVID, is it the flu? Is it a cold? It turns out to be cold. Why are these colds so awful right now, why are they so bad?
COMPTON-PHILLIPS: Yeah, well, because as we've learned, you know, immunity to a coronavirus, which is what the COVID virus actually is wanes over time. And so, for the past year and a half, we've been locked in our houses and wearing masks and using -- washing our hands, using hand sanitizer anytime we touch anything. And so, the germs that we get exposed to normally in the environment that keep our immunity levels a little higher, have waned. And so, we have -- our immune systems haven't been getting in the practice that they normally get. And so now anytime we get exposed to just your average regular run of the cold virus, our body have to remember. And before that immune system revs up, the cold can get a lot more out of control than it would normally. So, we're likely to have some pretty wicked infections as we start resuming our life.
VAUSE: I've already had one that was pretty nasty. How do you know the difference, though, if you've got a bad cold, or if you've got COVID, because at some point, it was so bad, I thought I must have COVID, was almost disappointed, right?
COMPTON-PHILLIPS: Hopefully you're not too disappointed. (Inaudible) COVID, just because we don't know the long-term effects. But that said, you know, I do think at this point, it's one of the reasons that the government in the U.S. has ordered a significant amount of antigen testing so that we can much more rapidly and easily test people. Because right now it -- there's no really great way unless you happen to lose your sense of smell, and then you much more likely have COVID. There's not a great way to tell the different viral infections apart simply by the symptoms themselves. So, you really have to get tested to figure it out.
VAUSE: Testing, testing, testing. It's what it's been since the very beginning. Anyways, not much has changed. Dr. Amy Compton-Phillips, thank you so much. Good to see you.
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COMPTON-PHILLIPS: Thank you.
[01:29:49]
VAUSE: Well, there are new numbers out which show suicide among schoolchildren in Japan had hit a record high. According to broadcaster NHK, 415 children between the ages of 6 and 18 died by suicide last year. Nearly a hundred more in the previous school year.
And official with Japan's education ministry says the pandemic has changed the school and family dynamics impacting the behavior of children. But in the majority of cases NHK reports the reasons behind suicides are not known.
Well still ahead here carving out economic prosperity in the diamond mines of Botswana. But some in the southern African country may be left behind.
Also ahead, the volcano that's been erupting for nearly a month shows no signs of slowing down, putting the rebuilding plans on La Palma on hold.
And "Star Trek's" "Captain Kirk" makes history, the oldest person in space, 90 years old, and his emotional reaction when he lands back on earth.
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WILLIAM SHATNER, ACTOR: What you have given me is the most profound experience.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Welcome back everyone. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
Diamonds have brought an economic lifeline to the southern African nation of Botswana but while this valuable commodity has been a boon to the country's economy, poverty remains a big problem.
Now, CNN's Scott McLean spoke with Botswana's minister for mineral resources.
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SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): How important have diamonds been to the economy in Botswana?
LEFOKO MOAGI, BOTSWANA'S MINISTER OF MINERAL RESOURCES: Diamonds have really been a mainstay of our economy in Botswana. We started diamond mining around 1970s -- early 1970s. And up until now there have been over 728 million carats of diamonds mined out -- rough diamonds mined out of Botswana.
And we have seen a country which was very barren at independence which was in 1966 to a country that has developed into a middle income country as we speak now.
MCLEAN: You've seen poverty decline quite quickly. You've seen life expectancy rise quite dramatically as well. And yet, you still have about 15 percent of the population living on a $1.90 per day or less.
I wonder how is that acceptable in a country like yours that has such immense wealth under the ground? MOAGI: Yes. I talked about continuous improvement. Those are the
things that we'd like to eradicate, we'd like to deal with.
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MOAGI: As you know, Botswana currently we're aspiring to move from a middle income country into a high income economy, you see.
And by so doing, we cannot be content if some of our people are still living in that abject poverty.
MCLEAN (voice over): In June, the third largest diamond in the world was found in Botswana, then in July they found an even bigger one. Each worth tens of millions of dollars.
MOAGI: There's something called planning and digitization, you see? So they will digitize how small stones will come out of a big stone like this.
MCLEAN (on camera): Are you worried about the impact of synthetic diamonds on your industry, on the mining industry in your country?
MOAGI: Anything that will impact your business, it needs to worry you, you see. We believe that -- our issue is to market our national diamonds. Because you cannot discount that for anything else.
It is mined ethically. It is mined with the nature in hand. And the so it is about the welfare of people there, so we can never really substitute it for anything else.
MCLEAN (voice over): Botswana is also rich in coal, which powers most of the electrical grid.
(on camera): And yet, you want to do away with that, why?
MOAGI: Well, as you know, we are signatories to international treaties.
MCLEAN: Surely though, coal mining also provides good middle-class jobs?
MOAGI: Yes, it does, and we believe that with the skills that we will transition to renewable energy skills. Those skills from the coal mines will also move into the new skills in (INAUDIBLE) in space. And therefore those people don't necessarily have to lose their jobs.
MCLEAN (voice over): Botswana though contributes just 0.01 percent of global emissions.
(on camera): COP26 meeting, you know, what do you want to say to the Americans? What do you want to say to the Chinese? To the really big polluters out there in the world.
MOAGI: I want to say, this transition must be a just cause, you see because if I was to do it tomorrow, it means you are literally saying to Botswana, stop exactly where you are. But you can't. I mean there are lives out there, there's a livelihoods out there. There are communities out there. There is an economy out there. So we need to do this transition.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Botswana is also exploring an oil field along the border with Namibia, that could be worth billions of dollars. The minister downplayed concerns from environmentalists. And said local support for the project as a way to lift themselves out of poverty.
Kenya's president paying tribute to Agnes Tirop, an Olympic runner allegedly stabbed to death. Uhuru Kenyatta says she is a hero who brought glory to her country. He's promising to urge to speed up the investigation into her death.
Tirop represented Kenya at the Tokyo Olympics. She won two bronze medals at world championships. And her death comes about a month after she broke a world record in a women only 10 kilometer race.
Well, coming up next here on CNN, an ancient grain given new life -- how a Senegalese inventor reinvigorated the market for a sustainable drought-resistant crop.
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VAUSE: Today on "Call To Earth", drought-resistant, fast-growing crop that help fight food insecurity and helps the environment. A Rolex Awards laureate invented a new way to process this tiny west African with big potential as a sustainable food source.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Amid the arid farmland of Senegal, a crop with an ancient history and the potential to offer a more sustainable future.
With has been a staple for thousands of years, but recent decades have seen this tiny grain stepping away from the mainstream.
SANOUSSI DIAKITE, ENGINEER AND INVENTOR (through translator): Fonio (ph) is rooted in the culture of West Africa. So everyone knows about it.
But recently, it suffered a decline in production, due to the difficulty of processing it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Harvesting fonio by hand, takes many steps. From threshing to loosen the seeds, to arduous pounding to remove the husks -- a job traditionally done by women.
So for previous generations, fonio came at a backbreaking price. One that Sanoussi Diakite witnessed firsthand.
DIAKITE: I was born into a family that grows fonio. I wanted to find a solution to manual processing after seeing my mother removing husks from the grain. It is hard work.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was almost 30 years ago the Diakite, an engineer and an inventor, dreamt up a machine that could replace this painstaking process which he continues to build in his workshop today.
It can shell five kilograms of fonio in less than 10 minutes, a process which would take hours by hand.
By making fonio more viable as a food source, Diakite's technology helps the environment as well as the people.
DIAKITE: It can grow on rocky soils, so fonio is not demanding. Fonio is brought to maturity with very little rain, so from an agronomic point of view it has a lot of potential. It does not need fertilizer.
By developing fonio we are encouraging the preservation of biodiversity -- all of this makes fonio important to the environment.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The fast growing crop can be harvested multiple times a year at low cost, helping fight food insecurity. And with the U.N. saying temperatures in the Sahel are projected to increase 1.5 times higher than the global average, it's a region in need of climate change resistant crops.
MAME CODOU GUEYE, RESEARCHER (through translator): The biggest problem here, is the problem of drought, and so we really need to find plants that have adapted to drought. And fonio really is a model plant for that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not only is it good for the environment, fonio is gluten-free and full in fiber, giving it multiple health benefits.
GUEYE: It contains amino acids that are very important for the food of women and children. Fonio is very digestible, and very good for the elderly. Also fonio has a low glycemic index, which makes it a food recommended for people diabetes.
Diakite says there are now 250 of his machines in 10 African countries, helping to reinvigorate the market for this ancient grain.
DIAKITE: For generations to come, we hope there's life on earth that will conserve the planet which we'll protect against climate change. So it is important that from now on we start sustainable production of food.
DIAKITE: To develop a machine that becomes a catalyst for the entire fonio industry, we can't not be proud of it. (END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Let us know what you're doing to answer the call with the hashtag #calltoearth.
You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. Stay with us. We'll be right back.
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VAUSE: The remnants of Hurricane Pamela are moving through Mexico after hitting the west coast as a category one storm, bringing down trees, damaging businesses, and flooding streets on Wednesday.
The system continues to weaken as it moves towards the southern U.S. but parts of Texas and Oklahoma will still likely see heavy rain and flash flooding.
Spain's prime minister is asking the residents of La Palma for patience, saying reconstruction on the island cannot begin until the volcano stops erupting. It's been spewing lava for almost a month now forcing thousands of people from their homes.
Al Goodman has details.
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AL GOODMAN, JOURNALIST: The volcano eruptions on Spain's La Palma Island show no signs of slowing down in the coming days, Spain's prime minister said Wednesday while visiting the island. And right now, it's the northern flow of lava that's causing the biggest problems. It's the most fluid, also the hottest.
That's what prompted officials to order the evacuation of 700 to 800 people this week. that brings to 6,700 the total number of evacuees since the eruptions began 3 weeks ago on an island of 80,000 people.
It's also the northern flow of law that caused the fire at a cement factory earlier this week, which prompted the lockdown of 3,000 people who lived nearby. That order was later lifted, but the authorities are trying to stay a step ahead of the lava with the evacuation and lockdown orders on La Palma which is one of the smallest of Spain's Canary Islands.
The Spanish government has approved $260 million in aid for La Palma to rebuild homes, businesses and road but as the prime minister said, none of that can really get going in a big way until the eruptions stop and the lava stopped flowing.
Al Goodman, CNN -- Madrid.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Actor William Shatner boldly went where no 90-year-old has gone before on Wednesday, traveling to the final frontier on board Blue Origin's NS18 flight. The 10-minute journey to the very edge of space was apparently a life-changing experience for an actor who spent a lifetime playing Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise.
CNN's Jason Carroll has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And William Shatner is about to go where very few humans have gone before. JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He was not the captain on this
mission, but one would never know it because for the 10-minute, 17- second trip to space, all eyes were on Blue Origin's most famous passenger, William Shatner.
"Star Trek's Captain James T. Kirk.
WILLIAM SHATNER, ANCHOR: Warp speed.
No description could equal this.
CARROLL: Shatner and the crew on board Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin capsuled soared to an altitude of more than 347,000 feet. Making Shatner, who is 90, the oldest person to reach space.
SHATNER: That was unlike anything they described.
CARROLL: The trip included just a few a few minutes of weightlessness and the view of the planet only few have seen which was not lost on Shatner, who once back on the ground was greeted by cheers and Bezos.
The entire experience so moving, for a moment, Shatner wasn't sure if he would be able to find the right words.
SHATNER: In a way, it's indescribable. incredible.
CARROLL: But he did it in a way only Shatner could.
SHATNER: Mother of earth and comfort -- is their death? I don't know. Is that the way death is? Whoop and it's gone.
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SHATNER: It was so moving to me. What you have given me, is the most profound experience I can imagine. I was so filled with emotion about what just happened. Just extraordinary, extraordinary.
I hope I never recover from this. I hope that I can maintain what I feel now, I don't want to lose it.
CARROLL: The mission, giving Shatner who has passionate about issues surrounding the preservation of the planet, a whole new perspective.
SHATNER: The moment you see the vulnerability of everything, it's so small. This air which is keeping us alive is thinner than your skin.
CARROLL: For now, so much attention on the billionaire space race after Bezos and Virgin Galactic's Richard Branson's launches earlier this year. Those who boldly get to go where few have gone before can do it because they have hundreds of thousands of dollars.
But Shatner says if more people can see what he just saw --
SHATNER: It's unlike anything I've ever --
CARROLL: It might change a lot of perspectives. SHATNER: Everybody in the world needs to have the philosophical
understanding of what we're doing to earth.
CARROLL: For now, Shatner's fans happy to see the arc of a man who inspired so many people by playing a space captain.
SHATNER: Once again we've saved civilization as we know it.
CARROLL: Finally, really see Space burn. Yes, William, you are indeed a real life rocket man.
SHATNER: I think it's going to be a long, long time.
CARROLL: Jason Carroll, CNN -- New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: With us now is Jamie Turner, professor of marketing at Emory University and author of "An Audience Of One". Jamie, Welcome to the show.
JAMIE TURNER, EMORY UNIVERSITY : Great to be here. Glad to -- thrilled to be on the show.
VAUSE: Great. Good to have you with us. Here is how many will best remember a much younger William Shatner.
SHATNER: They used to say if man could fly, he'd have wings, but he did fly. He discovered he had to.
Risk is our business. That's what the starship is all about. That's why we're aboard her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: You know, risk is still the business, but it comes now with risk. You see space tourism companies, they're competing for market share, who I honestly expected to be 2.5 billion dollar a year industry. So I guess, you know, who wouldn't want to travel into t space on a rocket the Captain Kirk chooses to fly? Is that we saw? Was that the message from, you know, what was essentially a very clever publicity stunt?
TURNER: Yes well, there was publicity behind it, there was also meaning behind it. It you watch the interview on CNN William Shatner right afterwar ds, he just had -- he was effusive with his thinking and thoughts about the blue sphere that he saw, and how fragile it is. But the real thing that we're trying to do, is build interest in space travel.
We're in the very, very beginning stages of it, Bezos is a genius. Elon Musk is a genius. Richard Branson is a genius. They're all looking to kind of build that interest, so that over the long term they could start to (INAUDIBLE) --
VAUSE: Well, you know, we know that William Shatner he played this role of Captain Kirk for almost 30 years, but nothing as you mentioned could prepare it seems for the real experience of traveling to the final frontier, or at least the very edge of space. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHATNER: What you have given me, is the most profound experience.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: He was literally in tears. He went on to say that everyone should experience this. It's not exactly really for everyone right now, is it?
TURNER: It's not, the prices range from $28 million in auction for one of the first tickets, but now they're really saying it should be about $200,000 to $450,000.
Again, not necessarily something that everybody has in their hip pocket. But if you are a multimillionaire, you know, you might consider it. And over the course of time, of course, as with all products and services, those prices will drop.
I can see in the next 10 years it being a $50,000 ticket, maybe a $40,000 ticket. Then you are talking about, maybe not ordinary joes doing it, but a lot of people being able to afford it. And that will continue to drop over the decades.
VAUSE: How similar is the space tourism industry right now where it's something like a play thing for the very, very wealthy compared to the early days of airline travel, you know, when it was incredibly expensive to fly on a plane.
TURNER: You know, in the early days of air travel, it was, it was very, very expensive. It was only reserved for the very top echelons of socioeconomic status. But now we've got are things that are within reach, again, $250,000. But over the course of time that's going to drop, drop, drop.
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TURNER: And in the future, within your lifetime, you're younger than I am, within your lifetime you're going to start seeing a lot of people going up into the space, including to space hotels that are already on the blueprints right now.
VAUSE: Will we also be seeing, I don't know, like rocket capsules with sponsorships on the side? You know, this rocket brought to you by Pizza Hut or something. I mean we saw that with the Russians years ago. But there seems to be a sort of ban on marketing, because NASA didn't this to actually stuff in space, right?
TURNER: Yes, NASA pretty much said early on had said hey we don't really want to commercialize space. We're here for science, and things like that.
And that's why what Musk and Bezos and Richard Branson are doing is so interesting because they're saying hey, we'll defray some of our space cost by putting billboards up, doing all sorts of stuff.
Pepsico actually had a plan to do a space billboard, it was Pepsico Russia, and in the U.S. headquarters said you're not going do that, it's too much of a space junk. There's a lot of space junk up there, and so they put the kibosh on it.
The bottom line is in the future we're going to see the commercialization of space. We're going to see a lot more marketing happening in space. And I think that's actually a good thing, because it can again defray the cost, and bring the cost of space tourism down as we move forward.
VAUSE: Just very quickly though, is there anything in place to regulate this at all? Can people just do whatever they want if they've got the money?
TURNER: They can pretty much do whatever they want, if they have the money, in terms of the space marketing and all that stuff.
So over the course of time you might find regulations happening. But, right now, because of what all of these guys are doing outside of NASA, there aren't any regulations. Within NASA they have regulations, but outside of that there aren't really any.
VAUSE: It is the wild west, 100 miles up.
Jamie, thanks for being with us, we really appreciate it.
TURNER: Hey, great to be on. Thanks for having me.
VAUSE: And thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm John Vause.
Please stay with us. CNN newsroom continues after a short break with Rosemary Church. I'll see you tomorrow.
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