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Mawozo Gang Wants $17 Million Ransom; Ethiopian Army Denies the Attack; Myanmar Released 5,600 Prisoners; North Korea tested Ballistic Missiles; Lekki Toll Gate Victims Cry for Justice. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired October 19, 2021 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead here on CNN Newsroom, new details about the notorious gangs said t have kidnapped 17 missionaries in Haiti.
Plus, Myanmar's military has released hundreds of political prisoners but no word on ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
And remembering the first black U.S. secretary of state and the man who shaped U.S. national security.
UNKNOWN: Live from CNN center this is CNN Newsroom with Rosemary Church.
CHURCH: Good to have you with us.
Well, officials from the FBI in the U.S. State Department are in Haiti trying to find and free 17 missionaries kidnapped over the weekend. Haitian authorities believe the powerful 400 Mawozo gang is behind the abduction. A group that fueling the surge of violence across the country.
CNN's Matt Rivers has the details from Port-au-Prince.
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MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A desperate call for help as seen in a WhatsApp message obtained by CNN, the message reportedly from one of the 17 missionaries kidnapped in Haiti, it reads, please pray for us. We are being harassed and kidnapped currently. They have control of our vehicle with about 15 Americans right now, ladies, men, and children.
He then says they are near Ganthier, the place a source in Haiti's security forces confirms is where the group was abducted 12 adults along with five children according to Christian Aid Ministries. And we are learning more about the gang who may be behind the crime, our source saying it's the 400 Mawozo gang, one of, if not the most powerful in the country. Its dozens of members with a distinct hallmark, kidnapping.
Nearly a year ago the gangs allegedly earlier said me, I work, I'm a gangster, I carry weapons, I'm in a gang I have guns, I don't carry weapons to terrorize, carrying weapons doesn't make me a gangster or a bandit.
RIVERS (on camera): Several miles down that road there is where our source in the Haitian security forces says this kidnapping was carried out. In a more normal situation, we would drive several miles down that road and go see exactly where this took place, but following the advice of both our Haitian producer and our security team, we're not going to go any further than this because they say it's not safe.
Down that road is the suburb of Croix-des-Bouquets, which is essentially completely controlled by the 400 Mawozo gang, the gang that authorities say carried out this kidnapping.
That gang and others have terrorized Haiti for years, with kidnappings exploding since January according to a human rights nonprofit based in Port-au-Prince. Foreigners get the attention, but it's ordinary Haitians that are the vast majority of kidnapping victims, data from the organization shows.
This man says kidnappings here have been happening for so long, why did no one talk about it then? Why is the world making such a big deal about foreigners? It's because they're more important. On Monday, Haitians across the capital region took advantage of the renewed attention by staying home. Schools and businesses and transport services shut down, normally packed Port-au-Prince streets empty.
It was a quite form of protest people demanding safety and security from a government turmoil. "Nobody is safe" says this man, "even normal people going out to buy food get kidnapped. It's even worse for someone in a car there is so much fear in the country even people leaving outside the country are afraid to come back."
Matt Rivers, CNN, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
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CHURCH: And CNN's Melissa Bell recently returned from reporting in Haiti, she joins us now live from Paris with more on the search for the missionaries. Good to see you, Melissa.
So, I mean, this is a very delicate operation, isn't it? Where paying the ransom emboldens the gangs, but failing to do so of course outs those captured at risk. What more are you learning about the search and released efforts?
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we are learning a lot more from a report in the Wall Street Journal this morning, Rosemary, that spoke to the Haitian justice minister who said that the gang is asking for 1 million dollars per hostage, that is $17 million in ransom. And as you say then that problem of what to do.
[03:04:54] That Haitian justice minister also speaking to that kidnapping back in April of a French and Haitian group of missionaries, they had been taken by the same gang, in the same neighborhood, and kept for a few weeks and released fairly quickly afterwards.
Now at the time that we had learn through the French foreign ministry that the church had been key in securing their release but there has been no official word on whether a ransom had been paid. France has been known to pay ransoms in the past for its hostages, but never admits to having done so.
Now what we also learn from the Haitian justice minister in that Wall Street Journal report is that money had changed hands at the time. So you're quite right, Rosemary. This does put American authorities in a very delicate situation. A $17 million ransom for a group of people that include very young children, an eight-month old baby amongst them. Again, according to the Haitian justice minister.
We've also learned that they are being kept in a safe house in Croix- des-Bouquets, that very neighborhood from which they were kidnapped, that you just heard so the edge of there in Matt Rivers report, and that it is still controlled by that gang that it's is impossible either for journalists or ordinary or security forces to head in. Rosemary?
CHURCH: And Melissa, of course, as you said, you've been reporting, you had been reporting in Haiti. And this is nothing new for Haitians. There has been a spike in these kidnappings. When you look at that sort of a map, the Wall Street Journal saying 17 million is being asked, a million for each of the hostages.
How does that compare to ransoms that gangs have asked for other people there? And what it would mean if that is paid going forward, does that raise the possibility of what these gangs will be asking for, and again as we were mentioning, embolden them?
BELL: It certainly would confirm that kidnapping is a lucrative business in Haiti where the few lucrative businesses in Haiti. Now in the past, you are quite right to raise it, and you heard in that report, the frustration of some Haitians that the attention garnered by this case.
When this is a fact of daily life for Haitians living in the capital, when you walk around the city, we would get out in the car to do our reporting, and here just at the top of the street that very moment someone had just been kidnapped. It affects all social classes, all ages, you'll notice that parents are holding the hands of their children even at 17, 18 years old firmly in the streets. An idea of just how dangerous it's become.
Now the ransom amount tends to be much lower than that, they can be around 20,000 euros, for instance, this time it is a lot of money that they're asking for an exchange. And you're right, this presents all kinds of difficulties going forward.
CHURCH: And we will continue to follow the story very closely. Melissa Bell, thank you for joining us live from Paris.
Well, Ethiopia's air force has carried out air strikes against separatist installations in Mek'ele, Tigray. State run media announced the strike Monday after the government had initially denied it. A witness told Reuters one strike hit close to a market behind a hotel. The government is trying to regain territory taken by the Tigray People's Liberation Front.
The conflict in Tigray began almost a year ago. Thousands of people have been killed, and more than two million have fled.
CNN's Larry Madowo is in Nairobi with the latest. She joins us now live. Good to see you, Larry. So, what more are you learning about this?
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know, Rosemary, about this air strike is that it's the first time that Mek'ele, the regional capital of Tigray in the north of Ethiopia has been hit since about last year when this conflict began in November.
Now the government initially denied this for hours, it's only maybe 10 hours later that the Ethiopian press agency put out this statement saying that there is a successful offensive against the communication equipment used by terrorists the Tigray People's Liberation Front.
That's why the government considers them because the Ethiopian parliament designated this organization as a terrorist organization. It is the government that was in charge of the regional capital in the region of Tigray. We also know from that Ethiopian press agency statement is a state-run government news outlet that they say it was covered up with the utmost precision to avoid civilian casualties.
But at least one eyewitness told CNN they saw people who are hurt, at least some people who were killed, a lot of local reports that say there were some civilian casualties after this air strike that happened yesterday.
It's difficult to know exactly what happened here because Mek'ele, and a lot of that region is still cut off from communication lines, telephone lines don't quite work, the internet is spotty and it's difficult for us to come in and report. We have made many requests to the Ethiopian government to be allowed to go in, it's not quite working out.
So, we've had to rely on what the Tigray People's Liberation Front tell us, Rosemary, and what the Ethiopian government tells us. And every time there's been something like this, there's this round of denials and statements, and then when the evidence is overwhelming then the Ethiopian government owns it as happened yesterday.
So, another really concerning development in this conflict which has spilled over into the neighboring regions of Afar and Amhara.
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And both the U.S. State Department and the U.S. secretary general have expressed concern about these increased in hostilities. They are asking an end to it, access for humanitarian aid and investigation into any atrocities that have been reported there.
CHURCH: All right. Larry Madowo, joining us there in bringing us up to date. I appreciate it.
Well, hundreds of political prisoners in Myanmar are now free, local media are reporting they were released from Yangon's prison. A former military officer now fighting the regime says the military chief release the prisoners because his government was excluded from the ASEAN summit.
The amnesty announcement came minutes after the junta chief blamed his opponents for prolonging unrest and blasted the association of Southeast Asian nations for not acknowledging that.
CNN's Ivan Watson is in Hong Kong. He joins us now live. Good to see you, Ivan. So, the timing of the release of these political prisoners is critical here. Talk to us about that, and of course what might happen next?
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the military says that these thousands of people they say that some 5,600 prisoners will be released, they are being released to quote, "show humanitarian grounds. Bring peace to the people. And participate in nation building." And that all those who are released will have to sign waivers vowing not to participate in any violence against the country in the future.
We have certainly seen scenes of scorches of hundreds of people being released from Yangon's notorious Insein prison. And know that there are in fact family members conducting a vigil outside the gates of that prison as we speak, hoping that their loved ones may come out.
But as some human rights activists such as Human Rights Watch have pointed out, it's not clear whether all 5,600 people will be released because in some of these areas, parts of the country, the internet has been turned off. So, there is a lack of information coming an independent source of information to find out if people truly will be released.
Also some of the opposition groups, some of the human rights groups have expressed skepticism about the sincerity of this mass prison release, arguing that this is a result of the increasing isolation that the military regime is feeling as a result of being excluded by ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations from a summit at the end of this month which is a very rare move coming from that organization which normally behaves with neutrality towards its 10 member states, excluding the military regime.
The general who declared himself ruler when the coup overthrew an elected civilian government on February 1st, Min Aung Hlaing, he gave a speech yesterday. And he basically criticized ASEAN, saying why aren't you criticizing the opposition groups accusing those groups of causing more violence than the military regime, and saying that some of the demands that ASEAN has put on his government are nonnegotiable. That is for kind of a peaceful resolution of the growing conflict in
the country since the government was overthrown on February 1st. Meanwhile, the United Nations special rapporteur, Tom Andrews has issued a statement welcoming the prison release, but also reminding people that the detention of thousands and thousands of protesters since February 1st was illegal in the first place.
And he went on to write, quote, "many of those detained to date were tortured, some to death, others were victims of sexual assault, some were infected with COVID-19, and perished while in an overcrowded and unsanitary conditions. So, allegations of horrific human rights abuses by the military regime.
Rosemary, we have no reports thus far of any members of the elected government who were imprisoned, and are now on trial of any release of those former officials including Aung San Suu Ki. Rosemary?
CHURCH: Right. I appreciate keeping a close eye on this. Ivan Watson joining us live from Hong Kong. Many thanks.
Time for a short break, when we come back, another missile launched from North Korea maybe even two. We are live from Seoul with the reaction from the region. Plus, what China says about a report that it tested a hypersonic missile that circled the globe.
You're watching CNN Newsroom. We're back in just a moment.
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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. North Korea appears to have test fired at least one ballistic missile which has landed in the sea of its east coast, according to military officials in Seoul. And Japan says it estimates the North launch two ballistic missiles.
CNN's Paula Hancocks joins us now from Seoul. Good to see you, Paula. So, what more are you learning about this launch of, perhaps two ballistic missiles by North Korea?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, the latest information we have is from the South Korean side the joint chief of staff saying they still believe it was one missile and it appears to be a submarine launched ballistic missile. We haven't heard anything from North Korea at this point confirming what they have fired.
But we have heard from the South Korean side also the Japanese are saying they believe it was a ballistic missile. Pointing out that is in violation of the United Nations Security Council resolution. The U.S. as well has already condemned the saying that although it didn't instantly affect the U.S. or put them in danger it does destabilize the region which has really their standard statement at this point for what we have been seeing there over recent weeks and months an uptick in missile launches by North Korea.
Now it was from an area Sinpo which is where North Korea has a submarine base, it's where they have done this submarine launch ballistic missile tests in the past so it would be in keeping with that. And it's really in keeping with what we've seen from Pyongyang in recent weeks, they have been increasing the number of weapons tests of missile launches that they have been carrying out, and it's invariably been new weapon systems and new missiles.
They claim to have launched a hypersonic missile, also long-range cruise missiles, anti-aircraft weapons, and of course the timing is always interesting when it comes to North Korea. There is today reportedly a meeting between the U.S., the Japanese, the South Korean intelligence chiefs happening here in Seoul.
There is also an air show going on in South Korea this week. And certainly, we know also that there has been meetings between the top North Korean envoys of the U.S., South Korea, and Japan. The U.S. envoy Sung Kim is expected to come here later this week as well.
So there is plenty of discussions ongoing between the U.S., South Korea, and Japan on North Korea. And North Korea has fired this missile. We should hear either later today or tomorrow morning from North Korea itself exactly what it has fired. Rosemary?
CHURCH: All right. Paula Hancocks joining us live from Seoul, many thanks.
While China denies it has tested a nuclear capable hypersonic missile. The Financial Times reports the launch was in August, and if true would have huge implications on the United States race with China and Russia to develop hypersonic weapons.
CNN's Pentagon correspondent Oren Liebermann explains.
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OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The soaring tensions between the U.S. and China may have entered a new stratosphere, for years the U.S. has been working on hypersonic technology. Weapons that can travel more than five times the speed of sound, it's been a race between the U.S. and China which may have just taken a major step forward.
According to the Financial Times, China tested a hypersonic weapon this August launched from a rocket in space. The weapon which glided back to earth in hypersonic speeds was capable of carrying nuclear weapons the Financial Times reported, the Pentagon would not comment on the report. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said officials are concerned with China's pursuit of advanced weaponry.
LLOYD AUSTIN, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: We watch closely China's development of armament and advanced capabilities and systems that will only increase tensions in the region.
LIEBERMANN: China often boast about its space program. This past weekend it sent three astronauts to its new space station showing off its rapidly advancing civilian space program. But it never said a word about a launch in August until now, calling it a routine testing of the spacecraft.
ZHAO LIJIAN, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESMAN (through translator): What is separated from the spacecraft before it returns is its supporting device which will be burnt up and dissolved as it falls through the atmosphere glare before dropping into the high seas.
LIEBERMANN: Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said last month that China was developing new weapons with longer range, and may have hinted at this as well.
FRANK KENDALL, U.S. AIR FORCE SECRETARY: They have now gone from a few hundred miles to thousands to literally around the globe. They have gone from a few high value assets near China shores through the second and third island change and most recently to air continental ranges and even to the potential for global strikes. Strikes from space even.
LIEBERMANN: It's not only the apparent technology that Chinese are developing, it's the intent behind it. U.S. missile systems defenses are designed to far east, west, and north, officials say, detecting launches from Russia and others.
TAYLOR FRAVEL, DIRECTOR, MIT SECURITY STUDIES PROGRAM: Rather than flying over the North Pole which should be the case with the warhead launch at the top of ballistic missile, this particular kind of orbital bombardment system could go over the south pole which would evade U.S. missile defenses stems.
LIEBERMANN: International treaties govern the use of space for peaceful purposes, but this raises a more daunting possibility turning the final frontier into a potential future battleground.
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LIEBERMANN (on camera): Even if there has been no official confirmation from this Chinese test by either DOD or state, or the White House, this is certainly something the U.S. was tracking. If you look back at the 2020 China military power report from the Pentagon, U.S. says that China was working on a number of different options for its nuclear force and delivery options including hypersonic glide vehicles.
Oren Liebermann, CNN, Pentagon.
CHURCH: In the House of Commons on Monday, British lawmakers honored slain parliament member David Amess. Prime minister Boris Johnson lead tributes to the conservative M.P. Amess was fatally stabbed on Friday in what police are calling a terrorist incident.
Here is the prime minister praising Amess' character.
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BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: This country needs people like Sir David, this house needs like people like Sir David, now politics needs people like Sir David. Dedicated, passionate, firm in his beliefs but never anything less than respectful for those who thought differently. Those are the values he brought to a lifetime of public service.
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CHURCH (on camera): A 25-year-old British national has been arrested over Amess' killing. The lawmaker's death follows the murder of labor empty Jo Cox five years ago. His killing has reignited discussions about security around elected officials.
Well police in Norway say five people killed in an attack last week were stabbed to death not shot with a bow and arrow was initially thought. Investigators say the suspect did shoot arrows that people during the rampage but later got rid of the bow. Four women and one man were killed. Three people were injured. Police believe the suspect may have mental health issues. He is being held in a psychiatric facility.
Well, protests and marches are expected in Nigeria in the coming days to mark one year since the Lekki toll gate shootings. Nigerian forces had fired on peaceful protesters killing and wounding several of them. And a judicial panel investigating what happened has now ended its session without filing an expected report. Families of the victims are still demanding justice and accountability.
We get more from CNN's Stephanie Busari, and a warning her report contains graphic images.
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STEPHANIE BUSARI, CNN SUPERVISING EDITOR, AFRICA (voice over): It was a night of peaceful protest ended in bloodshed.
UNKNOWN: We are peaceful. Again, they are start shooting at us.
BUSARI: A CNN investigation last year piece together what happened when the Nigerian army and later the police opened fire on its own civilians as they protested police brutality. One year on from the Lekki toll gate shootings the Nigerian authorities have still not taken responsibility for what happened that night.
This woman son was one of the protesters. She is too afraid to show her face for fear of recriminations. Here is her son earlier on the day of the protest. The Lekki toll gate clearly visible behind him. When his mother found him early the next morning, he had been shot in the chest.
UNKNOWN (on screen text): He was covered in blood when we saw him.
BUSARI: She tried to rush into hospital but he died in her arms in the car. At her son's grave, his mother said she wants the government to be honest about what really happened that night. UNKNOWN (on screen text): What will you say to the government if they
come to you?
UNKNOWN (on screen text): I will say to them the same thing I am saying to you. I cannot lie about my child's death.
BUSARI: CNN's original investigation use time stamps, video data, and geolocation to analyze hours of footage shot by protesters. Tracking the army's movements to the Lekki toll gate what protests have been taking place for nearly two weeks.
This video appears to show the army shooting toward the crowd. Here, and at the top of your screen, here. The Nigerian army's account of what happened has shifted over time, initially they called it fake news and insisted soldiers had only fired blank bullets into the air. And police denied shooting anyone.
The Nigerian government threatened to sanction to CNN for its report. At the judicial hearing one general said there is no way they would kill their brothers and sisters, but admitted.
AHMED TAIWO, NIGERIAN ARMY: The soldiers would be given both live and blank bullets.
BUSARI: This hearing was set up by the Lagos state government to look into cases of abuse and investigate the toll gate incident. Renewed request for comments to the army, police, and the federal government have not been answered.
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BUSARI (on camera): It's been a year since people gathered here at the Lekki toll gate to protest against police brutality and corruption. But many Nigerians believe that the issues that drew protest 12 months ago still persist, and those who were here that night still seeking justice.
DJ Switch was at the protest and live stream much of the evening on her Instagram. A year later, she recalls how she thought they were all going to die.
DJ SWITCH, NIGERIAN MUSICIAN, PROTESTER AT LEKKI TOLL GATE: I thought it was the end for all of us there, you know, when you sing the national anthem and wave your flag, your Nigerian flag and the shooting doesn't stop. You only have one thought left in your mind.
BUSARI: Soon after the shootings DJ Switch said she had to flee Nigeria. Afraid for her safety, she hasn't been back since.
Do you think justice is possible for those who lost their lives?
DJ SWITCH: Justice is there waiting to be done. Young people are asking every day for accountability.
BUSARI: For many of those who witnessed these events, and who remain in Nigeria, an atmosphere of intimidation and fear has taken over. Leaving many too scared to step forward and push for answers.
Stephanie Busari, CNN, Lagos, Nigeria.
CHURCH: COVID complications claimed the life of a great American. A look back at former soldier, statesman, and trail blazers Colin Powell.
Plus, why experts say his death highlights just how important it is to get more people vaccinated.
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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Tributes are pouring in for America's first black Secretary of State, Colin Powell, who has died from coronavirus complications at the age of 84. Powell played key roles in both U.S. wars in Iraq and served in several Republican administrations. But he later rejected the party's lurch to the right, and through his support behind the last three Democratic presidential candidates.
President Joe Biden says he is forever grateful for power endorsement, and quote, "for our shared battle for the soul of the nation." He ordered flags over the White House, and all federal buildings, lowered to half-staff until sunset Friday.
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JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: He's not only a dear friend and a patriot, one of our great military leaders and a man of overwhelming decency. This is a guy born son of immigrants, in New York City, raised in Harlem in the South Bronx, graduated from City College in New York. And he rose to the highest ranks not only in the military, but also in areas of foreign policy and state craft.
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CHURCH: Former President George W. Bush, who picked Powell for Secretary of State says, "He was such a favorite of presidents that he earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom, twice. He was highly respected at home and abroad. And most important, Colin was a family man and a friend."
Colin Powell was well-known on the world stage and perhaps best known for the major roles he played in two American wars in Iraq. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh joins me now to talk more on this. Nick, how is the international community remembering General Powell?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Well, certainly a towering figure, one of the most recognizable international faces from previous decades of American cabinets. A man who I think symbolized how possible it was to come from a very humble background in Harlem, as you mentioned, and then served in successive presidential administrations.
Mostly he was known, I think as the Secretary of State for the Bush administration, the first one around when they launched the Iraq war. But you have to remember, he was National Security Adviser to President Reagan, Joint Chief of Staff later after that. A successive number of startling roles where he essentially took an oath with Dick Cheney here, the former vice president he serve under, he trailblazer his way up so many.
The current Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, talking about how he was a mentor, someone who is good counsel, he could always rely upon. Internationally though, I think much of his contribution still attached to the legacy of the Iraq war.
Remember this was a man who gave an impassionate speech to the United Nations where he made the case that he said was based on solid intelligence that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. He didn't really I think achieved the goal that those in the Bush administration hoped he would or swaying the international community to back that war through another Security Council resolution and he later deeply regretted those comments.
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And I think it's that capacity throughout his career to perhaps see at times when things had knock on the way. He later had hoped to be able to recognize that. And we see that too perhaps in his decision from 2008 to move away from the Republican Party and back to the Democrats, later in his life being staunchly against the moves of Former President Donald Trump around January this year, and the capital.
Let me read you those some of the tributes we have seen because they have been very full throttled, very heartfelt from around the world. Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the U.K. said, "I'm sorry to hear of the death of Colin Powell, he was an impressive internationally respected statesman, he leaves a lasting legacy and I'm sure his life will continue to be an inspiration to many."
Yair Lapid, the Foreign Minister of Israel, "On behalf of Israel, I wish to express our condolences to the family of General Colin Powell. Throughout his distinguished military and diplomatic career. General Powell was a true friend and committed partner of Israel."
And then, Tony Blair, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom at the time when George Bush -- George W. Bush made the case to invade Iraq, the case that was later proven to be entirely without merit. (Inaudible) did not have weapons of mass destructions and Tony Blair was the Prime Minister at that point, he was at many points, the singular ally of the United States case internationally for the pursuit of that invasion on those grounds.
Tony Blair's statement, "Colin was a towering figure in American military and political leadership over many years, someone of immense capability and integrity, a hugely likable and warm personality and a great companion with a lovely and self-deprecating sense of humor. Wonderful to work with," he says, "he inspired loyalty and respect."
So obviously at this stage after this definitely extraordinary man who has such an impact on what it means, what it can means to be black in America and the a position you can pursue and hope to obtain during your career. Outpouring, I think of respect, admiration, and full on memories. Despite at times, he's international legacy perhaps being associated more without faithful decision to invade Iraq, under the Former Bush administration. That means blowing tributes, I think we are hearing today from those he knew him best.
WALLACE: Nick Paton Walsh, many thanks for that, I appreciate it.
Well, experts say Powell's death from a breakthrough COVID infection also highlights just how important it is for more people to get vaccinated. While the former Secretary of State was fully vaccinated, he was also battling a form of cancer that weakened his immune system, and made him especially vulnerable to the virus. The doctors say when more people get vaccinated, it reduces how much the virus spreads and that helps protect the most vulnerable.
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JONATHAN REINER, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: General Powell represented our most vulnerable population in this country. He was over the age of 80, he had cancer, and a treatment for his cancer made him vulnerable. So when we try and convince young people who feel that they are low risk from the virus itself, why they need to be vaccinated, is to protect our treasures. Our people like General Powell, our grandparents. Because while you know, a 25-year-old may do quite well with the infection, if they spread it to someone like General Powell, they will not.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And for more we are joined now by Sterghios Moschos, he is an associate professor of Molecular Virology, at Northumbria University. Thank you so much for being with us.
STERGHIOS MOSCHOS, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR/MOLECULAR VIROLOGY, NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY (on camera): Good morning.
CHURCH: So when General Colin Powell tragically died on Monday, he was fully vaccinated but had not yet re-received his booster shot for COVID-19 because he wasn't feeling well. He was suffering from cancer, and Parkinson's disease. So his immune system was compromised, but that hasn't stopped anti-vaxxers on right-wing platforms from suggesting this is evidence the COVID shots are not working. What would you say to those people?
MOSCHOS: Quite frankly, I would say to go and look up, Google things, what Parkinson and multiple myeloma does to you. Simply put, we know about multiple myeloma is a disease of the immune system. It makes cells basically interact with the t-cells that we know the vaccines generates and expose t-cells that help us sustain the long-term immunity. And the myeloma cells basically shut the t-cells down.
So, that process would have helped Colin Powell in better being protected, but his underlying cancer is probably the main reason why his immune response was dominant. On top of that we know a Parkinson is also -- takes down those early barriers that we have for infections. So it is almost like he had a double warning of underlying conditions that would weaken his vaccine immunity.
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CHURCH: So what messages can be taken from the tragic death of Colin Powell, in terms of when older people and those around them need to be vaccinated, and of course receive booster shots?
MOSCHOS: I think we need to remember what (inaudible) said earlier at the beginning of the pandemic. He said nobody reported (inaudible) so what's the matter about this? Well, here we are, of course, some of the pretty important for making him in history has died. And Colin Powell is just one person among millions who have demise because of this disease.
We are also seeing here in the U.K. a large number of younger people, children even, being infected with the virus. And we know very well what long COVID is these days, and how detrimental it can be to the well-being and to the quality of life for people that suffered. And there's thousands of them if not millions worldwide.
So on that respectful note, we need to take a step back and start thinking very carefully what our perception of our personal freedoms is doing to the lives and the livelihood of others. And it's not about whether or not you have some spare extra cash or it's about literally whether or not some people will spend potentially years of their lives in a debilitated state, others will lose loved ones, their caring responsible people, the children who might lose their parents etcetera.
And it's highly responsible and basically utterly selfish, deplorable even to say I will not going to wear facial covering, because I don't like it. Or I feel like I can't breathe with it. Or that I'm not going to get vaccinated because I have certain use (ph).
I'm afraid is not about that anymore, it's about looking about each other, by making sure we can find a way to bring society in the West back online. And we keep railing about China for good reason, but, you know, if they've done something right, it's manage their response to this pandemic. Many cities in China with huge populations, are practically fully open. Where are we?
CHURCH: Yeah, I mean it is a huge wakeup call isn't it to everyone. And also, we are hearing that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected Wednesday to allow people to use different brands of boosters if they need to. Although the FDA would prefer people stick with the original vaccine that they used where possible. How big of a breakthrough with this mix and match move be?
MOSCHOS: I think it's a not much of a breakthrough, but it's something that will certainly help increase the pace of vaccinations in Western nation so that we can keep our levels of immunity. But I have to take a step back and again asked people this question. We can talk about improving our level of existing immunity, or we can think about those who -- have no immunity at all.
And the developing nation were less than 1 percent of the population, less than 5 percent of the population have actually had received their first dose. So, if we are going to do this, if we are going to try and make sure our economies are still functioning, our societies are totally open because we receive booster doses across the population. We need to think carefully about what our responsibility is to the developing nations which having got access to this vaccine, and they are being hit the hardest.
CHURCH: Yeah. It is a very important point. Sterghios Moschos, many thanks for joining us, I appreciate it.
And still to come, keeping refugees out. Poland is promising to build a wall along its border with Belarus. We will take a look at that. Back in just a moment.
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CHURCH: A refugee crisis is looming in Eastern Europe on the border between Poland and Belarus. The migrants actually don't want to stay in either country, it's just another stop on their desperate journey.
CNN's Fred Pleitgen has the story.
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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Trapped and desperate between Belarus and Poland, refugees begging for passage to Germany. And while many are stopped, an increasing number are now making it to Germany into this refugee center in the town of Eisenhuttenstadt. Seventeen-year-old, Gino, just arrived from Iraq via Belarus with her mother and sister and says Belarusian authorities even drove them to the border.
GINO, IRAQI REFUGEE: They put us in a truck and then they took us to the other border, they cut it and they told us to walk.
PLEITGEN: They cut the border with a (inaudible)?
GINO: Yes.
PLEITGEN: So there was a wire and then they cut the wire?
GINO: Yeah, they cut the wire.
PLEITGEN: OK.
The E.U. accuses strongman, Alexander Lukashenko, of state organize human trafficking, luring refugees to Belarus and sending them across the border, a claimed Lukashenko denies.
Poland says it has sealed its border with barbed wire and will even build a wall. Refugees are often trapped between the two sides for days and shoved back and forth. This woman from Syria tells me the group she was part of slept under trees and ran out of food and water.
UNKNOWN: Five days later, we drink water from the floor, on the floor. We don't have anything. PLEITGEN: You drank water from puddles.
UNKNOWN: Yes. Yes.
PLEITGEN: Few of the refugees stay in Poland, most try to move on to Germany. The Brandenburg state government says, they also say they have gone from 200 new arrivals in all of August, to almost 200 every day now.
OLAF JANSEN, BRANDENBURG IMMIGRATION AUTHORITY: We increase the capacity here and we, of course, also sped up all of the administrative procedures without compromising security and health checks.
PLEITGEN: Poland says the situation at its border with Belarus remains tense, and the Interior Minister of the German state with the highest refugee influx tells me, he wants the E.U. to get tougher on Lukashenko.
It's a question of tough international diplomacy he says, we as Europe cannot allow Belarus to do something like this. From my point of view, we could also involve Russia, all diplomatic channels need to be used.
But few believe solutions will come quickly. The folks at this refugee shelter say they are already preparing for more arrivals, and are already clearing additional space.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Eisenhuttenstadt, Germany.
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CHURCH: The leader of Hezbollah says last week's violence in Beirut was dangerous, and marks a turning point in Lebanese politics.
Seven people were killed in the worst street violence in over a decade and (Inaudible) school growing sectarian differences amid the investigation into last year's Beirut port explosion.
CNN's Ben Wedeman has our report.
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BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The chance, the flags are out again on Beirut Martyr Square, to mark the Second Anniversary of the mass uprising against a political elite that has ruled, many say, miss-ruled Lebanon since the civil war. But where two years ago there were tens of thousands, on this day just a few hundred. The demands however haven't changed.
We want our country back says (Inaudible). We want our rights, we want to live like everyone else. And they want accountability for the catastrophes this country has suffered in recent years.
[03:50:05]
Suhel Asus (ph), lost his job as an interior designer. Now he has the time to construct a model of the faith he hopes for Lebanon's politicians.
What matters he says, is that people need to wake up and rise up, and arrest all the murderers and crooks to put them in an iron cage and set them on fire.
At dusk they gather near the city's port, a symbol of the fatal negligence and corruption that have plagued Lebanon for decades and the impunity of a ruling class that has yet to be brought to account.
Two years ago, there was a sense that something was changing, but since then the Lebanese economy has collapsed, their country has been ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic, there was an explosion in the Beirut port in August of 2020 that killed more than 200 people, and most recently there were clashes in Beirut reminiscent of the Lebanese Civil War. Whatever hope there was two years ago, much of it has faded.
Ben Wedeman, CNN, Beirut.
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CHURCH: The billionaire space race proves you can do just about anything with enough money. Just ahead, why critics say that money should be spent here on earth, and not on a joyride to the stars. Back in just a moment.
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CHURCH: Three human rights activist crashed the 2022 Winter Olympics' torch lighting ceremony at ancient Olympia, Greece on Monday. They held a banner which read no genocide games and called for boycott of the event. But the ceremony went on and police kept the activist away from the temple where the torch was lit. No word on whether charges will be filed.
Well billionaire's with bottomless pockets have made commercial space tourism the hottest new trend, but environmentalist warned there is a price for keeping your head in the clouds, or in space.
CNN's Kristin Fisher reports on the out of this world experience.
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UNKNOWN: Two small explores, monkeys Abel and Baker shared the nose cone of a Jupiter rocket that carried them 300 miles up and up from the earth's surface, they landed safe and sound.
KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE AND DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT (voice over): That was 1959, the space frontier has gotten a little bit busier since then. And it is no longer just monkeys heading into a galaxy far, far away, now almost anyone can snag a seat on the spacecraft and the richer you are, the better.
Billionaires and celebrities from around the world are claiming their chance to make it to space. So far this year, they have been more than 20 civilians who've taken the journey on six spaceflight missions. Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic made two flights to the edge of space in a matter of months, in May with two pilots, and in July, Branson tagged along on the trip that included three other passengers and two pilots.
RICHARD BRANSON, BILLIONAIRE FOUNDER OF VIRGIN GROUP: if we can do this, just imagine what you can do.
FISHER: Less than two weeks after that, Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos, reached the edge of space along with three others on Blue Origin's new Shepherd Rocket. And last week 90-year-old Star Trek actor, William Shatner, took an 11-minute trip into space, on a Blue Origin flight.
[03:55:05]
Elon Musk's SpaceX made history in September when it launched the first all-civilian flight into orbit, where four amateur astronauts stayed for three days inside the Dragon Spacecraft.
And how about shooting a movie in space? A Russian crew recently did just that, a cosmonaut actress and director are the first to ever film a movie on the International Space Station.
YULIA PERESILD, RUSSIAN ACTRESS (through translator): Everything was new to us today. Every 30 seconds brought something entirely new.
FISHER: This hot new trend of space tourism maybe taking off, but it comes with a hefty price tag. Suborbital trips by one estimate cost between $250,000 and $500,000 on Virgin Galactic Spaceship II, or Blue Origin's New Shepard. And that's for a 10 to 15-minute ride. But not everyone thinks space tourism is a good idea.
PRINCE WILLIAM, DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE: We need some of the world's greatest brains and minds to fix and to repair this planet, not try to find the next place to go and live.
FISHER: It's a once in a lifetime opportunity for those who foot the bill, but the more popular it gets, the harder it will be to go where no man or woman has gone before.
Kristin Fisher, CNN.
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CHURCH: And CNN is the place for space every day this coming week, especially on "Connect The World" from Expo 2022, Dubai. Be sure to tune in.
Well from up in space, two down under the Mediterranean Sea that is where one Israeli diver found a trove of ancient treasures, unearthed by shifting waves. Among the find was a 900-year-old sword, experts believed belong to a crusader night. The iron sword has been perfectly preserved under layers of small sea creatures. It's been turned over to Israel's National Treasures Department for safekeeping.
Columbia finally seems to have a solution for dealing with Pablo Escobar's so-called cocaine hippos, putting them on birth control. The notorious drug lord brought four hippos into Columbia in the 1980s for his private zoo, now they are 80 of them, and biologists say they are a threat to people, and the environment. So the government is now using darts, loaded with a contraceptive to sterilize the remaining hippos, which scientists say is cheaper and safer than trying to (inaudible) them.
Well, thank you so much for your company, I'm Rosemary Church, have yourself a wonderful day. "CNN Newsroom" continues with Isa Soares.
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