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Senate Report: Jair Bolsonaro Should Face Mass Homicide Charges; Gang Demands $17 Million Ransom For 17 Hostages Missionaries; North Korea: New Submarine-Launched Missile A Success; U.K. Faces COVID Surge As Cases Hit Three-Month High; India To Pay Families About $670 For Every COVID Death; Australian Police Searching For 4-Year-Old Girl. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired October 20, 2021 - 00:00   ET

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

[00:00:00]

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

Ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, it was deliberate. A senate investigation in Brazil says Jair Bolsonaro didn't bungle the pandemic response, but rather deliberately made decisions to make it worse and has accused the president of mass murder.

A million dollars a head, the criminal gang in Haiti which kidnap 17 missionaries has made their initial demands.

And when pandemic rules in the U.K. went away in July, seems the coronavirus did not. And now, infections are once again soaring towards record highs.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.

VAUSE: Ever since the pandemic began, the president of Brazil has been widely criticized for a bungled failed response, which left his country with the second highest death toll in the world.

But an investigation by Brazil Senate has found it was not incompetence, but rather intention, accusing Bolsonaro of implementing policies with the intention of allowing the coronavirus to spread like wildfire in a failed bid for herd immunity.

According to leaked excerpts from a 1,200-page draft report, decisions made by Bolsonaro and other high-ranking government officials are to blame for more than half of the 600,000 pandemic deaths in Brazil and recommends charges of mass homicide.

The report described the government's approach as reckless, which exposed Brazilians to a concrete risk of mass infection, while allowing an intention to immunize the population through natural contamination.

Brazil's Senate is expected to discuss possible charges in the coming hours, the final text could still change before then. But if approved by the full Senate, and then it goes to the prosecutor general, a Bolsonaro appointee will decide if the president should be charged. Stefano Pozzebon following developments for us live this hour. So,

Stefano, I guess the big question is, will this report carry any weight? Will anything actually come from this report?

STEFANO POZZEBON, JOURNALIST: I think, John, that we need to make a distinction between the practical and political weight of these reports and the historic weight that it carries. Even though the attorney general is not expected to move charges against Bolsonaro following this dominant explosive investigation by the Brazilian Senate because he's widely seen as an ally of the president. This document will be forever present on as a stain on Bolsonaro's legacy, especially with an eye towards next year elections.

It's an astonishingly stronger word document. And as you said correctly, that the words could change a little bit, the Senate still needs to vote on that. And the commission that is going to vote first is made up of 11 senators, seven of which are considered opponents of Jair Bolsonaro. Four of them are considered allies of the president.

So, the words could change, but for a president to have seen on paper black and white is such a strongly worded and allegations of mass murder is something that will remain with him probably for the rest of his career after he leaves politics.

And even if he decides to run again, he's up for re-election next year in the presidential elections, it will be a hot -- a hot dish for the election campaign.

And that will stays in the forefront of this whole situation is the spectacular fall of grace for what used to be an extremely popular president for the whole of 2020.

The story out of Brazil was that Bolsonaro despite not being able to manage and to keep the pandemic under control, we're still enjoying incredibly high ratings at the polls. This has changed and this report is an astonishing document that represents how lonely and isolated the president of Brazil currently is, John.

VAUSE: Stefano, thank you. Stefano Pozzebon there live for us with the details, we appreciate that.

What could be the beginning of a long negotiation with demands for $17 million from the criminal gang in Haiti holding 17 missionaries, one Canadian, the rest Americans, five of them children.

The U.S. government has a long-standing policy of not paying ransoms. Nonetheless, negotiations are said to be ongoing with the FBI of Haitian police reportedly in contact with the kidnappers.

CNN's Joe Johns reports now from Port-au-Prince.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): As the State Department and the FBI work behind the scenes to free the American missionaries and five children who were snatched in Haiti, a new warning about paying the $17 million ransom the gang behind the kidnapping is demanding.

[00:05:07]

LAURENT LAMOTHE, FORMER HAITIAN PRIME MINISTER: It would be very unfortunate for the $17 million to be paid because that would only reinforce the gang and that would only finance further kidnappings.

And so, the solution is to short term send, you know, experts, security experts to re -- to help the police in this particular situation.

JOHNS: The missionaries were believed to be staying at a compound in the village of Titanyen outside Port-au-Prince.

On Saturday, they were kidnapped by a group of armed men while driving back from visiting a nearby orphanage in Croix des Bouquets. Haitian officials say the gang 400 Mawozo is responsible.

We took a ride in a helicopter today to get a better view of the area.

I've been on many of these roads outside of Port-au-Prince 10 years ago, but it's very different now simply because of the kidnappings. It's not safe for a foreigner to drive on the roads. That's why we're in the helicopter. 400 Mawozo is Creole for out in the country outside the city. And that's where this group comes from.

An armed gang that has grown larger and larger and more powerful, particularly over the last several months since the assassination of the president of Haiti. They control the roads in many ways. The police need help.

Kidnapping and robbery has become a part of life on the roads outside Port-au-Prince but what's different this time is the massive amount of money being demanded in ransom, $1 million per victim.

400 Mawozo started small. First, stealing livestock, then cars and eventually becoming bold enough to carry out individual kidnappings. Now, groups of people or collective kidnapping. Authorities blame the lack of law enforcement response for the group's sudden growth.

There's a real reluctance from government authorities as well as many people who are part of the electorate to have another peacekeeping force on the ground to restore order. But if they don't want that to happen, the question is, how can Haiti succeed without getting control of the situation on the ground?

Joe John, CNN, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Joining us now is Bob Baer, CNN Intelligence and Security Analyst and former CIA operative. Welcome back, Bob. Good to see you.

ROBERT BAER, CNN INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY ANALYST: Good evening, John. VAUSE: OK, so this demand, $17 million ransom, is this an ambit claim?

The opening offer and negotiations, it could ultimately settle for a much lower dollar amount if it gets that far?

BAER: Well, this group is settled before, it will take less money but the U.S. government isn't going to pay and it's not going to encourage anybody else to.

What they're doing now is trying to negotiate. That's why the FBI is there talking to the Haitians. But the problem is Haiti is a failed state, and this situation is extremely unpredictable. And we don't know how violent this group could become, whether the hostage's lives are in danger.

So, right now, there are contingency plans at Fort Bragg to have some sort of military rescue.

VAUSE: Right, so, are they on standby? Are they ready to go? What's the -- what's the current status?

BAER: They're always on standby. They do mock ups, they get helicopters in place. It's not -- wouldn't be a long raid. They are right now collecting intelligence with drones any way they can, trying to find out if the hostages are all in one place. What's the structure of the building, some buildings are very difficult to breach and the rest of it's very standard. They're used to this from Iraq and Afghanistan, completely capable of carrying out this mission. But there's always a risk.

And right now, it's a contingency. If the negotiations fall apart and this group decides to execute a hostage, it will be implemented.

VAUSE: I want you to listen to the U.S. Secretary of State on the efforts underway to find these hostages, here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We have in the administration been relentlessly focused on this, including sending a team to Haiti from the State Department, working very closely with the FBI, which is the lead in these kinds of matters, in constant communication with the Haitian National Police.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: So, when he says the FBI has the lead here, is that for every aspect of the operation right now, I mean, how does this work?

BAER: No, they don't -- they won't touch the military side of it. It's just because it's a violation of American law to kidnap Americans abroad. And the FBI always takes the lead.

Identifying the kidnappers, indicting them, overseeing the negotiations, helping the Haitians where they can, and they'll -- they could have intelligence teams on the ground too, tracking cell phones and the rest of it. [00:10:12]

BAER: But ultimately, if the military has to be brought in, it's going to be done completely differently with a Joint Special Operations Command.

VAUSE: The Haitian Justice Minister told CNN the kidnappers have been warned about harming the hostages, and what may be the consequences for them if that were to happen. But they are not swayed by those warnings.

That's not surprising that they're not swayed by a warning coming from a Haitian official. But if American hostages were harmed or as you suggested to, you know, we don't want this happen obviously, but in the event that one of them is killed, would there be consequences from the U.S. for this gang directly from the United States?

BAER: Oh, absolutely. The military would be sent in, this White House could not avoid that and it's the right decision to send it in.

And let's not forget, we're dealing with a rural group. It's not very sophisticated, and they don't really know what they're up against. It's not like going up against Hezbollah in Lebanon, who you wouldn't want to run a raid against because they're so -- they could defend against it.

But this small guerrilla group is badly armed, badly organized, and not particularly aware how the world works. So, it would -- it would come as a surprise to them.

VAUSE: In August, the U.S. issued a red alert for Haiti, advised Americans to avoid travel there because of rapid kidnapping and other crimes.

You know, I hate to say this, it's not as if these missionaries did not know what they're getting into. And yet, they turned up there with kids. I mean, they were taking a very big risk being in Haiti in the first place.

BAER: Oh, absolutely, John, that was -- it was a bad decision, of course, and what the government should do, the State Department has just outlawed travel to Haiti at this point. If there's no state to protect American citizens, what choice is there. And we've done this in the past in other countries, you just can't go, it's illegal. And that's probably what -- that should happen, I can't tell you what's going to happen.

VAUSE: Bob, thank you, we appreciate you being with us. Bob Baer, CNN National Security Intelligence Analyst. Thank you, Sir.

BAER: Thank you.

VAUSE: The U.S. House Committee investigating the January 6 insurrection has formally approved criminal contempt charges against one of Donald Trump's closest allies, Steve Bannon. Source says the full House expected to vote on Thursday on referring the charges to the Justice Department but Bannon and Trump have claimed executive privilege and refusing to cooperate with the committee.

Committee member Liz Cheney says their tactics just Trump was personally involved in the planning and execution of the insurrection.

North Korea says it has successfully tested its new submarine launched ballistic missile. State media release pictures of the smaller, thinner missile which Pyongyang claims has advanced guidance technology.

CNN's Paula Hancocks live this hour for us in Seoul. Another great leap forward for the hermit kingdom it seems.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, they have said that they wanted to push forward on this technology. We've appeared to have seen that on Tuesday.

So, what they've said through state-run media and showed images of it as well is that they did fire this particular missile, a new missile, they set from a submarine.

Now, they claim that it is from the same sort of submarine that they fired or tested a two size 2016 launch from as well.

Now, at that point, analysts were fairly dubious thinking that maybe it was an underwater barge or a platform it had been fired from. But it's very difficult for them to know for sure whether this was backed fired from the submarine, which would show that there has been some push forward in technology and North Korea is moving forward in its capabilities.

So, this is what Pyongyang has told us at this point. But it's really in keeping with what we've seen over recent weeks. The fact that North Korea is determined to try its new technologies, new weapons, new missiles, just in the past few weeks, we've had a hypersonic missile according to North Korea, a couple of long range cruise missiles, anti-aircraft weapons.

And what we have seen over recent months at different parades, this new weaponry being put on show. It appears we are now seeing those technologies being tested.

Now, as soon as we see something like this at a parade, we know at some point North Korea is going to want to test it. And that appears to be what they're doing at the moment, John.

VAUSE: Paul, thank you. Paula Hancocks live for us in Seoul.

Well, the U.K. has hit a three-month high in new COVID infections and that is not the only problem. Details of a new mutation, which health officials there are closely monitoring. That's when we come back.

Also ahead, India playing to pay compensation to the relatives of COVID victims, but families fear actually getting the money might (INAUDIBLE).

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:16:50]

VAUSE: The COVID death rate in Russia has set a record high with seniors especially hard hit. People older than 60 make up 86 percent of deaths in the Capitol Moscow and officials they have announced a four month stay at home water for anyone over 60 not vaccinated and that's in the capital.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TATIANA GOLIKOVA, RUSSIAN DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We strongly recommend to all Russian leaders to immediately make decisions about whether unvaccinated pensioners should be told to self-isolate at home and going out only in case of emergencies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Officials are also proposing a week-long workplace shutdown and the Kremlin again urging everyone there to get vaccinated.

Just over three months ago, the British Prime Minister ended all legal pandemic restrictions which had been in place for more than a year.

And while the rules have gone, the coronavirus has stayed. In fact, the latest numbers from the U.K. show the highest infection rate in Europe right now. Nearly 50,000 new cases reported Monday, the highest level since July.

Dr. Eric Topol is a cardiologist and Professor of Molecular Medicine at Scripps Research. He joins us now from La Jolla in California. Welcome back. Good to see you.

DR. ERIC TOPOL, PROFESSOR OF MOLECULAR MEDICINE, SCRIPPS RESEARCH: Good to be with you, John. Thanks.

VAUSE: OK, at the time the restrictions were lifted in the U.K., most expected the infection rate would climb pretty soon after that. But, you know, successful vaccine rollout was given the credit for, you know, preventing that from happening immediately.

But now those vaccinations which began in December last year, that means millions have been vaccinated for more than six months. Is there a suggestion here that waning immunity is playing a fairly significant role in this current surge?

TOPOL: Right. Well, you mentioned one of the factors, of course is the lack of real mitigation. But added to that, now we have the waning issue. The countries that got the earliest start, like the U.K., Israel, the U.S. are having the most leaning, so that's part of it.

It's also the story of getting the teens vaccinated which the U.K. is low on compared to other countries in Europe. And so, you know, the other thing, of course, to note is still at 66

percent of the population of the U.K. has been vaccinated, the most successful countries around the world are at least 80 percent.

So, there's many different reasons that could contribute to the problems we're seeing in the U.K., and they're probably going to be replicated in other countries.

VAUSE: There's also this new variant which received a lot of attention over the weekend after the former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb tweeted this, he talked about a new Delta variant AY.4.2 with a mutation in a spike, which he said spreading across the U.K. He called for urgent research to figure out this Delta plus is more transmissible or has partial immune evasion?

We should note it's not a variant of concern yet, but it has been detected not only in the U.K., but also India. And now, first case of new Delta mutation diagnosed in Israel.

What are your concerns about this mutation? And are we moving fast enough to identify and determine the level of risk it could pose?

TOPOL: Right, well, AY.4.2 which is a Delta sub lineage, so it's basically some evolution from the original Delta strain, it isn't clear that it's a worry. It's, as you mentioned, about 10 percent of the sequences in the U.K., it's been seen for months now, it doesn't seem to have nearly the aggressive growth as Delta, and we're not even sure it competes with Delta.

[00:20:10]

TOPOL: So, right now, it's may just be the drag of the infections and more transmission and until we have functional data that tells us not just about the mutations that we know, but whether they have any significance, it's really up in the air.

VAUSE: You know, Britain, for the most part, it was living life, like it was 2019 all over again, the pubs are open, the nightclubs are packed, fewer and fewer people were actually wearing face masks.

And whenever there is an easing off of pandemic restrictions, the mitigation measures take a backseat, somehow the virus makes a stunning comeback. And I guess the question is, is this ever going to end? Well, are these pandemic restrictions (INAUDIBLE) if it's ever going to go away?

TOPOL: Well, you know, that's a really important point you're making, there are countries that are fully back to baseline, and they're -- and they're not having any are open, like Spain, and Portugal, Denmark. You know, they're not experiencing the same increase in spread.

So, it isn't clear yet whether those countries are going to declare this later, because they didn't start with their vaccinations as early as the U.K. and the U.S., you know, only time will tell. But some countries have really achieved remarkable stability with very high 75, 80 percent of their population fully vaccinated.

VAUSE: But (INAUDIBLE) those pockets where there have been success overall, it's just -- it's just an ongoing problem, which, you know, we're two years into this now. And I guess, you know, maybe we'd have these mitigation efforts now, at least, you know, behind us.

TOPOL: Sure. Well, you never know how much of it is behavior, the mitigation versus the virus. But, you know, I think we are going to continue to make progress. Like for example, even though there's a lot of cases in the U.K., still being capped at, you know, 90 percent suppression of fatalities, 80 percent suppression of hospitalizations compared to the Alpha variant peak.

So, there's a lot of good signs here. We don't want to lose the sign -- the sense of progress.

VAUSE: The glass is still half full.

TOPOL: Right, sure.

VAUSE: Dr. Eric Topol, appreciate it, take care.

TOPOL: You too, thanks.

VAUSE: Well, the India government is planning to pay about $670 to the closest relatives of all those who've died from the coronavirus. It's a total of more than $300 million based on the current death toll in India.

But the paperwork required to get the money could result many families just missing out. Here's CNN's Vedika Sud.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VEDIKA SUD, CNN REPORTER (voice over): The tears haven't stopped. It's been six months since Pooja Sharma lost her husband to COVID-19. Man Mohan died gasping for breath in a Delhi Hospital in the peak of India's devastating second wave.

POOJA SHARMA, LOST HUSBAND TO COVID-19 (through translator): Why was there no oxygen when you know there's a problem and everyone is troubled? Why weren't there any facilities?

SUD: A compensation program by the federal government allows payment of approximately $670 to the next of kin of COVID-19 victims. This will provide immediate soccer to families. But many Indians can't prove their loved ones died from COVID-19.

RAMANAN LAXMINARAYAN, SENIOR RESEARCH SCHOLAR, PRINCETON UNIVERSITY: Well, the main challenge is to show that your family member died of COVID and unless they had had a COVID test or the cause of death is related to COVID, and for the latter, you need the former. They are not going to get the compensation.

SUD: The Indian government has promised no families will be denied compensation if death certificates do not mention COVID-19. A mother of two, Pooja paints earthen lamps and stitches bags for a

living. She barely makes $60.00 a month. She showed us my Man Mohan's dead certificate with cites COVID-19 as cause of death, but Pooja finds the application process intimidating.

SHARMA (through translator): I will definitely apply but they need to ensure that we get it.

SUD: Realtor Sunil Maggon, who is a member of the country's main opposition political party lost his parents and brother to COVID-19 within a span of just four days.

SUNIL MAGGON, LOST THREE FAMILY MEMBERS TO COVID-19 (through translator): My brother needed a ventilator, which wasn't available. Three family members couldn't get oxygen. For my mother we needed oxygen for one day, we just didn't know how to get it.

SUD: Maggon has COVID-19 reports to prove his family members were infected. But he says he won't apply for compensation, the loss, the anger against the system still to raw, he says.

MAGGON: Why do I need $670 from them? Take double from me, take 10 times from me and give me my family back.

SUD (on camera): According to report published by the U.S. based Center for Global Development in July this year, India's excess deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic could be 10 times higher than the official death toll.

[00:25:12]

SUD (voice over): One reason for this as many states have attributed fatalities to comorbidities instead of COVID-19.

India's health minister has gone on record to say the government has no reason to hide deaths. While state governments are in the process of advertising details and setting up grievance redressal committees, experts say the immediate need is to make the process less complicated and more empathetic.

Vedika Sud, CNN, New Delhi.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: If tennis great Novak Djokovic wants to compete in the next Australian Open, he needs to get vaccinated. The world number one has not revealed if he has been vaccinated but Australian authorities seem OK if the defending champs sits this one out because all travelers to Australia must be fully vaccinated. And that includes very famous tennis players as well. No exceptions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANIEL ANDREWS, VICTORIA PREMIER: The vaccine doesn't know -- the vaccine doesn't care what your tennis ranking is, or how many Grand Slams you've won, or sorry, the virus does not care. That's completely irrelevant. You need to be vaccinated, to keep yourself safe and to keep others safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Djokovic recently told Serbian media he has not decided if he'll be in Melbourne for the open and says his vaccination status is a private matter and an inappropriate inquiry.

Last year, he said during a Facebook chat, he is personally opposed to vaccines.

Well, still come, Italy renews the debate following protests that turned violent, there is a fresh push now against fascism. Those details when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone. I'm John Vause, you're watching CNN NEWSROOM. Police are looking for a missing 4-year-old girl who disappeared from a campsite in Western Australia over the weekend. Cleo Smith was last seen around 1:30 in the morning by her parents who woke up hours later noticed she vanished along with her sleeping bag.

The family had been camping in Macleod about 48 kilometers from their hometown. Chloe's parents say any small detail may help bring their daughter home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELLIE SMITH, MOTHER OF MISSING CHILD: Everyone asked us what we need and really, all we need is our little girl home. If you see something, report it, it doesn't matter if it's small or big or if you're sure or not, like, we want our little girl home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Police have searched shacks along the coast, as well as nearby bodies of water but have not found any signs of that.

We ask anyone who stayed at the campsite to please contact them.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Well, in Germany, the trial now underway of a 96-year-old former secretary at a Nazi concentration camp.

[0030:07]

Proceedings were delayed for weeks after Irmgard Furchner went on the run for several hours, just before she was due in court last month. She worked at the Stutthof Camp in Nazi-occupied Poland as a teenager; is accused of aiding her superiors and killing more than 11,000 prisoners from 1943 to 1945.

About 65,000 people died at that camp between 1939 and 1945.

In a few hours, Italy's Parliament will debate dissolving the extreme right-wing Forza Nuova Party. This comes after neo-fascists and neo- Nazi groups were involved in violent protest against the country's COVID-19 health pass earlier this month.

Barbie Nadeau reports on Italy's complicated past with fascism.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tens of thousands of Italians gathered in this square in central Rome to demonstrate against fascism.

Theono Rovere (ph) tells us the Italy of today is anti-fascist. He says fascism can't go forward.

Recent attacks blamed on neo-fascists in Rome have sparked a debate on the topic many Italians would rather not discuss. Here, in Rome's Jewish ghetto, more than 1,000 Italians were rounded up by the Nazis and taken to concentration camps during World War II.

SIMON MARTIN, HISTORY PROFESSOR: Because fascism never really went away in this country, despite the constitution banning the reformation of the fascist -- of the Fascist Party.

NADEAU: Simon Martin is a professor of history who has written books on Italian fascism.

MARTIN: Italy has not confronted its past. It hasn't -- it hasn't confronted its Italian fascist past.

NADEAU: Italy's right-wing alliance is anchored by the country's most popular party, the Brothers of Italy, currently led by Giorgia Meloni.

Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini's granddaughter, Rachele, is one of the party's members, winning the highest number of votes in Rome's recent city council election.

Meloni's party is often tied to fascism. CNN asked her why that is. She tells us her party is not a breeding ground for such a regime.

Here in Rome, there are remnants of Italy's fascist past everywhere. This floor mosaic is at the entrance of the train station Mussolini built to welcome Adolf Hitler to Rome.

An almost 60-foot-tall obelisk with Mussolini's name still stands in front of Rome's main soccer stadium.

Italians spent two decades under Mussolini's iron fist. But almost 80 years later, the debate over his fascist legacy rages on.

Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Poland and the E.U. are locked in a legal dispute which some say could see Warsaw actually leave the block. The prime minister says Poland will follow its own constitution, not E.U. treaties that Polish courts have ruled incompatible.

The president of the European Commission says the bloc could take legal action to cut Poland's funding or suspend its voting rights.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

URSULA VON DER LEYEN, EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT: Honorable members, the European Commission is, at the moment, carefully assessing this judgment. But I can already tell you today I am deeply concerned. This ruling calls into question the foundations of the European Union. It is a direct challenge to the unity of the European legal order.

MATEUSZ MORAWIECKI, POLISH PRIME MINISTER (through translator): If I were to hear about a constitutional court in another member state had declared E.U. treaties null and void, I would certainly be surprised. But above all, I would focus on understanding the actual ruling of the court. And it is, among others, with this same that I am speaking in this debate, in order to present to you the factual subject of the dispute. And not to continue spreading tales for political reasons about Polexit or lies on the subject of a rollback of the rule of law.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: E.U. leaders expected to discuss the dispute at a summit in Brussels on Thursday. Most members have been critical of Poland. That is, except Hungary, which has come to Poland's defense.

And Poland has nearly doubled its troop presence along the border with Belarus to head off a looming refugee crisis. A Polish border guard tells CNN more than 21,000 people have tried to cross illegally this year.

The E.U. accuses Belarus of pushing migrants from the Middle East and Afghanistan across the border and then, ultimately, into the E.U.

Germany has offered to increase the number of police along its border with Poland.

The FBI has searched the homes of a Russian oligarch with close ties to the Kremlin. It's not clear what they're actually looking for at Oleg Deripaska's Washington homes, but the activity is connected to a federal investigation out of New York.

Deripaska's spokesperson says the search is related to U.S. sanctions. The Russian tycoon was sanctioned back in 2018 over Moscow's meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. He was investigated for money laundering, wiretapping, extortion, racketeering, allegations which he denies.

[00:35:08]

Still to come, supply chain woes could put a damper on holidays this year, but at least British turkeys -- the turkeys are celebrating. Gobble gobble.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNA STEWART, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A shortage of poultry workers in the U.K. Is Christmas stuffed? What do we think?

(TURKEYS GOBBLING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: The Olympic flame has arrived in Beijing ahead of next year's Winter Games. A welcoming ceremony has held at the Beijing Olympic Tower after the flame arrived from Greece.

This comes after three human rights activists protested the torchlighting at ancient Olympia. They held out a banner which read, "No Genocide Games," and they called for a boycott.

The fallout from global warming in Africa will be catastrophic, according to a new U.N. report. U.N.'s climate agency says by 2030, almost 120 million people will face worsening drought, floods, and extreme heat. Then, over the next decade, by the 2040s, Africa's majestic eastern mountain glaciers, the famous snows of Kilimanjaro, will be gone.

By 2050s, the climate change will have shaved off more than 3 percent of the continent's economy.

The authors of the report say Africa's rapidly melting ice caps signal the threat of irreversible change.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEAN-PAUL ADAM, U.N. ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR AFRICA: The cost of inaction is to accept a decade of decline, insecurity, poverty, and continued vulnerability. This is not an outcome we are willing to accept. This report is a call to action at the time we need it the most.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: African countries are demanding a new way to track funding. Some wealthy nations failed to meet their commitments to fight climate change.

The world's 20 largest economies produced more than three-quarters of the world's emissions, and developing nations bear the brunt of the consequences of global warming.

The U.K. has unveiled its roadmap to achieving net zero emissions less than two weeks before hosting the international COP26 climate summit.

The prime minister's strategy calls for new investments in electric vehicles, sustainable aviation fuels, and growing new forests as carbon sinks.

Boris Johnson says the plan will also boost the role of nuclear energy in its transition and create nearly half a million jobs in this decade.

Some environmentalists, though, say the strategy lacks ambition; does not end the country's dependence on fossil fuels.

Here's more now from the prime minister.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We have the most ambitious timetable anywhere to end ICE cars, internal combustion engine cars that run on hydrocarbons. And that's why we're making the big bets that we are with you on EVs and gigafactories, and we want to go further.

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VAUSE: World leaders are undergoing pressure to find a consensus at this coming COP26 summit, which begins October 31 in Glasgow, Scotland.

Just in time for the holidays, Brexit and the coronavirus have created a labor shortage across the United Kingdom. A lot of the focus has been on gasoline, but some major food items could be missing around the Christmas table.

CNN's Anna Stewart visited a farm in Essex to talk turkey.

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PAUL KELLY, KELLYBRONZE TURKEY FARMER: Our orders now are, you know, where we would be on December the 8th, just because people are making sure they've got their turkey.

It's not going to be -- you know, I mean, there will be a shortage of British turkeys. But it's not going to be -- you don't have to go into the supermarkets and start fighting for your turkey or anything like that.

STEWART (voice-over): The British Poultry Association estimates there will be 20 percent fewer British turkeys on shelves this Christmas due to a 15 percent shortage in the poultry workforce.

(on camera): How much of the labor shortage in the U.K. is to do with Brexit? How much is it to do with the pandemic?

KELLY: There's no doubt that a lot of the European workers went home during the pandemic, and a lot of them haven't come back, whereas they normally would have come back. I think certainly, in my instance, talking to the guys that came to work for us, they don't see a future here anymore. So they've got to fill -- you know, they've got to find work in Europe, and they will. There's lots of work out there. It's -- So they just don't see a future here, so they're not coming back.

STEWART: And what about the government's response that we just need to pay this labor force more? We need British people to pluck turkeys. I mean, we'd have to pay more, though.

KELLY: I don't know. Around here, there's no unemployment. How can I honestly expect someone to give up their full-time job to come and help us for five weeks? That's totally and utterly unrealistic.

There is no unemployment around here. We tried. And I have to say, I would dearly love to employ local people. It would -- it would be cheaper for us to employ local people. We wouldn't have the transport or the accommodation to put up with, all the hassle and everything that goes with that five weeks production. It would be -- so that's just a crazy thing to say.

STEWART: KellyBSronze says they're managing to last last year's turkey production. It is the first year in 20 that they haven't increased it.

(on camera): Does this mean the problems we're seeing this Christmas we're going to see them again next Christmas and the Christmas after?

KELLY: If we do -- if we do not get a seasonal workers gain (ph) in turkey production, you will see the U.K. turkey business just shrink and shrink and shrink and shrink.

STEWART (voice-over): Anna Stewart, CNN, Danbury, Essex.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Well, a daring drone rescue is being planned to save three dogs stranded on La Palm. They've been stuck there for about three weeks at an abandoned yard surrounded by lava and ash.

Small drones have dropped food for them, but they are still hungry, and they are weak. It's too dangerous to fly helicopters in because of the ash. So instead, a 50-kilogram drone with a big net will try and trap the dogs one by one and then fly them to safety.

They will need to move quickly, so the drone does not lose power when flying over the lava.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAIME PEREIRA, CEO, AEROCAMARAS: For us, it's either we get them out or they stay there. So if there's another option to get them out, go ahead. If there isn't, and it's the last option, we're going to go rescue them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: The drone operator carrying out test flights says the mission all depends on how the dogs will react. They've got 4 minutes of battery power to get in, four minutes of battery power to get out.

Apparently, making it to age 95 is not that impressive. An aide to Queen Elizabeth says the British monarch politely but firmly declined being named Oldie of the Year by a British magazine.

The aide says the queen doesn't meet the relative -- or relevant criteria, because, quote, "Her majesty believes you are as old as you feel."

Despite the rejection, the magazine, "The Oldie," is keeping the queen on its cover.

Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. Please stay with us. WORLD SPORT starts after the break. And then I'll see you again, hopefully, at the top of the hour.

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