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Ortega Defends Electoral Process and Widespread Criticism; Iraqi Prime Minister Denounces 'Cowardly' Drone Attack; U.S. Now Open to Fully Vaccinated Foreign Visitors; Witnesses Describe Deadly Chaos at Astroworld; Thousands Attend Pro-Government Demonstration in Addis Ababa; New Landscapes Being Created to Combat Climate Change; China's Ruling Party Kicks Off Plenary Session. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired November 08, 2021 - 00:00   ET

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

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to CNN NEWSROOM, everyone. I'm Michael Holmes.

[00:00:22]

Coming up here on the program, all but guaranteed. Nicaragua's authoritarian leader sent for a 4th consecutive term in an election denounced around the globe.

U.S. reopens its borders, a welcome step to return to normal. But some restrictions remain in place.

And difficult decisions as the world grapples with climate change. How the Netherlands is setting an example.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Michael Holmes.

HOLMES: Welcome, everyone. Nicaragua's longtime president is defending his country's election amid protests and widespread criticism. Sunday's vote was a, quote, "parody and a sham."

Daniel Ortega is all but guaranteed a fourth consecutive term, after his government stifled the opposition in the lead-up to the election. Dozens of critics detained, including seven who were likely presidential candidates.

Nicaraguans in cities from Spain to the U.S. turned out in protest over what some are calling an electoral farce.

In Costa Rica, dozens of protestors dressed as clowns, saying Sunday's election was a circus. Nicaraguans also casting votes for the country's national assembly. Mr. Ortega's Sandinista National Liberation Front expected to claim victory.

CNN's Matt Rivers is following developments. And he has more now for us from Mexico City.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, despite large sections of the international community calling these elections nothing more than a farce, presidential elections did go ahead as scheduled on Sunday in Nicaragua, featuring current President Daniel Ortega, running for a fourth consecutive term.

We have some footage to show you today that features both Daniel Ortega, the president and his wife, and also the country's vice president, Rosario Murillo, heading out on the streets on Sunday in Nicaragua.

But like I said, huge sections of the international community basically calling these results illegitimate. It was earlier this month at the U.S. representative to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights actually said that the Nicaraguan election is, quote, "nothing more than a sham."

The Canadian representative on that same body said the event that is taking place on November 7 is a parody of an election. And finally, we heard from the European Union's chief diplomat on November 2, who said that Nicaragua's election is so, quote, "completely fake," that it would not be worth sending independent observers.

All of these people are saying this because of what has happened in Nicaragua over the past several months, going all the way back to June, mainly when this targeted crackdown of opposition leaders, would-be presidential candidates for the opposition, really began in earnest. At least a half dozen likely would-be presidential candidates, were they allowed to run for the opposition have been arrested since June.

It basically cleared the ballot for Ortega to secure a fourth term. It's something that independent observers said he did completely -- (AUDIO GAP) saying they are just 100 percent illegitimate.

Matt Rivers, CNN, Mexico City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Now, as Matt mentioned, Nicaragua's president is seeking a fourth consecutive term. Daniel Ortega was once a guerrilla fighter, who helped topple the dictator, Anastasio Somoza, in 1979.

He first served as president in the 1980s, before losing several elections beginning in 1990, eventually returning to power in 2007.

Eric Farnsworth is vice president of the Americas Society and Council of the Americas. He joins me now.

And good to have you back on, Eric. When it comes to, you know, silencing any political opponent, Daniel Ortega really has led the way. Most presidential candidates who would oppose him are in jail, seven of them. It kind of makes the election a joke, doesn't it?

ERIC FARNSWORTH, VICE PRESIDENT, AMERICAS SOCIETY AND COUNCIL OF THE AMERICAS: Michael, it's good to be back with you. I wish the circumstances were different. You're exactly right. Daniel Ortega for months has been making sure that the elections that

he ran today would be neither free nor fair. He has jailed not just the leading political leaders from the opposition, but he's also jailed influencers. He's also jailed people, or exiled them, from the press.

And he's run using state resources, campaigns on social media, to really promote his own candidacy and tear down the opposition.

[00:0512]

So there's no way that anybody with an objective view would consider today's election exercise to be anything but a charade.

HOLMES: Yes. What, then, is the state of the country's opposition? Is there an opposition anymore, functionally?

FARNSWORTH: Well, there is -- there are people opposed to the regime, no doubt. And many of them actually have been leaving, either under duress, or you know, of their own volition to seek better circumstances elsewhere.

But the opposition, in terms of an official unified bloc is -- doesn't exist. It's been divided. It's been persecuted. There are people running in the election today who are not, you know, supportive of Daniel Ortega, but they're Trojan horses for the regime. They're not, quote unquote, "legitimate -- legitimate opposition."

So it's pretty bad. We have to say, though, that this has been a circumstance that has been going on for some time. This is the fourth time in a row Ortega has run in elections, and now, of course, he's guaranteed to win. But the opposition has been somewhat weakened over the years.

So we have to remember, this isn't something that just happened today, or even over the last week. It's been a slow-motion train track now for years in the making.

HOLMES: Yes, what then, do you see happening in Nicaragua in the short to medium term. I mean, opponents in jail or exile, repression growing, economic problems, and thousands, literally, fleeing the country. Where is the place headed?

FARNSWORTH: Ortega and his wife, Rosario Murillo, who is the vice president, are clearly an editorial role now. She, in fact, is really the animating figure in the regime, and someone says she's more radical than her husband.

But no, I think we can assume that the oppression will continue, that the opponents will continue to be put in jail, and you know, without charges. Tried, or perhaps under charges for treason and other Trumped-up things, if charges actually are brought.

Meanwhile, the country will continue to sink deeper and deeper into a political morass. You know, the international community has come out strongly opposed to the elections. Joe Biden, President Biden today condemned them as being a farce.

But the question is going to be what is the international community actually prepared to do, besides rhetorical condemnation? There's a lot of things the U.S. could do from the economic side, from the political side, from a diplomatic side.

The question is, is the political will there? Is this, quote unquote, "a big enough issue," to really take -- to take some direct stuff?

HOLMES: Is Nicaragua's direction in terms of all those things, you know, reduce freedoms, growing authoritarianism. It could be, perhaps, called a dictatorship. And so on. Is that a concern regionally? Could there be, or are there already, implications for democracy elsewhere in Central America?

FARNSWORTH: There is a huge concern, regionally, particularly the immediate neighbors, like Costa Rica. Which actually, traditionally, is the recipient of many, if not most, of Nicaragua's citizens who flee the country.

And so, anything that is the stabilizing and Nicaragua shows up, literally, in the borders of Costa Rica and Nicaragua's northern neighbor, Honduras.

Other countries clearly are facing similar circumstances in Latin America, as well. Certainly, Venezuela comes to mind, but there are other countries even closer than Nicaragua in Central America, where leaders who have been democratically elected are, nonetheless, flirting with authoritarian governance. One thinks specifically of El Salvador, but there are others, as well.

And they're watching this very carefully, not just the tactics and tools that Ortega and Murillo used in terms of solidifying their own power, but also what is the response of the international community?

And I think this is the key point, because if the international community really takes no particular actions that harm the regime in any way, people are going to assume that they got away with it, and therefore, they may be tempted to try it themself.

HOLMES: Yes. Yes, just encourage more of the same. Eric Farnsworth, always a pleasure, thanks so much.

FARNSWORTH: Thank you, Michael.

HOLMES: Iraq's prime minister is vowing to pursue his would-be killers after surviving an assassination attempt on Sunday. Mustafa al-Kadhimi convened an extraordinary cabinet meeting, following the botched hit job.

CNN's Jomana Karadsheh with the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was one of the most brazen attacks to ever target Iraq's leadership. A drone laden with explosives struck the residence of Prime Minister Mustafa al- Kadhimi in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone, according to Iraq's military.

Al-Kadhimi escaped what officials have described as a failed assassination attempt that injured members of his security detail.

Shortly after that, the prime minister appeared calm and composed a televised address, reassuring the nation and calling for restraint.

[00:10:03]

MUSTAFA AL-KADHIMI, IRAQI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): The cowardly missiles and drones do not build our countries, nor our future, and we are working to build our homeland by respecting the state and its institutions and establishing a better future for all Iraqis. I invite everyone to a calm and constructive dialogue for the sake of Iraq and the future of Iraq. Long live Iraq. Long live Iraq.

KARADSHEH: No one's claimed responsibility for the attack. Iraq says it's investigating. The government vowing to bring those responsible to justice, blamed, quote, "criminal armed groups," the term it's used in the past to describe Iranian-backed militias.

The powerful Iranian-backed groups have threatened al-Kadhimi, the close U.S. ally in the past. But on Sunday, various groups were fast to deny their involvement, accusing foreign powers of an attempt, they say, to implicate them.

The attack comes after weeks of rising tensions, following the October 10 elections. Parties representing Iranian-backed militias emerged as the biggest losers of that vote, using many of the seats they once held in parliament.

They've refused to accept the results of an election they've described as fraudulent, and for weeks, their supporters have staged a protest in Baghdad that turned violent on Friday, when protesters clashed with security forces as they tried to storm the Green Zone.

Militia leaders accused the government of targeting peaceful protesters and vowed revenge following the death of a demonstrator.

(on camera): The Iraqi government, for the most part, has failed to hold these heavily-armed Iranian-backed groups accountable for crimes they've been accused of committing in the past.

The government is really trying to avoid an escalation and a confrontation with these groups, but that may no longer be an option with Iraq's democracy and its constitutional process, now at stake.

Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Istanbul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: International condemnation of the attack was swift, and several leaders reached out directly to Mr. Al-Kadhimi on Sunday. The British prime minister Boris Johnson, one of them, he strongly denounced the attack with a spokesperson saying, quote, "The U.K. stands by the Iraqi people and supports Prime Minister al-Kadhimi's efforts to form a government, following elections, which is vital for the long-term stability of Iraq."

Iceland is tightening its COVID rules in an attempt to curb a rapid rise in new cases. Masks are, once again, required in crowded areas, and officials plan to cut hours at some restaurants, and limit attendance at gatherings.

This all comes as new infections in Iceland are approaching record levels. The average number of new cases has more than doubled in the last month alone.

Austria also cracking down on COVID rules after new infections quadrupled in the last month. Starting Monday, unvaccinated customers will be banned from restaurants, hotels and large events.

But officials say for the first four weeks, proof of an initial COVID vaccine, and the negative test result will be enough to get you inside. Right now, just under 64 percent of Austrians are fully vaccinated.

Now, those crackdowns come amid dire warnings from health experts about the pandemic in Europe over the next few months. And yet, as CNN's Nada Bashir reports, some countries are still struggling to get more people vaccinated.

NADA BASHIR, CNN PRODUCER: European leaders are facing mounting pressure, and a stark warning from the World Health Organization. And Europe is not once again at the epicenter of the global pandemic.

And this comes as numerous countries across the continent report record-breaking figures in the number of daily cases being reported.

And Europe's Center for Disease Control has said that it expects cases, hospital admissions and even deaths to continue to rise over the coming weeks. What is perhaps most concerning is the warning from the WHO that Europe and Central Asia could see something like half a million coronavirus deaths between now and the beginning of February, if this current trajectory continues.

The WHO has highlighted two key areas of concern. The first, European leaders need to take a look at their own national policies, and perhaps consider bringing back into force those tougher measures we've seen in the past.

The second is looking at the uneven uptick of the coronavirus vaccine, with parts of Eastern Europe and the Balkans, in particular, still struggling against vaccine hesitancy.

Well, we've seen in other parts of Europe is the introduction of various health parts, where citizens will have to prove that they either had the vaccine, or tested negative for coronavirus, in order to access places like restaurants, bars, and theaters, even in some countries to go to work. So there's a real pressure there for people to go and get their jab.

And some countries are now introducing a third booster dose, and this is all part of efforts to really bring the pandemic under control, as we move into the winter months, particularly in light of the spread of the Delta variant, which is highly transmissible.

And some health experts have also warned against what they're describing as the twindemic. That is governments trying to deal with the pandemic, while dealing with a seasonal flu during the winter months, which has long put governments under immense strain, particularly in the healthcare sector.

[00:15:15]

So there are real concerns there, and a real push for governments to take action now, to bring the pandemic under control. But as we move into the winter months, really, not a lot of time left to do that.

Nada Bashir, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: The U.S., meanwhile, will reopen its borders on Monday for fully-vaccinated international visitors, ending a ban on foreign travelers that has lasted months.

It's a welcome change for families separated by the pandemic and a sign of hope for the battered travel industry. CNN's Richard Quest reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These are the routes that keep the global economy moving. For more than 18 months, they have been painfully quiet.

Back at the start of the COVID pandemic, then-President Donald Trump announced he was banning most travel into the United States. Few would

have predicted that ban would last for most of 2021, as well.

Most travelers, some from the United States' closest allies, barred from visiting. For loved ones, that means separated by borders, months of heartache. And for the airlines, it spelled financial disaster.

SEAN DOYLE, CEO, BRITISH AIRWAYS: We keep outlining the economic impact of staying closed and the human impact. So there's a lot of people haven't been able to visit family in the U.S. They haven't been able to reunite. You know, countries with huge amounts of foreign direct investment, going both ways. And that's going to be impacted by this impasse.

QUEST: As COVID levels ebbed and flowed, and vaccinations began to be rolled out, the U.S. position did not change, much to the frustration of European leaders.

The travel ban seriously harms vital economic and human ties at a time when they're most needed, tweeted the E.U. ambassador in Washington. And Americans were able to travel overseas, with some restrictions, like vaccination, testings, or quarantines.

I'm a U.K. citizen, so I could fly from New York to London on JetBlue's inaugural trip, and it was packed. The return journey -- because I'm a green card holder, I could travel -- not so.

(on camera): Because Brits, even those fully vaccinated, are not allowed into the United States, but on this plane, it's about a quarter full.

(voice-over): All in all, all change on Monday. Vaccinated travelers finally able to visit the land of the free. Separated families, a moment to cherish. And for the global economy, a sign that things may be getting closer to normal.

Richard Quest, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: There's new fallout from that deadly crush at the Astroworld music festival. We'll have live details on the investigation, and hear from people who witnessed the chaos.

And, as the crisis in Ethiopia escalates, a U.S. diplomat says there is still a window for diplomatic efforts, but it is closing. A full report, after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:20:28]

HOLMES: Flowers, cards, and candles being placed at the site of the Astroworld music festival in Houston, Texas, where eight people died on Friday. Dozens of others were injured when the crowd surged towards the stage. And a criminal investigation is now underway.

A lawsuit has been filed, meanwhile, against the rapper, Travis Scott, and concert promoters, Live Nation, and Scoremore. They're accused of failing to, quote, "properly plan and conduct the concert in a safe manner and ignoring the extreme risks and harm to attendees."

The plaintiff, who says he suffered serious injuries when he was trampled by the crowd, is seeking more than $1 million.

We're also learning that Scott continued to perform nearly 40 minutes after the first reports of injuries and for approximately half an hour after authorities declared the concert a mass casualty event.

Meanwhile, we are getting a clearer picture of how the tragedy unfolded, as more witnesses come forward.

CNN's Rosa Flores picks up the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a death trap, basically.

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): More witnesses are coming forward to share their experiences at Houston's Astroworld Friday night, where eight people died and hundreds more were injured.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I picked some kid up, and his eyes rolled to the back of his head, so I checked his pulse and I knew he was dead. And then I checked the people around me. And I just had to leave him there. There was nothing I could do. I had to keep going.

FLORES: Another concert goer saying the mood noticeably shifted in the audience just before internationally-acclaimed rapper Travis Scott took the stage.

LESLIE HANS, ATTENDED ASTROWORLD: As the time was running down, you know, people became more rowdy and more antsy and just more standoffish is the vibe that I got.

FLORES: Police also say that a security guard was pricked in the neck with a needle, prompting more questions about what was happening in the crowd.

CHIEF TROY FINNER, HOUSTON POLICE: He went unconscious. They administered Narcan. He was revived, and the medical staff did notice a prick that was similar to a prick that you would get if somebody was trying to inject.

FLORES: But Scott maintains he had no idea about the severity of what was happening in the crowd, as he continued his set, telling fans in an Instagram video Saturday night that he is devastated by what happened.

TRAVIS SCOTT, RAPPER: Anytime I can make out, you know, anything that's going on, you know, I would stop the show and, you know, just help them get the help they need.

FLORES: It isn't the first time crowd control issues have come up for Scott, who sells out concerts across the globe and is known for his high-energy shows.

In this 2019 Netflix documentary, a member of Travis's team tells security guards about the anticipated rowdy fans ahead of one of his shows.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The pressure becomes very great up against a barricade. You will see a lot of crowd surfers, in general, but also, you see a lot of kids that are just trying to get out, get to safety, because they can't breathe, because it's so compact. He don't know how bad it could be with our crowd until we turn up.

FLORES: In the past, Scott has faced legal trouble for egging on fans at his shows.

In 2018, Scott pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in Arkansas, according to "The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette" after police say he encouraged people to rush the stage at one of his shows. Two other misdemeanor charges, including inciting a riot, were dismissed.

And, in 2015, Scott pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor reckless conduct charge, after encouraging fans to rush the stage at Chicago's Lollapalooza Festival, according to "The Chicago Tribune." He was sentenced to a year of court supervision.

In Houston, a criminal investigation is now underway, according to police, who are urging concert goers to contact them if they have information to share. The medical examiner's office also seeking help identifying this man, one of the victims in this tragedy.

Rosa Flores, CNN, Houston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: A top African Union representative traveled to the capital of Ethiopia's Tigray region on Sunday, trying to find a way to resolve the conflict between the central government and an alliance of rebel groups.

An African Union source telling CNN the Peace and Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on the crisis in the coming hours. A U.S. official says that there is still a window for diplomatic efforts in Tigray, but that window is closing.

The warning coming as thousands of Ethiopians turned out in the capital, Addis Ababa, for a demonstration supporting the government.

CNN's Melissa Bell with more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thousands of people out on the streets of Addis Ababa on Sunday morning to make plain their support for the Ethiopian government.

[00:25:06]

This, just days after an alliance was formed of those groups that are opposed to it, including the Tigray People's Liberation Front and the Oromo Liberation Army that have made such spectacularly fast gains over the course of the last few days.

Entrenched position, according to one senior African diplomatic source, speaking from Addis Ababa earlier today, and yet, a small and narrowing window for diplomatic efforts to remain. According to the source, Jeffrey Feldman, the U.S. special envoy to the Horn of Africa, extending his stay in the region.

The U.N. and the African Union choosing not to evacuate the staff for the time being, in order to try and see those diplomatic efforts, which according to that source, the window is small, but it's important, to continue. Because the source explained, Ethiopia is simply too big to fail and the alternative to peace, too big to consider.

Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Still to come here on the program, one lesson of the climate crisis. Prepare for extreme weather events. How one country took precautions long ago, so lives would be saved, when the rivers flooded again.

You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Welcome back to our viewers all around the world. I'm Michael Holmes. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALOK SHARMA, COP26 PRESIDENT: You know, the rubber is going to hit the road during next week. And I think anyone who has been to a COP, and many of you have, know that this is not plain sailing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: It is crunch time for critical climate talks in Glasgow, as the COP26 summit enters its final week.

After some big pledges from world leaders last week, it's time for negotiators to hash out exactly how to make good on those promises and prevent a climate catastrophe.

On Monday, they will shift their focus to finances. Governments are expected to push further agreement to help vulnerable countries cope with climate change.

They'll also try to figure out how to compensate hard-hit communities for the damage that's already being done.

And one country that is taking action on climate change is the Netherlands. Long before heavy floods ravaged Europe this summer, the Netherlands took drastic action to reshape the land so that people could live safely.

CNN's Phil Black has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Germany's Ahr Valley is striking and serene. Soaring steep slopes, covered with vineyards.

[00:30:03]

We see the river flowing gently, more like a stream. But everywhere, there is evidence of its unpredictable power.

In July, the water here swelled suddenly, violently swallowing homes and businesses in just a few hours.

Extreme rainfall devastated communities throughout this region of Europe, killing more than 200 people.

This video was taken from the top floor of Franziska Schnitzler's hotel and restaurant.

FRANZISKA SCHNITZLER, LOST HOTEL AND RESTAURANT IN FLOODING: I lost the kitchen. The restaurant was there.

BLACK: Today, much of that centuries-old building is done. The damage was so great had to be torn down.

SCHNITZLER: A lot of people are selling the houses already. We do live with the climate change, and this is the result.

BLACK: Scientists later determined that this rare flooding event was made more likely by climate change.

(on camera): It's going right through the floor.

SCHNITZLER Yes, and then in the first flood, it was something like on my knees.

BLACK (voice-over): Lea Kreuzberg is in no doubt that terrifying night, watching the water rise higher than anyone remembers, has changed her to this day.

LEA KREUZBERG, RESIDENT OF DERNAU, GERMANY: When it started raining a bit more, the emotions came up again, and I started crying. And I don't feel very comfortable in these situations.

BLACK (on camera): You're scared of the rain?

KREUZBERG: Yes.

BLACK (voice-over): Lea's community is now grappling with how, where, if to rebuild, how to live by this river. Now, the risks of climate change are already here.

KREUZBERG Not just -- things happening like this will take place on many different cities or countries, because of the climate change.

BLACK: The waters of the Ahr Valley flow north through Germany and eventually into the Netherlands, a low-lying country with centuries of experience building dikes and holding back water.

HANS BROUWER, DUTCH MINISTRY OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND WATER MANAGEMENT: We know we are a very vulnerable country. If we want to protect ourself by dikes, then on a daily basis about half of the country can flood.

BLACK: Hans Brouwer says the Dutch have now also realized dikes alone aren't enough.

Huge floods in the mid-90s, together with some of the earliest warnings about climate change, inspired what was then revolutionary thinking. What if you could just let the rivers flood? Let the water find its own space.

BROUWER: We believe that giving space to the river, which means that you can accommodate more water without the racing (ph) level, that then the damage can be controlled much better.

BLACK: The result is called room for rivers, a vast long-term project, reshaping the land to accommodate the extreme weather that comes with climate change.

Dikes have been lowered, so land can flood more easily. Some are now permanently open, allowing water to take over, transporting farmland into lakes and marshes.

Homes and businesses have been knocked down, with only some rebuilt on huge mounds, designed to sit above the worst floods.

(on camera): When the water comes, it takes -- it takes the rest of the land.

BROUWER: It takes the rest of the land.

BLACK (voice-over): The project has grown, with greater understanding about the changing climate. But it's only possible through great selflessness. People have given up their land to absorb flooding, so riverside towns and cities will be safe.

(on camera): The water is right there?

ANNEKE VAN LELIEVELD, RESIDENT OF NOORDWAARD, NETHERLANDS: Yes.

BLACK (voice-over): Anneke van Lelieveld used to live next to a neighbor's farm. That farm is now a lake and flood plan. Embracing the project, watching friends and neighbors leave, hasn't been easy.

VAN LELIEVELD: It's so complex.

BLACK: Because you know other people have made those sacrifices.

LELIEVELD: Yes. Yes, and I saw the tears and the cries, and yes, it's -- it broke my heart, you know. And this makes me emotional.

Because it has a deep impact, but I do it for the future, you know, for the young people.

BLACK (voice-over): And she believes the Netherlands is setting an important example.

LELIEVELD: I am proud that we give this area up for other people. The climate is changing, and we must, as a community, as people all over the world, to do things to make a future for our children.

BLACK: This project preparing in advance for climate change is hugely challenging and often painful. But there are lessons on the flooding of the Ahr Valley, too. Vulnerable communities risk even greater loss and trauma if they wait too long to adapt.

Phil Black, CNN, Germany's Ahr River Valley.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: And do join us for the first ever Call to Earth Day on Wednesday, November 10, CNN is partnering with schools, individuals, and organizations around the world to raise awareness of environmental issues. It's going to be a day of action, dedicated to conservation, environmentalism, and sustainability.

[00:3514]

As part of the coverage actually, I'll be speaking with filmmaker and undersea explorer James Cameron about the vital role our oceans play in our climate and the need to learn from them and protect them as a resource.

Follow us online and on TV and follow the hashtag #CalltoEarth on social media.

Coming up, we'll head to Beijing, where China's Communist Party is set to elevate President Xi Jinping to a new level of supremacy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: China's ruling Communist Party is kicking off a four-day plenary session. President Xi Jinping expected to cut tighten his grip on power further during the closed-door session of the 300-plus member committee.

CNN Beijing bureau chief Stephen Jiang joins me now.

And Stephen, it really is just another consolidation of power for the president, isn't it?

STEPHEN JIANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Michael. But you know, in this country, the president is a largely ceremonial title. His real power derives from his top position within the Chinese Communist Party.

That's why the whole world is so closely watching this conclave of a small group of people, mostly old men, all because of this top-down structure in this one-party system, as illustrated by this graphic.

Even though this is the world's biggest ruling party, with more than 95 million members, what really matters is the central committee, and that's what's meeting here behind closed doors.

And when you go from there, the numbers quickly become even much smaller, culminating in the Politburo standing committee, with only seven men, and that, of course, is the parties that, by extension, the country's top decision making body. And that's been dominated by one man. That's Xi Jinping.

Now, this meeting is taking place as Xi continues to re-assert a party's dominance in every aspect of Chinese society, not just politics and military but also the economy and also even people's private life and as it continues to push for a more confrontational and an even aggressive foreign policy.

Now in the weeks or even months leading up to this meeting, we've seen state media really touting this country's great achievements since she took power in late 2012, and using extravagant terms that we haven't heard for years to describe him as a great helmsman, as a visionary, as a statesman, as a father-like figure, really building this personality cult, leading to this moment.

Now, the main agenda during this meeting is to pass a resolution on the party's history. This may not sound very exciting to most people, but this had previously only happened twice in the party's 100-year history. And on both occasions, it really cemented the undisputed supremacy of the party's leader at the time. First, Chairman Mao, and then Deng Xiaoping. And now, only for the third time, Xi Jinping.

[00:40:15]

So, if and when this happens, any suggestion or hint against him or his policy would become party heresy, really allowing them to demand absolute loyalty, not only from the party but from the nation of 1.4 billion people.

And Michael, all of this, of course, is paving the way for him to seek an almost unprecedented third term as the party's leader a year from now, allowing him to dominate not just Chinese politics, but also the world stage for the foreseeable future, if not for the rest of his life, Michael?

HOLMES: A powerful man, indeed. Stephen Jiang, thanks so much.

Now, a flight from Morocco to Turkey turned into a great escape for a group of passengers. Now this happened when an Air Arabia flight made an emergency landing at an airport in Spain.

Officials say a passenger faked being in a diabetic coma so that 21 others could rush off the plane after it had that emergency landing. The chaos, as you can see, captured on video by other travelers, who were stunned as the group pushed their way off the aircraft and across the tarmac.

The busy Palma de Mallorca Airport was briefly closed, as Spanish police searched for the missing passengers, 12 of whom are still on the run. People inside the airport said it was a stunning scene.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): we were at the airport about to leave, and everything that happened was a bit shocking. Several people getting out of A plane, and running down the runway. And that's why the airport was closed. So we had to go back home.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HOLMES: Spanish officials say they're reviewing their security protocols. No kidding. And are trying to determine why the passengers ran away from the plane.

So far, none of those who have been arrested have tried to claim asylum.

Well, history has been made for the Chinese space program. Wang Yaping became the country's first woman to walk in space. She is part of a three-member crew spending six months aboard the nation's space station, the longest space mission so far.

And it may be one of the few un-cool things about space flight, but there aren't too many places to pull over and go to the loo.

As for the astronauts on NASA's SpaceX Crew Two mission, it's going to be a long haul home, as the spacecraft is traveling and will have a broken toilet.

NASA says the team will have to wear, yes, diapers, or nappies, for the trip from the International Space Station back to Earth. One of the astronauts says it's all part of the job.

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MEGAN MCARTHUR, U.S. ASTRONAUT: We were unable to use the toilet on Dragon for the return trip, and of course, that's suboptimal, but we are prepared to manage that, in the time that we're on board Dragon on the way home.

And you know, spaceflight is full of lot of little challenges. This is just one more that we'll encounter and take care of in our mission.

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HOLMES: "Suboptimal" is one way of putting it. The bladder-busting flight back to Earth has been delayed because of weather. Crew Two is now expected to leave the space station about 14 hours from now, and splash down late Monday night off Florida.

No doubt the next one will take up a plumber.

Thanks for spending part of your day with me. I'm Michael Holmes. You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram, @HolmesCNN. Stay with us. WORLD SPORT up next. I'll see you in about 15 minutes.

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