Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
E.U. Accuses Belarus of Acting like a "Gangster Regime"; European Countries Battle Soaring COVID Cases. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired November 10, 2021 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:00:26]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks for joining us. Coming up this hour on CNN Newsroom, how did it all go so wrong? In parts of Europe vaccination rates were high, infections falling early now to be at the epicenter of the pandemic once again.
The gangster regime, the E.U. accuses Belarus of weaponizing migrants in response to Belarusian President raises the possibility of a nuclear escalation.
And why there is a world of difference between 1.5 and 2.4. Our best efforts to reduce carbon emissions and slow global warming at coming up way short.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Liver from CNN Center, this is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.
VAUSE: Around the world, COVID infections and deaths have either plateaued or have been falling and falling fast in some parts everywhere that is, except for Europe. And according to a new report from the World Health Organization, COVID is now spreading so fast in Europe, it accounts for more than half of new daily cases and deaths worldwide.
Low vaccination rates in some parts and easing up pandemic restrictions are the main suspects for the surge, leaving many countries to at least consider reimposing old rules and mandates.
This week, Austria said only the vaccinated will be allowed to restaurants, hotels and large events. On Tuesday, England announced the vaccination mandate for coming into effect in April for workers with the National Health Service. Those who refuse will lose their jobs.
Meantime, France is looking to a tougher health care system and booster shots to help curb the outbreak there. French President, Emmanuel Macron outlined his plan to the national address on Tuesday, and we get a report from CNN's Cyril Vanier reporting in from Paris.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CYRIL VANIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As we head into winter and temperatures drop, France has seen a slow but steady rise in COVID infections in recent weeks, prompting the president to address the nation on Tuesday. Emmanuel Macron warning that the pandemic isn't over.
EMMANUEL MACRON, FRANCE PRESIDENT (through translation): We have not finished because short term, the WHO says that the fifth wave has started in Europe, with a 40% increase in a week of the incidence rate and an increase in hospitalizations are warning signs.
VANIER: To limit the increase in infections, the President is betting on booster doses and a little bit of coercion over 65 will have to get a third dose of COVID vaccine by mid-December or face losing their health pass. The past grants access to restaurants, cinemas, museums, entertainment venues, sports, train stations, even airports. So, life becomes a lot more difficult without one and over 60 fives find themselves highly incentivized to book their booster appointment soon.
Now boosters will also be made available to over 50s next month, under 50s are for the moment not required to get a third dose. But that may be only a matter of time. The President is acknowledging in his speech that vaccine immunity wanes after a mere six months. Cyril Vanier, CNN, Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Joining us now from Los Angeles is Professor Anne Rimoin with the Epidemiology Department at the University of California. Professor, welcome back.
ANNE RIMOIN, EPIDEMIOLOGY PROFESSOR, UCLA FIELDING SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: Nice to be here.
VAUSE: OK. So, with Europe once again, you know, the pandemic, the epicenter of the pandemic. We have the World Health Organization warning on, this is just last Thursday, that this was a red flag for the rest of the world. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE RYAN, EXECUTIVE DIR. WHO HEALTH EMERGENCIES PROGRAMMED: We're all epidemiologists, now we only have to look at the roller coaster epidemiologic curve to know that when you're coming down the mountain, you're usually about to go back up another one. And the fact that Europe is climbing that mountain again, should really stand everybody up around the world and say, what are we going to do?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: I don't know if we're all epidemiologists, that's why we have you with us. But, you know, less than a week after that, the U.S. announces its lifting travel restrictions on most European countries so fully vaccinated visitors will no longer need to quarantine on arrival, if that was needed for the past 20 months or so to control the pandemic, why is it not needed now? RIMOIN: Well, you know, John, I think the first thing that you said, you know, we're not all epidemiologists, but we're all going to have to start thinking like epidemiologist, so that's going to be the key here. And you're going to have to be starting to think about, what do I need to do? What's my risk? How do I move forward? It's not that the -- so these restrictions being lifted. It's not because the world is so much safer right now, the rules still apply, and infection anywhere is potentially an infection everywhere. And this right now we're seeing surges in parts of the world and as we open our borders, we're likely to see importation of cases and we're going to see spread of the virus again.
[01:05:10]
You know, we see what's happening in Europe right now. Here in the United States, we've seen this before. We see it happen in Europe. And then a few weeks later, we see the same thing happening here in the United States. So, I think that it's a false sense of security to say, well, the borders are lifting, we're taking down restrictions, it's safer now, we don't have to worry. We're going to have to consider COVID for a long period of time. And we're going to have to get used to reading the weather forecast, essentially, looking at what's happening, and taking the appropriate precautions to be able to protect ourselves when we're seeing surges.
Well, Denmark seems to be a case study of not being epidemiologists. And what happens when a country tries to live like its 2019 sort of pre-pandemic, that vaccination rate close to 90%, new infections were down to 200 a day, all restrictions were lifted about two months later, infection dropped tenfold, those restrictions are coming back. So, what else could Denmark have done? Where did they go wrong in those two months?
RIMOIN: Well, I think the issue is that, that we're starting to see cases rise around them, and they had no restrictions. And when you don't have restricted travel, you're going to see cases imported again, it goes back to this whole idea that an infection anywhere is potentially an infection anywhere, and this virus spreads very easily.
Also, we're getting into a colder season. It's cold in Europe right now. So, you know, this virus loves indoor, closed spaces, and dry cold air. So, you know, as what basically what we're doing is we're providing a good opportunity for this virus to spread and with no restrictions in place, it's going to take that opportunity and do just that.
VAUSE: It always seems that, you know, if you do everything that you possibly can, you get up to that level of 90%, vaccination, herd immunity, whatever, that if you let your guard down, regardless where you're at, this thing keeps coming back, there will be no return to normalcy for anytime soon.
RIMOIN: I think we're going to have to be looking at a new normal. And that new normal is making sure that we have as many people vaccinated as possible, getting people boosted so that they have optimal immunity, and then layering on these kinds of protections like wearing masks, social distancing, requiring vaccination in indoor spaces. I mean, I think that this is what we're going to have to get used to living with. We're all going to have to think like epidemiologists.
VAUSE: Well, that brings us to the booster shots and Pfizer asking the FDA in the United States to expand authorization, pretty much everyone 18 years and older. Here's the reason why, according to the company, CEO. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALBERT BOURLA, PFIZER CEO: Trial concluded, the results were stunning. The results gave 95% efficacy of the booster compared to the two doses received. If you compare it to vaccinated likely 99%. So, it is even higher this performance than what we have seen with the two doses of the vaccine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: OK, so it's incredibly effective, which is great news. And it seems approval will come sooner rather than later. But does this mean that we will all have booster shots every year, once a year or even twice a year?
RIMOIN: I think it's hard to predict what we're going to need to do beyond this booster. You know, there are some scientists that believe that this third shot will be enough to provide some sort of sustainable immunity. But I think that we, you know, it's very possible that with variants, so we might need to have these vaccines optimized going forward. And we may see that these, that the immunity just doesn't last long enough.
We'll have to be continuing to track it to be able to determine, do we need more boosters? Why are we going to need them? Is it because of variants or because we're really seeing waning immunity? And just continue to pivot as needed, and that's what we've had to do in this pandemic, is we just have to keep pivoting as we have new challenges put in front of us.
VAUSE: Very quickly, Singapore says that they will no longer provide health care for those who are unvaccinated by choice if they get COVID. Good idea, bad idea?
RIMOIN: Well, you know, it's -- the idea is that, you know, the you're so much more likely to get sick, you're so much more likely to have adverse effects, you're so much more likely to be hospitalized if you get COVID or if you're not vaccinated. But the thing is, is that still you know, there is a duty to be able to take care of people who are sick, and doctors and hospitals usually do not discriminate in this way. So, I think it's going to be a very complicated thing to be able to manage and also to really determine who's been vaccinated, who hasn't and why has somebody gotten sick?
VAUSE: Point finish on, Anne, thank you so much. Professor, good to see you.
RIMOIN: My pleasure. VAUSE: Well, the E.U. Council president is expected to fly into the confrontation between Poland and Belarus and meet with Poland's Prime Minister in Warsaw.
The two countries are locked in a great crisis over the border where 1000s of migrants have set up makeshift camps across into Poland and most of them then are to other countries in Europe.
[01:10:10]
The situation has grown increasingly tense in recent weeks, with the E.U. criticizing Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, accusing him of creating the crisis as retaliation for sweeping sanctions imposed on Minsk earlier this year.
Union Commission says Belarus is acting like a gangster regime and wants more sanctions are likely soon. Still, the Belarusian leader is showing no signs of backing down.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO, BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT: was named so we know our place, but we will not kneel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Is spreading, dissension continues sprayed with Lithuania announcing a month-long state of emergency on its border with Belarus. And Poland has said its military is ready to deal with any scenario on the border. An ominous warning it seems. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): A migrant crisis on NATO's eastern flank that's threatening to destabilize this region. The European Union accuses Putin ally, Belarusian's strong man Alexander Lukashenko of unleashing a massive rush on Poland's border. The country's Prime Minister calling on Polish troops to get ready.
Lukashenko's regime uses civilians as weapons of a hybrid war he said, what we can see today are new methods and you are a key Bastion against them.
Poland says around 4000 people, mostly from Iraq and Syria have a mass at its border with Belarus squatting under inhumane conditions repeatedly trying to push across. The E.U. says the Belarusian regime has lured them here falsely promising they could enter new territory.
Poland calls it state sponsored human trafficking and says it will not allow the migrants to enter.
ANDRZEJ DUDA, POLISH PRESIDENT (through translation): It's a matter of fulfilling our duties as member states of the European Union as well as ensuring the safety of Polish citizens and the Polish Republic, Poland president said.
Alexander Lukashenko denies the allegations and accuses Poland of escalating the situation. Lukashenko spoke to his biggest backer, Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone and later seem to indicate the situation this could lead to war.
In the modern world taking up arms is like death, it's suicide, you must agree, he said. And even more so here in the center of Europe, and even more so with Belarus after all here on this piece of land in the center, all wars have always unfolded. From here, everything began. Does history teach you nothing.
Most of the migrants who have made it across want to go to Germany. German authorities say we were on hand that several new arrivals were being processed after arriving in Germany.
(On camera) The German police has drastically stepped-up checks here at the border with Poland and they say they are increasingly coming across people looking to claim asylum in this country that the vast majority of those people came into the European Union via Belarus.
(Voice-over) Caught in the middle of this standoff, the 1000s of desperate people stranded at the border as winter fast approaches. Frederik Pleitgen, CNN, (Inaudible) German.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Transportation Day at the COP26 Climate Summit is expected to bring new commitments on expanding the sale and use of electric vehicles. But the United States China and Germany or big automakers are reportedly resisting the deal, which is expected to see all vehicles sold by 2040 as carbon free, carbon emissions reduction.
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi attended the summit Tuesday, showing delegates the Biden administration is ready to meet the challenges of climate change. But another high-profile Democrat was less optimistic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ, U.S. HOUSE DEMOCRAT: No, we have not recovered our moral authority. I believe that we're making steps. But also, kind of in reference to the earlier question we have to actually deliver the action in order to get the respect and authority internationally to get the credit. We have to draw down emissions to get credit for being committed on climate change. It's really that simple.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: All the haggling going on and new analysis by the watchdog group climate action tracker finds global temperatures could rise 2.4 degrees Celsius, that's well above the 1.5-degree target needed to avoid a climate catastrophe.
Let's bring in CNN Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri. It is a big difference. It is a world of difference from 1.5 to 2.4. Anyway, over you.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely, you know, just a few years, John, is kind of what we're looking at here within the next decade or so and seeing where these numbers end up and we a lot of talk has been made here as far as the goals that are in place is the action that is necessary in the short time. And you notice some of these goals of the 130 countries, they've already pledged to end deforestation.
[01:15:10]
Of course, land degradation as well, in this particular land set of countries here accounts for about 85% of the world's forests. So, it would make a significant difference if action is made in that regard. But this particular watchdog group that you noted here, kind of noticing that within the net zero goals that are placed with 40 countries, that accounts for about 85%, of all of the world's emissions that are expected to be cut, unfortunately, within those 40 nations, and those 85% emissions that are expected to be reduced, about 6% of those emissions actually have a concrete goal kind of directed or written with them, the other 79% of that 85% total is essentially just words, just agreements and on paper, saying that some action is necessary for these numbers to be met. And that's the concern moving forward.
If you take a look when it comes to places such as China, of course, they've already pledged to stop building coal power plants abroad. And that is one of the more recent goals that have kind of included within the list and of course, beginning to reduce coal in entirely using those factories by 2026. But you notice, the watchdog group says look at China in 2020, just 12 months ago, they accounted for about a 26% of the world's emissions, about 75% of the world's coal power plants. And of course, they built three times more power plants just last year than the rest of the world. So, you see what has been taking place. And it's not just China, India, much the same, even the United States. The goals are very impressive. The actions don't seem to align with that. And that's what's concerning. John.
VAUSE: Yeah, very concerning. Pedram, Thank you for that. We appreciate it. Pedram Javaheri there.
Now, we'll take a short break. When we come back, more than 20 hours of debate later, and legislators in Chile events impeachment procedures against their president, details in a moment.
Also, General Electric is splitting into three separate companies, this massive American business could breaking up, be hard to do, that's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: New charges for an already detained American journalist in Myanmar. Danny Fenster is now accused of sedition and terrorism. The editor of the illegal frontier in Myanmar was arrested back in May as he tried to board a flight out of the country. He's been held in the notorious insane prison without bail ever since. He's now facing five separate charges all up.
Demonstrators have taken to the streets across Bolivia amid rising political tensions. Police use water cannons and tear gas to disperse the crowd on Tuesday. Demonstrators are voicing frustration over a proposed law that could allow officials to investigate people's assets without a court order. Opposition groups are accusing the government of using the justice system to centralize power and crackdown on to set.
[01:20:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): If they dare, here you have the whip, with this, the movement to social supporters will learn that Santa Cruz is to be respected, that democracy is to be respected. We don't want to live like in Venezuela. We don't want to live with our children not eating meat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Tensions have been rising since 2019, that's when the government accused the opposition of leading a coup to oust then President Evo Morales.
Just over a month ago, the Pandora papers were released revealing the offshore financial dealings of the world's wealthy elite. That includes Chile's president. Now those revelations have led to an impeachment procedure against Sebastian Pinera over tax evasion. 0:00:47 Journalist Stefano Pozzebon has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEFANO POZZEBON, JOURNALIST: The lower house of Chile's parliament debated for over 20 hours and drags its session well into the early hours of Tuesday to decide whether President Sebastian Pinera could be impeached over a tax evasion scandal connected to the Pandora Papers investigation.
In one document linked in that global investigation, Pinera is allegedly linked it to the cell of a mining company in a tax haven, a cell that was not disclosed. And that's opposition lawmakers accused directly benefited from Pinera's role as the country's precedent.
The impeachment request passed that with 78 votes in favor, 67 against and three abstentions. But there was some very late drama as socialist lawmaker, Jaime Naranjo, dragged the session talking for more than 15 hours himself alone to allow another opposition lawmaker who was under a COVID-19 mandatory quarantine to arrive to parliament on Tuesday and cast his vote.
The motion will now pass it to the Senate who will act as a special tribunal on the case. Pinera had previously denied that was anything undisclosed in that cell and his lawyer reacted to the vote early on Tuesday saying that impeachment procedure was just a political maneuver. And this is happening as Pinera is fastly approaching the end of his mandate. Chileans are set to go to the polls to elect a new president just a week on Sunday on November 21. For CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, (inaudible).
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Well, Asian markets dipped after the end of record setting sessions on Wall Street Tuesday. Surges in oil and Chinese factory prices added to investor concerns. U.S. futures right now, let's take a look at the board, the Dow Consumer Price Index report due later Wednesday. There's concern about inflation and that pressure policymakers possibly to raise interest rates which means less money to buy stock. One of the biggest of automobile General Electric will be splitting into three companies, creating separate publicly traded companies for its aviation, healthcare, and energy divisions. All this expected to happen in 2023 and 2024. GE is an iconic American conglomeration found in the late 1800s. It's a hard word to say by Thomas Edison.
In many parts of the world, being rich is an aspirational goal. But in China, the view of wealth apparently is changing as President Xi Jingping tightens the Communist Party's grip on capitalism. One key example is this shift, in this shift is the property company Evergrande, as a source of incredible wealth, its exponential growth could eventually prove costly for many Chinese households, and the country's entire economy. Details from Selina Wang.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Top celebrities disappear from Chinese internet, Chinese tech companies real from regulation. And now Evergrande, China's biggest property developer with $300 billion in unpaid bills teeters on the brink of collapse.
For Chinese Leader, Xi Jinping, it's all part of the plan. She is rewriting the rules in the world's second largest economy.
(On camera) Getting rich is no longer glorious, neither is growth at all costs. The days of unrestrained borrowing that turned Evergrande and so many companies into powerhouses are over.
LELAN MILLER, CEO, CHINA BEIGE BOOK INTERNATIONAL: There's been a decision at the very top that this buildup of reckless credit expansion is becoming a danger to China and presumably a threat to the party rule.
WANG: Evergrande rode the boom of homebuyers rushing to urban cities as hundreds of millions across China were lifted out of poverty, building more than 1000 developments and hundreds of cities property supercharged the economy ballooning to account or as much as 30% of China's GDP.
By 2017, Evergrande Founder Xu Jiayin became Asia's richest person. Evergrande expanded into bottled water, electric cars, even pig farming. The strategy worked until China's economy cooled in Beijing started to crack down on excessive borrowing from property developers.
[01:25:10]
Beijing stated goal to lessen economic inequality as housing prices skyrocketed, and to create more sustainable growth. The stakes are too high for Beijing to let Evergrande fail. Nearly three quarters of household wealth in China are estimated to be tied up in property.
In September footage circulated of employees, contractors and home buyers protesting Evergrande across China. CNN spoke to multiple buyers of Evergrande properties. When provided CNN with these videos of people demanding their money back, the buyer told CNN that more than 900 people have paid $340 million for this unfinished housing project that's been stalled since January. Anger citizens have flooded online government feedback forms. This homebuyer in Sichuan province asked where all of their hard-earned money had went begging, please uphold justice for your people.
RANA MITTER, PROF., POLITICS OF MODERN CHINA, UNIV. OF OXFORD: If you talk to people about what might cause mass protests in China, the answer you almost always get is it's not democracy, more and more its finance and its property.
WANG: Beijing says the situation is controllable. But fears grow of a crisis in China's real estate sector that ripples into the broader economy. In recent weeks, a slew of other developers have disclosed their own struggles.
MILLER: When you're decelerating or popping the property bubble, you're destroying wealth, you're going to be putting people out of business, companies out of business. It's a big deal. It's why it's never happened before.
WANG: It marks the end of China's economic model as we know it.
MILLER: We are going from an area of high to medium growth to an area of low growth in China.
WANG: But Beijing is betting its top-down model will make its 1.4 billion people prosperous. The catch ever more control in the hands of the party. Selina Wang, CNN, Tokyo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Well, two diamond bracelets once owned by Marie Antoinette have sold for more than $8 million at auction in Switzerland for the record several times more than the presale estimate. The auction house says, the jury had stayed in the family for more than 200 years after the French queen sent them away for safekeeping before she was guillotine during the French Revolution. The buyer has not been identified. And for the record reaction, Marie Antoinette (inaudible).
International effort is underway to end the conflict in Ethiopia. Coming up what a rebel spokesman says would have to happen for them to agree to a ceasefire.
Also, how the cannabis plant could help turn around Lebanon's plummeting economy. That's next. And then later, it's up to the Netherlands where the restaurant owner is combining two of the things, he loves the most, and that will be pizza, and skateboarding.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:30:12]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, everyone.
I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
Arrests and detentions have swept the Ethiopian capital after the government declared a 6 month-long state of emergency. The U.N. says 16 local staff members and some of their dependents have been caught up in these arrests, 6 others have been released.
Ethiopia's Human Rights Commission says it has received reports of arrests in the capital targeting ethnic Tigrayans. Police say they're targeting supporters of Tigray rebels.
A U.N. spokesman says the detained staff members are all Ethiopians.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHANE DUJARRIC, U.N. SPOKESMAN: There has been, as far as I know, no explanation given to us about why these staff members are detained. They come from various U.N. agencies, they are all national staff. It is imperative that they be released.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Even though the conflict is escalating, the U.N. and the African Union are keeping staff in country, but a growing list including the U.S., Canada, several European countries are asking their citizens to leave.
Confirming reports from Ethiopia remains difficult because of limited media access. In an interview with CNN's Becky Anderson, a spokeswoman for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed insists journalists are allowed to cover the story but only if they follow protocols.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILLENE SEYOUM, PRESS SECRETARY, ETHIOPIAN PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICES: There is disinformation that has been perpetrated by (INAUDIBLE) and I dare say this because I also deal directly with the some of the --
(CROSSTALK)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: Hold on. Hold on. We wanted to have -- what is the disinformation? We have a team trying to get to work on the ground.
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Hang on. But don't accuse us of disinformation. Are you suggesting that we don't have a team that is trying to report on the ground? With respect. SEYOUM: Your team is on the ground, by your team did not come into the
country, or some members of your team did not come into the country by following the due process.
I was informed, or some members of the government were informed, of CNN being on the ground and asking for accreditation. The accreditation --
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Are you prepared to have them work on the ground and get accredited so that they can tell the story?
SEYOUM: You would have to allow me to finish. This is not a hostile environment to the media at all.
ANDERSON: Ok.
SEYOUM: There are so many other media entities that have entered the country. There are other media entities that have requested and they facilitated entry into the country and to the region that they want to cover these stories.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: But diplomatic efforts to end this conflict are ongoing. The former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo is in Ethiopia as an envoy for the African Union.
Becky Anderson meantime asked a Tigray People's Liberation Front spokesperson about their conditions for a cease-fire.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GETACHEW REDA, TPLF SPOKESMAN: We have been telling the world that we are not interested in parliament, in territory, we are not interested in anything but as long as --
ANDERSON: And you are not interested in a cease-fire? It's a very basic question.
(CROSSTALK)
REDA: Bombers are coming in and killing our children, for God's sake. These bombers are killing our children, day in and day out, for God's sakes. And we have to make sure that those dogs of war are restrained. And we will continue to take measures.
Otherwise, if there is readiness on the part of Abiy's government to sue (ph) for this, we will be more than glad to extend olive branch as well. But for Abiy to have his cake and eat it too, that's absolutely unacceptable and we'll continue to take measures, as long as there is no intention on the part of Abiy, like you've been saying, he's been calling on the people of Ethiopia to rally against not TPLF but also the people of Tigray, for God's sakes.
People are being rounded up in Addis simply because they belong to the Tigray nation
(CROSSTALK)
REDA: So yes, we have to be responsible enough measures to neutralize the threat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The Tigray Peoples Liberation Front and its allies have threatened to march on the capital.
Well, amid Lebanon's economic meltdown, a lifeline perhaps. Farmers say conditions are ideal to produce an abundant cannabis crop. But they say, the government there -- what is a government is actually an obstacle for all of this.
CNN's Ben Wedeman explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): They're bringing in the sheaves in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. Sheaves and sheaves of cannabis or hashish, as it's called here. The climate in this part of Lebanon is changing. It is getting hotter and it is getting drier. And perhaps this crop, hashish, is the ideal thing to grow in this changing climate. It's drought resistant and doesn't need much in the way of pesticides and fertilizer.
Late October and the days are still warm. The harvest delayed because the rains came late.
[01:34:53]
WEDEMAN: "Before there was more rain in the spring," says this farmer, who preferred to give his name simply as Abu Sarah. "There's been much less rain in the last three or four years."
Climate change they can handle. The biggest bummer for hashish farmers is politics. George Fakhri (ph) heads the Cannabis Growers Union, founded after the Lebanese parliament passed the law last year legalizing the cultivation of cannabis for medicinal use.
But the government, bankrupt and perpetually embroiled in the weeds of political paralysis, has failed to translate the new law into reality.
"Unfortunately, Fakhri says, "it's all talk, politics and campaign promises." The arguments in favor of hashish cultivation are cut and dry. "The climate here, the soil here, is the best," Fakhri boasts. "People say the best hashish comes from the Bekaa Valley. The quality is better than Morocco or Afghanistan, or any other country."
With Lebanon's economy in free fall, this could be a valuable source of hard currency. According to the U.N., Lebanon is the world's fourth largest producer of cannabis.
Hashish consumption is a popular if illegal past time in Lebanon. And in a country where war lords have become politicians, where corruption is rampant, growing something that relieves the pain of Lebanon's mounting woes seems a minor sin, insists this farmer, who calls himself Abu Hannah.
"Growing hashish," he says, "is better than being a thief or a killer, or stealing public funds or spying for a foreign country."
Despite climate change, the grass could be so much greener here. Yet so far, politics threaten to send the promise of hashish up in smoke.
Ben Wedeman, CNN -- in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: CNN is marking the first annual Call to Earth Day to raise awareness of environmental issues.
And when we come back, an entrepreneur in the farmlands of northern India working to clear the air.
Also ahead, deadly tangles deep in the sea choking the oceans to death. They're now plan to fix it. That's just ahead as well on our "Call to Earth".
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: For the last 10 days, we've been covering the incredible environmental challenges facing our planet, while it can also overwhelming at times it's important to remember there are solutions, not just problems.
In our Call to Earth Day CNN is celebrating those who are driving awareness and inspiring action. From shanghai to Los Angeles, and from Cape Town to New Delhi, CNN correspondents across the world will have reports throughout the day about ordinary people doing the extraordinary to try and protect our planet.
[01:40:02]
VAUSE: With that, let's go to our Beijing Bureau chief Steven Jiang. He is standing by there in Beijing. Also CNN's Kristie Lu Stout, live in Hong Kong.
Ladies first, that's you Kristie.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thank you John. Here in Hong Kong, I met one of hundreds of schools across the planet right now marking this first Call to Earth Day, a day of action, to better protect the environment and to protect our planet.
And here at DSC International, the (INAUDIBLE) has been all in -- the teachers, the students from kindergarten to Grade 12.
I'm in a Grade 11 classroom. I've been watching a couple of presentations that they have been giving. Sustainable solutions to address the plastic pollution and waste problem. But I wan you to listen to this. A student who talked to us earlier about what this Call to Earth Day means to him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THIEN DYLAN PORTER, STUDENT DSC INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL: My call to earth is our future. And not only for us but for those that come after us, as well. And for the millions of species that share our planet.
And I believe that we need to work together, and try to develop more sustainable solutions, to help improve our planet and give back to what we got.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STOUT: Call to Earth Day is a day of action, to protect the environment. It's also a day of celebration to celebrate the planet and the people working so hard to protect it like our next guest.
Lawrence McCook, who is the director of Oceans Conservation at WWF. Thank you so much for joining us this day.
We profiled you in a story that's been running all day on CNN online and on air about ghost gear, the ghost gear problem, where you have abandoned or lost fishing gear, tossed out at sea. What kind of threat does it pose?
LAWRENCE MCCOOK, WWF OCEANS CONSERVATION: It's a literally critical threat, Kristie. And it is critical quite simply for two reasons. The first is that, like any form of plastic or marine litter, because most fishing gear is made of plastic of nylon filament and so on, it takes a long time to degrade.
So it goes on being pollution, plastic pollution until it becomes microplastic pollution. But even worse fishing gear is designed to catch and kill marine life. And it goes on doing that for the whole lifetime of the product, even though we're not, nobody is catching the fish, nobody is consuming the fish or eating the fish.
So it has no benefit for humans, no economic benefit, and yet it is still killing, killing fish, killing corals. Killing dolphins and cetaceans and so on. So it's a really serious and alarming threat.
STOUT: (INAUDIBLE) 10 percent of all plastic waste in the ocean is made up of ghost gear. Now we've got two students, grade 11 students here at DSC who have studying up on the issue. They've got some questions for you.
First, Natalie, what's your question for Lawrence?
NATALIA, STUDENT: How can we as students contribute to the solutions of this issue?
STOUT: Great question.
MCCOOK: Thanks, Natalie. Yes, great question. So I guess the first thing to do would be to make sure that when you
eat seafood, that you (INAUDIBLE) or other forms of seafood, make sure that it's sustainably fish.
And the easy way to do that is to use WWF Hong Kong sustainable seafood guide. You can get it, put it on your phone. You can get a paper brochure, find it on our Web site.
By doing that you know that the seafood that you are consuming hasn't involved unsustainable fishing practices like creating a ghost fishing gear.
And then, the second thing you can do is to talk to your friends and colleagues, and just avoid all forms of litter, especially litter that ends up in the ocean. Avoid single-use plastics, reusable containers, and so on.
That way, you are contributing to the broader solution not just ghost gear.
STOUT: Great advice. Advice that we should share to create that network effect. Psy, I know you have a question for Lawrence McCook.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What about prevention? How do we prevent this from becoming a big problem in the first place?
STOUT: Prevention is key, isn't it?
MCCOOK: Prevention is absolutely critical. It is far more important and far cheaper than cleaning up afterwards.
So the short answer in prevention is we need to make sure that fishers, fishermen and fisherwomen don't throw their nets overboard, whether it is recreational using a fishing line, a hook and sinker, or whether it is using a fishing net.
We need to, and then as a society, we need to make sure that it is in the interest of fishes to make sure that they bring back their nets, when they get damaged. And that they get some kind of return for bringing them back and disposing responsibly.
STOUT: And one last question from me, you know, today we've been sharing the story of Harry Chan, very intrepid diver, doing dangerous work. What do you recommend to citizens who are out there who also want to take part in getting rid of ghost gear?
[01:44:47]
MCCOOK: Yes. This is a really important question. And the answer, I guess, is twofold. The first thing, is unless you are as experienced and qualified in what it is a very, very technical diving practice -- I've got thousands of dives -- 3,000 or 4,000 dives. But I won't go near ghost fishing gear.
So don't try to bring it back yourself. What we do ask you to do is to use the WWF ghost gear detective app, which allows you to record with a little GPS. It allows you to record the location where you saw the ghost fishing gear.
That sends it back to our database which is forwarded to the government officials and the agriculture officials in the conservation department. And they will go and retrieve the net in a way that we make sure is safe, and it prevents that net staying out there further.
So that's the best way to help us all .
STOUT: Lawrence McCook at WWF. Thank you so much for joining us. Natalie and Psy -- great questions. (AUDIO GAP) excellent actionable advice from this Call to Earth Day.
Back to you.
VAUSE: Kristie, thank you and thank you to everyone there.
Let's go over now to Steven Jiang. He's live in the British School of Beijing, their Sanlitun campus. I can say it's one of the better schools there, at least testified by one alum known as Katie Vause.
STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: That's right, John. You know, you lived here for a long time. You know, this is a very centrally located international school with a very diverse student body. These kids around me, they're literally from all corners of the world.
But just by being here in a way though that has put them at the very forefront of this campaign to fight climate change, because of China's critically important role in solving this global climate crisis.
Now, these kids, they're sixth graders, year 6 students, 10 or 11 years old. But they already have a very good grasp of this topic. And they actually have produced a very colorful and content (INAUDIBLE) climate change wall in their classroom with a lot of photos, illustrations, artwork or message about this topic.
But they are also trying to get involved and do more to make a difference through firsthand experiences, even very are hands on project like the one they are doing here in the classroom today.
So let me ask a few of them. So Cameron, tell me what are you making here today?
CAMERON: Today, we are making terrariums because we are working on climate change in year 6. We gathered some -- we gathered some items like stones and leaves outside, and then we put them in a glass box.
JIANG: Right. So Ali, how is this related to climate change? It's a greenhouse.
ALI: Terrariums are related to climate change because we can model what's our natural ecosystem would look like without human intervention.
JIANG: That's right. And Emma, right? You have learned a lot about climate change in the school. So what are you doing outside of school to try to make a difference to reduce your carbon footprint? EMMA: I'm trying to reduce the use of plastic in my household. Also, I
try to finish all my food on the plate. Later on, when I grow up I'd definitely like to become vegetarian. But right now my parents don't let me because I still need the nutrition to grow.
JIANG: That's right. I don't think they're wrong. But you know, that's a very big commitment, and best of luck to you.
But you know, all those commitments, plans, and actions these kids are taking, that's really encouraging. Because what they are doing here is not only building these miniature greenhouses that house their plants, they are really planting this knowledge, this idea, that a naturally occurring phenomenon, the greenhouse effect that's been happening on earth for billions of years could be so easily thrown off the balance by human activities with devastating or even deadly consequences.
So I think this very important lesson and sobering message will stay them long after they leave the class room. Long after they leave the school, even long after they leave this country.
And this of course, all of them, telling me, will prompt then, inspire them to do more in their daily lives to make a difference and do their part to fight climate change for years and decades to come, John.
VAUSE: Steven, great stuff. Thanks very much, Steven Jiang, our Beijing bureau chief there at the British School of Beijing. Thank you, Steven.
VAUSE: Agricultural waste is one of the bigger contributors, at times, to global warming. But now an entrepreneur in India has found a way to turn that waste from smoke into fertilizer.
Here's CNN'S Vedika Sud.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VEDIKA SUD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The sprawling farmlands near India's national capitol near New Delhi will soon be spewing thick plumes of smoke.
Year after year, the toxic haze in parts of northern India is so dense it can be seen from outer space.
Agricultural residues, in this case, rice straws if burned by thousands of farmers to clear the fields for winter crops. Many farmers opt to burn this stubble which often leads to high levels of pollution in the region.
[01:49:55]
SUD: 30-year-old Indian Vidyut Mohan (ph) is hoping to bring back cleaner air through sustainable energy to Delhi and its neighborhood.
Along with his cofounder, Vidyut developed a small scale portable machine in the year 2018 that converts agricultural waste into biofuel. VIDYUT MOHAN, COFOUNDER, TAKACHAR: We feed in agricultural waste, such
as coconut shells or rice straws or rice husks into the machine. It undergoes a (INAUDIBLE) process that's like the process of roasting coffee. It's called torrefaction (ph). And what that does is it takes out low-energy containing molecules in the form of gases and leaves behind a dense, carbon rich material which is then conveyed, cooled and packaged to be used to make valuable products such as fuels and fertilizers.
SUD: The process of removing moisture from a biomass to create bio- coal is not new. Some observes say the high cost of creating scalable solutions have so far prevented the widespread adoption of torrefaction.
But Vidyut confident his device will be more affordable. A pilot run of the machine's latest version is also being tested in a forest area on the Pacific West Coast.
A team along with state forest officials is currently looking into converting wood based rescues into marketable products.
MOHAN: As compared to open burning of agricultural waste, our equipment prevents up to 98 percent of smoke emissions.
SUD: Rural farmer Kuldeep Hooda (ph) says burning a crop residue is making their lands barren, but remains the cheapest option.
Mohan's sustainable technology could be a game-changer for the farmer community and provide additional revenue.
KULDEEP SINGH HOODA: This will help us the most. They have told us to give them the crop stubble and they will give us carbonized fertilizer which will reduce our costs as farmers and help out crops. There will be lots of benefits.
SUD: The young Indians efforts have already been recognized by the United Nations Environment Program. He was also recently awarded Prince William's inaugural earth shot prize.
Mohan's low-cost innovation should hit the Indian market within a year. He believes 100 million tons of carbon dioxide can be reduced annually, a hopeful solution that could break India's smoke chain.
Vedika Sud, CNN -- New Delhi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: You can learn more about the environmental challenges facing our planet and what's being done to address some of them. that's on our Website.
Please head over to CNN.com/CallToEarth.
Stay with us. We will be back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) VAUSE: Any a pizza maker worth their sauce will tell you the key to a good crust is in the tossing of the dough. But try adding a front side 360 or kick flip to the recipe.
Here's CNN's Jeanne Moos as she explain what that all means.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If two of your favorite things are skateboarding and pizza, wait until you see what a pizzeria owner in the Netherlands is dishing up.
[01:54:58]
SAMAN KHOSHGBARI, PIZZA SKATEBOARDS: So I was like pizza, skateboarding, pizza-skateboard. I also make a pizza skateboard.
MOOS: It took him more than six months to perfect the process. But Saman Khoshgbari took that half baked idea and made it work.
He started with this pizza stool and then graduated.
KHOSHGBARI: This is a table top with pepperoni in it --
MOOS: To tables and skateboards, the sliced skateboards sell for around 800 bucks apiece. It takes about three weeks to make one. The pizza has to be degreased and dehydrated, covered with resin, sanded and polished. Sad to say --
KHOSHGBARI: It's odorless.
MOOS: People are always asking for custom pizza skateboards.
KHOSHGBARI: They can be vegetarian pizza.
MOOS: But preserving that is even harder, so he sticks to margarita and pepperoni. Saman aka Flour Boy, considers them pieces of art. But they do function.
KHOSHGBARI: Three times heavier than a regular skateboard.
MOOS: So it's not for everyday use, and no amount of elbow pads or napkins would help if the trick went wrong and a skater got impaled on a slice. To Flour Boy this is a marriage of two loves.
KHOSHGBARI: That's amore.
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN -- New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Well, a chance to buy a piece of Fab 4 history next month from the childhood home of the late guitarist, George Harrison, goes to auction.
(MUSIC) VAUSE: He was the quiet beetle but wrote some of their greatest hits, including "Here Comes The Sun", "Something", and Taxman.
His family moved to the home in Speak, Liverpool. He was 6 years old, they lived there for 12 years. The Beatles would rehearse there during their early years, at least according to the listing agent.
This listing goes on to say the fully renovated property retained some original features from Harrison's time, including the original bath, sink and out buildings. How about that?
The two bedroom expected to sell for around $270,000 U.S. That's the online auction which is set for November 30.
Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause.
Please stay with us. CNN NEWSROOM continues with my colleague and friend, Anna Coren. I'll see you here tomorrow.
[01:57:31]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
