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U.S. & China Agree to Strengthen Climate Cooperation; Fossil Fuel Producing Nations Stall COP26 Agreement; Toxic Foam Coats Sacred Indian River; U.S., E.U. Preparing New Sanctions Against Belarus. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired November 11, 2021 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again, you're watching CNN Newsroom. Coming up this hour, trying to keep 1.5 alive at the summit considered the last best hope to avoid a climate catastrophe and are haggling over what was once a done deal. A sign of the times in India an ancient religious festival is celebrated by bathing and cleansing in what is now a toxic river polluted with untreated sewage and industrial waste. And it could be Nancy and Harding, Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding all over again, free soccer, rocked by another controversy, with one teammate, allegedly taking out a hit on her right.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.
VAUSE: Well, since the U.S. and China have put it to one side, there are many differences and have come up with a surprise deal to announce that they will work closely together to mitigate the impacts of climate change. The announcement came at the COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow in Scotland. The agreement has few details. It's vaguely worded light on specific, lacks firm commitments, and the timelines are loosely worded. Still, the U.S. Special climate envoy John Kerry is pleased.
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JOHN KERRY, U.S. SPECIAL CLIMATE ENVOY: The United States and China have no shortage of differences but on climate. And climate cooperation is the only way to get this job done.
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VAUSE: OK, let's bring in CNN's Beijing Bureau Chief Steven Jiang for more on this. Steven, you know, on the positive side, at least both sides here have been able to, you know, put their differences many differences to one side. And that's important given the role these two countries have in producing carbon emissions. STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: That's right, you know, but this is gaining so much attention not just because this came from the world's top two polluters. Now this is important. And this is especially at a time when, you know, these two countries are having such a fraught relationship. But this is also something largely symbolic. As we mentioned, the specifics are very much lacking here. They both really reiterated their commitments previously made in the 2015 Paris agreement, but also pledging further that they are going to pick up their pace in terms of emissions reduction with China even mentioning that it's going to start looking to reduce their reliance on coal in the coming years. But again, not a lot of details, as mentioned. But this of course, is happening at a time when the overall relationship is very much has been a deep freeze. That's why this is a really a surprise many people. But when you look at the timing here, this mean they actually makes a lot of sense because Xi Jinping and the Joe Biden, the two countries leaders actually now slated to meet virtually for the first time since Mr. Biden took office slated for next week. And the both sides obviously trying to create a more positive atmosphere going into that virtual Summit.
Now for a long time, as you know, John Kerry has been trying to convince the Beijing leadership that they needed to carve out a special lane on climate, despite tensions in other aspects of this relationship. And Beijing has long rejected that approach, saying you cannot really isolate the climate issue without taking into consideration of the overall relationship. But the sudden change of heart is very much related to this coming Summit. And we've seen signs from other U.S. officials and the Chinese side as well with Jake Sullivan, for example, the National Security Adviser in the U.S. telling CNN, that the U.S. is not seeking out a fundamental transformation of the Chinese system. And Xi Jinping, the Chinese leader, on the other hand, telling a U.S. audience that the Chinese government is very much willing to engage with Washington and enhance exchanges and the cooperation across the board. So, all of this is really begging this question whether or not this relationship has hit the bottom that is very much still up in the air because of all these remaining structural contradictions, which may even be deepening on issues ranging from Taiwan to human rights, John.
And as you remember, Joe Biden has said himself, one of his foreign policy priorities is to blunt the advancement of rising authoritarianism worldwide. And that trend is very much led by China. So, a lot to watch out for in the upcoming summit. Despite this positive development from Glasgow, John.
VAUSE: There's always a lot to watch out for with these guys. Stephen, we thank you. Steven Jiang, live for us in Beijing.
One overriding goal for the COP26 Climate Summit was to reach agreement on how to limit global warming 1.5 degrees Celsius, but all the commitments have come up way short and right now the planet is on track for an increase somewhere between 2.4 and 2.7 degrees.
[01:05:10]
And there are deep divisions merging over the wording of the final declaration which acknowledges the role fossil fuels play in the climate crisis, and the need to phase out subsidies for the oil, gas and coal industries. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson returned to Glasgow Wednesday, hoping to seal the deal. He's urging delegates to keep 1.5 a lot.
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BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We have to bridge the gap between where we are and where we need to be if we're going to cut emissions in half by 2030. And we need to pull out all the stops, if we're going to do what we came here to do. And that's keep 1.5 alive and make Paris the success that the world needs it to be.
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VAUSE: More details now from CNN's Phil Black reporting in from Glasgow.
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PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: 2015 Paris agreement set a goal for limiting global average temperature increase to well below two degrees Celsius, preferably closer to 1.5. The draft documents here in Glasgow don't rewrite that language. But they do build upon making an argument for why 1.5 must be considered the reasonable threshold, refers to the best available science which says beyond 1.5, the impacts become much worse very quickly. It also talks about why this is a critical decade again, based on the science, which says in order to keep 1.5 achievable, countries must cut emissions by around 45% by 2030.
It also says and makes the point that we already know we are nowhere near on track towards achieving that, instead, we're looking at a 30% increase in emissions by 2013. Crucially, these draft documents provide a potential way forward, suggesting countries revisit their emissions targets by the end of next year in order to ensure they are aligned with that goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius. It says that minister should get together next year as well. And the year after that world leaders should come together to address the ambition that is on the table in the lead up to 2013.
Crucially, this is just a draft and there will be pressure on a lot of this language over the coming days. It is expected that some countries that do not want to revisit their targets and do not want to cut deeply this decade will push back. But there is a view among activists and analysts watching these negotiations unfold that if those steps forward is stripped out of the final language, then it will be very difficult to describe a COP26 in Glasgow, is anything other than a failure. Phil Black, CNN, Glasgow, Scotland.
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VAUSE: Jeffrey Sachs is the Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University and author of The Price of Civilization. Welcome back. It's good to see it.
JEFFREY SACHS, DIR. CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: Great to be with you. Thank you.
VAUSE: OK, so the big surprise on Wednesday was this joint announcement from Beijing and Washington to work together on climate change is China's chief climate negotiator.
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XIE ZHENHUA, CHINA'S SPECIAL ENVOY FOR CLIMATE CHANGE (through translation): Climate is a common challenge faced by humanity and will impact the well-being of future generations. It's becoming increasingly urgent and severe, turning a future challenge into a crisis happening now. In the area of climate change there is more agreement between China and the U.S. than divergence, making it an area with huge potential for cooperation.
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VAUSE: That's all good, couldn't agree with it more but actually the U.S.-China Joint Glasgow Declaration on enhancing climate action in the 2020s outlines lofty goals shared interest, ambitions, desires, hopes and dreams. Not one bit of real substance, no detail is vague on pretty much everything. While at the same time, China remains firm on refusing to revise its short-term goals on reducing carbon emissions, kind of feels like we're being pumped.
SACHS: Well, I was pretty happy to see it actually, because the U.S. has been yelling a lot of China. I don't think that that has been too conducive to a good joint approach. So, I was happy to see a joint statement by the two countries. They do need to work together at least they said they are going to work together. I think it did provide some measure of relief in a week that has a lot of frustration also.
VAUSE: Yeah, I guess in many ways he kind of reflects the summit overall, because in the next few days, we'll see this debate over the final declaration and according to CNN's reporting a draft copy states the world should be aiming to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and acknowledges the role of fossil fuels in the climate crisis or first for the Annual Conference of the Parties on Climate, the COC group.
If that language stays and that still is up for negotiations, it will be considered a win. Is it a pretty low bar for what passes for good news these days?
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SACHS: Yes, it is. All of this should be taken for granted. We should be well beyond these declarations and working assiduously to actually end the carbon energy system into decarbonize by mid-century, we are way off track. There have been some useful pronouncements. It's not all negative for what's happening. But Greta (ph) actually, certainly has made a point with her statement that there's a lot of blah, blah, blah.
VAUSE: There's a lot of blah, blah, blah, and the problem with blah, blah, blah, is that it's spin or create a perception that something significant is being done. Does that potentially sort of undermine the pressure which has been coming from the public on these politicians to get some real action to get some real change? If you think, well, they all say it's great, then I'm going to back off?
SACHS: I think people see what's happening, which is that vested interests are fighting back. The big oil, big coal is fighting back almost everywhere in the world, including in the United States. This is why President Biden only had a very muted presence at COP26. Because back home, he can't get the vote. Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia who owns a coal company for heaven's sake overseas, in the Senate, the whole energy system. So, there's so much conflict of interest, I would say it's a pretty overt corruption.
VAUSE: And the U.K. Prime Minister called out nations who sign up in public and then walk away in private. Here he is.
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JOHNSON: It's very frustrating to see countries that have spent six years conspicuously patting themselves on the back for signing that promissory note in Paris, quietly edging towards default, now that vulnerable nations and future generations are demanding payment here now in Glasgow.
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VAUSE: And sort of related to that so what happened on day two of the summit, Indonesia signing up to stop deforestation by 2030. Significant commitment, two days later, the environment minister tweets foresee Indonesia to reach zero deforestation in 2030, is clearly inappropriate and unfair, no one forced him to sign it. But it doesn't matter, because it's unlikely they'll stick to this deal in the first place. Why did these deals not come with some kind of enforcement mechanism, but they did for the Montreal Protocol back in 1987 on the ozone.
SACHS: When it came to ozone, we needed to change from those chemicals that chlorofluorocarbons that were destroying the ozone level. And they didn't just say stop using them. They said stop producing them. And in the case of carbon energy systems, we haven't even said to the carbon producers, United States, Canada, Australia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, stop producing them. We've said, stop using them. And so, we don't have the two sides in a balanced way the producers, the users, we don't have the rich countries helping the poor countries. There's a tremendous shortfall of operational cooperation. And yet the consequences isn't just stalemate. The consequence is a planet that continues to warm dangerously. That's the real problem. Stalemate doesn't mean an action stalemate means continued dangerous warming.
VAUSE: Jeffrey, thank you so much for being with us. So hopefully, we'll have some good news at the end of all of this.
SACHS: Let's hope that we'll find some data, but we need it.
VAUSE: Absolutely. Thank you, sir.
SACHS: Thank you.
VAUSE: It hasn't rained this much in Alice Springs in Australia's Outback in 20 years. One man stranded in a tree for six hours after his car was washed away. He was ultimately rescued. While storms have been sweeping across the country, leaving parts of the East Coast now bracing for potential flooding.
CNN Meteorologist, Pedram Javaheri tracking the system for us. You know this I said last night, we need this much rain at this time of year something's not, right?
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely, you know, there's certainly a climate change angle to this. We know La Nina in effect across the world which means for this portion of the world indicates more rainfall. So, there's some good news out of this that we do think the bushfire season climatologically speaking when you have these sort of events lead up to the warm season. They do reduce the bushfire season. So that's kind of what we're holding on to, but you take a look at what's happening here across portions of Australia, the thunderstorm activity has been prevalent. You look at the data 1,300,000 lightning strikes observed across the area over a 24-hour span. So really speaks to the impressive nature of the storms across that really an expansive area of coverage in rainfall amounts in parts of town are about a third of the annual amount of rainfall you'd expect.
Samuel Hill not too far north of Bundaberg or north of Brisbane, I should say, picking up about 340 millimeters, the Glen in Bundaberg in particular as I've learned last hour one of the many homes John Vause has called across portions of Queensland at 68 millimeters of rainfall across that region, which again, impressive for any time of year but in a 24-hour span that is a major issue.
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And notice in Alice Springs, that amount of rainfall 100 millimeters, again, a third of the years' worth of rainfall coming down, half of the year's rainfall coming down but the most we've seen since February of 2000 for 24-hour period, that system certainly not done with yet, it is migrating a little farther towards the east.
John, notice what happens here across portions of not only Victoria, but also in southern New South Wales. Not only heavy rainfall, but 50 plus centimeters of snow fall into the higher elevations, which again, very impressive for the month of November. John.
VAUSE: We moved a lot when I was a kid. Pedram, thank you.
JAVAHERI: I can tell.
VAUSE: Appreciate it. OK. Well, it's an ancient Hindu ritual of cleansing and bathing. But these days for many in India, it takes place in the country's most sacred but also most polluted rivers. Despite the health risk, and there are many health risks, Hindus have been waiting in the polluted waters of the Yamuna River. CNN's Vedika Sud is close by and joins us now live with more. And I guess, you know, when you get this close to that sort of level of pollution, that you can feel the toxicity your eyes, you can smell it. So, what's it like being there?
VEDIKA SUD, CNN REPORTER Let me just tell you what it's like being here, John, if you were here, where I am right in front of the Yamuna River, let me just tell you, I'm at the border of the Delhi Union Territory and the state of Uttar Pradesh, you could almost taste the stench in the water, your eyes are burning. But that's because of the haze you see behind me. It's gray skies, it's almost quarter to 12:00. Here, it's about 11:45 a.m. in India, and that's the color of the sky that you see behind me. It's gray, it's full of haze. And that's solely because of smog created by air pollution.
The Air Quality Index in Delhi and neighboring states right now, in most parts are in the severe, very severe category. And breathing is an issue. So, you know, if the pandemic wasn't on, John, I would still be wearing this mask that you see on my face. And that will be because of the high levels of pollution in the air.
Now along with that, you can see the form behind me, that's not just form. It's toxic form, a huge heavy layer of that across the Yamuna water here right behind me. And the reason for this, according to the final report, by the Yamuna monitoring committee, that actually was assessing the water and trying to figure out what was wrong here is because of the industrial waste is because of the untreated sewage. And because Yamuna through most of the year does not have fresh water coming into the river. Those are the three big reasons.
This happens every year, John. I've lived in New Delhi for the last 10 years. I've seen this happen every year. It's just getting worse by the year. The only year that I didn't see as much of this froth on the river was probably when the lockdown happened last year in India for those three months. That's when we didn't see the air pollution levels being as high.
Now the central government has gone ahead and commissioned about 24 projects to remove the pollution from the water here in the Yamuna. Only five have been completed till now. The Delhi government, which is run by Regional Party, when compared to the national government here which is run by the ruling party Janata Party has been facing a lot of flack. And the Delhi Water Board has deployed workers to go into this water and to clean it up using water sprinklers as well as ropes.
But just about a few hours ago, we saw the last lot of the crowd of those devotees who were here at the Yamuna banks to celebrate a Hindu festival. Some of them took a dip in the water. Right now, right to my left, there is a man who's taking a dip in this toxic water as I speak to you. And according to medical experts, there could be a lot of problems including skin problems that could happen when you take a dip in this toxic water which I can still see in my mouth while I talk to you, John.
VAUSE: Vedika, thank you. We appreciate the update there on what's happening every year annual festival it seems, I appreciate it. Well, when we come back Russia sends to long range nuclear capable bombers over Belarus, in a show of solidarity with the Lukashenko regime for the migrant crisis at the U.S. border grows more urgent by the hour.
Also, accusations of widespread sexual violence in Ethiopia's conflict, Amnesty International's latest report in a moment. Also, NBA Star Enes Kanter speaks exclusively to CNN about his activism while he's taking on China. What the NBA had to say about that.
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VAUSE: Long range Russian bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons was sent on a rare flight about Belarus on Wednesday. The Kremlin saying the war plans were part of a joint exercise with the Belarusian military. The Belarusian defense ministry said it was in response to the "evolving situation" in the air and on the ground and said the two countries would continue military exercises on a regular basis. A day earlier, Lukashenko, the president of Belarus raised the possibility of a nuclear military escalation.
While the U.S. and the E.U. are preparing sanctions on Belarus over the migrant crisis it created on the border with Poland. Thousands have been capping out with few supplies a little shorter, as temperatures fall below freezing. They're mostly from countries in the Middle East brought to this no man's land on Europe's doorstep. German Chancellor Angela Merkel appealed directly to Russia's Vladimir Putin to exert his influence if nothing else, to end the suffering of 1000s of people.
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ANGELA MERKEL, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translation): People are being used here. They are, so to speak victims of a policy that is hostile to human beings. Something must be done about this, and we will talk about it today. Firstly, how we can support the European countries that share borders with Belarus and secondly, what we can do to solve this problem in a more humane way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: All the day's developments in this ongoing story from CNN's Frederik Pleitgen reporting from Berlin.
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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Poland now says it has around 15,000 troops and border agents at its border with Belarus as the situation there remains extremely tense and 1000s of migrants still remain camped out there. Of course, the temperatures are now freezing consistently below zero during the night. And also, the conditions there very dire with very little in the way of facilities of course a lot of trouble also getting food and water and especially medicine to the people there who are very much in need now. Now, the Polish government says what is happening at that border is a brutal attack on its border and the Polish Prime Minister said in a press conference with the head of the European Council, that Poland doesn't consider this to be a migrant crisis but considers this to be a political crisis.
Poland Of course, accuses Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko of luring people especially from Middle Eastern states to Belarus, and then giving them false promises that they could cross the border into the European Union with the polls obviously say is not true. The polls say that no one will be allowed to pass. The European Union also places the blame squarely on Alexander Lukashenko. The E.U. says it wants tougher sanctions on Lukashenko. The E.U. was also talking about possibly taking action against airlines that fly people to Belarus and the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, she was at the White House, and afterwards she said that she believes there needs to be a unified response.
URSULA VON DER LEYEN, EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT: This is not a bilateral issue of Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Belarus. This is a challenge to the whole of the European Union. And this is not a migration crisis. This is the attempt of an authoritarian regime to try to destabilize its democratic neighbors. This will not succeed.
PLEITGEN: Now, of course, Alexander Lukashenko and the Belarusian government deny all of this and in fact, the Belarusian government has said it wants a unified position together with the biggest backer of the Lukashenko regime that of course being Russia and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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And the Russians also said today, they're very concerned about what is going on there, on the border between Belarus and Poland. And also, the Russians flew strategic nuclear capable bombers into Belarusian airspace, of course the Russian saying, this has nothing to do with that current situation. Nevertheless, of course, it is another escalation in what is really becoming a very dangerous situation there on NATO's Eastern Flank. Frederik Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.
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VAUSE: Elisabeth Braw is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a columnist for the prestigious foreign policy. Elisabeth, thank you for being with us.
ELISABETH BRAW, SENIOR FELLOW, AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE: Thank you for having me.
VAUSE: Well, the Polish Prime Minister is now calling for greater international efforts to stop the flow of migrants to Belarus, and then on to the E.U. And he says, this is one way of dealing with this immediate crisis. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MATEUSZ MORAWIECKI, POLISH PRIME MINISTER (through translation): We must talk about the effective blocking of flights from the countries of the Middle East to Belarus, because we know that this is only an instrument of political blackmail. And we need to start diplomatic actions from the European Union, from Brussels, in the capitals of the countries of the Middle East.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Even if that does work, because it's hybrid warfare tactics here, that means Lukashenko, anyone else who's like him, can then just devise other ways to destabilize the West, it's limited to imagination. You write about a much bigger strategy that many governments should be considering right now.
BRAW: Yeah, so the problem with aggression like this is that that's the target. The country can really do nothing to stop it, right. You can't say, OK, if you weaponize migrants, we are going to weaponize migrants and attack you, because that's not what democratic countries do. And if we stopped some airlines, if we put sanctions on some airlines from -- to prevent them from flying migrants from the Middle East, whichever country it is, to Belarus, then Lukashenko can just turn to other airlines and other countries. So, we are always chasing solution while he keeps innovating.
VAUSE: And you say that countries governments need to start educating their populations about exactly what's happening, and we be prepared for this?
BRAW: They really need to. So, for 30 years, at least 30 years has been this notion that we are living in global peace, or somewhat something resembling global peace, apart from things like Iraq and Afghanistan, and that we the wider population don't really need to worry about anything, because the armed forces will take care of whatever national security threat comes up. But it's not like that as opponents are experiencing as a Lithuanians experience, and as Latvians are experiencing, and even the Germans were several 1000 of those migrants have now made their way after crossing into Poland.
VAUSE: Yeah, on the NATO's website, it claims the alliance has developed a strategy on its role in countering hybrid warfare to help address these threats. What is notable just before that paragraph, though, is one which says, responding to these threats, threats rather, rest for the most part with the targeted nations. So, if there is a strategy here, what is it?
BRAW: Well, it's not obvious that's a short answer. So, NATO can send you as a strategy but the tool, so NATO has all the Armed Forces of its member states. And what you need to do in a situation like this has nothing very little to do with armed forces. And that is the problem. So, we have, the West has a fantastic military alliance. But and military alliances can do very little when the tool of aggression is not military aggression. So that's where we are. And so, what national governments can do is to essentially try to keep a closer eye on the borders to seal that border. And that requires a lot of money and effort, and that's where we are at the moment and Poland is building a barrier. Lithuanians building a barrier, but I think we also need to educate the public about how vulnerable our societies are.
VAUSE: Well, we have Belarus claiming to be the victim here, especially with talk of more sanctions from the E.U. I want you to listen to their foreign minister. Here he is.
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VLADIMIR MAKEI, BELARUSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Political blackmail at the Belarusians state continues. The fake package of restrictions is on its way, it has already been rumored in the reason for them this time was the migration crisis, provided by the European Union itself and its member countries bordering on Belarus.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: This comes out to some dials on Tuesday that in fact Belarus was weaponizing migrants as part of this hybrid warfare. Yet back in May, after the president Lukashenko was heavily sanctioned for illegally forcing down a commercial jet, arresting that opposition journalist who is on board. He went on to one. This is back in May. We stopped drugs in migrants. Now you will eat them and catch them yourselves. Kind of hard to play the victim and tonight you're doing anything wrong when you told the world you'll be doing this, and it happened here six months earlier.
[01:29:39]
ELISABETH BRAW, AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE: Oh absolutely, but he doesn't care about his reputation so he doesn't care that it sounds ridiculous.
In fact, that is part of his strategy because he can play the mad man and how do you counter a mad man. Because a mad man can do crazy things.
And so now, we have a -- what we have is a situation where he can do even crazier things where other rulers, authoritarian rulers and rulers can say well, Lukashenko seems to be quite successful with his scheme, just like Kim Jong-il, Kim Jong-un have been successful with their schemes so they're -- I'm going to try that too.
VAUSE: Yes. Elisabeth, thank you for that, it's a really interesting article on foreign policy. Appreciate you being with us. Thank you.
BRAW: Thank you.
VAUSE: And the winner of this year's global teacher comes from a U.S. high school. She's both English teacher and mentor for immigrant kids.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The winner of the Global Teacher Prize 2021 is Keishia Thorpe from the United States of America.
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VAUSE: Keishia Thorpe, one of 8,000 nominees from more than 120 countries. And when that announcement came, as you can see, she was surrounded by members of her family.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEISHIA THORPE, WINNER, GLOBAL TEACHER PRIZE: This has empowered every little black boy and girl that looks like me. And every child in the world that feels marginalized, and has a story like mine, and felt being (INAUDIBLE).
We must ensure all students have the opportunity to succeed. And (INAUDIBLE) are policy issues certain about that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Miss Thorpe will receive a million dollars for her efforts, recognition for a career devoted to teaching young immigrants, many living in poverty, which Thorpe knows about personally from her early years when she was living in Jamaica. Congratulations.
Still to come, police arrest a professional female soccer player in France after an attack on her teammate. Details of the alleged plot just ahead.
And what happens when you have a country to address, but your toddler just isn't having it. The adorable exchange between New Zealand's prime minister and her little one -- that's later in the program.
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VAUSE: Welcome back everyone. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
For the past year sexual violence has been the despicable hallmark of the conflict between the Ethiopian government and rebel fighters from the Northern Tigray region. And a new report from Amnesty International has found as recently as this past August, Tigray rebels gang-raped women and committed other human rights abuses.
Details now from CNN Salma Abdelaziz.
[01:35:00]
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SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: Disturbing new reports emerging from Ethiopia where violence continues to escalate. Amnesty International accusing the TPLF, the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front, of mass sexual violence.
Amnesty speaking to 16 people in this report that say they were gang raped and physically assaulted by TPLF forces in mid August in the region of Amhara. Now CNN has not independently spoken to these victims, so we cannot
verify their accounts independently. But we did reach out to a TPLF spokesman for their response to these allegations, and here is what they told us.
"We take these allegations very seriously. We believe the allegations which are being attributed to our forces are basically groundless because our forces do not indulge in the very practices of our enemy forces."
The TPLF went on to say that they are willing to take part in an independent investigation. But this is consistent with what we heard from United Nations last week, which is that all parties to the conflict in Ethiopia could be responsible for war crimes and human rights violations.
We also heard more from the United Nations, 70 truck drivers contracted by the U.N. and other various agencies have been detained by the Ethiopian central government.
Of course, the United Nations appealing for their release. This comes after 16 U.N. staffers and their dependents were also detained by authorities.
Now, the United Nations has been given no reason they say, as to why all of these staffers and drivers were arrested. But we have also been hearing from human rights groups about a wave of ethnically-driven, ethnically-based detentions across the capital, and across other regions as well.
The concern is, is that as ethnic violence continues to escalate and the communal violence continues to escalate, the window for finding a solution is closing. Diplomats right now are scrambling to try to reach an agreement to bring down the violence, bring down the temperature across Ethiopia.
United Nations saying there is a small window of opportunity here, otherwise the country could be headed towards all out civil war.
Salma Abdelaziz, CNN -- London.
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VAUSE: Jordan's foreign minister has defended normalizing relationships with Syria because he says the status quo is no longer an option. Jordan is among a group of Arab states moving to reestablish diplomatic ties with Damascus.
Last month Jordan's King Abdullah spoke to President Bashir al Assad for the first time in a decade. The two countries have reopened their borders for trade.
Here is the Jordanian foreign minister.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) AYMAN SAFADI, JORDIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: On Syria our position in Jordan had always been constant. We believe that this process has gone on for far too long. It has caused so much suffering, and to be honest with you we have not seen any effective strategy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The United States is concerned over regional efforts to normalize relations with Assad. Jordan's reengagement with Syria comes as King Abdullah renews his ties with the White House, trying to move past controversies at home.
CNN's Jomana Karadsheh has details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's a great honor to have the King and Queen of Jordan with us.
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The end of Donald Trump's presidency was met by a huge sigh of relief from this long time American ally. For four years King Abdullah II of Jordan was sidelined by the former U.S. president. His advice on critical regional issues ignored.
But with a new president, and an old friend back in the White House, Abdullah was back in the spotlight. The first Arab leader to meet President Biden in D.C.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want to welcome back to the White House, a good, loyal, and decent friend, His Majesty. And we've been hanging out together for a long time.
KARADSHEH: The visit was not only a reset in U.S.-Jordanian relations. The king was clearly reassuring allies they can still rely on his kingdom.
KING ABDULLAH, JORDAN: We have as you said, many challenges in our part of the worlds. I think many of us leaders from around the world will do the heavy lifting which is what we need to do on behalf of the United States.
But you can always count on me, my country and many of our colleagues in the region.
KARADSHEH: Jordan's image of a stable country in a turbulent region was called into question earlier this year after the king accused his half brother of plotting to overthrow him, which he denied.
He placed the former crown prince under house arrest. It was a royal drama like no other in the country's history.
With a rush to turn the page on this divisive chapter, Jordan was ready to reassume its traditional role of peace broker between the Israeli and Palestinians forging new alliances in a fractured region. And most recently, the king appeared to be taking the lead on reintegrating Syrian despot Bashar al-Assad back into the fold. But the news of his first known phone call with Assad in more than a decade was overshadowed by yet another PR nightmare for Jordan.
[01:40:01]
KARADSHEH: Stunning allegations revealed in the so-called Pandora Papers. The monarch whose country's heavily reliant on U.S. and international aid, had secretly purchased 14 luxury properties in the U.K. and the U.S., worth more than U.S.$100 million.
The Jordanian royal court in a statement said, "The allegations included inaccuracies and distorted and exaggerated the facts and the properties were kept secret for security and privacy reasons."
It added, quote, "The cost of these properties and all related expenditures have been personally funded by his majesty. None of these expenses have been funded by the state budget or treasury. This also applies to the personal expenditures of his majesty and his family.
DAOUD KUTTAB, JOURNALIST AND MIDDLE EAST COMMENTATOR: For many people who understand the way things are, it's not a big problem. But for the average person who doesn't have a job, the optics of the king having properties in the hundred million dollars worth of properties does not bode very well.
KARADSHEH: It doesn't look good and a time when Jordan's decades old economic troubles have been exacerbated by the pandemic. With unemployment reaching unprecedented levels, something that is already driven Jordanians out onto the street in protest earlier this year.
The king has also been facing mounting pressure to deliver on the promise of real political reform. He is now tasked a diverse committee with quote, modernizing the political system.
KUTTAB: We're moving in the direction of turning Jordan from an absolute monarchy, to a constitutional monarchy within the next 10 years. So I think there are good things going on in Jordan politically.
the average Jordanian, the price of gas and cost of food and getting a job is much more important than talk about democracy.
KARADSHEH: After a year of many challenges for the king the toughest per house will be restoring the image of Jordan's royal family at home and beyond.
Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Istanbul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: In 1994, the genteel world of women's ice skating was rocked when Tonya Harding took out a hit on her rival Nancy Kerrigan. Fast forward almost two decades, and a similar scandal has rocked French women's soccer with allegations a star player paid for a hit on her teammate and rival leaving her badly beaten after an attack by thugs armed with iron bars.
CNN's Cyril Vanier has details now from Paris.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CYRIL VANIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): This is a very mysterious and deeply troubling story, first reported by the French sports daily "L'Equipe" that is raising serious questions about possible player on player violence within the PSG women's soccer team.
The club has confirmed that 26-year-old Aminata Diallo was arrested at her home outside Paris early on Wednesday, in connection with last week's assault on a teammate. Multiple reports identified that team mate as Kheira Hamraoui.
According to "L'Equipe" them timeline of the story is this. Kheira Hamraoui was being driven home by Diallo after team dinner on Thursday when she was pulled from the car by masked assailants, who then beat her with an iron bar focusing on her legs.
"L'Equipe's" (INAUDIBLE) source saying that strangely nothing was stolen during the attack and Diallo was not beaten.
At this stage, we don't know what information, what evidence police are working on, whether Diallo is indeed involved in this, and if so how.
But it is impossible not to notice that they play the same position for club and country. And when Hamraoui is sidelined for whatever reason, it means more opportunity for the younger Diallo, as was the case in Tuesday's game against Real Madrid.
Hamraoui is currently at the peak of her football power. She won the champions league last season. She's the starting midfielder for PSG, and a veteran on the French national team.
And when injury kept her away from the women's world cup qualifiers last month, Diallo was called on the squad to help fill that spot.
In a statement PSG say they have taken all necessary measures since the assault to protect their players.
CNN is also seeking comments from Diallo, from Hamraoui, and from the prosecutors.
Cyril Vanier, CNN -- Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Well, during an exclusive interview with CNN, NBA star Enes Kanter explains why he's taking a stand against China. The Boston Celtics star says he was encouraged to speak out after seeing the NBA support players, fighting other injustices and human rights issues.
Kanter opposes China's policies on Tibet, Taiwan and Hong Kong, as well as its treatment of the Uyghur community. China has repeatedly denied all allegations of abuse.
Kanter's post and comments though have angered many in China with the streaming site 10Cent refusing to air Celtic games. Kanter explained his motivation to CNN.
[01:44:50]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ENES KANTER, NBA PLAYER: NBA made me do this, because every time when one of the NBA teams, or one of the -- or the commissioner came out and speak, they say we are encouraging our players to talk about whatever they want to talk about.
We are giving the freedom to our players to talk about all the injustices happening around the world, all the, you know, human rights abuse around the world. So they give me this right, they told me to do this basically.
But the other thing is obviously, I sit down with, you know, people from the NBA, and I even sit down with Adam Silver and had a good conversation. I told him Adam, listen, am I breaking any rules. Because if I'm breaking any rules, please tell me, I'll be the first one to follow every NBA rules because NBA get me what I have and I don't want to break any kind of rules that you guys have.
He said, no, you're not breaking any rules. Well, I told his, is the NBA against China? Is NBA and Adam Silver, and all the organizations, you know, all the teams and owners, are they supporting Enes Kanter?
He told me yes, we are supporting you against China, someone had to do it. You see there are so many athletes, so many actors, so many things. So many people who has a platform are speaking about many of the issues out there in the world. But when it comes to China, when it comes to China's Communist Party they are scared, because they cared too much about money, they cared too much about business, and they cared too much about endorsement deals.
You know, to me the human rights, and, you know, saving peoples lives comes first, so that's why I wanted to do this project.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Kanter who is from Turkey also criticized the Turkish president. That brought death threats and the cancellation of his Turkish passport.
You can hear more on the Enes Kanter interview online at CNN.com.
When we come back, one man's mission to restore Bangladesh's endangered turtle and tortoise species one step at a time. That's after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) VAUSE: In this edition of "Call to Earth", many of Bangladesh's turtle and tortoise species, under threat from poaching and destruction of their national habitat.
But one conservationist has started a breeding center to help restore four of these endangered species with the help of citizen scientists from an indigenous community in southeast Bangladesh.
Here is more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In a leafy corner of Bhawal National Park, a high stakes courtship is taking place. The future of this critically endangered species and Bangladesh depends on it.
[01:49:51]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Asian giant tortoise was thought to be extinct in the country, until 10 years ago when a few were discovered in the wild with the help of this man.
And now, conservation biologist Shahriar Caesar Rahman is on a mission to bring them back.
SHAHRIAR CAESAR RAHMAN, CONSERVATION BIOLOGIST: We realize that if we want to prevent extinction of the species from Bangladesh we must take drastic efforts.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) runs a conservation and breeding center for four critically endangered species of turtle and tortoise in an effort to help restore their populations in the wild.
CAESAR RAHMAN: Unfortunately, most of the species are threatened with extinction. The major conservation challenges are hunting for food and fair trade, and the destruction of their short term ecosystem and forest habitat.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On the front line is that Chicago Hills Tracks, a remote region on the Bangladeshis border with India and Myanmar consider it a biodata (INAUDIBLE) hot spot.
But one that is threatened by poaching, logging, and agricultural development.
Rahman first visited in 2011, and working with indigenous and rural communities, he and his team trained former hunters as pair biologist, or citizen scientists that collect data and monitor species to help protect local wildlife.
CAESAR-RAHMAN: They're empowering them to be the guardians of the ecosystem that they have been protecting for hundreds of years. Those people become (INAUDIBLE). And I eventually when the species are released back into the wild, these are the individuals who will be monitoring them every day. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: While there, Rahman learned that a few Asian
giant tortoises still existed in the region. And the idea for the breeding center was born.
These juveniles have been bred from specimens rescued from hunters by ram's team of pair biologists. Like Passing Mro.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the past are family hunted, but today we don't have to tortoises, we make people understand not to hug them because they are on the verge of extinction.
I feel very happy to work on it, if we don't, tortoises will have vanished from the world.
CAESAR RAHMAN: The captive (INAUDIBLE) are critically endangered, issue John -- which have met here in our center for the first time in Bangladesh. We will be releasing those individuals back in the wild end of this year.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: His hopes for the future of the species in Bangladesh? Slow and steady wins the race.
CAESAR RAHMAN: I do believe there are reasons to be optimistic, and it all depends on us and the future our generations. You make that decision and to take action.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Let us know what you are doing to answer the call with hashtag Call to Earth.
You're watching CNN NEWSROOM, we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: The chief electrician on the film "Rust" has filed a lawsuit against Alec Baldwin and other crew members, at the center of last month's fatal onset shooting. He claims the actor, assistant director and armorer's negligence caused him severe emotion distress. Accuses them of all of failing to implement and maintain industry farm standards.
[01:54:53
VAUSE: CNN has reached out to lawyers representing Baldwin and other named crew members but we are yet to hear back.
A moment of awkwardness at the welcoming ceremony for the Danish queen in Germany.
Chancellor Angela Merkel offered up a fist bump to Queen Margrethe II. But the Queen wasn't down for a fist bump, putting her hand on her. Merkel took the hit, followed suit, and let it be known for the next four days, fist bumps in Germany shall be on hold.
When New Zealand's prime minister was explaining new COVID rules like to the nation, there was an unexpected interruption. It wasn't demanding (INAUDIBLE). She was meant but you know, the Prime Minister is mommy.
And Jacinda Ardern is not first person in authority, the interrupted by a child, during a live event as Jeanne Moos reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The baby of New Zealand's prime minister used to sleep through her mom's press conferences.
But now, Jacinda Ardern's daughter Neve (ph), is three years old. Old enough to crash the prime minister's Facebook Live briefing.
JACINDA ARDERN, NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER: You need to be a bit, darling? It's speak time, darling. (INAUDIBLE), they'll come and see you in a second.
Sorry everybody.
MOOS: Sorry, we love kiddy interruptions. Good thing Grandma was around to help.
ARDERN: Thanks Nona.
ALDERN: That was a bit fail wasn't it.
MOOS: Hard to call it a fail when these moments go so viral.
Remember the BBC interview when a professor had to fend off his daughter, followed by a second child, making an entrance, and finally mom getting in.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pardon me.
MOOS: And now it's happened to the leader of a country --
ARDERN: Does anyone else have escape like three, four times after bedtime?
MOOS: On SkyNews, it was an escaped son begging for biscuits.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, you can have two biscuits.
ARDERN: And this, New Zealand cabinet minister ended up struggling with her son over a carrot, a vegetable that minister later described as a deformed carrot shaped like a male body part.
Obviously a foreign minister doesn't just answer to the voters.
ARDERN: I'm sorry darling. It is taking so long. Ok.
I'm sorry, everyone. I'm going to just go and put the baby back to bed.
MOOS: And it's better to use a carrot than a stick. Jeanne Moos, CNN -- New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Thank you for watching. I'm John Vause. Please stay with us.
More CNN NEWSROOM after a very short break.
See you then.
[01:57:28]
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