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Scientists: New COVID Variant Has Higher Number of Mutations; Protestors Return to Streets of Solomon Islands for Third Day; Britain and France Vow Greater Cooperation after English Channel Tragedy; Growing Concern Over Taiwan's Fate and Chinese Aggression; Russia Denies It Has 100,000 Troops on Ukraine Border; Activist Leaders Push for More Access to Ballot Box for Immigrants in Germany; French Wine Industry Reeling from Cold Spring Temperatures. Aired 12-12:45a ET

Aired November 26, 2021 - 00:00   ET

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

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Michael Holmes. Appreciate your company.

[00:00:28]

Coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM, flights are banned, and markets fall over a new COVID variant that scientists warn spreads fast and mutates easily.

Buildings burn, and stores are looted on the Solomon Islands, a protest fueled, in part, by the government's close ties to China.

And after tragedy comes the finger-pointing as British and French leaders trade accusations over migrant drownings in the English Channel.

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

HOLMES: And we begin in South Africa, where the discovery of a rapidly spreading new coronavirus variant is causing great concern. And news of the variant hitting Asian markets and U.S. futures hard, as you can see there. Red arrows across the board.

Dow futures down one and a quarter percent. The Nikkei down 2 and 3 quarter percent. We're keeping an eye on that.

Now, this has also prompted the U.K. to suspend flights from six African countries, adding them to its travel red list. CNN's David McKenzie is in Johannesburg with more on this emerging variant.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The scientists were quick to announce the discovery of this variant, because it has some worrying signs. They believe it could, possibly, evade immunity from previous infection and may be more transmissible. But it's certainly too early to tell. The reason they say that is because the large number of mutations on

this particular variant. More than 30 in the spike protein alone, which is a critical area of the virus that affects its transmissibility and its effectiveness.

Now, it is early days, and currently, South Africa is in a relative lull of the pandemic. But numbers are increasing, and through genomic surveillance, they've seen that this particular variant is increasing within this province and other provinces of South Africa.

So far, the variant has been discovered here in South Africa. It's been seen in Botswana and from a traveler, traveling from this region to Hong Kong. Unclear whether it is more widespread than that.

But there are many unknowns. Just how the previous infection protects you against this variant. Will the vaccines be affected? They don't know at this point. And they say it needs more, possibly weeks of scientific discovery to find those answers out.

They do stress, these scientists, that vaccination is important and needs to be done rapidly to avoid any negative effects from this variant and others.

David McKenzie, CNN, Johannesburg.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Meanwhile, European nations are implementing new measures to fight soaring COVID infections. For the third day in a row, Germany has record new case levels. The country reporting more than 76,000 new infections over the past 24 hours.

Slovakia is joining Austria in lockdown as cases there began to soar. It's expected to continue until December 9, and a state of emergency will last for 90 days.

A state of emergency also now in effect is the Czech Republic. That puts a curfews on pubs and limits public gatherings. Christmas markets have been canceled, and outdoor consumption of alcohol is banned.

Portuguese officials are reinstating several restrictions, beginning December the 1st, such as mandatory indoor face masks and a negative COVID test upon arrival in the country.

Meanwhile, France says it will strengthen current COVID measures, as opposed to going into lockdown or adding curfews. Those measures include expanding the booster campaign, mask-wearing, and stepping up health pass requirements.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OLIVIER VERAN, FRENCH HEALTH MINISTER (through translator): We are making the choice to reconcile freedoms with responsibility, and today, we think that we can still overcome this wave without resorting to the most restrictive measures, if we fully use all the cards in our hand. (END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now, take a look at this map, and you can see much of Europe plagued by rising COVID cases. So much so that the European Union is considering an expiration date on its cross-border COVID pass.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DIDIER REYNDERS, E.U. COMMISSIONER FOR JUSTICE (through translator): Member states should accept vaccination certificates not exceeding nine months since the first round of vaccination. Beyond 12 (ph) months, the vaccination certificate will no longer be recognized, in the absence of a booster dose.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Let's turn now to Dr. Eric Topol. He's a cardiologist and director of Scripps Research Transnational Institute. He's joining me now from La Jolla in California.

Good to see you, Doctor. So first of all, what do you make of this new variant, spreading in Africa? I mean, the speed of this spread seems to be terrifying. Why faster? How worrying?

DR. ERIC TOPOL, DIRECTOR, SCRIPPS RESEARCH TRANSNATIONAL INSTITUTE: Right, Michael. Good to be with you.

It is concerning. It's the first variant we've seen since Delta which raises such concern. As already mentioned, there's a lot of different mutations in the sequence. And the rapidity that it's spreading, in a province in South Africa, as well as Botswana, is concerning.

We don't know yet whether that's due to low vaccination rates there, or whether it's actually due to this variant, which is incriminating (ph). Which tomorrow, there will be an emergency meeting at the WHO, and it will be given a Greek letter, likely Mu, the next letter available for these variants.

And so it's a little early, but we haven't seen a variant take off this quickly in a zone of the world which is pure Delta.

HOLMES: How best to blunt the spread? Or does experience tell us that is going to be impossible?

TOPOL: Well, we do know that things like masks and distancing and all the things that we have in the beginning of the pandemic still are effective.

The big question now is, will our immune response from vaccines, or prior infections, be blunted by this variant? If it proves to be one that, you know, interferes with our immune response, that isn't clear yet. Those are the lab studies that have be done in the days ahead.

And so we're grateful to the South African scientists who are on this.

But the main thing here is we have ways to defend against -- against all variants. But we don't know yet whether it's going to really challenge our vaccines, which have already had the issue of the waning, which is what you've got to the European situation, where there's a lack of vaccinations, plus the waning at six months and beyond.

HOLMES: Yes. How likely is it, given the spread we're seeing around the world? Africa, notably, as well. That a variant, even if not this one, will emerge that defeats the vaccines?

TOPOL: A critical point you're bringing up, Michael. Because if we don't contain the virus around the world, we will eventually see a variant that's worse than Delta. That's very likely. It could be this one. And as you say, if it isn't this one, in the months ahead, we may see something that really does compete with Delta to become dominant, like this one has, throughout the world.

HOLMES: You know, when we think about this variant in South Africa, I mean, it's worth pointing out the numbers, overall, are up in Africa, as well. And it's interesting. Only a quarter of health workers on that continent have been vaccinated, let alone the general population.

And that's versus 80 percent of health workers in high-income countries. It brings me to this. How concerned are you that the global distribution of vaccines, COVAX, hasn't been fast enough or in great enough volume? And what are the potential impacts of that?

TOPOL: You know, it's actually striking that there's been almost 8 billion doses of vaccines given in the world. But unfortunately, in the continent of Africa in particular, the deficiency is -- is flagrant.

So we have to do much better. COVAX distribution in Africa and lower- and middle-income countries has to be improved. And all the countries that can need to get on this. Because if this is what's going on now, with this new variant, this you know, B.1.1 variant that is -- came as a curveball. It wasn't like a Delta plus. This is something that really surprised us. And it's happened fast. That's what we have to be prepared for.

HOLMES: Going back to the numbers in Europe continuing to soar. Lockdowns being reintroduced in a couple of countries. The E.U. is set to recommend a nine-month expiry on vaccines for travel purposes. What can be done there to combat those surges?

TOPOL: Well, the good news is that the countries that have really high vaccination rates, you know, pushing 75, 80, or 85 percent for their total population, they're not seeing much in the way of hospitalizations and deaths increase. It's the spread of infections, for sure.

It's the countries like Slovakia and Czechoslovakia, to a lesser extent, but true in Austria. These countries are having a problem, because their vaccination rates are much lower, and that's where we're seeing lots of hospitalizations and fatalities.

HOLMES: Yes, indeed. Doctor Eric Topol, really appreciate your expertise on this.

Keep an eye on the doctor's Twitter. He's always up to date on these developments. Appreciate it. Thank you.

[00:10:05]

TOPOL: Thank you, Michael.

HOLMES: All right. Turning our attention now to the Solomon Islands, where violent, anti-government unrest is not showing any sign of subsiding at the moment.

Protesters are back in the streets of the capital for a third straight day. Police say they held a rally outside the prime minister's residence.

Protesters have been calling for his resignation since Wednesday, angry about a host of domestic issues, but also because of his government's rapprochement with Beijing.

The rallies have led to burning and looting, sometimes targeting the city's Chinatown section. And that prompted this response from Beijing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZHAO LIJIAN, CHINESE FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTRY (through translator): We are gravely concerned over the attacks on Chinese citizens and Chinese funded enterprises and have asked the local government to take all measures necessary to protect the safety of Chinese nationals and institutions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: And Blake Essig joins me now, live from Tokyo, to talk more about this. So what's being done to try to mitigate what's going on there?

BLAKE ESSIG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. You know, Michael, as you said, not a lot is doing -- or is being done at this point to slow down these protests.

As you mentioned, for the third straight day, protesters have taken to the streets in the Solomon Islands capital of Honiara to demand the resignation of the country's prime minister, Manasseh Sogavare.

Now, while we're still working to get a clear picture of exactly what's happening today, local police say that protesters have gathered at the prime minister's residence. And as a precaution, police have dispatched fire trucks.

Now just yesterday, a local journalist told CNN that fires were blazing in the city's Chinatown, and police had lost control in the eastern part of the capital.

Now, this all stems from earlier this week. Two to 3,000 protesters, who started protesting, some setting fires to buildings, stealing from stores. Dozens of people have been arrested, according to the police. And it started as a result is anger spilling over about several domestic issues, including unrealized infrastructure promises, the prime minister's lack of a response to a citizen petition filed months ago, which included demands for the government to respect the rights of self-determination of the people and limit ties with China.

Now because of the violent protests, the prime minister had imposed a 36-hour lockdown. Australia announced that it was deploying police and defense personnel to help provide stability and security at the request of the Solomon Islands prime minister.

And according to the Solomon Islands police force, New Zealand is providing advice and support. But to the government, to this point, has not requested any assistance.

Now, China, as you mentioned, has also expressed concern specifically regarding attacks over Chinese citizens and their businesses. China's minister of foreign affairs spokesperson added that all attempts to disrupt the normal development of relations between China and the Solomon Islands are just futile.

But because of, again, of this ongoing unrest, the Solomon Islands government today has advised all servants in the capital to stay home and make sure that they have enough food until the situation calms down. It's a situation that, for the time being, Michael, shows no signs of slowing.

HOLMES: Yes. Yes. All public servants told to stay home. Blake Essig in Tokyo. Appreciate it. Thanks so much.

All right. Well, France and the U.K. are pledging greater cooperation in tackling the migrant crisis after the tragedy in the English Channel. But they're still trading blame over who's responsible and bickering over possible solutions.

Twenty-seven migrants, most of them from Iraq died on Wednesday when their boat bound for Britain sank. Five suspected people smugglers have been arrested since. The French president vowing to bolster sea rescue operations but suggested France has already done more than its share.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): We are holding this border for the U.K. They don't want asylum in France. We will improve our means to increase protection, but we need to work as partners.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Earlier, the British prime minister thanked emergency workers and said that he knows President Macron recognizes the urgency of the situation both countries are facing.

But Boris Johnson also called on France to take back migrants who cross the channel, saying that would remove their incentive for traveling such a dangerous route in the first place and for putting their lives in the hands of traffickers.

CNN's Nic Robertson picks up the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): A tragedy, yet predictable. So many dead, so quickly. The rescue in the frigid waters rapidly becoming a recovery mission.

CHARLES DEVOS, RESCUE OPERATION VOLUNTEER (through translator): We were on patrol, and we recovered six bodies adrift. The rest was, unfortunately, like fighting a losing battle.

ROBERTSON: In the immediate aftermath, finger pointing across the channel. France blaming the U.K. for not helping them enough.

GERALD DARMANIN, FRENCH INTERIOR MINISTER (voice-over): The response should also come from Great Britain. The resources that Britain gives to France but which remain minimal, compared to the resources that we put in.

[00:15:09]

BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Our offer is to increase our support, but also to -- to work together with our partners on the beaches concerned, on the -- the landing -- the launching grounds for these boats. And that's something I hope that will be acceptable now, in view of what has happened.

ROBERTSON: At home, Johnson's Conservatives taking heat for failing to deliver on promises to curb illegal migration.

PRITI PATEL, BRITISH HOME SECRETARY: What happened yesterday was a dreadful shock. It was not a surprise.

ROBERTSON: The local lawmaker where many migrants come ashore in the U.K., adamant this isn't her party's fault.

(on camera): Why has it taken the government so long to reach this point of realizing their policy hasn't worked?

NATALIE ELPHICKE, BRITISH MP FOR DOVER: The situation that we have is that we have criminal activity where the French are standing by, where people are getting into boats, and they're not stopping them.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): The French say they're doing all they can.

(on camera): Reality is, the migrant issue is nothing new. I was here in Dover, the closest port to France, 21 years ago when 58 Chinese migrants were found dead in the back of a truck in the port.

What has changed since then, with tighter port controls, is the way that migrants are coming. Risking their lives in flimsy dinghies across a dangerous sea. (voice-over): In recent weeks, migrant crossings to the U.K. have

spiked. Around 1,000 migrants crossed in a single day earlier this month, unusual for the time of year. Unclear why. Possibly, calmer seas.

More than 25,000 people have crossed the channel in small boats so far this year, three times the total in 2020.

France and the U.K. saying they've prevented some 19,000 crossings already this year. How to combat the criminal gangs behind the smuggling, bedeviling authorities, both sides of the channel. This tragedy, despite cross-channel bitterness, perhaps galvanizing change.

MACRON (through translator): We are holding this border for the U.K.

ROBERTSON: Macron and Johnson vowing to work together to break the smuggling networks beyond both their borders.

MACRON (through translator): We need to work as partners, and we need to reinforce cooperation with Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, but also Great Britain.

ROBERTSON: Away from the high-level wrangling, the human face of the tragedy emerging. Most of the 27 victims were Iraqi, according to the Calais port director.

Among the dead, a pregnant woman, according to volunteers who helped in the rescue operation.

Not the first time. And, likely, not the last. Migrants desperate to reach the U.K., or be mourned.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Dover, England.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON: Still to come here on the program, some Taiwanese are questioning the fate of the self-governing island, as China steps up pressure for it to unify with the mainland. The ominous lessons they're learning from Hong Kong.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: If you had done the exact same thing, but you're in Hong Kong, where would you be today?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think I would probably be in jail, yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Welcome back. As tensions rise between Taiwan and China, some Taiwanese are growing wary of their island's future. They've watched, of course, Beijing crack down on Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests.

And now, with China ramping up pressure for the island to unify with the mainland, some are raising concerns over the island's fate.

For more, CNN's Will Ripley joins me from Hong Kong. And Will, I imagine Taiwan looks at Hong Kong and worries what might be to come?

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT Those worries are what helped propel Taiwan's president, Tsai Ing-wen, to a landslide reelection. She promised to keep that island a self-governing island of more than 23 million people, safe from what has been perceived by many in Taiwan as a growing threat.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY (voice-over): Hong Kong and Taiwan, two islands claimed by China, less than 500 miles apart. They might as well be different worlds.

In 2014, student-led protests broke out in Hong Kong and Taipei, both taking aim at Beijing's communist rulers.

Taiwan's Sunflower Movement occupied the legislature for weeks. In Hong Kong, five years later, it was only a matter of hours. Two similar events. Drastically different outcomes.

(on camera): If you had done the exact same thing, but you are in Hong Kong, where would you be today?

LIN FEI-FAN, DEPUTY SECRETARY GENERAL, DEMOCRATIC PROGRESSIVE PARTY: I think I would probably be in jail.

RIPLEY (voice-over): In 2014, Lin Fei-Fan was a student protest leader. Today, a political leader. He says all of his activist friends from Hong Kong are either in exile or in jail, targeted by a sweeping national security law. A law imposed by Beijing last year.

With the stroke of a pen, many of Hong Kong's freedoms, promised for 50 years, under one country, two systems, erased.

(on camera): What does that mean for Taiwan?

LIN: I think that tells us that we must be prepared for threats from China are kind of escalating to a serious level.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Fears are growing. China may use its massive military, to forcefully reunify with this self-governing island. Those fears help Taiwan president, Tsai Ing-wen, to win reelection by a landslide last year.

(on camera): So you don't believe that China, even if they promised one country, two systems, would actually deliver that here in Taiwan?

TSAI ING-WEN, PRESIDENT OF TAIWAN: It's an issue of credibility there. The Taiwanese people have said it clearly, that they don't accept one country, to system as the formula to resolve the question (ph), issue.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Opinion polls show support for Taiwanese independence at its highest point in decades. Students, like Samuel Li afraid for their future. Afraid the world's only Chinese-speaking democracy could become the next Hong Kong.

SAMUEL LI, TAIWANESE UNIVERSITY STUDENT: Those protesters, who are just young as me, getting tear gassed and, you know, getting beat up by the police. That's just outrageous and devastating to watch.

RIPLEY (on camera): What do you think IS inevitably going to happen?

LI: The Chinese government taking over Taiwan is going to be inevitable in my lifetime, I would believe.

RIPLEY (voice-over): He worries this tale of two islands could have the same sad ending.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RIPLEY: I have just arrived back in Hong Kong from Taiwan. I am currently in quarantine at the airport.

But I have to tell you, it's extraordinary how quickly things are changing here, in this Chinese territory. And that is a fear in Taiwan, that things could change. It could change for the worse, in the eyes of those who like life under a democratic system, a democratic system that Taiwan and its people have fought hard to establish.

There is a group of U.S. lawmakers who made a surprise visit to Taiwan. They are on the ground there right now, expected to leave in the coming hours.

And it is outrage, from the Beijing perspective, that they're there. Beijing may respond in some way.

[00:25:07]

The fear is that, if the U.S. and Taiwan continue to grow too close, and if Taiwan were to ever give a hint of desire to declare formal independence, that Beijing could do something much more drastic, just like what happened here, Michael.

HOLMES: Yes, indeed. Will, thanks for the reporting. Will Ripley there in Hong Kong for us.

We're going to take a quick break. When we come back, new warnings from Russia over tensions in Eastern Europe. We'll ask our former Moscow bureau chief about Vladimir Putin's endgame in the region.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Welcome back. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM, with me, Michael Holmes. Appreciate your company.

The death toll from the mine accident in Siberia has jumped to at least 52. It's not entirely clear what happened, but one official says there was a gas leak and then an explosion. At least six rescuers are among the dead.

More than 200 people did make it out alive, but dozens are in hospital. Russian authorities have arrested three people and opened a criminal investigation. President Vladimir Putin expressing his condolences to the victims' families.

Germany and Ukraine are putting Russia on notice over tensions flaring in Eastern Europe. German Chancellor Angela Merkel says the European Union must be ready to impose more sanctions on Moscow, if there is an escalation in Eastern Ukraine or along the Poland-Belarus border.

She's accused Belarus of luring migrants to the E.U. border to destabilize not only Poland but the entire bloc.

Ukraine's foreign minister delivered his own warning to the Kremlin. He says any attack would bring political, economic, and human losses for Russia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DMYTRO KULEBA, UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): We do not try to guess what is going on in Putin's head. It is a thankless job. We are working the task to get into an understanding, that a new attack on Ukraine will be too costly. That's why it is better not to do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Jill Dougherty is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, as well as CNN's former Moscow bureau chief. She joins me now from Washington.

Always good to see you, Jill. So let's talk about this. An estimated hundred thousand Russian troops on the border with Ukraine. They're thousands of miles from their bases. There are special forces present.

What do you make? Muscle flexing, or a genuine threat to Ukraine?

JILL DOUGHERTY, ADJUNCT PROFESSOR, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: You know, it's unclear so far. But you know, back in April, there were actually worrisome maneuvers like this, moving troops around. And nothing really happened.

[00:30:02]

But this is different. There is a lot more concern. The numbers are higher. And it's -- there's a lot less clarity about what President Putin is planning to do.

I don't think that it's simply muscle flexing. I think there is something going on.

Now, the it could be that he actually does want to invade. That would be a major step. There's no question.

But this very -- and Ukraine is such a serious subject for President Putin. He knows, Michael, that -- that Ukraine has been moving into some type of security relationship with the United States, getting closer and closer. And on the border of Russia? That is, absolutely not acceptable. So that's --

HOLMES: And Europe, as well. And NATO, and all of those factors. How would an invasion, or perhaps an incursion, test the European Union? How united is Europe in this issue?

DOUGHERTY: Well, they're more united than they have been. But you know, if it were military action, that would be a serious challenge.

Because let's begin with the basics. Ukraine is not a member of NATO. It has been given certain indications that maybe, in the future, it could be, but it isn't.

And the reality is, not for a very long time will it be, or even could it be. So President Putin knows that very well. And that means that NATO, legally, is not required to respond to an attack on Ukraine. And the United States also doesn't have any formal security agreement with Ukraine, either.

HOLMES: Yes, yes. And let's talk about the U.S. It is giving increasing military assistance to Ukraine. That's always something that angers Russia, of course.

The question, of course, is how far will the U.S. be prepared to go to prevent Russia taking more Ukrainian territory?

DOUGHERTY: Well, I don't think that you can say that U.S. troops ever would be sent into this situation. That seems to be just a fact.

And you're right. Four hundred million dollars in security assistance this year alone. It's an increase, Russia is worried about it, and NATO is training Ukrainian troops. So Russia is looking very closely at this. And really, it is a concern. So --

HOLMES: Vladimir Putin is, of course, an old-school KGB man from back in the day. Wistful, many would say, perhaps pining for the old Soviet Union.

How much does that play into his actions, regionally? I mean, what is his risk calculation, when it came to a potential invasion? What's the risk versus reward for him?

DOUGHERTY: Well, I'm not too sure that he is really pining for the old Soviet Union. But what he does want is, in the neighborhood, which would be Ukraine, Belarus, and parts that are very close on the border to Russia, he wants a voice and -- and a real role, in that area.

And, he does not want the United States or NATO, militarily or in any other way, moving into that area.

So that's -- now, would he -- what can they do? Sanctions? Probably. U.S., Europe could increase sanctions. But the likelihood of any type of real military action is not very high. HOLMES: I was there in 2014, in Crimea, when the little green men came

into town. And the referendum went ahead and, basically, not much happened.

I wanted to get your thoughts about Nord Stream 2, this pipeline, which delivers gas from Russia to Europe. That is a potent weapon, really. How much leverage does that give Putin, geopolitically?

DOUGHERTY: Well, it gives him quite a bit. I mean, right now, what he's saying is they have been diminishing, or lowering, the supplies to Europe. And then they're saying, in the same breath, you know, if you were to go ahead and approve Nord Stream, and it were online, we could give you a lot more gas.

Well, they already can give a lot of gas to Europe. But it is another choke point. It's another way that Putin can use his diplomacy, energy diplomacy, in this case, to affect Europe very directly.

HOLMES: And, of course, the risk in these situations always is a miscalculation leading to unintended consequences. That's the big worry.

Got to leave it there, unfortunately. Jill, thanks you so much. Jill Dougherty, appreciate it.

Germany is wrapping up the process of selecting its next government. But activists say millions of immigrants who live and work in Germany should have access to the ballot box, the right to the vote. Salma Abdelaziz reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HIBBA-TUN-NOOR KAUSER, OFFENBACH COUNCIL MEMBER: It's very unique, what we have here in Offenbach.

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Local politician Hibba-Tun-Noor Kauser wants to show me the diversity on her streets.

KAUSER: We have a lot of different people from different nations with different skin colors, living here.

[00:35:04]

ABDELAZIZ: This is Offenbach, where almost 64 percent of the population have an immigrant background.

But until March of this year, minorities made up just 10 percent of the local parliament, she says.

KAUSER: So the government looks old, white, and male. And that's a huge, huge problem, because the government is supposed to reflect the population.

ABDELAZIZ: About one in three people in Offenbach cannot vote, because they do not hold German citizenship. KAUSER: Every decision that is happening, is happening over our heads.

So over the heads of the people who cannot vote. It's over the heads of the marginalized group.

ABDELAZIZ: More than a quarter of the German population has foreign roots. But the advocacy group Negroom (ph) estimates one in seven German residents, as many as 10 million people without citizenship, are disenfranchised. And, a lack of voting power means lack of representation, says Berlin official Sawsan Chebli.

SAWSAN CHEBLI, BERLIN STATE SECRETARY FOR ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP: So just imagine the future of Germany will be so diverse, and this has to be seen and and known in our reality, in the political arena. It's not right now, but it's getting better.

ABDELAZIZ: Chebli wants the voting rights afforded to E.U. citizens in Germany to be extended to other foreign nationals and the citizenship process simplified.

CHEBLI: If I live here for so many years, work, and pay taxes, in Berlin, then, when it comes to elections, I'm not allowed to vote? This makes no sense to me. It has to be changed. It is discriminatory.

ABDELAZIZ: Tareq Allaows, a Syrian refugee and activist, ran for political office as soon as his immigration status allowed.

TAREQ ALLAOWS, FORMER PARLIAMENT CANDIDATE (through translator): When I looked at the makeup of the German Parliament, there was no one who represented refugees like me. So I wanted to be the voice I was missing in politics.

ABDELAZIZ: Many welcomed Allaows's campaign, but a right-wing minority targeted him with daily hate mail and death threats, he says.

ALLAOWS (through translator): I had to withdraw, but for me, as a refugee, in a society whether it's systemic racism, I have no option but to continue my political activism. I just have to change my direction.

ABDELAZIZ: And without participation, and representation, activists say many immigrants are excluded from Germany's democracy.

Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, Offenbach.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: All right. The Afghan girl who captured hearts everywhere after appearing on the cover of National Geographic back in 1985 has found refuge as an adult, in Italy.

The striking portrait, I'm sure you'll remember, of the 12-year-old orphan with the piercing green eyes and a suspicious glare, came to symbolize displaced people in Afghanistan. It was an immediate sensation.

But her identity wasn't known until years later. Now, in her late 40s, Sharbat Gula has been granted refugee status in

Italy. According to the prime minister's office, she appealed for help after the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August.

Coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM, the climate crisis coming to a wineglass near you. A frigid spring, not seen in decades, means consumers will be paying the price. That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:40:42]

HOLMES: For wine makers in France, it's not only driver shortages this winter posing a problem. It's the weather last spring. Some of the coldest temperatures in decades back then means of some of the lowest levels of production now.

Melissa Bell reports for us from Burgundy.

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MELISSA BELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At around $900,000, it was a record. A barrel of Corton Renardes Grand Cru sold for charity, and a break from the glum of a difficult year in Burgundy. So difficult that France declared an agricultural disaster.

The hauntingly beautiful candlelit vineyards this spring, a symbol for wine makers of catastrophe. A desperate attempt to save some of the most precious burgeoning vines in the world from some of the worst frost Burgundy has seen in decades.

(on camera): But those candles could only do so much. In the end, those freezing nights of April led to this. Here, in the cellars of the Hospices de Beaune, normally, the barrels are piled two layers high. This year, there are only 350 that will be up for auction, half the usual amount.

(voice-over): The annual wine auction at the medieval Hospices de Beaune also acts as a bellwether for what 2021 Burgundy wines might fetch. And this year, the bidding was fierce.

Alberic Bichot is one of the region's biggest wine producers. He says the record frost cost his 70 percent of his white wines and 40 percent of his red.

(on camera): So you've lost in quantity, but what we think is that the prices will go up? Will they compensate for what's been lost?

ALBERIC BICHOT, PRESIDENT, FEDERATION OF THE BURGUNDY WINE HOUSES: They will not, for sure. Totally, for Burgundy, it is almost one billion euro lost, within three nights. So it's kind of drum up for all of us.

BELL: Pommard, Meursault, Nuits-St-Georges, villages whose names resonate throughout the world, but from which there will be far less wine in a couple of years, when the 2021 harvest is ready to be drunk. Meanwhile, Alberic Bichot opens a bottle of his 2013 Vosne-Romanee

(ph). As for the 2021 harvest, he explains that a small one can also have advantages.

BICHOT: We have a high concentration of the juice, both for chardonnay, and pinot noir. So we are -- still early to know. But what we are testing, for the moment, makes us very optimistic.

Cheers.

BELL: Melissa bell, CNN, Burgundy.

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HOLMES: Thanks for watching CNN NEWSROOM, everyone; spending part of your day with me. I'm Michael Holmes. You can follow me on Instagram and Twitter, @HolmesCNN. WORLD SPORT starts after the break. I'll see you in about 15 minutes.

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