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New COVID-19 Variant Detected in South Africa; Europe Battling Surging COVID Cases; France and the United Kingdom Dispute over English Channel Tragedy; Iraqi Kurds Fleeing to Europe; Unrest in the Solomon Islands for the Third Day; South Korean sees jump in cases after easing restrictions; Major outbreak in South Korea linked to religious group; Devastating economic impacts of COVID-19 crisis. Aired 2-3aET

Aired November 26, 2021 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN HOST: Welcome to all of you watching us from around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. Ahead, on "CNN Newsroom." Markets fall over concerns of a new COVID variant. Health experts warn its spreading rapidly and shows signs of enhanced transmission.

Plus, the blame game beginning between French and British leaders over the tragic downing of migrants in the English Channel.

And new violence in the Solomon Islands. The protesters call for the prime minister to resign, and what China has to do with the protests.

We begin in South Africa where the discovery of a rapidly spreading new coronavirus variant is causing concern. Have a look here, as you can see, news of the variant is hitting Asian markets and U.S. futures, hard. You can have a look there, red all across. It's 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 the emerging variant.

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN 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 maybe 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 as currently South Africa is in a relative lull of the pandemic. But numbers are increasing and through genomic surveillance they are seeing 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 will previous infection protect 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 scientist that vaccination is important and needs to be done rapidly to avoid any negative effects from this variant and others. David McKenzie, CNN, Johannesburg.

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

Slovakia is joining Austria in lockdown as cases there begin to soar. And it's expected to continue until December 9th. The state of emergency will last for 90 days. And a state of emergency is also now in effect in the Czech Republic. And that puts a curfew on pubs and limits public gatherings. Christmas markets have been cancelled and outdoor consumption of alcohol is banned.

Portuguese officials are reinstating several restrictions beginning December 1st like 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 translation): We are making a 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)

BRUNHUBER: We'll have a look here. As you can see from this map, much of Europe is 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. COMMISSIONMER FOR JUSTICE (through translation): Member states should accept vaccination certificates not exceeding nine months since the first round of vaccination. Beyond nine months, the vaccination certificate will no longer be recognized in the absence of a booster dose.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: For more on these latest developments, let's bring in CNN contributor Barbie Nadeau. So, Barbie, before we get into the restrictions, in terms of the outbreaks themselves, what are the biggest worry spots and how bad are they?

[02:05:01]

BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, Germany is the biggest worry spot in Europe right now. People are very concerned and the numbers just keep rising. And you know, they've put in place a few restrictions, but it usually takes about two weeks for those restrictions to take any effect and the numbers will to start to go down.

But of course, after the numbers rise and deaths begin to rise, hospitalizations rise, all of those things are very concerning. In other countries across Europe though, you have every single country with their case numbers inching up. Even slightly in some cases, but it's growing here as we're going into winter and that worries so many people, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. And in terms of action, we sort of catalogued some of the measures, but take us through some of the more enhanced measures that countries are imposing now to try to rein this in.

NADEAU: Well, I think, you know, what's interesting is it's so scattered. Every country is doing something different. In Italy now, they're going to add on December 6th, institute a super green pass. Now that means no longer we'll be able to use a negative COVID test to enter a leisure or entertainment venue because that only takes a picture of a moment in time and, you know, you could test negative in the morning and test positive the next morning. So, they want to get rid of that as a way to skirt the vaccines.

In every single country though, the focus is on getting people to get vaccinated. And those who are vaccinated to get booster shots here in Italy. They've changed the limit that you have to wait for the booster shot from six months to five months so more people can at least get the booster shot.

But the focus has been and it continues to be on the unvaccinated. Those are the people who are punished the most by all these restrictions and those are the people they're trying to convince to help fight the pandemic, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Thanks so much, Barbie Nadeau. Appreciate it.

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 immigrants mostly from Iraq died Wednesday when their boat bound for Britain sank. Five suspected smugglers have since been arrested. The French president is vowing to bolster sea rescue operations, suggesting France has already done more than its share.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

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

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Now earlier, the British prime minister thanked emergency workers and said he knows President Macron recognizes the urgency of the situation both countries are facing. Boris Johnson also called on France to take back migrants who crossed the channel saying that would remove their incentive for traveling such a dangerous route and for putting their lives in the hands of traffickers. CNN's Nic Robertson picks up the story.

(EDN 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 translation): We were on patrol so we recovered six bodies adrift. The rest was unfortunately like fighting a losing battle.

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

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

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

ROBERTSON (voice-over): 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 (voice-over): 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 to realize that those 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 are 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 dingers (ph) across a dangerous sea.

[02:09:56]

(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. say they have 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 translation): We are holding this border for the U.K.

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Macron and Johnson vowing to work together to break the smuggling networks beyond both their borders.

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

ROBERTSON (voice-over): 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 rescue operations. Not the first time and likely not the last. Migrants desperate to reach the U.K. will be mourned. Nic Robertson, CNN, Dover, England.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: So as Nic mentioned, Calais officials say the majority of victims were Iraqi. CNN's Arwa Damon has a look at why so many Iraqi Kurds are fleeing their homes for what they hope is a better life in Europe.

ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This was, in the past, known as the other Iraq. That is what it was being promoted as because it was safe, business was booming, economic opportunities were widespread and it is extremely oil-rich, and investments were just pouring in.

But then, since around 2013, that all really began to change. And right now, life has pretty much come to a standstill. The popul4ation there has lost hope. It has lost hope in its own government, which is fraught with rampant accusations of corruption. It has lost hope in the various different parties that rule this region of Iraq. It has lost hope in being able to build a future. And you also have to realize that COVID also had a significant impact

on the economy, not just of Iraqi Kurdistan, but of all of Iraq especially because it is so reliant on oil revenue which pretty much froze up with the onset of COVID.

And the country hasn't really been able to recover. So, the vast majority of Iraqi Kurds are in fact fleeing mostly for economic reasons. But when we talk about economic reasons that can seem like a bit of cold terminology.

So what does that actually mean? It means that families are struggling to put food on the table. They are struggling to pay rent. Parents are struggling to raise their children and it is human nature to want to build a better life for yourself, to want to build a life for yourself and for your children where there is joy, happiness, and a life that has dignity.

And sadly, many of those who do live in Iraqi Kurdistan right now as we have been seeing with what's been happening, they have lost all of that and that is why they are taking such extreme risks to try to get to Europe.

BRUNHUBER: Iraq has flown home hundreds of migrants who have been stranded at the border between Poland and Belarus. Two flights carrying 608 people landed in Irbil and Baghdad a short time ago. That brings the total number of Iraqis repatriated to more than 1,000. Belarus brought the migrants, mostly from Iraq and Syria, to Minsk then took them to the border, but Poland refused to let them cross.

The death toll from the mine accident in Serbia has jumped to at least 52. It's not entirely clear what happened, but one official says there was a gas leak then an explosion. Six rescuers are among the dead. Only 200 people made it out alive, but dozens are hospitalized. Russian President Vladimir Putin offered his condolences to the victim's families.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIA PRESIDENT (through translation): Unfortunately, the situation is not getting easier and there is a danger to the lives of the rescuers. The necessary decisions are taken at the scene. We'll hope they can save as many people as they can. When people lose their lives, it's always a great tragedy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Russian authorities have arrested three people and opened a criminal investigation.

[02:14:59]

Anti-government protesters turned up the pressure in the Solomon Islands. Next, calls for the prime minister to resign as protests enter their third consecutive day. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BRUNHUBER: Protesters are back on the streets in the Solomon Islands where anti-government rallies in the capital are now in their third day. So, this is what parts of the city look like after burning and looting sprees earlier this week. Police say the latest rallies were held outside the prime minister's residence.

Protesters are calling on him to step down as their anger boils over a long list of political issues and they include this government relations to China. Blake Essig joins us from Tokyo. So Blake, what's the latest on the unrest?

BLAKE ESSIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Kim, police are actually trying to appeal to protesters by asking them to make the right choice and refrain from looting and burning valuable infrastructure, but that hasn't stopped protesters who for a third straight day have taken to the streets in the capital city of Honiara to demand the resignation of the country's prime minister.

Now, today, local police say that protesters have gathered at the prime minister's residence. And as a precaution, police have dispatched fire trucks. Now, earlier this week, 2,000 to 3,000 protesters started gathering with some setting fire to buildings and stealing from stores.

Just yesterday, local journalist told CNN that fires were blazing in the city's Chinatown and that police had lost control in the eastern part of the capital. Now, police say dozens of people have been arrested so far.

This all started on Wednesday evening as anger spilled 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.

Because of the violent protests, the prime minister imposed a 36-hour lockdown. Australia has since announced that it will be deploying police and defense personnel to help provide stability and security at the request of the prime minister. And according to local police, New Zealand is also providing advice and support.

But the government to this point has not requested assistance. Now, China has also expressed concern specifically regarding attacks over Chinese citizens and local businesses. A spokesperson for China's minister of foreign affairs added that all attempts to disrupt the normal development of relationships between China and the Solomon Islands are just futile.

Because of this ongoing unrest, the Solomon Islands government has advised all public servants in the capital to stay home and make sure they have enough food until things calm down. It's a situation that for the time being, Kim, shows no signs of slowing.

[02:19:59]

BRUNHUBER: All right. Thanks so much Blake Essig in Tokyo. Now for more on what's happening on the ground, we're joined by Lisa Cuatt, the head of the aid group Save the Children in the Solomon Islands and she's speaking with us by phone from the capital city. Thanks so much for being here with us. So, from where you are, what's happening on the ground there right now?

LISA CUATT, SAVE THE CHILDREN SOLOMON ISLANDS (via telephone): Right now it's early evening. Things have calmed down. You know, just this afternoon there was -- there continued to be ongoing sort of fires being lit and looting continued throughout the day.

There was, you know, the threat of the prime minister's residence being burned, but we know -- I think Senator Jordan, you know, welcomed the rapid deployment of Australian personnel and the easing of the 36-hour lockdown, although we have just gone into, you know, curfews each night at the moment.

But you know, the thing that Save the Children is particularly concerned about is the well-being of children and their families. You know, one of the major infrastructure that was destroyed over the last couple of days was one of the big high schools in Honiara. So -- and they were -- the students in their high school were in the -- it was their exam week.

So, students -- children in the Solomon Islands have already lost a significant time in their education during the year due to COVID. And now, really sadly, their also continuing to miss that engagement with education.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. We are seeing pictures of extensive damage to property, but are children and perhaps yourselves, the workers there and so on are afraid for your safety here?

CUATT: Yes. It's a very, very -- it's been a very, very distressing few days. Yes, people are, you know, scared for their safety although most of the violence has been -- its targeting buildings, but -- and infrastructure.

However, you know, that, you know, targeting infrastructure means that you're targeting people's livelihoods. You know, people's families and, you know, people -- children as a result, you know, lose out in that scenario.

So, you know -- and it's also very traumatic for children. You know, the children will be very frightened and distressed having witnessed, you know, the level of violence. And, you know, it's been a very frightening few days.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. I can imagine. You know, we heard from our reporter there that one of the main causes for this has been the government embracing China. I mean, do you get the sense that that's the main motivation here or is it something more concrete in the media like the loss of jobs and so on?

CUATT: I think there's a whole range of reasons for it. Noting reasons why, you know, things have gotten to this point in the Solomon Islands. I know a lot of Solomon Islands people are very, very disappointed and very sad. They felt like the dark days of the conflict and riots of, you know, the past were well behind them. So they are really distressed about seeing, you know, seeing the way things have turned out in the last few days.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. So, we know that police and military forces from Australia and New Zealand are coming. I think the Australian police are already there in fact. Do you think that will be enough to restore order in the short term? And then for the longer term, sort of what's next? What do you expect to happen given that the protesters are asking for the prime minister to resign and that seems unlikely to happen?

CUATT: I think most people in the country are very happy to receive, you know, some support from not only the Australians, but also from Papa New Guinea and a number of other countries as well offering support. So, I think people feel that there is confidence because the Solomon Islands police force have been completely overwhelmed and outnumbered by the number of people who have been rioting and looting.

But -- so, I suppose the first, you know, the first thing is to stabilize the situation and, you know, allow people to, you know, people, you know, there's no money left in ATMs. People can't access money. You know, all the shops have been closed. So, you know, there is, you know, families and children are going without food because it is difficult to access or it's unsafe to access food at this point.

But, you know, that's the first step, is to stabilize the situation. But obviously there is a lot of political issues at play, economic issues at play. There is high levels of unemployment with young people in Honiara in particular. It just creates a situation where, you know, where things have got to this point.

[02:25:02]

BRUNHUBER: Well, let's hope sooner than later there is that return to peace and stability. And good luck in your work helping children affected by all this. Lisa Cuatt, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.

CUATT: Thank you. Bye.

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

Now, this striking portrait of the 12-year-old orphan with piercing green eyes and a suspicious glare came to symbolize displaced people in Afghanistan. It was an immediate sensation, but her identity was unknown 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.

All right, still ahead, a record number of critical COVID-19 cases is reported in South Korea as a major outbreak is linked to religious commune not far from the capital.

Plus, we look at the economic impact of the COVID pandemic and why some groups have been more affected than others. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: Let's go back to our top story. The discovery of a rapidly spreading new coronavirus variant in South Africa has sparked concern among health experts. It's causing jitters in global stocks hitting Asian markets and U.S. futures hard. There as you can see.

Fears over the variant have also prompted the U.K. to suspend flights from six African countries including South Africa. South Africa calls the move rushed and is urging the U.K. to reconsider.

South Korea's health minister warns that his country is facing its biggest challenge in the battle against coronavirus after reporting a record number of patients in critical condition. ICU beds have been pushed to capacity in the greater Seoul area as the virus spreads among the elderly. Well now, there are growing concerns over an outbreak south of the capital believed to be linked to religious commune. CNN's Paula Hancocks reports.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN COIRRESPONDENT: An easing of COVID-19 restrictions here in South Korea means that we have seen a record number of new cases this week. Not really a surprise for officials though as they did bring in the policy of living with COVID from November 1st. But what is concerning officials is the fact that there is a record number of critical cases.

Now, health officials say many of them are over the age of 60. They would have been vaccinated early on in the process and so that efficacy is now waning. They're hoping to give a booster shot to everyone over the age of 60.

[02:30:03]

And what we are also hearing from the Prime Minister is that he believes the situation in the greatest Seoul area is urgent suggesting that some of those eased restrictions might actually be walked back. There is also a concern about the lack of ICU beds in Seoul trying to secure more that can accommodate COVID patients.

One cluster of concern today is very similar to what we saw 21 months ago at the start of the pandemic. And that is an outbreak at a religious group. Now this particular one is a religious community here in Cheonan. It's about two and a half hours drive outside of the Capitol. And city officials tell us that some 427 members are within this community, that they worship together, that they - many of them have communal living, and more than half of them have so far tested positive. Results are still coming in as well.

And officials say that of those that tested positive, more than 90 percent were not vaccinated, that they could not tell us why that was such a high level. We've been unable to get hold of anybody from the church itself. It's not reflective though in the nationwide vaccination figures. Close to 80 percent of people here in South Korea have actually been vaccinated. There is a hope among city officials that because this community kept themselves to themselves for the most part, that there won't be a larger outbreak in the community.

But outbreaks in religious groups have been a recurring concern during this pandemic here in South Korea. Paula Hancocks, CNN, Cheonan, South Korea.

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN HOST: And we'll be right back. Please do stay with us.

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BRUNHUBER: The economic impact of the pandemic have proven to be absolutely devastating for so many people and some groups more than others. According to research by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies, women have suffered more significant impacts of their income than men. They also have greater impacts to their mental health and were at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19.

The IFRC's new research also shows the extent the crisis has had on both communities and individuals including increased unemployment and poverty, more food insecurity, a higher vulnerability to violence, a loss of education and opportunities for children and an escalation of mental health issues.

Francesco Rocca is the president of the IFRC and he joins us now from Minsk, Belarus. Thanks so much for being here with us. So let's drill down on some of those findings and maybe the most important, how the pandemic is disproportionately affected women. Take us through in what ways.

FRANCESCO ROCCA, IFRC PRESIDENT: This is what I have called the ultimate evidence that women are always the most affected when crisis strikes. And what we - the evidence that came from - from the report, and that's especially from the developing countries, where the women are expected to take care of those who are sick, of the households, or often employed in the informal sector. And usually the lockdowns, the restrictions day they lost their income.

[02:35:00]

ROCCA: We registered an increase in mental health in worries, this. And this we have seen every time that crisis strikes, as I said in conflict, so whenever havoc arrives, women are always those who are paying the highest price. And I want to give you one - one example about what came out from the survey in Salvador, for example, at the beginning of the crisis in March, April 2020, we had an increase of 22 percent, of domestic violence, and sexual gender based violence in that country.

And evidence also shows that we had an increase in teenage pregnancies. So this is just to give you a sense of what has happened to the women during the COVID-19 in many of the counties, but also in the western counties, because we have evidences that are arriving also from the hotline, for example, in Spain, and the women are always the most affected by the consequences of the - of the lockdowns and the social restrictions that came for -- because of the pandemic.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, and the impact of school closures on girls particularly was something I found, you know, really surprising and had some, you know, really surprising and maybe ghastly consequences, I think you referenced that in terms of, of teen pregnancies - teen pregnancy, but just tell me a bit more about some of those unintended consequences that the closing of schools has on girls.

ROCCA: First affect, the one I just mentioned. The second, of course, it's about mental health, about the loss of their - because we don't have in many countries, we have to remind ourselves that they don't have internet access. So the isolation is making them more vulnerable. And, and, as I said, they also do often engage in the formal sector, even when they're very young. And so the situation in many countries is very disruptive for the younger.

This is something that that, for us was not surprising. It was really something that confirmed how exposed they are in every crisis.

BRUNHUBER: So the pandemic obviously, is still ongoing. And we're seeing, you know, some new even potentially worse waves now with this South African variant and so much of the world's still unvaccinated. So what can we learn from these findings to help lessen the impacts of this and the future pandemics on these vulnerable groups?

ROCCA: I think that the first is to really have a fair sharing of the technologies, vaccines, medicines, medical tools. So we are still experiencing something that morally is unacceptable. In - in the western country, we are administering the third dose. And while in many African countries, in many developing countries, they are still less than 20 percent of people vaccinated. And it is creating consequences on their lives, exacerbating the social consequences of the pandemic. And this should be the first lesson.

The second, to speak with one voice, according to the evidences coming from the scientific community. So in too many occasion, we have listened even political leaders, giving to the to the public incorrect information spreading fake news. And this is something that I hope is another lesson learned because it costed a lot of lives. And is another aspect that which I think we have to work and we have to rethink. And maybe we have to take also these crises as a new opportunity to fabric a better society in which we cannot create a better social net to protect the most exposed and the most vulnerable today to the consequences of the - of the pandemic.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, absolutely. Still a long road ahead. Francesco Rocca, thank you so much for joining us. Really appreciate it.

ROCCA: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: Egypt has unveiled a newly restored 3000 year old road in the city of Luxor. Hundreds took part in reenacting an ancient festival on Thursday to mark the occasion. The 2.7 kilometer road connects the famous Karnak and Luxor temples, known as the avenue of the sphinxes. The road is lined with hundreds of RAM and human headed statues. Egypt hopes the site will help lure tourists back to the country after the industry took a hit during the pandemic.

[02:40:00]

Now for winemakers 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 then means some of the lowest levels of production now. Melissa Bell reports from Burgundy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At around $900,000. It was a record. A barrel of (inaudible) 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 winemakers 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.

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. 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 the region's biggest wine producers. He says the record frost cost him 70 percent of his white wines and 40 percent of his red. 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: No , it will not compensate for sure. Totally for Burgundy, it's almost 1 billion euro of lost within three nights. So it's kind of drama for all for all of us.

BELL: (Inaudible) 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 the bottle of is 2013 (inaudible). As for the 2021 harvest, he explains that a small one can also have advantages.

BICHOT: We have a high concentration of the Jews, both for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. So we're still early to know. But what we're testing for the moment makes us very optimistic. Cheers.

BELL: Melissa Bell CNN, Burgundy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back at the top of the hour with more CNN Newsroom. World Sport is next.

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[02:45:00]

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ANTHONY BOURDAIN, HOST, PARTS UNKNOWN: They're called wood metal.

MIKE COSTELLO, CHEF, LOST CREEK FARM: It's got a really nice kind of aromatic quality to them. With pawpaws, it's better if you can kind of like feel them, see if they're ripe.

BOURDAIN: America's forgotten fruit, the Pawpaw. Forgotten when most Americans stopped going to the forest to their food. But in West Virginia, they were never forgotten.

COSTELLO: So that's a pawpaw ice cream, with some candied wildflowers. And then this is an old fashioned vinegar pie. It's in a class of pies called desperation pies. They try to create something like a lemon pie and you don't have lemon juice. What do you do? Put some vinegar and some nutmeg together and give it that same kind of tang.

BOURDAIN: Appalachia has a rich and deep culinary culture, increasingly fetishized rift on appropriated for the genteel tastes of a hipster elite willing to pay big bucks for what used to be and still is, in many cases, the food of poverty.

COSTELLO: We see that wraps are selling for $30 a pound in New York City. They were harvested in West Virginia. And what's West Virginia getting from that. Probably a guy that got about two bucks a pound.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It becomes just another extractive industry, right, like coal or timber and you sort of start to see that.

BOURDAIN: That's the story of West Virginia.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

BOURDAIN: Chef Mike Costello and partner Amy Dawson are looking to keep that culture alive and appreciated and paying off locally for the region that originated it. Lost Creek farm is their place. And the nucleus of that effort is the garden.

AMY DAWSON, CHEF, LOST CREEK FARM: We have two different varieties that we're picking today. The one are the Logan giants.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These seeds are Logan giant seeds and they're (inaudible) I have saved these for 40 years.

COSTELLO: This guy at the dinner table, Rue, he said it's important for somebody to carry on these traditions. He gave me a stock of heirloom beans this year.

BOURDAIN: This is what heirloom looks like outside of holy foods. Fat horse beans, candy roaster squash, and Homer Fike's Yellow Oxheart Tomatoes.

COSTELLO: These are soft and really sweet green tomatoes.

BOURDAIN: These ingredients define a near lost time in flavor.

COSTELLO: We've got some sweet corn chowder. We've got these crackers, they're broken communion wafers. You know, the way that Appalachian food has always worked is you work within your means and you create something pretty special out of what you're - what you have at your disposal. And we've kind of suffered from this in a way, it created this sort of rush towards the middle class and a rush toward the perception that we're better than the foods that we used to have to eat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I think we were taught a lot to be embarrassed of our hillbilly past you know. I remember coming home from school and my dad having hogs head on the kitchen table, making head cheese and sauce like, I would have been mortified if somebody came over and saw that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A friend of mine's grandmother told me, he used to make this because we were poor. Now we make it because it's so good.

BOURDAIN: Oh, what's that?

COSTELLO: This is some odd buttermilk fried rabbit. Rabbit that we raised here at the farm with a little bit of ciaochao, some fresh maple syrup. Is it gross that we slaughter rabbits right behind us here?

BOURDAIN: Now which one we can hear under the old school (inaudible).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We actually came across a recipe from 1822 with elderberry and cider. And then some native plant here. So with a little bit in there, see what it would do and it came out wonderful.

BOURDAIN: You're using only West Virginia apples?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am only using West Virginia apples.

BOURDAIN: That's can't be cost effective.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It can and can't be.

BOURDAIN: Nobody's talking about money at this table.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the thing for me. We're often talked about as being this impoverished state, we're rich, I mean as could be in food and the things that we make as a culture and as a - as a community.

COSTELLO: You know, you look at something as simple as these pole beans, it took a community to save that seed and every time we put food on the plate, there's a story about the way that people have always kind of bound together to survive.

[02:50:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: God bless everybody that's going to the game. Bless these young men and these young women as they cheer and as they play on the field.

BOURDAIN: It's Friday night, homecoming. The Summers County Bobcats versus the Mountview Golden Knights. For the citizens of Welsh in McDowell County, this is a very big deal indeed. Everybody knows everybody else's families as after the kids by name. Mixed couples are common. There's an easy familiarity between people here.

So West Virginia tradition, coal mining and a military?

MONICA BONNER, MOUNTVIEW ALUMNI: Yes, for 10 and a half years Navy. I've been around.

BOURDAIN: You've been around. Back here?

BONNER: Back here.

BOURDAIN: Monica Bonner is a Mountview alumni. Her husband Sly is a coach and her sons Elijah and Alikey are on the team. Her daughter Elisa is a cheerleader so it's personal for her.

[02:55:00]

BONNER: Born and raised here. Went to school here. Won't have it another way.

BOURDAIN: Donald Edwards Jr. is a former Mountview player who went on to play college ball.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the state of West Virginia we got two things going on for you. That's church and sports. Now if we lose a game, it's like losing our best friend.

ANNOUNCER: The Golden Knights, nothing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fellas, just want you to play hard. Just want you to play hard and make more decisions.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the game. We win or lose.

[CROWDS CHEERING]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're never going to forget this ballgame. Whenever you are in a bind, you stuck in a corner, you understand, fight through it, fight your way out of it. And anything you do in life, in schools, in football, as long as you got me and these coaches, this community, it's all you need.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I grew up here. Got married here. It's home.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my goodness. There he is. So proud of you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So proud. So proud. BOURDAIN: So what are any of our hopes and dreams? A roof over our heads, some security, maybe even some happiness for our children. We all have that in common.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wish was y'all come in here and say and when y'all do I hope y'all enjoy.

BOURDAIN: This is America. And if you can't embrace it, no matter how bitterly and fiercely we may disagree, there is no hope for any of us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've been living here 65 years. I wouldn't trade it for nothing. I guess I be here till they cut the lights out.