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Worldwide Concern over New COVID-19 Variant Omicron; Impact of Vaccine Inequity on Combating COVID-19; English Channel Tragedy; Ukrainian President Alleges Coup Plot; Several Countries Restricting Travel from Southern Africa; France Hopes Global Streaming Success is Just Beginning. Aired 2-2:45a ET
Aired November 27, 2021 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Hello, everyone, I'm Michael Holmes, appreciate your company.
Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM. The new Omicron variant, stoking concerns, around the globe triggering fear and travel bands, as researchers work to determine if vaccines will work against it.
The diplomatic spat between France and the U.K., on migration in the English Channel, escalating fast but is the blame game misplaced in the wake of this week's deadly crossings?
And, just in time for the holidays, a rash of smash and grab robberies, thieves targeting high-end stores across the U.S.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Michael Holmes.
HOLMES: We begin with a new coronavirus variant that has grabbed the world's attention. The WHO calling the Omicron variant a variant of concern, as they put it. First identified in South Africa and is now detected in several other countries in the region.
The cases, also, have been confirmed farther afield, including Israel, Hong Kong and Belgium. It is not yet known whether it is any more deadly or whether it can blunt vaccine efficacy or natural immunity.
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DR. MARIA VAN KERKHOVE, COVID-19 TECHNICAL LEAD, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: This variant has a large number of mutations and some of these mutations have some worrying characteristics. Right now, there are many studies underway.
There is a lot of work that is ongoing in South Africa and in other countries, to better characterize the variant itself, in terms of transmissibility, in terms of severity and any impact on our counter measures like diagnostics, therapeutics or vaccines.
So far, there's little information but those studies are underway. So, we need researchers to have the time to carry those out.
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HOLMES: That has governments scrambling to contain a potential threat. U.S. President, Joe Biden, says that his administration is keeping a close eye on developments.
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JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I decided that we're going to be cautious. We don't know a lot about the variant except that it is a great concern, and it seems that it spreads rapidly. And I've spent about a half hour this morning with my COVID team, led by Dr. Fauci. So that was the decision that we made.
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HOLMES: The, U.S. also, restricting travel from a number of southern African countries, beginning on Monday. Australia, Canada, Brazil and much of Europe and several countries in Asia doing much the same.
CNN has the story covered, from all around the world. Will Ripley, joining me in Hong Kong, where at least two cases of the new variant, have already, been confirmed.
First, CNN producer Nada Bashir in London, for reaction around Europe.
Even with their own massive case numbers, in much of Europe, banning flights from southern Africa, bring us up to date.
NADA BASHIR, CNN PRODUCER: There's serious concern here as you mentioned, cases on the rise across Europe. Yesterday the first confirmed case in Europe of this new variant in Belgium. So a real sense of urgency in Europe to get control over the new variant, before it does spread.
We saw similar situations, in the past few months, with the Alpha variant, which was first identified in the U.K. and put pressure on health care sectors across Europe last winter and, of course, with the Delta variant, which is highly transmissible.
So as the investigation continues, as to what sort of threat the variant poses, there is urgency among European leaders to, really, take action now before it does spiral out of control as we've seen with other variants.
These travel restrictions that we see, from the European leaders, and the U.K., are all part of efforts, to get control over this variant. Take a listen.
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BASHIR (voice-over): As concerns mount over the spread of a new coronavirus variant named Omicron by the World Health Organization, European Union states have agreed to halt air travel from South Africa, where it first identified, and other neighboring countries in the region.
URSULA VAN DER LEYEN, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN COMMISSION: It is now important that all of us in Europe act very swiftly decisively and united. All air travel to these countries should be suspended.
They should be suspended until we have a clear understanding about the danger posed by this new variant. Travelers returning from this region should respect strict quarantine rules.
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BASHIR (voice-over): The U.K. was one of the first nations to make the announcement.
SAJID JAVID, BRITISH HEALTH SECRETARY: We will be suspending all flights from six southern African countries and we will add in those countries to the travel red list. Those countries are South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini and Zimbabwe and Botswana.
BASHIR (voice-over): The move prompted swift criticism from South Africa. Its foreign ministry, tweeting, the UK's decision seemed rushed, despite warnings from the World Health Organization, against hasty travel restrictions.
CHRISTIAN LINDMEIER, WHO SPOKESPERSON: Countries can do a lot already in terms of surveillance and sequencing and work together with affected countries or globally to work scientifically to fight this variant and to understand more about it so that we know how to go about.
So at this point, again, implementing travel measures is being cautioned against and taking the risk based on a scientific approach.
BASHIR (voice-over): But with cases now confirmed in several places, including Belgium, Israel and Hong Kong, there are growing concerns about both the transmissibility of the variant and its impact on vaccine efficacy.
With winter ahead, world leaders are acting quickly, to stop the situation from once again spiraling out of control.
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BASHIR: It is not just the travel restrictions we see, European leaders have been swift bring back into force the restrictions we've seen in the past. Tougher measures, including mandatory mask wearing and some closures of public spaces.
Some countries returning to lockdowns, Austria, Slovakia and the Netherlands implementing a partial lockdown. There is a real sense of pressure, Michael, on European leaders to get a grip on this variant and on the pandemic, before the winter months.
HOLMES: Yes, exactly. The portents are not good. Nada Bashir in London, thank you so much.
Now to you, Will Ripley, in Hong Kong. It must be eerie for you to be in quarantine in the very hotel where two people who tested positive for this variant, are also, staying.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Two floors down from where I'm staying, right now, at the Regal Airport hotel in Hong Kong, we have Hong Kong's first two confirmed cases of this new Omicron variant.
We don't know about the transmissibility, we don't know how it relates to vaccines but what we do know, anecdotally, is that these two travelers, one from South Africa, in his 30s, the other, in his 60s, were not in the same room. There were in separate rooms, across the hall from each other.
We are allowed to open our doors, briefly, to put our trash, collect our meals, with a mask on, hand sanitizer, the whole nine yards. But I was able to stick my phone out the door last night.
Quickly, for a few seconds, I panned down the hallway to take some shots and show people what it looks like, in this hotel, where the rooms are very close together. Every single plastic covered chair, you see in this video, is the door of a room. That is where we put our meals, where we put our trash, underneath the chair.
So all of those chairs, are all rooms full of people. And you can see, when you have rooms that close together, now, we don't know how contagious this new variant might be, especially if you travel from one room to another, supposedly, without physical, direct contact, between two individuals, who are confirmed to be positive cases, Hong Kong health authorities taking this seriously.
We got a notice, here in the hotel, saying that if we want to exercise or engage in any sort of activity that involves heavy breathing, we need to rent an air purifier. I just had a COVID test this morning, my second test and I've been here just for a few days, so far.
And, of course, Hong Kong has one of the most strict quarantine protocols in the world, people staying in this hotel are14 days, like me from a low risk place, Taiwan. Most have to do 21 days and people on the 5th floor, including the adjacent rooms, either way in either direction, if you were within six rooms of the infected individuals, after this quarantine period, in this hotel, they have to go to a government quarantine center.
They have to go for an additional 14 days of isolation. So, these two cases, already, with big ramifications. Hong Kong tightening restrictions on previously exempt personnel, like air crew for cargo flights, which has the potential to disrupt the holiday shipping season.
Hong Kong International is one of the world's busiest cargo shipment hubs even though passenger travel is greatly diminished. This is my 9th or 10th quarantine. I've spent 4.5 months of my life in quarantine, so far. I am not the norm. The norm are people who are outside of this hotel,
in Hong Kong, fearful if the new variant spreads in the community, life will go back to the lockdowns we were starting to see in Europe.
The restaurant restrictions, they will close earlier. Bars will close up again.
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RIPLEY: There is fear, in the community, if this new variant is more contagious and is resistant to vaccines, because, keep in mind, local media reports say that these infected individuals were fully vaccinated, that is certainly a cause for concern here.
HOLMES: Certainly, over the last, year I think half of the live shots have been in a hotel quarantine situation. So, a familiar scene there for you. Will Ripley, hunker down, thank you so much, in Hong Kong.
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HOLMES: Joining me, now, Dr. Rob Davidson, emergency room physician in Western Michigan and the executive director of the Committee to Protect Health Care.
Doctor, great to have you on. Let's talk about this variant. What are the scientific priorities, right now, in ascertaining exactly how much of a risk it could be?
What is that we don't know yet?
DR. ROB DAVIDSON, EMERGENCY ROOM PHYSICIAN: I think the two biggest concerns are, first, is this variant able to evade the vaccines?
And certainly, natural immunity for folks who have, previously, been infected recently. That would be a huge concern and they need to figure that out, hopefully, over the next few weeks. In the lab they can get that information.
Second, is this variant able to transmit?
They have had variants of concern, that seem to be, perhaps, elusive to the vaccines before. But none of them were able to outcompete the dominant strains like Delta, which is raging, here in Michigan. Yet, the vaccines seem to be very potent against the Delta variant, as long as people are getting boosters, staying vaccinated.
HOLMES: Omicron, this variant, is being described by virologists as the most heavily mutated variant so far. Explain to people, what that means. It doesn't necessarily, mean more deadly. We just don't know.
Is that right?
DAVIDSON: Correct. Mutations are happening in viruses all over. If the mutations given them an advantage, that is what is a concern. Many mutations cause a virus to flame out or not be as contagious. Then, it just goes away. So that means, the spike protein, that is how the virus attaches in
the body. If that protein is part of those mutations, in a meaningful way, such that the antibodies don't recognize it, for when people get the vaccines, that would be a big deal.
We don't have that information yet. We will know in a few weeks. The good thing is, these mRNA platforms, within a few months or so, they can be modified to be effective against new mutations that are of concern if the current vaccine looks like it won't be effective.
HOLMES: As well as vaccinating those who haven't even gotten the first shot yet, does the emergence of this variant speak to the importance of boosters, given vaccine protection wanes after a few months?
DAVIDSON: It absolutely does. Here, they're recommending everyone over 18, here in the States get a booster if it's been more than six months since the last dose of mRNA or a couple of months since the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Yes, people need to keep up to date with their immunity, because otherwise they'll be vulnerable. The only people I've seen here, who have been so-called breakthrough cases, are people who were eligible and should have gotten the booster but hadn't done it yet.
HOLMES: Speaking of that, in your own experience, hospitalizations are sky-high, where you are in Michigan. I was reading today, federal help is being sent in to relieve those in hospitals, people like you.
What is it like in your ER, right now, with COVID patients?
DAVIDSON: There are no beds anywhere in all of west Michigan, for at least two-hour radius of our hospital. You just can't find beds on a regular basis. There are still people boarding, ready to be admitted, need to be on oxygen and most are COVID-19 patients.
Our entire hospital is COVID-19 patients and all but one are unvaccinated. The ER is half the capacity with a certain number of nurses, taking care of those patients that, now, also have to take care of emergency patients. So, it just creates this bottleneck to the whole system and people are waiting and it's a crisis.
HOLMES: A dire situation. Let me ask you this too. South Africa, where the variant, emerged has a low vaccination rate. Around 35 percent of adults, less than 25 percent of the total population fully vaccinated. But continent wide, it is around 7 percent.
Given the fact that variants emerge where there is rampant spread, are you concerned that global distribution of vaccines has not been fast enough or in great enough volume?
Because what happens in other countries impacts everyone.
DAVIDSON: Absolutely. Big Pharma's to blame here and they are getting protection from some countries. I know President Biden here has called for the dropping of intellectual property rights for the vaccines.
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DAVIDSON: So that we can have other countries start making the vaccines that aren't affiliated with Pfizer, Moderna and others and get more of those vaccines on the ground and shots into arms in those countries. That will prolong this pandemic to infinity if we don't get that done.
HOLMES: Boosting in high income countries and leaving low-income countries to fend for themselves leads to a lot of chasing of tails. Dr. Rob Davidson, thank you so much.
DAVIDSON: Thank you.
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HOLMES: These new variant spooked global markets, sending stocks tumbling on Friday. Wall Street fell sharply, the Dow suffering its worst day in over a year. European markets also shaken, as you can see there. All major stock indices selling off heavily.
And the price of oil followed the slide. Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, and U.S. oil, both following, U.S. crude plunging 13 percent.
As we were discussing earlier with Nada Bashir, infections were already surging in Europe, even before possible impacts from this new Omicron variant. Belgium among the latest nations to tighten restrictions to try to stop the spread that was already underway.
The government says that the situation there is, quote, "deteriorating rapidly."
Germany has seen multiple case records this week, its acting health minister saying that more action needs to be taken now. But that "wakeup calls haven't reached everyone in the country."
Ireland meanwhile is focusing on booster shots, says it will make them available to all adults, in order to ramp up protection there.
And the Catalonia region in Spain is postponing the rollout of mandatory COVID passes for entering bars, restaurants and gyms.
The reason?
Because so many people tried to download the certificate that the website crashed.
Quick break here. When we come back, the diplomatic spat between France and Britain over migrant crossings rapidly escalating. Coming up, a look at the perilous journey migrants are facing and those willing to take the risk.
Plus, Ukraine's president warned there is a coup planned against him, set to be carried out in just a few days. Who he says he's behind the plot? That's when we come back.
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HOLMES: Welcome back, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, is taking aim at the British prime minister as a diplomatic spat intensifies over how to handle migrant crossings in the English Channel.
France has uninvited the British home secretary from a weekend meeting, in response to Boris Johnson posting a 5-point plan to halt the crossings on social media rather than through the usual channels. Mr. Macron now accusing the prime minister of not behaving seriously.
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EMMANUEL MACRON, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE (through translator): I am surprised at the methods, when they are not serious. We do not communicate between one leader, to another, on these issues by tweeting and writing letters and making them public. We are not whistleblowers. Come on, come on.
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HOLMES: Both sides began pointing blame after 27 people died Wednesday attempting to make the dangerous crossing. Many more are still stranded in makeshift camps on the French coast. CNN's Cyril Vanier shows us those camps and speaks with some of the migrants willing to make the treacherous journey.
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CYRIL VANIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Migrants huddling under the rain. A father and his little girl, no more than 8 years old, seeking some warmth.
This stretch of road tucked behind a highway is one of several migrant encampments dotted near France's northern coast. 21-year-old geography student Ahmed says he arrived three days ago from Afghanistan.
VANIER: So, this is where you live?
VANIER (voice-over): His earthly possessions, this tent and a few blankets. His final destination, he hopes, the United Kingdom.
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AHMED, STUDENT: By boat is the only option.
VANIER: You know some people died trying to cross the other day.
AHMED: Yes, this is normal for us. You know, Turkish border, Iran border, much more people dying there. Nobody cares. VANIER (voice-over): Consider his five-month odyssey through Asia, Turkey, the Balkans and Europe, thousands of kilometers on foot, in trucks and trains crossing borders illegally. And it becomes clear, Ahmed won't stop now.
Nor will the others here. Some 200 migrants fleeing Iraq, Iran, the world's trouble spots. They are sometimes offered shelter by government agencies but even those who go only use it as a temporary reprieve.
In recent years, migrants used to jump on to trucks bound for England. With security tightened, this is now the last leg of their journey. The English Channel, cargo ships, strong winds and near freezing temperatures, dangerous but so close to England, a mere 50 kilometers away.
French police do patrol these beaches. However, a local officer acknowledged to CNN that they don't have enough resources to monitor every inch of coastline and the smugglers take advantage.
VANIER: This is one of the boats that was provided by smugglers to a group of migrants. Clearly, this one was intercepted by law enforcement. They're about 10 meters long. They can fit several dozen people. And you can see they're fairly rudimentary.
I mean, this is the bottom of the boat, pretty easy to make, just wooden planks. Local police tell us often these are buried and then when the time comes, migrants can inflate them fairly easily. Several dozen people get in and head out to sea in that direction.
VANIER (voice-over): Eight thousand migrants have been rescued at sea since the beginning of the year, according to French authorities, in operations like this one. Strewn along the beach, engines, a jerry can and personal belongings.
VANIER: There's even, in the inside pocket here, a ring. Now the people all this belongs to at this stage, either they crossed the channel and they're in England or they failed and they're back in France or they're dead -- Cyril Vanier, CNN, near Calais, France.
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HOLMES: The U.N. secretary-general meanwhile is condemning a suicide car bombing in the Somali capital, at least eight civilians killed, 17 wounded, including 13 children. This happened on Thursday near a school in Mogadishu. The United Nations says the target was a convoy affiliated with the U.N.
This is the latest in the string of bombings in Mogadishu, most linked to al-Shabaab.
Ukraine's president says that his government has uncovered a coup. Volodymyr Zelensky says a group of Ukrainians and Russians are planning to oust him from power. This comes amid heightened tensions over the recent buildup of Russian troops along the border. CNN's Matthew Chance reports. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These are disturbing allegations from the Ukrainian president, a serious and new threat posed by Russia against his government.
"We have information that will soon be a coup in our country," he announced in a roundtable discussion, with journalists. "It's in just a few days," he says, "on the 1st or 2nd of December."
The Kremlin denies any such plot. But it's a dramatic escalation in the war of words.
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CHANCE (voice-over): As Russia is accused of amassing forces, poised to invade, which the Kremlin also denies.
Now President Zelensky says he has intelligence, including an audio recording of Russians and Ukrainians discussing the plot against him. But no evidence has been yet made public.
He also suggested Ukraine's richest man, this powerful oligarch called Rinat Akhmetov, owner of several critical media outlets, may also be involved, something strenuously denied to CNN by Akhmetov himself.
"Information made public by Volodymyr Zelensky about attempts to draw me into some kind of coup is an absolute lie," Akhmetov said, in this written statement.
"As a Ukrainian citizen, the country's biggest investor, taxpayer and employer, I will defend a free Ukraine and do everything I can to prevent authoritarianism and censorship."
For years Ukraine has been facing enormous pressure from its powerful Russian neighbor, fighting a trench war with Russian-backed rebels in the country's east. It was the threat of holding back U.S. military aid that led to former president Trump's first impeachment.
Now U.S. officials say Russia is engaged in destabilizing activities inside Ukraine as well against the Zelensky government. It's one of the reasons the Ukrainian leader seems on edge, conscious he has enemies outside the country and within.
But there are also fears that he is using real concerns about Russia to crack down on his opponents, too -- Matthew Chance, CNN, London.
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HOLMES: You are watching CNN NEWSROOM, we'll be right back.
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(MUSIC PLAYING) HOLMES: Let's take another look at our top story. Countries around the world will be curbing travel in the coming days, following the emergence of a new COVID variant called Omicron.
The U.S. will be restricting travel from a number of southern African nations where the virus has been identified. That begins on Monday. Australia, Canada, Brazil, much of Europe and several countries in Asia will also begin limiting travel from the region.
In Israel, more than 40 percent of the population have already received booster shots. But the nation's still imposing new travel restrictions after confirming its first Omicron case. Hadas Gold reports.
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HADAS GOLD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Israeli officials, acting quickly, after one confirmed case, three suspected cases of the new variant were discovered. The confirmed case, returning to Israel from Malawi the variant, detected, because every person who lands in Tel Aviv must get a PCR test, before leaving the airport.
Health officials saying, so, far people with suspected cases are vaccinated and their symptoms, thus far, are mild. Although, it is a very small sample size.
Now the Israeli government, laying down sweeping new travel restrictions, essentially, banning travel from most of Africa save some northern countries. Israelis returning to Israel will be required to enter full quarantine, regardless of their vaccination status.
Anyone recently returning from Africa is now being contacted for testing and being told to enter quarantine as a precaution. Israeli prime minister, Naftali Bennett, saying they are preparing for the worst.
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NAFTALI BENNETT, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: This new B.1.1.529 variant is concerning and has the potential to be very dangerous. We are raising a red flag. We understand that we are on the verge of a state of emergency. We have been working together with other world leaders and now's the time to act fast, early, hard and strong.
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GOLD: The prime minister adding that Israel's government had recently carried out a national drill to prepare for the emergence of a new and dangerous variant. The main lesson learned?
The need to act immediately, to tamp down on any new variants -- Hadas Gold, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HOLMES: In the United States, the day after Thanksgiving brings a different kind of holiday. It is known as Black Friday, the day traditionally signifying the kickoff to the holiday shopping season.
But the rise of online shopping and the pandemic, have dampened the phenomenon. Not much of a crowd there. Still, sales were up dramatically, from last November. Perhaps, not surprisingly.
Clothing sales leading the way with an 86 percent increase over the last Black Friday when, of course, people were mostly working from home, with little motivation to perhaps spruce up the wardrobe.
But as some retailers are celebrating an uptick in shopping, others in the U.S. have a new problem. The past few weeks have seen a number of smash and grab style robberies, of high-end retailers, by organized gangs. CNN's Brian Todd, reports.
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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: On the left, thieves violently hack away at a jewelry counter as glass case in San Francisco. On the right, several perpetrators ransack a Louis Vuitton store outside Chicago. Authorities say they made away with $100,000 worth of handbags and other merchandise.
At this Nordstrom store in Canoga Park near L.A. on Wednesday, at least five people went in and did more than steal valuable merchandise.
DEPUTY CHIEF ALAN HAMILTON, LOS ANGELES POLICE: A number of suspects entered the door here behind me and took several high end purses. Unfortunately, we do have a security guard here that was working for the store, working for Nordstrom that was attacked by the suspects.
TODD: CNN affiliate KABC reports at least one of those suspects was wearing an orange wig.
The same day at an Apple Store in Santa Rosa, California, north of San Francisco, at least four people stole $20,000 worth of merchandise in what police say was a brazen daytime burglary in front of customers and staff.
Police said those suspects were between 14 and 18 years of age. This is all part of a wave of so-called smash-and-grab robberies at high- end stores in recent days in California and Illinois, hits that were disturbing for their apparent level of coordination, the number of people involved.
BRETT BARRETTE, MANAGER, P.F. CHANG'S, WALNUT CREEK, CALIFORNIA: I probably saw 50 to 80 people in like ski masks, crowbars. They were looting the Nordstrom right here.
TODD: At least three of these robberies occurred at Nordstrom stores near Los Angeles and San Francisco. Customers are terrified.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very disturbing because now, I'm reluctant to come to Nordstrom or even the mall for that matter to come and make my purchases.
TODD: San Francisco's police chief says his department has made some arrests and recovered millions of in stolen property. Asked by CNN who's carrying out these burglaries, he said he believes it ranges from common thieves at the lower end to sophisticated organized groups at the top.
CHIEF WILLIAM SCHOTT, SAN FRANCISCO POLICE: There has to be a degree of organization in that. You know, we don't -- there's no way in my mind that we can have a situation where 20, up to 80 people can invade a store -- a series of stores and there'd be not be some communications and some organization.
TODD: Law enforcement analysts tell us some of these could be copycat burglaries. They say these kind of hits are tough to guard against. Security and police deployments are being ramped up at malls across the country during the busy holiday shopping season.
One analyst says customers can also help.
TERRANCE GAINER, FORMER U.S. CAPITOL POLICE CHIEF: They should always be sensitive to their surroundings. If it goes down while you are in the store or nearby, stay out of the way. If you are in a position to take a photo, that would be helpful to police or just observe what you are doing.
TODD: We reached out to Nordstrom's to ask about enhanced security measures to guard against these robberies, whether there is a possibility of an inside job with some of these hits. They didn't get back to us.
Analysts say one thing law enforcement is likely doing is monitoring social media for signs of possible coordination and signs of anyone bragging about these burglaries -- Brian Todd, CNN, Bethesda, Maryland.
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HOLMES: Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, non English speaking shows are becoming hits on Netflix. And France is hoping to capitalize on that success. We speak to a star actor of one of those shows next.
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HOLMES: France is hoping to capitalize on foreign language entertainment. Netflix says the viewing of content in languages other than English has tripled since 2008. And with hit shows like "Call My Agent!" and "Lupin," France hopes that the global streaming success is just the beginning.
Melissa Bell spoke to one of the stars on what makes it such a hit.
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MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Europe is taking the global audience by storm. As players battle it out to get their hands on international content.
Well known for its creative arts scene, France wants to leads the charge, the head of one of the region's biggest production and distribution companies, Federation Entertainment, boasting over 700 hours of premier content to date.
PASCAL BRETON, FEDERATION ENTERTAINMENT: I told them, Marcel (ph), Depardieu (ph) and they said, yes.
BELL (voice-over): It was one of the first to jump on the streaming craze, producing drama series, "Marseille," the first French original in Netflix history. The company is now "Around the World in 80 Days," a cross-country collaboration for which, it also, has high hopes.
BRETON: Realizing that local series became global and that all the streamers were starting to look for new shows and I started to develop so many shows and they were looking for them, like "Marseille," that Netflix wanted immediately.
BELL (voice-over): Original European content for American streaming platforms, jumping, from nine titles in 2015, to 194 in 2020, according to research from the analytics firm Ampere.
Netflix became the largest commissioner of such content in 2020, surpassing household European names like the BBC, ZDF and France Television.
BRETON: The main players will be American. So the question is not what can be done in terms of streaming.
The question is, what can we own in terms of rights when we create our shows in Europe?
BELL: To operate in the E.U., streaming companies have to ensure that at least 30 percent of their catalog is made in Europe. And here in France, they're serious about keeping local television and cinema traditions alive.
The French president, recently, highlighting the importance of investing heavily, to secure the country's position in the world of streaming.
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BELL (voice-over): One of France's biggest exports is the comedy series, "Call My Agent!," reaching global stardom thanks to Netflix. Main cast member Thibault de Montalembert says, it has made a big difference.
THIBAULT DE MONTALEMBERT, ACTOR: It's a huge difference because I've been in New York, two years ago and I was very surprised that the people saying, oh, yes, you're Thibault de Montalembert. You're on "Call My Agent!" I was so amazed about it.
BELL: In the end, what matters is the specificity of shows like "Call My Agent!" that fascinates. It doesn't need to be seeking to be global. Just the Netflix machine makes it so.
Would you agree?
DE MONTALEMBERT: Yes, absolutely. When you go to a country, you want to test this food. The French food, Chinese food, Italian food, you don't want to have the same food everywhere because it's boring.
So it is the same for the series and for movies. We want to see how the people of that part of the world are living, feeling, loving and hating, everything.
BELL (voice-over): For French creators, it is all about keeping the local flavor alive while tapping into a huge global demand -- Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
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HOLMES: If you haven't seen "Call My Agent!," or "Lupin," you really should. They're fabulous.
From Broadway, to London's West End, to stages everywhere, the world of theater, singing the praises of Stephen Sondheim, who has died at the age of 91.
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HOLMES: Sondheim wrote not only those lyrics for "West Side Story" but words of music for too many hit shows to name, from the gritty "Gypsy," to the gory murderer in "Sweeney Todd," to the farcical, "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" to the lament, "Send in the Clowns."
His touch was gold, winning him an Oscar, a Pulitzer, eight Grammys, eight Tonys and the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Theater brings so much joy and especially his musicals are so clever that you just feel a special connection with him, how he stays human in such a beautiful way.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's like, no more Stephen Sondheim musicals?
No more Stephen?
Mind-boggling.
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HOLMES: Sondheim summed up his love of musical theater and its audiences, by saying, "Making them laugh, making them cry, just making them feel is paramount to me."
A true legend of the stage.
Thank you for spending part of your day with me, I'm Michael Holmes, you can follow me on Twitter and Instagram, @HolmesCNN. Paula Newton, taking over in 15 minutes. You will like that. "MARKETPLACE AFRICA," coming up next.
