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Omicron Variant Could Cast Shadow Over Beijing Olympics; Europe Braces for Omicron Amid Latest COVID Surge; Taiwan: China Flew 27 Warplanes in Air Defense Zone; South African President Slams Omicron Travel Bans; U.S., Allies to Resume Iran Talks after 6-Month Break; U.S. Dancer, WWII Spy, Civil Rights Activist Josephine Baker Honored. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired November 29, 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 ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us all around the world. I'm Michael Holmes. Appreciate your company.

[00:00:27]

Coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM, a new COVID variant raising concern and travel restrictions around the globe. But scientists are still evaluating whether it causes more severe disease.

China sends dozens of warplanes into the skies around Taiwan, just days after U.S. lawmakers met with Taiwan's president.

And later, giving parenthood a pass. How the chaos and uncertainty of our world is making some people think twice about having children.

A U.S. ban on most travelers from South Africa and nearby countries is now in effect as the world races to contain the Omicron variant of COVID-19. This coming as G-7 health ministers are set to hold talks on the variant in the coming hours.

Omicron has been found in more than a dozen countries and territories. Canada on Sunday becoming the first in the Americas to confirm infections. And the variant also spreading in Europe. The president of the European Commission, with a warning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

URSULA VON DER LEYEN, EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT: We are now in a race against time. Why that? Because we know not all about this variant, but it is a variant of concern.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: There are signs Omicron is more infectious, but we still don't know how bad the threat is, compared to other variants. A doctor who was among the first to raise the alarm about Omicron says the symptoms appear mild, but it is worth mentioning, many of the cases she saw in South Africa were people under the age of 40. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DR. ANGELIQUE COETZEE, CHAIR, SOUTH AFRICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION:

Looking at the mildness of the symptoms that we are seeing, currently, there's no reason for panicking, as we don't see severely ill patients.

The most predominant clinical complaint is severe fatigue for one or two days, with, then, the headaches and the body aches and pain. Some of them will have what they call a scratchy throat. And some will have a cough, a dry cough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: It's not just the U.S. restricting travel from southern Africa. Dozens of countries around the world, of course, have imposed similar bans in the days since the variant was first discovered.

CNN's Will Ripley joins me now, live from Hong Kong. So Will, the number of travel bans growing, despite South Africa's pushback, and an announcement by Japan, as well.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Just within the last few minutes, Michael, Japan announcing that, effective on Tuesday, all foreign nationals will be banned from entering the country, even those who have work visas or education visas. So this is a pretty drastic step on the part of the Japanese government as they join a growing list of nations and territories around the world that are restricting travel, not just from southern Africa but even all foreigners in the case of Japan.

Here in Hong Kong, anybody who is not a Hong Kong resident is also banned from entering the territory, if they have traveled to southern Africa within the last 21 days. And Hong Kong will be tightening up its quarantine measures for travelers who are Hong Kong residents starting -- starting tomorrow. They will basically be requiring everybody traveling from eight southern African countries to spend seven days in a government-designated quarantine facility where they will get daily COVID testing. They will be monitored by health professionals.

If they continue to test negative every day for those first seven days, then they'll have to move into a designated quarantine hotel, like the one I am at at the Hong Kong airport, where they will complete their 21 days of compulsory quarantine in a hotel room at their own expense.

Of course, this hotel, the Regal Airport Hotel, is where the Omicron variant was first detected here in Hong Kong, just two floors down from where I'm saying right now, a traveler in his 30s from South Africa tested positive. And a week later, a man in his 60s in the room across the hall also tested positive.

Many people, on that fifth floor are now in government isolation at Penny Bay -- It's a government facility -- for an additional 14 days of monitoring after they complete their compulsory quarantine here at the hotel. So far, Hong Kong health authorities say they have not detected any

additional cases in that small cluster of just two cases here at the hotel.

But you're right, Michael, it is going to be a return to what the world looked like at the height of the pandemic, now that you have the E.U. Australia, the United States, Canada, Rwanda, and others banning travelers from a number of countries, including South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, Malawi.

[00:05:17]

And it is certainly a move that is getting a lot of pushback from the leaders of those countries, who essentially call it tantamount to baseless discrimination, hysteria, and not science. Especially giving -- given what you heard from that scientist there, that they are seeing the majority of these cases, so far, with rather mild symptoms.

HOLMES: Yes. New Zealand joined that list, as well, in the last couple of hours. Now, of course, the Beijing Olympics coming up, and the timing of this, just before a major international sporting event, couldn't be worse.

RIPLEY: But Chinese authorities are downplaying, in their state media, Michael, whether this is going to be a major risk. Obviously, there is a lot. There is hundreds of millions of dollars in ad revenue on the line, if not billions for the IOC and for the host organizers in China.

And so what they are saying is, is that China already has a very strict and very, very disciplined quarantine protocol in place. And it's true. You're talking about sometimes up to a month, or even up to seven weeks of quarantine, depending on where you're coming from, when you enter mainland China.

And then, of course, Beijing has this Olympic bubble that they have set up, where everybody who's coming in for the Olympics stays within the bubble. They don't have any interaction at all with the domestic population outside of the bubble.

China also, pointing to the fact more than 75 percent of their population is vaccinated. Sinovac is already launching a study of whether they need to develop a special vaccine tailored to the new Omicron variant, the same with other global vaccine makers, like Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson.

So, certainly, a lot of people will be watching to see if the Beijing Olympic bubble works. Much like the Tokyo Olympic bubble worked pretty well. There was a large COVID outbreak, if you recall, over the summer in Tokyo and across Japan. And yet, instead the Olympic bubble, the number of cases remained relatively small.

And I will say, after experiencing that Olympic bubble and hearing the description for what China has planned, the China bubble is much more -- much more strictly enforced, if you will, than it was in Japan, where people could still kind of travel out into the general community.

The Olympic bubble in China, you're really going to be even escorted and driven by government-authorized transports to the different venues, just to make sure there's no interaction.

HOLMES: Yes. And athletes in one bubble, media in another, and so on.

RIPLEY: Right.

HOLMES: Will Ripley there in Hong Kong, appreciate it. Thanks, Will.

Of course, this couldn't have come at a worse time for Europe. The continent already struggling with the latest wave of Delta infections. Now the Omicron variant could present a whole new threat to a pandemic-wary continent.

CNN's Nada Bashir with more on how Europe is responding.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADA BASHIR, CNN PRODUCER: Well, concerns are, certainly, mounting here in the United Kingdom and across the European Union as further cases of the new Omicron coronavirus variant are confirmed.

The U.K., Denmark, Germany, and Italy amongst the nations now confirming cases. But perhaps most worrying in these developments, the Netherlands confirming that more than a dozen passengers on board a flight from South Africa, landing on Friday, have now tested positive for this new variant. A total of 61 passengers, who landed on Friday tested positive for coronavirus.

And there are serious concerns over the spread of this new variant in Europe. What we have heard from European officials, telling us that there are still serious questions which need to be answered, in terms of the risks posed by this new variant.

VON DER LEYEN: We are now in a race against time. Why that? Because we know not all about this variant, but it is a variant of concern. And the scientists and manufacturers need two to three weeks to have a full picture about the quality of the mutations of this Omicron variant.

BASHIR: So, clearly, several significant questions remain, in terms of the risks posed by this new variant.

But we are seeing European leaders take an urgent approach. Both the European Union and the United Kingdom have introduced new travel restrictions to several southern African countries.

The U.K., for example, adding two nations so far in Africa to its travel red list. So this means that those traveling from those countries to the U.K. will be required to isolate for at least 10 days in a government-approved hotel at their own expense.

But there has been some backlash to these measures. The WHO, the World Health Organization, has warned against hasty travel restrictions and, most recently, South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, has said he was deeply disappointed by these restrictions.

But other countries are taking national measures, too, and the U.K. has widened its travel restrictions. Now from Tuesday, all travelers coming into the U.K. will be required to take a PCR test by day two of their arrival and will be required to isolate until they receive a negative test result.

So, we're seeing many measures coming into force across the European continent, all part of efforts to really stem the spread of this variant.

[00:10:08]

We have seen, in the past, the Alpha variant and the Delta variant, both putting immense pressure on healthcare sectors. And that will really be a point of focus and concern, as we move into the winter months, to really control the spread of this variant and to not put pressure on the healthcare sector as we move into winter.

So right now, there are efforts now to control this variant and stop the spread, but we are seeing more cases being confirmed across Europe.

Nada Bashir, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Now while no cases of the Omicron variant have been detected in the U.S. yet, experts warn it could be a matter of time. Speaking with CNN, the director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health says the best defense is for people to get fully vaccinated and obtain their COVID booster shot.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. FRANCIS COLLINS, DIRECTOR, U.S. NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH: So the question is, will the antibodies generated by the vaccines that we have all had, or should have had, will that enable us to be protected against this virus? I think there's good reasons to think it will probably be OK. But we need to know the real answers to that, and that's going to take two or three weeks.

If people are listening who haven't yet gotten boosted but did get their original vaccine, and who are eligible now, this is another reason to do that now. Because the booster, it basically enlarges the capacity of your immune system to recognize all kinds of different spike proteins it's never seen. This is a great day to go and get boosted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Now, he went on to say that researchers should know, within the next three weeks, how effective the existing vaccines are against this new variant.

Well, global markets are looking to recover this week after being rattled by news of the Omicron variant. So far, markets in Asia, Australia have begun down. You can see the Nikkei, down well over one percentage point, nearly a percentage point in Hong Kong.

Things looking up for the U.S. futures. The markets closed early on Friday after the Thanksgiving holiday. This after the Dow tumbled more than 900 points, its worst day in more than a year. Green arrows, however, on the indices there at the moment.

China sent 27 warplanes into the skies around Taiwan on Sunday. Taiwan's defense ministry says 18 fighter jets, five nuclear-capable H-6 bombers, and a Y-20 aerial refueling aircraft entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone.

CNN's Kristie Lu Stout is in Hong Kong with the very latest. So Kristie, what are you learning about this latest incident, because it's not the first --

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR/CORRESPONDENT: No.

HOLMES: -- and the message it sends?

STOUT: Yes. Taiwan has, yet again, scrambled its jets to warn away China's air force. This incident took place on Sunday. According to Taiwan's defense ministry, some 27 Chinese warplanes entered its air defense zone.

This is not Taiwan's territorial air -- air zone. The ADZ is very different. It's important to make this distinction. It is a broader area that Taiwan regularly patrols and monitors. And yet, this incident did take place.

And we also learned around the same time, Chinese President Xi Jinping had wrapped up a three-day, high-profile meeting with top military brass in Beijing.

Look, since October, China has been ratcheting up its displays of military might and power around Taiwan, through these air incursions. Taiwan calls this gray zone warfare, an attempt by China to -- to wear down Taiwan's air forces, their response, and also to test his response, as well.

In October, Taiwan said about 150 Chinese warplanes had entered its air defense zone, and on Sunday, Taiwan says it was about 27, including five H-6 nuclear-powered warplanes, in addition to a plane that made its debut, according to Chinese state-run media, on Sunday. A Y-20 refueling aircraft.

Now, there was no immediate comment from China. China, in the past, has said that these drills are designed to protect its sovereignty.

But, again, state-run media, they were reporting about this meeting that took place, between Xi Jinping, and top military officers. And China's Xinhua news agency quoted Xi. It's -- I want to bring up the statement for you, because it's strong. It's also rather revealing.

According to Xinhua, quoting Chinese president Xi Jinping, saying that he said this: "It is necessary to make great efforts to strengthen scientific and technological literacy and improve the actual ability to win modern wars." Going on to say, "It is necessary to strengthen practical experience and encourage and guide officers and soldiers to experience the wind and rain, to see the world, to strengthen their muscles and bones, and develop their talents in fiery military practice," unquote.

So, Michael, a very strong message there that accompanies yet another strong display of Chinese military might.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Yes, indeed. Kristie Lu Stout there in Hong Kong, thanks so much. Appreciate it.

OK. We're going to take a quick break here on CNN NEWSROOM. We'll be right back.

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[00:17:15]

HOLMES: You're looking there at images from a beach in England where a vigil was held for the 27 migrants who lost their lives trying to cross the English Channel in an inflatable boat last week. The majority of the victims, Iraqi citizens.

People gathered near a message in the sand that read, "Safe routes now for asylum seekers."

Thousands of migrants flee countries in the Middle East and Africa each year in search of a better life in Europe and elsewhere.

Now, top European officials held emergency talks in France to address concerns over the migrant crisis, triggered by these recent deaths. France is peddling a quote, more intense fight, against human smugglers, and is expected to announce major steps to combat the crisis in the coming weeks.

They also plan to step up airplane patrols along the European side of the English Channel.

Now, France excluded the U.K. from Sunday's meeting after a diplomatic spat between the leaders of the two countries over a tweet on the migrant issue that a top French official insists the country wants to work with the U.K. moving forward.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GERALD DARMANIN, FRENCH INTERIOR MINISTER (through translator): This meeting was not anti-British; it was pro-European. And we must work with our British friends and tell them certain things.

First, to help us collectively to better fight against people smugglers. We've said it before, we're lacking some intelligence. The response is not always to the level of the French police's expectations.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: In an op-ed published on Sunday, Britain's home secretary said she and the prime minister are ready to discuss proposals with their French counterparts at any time.

And now to a stunning story about an airplane stowaway. Authorities say a man hid inside the landing gear of a commercial flight from Guatemala City to Miami on Saturday, and lived to tell the tale.

Video posted on social media show the 26-year-old appearing dazed as he emerged from the plane. He was sent to a nearby hospital for evaluation.

Now, this is the area of the plane where he managed to hide for two hours during the international flight. It's still unclear how he got onto the plane undetected.

More now on our top story. Officials and experts in southern Africa furious about the new travel bans. They say the restrictions are not based on science and could end up doing more harm than good.

CNN's David McKenzie reports from Johannesburg.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): South Africa's president, Cyril Ramaphosa, is usually pretty diplomatic. But he took the unusual step to name and shame the governments and regions that have locked out citizens from South Africa and neighboring countries because of the troubling new COVID-19 variant.

[00:20:05]

CYRIL RAMAPHOSA, SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT Now, these restrictions are completely unjustified and unfairly discriminate against our country, and our southern African sister countries.

The prohibition of travel is not informed by science. Nor will it be effective in preventing the spread of this variant. The only thing the prohibition on travel will do is to further damage the economies of the affected countries and undermine their ability to respond to, and also to recover from, the pandemic.

MCKENZIE: The South African president didn't institute any tougher restrictions in the country, but he said that they are considering vaccine mandates. As at least in this province, there is a spike of cases, most likely driven by this new variant.

Ramaphosa said that it will be better for countries to cooperate, to try and end the pandemic.

He's backed up by officials from the WHO. On Sunday, the director of the WHO in the Africa region said that only minimal impact can be made by these kind of bands, given the nature of COVID-19.

In the coming days and possibly weeks, scientists here in South Africa and around the world will be trying to figure out what this means, what this variant means for the fight against COVID-19. So far, there are very few answers and many questions.

David McKenzie, CNN, Johannesburg.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Shabir Madhi is a professor of vaccinology at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. He joins me now, live.

And thanks for your time, Professor. We want to take a look at South Africa.

First of all, how different is this variant from others? Does it seem to be causing more serious illness, or too early to tell? What are your concerns about the characteristics?

SHABIR MADHI, PROFESSOR OF VACCINOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF WITWATERSRAND: At this stage, most of the concerns around the variant are theoretical concerns. There are many patients which indicate that the variant might be relatively resistant to antibodies that's been induced by vaccines, as well as by past infection. And there's a possibility that the variant could be as transmissible as the Delta variant.

These are completely theoretical concerns. The laboratory work is currently underway, and probably in a week or two, we will know whether the antibody property is true.

But in addition to that, what you also need to understand when it comes to vaccines, is that vaccines work more than just about antibodies, it's about T-cell immunity, as well. And experiencing the past as an example (UNINTELLIGIBLE) is that antibody productivity was diminished against the Pieta (ph) variant.

Vaccines, including the AstraZeneca vaccine, as an example is protected against severe disease, due to the previous (ph) variant because of T-cell immunity. It's probably the main mediator (ph) protection against severe disease.

HOLMES: Right.

MADHI: So much needs to be still uncovered about this particular variant, including the infections that result in more severe disease than previous variant, which is going to be unlikely to be the case.

HOLMES: Let's talk about South Africa, which has fully vaccinated less than 25 percent of total population, 35 percent of adults, yet vaccines readily available in South Africa. The government, in fact, delayed deliveries because so much is in stock.

You know, South African officials have spoken of apathy and hesitancy. Why this slow take up? Why haven't more people taken the shots there? MADHI: Yes. That's a very unfortunate occurrence and not unique to

South Africa. It's been experienced in many other African countries, as well, where there is apathy and there is hesitancy.

Misinformation is obviously one of the drivers behind that sort of vaccine hesitancy. But in addition to that, I don't think people are truly trying to understand the impact that COVID-19 has had on the continent.

In South Africa as an example, the official numbers is that we've had about 90,000 people that have died of COVID-19. But the excess mortality data indicates that that number, that number of people that have probably died of COVID-19 vaccines is probably closer to 250,000.

HOLMES: Wow.

MADHI: So unfortunately, African countries haven't really been able to adequately quantify the impact that COVID-19 has had in the countries, and consequently, communities, populations are becoming complacent about the relevance of this virus.

HOLMES: Which is -- which is a great concern. I mean, it just seems crazy that -- you know, there is thousands of doses sitting in warehouses, in storage in South Africa.

And yet, we're seeing this variant come. But there's another point there, and that is that wealthy nations are so far way behind on their pledges in terms of doses promised to poor, under-vaccinated nations.

What -- what needs to change to correct vaccine equities, particularly when it comes to the African continent, where less than 7 percent of people are fully vaccinated?

MADHI: Well, certainly, we need to make vaccines more available, either through the COVAX facility, or through direct donations. And I think the United States is probably leading on that front, in terms of its generosity in providing these vaccines.

[00:25:05]

But at the same time, even the United States can do much more in terms of releasing those as vaccines to save lives. Rather than trying to boost children, as an example, to try to combat the infection.

These vaccines are not going to stand up when it comes to trying to prevent infections. The main goal behind these vaccines is not the elimination of the virus. It's about preventing severe disease and death.

So the doses of vaccine that have been used for booster doses for non- high-risk populations, you know, high-income countries at this point in time, it comes at a cost. And the cost that it comes at is depriving access to those saving, life-saving vaccines in low-income countries, which are completely under-immunized.

HOLMES: As we said, continent-wide in Africa, only 7 percent of people are fully vaccinated. Only 25 percent of healthcare workers.

With the risks -- rest of the continent at such a low vaccination rate and South Africans not taking up the vaccines that are available, what are your concerns about more variants emerging, which could further challenge vaccine efficacy?

MADHI: I don't think it's just about immunization that results in variants evolving. Variants can also evolve in segments where there's a high (UNINTELLIGIBLE) of vaccines. It depends on whether you're actually successful in almost getting rid of the virus, which is extremely unlikely.

So we will continue seeing variants evolve, even in segments where there is high penetration of vaccines. That being said, the more people that are unvaccinated, the more the virus is going to circulate, and create an opportunity for there to be inflation (ph) that result in these sort of variants.

So this is not the last of the variants that's been -- that we're going to experience. We're still going to continue experiencing variants, even beyond the time when, say, 50 percent of Africans are vaccinated.

HOLMES: Professor Shabir Madhi in Johannesburg, appreciate your time. Thank you so much.

MADHI: Pleasure, thanks.

HOLMES: Now, in a few hours, talks are set to resume on Iran's nuclear program. Coming up, the demands of Tehran's new negotiating team.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: And welcome back to our viewers all around the world. I'm Michael Holmes. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

In several hours, the U.S. and its allies will resume talks on Iran's nuclear program. This comes after a nearly six-month break in discussions and the election of a new president in Iran.

Nic Robertson now with more on why expectations for this seventh round of talks are low.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): Iran's uranium enrichment, a possible path to making a nuclear bomb, is way beyond internationally-agreed levels.

[00:30:12]

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Iran has been using this time to advance its nuclear program.

ROBERTSON: Talks to head this off stalled in late June, with the election of a new, hardline president in Iran. But will finally restart Monday. The outcome is uncertain, the stakes high, the U.S., insisting Iran must move forward.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE This window of opportunity will not be open forever.

ROBERTSON: The 2015 Iran nuclear deal, called the JCPOA, joint comprehensive plan of action, was a signature achievement of the Obama-Biden leadership.

BARACK OBAMA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Cut off every pathway that Iran could take to develop a nuclear weapon.

ROBERTSON: Years of fraught negotiations cut Iran's pathway to a bomb by limiting uranium enrichment and committing them to international inspections.

It wasn't perfect, but U.N. monitors confirmed it worked. Until 2018 when President Trump pulled the U.S. out of the JCPOA.

DONALD TRUMP, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will be instituting the highest level of economic sanction.

ROBERTSON: Iran's response? Up its uranium enrichment, stymie some inspections.

Tensions rose. The U.S. killed Iran's top general. Tehran strikes back at U.S. forces in Iraq. Iran's top nuclear scientist, mysteriously shot dead. Tehran blames Israel, confirmed by the U.S.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Diplomacy is the best way to prevent Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon.

ROBERTSON: Since getting into office, Biden has been trying to get back into the agreement and limit Iran's missile program. Iran has been playing hardball. Six rounds of negotiations stalling, even as they ramp up enrichment.

ALI BAGHERI KANI, IRANIAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): The main issue in upcoming negotiations is actually removing all the illegal sanctions against Iran.

ROBERTSON: And since the last round of talks, added uncertainty. Iran has a new U.S. skeptic government, with new negotiators.

(on camera): At the recent G-20 summit in Rome, President Biden met with European partners to firm up a plan, if the talks stall again. And, for sure, Iran will exploit any differences.

The clock is ticking, and so far, Iran's calculation appears to be the talks, or lack of them, are going in their favor.

Nic Robertson, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: The electoral council in Honduras says there was a cyberattack on its server shortly before polls closed. The council said the web page that crashed was where people could look up their electoral center information.

Officials have described a massive turnout in the presidential election, with numbers surpassing turnout fur years ago.

The opposition candidate, Xiomara Castro, is leading, according to preliminary data. If elected, she would become the country's first female president.

Still to come on the program, a politician in New Zealand, didn't need a car, nor an ambulance, when she went into labor. Wait 'til you hear how she got herself to the hospital. That's when we come back.

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[00:35:38]

HOLMES: Welcome back. When a pregnant New Zealand politician realized she was about to give birth, she didn't call an ambulance or even jump into a car.

Julie Anne Genter hopped on her bicycle and peddled her way to hospital, yes, while she was in labor, contractions a couple of minutes apart.

In a Facebook post, Genter said her contractions weren't close together when she first started, but they were two and a half to three minutes apart by the time she and her husband got to the hospital, 10 minutes later.

She gave birth to a healthy baby girl an hour later. And this isn't even the first time Genter has done this. She cycled to the hospital for her first child, too.

France is preparing to give one of its highest honors to Josephine Baker. The U.S. born cabaret dancer, World War II spy, and civil rights activist will be inducted into the Pantheon, the final resting place for France's most notable dignitaries.

Jim Bittermann reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At the American Center for Arts and Culture in Paris, expats from the United States gather to celebrate one of their own.

A dancer and singer, famous in France for her scanty stage outfits and signature dance moves, but equally known here for the uniform she wore after serving as a French spy in World War II.

It was all part of the extraordinarily rich life of Josephine Baker, a young, African American girl, who fled the discrimination of the slums of St. Louis, Missouri, to become, at age 19, a star of French music halls with her flamboyant dance routines and lyrical songs.

A biographer says that, after the ugliness of World War I, the wild and footloose American provided a welcome distraction.

EMMANUEL BONINI, AUTHOR, "LA VERITABLE JOSEPHINE BAKER": She was a little crazy. In the United States, she was not allowed to do what she -- she wanted to because of segregation. Here, she found liberty, freedom.

BITTERMANN: In France, too, she found a more serious purpose. After the country was invaded in the Second World War, she used her stage performances and travels to secretly provide the French resistance and intelligence services with information about the Nazi occupiers.

After the war, Baker, who couldn't have children, used her fame and fortune to begin adopting kids from around the world. A dozen of them. She called them her rainbow tribe.

One was a refugee from the French Algerian war, who today can easily pick himself out in the old videos. In the theater where his mother once performed, he explained why she wanted to take on the burden of so many children.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She wanted a big family, with a lot of kids. And on the other hand, she wanted to have an example of -- for the world. An example of universal brotherhood.

BITTERMANN: In both Europe and the U.S., Baker began a campaign against racism and for human rights.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She gained more and more recognition throughout her life. And she is, I think, the only, or certainly one of the few, if not the only, women to speak at the March on Washington in 1963 with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

BITTERMANN: Lamar (ph) will be among the invited guests here at the Pantheon in Paris, where preparations are underway for President Macron to immortalize Josephine Baker with the most prestigious tribute France can offer.

(on camera) ;The French call it Pantheonization, the process by which a person is honored and made eternal by being buried in the crypt below the 18th Century Pantheon of the Paris Latin Quarter.

Over the last 230 years, only 80 people have been so revered, and only a handful of them have been women. And never before has there been an African-American woman.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: France, in particular, they look to African- American culture, African-American people who have succeeded in -- against the -- whatever racial obstacles that were in the society, and they're inspired by that.

BITTERMANN (voice-over): In what was her signature song, Josephine Baker seemed to sum up her life. "I have two loves," the song goes. "My country and Paris."

[00:40:06]

At least one of her loves is returning the affection.

Jim Bittermann, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Australia is tackling Internet trolling head on. Prime Minister Scott Morrison announcing plans for new legislation to protect social media users from defamatory comments posted by anonymous sources.

It would require social media platforms to unmask the so-called, trolls by providing the email address or phone number associated with a user if a complaint is lodged.

This comes after Australia's highest court ruled that publishers can be held liable for public comments on online forums.

Our top story this hour, governments around the world racing to contain the newly-discovered Omicron variant as more cases are identified globally.

More than a dozen countries have already confirmed infections since the WHO designated Omicron a variant of interest. On Sunday, Canada becoming the latest, confirming at least two cases.

And many countries are restricting or banning travel from South Africa and its neighbors, where the variant was first identified.

Now, the U.S. Ban on travel from eight African countries came into effect about 40 minutes ago. It includes South Africa, of course, where the Omicron variant was first identified.

News of the variant prompting the U.S. president to gather experts on the virus to consider what next steps to take.

CNN's Joe Johns reports.

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JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: A White House status report on the Omicron variant telling us a lot that we don't know. The president issuing a statement after flying back from Nantucket for his Thanksgiving vacation. Now, here at the White House, speaking with, among others, Dr. Anthony Fauci.

The statement from the White House, giving a great deal of attribution to the president's medical advisor. It says, in part, "Dr. Fauci informed the president that, while it will take approximately two more weeks to have definitive information on the transmissibility, severity, and other characteristics of the variant, he continues to believe that existing vaccines are likely to provide a degree of protection against severe cases of COVID."

Dr. Fauci also reiterated that boosters for fully vaccinated individuals provide the strongest available protection from COVID. The president is expected to give an update on the situation on

Monday. Also on Monday, travel restrictions to several southern African nations, including South Africa and Botswana, will go into effect.

Joe Johns, CNN, the White House.

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HOLMES: And, finally, have a look at this. A baby in northern China hasn't even mastered walking yet, but check it out. She's already quite the snowboarder.

Videos of the 11-month-old -- yes, 11 months -- sliding down the slopes have gone viral, with her little face peeking out from under that snow gear that she's wearing.

The parents say they wanted her to learn how to ski but were surprised at how quickly their little girl could stand on the snowboard all on her own. She looks like she's having fun.

Thanks for spending part of your day with me. I'm Michael Holmes. You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram, @HolmesCNN. Do stick around for WORLD SPORT. I'll see you in about 15 minutes or so.

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