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Crumbley Associate Could Face Jail Time; Pope Francis Meets With Refugees In Lesbos; South Africa Reports 16,000-Plus New COVID-19 Cases For Second Straight Day; The Rescue Of Parwana; Official Says No Discipline Warranted For Ethan Crumbley Before Attack; Death Toll Rising After Indonesia Volcano Eruption; Norwegian Tech Company Develops Way To Cut Methane. Aired 4-5a ET

Aired December 05, 2021 - 04:00   ET

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

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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): And welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.

Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, the parents of a teenager charged in a deadly school shooting are themselves arraigned. You'll hear their lawyers' response and why more charges could follow.

Tightening global travel: more restrictions go into effect as the Omicron variant spreads.

Plus a high-tech way to fight climate change that begins with a rather low-tech problem.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: We begin in Michigan and the continuing fallout from Tuesday's deadly school shooting. Police say another person could face charges for helping the parents of the alleged shooter.

James and Jennifer Crumbley have pled not guilty to involuntary manslaughter charges and are each being held on a $500,000 bond.

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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): This exclusive video shows the couple being taken into custody from a warehouse in Detroit after setting off a fugitive manhunt. Police say someone aided the pair while there.

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SHERIFF MICHAEL BOUCHARD, OAKLAND COUNTY, MICHIGAN: We believe they were assisted in that location, to get there, to get in. And we're gathering that information. And we're going to have the totality of that done fairly soon and present that to our prosecutor for potential charges, for either aiding and abetting or obstruction of justice.

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BRUNHUBER: Now during the Crumbleys' arraignment, their attorneys claimed they had fully intended to turn themselves in. They also deny their clients' son had unrestricted access to the gun he's accused of using in the shooting, of course. CNN's Athena Jones has more now from Michigan.

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ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, there. James and Jennifer Crumbley found hiding in a Detroit warehouse early Saturday morning. They were arraigned later in the morning. Each faces four counts of involuntary manslaughter in the death of the four teens that their son, Ethan Crumbley, is charged with murdering.

Each of these counts of involuntary manslaughter carries up to 15 years in prison and a $7,500 fine and mandatory DNA collection. It is very, very rare to see the parents charged in a high school shooting case. But Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald explained why she was making that move, take a listen.

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KAREN MCDONALD, OAKLAND COUNTY PROSECUTOR: Both defendants were aware that he was searching "ammunition" on his phone at school.

Instead of reacting to that as a concerned parent and worried about safety, Ms. Crumbley texted, "LOL, I'm not mad," just next time don't get caught.

And then, obviously on this very tragic day, on the 30th, they were called to the school and -- about their son's drawing, which clearly depicted threats and acts of violence. And instead of disclosing to the school that he had full access to this weapon, they chose not to.

They chose not to take their son home. They chose not to tell anybody that he might be dangerous, when it was clear and they had every likelihood that he was. And instead, they left.

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JONES (voice-over): "And instead they left." The prosecutor saying that these parents, had they acted, could have prevented this tragedy from happening; therefore, they are criminally negligent.

We did hear from the lawyers representing Jennifer and James Crumbley. They insist that even though the Crumbleys did not show up for their arraignment on Friday, they were not, in fact, fleeing. Take a listen to what one of their lawyers had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SHANNON SMITH, ATTORNEY FOR JENNIFER AND JAMES CRUMBLEY: Last night and throughout the day, we were in contact with our clients. They were scared. They were terrified. They were not at home. They were figuring out what to do, getting finances in order.

This case is absolutely the saddest, most tragic, worst case imaginable. There is absolutely no doubt. But our clients were absolutely going to turn themselves in. It was just a matter of logistics and all the prosecution had to do was communicate with me about it.

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JONES: They say this was all about miscommunication. But the Oakland County prosecutor and sheriff say, look, the Crumbleys went to a nearby ATM, withdrew $4,000.

They did this at a place that wasn't far from the place they were expected to turn themselves in. That doesn't seem like someone who was trying to turn themselves in.

One more thing I should note, there was a person, a third person, who police say helped them get into the warehouse where they were found hiding.

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JONES: That person could face charges as well, aiding and abetting or obstruction of justice. Those exact charges will be up to the Oakland County prosecutor -- Athena Jones, CNN, Pontiac, Michigan.

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BRUNHUBER: Since Tuesday's tragedy, questions have been mounting over whether people at the school will be held responsible for what they did or didn't do before the shooting. Earlier, we spoke to CNN legal analyst Joey Jackson about that. Here he is.

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JOEY JACKSON, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: When you pivot to the school, it's about what they knew, when they knew it, what specifically they did about it. Apparently, the school did have knowledge as to this child and misbehavior. There's indication that he was looking on his phone for "ammunition," doing an ammunition search.

That concerned school officials enough, where they spoke with him. Subsequent to that, the following day, we know about a drawing, which was pretty morbid with regard to blood and a dead body and his statement.

And the parents at that time were brought in. And there is where the communication really goes south.

At that particular time, the question to be asked is, if school officials were in possession of that knowledge, should they have mandated that this child was removed from school?

Should they not, withstanding the parents' objections, said you know what, you're taking him home. And if you're not taking him home we're going to put him in a safe place. But he's not staying here.

So I think any investigation into the school will be predicated upon whether they actually fulfilled their responsibility to act reasonably, responsibly and appropriately under the circumstances, knowing them to be at that particular time.

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BRUNHUBER: A Republican congressman is facing fierce criticism for his pro-gun tweet just days after the Michigan tragedy.

Thomas Massie posted this photo on Saturday, showing what appears to be his family gathered around the Christmas tree, all holding firearms, as you can see there. The caption reads, "Merry Christmas, ps Santa, please bring ammo."

Gun violence activist Fred Guttenberg responded with a picture of his teenage daughter who was killed in the parkland shooting in 2018.

He tweeted, "Since we are now sharing family photos, here are mine. One is the last photo that I ever took of Jaime. The other is where she is buried because of the Parkland School shooting. Now the Michigan school shooter and his family used to take photos like yours as well.

We want to show you live pictures just coming in now from the Greek island of Lesbos. Pope Francis is meeting with migrants at a temporary reception center for asylum seekers.

Thousands of migrants from the Middle East, Asia and Africa are on the island and some have been stuck there for years. And he's been going down the line, meeting with these migrants.

CNN's Vatican correspondent, Delia Gallagher, is traveling with the pope and joins me now on the phone.

Delia, we're seeing these pictures of the pope going down the line, listening to people. He was talking to them in various languages there. It's quite a touching scene. Explain the story behind this and the pope's attachment to this issue.

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Kim, this is really a place, it's called the Mytilene Refugee Center here on the island of Lesbos. And this is actually the second time the pope has come to Lesbos in five years.

It's a major focus, obviously, for the pope, giving attention to the issue of migrants in the Mediterranean.

This center holds about 2,000 refugees. They are from all over. I was speaking to some of them earlier from Iraq, from Syria, from Africa. Some of them, Kim, have been here for six years -- not at this particular center; this is a new one built just last year. But they have been waiting in these camps for six years.

The island of Lesbos is very close to Turkey. So it is a first point of entry for refugees and migrants trying to get to Europe. Many people waiting here for a very long time, hoping to go anywhere, they told me, anywhere outside of here.

Pope Francis is on five-day trip of Cyprus and Greece. It has been a major focus for him for him to encourage European countries and other countries to open their borders and to integrate refugees into their society.

He calls the migrant issue "the war of the moment." He calls the Mediterranean "a cemetery without tombstones." So that is why he is coming here.

Now when he came here five years ago, Kim, he did a surprise move and he took back 12 refugees on his papal plane. I don't know you remember that. He brought them back to Italy. They were Syrian refugees.

This time, the Vatican told us on Friday that he has made arrangements for 12 refugees from Cyprus, where we just were in the last two days, to be transferred to Rome in the coming weeks -- so not on his papal plane.

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GALLAGHER: But arrangements are being made through the Vatican to get some, 12, perhaps more in the coming months, to be relocated to Italy.

So that's the pope's way of showing, in a small example, what he is hoping other countries will do. Obviously, it is a massive problem. But I can tell you from talking to the people here, again, with the language -- and there's all kinds of languages here. But mostly, you don't even need words, you can just see it on their faces.

The hope that they have with the pope coming here and the suffering that they're enduring -- they have food, medicine, they have been vaccinated.

But one man was saying to me, what he would like to ask the pope is, why is there such inequality?

Why are some people more important than others?

He told me, some refugees, for example, from Afghanistan, were able to leave the camp.

So a lot of hope here. Certainly, a good day, if you will, for the pope to come and visit. But really, Pope Francis once again trying to keep the spotlight on the situation of migration in the Mediterranean and in Europe -- Kim.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, as we were watching the pictures, what struck me as how many migrants there were and how young so many of them were.

Quickly, before I let you go, can you let us know what's next in terms of the pope's visit?

GALLAGHER: So the pope is on the fourth day of a visit to Cyprus and Greece. He's flying back to Athens after Lesbos. So this afternoon, he will have a mass in Athens. You know, Greece is a mainly Orthodox Christian country but there are some Catholics there.

There are also immigrants from other countries. So he will have a mass. And then tomorrow, he will meet with some young people in Greece and then fly out around noon back to Rome -- Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right, really appreciate that, Delia Gallagher traveling with the pope. Thank you so much.

GALLAGHER: Thanks, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: International travel plans have been thrown into turmoil this holiday season, as countries around the world rush to stop the spread of the Omicron variant. Many of the new travel restrictions are aimed at arrivals from southern Africa, where Omicron was first detected.

The U.S. will impose new rules on Monday that single out travelers from eight countries in southern Africa. Similar restrictions in the U.K. also begin on Monday.

Now parts of Europe were already facing new lockdowns, mask mandates and other restrictions before the Omicron variant was even known about. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz is in London.

Take us through the new restrictions aimed at both the Delta and Omicron variants.

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Just as you mentioned, Kim, this was a region that was already very much in the grips of yet another wave of COVID-19. We were seeing countries like Germany go into partial lockdowns. Austria was in a full lockdown. New rules were being put into place in Italy around face masks.

Ireland rolling out new restrictions on Friday evening, the prime minister telling his countrymen that they can't afford to take the risk of yet another variant without having social restrictions in place.

But from country to country, of course, the policies and the government approach has been different. Some have been focused on social restrictions; others have been focused on booster jabs and vaccinations. But all across the world right now, everyone preparing for what scientists might tell us about Omicron. Take a look.

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ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): The Omicron variant has put the world on edge, triggering new travel bans and lockdown measures. More than 35 countries have reported cases of the coronavirus variant.

Doctors and scientists are racing to gather data, to determine if it's more transmissible, causes more severe illness and whether it could impact the efficacy of vaccines.

DR. SOUMYA SWAMINATHAN, WHO CHIEF SCIENTIST: The early reports that we have, starting with (INAUDIBLE) province where it was first observed and then across the (INAUDIBLE) provinces of South Africa, we do think that it's quite infectious, quite transmissible.

It is something to worry about. Certainly we didn't want to see another variant emerge and spread around the world at this stage of the pandemic, certainly not what we wanted. But we are not entirely surprised. And I think we're much better prepared to handle it.

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): But many countries are taking no chances. In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel announced a nationwide lockdown for all unvaccinated people.

Italy imposed mask mandates in Rome and Sicily ahead of the holidays.

And Ireland introduced new restrictions, closing night clubs and imposing a 50 percent capacity cap for indoor events.

Rio de Janeiro cancelled New Year's Eve celebrations after Brazil detected its first Omicron cases.

South African scientists first detected Omicron. COVID cases in the country nearly quadrupled between Tuesday and Friday, passing the 3 million mark for the first time since the start of the pandemic; 70 to 75 percent of the cases sequenced in South Africa in November were confirmed to be of the Omicron variant.

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ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Health officials continue to underscore how important it is to get vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19.

In the U.K., prime minister Boris Johnson received his booster and urged residents to do the same as soon as possible.

BORIS JOHNSON, U.K. PRIME MINISTER: The target that we have set ourselves is to offer a booster to everyone eligible by the end of January. And as with the first jabs, we'll be working through people by age group, going down in 5-year bands.

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): While it may be a few more weeks until scientists know more about Omicron, the world continues to act fast to fight the latest obstacle in the coronavirus pandemic.

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ABDELAZIZ: Now the question is of course, Kim, will all of these restrictions, these booster campaigns, will they work?

Of course, it crucially depends on what scientists find out about the transmissibility, about the severity of illness, all of these other details that we're waiting on, on the Omicron variant.

But I think the key here is, Kim, is what we've heard over and over again from the World Health Organization. No one is safe until everyone is safe.

I mean by that, of course, the global south, the developing world, where, I wonder if people have access to booster jabs. I'm from Egypt and I know, in that country, it's very difficult to get access to these vaccinations.

So that's the question, Kim.

If we continue to see huge pockets of the world that are unvaccinated, will we continue to see these variants develop and grow?

BRUNHUBER: Yes, I think we know the answer. Salma Abdelaziz in London, thanks so much.

U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian president Vladimir Putin are set to speak on Tuesday. This comes as U.S. intelligence warns that a Kremlin invasion of Ukraine would be months away. That's based in large part on the buildup of Russian forces near the Ukrainian border.

The U.S. Army chief of staff said on Saturday about 100,000 Russian troops are already there and it's believed another 75,000 could soon join them. President Biden warned on Friday that he would make it, quote, "very, very difficult" for Russia to launch an invasion.

And officials are floating the idea of new sanctions. CNN's Joe Johns has more from the White House.

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JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: White House press secretary Jen Psaki putting out a statement, indicating, as her counterpart at the Kremlin already had, that President Biden and Vladimir Putin will have their big telephone call on Tuesday on video.

And one of the major topics to be discussed will be the tens of thousands of Russian troops massing on the Ukraine border.

That statement says, in part, "President Biden will underscore U.S. concerns with Russian military activities on the border with Ukraine and reaffirm the U.S.' support for the sovereignty and integrity of Ukraine."

So one of the big questions is whether Putin is planning on invading Ukraine. The answer to that cannot be known. The president, on departure to Camp David this weekend, was asked what he would do if Russia invaded Ukraine.

He did not answer the question. But he did say this.

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JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We've been aware of Russia's actions for a long time. And my expectation is we're going to have a long discussion with Putin.

QUESTION: Do you accept Putin's red line on Ukraine? BIDEN: I won't accept anybody's red line.

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JOHNS: One of the big reasons it's so difficult to figure out what's going on with the Russian troops is, according to a U.S. intelligence report, they're being moved around in a way so as to obscure their motivations -- Joe Johns, CNN, the White House.

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BRUNHUBER: CNN anchor Chris Cuomo has been terminated effective immediately. The news came Saturday afternoon Cuomo was already suspended by CNN.

It stems from how he advised his brother, then New York governor Andrew Cuomo, as the governor was facing sexual harassment allegations. Documents released by the New York attorney general point to a serious breach of CNN's standards.

Chris Cuomo has released this statement about his termination. It reads in part, "This is not how I want my time at CNN to end. But I've already told you why and how I helped my brother.

"So let me now say, as disappointing as this is, I could not be more proud of the team at "CUOMO PRIME TIME" and the work we did as CNN's number one show in the most competitive time slot."

Still to come, a 9-year-old girl rescued from child marriage in Afghanistan. You may remember our exclusive story about Parwana who was sold as a child bride. Now she's safe and speaking with our Anna Coren.

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BRUNHUBER: Last month we brought you a distressing story about child marriage in Afghanistan. Many of you were particularly disturbed by the case of 9-year-old Parwana, who was sold into marriage to a 55- year-old man for around $2,000. Her father said it was his only option to feed his family.

CNN was granted rare permission to document the disturbing sale and handover. Well, after an international outcry following our story, the U.S.-based nonprofit Too Young to Wed got involved and rescued Parwana. CNN was there to document it and Anna Coren brings us this exclusive report.

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ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An Iranian love song plays from a cassette as a driver navigates his way through the snow-dusted Leman Valley in northwestern Afghanistan.

Crammed in the back of the station wagon is a mother and her six children, who've just left behind a life of constant struggle and hardship, all they've ever known. Among them, 9-year-old Parwana. Our cameraman, Sadiki (ph) asks her how she's feeling.

"I'm so happy," she says, with a beaming smile.

CNN met Parwana, dressed in pink, in an internally displaced camp in Badghis Province back in October. Her father claimed he was selling her to feed the rest of the family as a humanitarian crisis grips the country.

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COREN (voice-over): He'd already sold his 12-year-old into marriage and told CNN that, unless his situation improved, he would have to sell his four remaining daughters, as well, including the youngest, just 2.

"If I didn't have these daughters to sell," he asks, "what should I do?"

Parwana's buyer, who lived in a nearby village, confirmed he was taking the 9-year old as his second wife.

QORBAN, BUYER OF PARWANA (through translator): I'm 55 years old. I have a wife with four daughters and a son. I bought her for myself. I will wait until she becomes older.

COREN: CNN was granted rare access to film the final payment and handover. The buyer asked for it to take place at a house in his village and not the camp, for security reasons. He paid a total of 200,000 Afghanis, just over $2,000 U.S., for Parwana, in land, sheep and cash.

"This is your bride. Please take care of her," says Parwana's father.

"Of course, I will take care of her," replies the man, as he drags her away,

She whimpers. Moments later, she digs her heels into the dirt, refusing to go. But it's hopeless.

CNN's story caused an outcry.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: And now a distressing story out of Afghanistan, showing the harsh --

COREN (voice-over): The network was inundated with offers of help from the public aid organizations and NGOs, wanting to assist Parwana and the other girls featured in our story.

The U.S.-based charity, Too Young to Wed, took the lead. Its founding executive director, Stephanie Sinclair, has been working to end child marriage and help vulnerable girls around the world for almost 20 years. She says the perfect storm is brewing in Afghanistan and it's the girls that are suffering.

STEPHANIE SINCLAIR, FOUNDER, TOO YOUNG TO WED: I know these stories are difficult to watch and they're difficult to do. And they bring around a lot of concern. But at the same time, we need to keep people understanding that this is happening.

We need to keep ringing the alarm bells. Understand these are real girls and real lives and they can be changed.

COREN: Within Badghis Province, there was widespread backlash toward Parwana's father and the buyer after our story went to air, with claims they brought shame on the community. Even the Taliban told CNN the practice is forbidden.

MAWLAWI BAZ MOHAMMAD SARWARY, BADGHIS INFORMATION AND CULTURE DIRECTORATE (through translator): I request everyone not to sell their children. Child marriage is not a good thing and we condemn it.

COREN: Women's rights activist and U.S. citizen Mahbouba Seraj, who chose to stay in Kabul after the Taliban swept to power in August to run her women's shelter, says Parwana's case is just the tip of the iceberg.

MAHBOUBA SERAJ, AFGHAN WOMEN'S RIGHTS ACTIVIST: There is a lot of misery. There is a lot of mistreatment. There is a lot of abuse is involved in these things. And it will keep on happening, with the hunger, with the winter, with poverty.

COREN: As a result of the controversy caused by the story and intervention from the charity, Parwana was allowed to return home after almost two weeks with the buyer's family.

"Since Parwana has been rescued, I'm very happy for that," says Parwana's father.

He admitted to CNN that, under duress from the community and some local media outlets, he changed his story out of embarrassment for what he had done and apologized. The buyer is unreachable for comment but the debt is still outstanding.

Too Young to Wed then organized to have Parwana, her mother and siblings removed from the camp with the father's permission. Their four-hour journey to neighboring Herat Province was broken up with some childhood fun before arriving at the motel.

For children who've only ever lived in a tent, the novelty of being warm, fed and safe wasn't wearing off.

"They rescued me. They've given me a new life," says Parwana. "I thank the charity for helping me."

A few days later, they moved into the safe house. Parwana's mother, 27-year-old Reza Gul, has never lived in a house. She was sold into marriage at 13 and has since had seven children, six of whom were girls. Most days in the camp, she would beg for food and often her family

would go to sleep hungry. Now all she wants is to give her children a better life.

"I have a dream, a wish they go to school and start an education," she says. "I have a lot of wishes for them."

Too Young to Wed has already begun distributing aid to Parwana's impoverished camp, among others. While the small charity is prepared to bridge the gap, they're calling on the large aid organizations to step up.

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SINCLAIR: These are communities that have relied on international aid for the last 20 years. And so with a lot of that aid stopping, these people didn't stop needing support. And we can't let them pay the price because, ultimately, girls always pay the biggest price.

COREN (voice-over): I speak to Parwana on Zoom through my colleague, Basir.

COREN: Hello, Parwana. I'm Anna.

PARWANA, 9-YEAR-OLD AFGHAN BRIDE (through translator): How are you?

How are you feeling?

COREN: I'm very good, thank you. How are you?

PARWANA (through translator): I'm fine. I'm so happy. I'm safe. I'm rescued.

COREN (voice-over): Then she asks, "When are you sending me to school?"

She wants to study and become a doctor or a teacher. But fairytale endings are few and far between for girls in Afghanistan; even more so now than ever -- Anna Coren, CNN.

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BRUNHUBER: And if you would like to help girls like Parwana, please visit TooYoungToWed.org and you can learn more about their work in Afghanistan and how you can be part of the solution.

New travel restrictions aim to clamp down on the spread of the Omicron variant, with the countries of southern Africa being the primary targets. We'll have a live report from Johannesburg just ahead. Stay with us.

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(MUSIC PLAYING) BRUNHUBER: Welcome back. We're turning now to our top story.

The parents of the suspected Michigan school shooter have pleaded not guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter. James and Jennifer Crumbley are each being held on a $500,000 bond after setting off a fugitive manhunt.

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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): This exclusive video shows the couple being taken into custody from a warehouse in Detroit. Police say someone aided the pair while they were there and may face charges.

The Crumbleys' lawyer claims they had fully intended to turn themselves in before being arrested. They also deny that their clients' son had unrestricted access to the gun he's accused of using at Oxford High School earlier in the week. Four students were killed in the shooting, six other students were wounded, as well as one teacher.

For the second straight day, South Africa reported more than 16,000 new COVID cases. That's four times more than what it was just a few days ago. But the country's president says that, so far, the Omicron variant hasn't caused an alarming increase in hospitalizations. CNN's Larry Madowo is in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The numbers seem to be concerning, what's the latest?

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The South African president Cyril Ramaphosa saying that at least so far, based on the numbers they're looking at, this Omicron variant does not seem to be leading to an alarming rate of hospitalization, so it might be more transmissible, which means it's easily carried from one person to the next.

But it does not necessarily mean anybody who catches it will end up in the hospital or will die, which is a promising sign. But he did hedge his bets here and say, listen, we still need more research and more tests to be able to say that for sure.

So the scientists are not quite saying that as yet. In fact, the president's own ministerial task force on COVID is advising South Africa to prepare for surges in hospitalizations and the possibility that they might need to look at the oxygen supply chain, in case it is necessary, because they are still studying it and they will need a few more weeks before they understand a bit more.

BRUNHUBER: And we've seen the world imposing more and more restrictions on travel from southern Africa and more anger from South Africa at these restrictions.

MADOWO: South Africans are pretty outraged. I've heard lots of comments. Somebody said their countries are adding southern Africa to the red list and that red list is starting to look very Black, which is playing on this Afrophobia, as some call it, this discrimination that targets people of African descent and the Black diaspora.

And President Ramaphosa talked about what he considers a slap on the face of South Africa and the African continent, instead of applauding the South African scientists, who were the ones to warn the world about the Omicron variant.

He said African expertise told the world about this. This is contrary to what the world should be celebrating, African scientific excellence, to warn the entire world about the possibility of this new variant.

And they're still working on it and many scientists in other parts of the world, in the U.S., in the E.U., in other parts of the world, are speaking to scientists here, from the health minister from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases to help them make their own guidelines in their own countries.

BRUNHUBER: Larry, to fight this, obviously, you need more people getting vaccinated. There seems to be plenty of supply in South African. Vaccine hesitancy is a big issue.

I heard you on an earlier hour, saying something that I hadn't heard before, which was, in fact, some people in the U.S. who were vaccine skeptics are actually having an influence there in South Africa. Take us through that.

MADOWO: That is right. There is a significant amount, I should say, of people, who are anti-vaxers or were hesitant to get vaccinated, partly because they've been listening to right-wing commentators, conservative viewpoints from the U.S.

Joe Rogen, for instance, has a following here in South Africa. And they listen to that content and they believe it. And I spoke to one gentlemen, who works in the hospital. And he's a pharmacist and he said, over the last 18 to 24 months, conspiracy theorists have won, science has lost.

BRUNHUBER: Gosh, that's really a shame to hear. Listen, thank you so much for your reporting there, Larry Madowo in Johannesburg. Appreciate it.

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BRUNHUBER: For more on this, I want to bring in Glenda Gray, the president and CEO of the South African Medical Research Council. And she is also research professor at the University of Witwatersrand. And joins me now live from Cape Town, South Africa.

Thanks so much for being with us. We just heard from our correspondent in South Africa there. So I would like to start with your assessment of the situation in terms of the Omicron variant.

What are you seeing right now?

And how worried are you about the coming months? GLENDA GRAY, PRESIDENT AND CEO, SOUTH AFRICAN MEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL: So we are seeing an increase in the number of positive cases coming through over the last two weeks. S

So 16,366 people tested positive and gives us an overall case positivity rate of 24 percent, which is up from about 1 percent three weeks ago.

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GRAY: So we are seeing an exponential rise in cases. At this moment in time, like our president said, it looks like a lot of these cases are mild. But obviously, it's too early to tell. And we should prepare for the worst. We shouldn't wait.

And every week we learn more about this new variant. And every week we know a little bit more, much more about its transmissibility and about its impact in terms of natural history.

So it's early days yet and we are hopeful that the disease may be mild but I think we have to wait and see the next one or two weeks to see what happens to hospital admissions and our ICU admissions and the death rates associated with this new variant.

BRUNHUBER: You bring up the natural history. I want to go back to how we got here. South African scientists are getting a lot of credit for how quickly they found this variant. And a lot of it has to do with the research infrastructure that was built up to tackle two other diseases, HIV and tuberculosis. So take me through the Omicron discovery.

How did it come about?

GRAY: So we set up a network of genomic surveillance in South Africa. And this came off the knowledge and expertise from HIV and TB. And this surveillance network is throughout the country. And this surveillance network does routine genome analysis.

And a private laboratory in Johannesburg started to notice what we call S-gene knockouts and alerted this network to it and sent samples to them. They saw this S-gene target failure, which is a sign that something was different.

And so the virologists were able to sequence this S-gene target failure and find a new variant. This new variant, when it was sequenced, was found to have many immunoassay changes, multiple immunoassay changes and with some deletions, showing that there was a new variant that was emerging in South Africa.

And very rapidly, became the dominant variant, particularly in the Johannesburg, Pretoria, area in South Africa.

BRUNHUBER: We don't know exactly the origins of this variant but there are some theories that some of the variants emerging in South Africa, including this one, could be associated directly with HIV, that people with that disease sort of can give the coronavirus a chance to mutate further. Walk us through how that might work.

GRAY: So we know we have a lot of HIV-infected people in South Africa. And many of them are not on treatments. Although we have the largest HIV treatment program in the world, around 3 million people are estimated not to be on treatment and may not even know that they are HIV infected.

And so with our people that are immunocompromised, TB, HIV and other people who have got cancer or have organ transplants, the virus may shed for longer in this group of people and escape immune pressure from a normally good immune response.

And when you escape immune pressure, the virus can evolve. And this is probably what happened in South Africa. And, maybe, you know, at a global level, I think we need to note this but also to say that this Omicron variant has also been found in other parts of the world that have not been related to travel to South Africa.

And so they may be -- so I think we have to understand that there are risks for viral evolution and we have to try to map and understand where -- how this evolution arises and how to prevent it.

And probably the most important thing is to increase vaccine coverage. So although we may have a large group of HIV uninfected individuals in South Africa but are not on treatment, we have very low coverage of vaccines.

And so we are unable to really take control of the pandemic in our country, because, largely, the adult population is not vaccinated enough. And we do need to make sure that we increase vaccine coverage in our country and drive that vaccine coverage in an aggressive rate over the next couple of weeks.

BRUNHUBER: Absolutely, or we'll see more and more different variants. And that's being borne out, all of those warnings from months ago. Listen, thank you so much for joining us. Really appreciate it, Glenda Gray.

GRAY: Thanks.

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BRUNHUBER: All right, coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, a volcano erupting in Indonesia has left multiple people dead. Now airline pilots are getting warnings about the ash cloud. We'll have a live report up next. Stay with us.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Have a look at this, incredible images from Indonesia where a volcano erupted Saturday. People literally running for their lives. Officials say at least 13 people have been killed and scores more injured. Thousands have been displaced.

Now pilots are being warned to be alert, with ash clouds towering up to 50,000 feet into the air.

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BRUNHUBER: Search and rescue operations are underway and local officials say blocked roads are hindering efforts. For more on this, I'm joined now by Blake Essig in Tokyo.

Blake, the visuals are quite stunning, the damage and loss of life devastating. You've been monitoring this story.

What's the latest?

BLAKE ESSIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, Kim, just incredibly dramatic video that was captured as this event was taking place. But as of today, search and rescue efforts are currently underway.

Earlier today, sadly, the bodies of six miners who died following the eruption were found at a river near a local village, some of the bodies still inside their trucks. Officials say, at this point, the exact number of casualties and those displaced as a result of the eruption remains unknown.

And that's in part because officials say that there are a number of villages that they can't reach because of heavy mud and fallen trees that have blocked roads.

Now the number at this point of casualties currently sits at 13. But CNN has spoken with several evacuees, who haven't been able to locate their own family members and say that they fear that there are many more victims that haven't been found.

The volcano erupted on Saturday afternoon, sending people living in the area running for their lives, as the volcano spewed a column of smoke and ash, turning day into night. Officials say that more than 900 people have been displaced.

And they're currently now in evacuation centers, made up of schools, a mosque, village halls and homes. Currently, the military is sending personnel, gear, equipment to help with the search and rescue efforts.

They've also established a temporary hospital for the wounded. Separately, doctors and nurses have been sent to local health facilities to help treat victims as well. And we do have some good news to report at this point.

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ESSIG: So a spokesperson for the country's disaster mitigation agency says that 10 people who were trapped after the eruption were rescued earlier today and have been evacuated to safety.

As for those still on the ground, authorities continue to warn people living around the slope of the volcano to avoid the area for fears of another volcanic, more volcanic activity.

In fact, two lava flows have been identified just today, with hazardous volcanic materials recorded. But despite the warning, a nurse near the location tells CNN that some villagers have gone back to their village to save cows and goats, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: We'll keep monitoring that story. Blake Essig in Tokyo, thanks so much.

And we'll be right back.

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BRUNHUBER: Methane emissions are one of the prominent greenhouse gases contributing to climate change. Now a Norwegian technology company has developed a new strategy to cut methane emissions from livestock in an unusual way. Have a look.

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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Lightning and cow manure: an unlikely pair that's part of a new strategy to fight climate change.

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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Norwegian technology company N2 Applied says it has found a way to reduce methane emissions from livestock slurry, a mixture of manure and water, which farmers used as a natural fertilizer.

CHRIS PUTTICK, N2 APPLIED: in essence, we're harnessing lightning to zap the livestock slurry and lock in harmful emissions like methane and ammonia. And as we know, methane, the potent greenhouse gas, livestock are the emitter of that. And we're here to solve that challenge.

BRUNHUBER (voice-over): The heat-trapping potential of methane is 28- 34 times higher than carbon dioxide over 100-year period. And cattle are the main agricultural source of greenhouse gases around the globe.

At the COP26 climate summit last month, more than 100 countries signed on to a global pledge to cut methane.

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JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So together, we're committing to collectively reduce our methane by 30 percent by 2030. And I think we could probably go beyond that. BRUNHUBER (voice-over): N2 Applied is testing its technology at

various sites across Europe. At this 200-cow farm in England, a scraper collects slurry from the barn floor. The slurry is moved to a pit and fed through this machine, which absorbs nitrogen from the air, lowering the pH.

Then the slurry is blasted with a 50 kilowatt plasma torch, simulating a lightning blast, which the company says locks in both methane and ammonia.

PUTTICK: An over 99 percent reduction in methane emissions from slurry, so practical elimination there; 95 percent reduction in ammonia emissions and we practically double the nitrogen content of the slurry, which can be used as a more sustainable fertilizer source.

BRUNHUBER (voice-over): What comes out is called nitrogen enriched organic fertilizer or NEO, in the form of an odorless liquid.

PUTTICK: This technology delivers a reduction of 199 tons of carbon equivalent every year, with one machine, based on a 200-cow dairy farm. And so we're now looking to scale out this technology across the U.K. livestock sector.

BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Lightning-zapped manure is just one of many innovations to cut methane emissions from livestock.

In Ireland, scientists are feeding cattle seaweed to reduce the methane in their manure.

And researchers in New Zealand and Germany are potty training cows to reduce methane and also water pollution, an idea that, scientists admit, began as a joke but shows promising possibilities.

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BRUNHUBER: That wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back in just a moment with more news.