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Ukraine Marks National Army Day With Defiant Message; U.S. Readies Sanctions Against Russia Over Ukraine; Italy Starts Enforcement Of COVID-19 "Super Green Pass"; COVID Positivity In South Africa Jumps By 24 Percent In Two Weeks; Chile Leads The World In Administering Booster Shots. Aired 12-1a ET
Aired December 07, 2021 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Ahead this hour here on CNN NEWSROOM, stopping an invasion with diplomacy, the American and Russian presidents will talk directly in the coming hours with the fate of Ukraine in the balance.
They weren't invited, but they're not going anyway, the U.S. declares a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics to protest human rights abuses. China says it's just irrelevant.
Plus, impact from Omicron possibly more contagious while potentially less deadly. The world struggles to understand the impact from this variant of concern.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.
VAUSE: Hello, everyone. Thank you for joining us to CNN NEWSROOM and we begin with U.S. Intelligence which believes Russian forces have encircled Ukraine on three sides, with double the number of troops on the border compared to a previous military buildup back in April.
And at the same time, U.S. officials say Russian efforts to destabilize the government in Kyiv, through disinformation and cyber warfare have increased.
The White House believes President Vladimir Putin is increasingly likely to order an invasion of Ukraine.
And against that backdrop, U.S. President Joe Biden will talk directly via video link with Vladimir Putin in the coming hours trying to prevent an invasion with diplomacy.
President Biden with the support of European allies expected to warn a serious economic consequences of a Russian invasion, as well as increased NATO U.S. presence in the region. But there's been no talk of a military response to any Russian aggression.
U.S. Intelligence believes Putin now has the ability to order an invasion possibly within weeks. If that were to happen, sources tell CNN, sanctions are being prepared
which could target Putin's inner circle, Russian energy producers, and even Russia's access to SWIFT, the international payment system.
In Ukraine, National Army Day came with a message from President Volodymyr Zelensky, the armed forces he said are capable of fighting of any attack from Russia. The reality though is very different.
Zelensky made those remarks visiting the next region where Ukraine's army has fought Russian backed forces since 2014.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Today, I would like to wish each of you health and to save your life. It is very important because we need you to tell your grandsons and granddaughters wonderful stories about your heroic deeds when you defended our country.
With people like you, I am confident we will beat them all for sure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Ukraine's Defense Minister warns there will be a bloody massacre if Russia invades. Those comments came during an exclusive interview with CNN where he urged President Joe Biden to stand firm against Moscow.
CNN's Matthew Chance has more.
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OLEKSIY REZNIKOV, UKRAINE'S MINISTER OF DEFENSE: You see that this is empty plates.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
REZNIKOV: I hope that they will empty forever. Just only these guys.
CHANCE: These are the guys that have already lost their lives. These could soon be filled.
This is the real threat Ukraine now faces. More soldiers dying in battles with Russia, something the country's new Defense Minister have pointed just a month ago tells me he's struggling with.
REZNIKOV: In Russia, they will have also the same places. Old reason, old saying (PH), Russians will die. For what?
CHANCE: Across the border, the Kremlin calls these its regular winter drills. Ukraine says there are now about 95,000 Russian troops within striking distance. U.S. intel indicates that will rise to 175,000.
But even that, the Defense Minister tells me is an underestimate.
REZNIKOV: 175, it's not enough to go to Ukraine. CHANCE: Do you think Russia will need more than 175?
REZNIKOV: Yes, sure.
CHANCE: How much more is unclear. But these latest satellite images from Russia suggest Moscow is now engaged in an unprecedented build up near the Ukrainian frontier, enough to mount an overwhelming invasion, alarming the U.S. and NATO. Although, Ukrainian officials seem calm at what looks like an imminent threat.
REZNIKOV: I would say that the different means that we are not in fear mood.
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CHANCE: But you're not fearful of a Russian invasion? Is that because you don't believe the intelligence?
REZNIKOV: No, no, no.
CHANCE: You don't believe Russians are going to invade?
REZNIKOV: We believe through our intel. We believe to all facts that was fixed by the United States intel and etcetera. But this is not the last decision.
(CROSSTALK)
CHANCE: Do you believe Russia will invade?
REZNIKOV: I'm not believe that -- I will not believe that Russian will have a victory in Ukraine. It's a different, because it will be a really bloody massacre and Russian guys also will come back in the coffins, yes.
CHANCE: There's also a belief in Ukraine that Russia, which denies plans to invade, can, with the help of the United States and its allies, still be deterred.
This is the Defense Minister inducting two new coastal patrol boats from the U.S. into the Ukrainian navy. Part of a much broader military modernization program Ukraine is trying to carry out with support from the West, angering Moscow.
Ukraine's growing ties with NATO and Kremlin demands for NATO expansion to be curbed is set to dominate President Biden's video call with Vladimir Putin of Russia on Tuesday, a crucial online meeting that could determine Ukraine's fate.
The U.S. president, the Defense Minister tells me, should double down on support for Ukraine.
REZNIKOV: If I can advise President Biden.
CHANCE: Please. REZNIKOV: I would like to ask him to very understandable, articulate to Mr. Putin that no red lines from Kremlin side could be here. Red line is here in Ukraine, and civilized world will react without any hesitation.
We don't need the American or Canadian soldiers here to fighting for Ukraine. We will fight by ourselves. But we need modernizational weaponry. We have -- we need electronic warfare and etcetera, etcetera.
CHANCE: The problem with America and NATO and others stepping up their help, their assistance for Ukraine is that it could potentially provoke the Kremlin even further. Could be poking the bear and force them to invade.
Is that a concern for you? Do you think that's realistic?
REZNIKOV: The idea don't provoke Russian will not work because Georgia, Salisbury, Crimea.
CHANCE: So, you think confrontation with Russia is the only way to stop Russia's malign activity around the world?
REZNIKOV: It could be not only confrontation. It could be very -- it should be strong position. We are partners of Ukraine. We will help them in all kind of ways.
CHANCE: And the Kremlin will hear that and it will understand that and it will stop?
REZNIKOV: I'm sure.
CHANCE: But it is a high-stakes gamble with no guarantee such a hard line from the White House to the Kremlin will do anything to force Russia back.
Matthew Chance, CNN, Odessa, Ukraine.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Robert English is Professor and Director of the Central European Studies at the University of Southern California is with us this hour from Los Angeles. Welcome back, Robert, been a while.
ROBERT ENGLISH, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: Thank you.
VAUSE: So, right now, both sides, they just seem to what the status quo when it comes to Ukraine. Biden warning Putin that invading will bring a world of economic pain, as well as increase U.S. NATO presence.
Putin wants legal guarantees, which would prevent Ukraine from joining NATO. That seems unlikely.
But listen to Pentagon Spokesman John Kirby on the regional buildup of Russia's military, here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KIRBY, PRESS SECRETARY, PENTAGON: What we continue to see is added capability that President Putin continues to add. Added military capability in the -- in the western part of his country and around Ukraine.
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VAUSE: So, we're looking at 175,000 U.S. troops on the border with Ukraine. This significant build up on, you know, what is it, the Northwest as well as the southern side of the border. So, that's where Putin stands right now.
How does Biden convince him that he is actually serious about an unshakeable commitment to Ukraine, if that doesn't come with the threat of U.S. military action, and Putin seems ready to put 100,000 troops into the mix?
ENGLISH: I think that Biden is going with the correct message. The Ukrainians would fight tenaciously and impose massive costs on Russia, if there were actually an invasion, it would be political as well as economic and diplomatic suicide for Putin. And I think he knows it.
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ENGLISH: And that economic pain is what the U.S. and the West in general can bring. That would mean, of course, the end of many energy projects upon which Russia depends for income, it would mean severe, perhaps Russia's exclusion from the system of our global banking and financial transactions. And that would bring Russia to its knees.
Putin doesn't want that. He doesn't want the thousands that would die. But he is saber rattling to try to, as your introduction said, to get some kind of security guarantees to stop this expansion of NATO that concerns them so much.
VAUSE: Yes, the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, they're all standing with the United States. It's a united front against Russia, its support which will be needed if, you know, sanctions are to be imposed.
But is that united front sort of undermine to a degree by the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which delivers, -- you know, which will deliver Russian natural gas directly to Germany, and give Putin more leverage over Europe in the process.
ENGLISH: Russia is under sanctions, many layers of sanctions for previous activities from the annexation of Crimea, to the interference in the American elections. And those sanctions have imposed real penalties on Russia. And we've blocked technology exports, we've tried to interfere with all kinds of energy projects. And yet, everybody exports, imports that is Russian natural gas and petroleum, because we need it so much. So yes, you're correct. There's a gigantic hole in any attempt to
really punish Russia economically, because especially Europe is interdependent with Russia. And it's hard to get away from that, there's no quick fix for Russia's energy relations with Europe, their dependence on natural gas in particular.
VAUSE: I want you to listen to Joe Biden talking tough about getting tough with Russia. It was back in February, here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I made it clear to President Putin, in a manner very different from my predecessor, that the days of the United States rolling over in the face of Russia's aggressive actions, interfering with our elections, cyber-attacks, poisoning its citizens are over. We will not hesitate to raise the cost on Russia and defend our vital interests in our people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: So, is that the Joe Biden who should be sitting with Putin face to face in a few hours now or is there another approach which would work better?
And why does the U.S. continue to respond sort of unconventional ways when trying to rein in Putin? Because that doesn't seem to work that often.
ENGLISH: I think it's the right message. But I think that along with the sticks, it might be time that the West has at least one carrot to offer Russia.
It may not be a legal guarantee that Ukraine or Georgia will never join NATO, but some kind of halfway house towards that, some kind of slight compromise on Russia security concerns.
Otherwise, you're right. It's a conventional response and we just see this escalation.
And in this current situation, even if neither side intends it, it's very possible for an accident, a provocation to spill out of control.
And then, I'm afraid the real losers are the Ukrainians, because the West will not be sending troops. We can send more weapons, but it would be a bloody massacre on both sides.
And so, I think it's time I think you're suggesting for a little less conventional diplomacy, it's just going to be really difficult to do that. And I think Putin knows that he has certain leverage, the Europeans aren't going to go send soldiers to fight, the Americans aren't.
So, it's a sort of a saber rattling contest. We need cooler heads to prevail and find a compromise.
VAUSE: That sounds like a good plan, Robert. Robert English thank you so much for being with us. Appreciate that. Take care.
Well, still to come new travel rules and vaccine requirements now in place in several countries trying to slow the Omicron outbreak.
Also, while Chile now the world's leader in booster shots, there is no end to new pandemic challenges. Details in a moment.
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VAUSE: Measures to slow the spread of the Omicron variant will be discussed by European health ministers later today. New rules are now in effect to the U.K. where all inbound travelers must take a pre- departure COVID test regardless of vaccination status. This comes as England reports community transmission of the Omicron variant.
France planning to close all nightclubs from Friday, implement mask mandates and social distancing measures in primary schools. The French Prime Minister says the country is now in the grip of a fifth wave.
And South Africa's president says the Omicron variant appears to be dominating new infections, pushing the country towards a fourth pandemic wave.
Meantime, several countries now mandating vaccines. Taiwan will require workers in areas like education, childcare, entertainment to be fully vaccinated by January 1st.
The Czech government ordering vaccinations for many public workers and everyone 60 and older.
Africa's largest telecom company requiring all employees to be fully vaccinated starting next month as well.
All private companies in New York City will have to implement a COVID vaccine mandate by December 27th.
Italy's new Super Green Pass took effect Monday with tough new COVID restrictions in place for the coming festive season and possibly beyond.
Unlike the regular Green Pass, a negative COVID test result alone won't cut it to get a super pass.
CNN's Ben Wedeman has details now reporting in from Rome.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Monday Italy's new Super Green Pass went into effect, meaning only those who have been vaccinated or have recently recovered from COVID- 19 can enter bars, restaurants, cinemas, gyms, theaters, discos, and stadiums. Anyone trying to sneak around these new rules could face stiff fines.
The Super Green Pass supersedes the original Green Pass that went into effect here in mid-October, which barred anyone who wasn't vaccinated from going to their place of work. No longer is a recent negative COVID test sufficient to get by.
The Super Green Pass is intended to convince or some might say compel anti-vax holdouts to get the shot. It's just short of a vaccine mandate, but not by much.
Almost 85 percent of the population of Italy over the age of 12 has been fully vaccinated but with the holiday season fast approaching and the Omicron variant popping up across Europe, the authorities here don't want to take any chances.
I'm Ben Wedeman, CNN, reporting from Rome.
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VAUSE: Dr. Jorge Rodriguez is a board certified Internal Medicine Specialist and Viral Researcher. He's with us this hour from Los Angeles. Welcome back.
DR. JORGE RODRIGUEZ, INTERNAL MEDICINE SPECIALIST AND VIRAL RESEARCHER: Thank you, John. glad to be with you.
VAUSE: Every day, a little more is known about the Omicron variant in South Africa, just over 6,000 confirmed cases in the past 24 hours. Just over 24,000 tests. And that puts the positivity rate at 26.4 percent.
Two weeks ago before Omicron, it was at 2.3 percent. So, let's just go back to pandemic school for a moment, our positivity rate of 26 percent means out of every 100 people tested, 26 are positive. So, what do these numbers actually say to you? How concerned should we be?
RODRIGUEZ: Well, we should be concerned the fact that it's escalating very quickly, some people seem to find some sort of comfort in the fact that some anecdotes say that this virus, luckily, if that's true, is not as virulent, that you don't get as sick from it.
[00:20:06]
RODRIGUEZ: But I just want to keep hammering the point home that there is no such thing as a good COVID infection. Even if the symptoms are mild, even if you survived the infection. For the sake of the whole population, you are still breeding variants, no ifs, ands or buts.
Every person that gets infected, due to the billions of viruses that are created in that person's body, there will eventually be variants, and one of these may be the next super variant.
So, we need to stop all infections everywhere. That's the bottom line.
VAUSE: You just stole my next question, but you know, there is that anecdotal evidence out there that symptoms from Omicron are not as severe as they are from the Delta variant and the -- and the other, you know, original strains but the complication here though, is the unvaccinated.
I want you to listen to Dr. Adam Brown who specializes in emergency care, here he is.
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DR. ADAM BROWN, COVID-19 TASK FORCE CHAIR, ENVISION HEALTHCARE: It appears that this may be more transmissible than Delta.
And so, if we have a large portion of the population that is exposed, we have a lot of the people that are undervaccinated or not vaccinated at all, we have the potential also of having severe disease and also overwhelming our health care system.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: OK, so a couple of things here. When Delta came along. At first, it was the unvaccinated who seem to be filling up the hospital beds in the ICUs around the country. Then it was the vaccinated with these breakthrough infections, that kind of thing.
So, is it possible that as this virus mutates and changes and all the rest in a very short period of time, what were once mild symptoms can become quite serious?
RODRIGUEZ: We don't know yet -- we don't know yet. It's very possible. And it's always been though the unvaccinated that have been the sickest, even though with breakthroughs, the vaccinated got sicker than we expected.
So, is it very likely? Yes, I think it's going to be likely, because even if there are not as many serious infections, if there are more infections overall, we're already seeing this in the United States where certain states and certain counties are already reaching maximum in the ICU. So, I think it's very likely, yes.
VAUSE: And when it comes to the vaccination issue, Greece is now mandated vaccination for those 60 and older, also in New York, all private sector employees must be vaccinated. Listen to the mayor, here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL DE BLASIO, MAYOR OF NEW YORK CITY: A lot of folks in the private sector said to me, they believe in vaccination, but they're not quite sure how they can do it themselves.
Well, we're going to do it. We're going to do this so that every employer is on level playing field, one universal standard.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Essentially providing cover for business to do this seems like a pretty sensible move. Is that something that could be done at a federal level by the Biden administration?
RODRIGUEZ: Absolutely. I think it could be done. I think it should be done. And some of it is being taken to court at this time from what I understand. John, you and I are about to celebrate our two-year anniversary
talking about this, I think in January. And it's about time that we started taking this, at least businesses and governments as serious as it is, we've been pussyfooting around.
And I think in my opinion, for too long, we have been more concerned about the rights of the people that don't want to get vaccinated as opposed to the rights of the people that want to stay healthy, that have a right to stay healthy as much as anybody has a right not to get vaccinated, and they have to be protected also.
So, I think these mandates or requirements, whatever you want to call them, not only are they important, I think they're absolutely necessary.
VAUSE: Jorge Rodriguez, yes, it is. It will be two years in January. And you know, time flies I guess. Thank you so much for being with us. And thank you for the past two years.
RODRIGUEZ: Thank you, John.
VAUSE: Well, in Latin America, Chile now leads the world in administrating booster shots with nearly half the population receiving that extra dose.
We have more now from CNN's Rafael Romo.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It was a rough start. When Chile launched a campaign to make booster shots available to its population in August, the process was less than perfect.
But over the last several months, the South American country has turned things around not only increasing the pace of booster shots but also launching a national drive to vaccinate children.
This week, the Chilean Health Minister reflected on the difficult task his country has faced.
It has been almost two years of facing COVID-19, the minister said. It has undoubtedly been one of the most difficult and taxing challenges we've ever had.
Vaccine shipments keep arriving until late with regularity. And over the last week, at more than 45 percent, Chile surpassed Israel as the country with the world's highest percentage of population to have been given a booster shot.
By Friday, Chile had already fully vaccinated more than 91 percent of its target population, those 18 and older according to the country's health ministry.
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ROMO: Only months after the pandemic was declared, the country of 19 million managed to acquire vaccines from companies like Sinovac and Pfizer-BioNTech.
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ROMO (on camera): This head start gave many Chileans a sense of safety, given the rapid pace of vaccinations that after last year's Christmas gatherings and New Year's festivities, a sustained push to reopen all schools and shopping malls and less than desired levels of effectiveness of the Sinovac vaccine. The country was hit by a new spike of infections that started at the beginning of the year and reached its speak in June.
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ROMO (voice over): It's true that this pandemic hasn't ended, the minister said but we have learned important lessons. Those lessons could be tested with a potential new challenge ahead. Chile confirmed its first case of the Omicron variant Saturday, a person from Ghana residing in Chile who had traveled to the country in West Africa.
Last month, several presidential candidates have to stop campaigning just weeks before the presidential election, because one of them tested positive for the virus just days after a debate, a clear sign that the fight against the pandemic goes on.
Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Might just be a good week on Wall Street with the Dow gaining more than 600 points Monday. A possible rebound from last week's losses after news of the Omicron variant was breaking.
Let's take a look at U.S. Futures at the moment. There they are, we have the Dow up almost half a percent. NASDAQ about the same, so too for the S&P 500.
Meanwhile, trading is coming to a close across Asia as well as Australia. It's been a good day for most of the indexes there, except for the Shanghai Composite down by touch but this is despite some news coming in about the Shanghai real estate developer Evergrande.
OK, there we have it. Let's take a short break.
When we come back, Washington pulling the plug on a diplomatic presence at the Beijing Winter Olympics. The latest search (PH) from China when we return.
Also, Olympic executives may soon face tough questions about the fate of Peng Shuai and if they're aided in China's efforts to silence her.
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VAUSE: The U.S. will not send an official government delegation to February's Winter Olympics in Beijing.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirmed the boycott Monday, 59 days before the opening ceremonies.
This is meant to send a message to China about its human rights record but will still allow athletes to compete in the games.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSES PRESS SECRETARY: U.S. diplomatic or official representation would treat these games as business as usual in the face of the PRC's egregious human rights abuses and atrocities in Xinjiang, and we simply can't do that.
[00:30:16]
As the president has told President Xi, standing up for human rights is in the DNA of Americans. We have a fundamental commitment to promoting human rights, and we feel strongly in our position. And we will continue to take actions to advance human rights in China and beyond.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Beijing slammed the move, before it even happened, calling it politically manipulative, and has warned of resolute countermeasures.
Instead of continuing to deny allegations of abuse and crimes against humanity, CNN sports analyst Christine Brennan says Beijing is more worried about a snub from the United States on the global stage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: It is symbolic, but the symbolism carries over to the fact that the U.S. is saying, No, no, we're not going to do that this time.
And I think it does. Obviously, the Chinese are not happy about it, and if other nations join in, again, I think it just helps to just take a little bit of the legitimacy out of China's Olympics. And, you know, this is more important to China than anything else. And so it's a bit of a fight that the -- you know, house guests aren't going to come.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Sportscaster Bob Costas points out the International Olympic Committee and China have a long, strong relationship, which could prove harmful for those who choose to speak out against Beijing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB COSTAS, SPORTSCASTER: We might have said in the past that it was questionable, and it was discouraging, or disappointing. The IOC's affinity for China, and for other authoritarian regimes, I think it has now reached the point where it is disgraceful.
But this is -- this is tricky terrain, now for NBC and for other Americans. We don't know what sort of peril anybody might be in, if they speak forthrightly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Well, the International Olympic Committee's executive board will begin a series of meetings and virtual news conference today and will likely get grilled about the fate of Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai.
The IOC has been accused of collaborating with the Chinese government to try and convince the world that she's OK. Last month, Peng accused one of the most senior communist leaders of sexual assault. She was muzzled and only appeared since in carefully choreographed situations.
CNN's Kristie Lu Stout explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Three-time Olympian, two-time Grand Slam champion, and the first Chinese tennis player, male or female, to achieve world No. 1 in doubles.
After reaching the top of world tennis, Peng Shuai is battling the very top of the Communist Party. One month ago, she accused a powerful man, former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli, of forcing her to have sex.
(on camera): Peng made the accusation on her verified Sina Weibo social media account. In a more than 1,600-word post, she wrote, "I know that for someone of your eminence, Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli, that you said you were not afraid. But even if it's just me, like an egg hitting a stone, a moth flying into flames, courting destruction, I will tell the truth about us."
Within 30 minutes, this was taken down.
LETA HONG FINCHER, AUTHOR, "BETRAYING BIG BROTHER: THE FEMINIST AWAKENING IN CHINA": That kind of censorship of any need to post is very common.
STOUT (voice-over): CNN cannot verify the authenticity of the post. Peng is unreachable, as is the 75-year-old former party leader. She remains under blanket censorship in China, where there is no reporting of her allegation.
Even the senior state media journalist, trying to argue in a Twitter post that Peng is fine, won't say it out loud.
(on camera): Why is Beijing afraid of addressing this sexual assault allegation?
DANA IMPIOMBATO, ICPC RESEARCHER, AUSTRALIAN STRATEGIC POLICY INSTITUTE: The #MeToo movement is very monitored in China, and the reason is that it is seen as a threat to the authority of the Chinese Communist Party, to its moral standing. But also to all of those patriarchal structures that are so embedded in the system.
STOUT (voice-over): In recent years, Beijing has cracked down on China's feminist movement. In 2015, five feminists were detained over their campaign for gender equality. After international outcry, they were released.
Earlier this year, a friend of #MeToo activist Huang Xueqin tells CNN Huang was arrested on September 19. She remains detained.
And now, #MeToo has reached the party elite. After Peng Shuai was not seen in public for two weeks, state media attempted to show she is safe but only added to the wave of concern.
FINCHER: I do believe that Beijing is actually susceptible to enormous international pressure. And we have this convergence of outrage coming from sports celebrities outside China. We have the Olympics coming up.
STOUT: The Women's Tennis Association, the United Nations, and the E.U. have called for a full investigation into her allegations.
One month ago, Peng wrote, "Why did you have to come back to me, took me to your home to force me to have sex with you? I couldn't describe how disgusted I was and how many times I asked myself, am I still human? I feel like a walking corpse."
[00:35:09]
Since she posted that explosive allegation, Peng has posed with a cat, nodded at a dinner table in a carefully edited video, and smiled to the camera during a video call with the IOC.
The one-time fighter on the court has yet to speak out in her own words directly to the public.
Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: CNN has yet to receive a response from the State Council Information Office. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs declines to comment, as in their words, this is not a diplomatic incident.
The E.U. government claims to have retaken a number of key challenges, which had been under rebel control. U.N. fighters and their allies had seized Dessie and Kombolcha during an advance towards the capital, Addis Ababa.
State media aired remarks from the prime minister, the former Nobel Peace Prize winner, who joined Ethiopian troops on the front lines.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABIY AHMED, ETHIOPIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): The enemy has been on this journey for four to five months, and we've ended it in less than 15 days. Today, Bati, Dessie, and Kombolcha have been liberated. We'll liberate the few areas that are left in a few days. Congratulations to you. Our victory will continue.
(END VIDEO CLIP) VAUSE: The yearlong civil war has killed thousands and forced millions to leave their homes.
The sex-trafficking trial of Ghislaine Maxwell resumes just hours from now in New York. On Monday, a woman testified that Maxwell befriended her when she was 17, then arranged meetings that allow Jeffrey Epstein to sexually assault her on multiple occasions at his home.
She said Maxwell asked her whether she knew of other girls who could perform sex acts with Epstein.
Epstein was a convicted sex offender who died by suicide in 2019. The defense argues Maxwell is being used as a scapegoat for his abuses.
Now to Chicago, where actor Jussie Smollett testified in his own defense Monday, that he was the victim of a violent hate crime outside his apartment in 2019. He claims his two attackers yelled "MAGA country," a political slogan associated with Donald Trump, tired a noose around his neck and bleach on him.
Authorities accused the former "Empire" actor of paying two men to stage the attack for publicity and have charged him with making false police reports.
Smollett has pleaded not guilty. The trial resumes in the coming hours.
Still ahead, after nearly two years, some students in the Philippines finally heading back to the classroom, where advocates say the return to in-person learning cannot come soon enough.
Decking the halls but not with holly, but rather with hundreds and hundreds of Christmas trees. Coming up, one German couple's record- setting -- record-setting decorations.
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[00:40:01]
VAUSE: Rescue workers in Indonesia are digging through layers of ash and debris to find survivors of Saturday's eruption of Mount Semeru. At least 23 people have died. Heavy rain is hampering rescue efforts.
Hundreds of homes have been destroyed in East Java Province. Officials believe about 2,000 people are in evacuation centers right now.
Mount Semeru is one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes.
On Monday, it's back to school for many children there, part of an expanded plan to get students back into the classroom, after nearly two years of online learning. And this was more than just day one jitters for many kids.
CNN's Lynda Kinkade has a closer look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) LYNDA KINKADE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Lining up
after nearly two years away, some children in Manila are finally back to school.
These students wearing their uniforms and backpacks and another essential supply, masks.
And for the little ones, who are just starting to learn subjects like math and measurements, what is a safe distance from one another is one of the first lessons.
These 60 nine-year-old students are part of a pilot scheme in Manila to resume face-to-face learning, after 20 months of online classes because of the pandemic.
It's an expansion of a trial of reopening of schools in low-risk areas which started last month, with a goal of getting all students back in the classroom by January.
Some children are so young, they're a little fuzzy on what school was like before COVID-19. Others say they're glad to be back.
KEIN CALVIN MATAAC, STUDENT (through translator): I'm excited to go to school, because I'm going to see all my classmates and my teacher.
KINKADE: UNICEF is encouraging the Philippines to reopen its schools after one of the longest school breaks in the world. The agency warns of setbacks in education, saying the learning crisis could turn into a learning catastrophe if children don't return to the classroom.
Families in some parts of the Philippines don't have the proper equipment, like computers, phones and Internet, to learn from home, with some students climbing onto rooftops to get data signals.
And there's also the added toll on parents, who've taken on the extra role of teacher.
LARA VEDASTO, PARENT (through translator): I feel scared, since there is still COVID. But we have to brave it so my children can learn. I can't focus on helping her with her studies, because I also have to work.
KINKADE: So far, this first day looks like a success, as the kids sing, dance, and socially distance in the classroom.
CIPRIANO BISCO, SCHOOL PRINCIPAL (through translator): The classrooms have been so quiet, and we missed this kind of noise.
KINKADE: Some lessons are all the more valuable when they're not learned alone.
Lynda Kinkade, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: No country does Christmas quite like Germany, and when it comes to Yuletide decorating, for one German couple, more is more.
They held a word record for the most decorated Christmas trees in one place. A total from all, 444. No two trees are the same. Themes include stormtroopers and superheroes.
More than 10,000 Christmas balls, 300 strings of light, used in this display. And they start putting trees up months ahead of time to have everything ready for the first Sunday in December. What a life.
And from Spain's sunny Canary Islands, take a look at these incredible detailed nativity scenes, sculpted from sand. Part of an event to mark the beginning of the Christmas season. Took eight people -- they should meet the people in Germany, get together -- to build these scenes. They'll stay protected by a huge wall of sand, until January.
Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. Please stay with us. WORLD SPORT starts after the break. I'll see you, hopefully, at the top of the hour.
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