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Biden and Putin Hold Two-Hour Video Call; Scientists Reportedly Identify "Stealth" Omicron Variant; Angela Merkel Stands Down After 15 Years as Chancellor. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired December 08, 2021 - 01:00 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: Coming up on CNN Newsroom, Biden puts Putin on notice, an invasion of Ukraine would bring significant and severe economic harm to the Russian economy and an increase NATO and U.S. military presence in Europe.
The always dependable totally predictable, ever reliable Angela Merkel bowing out after 16 years as German chancellor and her replacement described as the Merkel variant.
And Australia joins a U.S.-led diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, bringing the number of countries taking a stand against human rights abuse to two.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from CNN center, this is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.
VAUSE: Wherever you are around the world, thank you for joining us here at CNN Newsroom. We begin with that high stakes meeting between Presidents Biden and Putin. For two hours a squared off over Ukraine, which is now surrounded on three sides by an unprecedented military buildup by Russian forces. Joe Biden said any escalation would bring harsh economic penalties, warning the U.S. and its allies are prepared to go much further than they did in 2014. After the Russian invasion of Crimea.
U.S. intelligence police Putin is yet to decide if he will order an invasion. But if he does, Biden laid out the consequences during their virtual Summit. Putin emerged from the meeting still blaming NATO and the U.S. for this crisis, still wanting legal guarantees which would prevent Ukraine from joining the NATO Defense Alliance.
U.S. officials say Russia's military presence on Ukraine's border is more lethal than ever before, and includes 100 battle tactical groups, a BTG number as many as 900 troops.
The virtual summit started off amicably in sources say the conversation was frank and professional. The Times became tense, especially when talks veer to Russia's military buildup. CNN's Phil Mattingly has more now from Washington.
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JAKE SULLIVAN, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: President was crystal clear about where the United States stands on all of these issues.
PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Tonight, a clear message from the President, spirits of a Russian invasion of Ukraine grip the world.
SULLIVAN: What President Biden did today was lay out very clearly, the consequences if he chooses to move. He also laid out an alternative path --
MATTINGLY: With probable concern from Washington to capitals across Europe, Biden's high stakes call with Russian President Vladimir Putin focused on de-escalation.
SULLIVAN: He's not doing this to saber-rattle. He's not doing it to make idle threats. He's doing it to be clear and direct with both the Russians and with our European allies about the best way forward. And we think this stands the best chance alongside a pathway to deescalate, to avert a potential crisis with respect to an invasion of Ukraine.
MATTINGLY: While making clear consequences for offensive action would be substantial and far greater than those imposed in a similar moment seven years ago.
MATTINGLY: As President Biden looked President Putin in the eye and told him today that things we did not do in 2014 we are prepared to do now.
MATTINGLY: Biden's seated in the Situation Room with a handful of advisors spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin for two hours and one minute with U.S. officials still convinced Putin hasn't made a decision about whether to invade.
SULLIVAN: We still do not believe that President Putin has made a decision.
MATTINGLY: But Putin laid down red lines of his own prior to the video conference.
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translation): Creating such threats in Ukraine poses red lines for us. But I hope it doesn't come to that. I hope that common sense and responsibility for both our countries and the world will prevail.
MATTINGLY: Including a clear commitment that NATO would not expand east, and commitments that the NATO alliance weapon systems wouldn't be placed in the country. Biden making no concessions, official said, but willing to continue conversations if that de-escalation occurs.
SULLIVAN: Ultimately, we will see in the days ahead through actions not through words, what course of action Russia chooses to take. MATTINGLY: Biden speaking to key European leaders before the call, and within hours of it ending. Sources tell CNN Biden administration officials have explored options to evacuate U.S. citizens in the event of a Russian invasion, something official stress there isn't need for currently, but underscores the palpable level of concern across the administration.
JEN PSAKI, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: As you all know, from our discussions about Ethiopia, for the U.S. government to plan for me -- I mean, we plan for everything.
MATTINGLY: All as Biden navigates another thorny relationship with China threatening "grave consequences" for the U.S. decision not to send a diplomatic deal delegation to the Beijing Olympics something that has done little to change Biden's view of the moon.
[01:05:05]
PSAKI: I think he is certainly delivering on his values and how he proposed he would be leading in the world.
MATTINGLY (on camera): And what U.S. officials make clear the next few days will be critical to figuring out exactly what President Putin wants. And if that two-hour discussion between the two presidents will lead to any de-escalation, exactly what President Biden is looking for the two presidents both tasked their teams to continue conversations, to see if there are pathways forward towards the diplomatic route. But U.S. officials also making clear they're going to stay in close consultations with their allies that you unified front is considered critical as they continue to move forward trying to figure out a pathway away from any type of Russian invasion or offensive escalation. Phil Mattingly, CNN, the White House.
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VAUSE: So now it seems what happens next in this crisis is up to the Russian president. CNN's Matthew Chance has the Russian take on this virtual summit.
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MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Vladimir Putin doesn't seem to shed much light on his plans for Ukraine. But the Kremlin readout of the video call with President Biden certainly spells out what are Russia's concerns in response to allegations that Russia is threatening Ukraine with the troop buildup near its borders. President Putin according to the readout, said that Russia should not be blamed, and that it is, in fact NATO that is making what are called dangerous attempts to conquer Ukrainian territory, building up its military potential, Putin said, at Russia's borders.
The Russian leader then went on to say he was seriously interested in obtaining legal guarantees that would stop NATO from expanding to the east, and to prevent the military alliance from deploying what he called strike weapon systems in countries next to Russia. Ukraine, of course, which officially wants to join NATO says Russia should never be given any veto over its eventual membership. And so far, there are no indications that the United States or its NATO allies would allow that to happen. Matthew Chance, CNN Odesa Ukraine.
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VAUSE: Lieutenant General Mark Hertling is a CNN Military Analyst and former U.S. Army Commanding General for Europe and the Seventh Army. He joins us this hour from Florida. Good to see you again.
LT. GENERAL MARK HERTLING, (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Good to see you, John, good to be with you.
VAUSE: OK. Well, the U.S. president, he seemed to put a lot more on the table here during these two hours in terms of consequences for Moscow, and not just punitive economic sanctions, but increased support for NATO, I want you to listen to Victoria Nuland from the U.S. State Department explaining the U.S. strategy of laying everything out, all these punitive measures clearly for the Russian president.
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VICTORIA NULAND, U.S. UNDERSECRETARY OF STATE FOR POLITICAL AFFAIRS: So, Putin can see them and so that his people can also understand that this highly unnecessary war will not only be bloody, it'll also be extremely painful economically for the average Russian and for the Russian state.
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VAUSE: So now, it's pretty clear on paper, at least invading Ukraine comes with an incredible price economically and politically, it's just really not an option. So, is this now a test of American credibility, and whether the U.S. will follow through on these threats and also keep European allies united?
HERTLING: But I think, John, you have to look at the fact that over the last several weeks, and in fact, if you count, CIA directors burns visit to Moscow over the last several months, there has been a continuing drumbeat by members of President Biden's cabinet to collaborate and coordinate with the NATO alliances and other EU partners. So, I think that that's been very fascinating to me. It's something we haven't seen in the last couple years under the last administration, where there has been actual planning before one of these conferences took place.
Secretary Blinken, Secretary Austin, we're both at the NATO ministerial and coordinating with our NATO allies. So, I think it's not only the power of what the President is bringing in terms of potential increased sanctions and increased pain that he hopes to bring on Mr. Putin if he continues with these kinds of efforts. But it's also a coordinated effort with European allies who see the dangers in the continued threat to Ukraine sovereignty.
VAUSE: OK. And there is quite a sight right now. I want you to listen to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Mark Milley on the Russian troop buildup along Ukraine's border. Here he is.
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GEN. MARK MILLEY, U.S. JOINIT CHIEF CHAIRMAN: A situation on the Russian side of the border, we've observed a lot of military activity. It's quite serious. And it's different in scale and scope than what we saw back in April. In my view, there's a lot of space here for diplomatic off ramps and de-escalation. And that's kind of the direction of travel that we and everybody else would want to go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The good news is there are these diplomatic off ramps but does that Putin wants to go in that direction, and he's still blaming the west the crisis, still demanding legal guarantees to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO which is a non-starter?
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HERTLING: President Putin told Mr. Biden today that this was all part of post exercise contingencies. That's just a bunch of bold these forces have been there for a very long time. And they've been building up in strength. The difference is that they are literally surrounding three sides of Ukraine's border. And I think it's it gets to what Mr. Putin has attempted to do in the past. It's an attempt to intimidate and threaten not only Ukraine's borders, but also caused divisiveness within the rest of NATO. Because you got to remember, he's also been playing inside of Belarus. There have been situations where he has contributed to the immigrant crisis in Belarus, which has threatened NATO member, Lithuania and Poland borders as well. So, this is all part of the continued intimidation campaign by Mr. Putin, and the attempt to further divide NATO.
VAUSE: Well, this is what, you know, at this point about the Russian military presence on Ukraine's border query U.S. officials, it's larger, more lethal than preparations for the Russian invasion of Crimea back in 2014. Deploying approximately 100 tactical groups, almost all combat ready ground forces based west of the Euros, which is the mountain range separating Europe from Asia significant piece of territory, if you are still serving as commanding general of U.S. Army Europe, you see this intelligence? What are you looking for to indicate Putin has decided to deescalate? What are you looking for to indicate he's staying the course?
HERTLING: Well, the indicators would be if forces start drawing away 100 BTG's as the as the Russians call them, is a pretty hefty force. You know, when you talk about it, that's more than the United States and NATO had in Afghanistan at the height of our operations back in 2010, was about 120,000 soldiers. So, you're talking about a relatively robust force. But the question is, they have come from the central Urals. They have come from Kursk, there have been airborne forces, that tanks that Mr. Putin has put on the ground are their most modern T-80s. So, it's an attempt that threatening. He is bringing forces from Central Russia to this border to do exactly what is playing out right now. And it all has to do with making a show of force, not only for the international audience, but for his domestic audience.
And truthfully, John, you know, there is no good way for this to end on Mr. Putin's part, if he attacks in either large scale or small scale, he is going to be continued to be seen as a pariah on the world stage. He has been given the notice to knock it off, to back off, and the only way he can get out of this the so called off ramps is to withdraw forces from Ukraine's border.
VAUSE: I guess we'll see what he decides to do, balls down his court. Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, good to see you. Thank you, sir.
HERTLING: It's a pleasure, John, thank you.
VAUSE: Right now, vaccination rates in many countries across Europe seem to plateaud leaving millions vulnerable to the highly contagious Delta variant and the potentially even more contagious Omicron. But despite that, the World Health Organization is not embracing vaccine mandates, insisting they should be only used as an option of last resort.
France almost 60,000 new infections on Tuesday, one of the highly highest deadly case counts since a pandemic began. Sweden again urging social distancing and facemasks on public transportation. Switzerland's sending hundreds of military personnel to help hospital staff as they deal with a surge in COVID patients. Daily COVID cases have hit a new record high in South Korea more than 7000 on Tuesday. Ever since the government ease restrictions last month, the pandemic has been getting steadily worse. But now with hospitals under stress, stricter rules were reimposed on Monday. Officials also planning to improve at home COVID treatment to help ease the burden on hospitals.
Also learning new details about that threat posed by the Omicron coronavirus variant. Early data suggests it's more transmissible than a Delta variant, but so far, cases have been less severe. But experts warned those findings are preliminary, and it will likely take several weeks for more definitive answers.
Meantime, a new study out of South Africa shows the Omicron may be able to partially dodge protection from Pfizer's to dose vaccine. Scientists found that fully vaccinated people who had also recovered from the virus are likely to be well protected. They say the same true for those who received the booster shot. Researchers also noted that this was a quick study done in the lab with samples from just a dozen people, does not reflect actual infection with the virus that means.
Dr. Amy Compton-Phillips, Chief Clinical Officer with the Providence Health System, it's a major medical healthcare provider here in the United States. He joins us now from California's Orange County. It's good to see you.
AMY COMPTON-PHILLIPS, CHIEF CLINICAL OFFICER, PROVIDENCE HEALTH SYSTEM: Thanks so much for having me, John.
VAUSE: OK, so each day, it seems a little more is revealed about the Omicron variant. I want you to listen to the White House Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci on the severity of the symptoms. Here he is. [01:15:09]
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DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, CHIEF MEDICAL ADVISER TO PRESIDENT BIDEN: It appears that with the cases that are seen, we are not seeing a very severe profile of disease. In fact, it might be, and I underscore might, be less severe as shown by the ratio of hospitalizations per number of new cases. However, this could be influenced by the fact that many in this particular cohort are young individuals.
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VAUSE: OK, so it's all anecdotal. There's no empirical data yet. But so far, it seems all the anecdotal evidence has been consistent, you know, the symptoms are less severe. So, with all the appropriate caveats about too soon to know, too soon, to be certain, what are your thoughts on the severity of Omicron, compared to Delta, when it comes with symptoms?
COMPTON-PHILLIPS: I think it's too soon to know and to seem to be certain. So, the fact that that the population in South Africa on average is significantly younger than it is in most of the western industrialized nations. And so, it is a different population that this is affecting. Also, the population that's older in South Africa had been immunized to a higher extent than the younger population. And so, we just really don't know what it's like, since even in the U.S. or in Europe, when the infection, it appears in younger people, it's also less severe. So, is it a fact of the population difference or because Omicron is so different than Delta, or Alpha or any of the other variants?
VAUSE: And what appears now to be the case can quickly change with this virus, we've seen that initially, with young people not getting affected, and then later on like, so it is a fair point to make. But what we also found is that the vaccines it will devise a vaccine at least still has some punch when it comes to Omicron. And not a lot of punch, but it's still good news. One of the scientists who did that study, he actually tweeted, just be clear on something, this was better than I expected of Omicron. The fact that it still needs the ACE2 receptor, and that escape is incomplete means it's tractable problem with tools we got.
OK, it turned out the virus infecting cells, which is crucial, because that's how this current vaccine works. Can you explain what he's actually talking about? And why it's good news?
COMPTON-PHILLIPS: Yeah, because the problem with -- the reason why everybody's so worried about Omicron is that that spike protein, the thing that goes into the cell had some variations and change shape. And the ACE2 receptor is the docking mechanism for the -- so the vaccine itself provides antibodies to that spike protein. And because that spike protein looks so different in Omicron, you know, it's a different shape, we weren't sure that the actual antibodies that are designed to fit against, and fight against that spike protein, we're going to work and we're going to disrupt the way that the virus binds to the cell. And the good news is, it does, it might not be perfect, it might not be actually, you know, hand in glove kind of perfect, but it does well enough that it actually at least in the test tube, blocks the binding to some degrees. So that's great news.
VAUSE: So that means it's not back to the drawing board to start all over again, it's basically some tweaks, some changes from one a better term, but it's just basically a new version of what we already have, right?
COMPTON-PHILLIPS: Exactly. It's a slight shift, right? You know, it's the same virus in a slightly different shape with just one side. So, the good news is that the tools that we have, and by the way, the same things that we've been doing that would prevent a consultant against Delta, against Alpha, everything besides the vaccines also work, wearing a mask having ventilation, and so that our advice does not change, get the vaccine, if you've haven't been vaccinated, get the booster if you haven't had a booster. And if you are in a crowd, wear a mask, if you are inside, try to open the windows, get some ventilation, and all those things we've learned in the past 24 months that really make a difference to keeping you safe.
VAUSE: Booster yesterday, some of that out there, that comes whether they could be this different type of Omicron, what's been called a stealth version, because it cannot be detected from the other variants using the PCR test.
Now, clearly recent data, a number of genomes have been uploaded by South Africa, Australia and Canada founded there, that was having many of the defining mutations of the Omicron. They do not have the full set. They also have a number of their own unique mutations.
OK, that sounds concerning. But it seems that the big issue here could be that there are two versions coming out or emerging so quickly. And that could mean that maybe there's something we don't understand, or part of the puzzle could be missing. So how do you explain this? What's the concern here?
COMPTON-PHILLIPS: The way that some of our tests work is they look for a small snippet of information on the gene. And one of the indications that we had a different variant in South Africa that a very astute researcher noticed was that there was something we call an S gene drop out that the test didn't have one of the snips that we would normally see on the test. And it's like oh, there's a blank spot where this is supposed to be, right? Even though everything else is positive and so that drop out was the quick and dirty way for us to identify it, was kind of a lucky find, a quick and dirty way for us to identify Omicron.
[01:20:11]
And it turns out that not all the Omicron strains have that same dropout. So sometimes you don't get that indication that there's something funny with the virus, that it's not the normal Alpha or Beta or Gamma versions that we've been seeing around the globe, so -- or Delta, around the globe. So, it's just missing that one little indicator. It doesn't mean anything about the infectivity of the virus, it doesn't mean anything about the symptoms of the virus. It just means that it's a little bit less easy to tell with some of the tests that we use for diagnosis.
VAUSE: Pandemic school was in there for a very brief time, and you have been a great teacher. Amy Compton-Phillips, thank you so much. We appreciate it.
COMPTON-PHILLIPS: Always a pleasure.
VAUSE: OK. Well, after 16 years, Germany's first female chancellor Angela Merkel leaving office. And coming up, a look at what's ahead for the next government and for Germany and the world.
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VAUSE: A new era of German politics will soon begin, a new chancellor and for the first time a three-party coalition government facing a laundry list of problems and challenges. Tuesday was Angela Merkel's last full day in office. The military honored her last week with the performance of music of her choosing.
Social democratic incoming Chancellor, Olaf Scholz signed the coalition agreement on Tuesday with a Progressive Greens and the liberal Free Democrats ending 16 years of conservative leadership in Germany.
CNN European Affairs Commentator Dominic Thomas is with us now. OK, so Thomas, Chancellor, it was not without mistakes. It was not without missteps. And it seems, are we now seeing the consequences playing out from one of them, which could have been the Nord Stream 2, the old Russian own pipeline, which will deliver Russian natural gas directly to Germany. The critics say it will give a put a lot more leverage over Europe could undermine the U.S. through tough economic sanctions of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. What's the take?
DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Yeah, so this is obviously an issue that we're going to be following in the days, weeks and months coming along. And I think from the Russian perspective, of course, and the question of militarization, NATO, the Ukraine is of tremendous concern. And as, of course, it is for the west to see increasing tree buildup around Ukraine in an area in which this is simply an outgrowth of Putin's more aggressive policies in the region.
However, I think no matter what Vladimir Putin does, in terms of sort of spinning a narrative about the sort of bygone nostalgic era of sort of Soviet greatness, nothing is of greater concern to him than domestic policies and the way in which sanctions could potentially play out. So, it's right, it's an absolutely a very complicated situation here where he absolutely wants this Nord Stream pipeline deal to be signed and up and running. But at the same time, it gives him tremendous leverage and we're in a situation here that is precarious, volatile and highly dangerous. And it's going to be an interesting for us to watch how this plays out.
[01:25:04] VAUSE: Just as, far as electricity goes, there seems to be this excessive narrative of the 2015 decision to allow that million refugees into Germany as being a stain on her record, could have just easily be seen as an incredible humanitarian Act, which showed political and moral courage rarely found among political leaders these days?
THOMAS: Yes, and you're right. It's not found among leaders. And this question is a really, really crucial one. Not only did she respond in this humanitarian way, as you just mentioned, that she then spent the next few years literally staring down the AfD, the far-right alternative for Germany party that in 2017, elections, had made integration, the number one issue, and by the time she ran for the final time in 2021, this issue had moved to the back burners. And I think she played a major role in that. And this is very different than just say, looking at the context in France today, where the presidential elections yet again, are going to be shaped by discussions around immigration and identity. And so, I think that Merkel's gestures in Germany push those issues away for the time being, at least.
VAUSE: Yeah, at a ceremony last week, Merkel had some words of advice for her replacing. Here he is.
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ANGELA MERKEL, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translation): It is now up to the next government to find answers to the challenges that lie ahead of us and to shape our future. For that, dear Olaf Scholz, I wish you and the German government led by you all the very best, good fortune and best of success. I'm convinced that we can continue to shape the future well, if we don't succumb to discontent, envy and pessimism.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Steady as she goes, you know, this Chancellor, maybe for a different political party. But he's been described, at least by the Irish side of this this outstanding headline, the new Merkel variants. So, in other words, what we can expect the expected?
THOMAS: I think, yes or no. I mean, what's remarkable is that this transition has been so orderly. And of course, moving forward, the politics of consensus are continued to shape German politics, particularly with this larger kind of coalition. And I think it's an unfair assessment. This is a government that, in so many ways, is a much more 21st century German government, in terms of its priorities, climate change, addressing German infrastructure, it's a more diverse cabinet, it's a cabinet that better reflects a broader spectrum of the German population. So, I think that assessment is a little bit limited.
The challenge, of course, for Scholz moving forward is going to be addressing those particular promises that he's made, while at the same time, finding ways to not get embroiled in international politics. And as you mentioned earlier, with Nord Stream, Russia, and so on, it's going to be complicated, that arguably, the biggest challenge that lies ahead for Scholz here is going to be managing this three-party coalition that is made up of some very significant personalities from the Green Party and from the FDP. And as we watch them move along, implement policy, and so on and head towards the 2025 election cycle is going to see just how strong that coalition is, and what its track record is, as these autonomous parties then go to seek election as we move forward.
VAUSE: Just one note to finish off on here, which is quite interesting, because she leaves as a second longest serving German Chancellor of the German Federal Republic, and it's a week or so shy of the record set by Helmut Kohl, could they sort of manipulated in a way that you would have stayed on just a little bit longer, she wanted to maybe be their record, even though that would be extremely out of character for a woman who wants to compare herself to an energy saving lamp?
THOMAS: All right. So, what's interesting, I think, you know, with the German political context, if you don't really -- you don't vote for leaders, you vote for political parties. But I think Merkel became the exception to that, when one voted for her people were voting for a kind of stability moving forward. However, when she hesitated to run in 2017, you could see that the sort of the Merkel era, and that the Merkel brand was gradually being weakened, and that the story over the next few years was really a story of erosion of her and her popularity. Clearly, she would have done with the cook better than the candidate that run for her party.
But I think that unlike Helmut Kohl, her predecessor that you mentioned, she was never able to find a successor. She was never able to find an heir. And I think that the problem is really a greater problem that has to do with her party. We've clearly moved away in Germany from the big two-party sort of era of politics towards greater and more fragmented kinds of coalition's and I think that her particular party, the CDU, failed to renew itself, and appeared to electorate -- to the electorate as a kind of, you know, outdated political party. And to a certain extent, the issues that galvanize the electric around Scholz and around that coalition, were not really the issues that were a priority to Merkel, and I think her era was coming to an end.
VAUSE: Yeah, but it will be odd not to see her on that world stage and all those meetings G7, G20 as that steady person, the grown up in the room, but Dominic, thank you so much for being with us. Dominic Thomas there in (inaudible) Sweden.
THOMAS: Thank you.
[01:29:48]
VAUSE: Like most countries the right to vote is granted only to citizens in Germany, so that means 10 million non-nationalized immigrant adults living in Germany paying taxes have no say in the political process.
But there are moves to change that and Salma Abdelaziz met with three politicians fighting for greater representation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HIBBA TUN-NOOR KAUSER, LOCAL OFFENBACH POLITICIAN: It's very unique what we have here in Offenbach.
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Local politician, Hibba Tun-Noor Kauser wants to show me the diversity on her streets.
KAUSER: We have a lot of different people, from different nations, with different skin colors living here.
ABDELAZIZ: This is Offenbach, where almost 64 percent of the population have an immigrant background. But until March of this year, minorities made up just 10 percent of the local parliament, she says.
KAUSER: So, the government looks almost white and male and that's a huge, huge problem. Because the government is supposed to reflect the population.
ABDELAZIZ: About one in three people in Offenbach cannot vote because they do not hold German citizenship.
KAUSER: Every decision that is happening is just happening over our heads. So over the heads of the people who cannot vote. It's over the heads of the marginalized group.
ABDELAZIZ: More than a quarter of the German population has foreign roots. But the advocacy groups Megloom (ph), estimates one in seven German residents, as many as 10 million people without citizenship, are disenfranchised.
And lack of voting power means lack of representation, says berlin official Sawsan Chebli.
SAWSAN CHEBLI, BERLIN OFFICIAL: So just imagine the first future of Germany will be so diverse and this has to be seen and mirrored in our reality, in the political arena. It's not right now but it's getting there.
ABDELAZIZ: Chebli wants the voting rights afforded to E.U. citizens in Germany to be extended other foreign nationals and the citizenship process simplified.
CHEBLI: If I live it for so many years, work and pay taxes in Berlin, then when it comes to elections I'm not allowed to vote, this makes no sense to me. It has to be changed. It is discriminatory.
ABDELAZIZ: Tareq Alaows, a Syrian refugee and activist ran for political office as soon as his immigration status allowed.
TAREQ ALAOWS, SYRIAN REFUGEE AND ACTIVIST (through translator): When I looked at the makeup of the German parliament, there was no one who represented refugees like me. So, I wanted to be the voice I was missing in politics.
ABDELAZIZ: Many welcomed Alaows' campaign, but a right-wing minority targeted him with daily hate mail and had death threats. He says --
ALAOWS: I had to withdraw, but for me as a refugee in a society where there is systemic racism, I have no option but to continue my political activism. I just have to change my direction.
ABDELAZIZ: And without participation and representation, activists say many immigrants are excluded from Germany's democracy.
Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, Offenbach.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: And that report from Salma was made back in September.
Now Australia announces it will not send diplomats to the Beijing Winter Olympics just as the IOC says leave politics at home. The latest reaction from Olympic officials when we come back.
[01:33:17]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Australia has signed on to the U.S. diplomatic boycott of the upcoming Winter Olympics in Beijing. The announcement came Tuesday from Prime Minister Scott Morrison, citing China's appalling human rights record.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT MORRISON, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: The human rights abuses in Xinjiang and the many other issues that Australia has consistently worked (ph). We've been very pleased and very happy to talk to the Chinese government about these issues.
And there's been no obstacle to that occurring on our side. But the Chinese government has consistently not accepted those opportunities for us to meet about these issues. So it is not surprising therefore that Australian government officials would therefore not be going to China for those games.
Australian athletes will though.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: Officials from the International Olympic Committee say the games aspire to be politically neutral but they respect the U.S. decision to this diplomatic boycott -- to make this diplomatic boycott while still allowing athletes to participate.
More now from CNN's, Kristie Lu Stout, live for us in Hong Kong. So we have Australia, we have the United States, a month ago New Zealand apparently decided they were not sending a government delegation anyway to Beijing?
For other countries though, it's a little more difficult especially in Europe. They have a bit of a difficult relationship with China or complicated relationship with China.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we're waiting to hear who's going to be next in joining these diplomatic boycott. You mentioned New Zealand just then. New Zealand in the last day or so has announced that it will not be sending officials to Beijing for the Winter Olympic Games. Not for political reasons but they cited the COVID-19 pandemic.
We know on Monday, Canada's foreign ministry said that they were actively discussing the matter of Olympic participation. And you have the Netherlands. You also have Japan, as well as U.K. also actively discussing whether they will take part in this diplomatic boycott.
Australia has joined the United States in this official snub of the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympic Games. We've heard from the prime minister of Australia earlier today in which he announced the diplomatic boycott saying that it was due to difficulties in reopening the diplomatic channel with China to be able to discuss reported human rights abuses in Xinjiang as well as those punitive tariffs on Australian products like barley, like wine, etc.
We heard from the Australian Olympic Committee and they said that this diplomatic boycott will have no effect on the estimated 40 Australian athletes who are due to participate in the games.
And we also heard from the Chinese embassy in Australia, who wish the Australian athletes good luck, and excellent performance, in their words, at the Beijing Winter Olympic Games. But also had this to say.
We'll bring up the statement for you. This from the Chinese embassy in Australia saying quote, "The blame for the current predicament of China-Australia relations are squarely on the Australian side. China once again urges the Australian side to take practical measures to create favorable conditions for improving bilateral relations," unquote.
Earlier this week that was when the U.S. announced its diplomatic boycott and China responded quite forcefully saying that, the United States should be prepared to quote, "pay the price'.
But on Tuesday there was an interesting response from the spokesman of the ministry of foreign affairs when he was asked the question of whether or not China was worried about a domino effect? That more and more nations would follow suit after the U.S. announcement.
I want you to listen to what Zhao Lijian had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZHAO LIJIAN, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY (through translator): As we stated on various occasions, it is the athletes instead of politicians clamoring boycott out of selfish political gains that should be in the spotlight.
In fact, no one would care whether these people come or not and it has no impact whatsoever on the Olympics to be successfully held by Beijing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STOUT: So their statement of nobody cares about the diplomatic boycott from Beijing, even though, as you pointed out earlier, John, China does care and that was made evident on Monday, when we saw the words United States Olympic boycott, actively being blocked and censored on social media in China.
Back to you.
VAUSE: 2008 all over again, feels like, doesn't it Kristie. Kristie Lu Stout there in Hong Kong. Thank you.
[01:39:51]
VAUSE: Frustrations are growing over COVID travel bans citing (ph) countries in southern Africa after discovery of the omicron variant. There is little agreement on whether these bans actually work. Some experts fear they do more harm than good.
CNN's Larry Madowo has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Johannesburg's OR Tambo Airport is one of the busiest in Africa, but after the travel bans effect in South Africa, this is what the international terminal is like. It's largely empty.
But that means is that people who are trying to get out of the country, have to scramble for the few available flights and often their COVID tests have expired of the regulations have changed, come back the next day.
So, you see, situations like these -- long queues of people trying to get on this Lufthansa flight and hopefully to Canada, the U.S. or whatever part of the world.
But, there's a lesson here. According to one South African expert, it's time for Africa to depend on itself.
THEBE IKALAFENG, BOARD MEMBER, SOUTH AFRICAN TOURISM: If Africa is going to rise, Africa's going to have to look towards Africa and to Africans. This is a reminder of the selfishness of the west when it comes to issues like vaccine sharing their vaccines or sharing their knowledge.
So the reminder that for Africa to thrive again, African must look to itself and not -- and try really to get over this need to get validation from the rest of the world.
MADOWO: The frustration over those travel bans runs deep here. The selective application against southern African nations, has been devastating for instance for South African tourism, usually, the number one tourist destination in Africa. It lost 70 percent of tourist arrivals because of the pandemic. It was just beginning to recover before the omicron variant was discovered here. A lot of livelihoods will be devastated by that.
Larry Madowo, CNN -- Johannesburg.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: And CNN's Eleni Giokos traveled from South Africa to Greece recently. She reports from quarantine in Athens on the difficulties for traveling from a so-called red-list country.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If you're an African trying to get out of a red-list country right now it is almost impossible to get out of a red-list country. It is almost impossible to get out of a red- less country with the current travel bans that have been put in place.
Now unless you hold a second passport or residency in a country that is willing to take you back under the current circumstances, it is almost impossible. For myself and my husband and my four-year-old daughter, we were able to leave South Africa on our E.U. passports.
When we went to the check-in counter a woman actually said that our passports are like gold (ph). that that is the reason that we were able to secure our tickets. But for many people, she said, they have to turn so many Africans in particular away that did not comply with the current rules.
Now, we took a connecting flight by Paris to end up here in Greece but the Greek government is paying for our 10-day quarantine. But for many tourists, from the U.K. for example, to get back into Britain you would have to pay over 2,200 pounds to quarantine per adult. So it's an expensive, a costly exercise to get back home, or to try to return to get back to work or even see family.
Those are the kinds of stories we are hearing and experiencing it personally. When I went into the airport the atmosphere was completely different to what I would normally see at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. It was a sense that every person standing in a very long queue to try and check in, had experienced immense stress and anxiety in securing the tickets.
Now, African leaders have been very vocal, now more than ever about the discrimination and what they say is travel apartheid specifically targeted at African countries that are on the red list. And they say that the omicron variant has been discovered in parts around the world, and yet those countries have not been added to the red list.
It's partly because Africa has very low vaccination rates but they still maintain, that if it wasn't for vaccine reporting, that the scenario would be very different.
Nigeria's the most recent African country to be added to the red list. And there's a sense that as we're starting to get more information and understanding of what the omicron variant is and just widely it has spread globally that perhaps, these travel bans down the line will be lifted as quickly as they were implemented.
Eleni Giokos, Athens, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: A Saudi national has been detained in Paris in connection with the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. But Saudi authorities are telling the French, you've got the wrong man. If the identity of the 33-year-old suspect is confirmed, he would face arrest and preliminary hearings in the coming days.
A Saudi hit squad brutally murdered Khashoggi, a columnist for the "Washington Post" at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.
CNN's Cyril Vanier picks up the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CYRIL VANIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The French police detained a Saudi national at Paris' international airport Tuesday morning before he could board a flight to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
French radio RTL reporting that the man's name is Khalid Aedh al- Otaibi. That name features on multiple sanctions list.
[01:44:50]
VANIER: The U.S., the U.K., France and other European countries believe a person with that name is a member of the 50-men hit squad that dismembered "Washington Post" columnist and Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi in October 2018.
The Paris court has so far not confirmed whether the detained man is the one on the sanctions list. And a senior Saudi official tells CNN they believe it's a case of mistaken identity. The man still being detained is 33. That was confirmed to CNN by French police. The same age as the Al-Otaibi on the sanctions less.
Eyes understandably on the story today, after that gruesome assassination which shocked the international community. An assassination the CIA concluded had been ordered by the Saudi Crown Prince himself, Mohammed bin Salman.
Cyril Vanier, CNN -- Paris.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
The list of billionaires in space will soon add another name. Blast off from Kazakhstan expected soon. We will tell you who it is and where they are going after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: A Japanese fashion tycoon will soon become the latest space traveling billionaire. Yusaku Maezawa is scheduled to blast off from Kazakhstan in less than an hour. Destination? The International Space Station.
Along for the ride will be a videographer and Russian cosmonaut. The nearly two-week long journey will be the first self-funded tourism jaunt to the Space Station in a decade.
CNN's Blake Essig live in Tokyo, following all of this.
First, this is I think what -- the first Japanese billionaire to head beyond the earth? They're a bit late to the party.
BLAKE ESSIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, John space tourism, it's a thing in Japan, getting in on the party. In just about an hour Japanese fashion tycoon Yusaku Maezawa will be heading to the International Space Station on board Russia's Soyuz spacecraft.
According to NASA, the trip to the International Space Station will take about six hours after docking. Maezawa he will have to wait another 2 hours before hatches between the orbiting laboratory and space ship will open allowing those on board to join the other astronauts on the space station.
Now, the 46-year-old won't be going alone as you've mentioned. He will be accompanied by a Russian cosmonaut and a film producer who the billionaire is taking to document the journey and share it on YouTube with his hundreds of thousands of followers.
Maezawa says that the purpose for his trip is to share the experience of perspective of going to space as a commoner and get the perspective that is different from an experience astronaut.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YUSAKU MAEZAWA, JAPANESE BILLIONAIRE (through translator): I hope to be able to send a message that if you keep chasing your dreams, one day you will accomplish them.
I never thought I would be able to go to space. But I have always had the love for stars and celestial bodies. I cannot express how happy I feel for this opportunity. And it feels like my dream has finally come true.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[01:49:51]
ESSIG: For the past several months, the eccentric billionaire has been preparing for this 12-day mission and documenting the experience along the way. We've seen him trying on a spacesuit, attempting to learn Russian, and training in zero gravity.
Now, this won't be his only trip to space. That's because Maezawa has already booked out an entire SpaceX rocket set to fly around the moon as early as 2023. And he plans to take eight random people along for the ride. Earlier this year, Maezawa made headlines when he began accepting applications from ordinary people from all over the world, to join him on that SpaceX spaceflight with the billionaire footing the bill.
Unfortunately, it's too late to apply. The application period ended months ago. And now a total of eight people out of tens of thousands who applied will eventually be selected.
And John, Maezawa's current trip to space was organized by a Virginia based company called Space Adventures, who have sent a total 7 paying customers to the International Space Station, most recently that includes one of the cofounders of Circus Soleil in 2009. So again, space tourism, it's a thing.
VAUSE: It's a thing. It is right now. We'll see for how long.
Blake, thank you. Blake Essig, there live for us in --
(CROSSTALK)
ESSIG: That's right.
VAUSE: When we come back, Hawaii getting hit by some heavy rain and flooding. Well tell you how the state is responding to this extreme weather, in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAUSE: Hawaii is under a state of emergency until Friday because of torrential rains and flooding. Honolulu recorded more than 27 liters of rain Monday making it the wettest day of December on record.
The city's fire department has responded to 90 storm-related incidents since the beginning of the week. It's not severe rain. Parts of the island were under a blizzard warning over the weekend, the first in more than 3 years.
Coral reefs are some of the most biodiverse ecosystem on earth, but they're also severely threatened by climate change.
A scuba instructor in the Maldives is now hoping that her students will come to know more about this underwater world but want to protect it as much as she does.
CNN's Anna Stewart has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Zoona Naseem is the Maldives first woman to be certified as a course director by the Professional Association of the Diving Instructors. Only around a thousand have achieved this status worldwide.
For over 18 years, she worked as an instructor in hotels across the country. But eventually, she found a different calling. Opening this dive center 10 minutes away from Marley. ZOONA NASEEM, MOODHU BULHA DIVE CENTER: Surprisingly even 16, 17 year-
olds they have never been to the ocean. That was something really sad that I heard. Having the ocean around us they have not been in the ocean, is just not so right.
Ok good morning everyone. Are we ready for the next lesson?
Yes.
STEWART: Zoona's center, primarily serves women and children. About two dozen students as young as 8 enroll for driving courses here at any given time.
ZOONA: Ok. How do you signal ok? Excellent.
Air depletion exercise I'm going to close your tanks today.
[01:54:51]
NASEEM: We have a purpose here. The purpose is to make more people love the ocean. If you don't go into to the ocean, you don't love it. And you don't know why it is important to protect it.
If you see something special, you can always share it. So how many of you know the signal for a lionfish? Yes. A turtle? Yes, very good. Are we ready to go?
CROWD: Yes.
NASEEM: Ok just be careful when you stand up, ok?
When you take somebody new for the first time in the water, that is probably my favorite dive. I believe, we are opening a very new door for them, something they have never seen before. A new adventure begins for them.
STEWART: Zoona estimates that she certified about 2.5 thousand divers, the majority of which were under the age of 18.
NASEEM: I believe that the ocean should be the kid's playground. During the young age, they don't have the fear factor. A young age is a very good age to introduce the ocean.
STEWART: Zoona hopes some of these kids will become dive instructors. She says it's one of the tourism industry's most well paid professions. But even more important is nurturing a connection to nature.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: Well, the UAE will be moving to a four and a half day work week for government employees. And the weekend is also changing. Right now it's Friday and Saturday but from January 1st it will be Saturday and Sunday.
Much of the Middle East work Sunday to Thursday keeping Friday free for the Muslim day of prayer. The UAE says the change aims to better align the country with the global markets. And the move will make the UAE the first gulf country with a Monday to Friday schedule.
Landmark ruling -- lawmakers in Chile had voted to legalize same-sex marriage. Both houses of congress approved the bill Tuesday, sending it to the president's desk to be signed into law.
Chile has legally recognized same-sex civil unions since 2015 but will now provide equal rights to those couples including the right to adopt.
Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause.
Please stay with us. The news continues after a very short break with my colleague and friend, Rosemary Church.
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