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U.K. Tightens COVID Rules Amid Conservative Revolt; Parts Of Europe Grappling With Surge In COVID Cases; Pfizer: COVID-19 Pill Greatly Lowers Risk Of Severe Illness; South African Study Details Impact Of Omicron On Vaccines; At Least 62 Dead In Haiti Fuel Tanker Blast; Belarusian Opposition Leader's Husband Sentenced; Judges Rule Epstein-Giuffre Settlement Should Be Released; UAE Suspends Talks With U.S. To Acquire F-35 Fighter Jets. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired December 15, 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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[01:00:17]
JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Ahead here on CNN, after a parliamentary revolt by almost 100 backbenchers from his own Conservative Party, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reportedly warned a leadership challenges on the cards in the coming weeks.
The swift and jaw-dropping spread of the Omicron variant now reported in almost 80 countries, and it's effectively the dominant strain in parts of Europe within days. And another deadly disaster, the Haiti. Dozens killed in a fireball after a fuel truck overturns and explodes in a residential area.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN Newsroom with John Vause.
VAUSE: Thank you for joining us once again here on CNN and we begin with the very latest on the stinging backbench revolt by conservative lawmakers voting against Boris Johnson and his plan B pandemic restrictions. These new measures which include mask mandates and COVID passports for large venues were passed by parliament but only with support from the labour opposition.
Boris Johnson has survived rebellions from within his own party before, but not on this scale. More than a quarter of all Conservative MPs openly define Johnson. Many say the new restrictions were too draconian, and a case of government overreach. For others, they had no vote, seen as a warning to the Prime Minister after a string of recent scandals.
And the man described as the great survivor of British politics could see a leadership challenge early in the New Year. In the midst of this political crisis, number 10 is also dealing with the highly contagious Omicron variant spreading quickly across the U.K. Almost 60,000 new infections reported in the past 24 hours.
For more now on all of this, here's CNN's Salma Abdelaziz reporting from London.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Order, order.
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's the biggest Tory rebellion against Boris Johnson since he took office.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The noes to the left 126.
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): And yet another blow to the Prime Minister's credibility after weeks of scandal. Nearly 100 Conservative MPs, members of Johnson's own party, voted against plan B coronavirus restrictions on Tuesday. The measures include extending mask mandates and most public indoor settings, mandatory vaccines for NHS workers, and most contentious requiring COVID health passes to enter large public venues like nightclubs.
The U.K. Health Secretary said the measures are necessary to stem the tide of Omicron.
SAJID JAVID, BRITISH HEALTH SECRETARY: We're likely to see a substantial rise in hospitalizations before any measure is starting to have an impact. So there really is no time to lose.
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): But some Tories accused the government of overstepping, curbing civil liberties.
ANDREA LEADSOM, BRITISH CONSERVATIVE MP: So Mr. Deputy Speaker, this is a slippery slope down which I do not want to slip. So I'm afraid I'm not going to be supporting these measures.
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Despite the rebellion, the restrictions passed, but some warned they did not go far enough.
CAROLINE LUCAS, BRITISH GREEN PARTY MP: The government's mixed messaging has been incredibly unhelpful, telling people that a tsunami of Omicron is on the way, but at the same time we can go on partying, absolutely undermines that message.
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): To slow the surge of cases, Johnson expanded the nation's ambitious booster program.
BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Everyone eligible aged 18 and over in England will have the chance to get their booster before the New Year.
ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): A rush for bookings crashed the government signup website Monday and hundreds were seen waiting in long lines outside vaccination centers. In total, about half a million people across the U.K. received their booster jobs in the 24 hours after the announcement.
But the Prime Minister's authority still being tested after accusations that multiple Christmas parties were held in Downing Street during lockdown last year. Johnson has denied the allegations that COVID rules were broken, but launched an internal investigation. Johnson now fighting what U.K. officials say is a more transmissible variant of COVID-19 with little support from his own party.
Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.
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VAUSE: To Los Angeles now, and CNN European Affairs Commentator Dominic Thomas. Dominic, thank you for being with us again. Good to see you.
DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Thank you, John. Here we go again.
VAUSE: Yes. Well, you know, we've been here before. Boris Johnson has survived, you know, a rebellious backbench in the past three times over his Brexit deals with Brussels. Don't forget he was the leader of the rebel uprising against Theresa May, his predecessor. But this time, what was it, 98, 99 Tory backbenchers openly defying Johnson after he made a direct appeal to what's called the 22 which is this powerful committee representing these conservative backbenchers.
[01:05:02]
So this was a shot across the bow, right? But it seems though firing all 100 cannons at the same time.
THOMAS: Yes. They absolutely were. And I think what was interesting going into this is, of course, the conservatives have this massive parliamentary majority. And they knew that the opposition would be supporting these new health measures. So they knew they had the leeway, therefore, no matter whether they were voting to express some kind of protest against Boris Johnson's sort of general sort of behavior, or whether they were discontent with the actual policies.
And they sent an unambiguous message that they had, that the Prime Minister essentially serves as the head of the Conservative Party and at their pleasure. And that message today was absolutely unambiguous that he's on a very short leash right now as he moves forward into the December holidays.
VAUSE: Yes, lots of talk also reports that he could be facing this leadership challenge sometime in the New Year if it happens at all. But if it does go ahead, there needs to be a serious challenger for there to be a leadership challenge. So is there a serious candidate out there?
THOMAS: Yes. Well, there are some serious candidates. And this is also a pattern that we saw throughout 2019 where the same backbenchers were the ones essentially threatening Theresa May, bullying her into policymaking over those various meaningful votes. What's interesting is in the 2019 race for the party, there were 10 candidates. The candidate who came second is not currently in the cabinet. And that was the former Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt. And so we would have to think of him as a viable candidate. But it's also interesting that so many of the people who ran against essentially Boris Johnson in this race in 2010, where he was declare unambiguous leader also ended up in the Cabinet. And so it's going to be interesting as these different tensions across the Conservative Party line play out who these various candidates are going to back and who is potentially going to run for this race.
And I think it's quite obvious that those occupying the current important positions, Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Foreign Secretary, the Justice Minister, and so on and so forth, will be the most likely people to continue on in the party, and to try and vie for these particular positions.
VAUSE: It seems the health secretary, he drew the short straw to be the one who funded parliament to try and ease the concerns over these new pandemic restrictions. It didn't work. But in particular, this requirement for two vaccine shots plus a booster to get a COVID health pass. Here he is.
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JAVID: These are not steps that we would take lightly. I firmly believe in individual liberty, and that the curve should be placed on our freedoms only in the most grievous of circumstances. And not only that, I I'm, of course, mindful of the cost that restrictions can bring to the nation's health or education to the economy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: OK, so no doubt many who voted against this package were motivated by this genuine concern of a freedom and liberty. But how many defy the Prime Minister over issues of the Christmas Party scandals? You know, the "Do as I say, not as I do" attitude?
THOMAS: Yes. Well, it's clear that there are two groups, one of them that was upset about the behavior. And I think that in this opposition vote, I think that that would -- they would have been a majority. I think that the bulk of those who voted against him on these particular policies today are concerned about overreaching from the government in these areas.
And it's interesting that, you know, throughout the European Union, there has been, of course, tensions around regulations, vaccination requirements, and so on, that the overwhelming consensus is that the path forward is through vaccination, and that these passes are the condition of access to life. Yet this has become a highly politicized issue within the Conservative Party, especially among backbenchers.
And from the very early days of the COVID pandemic, there's been this argument in the U.K. around the economic priority versus the health priority, as if somehow rather these two were not linked. And the Prime Minister finds himself therefore in a very complex predicament between trying to please those particular backbenchers and hold on to power, while at the same time, implementing the health measures, which of course, ironically, are the pathway towards opening up. And I think that the Labour party and the opposition, in general, understood that there were tensions in the party today. And by supporting Boris Johnson on these votes, they exacerbated the tensions with those particular backbenchers, which are of course, threatening him now with a potential leadership challenge. So it's an unfolding and complex situation with Boris Johnson.
VAUSE: And through it or Theresa May the former Prime Minister grinning like a Cheshire Cat.
Dominic, good to see you. Thank you.
THOMAS: Yes. Thank you.
VAUSE: Well as the Omicron variant spreads around the world at unprecedented speed, health officials are warning it will be the dominant strain in some European countries within days. That comes as Europe struggles with a surge in COVID infections among of France, Italy, Norway, and Denmark. CNN's Nina dos Santos has late details.
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NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Parts of Europe are entering crisis mode when it comes to the spread of COVID. Cases are on the rise while roughly one in three Europeans remains unvaccinated. In London, there are long lines to get the COVID booster jab. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that all adults in England will be offered a booster by year's end.
The pandemic is worsening in the U.K. where there have been an average of more than 50,000 new infections each day over the last week. The Omicron variant representing 20 percent of cases.
SUSAN HOPKINS, CHIEF MEDICAL ADVISER, U.K. HEALTH SECURITY AGENCY: We are concerned with the large volume of individuals who are being infected every day in the population that we are going to have a very difficult for weeks ahead with cases in the community.
DOS SANTOS (voice-over): England is also removing all 11 countries from its red's travel list. The U.K. Health Minister says that it's less effective now that the Omicron variant has spread so widely around the world. The COVID wave is also affecting the sporting world. A high number of Omicron cases are being reported within England's Premier League.
Positive tests in the league are at a record high. Tuesday's game between Brentford and Manchester United has been rescheduled, the second postponement in three days. The league says that there were 42 positive tests between December 6th and the 12th, more than triple the previous week's total of 12.
Norway's banning the sale of alcohol in bars and restaurants to help curb the spread of COVID. The country has what is believed to be one of the highest number of cases of Omicron in the world. Officials there warned that it could become the dominant variant in the country within days.
And Denmark reported nearly 7,800 new infections on Monday. That's the highest daily increase there since the pandemic started. The Danish government is closing schools, it's curbed nightlife, and it's encouraging residents to work remotely.
As a wave of the Omicron variant sweeps across Europe, scientists are warning that they don't yet know how often the variant causes severe disease. Yet, they caution that the increase in cases could begin to overwhelm hospitals. This, as many Europeans continue to resist getting the vaccine.
Nina dos Santos, CNN, London.
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VAUSE: Anne Rimoin is a Professor with the Department of Epidemiology at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. She is with us this hour from Los Angeles. Welcome back.
ANNE RIMOIN, EPIDEMIOLOGY PROF., UCLA FIELDING SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: Nice to be here.
VAUSE: OK, so there's a lot of anticipation now after Pfizer released some new data, showing their COVID pill cut the risk of hospitalization or death by 89 percent, if given to high risk adults within the first few days of their first symptoms. I want you to listen to Pfizer's CEO on the direct impact, he's expecting to see where it matters most in hospitals. Here he is.
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ALBERT BOURLA, CEO, PFIZER: With this pill, we are expecting that instead of 10 people going to hospital, only one will go and actually no one is dying. So these are very, very good news.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: OK. So if all is as advertised, could this pill turn the tide of the pandemic? I know we've been before, but could this be the moment when we might just see the pandemic in the rearview mirror?
RIMOIN: You know, John, I think that it's really fantastic news. This particular kind of treatment could be a game changer, it could save a lot of lives. But I've said this before, and I'm going to say it again, there is no single magic bullet that is going to turn the tide of this pandemic. We're going to have to use a layered approach.
This virus is going to continue to be with us. We're going to need to be using vaccines as a primary response. But these -- but this new treatment could be a really great thing.
VAUSE: I had to ask. Pfizer has sent this data to regulators in the U.S. as part of this application for Emergency Use Authorization. That data claims the pills should be effective against the Omicron variant because the drug actually blocks an enzyme, which is involved in viral replication. This is different from the spike protein on the virus surface, whose numerous mutations have escalated global concerns about the variant, that's CNN's reporting.
But we will only know, I guess, how effective this treatment is against Omicron once it starts being used extensively in the real world, is that right?
RIMOIN: Absolutely. Again, I'm going to -- I'm not going to underscore how -- I want to underscore, excuse me, how important this pill could be and treatments like this could be if people do get COVID, if they have breakthrough infections, if they haven't been able to be vaccinated, if they haven't gotten vaccinated for whatever reason, this is going to be great.
However, it's going to require a lot of logistics to be able to get this pill to people. It means that this pill really works well when it's given within five days of symptoms, which means that people are going to have to have access to testing and then they're going to have to have access to prescription from a healthcare provider to be able to get this prescription.
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And we still don't know really, as you said, how it's going to work in the general population. So this is really great news. We should always be celebrating when we make these steps forward, has to be approved by the FDA first. Then once it's out there, we're going to have to see how it works in real life and have realistic expectations about what it's going to be able to do considering, you know, when needs to be given within a short period of time. And we still don't have really good access to testing.
VAUSE: Best way to treat COVID, I'm told, is not to get it in the first place, which means vaccines, vaccines, vaccines. And on that, here's the latest information from South Africa on the severity of Omicron.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RYAN NOACH, CEO, DISCOVERY HEALTH: What is clear is that vaccinated individuals are experiencing milder infections in general. And that's supported by the data shown by the 70 percent effectiveness against severe illness. And also supported by anecdote where we're hearing that it's primarily the unvaccinated that are requiring admission and also that are requiring oxygen in hospital.
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VAUSE: Didn't Delta have kind of a similar start? Not completely the same, but initially, it was the unvaccinated who are being infected, the unvaccinated who are being sent to hospital, the unvaccinated who are dying. But then came these reports of, you know, breakthrough infections. It was just a few at first and then more and more each day. Could we see something similar here with Omicron?
RIMOIN: Absolutely, this is definitely a possibility. These are still very early days. It's great news that we're seeing that the case reports are, in particular, are mild. But the story is not written yet. We still have to see how this spreads, it often spreads first in young populations who are healthier, then it will ended up getting into more vulnerable populations, into older populations.
I've heard other people say, and I'm going to say again, I think it's going to be really important to see what happens when older people get infected. If they're able to be as well protected, that's going to be a real test. We've also heard reports of pediatric hospitalization starting to go up in South Africa. So these are things we're going to have to keep an eye on.
And it's important to remember that even if this virus is going to cause less severe disease, if it's more -- less severe disease, if it's more contagious, then you eventually are going to see more cases and hospitals are still going to be potentially getting overwhelmed.
VAUSE: Anne Rimoin, the world's epidemiologist, thank you so much for being with us. We really appreciate your time. Thank you.
RIMOIN: It's my pleasure.
VAUSE: Well, next up on CNN Newsroom, another catastrophe for Haiti. Dozens killed in a massive explosion of filling buckets and containers with gasoline from a leaking fuel tanker.
Also, the annual health check-up for the Arctic is in. All tonight show it's in serious trouble.
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VAUSE: On a long list of Haiti's problems, the widespread fuel shortage. Prices have surged in part because criminal gangs have set up robots around fuel terminals in the capital.
[01:20:03]
So when a tanker truck overturned in a residential neighborhood, started leaking gasoline, many saw opportunity and race to fill containers and buckets. But then an explosion and massive fireball turned opportunity into mass tragedy. CNN's Matt Rivers has that story.
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MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Massive flames illuminating the night sky in Cap-Haitien, the northern port city in Haiti's second largest. A fuel truck had exploded moments before in the middle of a dense neighborhood. It's not clear what caused the explosion but the city's mayor said the truck had mechanical problems that had stopped, began leaking fuel and people had crowded around, hoping to collect some for themselves.
That crowd is what made the explosion catastrophic. Dozens of people dead and dozens more injured. Frontline workers clearing bodies covering them with white cloths the next morning, moving the dead into a waiting truck. It was a brutal scene in part caused by a critical fuel crisis on the island. Spot protests have gone on for months, people angry over not being able to get fuel.
We don't have a government, this man says. If we don't demand change, who will? Tire set on fire and debris thrown into the street are desperate attempts to cause enough chaos that the government tries to fix the problem, but it won't be easy. Not only is the government so broke, it often can't buy enough fuel. But when some arrives, it can't get delivered.
The vast majority of fuel is imported at these two locations. But gangs in Port-au-Prince are so powerful. They have near complete control over this crucial stretch of highway, which means they control the flow of fuel into the capital. A gas retailer, identity hidden due to security concerns, told us what happens if you try and drive the tanker into pickup fuel.
(on-camera): So I might get kidnapped?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
RIVERS (on-camera): I might get shot?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, if you don't stop.
RIVERS (on-camera): I might get killed?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
RIVERS (on-camera): Or at the very least, I'm going to have to pay an exorbitant bribe?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, of course.
RIVERS (voice-over): Haiti's government and law enforcement are either unwilling or unable to secure a flow of fuel from the ports.
(on-camera): But not having enough fuel doesn't just mean you can't use your motorbike. Consider this. Here in Port-au-Prince, the electricity grid is not reliable. So let's say you own a small store and you sell cold drinks. In order to keep that refrigerator running, you need to use a generator.
And if the fuel going into that generator is way more expensive than it was before, that means you need to charge your customers more for those cold drinks. Not having enough fuel makes all kinds of things more expensive and that's brutal in a country already dealing with so much poverty.
(voice-over): This the scene from about six weeks ago. Inside the empty hallways of hospital Universitaire de La Paix, normally packed with patients. Just a few were inside when we were there. Ketia Estille's son almost died during an overnight asthma attack. She says, "The doctor was using the flashlight on his phone to put my son on oxygen because there is no electricity. It's so bad I almost lost him." (on-camera): Normally all of those cribs would be filled with sick kids, but the hospital is turning away nearly every single patient that comes here, because right now there's simply not enough doctors, nurses or electricity to take care of them. That means that one of Haiti's largest hospitals is essentially not functioning.
(voice-over): The doctors are trying but they cannot do anything. She says, "They have no help. Only God can help at this point." Her son survived but other victims of this fuel crisis did not. So many crowded around the leaking fuel truck, said the mayor, in part, because they were so desperate for gasoline. What happened in Cap- Haitien, a horrific consequence of a country starving for fuel.
Matt Rivers, CNN.
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VAUSE: But the former leader of the Belarusian opposition is now facing 18 years in prison for rallying protesters against President Alexander Lukashenko. The popular blogger and activist was arrested shortly after declaring his intention to run for president last year. Tuesday, a court in his hometown convicted him on charges of organizing mass riots and inciting social hatred.
His wife is now the leader of the opposition from outside the country and is outraged.
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SVIATLANA TSIKHANOUSKAYA, BELARUSIAN OPPOSITION LEADER (through translation): A year, 20 years or 100 years, it's not normal, it's illegal and it is not something one can tolerate. And I will continue to defend the person I love, who has become a leader for millions of Belarusians.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VAUSE: The verdict can face the legal challenge but only within the next 10 days.
Now to a legal case involving Prince Andrew, the sexual pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and Virginia Giuffre who is suing the Prince. Two federal judges have ruled that a secret 2009 settlement agreement between Giuffre and Epstein that may have also reference Prince Andrew, should be publicly released. The decision comes as the judges preside over lawsuits filed by Giuffre.
[01:25:02]
In October, attorneys for Prince Andrew asked Giuffre's case to be dismissed, saying her suit violated terms of that agreement. Giuffre alleges she was trafficked by Epstein and forced to have sex with its friends, including Prince Andrew, when she was underage. Prince Andrew has denied any wrongdoing.
The United Arab Emirates says it's planning to suspend discussions with the United States to acquire F-35 fighter jets. The UAE says technical requirements and sovereign operational restrictions was some of the reasons which led to this decision. CNN's Sam Kiley reports now from Abu Dhabi.
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: In yet another blow to Emirati-American relations, which had already been a little bit strained over the Emirati policy of rapprochement with nearby Iran, the Emiratis have now announced that they're going to suspend negotiations over a $23 billion deal to buy F-35 stealth fighters from the United States. They are citing technical problems, sovereignty issues, and a cost benefit analysis.
The real key there in their statement, though, is issues over sovereignty. In other words, they do not feel comfortable with restrictions, post-purchase that the United States may wish to impose on their use of fighter jets that they've paid for. It's also worth noting that just a few weeks ago, they struck a $19 billion deal with French arms manufacturers, the biggest deal between France and the Emirates.
And this is yet another sign that the Emiratis are going their own way being very much more robust in what they perceive to be their own individual interests as a part of the Gulf nations rather than necessarily reflecting almost automatically American foreign policy. They've already been reaching out diplomatically and in tech and economic terms to Iran with a recent announcement with a bit construction of a large solar farm using Emirati money in Iran.
This is something coming at a time when the Americans have been trying to talk about increasing sanctions against Tehran, in order to squeeze them back to the negotiating table to revivify the nuclear agreement that was supposed to suspend Iran's nuclear program, a nuclear weapon's program, which was torn up effectively by the Trump administration. The Biden administration is in lockstep on many other issues with the Emiratis, but it is very clear here in the Emirates, that they are forging their very much their own path.
Sam Kiley, CNN in Abu Dhabi.
VAUSE: Well, this just in from Hong Kong, a fire has broken out in a building known as the World Trade Center there. It's currently being refurbished. But according to officials, a number of people, I believe, were stuck inside this building right now. It's in the business district known as Wan Chai.
There is also one person who has been injured and has been taken to hospital. Hong Kong Fire Service Department says that many people are stuck and they need assistance to get out of the building. It also appears that firemen are using two jets, mobilizing to breathing apparatus to try and fight this fire.
But right now this appears to be a fire which is underway in a high rise building in part of the business district of Hong Kong. A number of people right now are trapped inside. We have more details on that as soon as we get them. In the meantime, we'll take a short break and we'll come back. We'll look at the U.K. struggling to contain the Omicron variant within its borders, lifting a travel ban on 11 African countries. A ban which many experts said was next to useless. Details (INAUDIBLE).
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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back everyone. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
11 African countries have been removed from the U.K.'s COVID red list. These travel restrictions were imposed shortly after the omicron variant was detected in Southern Africa. Many other countries followed suit with their own travel restrictions.
In Africa, the travel ban was seen as a penalty for being open and transparent, and reporting the variant in the first place.
CNN's David McKenzie has more now from Johannesburg.
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DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: South African authorities are certainly welcoming the end to this red list when it comes to England. There was much anger and frustration over this soon after South African scientists identified this new variant.
Now, in a statement on Twitter they did welcome this, but then they said again that the unscientific travel ban had a devastating impact on business, travel, and tourism, and families.
You can sense that frustration there, and certainly officials are hoping more countries end the restrictions.
Now, the first real world study of this variant, suggesting that vaccines do have an impact in terms of stopping people from getting into hospital and severe disease. But there is a drop off, significant in terms of symptomatic disease when it comes to the Pfizer vaccine and omicron.
And there is some sense in South Africa and the region that there is a milder disease associated with this variant. That was backed up again by the study. But the head of the World Health Organization had this to say.
DR. TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, DIRECTOR GENERAL, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: Surely, we have learned by now that we underestimate this virus at our peril. Even if omicron does cause less severe disease, the sheer number of cases could once again overwhelm unprepared health systems.
I need to be very clear. Vaccines alone will not get any country out of this crisis. MCKENZIE: He said that things like masking and social distancing and
all the things we've become very familiar with during this pandemic are still critical. And so, that vaccine distribution needs to remain equitable.
In the coming weeks and into the New Year, we should get a better idea how this variant is affecting South Africa. Cases are certainly skyrocketing.
At this stage though, it doesn't match in the hospitals with a crush on those ICUs. But everyone warns we have to just wait to assess that fully.
David McKenzie, CNN -- Johannesburg.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VAUSE: At the beginning of last month, South Korea shifted to a living with COVID strategy, lifting all pandemic restrictions and day after day ever since infections have slowly and steadily increased.
Record new cases have been reported in the past 24 hours, a number of record patients in critical conditions.
For more we go to CNN's Kristie Lu Stout live in Hong Kong.
This kind of ended pretty much as, I guess, not as you expect but kind of logically. That now they're having to reimpose all those restrictions and back to square one.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. It's as if South Korea is facing a renewed pandemic with these record high cases. We heard from South Korean health authorities earlier today the country now reporting a record high number of new COVID-19 infections as well as critical cases especially among members of the elderly population, a very vulnerable group.
We heard in the last few hours from a South Korean health official, who urged members of the public to get vaccinated and cited a very grim statistic saying that 54 percent of the deaths caused by COVID-19 in South Korea in the last two weeks were among people who are not vaccinated.
The South Korean government, they're trying to ramp up vaccinations among the unvaccinated and booster shots as well, including, this started on Saturday, cutting the interval dosage time between the initial vaccination and the booster shot from four to five months to three months.
[01:34:53]
STOUT: In addition to that, we've also learned that South Korea plans to roll out this very high tech pilot program involving artificial intelligence and facial recognition software and thousands of CCTV surveillance cameras to detect people who are infected with COVID-19. Meanwhile, we are monitoring the situation in Australia and particular in its populous state of New South Wales. It today reported the highest number of new COVID 19 cases in three months.
Cases there are rising, even though restrictions are easing. It is no longer required to use QR codes, in certain places of business like shopping centers and malls and supermarkets.
We also learned that masks, they are only needed in public transport, airplanes, airports, or among unvaccinated indoor hospitality workers.
And also starting from today, Australia has reopened its borders to fully vaccinated travelers from Japan and South Korea without any need of quarantine.
This as South Korea is reporting the highest number of critical cases since the start of this pandemic, John.
VAUSE: It's incredible to see those numbers just keep going up. And I guess most of them around the area of Seoul. But we also have a situation in China which has a zero COVID policy. And now they're seeing the presence of the omicron variant.
Of course, that is a concern, they're what -- 50 days away from the Winter Olympics.
STOUT: Absolutely. And it's a real test of the efficacy of China's dynamic zero COVID policy. As of today, there have been eight cases of the omicron variant detected here in Hong Kong at the border
Two cases detected in China, including a second case detected in Guangzhou involving a man who had arrived from Canada to Shanghai on November the 27th, was in hotel quarantine for two weeks and then traveled to Guangzhou. That was where he was found to have the omicron variant.
I talked to a top virologist earlier this morning about where was he infected, did you get the variant in China or overseas.
Here is Jin Dong-yan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIN DONG-YAN, UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG: The chance that he got the virus in the quarantine hotel is pretty high. The quarantine hotel still has some facility to prevent the spreading, most COVID cases actually 85 percent of them do not spread to more than five people. So, the risk is not very high.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STOUT: Now, authorities in Chinese central Hainan province have reported and they have isolated a close contact of this omicron variant patient, who is detected in Guangzhou. This individual not only shared the same quarantine hotel in Shanghai, but also the same flight from Canada to shanghai. Back to you.
VAUSE: Kristie Lu Stout, live in Hong Kong.
Well, former Trump administration chief of staff Mark Meadows is facing charges of contempt of Congress after a vote by lawmakers Tuesday recommending the Department of Justice pursue criminal charges against Meadows for failing to cooperate with the January 6 investigation.
CNN's Paula Reid has details.
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PAULA REID, CNN SENIOR LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: House lawmakers have voted to refer former Trump chief of staff, Mark Meadows to the Justice Department for criminal contempt.
It will now be really ultimately up to Attorney General Merrick Garland whether to proceed with criminal charges against Meadows.
Now, the Justice Department is currently prosecuting another Trump ally, Steve Bannon, for criminal contempt. His case was different than Meadows, in that Meadows has actually engaged with the committee. He's provided thousands of pages of records before suddenly ceasing cooperation with the committee citing executive privilege.
But lawmakers on the House Select Committee investigating January 6th insists that Meadows can still come in and must come in to answer questions about these 9,000 pages of documents that he has already ended over.
And over the past three days, they've really been laying out their case in the court of public opinion, about exactly what it is that they want to ask him about.
We heard on Monday about text messages, for example, from Fox News personality. And even the presidents own son urging Meadows to have the president speak up and do something to stop the violence on January 6th.
Then, on Tuesday, we learned more. Lawmakers revealing additional text message to Meadows. One from an official in Georgia, on that January 2nd call where the former president was urging officials in that state to, quote, find votes.
Another text message, from someone suggesting that Meadows was quote, "at the tip of the spear of a plan to install a Trump ally, Trump loyalist, Jeffrey Clark, who is top justice department official.
But there are rumblings about installing him as the acting A.G. Someone texting Meadows about that plan, suggesting that he knew about it, and may have been planning it.
These are the kinds of things that lawmakers say they want to ask Meadows about. And they insist that if he does not come in and honor his subpoena and answer questions about documents, he clearly doesn't think are privileged because he handed them over to the committee then he should be charged with criminal contempt.
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REID: But it will be a difficult decision likely for the attorney general, certainly distinct from the one that Steve Bannon presented, as he completely stonewalled the committee.
Paula Reid, CNN -- Washington.
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VAUSE: We're tracking a typhoon making its way through the Western Pacific taking aim at the Philippines. It's expected to make landfall. We'll tell you next.
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VAUSE: Typhoon Rai is gaining strength in the Western Pacific, expected to make landfall in the Philippines in the coming day.
Let's go to meteorologist Pedram Javaheri for the very latest. So where and how bad?
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You know, 24 hours away here, John, from seeing this impact portions of northern Mindanao into the Central Visayas. It's certainly an area that is very much prone to tropical systems. There really is no definitive tropical season for the Philippines and to the Western Pacific. We see it all year and certainly in the month of December is not unheard of.
But this system is poised to strengthen and that is the biggest concern. Currently 120 kilometers per-hour-winds which puts it equivalent to a low grade category one hurricane.
But the concern is the environmental conditions in advance of this year are very warm sea surface temperatures and also the outflow above the storm system is favorable so it allows the storm to strengthen potentially rapidly here as it approaches portions of the Philippines.
So all eyes across this region, watching the storm that's locally known as Odette because we think this has the potential to strengthen possibly to a strong category 2, maybe a category 3 equivalent. So a major hurricane equivalent system as it approaches land.
And climatologically we do see about eight to nine tropical systems make landfall across the Philippines every year. Six have made landfall so far this year. This would be number 7.
And again it comes to shore sometime around right now tomorrow. So we're thinking into the afternoon hours of Thursday local time as it works its way ashore.
And of course, the archipelago of the Philippines here is made up of 7,600 islands. So plenty of landfalls in advance of this, based on this track which the forecast guidance on this, very confident here as far where it will end up.
Just north of Mindanao and across the Central Visayas, so apparently (ph) Cebu City, one of those areas we are watching carefully, population about a million people could be in the direct path of a system that could produce storm surges that are as high as two meters here, John.
So this is a serious story for our friends across the Philippines.
VAUSE: Yes, one to keep an eye on. Thank you Pedram. Pedram Javaheri there with the very latest. Thanks.
Well, scientists are painting a grim, depressing and yet not surprising picture of how climate change is transforming the Arctic. The Annual Arctic Report Card finds the region rapidly losing ice cover turning the frozen tundra into an environment that is greener and browner than it was even a decade ago. Now a haven to beavers.
The past year was the seventh warmest on record in the Arctic. And scientists warn temperatures will only continue to rise.
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CLARE NULLIS, WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION: The Arctic, as WMO keeps saying, is one of the fastest warming parts of the world. It's warming more than twice as fast as the global average.
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VAUSE: Jeffrey Sachs is a syndicated columnist, a senior adviser to the U.N. He is an economist as well as the director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University. His most recent book, "The Ages of Globalization, Geography, Technology and Institutions. And he joins us now.
It's good to see you. Welcome back.
JEFFREY SACHS, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: Good to be with you, John. Thank you.
VAUSE: ok. So nothing in this report is especially surprising. The region is warming faster than the rest of the planet. This has been going on for longer than first thought.
Overall the trends are consistent, much like the denial by so may to recognize to crisis and act. Here's a little more now from NOAA. Listen to this.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In Siberia, unusually warm air temperatures led to early snow and sea ice melt. Followed by another active wildfire season. Rain was seen for the first time on the 10,000 foot summit of the Greenland ice cap. Destructive geological forces unleashed by thawing permafrost and melting land ice are an increasing threat to the homes and livelihoods of Arctic residents.
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VAUSE: And the headline from all of this is that it is transforming the Arctic into a dramatically, different state. Precisely what is it being transformed into? What is that state?
ZACHS: John, wherever we look on the planet, whenever we have experts, such as NOAA, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, taking a deep look. We are seeing this kind of alarming change.
In the case of the Arctic, we are seeing dramatic warming. We are seeing places in Siberia reaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit. We are seeing the oceans being acidified. We are seeing glaciers retreat. We are seeing the risks to the ice sheet which when they are threatened and possibly disintegrate, could raise sea levels around the world by several meters.
VAUSE: And specifically, the Arctic has been described as the U.S. air conditioner. So what happens to the rest of the planet when we break the AC and we can't replace it?
SACHS: We are experiencing so many distant connections. They are hard to keep track of. As the temperature variation between the high latitudes near the poles and the mid latitudes narrows because of the faster warming, near the North Pole.
This is also perturbing weather throughout the continental United States for example. The scientists hypothesized that this is leading to greater swings of the prevailing weather patterns that we have in the mid latitudes in the United States.
And we are seeing changes in the ocean circulation which is the great conveyor belt of ocean water that carries heat and the ocean processes throughout the planet.
As that is slowing down, as it seems to be occurring right now, the so-called ocean circulation or thermal hailing circulation, that is also perturbing weather patterns with potentially huge adverse effects for Europe, for example.
So it goes on and on, John. When we see major ecosystems, that are changing in the way they are threatening.
Right now, they don't stay local. They affect the whole planet.
VAUSE: And those warming ocean temperatures have weekend the eastern ice shelf or what's known as the Thwaites glacier, warning it could shatter within the next five years. The big concern is without the protection from this ice shelf, the Thwaites Glacier will not survive and will be vulnerable to what is known as cliff (ph) collapse. Once that starts, it just keeps going. So big picture, what does this mean, you know, in terms of rising sea levels and beyond.
SACHS: I've been hearing from my colleagues, Professor James Hansen, on of the world's greatest climatologist for many, many years that the risks to the Antarctic ice sheet are much greater than we realize.
And Professor Hansen, who has been telling me based on scientific work by scientists around the world, that the ice sheets in Antarctica could break up much faster than has been believed.
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SACHS: And that that could lead to even several meter rise of sea level, which would be a devastation for cities around the world including the small island that I live on which is Manhattan, New York City.
The scientists who study this, who are very measured, said that this could even be a matter of years, not decades. Years, just a few years.
And so this was a dramatic finding that was released at this important scientific conference.
VAUSE: Yes. We're out of time Jeffrey but you know, the point is that the news just keeps getting more and more dire. It is depressing to hear, but we have to hear it, and we need to act on it, we need to act now and that's the message I think form all of this.
SACHS: This is exactly right. My scientist friends have been saying to me for years, it is worse than we thought. And it is going faster than we thought.
And this is what we are learning with each of these reports here.
VAUSE: Jeffrey, thanks so much for being with us. We appreciate it.
The U.S. President travels to tornado ravaged Kentucky Wednesday, assessing the extensive damage form an unprecedented outbreak of twisters.
He's also acting as comforter in chief to those who lost loved ones. Across 8 states, the death toll stands at 88, most in Kentucky.
CNN's Brynn Gingras reports now from Mayfield.
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BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A massive effort to clean up in eight states devastated by Friday's catastrophic storms. And now an Amazon facility in Illinois under investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. And a candle factory in Mayfield, Kentucky by the state's labor division.
GOVERNOR ANDY BESHEAR (D-KY): Everybody is expected to live up to certain standards of both the law of safety and of being decent human beings.
JIM DOUGLAS, SURVIVED CANDLE FACTORY CRIMINAL: I was just praying that God would take me. I didn't want to endure the pain no more.
GINGRAS: Jim Douglas worked at the candle factory for more than 2 years and says the company treated him well and was prepared for Friday night's storms.
From his hospital bed in nearby Paducah, Douglas reliving what it was inside when the tornado struck.
DOUGLAS: It was like different layers would come down, and I can feel my body would like compact more. I was getting -- my face was already on the ground. But there was something trapped in my pelvic area.
GINGRAS: You were being crushed? I
DOUGLAS: I was definitely being crushed. There were people trying to escape from there. What they were doing was walking over at least me, and when they were doing that, it pushed my chest flat. So it was really difficult to breathe.
GINGRAS: Douglas telling CNN, he estimates 15 feet of debris lay between him and the rescuers using heavy machinery to get to him.
DOUGLAS: I think the guy said I see you right below this glass. And there was a door with glass in it. And said James close years. So I close my eyes and they broke the glass.
And the guy who was at my feet, he kind of grabbed the back of my shorts and a couple of guys grabbed my arm and they just yanked me up.
GINGRAS: Those rescuers, are heroes as Douglas calls them, remain on- site continuing to sift through the debris, where at least 8 people died. More than 100 people are feared dead in Kentucky alone, according to the governor. Some of them, infants.
BESHEAR: The age range has gotten even harder, it ranges now from two months to 98 years of the Kentuckians that we have lost.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I heard cries for help.
GINGRAS: The weight of the loss is heavy here, this woman is still traumatized because she couldn't save the life of a little boy who was trapped in his home.
CARILLA SMITH, MAYFIELD, KENTUCKY RESIDENT: As a mom, to know that my son is safe and I can't help save the life of that baby, I just kept on trying to breathe life in him.
GINGRAS: Now, a test of resiliency as residents look to the future. Douglas says nothing will get in his way for what he knows is a long road toward healing.
DOUGLAS: I believe I get a second chance. A lot of people didn't.
GINGRAS: Douglas thanking each and every one of his rescuers. Amazed that they were even able to find him that night. Recovery efforts continue across the state of Kentucky with dozens of National Guard members helping out with those efforts.
And as we wait for the president to arrive here on Wednesday, we are expecting bad weather, which could impede those efforts.
BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN -- in Mayfield Kentucky.
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VAUSE: And with that, we will take a short break. You are watching CNN. Back in a moment.
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VAUSE: Malta will soon be the only E.U. country where the recreational use of cannabis is legal. After a landmark bill was passed by parliament Tuesday. Next, the president expected to sign it into law and then as the acceleration suggests, anyone 18 and older will be allowed to possess and cultivate a limited amount of the drug.
A VAUSE: A little sponsor says major drug reform like this is way overdue.
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OWEN BONNICI, MALTESE MINISTER FOR EQUALITY, RESEARCH AND STRATEGY (through translator): First of all, it will and once and for all this for all the criminalization of people. For a lot of time has been criminalized, when they are not criminals.
Secondly we are going to give -- to curb drug trafficking by making sure that people who make use of cannabis now have a safe and (INAUDIBLE) the way from where they can obtain cannabis.
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VAUSE: Malta is at the forefront of efforts to legalize pot across Europe.
But for now, in berlin the best they can hope for comes from the public transport operator. BVG is offering hemp tickets. They're made of edible paper and hemp oil that can be snacked on once you reach your destination.
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JANNES SCHWENTU, BVG SPOKESPERSON (through translator): We do make very clear that anyone who wants to use the ticket has an actual ticket. Please, only nibble on it, or eat it after your journey as if it has a bite on it, it is no longer valid.
It needs to be in its original packaging and afterwards people can decide whether to keep it as a souvenir, or to eat it all up.
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VAUSE: The company is known for these kinds of campaigns. Hemp tickets will be on sale through the end of the week.
Thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause.
The news continues on CNN after a very short break.
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