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CNN International: COVID Surges Around The World, Especially In U.S. And Europe; U.K. P.M. Johnson: Get Vaccinated As Soon As Possible; Many European Cities Cancel New Year's Events Amid Surge; New York To Hold Celebrations Despite Outbreak; Portugal Faces Omicron After Successful Vaccination Campaign; Biden, Putin Stand Their Ground On Ukraine; Sudan Police: At Least Four People Killed In Latest Protests; Fast-moving Wildfire Destroys Hundreds Of Homes; U.K. P.M. Stresses Importance Of COVID Shots During Address; Actress Betty White Dies At Age 99. Aired 2-3p EST
Aired December 31, 2021 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:00:23]
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN HOST: Hello everyone live from Atlanta, I'm Lynda Kinkade. Tonight, New Year's celebrations kickoff around the world. But once again, the pandemic is keeping things muted. We're live in London and New York.
Then President Putin and Biden speak but what was said, we'll have all the details from Moscow. And later, hundreds of homes destroyed, thousands of people evacuated. We'll be live in Colorado as a wildfire leaves devastation in its wake.
A very Happy New Year to everyone around the world. It's already 2022 in Australia and East Asia. In this hour, Pakistan is ringing in the New Year, even as coronavirus continues to upend our lives. Many cities around the world are finding familiar ways to celebrate.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKERS (in unison): Four, three, two, one. Happy New Year!
(Speaking Foreign Language)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Hong Kong counting down the New Year with fireworks and a concert from the city's Philharmonic Orchestra. Singapore lit the night skies with a light show and fireworks at Marina Bay Sands. And New Zealand celebrated the end of 2021 with a fireworks display over the Auckland Harbour Bridge. And Australia welcomed in the New Year with a huge fireworks display above Sydney Harbour Bridge.
But even with the celebrations, the pandemic is again following us into the New Year. Omicron is now the dominant variant in France, and some cities including Paris have brought mask mandates outside ahead of New Year's festivities.
Well, the U.S. and the U.K. are both shattering records for new daily case counts. But there is some optimism, South Africa is easing restrictions just in time for the New Year saying the country is likely past the peak of its fourth wave. And the World Health Organization says we may see the end of the pandemic in the New Year, but only if everyone has equal access to vaccines.
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DR. MIKE RYAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WHO HEALTH EMERGENCES PROGRAM: The acute phase of the pandemic, the pandemic that's been associated with the tragedy of deaths and hospitalizations that can end in 2022. The virus itself is very unlikely to go away completely and will probably settle down into a pattern of transmission, low level, causing occasional outbreaks and under vaccinated populations. And we hope that that is the endgame here. But we're certainly not there yet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well joining me now is CNN Reporter Salma Abdelaziz in London and CNN Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen. Good to have you both with us. I'll start with you, Elizabeth, because the CDC has looked at the latest data, and has made a forecast saying that 44,000 Americans would die of COVID-19 in the next four weeks. Heading into the New Year, we're certainly heading into the third year of this pandemic.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I think many of us thought, well, things will -- are getting better and Omicron swept in and changed everything. The problem isn't that Omicron is so deadly in and of itself, is that there are so many cases. Cases are just so high in the United States that even a small percentage of people getting sick is still a substantial number, Lynda.
So let's take a look at the CDC for forecasts. So the CDC estimates or forecasts that by mid-January, they're going to -- going to have 17,400 new hospitalizations per day in the U.S. To put that in perspective, currently, we have about 9,400 new hospitalizations per day. So way more hospitalizations in the future.
And they estimate that in the next four weeks, we'll have 45,000 or more deaths. To put that in context, that's way more than what we've had in the last four weeks and a typical flu year is about 12,000 to 52,000. So 45,000 deaths in four weeks is like having a really bad flu season all in four weeks. Lynda?
KINKADE: Yes, insane. Very dire predictions. I'll come back to you in just a moment, Elizabeth.
I want to go to Salma in London because, again, day after day as we've been discussing all week, record after record being broken for the number of infections where you are. It doesn't really feel like a day of celebration.
[14:05:00] SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: The Omicron variant is yet again breaking its own records in this country. It's absolutely worrying to health officials. The Prime Minister Boris Johnson used his end-of- year message, Lynda, to urge people to get their third shot, to urge people to get boosted. And also use that message to make sure everyone is cautious about their New Year's Eve plans.
The Prime Minister saying think twice about where you're going. Think twice about your social gatherings. Try to get tested before you leave the house. Everyone is at stake here and he had a very personal message for those who have yet to get boosted. Take a listen.
Apologies, I think we don't have that soundbite this hour. Sorry for that, Lynda. But to just summarize, he again was directly speaking to those who are yet to be vaccinated, urging people to get the third shot saying that that is the layer of protection that this country needs ahead of yet another surge in cases. And that's exactly why the National Health Service says it's on a war-footing here, Lynda.
They've set up plans for a potential wave of Omicron patients. Surge hubs are being set up in eight hospitals across England to allow more space for more patients. Surge hub beds are also being set up across the country. It comes as the London mayor has canceled big planned fireworks celebration.
But here's the key caveat, Lynda. Private restrictions, there's not that many. I can hear fireworks behind me here. There are parties outside of London. That's what's going to worry health officials. All these gatherings, people coming together. Is that going to exacerbate this Omicron surge, Lynda?
KINKADE: Yes, exactly, Salma. And as you were mentioning there, the Prime Minister pointing out the need to get booster shots. I want to ask Elizabeth about that here in the United States, because I understand the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is considering the approval of booster shots for children, those aged 12 to 15.
COHEN: Right. So sources tell CNN that that could happen very, very soon. Right now in the United States, 16 and older can get boosters when they're six months or more past their second shot, but 12 to 15 can't. So that's likely going to change very soon. Once it does change, 4 million children that age have reached that six months plus point and they could get boosted. And that's great.
And then there's another 4 to 5 million who could get in soon. But that 8 million is actually a relatively small number. And here's what I mean, more than a third of children that age haven't even gotten one shot. So, you know, forget about the booster for a minute. We need to get those kids their first shots and that has not happened. More than one-third have not gotten even a first shot.
KINKADE: Wow. Yes, that is clearly a message that needs to get out. And Salma, in the midst of all this doom and gloom, give us some hope, what some hope for us as we head into 2022?
ABDELAZIZ: Lynda, I was looking for that sparkle of optimism somewhere. This is not the year that we expected, right? This is the year that started out with vaccinations and the promise and hope that they brought of a potential end to the pandemic, a potential protection for our loved ones. And here we are closing out the year yet again, under the shadow of yet another variant of COVID-19.
But the chief of the World Health Organization posted on social media that he's optimistic about the next year. And that's because he believes if we continue to fight vaccine inequity, if we make vaccines available equally, fairly across the world, then we can really be back this deadly virus. His recommendation was 70 percent of all people in each countries, if they were vaccinated, that would spell the end of COVID 19.
He said that's his personal goal as the chief of the World Health Organization, but I think that's going to be the big issue to tackle here, Lynda, going into the next year. Some countries like the U.K. where we are privileged, we're looking at our third shots here, whereas other countries haven't even received one. That will be the big challenge going into the next year if we want to end this pandemic. Lynda?
KINKADE: Exactly. Vaccines need to be more widely available and people need to take those shots. Salma Abdelaziz for us in London, a very happy New Year to you and our Elizabeth Cohen here in the U.S., thanks so much. Happy New Year.
Well New York City will be ringing in the New Year with celebrations in Times Square. But thanks to a massive surge of new COVID cases, the party won't be quite the same. Our Polo Sandoval is in New York. And Polo, there were calls for the celebrations in New York to be canceled given that surge in cases. What are you seeing in New York?
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, we heard from Mayor Bill de Blasio whose administration is slowly winding down as it ends today and he said that the show must go on. He said, yes, they're fully conscious and fully aware of the spiking cases. And so that's why there's a great reduction in the number of the people who will actually be able to participate today.
And if you look over my shoulder, you can see why, as you tried to hear me over the music that's trying to get people excited here. So basically, what you're seeing are one of the many patterns that roughly 15,000 people will be allowed in to see that iconic ball drop.
[14:10:04]
Now the reason why I say just 15,000 is because typically, we'd expect about 58,000 people to fill these pens before the pandemic. So basically, what we're seeing right now are city officials, amid growing calls for the cancelation of these event, saying it is safe to do so, so long as people can socially distance which, as you can see here, won't be easy.
And so long as everybody in these pens is fully vaccinated, and as you can see, is also wearing a mask to try to make not only a happy, but healthy New Year, Lynda. And I hope you heard some of that because, obviously, it's getting a little loud, getting exciting. But that gives you a sense of what's happening right now in the heart of the city.
KINKADE: Yes. As you say, Polo, it looks like even though they're keeping numbers down in Times Square, it does look pretty packed behind you. And I understand some artists have already pulled out as a result of getting positive COVID tests.
SANDOVAL: Absolutely. And that's certainly something that everybody planned or even we planned for as we cover this kind of event. It's certainly expected given the high transmissibility of this variant. And so, in an effort to try to limit the number of positive cases, you're certainly bringing these kinds of measures into place, including wearing masks, and also testing.
And I think that what we have also seen recently is just this massive push to increase the testing availability for people even before this massive event. And it's something that city officials including the incoming mayor of New York City says that he plans to work on to make sure the testing is wide and available, even after today.
KINKADE: I could just continue to listen to the songs behind you. It does sound -- it does sound good there. We will be watching from home. We wish you a very Happy New Year, Polo, and stay safe.
Well, amid the holiday celebrations, there has been some bad news for travelers in the U.S. The American Federal Aviation Administration says it may be forced to delay flights in part because of staff shortages due to COVID. The FAA says in order to remain safe, it may have to reduce the number of flights at some airports. Airlines have already canceled more than 11,000 flights since Christmas Eve.
We're going back to Europe. And one year ago, Portugal was one of the country's worst hit by the coronavirus. And now most of the population is fully vaccinated. But Omicron presents a new challenge. Vasco Cotovio reports from Lisbon.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VASCO COTOVIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The lines for testing in Lisbon snake beyond the horizon, it's the holiday season and extra care is paramount.
VITOR CHITAS, LISBON RESIDENT (through translation): I decided to take the test to be safely with my family.
COTOVIO (voice-over): Residents like Vitor to get six free tests per month. The government sponsored move is designed to keep a close eye on the coronavirus. But the extra vigilance didn't stop Portugal from seeing a sudden surge in cases raising fears of another deadly wave.
This was the scene inside Portuguese hospitals not long ago. Christmas in 2020 brought a surge in COVID infections. ICUs were overwhelmed for months and medical staff told us they were on the brink.
DULCE GONCALVES, LEAD NURSE, CASCAIS HOSPITAL (through translation): I don't even have words to say it. The difficult part is really working too many hours.
COTOVIO (voice-over): A year later, the situation is dramatically different. Cases are up, but hospitalizations and fatalities are down. ICUs like the one we visited with beds to spare the spikes in Omicron surge. Epidemiologist Manuel Carmo Gomes who advise the government during the worst of the pandemic credits vaccines.
MANUEL CARMO GOMES, EPIDEMIOLOGIST, UNIVERSITY OF LISBON: We are living (ph) a life that is much more normal now than it was a year ago. And that was because of vaccinations.
COTOVIO (voice-over): The campaign led by Vice Admiral Henrique Gouveis e Melo took the country from worst to first. Now, nearly 90 percent of Portugal is fully vaccinated, and a quarter of the country has been given a third jab already. Still, while some studies suggest Omicron might be milder than other variants, Carmo Gomes says some restrictions are necessary to keep the virus under control.
CARMO GOMES: When we apply a small percentage to a vast -- to a massive number of cases, we are going to end up with a -- with an amount of cases that could flood the hospitals. That's the real danger.
COTOVIO (voice-over): For now, the government is taking a cautious approach rejecting lockdowns but keeping most businesses open. A delicate balance between a return to the days of crowded ICUs or simply a return to normal.
Vasco Cotovio, CNN, Lisbon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, Hong Kong is tightening vaccine requirements and urging residents to get booster shots after local transmission of the Omicron variant was confirmed in the city.
[14:15:00]
Officials and mass testing and locking down apartment blocks link to cases, and it comes after a major city in Mainland China lockdown over an outbreak. Residents are starting to get frustrated.
Steven Jiang is in Beijing with more.
STEVEN JIANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Authorities in Xi'an have acknowledged at least tacitly the severe impact of their increasingly harsh lockdown measures on the city's population. For days, we've seen this growing sense of frustration and anger from local residents about the lack of access, to food and medicines, as well as their inability to seek medical attentions on non-COVID related issues, including, for example, pregnant women who need to go to the hospital.
That's why increasingly, we've seen local officials as well as state media emphasizing authorities redoubling their efforts to improve the supply and distribution of those daily necessities by getting shipments from other provinces and by better coordinating deliveries within the city. They've also assigned hundreds of local officials to those tasks, and also setting up hundreds of chat groups on social media platforms to improve communications between local officials and residents.
But at the same time, some residents who had previously aired their grievances now being trolled online for making their personal suffering public. So all of this, of course, is happening as the Chinese government once again intensifies its efforts to both contain the virus and control the narrative. But one thing for sure is the worst is not over just yet for the city of 13 million residents.
Steven Jiang, CNN, Beijing.
KINKADE: Well, still to come, standing their ground over Ukraine over an almost hour long phone call. Presidents Biden and Putin lay down their red lines in the escalating crisis between Russia and NATO. We're going to go live to Moscow for the details and reaction.
Plus, a nation once divided by race, now united in grief. South Africans getting a last chance to say goodbye to Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
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KINKADE: Welcome back, President Vladimir Putin says Russia firmly defended its national interests and security in 2021 during his New Year's address to the country. And that's also what the Kremlin says he insisted on during his 50-minute phone call late Thursday with U.S. President Joe Biden.
[14:20:06]
At issue is Russia's military buildup on the Ukrainian border. The American President told Mr. Putin the U.S. is open to a diplomatic solution, but he insisted Russia needs to de-escalate. And he warned Mr. Putin that Russia would face crippling sanctions if it invades Ukraine. Mr. Putin said that could lead to a total breakdown of relations.
The White House says President Biden plans to brief Ukraine's President on the conversation and reassure him about America's support on Sunday. Russian President Putin has thanked his country for overcoming 2021 with dignity in that New Year's address.
CNN's Nic Robertson is in Moscow's Red Square. Nic, it would normally be bustling this time of year less than two hours to midnight. How is New Year's Eve going to be marked there?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, Lynda. This would be absolutely party central. Even with the snow, you'd have a lot of people out here and Muscovites are well used to this kind of weather.
Take a look around. I mean, absolutely deserted, the funfair. It's the lights are on. There's no one there. The reason that people aren't getting on Red Square tonight is quite simply the coronavirus pandemic. The government, although, the death toll and the number of infections have been slowly, slowly coming down here in Russia, according to government figures that are hard to check.
But those are the government figures, they've decided that it's not safe to open Red Square for the normal celebrations tonight. But there are plenty of people in other parts of the city. That message, the annual message that President Putin gives to the nation, it'll be delivered here in Moscow. It's been delivered in the hours across the country as a time zone and New Year moves across the country.
And it's a message of condolence for all those Russians who've lost loved ones. That was perhaps the main part of his message. It's typically a message, you know, of goodwill, of good cheer, of good spirit to the people of the country. And that's what he's been wishing them.
Of course, the contentious issue of NATO and Ukraine is his big central foreign policy. And his warning to President Biden, that if those sanctions do come, not only a rupture in the -- in relations that will last for generations, but he's saying he is not going to remove troops, in other words, the escalate tensions. Because as he told President Biden, this is how the Kremlin explained it to us.
Russia is doing exactly what the United States would if Russian troops were close to U.S. border. He's saying he's going to keep his troops close to the border with Ukraine for now. So the red lines are set for those talks that begin in Geneva January 10th. Lynda?
KINKADE: Yes, those red lines, as you say, certainly set. And it seems we don't have much more clarity about Putin's intentions, given that he's going to leave his troops there on the border, in the lead up to these next rounds of talks as you say in January.
ROBERTSON: He is. I mean, that's -- he -- I think the takeaway that we can take from that conversation with President Biden the day before he's spoken with President Lukashenko of Belarus. They both agreed to have joint military exercises in Belarus, which also borders Ukraine in February and March. So there will be the potential for that sort of added pressure of another set of Russian troops close to the border with Ukraine. That still is in the pipeline to happen.
But, at the moment, it's very clear that President Putin is absolutely keeping up the pressure on President. He did say -- the readout we were given by the Kremlin did say that President Putin thought that President Biden had, you know, understood or was willing to understand the essence of Russia's security concerns. That's a long way short of saying that President Biden accepted them, but at least, for President Putin, that gives him something to sell and tell the people of Russia that at least President Biden's listening to him.
But this is so far out, so far away from anything like a conclusion. It's really the beginning of the next phase of these tensions.
KINKADE: Yes, exactly. No doubt. We will be talking about this many more times in the coming weeks. For now, stay warm, get a warm drink. Happy New Year to you. ROBERTSON: Happy New Year.
KINKADE: Thanks to Nic Robertson there.
We are learning now, sadly, that four people have been killed in Sudan following a crackdown on the latest protest against military rule. Now Sudanese police are confirming that nearly 300 demonstrators were injured. Major demonstrations have been taking place across the country since a coup on October 25th.
A group of medics aligned with the protest movements as authorities fired live bullets at demonstrators on Thursday, as they tried to clear the crowds. Group says dozens of people have been killed since the protests began.
[14:25:04]
Well, Anti-apartheid icon Desmond Tutu will be laid to rest Saturday in Cape Town. The church where the Archbishop called out injustice about to become his final resting place. Mourners filed in Friday for one last chance to pay their respects.
CNN's David McKenzie tells us that for many South Africans, the loss feels personal.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A private moment of grief at a very public farewell for Desmond Tutu at St. George's Cathedral, the people's church. Tutu personally requested the simple pine coffin. The Nobel Peace Prize winner, anti-apartheid hero was a global celebrity, but always a humble man. A man who touched many.
(on-camera): And you seem quite emotional about this moment.
DOREEN FEBRUARY, MOURNER: I am emotional because I'm very sad that he died in a year that we did not achieve what he set out that we must achieve what he set out that we must achieve.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): Doreen February woke up at dawn to make it here. As a young woman, apartheid made her a second class citizen. She says Tutu gave her hope.
FEBRUARY: He gave us confidence that one day we will be free.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): Chiming for a man that fought his battles from this pulpit and out on the street, railing against the racist and justices of apartheid with great physical bravery and moral clarity.
REV. MICHAEL WEEDER, DEAN, ST. GEORGE'S CATHEDRAL: He brought intellect. He brought compassion. He brought a way of emphasizing versus our humanity. This is a face of humanity, presenting an African faith, but also universalizing and say, God is for everybody.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): He would always come back to this church, to St. George's, preaching only as Desmond Tutu could preach. (on-camera): So what lesson do we have for the way he lived his life and interacted with people?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, he'll say don't take yourself too serious. Why are you having such a glum face? We need to continue to remind ourselves that life is not about carrying burdens. It's about celebrating joy.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): A celebration and final goodbye for a loss that will be felt by a nation.
David McKenzie, CNN, Cape Town.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, still to come tonight, neighborhoods razed to the ground after a Winfield wildfire tore through Eastern Colorado. We'll get an update on the damage when we come back.
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[14:30:00]
KINKADE: Welcome back. Days after Christmas, hundreds of people in the U.S. state of Colorado have lost almost everything. Ferocious wildfire fueled by historically high winds and dry conditions toll through neighborhoods near Denver Thursday. Several hundred homes burned to the ground, thousands of people are evacuated, thousands are also without power.
While the winds have died down and the flames have subsided, smoke is still heavy in the area and we're just beginning to learn the scope of the destruction. Well, cold weather is moving into the area today and with it some snow. And Natasha Chen is in Superior Town hit hard by the fires.
And Natasha heading, into New Year's tonight, plenty of people, tens of thousands in Colorado that have been evacuated, and many families who no longer have a home.
NATASHA CHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, Lynda, they have lost so much. At least 500 homes are known to have been destroyed although 2,000 homes were in that burn area. So as they find out more of the extent of the destruction, more and more people, perhaps some who were on holiday away from home are going to come back and find nothing left for them.
In fact, one assistant football coach at the University of Colorado Boulder said that he lost every material possession he owned. He's going to have to start over completely. And we're hearing more stories like that. In addition to the stories of people who had to flee with just minutes notice, some of them recording those scary moments as they left. There was just debris and ash raining on them. The visibility was very poor. One person said that he could barely see 10 feet in front of him, another woman saying that as she was driving away, a trashcan hit her car. Just an example of how strong those hurricane force winds really were.
Now as you mentioned, it is snowing today. The flurries are a bit light right now. But that is helping with bringing more moisture to the area that we have seen seeing the town below us, the town of Superior below us that throughout the day there are still have been smoke plumes showing where the hotspots are still located as the fire crews continue to work, Lynda.
KINKADE: And I'm wondering behind you whether that is smoke or whether that is the snow flurries. Can you give us a sense of what we're seeing?
CHEN: Yes. Well, it depends. Depends on what time of day we're talking about, Lynda. Right at this moment, we're probably talking about more snow than smoke, but it's probably a mix at this point. Earlier today, you could see a bit more clearly just different puffs of smoke in -- rising from a couple of different areas there.
This is still a very active situation. And, of course, while the snow brings more moisture, which helps calm down, perhaps some of those flames, it also does make the cleanup process a bit more difficult.
KINKADE: Yes. Exactly. Well, our thoughts are with all those families in evacuation centers, and certainly those that have lost their homes. Natasha Chen, thanks very much.
Well, it's certainly been an interesting year. And with the news cycle moving so quickly, you'd be forgiven if some of the events of 2021 have slipped your mind. CNN's Chief International Correspondent Clarissa Ward reminds us of the year's top 10 news stories.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: As 2021 comes to a close, so does another tumultuous year.
At number 10, the bombshell interview that put the British royal family in an unwelcome spotlight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MEGHAN MARKLE, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX: Concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born.
OPRAH WINFREY, AMERICAN HOST: What?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: Prince Harry and his wife, Duchess of Sussex, opened up to Oprah in a two-hour TV special speaking freely for the first time since walking away from a life as working Royals.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, opening up to Oprah Winfrey about being singled out. She believes forced out of the royal family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: A month after the explosive Broadcast, Queen Elizabeth's husband, Prince Philip, died at the age of 99.
[14:35:05]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tonight, a shocked and saddened nation remembers the legacy of an irreplaceable figurehead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: Number nine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hours after Haiti's president was assassinated, gunfire still crackled through Port-au- Prince.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: The assassination of Jovenel Moise took place against a background of extreme violence in the capital of Port-au-Prince.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are at least 17 people detained at this point.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: Number eight. The conflict in the Middle East came to a head once again this spring and turned into one of the worst rounds of violence between the two sides in years.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a pattern that shouldn't be familiar. It already is. Hamas and Islamic Jihad rockets streaking across the sky from Gaza.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Airstrikes and rocket barrages, artillery and mortar fire, hundreds of people dead and more than 2,000 wounded.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: The conflict lasted 11 days before Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas agreed to a ceasefire. Israeli airstrikes killed more than 250 Palestinians including dozens of children. Palestinian militant fire from Gaza killed 13 Israelis, including children.
Number seven, Myanmar's junta seized power in a coup, ousting de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN AVLON, CNN ANCHOR: Clarissa Ward and her team were the first western TV journalists allowed into the country since the coup.
WARD: After days of pushing, we are allowed to visit a public space on open market. As word of our presence spreads, we hear an unmistakable sound. Banging pots and pans has become the signature sound of resistance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We want democracy. We don't want military coup.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: Since the February coup, the military has killed more than 1,300 people and arrested more than 10,000, according to an advocacy group.
Number six, a powerful CNN investigation sheds light on a raging Civil War.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The Ethiopian government has waged war against the growth ousted regional leaders for the last five months with the help of neighboring Eritrea.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: CNN was one of the only western media outlets to travel to the country.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Three bodies were found down at the riverfront.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: To investigate reports of mass killings.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One by one, they enter the church, carrying in sacks all that's left of loved ones executed by Ethiopian soldiers. This is fresh evidence of a January massacre.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: In late April, a CNN team traveling through Tigray witnessed Eritrean soldiers, some disguising themselves in old Ethiopian military uniforms, cutting off critical aid routes to starving communities.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: CNN. CNN. We're CNN. Journalists.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: Eritrea's government has denied any involvement in atrocities and Ethiopia's government has pledged investigations into any wrongdoing. But the bloody conflict rages on, spilling into other parts of the country, raising fears of an all out war.
Number five, turmoil at European borders. Shocking images of thousands of migrants stranded on the Belarus Poland border in freezing conditions, desperate to make it into the European Union. The situation at times surging out of control.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Because Poland has sealed the border and now has 15,000 troops here to make sure that no one can pass, Jake.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: European leaders have accused Belarus of manufacturing the crisis as retribution, sanctions over human rights abuses, a claim Belarus denies.
The year ends with tensions between Ukraine and Russia at their highest in years with a massive buildup of Russian forces along the Ukrainian border, fueling fears over Moscow's intentions.
Number four, Chinese leader Xi Jinping's steel grip on power tightened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: David, how has President Xi been able to cement his hold on power for so long?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It really sets him up as the undisputed supreme ruler for years to come.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: And with this, an ever more assertive China. Eof 2021 saw sophisticated propaganda campaigns to deflect criticism over allegations of human rights abuses in Xinjiang. The arrest of pro- democracy activists and former lawmakers in Hong Kong, as well as aggressive military maneuvers aimed at Taiwan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This island is potential flashpoint for what their president calls a fight between authoritarian China and democratic Taiwan allied with the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP) WARD: Number three.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[14:40:00]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Protests, rallies across Russia today in support of detained Kremlin opposition activist, Alexei Navalny.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: Russia's best known opposition politician, Alexei Navalny, sent to a penal colony when he dared to return home five months after a near fatal nerve agent attack.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shortly before his detention, Navalny saying he's not scared.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: Number two, the new year brought with it great hopes for an end to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ushering in of widespread vaccinations. But the virus continued to mutate, killing millions of people around the world. The uneven vaccine rollout hasn't kept up with the speed of the spreading virus, especially in poorer countries.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: In Delhi now, you're never far from heartbreak. Almost everyone in the city has been visited by grief.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: Despite high vaccination rates, Europe became the epicenter of the pandemic once again this winter. The fourth wave of COVID-19 is now sweeping across the continent, with lockdowns reinstated in some countries.
Across Europe, protests against mandates and health passes have thrown tens of thousands of people.
In November, South African scientists discovered the new Omicron variant. It has since spread around the globe.
Number one, the last U.S. military planes left Afghanistan marking the end of its longest war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: They took the city of six million people in a matter of hours, barely firing a shot. This is a sight I honestly thought I would never see, scores of Taliban fighters, and just behind us the U.S. embassy compound.
[14:55:03]
WARD: Thousands scrambling to leave before the U.S. military exit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, they're saying they all worked at American camps as translators for the Americans, and they can't get into that airport.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: A terrorist attack at the Kabul airport killed 13 U.S. service members and more than 170 Afghans during the evacuation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: And there's no question, everybody here is doing their best. But it's not clear if it's fast enough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: The collapse of Afghanistan's U.S.-backed government was perhaps the most damaging setback. It was a blow to U.S. credibility and to democratic advances, especially on women's rights and media freedoms, which were stifled overnight.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Thanks to Clarissa. Well, still to come tonight, world leaders are sharing their goals for 2022. We'll see what policy moves we should expect in the year ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:45:30]
KINKADE: Looking back, leaders around the world are giving addresses for the New Year. So let's get a sense of what some of them want to focus on in 2022.
For British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, COVID-19 is at the top of his agenda.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: And I want to speak directly to all those who have yet to get fully vaccinated. The people who think the disease can't hurt them. Look at the people going into hospital now. That could be you. Look at the intensive care units and the miserable needless suffering of those who did not get their booster. That could be you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: The New Year's from Germany's new chancellor, Olaf Scholz. He wants the Group of Seven to tackle climate change. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OLAF SCHOLZ, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): My fellow citizens, today we bid farewell to a year that brought a lot of changes. One of those changes is that today I'm the one speaking to you on New Year's Eve as your Federal Chancellor touched on. Starting tomorrow, Germany will for one year take over the presidency of the Group of Seven economically strong democratic states, the G7.
We will use our presidency so that this group of states becomes a pioneer, a pioneer for a climate neutral way of doing business and a fair world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: China's Xi Jinping mentioned Taiwan in his address just days after a Beijing official warned that China would take drastic measures if Taiwan made a step towards formal independence.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
XI JINPING, CHINESE PRESIDENT: The complete reunification of our motherland is an aspiration shared by people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. I sincerely hope that all the sons and daughters of the Chinese nation will join forces to create a brighter future for our nation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: We'll be right back after a short break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:50:04]
WARD: We have some breaking news coming into CNN. People Magazine report beloved American actress and comedian Betty White has died at the age of 99. Her show business career spanned decades and she stayed active through recent years. But she was perhaps best known for her role as Rose on the long running television series, The Golden Girls, while it was just weeks away from her 100th birthday.
Stephanie Elam has more on Betty White's legendary career.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BETTY WHITE, ACTRESS: Yes, it's a good day, how can anything go wrong? It's a good day from morning till night.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Betty White's cheerful Hollywood career began in her teens, and by her 20s, she was a fixture on television with her own daily talk show. Ahead of the times, White co- founded her own production company in 1952. She worked on a variety of television and film projects over the years before turning a 1973 guest appearance on The Mary Tyler Moore Show into a permanent role. White was a scene stealer as the man hungry Sue Ann Nivens.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WHITE: I think a man should be virile, and macho, and just reeking with masculinity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ELAM: Her second signature roll was on the beloved series, The Golden Girls, as the comical Rose Nylund.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WHITE: And they attack chickens.
RUE MCCLANAHAN, ACTRESS: I don't care about chickens, Rose. She didn't call me chicken. She called me peacock.
WHITE: You look more like a chicken when you're angry. Your neck sticks out like a chicken. With The Golden Girls, I got to play with those silly ladies every week so that -- and I loved Rose Nylund. She was positive and she was -- she wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but she wasn't dumb. She was just terminally naive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ELAM: Off screen, White married three times. She called her third husband TV host Allen Ludden the love of her life. They were together almost 20 years before Ludden died of stomach cancer in 1981.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY KING, AMERICAN TV HOST: And you never remarried, huh?
WHITE: No. When you've had the best, who needs the rest?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ELAM: A devoted pet lover, White was a longtime advocate for animal welfare. She called television her hobby and animals her work. Yet her hobby kept her busy. White's talents as an actress and comedian were in demand well into her senior years. Following a grassroots Facebook campaign in 2010, White became the oldest person ever to host Saturday Night Live at the age of 88.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WHITE: You know what's an accomplishment? Stay awake on the toilet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ELAM: The show earned huge ratings and White, her seventh Emmy Award. Later that year, White took on another role on TV Land's Hot in Cleveland.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WENDIE MALICK, ACTRESS: I thought that you weren't coming.
WHITE: I ran out of vodka. I thought I'd come over and freshen up my drunk.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ELAM: In her 90s, White was as popular as ever with several ongoing film and television projects.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WHITE: How lucky can a 90-year-old broad be? I have no idea. And I'm still working. That's the thing that's such a thrill.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ELAM: Loved of her warm smile, wit, and off-color humor, White didn't miss a beat when asked if there were any Hollywood projects she'd still like to do.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WHITE: I usually answer that question with Robert Redford.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE)
WHITE: No. I think I've been lucky enough to do just about so much that I -- if I start complaining about anything under the sun, throw me out of the business.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: What a remarkable woman and an incredible career. Betty White has passed away at the age of 99.
Well, air travel during the pandemic isn't easy at the best of times. From the test, to the paperwork, to the quarantine rules, it can be a headache, but throw into the mix actually testing positive for COVID- 19 when you're on the plane, and that's what happened to this unlucky traveler.
COVID-19 flashed one woman's holiday plans down the loop. This is Marisa Fotieo with the most unusual seat on a trip from the U.S. to Switzerland via Iceland. Fotieo spent around three hours quarantining in the planes bathroom after she took a COVID test mid-flight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARISA FOTIEO, PASSENGER WHO TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID: We boarded our flight and then probably an hour to an hour and a half in, I started I just all of a sudden this severe sore throat came on. I thought, OK, I'm going to -- just going to take a test. It's going to make me feel better. And immediately it came back, it's positive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: Fotieo who was vaccinated and boosted and traveling with family says she immediately told a flight attendant who tried to find a place where she would be least at risk of spreading the infection. And eventually they found one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FOTIEO: It was a full flight so she was going to look for ways to move people around so I could have a designated area just to quarantine by myself during the remainder of the flight. And after a while, she couldn't find -- she couldn't move people. There were too many people on the plane. It was, you know, they had to get the meals out, they has to get the drinks out.
[14:55:04]
So she asked if I would be OK staying in the bathroom and I opted to stay in the bathroom. I'm sure if I had said no, can I please go back to my seat, she would have said yes, but I was too nervous and I know there were so many people on the flight. My dad is 70 and he was on the flight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: Fotieo made good use of the time alone making a TikTok video of her experience, which has been viewed more than four million times. When she landed in Iceland, she quarantined for 10 days in a hotel room, this time, the same flight attendant who helped her on the flight sent her some Christmas gifts to pass the time.
Fotieo was released from quarantine on Thursday, and says she hopes to spend the remaining few days of her holiday with her family.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WARD: Well, 2022 is looking up if predictions from Peruvian shamans are true. The annual tradition took place at a ceremony in Lima, indigenous religious leaders predicting an economic crisis mainly in Europe. They also predicted an escalation of Ukraine but they say Russia will not invade. Instead, they're seeing easing of tensions and an agreement negotiated on good terms. They also say there will be a spirit of unity in Latin America. And there was even more reviews about the -- what -- about world peace, and COVID.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLEOFE SEDANO, PERUVIAN SHAMAN (through translator): We have performed a ritual to have peace in the whole world and so that the pandemic will end and withdraw from the world so that it does not continue to affect human beings. The pandemic will end this year. After taking Ayahuasca and San Pedro, we have determined it.
(END VIDEO CLIP) WARD: Let's hope that is the case. The group also danced and chanted
to send good vibes to leaders around the world.
Well, A quick programming note, you'll want to say was CNN as New York rings in 2022. Anderson Cooper and co-host Andy Cohen are live from New York's Times Square coverage beginning at 8:00 PM in New York.
Well, thanks so much for watching. I'm Lynda Kinkade. From all of us here at CNN, we wish you the best for a healthy and happy 2022. Stay with CNN. I'll have more news in just a moment.
