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Wrong Choice of Word by President Biden; Humanitarian Aid Now Coming to Tonga; Former Pope Embroiled in Sexual Abuse Cases; Boris Johnson Insist Innocence; Beijing Well-Prepared for Winter Olympics; COVID-19 Forces Adele to Postpone Las Vegas Residency; Zara Rutherford Becomes Youngest Woman to Fly around the World Solo. Aired 12-12:45a ET

Aired January 21, 2022 - 00:00   ET

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

[00:00:00]

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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): Hello, everyone. I'm Michael Holmes. I appreciate your company.

Coming up here on CNN Newsroom. Damage control, U.S. President Joe Biden tries to clean up comments on a possible Russian incursion into Ukraine hours before a high stakes meeting between diplomats from Washington and Moscow.

Making up for lost time. Countries rushed to deliver aid to Tonga after the island nation was cut off for days following twin disasters.

And a new report finds Pope Benedict knew about abusive priests when he was archbishop of Munich yet did nothing to stop them.

UNKNOWN: Live from CNN center, this is CNN Newsroom with Michael Holmes.

HOLMES: Ukrainian leaders say U.S. President Joe Biden must do more to stop a potential Russian invasion. With tens of thousands of Russian troops massed on the border, Ukraine's president and foreign minister are pushing back on Mr. Biden's suggestion that a minor incursion might get a lesser response.

The White House and the U.S. president spent the day trying to clarify that remark.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Let to be no doubt at all that if Putin makes this choice, Russia will pay a heavy price.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES (on camera): The diplomatic push to ease tensions shifts into high gear in the coming hours as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Geneva.

CNN's Nic Robertson with the details from Moscow.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: On the brink of a possible invasion new satellite images show Russian troops in armor massed less than 10 miles from Ukraine's border. President Joe Biden expecting an attack.

BIDEN: I guess as he will move in, he has to do something.

ROBERTSON: On what to do about Putin's anticipated move, Biden appearing less sure how the U.S. and allies would respond.

BIDEN: It depends on what it does. It's one thing if it's a minor incursion and then we end up having a fight about what to do and not do, et cetera.

ROBERTSON: At NATO, Biden's comments causing concern. One diplomat telling CNN, there is some truth there which didn't need to be said out loud. A day later, Biden clarifying his press conference comments.

BIDEN: If any, any assembled Russian units move across the Ukrainian border, that is an invasion. But it will be met with severe and coordinated economic response.

ROBERTSON: But not before Ukraine's president tweeted his frustration. There were no minor incursions, no minor casualties. His foreign minister doubling down.

DMYTRO KULEBA, UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): One can't be half invaded or half aggressive. Aggression is either there, or not.

ROBERTSON: Hot foot from thoughts with both the president and foreign minister of Ukraine the day prior, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Berlin meeting German, French, and British foreign ministry officials, trying to steady the slightly shaken diplomatic messaging, and point up the cost of diplomatic failure.

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: And at its core, it's about Russia's rejection of a post-Cold War Europe, that is whole, free and at peace. At stake again, our principles that had made the world safer and more stable for decades.

ROBERTSON: In Moscow, where officials repeatedly insist, they are not about to attack anyone. Biden's invasion comments not for the first time triggering a rebuff.

MARIA ZAKHAROVA, SPOKESPERSON, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY (through translator): We are convinced that the purpose of this campaign is to create an information cover for the preparation of their own large- scale provocations, including military ones.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTSON (on camera): President Putin's spokesman offering a more diplomatic interpretation. Saying it signals a certain willingness to discuss some issues. Saying also that President Putin ready for another conversation with President Biden. Just one caveat though, the United States must give a written response to Russia's security demands. Something the U.S. has so far refused to do.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Moscow.

[03:05:03]

HOLMES: Joining me now from New York is Mitchel Wallerstein, he's a former policy maker and non-resident senior fellow in foreign policy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

Great to have you on for this issue. I wanted to ask you about what you see geographically. Russia's positioning. Russia and Belarusian military exercise in Belarus. So, really, you've got Russians and Crimea to the south, in the Donbas to the east, Belarus to the north. And of course, Russia itself almost surrounding Ukraine. What's your read?

MITCHEL WALLERSTEIN, SENIOR FELLOW IN FOREIGN POLICY, CHICAGO COUNCIL ON GLOBAL AFFAIRS: Well, I think there is two possible assessments here. One, is that they are positioning troops as you alluded to, to launch a full-scale invasion from three different directions. As you said, particularly with these Belarusian exercises, they have forces now in the north. They have many troops along the eastern border and then the separatist forces in the Donbas, and of course they can also bring in additional forces from Crimea.

The other explanation is that this is just part of an elaborate bluff which is intended to extract political concessions from the Ukraine government and potentially from the U.S. and NATO.

HOLMES: You know, the signs on the ground certainly point for a preparation at least for invasion or movement of some kind. But do you think it could also be what some might call coercive diplomacy. Do you think Putin actually wants to be in Ukraine? Or further into Ukraine? Or is this more about stopping NATO expansion defining a red line on that, a buffer?

WALLERSTEIN: Well, certainly, the latter, without question. He has been increasingly vocal about his concern that the NATO is encroaching on what the Russians call the near abroad (Ph), which is the buffer zone that they've have since the time of the czars.

But it could also be that he sees a closing window, politically and militarily to take back Ukraine. He has made no secret of the fact that he wants to reestablish as much as the Soviet empire as possible. And with Ukraine drifting toward the west, he may feel that he has little time left in which to accomplish this.

HOLMES: Right.

WALLERSTEIN; And particularly with the U.S. politically in disarray at the moment, he may see this as the ideal opportunity.

HOLMES: Yes, there's no doubt of course that Russia could successfully invade Ukraine in a purely military sense. But I'm wondering, what -- how successful do you think a Russian invasion would be longer term. There would be a massive in certainty. Invading is one thing, holding ground for any length of time is another against the hostile population as Russia lend at great cost in Afghanistan, right?

WALLERSTEIN: Precisely. And I think you would see very similar situation here. I think the Ukraine forces are already anticipating that they might have to resort to an insurgency and would or seeking to acquire weapons that would aid them in that regard. So, this could become a very bloody process for the Russians. And justice was the case in Afghanistan when the bodies start coming back in body bags, it creates also some negative fallout for the regime.

HOLMES: Yes. The U.S. of course, secretary of state meeting with Russia's Lavrov on Friday. What might the Russians accept that the U.S., the west is willing to offer? What might an off-ramp to all of this looked like?

WALLERSTEIN: Well, the problem is that the demands that were put forward by Putin are to a large degree, completely unacceptable. They are none starters. Because they would undermine the very basis of NATO. The only off-ramp that seems plausible, to me at least, is that they could agree to restart negotiations on the various arms control processes that all -- almost all of which have now been abandoned.

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These were all part of the Helsinki process and the convention -- the Helsinki conference on security and cooperation in Europe that led to the INF Treaty which is the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty that led to the conventional forces in Europe treaty, and a number of others.

HOLMES: Yes.

WALLERSTEIN: Almost all of them have now fallen by the way side.

HOLMES: Fascinating analysis. Mitchel Wallerstein, thank you so much. I really appreciate it.

WALLERSTEIN: My pleasure. Thank you.

HOLMES: The U.S. imposing new sanctions on four Ukrainians meanwhile for taking part in a Russian disinformation campaign. A Treasury Department statement says, quote, "Russia has directed its intelligence services to recruit current and former Ukrainian government officials to prepare to take over the government of Ukraine and to control Ukraine's critical infrastructure with an occupying Russian force."

Two of the officials are current members of Ukraine's parliament. The U.S. State Department says the sanctions are separate from a broad range of high impact measures if Russia invades Ukraine.

Shipments of desperately needed water on their way to Tonga following that catastrophic volcano eruption. It polluted water sources across the Pacific nation causing shortages and raising fears of potential disease outbreaks.

Now two Japanese planes loaded with bottled water are headed to Tonga, ad so too a New Zealand that carries a water desalination plant. Meanwhile, international phones service has partially come back online.

Blake Essig is in Tokyo covering this for us. And Blake, it's been six days since that massive volcanic eruption and tsunami as well. How are they recovery efforts coming along.

BLAKE ESSIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Michael, international aids started arriving yesterday. And today, international call surface has at least been partially restored in Tonga's main island of Tongatapu and one other. Of those two islands account for about 80 percent of Tonga's population.

Of course, Tonga is made up of more than 170 islands. Its population of about 100,000 people are spread out over 36 of those islands. So, what we are starting to get a clearer picture of the devastation caused by volcanic eruption and tsunami, there is still a lot we don't know.

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ESSIG: This what it looks like now on Tonga's main island, fallen trees, homes destroyed, agriculture ruined, and ash covering just about everything. For several days Tonga was essentially cut off from the rest of the world because of ash fall and damaged communication lines. After a massive volcanic eruption and tsunami, it created an unprecedented disaster in the South Pacific.

UNKNOWN: Water is our most concern right now.

ESSIG: But finally, some good news. With the airport clear of volcanic ash flights from New Zealand and Australia carrying humanitarian aid and disaster relief were finally able to reach the island nation. And because Tonga has essentially been virus free throughout the pandemic, delivery of supplies was contactless. And the aircraft were only on the ground for short time to avoid creating an outbreak.

FATAFEHI FAKAFANUA, TONGAN LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY: Right now, the humanitarian aid is arriving and there are protocols for contactless drop off of cargo, and this is happening at the (Inaudible) airport. That whole exchange was already contactless. So, I believe from, you know, the last two years to practice that and it will be no different for the humanitarian aid arriving.

ESSIG: As a result of the volcanic eruption and tsunami, the United Nations says about 84,000 people, that's more than 80 percent of Tonga's population may have been impacted by the disaster. And with communication lines still weeks away from being restored --

PITA TAUFATOFUA, TONGAN OLYMPIC ATHLETE: I haven't heard from my father. We have family on the main island of Tongatapu right on the water of the lagoon. I've got no idea what's happened to him or to the family. I'm optimistic.

ESSIG: Some family members living overseas like Tonga's famous Olympic flag bearer are left feeling helpless, unable to check on loved ones.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ESSIG (on camera) The shirtless Tongan Pita Taufatofua has started raising funds to help Tonga's recovery. So far, his GoFundMe page has raised nearly $600,000. Now in terms of international aid as you mentioned, Michael, more flights are expected to arrive with supplies including about 500 tons of bottles water from Japan.

Australia is also sending a naval ship that would be carrying humanitarian aid, medical supplies. Four helicopters and small boats as well to help those supplies to our islands.

HOLMES: All right. Blake Essig there in Tokyo. I appreciate it, Blake. Thank you.

[00:14:56]

And for more we're joined now by Lord Fakafanua who is the speaker of Tonga's legislative assembly. He is joining me from Auckland, New Zealand.

Thank you so much for doing so. First of all, what kind of aid has been arrived and importantly, what does Tonga's still need in terms of things like, water, food and so on?

FAKAFANUA: So, the aid that's arriving right now is water and also satellite equipment to help establish better communications with the islands. We also have, you know, essential needs that you need at a natural disaster, tents, equipments, and, you know, support for those who have displaced because of the tsunami and the volcanic eruption.

HOLMES: Yes. I'm curious what damage has been done to the local economy, agriculture and so on by the tsunami, but also then ash fall. Crops were a major part of Tonga's economy, right? What is the level of damage in that regard and the impacts both economically and in terms of feeding the local population?

FAKAFANUA: So, agriculture is a major expert for Tonga and we also survived through subsistence farming. The ash fall has been what reportedly I heard through e-mails from farmers quite devastating and very sad to hear. Plants dying that has an impact on food security and the long-term effects of the ash fall and the effects on agriculture has yet to be seen, but it's something that we're finding very disturbing.

And I'm sure that the government will take of the farmers, and I hear that the prime minister has reassured that they will be taken care off. But it's something that we're looking very closely at the devastation to agriculture.

HOLMES: Yes. Yes, a major part of the economy, but also as we said are feeding people. Tongans are very resilient people, how are reacting the mood, the determination. Is there a sense of optimism yet?

FAKAFANUA: There is a sense of optimism, there is a sense of cleanup and recovery. People are out on the streets, sweeping, volunteering their time to clear the runway so that air force planes can land and bring support and humanitarian aid. Right now, the places most severely affected where there are no building standing currently cordoned off.

The government is still surveying the extent of the damage. People are trying to move on. Right now, they need water and food. There is no access to the water that we collect on the roof because of the ash fall contaminating the water source and tanks. Right now, people are just trying to get by and get back to work.

Banking services are very limited. I hear there is only one ATM operating and we're lucky that Digicel which is coming on the ground and some other telcos like TCC, the local one have established limited comms. So things are slowly getting back to normal, but I believe it will take some time.

HOLMES: Major, major challenges. I'm curious, you know, we're talking to you in Auckland because of those communications issues. When you hear from people, when they walk around, they look at their island, what do they see. I mean, I'm curious what sort of things you hear from them visually they tell you that they are seeing.

FAKAFANUA: So visually, Tonga which is you could picture the picturesque tropical island with coconuts, green and turquoise waters. Right now, it's the exact opposite. We have ash fall everywhere and it's gray, in contrast to the normal island that we love. So, people are trying to clean that up. And I've been informed by my wife that I've been lucky enough to be in touch with recently that the ashes have a consistency of fine sand.

HOLMES: It is a major challenge but as I say they the Tongan people are incredibly resilient and hopefully it will be a not long before it's back to that beautiful idyllic paradise that it is. Lord Fakafanua, thank you so much.

FAKAFANUA: Thank you very much.

HOLMES: German investigators released their report on sexual abuse allegations against Catholic priests in Munich. Some claims made while former Pope Benedict the 16th was archbishop there. That's coming up.

Also, accusations of blackmail from Number 10 aimed at silencing Boris Johnson's critics in parliament. Details from Downing Street, that's after the break.

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HOLMES (on camera): At least 17 people have died and dozens more injured after a huge explosion in western Ghana on Thursday. Official say it happened when a truck carrying explosives from mining operations collided with a motorcycle.

The blast appears to have completely leveled one town in western Ghana, trapping people and animals in the rubble underneath collapsed buildings. Police say most of the people now have been rescued and sent to various hospitals.

A report from German investigators finds that former Pope Benedict the 16th failed to act on claims of child abuse when he was archbishop of Munich. The inquiry was conducted by a local law firm and look at allegations going back decades. Hundreds of victims were found and the few cases were reported while the pope emeritus was Munich's archbishop, then known as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTIN PUSCH, LAWYER, WESTPFAHL SPILKER WASTL (through translator): In a total of four cases, we have come to the conclusion that then Archbishop Cardinal Ratzinger can be accused of misconduct in cases of sexual abuse. Two of these cases concerned acts of abuse committed during his tenure, and sanctioned by the state.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES (on camera): Benedict the 16th stepped down as pope in 2013. His tenure overshadowed by growing scandal over allegations of sexual abuse of minors.

CNN Vatican correspondent Delia Gallagher with more on the report and the response so far.

DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT: This is a massive report running more than 1,800 pages covering about a 75-year time period from 1945 to 2019, looking at cases of sexual abuse in the archdiocese of Munich. It was just released on Thursday afternoon. And the initial responses from the Vatican and from Pope Emeritus Benedict say they need time to read it and look into the findings.

Cardinal Marx who is the current Archbishop of Munich is also implicated in the report for mishandling two cases on sexual abuse during his tenure. He is a close advisor to Pope Francis. He also gave a brief statement to the press on Thursday, saying he would need time to read the report and he will be holding a press conference next Thursday to discuss it.

This report was commissioned by the Catholic Church in Munich. It was part of their historical reckoning, part of their way of holding themselves accountable for what happened in the past. Reports like this have been going on in diocese throughout the world as part of the Catholic Church's effort at transparency.

This report, of course, all the more important because it does include the years in which the pope emeritus was archbishop of Munich from 1977 to 1982. So now, it is up to the Vatican to respond to these findings. We'll see what they have to say in the coming days. Delia Gallagher, CNN, Rome.

[00:24:54]

HOLMES: Boris Johnson says he has no knowledge about his staff allegedly trying to bully lawmakers who want him to resign. The British Prime Minister is facing a rebellion within his own party over allegations that his staff held parties during lockdowns, a conservative M.P. now alleges a Downing Street campaign of intimidation and blackmail to silence the critics.

CNN's Nina dos Santos with the lates.

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Just one day after Boris Johnson was urge to leave Downing Street and stepped down as prime minister by former ally and member of his own ruling conservative party where there were more allegations leveled against Number 10 Downing Street's operation by the form of William Wragg, who is a senior backbencher for the ruling conservative party, somebody who -- it must be said he's been speaking out against Boris Johnson's leadership for some time.

He said that he had witnessed blackmail and intimidatory tactics leveled against him, and potentially other colleagues in the party if they spoke out against Boris Johnson. This was what he said and it did sound quite serious.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM WRAGG, BRITISH CONSERVATIVE M.P.: Reports to me endeavors of members of staff of number 10 Downing Street, special advisors, government ministers and others encouraging the publication of stories in the press seeking to embarrass those who they suspect of lacking confidence in the prime minister, the reports of which I'm aware would seem to constitute blackmail.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOS SANTOS (on camera): Well, Wragg recommended any colleagues who witnessed similar behavior to report it not just to the Speaker of the House of Commons but also to the police as well. What did Downing Street have to say about this? Well, the prime minister himself was tackled out on British television about it, and this is what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I've seen no evidence, heard no evidence to support any of those allegations. What I'm focused on is what we're doing to deal with the number one priority of the British people, which is coming through COVID and we made enormous progress, thanks to the vaccine rollout, fastest in -- in Europe, the booster campaign has enabled us to open up. We're moving back to this status quo and then back to plan A, opening up our economy, but most open economy and society in Europe.

(END VIDEO CLIP) DOS SANTOS (on camera): Well, all of this comes ahead of the much- anticipated release as early as next week of a report compiled by a senior civil servant into what went on during the so-called party gate scandal that has continued to rock Downing Street at a time when there are reportedly numerous allegations of gatherings taking place when people won't supposed to be meeting up in confined spaces and having parties. It seems as though that may well be what has happened here at Number 10.

Nina Dos Santos, CNN, in London.

HOLMES: The city hosting the Winter Olympics is looking more and more like a fortress, the extreme precautions being taken to keep COVID out of the Chinese capital, when we right back.

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HOLMES (on camera): Austria has become the first E.U. country to make adult vaccinations mandatory. The Austrian Parliament overwhelmingly approving the new law, which goes into effect on February 1, but won't be enforced until March 15.

Starting then, unvaccinated adults could face initial fines of nearly $700 unless they are pregnant or have a medical exemption. Those recovering from COVID also get a six-month reprieve. The government adding a sweetener, Austrian citizens will get one lottery ticket for each vaccine shot they've had and every 10th ticket will win a gift card of almost $600.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KARL NEHAMMER, AUSTRIAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): To put it bluntly, we have earmarked up to 1 billion euros for the vaccination lottery, which is based on reward and incentive. It is important to me to underline that those who have already been vaccinated profit from this. It is my big hope and normally you're not supposed to say this and the finance minister would not be amused when I say this, but here, I believe it's totally justified to spend this money.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES (on camera): The rapid spread of the Omicron variant has sent cases in Austria to levels not seen since the start of the pandemic, some 28,000 infections reported on Wednesday.

And France will soon begin to ease its COVID restrictions. Beginning in early February, sports and cultural venues will be allowed to operate without any limit on the number of people as long as they're wearing masks. Working from home will not be required. And France also announced an end to the outdoor mask mandate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEAN CASTEX, FRENCH PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Wearing of masks will no longer be required outdoors. From Wednesday, we will list the other measures. Eating in stadiums, cinemas, or public transport will be authorized again. Standing in concerts and standing while eating in restaurants and bars can be allowed. Nightclubs can reopen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES (on camera): Now, despite seeing more than a million new cases this week, ICU admissions are slowing down there. Government officials credit the number of fully vaccinated, which stands at around 76 percent, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Now, China's strict zero COVID policy has taken a significant toll on the nation's economy and its people. It's impacting imports into the country and has forced entire neighborhoods to go into lockdown. But it is also taking a troubling toll on animals.

For more on that, I'm joined by CNN's Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. And quite a distressing story, Kristie.

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Let's just relate to our viewers what happened this week. Here in Hong Kong, the government issued a cull order, a euthanization order, for small pets including hamsters over COVID-19 transmission fears.

A CNN team, we went to a culling center and we witnessed pet owners surrendering their small pets to be euthanized. We also witnessed groups of animal welfare volunteers stepping in to intercept the pets, to save them, to adopt them. Since then, the Hong Kong government has issued another statement condemning the actions of these animal welfare workers, and as you can imagine, outrage is building.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: In zero COVID Hong Kong, it's come to this. Owners surrendering their small pets after a cull order from the government over COVID-19 fears, an outrage from animal welfare workers.

On Tuesday, authorities said that they would euthanize around 2,000 hamsters, rabbits, chinchillas and guinea pigs over COVID-19 transmission concerns after worker and 11 hamsters at the Little Boss Pet Shop tested positive for the coronavirus.

On Wednesday, Hong Kong authorities strongly advised people who purchased hamsters after December 22nd to hand over their pets to be tested and euthanized.

EDWIN TSUI, CONTROLLER, CENTRE FOR HEALTH PROTECTION: (Inaudible) with the possibility that the shopkeepers was in fact was actually infected from the hamsters.

LU STOUT: The import of all small animals has been suspended. All pet shops selling hamsters have been asked to halt operations until their animals test negative. And around 150 customers of the Little Boss Pet Shop had been sent into quarantine.

We have not seen the transmission of COVID-19 from pets to humans.

VANESSA BARRS, CHAIR PROFESSOR, COMPANION ANIMAL HEALTH AND DISEASE: We're still at the stage in the pandemic with, you know, over several hundred million human cases of COVID. We haven't seen any pet to human transmission.

[00:34:56]

LU STOUT: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the risk of pets spreading the virus to people is low, and many Hong Kong netizens are outraged. Tens of thousands have signed online petitions against the culling of small animals. One petitioner writes, small animals have lives. Please respect these poor lives and stop making inhumane decisions, along with the video of his pet. A Facebook user posts, I won't hand over my hamster. This government is inhumane. And an artist depicts the Grim Reaper looming over a crying toy pet.

Despite the outrage, authorities have continued with the cull. So far, city officials say they have euthanized over 1,200 small animals over COVID-19 transmission fears. More are expected to be culled by the end of the week.

Mr. Chan, a volunteer from the Hamster Rescue Groups says --

MR. CHAN, VOLUNTEER FROM HAMSTER RESCUE GROUP (through translator): What I worry the most is the traumatic experience for the children.

LU STOUT: The Hamster Rescue Group says they intercepted at least a dozen hamsters at a culling center and volunteers plan to adopt them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT (on camera): To many here in Hong Kong, the hamsters are seen as just the latest casualties in Hong Kong's zero COVID policy and there are also concerns about whether other pets like dogs and cats could be next. I posed that question to Vanessa Barrs. She is the animal health expert at the City University of Hong Kong and she said there is no need to be concerned. She pointed out that Hong Kong is one of the first places in the world, if not the first place, to launch a dedicated COVID-19 quarantine center for cats and dogs, and again, reiterated you cannot catch COVID from your pet.

Back to you, Michael.

HOLMES: All right. Kristie, thank you. Kristie Lu Stout there in Hong Kong. Well, Beijing has officially open street lanes meant to keep Olympic delegations separate from the Chinese population. It's the latest severe major China is imposing to prevent an explosion of COVID cases. Health authorities reported 23 locally transmissions -- locally infected transmissions on Thursday, a drop in the bucket compared to what we're seeing in many Western cities, of course.

CNN's David Culver picks up the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Traveling into Beijing may prove to be a tougher race than an Olympic competition. These Winter Games taking place in the capital city that increasingly feels like a fortress, China determined to keep out any new cases of COVID-19, starting at the airport.

This is a terminal that's going be used by athletes, some of the Olympic personnel and media arriving into Beijing. They got a wall up that keeps the general population away from everyone who is part of the Olympic arrivals.

Those coming in, required to download this official app to monitor their health, inputting their information starting 14 days before arriving in Beijing.

While health surveillance and strict contact tracing is part of life for everyone living in China, it is making visitors uneasy. Cybersecurity researchers warned the app has serious encryption flaws, potentially compromising personal health data. China dismisses concerns, but team USA and athletes from other countries have been advised to bring disposable burner phones instead of their personal ones.

From the airport, athletes and personnel will be taken into what organizers call the closed loop system, not one giant bubble, so much as multiple bubbles connected by dedicated shuttles. Within the capital city, there are several hotels and venues plus the Olympic village that are only for credentialed participants.

The dedicated transport buses will be bringing the athletes, the personnel, the media through these gates. But for those of us who are residents outside, now this is as close as we can get.

Then there are the mountain venues on the outskirts of Beijing connected by high-speed train and highways. All of them newly built for the Winter Games. So, as to maintain the separation, even the railcars are divided and the close loop buses given specially marked lanes.

It is so strict that officials have told the residents if they see one of the vehicles that's part of the Olympic convoys get into a crash to stay away. They have actually got a specialized unit of medics to respond to those incidents. It's all to keep the virus from potentially spreading.

It also helps keep visiting journalists from leaving the capital city to other regions like Xinjiang or Tibet to explore controversial topics. With the world's attention, the Olympics allows China to showcase its perceived superiority in containing the virus, especially compared with countries like the U.S., but this will, in many ways, also be a tale of two cities, one curated for the Olympic arrivals and preselected groups of spectators, another that is the real Beijing.

Though some local Beijing residents are now in a bubble of their own, communities locked down after recent cases surfaced in the city outside the Olympic boundaries, a mounting challenge for a country that's trying to keep COVID out, and yet, still stage a global sporting spectacle to wow the world.

[00:40:10]

David Culver, CNN, Beijing.

HOLMES: Coming up here on CNN Newsroom. Just days before her much- anticipated shows in Las Vegas, Adele forced to postpone her residency. What the tearful singer told her fans. That's when come back.

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(MUSIC PLAYING)

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: The British singer Adele is postponing her upcoming Las Vegas residency due to COVID-19 among the crew. The multiple Grammy award-winning singer was set to begin a series of shows this weekend at Caesar's Palace.

Adele says her show is not ready after half the crew came down with COVID-19.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADELE, SINGER: I'm so sorry, but my show ain't ready. We've tried absolutely everything that we can to put it together in time and for it to be good enough for you. But we've been absolutely destroyed by delivery delays and COVID.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Tickets for the shows went on sale last month and Caesar's reported record breaking sales. Adele says the dates will be rescheduled.

A British Belgian teenager is now the youngest woman to fly around the world by herself; 19-year-old Zara Rutherford started her 41-country journey last August and finished in Belgium on Thursday, breaking twoGuinness world records in the process.

The young pilot not only beat the previous record, held by a 30-year- old American, she is the first woman to circle the world in a microlight aircraft. The adventure did not come without its challenges.

ZARA RUTHERFORD, TEEN AVIATOR: Over time, fatigue does kick in, especially when I'm flying over multiple different time zones within a few days.

And mentally, it was a huge challenge, especially flying over, for example, Siberia, where it's just extremely remote and very cold, so minus 35 degrees Celsius. And if the engine quits then, I am hours away from rescue. And I don't know how long I can survive in minus 35 degrees.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: An incredible experience. Zara started flying at just 14 and hopes her feat will encourage girls to pursue a career in aviation.

Thanks for spending part of you day with me and watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Michael Holmes. Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @HolmesCNN. "WORLD SPORT" with Don Riddell after the break.