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World Leaders Trying to Calm Tension; London Metro Police Investigates on Party Gate; New COVID Cases Reported Within Olympic Bubble; E.U. Will Ease Travel Restrictions. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired January 26, 2022 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead here on CNN Newsroom, the U.S. is sending backup to Ukraine as Russia moves more troops to the border and fears of an imminent invasion grow.
Boris Johnson faces his toughest day as prime minister, as results from two investigations into party gate loom.
And the deepening divide between the rich and poor, how the pandemic filled the pockets of billionaires, and empties those of the less fortunate.
UNKNOWN: Live from CNN center, this is CNN Newsroom with Rosemary Church.
CHURCH: Thanks for joining us. Well, as tensions remain high near Ukraine's border, world leaders are still pushing diplomacy but still preparing for a possible Russian investigation. The White House says that threat is imminent, though acknowledges only Russian President Vladimir Putin knows what he will ultimately do.
With more than 100,000 Russian troops massed near Ukraine, more U.S. security assistance and military equipment has arrived outside Kyiv.
This, as U.S. President Joe Biden warns military action by the Russian leader would, quote, "change the world."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: There would be enormous consequences. If he were to go in and invade, as he could, the entire country. Or a lot less than that as well. For Russia not only in terms of economic consequences and political consequences, but there would be enormous consequences worldwide.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH (on camera): In Europe, the French and German leaders met to discuss the unfolding crisis. The four representatives of Germany, France, Russia, and Ukraine are set to meet in Paris later today. President Emmanuel Macron says the E.U. and its allies are totally united on Ukraine, and issued this warning to Russia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMMANUEL MACRON PRESIDENT OF FRANCE (through translator): We are preparing in parallel, a common reaction and response in case of aggression, and as it has been said, if there is an aggression there will be a response. And the cost will be very high.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH (on camera): And CNN correspondents are tracking all the developments as this crisis unfolds. San Kiley is standing by in Kyiv, and Melissa bell is joining us live from Paris.
Good to see you both.
So, Sam, what is the latest from Ukraine's capital on these rising tensions and of course, efforts to find a diplomatic solution?
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the diplomatic angle is being continues to be pursued clearly, but in the view of the allies of Ukraine, the prudent path here is to prepare Ukraine to defend itself. So yesterday, the Ukrainians took here in Kyiv, a large consignment of American-made weapons, including the tank killing javelin missiles that 10 days ago or so the British sent several planeloads of similar type of weapon. A shorter-range tank killing missiles. All for purposes really.
Clearly, there's military purposes. And also sending the signal that once that Ukraine is not going to receive NATO troops, that doesn't stop individual NATO members from supplying equipment, and indeed, in the case of the United States and United Kingdom the troops here on the ground to train Ukrainians to use them. Not combat groups, training only. There will be no NATO deployment here.
But this all coming at the same time as the signals from the diplomatic sector here, particularly the U.S., U.K., Australia, Canada, and Germany, all downsizing the size of their embassy, sending family to non-essential staff home or giving them the option to go in a clear signal that they fear something pretty drastic might happen.
And that has prompted several days of statements coming from the president and other. The president using Facebook frequently now to reassure his population that an invasion isn't right around the corner, that people must remain calm, they must prepare themselves but that they must remain calm and not panic. Hoping therefore for some kind of diplomatic breakthrough there's been very little sent of that at all so far, Rosemary. CHURCH: Yes. And of course, that is the case. Melissa, as tensions
rise on Ukraine's border with Russia and Belarus, the stakes are particularly high for European nations as they double down on diplomatic efforts. What is the latest on all of this?
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Rosemary. What we heard from the highest diplomat of the European Union last night's speech that he made in Brussels, was that this is not just about Ukraine, but also about broader European security, and it's about both security and Europe's unity, Rosemary, of course.
[03:05:05]
And that's why the German and French leaders, you mentioned a moment ago, who met in Berlin last night were so keen to emphasize the need to put as much as hope as possible, in the possibility of talks, in the possibility of negotiations, of de-escalation.
In three hours' time the Normandy format talks will begin here at the Elysee Palace in Paris. They involve Russia, Germany, France, and Ukraine. They are happening at diplomat -- a diplomatic level. But as the French president said last night in Berlin, the hope is that those talks might lead to leader level talks in Berlin in the new future.
Of course, that would be a huge advance from where we are today. There will also be a phone call between Emmanuel Macron and the Russian president on Friday to try and make some progress again, on the diplomatic front, with both France and Germany very keen to try and avoid the sort of tough language that we've seen from others, and really hoping because of the impact that any of this would have on their economies because of the impact that it would have on national gas supplies.
And because Emmanuel Macron has for some time now been looking for at a separate European track and a more open dialogue with Moscow. For all of those reasons these two leaders are very keen that this last diplomatic push should work.
There is also, Rosemary, it should be noted, those expected written proposals that are to come from NATO to Moscow by the end of the week. With Jens Stoltenberg speaking yesterday to Christiane Amanpour and explaining that he also hopes that there would be some room for dialogue, some possibility that NATO and Russia could make some progress in the diplomatic front. Everyone united in their desire to see the sort of march to war end, Rosemary.
CHURCH: Yes. Absolutely. Melissa Bell in Paris, Sam Kiley in Kyiv, many thanks to you both.
Well CNN's Clarissa Ward recently sat down for an exclusive interview with the Ukrainian foreign minister. He dismissed concerns that having troops on standby could anger Vladimir Putin and escalate the crisis, saying if there is anything we learned from 2014, it's that doing nothing doesn't work.
He also stressed that any diplomatic deals made without Ukrainian input will not be accepted. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DMYTRO KULEBA, UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: If anyone makes a concession on Ukraine behind Ukraine's back, first, we will not accept it. We will -- we will not be in position of a country that speaks up before it hears the instruction of the big power enforce it. No. We paid a lot including 15,000 lives of our citizens to secure the right to decide our own future, our own destiny. And we will not allow anyone to impose any concessions on us.
CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: So, when last week you heard President Biden in that now infamous press conference, say that a minor incursion into Ukraine might not bring about the kind of swift united severe response. What was the reaction of officials here? And did you ever receive an apology or a phone call from the White House or the State Department to try to explain the comments?
KULEBA: We heard what President Biden said at the White House, and presumably President Biden heard our response to that, and we turn to that page over. We heard from both U.S. officials speaking openly to the media, but also speaking to me, and to other Ukrainian officials directly on the phone, that the United States will remain absolutely committed to slashing Russia if any type of incursion, invasion, interference takes place.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH (on camera): Well, the coming hours could be the most crucial yet in the party gate scandal plaguing the British prime minister. Results from an internal investigation could be released as early as today. The cabinet minister tells CNN the prime minister's office is prepared for that to happen.
Meanwhile, another inquiry launched by the London Metropolitan Police is just getting underway. They too, are investigating whether parties at 10 Downing Street in blatant violation of COVID restrictions.
And CNN's Salma Abdelaziz is covering this for us live from London. She joins us now. Good to see you, Salma. So, the police are involved doing their own investigation as we await this internal inquiry that could determine Boris Johnson's future. What all else are we learning?
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: Rosemarie, a flurry of activity this morning. The staff behind me here. Prime Minister Boris Johnson himself probably holding their breath waiting for that inquiry.
[03:10:00]
So, yes, as you mentioned, we have two investigations now ongoing. They do work in conjunction with each other. Let me explain that. You have for weeks now, a senior civil servant named Sue Gray who has been in charge of an investigation looking into multiple allegations of parties taking place in Downing Street across two years, across multiple lockdowns. Gray had been sharing her findings with the metropolitan police throughout yesterday. The police announcing that some of those events, a few of those events
do potentially breach COVID rules which that threshold, that investigators need to probe it, to look into it. So, that police investigation just launched yesterday. Of course, it takes a matter of days or weeks, but Gray's investigation into other events though that did not meet the threshold of potential criminality. That inquiry goes ahead as well.
And we are hearing reports that that inquiry could be published as early as today. I know you said the prime minister's staff saying they are prepared for that. But the issue is, is the opposition lawmakers also want to make sure they get their hands on that inquiry as early as they can.
Because today is PMQ's day, Rosemary. Right. The regularly scheduled Wednesday event, noon local time when Prime Minister Boris Johnson is going to be back in parliament facing criticism, facing questions. So, opposition lawmakers want to be prepared if indeed that report is available to get those questions out.
Also, series of questions being ask to what form that report will take once it is published. Will it simply be the summary or will it be the entire report? And it's important to remember here, Rosemary, that Gray's inquiry is not a police investigation. Essentially, she cannot tell you if Downing Street staff broke COVID rules.
But what Gray's report will outline is a blow by blow. A picture, a timeline of exactly what occurred inside Downing Street, who knew, who is involved, and most crucially, how much did the prime minister know. And what's really important here, Rosemary, is how his party, Johnson's party reacts to this. Because it's ultimately up to the conservatives to decide whether or not Johnson is still their man. Johnson is still the one to hold office or if it's time to begin to trigger those moves to push him put, Rosemary.
CHURCH: All right. We'll see how extensive the inquiry is. Salma Abdelaziz joining us live from London. Many thanks.
All right, I want to bring in Richard Johnson now who is a lecturer in U.S. politics at Queen Mary University of London. Thank you so much for joining us.
RICHARD JOHNSON, U.S. POLITICS & INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS LECTURER, MARY QUEEN UNIVERSITY: Thank you.
CHURCH: So, Prime Minister Johnson's parties at 10 Downing Street are now under police investigation due to potential breaches of COVID-19 regulations, that of course were enforced at the time. So how bad could this be for the prime minister considering this is potentially criminal?
JOHNSON: Rosemary, I on this program for some years about the process to removing the president of the United States. Now here we're having the discussion about the removal of the British prime minister. Here's how the processes are fundamentally similar. In both instances the fate of the president and the prime minister lies with the majority of their legislators.
So, for Donald Trump, if he had the majority support of Republicans in the Senate, he is safe. If Boris Johnson can continue to maintain support from at least half of his conservative M.P.s in the House of Commons, he is safe.
The process to removing him is through a vote of no confidence in his leadership. That takes 15 percent, 15 of conservative M.P.s to get to that process. If I were Boris Johnson, I would have wanted to that process to begin yesterday. Why? Because more bad news is coming, that report has lots of bad things in it, it's not going to look good.
But I would have wanted that vote to take place earlier. Why? Because if the British prime minister survives that vote of no confidence, then he has 12 months of freedom. They cannot call another vote of no confidence for him for 12 months.
This buying for time strategy, I don't understand why the prime minister is doing it, unless he thinks somehow, he's going to be vindicated. But this latest news about Sue Gray's report being referred onto Scotland Yard, is not very promising in that respect.
CHURCH: Right. And of course, as you point out, we are waiting for the release of the finding into that inquiry into the series of parties. Of course, we don't know if that's going to be delayed as a result of the police now investigating this. But lawmakers say they will make a decision on Boris Johnson's future once they see the findings of that report. But it isn't independent. So, what is its true value and liability when you consider that?
JOHNSON: A lot of it depends on the political ramifications to this. You know, the conservative party now is polling at a very historic low for the conservative party. This is making conservative M.P.s jittery.
[03:15:01]
Boris Johnson won a very substantial majority in 2019 in places where the conservatives don't normally win seats. Those M.P.s now must feel very vulnerable. So, in some ways the effect of the content of the report is what it means for the mood among conservative M.P.s. Do they feel that Boris Johnson has turned from an electoral asset to an electoral liability?
And that report plus the maneuvering of the Labour leader, Kier Starmer are all building to a crescendo where that vote of no confidence will take place, I predict, in the prime minister the question is, can he keep half of his members on side?
CHURCH: Yes, I mean, that is the big question. Because on top of all of this Boris Johnson is sinking in the polls. The British public are furious about reports of boozy parties at Downing Street while everyone else suffered under the hardship of lockdowns.
The next election of course isn't until 2024. So would the Tories wait and hope that voters forget because people do forget, or would they force him out, do you think? I mean, it's difficult to predict this but you probably have an insight to all of this, what's the sense?
JOHNSON: In the British system an early election could happen but the conservatives could wait it out. I would -- I would say the conservatives do not want an election now or anytime soon. This at the moment reminds me in some ways, of the expenses scandal of 2008, 2009.
In both of those instances that infractions themselves were relatively minor in the grand scheme of political scandals, but there was a sense that there was one rule for the elected, and there was another rule that everyone else followed.
And I think that the British public don't like hypocrisy, they don't like people who are changing the rules, who are living it up on the expense of others, and I think that this, you know, these series of revelations that have come out, not at least the one about the parties in Downing Street on the eve of Prince Philip's funeral have struck a chord with the British public.
And I think that it is now getting very serious for the prime minister. He can still survive --
CHURCH: Yes.
JOHNSON: -- because it comes down to his own M.P.s to keep him in for now, but I would say that day by day things are looking bleaker and bleaker for Boris Johnson.
CHURCH: Yes. It comes down to trust, doesn't it? And these leaks keep continuing. Richard Johnson, many thanks for joining us. I appreciate your analysis.
JOHNSON: Thank you.
CHURCH: And much more ahead this hour. Traveling across Europe for some is about to get a whole lot easier. We will tell you why when we come back.
Plus, despite China's hopes for a zero COVID Olympics, cases are rising within the bubble meant to keep athletes safe. We'll explain.
[03:20:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH (on camera): China is counting down to the Winter Olympics next week amid a rise in new COVID cases. The Beijing Olympics Committee confirmed 13 new infections Wednesday tied to the games despite tight COVID countermeasures. So far, 42 people have tested positive inside the closed loop, a system designed to keep athletes safe.
And CNN's Kristie Lu Stout joins us now live from Hong Kong. Good to see you, Kristie. So just days away from the Winter Olympics and China is struggling to contain these new outbreaks both inside and outside the Olympic bubble, what's the latest? KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Cases are rising
inside and outside the closed loop system in the Olympic host city. Beijing local health authorities earlier today announced that there are 14 new locally transmitted cases of the virus in the Chinese capital, that's the epicenter of the outbreak across the nation right now.
And we also heard from the Beijing Olympic Committee that said that there were 13 new additional cases of COVID-19 confirmed inside the Olympic bubble. Nine were detected at the border before managed to go inside. And as you mentioned, Rosemary, just then 42 cases so far have been detected inside this closed loop system.
Look, COVID-19 has managed to breach the Beijing Olympic bubble despite all the precautions that have been put into place. For example, those dedicated Olympic links for vehicles that's been up and running since Friday. The existence of the closed loop system itself which covers all venues and accommodations and arenas throughout the games.
The fact that in order to enter the system, you have to test negative twice for COVID-19 before you can even fly into Beijing. And yet, COVID-19 has managed to get inside the system. We've talked to a number of experts about this and they said that this just underscores just the near impossibility of preventing the spread of the virus, especially the Omicron variant, Rosemary.
CHURCH: Highly contagious. And Kristie, CNN has learned the U.S. diplomatic mission in China has formally requested and authorized departure over pandemic measure concerns, what does that mean exactly?
LU STOUT: Diplomatic staff from the United States and their families have expressed concern about the zero COVID policy in China. Not because of the virus itself, but because of the strict precautions and the use of snap lockdowns, of tough quarantine measures and border controls, and they fear that there could be family separations once they get caught up in the dragnet of zero COVID in China.
As such, they made this request for authorized departure. This, according to two diplomatic sources to CNN, the request has not been approved yet by the U.S. State Department, but it is being considered at the moment. And this coincides with the swearing in of the new U.S. ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, who's just been sworn in.
But this diplomatic source also say because of the pandemic and zero COVID in China, he will not be able to touch down for a few months to come. Rosemary?
CHURCH: Yes. Such draconian measures in place, of course. Kristie Lu Stout joining us live from Hong Kong, many thanks.
LU STOUT: You're welcome.
CHURCH: Well, traveling around Europe for fully vaccinated residents is about to get a whole lot easier from next Tuesday. The E.U. will recommend an end to requirements for testing or quarantine measures for those vaccinated residents when entering member states. Restrictions will also be eased for those who have recently tested negative or recovered from COVID-19.
This, as some countries are still seeing infections climb. Germany just reported 164,000 new cases in the last 24 hours, a new record. And on Tuesday, France reported a record of more than 500,000 daily cases.
And CNN contributor Barbie Nadeau joins me now live from Rome. Barbie, let's start with the positives. We are learning about these travel restrictions being dropped for the vaccinated. Talk us through how that's going to work exactly.
BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, you know, this is just, at the moment, a recommendation as of February 1st. Now countries like Italy still have in place, they have not amended this regulation that you must have a negative COVID test either a PCR or antigen before you come into the country.
We're waiting to see if the Italian government seeks to amend that. This is a recommendation, it's not a requirement yet. That will make it so much easier because travel is greatly inhibited by the fact that once you get to a destination, you have to worry about getting a test to get back to your home country. So, they're looking and trying to make that easier.
But as you say, cases are continuing to rise and France is looking towards their plateau, they say their peak, when they say the Omicron variant is going to hit its highest limit. Then we've seen this in the previous waves, you've got the peak, the plateau, the cases start to go down. The restrictions then should follow.
It does seems though, Rosemary, like a lot of countries are jumping the gun and are easing restrictions before the peak is reached, at least in places like France. Rosemary?
[03:25:04]
CHURCH: Now a problem of course people are getting so weary, aren't they? It's, they want to move forward on this. And Barbie, what about the latest on COVID infections and hospitalization across Europe?
NADEAU: Well, we are seeing a lot of the hospitalization numbers inch up towards some of the levels we saw on earlier peaks, but we're farther into this wave. You know, these health authorities say that the Omicron variant where it is dominant, and it's not, they still have Delta out there in the European Union.
But where there's Omicron, we're not seeing the hospitalizations or the severity of the disease, but you've still got worrying deaths. Italy had 416 deaths in the course over the last 24 hours, and that is worrying. But as we've seen in these previous waves the deaths fell by about two weeks rises in cases, so they predicted that this would happen.
Now, it's, you know, once the case numbers go down, the hospitalizations should go down, the death should go down, and everybody is hoping that this is the last of the big bad waves of this pandemic, Rosemary.
CHURCH: Absolutely, they are. And the vaccinated are looking for some rewards for doing the right thing, as well. So, we'll see what happens. Barbie Nadeau joining us live from Rome, many thanks.
And coming up, the White House says a Russian invasion of Ukraine is imminent, but Ukraine disagrees. A senior political scientist joins us next for a look at where things stand right now. Back in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH (on camera): We want to recap our top story this hour. World leaders are still pushing for diplomacy even as they prepare for a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. and its NATO allies have been sending arms and other military aid to Ukraine with more anti-tank weapons touching down outside Kyiv on Tuesday.
It comes one day after we learned thousands of U.S. troops are now on high alert for possible deployment to Eastern Europe. Meanwhile, Russia continues releasing video of what it says are military drills as more than 100,000 of its troops are deployed near Ukraine.
Samuel Charap is a senior political scientist for the RAND Corporation. He joins me now from Washington. Great to have you with us.
SAMUEL CHARAP, SENIOR POLITICAL SCIENTIST, THE RAND CORPORATION: Thanks for having me.
CHURCH: So, the White House says a Russian invasion of Ukraine is imminent. Ukraine disagrees, calling it dangerous but not imminent. So, who is right? What's really going on here?
[03:29:54]
CHARAP: Well, I have to imagine that the intelligence capabilities of the U.S. government far outstripped the Ukrainian government even though they are geographically located a lot (Inaudible) for the U.S. It just has better access to signals intelligence and satellite imagery the extent to which they can share that to with the government of Ukraine, I think, has increased but ultimately, the U.S. government is just going to have a whole lot more situational awareness of about what's going on, even on Ukraine's own borders.
There is also an extent to which the Ukrainian government has a motivation to keep calm at home to avoid panic, to avoid exacerbating the economic impact of the crisis already, so I think they -- it seems like President Zelensky and his government has taken the task of trying to deliberately downplay the threat so as to avoid domestic turmoil.
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): Right. And the U.S. and NATO allies are sending weapons to the Ukraine. And 8,500 U.S. troops are on high alert to be deployed to Eastern European, but not to Ukraine itself. But this you wrote recently that this military assistance is not an effective way to resolve this crisis, so what is?
CHARAP: Well, I think we were referring specifically to the military assistance the Ukrainian government, not that it's not morally justified given the challenge that Ukraine faces, or even that in some symbolic way it might be important but that really is just not going to affect Russia's calculus or affect the course of potential conflict. A meaningfully complicate, you know, the Russian military in terms of executing its plans.
So, I think it might be something, that doesn't mean we shouldn't keep doing it, it just means that it's not going to be the thing that changes the course of this crisis. I mean, I see two probably thinking ways that this crisis could play out, it could end up in this potential war that everyone was so afraid of, or there's going to be a diplomatic settlement in which Russia gets some of what it wants.
CHURCH: Right. And of course, President Biden said, he made it clear to President Putin, that an invasion of Ukraine would bring severe consequences, including sanctions. And he's also considering sanctions directed specifically at Putin, but is any of this enough of a deterrence for the Russian president?
CHARAP: Well, I think it's important to underscore just how important Ukraine is to the Russian leadership, Putin, particularly, but not only, they've been willing to absorb tremendous costs economically since 2014 to pursue their objectives in Ukraine. So, I don't think this is a sort of economic rational calculus that the Russian's are making here, it's really about national security imperatives which sort of seem to Trump economic interests when it comes to decisions about war and peace.
So, I do think it's important that the U.S. lay out markers like the sanctions, threats that the Biden administration has laid out. But, again, we should be realistic and you know, I don't think this is going to surprise Putin that he is going to be face with significant economic sanctions if he pursues this war. I just have to assume that he has sort of price that in to the, you know, it takes decision- making.
CHURCH: Right. And you mentioned diplomacy, right now, of course, Ukraine is nearly surrounded by Russian troops amassing at its border. So, where do those diplomatic efforts stand right now? What solutions remain because, we know President Putin won't want to be seen to be backing down with this.
CHARAP: That's right, you know, I think the administration is really doing its best to try to get consensus among European allies which have lots of different interests involved here. Some such as, you know, Poland, and other Eastern allies in Europe are much more hardline, and then you have determines, and the Italians, and the French who are more interested in dialogue and diplomacy, and trying to get a consensus there is very difficult and time consuming.
But really, you know, the U.S. is sort of being asked often speak to all of its allies in this context because Russia wants to talk to the U.S. directly. And of course getting the Ukrainians on board, so this is all quite time consuming and that's to say nothing of the difficulty of finding common ground with Russia.
But we have seen that apparently there is going to be written reply to the Russian proposals this week. Frankly, I don't expect a whole lot more to come of that track, just because -- well, two issues, it's unclear to me whether the Russian proposal is really the basis for a diplomatic compromise. It was so, it's sort of outlandishly maximalist.
And the other reason that you know, Secretary Blinken's counterpart, Russian Prime Minister Sergei Lavrov, is unlikely to be in a position to affect this sort of military moves being made on the ground.
[03:35:11]
I have a feeling that he is not in the room unless decisions are being made. So, if this gets fixed through negotiations, it's very likely to be done at the highest levels whether it with President Biden to President Putin.
CHURCH: All right, we'll watch and see what happens with all of that. Samuel Charap, thank you so much for talking with us.
CHARAP: Thanks for having me.
CHURCH: As Russia's military buildup continues, Ukraine's ambassador to the U.K. tells CNN, he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin has a clear motive.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VADYM PRYSTAIKO, UKRAINE'S AMBASSADOR TO U.K.: We believe that we understand the situation correctly, and that whatever priority of Putin is just to, you know, push us, so that our system will collapse by itself. We can't allow it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And you can watch more of that interview on CNN next hour with Isa Soares, that's at 9:00 a.m. in London, 10:00 a.m. in Berlin. Only here on CNN.
Still to come a rare heavy snowstorm is causing chaos for travelers in Turkey and Greece. A look at damage from the winter weather, when we return.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: This just in. Authorities are looking for the cause of an explosion that rocked Athens, Greece earlier today. "Reuters" reports it took seven fire engines to put out the flames on the buildings affected. And you can see entire walls blown out on the side of buildings here, covered in (inaudible) and ash. The blast damaged buildings up to 200 meters away, at least one person has been taken to hospital with reported injuries.
And the blast comes as parts of Greece and Turkey are dealing with rare heavy snowfall. It's cause power outages, forced businesses to close, and stranded thousands of drivers.
CNN's Arwa Damon reports from a Snowden spot in Istanbul.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Istanbul's famous landmarks were beautifully blanketed in snow as a winter storm hit parts of Turkey. It's a pretty sight to behold for the city 60 million people, but a nightmare for travelers. The heavy snow clog roads, leaving some 4,600 motorists stranded across Turkey, while buses and ferries were also delayed.
Private vehicles were banned from Istanbul streets as cleanups began. Snowfall began late last week, but has significantly increased in recent days. At the airport, flights were suspended for a second day Tuesday. Turkish airlines canceled all flights from the airport, which temporarily closed operations and workers plow the snow cover tarmac. While inside, passengers try to make themselves comfortable wherever they could.
[03:40:00]
Some were so upset, they stage a protest chanting, we need a hotel. But angry travelers appear to have calmed down after airport staff gave passengers food and sleeping pods.
Airport workers try to assess the damage after the heavy snow caused the roof of a cargo warehouse to collapse. In Greece, the winter storm dumped eight centimeters of snow on Athens, a rare occurrence for the capital, knocking out power to much of the city, as the blizzard conditions caused chaos on the roadways.
Rescue crews including the army help dig out driver stuck in their cars overnight. Many were given food and water as the temperatures fell.
GEORGIOS FRAGKOULIS, TRAPPED DRIVER (through translator): We were all trying to move our cars forward, inch by inch, but we couldn't. Then I got stuck here last night. At least I think, I've lost track of time. We managed to go further 50 meters and that's it. I've been right here since last night.
DAMON: Some did try to make the most of the situation, like this woman who used skis to get around. Monday's storm also triggered a rare snow-nado, or snowy funnel cloud across (inaudible) island, after a waterspout moved onshore.
Things have been quite messy across Greece and Turkey to say the least, over the last few days. The region is quite simply just not used to this level of snow. When it comes Istanbul, right now most of the main roads are open, but it's quite tricky here especially given how (inaudible) it is to get all of those side streets safely open up to traffic as well.
I mean, I'm basically effectively snowed in. And to just give you an idea of how rare this is, Istanbul has not seen this level of snowfall since about 1986.
Arwa Damon, CNN, Istanbul.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: The International Monetary Fund has slashed its forecast for global growth this year, down to 4.4 percent. Half a point lower than its previous projection. Slowdowns in the world's two largest economies are a big reason why, take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KRISTALINA GEORGIEVA, MANAGING DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND: Why this slowdown of the recovery, is for two reasons. One, because the two big engines of growth, U.S. and China, are slowing down. And two, because of omicron leading to more mobility restrictions and as a result, affecting the growth especially in the first months of this year.
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CHURCH: The IMF has downgraded China's forecast to 4.8 percent growth this year. Citing disruptions from its zero tolerance COVID policy, and the financial stress facing property developers. As for the U.S., the IMF lowered its forecast to 4 percent growth with inflation still a big concern along with supply chain issues and the failure of Congress to pass President Biden's economic agenda. The IMF predicts global inflation will end sometime next year.
Well, in the coming hours, Italian lawmakers will begin a third round of voting in the country's presidential election. It comes after the first two days of voting failed to produce a winner, though the current Prime Minister, Mario Draghi, is still a top contender.
Our CNN's Bianca Nobilo explains, the election is an unpredictable process that often take several days.
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BIANCA NOBILO, CNN PRODUCER (voice over): This week, the Italian parliament has begun the process to elect the country's 13th president. The election doesn't directly involve the general public, as it's held among 630 members of parliament, 320 Senators, and 58 regional representatives.
Electors are called to the chamber of deputies where they cast their vote in secret, and when they're done, the speaker of the chamber reads out the name written on each ballot paper. Any name needs a two thirds majority to be elected in the first three rounds of the vote.
After that, a simple majority is needed. The session continues until someone is elected, and that can take days. The aim is to elect a new head of state before the 3rd of February. When the mandate of the current president, Sergio Mattarella expires.
So who can become president? You would have to be a politician to be considered for the role. A candidate must be over 50 years old, must hold Italian citizenship, be registered to vote, and not legally barred from holding office.
That's why in the past, public figures, like actor (Inaudible) came up as possible contenders during the vote process. Now the role of the president, fulfilled over a seven-year term, is often seen as ceremonial. Presidents are the official head of state, but not head of executive power. That would be the Prime Minister.
[03:45:00]
However, presidents authorize parliamentary bills and appoint new Prime Ministers and cabinet members. They can also refused to appoint them. And they do exercise those rights. For example, soon after the 2018 general election, current President Sergio Mattarella refused to appoint a Euro skeptic finance minister, despite the nomination being approved by the majority of M.P.'s.
During a political crisis, the president can give someone the task of forming a new government. In 2021, Mattarella summoned former president of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, and asked him to form a new cabinet that would lead Italy through the financial crisis brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, and the political crisis created when former Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte resigned over the collapse of his government.
Contenders to the presidency are not officially nominated. So that's let some commentators to compare it to a paper conclave. A possible candidate who hasn't ruled himself out yet is Prime Minister Mario Draghi. Praised for his ability to save the Euro during the 2012 years in crisis, he is popularly known as Super Mario.
But Draghi becoming president would mean, leaving the Prime Minister's seat vacant, and potentially pushing the country into a new political crisis.
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CHURCH: Well, the pandemic hasn't been hardship for everyone. Coming up, Oxfam's reports on how the world richest men doubled their wealth, while 97 million people fell into extreme poverty.
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CHURCH: A new report from Oxfam is laying bare how extreme income inequality has become during this pandemic. The total wealth of billionaires jumped from more than $8.5 trillion in March of 2020, to nearly $14 trillion in November of last year. This is a bigger increased in the previous 14 years combined.
The world's 10 richest men have more than doubled their fortunes during the pandemic. They have six times more wealth than the poorest 3 billion people. If they lost 99.999 percent of their assets, they'd still be richer than 99 percent of the rest of us.
Gabriela Bucher is the executive director of Oxfam international and she joins us now from England. Thank you so much for talking with us.
GABRIELA BUCHER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, OXFAM INTERNATIONAL (on camera): Thank you, Rosemary, for having me.
CHURCH: So while most of us would never begrudge these billionaires, their ingenuity, it's verging on the obscene that 10 of the world's richest men have doubled their wealth during the pandemic while 99 percent of humanity are worse off and many are struggling, struggling to feed themselves and their children.
Some of these rich men also avoid paying their fair share of taxes, it has to be said, because the tax system allows that to happen. So how can inequalities like this be addressed?
BUCHER: Well, I think it's a very important question. Because as you have said, the figures are staggering. And I think most of us can't get them into our heads but the point is that it is become so extreme that we really need to act.
And we know this level of inequality is not evitable. So one thing that we say in our report is one can consider taxing wealth. Because at the moment and only 4 percent of tax globally comes from wealth. The majority of taxes from income.
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So, we are losing out on the possibility of raising funds that would allow us to invest in better health system, in education, in ending hunger, because we have a situation of millions of people in famine like conditions across the world. We have epidemic, the hidden epidemic of gender based violence that has been so prevalent during the pandemic.
So, all these issues, and vaccines could be solved if for example, we consider taxing the profit or the excess profits of those 10 richest men during the pandemic. If we tax them at 99 percent as an example, we would be able to fund all these things.
And they would still be a billion richer than at the beginning of the pandemic. So if these types of calculation that we are making and calling for wealth taxation. And actually we're joined by more than 100 millionaires and billionaires who also say, taxes (inaudible).
CHURCH: Yes. It's such an important point, because most tax systems are based on income. And for a lot of this rich guys, they don't declare that so, of course, they don't get taxed. I mean, I think Elon Musk pay zero tax, right. So as your report highlights, the pandemic has made these inequities, all the more obvious. What examples of extreme inequities did the report revealed and find?
BUCHER: So there's one very blatant one, urgent one is vaccine inequality. So which countries have for the most part had hoarded vaccines, and had left the majority of the poor world with very few vaccinations. So at the moment, Africa has attempt the same vaccination rate for the first course of two vaccines very far from the level that will be required to really contain the pandemic.
And also the pharmaceutical companies have been charging monopoly level prices. That means that it's costing too much and to get those vaccines and distribute it. And in fact, some of those new billionaires that have been mentioned in the last couple of years, from the pharmaceutical industry as a result of these COVID vaccines.
So vaccine inequality has been in that -- inequality between countries have grown during the pandemic. Which is against the tendency of the last few years when that have been producing, and life conditions in most developing countries have been improving. Vaccines at the moment really, it's hampering development and hampering the recovery in a great majority of the developing world.
CHURCH: Gabriela Bucher, thank you so much for your report revealing that. Hopefully it's given all those people some thinking to do here. Thank you so much. I appreciate it.
BUCHER: Thank you.
CHURCH: Over the Beijing Winter Olympics get underway in just nine days, and athletes are jumping through hoops to avoid COVID in the run-up to the games. CNN's Selina Wang has details.
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SELINA WANG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): For Winter Olympic athletes, just getting to Beijing, it has no backing as competing for gold. Over 3,000 athletes will be gathering under the world's strictest COVID counter measures. They've trained their entire careers for this moment, but a positive COVID test could derail it all.
HANNAH SOAR, U.S. MOGUL SKIER: One positive test (inaudible) at this point. It super stressful. I didn't know that I really struggled from anxiety, to be honest, until the past couple of months.
WANG: U.S. mogul skier Hannah Soar and her teammates had been isolating in Utah for the past month. They live in separate homes, socially distance on the mountains, ordered groceries for delivery.
SOAR: No one has looked at each other in the eyes, I haven't literally been in (inaudible) anywhere besides this house for the past month.
WANG: Soar even wears a KN95 mask under her warmer on the slopes.
SOAR: And so, I just treat everyone like they have COVID and it creates a lot of anxiety in my life. But hopefully it gets me to China.
WANG: Athletes have to test negative for COVID twice before boarding a plane. Once within 96 hours, and another within 72 hours before departure. Then daily test in Beijing. Organizers are relying on sensitive PCR tests. Which means recently recovered, but healthy athletes could potentially be isolated or barred from competing.
WILLIAM SCHAFFNER, INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST, VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER (on camera): They've gone to the public health extreme. That test is so sensitive it is nearly picking up remnants of the virus you are not contagious to anyone else.
WANG: Organizers are not taking any chances. The host country is sticking to its zero COVID policy. Where just one case can trigger lockdowns and mass testing.
During the Tokyo Summer Olympics here, 41 athletes tested positive for COVID. At least two dozen had to withdraw from competition. Now with Omicron an even stricter rules at the Beijing games, it's inevitable. Some athletes are going to lose their chance to compete.
[03:55:08]
A positive test could sent an athlete into isolation at a facility in China, until they get two consecutive negative test. Which experts say could take weeks. Olympians will be completely separate from the rest of China. Part of what organizers are calling a closed loop system. Multiple bubbles connected by dedicated shuttles. Then there's the mountainous venues, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou, north of Beijing, all connected by high-speed rails. British skeleton racer Laura Deas (ph), was in Yanqing last fall for training.
LAURA DEAS, BRITISH SKELETON RACER: Everything that we did, we, you know, training, eat, and sleeping, was all within in this bubble. But it felt incredibly organized.
WANG: Ahead of the game, she is self-isolating in the U.K. and getting creative of training without a gym. While this knows what to expect in Beijing, it is the next few days that are the most tense.
DEAS: I've jumped all of this hurdles over the past few years to get to this point and I'm just, you know, just trying really hard to do all the right things now so that I can get to Beijing safely without COVID.
WANG: For athletes this year, just stepping foot into the Olympic bubble will be a victory.
Selina Wang, CNN, Tokyo.
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CHURCH: Elton John's concert in Dallas Texas are on hold after he tested positive for COVID-19. The concert venue said the singer's long delayed farewell yellow brick road to world would not run Tuesday or Wednesday. Tickets are still good for the new dates which should be announce soon. The venue says Elton John is fully vaccinated and boosted, and only has mild symptoms. It's unclear whether the tour will make its dates in Arkansas and Oklahoma this weekend.
And thank you so much for your company. I am Rosemary Church. Enjoy the rest of your day. "CNN Newsroom" continues now with Isa Soares. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
