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Macron Heads To Moscow On Monday To Push Diplomacy; Troops Mobilized To Reinforce NATO Defenses; Beijing Olympics Update; Queen Elizabeth Announces Charles' Wife Will Be Queen Camilla; Legendary Indian Singer Lata Mangeshkar Dies At 92; Xi Holds More Diplomatic Meetings With World Leaders; Moroccan Boy Dies After Four-Day Ordeal In A Well; Tropical Cyclone Batsirai Destroys Homes In Madagascar; African Union Summit. Aired 4-5a ET
Aired February 06, 2022 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welcome to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.
Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, no signs of letting up: Russia continues to add military assets near Ukraine's border ahead of one European leader's visit and a push for diplomatic solution.
Plus a moment to cherish forever as one country nabs its first ever gold medal and the Winter Olympics.
And the British queen dropping major news while celebrating her Platinum Jubilee.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: U.S. officials now believe Russia has assembled about 70 percent of the military force it needs to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The latest satellite images show Russian forces gathering strength in Belarus. Some are positioned less than 50 kilometers from Ukraine's northern border.
In neighboring Poland, senior U.S. military members arrived on Saturday, as NATO looks to reinforce its eastern flank. This as the head of NATO is due to meet with the Polish president.
French president Emmanuel Macron heads to Moscow on Monday in part to try to revive negotiations between Kyiv and pro-Russian separatists in Eastern Ukraine. Russia's chief negotiator recently offered this dismal assessment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DMITRY KOZAK, RUSSIAN CHIEF NEGOTIATOR FOR UKRAINE (through translator): We hope to be more constructive there and will have something to tell you, because, today, we have nothing to brag about. As much as we want to move forward, the progress that we have equals almost zero.
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BRUNHUBER: CNN's Melissa Bell is standing by, live for us in Kyiv.
Melissa, heading into that meeting with Putin, the message from France, the U.K. and NATO is basically unity, right?
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And Emmanuel Macron has been speaking both to Jens Stoltenberg and to the British prime minister ahead of his visit to Moscow and to Kyiv this week to make sure it was a coordinated response he brought.
Jens Stoltenberg saying he appreciated those efforts and the fact that they were showing this united front. But we just heard there a moment ago from that delegation, a representative of the Russian delegation that's been taking part in those Normandy format talks, that Emmanuel Macron has been pushing, to bring some kind of dialogue back into the middle of all of this.
As you heard, the assessment is pretty dire. The talks haven't moved very far forward. And they've gone as far as agreeing on the fact that a cease-fire in the east of Ukraine needed to hold. That isn't a great amount of progress at all.
Still, Emmanuel Macron's belief is that, by keeping those four parties, Germany, Paris, Kyiv and Moscow around the negotiating table, that there is at least dialogue and that beats the speculation and fear and tensions we've been seeing all around Ukraine as they've been building up these last few weeks.
So those negotiations will continue in Germany this week, this time, not in Paris, even as Emmanuel Macron comes to Kyiv and Moscow. His visit is important, because we know because of Elysee transcripts the conversations he's had with Vladimir Putin -- and he's had five phone conversations with the Russian leader since December, Kim -- we know that Vladimir Putin apparently told him that he was the only Western leader that he felt he could have real conversations with, with whom he could have any kind of understanding.
So there is some hope, because of that trust between two men, because Emmanuel Macron is hoping to forge an independent European defense policy, that perhaps there will be some room for a thawing of the relationship between the West and Moscow.
And of course, that is so important because that military buildup on the outside of Ukraine's borders has become so substantial and continues to increase.
We've seen these last 24 hours, that buildup just 50 miles from the Ukrainian border, across the border in Belarus, even as these joint exercises are about to begin, not just men and weapons.
But ground assault aircraft at several airfields there, not very far from the border, essentially, a combined capability that would give Vladimir Putin the ability to invade and capture Kyiv, according to American intelligence assessments, within 48 hours.
And both Ukrainian and American assessments suggest that that decision has yet to be made, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Melissa Bell in Kyiv, thanks so much.
U.S. forces have begun arriving in Europe to bolster NATO defenses on its eastern flank. About 3,000 American troops have been mobilized to Romania, Germany and Poland.
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BRUNHUBER: And that includes members of the 82nd Airborne from Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. CNN's Isabel Rosales was there as the soldiers prepared to ship out.
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ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right behind me is a C-17. It can carry up to 100 soldiers at a time. Off-camera, about a football field away, is the reception area for these soldiers, waiting for that go- ahead to jump on to the plane.
It can be a waiting game. Some are reading, others are packing, others are playing cards. But once it's time to go, it is all focus and training.
SGT. ANTHONY SHEPARD, U.S. 82ND AIRBORNE DIVISION: Just got to get ready to go fight, whatever the mission calls for, that's what you're ready to deliver for.
LT. COL. PINKIE FISCHER, CHAPLAIN, U.S. 82ND AIRBORNE DIVISION: We are always ready, wherever the nation needs us to deploy. So, you know, we train all the time and we train as we fight. So in times like this, when we're called upon, when the nation needs us, then we're ready to go.
COL. ELIZABETH CURTIS, U.S. 82ND AIRBORNE DIVISION: We're allies and we're all part of NATO, so we all have a common mission. So it's the shared understanding. So I hope positive. I mean, we're all here together and that's what makes us -- that's what makes NATO very powerful.
ROSALES: And these troops don't know how long they will be serving in Europe. The Pentagon says this is a temporary mission -- Isabel Rosales, CNN, Ft. Bragg.
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BRUNHUBER: In Washington, the U.S. Justice Department has released new video from the January 6th attack on the Capitol. Now we want to warn you, some of this material is violent and disturbing to watch.
The first video shows an unidentified member of the mob yelling to the crowd. Watch this.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Put me down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pull the police out. Grab their hands and pull them out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right, bro.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pull the police out.
BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Then 20 minutes after this video was recorded, officers were dragged into the crowd and beaten, according to a CNN review of the video.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): In another clip, we see rioters under a Trump 2020 flag trying to enter the Capitol while fighting law enforcement officers. This video also shows several attacks, where rioters used batons, a hockey stick, crutches and other items to assault police, eventually dragging one officer to the ground.
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BRUNHUBER: Well, Donald Trump has pledged to pardon January 6th rioters facing legal battles from that day if he's reelected as U.S. president but some defendants facing federal charges tell CNN they no longer believe Trump's promises. CNN's Katelyn Polantz has more on their cases and the damning video just released by the Justice Department.
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KATELYN POLANTZ, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Those graphic videos come from criminal cases, showing criminal defendants, including one who is in jail for assaulting police. He's still contesting his charge.
So that is the political discourse a year ago. Now former president Donald Trump is talking about pardoning January 6th rioters if he returns to power.
Justice producer Hannah Rabinowitz and I talked to several defense attorneys this week, representing defendants like these, some of whom are accused of serious crimes and some of whom have already pleaded guilty. . And they say Trump's words right now are largely theatrics, political theater. For one, Trump is no longer president. So he no longer has pardon power. When he was president, people who were arrested for committing crimes on January 6th asked him to pardon them. He had 14 days left in office; he didn't do it.
So now many of these cases are already over or will see their conclusion within this year. That means there will be guilty pleas, trials, sentencings; some defendants will have served years in jail by the time we have the next presidential election.
One defense attorney told us this week, no help is coming. So that's the criminal matters.
But remember, there is still this ongoing investigation on Capitol Hill. The House Select Committee is calling witnesses to testify under subpoena. And if they don't, one consequence could be a criminal contempt charge.
That would mean a witness could face prosecution in court and a conviction like that could be pardoned. Representative Elaine Luria, who sits on the House Select Committee, spoke about Trump's pardon remarks Friday on CNN, with a clear concern that he could motivate witnesses not to speak. Here's what she said.
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REP. ELAINE LURIA (D-VA): If someone, you know, is sort of waiting out there, you know, if I'm president in the future, I'm going to pardon you, someone who could be, you know, right now, thinking, I need to do the right thing, I need to state the facts and potentially plead guilty to the criminal actions that I have, if they think that there's a way in the future to get off from any consequences from their actions, it could certainly color what they do right now.
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POLANTZ: So there are a lot of moving parts here, both politically and legally -- Katelyn Polantz, CNN, Washington.
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BRUNHUBER: Competition is in full swing at the Winter Olympics in Beijing. Day two kicking off with an historic gold medal win for New Zealand in women's snowboarding. Meanwhile, the men's cross-country skiing has just wrapped up. That leaves four gold medals still up for grabs later today.
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BRUNHUBER: Well, many people in Canada's capital have been enduring this for more than a week. Have a look.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): And now they say they've had it with the so- called freedom convoy.
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BRUNHUBER: Plus, Britain's Queen Elizabeth is celebrating her Platinum Jubilee. We'll take a look back at her historic 70 years on the throne after the break. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Britain's Queen Elizabeth has announced a major elevation in the royal family as she marks a historic 70 years on the throne. While celebrating on the eve of her Platinum Jubilee on Saturday, the queen called for the Duchess of Cornwall to be known as Queen Camilla when Prince Charles becomes king.
The couple announced that she will be known as princess consort when they married in 2005, despite Camilla having a right to the title of queen. And that was due to the sensitivity surrounding the title, which was once destined for Charles' first wife, Diana. CNN royal correspondent Max Foster joins us now from Buckingham Palace in London.
Max, take us through what was behind this decision by the queen.
MAX FOSTER, CNN LONDON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Prince Charles for a long time, has, you know, quietly, behind the scenes -- not so quietly behind the scenes but quietly in public, has always pushed for Camilla to become queen when he becomes king.
It's become a bit of an issue for him and a nonnegotiable part of his succession, really. There was some concern that if he suddenly announced that she would be queen when he becomes king, there won't be the same level of public acceptance as the current queen announcing it earlier on.
She's very popular, of course, Elizabeth, so this is seen as a sign of support for Charles' future monarchy but also a reward, really, for Camilla and all of those years of service. This is part of the long- term rehabilitation of Camilla in the public eye.
As you say, many people do blame her for the breakdown and the divorce of the marriage of Charles and Camilla. So she is still a divisive character but I think the royal family now feels that the public would be ready to accept her as queen, particularly with that crucial support from the queen, Queen Elizabeth, who is so revered, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Max, I want to dig into that a bit more, because I'm sure a lot of people might be critical of that decision. You're saying basically, because the queen endorses it, they're willing to go along with it. [04:20:00]
BRUNHUBER: Would they still not view that with a bit of skepticism?
FOSTER: Yes, I'm sure they would. I mean, this is a generational shift here. Young people don't even know who Diana is, often.
But older people, certainly, she's very much in their minds. And there's a lot of distaste toward Camilla, because she was part of that big breakup.
And ultimately, you know, would things have ended up the way they did if Charles hadn't gotten divorced?
It's so loaded, this whole conversation. But over the years, the one sort of unflinching level of support was always for Queen Elizabeth. And I think, you know, they're making it easier to present Camilla as queen by showing that Queen Elizabeth supports it.
And she did, in her message, actually say that she hoped that the public would support Charles and Camilla. So they're hoping, with the queen's endorsement, they'll also get public support for Camilla to be queen.
We'll see, actually, today, in the social media reaction to this. I have to say, today, a lot of people saying they won't accept Camilla as queen. But I don't think that's going to change anything. Charles is absolutely determined that that will be the case.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, interesting. Thank you so much, Max Foster, really appreciate it.
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BRUNHUBER: Some COVID headlines from around the world.
On Saturday, New Zealand reported 243 new community COVID cases. Officials say they expect the Omicron-driven cases to rise but urge people not to panic.
According to state media, Russia has lifted its requirement to quarantine after contact with someone who's tested positive. This comes as Russia records a daily record of more than 121,000 new cases.
And the governor of North Dakota has tested positive for COVID. Doug Burgham says he's having flu-like symptoms, is isolating and consulting with his physician. The governor is fully vaccinated and received a booster.
Protests against COVID restrictions spread to cities across Canada on Saturday.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): These trucks blocked a major intersection in Toronto for a few hours, in line with what we've seen in Quebec City as well.
In the capital, Ottawa, where noisy demonstrations have shut down the parliament area for a week, some protesters showed up on horseback. The protests were started by truck drivers opposed to a federal mandate requiring those crossing the border into Canada to be vaccinated. But some protesters now say they want all COVID-19 restrictions gone.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This whole event has gone beyond just vaccines and it is now about the entire ordeal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're asking for our freedom. That's all we want.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I understand the police force does not want to directly intervene for fear of violence but it feels that we've been left alone a little bit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's been nothing like disruptive, right?
Like, they are using -- they're claiming their freedom while I can't even like hear anything like -- I can't even hear myself.
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BRUNHUBER: Ottawa police are conducting dozens of investigations related to the protests, including for possible hate crimes.
India has announced two days of national mourning after the death of legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar at age 92. India's prime minister Narendra Modi wrote on Twitter, "I am anguished beyond words. She leaves a void in our nation that cannot be filled."
CNN's Ram Ramgopal has more.
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RAM RAMGOPAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): She was known as the Nightingale of India. Lata Mangeshkar had a voice like no other.
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RAMGOPAL (voice-over): Often heard but not seen in films, she was the most popular playback singer in Bollywood history, reigning over the country's film industry for 70 years.
Her talent also carried over to Hollywood. Her legendary voice can be heard in movies like "Life of Pi," "Lion" and "The 100 Foot Journey." She has sung thousands of songs for hundreds of movies in dozens of Indian languages.
At one point, she was the most recorded artist in the world, according to the Guinness Book of Records. She told Indian station NDTV there was nothing she loved more than to sing.
LATA MANGESHKAR, LEGENDARY INDIAN SINGER (through translator): My voice is a gift of nature. Daily practice and discipline is a must. My only desire is to go on singing.
RAMGOPAL (voice-over): Born in 1929, she was the oldest of five children and their father was well known Indian entertainer and classical singer Deenanath Mangeshkar.
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RAMGOPAL (voice-over): At just 5 years of age, Lata Mangeshkar began singing in her father's musicals, recording her first song at the age of 13.
After his sudden death, she turned to acting in order to help support her family. Her unique singing style and unusually high-pitched voice transformed Indian playback singing in the 1940s.
Hit after hit, she became one of Bollywood's most sought-after playback singers, with India's most successful stars lip synching to her songs.
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RAMGOPAL (voice-over): She won award after award, including India's highest civilian honor, the Bharat Ratna, and Indian music's lifetime achievement award. Lata Mangeshkar, melody queen, a musical icon in India and around the world, known for charming millions through song for decades.
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BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us here in the United States, Canada and around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): Ukrainians marched through city of Kharkiv on Saturday, determined to stand up to any Russian aggression. The city lies very close to the Russian border and Ukraine's president warns it could be at risk if there's an invasion.
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BRUNHUBER: U.S. officials believe Russia's overall troop buildup has grown to about 70 percent of what's needed for a full-scale invasion. French president Emmanuel Macron will spearhead the latest diplomatic efforts when he travels to Moscow on Monday. CNN's Nic Robertson has those details.
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NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: The foreign ministry spokeswoman has described it as a very unsightly picture. That is, she says, the West putting all attention and focus, on what is happening in Ukraine, putting pressure on Russia and all of that, she said, detracting while the Olympics are going on in Beijing.
So more criticism, coming from officials here in Russia and meanwhile President Macron's getting ready for his meeting on Monday with President Putin, where the pair of them will talk about ways to de- escalate and bring about a reduction in current tensions.
The French president, speaking on Saturday, with both Boris Johnson the British prime minister and the NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg. And interestingly both the leaders recommending and advising President Macron of France to maintain the unity of NATO, to maintain that strength of message when talking with President Putin, that NATO is all aligned.
That is very much the same message that Macron got in his phone call, a couple of days ago with President Biden and the day before that, with the prime minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau.
Why do they say this?
Partly because part of President Macron's agenda, not only to bring about some peace talks between the Ukrainian authorities and the pro Russian separatists in the Eastern Ukraine and also to get President Putin to de-escalate tensions, reduce the presence of troops around the Ukraine but he also wants to carve out a stronger foreign policy and defense voice for the European Union within NATO.
And, obviously, concerns among some that would break the picture of unity of NATO that's being presented to President Putin. But President Macron's saying not expecting huge breakthroughs on Monday. But the Kremlin have described President Macron as a good interlocutor -- Nic Robertson, CNN, Moscow.
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BRUNHUBER: Day two of the Winter Olympics is underway in Beijing but political tensions, controversy and the COVID-19 pandemic are still casting a shadow over this year's games. Let's bring in CNN's Ivan Watson now live in Hong Kong.
So Ivan, Olympic organizers, of course, say they want to keep politics out of the games but we did hear the IOC reconfirming again that they were wanting to meet with Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai.
What more do we know about this? IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, this is a
very sensitive matter. Months ago, when she publicly accused a former senior official in the Chinese government of sexually assaulting her, that set off a firestorm and, ultimately, the Women's Tennis Association announced it would suspend its tournaments in China.
Peng Shuai later, after she was censored online and disappeared for a while, kind of recanted and said that the accusations weren't actually made by her.
There have been meetings between her virtually and Thomas Bach, the president of the IOC. And there had been an indication that he would meet with her when he came to Beijing for the Winter Olympics.
And an IOC spokesperson said that that meeting will, in fact, take place but we may not learn very much about what happens during that meeting. Listen.
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MARK ADAMS, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS, INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE: You'll appreciate that we're not going to release details through the media of that meeting but the meeting will take place. And I think as the president very eloquently said, we would talk with her and it would be up to her to decide what would and wouldn't be said.
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WATSON: The IOC says they want to respect what Peng Shuai would be comfortable revealing to the public. But one of the narratives was that she may not be able to speak freely because her initial allegations were so embarrassing to the Chinese government that he argued that there seemed to be an effort to cover that up. Back to you.
BRUNHUBER: And Ivan, staying in Beijing, President Xi was again having high-level meetings and a banquet, even. Take us through who he met and what might have come out of it.
WATSON: Yes, this was a banquet in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, where there were a number of heads of state and other top dignitaries, like the head of the World Health Organization.
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WATSON: They were greeted by Chinese leader Xi Jinping and his wife, celebrating the fact that Beijing is the only capital in the world to have hosted both a Summer and now a Winter Olympics.
Some of the presidents there, the president of Egypt, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, the prime minister of Pakistan and the United Nations' secretary-general, who had his own face-to-face meeting with Xi Jinping, where they discussed China cooperating on challenges facing the globe -- climate change; the pandemic, of course; inequality. In a statement published by Antonio Guterres, he did raise the issue
of human rights, which is why there is a diplomatic boycott led by the U.S. and including countries like Canada, Australia, the U.K., of these Winter Olympics.
Guterres in his statement wrote, "The secretary-general also expressed his expectation that the contact between the office of the high commissioner for human rights and the Chinese authorities will allow for a credible visit of the high commissioner to China, including Xinjiang."
And Xinjiang has been the third rail of these Winter Olympics. And for China in general, denying allegations made by the U.S. and other governments, that cultural genocide has been committed in that region, with the alleged roundup and incarceration of more than a million ethnic Uyghurs and members of other Muslim minorities.
China denying all of that. And in a conspicuous demonstration during the opening ceremony, one of the Chinese Olympic athletes to light the cauldron was an ethnic Uyghur, arguably the first time ever that a Uyghur has lit the cauldron at an opening ceremony for the Olympics. Back to you.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Ivan Watson in Hong Kong, thanks so much.
Two people are dead following a shooting at a Wisconsin apartment complex. It happened in a community just outside of Milwaukee Saturday morning. When police responded, they say the suspect fired on them.
Authorities say the victims did know the shooter and a preliminary investigation indicates the incident began as a domestic dispute. The suspect died from what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to police. The chief described the horrific scene.
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CHIEF PETER NIMMER, BROWN DEER POLICE DEPARTMENT: Our officers made entry, Milwaukee TAC team made entry into the apartment and cleared the scene. At this point, we have three people who are deceased, one who is injured, including the suspect.
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BRUNHUBER: And in Virginia, a suspect is now in custody after a deadly shooting near the campus of Virginia Tech Friday night. Jamal Flint was arrested without incident Saturday night. Police say he shot five people, killing one at this hookah bar in Blacksburg. No word yet on a possible motive. An investigation is underway.
After a tumultuous 18 months in Africa, leaders are struggling to tackle a spate of coups, power grabs and growing pandemic problems. We look at the African Union summit, coming up. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Efforts to rescue a little boy trapped in a well in Morocco have come to a heartbreaking end. On Saturday, rescuers managed to dig their way to the spot where 5-year-old Rayan had been stranded for days. But state media said he did not survive the ordeal. As Al Goodman reports, Morocco's king later reaching out to Rayan's family.
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AL GOODMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was a tragic accident that claimed the life of a child, said Morocco's king, Mohamed VI in a statement, according to Morocco's royal palace. The king called the parents of the boy, 5 year old Rayan, to offer condolences.
The king's call came after rescuers reached the boy on Saturday evening. He had been in the well since Tuesday afternoon local time until Saturday evening local time, more than four days.
On Friday, rescuers said he was alive. And on Thursday his father told local TV in Morocco that rescuers had gotten food and water to his son and he was hoping that he would be pulled out alive.
The rescue operation was certainly not easy, according to authorities; the well was narrow, just about a 1.5 feet wide, 55 centimeters in diameter. So they decided to dig down a parallel hole about 130 feet or 30 meters down and then try to get over horizontally.
They encountered numerous obstacles, they said, including some landslides, some boulders. But on Saturday, earlier, there was an air of optimism in the afternoon that they were getting very, very close. There were high hopes for an operation that would've turned out differently than this one did -- Al Goodman, CNN, Madrid.
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BRUNHUBER: We've been following a powerful cyclone this hour. We'll head over to the CNN Weather Center for the latest after the break. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER (voice-over): That's a powerful storm battering the island of Madagascar. Tropical cyclone Batsirai made landfall on Saturday with winds equivalent to a category three hurricane. It has since weakened considerably but experts say torrential rain could lead to widespread, life-threatening flooding.
Residents are also reporting strong winds, power blackouts and destroyed homes.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I have two children but I sent them to my mother's with my wife. I prefer to stay here because I look after our home and it's better because my children are safe over there. I sent them away because of rising waters. It can cause accidents.
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BRUNHUBER: Many residents are now in evacuation centers and many are displaced due to flooding from another powerful cyclone just a few weeks ago.
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BRUNHUBER: Heads of state from around Africa gathered in Ethiopia Saturday to tackle some of the most urgent crises facing the continent. Leaders are focused on addressing a spate of military coups and the coronavirus pandemic.
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BRUNHUBER: In the past 18 months, the continent has seen several coups or attempted coups right across the continent, from Guinea- Bissau in the west all the way to Sudan in the east. The 55-member bloc has struggled to mount a coordinated response and that doesn't include the conflict in Ethiopia, which is facing a civil war.
The African Union Commission chair told leaders the security situation requires a new approach and greater solidarity.
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MOUSSA FAKI MAHAMAT, AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION CHAIR (through translator): Obviously, there are several attempts to approach Africa. This shows, without a doubt, an increased interest in the continent.
But this interest, frankly, has not led to a developmentalist (ph) and substantial consideration in favor of Africa. Here, more than ever, the African leadership is forcefully challenged to mobilize internal resources that reveal the immense potential of the continent. This is the only way in African direction for Africa.
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BRUNHUBER: In the coming days, schools will be reopening for students in Delhi, India, after being shut for nearly two years. But during that time, many classes moved online, creating a learning disparity for millions of children, who simply didn't have access. CNN's Vedika Sud looks at India's digital divide. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VEDIKA SUD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: With several states in India experiencing a third wave of COVID-19, millions of children haven't gone back to school some, for over 600 days.
They've been adapting to remote learning from their homes. And then, there are millions of others who have been forced to cut short their education, due to inaccessibility to digital devices and financial setbacks, caused by the pandemic. Tenirol Ansura (ph) is one of them.
SUD (voice-over): Fourteen-year-old Avankaka (ph) has not been inside a classroom for over 600 days. Millions, like her, are still adjusting to remote learning.
AVANKAKA (PH), REMOTE LEARNING STUDENT: Ma'am, can you explain Python again?
SUD (voice-over): Avankaka (ph) is fortunate to have unhindered access to a laptop and a internet connection for online classes. Just 50 kilometers away, in just the small, seven by nine foot room, Tenirol Ansura (ph) lives with her parents and younger brother.
She does not have access to a laptop or internet. Her mother sorts waste for a living. She earns less than $70 per month and cannot afford a smartphone.
MURSHIDA BIBI, ANSURA'S MOTHER (through translator): The pandemic has been brutal. My daughter was studying, she was trying to learn. I was hoping to enroll my son into school.
SUD (voice-over): With the help of an NGO, Ansura first walked into a government school in 2019. Her formal learning had just started, when the pandemic forced schools to shut down.
I asked what she liked learning in school.
The 10-year-old said she has forgotten most of it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Speaking foreign language).
The only exposure to learning that Ansura gets is when a member of the NGOs sits with her, in this public space, by the road. She is one of many who, desperately, wait for these informal sessions.
SUD: According to UNICEF, only one in four children in India has access to digital devices and internet connectivity.
SUD (voice-over): A March 2021 report by the agency says, school closures have affected a staggering, 247 million children, in elementary and secondary schools. In its economic survey published last month, the Indian government said, the dropout rate caused by the pandemic, is yet to be ascertained. Experts say the learning loss for this generation could be irreparable, especially for the marginalized.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So the dropout rate in India was 17 (ph) percent pre-pandemic and we estimate, that it will go even higher. Because, along with lack of digital devices and access on education, the income loss that the parents are suffering, is also, impacting children.
SUD (voice-over): Ansura hopes to be a teacher someday. But with the digital divide, deepening and already stark socioeconomic crisis, her right to an education has been interrupted. The chances of catching up on the last years look bleak.
SUD: According to UNICEF, 80 percent of children between the ages of 14 to 18 years, reported lower levels of learning than when physically at school. Imagine the learning loss, for those who can't afford even a smartphone to stay connected with school -- Vedika Sud, CNN, New Delhi.
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(WORLD SPORT)
[04:55:00]
BRUNHUBER: I'm Kim Brunhuber. Thanks for your company. I'll be back in just a moment with more CNN NEWSROOM. Please do stay with us.
