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Russian Teen Figure Skater At Center Of Doping Allegations; Lara Gut-Behrami Takes Super-G Gold; Satellite Images Show Russian Buildup In Crimea, Belarus; Diplomacy Falls Short As Russian Military Buildup Grows; Invasion Of Ukraine Brings Political Risks For Putin; Canadian Protesters Blocking Three U.S. Border Crossings; London's First Female Police Chief Resigns; Asia-Pacific Struggling with Record Wave of Infections; Parts of Europe Relaxing Covid Rules Despite High Cases; Mexico's President Calls for "Pause" in Relations with Spain; Impact of Climate Change on Lumber Shortages, High Prices; Animated Film "Flee" Resonating Ahead of Academy Awards. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired February 11, 2022 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[01:00:11]
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to CNN Newsroom, everyone. Appreciate your company. I'm Michael Holmes. New controversy at the Olympic Games. We're learning more about the young Russian skater who helped take home the gold on Monday despite failing a drug test taken in December.
Causing mass chaos in Canada, protesters blocked several border crossings and say they won't stop protesting until COVID vaccine mandates are lifted. Now it's spilling over into the U.S. And how climate change is causing a shortage of lumber helping make the price of homes go up even more.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN Newsroom with Michael Holmes.
HOLMES: And we begin with new developments in the alleged doping scandal surrounding a Russian figure skater at the Olympics. Results from a December drug test came back positive after 15-year-old Kamila Valieva had already competed in Beijing. She was put on provisional suspension that was later lifted. And now the IOC is appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Valieva had helped her team take gold in Monday's figure skating team event. CNN's got all angles of the Olympics covered. World Sports Don Riddell is joining me here in Atlanta with your up to the minute results. But first, let's go to CNN's Steven Jiang in Beijing with the latest in this alleged doping scandal.
And Steve, finally some clarification on all of this which, of course, has been casting a shadow over the games. I guess the question is, who knew what and when did they know it? STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Michael, that's right. At least for now, the timeline of the event leading to the canceled metals event seem to be quite clear now as you've just well summarized, the sort of focus shifts to what happens next. Now, we know the international testing agency, that's the agency in charge of anti-doping enforcement doing the Beijing Games, they say they will now filed an appeal against the Russian anti-doping agency's decision to lift that temporary ban on Valieva.
And that decision will be filed, that appeal will be filed in front of the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland. Now that -- according to the IT statement, they seem to hope to see a quick decision from the court to resolve this issue before next Tuesday. That's when she is scheduled to compete next.
But if nothing happens before then, it seems she can continue train and compete as we have been seeing. So that, obviously, could be potentially very controversial. As for the medals themselves, the ITA specifically pointed out in its own statement, that that's a separate even more thorough process that could potentially take much longer to complete as well. So conceivably, we may not see -- even see any medals ceremony for that event during these games.
But interestingly, Michael, standing where I am in China, even after that ITA statement, there seemed to be still a lot of sympathy and support for the Russian team and the athlete on social media with many people voicing their suspicion about a timeline. And as you can imagine, there was quite a bit of a distrust of any institutions or mechanisms in the Chinese mind set up against the West competitors, including China, but also including Russia.
Anti-doping mechanism seems to be one of those. And also remember, of course, China has its own history of doping scandals, including some fairly recent incidents. Michael?
HOLMES: Yes, absolutely. Steven Jiang, I appreciate it. Let's turn now to CNN's Don Riddell. And Don, briefly tell us a little bit more about her achievements and the expectations of her at these games.
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Well, Michael, with regards to her achievements, she's only just got started. But already those achievements are extraordinary. 15 years of age, this is her first senior season. Already she has nine world records. She's the European champion. She won the Russian championships just last month, which arguably is harder to win even than the Olympics given that the top six skaters ranked in the world right now are all Russian.
And in the Olympics already, she became the first woman to land a quad which is a jump with four spins. So absolutely extraordinary. This isn't just any old athlete, there was so much excitement and hype and anticipation ahead of Valieva's Olympic debut just a few days ago. She, of course, was in the team that won the gold medal yet to be awarded, yet to be determined. But this really is quite a remarkable turn of events.
HOLMES: Yes, it is. And to happy news, what else are you watching in the competition coming up?
[01:05:00]
RIDDELL: Well, on the slopes and on the ice, it's already been a big day and emotional day. Let's start with the men's halfpipe where Japan's Ayumu Hirano has finally won the gold medal. And I say that because in the last two Olympics, he had to settle for silver, but he was absolutely phenomenal in this event on all three of his runs.
He produced 1440 triple cork. There was some controversy and confusion because the judges didn't seem to recognize that in his second run. But with him doing it again in the third, there was absolutely no doubt that he had deserved this absolutely brilliant performance.
And he's a versatile athlete. He's been snowboarding and skateboarding since the age of four. And he was actually competing in the Tokyo Summer Games not that long ago on the skateboard. His name, by the way, means to walk a dream.
That event was also the swan song for the snowboard legend Shaun White, the 35-year-old who had already said that this would be his last Olympic Games. He, of course, was once known as the flying tomato, the man that helped to really popularize this event. He's already won three gold medals.
He just missed out on a podium finish. He finished fourth, but he was pretty pleased with not necessarily his performance, but his career. And he was very, very emotional, and just grateful for all that he's been able to do in the sport at the end.
We saw the Super-G women's race skiing earlier on as well, Michael. Mikaela Shiffrin, who is fast on her way to becoming the greatest skier of all time, but she's had a very difficult games. So far as you know, skiing out in her two previous races. She was able to get down the mountain in one piece, unfortunately, not amongst the medals. She finished in ninth place.
But you could tell from just her demeanor at the end, that she was just relieved, I think, to have got this one out of the way. And happy with the fact that she was at the bottom of the mountain having completed the race. This race was won by Lara Gut-Behrami. Her first gold medal and the first time that any Swiss skier has won the women's -- well, the Super-G.
Michael, that's what we got so far.
HOLMES: Yes. Fascinating. I mean, you look back on Shaun White's career. I was reading up on him last night, he got his first sponsorship at age seven. He was that good. That was skateboarding, I think. Yes.
RIDDELL: Yes.
HOLMES: What an athlete. Don Riddell, good to see you my friend. Thanks.
RIDDELL: All right.
HOLMES: Well, Russia's military standoff with Ukraine will be moving to a new front next week as Moscow begins five days of naval exercises in the Black Sea. Ukraine condemning the plan, which it says will choke off commercial shipping. Russia denies that, but a top U.S. diplomat calls the drills provocative and an escalation.
New satellite images, meanwhile, appear to show Russia building up its military on three sides of Ukraine. These pictures show more than 500 troops tents and hundreds of vehicles at a former airfield in Crimea. And in Belarus, images show a new deployment of troops their military vehicles and for the first time, helicopters.
Ukraine is conducting 10 days of its own military exercises, training with drones and anti-tank missiles provided by Western countries. And the U.S. has sent F-15 fighter jets to Poland for NATO. Air patrols for American warships have deployed in recent days to the waters of Europe as well.
Now the latest attempted diplomacy did not go to well as the British Foreign Secretary visited her Russian counterpart in Moscow.
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SERGEY LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translation): I'm honestly disappointed that what we have is a conversation between a dome and a deaf person. It seems like we listen but don't hear. At the least, our most detailed explanations, fell on unprepared soil.
LIZ TRUSS, BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY: I certainly wasn't mute in our discussions earlier. I put forward the U.K.'s point of view on the current situation. And the fact that as well as seeking to deter Russia from an invasion into Ukraine, we are also very resolute in pursuing the diplomatic path.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace will try his hand at diplomacy when he meets with his Russian counterpart in Moscow in the coming hours. We get more now from CNN's Alex Marquardt reporting from eastern Ukraine.
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SENIOR U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: As NATO leaders try to convince Russian President Vladimir Putin to deescalate the military situation that he has created along the borders of Ukraine, Russia is doing the exact opposite and ratcheting up the tension. Not just with the long planned military exercises between Belarus and Russia, but also by announcing naval exercises on Ukraine southern flank in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov just to the east of there.
[01:10:00]
Russia has poured tens of thousands of their troops into Belarus over the course of the past few weeks which have crept closer and closer to the border with Ukraine. And over the course of about the next week and a half, we expect to see Russian fighter jets patrolling that border. We expect to see them using all kinds of weaponry, including advanced anti-aircraft weapons.
We do know that the top Russian General is going to be joining those exercises, just to give you a sense of how important these exercises are to the Russians. And Russia has not guaranteed that their troops will go back to Russia after those exercises are completed. On Thursday, we heard a word of concern from two of NATO's top leaders of the Secretary General of NATO and the Prime Minister of Great Britain. Take a listen.
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JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL: This is a dangerous moment for European security. The number of Russian forces is going up. The warning time for a possible attack is going down.
BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: This is probably the most dangerous moment, I would say in the course of the next few days, in what is the biggest security crisis that Europe has faced for decades.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARQUARDT: In terms of those naval exercises, Russia has announced that next week it will be carrying out several days of drills in the Black Sea and in the Sea of Azov. We have been tracking six landing ships that have just made their way to Crimea in the Black Sea. And Russia has said that they will be blocking off parts of both of those seas that has raised the anger not just of Ukraine, which has said that ships will now no longer be able to dock in Ukraine, but also the United States which has said that commercial shipping will also be blocked.
So this significant military escalation on three sides of Ukraine, as this flurry of diplomatic activity has shown so far that there has been no breakthrough to deescalate the situation.
Alex Marquardt, CNN in eastern Ukraine.
HOLMES: Matthew Schmidt is an associate professor of National Security and Political Science at the University of New Haven. Good to have you back, Professor. I wanted to get your take on the state of the diplomatic talk seemingly very frosty with the British Foreign Secretary. Russia Sergey Lavrov said it was like the mute talking to the deaf.
MATTHEW SCHMIDT, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, NATIONAL SECURITY, UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAVEN: Boris Johnson has his problems all the way around. I don't expect much from the talks. I don't expect much from the direct talks coming up next week. Although it is important that Russia and Ukraine are speaking, you know, face to face in this case, there just isn't much room here, because Russia is making demands that NATO and the United States simply aren't going to accept.
And Zelensky has no room either. He tried to get legislation passed to deal with the Donbass and try to adjust autonomy and things like that. Even just talking about him, put people in the streets, there were riots. So, I don't think that's backing down here.
HOLMES: Yes, yes. So then there are these exercises in Belarus, you've got increased activity in the Black Sea. Some have called Putin's actions calculated brinkmanship. But do you see it that way in terms of what he might do? And, of course, there's always a risk with armies hanging around borders. if there's a miscalculation and unintended escalation.
SCHMIDT: I think this is overplayed. Is Putin calculating? Of course, he is. But it takes two sides in order to create an incident and Ukrainians are going to be very careful not to let that happen. And the truth is the power dynamic is all on his side anyway. He gets to decide how to respond to any incident to start a war, not start a war.
HOLMES: Of course, as the Americans know all too well from Iraq and Russia for its partners from Afghanistan. Taking over a country is one thing, very achievable militarily in both cases, but holding it quite another amid a hostile population. Putin, of course, must be very aware of the quagmire risk of a full invasion.
SCHMIDT: I think this is the biggest risk to him. He can take and hold any territory he wants. But he can't stop the Ukrainians from engaging in an insurgency. He can't stop them from the slowly, perhaps more quickly than he expects by sending body bags back to the Kremlin. It's not a popular war in Russia. And so, if there are high casualties, eventually the public is going to get into the debate there.
HOLMES: That was, in fact, my next question, what do we know about how the Russian people feel about the possibility? Well, I think Putin is all about his own longevity, his political survival, and he faces re- election in two years. He pretty much controls the elections, but there's going to be one. What are the domestic risk for him?
SCHMIDT: The risk is really to his legacy. He's trying to keep in place his system and trying to keep Russia in the -- and sort of the pantheon of powers in the world. And he may keep, you know, his seat as the president because he has the tools to manipulate the election that way.
[01:15:06]
But sooner or later, his system of government may come down. And I think that's what we're facing. The younger crowd that under 30 crowd in Russia, this is not a popular war. Of course, this is the group that's going to fight the war. And this is also the age cohort that engages in revolution, right?
These are the people that he's worried about turning against this government. You already have a strong right pro-democracy, anti- corruption movement in place. And he's worried about an anti- corruption, right, anti-Putin movement coming out of Ukraine. That's much of the reason that he's looking to go into right now, more than any of this sort of, you know, geopolitical reasons.
HOLMES: Yes. And you know, the economy is not all that healthy. I mean, what happens if enough Russians become convinced that a war or even the prospect of war poses a threat to their economic livelihood? Are Russians willing to bear the price to them of a war on the domestic front?
SCHMIDT: In general, when you look at the polling, they're pretty fatalistic, which means they will bear it up to a point. The problem is, is that the Kremlin controls mass media, it controls social media. And so, the capacity for people to be disgruntled and then organize politically is hard, right?
People will complain, they'll complain in their kitchen counters, but they won't be able to move into the streets, because Putin controls all of those avenues of information.
HOLMES: Yes, great analysis, as always. Professor Matthew Schmidt, thanks so much.
SCHMIDT: My pleasure.
HOLMES: Canadian truckers protesting against COVID restrictions have shutdown several major border crossings with the U.S. And U.S. officials fear American truckers might be inspired to try the same thing. We'll have details when we come back.
Also, London's first female police chief calls it quits following accusations of misogyny and racism on her watch. We'll be right back.
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HOLMES: Hundreds of large trucks have blocked the streets of Canada's Capitol for two weeks now with no sign they're going anywhere. Beginning late last month, there's a large but peaceful rally outside parliament to protest vaccine mandates has morphed into a crippling catch all of grievances that threatens to spread to other areas, including the U.S. At least three border crossings are blocked and it's not just trucks, farm equipment and passenger vehicles have joined the blockades.
The busy bridge between Windsor and Detroit has been shut down for days, forcing other drivers to make long detours. And for General Motors, Honda and Toyota and others say auto plants in the U.S. and Canada are already being impacted.
Now the Canadian protests are already starting to affect the daily flow of goods between the U.S. and Canada. If it continues, the economic consequences could be serious.
[01:20:03]
CNN's Miguel Marquez spoke with Canadian truckers now blocking one of the main bridges between the U.S. and Canada.
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MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Some protesters blocking this major trade corridor between the U.S. and Canada say they'll risked their lives just stay out here. Three nights already, no sign of quitting.
(on-camera): You would risk your life rather than leave this protest?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 100 percent. Absolutely, 100 percent.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): Protest now starting to bite deeply into the economy. Supply chain bottlenecks, trucks backed up for hours across this bridge at Port Huron. Automakers and part suppliers on both sides of the border starting to slow or altogether suspend production.
Windsor's mayor says, well Canadians have the right to protest. Patience for what he calls an illegal blockade is running thin.
DREW DILKENS, WINDSOR, ONTARIO MAYOR: There will have to be a path forward, if that means physically removing them, then that means physically removing them, and we're prepared to do that.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): Protesters here want all Canadian coronavirus restrictions and mandates at the national level lifted before they say they'll leave.
JIM DOIG, PROTESTER: I'm fighting like our veterans did for the freedom of this country, like Trudeau is taking away from us.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): Prime Minister Justin Trudeau now a target over too many rules. The Prime Minister so far, not budging.
JUSTIN TRUDEAU, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: Individuals are trying to blockade our economy, our democracy and our fellow citizen's daily lives. It has to stop.
MARQUEZ (voice-over): Michigan's governor demanding that the border crossing be reopened, calling the blockade unacceptable. Anti-mandate anger simmering for weeks, starting with opposition to vaccine mandates, even though government statistics show more than 80 percent of Canada's truckers are vaccinated.
Some provinces such as Saskatchewan and Quebec have recently announced plans to rollback COVID restrictions. But for those who believe the government has robbed them of their livelihoods, they say it's not enough.
(on-camera): Do you want the entire country?
DOIG: Not only do I want the provincial ones, I want the national ones done. And I would like to see something where they can't happen again. If we can get the restrictions gone, this little bit of a disruption in our day today for the next week or two, whatever it takes, they'll thank us for it.
Miguel Marquez, CNN, Windsor, Canada.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Paula Newton joins me now from Ottawa to talk about all of this. Paula, good to see you. They're right on the spot. Even the Canadian Trucking Alliance has called for the blockades to end but the protesters say, no, they're not going anywhere. So effectively, you got a stalemate. What is it going to take to end this?
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, I wish someone new Canadians everywhere watching this, wish someone new. The issue here is that this is really spread like a contagion, Michael, because it's not just here where I am in the capital city in Ottawa, but it is sprouting up all over the country.
We now have four borders that have been impacted, that is sending the shutter through the economy. And many people looking to their institutions, their governments at every level to say what is this going to take? Now there has been a lot of criticism of law enforcement, especially in this city in Ottawa. And yet the police chief here is pushing back and, saying, what would you propose we do?
There are hundreds, sometimes thousands of people in the streets. There are hundreds of heavy trucks. They're having trouble, even getting tow truck operators to agree to move any of this. But the bottom line, Michael, is that they are trying to avoid a confrontation.
On the other side of this, you have communities that feel as if they've been hijacked. You now have key industries in Canada, like the auto industry feeling they have a gun to their heads, and all of this over COVID-19 restrictions. And Michael, to bring it back to that trucking alliance that you talked about, they were against this from the start because they say that 85 percent of truckers are vaccinated. And they're saying that this is not an issue for the majority of Canadians but a very vocal minority.
HOLMES: Right. And that brings me to my next question. A lot to talk about the protests, you know, which as we know, started with truckers has in many ways been hijacked by some more extreme elements. Is that the case? Is that what you're hearing?
NEWTON: I mean, look, Michael, I've been out here for two weeks. We have certainly had complaints about hate speech. We have had hate symbols. I have seen them myself.
The truckers that I speak to and some of their other supporters tell me, look, we can control everyone that comes into our movement. We have told them they are not welcome. We are not far-right extremists. We are not white supremacist. We are not Holocaust deniers.
They have continued to tell us this. And yet there had been -- there has been unsettling evidence. Police here in the city say both from the organization and the funding that tells them otherwise, that there are groups that are exploiting this kind of movement that has a very ugly underbelly.
[01:25:10]
HOLMES: How is the protest impacted life in terms of movement of goods and so on? I know local residents must be annoyed. But how has it impacted movement of goods? How might it impact those things as it continues? I mean, there's been talks of disruptions not just for Canada, but the U.S. too, the Super Bowl, the State of the Union. What are the potential impacts going forward if this continues?
NEWTON: Well, here's the issue. Michael. We'll go back to what I said initially, right, it's like a contagion. So now we have just between the Canada-U.S. border, four borders impacted, border crossings impacted, and two of those are major commercial arteries. It's not just the car industry, there are people saying that they have vegetables, fruits that needs to get across the borders. So that's one, OK?
But, again, when you look at the online chatter, that is the dangerous thing. So many people are seeing what, a few 100 rigs in the middle of the street could do to the nation's capital and saying, huh, maybe this is a way for us to get our way. Why would we sit on the sidewalk and have people ignore us when we can be in the middle of the road and have everyone pay attention?
And that is a danger here. There's the reason that the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, has been in contact with officials in Canada for two weeks now. And yet now, it seems only now is it getting the attention of the Biden administration.
HOLMES: What pressure is there on the government to make concessions, the national or provincial governments? Are they likely to cave in to the demands?
NEWTON: They are not likely to cave in, I would say, Michael, because as the prime minister himself said, we can't be listening to angry crowds. And the reason, Michael, is very simple, is that it sets a dangerous precedent. The thing is, though, Michael, here in Canada, a lot of those health measures, not the trucking vaccine, that was the vaccine for the truckers, that was a federal thing, because it involves crossing borders.
I want you to keep in mind, unvaccinated truckers can still do their jobs throughout Canada, in most instances. So the point here is that they -- the government is looking at this and saying, look, the provincial governments for -- some of them were already on track to lift some of those restrictions.
The irony, Michael, is that some businesses around here were only allowed to open for, let's say, in-person dining 10 days ago. Guess what? They didn't open because there was a protest, because of security concerns. This was rolling out and happening gradually across the country anyway.
What protesters, especially the truckers say to me is, no, it's not just about this pandemic. They actually want agency to make sure they believe that governments do not get the idea that they can do this again. And that is the real dangerous point here.
People losing -- some people on one side of the equation, losing trust in their institutions. And on the other side of the ledger, really trying to undermine the authority of those institutions. It is dangerous on both sides. HOLMES: Yes. And we've seen the disruption and there are those on the right in the U.S. who basically are urging similar things to happen south of the border.
Paula, good to have you there on the spot for us. Paula Newton, thanks so much.
HOLMES: London's first female police commissioner is stepping down on the heels of a damning report on the city's police culture. Cressida Dick announced her resignation on Thursday days after The Independent report slammed the Metropolitan Police Service for what it called a culture of misogyny and racism.
Investigators made 15 recommendations to improve policing practices. But to do that, London's mayor says the force needs a new clean slate in their leadership.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SADIQ KHAN, LONDON MAYOR: It's clear that the only way to start to deliver the scale of the change required is to have new leadership right at the top of the Metropolitan Police. What we know is the examples of the culture unisolated and unhistoric. There needs to be a recognition of the scale of the challenge before you can have a solution. A prognosis for the concerns that many many Londoners have.
That's why it's really important we have the right leadership at the top of the police service. And it's possible to recognize and pay tribute to dedicated brilliant, brave police officers, but also to say there are big issues that need addressing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The mayor also praised Cressida Dick's work in fighting violent crime in the U.K. Capitol. The commissioner says she will stay on until her replacement is chosen.
Well, from South Korea to Singapore all the way to New Zealand, major spikes in daily COVID infections with records being shattered. We're live in Hong Kong with the details when we come back.
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[01:32:23]
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: And welcome back to our viewers all around the world. I'm Michael Holmes, you're watching CNN Newsroom. And for the second day straight. New Zealand has recorded its highest number of COVID infections. It's helped industry says that is due to the fast-spreading Omicron variant, which is also driving up cases in South Korea.
Health authorities they have reported nearly 54,000 new infections on Thursday, the weekly average of daily confirmed cases in South Korea nearly doubled from late January to early February. More than 86% of the population is fully vaccinated. Many parts of the Asia Pacific region are seeing a surge in new cases despite hopes that the year of the Tiger might see COVID contained. CNN's Kristie Lu Stout picks up the story.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There were wishes of good fortune and good health but after the Lunar New Year holiday, many Asian countries are now hit with a record wave of COVID-19 infection. This week, Hong Kong reported its highest daily spike in new cases on record, as well as its first COVID like deaths and five months of the city has tightened it's already tough zero COVID measures resulting in this, long lines of people waiting to take their mandatory COVID-19 tests.
Out South Korea is also setting new records and COVID-19 infection. This week is surpassed 1 million cases and started the pandemic. Its health agency warns that they could soon see daily cases quadruple by the end of February.
Japan has posted record rise and COVID-19 deaths as Omicron tears the nation and infection is showing no sign of slowing in zero COVID China where Biza (ph), the city of three and a half million people was locked down on Monday.
In Singapore, there's also been a dramatic rise in case numbers. Now, health officials there had warned the country would see a spike in infection from the Omicron variant as it chooses to continue to live with the virus and the World Health Organization is urging vigilance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIA VAN KERKHOVE, COVID-19 TECHNICAL LEAD, WHO: Unfortunately, this virus is not done with us. So, we have to really remain vigilant. That doesn't mean lockdown. It doesn't mean shutting down societies. We will not be able to prevent all transmissions that's not the goal, to prevent all infection all transmission that's not attainable at this point.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LU STOUT: As New Zealand reports a record number of locally transmitted cases, it's on track to gradually reopen borders. Now, from February the 27th, vaccinated citizens and visa holders can travel from Australia to New Zealand without managed quarantine and from February 21, Australia will welcome all fully vaccinated international travelers.
In Malaysia, a COVID-19 recovery council advised a full reopening as early as March with required testing but no mandatory quarantine.
[01:35:06]
And this comes as the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand all relaxed quarantine rules for vaccinated international travelers. But China and Hong Kong remain closed off with their zero COVID policy and build as Asia's world city Hong Kong is struggling with prolonged isolation. Hong Kong's top leader says that the city will stick to its dynamic zero COVID strategy pointing to the low vaccination rates among those over 70.
Now so far, the year of the tiger has not tamed the virus nor the zero-tolerance policy up to control it.
Through Hong Kong and China continue to cling to this zero COVID policy. Now Beijing is expressing that it is "highly concerned about the COVID-19 outbreak here in Hong Kong." In fact, late on Thursday, a statement released by the Hong Kong Macau Authority Office and in that statement, it said that top authorities and health officials from Hong Kong and mainland China will meet in Shenzhen to discuss the situation in the coming days. We have an excerpt from this statement from H.K. MAU, let's break it up for you. And in this statement, it says this "as long as Hong Kong asks for something, the motherland will surely answer it." The South China Morning Post goes on to say that that meeting in Shenzhen is expected to take place as early as Saturday and that according to one source it cites Mainland China may provide 1000s of medical and lab personnel as well as millions of COVID-19 testing kits. Back to you, Michael.
HOLMES: All right, Kristie Lu Stout there in Hong Kong, thanks for the update.
Meanwhile, in a Europe, many countries are easing up on COVID restrictions, removing mask mandates and bringing back some major events, despite record breaking case counts in some corners of the continent. CNN's Isa Soares with the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ISA SOARES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the German, capital Berlin International Film Festival begins, an in-person event this year for the first time in the pandemic.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is kind of phenomenal to actually be at a big public film festival again.
SOARES: In Ireland's capital, Dublin has welcomed the return of their own flagship event next month.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're ecstatic for the return of St. Patrick's Day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's good to see Irish culture back after so long. Definitely look forward to a few points anyway.
SOARES: Dublin's famous St. Patrick's Day Parade will return following a two-year absence. After the Irish government dropped many COVID-19 restrictions last month. Residents, they're eager to return some semblance of pre-pandemic life, as much of Europe appears to be learning to live with COVID-19.
In Spain, outdoor mass requirements reimposed in late December ending Thursday. So too in France, where residents are allowed mask free outside since February the second after the French government lifted a series of COVID restrictions.
By March 1, there'll be very few coronavirus measures in place. The Czech Prime Minister said Wednesday as he promised to start easing restrictions and increase the numbers of people allowed a public adventure. The Czech Republic now joining Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Netherlands, the U.K. and several other European nations loosening COVID rules despite staggering COVID case numbers across the region.
Many countries have seen rising infections in recent weeks, some reaching record levels. But health officials say in Europe there's a plausible pandemic end in sight for three key reasons.
HANS KLUGE, REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR EUROPE, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: First, a large capital of vaccine derived and natural immunity by Omicron. Seconds, a favorable seasonality pause as we move out of the winter and third, a lower severity of the Omicron variant now well established.
SOARES: The outlook appearing to reassure European cities like Nice in France, where its iconic Carnival is set to begin Friday following last year's cancellation. They're like elsewhere in Europe preparing for the return of beloved events. And the possibility of life post pandemic. Isa Soares, CNN, London.
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HOLMES: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is taking fire from one of his predecessors namely former Prime Minister John Major who minced no words about Mr. Johnson on Thursday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN MAJOR, FORMER BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: At number 10, the Prime Minister and officials broke lockdown laws. Brazen excuses were dreamed up. Day after day the public was asked to believe the unbelievable. Ministers were sent out to defend the indefensible.
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[01:40:05]
HOLMES: The fellow conservatives slammed Mr. Johnson over suspected parties held during COVID lockdowns, but also for what Sir John Major called policies that shredded Britain's reputation abroad. Mr. Johnson responded to that challenge during a trip in Poland calling it demonstrably untrue.
Prince Charles is in isolation after testing positive for COVID for a second time. Officials say the 73-year-old heir to the British throne is fully vaccinated but received his positive tests just hours after being at an event at the British Museum with dozens of other people. A royal source also tells CNN Charles met with the queen recently but did not elaborate on how recently. The source says the majesty -- Majesty is not displaying any COVID symptoms.
Climate change having an impact on a surprising market housing after the break the problem one possible solution, that's when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HOLMES: A diplomatic spat between the leaders of Mexico and Spain is straining ties between those two nations. Mexico's president now even calling for a pause in relations. CNN's Rafael Romo with the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What exactly does the Mexican president mean when he says that relations between his country and Spain should "take a pause." Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Wednesday during his daily press conference that Mexico should, "take a break" but he thinks will be convenient for both Mexicans and Spaniards. The statement raised eyebrows on both sides of the Atlantic, he softened his stance always slightly Thursday by saying that there will be no breakup with Spain, Mexico's former colonial power but just moves to calm down the relationship and take a pause. Let's take a listen.
ANDRES MANUEL LOPEZ OBRADOR, MEXICAN PRESIDENT (through translation): It's not a breakup of relationships, and this isn't something against the people of Spain. This is respectful and fraternal protests for the abuses and grievances committed against the people of Mexico and our country.
ROMO: Reaction from Spain was swift. Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares called his Mexican counterpart Wednesday night. Spanish government spokesman described the call as cordial before issuing a statement calling Mexico and Spain strategic partners that are united by deep human cultural, historical, linguistic and economic ties.
The statement also pointed out that 175,000 Spanish citizens live in Mexico and that 30,000 Mexicans live in Spain.
In terms of investment, Spain is Mexico's second largest investor after the United States. In the first nine months of last year, Spanish businesses invested $2.6 billion in Mexico. According to the Spanish government, there are more than 7000 businesses from Spain, operating in Mexico.
[01:45:00]
This is not the first time President Lopez Obrador has made a controversial statement about Spain. In 2019, he sent a letter to both the king of Spain and the Pope saying that Mexico wanted an apology for what he called a record of grievances committed by both Mexico's former colonial power and the church. Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.
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HOLMES: Prices for homes in the U.S. are skyrocketing. And officials point to climate change is one of the reasons why years of devastating wildfires and destructive insects and leveling forests worldwide, wreaking havoc on the timber and lumber needed to build homes. That is CNN's Bill Weir shows us there may be a solution.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: If the definition of inflation is too many dollars chasing not enough goods, well, this is what happens when too many houses, chase not enough wood.
(On camera): How would you characterize the price of lumber today?
JOHN RIDDLE, VP, TURNING LEAF CUSTOM HOMES: Volatile. Yeah, it is up and down. It got to a point we were just adding 20 to 30% just because and hopefully that will cover it.
WEIR: It's all they can talk about at the National Association of Homebuilders convention in Orlando this week, starting with a sticker poll.
JERRY HOWARD, CEO, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HOME BUILDERS: Down here is one person who said it's been by 75%. At a normal time, if the cost of a building material were to increase by 75% people would be coming on glued. But look what it is, most of them are 200% or more.
WEIR: Right.
(Voice-over): There are a few reasons why, but the problem begins in the Canadian Rockies, the source of almost one in every three boards hammered into American homes, and we're a plague of beetles arrived with the power to kill 100,000 trees a day. So many you could hear them over the phone.
JANICE COOKE, FOREST BIOLOGIST: And you could actually hear the beetles underneath the bark cases. I'm listening to my trees being killed.
WEIR: Oh my god.
(Voice-over): Forest Biologist Janice Cooke has studied the invasion of mountain pine beetles for decades, just one effect of an overheating planet.
COOKE: Warmer over winters and hotter, drier summers, we saw those populations not only rise to epidemic levels, but in some areas what we call a hyper epidemic.
WEIR: Mountain pine beetles attack a seagull tree like an invading army and to defend itself the lodgepole pine fills its cracks with this sticky chemical compound we know as pitch. Well, this turns out to be highly flammable. So, in the end, if the beetles when you've got a 50-foot Firestarter.
Beetle kill forest help accelerate those Western mega fires. And altogether 50 million acres have been lost up here an area the size of Minnesota.
COOKE: We have more than 30 mill closures in the interior of BC alone. Mills are not running 24/7 anymore.
WEIR: In the meantime, there is the 40-year-old trade war with the United States and based on an old formula, tariffs on Canadian would automatically doubled recently. Joe Biden could dial those back. But like Canada, he's also protecting more federal trees, especially the old growth stands in places like Tongass National Forest.
HOWARD: The Biden administration has cut back on the harvesting of timber on our federal lands for environmental purposes. And so, we need more lumber from outside. The Biden administration, it has not gone to the table to negotiate a long-term deal with Canada. So once again, we've got to look somewhere else. In fact, we've opened up discussions with the German government about bringing in more from Germany.
WEIR: And more builders like John Riddle in Winter Park, Florida are finding lumber alternatives. By injecting these stackable foam molds with concrete, he says he creates walls 50% more energy efficient, and 100% more fireproof.
RIDDLE: This seems to me as we watch zoning regulations change in California due to wildfires.
WEIR: Yeah.
RIDDLE: Like amazing solution.
WEIR: Yeah, that doesn't burn.
RIDDLE: Right.
WEIR: Concrete won't burn.
RIDDLE: Right. Now, in my mind there's no reason why this is not more prevalent in our country.
WEIR: Why do you think it is?
RIDDLE: You know, builders like to do what they always do.
WEIR: But the housing crisis is growing at the same time as the climate crisis. When science says we need all the mature forests we can possibly save.
COOKE: This is the business case for considering our forests and our trees and our forests for their entire ecosystem services and not just the price of a two by four.
WEIR: Tariffs on Canadian timber were actually higher under President Trump and he dialed them back. So, President Biden has that option. But that only affects prices maybe 5 or 10% at the most, long term, experts say Canada just can't fill the American appetite for new housing starts and whether it is trees or avocados or coffee beans or chocolate, this is a reminder that when supply can't meet demand due to climate, climate inflation is the next step. Bill Weir, CNN, Vancouver, British Columbia.
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[01:50:20] HOLMES: Now, here's a sad sign of the Times koalas in two Australian states and one territory have been listed as endangered. The country has lost about 30% of its koalas in just the past three years. Officials blaming a rapid decline to their habitat is one of the main causes from prolonged drought as well bushfires and also land clearing by developers.
Experts have been warning that the iconic mammal could become extinct unless the government immediately intervene to protect them and their habitat.
A new pipeline leak off Thailand's coasts spills hundreds of gallons of oil into the seas around Rayong province two weeks after the same undersea pipeline dumped up to 14,000 gallons in the area. Officials said Thursday spill was much smaller and tides are likely to keep the oil away from the shore. Thailand's Rayong province boasts multiple beaches popular with foreign tourists and local economies depend on the money those travelers provide.
Now, a potentially habitable planet has been detected around our closest neighboring star, the second one in that system. Proxima d, orbits Proxima Centauri in the triple star system called Alpha Centauri a mere four light years away. It's one of the lightest exoplanets ever found with a massive just one quarter of Earth. It's close orbit means that a year on the planet is just five days long. It is still the habitable zone, meaning it could potentially have liquid water. Three planets have been discovered orbiting the star so far, Proxima b is Earth sized and could also have potentially liquid water whereas the larger Proxima C is probably too far away from its sun to support life.
Let's start packing. A remarkable tale and a beautiful friendship became an animated masterpiece. It's already made Oscar history the creator of Flee shares what went into this powerful film? That's when we come back.
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HOLMES: Now some six months after the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, an animated film about a young refugee is striking a chord ahead of this year's Academy Awards. Flee revisits Afghanistan in the 1980s showing the turmoil through the eyes of a teenage boy. The film already making Oscars history.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): We needed to get out right away.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can't stay here.
HOLMES: A teenage boy flees violence in Afghanistan in the 1980s.
JONAS POHER RASMUSSEN, FILMMAKER: I met him when I was 15, where he arrived to my hometown, and he was 16. And he came all by himself from Afghanistan. And I grew up in this very small rural Danish village. So, I was kind of, you know, from the very beginning I was curious about why did he come and how, but he didn't want to talk about it. And I of course respected that.
HOLMES: Danish filmmaker Jonas Poher Rasmussen tells the story of the boy's journey. from Afghanistan to Denmark in the new animated film Flee now in his 40s, the refugee uses a pseudonym Amin Nawabi to recount his escape from Afghanistan in the movie, which combines his narration with real archival video.
[01:55:15]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): What does home mean to you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): Home? It's some place safe.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mujahideen attacks rise in Kabul.
RASMUSSEN: Well, the animation was really to make sure that we could bring the past back alive, because most of the art takes place in the past, but also because it's a very subjective story, and it's really about memory and trauma, so with the animation, we could be more aggressive about these things that's otherwise hard to kind of really show and then putting in the -- a couple of footage was really, you know, about reminding people that this is the truth or underneath everything you see is real life.
HOLMES: Nawabi shared his story with Rasmussen over 20 years as their friendship grew.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): What's the earliest thing you remember?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): Some things are hard to talk about.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): Have you ever told your story before?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): No.
RASMUSSEN: The film really was born out of me being curious about my friend, I didn't think I want to do a refugee story and then, you know, went out and found a refugee. This was really about friendship just as much as about refugees, you know, about having secrets. And then of course, when a refugee crisis hit, I think we were like a year or two into the process of making the film. My perspective kind of changed. I kind of felt the need to give the refugees we saw on the highways in Denmark and the rest of Europe, a human face.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): It still hurts to think back on it.
HOLMES: This was also a journey of self-discovery Nawabi is a refugee and gay. Rasmussen says that it means the world to Nawabi that others can relate to his story.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): When did you first realist you were gay?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): I wasn't very old. I was enamored with Jean-Claude Van Damme.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): I also like Jean-Claude Van Damme but for different reasons.
Have you told Kasper any of these stories?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): No.
HOLMES: The film won the Grand Jury Prize for excellence in filmmaking at the Sundance Film Festival a year ago. Also, two BAFTA nominations, among other awards. Flee also made Oscar history for receiving nominations for Best International Feature Film, Best Documentary Feature and Best Animated Feature. It's the first movie ever to be nominated in all three categories.
RASMUSSEN: But I think you haven't kept the story a secret for so long to all sudden being able to share it and share it with the world and seeing that people relate to a story. It really means a lot to me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Thanks for spending part of your day with me. I'm Michael Holmes, CNN Newsroom continues with Kim Brunhuber.
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