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Ukraine Faces Dark, Cold Winter; China Grapples with Surging COVID Cases; Ronaldo Makes History; African Leaders' Agreement Calls On Rebels To Withdraw; Cuba Hopes To Attract Visitors With Shark Tourism; Camilla Delivers Paddingtons To Children's Party. Aired 2- 2:45a ET

Aired November 25, 2022 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. Ahead on "CNN Newsroom," millions of Ukrainians in the dark as the war-torn country struggles to turn the power back on. Russia's unrelenting attacks aren't slowing down.

Plus, China is dealing with a wave of COVID cases, a new record since the start of the pandemic. We are live in Beijing with the latest on the surge.

And football history, Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo becomes the first male player to score goals in five World Cups.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from CNN Center. This is "CNN Newsroom" with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: And we begin with reports of new Russian artillery strikes in Ukraine. A short time ago, officials said areas around the cities of Zaporizhzhia and Nikopol were hit with dozens of shells and rockets. So far, there are no reports of casualties. The attacks came as Ukraine races to repair its power system, which came under a wave of Russian strikes on Wednesday.

Officials say the country now has about half its usual power supply. More power plants are slowly coming back online, but Ukrainians say the process is taking a while because Wednesday strikes left much of Ukraine in the dark, and for the first time in decades temporarily took all of its nuclear power plants offline.

Have a look here. These satellite images show you how much Russian attacks are hurting Ukraine's power supply. So, the image on the left, that is from January, showing lights all over the country, and then the on the right is from this month with most of Ukraine, as you can see, in the dark there.

Now in Kyiv, doctors had to perform heart surgery by flashlight after their hospital lost power halfway through the procedure. This video shows them doing the surgery on a child while waiting for generators to kick in.

President Zelenskyy spoke about power outages Thursday night. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Restoration work continues today throughout the whole day. We are gradually restoring electricity, heat, water supply, and communication. I am grateful to everyone who fight and works for our country. Together we endured nine months of full-scale war and Russia hasn't found a way to break us.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Clare Sebastian is monitoring developments in Ukraine, and she joins us now from London. So, Clare, let's start with the battle for Kherson. What is the latest?

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yeah, Kim, there was an attack on Thursday. The death toll rose in that attack to seven people, 21 injured. According to the head of the local regional military administration Ukraine had there, it hit a residential area, including a playground. A high rise building caught fire there.

So, President Zelenskyy said this is revenge for Russia having to withdraw, of course, from that key city just two weeks ago. He said that artillery attacks have been ongoing since that withdrawal.

And I can tell you as well, this morning, Kim, that we are seeing more reports of Russian shelling. Apparently, according to the head of the regional military administration in Zaporizhzhia, there was a rocket attack just on the outskirts of that city, also further west down the Dnipro River and near the cities of Nikopol. Apparently, 70 Russian shells -- at least 70 Russian shells hit towns and villages there. No casualties are reported yet. That coming also from a local Ukrainian official.

So, the barrage continues, specifically around that region, around the Dnipro River in the southern part of Ukraine.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Clare, the ongoing attacks on the civilian infrastructure continue. We saw this week for the first time in 40 years that all Ukraine's nuclear power plants were shut down. And, of course, Ukraine gets about half of its energy from nuclear. So, give us an update on the power situation across the country.

SEBASTIAN: Yeah, so, Kim, as you noted, the electricity transmission operator in Ukraine said that about 50% of the power has been restored as of Thursday evening. They are working very hard to bring it back.

This week saw the most devastating attacks that we have seen so far on Ukraine's power system. This, of course, a strategy by Russia that started almost two months ago and has been gradually ramping up. A really a devastating situation where the majority of people across the country lost power. Most regions were effective. And as you say, the nuclear power plants, those four nuclear power plants that used to provide about 50% of Ukraine's electricity for the first time being shut down simultaneously.

[02:05:02]

SEBASTIAN: The U.N. nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, is now providing on- site assistance at those nuclear power plants. The head of that agency is warning that the world must do everything to prevent a nuclear accident here. And of course, as for Ukrainians, they continue to have to conserve energy, conserve water, try to make do with the situation that really shows no sign of abating.

BRUNHUBER: All right, thanks so much, Clare Sebastian in London. Appreciate that.

So, for more analysis, we are joined by Malcolm Davis, senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, and he's speaking with us from Canberra. Thanks so much for being here with us.

So, Malcolm, let's start with those attacks on the energy infrastructure. I mean, speaking to some people in Ukraine, even though obviously heating in the winter is a serious issue and can be life-threatening, as we saw those doctors operating with headlamps there, it's really the attacks on the water system that they fear most. Russia has mixed results at best on the battlefield, but these tactics of going at vital infrastructure has been increasingly successful, it seems.

MALCOLM DAVIS, MILITARY ANALYST, AUSTRALIAN STRATEGIC POLICY INSTITUTE: It certainly has. I think Russia's goal here is to inflict as much misery and pain on the Ukrainian people on terms of attacking their critical infrastructure, electricity, water, telecommunications, to basically break their will.

I don't think it's going to work because Ukrainians know that they don't have the option of surrender. If they basically go into a negotiation as a result of these attacks and hand over territory in the areas such as the Donbas and Zaporizhzhia or Kherson, then they are abandoning their people to the brutality of the Russians, which we have seen in Bucha.

The Ukrainians are fighting for their survival. They can't afford to give up. So, they will struggle through this winter and come out the other side and be ready to continue to fight.

BRUNHUBER: Okay. So, Russia's goal to weaken Ukrainian resolve don't seem to be working. What about Russia's energy blackmail against Europe? I mean, will that result in more pressure being brought to bear on Ukraine to negotiate?

DAVIS: I think that's a greater concern. Essentially, the Russians are sensing that there are vulnerabilities, there are fractures and fissures in Europe in terms of sustaining support for the Ukrainians, in terms of military assistance. The Ukrainians -- I think the Russians are probably also hoping that there will be a fracturing of support in the United States with the goal, I think, trying to convince Europe and the United States to essentially talk to Ukrainians into an early negotiation and a ceasefire that would give the Russians then time to rebuild and regroup their forces, and also potentially to erode competence, essentially, in Ukraine's ability to continue the fight, particularly if as a result of that pressure, the supply of military capabilities to Ukraine drops off.

So, I think there has to be a strong pushback against that Russian effort to blackball Europe and to coerce Europe into ending support for Ukraine.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, we've already seen some weakening of support at least here in the U.S. from certain segments of the Republican Party. So, looking ahead then at the battlefield situation, often we hear that things will come to a halt during the harsh winter, but you don't seem to think so. Why not?

DAVIS: Look, I think, you know, when you look at history of warfare, there are many examples of battles that continue right through the harshest winters. One example is the Battle of the Bulge in 1944. So, I think that you will see the war continue throughout this winter.

The Ukrainians know that they cannot let up the pressure on the Russians. The Russians will continue to reinforce their defensive positions in Kherson and in Donbas, and both sides will be preparing themselves for a return to full-intensity operations in the northern spring in the summer. So, it may slow down a little bit, but I don't see it necessarily coming to a grinding halt.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Before we go, to keep waging that war, Russia is running out of military hardware but getting vital equipment from Iran and not just the drones that we've been talking so much about. What impact do you think that will have on Russia's ability to keep trying to wear Ukraine down?

DAVIS: I think it could be decisive if the Iranians provide the Russians with more advanced strike capabilities in the form of surface to surface ballistic missiles such as the (INAUDIBLE) and (INAUDIBLE) that have much greater precision and much more difficult for the Ukrainians to intercept because of the sheer speed of the missile.

Then the Russians can suddenly open up and widen their campaign against Ukrainian critical infrastructure as well as Ukrainian military infrastructure, air bases, ports, commanding control centers and that sort of thing.

[02:10:03]

DAVIS: And so, the provision of those Iranian missiles as opposed to the drones, I think, could be quite significant. So, what you would then see is Ukraine quite rightly asking for greater protection from those Iranian missiles, and that could be involved -- could involve the provision of more advanced ballistic missile defense capabilities from the west.

BRUNHUBER: Always appreciate your analysis, Malcolm Davis. Thanks so much for joining us.

DAVIS: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: Ukrainians are mourning the loss of a prominent ballet dancer in the fight in eastern Donetsk. Twenty-six-year-old Vadym Khlupianets was killed by a sniper during a battle near Bakhmut, according to the Ukrainian military.

The dancer was part of the National Operetta Theater in Kyiv but put his ballet career on hold to join Ukraine's military at the start of the war. His family and friends pay tribute to him in the theater where he performed. Have a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOHDAN STRUTYNSKII, CREATTIVE DIRECTOR, OPERATTA THEATER (through translator): There are thousands of losses like this in Ukraine. Vadym chose the side of light and good against evil. Today's tribute is, unfortunately, the last tribute we pay him. Regretfully, this tribute is not what it should have been, applause at the end of a performance with people asking for an encore. The tribute we are paying today is very hard for us and for all Ukrainians.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Mourners gave him a final ovation as his coffin was carried away following the memorial service.

The lower House of Russia's parliament has passed amendments which toughen the law, banning so-called LGBTQ propaganda. Once it goes into law, it will mean that anyone who promotes or praises homosexuality could end up with a heavy fine. More now from CNN's Fred Pleitgen in Moscow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The so- called LGBTQ propaganda law was passed by the lower House of Russian parliament by the State Duma and gay activists here in this country say that it essentially could criminalize being openly gay in Russia.

Now, according to the text of all of this, it bans praising nontraditional sexual relationships or suggesting that they are normal. Now, all this really pertains to all facets of the public sphere. We are talking about media, radio, television, also the internet as well, but even books.

And the fines are really steep. It ranges from thousands of dollars for individuals to tens of thousands of dollars for legal entities or companies. If you're talking about foreigners, they face up to 15 days in prison and then possibly being deported.

Now, you're watching some of the proceedings in the Russian parliament. And essentially what the lawmakers there were suggesting is that they believe that the west was trying to spread homosexuality here in Russia and undermine traditional Russian values.

In fact, the speaker of Russian parliament called this law the answer to Blinken, of course, talking about the U.S. secretary of state. We will listen into some of what the speaker of the parliament had to say.

VYACHESLAV VOLODIN, CHAIRMAN OF RUSSIA'S STATE DUMA (through translator): It is the best answer to the United States secretary of state, Blinken. Stop imposing on us foreign values. You destroyed your values. We will see how it ends, but that is sad, for sure, because it is sodomy. I can't say it in any other way. The United States of America had become the global center of this sodomy. Let them live there. Do not touch us.

PLEITGEN: Now, all of this has already had a chilling effect on the gay community here in Russia. There are some gay activists that we have been speaking to who say that right now, they are trying to lay low, they are trying to not really comment on this in the public.

There are others who are openly saying that they believe that they might have to leave the country. In fact, a lot of gay people have already left the country in the past couple of months and in the past couple of years.

One of the things that we need to point out is that this law has not gone into effect yet. It has been passed by Russia's lower House of parliament, the State Duma, but still has to go through the upper House of parliament, the Federation Council, and then also, it has to be signed by President Vladimir Putin.

Nevertheless, the pressure continues on Russia's LGBTQ community, which has already been faced with a lot of pressure here in the society over the past couple of years.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Now to Qatar where Cristiano Ronaldo has become the first men's layer to accomplish an amazing feat, scoring a goal in five FIFA World Cups. CNN's Amanda Davies has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT: The majority Portuguese crowd came in with hope, expectation, and with one man's name on their lips.

[02:15:02]

DAVIES: Ultimately, they and Cristiano Ronaldo got what they came for. Ronaldo (INAUDIBLE) a moment of history, and a Portuguese win on what you can see was an incredibly emotional night for the 37-year- old. Just look at those eyes as he lined up for the anthem. Every time he touched the ball, the crowd did not know whether to hold their breath or cheer him on. And you have to say, it turns into a pretty labored first hour. But as the clock ticks around 60 minutes, we have that first passionate ringing chorus of the Ronaldo song, and the switch was flicked.

The merits of the penalty award can certainly be debated, but there was only one man who is going to step up and take it for (INAUDIBLE), and it went off. He went to the corner flag chased down by his entire squad from the pitch and the bench. Even a decent number of the Ghanaian fans gave him a cheer.

But for all the talk of the damage he has done to his reputation for the way he handled force his way out of Manchester United. You cannot argue with Ronaldo's achievements. His goal here season become the first man in history to score in five separate World Cups, dating back to Germany 2006.

But to only mention the Portuguese number 7 does his teammates and Ghana a disservice here. This was a game that turned into so much more. You didn't know where to look in the final 30 minutes.

The next generation of Portuguese stars played their part, too. Great flowing goals from Joao Felix and Rafael Leao with a battling much improved Ghana, making the score line uncertain right the way through to the final kick of the game. (INAUDIBLE) is certainly one to watch.

Ultimately, though, on the week, Manchester United journey came to an end, a winning start for Ronaldo one Portugal to a new World Cup campaign.

Amanda Davis, CNN, Doha, Qatar.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: And later this hour, CNN world sport will have a look ahead at key matches which include the eagerly awaited showdown between England and the U.S.

A verdict has been reached in a high-profile trial in Hong Kong. An elderly cardinal and several others were accused of helping pro- democracy protesters. We will have the story ahead on CNN.

Plus, China and the U.S. are locked in conflict on the technological battlefield. Coming up, how Washington sweeping controls on microchip exports may be hurting China's economy. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: There has been a verdict in the Hong Kong trial of the Catholic cardinal and five others. Ninety-year-old Cardinal Joseph Zen and the other defendants have been found guilty of failing to register a relief fund that helped pro-democracy protesters. Zen has been an outspoken critic of China's ruling Communist Party. The court ruled that the relief fund he ran with others was partially used to pay legal and medical fees for protesters and to sponsor pro- democracy rallies.

[02:20:02]

BRUNHUBER: For the second day in a row, China has set a new high for daily COVID infections. It recorded more than 32,000 new cases on Thursday. Big outbreaks have been occurring across the country with the southern city of Guangzhou and southwestern Chunking reporting the bulk of new infections.

I'm joined by CNN Beijing bureau chief Steven Jiang. So, Steven, the fear, obviously, is that this will lead to even more restrictions. So, take us through what led to this outbreak and what effect this is having.

STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Kim, as you can probably tell, I'm working from home today because the CNN Beijing Bureau is actually now under lockdown due to a suspected case in the building where our office is located. Now, this obviously has been standard operating procedure for some time but still hits you when you are personally impacted.

And across this country, as you mentioned, millions of people have now been affected in one way or another because of the authorities continued and often very strict enforcement of the zero-COVID policy, especially with this latest wave of outbreak showing no sign of abating.

When I just look outside of my window, it is really a ghost town here in Beijing in the middle of a work day because most people have been told to work from home and many commercial office buildings have closed their doors and the authorities have shut down most shopping malls and other public venues like gyms and restaurants, not to mention schools. Now they, of course, have switch to virtual learning, but that's really comfort for many parents, including myself, with very young children.

But remember, just two weeks ago, the central government here announced a series of new protocols in terms of relaxing certain aspects of the enforcement of the zero-COVID policy, the thing being to minimize economic and social disruptions. But instead what has happened is now many local officials, including here in Beijing, are simply doing it without saying it in terms of implementing very draconian rules because they do not want to be seen to contradict that new directive.

So, that, as you can imagine, has even created more chaos and confusion, not to mention more anger and more frustration on the ground. We have seen those violent clashes between workers and security forces at that Foxconn plant in Zhengzhou. There are other instances like this in other parts of the country as well.

The other problem, of course, is supply for many people who are under lockdown, including here in Beijing. The authorities, of course, insist that there is plenty of food and supplies available, both in store and online. But the problem is with so many people being in lockdown because of confirmed or suspected cases, that includes many delivery guys. So, if you are unable to get out of your house, you also cannot get things delivered. That is a growing problem. Kim?

BRUNHUBER: We will keep an eye on the situation there. Thanks so much, Steven Jiang. Appreciate it.

The U.S. and China are locked in a battle over microchips. It is a fight that is stretching global supply chains to their limits. Selina Wang looks at how U.S. President Joe Biden's CHIPS Act, banning certain high-tech exports from China, is hurting Beijing's technological ambitions.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SELINA WANG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): China wants its two million strong military combat ready. But war is already playing out between the U.S. and China on the technological battlefield. New export controls from the Biden administration choke off China's access to advanced computer chips, (INAUDIBLE) China's high-tech ambitions.

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Those tiny computer chips --

WANG (voice-over): Washington upping the ante just weeks before U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese Leader Xi Jinping met in Bali, where they promised to stabilize U.S.-China relations. But fierce competition on technology set to intensify despite the handshakes and smiles.

ARTHUR DONG, PROFESSOR, MCDONOUGH SCHOOL OF BUSINESS, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY: This act is unprecedented in terms of modern times. This certainly poisons the water further.

WANG (voice-over): The goal? To protect America's national security interest by stopping China from advancing its military capabilities that Washington says includes weapons of mass destruction. But America's latest move hits virtually all of China's industries because almost everything has a chip in it: your smartphone, car, refrigerator.

JAMES LEWIS, SVP AND DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR STRATEGIC AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES: This had had a tremendous effect on the Chinese economy.

WANG (voice-over): Beijing claims Washington strangling the country by the neck. China's readout of Biden and Xi's meeting at the G20 said, starting a trade war or a technology war pushing for decoupling and severing supply chains run counter to the principles of market economy. Such attempts serve no one's interests.

China has poured billions of dollars and years of effort into building its semiconductor industry, but it still lags far behind the U.S., Taiwan, and South Korea.

LEWIS: When you talk to Chinese officials, they say it probably put them back a decade in their effort to obtain an indigenous source of advanced microprocessors.

[02:25:06]

WANG (voice-over): Xi Jinping is urging the country to be self- reliant in technology and innovation, telling chip engineers at a factory to grasp the lifeblood of technology in our own hands and prepare for even more restrictions from Washington.

JORDAN SCHNEIDER, ANALYST, RHODIUM GROUP: I expect these types of export controls to be rolled out and lots of other key strategic industries.

WANG (voice-over): The new rules bar the export to China of advanced chips made anywhere in the world using U.S. technology, band U.S. companies from selling tools needed to make those ships, restricts Americans from supporting chip development at certain manufacturing facilities in China, cutting China off from critical talent.

The U.S. sees China as its biggest long-term strategic threat that has the power and intent to reshape the international order, so Washington wants to stop selling anything to China that could later be used against the U.S. But as China turbochargers its homegrown industries, the battle for technology supremacy is only beginning.

Selina Wang, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Jin, the oldest member of the K-pop group BTS, is joining the South Korean Army. The music star reports for training on December 13th. He posted a message online on Thursday urging fans to stay away from military training centers, saying it would be crowded and too dangerous for them to try to catch a glimpse of him there. Military service, of course, is mandatory in South Korea. Almost all able- bodied men are required to serve for 18 months by the time they're 28 years old.

All right, still ahead here on "CNN Newsroom," the U.N. is taking an action to investigate human rights abuses in Iran. But with protests growing, one diplomat says the situation is already at full-pledged crisis.

Plus, as the situation rages in the democratic republic of Congo, we will find out what other African nations are trying to do to stop the violence. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom."

U.N. Human Rights Council has voted to investigate Iran's deadly crackdown on protesters. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Hundreds of people marched in the capital of Tehran on Thursday night. Iranian authorities are accused of committing widespread abuse as they try to put down the movement that started more than two months ago.

It all began with a death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in morality police custody back in September.

[02:30:00]

Iran's representative called the UN resolution "completely biased," and said it didn't reflect facts and realities. But in the end, 26 countries voted in favor. Here's the UN's Human Rights chief.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLKER TURK, UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS: The unnecessary and disproportionate use of force must come to an end. The old methods and the fortress mentality of those who wield power simply don't work. In fact, they only aggravate the situation. We are now in a full- fledged human rights crisis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: We're now on the investigation from CNN's Jomana Karadsheh reporting from Istanbul.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This decision by the UN Human Rights Council to establish a fact-finding mission is being described as historic, a landmark decision seen as a huge victory for so many Iranians and human rights groups and advocates who, for years, have been pushing the international community to establish an independent investigative and accountability mechanism to try and hold the perpetrators of these human rights violations in Iran to account.

Now, we've spoken with human rights experts and lawyers who have been following this very closely and have been pushing for this for quite some time. And they say what we should expect is the United Nations in the coming weeks would establish this fact-finding mission. What it would do is investigate the human rights violations that have been taking place during these protests in September. It will collect, preserve, and analyze evidence that could be used to hold the perpetrators of these human rights violations accountable.

Now, some would say that this is long overdue, that this is should have happened a long time ago in Iran but it is happening at a time when the United Nations is warning that the situation in the country is critical. We've heard the U.N. human rights chief describing this as a human rights crisis right now. And with the protest movement that has turned into a national uprising showing no signs of stopping and the government's already brutal crackdown intensifying, many fear that the situation is only going to get worse. So, it is very important that the international community is doing this right now.

Jomana Karadsheh, CNN Istanbul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: A diplomatic agreement to end the violence in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo could be in jeopardy. Earlier this week, leaders from several Central African countries signed the agreement calling for a ceasefire that's due to take effect today. It calls on the M23 rebel group to withdraw from occupied territories of the DRC. But Agence France-Presse reports that the rebels say the agreement doesn't concern them because they weren't part of the summit. Zain Asher reports on the regional force that couldn't be deployed if diplomacy fails.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAIN ASHER, CNN ANCHOR (voiceover): Soldiers with the Kenya defense forces arrive at Goma airport in the Democratic Republic of Congo. These members of the East African Community regional force are part of an operation hoping to stabilize the region as fighting between the DRC army and M23 rebels intensifies. As the M23 advanced closer to the eastern city of Goma, the KDF military commander says that his priority is both diplomacy and disarming the rebels.

MAJ. GEN. JEFF NYAGAH, COMMANDER, EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY REGIONAL FORCE: We have over 120 armed groups within DRC and they have instigated a significant degree of insecurity. If these two trucks fails, then we'll automatically transit to the third truck. That is military action.

ASHER: Tensions have flared in recent days, forcing hundreds to flee their homes to makeshift camps in the village of Kibati, about 15 kilometers north of Goma.

ERIC NDEZI, DISPLACEMENT CAMP RESIDENT: Speaking in a foreign language.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was the day before yesterday when I decided to flee my home because of the detonations. There were several destinations. I decided this because I didn't want to die in the village.

ASHER: This is just the latest wave of displacement. According to the United Nations, more than 262,000 people have fled their homes since March when the violence began. M23 stands for the March 23 Movement. Originally parts of the Congolese military. They are mostly made up of Congolese Tutsis, who claim they want to protect Tutsis from Hutu militants.

The group has staged a major comeback in the eastern DRC this year since being chased into Rwanda and Uganda in 2013. The renewed fighting has caused diplomatic hostility between the DRC and Rwanda, as Congo accuses its neighbor of backing the rebels, a claim Rwanda denies. In his first state visit to the Congo, Kenyan President William Ruto met with the Congolese president and assured him that the Kenyan military would remain in the country as long as necessary to help subdue the instability.

[02:35:07]

WILLIAM RUTO, PRESIDENT OF KENYA: Peaceful and secure and stable eastern DRC. And DRC is not only good for the people of Congo, it is good for the people of our region, and it is also good for the people of Kenya.

ASHER: Uganda says it plans to deploy a thousand troops to the Congo by the end of the month, making it the third country to be part of the regional force after soldiers from Burundi also arrived in the area. Children line up for cups of porridge provided by volunteer groups as more people arrive at the camps. As efforts are being made to restore peace, the fighting continues, and the humanitarian situation grows more dire each day.

Zain Asher, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: All right, when we come back, we'll go swimming with the sharks as Cuba dives deep to find -- feed its tourism income and help the environment as well. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: Twitter CEO Elon Musk says he will restore most of the accounts that were banned by the social media platform's previous management. All of this is after he polled followers on Wednesday about whether to offer a general amnesty to suspended accounts if the account holders haven't broken the law. And the poll got more than 3 million votes with about 72 percent in favor. So, on Thursday, Musk tweeted "the people have spoken. Amnesty begins next week."

The waters off eastern Cuba are teeming with sharks and the island nation is letting visitors swim with them so they can learn how important they are to the food chain and to help boost tourism. Patrick Oppmann takes us underwater for the story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Usually, they are the last thing you want to see in the ocean. But sharks are the reason why we have come here to the waters off eastern Cuba. We're hoping to see the predators up close and with no cage. Local guides say this is the only place in Cuba perhaps one of only a handful in the world where divers can safely swim alongside bull sharks. We are taking them at their word, praying the sharks had a big breakfast. Bull sharks are considered some of the most aggressive in the world. For the ones we see, seem mostly curious, swimming around me for a closer look before gliding away.

Guide Lazaro says they want to teach visitors to respect sharks and to protect them.

LAZARO SUAREZ ZAYAS, GUIDE: Speaking in a foreign language. OPPMANN: The shark is the perfect machine and the perfect predator. He says. It's inspiring, emotional, and satisfying to interact with them. Marine biologists say robust shark populations are necessary to maintain healthy coral reefs.

[02:40:03]

In 2015, Cuba placed restrictions on shark fishing, one of an increasing number of countries in the Caribbean to realize that sharks are not only important to the environment but a way to track visitors.

People in the Caribbean used to commonly catch and kill sharks, either for food or because they were considered a nuisance. But warmer countries in this region are now taking steps to protect sharks. It's not just about conservation. Shark tourism, visitors specifically coming to a country to dive with sharks can generate millions of dollars in revenue.

Just before her first dive with sharks, Canadian tourist Carrie tells us she's been terrified of them ever since seeing Jaws.

CARRIE PREVOST, DIVING WITH SHARKS: I watched the movie very young. And I was even afraid to swimming pools let alone the ocean. So, this is a challenge to overcome.

OPPMANN: Guide spearfish to attract the sharks but are careful to use the minimum bait necessary. They say they've never had an attack involving a client or guide and those people who come to dive here gain a new perspective on sharks.

OROMELIO SALABARRIA, CUBAN SCUBA INSTRUCTOR: Speaking in a foreign language.

OPPMANN: It's the myth of the shark being dangerous, a man-eater that is aggressive, he says. Then you manage to see a shark a meter and a half away from you. And when you come out of the water, they say this is the best time of my life. The sharks we swim with are undeniably powerful, and also incredibly beautiful. At the top of the food chain, but never seeming to threaten us.

And they said the shot of adrenaline in your arm they were not kidding. No one admits to being afraid but they're very impressive creatures.

Creatures that there are now more and more reasons to try and protect. Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Playa Santa Lucia, Cuba.

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BRUNHUBER: The Queen Consort of the United Kingdom is sharing a bit of comfort with some underprivileged children in London. Camilla personally delivered hundreds of Paddingtons and other teddy bears to a children's charity. They were left among the many floral tributes to Royal Parks and palaces when Queen Elizabeth passed away in September. Actor Hugh Bonneville from the Paddington Bear movies was also on hand. You can see him there. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HUGH BONNEVILLE, ACTOR: It's a great initiative. I mean, you know this label says it all this special teddy bear was lifted at a Royal Park or residence in memory of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022. And on the reverse, it says please look after this bear and it's signed -- it's signed by Her Majesty, the Queen Consort. And I think you know, all the children who have received one of these bears today may not quite get the impact of it now but to have that by your bed in the years to come will be quite special.

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BRUNHUBER: Back in June, Queen Elizabeth appeared in a video with Paddington Bear celebrating her 70 years on the throne.

Fans of American football certainly got a full plate of action this Thanksgiving, today started with a nail-biter in Detroit. A 45-year old-field goal -- a 45-yard field goal by Buffalos' Tyler Bass, just seconds to go gave the Bills a 28-25 win over the Lions. And the New York Giants kept things close in Dallas, but they couldn't contain the Cowboys' Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott. The Cowboys win 28-20. And in the nightcap, Kirk Cousins threw three touchdown passes to lead the Minnesota Vikings to a 33-26 win over the New England Patriots.

I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back in about 15 minutes with more CNN NEWSROOM. "WORLD SPORT" is next.

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