Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Ukrainians Face Winter Without Power or Heat; China Tightens Security Amid Widespread Protests; Football Fans Accuse China Of Censoring World Cup; Dual Volcanoes Erupting on Hawaii; Interview with Governor-elect (D-HI) Josh Green; Jay Leno Returning to the Stage; Interview with Former Top Aide to Mitt Romney Presidential Campaign Kevin Madden; Bob Dylan Apologizes for "Hand-Signing" New Book with Autopen. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired November 29, 2022 - 02:00   ET

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


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:04]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM. Police are out in force in cities across China, as the government attempts to crack down on an unprecedented number of protests, warnings of a critical humanitarian situation in Ukraine, as millions could face the coming winter with our power or heat.

And Iran's government summons the German ambassador for what it calls baseless claims in a U.N. probe into Tehran's response to the country's ongoing protests. We'll have a live report.

ANNOUNCER: Now live from CNN Center. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Thanks for being with us. The Chinese government appears to be pulling out all the stops to keep protesters off the streets. Police are out in force and full force in Beijing, where crowds had gathered through the weekend venting their anger and frustration of a strict COVID lockdowns, censorship and the ruling Communist Party. A protester in Shanghai claims authorities detained around 80 to 110 people on Saturday, deleting photos and social media apps from their phones. The Chinese foreign ministry say media accounts do not reflect what actually happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH (voice over): State run media has not directly covered the protests. Instead, one newspaper called the government zero-COVID policy, the most scientifically effective approach. China reported more than 38,000 New COVID cases on Monday. It's the first day in nearly a week that didn't set a new record.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CHURCH: And live now to Hong Kong where CNN Kristie Lu Stout is tracking the latest development. She joins us now. Good to see you, Kristie. So, what is the latest on China's crackdown on these widespread protests across the country?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Rosemary. China is indeed clamping down in the wake of these sweeping anti zero-COVID protests. We're seeing China tightening up security in Beijing and in Shanghai police are out on patrol on the streets in Shanghai, we've seen authorities there set up these blue barricades on Ololuwuchi (ph) Road, which was the site of those dramatic and very defiant protests in Shanghai over the weekend.

And CNN has also learned from a protester that police are rounding up demonstrators. In fact, according to a protester who was detained and later released, this protester told CNN that Shanghai Police detained 80 to 110 demonstrators after a Saturday night protests in Shanghai. This protester also told CNN that the police collected biometric data of those who are in detention including their fingerprints, photographs, and retinal scans as well.

And it's unclear if they remain in detention. Now on Monday, there was no sign of big protests in Beijing or in Shanghai. But the protests taking place elsewhere, including in the city of Hangzhou, where if we could bring up the video for you, there were scenes Monday night of tense confrontations between the police and protesters in a shopping center in Hangzhou which is a major economic and e-commerce hub in China.

CNN has verified 20 COVID-related protests have taken place in 15 cities across the country. I'm going to show you a map to give you an idea of just the reach and the scale of these protests. On the map that you'll see that protests have taken place in Hangzhou, they've taken place in Beijing, they've taken place in Orochi (ph) in Shanghai, Guangzhou and elsewhere. Hopefully we'll bring up the map a little bit later.

Well, there it is. You could see verified list of 20 COVID related protests in 15 cities. I would also add that there was an extremely rare protests that took place here last night in Hong Kong. Extremely rare, especially in this era of the National Security Law where dozens of protesters turned out in the central business district of Hong Kong. Some were bearing flowers, others banners, many holding those blank sheets of paper which have emerged as a symbol of the protests as a symbol of censorship and the clampdown of information in regards to any information about these protests.

Finally, Rosemary, on Monday, the question was posed to a spokesman and Ministry of Foreign Affairs to address the sweeping anti COVID protests in the country.

[02:05:07]

And the spokesman just refuse to acknowledge that dissent even existed, officially, not even acknowledging that this is taking place across the country. Back to you. CHURCH: All right. Kristie Lu stout bringing us the latest vantage point there in Hong Kong. Appreciate it.

Well, joining me now from Sydney, Australia. Richard McGregor is a senior fellow at the Lowy Institute and author of The Party: The Secret World of China's Communist Rulers. Thank you so much for being with us.

RICHARD MCGREGOR, SENIOR FELLOW, LOWY INSTITUTE: Hi, there.

CHURCH: So we are seeing these rare protests raging across China in response to the country's severe zero COVID policy. Some protesters bravely calling for President Xi Jinping to step down. Instead, the government's cracking down even harder on protesters. How concerned are you about just how far President Xi might go?

MCGREGOR: Well, there's no doubt that Chinese authorities will do whatever it takes to suppress the protests. I don't think there's any doubt about that. In fact, I think it's pretty clear that they'll be able to suppress the protests in a way that they're not able to suppress the COVID virus. And I guess that's their real problem because they can get people off the street, and that they know, they're well prepared for these kinds of things.

They've got a vast security apparatus. But the root cause of this is really the harsh enforcement of COVID zero over a long period of time. And underlying that, you know, the all powerful party in Xi Jinping. And you might be able to solve the protests in the short term, you can't solve the COVID zero issue, it nearly so easily.

CHURCH: Indeed. I mean, China's vaccines have not been very successful, have they? And now, of course, COVID infections are soaring which means Beijing is doubling down on its zero-COVID policy. But when this wave eventually passes, how likely is it the President Xi might try to find a way to relax his failed zero-COVID policy while somehow save face because it's really about that, isn't it?

MCGREGOR: Well, there's no doubt at some stage, China will chart a course out of COVID zero, but a number of things have to happen first. I suspect they won't do it in winter, and we're going into winter in Beijing. I suspect it won't happen before March, that's when we have the National People's Congress and a new cabinet will be appointed. They're all important events, which will have an impact on this.

And also, you know, China has vast, you know, state powers if you like, but they haven't been put to application for vaccines. And it's not just that the Chinese vaccines aren't as effective at protecting people from the virus. It's also that the they haven't been ramped up. I mean, I -- there's about 32 million people in China over 80. Only about 40 percent are properly vaccinated according to WHO standard.

So there's a lot of vulnerable people in China. And until you fix that up, you know, is that that country is unlikely to open and because, you know, a lot of people could get infected and vulnerable people could die. And I don't think Xi Jinping wants to allow that to happen.

CHURCH: So why is China putting more effort into testing its population rather than vaccinating them?

MCGREGOR: Well, that's one of the great mysteries, I think of that. I think, in some respects, they became a bit complacent because, you know, infections and deaths for so long were very low in China. I think there's a sort of worry, in effect at a local level about using the vaccines. Many Chinese people have basically taken the government propaganda at face value. The government's told them, well, we've protected you from this unlike those hopeless, irresponsible democracies in America.

And so they thought was the government's protecting us? Why do I need to get a vaccine? Plus, there is the sort of anti -- underlying anti- vaxxer sentiments suspicion about the vaccinations. And I guess many of them know about the quality of the Chinese vaccinations as well. It's a whole series of things but it's still mystifying why they haven't ramped up, you know, a vaccination program to at least get maximum protection.

CHURCH: Right. And, of course, the White House says Chinese citizens have the right to protest peacefully, how will that likely play out in Beijing, do you think?

MCGREGOR: Well, I guess that's the minimum the White House can say. And I think that's a good thing. I do not think the U.S. should be on the sidelines, you know, urging the protesters on or anything like that. That just plays into the worst kind of propaganda that you see from Beijing that this is -- these protests are being manipulated by "hostile foreign forces." I mean, of course, that's nonsense. You know, this is a very much a homegrown movement.

[02:10:01]

But I don't think the U.S. and the White House in particular should encourage that line of thinking by taking to a higher profile at this point in time.

CHURCH: All right. Richard McGregor, many thanks for joining us. Appreciate it.

MCGREGOR: Thank you.

CHURCH: Well, global markets fail on Monday in response to the protests, but right now stocks are up in Hong Kong and mainland China and Tuesday's trading. We're also waiting to see how the U.S. markets perform when they open in the coming hours. The Dow plummeted nearly 500 points on Monday and made news have continued protests in China. And as protests rage in China, some of the country's football fans are accusing state media of censoring broadcasts of the World Cup by removing shots of maskless fans and -- at the packed stadiums.

Though China didn't qualify for the tournament. It remains hugely popular on television and is providing a jarring contrast, the side of joyful fans celebrating with no social distancing or masks has stoked anger as Chinese live under severe pandemic restrictions. Speaking in Portugal, artist and dissident Ai Weiwei says the carpet is a window into what the world looks like without a zero-COVID policy. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AI WEIWEI, CHINESE DISSIDENT AND ARTIST: Why interesting matter is this is a time of World Cup on soccer. So Chinese people in front of a television say how people behaved outside of China. That also makes them very jealous and, you know, many people asking why we cannot even come out our door. I read day, they have to do this test every day. Sometimes a day or twice a day.

They do COVID test on animals, fish, grass and (INAUDIBLE) is almost like completely mad. The madness.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Meanwhile, Iran's football team could be under severe government pressure ahead of their World Cup match against the United States. According to a security source. The players have been warned that if they join any protest against their government, their families could face punishment including imprisonment and torture. The alleged threat comes days after the team declined to sing Iran's national anthem in an apparent show of support for protests at home.

Meanwhile, Tehran summoned the German ambassador on Monday, Iran's foreign ministry says it was to protest Berlin's role in a special session of the U.N. Human Rights Council. The ministry accused Germany of meddling and what it called baseless claims. At that special session last week, the council denounced Iran's treatment of protesters and had voted for a high level investigation into the government's deadly crackdown.

And for more we want to go to CNN's Nada Bashir who joins us live from London. Good morning to you, Nada. So what more are you learning about Iran summoning the German ambassador?

NADA BASHIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL REPORTER: Well, look, Rosemary, this is very much centered on last week -- last week's U.N. session calling for that probe into the crackdown on protesters in Iran. We heard from the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights describing Iran as facing a full-fledged human rights crisis and member states voting in favor of that resolution, cosponsored by Germany calling for that investigation for a fact finding mission to be initiated to investigate the situation in Iran.

Now, of course, we are learning from the Iranian foreign ministry that Germany's ambassador has been somewhat in response to that resolution. They've long maintained that the U.N. position on Iran is bias. These are baseless claims in the words of the Iranian foreign ministry and they have accused German officials directly of attempting to meddle in Iran's internal affairs and making further baseless claims on the situation in Iran.

They say this resolution does not accurately reflect the situation on the ground despite, of course, the mounting evidence we are seeing, not only from the United Nations, but also of course from human rights organizations and charities on the ground. Now, in addition to confirming that the German ambassador has been summoned, a German government spokesperson has also said that the Iranian regime has expressed a total rejection of any suggestion that it would cooperate with this fact finding mission or this investigation, despite previous assertions from the United Nations that they had confidence that Iran would cooperate.

And of course, there are still concerns around the situation on the ground in Iran. There are of course concerns that this situation could still get worse particularly after we heard remarks from Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaking over the weekend praising the Iranian regime's Basij paramilitary force, which has of course been a primary culprit in this brutal and deadly crackdown on protesters.

[02:15:17]

And of course describing those protesters as rioters, as thugs. The Iranian regime has long maintained and these protests are being encouraged by foreign actors that these are criminals. But despite that crackdown, we are still seeing these protests taking place up and down the country continuing to gain momentum now .This U.N. investigation work into that U.N. investigation is expected to start immediately.

But the results of that probe could take weeks if not months to become apparent. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Nada Bashir joining us live from London. Many thanks. Coming up next. Already facing constant shelling by Russian forces, residents in the Ukrainian city of Kherson are now struggling with a lack of power and water.

Plus, support for Ukraine will be high on the agenda when NATO foreign ministers gather in Romania soon. We will have a preview of their meeting. Back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Ukrainian officials say at least four missiles struck the central city of Dnipro overnight, sparking a fire and causing severe damage. Meantime, in the south, the U.N. is describing a dire and critical situation in the cities of Mykolaiv and Kherson as residents struggle with a lack of water, heat and power. Making matters worse in Kherson,, constant shelling by Russian forces. Civilians in the recently liberated city continue to flee as more attacks target residential areas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Today as every single day, the occupiers again shell Kherson and the region's communities. In just one week the enemy struck 30 settlements. Settlements of our Kherson region 258 times.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The mayor of Mykolaiv says the city has lost its water supply again after another Russian strike on the country's infrastructure. At the same time Ukraine's electricity operator says it's running at a 27 percent deficit after a series of emergency shutdowns at power plants across the country. The company says power use is on the rise as the weather gets colder.

It's been more than two weeks since Russia's retreat from Kherson and the initial scenes of celebration have now been replaced by signs of desperation. Residents are struggling with power and water shortages and it could only get worse with winter on its way. CNN's Matthew Chance reports from southern Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The devastation Russia is retreating forces left behind.

[02:20:05]

A village in southern Ukraine torn to shreds and until now abandoned to this war. Valerie (ph) But he told me he's lived here 51 years and after evacuating for eight months is home to stay. Even amid this wreckage.

It's like a stone weighing on my soul he said. We built everything here with our own hands. It's hard to look with what those Russian scam did to us here.

The shortest distance away in newly liberated Kherson, a pool of blood, where Russia is attacking the city it just left behind. Four were killed when this grocery store was hit. Now one desperate resident picks through the debris looting scraps of food and toilet paper. Use everything so bad we asked. Good, he response.

CHANCE (on camera): All right. Well, getting basic supplies though in Kherson has become a massive risk. We've come to the sea port. What's the river port really right on the Dnieper River with this woman here, Tatiana (ph) from Kherson to collect water, so she can do her washing up and wash her clothes and go to the toilet and things like that. The water supplies have been completely cut off by the Russians.

This is the only way -- you can hear the artillery shells going off sit in the background. This is the only way she can get water for her house. And it's dangerous because this is basically the front line. The Russian forces have retreated to the -- to the other bank.

Yes. Yes. So the Russian forces are just across the river.

CHANCE (voice over): But the risk is one that has to be taken.

What can we do? Titiana asked. We can't live without water.

There's this electricity either. And people are cramming into makeshift charging stations like this one. Just to stay connected. We found defiance here too. In the face of harsh.

There's no water or power, Hannah (ph) tells me. But also no Russians, so we will get through this.

I think our enemies will all die soon says Nastia (ph). He's only just turned nine. We'll show them what you get for occupying Ukraine, she says.

For many the hardships are already too much. Roads out of her son cramped with residents trying to leave. But for those who stay, it is a desperate struggle to survive.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Kherson.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Support for Ukraine will be high on the agenda at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, which begins in just a few hours from now in Romania. They will also discuss ways to strengthen their resilience as well as the challenges posed by China. Finland and Sweden are not NATO members yet, but they will be attending. CNN Salma Abdelaziz joins us now from London with more on all of this.

Good to see you, Salma. So what is expected to come out of this NATO meeting of foreign ministers?

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: Yes. So very shortly, we're expecting the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, of course, to give this opening statement in Bucharest to these NATO foreign ministers. It's going to be a two-day meeting today and tomorrow. And you can expect, of course, the top of the agenda is going to be aid. It's how to continue to support Ukraine. And you're going to hear from these ministers, Rosemary.

That phrase that we've heard over and over again, which is we are with Ukraine for as long as it takes. And this meeting comes off of the back of that very important victory that you just saw in that package there from our colleague Matthew Chance, the victory for Kherson, a major battlefield success for Ukraine. So these ministers are going to try to see how do we continue to propel Ukraine's a counter offensive.

Top of that agenda is going to be something that President Zelenskyy has asked for time and time again, and that is air defense systems. Now in recent weeks, we've seen Ukraine become ever more successful at shooting down Russian missiles. At times when these barrages of missiles come towards Ukraine. Kyiv is able to shoot down over half of them but that still means many are landing and hitting their targets.

So air defense systems is going to be the top of the list. You're also going to see these up foreign ministers discussed supply issues. That's been extremely critical as they try to push weapons manufacturers to produce these weapons more quickly as they try to backfill some of the weapons that NATO countries are providing to Ukraine on the frontlines. The supply issues are going to be very important.

[02:25:03]

And then of course the second part of this is going to be non-lethal aid. And that's going to be extremely critical, Rosemary. You -- as you saw, again, in Kherson in that piece from our colleague Matthew Chance. The huge issues that are being faced by families due to this sustained attack on the power grid, on electrical systems, on the water supply across Ukraine, by the Kremlin.

Places like Kyiv where families spend hours a day in blackouts, unable to warm their homes or light their kitchens. That's going to be at the top of the agenda for NATO ministers. How do we alleviate that pressure by providing transformers, by providing fuel, by providing equipment to fix these power grids, by providing winter supplies and food. Anything that Ukraine really needs to try to get it through this very difficult winter.

And yet again, you're going to hear those pledges of support, Rosemary to continue and stand by this fight.

WALLACE: All right, Salma Abdelaziz joining us live from London. Many thanks. In the coming hours, French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to arrive in Washington to kick off a state visit. Official say he will meet with U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday at the White House where they will discuss pressing issues including the war in Ukraine, trade and climate change.

Mr. Macron is also expected to meet with other officials throughout the week in an effort to strengthen French-American ties.

A grim look now at one of the world's longest running conflicts. A CNN analysis shows this year has been the deadliest between the Israelis and Palestinians outside Gaza since the early 2000s. And we still have a month to go. CNN's Hadas Gold takes us behind the numbers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): These have become frequent images this year across Israel and the Palestinian territories. Funerals last week in Nablus for 16-year-old Ahmad Amjad Shehada. And in Jerusalem for 15-year-old Canadian Israeli Aryeh Schupak, both killed on Wednesday on their way to school.

In another world, they might have been classmates. But here they are the latest victims of a decades-old conflict that is rearing its head to new heights. With a month left to go, 2022 is already the deadliest year for Palestinians and Israelis across Israel and the West Bank since the early 2000s according to a CNN analysis of official numbers from both Israel and the Palestinian authority. Setting up alarm across the world.

POPE FRANCIS, HEAD, THE CATHOLIC CHURCH: I hope that Israeli and Palestinian authorities take this search for dialogue to heart in a greater way, building reciprocal trust, without which there will never be a solution for peace in the Holy Land.

GOLD: One hundred fifty Palestinian combatants and civilians have been killed so far this year in the occupied West Bank in Israel, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. As Israel conducts regular military raids in response to a wave of Palestinian attacks. Well, Israel says most of the Palestinians killed were militants or engaging violently with their soldiers. Human rights groups say dozens of unarmed civilians have been caught up as well. The Israeli government says 31 Israelis and foreigners have been killed in Palestinian attacks. A number that includes soldiers and civilians during shooting, stabbings and ramming. And then last Wednesday, twin bombings killed two in Jerusalem, a type of attack not seen in years.

Immediately bringing to mind the Second Intifada or Palestinian uprising when Palestinian suicide bombings and Israeli military raids became the norm. One has to go back to those final years of that conflict 2004 and 2005 for death count higher than this years.

The U.N.'s Middle East envoy warning that the situation is running out of control.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mounting hopelessness, anger and tension are once again erupted into a deadly cycle of violence that is increasingly difficult to contain.

GOLD: That hopelessness partly a result of a politics on both sides that seem as far apart as ever. An increasingly unpopular Palestinian authority. Its aging leader Mahmoud Abbas recently pilloried for attending the World Cup, while new militant groups rise up at home, claiming to be the true representatives of the Palestinian Street. And in Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu soon to take power once again.

But this time with a sharp turn to the right alongside coalition partners like Itamar Ben-Gvir, and other far right settlers who have called for an even stronger response to Palestinian attacks, and are vehemently opposed to the two-state solution. As the violence on the ground continues with no end in sight.

Hadas Gold, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And still to come here on CNN. The U.K.'s cost of living crisis is pushing millions to the brink and dampening the mood of the holiday season. We'll ask the top economist why the country is struggling financially. That's next.

[02:30:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: In the United Kingdom, the cost of living is increasing at its fastest rate in decades, sucking some of the joy out of this year's holiday season. Over two thirds of adults in the U.K. plan to curb holiday spending, according to a search by Accenture. Rising food, energy and housing costs have left U.K. households with less discretionary money to spend this year.

Adding to the gloom and doom, striking workers across multiple sectors demanding higher pay. Wages have stagnated and failed to keep pace with inflation in the U.K., pushing tens of thousands of workers to the picket line this year.

And for more on this, we want to bring in Vicky Pryce in London. She is a board member and economist with the Center for Economic and Business Research. Thank you so much for being with us.

VICKY PRYCE, BOARD MEMBER AND ECONOMIST, CENTRE FOR ECONOMIC AND BUSINESS RESEARCH: Good morning.

CHURCH: So, the U.K.'s cost of living crisis is pushing millions of Brits to the absolute brink. How bad do you expect this to get?

PRYCE: Well, actually, this year is seeing one of the biggest falls in living standards or in disposable household incomes that we have seen. And there's going to be a repetition of that next year. So, it's pretty bad. And in your introduction, you're quite right, that wages are not keeping up with inflation.

Of course, we are not the only country where this is happening. But what is going on right now is that there is a big gap between what is happening in the private sector, where wages, even though they are not, again, keeping up with, at least are rising by six percent, a bit over six percent. Whereas in the private sector -- in the public sector they're rising by only two percent.

So, there is a gap which has been there for quite some time now. And one of the reasons why we are seeing a number of strikes, you mentioned picket lines. Particularly in public services is because of this gap. And the fact that all these people who are working through the COVID period, like nurses, for example, and also right now we've with problems the rail strikes and also teachers looking to strike. What they feel is that they have been falling way behind in real terms. And we're in for a winter of discontent, I'm afraid, with loads of strikes happening over the next few months.

CHURCH: So, what triggered this U.K. economic crisis when so many other nations are also dealing with the pandemic, supply chain issues, and of course, the consequences of the war in Ukraine? Why is the U.K. apparently suffering so much more than other advanced economies?

[02:35:00]

PRYCE: Well, this suffering particularly in terms of -- sort of, the growth slowed down which has taken place here which has been faster than other places. In Europe, where interestingly enough, the last quarter, Q3 in the U.K. saw a drop in GDP. Whereas Europe as a whole saw an increase in places like Germany and France and Italy and Spain did reasonably well, mainly because of tourism.

What's been going on in the U.K. is that right now, we have a double impact. We have a tightening taking place in the fiscal side. So, there are tax increases, rather than decreases. We had a short period where that was going on but that's been reversed when we changed our prime minister just recently for the third time, which is really quite interesting.

So, what has been going on as a result of this upheaval that we saw in the markets when we've -- we had a bit of an unstable political situation is that this government, right now, is increasing taxes and also, of course, interest rates are going up. So, we have a double hit the economy. Quite a lot of countries are not doing. So, I think we are one exceptionally, really, by comparison to what is going on elsewhere. And that is hitting consumers and, of course, serious concerns about public spending cuts that maybe happening over which a number of people are beginning to protest as well.

CHURCH: So, what's it going to take to turn the U.K. economy around? And do you have any faith that the government can do that?

PRYCE: Well, the one thing that will help hugely is if inflation starts coming down, but that doesn't look like that's going to happen in a hurry because, of course, we do know that international prices are beginning to fall. Whether it's gas, prices oil prices, which we've seen happening because of the events in China, particularly, sort of, recently. But also, what we're seeing is that, sort of, gas prices have dropped very significantly in Europe, and food prices have been falling for a number of months now.

Is takes -- it takes time. Until those things are reflected in what people are paying in the shops and what they found are very substantial increases there. What is not happening here is that the support to consumers and businesses, which is being evident in other countries, has not quite materialized to the extent that it has happened elsewhere.

So, I think that probably the government is hoping that those price declines that we're seeing internationally will eventually start being reflected in the U.K. as well. And therefore, some of those wage increases, which they fear are going to be embedded in the economy and they won't be able to do anything very much about that in the future because they will feel more inflation, that some of those will become permanent and that is a big concern.

So, I'm afraid we are in a tight political situation. And a tight fiscal and monetary environment right now. Which means that growth of the U.K. economy is likely to be minimal over the next couple of years.

CHURCH: All right. Vicky Pryce, thank you so much for joining us and offering your analysis on this, much appreciated.

PRYCE: Thank you.

CHURCH: Well, another crypto company may have bitten the dust, BlockFi is declaring bankruptcy as the contagion from FTX's collapse grips the digital assets market. The crypto lender owes money to more than 100,000 creditors.

Still ahead, too. A sight you have to see. Two volcanoes are erupting at the same time on the island of Hawaii. That story and more when "CNN Newsroom" continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:40:00]

CHURCH: Hawaii is experiencing a rare event. Two volcanoes erupting on the island at the same time. One of them, Mauna Lao, is the world's largest active volcano. It is erupting for the first time since 1984. Ending what's been the longest quiet period in its recorded history. Right now, the lava flow is not threatening any communities though.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOVERNOR-ELECT JOSH GREEN (D-HI): Because it is going through the northeast rift zone, that is a better way for the lava to flow. It goes into a flatter area. The lava becomes quite viscous and it tends to slow down before it gets anywhere near our people, which would Hilo. Hilo is the largest town on big island and it's where my in-laws live. We just are getting a little nervous from time to time. But it's at least a week away and we're hopeful that it won't make it all the way to the town.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Not far from Mauna Lao, the smaller Kilauea volcano has been erupting since last year. Southwest Airlines has canceled flights in the area because of the volcanic activity. So far, no evacuations have been ordered but the Hawaii National Guard is on standby.

Well, team of scientists backed by the U.N. says Australia's Great Barrier Reef should be listed as an In Danger World Heritage site. Now, this comes in a new report which says the reef is facing major threats due to climate change. It says rising ocean temperatures and water acidity are leading to mass bleaching. Scientists are calling for urgent action to protect the reef, including reducing emissions.

The Orion Spacecraft reached its farthest distance from the Earth, Monday afternoon. Shattering the record for maximum distance, a spacecraft designed to carry humans has ever traveled. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL NELSON, NASA ADMINISTRATION: Orion surpassed the distance record for a mission with a spacecraft designed to carry humans into deep space. And that records before had been set by Apollo 13 at about 248,000 miles from Earth. And just over one hour ago, Orion set another record, clocking its maximum distance from Earth, 270,000 miles.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: The Orion is part of NASA's Artemis mission. Hoping to return humans to the moon and beyond. The program is expected to put boots back on the moon by 2025.

And thank you so much for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. World Sport is coming up next. Then I'll be back in about 15 minutes with more "CNN Newsroom". Hope you can stick around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) [02:45:00]

(WORLD SPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:00:00]