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Argentina Beats France in World Cup Final; Final Hours of 16- Year-Old Iranian Protestor Unveiled; Court to Rule on U.K. Plan to Send Asylum Seekers to Rwanda; China Reports First COVID Deaths Since Easing Restrictions; Migrant Surge Feared when Trump- Era Title 42 Ends. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired December 19, 2022 - 00:00   ET

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

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.

[00:00:29]

Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM. A World Cup final for the ages. Argentina brings home the trophy for the first time in 36 years, and Lionel Messi cements his spot as a football legend.

Plus, a CNN exclusive. How the Iranian government is gaining access to activists' social media and using it as evidence against them.

And China reports its first new COVID-19 death since the government began easing its strict zero-COVID policy.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: The party hasn't stopped in Argentina, after what many are calling the best World Cup final ever. The Argentines defeated France on penalties to capture their third tournament title.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CHEERING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Well, you can hear them there. This is a live look at that same plaza, where people are still celebrating Argentina's win.

Now for Messi, this was the first time he's ever lifted the World Cup trophy, and he did it on his fifth and likely last tournament appearance.

Before he went out with a stellar performance, he scored this opening goal to help Argentina build a two-nil lead. The French stormed back with two late goals from superstar Mbappe, which sent the match to extra time

Messi, Mbappe again scored in the next thirty minutes, and the match ended in a three-three draw. Argentina won it, four-two in the penalty shoot-out, with this kick from Gonzalo Montiel.

With that, the Argentines pulled off a fairytale ending to a remarkable tournament.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIONEL MESSI, ARGENTINA CAPTAIN (through translator): It's madness that it happened the way it did. But it's amazing. I said at one point that God was going to give it to me. And I don't know why I first saw it. I felt like it was going to be this one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: So for more on what the title means for Messi and his country. Stefano Pozzebon has this report from Buenos Aires.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEFANO POZZEBON, JOURNALIST (voice-over): It's only a few hours since Argentina has become the 2022 FIFA world champions. And the people behind me that have taken over the streets, all from Buenos Aries, clearly have no sign, no intention of going back home.

It's a moment that Argentina has been waiting for for more than 36 years. Since the late, great Diego Maradona won it in 1986. And it's a moment that comes at perhaps a very dire time for Argentina.

The country is indeed in financial trouble, with over 90 percent of annual inflation rate. And also a deep political polarization.

Not all of these troubles have, frankly, been swept away this Sunday. But a triumph of Lionel Messi. And his teammates in Qatar, giving back a trophy that have been waiting, and longed for, so long.

It's also a moment to rejoice for Messi himself, long called the greatest player of his time but actually never winning a World Cup until Sunday when he finally achieved the only trophy missing from his cabinet.

And from one Saudis, as soon as the penalties were over, people just simply took over the streets. There were signs of celebration and joy. There are thousands of people now really just singing and celebrating together.

For CNN, this is Stefano Pozzebon, Buenos Aires.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Well, in France, as you can imagine, there was frustration and disappointment after the reigning champions fell to Argentina.

A few people in Lyons vented their anger by throwing fireworks at police. Others surrounded and kicked a car before it managed to drive away. And in Paris, scuffles reportedly broke out on the Champs D'Elysees. Police were seen charging into the crowd trying to disperse them. In

other parts of the capital, fans were in dismay as they watched their team lose.

French President Emmanuel Macron says he feels their pain, but he offered a positive outlook. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMMANUEL MACRON, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE (voice-over): I would like to tell everyone who is listening to us tonight, and who are sad, that I share their sadness. But we can be proud of this team. We must not forget. And they are showing what we are deeply about. We have a capacity to make the craziest come back, to make the unthinkable happen, to be united, to have genius talents.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Croatia's team got a hero's welcome on Sunday as they returned home after winning bronze in Qatar. Tens of thousands of cheering fans lined the streets of the Croatian capital after losing to Argentina in the semifinals.

Croatia defeated Morocco to take third place. It was likely the final World Cup team match for team captain Luka Modric. Now it's just not the final match, as there's been many ups and downs since the World Cup began four weeks ago.

Our Don Riddell runs through some of the highs and lows.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DON RIDDELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was 12 years in the making. Arguably the most controversial World Cup of all time. Allegations of corruption and criticism of Qatar's civil and human rights records dominated the buildup.

But on the eve of the tournament, the FIFA president deflected all of the criticism.

GIANNI INFANTINO, FIFA PRESIDENT: You want to criticize someone, come to me. Criticize me. Here I am. You can crucify me. I'm here for that. Don't criticize Qatar,; don't criticize the players.

RIDDELL (voice-over): And when the action kicked off, it was relentless. The host teams cut quickly slipped out of view, but many of the underdogs had their day.

Saudi Arabia's sensational win against Argentina set the tone for a tournament of upsets. Japan came from behind to stun Germany the next day.

In the background, the controversy lingered. Protests about Qatar's domestic policies were brief but impactful. In saying that they were silenced, Germany found their voices. And in refusing to sing, Iran signaled their empathy for the bloody uprising back home. For some, it was a painful World Cup. Christian Pulisic's injury was

enough to make everybody's eyes water.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: You called it, I believe, the pelvic contusion heard around the world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Felt around the world.

COOPER: Felt around the world.

RIDDELL: But the real pain was the loss of two migrant workers who died as a result of workplace accidents during the tournament. And the sudden passing of two media members who were covering the action: the Qatari photojournalist Khalid al-Misslam, and the celebrated American sports writer Grant Wahl.

On the field, history was made. Stephanie Frappart led the first all- female refereeing crew at a men's World Cup. And the group stage kept their fans on the edge of their seats while the drama put news anchors out of their minds.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: I saw you last hour. I have absolutely had no hesitation in saying to you, this is yours, mate. This heap of mess is yours to try and interpret.

RIDDELL: Richard, I'm not even sure I want to. It's so complicated. Isa Soares asked me earlier. So this happens and this happens, what does that mean? And I was like, I need to consult my notes. I don't know.

RIDDELL (voice-over): And when the dust had finally settled, a new world order emerged. This was Asia's most successful tournament and the same, too, for Africa, for whom Morocco became the standard bearers for the continent and the Arab people.

The Atlas Lions had blazed a trail to the semifinals, making heroes of themselves and stars of their mothers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are playing home. This is a good time for everybody from Qatar, from the Middle East. The Arab countries, all over the world. They love it. They're having a different experience. And they're enjoying their time.

RIDDELL (voice-over): But in the end, we got the final that many were expecting. France against Argentina was an instant classic. Kylian Mbappe scored a hat trick but was heartbroken as Argentina edged it on a penalty shootout, meaning that Lionel Messi has now won the only trophy to have eluded him, elevating him to the pantheon of greats and finally placing him alongside his great compatriot, Diego Maradona.

FIFA say that this has been the best ever World Cup. History will be the judge. But for so many different reasons, it has certainly been one of the most memorable.

Don Riddell, CNN, Qatar.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: For more on this, I want to bring in Musa Okwonga, who's a sports writer and co-host of the Stadio (ph) football podcast. He joins me now from Berlin.

I mean, Musa, just talk about the final itself. We need an hour to break down this insane chaotic, magical match. Just quickly, your reaction to what some are calling the greatest ever World Cup final?

MUSA OKWONGA, SPORTS WRITER: I would agree. It certainly was dramatic. The technical level was very high. You might say there was continuous drama in the course of the game. There might be some (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

But in terms of an overall outcome, and what was at stake, I think it is the finest World Cup we've ever seen.

BRUNHUBER: Kylian Mbappe, a hero in defeat. Messi, I mean, what more can you say about him? I mean, it's so hard to compare players of different generations.

So I was thinking maybe instead of the popular acronym, the GOAT, greatest of all time, we should -- we should coin a new one. He's the GIES, the greatest I've ever seen. It's not more accurate? GOAT, greatest of all time. GOAT, greatest of all time. We should coin

a new one. The geese, greatest I've ever seen. It's not more accurate?

OKWONGA: I think there's something else. There's a pantheon of greats. There's a pantheon of greats. And I think he's in that pantheon.

I think also Mbappe is in that class now. Whatever Mbappe does in 2023, the peaks he's hit as a player in this game. The hat trick in a losing cause. He scored four times past the goalkeeper in two hours. Very few people do that, even in training.

So yes, I think Mbappe and Messi have entered the ranks of the greats permanently now.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. And consolation for the French is that he is so young. They will definitely be back again.

Now, I want to turn sort of off the pitch here. The controversial moment on the stage where Qatar's emir cloaked Messi on stage with a black bisht, a traditional Arab men's cloak.

Some feel it was a culturally appropriate way to honor Messi, as well as being sort of a powerful nod to the larger Arab world. Others say it was a cynical P.R. tool of the Qatari regime, sort of symbolic of the thumbprint they've had on the whole tournament. What did you make of that?

OKWONGA: I'm not so much for cultural metaphors. I can't speak to the use of that cloak.

What I can say is that this World Cup was a cynical P.R. ploy, overall. The football was spectacular, for the large part. It was so well-organized. They did that well. But I think the tournament itself, we get caught up in the debate of the cloak. But I think the overall tournament, the way that Qatar used it, as people said before, to boost national prestige, I think in one respect, that was extremely effective.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. I mean, that's the thing. The accusations when Qatar was selected as the host was that, like, you know, the large multinational tournaments that have been held in Russia and in China recently, that this would be sort of the latest act of sports washing, which is normalizing a country's wrongdoing through sport.

So, last time you and I spoke, we -- we you know, talked about the spectacle of the action on the pitch, predictably overshadowed many of the serious issues off the pitch.

So looking back now, at the tournament as a whole, do you feel that the coverage of the tournament succeeded on balance in shining a light on all the abuses in a meaningful and lasting way? Or is -- is the larger message here that essentially sports washing works?

OKWONGA: I'm still not sure, to be honest. I think in many respects, the -- Qatar have achieved a measure of respect from people who didn't think they could pull this off. I think there are wider concerns for the long term about paying workers.

Because here's the thing. The amount of money that's spent on that tournament, they could just have paid the workers. And this is the thing. And also the labor rights, all these issues. For some, they won't care about these. But those issues aren't going to go away overnight. Those workers still deserve the compensation. They still deserve not to be deported. The dignity, the autonomy. These issues are ongoing.

I just hope we made as many inroads in the last few weeks over these issues in a short space of time that -- that the people need.

BRUNHUBER: I want to end on a positive note, because on the pitch, the tournament was just absolutely fantastic. There's no denying that. So for you, what was the highlight?

OKWONGA: I think it was watching the young players step up around Messi, like Fernandez (ph), coming into the bridge. Stepping up for themselves and really just handling themselves so well, at such a tender age. So yes, the young players, I think, around Messi, elevating him to the ranks that no one can ever dispute. That's my highlight.

BRUNHUBER: Well, it was certainly a fantastic, even though, for many people, it does have an asterisk because of all the issues that we've been talking about.

But we really appreciate your analysis. It's been lots of fun speaking with you about this tournament throughout. Thanks so much, Musa Okwonga. Really appreciate it.

OKWONGA: Thank you for having me. Take care. Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: All right. And we will have more World Cup coverage for you later this hour on CNN WORLD SPORT.

Now, in Iran, there are reports another soccer player has been arrested for allegedly supporting anti-government protests. A pro- government news agency says former national team captain Ashkan Dejagah was detained for participating in demonstrations in Germany.

The football agent says the player was banned from leaving Iran four weeks ago, and he wasn't allowed to attend the team's training camp in Dubai.

The agent says the player expressed his support for Iranian women in an Instagram post, which has been deleted.

Dejagah has played for a German club, and he is a dual German-Iranian national.

Meanwhile, global popstar Shakira is voicing her support for another jailed Iranian soccer player. In a series of tweets, she urged the world to remember the plight of Amir Nasr-Azadani, saying the fight for equality and human rights should be praised, not punished.

The player has been in Iranian custody since last month, say the new (ph) reports. He's accused of being part of a group involved in the killing of security officers at a protest, and he could face the death penalty.

As the situation remains volatile in Iran, Belgium is urging its citizens to leave the country. The foreign ministry says, quote, "There's a significant risk of arbitrary arrest and detention." And their embassy in Tehran has, quote, "very limited ability" to provide consular protections.

Now, this comes after Iran sentenced Belgian and worker Oliver Vandecasteele to 28 years in prison last week. His campaign says he was detained for, quote, "diplomatic geopolitical reasons."

Amnesty International has strongly condemned his arrest and is calling on Iran to immediately release him.

And just days after those protests erupted across Iran, a 16-year-old protester went missing and was later found dead. Iranian authorities said her death was a suicide. But with the help of witnesses and rights groups, CNN has uncovered a different story.

Katie Polglase has this exclusive report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATIE POLGLASE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Moody, reflective, like many teenagers, Nika Shahkarami considered her Instagram page a safe space for self-expression.

But her death on September 20th during protests in Iran turned her into an icon. And her Instagram page into a blank slate. Who disabled it and why became yet another mystery surrounding what happened to her. CNN previously revealed evidence suggesting Nika was detained at the

protest shortly after this video was filmed. But the Iranian authorities have always denied any involvement in her disappearance or death.

Now CNN can exclusively reveal that Meta, Instagram's parent company, investigated Nika's account after she disappeared, concluding they themselves were not involved in disabling it. In other words, it was either Nika herself or, crucially, someone with access to her account that took it down.

And, as recent reporting by "The Intercept" revealed, Iran's highly- sophisticated system for phone hacking erases the question of whether social media platforms can keep accounts secure.

When protests erupted in Iran, Nika began using Instagram as a diary for her activism. But this online activity may have ended up working against her.

After Nika's death, the Iranian state began publishing evidence like this CCTV footage, attempting to clear the state of any involvement in her death.

First, they said she was pushed from this building. Then, she fell from it.

Next, they referenced suicidal messages in documents extracted from Nika's mobile and Instagram conversations.

It was an open acknowledgement they were accessing her phone and her social media accounts.

But she's not alone. As flames engulfed the notorious Evin Prison in mid-October, inside was Negin. She was accused of sharing activist posters like these on Telegram, the encrypted social media platform. We've changed her name for her safety. Her words are read by an actor.

"NEGIN", ACTIVIST: I think they already had my Telegram chats, because they often talked about it. There were certain photos. I had shared relatively political photos. They would show me the photos from that Telegram to claim I was the admin, but I kept denying it.

POLGLASE (voice-over): She says the Iranian authorities had obtained these chats despite not yet having Negin's phone. She believes they hacked her account, and she now faces six years in jail.

POLGLASE: While in prison, the Iranian authorities reactivated Negin's Telegram account. She says it was to see who tried to contact her, and revealed a network of activists she was in touch with.

And the same tactic may have been used with Nika's Telegram account, as weeks after her death, two of her friends noticed her account was back online. It disappeared shortly after.

POLGLASE (voice-over): Nika's family are still reeling from her death. One close family member told CNN authorities are still refusing to return her phone.

The Iranian authorities have not responded to CNN's request for comment. While Meta said they couldn't share specifics on Nika's account, but they confirmed they did not originally disable it.

Telegram told CNN in every case they had investigated with a device that had been confiscated, or the user had unwittingly made such acts as possible by not setting a two-step verification password. Or using a malicious app impersonating Telegram.

Still, questions remain as to whether Meta, Telegram and other tech companies are doing all they can to protect their users, as the world wakes up to the increasingly tech-savvy ways regimes such as Iran are using to monitor and hunt down activists.

Katie Polglase, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Still to come, Russian forces take aim in the South and the North as Ukraine reports a new drone attack. We'll have the latest ahead.

Plus, a British court could soon decide whether the U.K. can send tens of thousands of asylum seekers to Rwanda. We'll have the report when CNN NEWSROOM continues. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:22:00]

BRUNHUBER: We're following developments in Ukraine, where officials in Kyiv said the capital was targeted by drones with a, quote, "barrage of ammunition."

Several explosions were heard over the past few hours by a CNN team in the city. Officials say nine drones were shot down over Kyiv.

Now to the South into the Kherson region. An official says at least three people were killed and six wounded in attacks by Russian forces. They say the Russians are shelling humanitarian infrastructure in residential areas.

One resident expressed frustration over the fighting in an area liberated in November. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

YEKATERYNA, KHERSON RESIDENT (through translator): Everyone expected that Ukraine would come once or twice, and it was all over. No one took into account that the front line is here. And that it will be much worse here. And we will not leave here. Nowhere, nobody is waiting for us anywhere. We don't have the money to go somewhere else. Therefore, we will survive in our city.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BRUNHUBER: Ukraine has been seeking a boost in its air defenses to battle Russia's relentless attacks. And CNN recently reported that the U.S. is now moving closer to sending the Patriot missile defense system to Ukraine.

Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S. says the need is urgent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OKSANA MARKAROVA, UKRAINIAN AMBASSADOR TO U.S.: We have been asking for all air defense. And we see what happens when we don't have enough air defense. For 299 days, not only there was a full-fledged war of atrocities. But during the last two months -- and you've seen it, also, personally -- there was a massive attack on civilian infrastructure.

Fifty percent of the energy is destroyed, of the energy grid. We have to stop it. And the only way to do it is with increased number of air defense everywhere in Ukraine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Now, the governor of the Russian region of Belgorod says at least 1 person is dead after shelling by Ukrainian forces. He said those strikes on Sunday also injured at least eight people and damaged more than a dozen residential buildings and several cars.

The Belgorod region borders Northeastern Ukraine.

Meanwhile, new videos shows Russian's defense ministry aboard a military helicopter, in what the defense ministry calls a working trip to inspect troops.

Sergei Shoigu was seen speaking with military personnel, though it's not clear where he traveled to or if he was in Ukraine.

But freed Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout was reportedly in Eastern Ukraine over the weekend, visiting the Russian-occupied city of Luhansk.

Bout, who was recently exchanged in a prisoner swap with WNBA star Brittney Griner, attended opening event for the Luhansk branch of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VIKTOR BOUT, FREED IN PRISONER SWAP (through translator): Dear friends, I've been closely following for these eight long years what was happening in Donbas. And you know, your example meant a lot for me. Helped me. Because you are all heroes. Your will, determination, and the fact that you not only survived but also won, returned to Russia, this is very important.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[00:25:04] BRUNHUBER: In the coming hours, judges at London's high court will rule on whether the British government can legally send tens of thousands of asylum seekers to Rwanda.

Now, it comes as the U.K. faces record numbers of migrants arriving on its shores illegally, often in unsafe boats. More now from CNN's Nada Bashir.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADA BASHIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Another life lost in Britain's icy waters. Another reminder of the dangers faced by migrants attempting to cross the English Channel from northern France.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: More blankets? Blankets.

BASHIR (voice-over): As many as 40,000 migrants have braved the dangerous crossing since the beginning of this year alone. Now, the U.K. government says it's doubling down on its plan to tackle illegal migration.

RISHI SUNAK, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: When legal proceedings conclude on or migration and economic development partnership, we will restart the first flights to Rwanda.

BASHIR: It was an 11th-hour legal intervention which grounded the first deportation flight in June. Now, after months of deliberation, a final court judgment will determine whether the Rwanda deal is, in fact, legal.

SOPHIE LUCAS, LAWYER FOR CLAIMANTS: There are serious concerns around the functioning of the asylum system in Rwanda, as well as serious concerns about political freedom of expression.

BASHIR (voice-over): Under the proposed scheme, thousands of migrants arriving in the U.K. illegally could be deported to Rwanda to have their asylum claims heard there.

But the government's own figures show that in the 12 months leading up to September of this year, 77 percent of asylum claimants were granted an initial decision, awarding refugee stats or humanitarian protection. Many traveling from countries including Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria.

Among them is Yousef, a Syrian refugee whose name we have changed to protect his identity. He was one of more than 100 asylum seekers due to be deported to Rwanda in June.

"YOUSEF", SYRIAN REFUGEE (through translator): I want to live in peace in the U.K. to work and build a future here for my wife and son. If they send me to Rwanda, then my life will be over. After all the struggles I have faced, it will be devastating. I will kill myself.

BASHIR (voice-over): Yousef says he fled his war-torn hometown of Dadar (ph) in Syria in 2017, leaving behind his family in the hope of building a new life for them overseas.

"YOUSEF": I saw the devastation across our country. Our lives were consumed entirely by war, by fear. It was all around us.

BASHIR (voice-over): Yousef's journey took him from Syria to Lebanon, and then onwards to Libya, where he says he was detained for eight months before fleeing to Europe.

"YOUSEF": We were given very little food or water. They would beat us. Torture us.

Then, after I left Libya, I traveled across the sea to Italy. It was a very difficult journey. We were stuck at sea for about three days. One more day, and I think we would have died.

BASHIR (voice-over): Like many refugees, Yousef then traveled to Calais in northern France, where he spent weeks living in a squalid refugee camp, waiting to be smuggled on a small boat to the U.K.

Now, as the U.K. government clamps down on this very crossing, experts are questioning how effective and how ethical the Rwanda policy really is.

There's no evidence it's putting anybody off. We're talking about people who've fled really serious problems. Civil wars, massive human rights abuse in their own countries.

BASHIR (voice-over): As the high court hearing comes to a close, so does months of limbo for the thousands of asylum seekers at risk of deportation.

Nada Bashir, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: China has recorded its first COVID-related deaths since easing pandemic restrictions. And critics say things could get even worse after the abrupt unveiling of the zero-COVID strategy.

We'll have a live report from Hong Kong with the latest.

Plus, there are fears the number of migrants crossing the U.S. Southern border could spiral into a humanitarian crisis this week. We'll have a report from a Mexican border town after the break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:31:45]

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

China has reported its first COVID-related deaths since easing pandemic restrictions earlier this month. Health officials announced Sunday that two patients died in Beijing, but they gave no other details on those cases.

China has now reported more than 5,200 deaths from COVID since the pandemic began. And experts outside of China believe that number is much higher, saying many deaths have gone under reported.

Now, critics say Beijing has haphazardly rolled back its zero-COVID policy, prompting many to wonder just how bad this current surge in cases could get.

So far, President Xi Jinping has been mostly silent about the unraveling of zero-COVID.

CNN's Ivan Watson is with us now from Hong Kong with more on all of this. So, Ivan, what's the situation right now? And that's the question: How bad can it get?

IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's an awful lot of data now about COVID after three years of this. And so there are models out there. For instance, there's a report from Hong Kong University, using data like the vaccination levels in mainland China, which kind of parallel what Hong Kong was facing about nine months ago, when it hadn't yet been hit hard by COVID, and projecting out what the mortality figures might be.

And so this report estimates that, if -- if China maintains its status quo, it could face 684 deaths per million people infected. Which would, if you do the math, would add up to about 964,000 people out of China's population of 1.4 billion people.

So potentially, a mortality of hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people.

The same report does say that, if China manages to ramp up vaccinations -- and that's one area where China's in trouble, because only about 42 percent of Chinese people over the age of 80, that most vulnerable population, have received all three vaccine doses of the locally-made Chinese vaccine that would provide them more protection. So that's an enormous vulnerable part of the population that -- that is not protected.

The report says that, if they can wrap up vaccination, particularly for the elderly, and they can get more of the antiviral medicine, that they could potentially lower the mortality rate by 25 to 35 percent.

But we're still talking about, again, according to this HKU report, the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. And China's only really in the beginning of these waves of real infections.

It had succeeded in largely keeping the -- COVID from spreading rampantly, but now that's happening. And it's likely to get worse, especially as China goes into the lunar new year holiday at the end of January, and people travel all around the country and then come back home, bringing the illness -- the illness back.

In the meantime, China's engaged, the government, in an incredible re- branding campaign. It was just November 10th that Xi Jinping was talking about dynamic zero-COVID, trying to keep the virus out completely from the country.

[00:35:03]

And now, you've got top epidemiologists saying, Hey, maybe we should just call it the coronavirus cold now. And state media is saying that China has really succeeded in saving lives.

So there's this almost kind of whiplash effect, that the government is trying to say, on the one hand, a month ago, this is a deadly disease, we must stop it at all costs, to now, We're going to live with it, and we'll get through this.

So, a little bit jarring for, I think, part of the population.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. Quite a U-turn indeed, there. Ivan Watson in Hong Kong, thanks so much.

A Peruvian railway operator says train services to and from the ancient city of Machu Picchu are resuming on an emergency basis. They'd been interrupted since Tuesday because of the ongoing political unrest in the country, which began earlier this month after the arrest and impeachment of former President Pedro Castillo.

The protests have led to disruptions of airport and railway services throughout Peru. As many as 300 tourists from around the world have been stranded in Machu Picchu as a result.

When a Trump-era policy known as Title 42 ends on Wednesday, the number of migrants at the U.S. Southern border is expected to surge dramatically, prompting fears of a potential humanitarian crisis.

Title 42 has allowed border agents to quickly turn away migrants to slow the spread of COVID-19. Now, nonprofit groups say as many as 10,000 people could be waiting to cross into the U.S. from Mexico in the coming days.

CNN's Gustavo Valdes has more now, reporting from the Mexican side of the border.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUSTAVO VALDES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This group of Venezuelans are using the leftover clothing and trash they find on the Mexican size of the Rio Grande to stay warm and witness the people who are crossing the Rio Grande to get into the United States.

VALDES: Oftentimes, they tell them to wait. Right now, they encourage them to wait until Title 42 expires on Wednesday, arguing that they might have a better chance to remain on the United States.

VALDES (voice-over): Yet we see time and time again how people decide that, once they get to Ciudad Juarez, they need to get across as soon as possible to turn themselves in to the Border Patrol in El Paso and try their chances that way.

The flow of migrants continues. It's been constant. Groups of 20, 30 people are taking several times an hour. We see the Border Patrol dealing with them here, at the border, to be taken into El Paso, where now, the mayor has declared a state of emergency, arguing that the number of people crossing over is more than the city can handle.

And he fears that, come Wednesday, the number is going to be much greater, and this situation could get out of control.

On the Mexican side, city and state authorities in the state of Chihuahua are telling me that the migrant situation is not different for them. Yes, there are more than at other times.

VALDES: But their main concern is what's going to happen if more border agents are having to be moved to deal with the surge of migrants and abandon all -- or not do their daily duties at the crossing -- at the legal crossing point, creating a longer waiting time for the people who want to go and spend their money, spend Christmas with their relatives in El Paso, or other parts of the United States.

This is high season for crossings in this area, and on the Mexican side, that is the main concern.

Gustavo Valdes, CNN, Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: The U.S. House Select Committee investigating the January 6th Capitol riot will hold its final public meeting on Monday, and we expect to learn which criminal referrals will be sent to the U.S. Justice Department.

Those referrals would be nonbinding, and it's up to the department to decide whether to pursue them. But CNN has learned the committee is weighing multiple alleged claims committed by former President Donald Trump; include insurrection, obstruction of an official proceeding, and conspiracy to defraud the government.

On Monday, the committee will release an executive summary of its report, along with other materials. The final report will be released on Wednesday.

And CNN will have special coverage of the committee's final hearing. It starts Monday at 1 p.m. Eastern, 6 p.m. in London, right here on CNN.

We'll be right back.

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BRUNHUBER: Rescue efforts are underway in the Gulf of Thailand after a Royal Thai Navy ship sank early this morning. Thirty-three of the ship's 106 crew members are missing. And bad weather in the area is complicating the search-and-rescue mission.

The Navy says strong winds caused the ship to tilt, and water to flow into its electrical system, shutting it down.

Severe turbulence has injured at least 36 people on a Hawaiian Airlines flight. Authorities say 20 were taken to emergency rooms; 11 were in serious condition, and a 14-month-old child is among those hospitalized.

Now, it happened on Sunday on a flight from Phoenix to Honolulu. The turbulence occurred about 15 to 30 minutes before the plane landed. The airline says the plane will undergo a thorough inspection before it's returned to service.

Disgraced former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried is expected to appear in a Bahamian courtroom in the coming hours. A source familiar with the matter tells CNN Bankman-Fried will waive extradition in this criminal case. Once that happens, he would likely return to the U.S. quickly.

Bankman-Friend faces federal criminal charges and an eight-count indictment for alleged fraud and conspiracy. As the investigation unfolds, U.S. authorities could file more charges against him.

Hanukah, the Jewish festival of lights, has started amid the frigid darkness of war in Ukraine. A giant menorah in Kyiv's Independence Square was lit to commemorate the first night of the eight-day holiday.

It's burning as Ukraine is about to enter its tenth month of war with Russia, a fact, not lost on the Jewish president of the besieged nation. Here he is.

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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Congratulations to the Jewish community of Ukraine and all the Jews of the world on Hanukah. Those who are outnumbered defeated those who outnumbered them. Light defeated darkness. It will be the same this time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Happy Hanukah. Thanks for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back with more news at the top of the hour. WORLD SPORT is next.

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