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Brazilian Soccer Legend Pele Dies At 82; At Least 3 Killed, 7 Wounded In Barrage Of Russian Missiles; South Korea To Require COVID Tests For Travelers From China A Year of Tragedy, Celebration, Controversy for the U.K. Royals; International Football Legend Pele Dies at 82l; Search and Rescue Underway after Deadly Inferno; Chef Bobby Flay Teaches Julia Chatterley to Make Latkes. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired December 30, 2022 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us all around the world, appreciate your company. I'm Michael Holmes. Coming up here on the program, saying goodbye to a legend. The life, legacy and impact of football superstar Pele.
Also ahead, one of the biggest attacks yet. Ukraine says Russia launched nearly 70 missiles in a matter of hours. And another day, another nation, placing COVID restrictions on travelers from China. Who's joined the list and why the EU says it doesn't need to be on it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN Newsroom with Michael Holmes.
HOLMES: The world is remembering one of the greatest athletes of all time, the Brazilian football legend Pele. He passed away after a battle with colon cancer which caused his organs to fail. He was 82. Three days of mourning are underway in Brazil. Pele had been hospitalized for the last month. On Thursday his daughter posted this photograph with the caption everything we are is thanks to you. We love you endlessly. Rest in peace.
Fans will get a chance to pay their respects in person on Monday when a weight gets underway at the stadium of his beloved club, Santos. His coffin will be placed at the center of the pitch and then will be taken through the streets of Santos on Tuesday. Tributes already unfolding all over the world.
Fans and players in Blackpool, England offering the standing ovation to Pele during a match on Thursday. You can hear the thunderous applause and the president of football's governing body, FIFA, posting this message on Instagram.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GIANNI INFANTINO, FIFA PRESIDENT: We feel a void, we feel sad, but actually we never lose him. We never lost him. He's forever with us. He's forever with everyone who loves football because of what he did for football.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: World Sports Don Riddell gives us a closer look now at Pele's remarkable life and legacy.
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DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT (voiceover): When the world knows you by just one name, you have truly succeeded. Pele is regarded by many as the greatest footballer of all time. His humble demeanor and generous spirit have guaranteed his legacy as a global icon.
PELE, FOOTBALL LEGEND: This is his responsibility. I feel very comfortable because something I cannot answer was why God gave me, you know, this gift. This was a gift from God. And I tried to be in my best. And I tried to respect people. I tried to prepare myself. I try to be always in good shape, you know. The most important respect people.
RIDDELL: Raised in the slums of Sao Paulo in the 1940s, Edson Arantes do Nascimento discovered football at a young age. He made his debut for Santos at the age of just 16. And within a year, he was scoring goals for the Brazilian national team. By this time, he was better known by his nickname Pele.
And in 1958, at 17, he became the youngest man to play in a World Cup final, scoring twice as Brazil beat Sweden. It was the first of three world titles he'd help win for his country. He electrified audiences with his fancy footwork and ability to score seemingly impossible goals. So it was something of a disappointment that his 1000th goal was a penalty.
PELE: Friend of mine, he's a comic guy in Brazil. He said, Listen, God stopped the game because everyone has to see your 1,000 goal. That's the reason. It was the penalty kick.
RIDDELL: After his goal, the game against Vasco da Gama stopped for several minutes to celebrate his landmark achievement.
In 1967, Pele learned that he and his team had the power to stop other things too when they visit to Nigeria prompted warring factions to call a 48 hours ceasefire in the country's civil war.
[01:05:06]
PELE: We stop war because the people are so crazy for football. They love football. They stopped the war to cease and to play in Africa. This is a fantastic, some things we cannot explain.
RIDDELL: By the time Pele retired as a footballer in 1977, playing his final years for the Cosmos in New York, he demassed a career total of 1,281 goals. For Pele, that was half a lifetime ago. But his infectious love of the game ensured that he remained relevant. He served as a UN ambassador for ecology and the environment. He rubbed shoulders with state leaders all over the world and he received an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth in 1997. Who could forget his appearance in the cult movie Escaped to Victory.
When he starred alongside Michael Caine and Sylvester Stallone, playing a prisoner of war who scored a spectacular morale boosting goal in a game against the Germans.
PELE: I think first of all, is a gift from God. Secondly, I think it was a lot of work, hard work and training. I have to say thanks to God, because my father was a football player, was a center for and then my father was a very known perfectionist, and then everything who I used to do, I tried to do. He used to say, Listen, you must better than that.
RIDDELL: He's always been a global icon, but in his native Brazil, he will always be regarded as a national treasure. His passing is cause for national mourning. As he so humorously put it himself, there will never be another Pele.
PELE: To be the new Pele will be very difficult because my mother and my father, they close the machine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: As you might imagine, our World Sport team has been busy trying to cover the impact the man had on the beautiful game and the world. Patrick Snell joins me now. And it's good to have you here, Patrick. Speak to the legacy. What makes him unique from other greats of the game? I know you've been hearing from other players, young and old.
PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Yes, you know, it's been a really emotional last few hours for the team at CNN's World Sport. You know, we were reflecting on the times we've interviewed the great Pele over the years, and many of us have. He was humble, so generous with his time. Generous to a fault, really. Nothing was too much trouble.
But to answer your question, I think what leaps out to me, the fact that he's the only player ever to win three World Cups. I mean, he has no rivals when it comes to that. And for the last few decades, Michael, you think about it. Growing up in England, you know, our dads, our granddads, rightly hailing Pele is the greatest of all time. The sports first global megastar that there is no doubt, wherever he would play in the world, whether he was Santos, Brazil, the Cosmos, they would roll out the red carpet for him. Think the Beatles, think the Pope that kind of impact.
Simply put, they would celebrate him as if they were his own, as if he were one of them, rather just one word, Pele. That's all he needed. Pele the world over, everybody knows his name literally transcending the sport of football. And you look at today's megastars in comparisons, and they are global megastars in their own right. I'm thinking Lionel Messi, who's just won his first ever World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo as well, the Portuguese legend.
But here's the difference. We were reflecting on this just past now in the office, Michael. They have those two Messi, Ronaldo. They have their own sets of fans, very loyal fan bases, but each fan base kind of subtracts from the other, stubbornly refusing to give credit to the other. Pele just out on his own in a league of his own. Speaking of Messi, when he gets a reaction from Messi in tribute to Pele, the Argentine taking to Instagram earlier, this tribute very simply rests in peace for that photo there speaking volumes of those two together.
And Cristiano Ronaldo with this, a mere goodbye to the eternal king Pele will never be enough to express the pain that the entire football world is currently embracing. Franz Beckenbauer, his teammate at the New York Cosmos. Football lost the greatest in its history today, and I lost a unique friend. Football will be yours forever. Rest in peace, Pele.
And that reference to the Cosmos there, Michael, is significant. Because when those big European clubs came calling for Pele back in his heyday, I'm thinking Real Madrid, Manchester United, he stayed loyal to the cause in his homeland until he made that pioneering move to the U.S., where the game really did take off and really had an impact.
[01:10:08]
He joined the Cosmos, and he would go on to attract other big names in turn to the Cosmos, including, of course, the legendary Beckenbauer as well. So, really, really emotional there as I said at the top. And we're still kind of coming to terms with it all in many ways.
HOLMES: Yes, you know, it's interesting. I was talking with you, but you're use of Sam about this too. I mean, it's important to remember that he played in an era of less protection from referees. He famously was constantly hacked by opponents on the pitch. And you think about it, the balls were heavier, the turf was nowhere near the standards that it is today. And yet, in spite of that, he achieved such greatness.
SNELL: In spite of that. And that and that just speaks volumes as well, because, you know, there was nothing -- there was no challenge, really, that he wasn't capable of overcoming, especially when you affect on his life story. Remember his life story, Michael? He grew up in relative poverty, football with no cleats, with no boots, his youth team, initially at least. Football itself, what was it? It was a ball full of socks tied together to form a football.
Overcoming all of that, as a teenager, wins the World Cup, 1958 World Cup, winning it as a teenager. But then you go to the 1962 World Cup and that tournament in '58 changed his life forever because at that point, he's literally the one they all want to beat. He's the mark man, if you like, out there on the football pitch. He would get injured early in that 1962 tournament, didn't play in the final.
Fast forward four years to England at 1966 tournament, the year England won, I should point out very much a marked man back. Remember, he'd won the World Cup for the first time as a teen. After that, there's only one guy that the opponents but look, he had just too much for the opponents. He and Brazil were going for a third straight World Cup triumph in 1966. And what he was doing was so groundbreaking in terms of his movement, his passing, his dribbling, a magician, an opponent simply had no answer to it all. What do they do? What do they resort to? They take out their frustration on him. Brazil actually were eliminated in the group stages that year. But again, what happened six years later, 1970, having almost retired from the sport, comes back to win the World Cup for a third time. Again, that just speaks to his mental fortitude and his courage.
And I think that is just and just put a little bow on this. OK, so I'm English. Full respect. We win the World Cup in 1966 for the first and only time.
HOLMES: You're still happy for it.
SNELL: And we're very proud of it. But here's my point, if you let me make it by comparison, right, by 1966, Pele had already won two World Cups.
HOLMES: Yes. Yes.
SNELL: Says it all.
HOLMES: And one to go.
SNELL: And one still, you know, in the locker for later on.
HOLMES: 1966 was a long time ago.
SNELL: I know.
HOLMES: Well, it's one more than Australia.
SNELL: I wasn't going to go there.
HOLMES: And you did meet him and you were telling me --
SNELL: I do.
HOLMES: -- you have his autograph.
SNELL: I do.
HOLMES: And you're going to frame it.
SNELL: And I did it. You know, it was a special moment.
HOLMES: Yes.
SNELL: You now, because I was a relatively young reporter back then. It was ahead of the Germany 2006 World Cup. And he was just so welcoming, so embracing. Nothing was too much trouble. He was just a class axe. And he gave us a wonderful interview. And yes, I did ask for his autograph and yes, he did give it to me and I treasure that.
HOLMES: How nervous were you? SNELL: I was a little bit.
HOLMES: I would have been --
SNELL: Hey, it's Pele, as you say.
HOLMES: Good to see you.
SNELL: Thank you, mate.
HOLMES: Good to see you. All right, Patrick Snell there.
OK. Later in the show, we'll hear what Pele considered the top four moments in his brilliant career. All right. Meanwhile, fans of fashion everywhere honoring the late style icon Vivienne Westwood. Her eponymous, the company announced the British fashion designer died peacefully on Thursday at home in London, her family by her side.
Westwood began her career in the 1970s, rising to fame designing clothes worn by the group the Sex Pistols. She and her boyfriend at the time, Malcolm McLaren, would go on to create what became the look for the punk scene. Westwood's brand would eventually go global, her designs ending up in museums around the world.
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SASHA WILKINS, FASHIO WRITER: The death of Dame Vivienne Westwood is, of course, a huge loss to not just the British fashion industry, but the global fashion industry as well. I think her influence over the last 50 to 60 years really cannot be overestimated. She really was truly an iconoclast and also a very visible elder woman in an era where one could argue that women over the age of 50 often disappear from the media. Dame Vivienne Westwood was loud and proud in her opinion, right up to the very last.
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HOLMES: Westwood was still working earlier this year, unveiling a new collection during Paris Fashion Week in October. A model from that show, Bella Hadid posted her tribute on Instagram, saying she was grateful for the time she spent in Westwood's orbit.
British Vogue's editor in chief also honoring the designer, remembering her as, quote, a true icon of British fashion and an irreplaceable force in the industry. And singer Boy George called Westwood the undisputed queen of British fashion. Vivienne Westwood was 81 years old.
Damage assessments underway in Ukraine after what Kyiv describes as one of Russia's largest missile barrages since the war began more than ten months ago. Ukraine's state emergency service says the nationwide attacks killed at least three people and wounded seven in this latest onslaught. Russia again appearing to target Ukraine's electrical grid, knocking out power in several regions, trying to break the will of the Ukrainian people.
Ukraine's energy minister says Kyiv, Lviv and the west of the country and Odesa were particularly hard hit. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemning Moscow in his nightly address.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): With every rocket attack Russia is getting into that dead end. Russia has less rockets, but the status of the biggest terrorists in the world will have a deeper impact for a long time for Russia and its citizens, every missile only will show that the tribunal will be right at the end of this.
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HOLMES: Ukraine's defense ministry says the timing of the large scale missile attack was intentional, with Moscow's aim to force Ukrainians to celebrate the new year in the dark and the cold. Yet residents in Kyiv remained defiant, telling CNN's Ben Wedeman they will not let the attacks stampen their spirits.
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BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Dawn breaks and the strikes begin. Phone video captures a Russian cruise missile heading toward Kyiv. Russia fired nearly 70 missiles plus drones at targets across Ukraine. Air defenses managed to take down most of them, but this Kyiv suburb did not escape unharmed.
WEDEMAN (on camera): The mayor of Kyiv says that all 16 missiles fired in the direction of the capital were successfully intercepted. But as a result of those interceptions, debris fell to the ground in this location, massive destruction. A 14-year-old girl was injured, as well as her mother and a man nearby.
WEDEMAN: Tatiana (ph) was at work. That girl, her granddaughter Angelina (ph) called her, desperate for help. She was really scared in hysterics, Tatiana (ph) says. She cried, grandma, the house was hit, it's on fire. She told me. My mother is unconscious under the rubble.
Not for the first time, the crews worked to clear the rubble of homes and lives shattered by war. Serge (ph) lives just down the street. How is it possible that we do this to each other? He asks. I understand that this rocket isn't target this place, but how is it possible to shell peaceful people?
In another part of Kyiv, 79-year-old Leonid (ph) is still in his bathroom. He was jarred awake when missile debris smashed into the ground next to his house, setting his son Alexander's (ph) car on fire, shattering windows and walls, ripping trees out by the roots. Yet he remained stoic.
I was born in World War II, so I'm very calm about explosions, Leonid (ph) says. Today, I was only worried about my son. His son is fine.
Ukrainian officials insist Russia's target yet again was the country's energy infrastructure. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko is blunt.
VITALI KLITSCHKO, KYIV MAYOR: The Russians want to bring depression, especially right now. Christmas time, new year. The Russians want to bring us to black time without lighting, without heating.
WEDEMAN: For now, Ukrainians, just clear away the wreckage and carry on. Ben Wedeman, CNN, Kyiv.
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HOLMES: South Korea will soon require travelers from China to show proof of a negative COVID test. Relaxed restrictions from Beijing have led to a surge in people traveling abroad. But the growing number of cases in China has some other countries worried. The U.S., India, Japan and Taiwan already announcing testing requirements for passengers from China. Italy is asking the European Union to follow its lead, but EU health officials say right now the new restrictions are not justified.
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BEN WALLACE, BRITISH DEFENCE SECRETARY: Well, I think the government has said it's not going to keep that under review, and review whether different countries with COVID outbreaks, et cetera, should obviously face different restrictions. I think as we speak, that is being reviewed, and I'll expect to see some clarification, I think by the partner transport probably today or tomorrow.
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HOLMES: Let's go live now to Hong Kong and CNN's Kristie Lu Stout. So, some countries want it, some countries do not.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and we have this growing global debate over this issue. Look, COVID-19 continues to surge across the country, but the debate goes on and is growing about whether or not it is necessary to screen and to test travelers from China.
You hear from public health officials in the EU. They call it unjustified. Many other countries disagree, including now, South Korea. In the last few hours, South Korea has announced that it will impose COVID-19. tests on all arrivals from China. It also said that it will temporarily restrict the issuing of short term visas as well as halt the increase of flights from China.
Now, the concern that these countries share is the lack of transparency from China Aabout COVID-19 data, as well as concern that a possible new variant could emerge from China's runaway outbreak. China has claimed that it has the situation under control, but a number of nations are not taking any chances. Let's bring up the list for you.
And these are the countries that have imposed travel restrictions on travelers from China including the United States, India, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and Italy. Malaysia is not on the list, but today we have learned that Malaysia is increasing surveillance by screening for fever at its airports. That was announced earlier today.
Now, many public health experts say that the introduction of these testing requirements are simply not justified and not effective in regards to targeting China. I want to show you this comment quickly from Yanzhong Huang, who says this I don't see any convincing reason to justify this move. So far we don't have any evidence supporting whether there are indeed such variants emerging in mainland China.
Another public health expert here in Hong Kong, Karen Grepin, says that the restriction did, quote, very little when Omicron surfaced last year. Back to you.
HOLMES: All right, Kristie, appreciate the update. Kristie Lu Sout there in Hong Kong.
Now, Former Pope Benedict is said to be in serious but stable condition right now. Coming up, we'll take you to Rome for the latest on what we know about his declining health.
And 2023 will offer Britain's royal family a new start, with a new king at the helm. Coming up, a look back through 2022, a year when the family experienced celebration, controversy, and tragedy.
And then, a little later, our Julia Chatterley learns how to make perfect potato pancakes with a recipe from celebrity chef Bobby Flay.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOBBY FLAY, CHEF: So we're going to -- so I'm going to ask you to peel a potato and --
JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wow.
FLAY: Yes. Do you want a lesson on this?
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HOLMES: The Vatican has announced a special mass on Friday for Pope Emeritus Benedict, who is reported to be very sick. On Thursday, the Vatican said the 95-year-old former Pope, who still lives at the Vatican, was, quote, lucid and vigilant and stable. His condition, though, does remain serious. CNN correspondents in Rome are closely monitoring developments at the Vatican for any changes in Benedict's condition. For the latest on what we know, here's CNN's Delia Gallagher.
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DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN VATICAN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Relatively good news from the Vatican on Thursday for Pope Benedict. They say he rested well during the night, that he is still in a serious condition, but stable, they say. And interestingly, they say he is absolutely lucid and vigilant.
So they're painting a picture today which is slightly different from yesterday's rather alarming news of the deterioration of the Pope Emeritus's health. Of course, we are talking about a 95-year-old man and as anybody. knows, with elderly people, there can be ups and downs in their declining years. So what we do now is wait for any updates from the Vatican.
We are here in Vatican City. The Pope Emeritus's House is just behind St. Peter's Basilica. There the Vatican gardens. Up a hill is the house, which they call a monastery, where he has been, of course, since resigning in 2013. And where the Vatican let us know. On Wednesday, he is surrounded by his doctors, again in a stable but still serious condition. Delia Gallagher, CNN, Rome.
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HOLMES: Now, 2022 was a tumultuous year for the United Kingdom's royal family. It included everything from controversy and celebration to a sad farewell and the ascension of a new monarch. CNN's Max Foster has a look back.
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MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): A seismic year for Britain, the Commonwealth and the world for the family at its center and incomparable 12 months they will never forget. In January, Prince Andrew was stripped of his military titles and royal patronages. With the Queen's oversight, Andrews stepped back from public duties to focus instead on defending himself against allegations of sexual abuse brought by accuser Virginia Giuffre. The Prince paid an out of court settlement for an undisclosed amount, and the case was dismissed.
In March, William and Kate toured the Caribbean to a backdrop of negative media attention and accusations of colonial nostalgia. The trip was meant to celebrate Queen Elizabeth's 70 years on the throne. However, the royals, William said, were not in the business of telling people what to do.
For most Brits, the late Queen was the only monarch they'd ever known. Ruler for more than 70 years, an unprecedented platinum jubilee delivered one last hurrah. Four days of pomp and ceremony were scheduled for the height of summer a standalone opportunity to celebrate the life and legacy of her majesty.
Parades, pageants, and a few old faces.
QUEEN ELIZABETH, FORMER QUEEN OF THE UNITED KINGDOM: You would like a marmalade sandwich?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I always keep one for emergencies.
QUEEN ELIZABETH II: So do I. I keep mine in here. FOSTER: Concerns for the queen's health cast a shadow over the
festivities.
PRINCE CHARLES III, KING OF THE UNITED KINGDOM: So if we cheer loudly enough, she might just hear us.
FOSTER: Attention focused on the balcony would she or would she not make an appearance. Then, just three months later, in September, the second Elizabethan age came to end.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Buckingham Palace has announced the death of her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
[01:29:49]
FOSTER: Thus follows ten days of mourning and commemoration during which some 250,000 people filed past the coffin as it lay in state.
Prime ministers, presidents, leaders and dignitaries from around the world, 2000 in all, joined together in chorus inside London's Westminster Abbey.
Decades of meticulous preparations and centuries of tradition. Amid the wreath, a handwritten note from the new king, "In loving and devoted memory, Charles R."
Charles used his first address as king to reassert the commitment his mother made seven decades ago.
KING CHARLES III: I shall strive to follow the inspiring example I have been set.
FOSTER: With Charles on the throne, the new family dynamics face fresh scrutiny. Will he bridge the divide that has cleaved his children apart? William and Harry, briefly came together in the wake of their grandmother's passing, though the two couples interacted little during a walkabout with mourners in Windsor.
In December, the Sussexes' Netflix docuseries, "Harry and Meghan", sent further reverberations through an institution still reeling from the infamous tell-all interview with Oprah in 2021.
PRINCE HARRY, DUKE OF SUSSEX: It was already clear to the media that the palace wasn't going to protect her. Once that happens, the floodgates opened.
FOSTER: The pair detailed their struggle avoiding intrusive media attention. They point to Meghan's mental health as a reason why they left the royal fold. The firm will come under a microscope again when Harry's memoir, "Spare", publishes in January next year.
King Charles' coronation ceremony, on the horizon, in May, promises another show of tradition and stability.
Max Foster, CNN -- London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Still to come HERE on CNN NEWSROOM, the world joins Brazil in mourning the passing of the renowned football legend, Pele. We'll have a report from Brazil.
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HOLMES: And this just in to us here at CNN. The deposed former leader of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi, has been sentenced to seven more years in prison, on five counts of corruption. The 77-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner now has to serve a total prison term of 33 years.
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HOLMES: She was previously convicted of charges ranging from graft to election violations. Suu Kyi has always denied the charges brought against her by the junta. Friday's verdict was the last of several rulings handed down against her by the military regime.
Now the face of football icon Pele is appearing all over televisions, buildings and social media as the world mourns his death. The epic Brazilian striker who scored an insane number of career goals, nearly 1,300 of them, lost his battle with colon cancer on Thursday.
In France fans and players from Marseilles and Toulouse honored Pele before the match. His image appearing at the stadium, a moment of great emotion.
While his death was not a huge shock due to publicity over his failing health in recent times, nowhere is the loss as painful as it is in Brazil. Three days of national mourning, underway.
Now, Pele spent the last month of his life in a hospital in Sao Paula surrounded by his family. We get more details on Pele's life and remarkable career from CNN Brazil's Mathias Brotero.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATHIAS BROTERO, CNN BRAZIL: The Brazilian legend was admitted to this hospital in Sao Paula on a November 29th for a respiratory infection and reevaluation of the chemotherapy treatment for his colon cancer.
According to a hospital statement, Pele's death on Thursday afternoon was due to multiple organ failure. An earlier hospital update had reported that Pele's disease had progressed and that he required greater care related to renal and cardiac dysfunctions.
Since being diagnosed with cancer, Pele had undergone surgery, but in the beginning of 2022, doctors said the disease had spread.
Considered by many as one of the greatest athletes in history, Pele is the only footballer to have won three World Cups as a player in 1958, 1952 and 1970. He also holds the record for most goals scored throughout a career -- 1,281 to 1,363 games.
Tributes have been pouring in for the football legend. But as for his club Santos FC responded to the news on Twitter with the words "eternal" shared next to an image of a crown.
Amid preparations for Pele's funeral, international and Brazilian dignitaries and former players have gone to social media to pay respect to the king of soccer.
President-elect Lula, for example, wrote on Twitter that he had the privilege of not only seeing Pele at play live but also to watch him put on a show, always delivering special moments, with a ball at his feet.
Mathias Brotero, -- Sao Paulo, Brazil.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Now Pele's legendary career, included many legendary achievements. Years ago, he shared with CNN what he considered to be the top four moments of his career.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PELE, LEGENDARY FOOTBALL PLAYER: The first one is when I was selected for the national team of Brazil. I was at Santos where I was 16 years old. It was like a dream.
No doubt, no doubt. It was the World Cup in Sweden.
Very few people know about it. I was 18, 17 to 18 years old. And I was selected to go to the army in Brazil. I said listen, why don't you take (INAUDIBLE)? Why do you take me?
They said No, you have to do it. Then I went to the army. And then we won the tournament. this was very important to me.
In the 70s in Mexico, I said to Brazil, Santos, you are champion, my team. I said I'm going to retire. Then, I decided, no, let me play one more World Cup. It was in Mexico. That was the most important moment in my life. My God it will be my last World Cup.
Give me one more time the gift, to play good. And then we won of the World Cup.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Joining me now from Sao Paulo is writer and journalist, Jamil Chade. It is great to have you on, especially being there in Brazil.
Pele's death, not a shock, really, but what is your own reaction, and the reaction of your country to his passing?
JAMIL CHADE, BRAZILIAN WRITER AND JOURNALIST: Well, it a was emotional day. It was a very emotional day, indeed. First of all, because of the representation he meant to Brazilian culture, not only Brazilian soccer.
[01:39:54] CHADE: It is not true that he's only a sportsman. No, he's actually someone that represents a country. He's the most important ambassador Brazil ever had abroad.
He forged, in a way, the image of Brazil abroad. So his death is, in many ways, the end of a cycle in Brazil as well.
HOLMES: Yes. Important words and well-deserved. Nicely put.
I mean he was selected for the national team at age of 17, three World Cup wins, no one has done that. 1,200 goals at the top level. Do you think some of his achievements will never be topped? That there will never be another Pele?
CHADE: Well, you know, Michael, football has changed -- or soccer has changed a lot since the 50s and 60s. So it's very hard to compare.
Now, we have a very famous writer in Brazil, Carlos Drummond de Andrade who used to say that scoring 1,000 goals, maybe someone can do it, but not in the way Pele did it. So let's see if someone will be able to reach his -- absolutely his goals. Not only in terms of scoring and on the pitch but also what he meant for country.
So yes, maybe someone will win three times the World Cup. Maybe someone will score a thousand goals. But having the political, social, cultural and obviously identity representation that he had, that will be very hard.
HOLMES: Yes. The Brazilian government officially declared him a national treasure and you've spoken about he means to Brazil. But how much di he they contribute to the growth of the sports' popularity globally?
I'm thinking of places like the U.S. because, of course, he played a few seasons for the New York Cosmos in the 1970s. And he filled huge stadiums.
CHADE: That is very true, Michael. And in fact, he was the instrument that globalized football. At the same time FIFA was also expanding its operations, with marketing, with globalization, with live TV coverage of football matches.
So, it was the moment when globalized football was happening, Pele was also happening. So it is a fundamental piece of the transformation of football.
HOLMES: So Pele is obviously an incredible asset or was for his club Santos, nearly two decades. Pele said that in a book about him. That he played 109 games for Santos in one year alone, 1960.
Everyone knows the Ronaldos and the Messis of today, the Maradonas of recent past. But give us a sense of just how dominate, how you ubiquitous Pele was in his heyday for those who might not remember.
CHADE: Michael, in fact there is no comparison. Just a short tale of what happened back then. Pele was already Pele. And Inter Milan sent a delegation to Santos to try to convince the club to sell Pele to Inter Milan.
They made a first offer, they refused. They made a second offer, they refused. The third offer, they put a blank check on the table and said, write whatever you want for Pele. And Santos still said no.
Many days later in an interview president of Santos explained. Look, if we sell Pele, we are selling the soul of Santos. Santos will not exist if we sell Pele.
So this is how important Pele was for Santos, for the identity of that small club in the coast of Sao Paulo. But beyond all of that, he was a centerpiece of Brazil's image abroad and insertion in the world at that point.
HOLMES: And an amazing ambassador for his country and the sport. A great tribute there, Jamil Chade, thank you so much, appreciate it.
CHADE: My pleasure.
HOLMES: Now, rescuers have a grim task in the aftermath of a deadly casino fire in Cambodia. They're searching through the burnt out buildings where dozens of people still reported missing. We will have a live report when we come back.
[01:44:18]
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HOLMES: The death toll from the fire at a casino in Cambodia has risen to 24. Right now, emergency crews are back in the burnt out building, looking for dozens of people who are still missing. The structure, also including a hotel, which is located near the Thai border.
We are hearing that some of the victims jumped to their deaths in an attempt to escape the flames. And that some of them were trapped in their hotel rooms as flames tore through the building.
For more, Manisha Tank joins me now, live, from Singapore. So the rescue efforts continue, one imagines that it won't be a pleasant search.
MANISHA TANK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I think you would be imagining right. And it is a really sad fact in a situation like this, isn't it, Michael?
Those search and rescue teams, as you pointed out, they're are going back into or have gone back today into the charred, wrecked, mangled, buildings that once were a fairly luxurious hotel and casino complex.
And we know that usually, hundreds of people would frequent this complex. And as yet, we probably don't have a full list of the numbers of people who are actually missing. They are having to go around this really grim and ominous task of identifying the dead.
I can confirm to you in the last few minutes that our teams in the region have confirmed at least 24 deaths now, related to this fire. But of course, as the search and rescue goes on, we can expect that number to rise. This is a sad fact about a situation like this.
But just to give you a sense of how big the effort has been to getting there and to work on this catastrophic fire. 300 police officers, according to local authorities, were deployed. 11 fire trucks, there were also helicopters and there have been efforts from the Cambodian and the Thai sides.
A lot of the people who would have been there would have been Thai nationals. This is a very popular destination, this town of Poipet for the casino trade, for the casino business because most gambling is illegal in Thailand, but it is legal just across the border.
But as you've seen from the pictures already, this was a catastrophic event, and it led some people to do the unthinkable.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TANK: Desperate to survive, this man attempts to escape, teetering on the edge. Harrowing scenes, in the Cambodian casino town of Poipet as a huge rips through the Grand Diamond City Hotel.
A rescue worker says the blaze started in one of its restaurants, moving so fast that by the time they got there, most of the buildings were on fire.
The rescue worker says he saw at least two people jump to what they thought was safety. Others were left severely injured. Around 700 Thais were rescued, taken to Thai hospitals.
For some though, it was too late. Officials said many of the dead, trapped in locked rooms when the electricity went out, taken by a silent killer. Where the fire didn't go, the smoke did.
As dawn broke, onlookers struggled to see past thick, acrid smoke still billowing across the sky. Over the coming days, the rescue teams face a grim task of recovering the dead and answering the tough questions how and why.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[01:49:58]
TANK: Of course, Michael, that is it now, right. The investigation. A committee has been formed by the Cambodian government, we understand, to look at the cause of the fire.
And for any of those families that have lost loved ones that is going to be the beginning of any closure around what is an absolutely tragic event.
HOLMES: it's just a horrible, horrible situation. Manisha, thanks. Manisha Tank there reporting from Singapore.
Waves of Israeli demonstrators rallying outside the Knesset on Thursday to protest the return to power of Benjamin Netanyahu. Gay rights activist and others say they fear their rights will be eroded under the policies of his new, hardline, right-wing government.
Most of Netanyahu's cabinet is believed to be the most right-wing in Israeli history. Among his new ministers are several far-right figures who have been openly hostile to Arabs and have even favored outright annexation of the West Bank.
You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. We'll be right back.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three, two, one, happy New Year. Wow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: New Year's organizers in New York City, are testing out everything, before the annual celebrations in Times Square. People joining the master of ceremonies onstage to throw out multi-colored confetti in a few trial runs.
More than a million people are expected to attend the celebrations in- person overnight on Saturday. Millions more following along on television.
Now making potato pancakes, or latkes, is a long held Hanukkah tradition. But they are also a permanent part of New Year's celebration. Celebrity chef, Bobby Flay, shows CNN's Julia Chatterley, how to make perfect potato pancakes. Have a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BOBBY FLAY, CLEBRITY CHEF: It's New Year's eve and so let's face it, it's about -- it's about luxury, you know. So we're going to make a potato pancake, with smoked salmon, and some beautiful caviar, some creme fraiche and, and triple (INAUDIBLE).
I'm going to ask you to see where I peel a potato, and yes, -- do you want a listen on this?
JULIA CHATTERLEY, CNN HOST: I just need to change my technique because this could help at some point in the future.
FLAY: Yes, exactly. That looks good. And I'm going to take an onion, I'm going to grate the onion into the bowl.
That's perfect. I'm going to take that from you now.
CHATTERLEY: Oh, wow.
FLAY: Good job.
CHATTERLEY: Did I pass?
FLAY: You did. A plus-plus, for sure. We're going to grate the potato right over the union. So we're going to mix these up and then we're going to put them in over a cheese cloth, and we're going to get all the moisture out of it so they can get nice and crispy in the pan later on.
CHATTERLEY: No soggy pancakes.
FLAY: No soggy pancakes. Nobody wants that.
CHATTERLEY: Yes. No. Oh wow.
FLAY: Yes. So we have potatoes and onions, that's it. We are going to take some flour, a little bit of baking powder, just a pinch, a pinch of salt, a little bit of pepper. Then we're going to add an egg to this.
There is a little bit, it has a little bit of moisture to it, but not too much. And then we're going to take this over here year, and this is a cast iron pan, a non stick pan worth doing well and it's about medium. We're going to use like canola oil or avocado oil, (INAUDIBLE) something along those lines.
[01:55:01]
FLAY: And then we're going to take our potato mixture, little ball of potatoes. You're going to see it start to sizzle. And then with the back of your spoon, you push down the potatoes.
CHATTERLEY: Can I please do one?
FLAY: Yes, of course. Here you go.
CHATTERLEY: Yes, ok. This is good.
FLAY: Yes. So put it down there. And then with the back of the spoon, kind of push it down.
CHATTERLEY: I was trying to make love pot shape. I want to be creative.
(CROSSTALK)
FLAY: That looks beautiful.
CHATTERLEY: Look at that.
FLAY: So Julia, you see those edges here? That's where it's a good time to take a peek. And there you go. Kind of peak underneath and see what you think.
CHATTERLEY: I think.
FLAY: Get down there and see. Yes, it looks good. All right. Give it a flip. You know what to do. Perfect.
Now, at this point, we're going to turn down the heat a tiny bit and, we'll just let them cook through.
CHATTERLEY: Ok.
FLAY: And then, we will take them out and put them on a rack, this way, any of the oil will drip down, we'll let them dry, and then garnish them. That's the fun part.
Ok. While they're still warm, we're going to take a little sprinkle of salt, crush the salt in your fingers first.
I'm going to take a little creme fraiche and just put it on the bottom of the plate to kind of glue together the potato pancake.
And then I'm going to take some more creme fraiche, and put it on top of the potato. Then we're going to take some smoked salmon.
CHATTERLEY: Smells good.
FLAY: Just a couple of these pickled shallots for some crunch and a little acidity. Also, they're really pretty. And then of course, a nice little dollop of our beautiful caviar. It's starting to feel like New Year's Eve already.
Just because we want to make sure it is healthy, a little green. Just like that. and there you are.
Beautifully crunchy. Really tender inside. Perfectly garnished. They taste like New Year's Eve.
CHATTERLEY: Taste like New Year's Eve. Cheers. Happy New Year.
FLAY: Happy New Year.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Now, I'm strangely hungry.
Celebrate this New Year with -- this weekend with CNN International. We'll be featuring special coverage from across Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the United States. Even the Metaverse as the world welcomes 2023 with "NEW YEAR'S EVE LIVE".
We will be starting in Asia, as is traditional, and follow celebrations as they peak in major cities around the world. Our coverage begins at midnight in the center of the universe Sydney, Australia. That is 9:00 p.m. in Hong Kong, 8:00 in the morning Eastern time in the U.S.
Thanks for spending part of your day with me.
I'm Michael Holmes. You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram, @HolmesCNN.
Do stick around. Laila Harrak picks up things after a short break.
I'll see you tomorrow.
[01:57:46] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
