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Greek Transportation Minister Resigns, Along With The Head Of The "Hellenic Railways Organization"; U.S. Condemns Israel Minister's Remarks As "Repugnant"; Russia Using Experiences Wagner Mercenaries In Bakhmut; Iranian Foreign Minister: We Have A Roadmap With The IAEA; Eli Lilly To Cap Insulin Prices In U.S. At $35.00 A Month; Xi Jinping Calls Friendship With Alexander Lukashenko "Unbreakable"; Xi Jinping Calls Friendship with Lukashenko 'Unbreakable'; NASA-SpaceX Crewed Mission Launches to ISS; Russian War Opponent Fights to Stay in South Korea. Aired 12-12:45a ET

Aired March 02, 2023 - 00:00   ET

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

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JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, tragic human error. A stationmaster has been arrested and facing possible murder charges over the deadly collision of two trains in Greece.

Trapped at the hairdresser's, the wife of the Israeli Prime Minister swept up in nationwide protests as thousands throughout her Tel Aviv hair salon for hours.

And countdown to launch again, with SpaceX Crew-6 mission to the International Space Station just 34 minutes from now.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.

VAUSE: The Greek Prime Minister is blaming tragic human error for Tuesday's head on train collision which killed at least 38 people. Authorities confirm a passenger train and freight train were on the same track speeding towards each other before crashing into the city of Larissa.

Dozens of passengers were hurt. The search continues through the wreckage, hoping to find signs of life. Many on the passenger train were university students. Many have described moments after the crash as a nightmarish scramble to escape or fire race through the twisted wreckage of the train.

Many are now demanding answers about what led to this tragedy while sorrow has quickly grown -- quickly given way, I should say, to anger.

Scuffles broke out in Athens where the passenger's ill fated journey began with police firing tear gas at protesters gathered outside the Hellenic Train headquarters.

Demonstrations too at the train station in Thessaloniki where the journey was meant to end.

The Greek transportation minister has resigned partly over an aging rail network he described as failing or falling way short of current international standards. The head of the Hellenic Railways Organization also resigned.

Authorities have arrested the Larissa train station manager and the government has declared three days of national mourning.

Meantime, an anxious heartbreaking wait only grows longer for those who are missing loved ones. The Greek prime minister visited a number of hospitals treating those who are badly hurt. And while meeting with the families of some of those killed, they've all had one consistent question, why? He says they deserve an honest answer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KYRIAKOS MITSOTAKIS, GREEK PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Justice will do its own work, responsibilities will be assigned. Meanwhile, the state will stand by the families of the victims. We will mourn our children, our siblings, our friends, we will remain united in this tragedy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Mary Schiavo CNN Transportation Analyst as well as the former Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Transportation. Thank you for being with us.

MARY SCHIAVO CNN TRANSPORTATION ANALYST (on camera): Thank you.

VAUSE: So, the Greek Prime Minister was pretty quick off the mark placing blame for the accident on human error. He gave no further details but we do know the stationmaster who is responsible for that stretch of track has been arrested.

It's not too hard to do the math there about you know, human error. But it might not be the only possibility here, right?

SCHIAVO: Well, that's right, because there's been many reports and of course, after accidents, there tends to be more information coming out that people have reported problems.

But apparently, railway workers had reported that the signalling system was not working. And that's pretty crucial because the signalling system is pretty much like traffic control lights, which give you clearance to run your train in the next block which is a virtual block, x number of miles or two blocks.

And if those signals are out, you have only the word from the station master as to whether your train can proceed or not. And it's very difficult for the station master to direct the trains if this train signalling system, or in many countries, both in Europe and the United States, the smart tracks which is a what's called positive train control, is not -- is not functioning and it would make it very difficult to maintain safety. VAUSE: And making this accident seemingly a lot worse was a fire which was caused by the collision that led to temperatures inside one train car which was engulfed in flames apparently reaching 1300 degrees Celsius. Firstly, how do they know that? And secondly, how did this accident lead to a fire which was that intense?

SCHIAVO: Yes, well, they probably know the temperatures because of the condition of the metal and they know what various metals melt at different temperatures.

And you know, accidents that I've worked in the United States, for example, literally huge train engines and train cars melted.

And of course, if you know that, a lot of the materials in the trains are flammable, even if it's an electric train, there's lots of lubricants, greases, all the axles have to have what's called the hot box and be lubricated.

[00:05:12]

So, there are lots of flammable materials in a train, which do burn and when that much metal collides at a high speed, there's lots of sparks to set it off.

VAUSE: There are quite gruesome detail about the intensity of the fire, is that in some cases that dead can only be identified with DNA testing. How common is that?

SCHIAVO: Well, in a transportation accident unfortunately, it's pretty common because of the fires and explosions that happen. It happens in airplane crashes too, and in train crashes and including some that I've worked.

Those near the point of collision where the two cars collide, or the two locomotives collide, the temperatures are so very, very high that DNA testing is something that the investigative authorities are very used to doing, but DNA testing is necessary.

VAUSE: Well, the Greek transportation minister has resigned over this accident, he says not only out of respect for those who died, but he also says over a rail system, which is not up to 21st century standards. A rail union in Greece are also calling out a lack of staff, as well as poorly trained staff, and particular the safety equipment that you mentioned, that they say just doesn't work.

These problems are not entirely unique to Greece. Here in the U.S. the failure to sort of you know, spot an overheating wheel bearing led to the train derailment in Ohio, that toxic spill of chemicals, it seems more often than not these accidents are sort of caused by a combination of both, human error but born of faulty equipment.

SCHIAVO: That's right. And, you know, the world over the state of rail is widely divergent. You know, for example, the European Union itself has called on everyone in the European Union to meet these standards, the European train control system, which is a Smart Track and a smart locomotive. But, you know, not all countries do that. And in the U.S., it took a

couple of tragedies for the U.S. rail system to finish off positive train control. And that just happened literally was finished up in the 2020s. And it took decades to get that done.

So, often tragedy does lead to change. But for what people are reporting, which allegedly being reported in Greece, even the signalling system wasn't working, which is hard to believe because if you don't have the basic traffic basically go slow or stop, signals on the train lines -- it's really impossible to run a train -- to run a train or train system.

VAUSE: Mary, thank you so much for being with us. Really appreciate it.

SCHIAVO: Thank you.

VAUSE: The wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was trapped inside a hair salon in Tel Aviv Wednesday as a large crowd of anti-government protesters gathered outside.

It came at the end of what was billed as a day of disruption to protest the prime minister's plan of judicial reform, essentially to weaken the judiciary.

The crowd outside the salon was noisy but relatively peaceful. Sara Netanyahu was eventually escorted safely by police to a car waiting outside.

The Prime Minister later tweeted this photo of the two embracing writing "Sara, my beloved wife, glad you return home safely and unharmed. The anarchy must stop, it can cost lives."

And a sign that Israeli is now really in uncharted waters, the senior Israeli government minister, the finance minister has called for a Palestine town in the West Bank to "be erased". And that brought one of the most serious rebuke from the U.S. in recent memories.

Here's CNN Hadas Gold reporting in from Jerusalem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): These incendiary remarks by the Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich referred to Huwarah, a Palestinian Flashpoint village in the occupied West Bank that often sees violence between Israelis and Palestinians. It's where two Israelis were shot and killed by a Palestinian gunman on Sunday, and then were Israeli settlers went on a rampage of revenge attacks that killed one Palestinian.

Smotrich was speaking at a media conference on Wednesday when he was asked by the moderator why he liked a tweet from someone saying that Huwarah needs to be wiped out. This is how he responded.

BEZALEL SMOTRICH, ISRAELI FINANCE MINISTER (through translator): I think the village of Huwarah needs to be erased. I think that the State of Israel needs to do this, and God forbid, not private people.

GOLD: The reaction was swift and harsh. Former Prime Minister now opposition leader Yair Lapid said it was incitement to a war crime.

Later, Smotrich himself a settler leader who has called for the West Bank to be annexed by Israel seemed to try to revise his earlier comment, tweeting, I did not mean to wipe out the village of Huwarah, but only to act in a targeted manner against the terrorist and supporters of terrorism within it, and to exact a heavy price from them in order to restore security to the residents of the area.

But Smotrich's comments getting also harsh reaction and criticism from the U.S. State Department.

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NED PRICE, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: I want to be very clear about this. These comments were irresponsible. They were repugnant. They were disgusting. And just as we condemn Palestinian incitement to violence, we condemn these provocative remarks that also amount to incitement to violence.

GOLD: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a televised address after Smotrich's comments but before those comments from the State Department, instant seemingly comparing the settlers who rampage through Huwarah setting fire to homes and vehicles and of course killing one Palestinian to the protesters in the streets of Tel Aviv on Wednesday who were protesting against Netanyahu's government's plan judicial reforms.

Netanyahu calling for calm and warning we will not allow law breaking and violence anywhere.

Hadas Gold, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Ukrainian fighters continue to hold defensive lines in Bakhmut, preventing Russian forces from making any significant headway. But Ukrainian commander warns it's becoming increasingly difficult.

Ukraine says there's heavy fighting on the outskirts of the city and street fighting in the suburbs. Video and reports from the frontlines with just Russian forces have made little progress in the past 24 hours.

That 4,500 civilians remain in Bakhmut as Vladimir Putin's army inches closer. Thousands of homes have been destroyed, but Ukrainian troops say they're not backing down.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDRII BABYCHEV, UKRAINIAN SOLDIER (through translator): Hello, everyone. March 1st Bakhmut. I'd like to say that we silenced the enemy a bit. It's a bit calmer now. But if you can hear it, there's gun fighting on the outskirts. A few explosions, shells flying. Be we are standing in Bakhmut. Nobody plans to withdraw anywhere at the moment. We're standing. Bakhmut is Ukraine. Glory to Ukraine. Glory to Ukrainian armed forces. Putin is a --.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Ukraine's military says Russian forces are now using more experience, hardened fighters from the Wagner group of private mercenaries in the battle for Bakhmut.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen has now the latest from Moscow.

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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Russia's view of what's currently the most bloody battle in Ukraine, state media releasing video of Moscow's troops hitting a Ukrainian armored vehicle in Bakhmut, the city devastated by months of relentless fighting.

Here, mercenaries from the Wagner private military company show off a destroyed U.S. M777 howitzer while Wagner foot soldiers pose in a Bakhmut suburb.

Even as they acknowledge they're on the back foot, the Ukrainians vow to fight on.

We won't give up Bakhmut, this soldier says, we will hold on until the very last. Glory to Ukraine. Death to the enemies.

And Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin in an audio message acknowledges the Ukrainians aren't budging.

YEVGENY PRIGOZHIN, HEAD OF WAGNER GROUP (through translator): The Ukrainian army is throwing extra reserves into Bakhmut and trying to hold the town with all their strength. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers are fiercely repelling attacks, bloodshed increases every day.

PLEITGEN: Wagner mercenaries are the spearhead of Russia's invasion force in Bakhmut. Prigozhin claims they're making progress but often lack the ammunition to advance.

PRIGOZHIN: I will say that a system needs to be worked out. I hope that this system will start functioning soon and we will be getting ammunition regularly.

PLEITGEN: The U.S. and Ukraine say the attrition rate among Wagner's assault groups often made up of prisoners recruited from Russian jails is as high as 80 percent. But Prigozhin's media channel is now trying to convey how Wagner is actually helping the convicts.

In this film, a former inmate thanks the mercenary group.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Wagner gave me freedom and hope, hope that we have a chance. There are many guys who are ready to give their lives for their motherland and hope that our society is still not fully rotten.

PLEITGEN: Ukraine says fighters like these are often little more than cannon fodder. Ukraine's president vowing to hold on even as the Russian say it's only a matter of time before they take Bakhmut.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Russia does not count people at all. Sending them to constant assault on our position. The intensity of the fighting is only increasing.

PLEITGEN (on camera): And an official from the Russian occupied area of Ukraine says that even some of the toughest units of the Ukrainian military are suffering heavy losses in Bakhmut and apparently some of them have had to be rotated out.

The Ukrainians Of course, for their part are saying that their forces are holding on at least for the time being are not thinking of retreating.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Just a short time ago, Russia Sergey Lavrov arrived at the G20 foreign ministers meeting in New Delhi. The war in Ukraine expected to dominate the agenda, along with the growing tensions between the U.S. and China. This should be an interesting discussion with diplomats from both Beijing and Washington in the room.

[00:15:00]

Host India is in a challenging position of trying to bring some unity to the group, (INAUDIBLE) the foreign ministers meeting in the coming hours bringing all of the latest developments as we get them.

Prince Harry and Meghan had been asked to vacate Frogmore cottage, their official U.K. residents. That's according to their spokesperson, no official reason was given, but it comes after those explosive revelations about the royal family in Prince Harry's memoir.

The Sun newspaper reports King Charles has offered the house to his brother, Prince Andrew, no comment from Buckingham Palace.

Harry and Meghan have used their cottage sparingly since ditching their royal duties and moving to the U.S. in 2020.

Well, TikTok wants teenagers to stop endlessly scrolling. The steps the app is now taking to encourage little less use than before.

Also ahead, a major drug maker has announced its cutting the price. It's charging people in the United States for a common form of insulin. More on that in a moment.

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VAUSE: The head of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog is heading to Tehran on Friday, after traces of highly enriched uranium were detected at an Iranian nuclear site.

According to a restricted report seen by CNN, the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed it found particles of uranium enriched to almost 84 percent. That's just shy that 90 percent considered to be bombed grade material.

Iran's foreign minister was asked about that in an exclusive interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour.

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CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN ANCHOR: So, no negotiations. Do you have any hope that there will be a JCPOA, a new nuclear deal, that's one part of the question. The other part of the question is, how much are you enriching to, there is one press report that says, 84 percent. Can you tell us?

HOSSEIN AMIR-ABDOLLAHIAN, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): With regards to JCPOA, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been and is the most committed of all the parties involved in JCPOA negotiations. The party that left the JCPOA, was Trump and the United States. The United States should not adopt deceptive behavior. And instead, should return to JCPOA and adopt a constructive approach. Under the new government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, we have decided to continue dialogue in order to return to JCPOA.

We have had very long discussions in Vienna. And the United States is accusing Iran. It is saying that the Iranians don't have the necessary resolve. They said, we were at a stage of reaching an accord, but it is the Iranians who are too demanding. I will tell you explicitly that in the past few years we saw that the U.S. officials were unable to make a decision because of their own internal problems and the pressures they are under. They are still unable to make a courageous decision to return to JCPOA.

And, of course, the Iranian parliament in the past few weeks, especially since the riots and the U.S. interventions and interventions by three European countries in the peaceful demonstrations in Iran have been putting a lot of pressure on our government.

I was in parliament last week, and they said, who do you want to make an agreement with? With the United States and three European countries that have been trying to change the system during the riots in the fall? Why are you negotiating with them? How can you trust them? Nevertheless, we are still on the path of dialogue. We have a roadmap with the IAEA.

[00:20:19]

And on two occasions, Mr. Aparo, Mr. Grossi's deputy, came to Iran in the past few weeks, and we had constructive in productive negotiations. And we have also invited Mr. Grossi to come and visit Iran soon. Therefore, our relationship with the IAEA is on its correct natural path. And we have said this to the U.S. side through mediators that we are on the path to reach an accord. But if the Iranian parliament adopts a new law, then we'll have to abide by the parliamentary act.

So, the window for an accord is still open. But this window will not remain open forever.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: And Christiane's full interview with Iran's foreign minister coming up next hour right here on CNN.

Iranian media is reporting there's stirring (PH) rash of alleged poisonings at girl's schools nationwide. An Iranian lawmaker says nearly 900 students have been treated for poisoning over the past three months. No deaths have been reported, but victims apparently experienced muscle weakness, nausea and tiredness, and their speculation may be part of a campaign by Islamic hardliners to close schools for girls. Iran's Education Minister says a taskforce is now investigating.

On Wednesday, the U.S. State Department condemned the alleged poisonings.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRICE: To poison girls who are simply trying to learn is simply abhorrent. It's an abhorrent act. We expect Iranian authorities to thoroughly investigate these reported poisonings and to do everything that they can to stop them and to hold accountable the perpetrators.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: The U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee has now signed off on a bill that would give President Biden authority to ban the popular video hosting site TikTok. The legislation would allow the executive branch to impose penalties on Chinese owned companies that knowingly share data with Beijing. It was approved despite objections from some lawmakers and civil liberties advocates who argue the proposal threatens online speech. The measure still needs to receive a vote on the House and Senate floors.

Meantime, TikTok is introducing a new policy aimed at preventing teens from endlessly scrolling and scrolling and scrolling. Every user under 18 will soon have their accounts default to a one hour daily screen time limit. Once reached, teens will have to enter a passcode if they want to keep swiping.

The idea is that having to actively choose to keep using the app will result in better wellbeing for the user, the default limit can often be turned off.

Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly is capping the price Americans pay for a common form of insulin, out of pocket costs will be limited to $35.00 a month for those with private insurance at certain pharmacies. The uninsured would also pay $35.00 or less a month under a different program. According to the American Diabetes Association, the average price of

insulin nearly tripled in the United States between 2002 and 2013, making it unaffordable for many.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVE RICKS, CEO, ELI LILLY: We're calling today on our partners in the insurance industry, government policymakers, employers who set the policy for their own insurance to match this new effort to reduce the cost to no more than $35.00 a month for insulin for all Americans.

We're doing that for our products. That's what we can affect. But we call on everyone to meet us at this point. And take this issue away from, you know, a disease that's stressful and difficult to manage already. Take away the affordability challenges.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: The price of insulin is an ongoing political issue in the U.S. President Biden called the announcement a big deal. He campaigned for lower prices and signed a law of capping insulin at $35.00 for seniors.

A short break, when we come back, China cementing its ties with Belarus, Xi Jinping calling Alexander Lukashenko an old and dear friend. What their close relationship could mean for Moscow and the war in Ukraine.

Also, NASA and SpaceX getting ready for a new launch attempt just moments away. The last one was scrubbed at the very last moment, the live view from the Kennedy Space Center. There it is, we'll be back in a moment.

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VAUSE: Wherever you are around the world, welcome back. I'm John Vause, you're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

Relations between China and Belarus got a little warmer on Wednesday, President Xi Jinping describing his friendship with President Alexander Lukashenko as unbreakable.

Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin is in Beijing on a state visit.

On Ukraine, both leaders called for a "the soon as possible peace deal in the region." President Xi also pointed to China's 12-point peace outline, or overview or guidelines or whatever they call it now, which has been met with skepticism from the west.

Live to Hong Kong, CNN's Kristie Lu Stout standing by. So, what did China get out of this?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Well, you know, this big splashy state visit managed to strengthen the relationship between China and this key Putin ally. It also paves the way for Chinese leader Xi Jinping to potentially go to Moscow for a summit with Vladimir Putin.

In fact, we learned on Wednesday that Putin while he was watching the news of these meetings unfold in Beijing, he announced that he is preparing for such a visit.

Now, today, the authoritarian leader of Belarus Lukashenko is wrapping up his three-day state visit to Beijing, he is expected to meet with Chinese business executives today.

On Wednesday, he met with the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, and he called for both sides to intensify the relationship.

Of course, he also met with the Chinese leader Xi Jinping in the Great Hall of the People. It was their first face-to-face meeting since that meeting they had in September of last year in Uzbekistan, a gathering that Vladimir Putin was at as well.

And during this meeting on Wednesday, we heard from the Chinese leader Xi Jinping, and he called the relationship between Belarus and China unbreakable. Take a listen.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

XI JINPING, CHINESE PRESIDENT (through translator): Today we will jointly set out new visions for the development of the bilateral ties. I believe your visit this time will yield fruitful outcomes. Our long- lasting friendly exchanges will keep our friendship unbreakable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: Now, both countries also issued a joint statement in which they pledged to further enhance economic cooperation, humanitarian cooperation, security cooperation, including the prevention of potential color (ph) revolutions.

They also announced the opening of a Belarus consulate here in Hong Kong.

And they also pledged peace for Ukraine.

I want to bring up this -- this portion of the statement for you in which both China and Belarus said, "The two sides expressed deep concern over the prolonged armed conflict in the region and look forward to an early return to peace in Ukraine to avoid an escalation of the crisis. The two sides are ready to make efforts to restore regional peace," unquote.

Of course, on Friday that was when China released its 12-point peace plan position paper while in Beijing. Lukashenko commended and praised that peace plan, but that's a peace plan or position paper that has been widely criticized by Western leaders. who also point out that China has already taken a side.

Back to you.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Very much so. While these relations between China and Belarus and Russia, but Russia is adjacent, they continue to warm.

On the flip side of the coin is that the relationships between China and the United States continues to get worse, and it's set to get a lot worse with potential silo (ph) missiles for Taiwan. What do we know about that?

STOUT: That's right. We just learned that the Biden administration has approved a potential sale of $619 million worth of new weapons to Taiwan, including hundreds of missiles for F-16 fighter jets.

Now some key context here. This is not the largest U.S. arms sale to Taiwan. That round took place in September last year, in a round of arms sales totaled over 1.1 billion U.S. dollars.

The most recent arms sale took place in December of last year. But this latest one is very much likely going to deepen the tension between U.S. and China. China has said repeatedly it has demanded for such deals to stop so we are, John, awaiting reaction from Beijing this day.

Back to you.

VAUSE: Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong, we appreciate your time, your efforts. Thank you very much.

STOUT: Thank you.

VAUSE: Live now to Florida's Kennedy Space Center where the Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule about to blast off to the International Space Station.

We're told the weather looks good. On board, two Americans, one Russian, one astronaut from the UAE.

The launch attempt on Monday was scrubbed minutes before lift-off, because of a clogged filter which caused a faulty engine fluid reading.

This will be the sixth manned trip to the ISS from NASA's commercial crew program, where astronauts fly on private companies' spacecraft, like SpaceX.

Let's bring in retired NASA astronaut Leroy Chiao. He's with us from Houston as we wait for the launch to happen, presuming it will not be scrubbed.

Let's just talk about that failed launch about 72 hours ago. It was almost around this point when it was scrubbed because of the clogged filter. They were cutting it a little fine. It was, like, three minutes before launch, right? LEROY CHIAO, FORMER ASTRONAUT: That's right. It was scrubbed almost at the last minute, and everything looks like it's been fixed. And all systems are go, as we say.

So looking forward to a launch very soon here.

VAUSE: And when this -- when this SpaceX flight actually, you know, blasts off, what are we expecting in terms of the timeline here? Because it takes about 25 hours to go from the Kennedy Space Center to the International Space Station. What happens along the way?

CHIAO: Well, that's right, so it only takes about nine or so minutes to get up into lower orbit. Once the spacecraft reaches that point, it will go through a series of burns or, you know, some orbit adjustment burns using its engines to slowly approach the International Space Station, get into the same -- same orbit. And then about 25 hours after launch, that's when the actual docking will occur.

VAUSE: And let's just listen in now to the Kennedy Space Center as we wait for the launch.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Launch, 15 seconds.

VAUSE: Can I get a print-out of my (UNINTELLIGIBLE)?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Minus ten. Go for launch. And we are -- and we're clear of the dock.

The vehicle is supersonic.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The call there indicating, faster than the speed of sound.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Max Q. Stage one for max Q. Next one throttle on.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now that were past max Q.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Copy, one bravo.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That one bravo indicator are different abort modes that are called and allow the ground teams and the crew to track about the position of the Falcon 9 and in the Dragon as they make their way up the Eastern Seaboard.

In the event of an abort, these different --

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- position where Dragon would -- as well as indicate what series of maneuvers Dragon would indicate. But so far, we're hearing good calls on the performance of the Falcon 9 on its ride uphill. One minute 53 seconds into flight.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're about 30 seconds away from main engine cutoff, which will be followed quickly by stage separation and second engine start, which is the ignition of that back engine on the second stage.

Now about ten seconds away from main engine cutoff.

VAUSE: And there we have it, a spectacular nighttime launch. Leroy, it's amazing how, no matter how many times you see it, it still kind of, you know, takes your breath away when these launches take place at night.

CHIAO: Oh, yes, very spectacular night launches, very different from a day launch. You can see the vehicle for a lot longer, because of you can see the engines burning. So very different experience.

And here we've seen the first stage has separated successfully, second stage is ignited. And so everything is looking great so far.

VAUSE: And let's just talk about the vehicle that's getting them to the ISS. We're looking at the Falcon 9 rocket, which is topped with an autonomously-operated Crew Dragon capsule. That's called Endeavor.

So while there are actual astronauts on board, you know, this capsule, Endeavor, they're actually not doing a lot right now.

CHIAO: That's right. Especially during the launch phase, they're in automatic mode. So they're monitoring all the systems. and there's actually, you know, very little control the crew has right now.

If they had to abort, if something went wrong and they had to separate and come back, they could initiate that manually. Or it could also be initiated automatically in case of a sensor that detects the anomaly.

But right now, they're just monitoring all the systems and making sure everything is fine. And so far, it looks like everything is right on the money.

VAUSE: And these guys will be at the International Space Station when the Boeing crew flight test arrives. That's going to be in April. This is the first, what, the last step on way for Boeing to get their Starliner certified for space travel?

CHIAO: That's right. So this upcoming scheduled mission for the Starliner will be the first one to carry astronauts. So this is a big one for Boeing.

And so Starliner, if everything goes well, will dock at the station in April, and that will be another big milestone.

VAUSE: In the meantime, while they're waiting for the Starliner to turn up, these guys are going to carry out, what, 200 different experiments whilst up there?

I mean, we hear about these experiments all the time, but you know, are they worth -- are they OF any value? Or are they just kind of busy work?

CIAO: No, no. These are definitely of high value. We concentrate mostly on life science experiments, because it turns out that being in the space environment for a long period of time is actually pretty challenging for the human body, pretty challenging for health.

And so we do these different biomedical experiments to help to validate and develop these what we call biomedical countermeasures, which we have to figure out before we start sending crews to places like Mars.

And so they will be doing mostly biomedical experiments, but you can expect also to see material science experiments and some other fundamental physics experiments. So they'll be doing a whole gamut of different kinds of research initiatives.

[00:40:12]

VAUSE: Leroy Chiao, thanks so much for being with us. We appreciate your time, your experiences. Good to have you with us for the journey.

CHIAO: My pleasure. Thank you.

VAUSE: Take care.

Well, a Russian anti-war protester stuck in legal limbo in South Korea. He doesn't want to go back home, because he may be sent to fight in Ukraine. So he's seeking asylum.

But South Korea not really rolling out the red carpet for him either, leaving him stranded at the airport for months.

Paula Hancocks joins us now from Seoul with more -- Paula.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, he's one of five Russians that is trying to claim asylum here in South Korea, and he is only now starting to realize how slow the process is in this country and also how minimal the chances of success.

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HANCOCKS (voice-over): More than four months of sleeping on the floor with 50 men in a small airport room, one Russian man waits to hear his feet. Hiding his identity for fear of repercussions, he's applying for asylum in South Korea, having fled a mandatory call-up in Russia last October to fight in the war in Ukraine.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): When I heard about the mobilization, I felt terrible, because I'd been at rallies protesting against the war. I knew, based on the information they have on me, anyone who opposes the war would be first to be sent to the frontlines. That was my biggest fear.

HANCOCKS (voice-over): President Vladimir Putin's mass call-up sparked an exodus from the country. Hundreds of thousands of men are believed to have fled to avoid being sent to Ukraine.

Leaving his wife and 7-year-old son, he boarded a flight to South Korea, saying he believed he would be accepted, as it is a democratic country.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I miss my boy really badly. I can't talk about it. It's too emotional. I really miss my family.

HANCOCKS (voice-over): He would wash his laundry in an interim airport bathroom, saying there was no hot water for showers for the past months, despite Seoul immigration saying there should be.

He was given a hot bun and juice for lunch, chicken and rice for dinner. While he feels powerless to control his future, he says the alternative would be far worse.

HANCOCKS: What would your message be to the people who are deciding if you can stay?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I'm not a draft dodger. I'm against the war, and I don't want to go to war and kill people. But I am not a draft dodger.

HANCOCKS (voice-over): An important point to make, he feels, as South Korea has mandatory military service of his own, of at least 18 months for all able-bodied men, most by the age of 28.

HANCOCKS: Do you consider yourself a victim of this war?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Of course. A year ago, I had no intention of leaving. I never thought I'd leave Russia.

HANCOCKS (voice-over): What he didn't realize before boarding the plane to Seoul, he says, is how few refugees this country accepts. In 2019, almost 15 and a half thousand applicants, just 79 were granted refugee status. That's half of 1 percent, with just 230 receiving a permit to stay on humanitarian grounds.

He was moved this week to an immigration facility with some freedom of movement to await his fate.

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HANCOCKS: Now, I just spoke to him in the last hour, and he says the conditions are far better at the immigration facility. He has hot food, hot water, and also a washing machine that he can use. He's able to seek approval to leave the facility in advance if he seeks that approval of curfew, though, of 6 p.m.

But the problem he has now, he says, is the timeline. Because this week the Justice Ministry decided to appeal a court's decision that he was allowed to apply for asylum.

So he now has to appeal that again. He has another six months, potentially, before he even has the right to apply. Then the application for refugee status itself could take one or two years, according to his lawyer.

And his lawyer says, given the precedence, it is not likely to be an easy process. He also mentioned to us that he was considering asking his lawyer to contact the U.S., the Canadian embassies to see if they could help, because, as he said, it doesn't appear as though Korea wants to -- John. VAUSE: That is a good question. Because if Korea does not want to help

them, why -- I guess why would the United States or the Canadians want to help, as well?

The other question I have, too, is where does this legal counsel come from? You know, who's footing the bill for the legal representation?

HANCOCKS: Well, that's being provided for him. So the lawyer is actually dealing with five Russians at this point who are going through this same process.

Three of those Russians are still at the airport. There's just two of them that are in this -- this immigration facility.

And he really does seem desperate, saying he wants to now speak to the Americans and the Canadians, just hoping that someone will accept him.

VAUSE: Paula, a great story. Thank you. Paula Hancocks, live for us in Seoul.

And tomorrow night, a very special edition of "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS." Richard will host the show live from Seoul, South Korea. He'll be joined by the prime minister, as well as chairman of Hybe, the company behind K-Pop sensation BTS. Thursday, 8 p.m. in London. That's 5 a.m. Friday in Seoul. You'll see it only here on CNN.

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I'm John Vause, back at the top of the hour with more CNN NEWSROOM. In the meantime, please stay with us. WORLD SPORT starts in about five seconds.

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