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Israel Proposes Ceasefire to Hamas for Hostage Release; Colorado Supreme Court Disqualifies Trump for 2024 Ballot; Houthi Rebels Launch Over 100 Attacks in Red Sea; Deadly Earthquake Strikes Northwest China, 131 Dead; Ukraine Seeks U.S. Wartime Support Amid Draft Proposal; Trump's Campaign Appeals Disqualification in Colorado; France Takes Action Against Extremist Settlers in West Bank; West Bank Sees Escalating Settler Violence; Lava Flow Eases, Gas Pollution Could Reach Capital. Aired 12-12:45a ET

Aired December 20, 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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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to CNN Newsroom. I'm Rosemary Church. Just ahead, we are getting word of the latest proposal from Israel to Hamas. One that would free dozens of hostages in exchange for a week-long pause in the fighting. Donald Trump could be kicked off Colorado's ballot after that state supreme court rules the former president violated the U.S. Constitution's insurrectionist ban. Attacks against cargo ships in the Red Sea are forcing companies to find another route, potentially leading to long delays and higher prices.

We begin this hour with new developments out of Israel, where we have learned officials are proposing a new deal to pause the fighting in Gaza in exchange for the release of 40 hostages held by Hamas. CNN political and foreign policy analyst Barack Ravid broke that news just hours ago, saying Israel has proposed a one-week ceasefire for the release of 40 hostages, including women, the elderly, and those in need of urgent care. Ravid says Qatari mediators are now taking that proposal to Hamas for its response. This news comes after Israel's president suggested his would be willing to agree to a new temporary truce with Hamas in exchange for more hostages.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ISAAC HERZOG, ISRAELI PRESIDENT: Israel is ready for another humanitarian pause and additional humanitarian aid to enable the release of hostages.

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CHURCH: Those comments come as the U.N. Security Council had been expected to vote on a resolution calling for a suspension of hostilities in Gaza. But that vote was delayed, and sources say it's now expected to take place on Wednesday. The resolution aims to get more humanitarian aid into Gaza. Diplomats say there have been intense negotiations to finalize the resolution drafted by the United Arab Emirates.

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MOHAMED ABUSHAHAB, DEPUTY PERMANENT REP. OF THE UAE TO THE U.N.: We are now coming to the end of what was the deadliest year in the occupied Palestinian territory. This should be a wake-up call that the current status quo cannot be allowed to continue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Joining me now from southern Gaza is Stephen Ryan, rapid deployment coordinator with the International Committee of the Red Cross. Thank you so much for talking with us. I want to start with that report of a new offer from Israel to pause the fighting in Gaza for at least one week as part of a new deal to get Hamas to free more hostages in exchange for humanitarian aid and the release of more Palestinian prisoners. What is your reaction to that Israeli deal apparently made through Qatari mediators?

STEPHEN RYAN, RAPID DEPLOYMENT COORDINATOR ICRC: Certainly, from the point of view of the International Committee of the Red Cross, anything that's going to bring some respite to the millions of people that are suffering here in Gaza is something that's going to be very welcome. Of course, these agreements are not something that the International Committee of the Red Cross is involved in. This is something that's between the two parties, this conflict. And while fighting is continuing, the suffering is continuing here as well. So, this is something that I'm hopeful is going to bring some ease for people that are here in Gaza right now.

CHURCH: Meantime, a vote on a consequential U.N. resolution has been delayed and will now take place in the coming hours, with the U.N. Security Council trying to get the United States on board with the majority of members in calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. What is your message to those U.N. member nations voting today, particularly to the United States?

RYAN: Well, I think it's important that all of the states who are at the U.N. recognize that they also have a responsibility to do whatever they can to exert whatever influence that they have to try and reduce the level of suffering that's happening here in Gaza. Tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced. Many people are living under plastic sheeting. The weather is getting a little bit colder.

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There's very little access to food. There's very little access to water. And while this conflict rages on, while fighting rages on, so too does suffering. And I think it's important that people recognize that this can't go on forever, that some action needs to be taken. While it's between States to decide how they're going to respond to this and between the parties to the conflict to recognize their responsibilities to the civilians, we, the International Committee of the Red Cross, would welcome any agreement that's going to bring any rest to the people who are suffering here in Gaza, as well as any agreement which allows people to return home safely to their homes in Israel.

CHURCH: And as you explain, the situation is dire for so many Palestinians dealing with Israeli bombardment, scarce humanitarian aid, as well as wet and freezing weather conditions. So, what needs to be done to help alleviate these nightmare situations for so many people? And how much aid is getting in right now?

RYAN: Well, certainly there is aid coming in, a relatively small amount that's compared to the need. More needs to be able to come in. And that means that we are also happy if there's action taken that allows a greater amount of aid to enter Gaza. But it's not so simple as just sending aid across the border. There also needs to be conditions in place that allow organizations such as the IDC to do our work. While fighting is continuing in areas where civilians are present. Its not possible for us to deliver the aid to those locations. It's not a simple idea of just push more trucks in.

There also needs to be the ability for us to do our work. People need to be able to access assistance wherever it is. And we, organizations such as us, we're neutral. We're not part of the fight. We need to be able to reach those people wherever they are in Gaza.

CHURCH: Stephen Ryan in southern Gaza, many thanks for joining us. We appreciate it.

RYAN: Thank you.

CHURCH: Well, back here in the United States, Donald Trump's campaign is vowing to appeal a stunning decision by the Colorado Supreme Court disqualifying him from the 2024 presidential ballot. The justices rule Trump is not eligible to be a candidate because of his role in the 2021 insurrection. CNN's Paula Reid has details.

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PAULA REID, CNN CHIEF LEGAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: This is a remarkable case from the Colorado Supreme Court. They even acknowledge right in the top of their opinion the magnitude and the weight of the questions that they are analyzing here. And here this court found that former President Trump should be disqualified from being on the ballot in that state because they say not only did he engage in an insurrection, but they believe that the 14th Amendment, which bars certain officials from holding office, if they engage in an insurrection, applies even to presidents.

Now, a lower court oversaw a trial in this case. The lower court found that Trump engaged in an insurrection, but they said presidents are not specifically mentioned in that Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, so they said it didn't apply. But here the Supreme Court looking instead at the intent behind this amendment, looking at the overall objective of what they were trying to do when they were working on the language of this specific section. Now, the issue there is that the Trump campaign, the Trump team, they've made it clear. They're going to appeal this to the Supreme Court. This decision will likely be on pause until the Supreme Court weighs in one way or another. But this decision, which is largely based on intent and a larger objective, is likely headed to a Supreme Court that is dominated right now by originalists, textualists, judges who pride themselves on looking at the specific literal words in the Constitution.

So, it may not be the most favorable environment for this Supreme Court of Colorado decision. But again, it's unclear if the Supreme Court will take this up. They likely will want to resolve this issue because otherwise you're going to have this hanging over all 50 states and undecided. And if the Supreme Court weighs in, that decision would be binding across the country. But the Trump team says they're going to appeal swiftly. And as soon as they do, this decision is on hold until the Supreme Court rules one way or another. Paula Reid, CNN. Washington.

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CHURCH: Ukraine's president says he is confident the United States will keep its promise to provide wartime support, even as U.S. conservative lawmakers block a new aid package. Volodymyr Zelensky spoke on Tuesday about the state of the war. He says he believes he, quote, found an understanding with President Biden and the senators in his most recent trip to the U.S. And he says he has faith despite the waffling in Congress.

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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINAIN PRESIDENT (through translator): Talking about financial aid, we are working very hard on this. And I am certain that the United States of America will not betray us. And that on which we agreed in the United States will be fulfilled completely.

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CHURCH: Mr. Zelenskyy is also addressing his military's request to draft up to hundreds of thousands of people to join the war. He says it is a complicated issue and needs to be handled with care.

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ZELENSKYY: Their position on the general staff meeting was that they proposed to mobilize an additional 450,000 to 500,000 people. This is a very serious number. And I said that I need more arguments to support this idea.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: President Zelenskyy also saying the challenges his military faces on the battlefield are immense. But he says his country has come a long way since Russia's initial invasion nearly two years ago. And Ukraine will not give up.

The U.S. warns Houthi attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea have escalated to a level not seen in decades. A senior official says Iran- backed Houthi rebels have launched at least 100 attacks on a dozen different merchant vessels in the last month. The Red Sea is, of course, home to one of the most important maritime trade routes in the world. The Houthis say they are going after ships that in some ways support Israel's war effort, even though multiple companies targeted say they have no connection to it. CNN's Natasha Bertrand has been following this from the Pentagon.

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NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: The U.S. and its allies are scrambling to respond to a series of attacks by the Iran- backed Houthi rebels in Yemen who have launched over 100 attacks, according to a U.S. military official, using missiles and drones on commercial vessels in the southern Red Sea over the last four weeks alone, causing a dramatic impact to international shipping and international commerce because of the impact that these attacks have had on these vessels operating there. Many companies have said that they are actually pausing their operations in the Red Sea because of the threat of coming under fire by these Houthi militants.

So, the U.S. and its allies now trying to find a way to respond that does not involve striking the Houthis directly, in Yemen, something that the U.S. has been trying to avoid over the last several weeks. And as a response to the attacks to date, the U.S. now says that they are going to be setting up an international coalition of maritime forces that will essentially be in the region and in the Red Sea, available to respond and help commercial vessels if they need it. Some of the vessels, or some of the ships, I should say, they will be escorting these commercial vessels if the situation warrants it.

And, of course, we have also seen the U.S. shoot missiles and missiles into the Houthi region, down a number of the missiles and drones that the Houthis have launched targeting these commercial ships in recent weeks. But it remains unclear whether the Houthis are going to be deterred by this new maritime coalition. They have said that they are going to continue their attacks on these commercial vessels in solidarity, they say, with the Palestinians and in opposition to the Israelis. However, it's important to note that many of these ships that they have attacked, if not most of them, actually have no ties to Israel at all.

And the U.S. says, that the Houthis have just been attacking these ships opportunistically, and they have been taking advantage, of course, of the U.S. and allied presence in the area. They want to try to bolster their international reputation and presence there, and they think they will be able to get attention by continuing to target these vessels. So, the U.S. facing a very big problem here, growing calls for them to strike the Houthis directly. But at this point, this maritime coalition, according to the Secretary of Defense, they say, is going to hopefully help ease the problem. Natasha Bertrand, CNN, at the Pentagon.

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CHURCH: Some of the shipping giants don't want to worry anymore about attacks and whether the coalition will protect them. Maersk says it's rerouting its fleet from the Red Sea, and other companies are following suit. Many are now delivering cargo by going around Africa via the Cape of Good Hope. That longer route, of course, is expected to snarl, while supply chains push up oil prices and raise inflation, since those higher costs will likely be passed on to consumers. So, let's take a closer look at this. And I want to bring in Jorgen Lian from Oslo, Norway. He is the head of shipping equity research at DNB Markets. Appreciate you joining us.

JORGEN LIAN, HEAD OF SHIPPING EQUITY RESEARCH, DNB MARKETS: Thank you so much. Good evening or good morning.

CHURCH: So, these ramped up attacks by Houthi rebels on commercial vessels are causing, big disruptions in global shipping in the Red Sea, with major companies now having to reroute vessels around Africa. What impact will that have on global trade in terms of cost and supply of goods??

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LIAN: So, this is one of the most important waterways, naturally, for global trade. What we've seen so far is that, especially on the container side, the owners and operators have been very vocal to redirect their volume outside of Suez Canal and south of the Cape of Africa. The main effect this has on shipping is, of course, adding the sailing distance of that extra voyage. And depending a bit on where the cargoes come from and where they're headed to, you can say the average distance added from that voyage could be between 30 to maybe 50, 60, or even up towards 100% added distance. So, of course, that takes a long time.

The main cost component when it comes to moving this cargo the further way around Africa is, naturally, fuel costs in the first point. And if you start to account for that for a typical container headed from the Far East into Europe, for instance, you quickly get to around maybe five, six, to eight, nice percent of added cost, just purely from the fuel. So, that's a very, very big cost component. And then you get the secondary effects here, which ties up a lot of capacity in the shipping fleet and therefore tightens the shipping markets. And that in itself would drive an increase in freight rates and therefore costs for the end consumer.

CHURCH: And the United States has responded to these increased missile and drone attacks from the Houthis by setting up an international coalition of maritime forces to bolster safety and security in the Red Sea. How might I think this changed the equation as shipping companies compare the cost of rerouting vessels as opposed to taking the risk up the Suez Canal once this protection force is fully in place.

LIAN: I think this is opposed to ease some of the tensions. And I think it will as well. There's a question of how long this will take before you get safe passage through the Red Sea once more. And I think the news out yesterday from the CEO of Maersk, which expected this could take a few weeks until everything is in place to make that a safe option, probably illustrates how long this can take. And until someone can guarantee the safety of the seafarers on board these vessels, I think they will be looking to reroute this around Africa instead. So that's the big question here. How long will this take? And that's still a bit up in the air.

CHURCH: Yeah, that makes perfect sense. And of course, these major shipping companies, as we've been discussing, will pass along the added cost of rerouting to consumers. So how much more will we all likely end up paying for this trade disruption? And when will we start seeing those price hikes on goods?

LIAN: Yes. So again, we're looking at how transitory this effect will be. But for a typical container, which perhaps is the most interesting to look at in terms of costs for the end consumer, we're seeing somewhere between probably six percent and eight percent direct costs on fuel. And then because of the insecurity of how this will happen and how available freight will be, we've already started to see the freight rates and box rates for this type of transit to increase quite a bit. Over the weekend, we had the Far East and Mediterranean rates up roughly 20 percent. And that is set to continue as long as there is risk to disruption here, which I think is the main driver from the logistics provider side now.

That's on the container side. I think it's also very interesting to mention that, of course, there are other types of cargo that pass through the canal. For the time being, it has been the containers that have been leading the move outside of Suez. But you've also had some of the main tanker companies and also the energy companies saying that they want to redirect their ships outside of the Suez Canal. And that, of course, has a direct impact on the cost of oil or oil products and the security of such into, for instance, Europe. And that in itself could also add additional costs to this.

And just comparing to the average cost of crude oil today, we see that the direct implications on the current freight markets would maybe be $2 to $3 added cost, talking about landed cost into Europe.

CHURCH: All right. We'll see if it impacts demand as well, I suppose. So, Jorgen Lian, joining us live from Oslo, many thanks for being with us. Appreciate it.

LIAN: My pleasure. Happy to be here.

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CHURCH: Still to come, hundreds dead and tens of thousands evacuated as one of the deadliest earthquakes in years hits northwest China. We will go live to Beijing for the very latest. Plus, the lava flow is decreasing from that volcano in Iceland, but another potential threat remains. We'll take a look at that back in just a moment.

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Rescue workers in China are scrambling in sub-zero temperatures to reach survivors after one of the deadliest earthquakes to hit the country in nearly a decade. State media says at least 131 have been killed and hundreds of others injured. Tens of thousands of people had to be evacuated to get to the hospital. For more let's go to Steven Jiang live from Beijing. Good to see you, Steven. So, what is the latest on casualties and damage from this deadly earthquake?

STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: Yeah, Rosemary you have to dig into debris for a second. Now the authorities have just said their search and rescue effort is quote-unquote basically over. Now, there might still be some small-scale operations ongoing, according to state media, focused on remote visits and rescue efforts. But for now, let's take a look at some of the most important is affected not just by the initial quake, but also subsequent mudslides. But the casualty figures, as you mentioned, have been revised only slightly upwards since we last spoke.

And this relatively small death toll may be a reflection of the remoteness of the quake zone as well. As we've been saying, it's mostly rural, sometimes mountainous and sparsely populated, despite the epicenter being only 100 kilometres or so from the provincial capital city of Gansu. The authorities say their focus is now shifting to post-disaster relief, including treating the injured. Remember, nearly 1,000 people did get injured in this quake, but also resettling the tens of thousands of people displaced in this quake as their homes and farms have been destroyed or severely damaged.

Now, this process is no easy task, doing the best of time. But given the harsh winter condition, with overnight temperatures reaching as low as minus 20 degrees Celsius, it's obviously having an impact on this as well. And it may also take some convincing for many of them to leave their homes and farms, because most of them are farmers, and some of them have told state media they're concerned not just about their own safety and health, but also the fate of their crops and livestock.

But overall, the authorities say they have restored electricity, communication signals, as well as road access to most parts of the area hit by this powerful quake. Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right. Thanks to Stephen Jiang. Thanks to Stephen Jiang, joining us live from Beijing. Still to come, CNN visits the West Bank to witness firsthand the conflict between Palestinians and Israeli settlers, and the measures making every day life more difficult.

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CHURCH: A warm welcome back. You are watching CNN Newsroom, and I'm Rosemary Church. France's foreign minister says the country will take action against what it calls extremist settlers in the occupied West Bank. At a news conference Tuesday, Catherine Colonna condemned violence committed by Jewish settlers and said, France is working on sanctions at the European level. The U.S. has already issued travel restrictions against those, quote, involved in undermining peace, security or stability in the West Bank.

The U.N. Humanitarian Affairs Office has recorded more than 300 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians since October 7th. Nearly 100 Palestinians have been injured in those attacks, with at least eight killed by settlers. CNN's visited the West Bank to speak with Palestinians living in fear of attacks from Israeli settlers. Here's what she and her crew experienced while there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: We stop at a service station in the occupied Palestinian West Bank. A man in military fatigues demands to check our IDs. He has no identifying insignia, won't tell us who he is, but he's got a gun. So, we oblige. We're confused, and we're not the only ones. CNN obtained this video from inside Hebron, a divided city, filmed a few days after the Hamas October 7 attack. The Palestinian man won't comply. He says he recognizes the man with the gun as a settler, not a soldier. In this tense climate, if a soldier issues an order, you comply. But is everyone with a gun and fatigues a soldier?

The West Bank is under Israeli military occupation. It's also believed to be home to almost three-quarters of a million settlers, Israeli civilians living in the occupied territories. Settlers consider this part of their biblical homeland and are expanding into Palestinian territories, even though the UN Security Council considers their presence illegal. Yet settlers are integral to Israel's security plan in the occupied territories, as Israel Defense Force reservists and settlement security squads, responding, the IDF says, to security threats and settlement, towns, and villages.

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Palestinians told CNN they consider armed settlers a greater threat than ever before. The remit from the IDF is blurring the lines as settlers encroach on Palestinian land.

Like here, in the Palestinian village of Tuwani, where there's a settlement at the top of the hill.

In this video, you see men in military fatigues. The IDF equips both civilian settlers' security squads and soldiers in the region, as you can see here. It's almost impossible to differentiate.

They point their rifles at residents, and then they shoot, according to eyewitnesses.

(GUNFIRE)

ELBAGIR (voice-over): CNN shared the images we gathered in the West Bank with a senior IDF official who was unable to tell us who here is in the IDF and who is not.

We asked how, then, are Palestinians expected to differentiate? The official told CNN their have been cases the reservists who did not act in accordance with army standards, adding there is no place in the IDF for such behavior.

Every case that breaches army standards will be investigated.

Palestinians, the officials said, should contact their local brigade. But Palestinian rights activist and local resident Basel Andra says settlers in military fatigues are forcing Palestinians off their land. BASEL ADRA, RESIDENT AND ACTIVIST: These settlers are with their guns,

and they're pointing it at the head of the residents and tell them, if you don't leave in 24 hour, we will shoot you. So the family will then understand that a serious threat of killing, if you don't leave the home. That led for, like, 35 families to leave. And these settlers have been wearing uniforms also.

ELBAGIR (voice-over): Settlers have heavyweight support in Israel's far-right government. Itamar Ben-Gvir, minister for national security, settler. After the Hamas October 7 attack, Ben-Gvir loosened gun permit regulations, making it easier for tens of thousands of Israeli civilians to bear arms.

Bezalel Smotrich, minister of finance, settler. Also, post-attack, pushed through over 100 million U.S. dollars for West Bank security, including funds for training and equipping settler security squads.

But it's not just arming and equipping. We witnessed firsthand some of the restrictions the IDF imposed on Palestinians.

Iktada's (ph) house is not even five minutes away from the other side of this checkpoint, but she can't get through.

ELBAGIR: Every day they tell her to go back. And every day she has to do this extraordinary long loop to try and get in. She says they are intentionally making it difficult to cross, making it so we have to cross through areas that are hostile to us to get to our homes.

ELBAGIR (voice-over): Iktada (ph) picks up a few more things before she sets off home, but not too many. It's a long walk uphill.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

GRAPHIC TRANSLATION: They've closed off the road. For the sake of a five-minute walk, now I have to go around a one-hour journey.

ELBAGIR (voice-over): Since the 1990s, the city of Harbin (ph) has seen many curfews. The day we visited, there was was a curfew in place from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.

Iktada (ph) has to go through this checkpoint. Palestinians have to be searched. Settlers aren't normally checked. Iktada (ph) has to walk. Settlers can drive. Palestinians need permission for visitors. Settlers don't.

The IDF says all these measures are in accordance with their security assessments, to provide security for all residents. Settlers and Palestinians live side by side, but the rules for each are very different.

Faisa (ph) and her husband have lived in this house for 14 years. They inherited it from her husband's grandparents. Their house is overlooked by an IDF sentry post, yet they fear for their safety.

FAISA (PH), WEST BANK RESIDENT (through translator): The scene is so inappropriate and depressing for our home. You can see up here what we've had to put in place to protect ourselves from the settlers.

ELBAGIR (voice-over): As we leave Faisa's (ph) house, we get stopped by an Israeli soldier. He says we're not allowed to walk along the main road. We have to go back to the checkpoint to be searched again, because we've been inside a Palestinian home.

ELBAGIR: I would just point out a lack of logic, which is that these Palestinian houses, the Palestinians have come through that checkpoint so they can't possibly have brought in anything.

Sorry, just so I can understand, just so I can understand, I'm really confused, as usual. So even though we went through a checkpoint, even though we went through that checkpoint, because we have been in the house of Palestinians, we now have to go jumping over people's garden walls? So we can't walk on the streets?

[00:35:19]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you were going through the checkpoint and you stay here, it's great. But as soon as you move into different areas --

ELBAGIR: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- you need to get rechecked.

ELBAGIR: So we need to get rechecked. So we need to get to the route --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now you know for next time.

ELBAGIR: Yes. Let's just go. Thank you. We'll see you in a bit.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: See you soon.

ELBAGIR (voice-over): But we can't get down. The access to the garden is closed.

ELBAGIR: So the farthest I can see is the other side of that fence. But if you can see what I can't.

ELBAGIR (voice-over): We can't walk on the street, because we've been in a Palestinian house. And now we're deemed a security risk. So we're stuck.

Eventually, the soldier has to call into his superior to give us special permission to walk on the main road.

ELBAGIR: Thank you so much.

ELBAGIR (voice-over): We head out. And back through the checkpoint, where we're searched again.

A tiny glimpse into what Palestinians navigate every day.

The U.N. says that post-October 7th, over 1,000 Palestinians in the West Bank have been displaced, forced from home by security restrictions and suffer violence.

The U.S. and U.K. are now sanctioning extreme settlers, but Palestinians saying it's not enough. Not when settlers can cloak themselves in the authority of the Israeli state.

Nima Elbagir, CNN, Hebron.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: And we're going to take a pause, a short break. Back in just a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: India's ruling party is being accused of an attack on democracy after suspending a record number of parliamentarians for the remainder of the winter session.

One hundred and forty-one opposition members were removed after demanding a parliamentary debate about last week's security breach, in which two men stormed the lower house of Parliament.

Prime minister Narendra Modi says the breach was a serious matter but not one that required a parliamentary debate, according to him.

Modi's ruling party has majorities in both houses of government and is expected to legislate, with almost no opposition until the end of the term on Friday.

The French Parliament has passed controversial legislation that tightens rules for immigration. It's a compromise reached between President Emmanuel Macron's ruling party and the conservative opposition.

Among other things, the law will delay migrants' access to welfare benefits and make it easier to expel illegal immigrants. It will also make it harder for immigrants' children to become French citizens.

[00:45:10]

Well, meteorologists say lava flow from the volcano in Iceland is decreasing, now down to about one quarter of Monday's levels. But gas pollution remains a potential threat to the capital Reykjavik and surrounding areas.

A power company is increasing its alert to emergency level and building defenses against the lava at nearby power masts.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen is on the scene.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): The arctic night illuminated as the earth breaks apart from the fissure burst its molten core. Weeks of earthquakes led to this display of our planet's fire and force. It's never possible to say exactly when or if a volcano like this one,

near the town of Grindavik, will erupt. Officials took no chances, though, evacuating the population after weeks of tremors.

Thousands of shakes were felt in November, and all knew what they could bring. Thankfully, none were in Grindavik town, when the volcano, around two miles away, finally did erupt.

This crack in the surface of our world, close to four kilometers or more than two miles long, spewing lava.

PLEITGEN: This is as close as the authorities are going to let us to the volcanic eruption in the Southwest of Iceland. It's a so-called fissure eruption. That means an eruption along a crack that can be several miles long, rather than on a volcanic cone.

Now, one of the good things about these eruptions is that actually, usually they don't spew ash into the atmosphere very high, which can, and has, in the past, disrupted air travel internationally. Of course, in a place like Iceland that can have massive effect.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Previous eruptions in Iceland had last weeks or even months. In the town of Grindavik, the earthquake damage is clear. The lava may follow.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If this activity goes on, then the question is, will Grindavik be inhabitable in the long run?

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Whether people can ever move back here depends on a new set of geological circumstances being created right now.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, near Grindavik, Iceland.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Thanks for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. I will be back at the top of the hour with CNN NEWSROOM, but first, WORLD SPORT starts after a short break.

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(WORLD SPORT)