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Celebrations Held Around World as Countries Welcome 2024; Hamas Launches Rockets At Israel Moments Into New Year; U.S. Helicopters Sink Three Houthi Boats in Red Sea; Zelenskyy Faces Uphill Battles as 2024 Begins. Aired 2:05-2:30a ET
Aired January 01, 2024 - 02:05 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[02:05:31]
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead, fireworks lighting up the skies as people around the world welcome 2024 with tradition and festivities.
Just minutes into the New Year, Hamas fires rockets into Israel and explosions are heard in Gaza, a stark reminder that the war is far from over.
And both President Zelenskyy and President Putin addressing their nations with words of encouragement after days of losses on both sides due to back and forth strikes.
(MUSIC)
ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.
CHURCH: Happy New Year, and good to have you with us, from New Zealand to Greece to much of the United States, the New York has been welcomed in with fireworks and festivities.
New York among the latest cities to ring in 2024.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROWD: Four, three, two, one!
(CHEERS)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: The ball dropping in Times Square, where crowds waited in the cold for hours to take part in the annual New Year's Eve tradition. Earlier, dozens of other countries have their own New Years celebrations, including France, where fireworks illuminated the night sky over the Arc de Triomphe in Paris as massive crowds packed the Champs Elysee. In Japan, Tokyo rang in the New Year with a lantern release and there
is still many more waiting to welcome 2024, including along the U.S. West Coast and Hawaii, Tahiti, and American Samoa.
It has not been a peaceful start to 2024 in the Middle East where the battle between Israel and Hamas rages on. Al-Qassam brigades, Hamas's military wing, claims it launched a barrage of and M90 rockets over Tel Aviv at midnight local time. At least 12 of them were intercepted by Israel, that's according to a CNN team on the ground.
The IDF acknowledge the attacks, saying, quote New Year, same Hamas terrorism.
In video taken from southern Israel, flares were seen falling over Gaza, with a string of loud explosions as the New Yorker began. And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is warning the war will continue for months.
On Sunday, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Palestinians will not accept displacement from their land. The WAFA news agency reports he slammed Israel for its, quote, comprehensive war of extermination.
But as Israel's military offensive continues, Palestinians in Gaza are hoping the New Year will bring peace.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABU ABDULLAH AL-AGHA, DISPLACED FROM KHAN YOUNIS (through translator): In 2024, I wish to go back to the wreckage of my home, pitch a tent, and live there. In 2024, I wish for our children to live in peace in security, to go back to school, back to university, for workers to go back to work and find a source of income.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Meantime, U.S. helicopters repelled an attack by Houthi rebels on the Red Sea on Sunday, sinking three boats and killing all those onboard. It's the first time since the war broke out in Gaza that the U.S. has killed members of the Iranian-backed group, which has been targeting vessels in the region to show support for Hamas.
CNN's Kevin Liptak has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: U.S. Central Command says two Navy helicopters shot and sank a Houthi rebel boat in the Red Sea this weekend. This is the first instance of a direct confrontation between the U.S. and the Houthis since the October 7th terror attacks, and this has been a source of growing concern within the Biden administration, the sense that this conflict could widen further.
Now, the way this incident unfolded is that a commercial vessel that was transiting the Red Sea came under attack from the Houthi rebels in the. Boats they sent out a distress call to the U.S. military, which sent these helicopters.
When the Houthis fired on those helicopters, the U.S. fired back, sinking the boat and killing all of those on board. And it's a significant moment because it is the first time that the U.S. has killed a member of the Houthi rebel group since the conflict in Israel began.
[02:10:03]
The U.S. has been watching this situation very closely, this -- transiting the Red Sea are these commercial vessels. It's a key commercial route -- merchant boats, commercial vessels all sort of coming under fire from the Houthis. And this is something that the U.S. has tried to prevent by a gathering, a coalition of about 20 countries to beef up security in the region. The vessel that was fired upon this weekend was owned by Maersk. In fact, that group had just resumed transiting the Red Sea when this happened.
Now, they will say they will wait 48 hours before making a decision on whether they will go back to the Red Sea moving forward.
President Biden is, of course, watching this very closely as the New Year begins. His secretary of state, Antony Blinken, will be traveling to the Middle East, including Israel next week. At the top of his discussions will be these conversations with the Israelis about shifting to a lower intensity phase of the conflict. That is something that the United States wants to see happen very soon.
But this will certainly be a top issue for President Biden as he enters 2024.
Kevin Liptak, CNN, traveling with President Biden in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing back against South Africa's claim that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Mr. Netanyahu called the claims false and accuses South Africa of ignoring other world conflicts. He says it is not Israel but Hamas committing the genocide.
Netanyahu's comments come after South Africa filed an application with the International Court of Justice on Friday to begin proceedings against Israel over genocide allegations.
Nine-year-old Palestinian Lama Jamous is not your typical kid. She is one of Gaza's youngest journalists, given the voice to countless children who have been displaced or worse by Israel's war against Hamas to thousands of followers on social media.
CNN's Shama Nasinde reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAMA JAMOUS, 9-YEAR-OLD (translated): I got ready and wore my armor ad helmet to report on the war on Gaza.
SHAMA NASINDE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At just nine years old, Lama Jamous is one of the youngest Palestinians reporting life under siege in Gaza after Israel launched its military response to Hamas's October 7 attack. Lama and her family had to flee her home because of Israeli airstrikes. They fled once to Khan Younis in the south, and then again to a shelter in Rafah.
She has thousands of followers online or she reports on the daily challenges of the war, which he shares on her Instagram.
JAMOUS (translated): I wanted to show and make it clear to the world that the children of Palestine are being tortured. There is no food and drinks. They don't have anything.
Today I am here at the hospital to see children of Gaza who got bombed and injured.
NASINDE: From interviewing kids injured by shelling of hospitals, from documenting the difficult living conditions in school shelters, Lama is a voice for some of the most vulnerable in Gaza, children.
AHMAD, UNCLE OF LAMA JAMOUS (through translator): When the war started, we noticed she had something to say. She grabbed the phone and started making vlogs to talk about the situation in Gaza, the bombardment, and the displacement of people.
NASINDE: Lama's father told CNN that he is very proud, adding that we are suffering like people in the world of a Gaza, her message to the world is clear, please stop the war so we can return back to normal life.
Official death toll figures from inside the Gaza Strip, which can't be independently verified by CNN, say that children account for over 8,000 civilians killed since October 7th. That's over a third of the total dead.
Despite the dangerous conditions, Lama courageously continues to report to the world and inspire hope in a new generation.
Shama Nasinde, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Still to come, dueling new messages from the leaders of Russia and Ukraine as the war there sees a fresh round of attacks at the start of the New Year.
And Europe's longest serving monarch is stepping down. Why Denmark's queen is ending her decades-long reign, just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:16:39]
CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, the leaders of Ukraine and Russia have both marked the New Year with messages to their people. Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy highlighted the successes of 2023, shared motivational words and encouraged his people to persevere in the fight against Russia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): I wish everyone who is still hesitating to make a bold choice this year, to defend their own country, to work for, to help it and to find themselves in their own country because this is the only place on earth where we could all say we are at home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: In the meantime, Russian president Vladimir Putin vowed that his country would get even stronger in 2024. His pre-recorded the dress was broadcast just before midnight in each of the country's 11 time zones. He emphasized Russian unity and support of its national interest.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): In the outgoing year, we worked hard and accomplished a lot. We are proud of our common achievements. We rejoice at the successes and we are firm descending national interest, our freedom and security, our values which have been and remained an unshakable support for us. And, the main thing that the united and unites us is the fate of the fatherland. A deep understanding of the highest significance of the historical stage through what Russia is fastened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: The first day of 2024 is now officially a day of mourning, and the Ukrainian capital as the death toll continues to climb from Friday's massive attacks by Russia. At least 52 people across Ukraine are now confirmed dead from those strikes, Ukraine also says Russia launched a record number of drone attacks on New Year's Eve, 90 in all, prompting air alerts across much of the country. But Ukraine, says all but three of those drones were destroyed.
Meanwhile, just hours into the New Year, another series of aerial strikes in Ukraine has killed at least five people and injured 22. They took place in Odessa, and the Russian occupied Donetsk region.
And Russian authorities, and now, say at least 24 people died and 127 were injured in Saturday's attack in the city of Belgrade which the Kremlin blames on Ukraine.
At the beginning of 2023, the U.S. and other Western allies promised Ukraine their unwavering support, by years end, it was a different story. Military aid is drying up and there are few secured promises for more. Ukraine's counteroffensive is faltering, too.
CNN's Melissa Bell takes a look at how a year that began with promise ended in disappointment.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was an 11th hour invitation, that lead President Zelenskyy to Washington in December. This time, with the question of further funding to Ukraine stalled on Capitol Hill.
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't want you giving up hope.
BELL: A far cry, from the heroes welcomed the Ukrainian president had received in 2022, with progress on the ground in Ukraine, apparently stalled as well.
[02:20:01]
ZELENSKYY: The counteroffensive is this cold, it's happening probably slower than how some people may want or can see it.
BELL: A foothold on the east bank of the Dnipro River, one of the rare Ukrainian gains, despite months of fighting.
With questions of how much more money allies can invest.
MIKE JOHNSON, U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER: What the Biden administration seems to be asking for, is billions of additional dollars, with no appropriate oversight, no clear strategy to win.
BELL: Allegations of corruption haven't helped, despite President Zelenskyy's determination to act with the firing of top officials and the arrest of a leading oligarch, who was also a backer of his presidential bid.
ZELENSKYY: Any internal issue that hinders the state has been cleaned up and will be cleaned up further. We need a strong state and Ukraine will be just that.
BELL: But it is on the battlefield that the Ukrainian president's ability to lead is being gauged most closely. As is his relationship to the troops and the man who leads them, Valery Zaluzhnyi, with hints of a strange relationship alluded to at Zelenskyy's end of your press conference.
ZELENSKYY: He has to answer for the results on the battlefield, as commander of chief, together with the general staff. There are many questions.
BELL: The questions, also, for European and American allies looking to Zelenskyy to deliver victory against Russia in return for a defense systems, tanks, missile systems and now fighter jets. All too little, too late say Ukrainians as support for even that aid drives up, Zelenskyy is now an uncharted territory.
With tens of billions in dollars and euros for Ukraine held up by politicians on both sides of the Atlantic. The European Union, now wrestling with Hungary's opposition, as Republicans slow USAID.
ZELENSKYY: I'm confident that the United States of America will not betray us.
BELL: But there has been some relief for Ukraine this Christmas with news breaking of the first long promised F-16 fighters headed for the country.
ZELENSKY: Like our victory, in the Black Sea, we aim to when the air battle, crashing rushing air dominance.
BELL: A note of optimism from a liter desperate to believe that this war can still be one.
Melissa Bell, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Danish Queen Margrethe II says she will step down on January 14th. She is erupts longest serving monarch having been on the throne since her father, King Frederick IX died in 1972. The queen shared, on New Year's Eve that she had extensive back surgery in February. And she decided now is the right time to pass this responsibility on to the next generation.
Queen Margrethe's son, Crowd Prince Frederick will be proclaimed king, and his wife, crown princess Mary will become queen. Queen Margrethe says the support and assistant she has received throughout the years has been crucial to her success and she hopes the new king and queen will receive the same trust, and devotion.
Well, still to come, from the tennis court to the golf course, we preview some of the major events we will see in the sports world in 2024.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[02:25:14]
CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, one of the earliest versions of Disney's beloved Mickey Mouse is now available for anyone to use.
When the clock struck to midnight, in the United States, Disney's nearly 100-year-old copyright the Steamboat Willie expired, meaning the 1928 character is now part of the public domain. Have fun with that.
Of course, Steamboat Willie really is far different from today's Mickey Mouse which is still trademarked and owned by Disney.
Well, from action, it looks like 2024 will offer some exciting events in the world of sports.
Our Don Riddell has a preview of what's to come.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There is no point in gazing into a crystal ball with sports we love it because it is so unpredictable. But, we do at least know what's on the calendar in 2024, and it's going to be another action-packed here.
Taking center stage will be the summer Olympics in Paris. The modern games, back in the French capital for the first time in the century as Paris becomes only the second city after London to host the games three times. Amidst heightened tensions in the Middle East, security will unavoidably be a concern but the Olympics should feel like a return to normal after the sterility of Tokyo's delayed COVID Games in 2021.
In nearby Germany, UEFA's European Football championship will serve as a curtain raiser to the games, with Italy, the defending champions. And, England and France considered the favorites to win the tournament.
And all eyes will again be on Lionel Messi, as the world champion Argentina seek to defend their Copa America crown, and win their third consecutive major title.
As the United States continues to prepare for the FIFA World Cup in 2026, next year, it will introduce American fans to an your support for them, co-hosting crickets 21 World Cup with the West Indies.
The top of a revitalized Tiger Woods would be a major headline in golf. But the sports' biggest story may once again be outside the ropes as the PGA tour and the Saudi-backed LIV Golf continue to wrestle for their future of the game.
The return of a new mom Naomi Osaka will bolster the highly competitive tennis scene at a time when women sport, more broadly, is really taking off. According to the accounting firm Deloitte, women sports revenue will across the one billion dollar threshold for the first time. That's a threefold increase from just three years ago.
What happens on the court, the course, the, pulled the field or the track, there is no shortage of sports to look forward to in 2024.
Don Riddell, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: And thanks for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. Marketplace Middle East is up next. And I will be back in 30 minutes with more CNN NEWSROOM.
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