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Israel-Hezbollah Ceasefire ongoing, Both Sides Accused of Violating the Terms; French President to Inspect the Notre Dame Cathedral Ahead of the Scheduled Reopening. Australia Finally Passed the Law Banning Social Media to Minors Under-16; Ghanaians Fear of Illegal Mining Despite the Booming Gold Production. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired November 29, 2024 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[02:59:43]
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
Tenuous but holding, the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah remains in place even as both sides accuse each other of violating its terms.
Ukraine is reeling after Russia launches a massive attack on its energy system. More than one million homes were left in the dark.
And Notre Dame is set to reopen to the world five years after a devastating fire. And one special guest will get a sneak peek. We'll take you live to Paris.
ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon is now in its third day and appears to be holding by and large despite new accusations against both sides.
Israel says it thwarted what it called a terrorist activity and struck a rocket storage site used by Hezbollah on Thursday. Israel's military claims it killed more than 2,500 Hezbollah operatives since late September when the military ramped up its offensive in Lebanon.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese army claims Israel has breached the terms of the ceasefire numerous times since it went into effect on Wednesday morning.
The people of Lebanon, meanwhile, are desperate for a return to normalcy. Thousands were displaced by the 13 months of fighting, have started returning to their homes and businesses, many of them destroyed amid Israeli warnings that some areas aren't safe yet.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he's ready for a ceasefire in Gaza at any moment, but he added that he's not ready to end the war there until Hamas is completely dismantled.
In an interview with Israel's Channel 14 on Thursday, Netanyahu also said the conditions for a hostage deal have changed for the better. He claims that a lot is being done to secure a deal, but declined to elaborate further.
All right, I want to go live now to Abu Dhabi and CNN's Paula Hancocks. So Paula, the ceasefire holding so far?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kim, it is holding. It's an uneasy truce, to be fair. And we're hearing both sides accusing the other side of violating the ceasefire proposal.
The guns are not completely silent. I wouldn't put it that way, but it is holding for the most part.
Now, it has been welcomed with relief and celebrations in many parts of Lebanon. But there is concern that the next two months could see a return to the fighting. And part of that is fueled by what we're hearing from Israeli officials, that if they believe that the terms of the ceasefire are being violated, then they will retaliate.
And we heard from the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in that interview with Israel's Channel 14, saying that if this framework, this ceasefire is violated, it will lead to an intense war.
So it is holding for the most part. We have seen the Israeli military saying that they targeted what they said was terrorist activity in a facility used by Hezbollah to store medium-range rockets in southern Lebanon. They say they carried out an airstrike, and in a separate incident, they say that they targeted suspects in southern Lebanon as well.
The Lebanese army, for its part, which is supposed to be patrolling southern Lebanon to make sure that Hezbollah cannot rearm, that's part of the terms of this ceasefire, say that Israel has breached the terms several times as well. But for the most part, it is holding.
The 60 days will be key because it will take that long, according to the Israelis, for them to be fully out of southern Lebanon. Kim?
BRUNHUBER: All right. And in the meantime, Paula, let's turn to Gaza. Any renewed hopes for a ceasefire there? What's Israel's prime minister saying?
HANCOCKS: Well, we heard hopes from the U.S. side. We heard it from the president himself, Joe Biden, saying that he hoped that this would spark the ceasefire in Lebanon, would spark something with the ongoing or barely stalled talks in Gaza.
But there doesn't appear to be that much hope when you listen to the interview with the Israeli prime minister saying that it is a very different situation. Let's listen to what he said.
[03:05:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): I'm ready for a ceasefire at any moment, but ending the war, I'm not ready for that because we also need to achieve the elimination of Hamas.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANCOCKS: Now, of course, that makes it more difficult for the negotiators to try and secure a deal. Hamas is unlikely to agree to a deal which does not completely end the war. They have been pushing for a permanent ceasefire.
But Netanyahu believes that things are more positive now the leader of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar, has been killed. He said that he was one of the stumbling blocks, something Washington agreed with. And he has also said that the conditions for a hostage deal have been improved and that a lot is being done to achieve that, but declined to elaborate further. Kim?
BRUNHUBER: All right. I appreciate that. Paula Hancocks in Abu Dhabi.
Ukraine is trying to get back on its feet after seeing scenes like these across the country Thursday morning. Ukraine says Russian missiles and drones rained down on its energy system the night before, including on this facility near Odessa. The strikes wounded at least five people and left more than a million homes in the dark.
Moscow claims it targeted only military and defense industry facilities. The Ukraine's president is painting a very different picture. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Over 90 missiles and nearly 100 strike drones were launched. The targets were energy infrastructure and ordinary civilian objects. Many were shot down and our electronic warfare systems performed well. But unfortunately, there were also hits. Some of the strikes involved caliber missiles with cluster warheads, a particularly dangerous type of Russian weaponry used against civilians.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: In Kyiv, the air raid alert lasted for nine hours, forcing people to take shelter in metro stations.
U.S. President Joe Biden condemned the attack as horrific. Ukraine says that was the 11th time this year that its energy system took major hits, which doesn't bode well as winter begins.
Now Russian President Vladimir Putin says there was a reason Moscow launched that attack, and he's making it clear there could be more to come, including with a very powerful new weapon.
Fred Pleitgen has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the early morning hours, Russia launching yet more massive aerial strikes against Ukraine.
The sheer size of the attack, more than 90 missiles and about 100 drones laid out clearly by the Russian president himself.
On our part, these strikes took place in response to the continuous strikes on Russian territory by American ATACMS missiles, Putin said. As I have said many times, there will always be a response from our side.
The Russians irate as the Ukrainians continue to use U.S. supplied ATACMS surface-to-surface missiles to hit targets deep inside Russia after getting the go ahead from the Biden administration.
Top Russian politicians now accusing the U.S. president of playing with fire.
PLEITGEN: How big do you see the danger of an escalation right now?
KONSTANTIN KOSACHEV, DEPUTY SPEAKER, RUSSIAN FEDERATION COUNCIL: I believe we are right now in the most dangerous stage for the simple reason we have a lame duck in the United States of America, with all my respect to Mr. Biden.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): And the Kremlin threatening further use of their massive experimental multiple warhead ballistic missile, Areshnik, which they fired on the Ukrainian city, Dnipro, last week.
Everything that is in the epicenter of the explosion will be decimated, Putin said, turned into elementary particles, essentially into dust. The missile hits even well-protected objects located at great depth.
This, as Moscow is trying to maintain support at home for what it still calls its special military operation in Ukraine. The defense ministry publishing the slickly produced video urging Russians to join the army.
We are with our warriors until victory. This is our land, the narration says.
The Kremlin has said Vladimir Putin is willing to talk to U.S. president-elect Donald Trump both about ending the Ukraine war and improving U.S.-Russia relations. But they want Washington to make the first move, the spokeswoman for Russia's foreign ministry tells me.
MARIA ZAKHAROVA, SPOKESPERSON, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY: We are open to normal relationship which are based on mutual respect and international law. If the country, I don't know, United States or other countries would like to on this base -- on this base, to improve, to promote, to develop, to reconstruct, rebuild relationship with us, we can do this.
[03:10:01]
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Scores of Ukrainians spent Thursday morning sheltering from Moscow's latest missile blitz. And despite Kyiv saying they were able to shoot down many drones and rockets, more than a million people had to deal with blackouts after the raids.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: All right, for more, we're joined now by Ukrainian parliament member Kira Rudik, and she's speaking with us from Kyiv. Good to see you again. Thanks so much for being here with us.
You're among those people who've been affected by these attacks, by these blackouts. What's the mood there in the wake of these attacks?
KIRA RUDIK, UKRAINIAN PARLIAMENTARY MEMBER: Hello, Kim, and thank you so much for having me.
Well, indeed, we are all worried. We spend the majority of our nights in the bomb shelters and under the air raid sirens. And yesterday and today, there were energy outages much severe than before.
We understand that we are facing a very complicated winter and Putin will try to use cold as a weapon, darkness as a weapon, and will try to break our spirits and show the upper hand before the president like Donald Trump comes into the office.
BRUNHUBER: Putin has threatened to attack decision making centers in Kyiv. How worried are you that you and other government officials might be targeted?
RUDIK: All these threats are not new to us. He was threatening to attack the centers of the decision making since the day one of the full scale engagement when he promised to take Kyiv in a couple of days. Right.
And since the day one, Ukrainian parliament has been working and has been gathering in the chambers because we are showing the world that the democracy is stronger than authoritarian regime and that we will be with our people executing on what is written in our constitution.
So, of course, there are threats and of course, there are worries from our side. However, you see, Putin is only good in terrorizing our peaceful cities. He's only good in using their weapons against us, but they are not even good in defending their own territory and fighting the war like on the ground.
And that's why we know that the recipient of those threats are not in Ukraine. The recipients are in the West, because what he is trying to do is to decrease the amount of the support that we are receiving.
The only thing that is working with Putin is the strength and fighting back. And we have shown the world, we have shown American people that this is the only way you can discuss anything with them to fight back. And this is what we are doing. What we are asking for is enough of the means to be able to defend ourselves. And we have been pleading for that since the day one.
BRUNHUBER: You were talking of foreign support and you touched on Donald Trump there. Yesterday, we heard Putin praising Trump, saying he's, quote, "an intelligent and experienced politician capable of finding solutions." The fact that it's Putin saying this, what do you read into that?
RUDIK: Well, there is only one thing that we can say. You never should be trusting Putin or anything that he says. It always has double or triple meanings.
And right now, our concentration as Ukrainian politicians is to get our country to survival and to get as much weapons and supplies to our army so people who are fighting at the front line would not be facing enemies empty handed.
Of course, there are worries here on the ground regarding the campaigning statements by Donald Trump regarding ending the war in 24 hours. We see only one way of doing that is pressuring Putin of pulling back his troops. Russia has started the war of aggression and it's up to them to end it.
When we are talking about any kind of discussions, negotiations, there is still one question that has not been answered over the 11 years since the war has started in 2014. This question is who or what in the whole world can make sure that Putin will keep his part of the bargain?
As of right now, we do not see any way of making sure that Russia would not attack us again the next day after peaceful negotiations or discussions or in a year since that. And we do not hear any practical understanding of how do we make sure that Putin and Russia would not attack us again.
BRUNHUBER: The Biden administration is reportedly preparing a new weapons package for Ukraine, but Washington has suggested that Ukraine lower the military age from 25 to 18, saying that the most urgent need right now isn't weapons, but manpower. Would you be in favor of dropping the military age?
[03:15:07]
RUDIK: I would defer here to our military, who are claiming that it's not the amount of people that we are lacking, it's still the amount of weapons and supplies.
And I do not see a difference between a person of older age or younger age if this person is fighting without being unarmed. This is why we are concentrating our efforts right now on getting as much weapons and supplies as possible to people who are already fighting at the front line.
And President Zelenskyy was very clear that he has no intentions of lowering the age of people who will be called to the front line.
BRUNHUBER: All right, we'll leave it there, but always great getting your perspective. Kira Rudik, thank you so much.
RUDIK: Thank you, Kim, and glory to Ukraine. BRUNHUBER: Ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM, the U.S. President shares what he's most grateful for on Thanksgiving, and he speaks out about Donald Trump's plans to hike tariffs.
Plus, five years ago, a raging fire left Notre Dame in ruins. Now the legendary cathedral is close to reopening. We'll have a live report from Paris after the break. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRUNHUBER: The U.S. President issues a stern warning about Donald Trump's threat to impose steep tariffs on Canada and Mexico. It came as Joe and Jill Biden delivered pies on Thanksgiving Day.
CNN's Arlette Saenz has our report from Nantucket.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Joe Biden weighed in on President-elect Trump's tariff threats for the first time, saying he hopes he will rethink some of the tariffs he wants to impose on Canada and Mexico, warning that it could jeopardize U.S. relations with some of the country's closest allies.
President Biden was speaking to reporters as he visited a firehouse here in Nantucket, Massachusetts, really offering his first criticism of President-elect Donald Trump and his policy proposals since the November 5th election. Take a listen.
JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: I hope he rethinks it. I think it's a counterproductive thing to do. You know, look, one of the things you've heard me say before, that we have an unusual situation in America. We're surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean and two allies, Mexico and Canada. And the last thing we need to do is begin to screw up those relationships.
SAENZ: These comments from President Biden are significant and really serve as a reminder that he has very different views from President- elect Donald Trump about how to approach issues like the economy, trade and also relations with U.S. allies.
The president and Democrats during the campaign had warned that some of Trump's tariff threats would have inflationary impacts back at home, could potentially raise prices on goods across the board for Americans. But President Biden made these comments as he's spending the Thanksgiving holiday here in Nantucket, Massachusetts.
[03:20:05]
This is a bit of a family tradition for the Biden clan as they have been traveling to this island for decades now to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. But it is a poignant one as President Biden is preparing to leave office in January.
He placed a round of calls to troops who were serving overseas this Thanksgiving holiday away from their families, calling into bases across the world, including in Guam, Bahrain and also Saudi Arabia, trying to thank those U.S. service members for their time.
President Biden told reporters that he is most thankful this holiday season for a peaceful transfer of power for diplomatic efforts and also a hope that they could try to achieve more progress when it comes to the conflicts in the Middle East as Biden is trying to work towards a hostage and ceasefire deal in Gaza.
Arlette Saenz, CNN, traveling with the president in Nantucket, Massachusetts.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: So with those threats of tariffs looming and despite what Trump claims, Mexico's president is once again insisting that she never agreed to shut down the Mexico-U.S. border.
Claudia Sheinbaum spoke with the incoming U.S. president on Wednesday after Trump vowed to oppose a steep 25 percent tariff on Mexico until it cracks down on the crime and drugs he claims are flowing into the U.S.
CNN's Steve Contorno has details on the disconnect.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEVE CONTORNO, CNN SR. REPORTER: 24 hours after President-elect Donald Trump and Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum had a conversation by phone, there seems to be a disagreement over what exactly was said and agreed to.
Trump writing on Truth Social that, quote, "Mexico's president has agreed to stop migration through Mexico and into the United States, effectively closing our southern border." In a second post, Trump added "Mexico will stop people from going to our southern border effective immediately. This will go a long way toward stopping the illegal invasion of the USA. Thank you."
In a press conference on Thursday, though, Sheinbaum had a different interpretation of the call. She said, quote, "Everyone has their own way of communicating, but I can assure you I give you the certainty that we would never and we would be incapable of it to propose that we would close the border. It has never been our approach. And of course, we don't agree with that."
This all stems from Donald Trump's threat to put a 25 percent tariff on Mexican goods if the country doesn't do more to slow the flow of migrants and drugs across the U.S. southern border.
Now, it was not immediately clear what policy concessions Trump had actually won in his negotiation or if the Mexican president had promised enough to get rid of that threat of a 25 percent tariff.
When I asked the Trump transition team if that was the case, I did not immediately get a response.
Steve Contorno, CNN, West Palm Beach, Florida. (END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: French President Emmanuel Macron is set to tour Notre Dame Cathedral in about an hour. His visit comes one week before the historic building officially reopens, rising from the ashes after the devastating fire five years ago, which shook Parisians and the world.
CNN's Melissa Bell joins us now from Paris. So we're seeing live pictures of the cathedral there, Melissa, a moment of such symbolic importance to the country and more practically for tourism as well.
MELISSA BELL, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. And to the world, really, I remember just over five years ago, Kim, when the flames were coming out of this cathedral, how the whole world, it seemed, had tuned in to watch what was happening the few days afterwards when these huge wooden belts had to be put around huge parts of the structure to ensure that it would stay upright.
And in fact, today, as you mentioned, Emmanuel Macron comes for his seventh and final visit of this huge historic construction site. And it is next week that the cathedral will be officially reopened. But today the cameras will go in with him and we'll get our first glimpse of what a restored Notre Dame looks like. It's been an extraordinary labor of love.
More than five years, more than 2,000 men and women involved in the rebuilding of this cathedral, two years entirely spent, Kim, on just ensuring that the structure stayed upright. And it was only after that that the actual restoration and rebuilding could then continue.
And it's taken not just so many, many hundreds, couple of thousand men and women, but extraordinary, extraordinarily specialized skills, woodworkers, gilders, carpenters, stonemasons to restore the cathedral to its original glory with a few improvements, we understand as well.
So in a little while, we will go inside with the French president and see for the first time what the interior of the cathedral looks like. The actual reconstruction, the end of the works, though, isn't due until 2030.
[03:25:00]
What's remarkable, Kim, is that at the night of the fire, on the night of the fire, Emmanuel Macron had come and stood here on what they call the Parvis of Notre Dame to say, we will rebuild this cathedral and we will do so in five years.
Everyone had imagined that this was an act of folly, that it couldn't be done as quickly as it has. So the fact that they've managed to keep to the schedule a remarkable thing in itself.
And in a short while, we'll get to discover the interior of Notre Dame once again, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah, I can't wait to see that, Melissa Bell in Paris, I really appreciate that. Thank you so much. On a world first, the Australian parliament passes a ban on social media for kids under 16.
Plus, Israel and Hezbollah accuse each other of violating the ceasefire in Lebanon. But that truce now in its third day appears to be making an impact across the region. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is CNN NEWSROOM.
In what's regarded as a world first law, Australia has approved a social media ban for children under 16. Intense debate over the proposal gripped the nation for months. Parliament fast-tracked the legislation in its last sitting week of the year.
Now tech giants from Meta to TikTok will be required to stop minors from logging on or face fines of up to about 32 million U.S. dollars, the trial run begins in January. The Government has faced criticism over the speed of the laws passing, but Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the country is on the right track. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTHONY ALBANESE, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: Social media is doing harm to our children. And today as a direct result of our legislation passed through the Parliament yesterday through the Senate and confirmed in the House today, parents can have a different discussion with their young ones, a different discussion that will result in better outcomes and less harm for young Australians.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: With more on the ban and public reaction to it, CNN's Hanako Montgomery reports from Tokyo.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The way kids use social media is a growing concern for millions of parents worldwide. And Australia says it now has a solution.
A new law requires tech companies to take reasonable steps to block access to social media for users under 16 or face fines of up to 32 million U.S. dollars. The ban targets popular platforms among kids, including Snapchat, TikTok and Instagram, with the possibility of more being added to the list.
This is the world's toughest regulation to date aimed at protecting children from the harms of social media.
[03:30:00]
And the law follows a series of tragic cases where young people took their own lives because, according to their parents, they were bullied online.
At a press conference earlier on Friday, Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese emphasized the need to act.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: Look, the consequences I've met with parents have lost and buried their child. It's devastating. We can't as a government hear those messages from parents and say it's too hard.
MONTGOMERY: Now there's significant public support for the new law. A YouGov survey released earlier this week showed that 77 percent of Australians support the ban. But the country's parliament has been criticized for rushing the legislation.
The bill was introduced, debated, and passed within a week to meet the final parliamentary sitting of the year. Tech companies, including Meta, which owns Facebook urged the government to wait for more data before pushing the law through.
Also, there's the question of how this ban will be enforced. Critics say there are no guarantees at work and are also concerned about potential privacy risks. Even Albanese admitted that the rollout might not be perfect. But still, he said, it's better than nothing if it's to protect children.
Hanako Montgomery, CNN, Tokyo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: There is cautious optimism in Lebanon at this hour as the pivotal ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah appears to be holding by and large despite accusations of violations from both parties. The truce brings to an end more than 13 months of cross-border fighting. The truce in Lebanon has prompted world leaders to renew their efforts to end the war in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he's ready for a ceasefire in Gaza, quote, "at any moment." He says the conditions for a hostage deal have changed for the better, but he added that he's not ready to end the war there unless Hamas is completely dismantled.
Now earlier, I spoke with H.A. Hellyer, senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security Studies. I asked if he thinks the fragile truce in Lebanon will hold as its design permanently. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
H.A. HELLYER, SR. ASSOCIATE FELLOW, ROYAL UNITED SERVICES INSTITUTE FOR DEFENSE AND SECURITY STUDIES: I think the calculations around the, for at least within Israel, mean that it's quite positive in the short to medium term. We've seen the ceasefire be violated by the Israelis several times since it came into force.
You see these messages, you see these indications for the Israelis that they are ready to go back to all-out war on Lebanon if they don't feel it's happening in the south is frankly to their liking. So the question I think is going to be whether or not that calculus holds.
Again, I think it does because of the fact that you have the Trump administration coming in less than 60 days, a Trump administration that does not want to deal with another in the region. So I think that that's, you know, weighing very heavily in that regard.
I think you have the Lebanese, wanting a ceasefire, so that's of the issue. The issue will really be an internal Israeli issue, because there are very powerful voices within Israel that are keen to return to war, to actually expand the war on Lebanon.
But at the moment, the calculus from the Israeli leadership, from Benjamin Netanyahu, is we've gotten what we can get from Lebanon. Let's move into this phase and let's try to get as much as we can space and I think that is a good chance of that (inaudible).
BRUNHUBER: All right. So then do you see the ceasefire having any effect on the war in Gaza, I mean this leaves Hamas further isolated. Are we any closer to a ceasefire there do you think?
HELLYER: No, I don't think the slightest bit of impact on any ceasefire negotiation in Gaza, because there haven't been ceasefire negotiations in Gaza since at the very least November last year. What we've had since are hostage negotiations, but not ceasefire negotiations. These were all about the hostages. They weren't about ceasefires.
The Israelis are not interested in ceasefire in Gaza. The Israelis are not interested in leaving Gaza. When it comes to Lebanon. There's no real desire to hold the south of Lebanon, to occupy the south of Lebanon for any significant period of time, to settle the south of Lebanon. That's completely different when it comes to Gaza.
When it comes to Gaza, I don't think the IDF is leaving anytime soon. On the contrary, I find it more likely that the Israelis are going to expand their infrastructure on the ground. You see that in the Nasirim corridor. That seems to be expanding all the time.
[03:35:04]
When it comes to the north of the country, north of the Gaza Strip, it's completely cleared of Palestinians. They've been forcibly moved down south. And I think that you're likely to see settlement of Israeli outposts in the north at some point over the next year.
So no, I don't think there's any impact on a ceasefire within Gaza because it won't be one, I think that you know people talk about ceasefire negotiations the day after think we will have to be honest this is the day after, and they shall be ceasefire negotiations.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah. On the regional impact of the ceasefire for so the war has been spilling over regionally so I want to turn to Syria. Israel has stepped up its air strikes inside Syria against Iran-backed groups this week we saw Prime Minister Netanyahu warns Syria that was, quote, "playing with fire" if it failed to restrain Hezbollah. So now we're seeing rebel forces launching a major offensive capturing
territory from President Bashar Al Assad's Iran-backed forces for the first time in years. The timing of this, why do you think this is happening now?
HELLYER: I think that the Syrian rebel forces recognize, frankly, quite correctly, that Assad's regime is under tremendous pressure, that the so-called axis of resistance is weaker than what many gave it credit for, that the Iranians have not proven to be, at least in the short term, a backer that can actually come and save their clients in the event of a huge catastrophe. So we wait to see.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Russia has launched a massive drone attack on Ukraine for a second day in the row. The Ukrainian Air Force says more than 130 drones went after targets across the country overnight. A majority of them were shot down, but at least eight people were still injured.
The attack came after a major strike on Ukraine's energy system the night before, which left more than a million homes in the dark. Russia claims it also shot down more than 40 Ukrainian drones overnight.
The world is overloaded with plastic pollution and 200 countries are coming together to try to do something about it.
And, we'll tell you fears in Ghana that illegal gold mining is poisoning the water and hurting maternal health.
With all that and more coming up, stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRUNHUBER: The Global Plastic Summit is taking place in Busan, South Korea right now, with some 200 countries taking part. The goal? To come up with a landmark treaty to curb plastic pollution. The process caps two years of talks that have been stalled by deep divisions about what the treaty should look like.
Panama's representative outlined some of the challenges and the importance of what the summit is trying to achieve. Here he is.
[03:40:09]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JUAN CARLOS MONTERRY GOMEZ, SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR CLIMATE CHANGE, PANAMA: We are here because microplastics have been found in the placentas of healthy women, both on fetal and maternal sites. Think about that for a minute. We are literally raising a generation that starts its life polluted before taking its first breath. If that doesn't alarm us, what will?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Now the scale of the challenge is enormous. There are about 460 million tons of plastic produced annually, about half of which is designed for single use. And by 2050, there could be more plastic in the ocean than there are fish.
All right. For more now we go now to Graham Forbes in Seoul. He's the global plastics lead for Greenpeace and their head of delegation to the global plastics treaty negotiations. Thank you so much for being here with us. So these are the fifth round of talks. Not a lot has come out of the previous rounds. The aim for environmentalists would be caps on plastic production. So where do we stand right now?
GRAHAM FORBES, GLOBAL PLASTICS CAMPAIGN LEAD, GREENPEACE: Yeah, so after four and a half rounds of negotiations, essentially going in circles, we've just released, sort of the chair has just released his first draft of what the treaty could look like.
And this really is a once in a generation opportunity to protect human health, biodiversity, and the climate from the scourge of plastic production and plastic pollution.
And so what we're going to be looking for is ensuring that the ambitious countries step up and deliver a treaty that reduces the amount of plastic that we produce.
BRUNHUBER: What does that draft look like? Do we know?
FORBES: Yeah, so we just received it minutes ago, so the team is going through it with our allies, really to understand what's in it. But one thing I can tell you is that it includes a global target, a process to get to a global target to reduce plastic production. And this is the critical and single most important element of the entire agreement.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah, I mean, targets are one thing. It's another for the countries to actually agree to implement all this. How confident are you that in concrete terms things watch to get done?
FORBES: Well, I mean, it's going to be up to ambitious countries in the E.U. and the high ambition coalition to really put their money where their mouth is and hold the line for a strong plastics treaty that gets the job done. Everyone knows scientists, civil society isn't completely united on the reality that to end plastic pollution, you have to stop making so much plastic.
BRUNHUBER: You talked about the high ambition coalition. The U.S. was in line with some of those goals from that coalition in terms of backing that plastic production cap. The U.S. produces more plastic waste than any other country. So that was the Biden administration. But now with Donald Trump's election, you know, all that could change.
FORBES: Yeah, well, you know, we're here in Busan and plastic pollution affects every single person no matter which side of the political spectrum you're on. And the reality is we have to deal with this problem.
Plastics are accelerating climate change, threatening human health, and poisoning our ecosystems around the world. And so regardless of who's president, it's going to be up to world leaders, including the U.S., to show leadership and stand up for the type of agreement that actually addresses the issue and protects people on the planet.
BRUNHUBER: In terms of roadblocks, I was reading according to the Center for International Environmental Law, there are more plastic industry lobbyists than representatives from the various countries. So, similar to what we've seen with climate change talks that ended recently, there's so much financial pressure against getting any meaningful action. What are you seeing?
FORBES: Well, I mean, that is the dynamic, you know, in these negotiations are really flooded with fossil fuel lobbyists representing companies that are looking backwards. And so that's the pressure that negotiators are going to be under and they're going to have to make a choice.
Are they going to stand up for their citizens, public health and the public interest, or are they going to kind of cower to short term interests of what industries that are just fundamentally going to need to transition if we're going to have a livable planet?
BRUNHUBER: So I had said earlier, you know, we're potentially facing a world with more plastic in the ocean than fish. I mean, that's just, you know, truly frightening. In terms of the scale of what the world is facing here, maybe to convince people that might be skeptical otherwise, you know, forget about the environmental damage, the effect to human health.
What is that if we are sort of overwhelmed by plastics?
[03:45:03]
FORBES: Yeah, I mean, I'm glad you opened the segment with the intervention from the delegate from Panama, because I think he said it very well. We are poisoning our people before they are even born. Plastics is found in our brains and our bloods in every aspect of our Oregon's. And it's really we're seeing increases in strokes and cancers and these types of really destructive diseases.
And so we have a huge opportunity here. And that's really what I think we want to remind people we have not been trying to address this problem. And with this opportunity to come up with international rules to deal with what is an international problem is something that doesn't come along often.
And so we want negotiators and member states to really feel that pressure and feel what's at stake and show the courage to do the right thing because their legacy really depends on it. And we want them to stand up and push back on short-term interests for a handful of companies and CEOs.
BRUNHUBER: All right, well, the talks continue until December 1st, so we'll see what is agreed by the end. Graham Forbes, really appreciate having you on. Thank you so much.
FORBES: Thank you.
Gold prices have broken record after record this year, rising more than 30 percent in 2024.
The West African nation of Ghana is the largest gold producer on the continent, but alongside its legitimate mining industry, illegal small-scale mining is booming. Locals fear it's poisoning their water supplies and devastating forests.
BRUNHUBER: Reporting for CNN's "As Equals" series, Larry Madowo explores the potentially devastating impact of Ghana's gold rush.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The sound of the gold rush in Ghana, where a multi-billion dollar industry gets around 40 percent of its gold production from small-scale mining. But people here are raising the alarm over potentially devastating consequences.
MADOWO: This is the reality of the environmental catastrophe that is Galamsey, illegal gold mining. So much of the land is dug up and destroyed, hoping to strike gold. And this water makes its way right back into communities that have no alternative.
MADOWO (voice-over): Locals, including female miners, here in Western Ghana fear the brown, murky water that now flows in these rivers is contaminated by the mining process. They believe it is poisoning them and their unborn children.
MADOWO: Do you drink that water?
DIANA AGYEIWAA, SAMREBOI, GHANA RESIDENT: No, seriously no. Because I fear for my life. I fear that if I give that water to her, she may die.
MADOWO (voice-over): Diana Agyeiwaa says other mothers and babies in the community have been affected.
AGYEIWAA: I met one woman. When she delivered the baby, the nurse was somehow half. I've seen a lot of deformities on her babies.
MADOWO (voice-over): Scientists in Ghana have begun studying the potential impact of illegal small-scale mining on maternal health. No definitive links have been found but across the world the impact of heavy metals such as mercury used in mining on maternal health have been documented by scientists.
MADOWO: When you measured the concentration of heavy metals within these fetuses what did you find?
DR. LAWRENCE AGYEMANG, MEDICAL OFFICER, KOMFO ANOKYE TEACHING HOSPITAL: We found enormous numbers of these heavy metals, including mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium.
MADOWO: And what was the effect of the heavy metals on the actual fetuses?
AGYEMANG: Bad. We saw very bad representations with babies with gross abnormalities, like a shrunken head. MADOWO (voice-over): The World Health Organization says exposure to
mercury, even small amounts, may cause serious health problems and is a threat to development of the child.
But in Ghana, miners like Sarah Akusa, who wears plastic in an attempt to protect herself, say there's no other option to earn a living.
I know very well that the chemicals can be very harmful, but we don't have a choice, she says. We have to force and keep up with what we're doing. When you get sick, you go to the hospital, get medication and then you come back and continue with the work. Because when you stop, there's nothing for you to do.
And thanks to an increase in the price of gold, the economic benefits are clear.
MADOWO: How much was this gold you just bought?
UNKNOWN: 3,300.
MADOWO (voice-over): That's about 200 U.S. dollars.
MADOWO: And it's very tiny. Where did you get it from?
UNKNOWN: Oh, I got it from Desgalamisi.
MADOWO (voice-over): Protests over the illegal mining have called out the harmful impact on the water supply's millions dependent.
[03:50:06]
The government says it is working on solutions including teaching safer mining practices, providing mercury-free processing machines and alternative livelihoods.
MARTIN AYISI, CEO, MINERALS COMMISSION OF GHANA: These are things that will not be achieved overnight.
MADOWO (voice-over): The CEO of Ghana's Minerals Commission agrees there is a problem.
AYISI: All the work has been done by our scientists. They've taken samples from some of these water bodies and that reports that heavy metals are all over the place.
MADOWO (voice-over): Ghana's military was deployed recently to shut down illegal mines, but the task is immense. Mining used to legally take place in about five regions. It's now in about 13, he says.
AYISI: So it's part of our idea and it's like coffee or tea in Kenya, but it will be mining all these years.
MADOWO (voice-over): But the scientist leading the research into the impact on women and children told CNN, Ghana faces an existential threat if illegal mining at this scale continues. MADOWO: The extent of illegal gold mining in Ghana, or Galamsey as
it's called, is so great that security services can't stop it. They are digging up almost everywhere hoping to strike gold. The environmental devastation speaks for itself. It's chilling.
But the impact on maternal health, on women, that is only starting to be studied now. But the early results are concerning to researchers, to scientists, and they say something has to be done urgently.
Larry Madowo, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: All right, still to come here on CNN. A group of robotics engineers say they developed an A.I-powered solution to challenging task out at sea. We'll explain that after the break. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Well have a look at this. Paleontologists in Peru have unearthed the fossil of an ancient crocodile believed to be more than 10 million years old. It is thought to be a young specimen of a gharial type crocodilian that was likely three to four meters long.
Adults of the species could grow up to nine meters in length. While it once inhabited Peru and neighboring countries, this type of crocodile no longer exists on the entire American continents and is now only found in Asia. The discovery was made in fossil-rich desert regions of Peru and is notably well preserved, missing only parts of the animal's left limb and tail.
The first North Atlantic right whale calf of the season has been spotted off the coast of the Carolinas. The young whale was seen alongside three potential mothers, with researchers unsure which of the older whales the calf belongs to.
Wildlife advocates the sighting is cause for hope, given the species is nearing extinction, mainly due to human interaction. It's estimated that only about 370 of the massive creatures remain, including fewer than 70 reproductively active females.
Offshore wind turbines are a great source of sustainable energy, but these giant structures are often stationed out at sea in windy areas with choppy waters, which makes maintenance a challenge. Well, now a team of robotics engineers may have created an A.I.-powered solution.
Michael Holmes tells us more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Off the shores of the United Kingdom, more than 2,600 wind turbines are generating power for millions of homes. But what if they need maintenance?
[03:55:06] Accessing them through the often turbulent North Sea can be challenging. This underwater robot is engineered to withstand these rough waters, designed specifically to inspect and repair offshore wind farms.
YVAN PETILOT, NATIONAL ROBOTARIUM ACADEMIC LEAD: We have a sonar here. And that robot is able to navigate autonomously around structures. And effectively build 3D models of the structure that can enable you to inspect them, to navigate around them, and to detect any defects in the structures.
HOLMES (voice-over): These A.I.-powered robots are part of the Underwater Intervention for Offshore Renewable Energies project. The robots create detailed 3D underwater maps, helping them navigate offshore structures and identify parts in need of maintenance.
JONATAN SCHARFF WILLNERS, CEO. FRONTIER ROBOTS: Artificial intelligence is mainly a big autonomy engine that is analyzing the environment to see where should the robot go next to make, collect good data about the environment and how to autonomously navigate between these different places and also utilize the environment to its advantage.
HOLMES (voice-over): Using data from its sensors and images from its camera, the robot stays operational even in the rough, dark waters of the North Sea.
WILLNERS: In places in the U.K. and especially in the North Sea the visibility is usually very poor. So that's when it really matters for the safety of the robot and for the safety of the assets.
HOLMES (voice-over): If this robot performs as expected, the project managers say it could deliver data insights in just three hours, much faster than the current industry standard of three weeks.
Michael Holmes, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Well, Thanksgiving is often considered an American holiday, but it was celebrated in the Mexican border city of Juarez. A local church offered migrants and the homeless a free Thanksgiving meal on Thursday, and they expressed their gratitude, especially migrants who'd been on long and challenging journeys toward the border.
Many people are aiming for these border towns in hopes of securing entry into the U.S. and getting their taste in the American dream. They fear the regulations will become far stricter when President- elect Donald Trump, who's vowed to stop the quote, "migrant invasion," comes into office.
All right, thanks so much for joining me. I'm Kim Brunhuber, in Atlanta. News continues with Anna Coren in Hong Kong after a short break.
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