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India's Missing International Aid for COVID-19; Brazil Investigates Bolsonaro's COVID-19 Management; Ukraine's Sea of Troubles; Netanyahu Misses Deadline to Form New Government; Out of Control Chinese Rocket Streaking Back to Earth. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired May 05, 2021 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
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BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): Tonight, a devastating new prediction: India could be facing a staggering number of cases and deaths
over the next few weeks.
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MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: As Russian forces pull back their troops back from the border of Ukraine, they're redeploying
naval forces here into the sea coast of Azov.
ANDERSON (voice-over): CNN gets rare access to Ukraine's tiny navy, challenging Russia's mighty fleet.
And with exclusive footage, we see how doctors in Myanmar are trading their jobs for guns. Details ahead.
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ANDERSON: A very good evening, it is 6:00 pm in Abu Dhabi, I'm Becky Anderson, welcome to the program.
While the present is bleak, the future could get a lot worse. A new model paints a sobering picture of the startlingly upward trajectory of COVID-19
cases and deaths in India coming just as the World Health Organization says one-quarter of all global COVID-19 deaths in the past week and nearly half
of all new cases happened in India.
Now the Indian Institute of Science predicts, if current trends continue, the number of COVID deaths will nearly double to over 400,000 in about a
month, with cases more than doubling to almost 50 million by then. CNN's Vedika Sud is on the ground in New Delhi.
This is a shocking headline, a doubling of COVID cases and deaths by mid- June unless the government acts now.
What more do we know at this point?
VEDIKA SUD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Becky, more than shocking, it's worrying, given you know how grim the situation already is on the ground.
Now to put it very briefly, what this study means, if it's anything to go by, the deaths will be almost double of where it stands today, which is
226,000 deaths already and more than that and the case load would be more than two times its existing numbers as it stands today.
Now what the study also mentions is if there's a lockdown and if it's a 15- day lockdown, the number of deaths could come down to 300,000 and that's not really very encouraging at this point in time.
And if there is a longer lockdown, the cases and the deaths could go down further. But the prime minister of India has made it very clear, as of now,
that there will be no lockdown or rather it should be the last resort for India.
Becky, you already know that we have been reporting on the possibility of deaths and the caseload being under reported in India. At a time like this,
we talk about the staggering numbers you just mentioned, so of course, this is a concern.
The health ministry has said there could be a third wave and they should be preparing for that. We have so much going on in the country already,
there's a possibility of a third wave as well and now the staggering numbers we have just spoken about, Becky.
ANDERSON: And we should point out that a number of states are expected to go into complete lockdown in the coming days.
You rightly point out that the prime minister has said, and I quote, "In today's situation, we have to save the country from lockdown. I would
request states to use it as their last option. We have to try and avoid lockdowns and focus only on the containment zones."
That's prime minister Modi's response to what's going on.
Vedika, dozens of countries, meantime, have been pledging aid to India; Ventilators, drugs and oxygen, we know, is arriving. The problem is, much
of it isn't getting to where it's needed.
Why?
SUD: Well, the horrors are logistical as well as inventory issues, is what the health ministry says.
What we do know from the health ministry is it took about seven days to get the SOPs in place to understand how to get this huge aid coming in, in
millions of, you know, oxygen supplies, as well as medicines and other things needed by India.
It took them seven days to get their SOPs in place and now they say the inventories in most of the cases don't match. So what they have been
assured by foreign aid is not what they're getting on the ground.
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SUD: Because they once again have to get into the counting process, because of which, in Delhi and other places while we do see those images,
we see the government waiting. We see embassies associated with India tweeting about all of that aid coming to India. You have those photographs.
You have those visuals.
But just compare that to those people gasping all around India for breath. They're still not getting supplies of oxygen at this point in time. And
that's the worry.
So yes, they say it's a logistical issue. There are different ministries involved to solve this problem. But as of now, we know that central
government hospitals are the ones who have got that supply for now across India; private hospitals and smaller hospitals are still waiting for that
aid to get to them.
ANDERSON: Vedika Sud, thank you.
The Indian government has issued a strong denial about any aid delays on the ground, though many doctors and state officials say there has been no
communication from the government about when and how states will receive relief.
As Clarissa Ward reports, this is just the latest consequential misstep when it comes to prime minister Modi's pandemic leadership.
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CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As a raging pandemic tore across the country, thousands flocked to the streets
for political rallies with hardly a mask in sight. At one gathering, India's prime Minister, Narendra Modi, praised the turnout.
"I've never seen such a huge crowd at a rally." On that same day more than 260,000 cases of COVID were recorded in India. Shortly after, millions of
worshippers were allowed to congregate for the end of the weeks long Hindu Kumbh Mela pilgrimage. After all, Modi had already declared victory against
COVID.
NARENDRA MODI, PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA (through translator): In a country where 18 percent of the world population lives, we averted a major tragedy
by effectively controlling the coronavirus. We saved mankind from a big disaster by saving our citizens from the pandemic.
WARD: As a second wave of coronavirus ravages this country, those words have come back to haunt Modi. Critics accuse him of putting his political
interests ahead of the health of the nation.
YAMINI AIYAR, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE, CENTRE FOR POLICY RESEARCH: We didn't even ask the question of what we needed to do, based on learning
from this last year in the event that we have a second wave, a second wave was never off the table. You just have to look around the world. You don't
have to be scientist to say that.
We did nothing. Instead, we celebrated a bit to prematurely Indian exceptionalism.
WARD: Now India's healthcare system is on the brink of collapse. Shortages of everything from doctors and drugs to beds and oxygen after years of
neglect.
It was always going to be difficult to contain the spread of COVID here in India. This is a densely populated country of nearly 1. 4 billion people.
The Indian government is blaming the rapid spread on this new double mutant variant and it says that it warned states to remain vigilant.
Still, many doctors agree that the devastating toll of this second wave could have been mitigated, with better preparations and a coordinated
response. Assured of victory against the virus, India began exporting in the vaccines it was producing instead of inoculating its own population.
How much responsibility does Prime Minister Modi bare for this?
AIYAR: He is the prime minister of the country. He takes full responsibility for all that we do good and all that goes wrong.
WARD: Do you think this will have an impact on his popularity?
AIYAR: I think as of now what we have seen especially over the last three weeks, is complete policy abdication and certainly, I hope, that we hold
our government accountable for what we are seeing today.
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WARD (on camera): The government has announced a raft of measures to try to combat this crisis including drafting medical students to help doctors
getting the navy involved, getting the air force involved.
But some are saying simply that it's too little too late. And while it's not clear what the political fallout might be for Prime Minister Modi,
people are saying here that this problem is not going away. One state health minister warning that there could be a third wave on the horizon --
Clarissa Ward, CNN, New Delhi.
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ANDERSON: Well, Clarissa referenced how religious festivals last month poured fuel on to what is this fire of crisis and yet, despite the
explosion of cases, another festival drew huge crowds on Tuesday.
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ANDERSON: Thirty people were arrested in the country's Ahmedabad district after a procession took place to carry water to a temple.
The religious belief is that all problems can be solved by carrying water to the temple with the hope that it would bring relief from the pandemic.
Most of those pictured were not wearing masks or social distancing.
With little light in sight, the World Trade Organization is meeting today to discuss temporarily dropping the intellectual property waiver that
enables developing countries to make their own version of COVID vaccines. And we will dive into that with a special guest in the next hour.
In light of the devastation in India, crowds in neighboring Pakistan are raising concerns of superspreader events there.
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ANDERSON (voice-over): Here you see thousands of Shiite Muslims, many without masks at a religious procession in Pakistan on Tuesday. That's
despite a federal ban on gatherings and government officials pleas with religious leaders to cancel the event.
Pakistan struggling with a third wave of COVID-19, which now tops 800,000 cases and 18,000 reported deaths.
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ANDERSON: Well, it's beyond India's borders, also impacting diplomatic circles. India's foreign minister announcing that he will attend today's G7
meeting virtually, despite traveling to London for that meeting.
The foreign minister says he's been made aware of possible exposure to the coronavirus and is acting with caution to protect others.
Well, that three-day G7 meeting is wrapping up. To connect us to what came out of it, let's bring in Scott McLean in London.
Before we do that, Scott, it sometimes nobody escapes India's COVID catastrophe, right at the center of things in what is this extended G7
gathering.
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, perhaps shouldn't be that surprising, considering the massive numbers of cases coming out of India
and the number of deaths coming with it. It seems like nobody is immune.
In this case, this is the Indian external affairs minister, saying that, because of possible exposures to positive cases, he's going to sit out his
next meetings; not sit out but at least do them virtually and not in person, which was, of course, the big draw of this G7 foreign minister
summit, the first one that they have been able to hold in person in two years.
He had met with British home secretary Priti Patel on Monday. Yesterday he had met or yesterday -- excuse me -- on Monday he had met with U.S.
secretary of state Antony Blinken. The State Department said that the U.S. delegation didn't have to worry because of the masking protocols, social
distancing protocols that they have been taking. So there was really no risk there.
A senior British diplomat said some version of the same, saying that the strict COVID protocols are essentially why they're there. Becky.
At the G7, we have seen a lots of elbow bumps, we have seen a lot of social distancing; glass dividers between desks at meetings. This morning there
was a trilateral meeting between the Americans, Japanese and South Koreans, where you saw a dozen or so diplomats sitting in a room that, under normal
circumstances, at least from the pictures, you might expect to be able to fit a 100-200 people inside of it. Certainly a sign of the times.
And just for a little more context, Becky, obviously the U.K. right now, it's very difficult to travel for almost everybody without a good reason.
But by and large in general, foreign diplomats are exempt from the very strict rules that apply to the rest of us in terms of quarantining,
testing, that kind of thing.
The things they do need to do, though, is they need to take a test before they leave. So we can presume the Indian delegation would have done that
and, with few exceptions, would have needed to be tested on day two and eight of their stay, depending on how long they stay. They likely won't get
to day eight, Becky.
ANDERSON: Fascinating. Scott McLean is on the story.
Political complacency, a common threat to devastating COVID outbreaks. That's certainly the suggestion in India. And Brazil's national congress
has finally started its inquiry into how president Jair Bolsonaro has handled the pandemic there.
Former health minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta gave the opening testimony and he is one of several health ministers who had served during the
pandemic. He didn't directly accuse Mr. Bolsonaro of mishandling the pandemic but he talked about the lack of a public communication plan during
the early days.
And he said the president was warned about the consequences of ignoring signs. President Bolsonaro is facing calls for impeachment but he has
dismissed the inquiry a, quote, "an off-season carnival." He has not public commented on Mandetta's testimony.
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ANDERSON: Later in the week we are expected to hear from the current health minister and the head of the agency that authorizes vaccines and
other long serving health ministers.
Brazil has reported more than 411,000 deaths so far. That is the second highest death toll in the world.
We were just talking about the G7 and the fact that Russia has been front and center at that meeting. So let's next dig deeper into accusations from
Ukraine about Russian aggression.
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CHANCE (voice-over): We gained rare access to a Ukraine coastal patrol, setting out in high seas to challenge what they say is Russia's illegal
naval cordon, something Moscow rejects.
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CNN's Matthew Chance will join me live from Kiev with more on that and a new interview.
Plus Israel's prime minister says, I can't do it. For a look at who could be up next to try to form a government and their chances of getting of that
done.
And don't look for Donald Trump's Facebook page anytime soon. What's behind the social media giant's decision to keep the president off its platform.
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ANDERSON: Fist bumps, face masks and global threats; as we have been reporting, the G7 foreign ministers are wrapping up their meeting in London
today, the authoritarian influence of Beijing and the Kremlin looming large on their agenda. U.S. secretary of state Antony Blinken looking to bolster
support for Ukraine when he heads there in a few hours.
And Kiev needs it. Moscow beefing up its navy along the edge of Russian- annexed Crimea. The Kremlin says it's just military exercises. But in an exclusive interview, the Ukrainian foreign minister said he is gravely
concerned about "the creeping annexation" of the Sea of Azov.
Matthew gained access to the Ukrainian coastal patrol to see how rough that sea can be.
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CHANCE (voice-over): This is a first glimpse of Putin's latest armada, bristling with weapons in disputed waters between Russia and Ukraine. The
Kremlin says these are just naval exercises. But the missiles are real and, for Ukraine, so is the threat. Ukrainian vessels on the strategic Sea of
Azov have been warned to steer clear.
CHANCE: Ready on board?
No, I'll do it.
CHANCE (voice-over): But we gained rare access to a Ukrainian coastal patrol setting out in high seas, to challenge what they say is Russia's
illegal naval cordon, something Moscow rejects. Recent weeks, Ukrainian navy says its boats have been harassed by Russia, with Moscow shifting its
military focus.
So, we've come out here to the very rough sea of Azov, as you can see as Russian forces pull back their troops from the border of Ukraine, there
really deploying naval forces here into the Sea of Azov. Raising concerns in Ukraine and around the world that the military pressure they are
applying on Ukraine from the land has now moved to the sea.
The commander of the patrol boat tells me how Russian forces are increasingly behaving aggressively. "Blocking access" he says, "to what
should be shared even stopping what our routine coastal patrols."
On cue, the Russians make radio contact.
"This is Boat 444," says the message, "reminding you to keep a safe distance, confirming you're receiving," the Russian voice commander.
"Received," a Ukrainian sailor responds, "we are proceeding according to plan."
All right. So, we've come to a stop now, you heard the captain there say there is a Russian ship in horizon. You can just see it over there, it's a
Russian coast guard ship. We are about two nautical miles away, which is just over two regular miles.
And we can't go any closer, because if we do, there could be some interception by the Russians to us. So I think Ukrainian coast guard want
to avoid that.
It wouldn't be the first naval clash in the region. This is the extraordinary moment the Russian coast guard rammed a Ukrainian tugboat in
the area back in 2018. Russian ships also fired on Ukrainian naval vessels, seizing three and escalating tensions in the seas of Crimea, annexed from
Ukraine in 2014.
American ships have been challenged too, this low pass by a Russian warplane witness from the deck of a U.S. Destroyer earlier this year. Now
tensions on the seas are ratcheting up once more.
This heightened alert on dry land too, at the Ukrainian port of Mariupol, we saw these marines on force protection drills. Naval officials say new
Russian deployments at sea are forcing them to step up security and plan for a Russian attack.
ROMAN GONCHARENKO, CAPTAIN, UKRAINIAN NAVY: In the last two weeks it became more dangerous.
CHANCE: More dangerous?
GONCHARENKO: Yes. Because the Russian Federation sent to the Black Sea.
CHANCE: Yes.
GONCHARENKO: -- several landing ships from the Baltics and the North Sea.
CHANCE: So, the Russians have sent landing ships --
GONCHARENKO: Landing ships.
CHANCE: -- into the Sea of Azov and to the Black Sea.
GONCHARENKO: Yes.
CHANCE: They are saying that that's for exercises though. Yes?
GONCHARENKO: Officially it's for exercises. But these ships are still here --
CHANCE: Yes.
GONCHARENKO: -- in this area. And in our vision, it can be dangerous for this area.
CHANCE: Back on the coastal patrol boat, we changed course safely away from the Russian fleet.
What happens if we don't turn?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not good. I don't have --
CHANCE: Not good. Not good.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's maybe not good.
CHANCE: Not good at all when Ukraine feel so threatened on this turbulent sea of trouble.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: That's extraordinary access. Matthew is back from the high seas, standing by for us now in Kiev.
And, Matthew, just in the past couple of hours, you've had a chance to catch up with the Ukrainian foreign minister.
What did he tell you?
CHANCE: Well, we spoke, first of all, Becky, about that trip that I just came back from to the east of the country, to the Sea of Azov, where
Ukraine's small naval force, that it's been left with after many of its combat ships were seized by Russia back in 2014, is facing off against this
increasingly large Russian fleet.
[10:25:00]
CHANCE: That's been gathering in the Black Sea region and in the Sea of Azov, which is connected to the Black Sea. He doesn't believe at all -- and
that's a view shared by many Ukrainian officials -- that these are just exercises. In fact, he told me the Ukrainians are very worried indeed about
what Russia might be planning.
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DMYTRO KULEBA, UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Gravely concerned; I think every country would be extremely concerned seeing how hundreds and
thousands of troops and heavy military machinery is being amassed along the border in (INAUDIBLE) on the Sea of Azov.
This is a low hanging fruit for Russia because, basically, after the illegal annexation of Crimea and the takeover of the control over the Kerch
Strait, Russia can conduct this creeping annexation of the Sea of Azov. And it's constantly reinforcing its military presence there and disrupting
trade rules. So this is a big problem for us.
CHANCE: But the Russians say these are just military exercises, both the naval drills and the maneuvers on land, on the western part of Russia near
the Ukrainian border. They're just exercises, they don't affect anyone. That's what the Kremlin says.
Aren't we in danger of overstating the threat that Russia poses right now?
KULEBA: When Green Men appeared in Crimea in 2014, Russia claimed these were not their soldiers, that it was not Russia. And yet, the peninsula was
illegally occupied by Russian military forces. So at least, today, they admit that it's them.
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CHANCE: Becky, the foreign minister said, even if they are exercises, they are rehearsals for potentially offensive action. And so they're still very
worried about that possibility as well, Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes, the perceived threats of Russia to the West, one of the topics at G7 this week, a meeting that's, of course, wrapping up in London
now. And Antony Blinken, the U.S. secretary of state, who attended that meeting, now on his way to Ukraine.
What do authorities there hope that he might achieve on this trip?
CHANCE: Well, I mean, it's his first trip as secretary of state to Ukraine. What Ukrainian officials are saying, even that in itself sends an
important message that Ukraine and its standoff with Russia and its battle against Russian-backed rebels in the east is a high priority for the White
House.
And so they're welcoming that. But they're also looking for a much closer strategic relationship with the United States. They want the United States
to treat Ukraine as what they call an eastern outpost of democracy.
The foreign ministry said to me earlier, for thousands of kilometers to the east, it's nothing but undemocratic states. We are the sort of final
frontier, if you like, for the values and the international system of laws that the United States and the Biden says that it wants to support.
ANDERSON: Fascinating. Thank you, Matthew. Matthew is in Kiev.
Antony Blinken, the U.S. secretary of state, on his way from London. A lot going on.
And you can add a rocket falling out of the sky to your list of things to worry about this weekend. Just ahead, issues about a Chinese rocket that
will soon become an enormous piece of space debris. More on that in a moment.
And a little later, Scotland heads to the polls on Thursday with an election with profound consequences. I'll explain after this.
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ANDERSON: Welcome back.
I'm sorry to say, here's something you have heard before. The deadline for Benjamin Netanyahu has come and gone. He has been trying to get a
government formed with no luck. Now he has sent the not so simple task to Israel's president, Reuven Rivlin, who will have to choose a political
leader who can form -- or he hopes at least can form -- a coalition government.
Joining us is Hadas Gold with a closer look of what is Israel's political quagmire.
Our viewers will feel a sense of deja vu. And politics in Israel, we know, is a messy sport; 28 days and no conclusion for Benjamin Netanyahu.
So what's been happening since?
HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Just a few minutes before midnight is when Netanyahu sent the message to the president that he was unable to form a
government. Today the president, he's met with leaders of the other party, including a leader of the centrist party, Yair Lapid, as well as the leader
of the smaller right wing party, Naftali Bennett.
Most political watchers believe that the president will offer the mandate to Yair Lapid because not only did his party get the second highest number
of votes but, from my count, he has 50 members of Parliament supporting him, getting the mandate to form the next government.
Despite the fact that Yair Lapid might be the one to get the mandate, all eyes are actually on Naftali Bennett. One source close to the negotiations
told CNN that if Lapid gets the mandate, he will be able to form a government as soon as Bennett says so.
So Naftali Bennett has been the belle of the ball of Israeli politics over the last few days If you remember, Benjamin Netanyahu also offered Bennett
a prime minister rotation deal, which is also what apparently Lapid is offering.
So we may find ourselves, in the next month, if they are able to form a government, in a situation where a leader of a party with fewer than 10
seats in the Israeli parliament could potentially be the next prime minister.
We are still waiting for the Israeli president to formally offer the mandate. Then Lapid has his own 28 days to try to form a government. And
while all of this is happening, until a new government is formed, Becky, Benjamin Netanyahu remains as prime minister.
ANDERSON: The peculiarity of Israeli politics -- and we have been doing this, now, for two years. It's a big if, isn't it, of course, as to whether
they're actually able to form a government because, if they don't, one has to assume we are inching towards what would be a fifth election.
GOLD: Many Israelis believe there will be a fifth election. They don't seem to have a lot of confidence this will happen. As you noted, to form a
government, he will have to bring together quite disparate political parties. They might all be united in this sort of anti-Netanyahu bloc.
It's not clear they would be able to form a governing majority. Some within the party and close to him believe that Yair Lapid would be able to do so
if Naftali Bennett joins them.
But it would be a very interesting government, like I said, with parties sitting together across the political spectrum. Again, if they fail, the
president could send the mandate back to the parliament and see if the parliament can recommend somebody.
But if that also fails or he chooses not to do so, we are headed towards an unprecedented fifth election. It's hard to believe there could be a fifth
one but that seems to be -- or it could be the direction that we are headed in.
[10:35:00]
ANDERSON: Hadas Gold in Jerusalem, thank you.
Next up, like all politicians watching their polls will know, what goes up must come down and that applies to rockets.
What's got scientists so worried about this one, who's up next?
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ANDERSON: Don't look now, but a 22 ton Chinese rocket is barreling back toward the Earth's atmosphere. The rocket launched last week and the
Pentagon is now tracking it.
As of now, though, scientists have absolutely no idea where chunks of this space debris might end up this weekend.
Will Ripley, quite frankly, something new to worry about. This rocket's debris expected to hit Earth in what is described as the biggest
uncontrolled crash in history and no one knows where. Just explain how that's possible and how concerned we should be.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this thing, as you said, 22 tons, that is equivalent, Becky, to one-fifth of the size of the Statue of
Liberty in the U.S. if you subtract the base. You've got this massive piece of debris hurtling around the Earth at 18,000 miles an hour.
One hour can make a difference between it landing in one spot or another 18,000 miles away. So scientists say they just won't have any way of
predicting because this thing is essentially spiraling out of control at this incredibly fast speed. They don't know where it's going to hit.
You can look at past rocket entries and odds are it goes down in an ocean somewhere. Most of the world is covered with water. The Pacific Ocean here,
this part of the region where I am, it's the biggest ocean. We might have better odds of it going down in the water here.
But it also could go down in other places. Imagine if some of the pieces of the rocket that doesn't burn up upon reentry, large chunks, like a 12-meter
pipe that hit a village, there wasn't serious damage or injuries back then.
What if something like that happened but bigger here in Hong Kong or in Abu Dhabi or Dubai or New York?
It could be destructive potentially. But the scientists are saying that we should not be warning people that we're close to the end of days here.
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: How much notice are people going to get here?
RIPLEY: Two hours, three hours, I mean, they're not going to know until the impact is almost imminent. We don't want to make -- we don't want to
terrify people here. Yes, there's a tiny chance that you could be impacted by this somewhere around the world where you live.
[10:40:00]
RIPLEY: But you are far more likely to get injured by opening your front door and walking out and going to work or getting behind the wheel of your
car, struck by lightning. There's so many other things that could happen that are more likely than this Chinese Long March 5B rocket landing in your
neighborhood.
But it is just one of those things, it's like a sci-fi movie meets reality, where people have this fear about things coming down from space. And so
we'll see.
And you know, Becky, they're not done launching rockets like this. This was just the first module of China's planned space station. They're going to be
making more launches because they don't plan on having this completed until the end of 2022.
So all eyes are going to be on this weekend. It could hit, either starting May 8th, May 9th, which would be Mother's Day, or even May 10th, which is a
day I don't want to speak about because I'm turning an age I can't believe I'm turning, 40 years old.
Imagine if the rocket came and hit me, put me out of my misery.
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: You're a youngster yet, let me tell you. Let's be quite clear. As you rightly point out, as you look at the map, there's an awful lot of
sea on that map. So the likelihood, scientists say, is that this will land in a, you know, in a very safe place away from the rest of us.
(CROSSTALK)
RIPLEY: If you're going to place a bet, your bet I think your safe bet is an ocean.
ANDERSON: Good. Well, I'm not a betting woman and I know you're not, either, but look, let's just assume it is at this point and that means
we'll sleep and happy birthday if I don't speak to you before.
Thanks, Will.
Stop looking skyward for a moment, 200 years, that is how long the border between Belgium and France has been in place now, since the defeat of
Napoleon, in fact, that is until this stone ended the picture.
It lies on the property of a Belgian farmer who for some reason found it a nuisance, so he moved it two meters or so. That nudge, inadvertently,
shifted the border with France, making his country bigger and France smaller.
Turns out the stone is part of a series of border markers that have been placed -- or certainly have been in place since 1819. Both countries
actually thought it was funny and no worries about the accidental land grab; the border going back to where it belongs.
Well, here's a question for all of you basketball fans out there.
What's the one way to stop Steph Curry?
Turn out the lights, apparently. That's exactly what happened on Tuesday night in New Orleans, Curry had just gone for a 3-pointer when the lights
went out.
Was it sabotage?
Nobody knows but Curry's Golden State Warriors were winning before the blackout and they eventually lost the game.
(WORLD SPORTS)
ANDERSON: Amazing stuff. Amanda Davies has "WORLD SPORT" after this break. We'll be back top of the hour.
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