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India's Tourist Hot Spot Now a Coronavirus Hot Spot; CNN Witnesses India's Holiest City Scrambling to Cremate the Dead; UK Withdraws Patrol Boats After French Protest Ends; Chinese Space Debris Crashing Into Earth In Next Day or So. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired May 07, 2021 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[10:00:19]
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CLARISSA WARD, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Varanasi's main crematorium has been so overwhelmed by the number of deaths that the city
has had to set of sort of a makeshift crematorium. You can see it up here. This is just for COVID deaths.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNNI ANCHOR: Tonight, apocalyptic numbers. CNN teams show you why India is being described as hell on earth.
And that means places like this, some of the most beautiful in the world, are now some of the most infected. We are in Goa for you this hour.
And see that massive tiny dot. It's a massive chunk of space debris that could hit anywhere on earth in the next few hours.
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ANDERSON: All right. I'm Becky Anderson. Welcome to the program.
I want to start with a question. What's in a number? Well, early on, health experts stressed the importance of getting positivity rates down below 5
percent.
Well, today, nearly a year and a half into the pandemic, in one part of India, that figure is upwards of 50 percent, and across the country another
day, another unwanted record, 414,000 new COVID-19 cases reported on Friday alone, the most in one day anywhere in the world. Deaths on the same day
again nearing 4,000.
This devastating second wave then it seems certainly hasn't peaked. You can see on this map how the virus is playing out across the country. Over the
past couple of weeks, we have spent a lot of time reporting from hard-hit New Delhi and areas around the capital.
I want though now to turn our attention to the southwestern state of Goa, along the Arabian Sea. This is what comes to mind when you think of Goa.
It's a gorgeous coastline, a winter hot spot for holiday-makers and an internationally renowned getaway for the rich and famous.
Well, the influx of tourists, lax restrictions after the first wave and the emergence of a new variant creating a perfect storm for the virus to spread
there. Today, the state announcing that eye-popping positivity rate of 51.4 percent. That means more than half of everyone tested for COVID-19 there
has the virus.
Well, Goa's chief minister announcing that a two-week curfew on all but essential activity will now start on Sunday and the state's health minister
agrees saying it's the only way forward.
While the state struggles, the health minister is trying to brighten the mood with a series of upbeat tweets highlighting progress in fighting the
disease and praising front line workers.
Well, let's connect you to the minister for public health in Goa now. Vishwajit Rane is joining me via Skype. It's good to have you, sir, but
it's not for anything like the right reason.
One in every two people in Goa is testing positive for COVID-19 and the chief minister has just announced the state will be under a curfew from
Sunday which includes closing all public activities.
Will these or do you think these restrictions go far enough, and why hasn't this come sooner?
VISHWAJIT RANE, GOA MINISTER FOR PUBLIC HEALTH: Becky, I do agree with you that the state (INAUDIBLE) that this should have come much earlier. I -- if
you go to my tweets, I have suggested that we weren't on a stringent lockdown about more than 15 days back and is a days back even then it was
too late because we needed to slow down for more than a month back. And sometimes, economically, you need to take the situation which has a balance
and many times, we -- as I've administrators and holding positions, sometimes made some errors in judgment and I think this is one of the cases
where we've made some errors in judgment.
And the cases are spread and also the widest, Becky, that we find here in Goa compared to the last time when we had the pandemic, today, they already
have the double mutant (INAUDIBLE) the strain that is basically the U.K. strain which is there in the state of Goa and the infectivity rate is very
high and we are actually bearing the brunt of this U.K. strain.
ANDERSON: What's the situation on the ground, sir? We have revealed the numbers which are very, very frightening. I mean, do you have enough
supplies of oxygen?
[10:05:01]
Do you have ventilators? Do you have enough beds at this point?
RANE: Becky, Goa being a very small state and fortunately, we've got very tough health infrastructure. But saying, let me -- you know, I would like
to share but we do require much more number of oxygen beds. We have about 2,500 capacity of beds available and all of them are full at the moment.
And also, we have about -- in our main institution, we have about 450 ventilators. We have ordered another 250 ventilators.
We are at the moment just managing the situation in the state of Goa. We have also increased step-up facilities before they come to the main
institutions. We've got these number of beds, but as you mentioned, I've got sufficient oxygen, we're rationalizing the oxygen that is made
available to us in the state of Goa.
ANDERSON: All right.
RANE: Parallely (ph), we are also procuring, we are also procuring this full generation oxygen generation plants which generate -- provide oxygen
to about 260 people a day.
ANDRESON: But this is all going to take time, sir, isn't it? It's good to hear this. But this is all going to take time. Are people going to lose
their lives in the thousands before you are better equipped to cope?
RANE: At the moment, we're just managing, Becky, but still I'm not very happy with the situation in the state of Goa. I want to be very frank on
your channel. It's a challenge for us. Nobody expected the pandemic to unfold in this particular manner.
The infectivity rate, as you mentioned, is positivity rate over 51 percent. And the step-up facilities, we should agree, we are managing the situation
at the moment. We are not denying a single person --
ANDERSON: OK.
RANE: --- the treatment and we have sufficient -- luckily Goa being the fourth largest hub for pharma manufacturing in the country. It's an export
hub for pharma. We have sufficient medical supplies.
But like I tell you, at the moment as we speak, basic things, you know, like the pulse oxygenator and other things are in short supplies, but we
are managing it and getting it from different parts of the country but we are holding on for now. That's what I can say.
ANDERSON: Right. I want our viewers to listen to this from the principal scientific adviser for India's federal government. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
K. VIJAYRAGHA, PRINCIPAL SCIENTIFIC ADVISER, INDIAN FEDERAL GOVERNOR: Phase three is inevitable given the high levels of circulating virus but
it's not clear on what time scale this phase three will occur. Hopefully, incrementally, we should prepare for new waves.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Minister, in just the last few minutes, he has actually tried to roll back those comments saying it may not happen, a third wave. All the
same, you say your state health system, you know, is already overburdened. What would a third wave mean for Goa at this point?
RANE: You know what, we are in anticipation not because the expert scientific person has made a statement now, but definitely, one has to be
prepared for the third wave, and like I had already predicted in the month of January, I had said because Goa is being a very preferred destination,
Becky, we had thousands of people coming in, that were less on restrictions in that place at that point of time.
We had the whole of India coming into the state of Goa in the month of December, January, February and I alerted the health authorities that they
needed to be prepared because we are going to face a situation at a point in time. And we did not --
ANDERSON: Did the opening up - sorry, did the opening up contribute to the surge in cases that we are now seeing? You're talking about the opening up
of tourism. Did that directly contribute to this surge, do you believe?
RANE: Absolutely, Becky. Opening up of tourism without any restrictions in December has led to the situation in the state of Goa, and we are really --
we are really -- you know the figures, Becky. You know all the figures.
You -- in the morning, I was -- you know, we were just informally talking to somebody from your side and the figures, the positivity rate of about 51
point and above -- 51 percent and about is the highest in the country as we speak, and this has to be brought under control. The mortality has to be
brought under control.
Our (INAUDIBLE) doctors are working all the time and at the (INAUDIBLE) areas, interior areas of the state of Goa, luckily for us the bigger
equipped --
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Let me put this to you. Right -- Modi's party, the BJP, of which you're a member, has been widely criticized for holding rallies and
gatherings for religious festivals, which have turned into super-spreader events, and you're acknowledging the opening up of tourism in Goa was a
terrible idea.
Where is the accountability, sir? Who should be held accountable at this point?
[10:10:02]
It's not good enough to say that the authorities were caught off guard.
RANE: No, Becky, I'm not saying that authorities were caught off guard. As far as Goa is concerned, we were -- we were keeping certain restrictions.
No, we're not allowing any kind of rallies or any kinds of things in the state of Goa.
And as far as Goa is concerned, I was talking about tourism, because tourism, we had very little restrictions. But when you talk about
accountability, we are not showing away from the accountability. Definitely, certain restrictions, certain amount of people gatherings have
to be restricted. I agree, I'm in total agreement with you.
But these things, as far as Goa is concerned, we never allowed rallies or any kind of religious large gatherings to take place in the state of Goa.
ANDERSON: Sir, I'm talking about the wider story here with respect, but thank you for making it clear what is going on in Goa. I'm talking about
the wider story of India. It is a democracy, and yet this COVID catastrophe has laid bare once again what critics say is that there is no
accountability for wrongdoing or failure in Indian politics. Do you agree?
RANE: Well, I -- there is no question of shying away from accountability because the people hold you accountable, being a democracy, if you do not,
you know, take care of the people and do not fight the pandemic in a very aggressive and very proper manner, the people are going to -- there's no
need for anybody else to hold us accountable. It's the public that is going to hold us accountable.
And in Goa, we're going to the elections in the next nine months. It's the public watching what the government is doing and what they will be seeing,
ultimately, what we do on the ground and what we do for the people is only going to reflect in what type of governance we're giving here to the people
of the state of Goa and the people are going to hold us accountable.
We are accountable. We have to be held accountable, and I'm sure we will live up to the expectations of the people of the state of Goa. Our dean of
Goa medical college, our director of health services, our whole young team of doctors, the experienced doctors are working day and night 24 by 7,
trying to serve of the people.
But when you say there are certain policies, certain things that -- yes, it happens sometimes in a democratic process. Sometimes things happen in the
way you want it to happen. I do agree, today, worldwide, India is -- figures have gone way up, but I can -- I can only share my opinion with
respect to my little state of Goa.
ANDERSON: Well, are you a BJP member, so I am going to put this to you again. Prime Minister Modi under growing pressure for example, to impose a
national lockdown. Does that need to happen now? And I'm asking you to talk outside of your state of Goa. You are a BJP member.
Should Prime Minister Narendra Modi be held accountable for this COVID catastrophe in India?
RANE: Becky, you know, the honorable prime minister has never ever told any state that they should not put restrictions or take any steps. Having
video conferencing with the honorable prime minister, the prime minister has all the time told every state chief minister that do what you must in
order to see that you keep COVID-19 under control. You must take steps and restrictions. You're free to do whatever your state needs and never ever
has he said that you should not do anything that is required to keep COVID- 19 under control.
And as far as India is a country -- as a democratic country is concerned, every state has the liberty to take whatever steps they require under the
Constitution of India, and no government, chief minister, no chief minister, democratically elected chief minister has been told that he
cannot undertake a lockdown and he cannot undertake any kind of restrictions. He has been told --
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Would a national lockdown have been sensible?
RANE: Becky, national lockdowns and state going (INAUDIBLE) is the same thing. Every state is independent. It's a federal structure here in our
country. Every state can go what it has to do. Goa can do what it has to do. Maharashtra is doing what it has to do. Rajasthan is doing what it has
to do.
So every state, there's no restriction. The prime minister has never told any chief minister that you can not do "A" or "B." It's up to the leader of
that particular state (INAUDIBLE) affairs of that states, Becky, who can take whatever steps required.
ANDERSON: Okay. With that, we'll leave it there.
We -- we wish you the best and the people of Goa the best, of course. It is a beautiful state and come back and speak to us again. We hope that we will
see a peak --
RANE: Thank you, Becky.
ANDERSON: -- in this second wave and hope there won't be a third wave, but hope is not enough these days in what's this pandemic. Thank you, sir.
As more and more people across the country perish from the virus, crematoriums are scrambling to keep up, as we've been showing you this
week.
[10:15:05]
And it's happening almost everywhere you look.
CNN's Clarissa Ward takes us outside the capital now for more.
Clarissa, where are you and why?
WARD: Becky, we're here in Varanasi. It's the holiest site of India and the constituency of India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He hasn't
actually visited here since November of last year. But this city has been one of the hardest hit.
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WARD (voice-over): The cremation starts before dawn, as workers are still clean away the embers of the night before.
Nestled on the banks of the River Ganges, Varanasi is India's holiest city. But it has not been spared by the vicious second wave of coronavirus
ripping through the country.
As day breaks, Matru Chowdary waits for the rush to begin. His family has worked in the crematorium for generations. But he says that they have never
seen anything like this.
MATRU CHOWDARY, CREMATORY WORKER: About 100, 140, 150 body per day. Every 5 minutes, 10 minute after ambulance bring the body.
WARD: Officially, the government says that eight to 10 people are dying here from coronavirus every day. The real figure is clearly much, much
higher.
Confronted with that reality, authorities have had to improvise.
Varanasi's main crematorium has been so overwhelmed by the number of deaths that the city has had to set up a sort of makeshift crematorium. You can
see it up here. This is just for COVID deaths.
A steady flow of bodies is coming in. We get off the boat to take a closer look.
More ambulances are arriving, bringing the dead and grieving family members in full protective gear. They are sprayed with disinfectant before they can
begin the mass rites.
But there is no way of sanitizing the deep sense of loss. During the two hours we spend here, seven bodies are brought in.
Critics say the government has been negligent in its mishandling of this crisis. That many lives could have been saved.
Nerma Gupta (ph) tells us that he never imagined that he would say goodbye to his father this way.
Has the government done enough to stop this second wave?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. Not enough.
WARD: Much more efforts were required he says. Varanasi needed a full lockdown. But the government didn't do it. It was incompetence.
The situation in the city has become so bad that shortages have been reported of wood needed for the funeral fires.
Merchant Deepak Chaudry (ph) says that the demand is four times higher than usual.
As long as I have worked here, I've never seen so many dead bodies coming in, he says. The last month has shocked me.
Is it true that you are running out of wood in some places?
The three main suppliers had run out of wood, he tells us. The local administration had to intervene.
Death has always been part of the fabric of life in Varanasi. For centuries, people have come here to die. The belief is that the sacred
waters at the River Ganges will help their souls achieve moksha, liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth.
But the staggering toll of the scourge has shocked everyone.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a very bad situation right no and every household, every household is facing this. I don't think there's any family
that has been spared.
WARD: As the sun sets, the sound of the evening prayer pierces the smoky air. The next wave of the dead is brought in. And the cycle begins again.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WARD (on camera): There is some evidence, Becky, that that lockdown which was fully implemented last Friday and has just been extended until Monday
might be starting to have an impact. It's difficult to trust those government figures.
[10:20:01]
But certainly, people we've been speaking to here are saying that they are starting to see a decline in the numbers. So a potential glimmer of hope
for the people of Varanasi -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Good news. Thank you, Clarissa.
Well, around India, there's been an uproar of anger from grieving families, with some people now lashing out against frontline workers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Bereaved relatives of another deceased COVID patient attacked staff, forcing calls to the police
from doctors. When the oxygen ran out in the ICU a couple of days later, another attack on the doctors began.
DR. SWATI RATHORE, MEDICAL DIRECTOR, KRITI HOSPITAL: Fifteen people attacked up, we were sitting. And then I asked, I requested my doctors and
staff, you please run away and hide on the third floor until I manage the situation because I don't want to get them to get hit at any cost.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: That's part of a report from CNN's Sam Kiley next hour. He'll take us into a hospital that has been experiencing violence, forcing
doctors to hide after oxygen ran out.
Well, you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson. There is a lot more ahead for you.
A stunning victory for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's party. The Tories take a seat they haven't won in generation. The details are coming
up.
Plus, Jersey's port looks calm. The French fishing boats going about their business after what was a big protest. Well, now it is a waiting game to
see what happens next in the fishing feud between Britain and France.
And calls for dialogue in Colombia. The government has invited protest leaders to talk after dozens of people died in clashes with security forces
there.
You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. We'll be back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSO: The opening of the Channel Tunnel. This was the scene between the U.K. and France almost 27 years ago to the day. I remember it. Those two
countries famously old rivals making an historic connection literally.
Well, fast forward to today and the two nations fractured over a fishing feud. Some of Britain's newspapers running with tales of so-called gun boat
diplomacy in the waters of Jersey. Smash and grab runs.
Both countries sent patrol boats there yesterday during a day long blockade by angry French fishermen.
Well, the U.K. crown of dependency of Jersey is tiny, a channel island about 19 kilometers from the French coast, but under new post-Brexit rules,
Jersey is a major decision-maker. The channel island gets to decide which E.U. boats can fish in its waters and so far, it's only given 14 licenses
to French vessels.
[10:25:06]
Let's get you across the positions of everybody involved here. Britain's environment secretary says, he's been in touch with the E.U. over the
fishing feud but is quick to point out that there is a new landscape post- Brexit.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE EUSTICE, U.K. ENVIRONMENT SECRETARY: Jersey said they are willing to be sensible and pragmatic here. We want to respect that historic access,
but also, all parties need to recognize that things are slightly different after we've left the E.U.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: Well, for the French fishermen it's a bit of a waiting game. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HUGO LEHUBY, SPOKESMAN, NORMANDY REGIONAL FISHERIES COMMITTEE (through translator): For the moment, what we know so far the discussions haven't
led anywhere, so we are expecting to hear back from the French government on this matter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WARD: Let me connect you to Jersey's capital now, St. Helier, and our international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson.
And, Nic, you're on the shore. Things look relatively pleasant there I'd have to say, and quite. But what is the view there of what is going on at
this point?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, Becky, you're right. It's a beautiful day. There's barely a wind. The sun's out, and I
think you think it would be a perfect day for the fishing fleet here to be out.
But we've been down at the harbor side this morning since about 5:00 a.m. with a fisherman put out to sea. And only a fraction of what's a tiny
fishing fleet here put out to sea. Now, why was that, you might ask yourself. There's no protesting French fishermen today, trying to, of sort,
blockade the entrance to the port. They said it was just a demonstration.
It would have been easy for the fishermen to go out. Yet, and many of them chose not to. We spoke to some of those and one of the reasons they don't
want to go out is they don't have a market for their fish right now, because although the French have threatened to cut off electricity here,
they have their big demonstration out in the water.
Some of that have sort of died off and have gone back to harbor, but the French at the moment are not allowing Jersey fishermen to send their fish
to France, for sale in France, to transport on elsewhere in Europe, and the vast majority of fish caught here is sent to Europe and France.
This is how one fisherman explained it to us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD LE BRUN, JERSEY FISHERMAN: They're a big nation of people who like to eat fish and shell fish. Well, Great Britain isn't really. It's an
island, but it's not a fish-loving country. They are going to -- they are going to push very hard.
ROBERTSON: And they have got all the cards because they control the main market.
LE BRUN: That's the other problem, you know? What's sold locally probably two fishermen could catch.
ROBERTSON: Really?
LE BRUN: It's always been a case of probably 95 percent of the island's catch is exported.
ROBERTSON: You're scuppered.
LE BRUN: Basically. But --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: They are worried. They're worried. The fishermen here, Becky, quite simply because they have had a couple of really tough years with
COVID and now, they can't sell their fish so they're not getting an income.
ANDERSON: We've got some of the British front pages here. Smash and crab. There's a sense of Britannia ruling the raves as long as I can remember,
the U.K. and France have been embroiled in a fishing feud of some sort, and as your fisherman rightly pointed out, the island needs the E.U. as an
export market. So, what happens next, Nic?
ROBERTSON: Talks are what comes next. You know, Jersey is a set apart from the rest of the U.K. because it actually, it's very close to France, closer
to France than mainland U.K. and has deep historic ties with France.
So, the fishing regulations are changing because of Brexit, they never got a vote on Brexit here in Jersey, but they feel they are very close to the
French and they want to maintain those good relations with France. And I spoke to the chief minister just a few minutes ago, and asked him, you
know, essentially in these negotiations, do the French have all the cards and he said, look, this is a very complicated scenario.
In essence, we think we're going to be able to resolve it through conversations. We think he said there's been some sort of miscommunication
that hasn't got through. He said the French fisherman apply for their licenses and it goes from the French fisherman to the French government to
Brussels, from Brussels to London, from London to Jersey, and there's been in one case, he said, a wrong email used.
So, the view, the political view here is, remembering as well that the fishermen what they bring into the island is a fraction of what French
tourists bring into the island. The political view here is that this can be resolved.
[10:30:04]
ANDERSON: Nic Robertson, amores, the beautiful island of Jersey. Thank you, sir.
And next hour on CONNECT THE WORLD, we're going to return to India where small hospitals are bearing the brunt of public anger.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RATHORE: Please help us, understand us, love us, respect us, because everyone can be on the ICU bed any hour of the day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: There have been violent scenes in one hospital forcing doctors to hide.
And all eyes on the skies for this piece of space debris. It's barreling towards earth for touchdown this weekend and we're all eyes on the sky
reporting from two sides of the planet for you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Within hours, tons of space debris from a Chinese rocket will crash back into Earth's atmosphere. The space junk is from this last launch
last week.
It's now barreling around our planet at close to 30,000 kilometers per hour which means, according to the calculations I did before the show, in the 48
hours since I first brought you news on this story, that giant bit of space junk will have traveled almost 1.5 million kilometers all like going to the
moon and then back to the earth and then to the moon again and then back again.
Here's an early glimpse of what is heading Earth's way. This image was captured by an Italian astronomer on his robotic telescope on Thursday. Now
China says the chances of any harm from re-entry are extremely low. But as brilliant as we know rocket scientists, are, they cannot predict where or
when the rocket will return to Earth's surface, and it could hit pretty much anywhere.
Resident scientist is meteorologist Chad Myers. He has more on what is this tricky forecast for you in outer space. What do you make of what's going on
there, and more importantly where is it going to land?
CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's going to land on earth, just don't know where, somewhere between 41 degree north and 41 degrees south
latitude, that's for sure, because that's where the orbital path is taking it right now.
So, yes, it's going to land, and it will likely have pieces that do make it all the wait down to the surface of the Earth.
[10:35:00]
No question about that.
Right now, it's about to travel over Thailand. It's way up there, not about to fall over Thailand. It's well into the atmosphere.
But it's slowing down and getting lower and closer to the top of the atmosphere where it will slow down and burn up on the way down. It's a 20-
ton thing. About five meters across, about 32 meters long, so this is not a small rocket booster.
Here is where the path is. Every time it continues to go around, the earth also moves in tandem with it, so this is not a geosynchronous earth
satellite. It will be.
I think what's curious is that we're talking about space junk that's going to fall to the earth. What we haven't talked about is the Chinese just
launched the first pod of their new space station. That's the big news. The Chinese now are going to have a space station. They still have six more
pods to put up, but we're talking about this debris that's going to fall on getting that space station up there.
So the entry is anywhere now between 15 and 40 hours. The big deal, as you said, because of the speed, if we miss the re-entry which ten minutes,
that's 2,000 kilometers down the road, so, yes, it is going to eventually fall to the Earth, we don't know exactly where.
There's tons and tons of junk up there in the atmosphere. There's an estimate that 2,000 other rocket booster bodies that are still floating
around the earth waiting to fall. Now this one is heavy so it's going to fall sooner, but there are 6,000 satellites.
There's just junk everywhere across the globe, and event think will all come crashing down to the ground. We just hope this lands in an ocean and
not on land and that we won't even know it came down -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Absolutely remarkable.
Look, let's not blame China for all that have space junk. That space junk - -
MYERS: Oh, no.
ANDERSON: From all of the countries that launch stuff in space, but those are remarkable numbers.
As you point out. This is heavy and it's on its way down. It isn't a great look -- thank you, Chad -- for China, which wants to be known for getting
to Mars and getting rockets into space and putting up its own International Space Station and not putting space junk out there that is capable of
wiping out quite frankly a small village.
Let's find out how they are spinning this as it were.
What's the perspective in Beijing?
Well, David Culver is joining us with more on how this story is playing out there. He's live out of Shanghai for you -- David.
DAVID CULVER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not giving this too much attention here, Becky. In fact, after this going on for a few days, we're just now hearing
from the ministry of foreign affairs. I'm going to read you what they had to say from the podium today when asked about this. The spokesperson there
saying, as far as I know, this type of rocket adopts a special technical design. Most of the components will be destroyed in the re-entry process
and the probability of causing harm to aviation activities and the ground is extremely low. And then they defer the question to relevant authorities,
meaning the Chinese space officials.
State media likewise hasn't been publicizing this too widely. The only thing that they are putting out there is that this is Western media type as
they put it, and they feel that this is very likely to end like most other things when they re-enter, burned up and likely somewhere in the ocean
without causing any harm or damage.
But I think what we have to look at is the broader context here and that's a widening ambition for the new frontier, if you will, Becky, so often we
talk about the assertiveness in the South China Seas. That's how the U.S. portrays the Chinese actions. You see it even at the border with India at
sometimes, with Hong Kong, with Taiwan, even in the arctic now.
However, go out of this world and space is a whole new frontier that China is likewise very ambitious as trying to tackle. And while they are still
behind the U.S. in many ways, the time that they have really come up to perhaps meet them at some level, surpass them with getting a craft at the
far side of the moon, the first country to do that.
They still want to move forward with Mars. They have got a rover that's scheduled to land there in the next few weeks actually, and they are hoping
to actually get someone on the moon by the 2030s.
So, Becky, this is something that's playing into the bigger congestion of space, if will. I mean, you talk about other countries likewise at fault
for something some of that space junk coming back into Earth. China playing into this congestion and the jam continuing but also from a strategic
perspective it's one that they are determined to leave their mark at -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Yeah, no, absolutely. That's a very, very good point. I mean, the small picture here is what's above us as present and where it's going
to land and as you rightly point out. Most experts suggesting that it's likely to hit one of these huge bodies of water.
[10:40:04]
But the bigger, bigger story is that race in space which is absolutely fascinating.
Thank you, sir.
Boxer Floyd Mayweather has fought some tough foes and has kept his wit about him but not necessarily his hat. We'll explain what we mean by that
after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: When two boxers came -- come face to face before a fight, they are usually involved in intense stares and heated words, aren't they?
But when one of the boxers is a YouTube star, things just get a bit weird. The brother of YouTuber Logan Paul stole the hat off of Floyd Mayweather's
head and then took off and then chaos ensued.
Christina Macfarlane joining us now to tell us, what on earth was going on here, Christina?
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN WORLD SPORT: That's a good question, Becky. I think the real question was this purely for show, or was this genuine? I
mean, it looked like two kids fighting it out in a playground, doesn't it?
But you know in boxing, nothing is ever what it teams. Mayweather did look to be hopping mad though by the prospect of having his hat ripped off, but
I tell you, there's another big fight we're looking forward to this weekend, Becky. News of that coming up in "World Sport."
Canelo Alvarez against Billy Joe Saunders. So stay tuned.
ANDERSON: Fantastic. Christina is in the house. She's got "World Sport" after this.
We're back top of the hour for you.
(WORLD SPORT)
ANDERSON: That's wonderful. Good weekend coming up for those of us who are sports fans. Thank you, Christina. Nice to see you.
MACFARLANE: Thank you.
ANDERSON: We're back with CONNECT THE WORLD after this very short break.
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(WORLD SPORT)
[11:00:00]
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