Return to Transcripts main page

Connect the World

Social Democrats Claim Narrow Win Over Merkel's Party; Shortage Of Fuel At U.K. Petrol Stations; Five Palestinian Killed In Israel Crackdown On Hamas. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired September 27, 2021 - 10:00:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:00:08]

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Germany's Social Democratic Party narrowly wins against Angela Merkel's conservative bloc. We are live in Berlin for

reactions.

Fueling rage, the queues of growing at U.K. petrol stations as the country tries to tackle both a current shortage and sudden need for more trucks and

drivers. And, it's like a boat on the ocean with no captain says Giles.

Violence and economic chaos greet the Haitian migrants deported by the U.S. back to their broken country.

It's 6:0 p.m. in Dubai. I'm Eleni Giokos in for Becky Anderson. This is CONNECT THE WORLD. A new era is beginning in Europe's biggest economy.

Germany's left-leaning Social Democrats scored a narrow victory over Angela Merkel's party in Sunday's landmark election.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: The SPD leader Olaf Scholz says he wants to reach a deal to form a coalition government before Christmas. But his conservative rival, Armin

Laschet insist no party received a clear mandate. So, even though many people may be sorry at the thought of Mrs. Merkel retiring after 16 years

as Chancellor, she won't be leaving anytime soon. She'll stay in the job until a coalition deal is negotiated.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen has been watching every move and every nuance. He joins us now from Berlin. Thank you so much for joining us, Fred. Look, Olaf

Scholz is not new to the game. He's actually a veteran politician. He's been vice chancellor and finance minister since 2018. I guess the question

is, is he the right man for the job? And what kind of reactions are you hearing on the ground?

FRED PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: (INAUDIBLE) well, he certainly believes he's the right man for the job. And his party also

certainly believes that he's the right man for the job. And I think one of the interesting things that we saw, as the election campaign has unfolded

here over the past couple of months is that Olaf Scholz, he did manage to lift the social Democrats out of what was really one of their low points

that they're having.

And they were pulling around 14, 15 percent not too long ago, maybe two months ago. And the reason why they are now on top in the polls, even

though only around 25.7 percent is because people voted for Olaf Scholz. If you look at the polls that says, the ask Germans, who would you like to be

your chancellor, Olaf Scholz is always way ahead of Armin Laschet. And that's why he came out earlier today.

And he said he believes that he has a mandate to become chancellor, and he wants to form that coalition, together with the Green Party and also with

the Liberal Party as well. Now, of course, that would have big ramifications for Germany as far as economic policies are concerned, but

also, as far as Germany's standing internationally is concerned as well. And I asked Olaf Scholz, you know, with Angela Merkel having around for 16

years and having been such a big international figure, what would his chancellor mean for Germany standing in the world? Let's listen to what he

had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FAILLA: If you do manage to form a coalition and become the chancellor, how do you intend to fill those big shoes?

OLAF SCHOLZ, SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR GERMAN CHANCELLOR: I think the first topic for German politics will be to form a stronger and more

Southern European Union. And make -- making this happened will have an influence on the international strategy and the foreign policy of Germany.

PLEITGEN: What sort of a partner will Germany be for the United States, in NATO, and on the international stage, especially as the Biden

administration continues to challenge China?

SCHOLZ: The transatlantic partnerships is of essence for us in Germany, and for a government that will be led by me. And so, you can rely on a

continuity in this question. It is important that we understand ourselves as democracies, and that we see that in the world that becomes more

dangerous. It is important that we work together, even if we do have conflicts in one or the other question.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: So you had Olaf Scholz outlining what his foreign policy essentially would look like. But of course, he's not there yet. In fact,

he's still pretty far away from that stage, because he hasn't managed to form a governing coalition yet. In fact, he hasn't even started negotiating

that. Now, his main rival Armin Laschet from the conservatives, as you said, they had a disaster showing at the polls yesterday. There's

absolutely no sugarcoating it.

But he still believes that he might be able to form a coalition with those same party partners, the Green Party and the Liberal Party. Of course,

right now you see Scholz in the driver's seat because he has had the most votes. However, in Germany, that doesn't necessarily mean that that person

has to have a -- has to have to become chancellor if a party can form a coalition, then they can decide who's going to be the chancellor.

[10:05:06]

PLEITGEN: So Armin Laschet still does have a chance, but it is certainly an uphill battle for him now. Eleni?

GIOKOS: And it's interesting that he's saying that no party has received a mandate. Look, we know coalition talks can take months, you know, and we

know Angela Merkel is going to still be in play until then. But if you see a lot of pushback from Armin Laschet, does that mean, we could see a

further delay in a coalition government being formed? And what repercussions would that have?

PLEITGEN: Well, I think it could take -- it could take a very long time, if you look at the last government when it was -- when it was formed, that

took several months as well. So yes, it could be very, very difficult, especially when you consider that the partners that both the Social

Democrats and the conservatives are talking to, their parties that necessarily -- that aren't necessarily ones that work very well together.

You have the Liberal Party and the Green Party, they don't really have very much in common. If you look at the Green Party, they work very well with

the social Democrats and not necessarily very well with the liberals and the conservatives obviously worked very well with the liberals. So, it

could be very, very difficult negotiations. That could take a very long time. However, in the past, it's always been the case that these coalition

negotiations have worked out.

However, we also have to state, this is the first time that there would be a three-way coalition in Germany, there has to be a three-way coalition in

Germany. That's something that is unprecedented simply because the electorate here is much more fractured than it has been in the past, the

two big political parties are not getting anywhere near the amount of votes that they had in the past elections where some of them got over 40 or 45

percent.

And so therefore, you do have a field where those negotiations to form a coalition become a lot more difficult, most negotiations could very well

drag on was very interesting actually to hear. Olaf Scholz says he plans that he wants to have a coalition by Christmas, that is still a long way

away. And until then, of course, Angela Merkel would stay in office which means at least for that period of time, obviously would have the stability

here and the head of government.

GIOKOS: Yes. I mean, a fascinating power shift in Germany after 16 years of incredible certainty. Anyway, thank you very much, Fred. Great to have you

on. France will take over the rotating presidency of the European Council in January. Political observers say that without a leader of Angela

Merkel's Merkel stature holding the reins in Germany, there might be a shift in power to Paris. So, who would Emmanuel Macron want as a working

partner?

Let's check in with Cyril Vanier who's live rests in Paris. So, fascinating. You've got the economic powerhouse in Europe, Germany,

changing its political environment. And of course, France watching on very keenly to see how this will impact them down the line. Who is the best

partner for Emmanuel Macron right now?

CYRIL VANIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm not sure. When you look at the two men who are most likely to become chancellor, whether it's Mr. Scholz or

whether it's Laschet, I'm not sure that there is one that is really a lot better than the other for France. Remember, both of them actually represent

to quite a large extent continuity with Ms. Angela Merkel. Mr. Scholz of course, is from a different party but it was noted by everyone that not

only was he her finance minister for many years and during crucial moments of her reign as Chancellor but, you know, he campaigned also as stability

continuity, holding his hands in the same way that she did that was lost on no one.

He is a known quantity to the French and he wouldn't be entirely dissimilar to Angela Merkel. Same thing really could be said about Armin Laschet. He

is of course of the same party as Angela Merkel. She favored him, she campaigned with him and he has a known quantity to France as well. All of

that helps explain why the French presidency today said the President will be making no comment on this until a chancellor is sworn in.

First of all, the French don't want to burn any bridges with whoever might become the next chancellor. Secondly, the French know full well, that the

chancellor is also to a large extent beholden to his coalition and his coalition partners. So how much weight will the greens have? How much

weight will the liberals have? On those questions, we'll depend on the kind of working partner that Mr. Macron will have in front of him.

I think the priority for the French now, they would like this to get done the Chancellor to be sworn in before the end of this year. Why? Because as

you said, the French take the rotating Presidency of Europe starting in January of next year. They want to have a working partner in Germany

because nothing gets done. Really, a Europe if Germany and France are not working together.

GIOKOS: Yes. It's interesting. I mean, what does this mean for the Europeans and policy and decision making until then?

[10:10:03]

VANIER: Well France first of all is very -- and it has said -- so through the voice of it's European Affairs Minister came on board and France is

happy that both Mr. Scholz and Mr. Laschet are pro-European. Both say they are strongly pro-European Mr. Laschet, if he were to become chancellor

would have to contend with a very pro-European wing of his party. So first of all, France is happy about that because it will have it -- whether it's

Mr. Scholz or Laschet, somebody who is not running against them as far as upholding the European project.

Both have also said noises that way that made noises that will be reassuring. I think the Paris is in terms of reasserting Europe's voice in

global affairs. You just heard Mr. Scholz when he was answering Fred's question saying that he wanted a stronger, bolder Europe. That squares with

Mr. Macron's foreign policy. So, if they do end up with a chancellor who's been sworn in before France takes the rotating presidency of the E.U. to

answer your question, you can hear more calls and a harder push for a more robust foreign policy in Europe. Distinct to that of the United States and

more calls for a European defense policy.

GIOKOS: All right. Thank you very much for that, Cyril. Great to have you on. Now the British are facing a crisis that appears to be of their own

making. Some few vendors in major English cities are reporting 90 percent of the fuel pumps are running dry. That's according to the Petrol Retailers

Association. Panic buying has led to empty petrol stations and more panic buying. You can see just how long the lines have gotten.

Some stations have been forced to close but there is no actual fuel shortage. There is however, a shortage of truck drivers, which has led to

supply chain problems. All right. We've got Nina dos Santos in London for us. Nina, we know that there's been a huge shortage of this skill, right?

Of truck drivers. And we also very aware that the military is not going to be brought in to alleviate the pressure because they don't know how to

drive these big mega trucks. So give me a sense of what's going on right now.

NINA DOS SANTOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: First of all, let me show you what's going on here in central London where a truck driver has just delivered

40,000 liters of badly needed petrol to this petrol station right behind me. And have a look at the lines of people, you know, you're seeing people

blocking buses. So public transport is being impeded by this. The truck driver himself actually after disgorging his load here, a few was took

about an hour.

He couldn't even get out of the streets because people were so desperate for fuel they wouldn't let him through. So this is the type of scene you're

seeing. The manager of this particular fuel station says that that consignment of fuel, which was the first one that they've had since

Saturday, will probably only last at this rate until tomorrow morning. Normally, they can get by with just three consignments, a week at this

particular fuel station.

And this is the type of scene that's being replicated right across the U.K. when you try and find a petrol station, whether people queuing, by the time

you get there, the pumps have run dry. We've spoken to people throughout the course of the day who said that they visited several petrol stations

right across the Capitol to try and get some badly needed fuel. And one of the things that's getting particularly confused at Union say, is for key

workers who really need to get to the places that they need to get to urgently like ambulances, for instance, doctors on call.

They're urging that fuel now be rationed for them first, rather than ordinary motorists here. Having said that, though, there's concerns that

although these are temporary bottlenecks and supply, the government says that the measures that they're putting in place, as you said, visas for

5000 heavy goods, vehicles, drivers coming over from Europe, hopefully, up until Christmas, also plans to try and alleviate competition rules to allow

some of these steel companies to talk to each other to divert supplies to places like this, where they're badly needed.

There's concerns all of that is a bit of a stopgap measure at this point, and that this will not blow over before the end of the week. Eleni?

GIOKOS: Yes. And it's pretty interesting to see, look, you've got a political issue that's playing out. So we don't know what to what extent

Brexit has had an impact on the supply chain disruption or lack of truck drivers. So now they're trying to learn in more people. But at the end of

the day, the immediate impact has also been a rise in prices. What does that actually mean for people and not only in the U.K., Nina, but for the

rest of Europe as well.

DOS SANTOS: And that's one of the reasons why people here -- are queuing here and as you can see, they're getting increasingly irate to make sure

that they can get their supply of fuel, their tank of fuel because their concern is going to get more expensive, not just the fact that there's not

-- their concern they're not -- there's not going to be enough of it does. It is fuel station like this in a couple of days' time.

And it's not just a fuel crisis in terms of petrol that becoming a headache for consumers. It also comes concomitantly with a natural gas price spike

as well.

[10:15:06]

DOS SANTOS: That just put a number of independent gas retailers in the U.K. out of business and cause headaches for the government. This shortage of

that 100,000 heavy goods vehicle drivers is actually also making itself felt on supermarket shelves as well. You're noticing that when you go and

buy fresh produce, it expires quite a few days before it normally would do. There's less on the shelves.

These are the type of supply bottlenecks that the government is coming under increasing pressure to deal with between now and the end of the year.

Eleni?

GIOKOS: Look, impact across the value chain. Thank you so much Nina for that updates. Coming up on CONNECT THE WORLD. Warnings that tensions could

explode after new flare ups of violence between Israeli authorities and Palestinians. We are live from Jerusalem.

The Biden administration is under intense scrutiny for returning Haitian migrants to a nation in turmoil. CNN is on the ground with a look at what

forced them to flee in the first place.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GIOKOS: We are following a new flare up of tensions between Israel and the Palestinians. Israeli border police using live ammunition on Palestinians

who were throwing stones and explosives in the West Bank. The police were escorting Jewish worshippers to religious sites. This comes after an

Israeli operation in the West Bank that left five Palestinians dead. Israel says the raids targeted Hamas militants were about to carry out attacks.

All that's putting the region even further on edge. CNN's Hadas Gold is following these developments for us and she's live in Jerusalem. Hadas,

look we know that we're in a very fragile ceasefire. What exactly happened in the West back?

HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Eleni, that fragile ceasefire is between Israel and Hamas-led militants in Gaza. And for some time, Israel

has been concerned that Hamas is gaining a foothold in the West Bank which is controlled by the Palestinian Authority. But as the Palestinian

Authority gets increasingly unpopular, there is a fear that Hamas is becoming more popular now.

The Israeli military says that this was part of a day's long operation that culminated on Saturday night in these raids across five different locations

in the West Bank which left five Palestinians dead. Two arrested, two Israeli soldiers were critically wounded as well. Now Israel says that they

undertook this operation as a way to prevent Hamas self from what they said I was undertaking what they called an imminent terror attack.

But it's being condemned by Palestinian officials for its part. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called it a crime and field executions,

warning that the continuation of this policy will lead to an explosion of the situation and to more tension and instability.

[10:20:00]

GOLD: Hamas for its part actually blamed cooperation between the policy and authority and Israel for this operations and call forth in a statement they

called on the masses of our Palestinian people in the valley at West Bank to escalate the resistance against the occupier. And that's really the

concern here. As a boss and an explosion of situation because as you noted, there is a fragile ceasefire still in place between Israel and the Hamas

militants in Gaza.

So many people are concerned that these incidences, these events over the past few days may be a spark that could somehow light another conflict,

Eleni.

GIOKOS: Do we know where this is headed and the next move because we heard from the Prime Minister Naftali Bennett speaking at the UNGA, any

undercurrent, any messaging we should be focused on?

GOLD: Well, it's really interesting, actually. This was Naftali Bennett, the Prime Minister of Israel's first ever addressed United Nations. He's

been in office just about 100 days or so. But he made absolutely no mention of the word Palestinian. Instead, he focused much of his speech on Israel's

COVID response, on the threat from Iran saying that Iran's nuclear program as a watershed moment, and so has Israel's tolerance, saying that words do

not stop centrifuges from spinning.

Spending a lot of time talking about how the world needs to come together to go -- to go against Iran, talking about Israel's normalization

agreements with other Arab and Muslim countries. But as I noted, absolutely no mention of the Palestinian conflict. And I think Eleni, that's really a

reflection of where this new government is. This new Israeli Government is a very diverse coalition from left all the way to the right.

And they have said over and over again, they do not expect to make any major moves in terms of any sort of peace process with the Palestinians.

And I think that's why you did not hear Naftali Bennett really mentioned the Palestinians in his speech.

GIOKOS: Hadas, thank you very much for that update. The Del Rio camp has been cleared out, but the Biden White House is still facing controversy for

its handling of the migrant crisis. It now says about 4000 people detained around the Texas camp. Many of them, Haitians have been expelled from the

U.S. under a public health order. The same rule was used during the Trump era. It gives officials the power during a pandemic to turn back migrants

and deny most of them the chance to seek asylum.

Those Haitian migrants returned to their homeland by the U.S. are now coming to face to face with the reasons they left in the first place,

including extreme gang violence. Melissa Bell is following their stories and joins us from Port-au-Prince. Melissa, from one crisis to the other

what are the people experiencing once they go to -- back to Haiti? The reality is some of them haven't been back for decades.

MELISSA BELL, CNN PARIS CORRESPONDENT: That's right. And many of them will be seeking -- are looking to play with friends with family. Those who still

have friends and family in Haiti. But so many of those we've spoken to, Eleni, are simply looking to get back on the road. We've heard from a

couple that have already crossed into the Dominican Republic on their way to almost anywhere but Haiti at this stage.

The flights have continued nonetheless, seven on Saturday, six yesterday and another six are expected to land here in Haiti today. And there was a

stark reminder only yesterday of exactly what it was there been fleeing these last few years.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice over): Here even church is no sanctuary. The blood still marks the steps of this Baptist Church in the very heart of Port-au-Prince. As Sunday

service began unarmed gang attacked, wounding several the congregation and killing one man who tried but failed to stop his wife from being kidnapped.

Who will pay the ransom now? Asks Marie-Yolene Giles. A human rights advocate who explains that nothing in Haiti is now sacred, and no one's

safe.

We are in peace nowhere she says. Not even in the president's house. He was executed the most protected man in the country. She says referring to the

assassination of the Haitian president Jovenel Moise in July. Giles says this kidnapping is at least the 10th in the Haitian capital since Tuesday.

The very week that has seen thousands of deportees returned to Port-au- Prince. A city many had left in the years following the 2010 earthquake, fleeing both its poverty and insecurity. Now that is only getting worse

each.

BRUNO LEMARQUIS, U.N. DEPUTY SPECIAL REP. OF THE SECRETARY GENERAL: Each time there is an uptick in the number of kidnapping. The authorities react

by having more patrol in the streets.

BELL: You can see on the streets of (INAUDIBLE) that increased police presence and yet as visible it is intended to be. It doesn't seem to be

doing much to reassure Haitians that it's safe to go out onto the streets once again.

It's like a boat on the ocean with no Captain says Giles. The country is left to its own devices, gangs rule and keep gaining ground. So we are

abandoned to our fate. Since much of it was leveled in 2010, Port-au-Prince is a city that has struggled to stand up. Now gang violence has forced

entire neighborhoods to flee what little they had, like the 219 families living inside this dilapidated school building.

One of seven camps for internally displaced people or IDPs in the capital. Camps that are not designed to accommodate the returnees.

LOUBY GEORGE, SR. PROJECT AND PROTECTION ASSISTANT, INTERNATIONAL OFFICE OF MIGRATION: Clashes between different gangs have really ballooned out of

control. And so we find persons like the IDPs that are here, they had to leave their permanent village or campsite or which they were residing in

since the earthquake in 2010. So imagine that.

BELL: In all, the United Nations says the 20,000 people in Port-au-Prince have been displaced by gang violence in the last year. A homeland even more

dangerous to those being deported by the United States this week, than the one they fled.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BELL: Eleni, this is a country with many tens of thousands of people already in internally displaced persons camps as a result of the violence

and simply not prepared to receive those deportees. We spoke to the IOM these last few days who've been talking about the logistical difficulties

of receiving so many people. You're talking about six flights a day on average, with 130 people on average per flight.

And just the reception within the airports is difficult to sort out and to organize and to get the logistics of right. The question of what happens to

them next essentially is all about them relying on friends and family. And as I say, for the most part, really trying to look at the best way they can

hit the road again, Eleni.

GIOKOS: Yes, tragic situation. Thank you very much for that reporting, Melissa. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD live today from Dubai. And still

ahead, the Taliban returned to brutal tactics in Afghanistan less than a month after the U.S. withdrawal.

And some hopeful news for some Australians a new roadmap to lift months of strictly COVID lockdowns has been unveiled. We'll tell you where this is

going into effect. Stay with us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GIOKOS: Welcome back. I'm Eleni Giokos in Dubai and you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. It's a crucial week for U.S. President Joe Biden's agenda and

he's facing divisions in his own party on top opposition from Republicans.

[10:30:02]

GIOKOS: The to-do list is daunting. Lawmakers need to agree on funding by Thursday to keep the government running. Republicans oppose a move by

Democrats to tie that funding to suspending the debt limit. The fate of a bipartisan infrastructure bill is unclear and the Democratic infighting

over the massive economic measure. President Biden has been talking with lawmakers over the weekend and the push will continue throughout the week.

Arlette Saenz reports.

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: President Biden acknowledged negotiations over his sweeping economic agenda may take the better part of

the week as he is hoping to get those two packages across the finish line. President Biden spoke to reporters as he returned to the White House from

Camp David on Sunday and he expressed optimism that these negotiations would be fruitful. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm optimistic about this week, it's going to take the better part of the week I think.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAENZ: Now, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had initially promised to hold a vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill on Monday. But on Sunday,

Democrats said that that vote likely would not happen. The House speaker said that she would not bring a bill up for a vote if the votes were not

there. And progressives are still saying that they will not vote for that package, unless there's agreement on the larger $3.5 trillion spending

bill.

Which moderates have said they will not support in that size and scope. So, the President has a long road ahead as he is trying to bring these

negotiations together. Last week, the President hosted lawmakers here at the White House. So we will see whether he decides to do that in the coming

days, as his domestic agenda is really entering crunch time. And one of the most critical stretches of his presidency this coming week. Arlette Saenz,

CNN, the White House.

GIOKOS: The Taliban again displaying brutal tactics for the Afghan people and the world to see. Now a warning, the video we're about to show you is

disturbing and maybe difficult for some viewers to watch. That is a dead body hanging from a crane in Herat. The Taliban say this was one of four

men killed for allegedly kidnapping a man and his son. And the bodies of the others were hanged in different locations in the city over the weekend.

Senior International Correspondent Arwa Damon joins me from Istanbul. Arwa, it's one thing to try and change the narrative by changing the messaging.

But what we're seeing on the ground in terms of action is vastly different to what they want the world to think they're about. And the Taliban have

shown that very little has changed since the 90s.

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And there does really seem to be this disconnect between some of the political rhetoric that you hear now

from the Taliban government, the upper echelons of the government at least out of Kabul, and some of the actions that we're seeing taking place in

some of these other cities. This did not just happen in Herat, about a month ago in Mazar as well, four alleged kidnappers were also killed in a

shootout.

They were accused of kidnapping children and their bodies were then dumped inside in a major square in Mazar. And so you really get the sense that on

the one hand, the Taliban at least it's senior political leadership to a certain degree is trying to put forward this face of we've changed, we want

to be included in the international community, we want to see that the table at the global table.

And yet on the other hand, in a lot of these different areas, whether it's the foot soldiers themselves, or whether it's the local governments there

are things do seem to be starkly different. And you can just imagine what kind of a terrifying chilling message. These kinds of gruesome displays a

cause for the Afghan people because they still don't know exactly what kind of regime they're going to be living under.

They don't know exactly what the rules are, are they the rules of 20 years ago or is there a bit more leniency? And not knowing that, not knowing what

to do to stay out of trouble is extraordinarily unnerving, as you can imagine.

GIOKOS: Yes. Arwa, I mean, we've also heard that some barbers have been told that they're not allowed to shave men's beards, that they can't play

music. So, I mean, listening to some of these stories, basically shows that their version of Sharia law is the most extreme. And that implementation of

this new narrative that they've been talking about since they came into power is going to be hard to filter it to the ground or maybe they didn't

ever have an intention to be the sort of Taliban 2.0 new sort of, you know, regime.

DAMON: Yes. It's not just that they're not allowed to shave beards, Eleni, they're not even allowed to trim beards.

[10:35:05]

DAMON: To do so would mean to be punished. Incidentally, when we were covering the story of Afghan refugees crossing into Turkey after traversing

through Iran, one of the men that we met in the deportation center a father, he was telling us about how 20-plus years ago he was beaten by the

Taliban because his beard was deemed to be too short. This is the kind of extreme rule that people are afraid of.

And it's not about the length of your beard, or whether or not they want to grow a beard. It's about what all of this means for broader society.

Because this is also at the end of the day about, you know, dismissing 50 percent of the Afghan people, the Afghan women, and the situation is very

confusing for the Afghan population because also, you know, in some of these areas, you have local leaders, local politicians saying no, we

haven't changed.

We're the exact same Taliban that we were 20 years ago. And it does seem to a certain degree that maybe they're actually putting forward a more honest

truth than some of the other rhetoric that we're hearing from the Taliban themselves about how they changed.

GIOKOS: And absolutely. It instills fear doesn't it? Across the board. Arwa, thank you very much for that insight. Fresh warnings for residents on

one of the Canary Islands. Coming up. Details on this river of lava destroying everything in its path. We're live in Spain with the latest.

Plus, a Ryder Cup route. The U.S. defeats Europe in a battle of Golf's heavyweights and sets a record in the process.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GIOKOS: Spanish authorities are warning residents on the Canary Island of La Palma to take precautions as volcanic activity resumes. Lava has been

spewing out from the Cumbia Vieja volcano for nine days, forcing about 6000 people to evacuate. Take a look at this dramatic video of a church collapse

just hours ago.

Now the lava engulf the building causing it to crumble to the ground. Hundreds of homes and businesses have been destroyed since the volcano

first erupted. Al Goodman is monitoring the situation. He joins us from the Spanish capital of Madrid. Dramatic scenes that we're witnessing at the

moment. How serious is the situation now that thousands of people have been evacuated? Do we have any sense of when this is going to end?

AL GOODMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Eleni, experts say this could go on for a couple of months. So we're in the early days according to volcano experts

and all eyes this day are on the march of this incessant march of the lava towards the Atlantic Ocean on the east side of the island. As the day

started, the lava flow was just 1-1/1 kilometers or about one mile. The president of the Canary Island, as the archipelago where this La Palma

Island is one of the smaller ones says that it could reach the sea soon.

And the authorities know that that will cause further problems because once this red hot lava hits the ocean, there'll be toxic gases coming up. So

this was expected, as early as last week, there have been the lava flowing faster than it cools with the surface. And there's more lava. It's been

going on like this for several days. But now they think it's getting very close. So they've already established -- the authorities have already

established an exclusion zone at sea.

They don't want ships coming in even day boaters on little yachts coming in to take a closer look because those toxic gases could be fatal. And they're

also excluding people -- an exclusion zone for people who live on the land. So they're all set for that. Now the number of homes are in the hundreds,

like that church that you just showed also banana plantations. This provides bananas to the rest of Europe.

And it's just coming on high tourism season in the Canary Islands as people from Northern Europe come down. So it is a dramatic moment for the

eruptions that have been going on. There was a slight pause for a couple of hours this day where authorities of volcano experts said that it seems to

be almost no activity, there was no ash coming out. And then that resumed the lava flow, which is coming out in piling on top.

One lava flow that gets caught by another one is there's a new eruption heading down relentlessly towards the sea, at some places, stands 12 meters

or 38 feet tall is more than a couple of miles or several kilometers long. So it's a massive issue. It's cutting off highways and the 6000 people

authority say are safe. They're being taken care of, they're staying in hotels or in friends or families' homes.

Some of them in military barracks. The only good news out of this so far, authority says that basically there are no reports of injuries or deaths.

But clearly there's a lot of concern on that island. Eleni?

GIOKOS: Al Goodman, thank you very much for that update. Thank you. The Ryder Cup turned into a rider route. Team USA won the cup back from Europe

and set a record in the process scoring 19 out of a possible 28 points. The U.S. started hot Friday and never looked back. And the competition delayed

one year by the pandemic. We've got Amanda Davies here with more on this U.S. thumping of Europe.

I've been watching you and I -- other sporting colleagues cover this. I don't think I've seen so much excitement about a golf tournament. Amanda,

tell me why this was so exciting.

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Oh, Eleni. The Ryder Cup really is. Excuse me. Not only my voice is going it was that exciting weekend? You

know, I don't think there is not only in golf but in the wider sporting calendar. An event that creates such a rivalry and such an atmosphere. The

fans really make it what is so special. And we saw from the players just what it means.

It's fair to say it was a humbling couple of days for Team Europe. A record breaking defeat by what is being described as perhaps one of the greatest

U.S. Ryder Cup teams of all time. There were cheers, there were tears, there were geez. There was even a hug between Bryson Dechambeau and Brooks

Koepka. And we're live to Wisconsin in a couple of minutes in World Sport.

GIOKOS: Yes. And I was watching quite closely as well. I just see so many smiles. The truth is, there was a big break last year. So coming back, you

know, seeing the audience as well, thousands of people watching so completely different to the experience of last year where nothing, you

know, we basically didn't have any sporting events.

DAVIES: Yes, absolutely. But it was a very (INAUDIBLE)

(CROSSTALK)

GIOKOS: All right, Amanda. Yes, exactly. Well, good to see you. I'll be back in about 15 minutes. We're going to a short break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WORLD SPORT)

END

END