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Chinese Travelers Could Face Extra COVID-19 Testing; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Asks Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Help with Peace Plan; Football Star's Family Stopped from Leaving Iran; Top Climate Stories of the Year; South Korea to Expedite Launch of Military Drone Unit; Uncertainty Looms over Thousands of Migrants to U.S.; Top Business Stories of the Year; Britons Turn to "Warm Spaces" to Cope with High Power Bills. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired December 27, 2022 - 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): While China finally allows international travel post COVID, other countries are putting up barriers to
Chinese tourist arrivals.
Plus, thousands of passengers in the United States left stranded over the holiday period after a winter storm grounded flights, causing travel chaos.
And Ukrainian troops continue to defend the front line as Russia threatens more attacks if Kyiv does not accept Moscow's demands. We are live on the
ground with a live report for you.
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ANDERSON: Hello, welcome, I'm Becky Anderson. You have two hours of CONNECT THE WORLD, live from Abu Dhabi.
Well, we begin with the growing international fallout over China's announcement that it will ease restrictions on its citizens traveling
overseas. And it will stop requiring international arrivals to quarantine.
This latest U-turn on China's zero COVID policy comes even as COVID cases are surging across the country. And that has other nations worried.
Japan and India say they will require travelers from China to show a negative COVID test upon arrival. They may soon see more Chinese visitors
than they have in three years. More now from CNN's Selina Wang in Beijing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: China is making a major move toward ending the country's nearly three years of isolation. China is dropping quarantine
for all international rivals from January 8th and promising to gradually restart out unforeseen (ph) for Chinese citizens.
Inbound travelers still need to get a 48-hour negative COVID test before boarding. But they dropped all the other cumbersome requirements. To
understand why these changes are such a big deal, we have to look at what the reality has been in China during the pandemic.
The country has been severely limiting who can go in and out of the country, with strict border controls. Flights have been very limited and
expensive. All arrivals had to go through quarantine and government facilities.
I went through multiple quarantines myself, including 21 days earlier this year. And we are talking about harsh quarantines, no choice in where you
get sent, no opening your door, except for food pickups and COVID tests.
All of that is now going away. This new change would effectively also end the ban on Chinese citizens from going overseas for nonessential reasons.
But the timing is still unclear.
Authorities have not said when they'll restart issuing tourist visas or allowing foreigners to apply for business, study or family reunion visas.
But finally, people are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Online searches for popular international travel destinations on China's travel
booking site jumped 10 times within an hour of when this announcement was made.
I've also spoken to a few Chinese citizens who have been stuck overseas for years. They're overjoyed and relieved that finally there is a way for them
to see family.
But there's also some bitterness over how long this has taken. They have already missed so many important moments -- family deaths, births,
reunions. But in response to this change, other countries are starting to issue restrictions on travelers from China.
Japan announced travelers from the country will be tested for COVID upon arrival. Japan's prime minister also said the country will restrict plans
to increase flights in and out of China.
India announced similar COVID testing guidelines. Authorities in India said the guidelines are aimed at ensuring COVID does not spread as quickly as it
has been in China -- Selina Wang, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: And in the next hour, we will dive into the remarkable COVID policy U-turn in China with Yang Zhongwang (ph), who is a senior fellow for
global health at the Council on Foreign Relations. Do stay with us for that.
Well, can Russia and Ukraine make headway on peace talks?
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is asking Indian prime minister Narendra Modi to help implement a peace plan after Vladimir Putin said he
is ready to negotiate, quote, "about acceptable solutions."
[10:05:00]
ANDERSON: But those solutions apparently would be on Russia's terms. Foreign minister Sergey Lavrov today is saying any peace must include, in
his words, "the demilitarization and denazification of regime control territories." Lavrov repeating talking points made by the Russian president
at the start of this war 10 months ago.
Well, an adviser to President Zelenskyy says talk of peace from Russia is just an effort to buy time to regroup and rebuild its military. Mr.
Zelenskyy updating his nation on continued fighting, along the front lines today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Bakhmut, Kreminna and other areas in Donbas that require maximum strength and
concentration now. The situation there is difficult, painful. The occupants are spending all the resources available to them.
And these are significant resources to squeeze out at least some progress.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
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ANDERSON (voice-over): Well, we are seeing video of what Russia is calling a drone attack, at Engels airbase, which is deep inside Russian territory.
Russia says three soldiers were killed when a Ukrainian drone was shot down.
While not confirming a drone strike, a Ukrainian air force spokesperson calls what happened a, quote, "consequence of Russia's military actions."
Will Ripley, connecting us to all of the very latest developments from Lviv in Western Ukraine.
An awful lot going on. Before we talk about any prospects for peace, the situation on the ground continues to be challenging and bleak. Explain.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A dire situation on all fronts for the soldiers who are fighting in Donbas. They've been
enduring relentless Russian shelling and, of course, civilians often getting caught in the crossfire.
That as well, a handful of people remaining in Bakhmut have no electricity, they have no heat. The only way they can get any small comfort is in an
underground bomb shelter. They have to spend a lot of time in those shelters. They're essentially playing a game of roulette.
Every time they step outside of their homes or even within their homes, because they could have shells coming down on them.
President Zelenskyy, when he talks about these difficult and painful times in the Donbas, it's an unspoken way of referring to the heavy casualties
that are likely being sustained on both sides. Numbers that usually go unreported.
But nonetheless, that is something that happens every single day here in Ukraine, people are dying. They're not just dying on the front lines,
they're dying in other places as well.
Whether they are people who are suffering through bitter cold without electricity and without heat, without the ability to cook, this is
incredibly difficult for the vulnerable, elderly and medically, you know, medically disabled population here in Ukraine.
And of course, for the children who are suffering the emotional scars of this constant barrage of Russian attacks. There were the air raid sirens
that went off nationwide, earlier today. The sirens have stopped for now, Becky.
But the Ukrainians think the Russians might be using their bombers to cause air raid alerts across this country to plan for some sort of a New Year's
Eve attack. In other words, they put these planes up in the air.
They know that Ukraine will sign the air raid alerts because, if these bombers were to fire, Ukraine cannot shoot a lot of these bombs down, they
don't have Patriots yet, they don't have the capability. Then Russia uses that intelligence to figure out where to fire upon next.
And so, they're really bracing themselves here for what may be to come in the coming days, Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes, an end to this could not come quickly enough, could it?
Ten months in and at least talk of a peace plan or peace program or at least peace negotiations, call it what you will, what is the prospect,
Will, for some sort of solution at this point?
RIPLEY: Well, if you listen to the leaders of both countries, you have President Zelenskyy calling for a peace summit in February. You have
Vladimir Putin saying he's open to talking about an acceptable solution to end this war.
And yet, you listen to their foreign ministers, the Russian foreign minister saying that Russia will settle for no less than denazification of
areas that are Ukrainian territory currently occupied by Russia.
You have Ukraine saying that they will not end this war until they get back all territory that's been seized by the Russians, including Crimea, which
has been in Putin's hands for almost nine years now.
You also have the reality that the foreign minister of Ukraine doesn't even think that Russia deserves to be in the United Nations anymore, certainly
not the United Nations Security Council, where it's one of five permanent members, giving it veto power for any resolution to condemn Russia for its
brutality against civilians in Ukraine.
So even though there is talk about peace talks, what the road to peace actually looks like is incredibly unclear.
[10:10:00]
RIPLEY: If not completely obscured by the daily violence and bloodshed here, Becky.
ANDERSON: Will Ripley on the ground in Ukraine. The time is 5:10 in the afternoon. Will, thank you.
Well, at least 49 people have died due to a historic storm in the United States. More than half of those were in Erie County, which is in New York,
which includes the city of Buffalo.
The area is seeing the brunt of the devastation. And officials fear the death toll will rise, as emergency crews plow through thick snow, looking
for those left stranded. The storm is causing major power outages and widespread power disruptions.
Thousands of flights canceled nationwide for another day, leaving growing piles of unclaimed bags at airports and very frustrated passengers. Polo
Sandoval joins us live from Buffalo, New York and Adrienne Broaddus is live at Midway Airport in Chicago.
Let me start with you, Adrienne, what is the scene where you are?
ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Becky, more bags at an airport than I've ever seen in life. That is what travelers have told us, too. I want
you to take a look for yourself.
This is where people normally wait for their bags to arrive. But today, the bags are waiting for people to pick them up. You see one employee with
Southwest Airlines walking with someone, looking for a bag. She's giving us the thumbs down.
And that is the sentiment that we have heard from people throughout the morning. So listen, here's a story here at Chicago Midway. If Midway was
not the final destination for a passenger, the supervisor on duty told me those bags are not leaving. They will stay here.
Also, a big problem that people have been dealing with, all of these cancellations, cancellation on top of cancellation, at least 2,500 flights
coming into and going out of the U.S. have been canceled. At the top of that list is Southwest. We heard from multiple passengers who are
frustrated. Listen in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So my family was headed to Punta Cana (ph) on Friday morning. And they had -- it took almost three hours to load the luggage.
Then we were not able to make our connecting flights so they pulled us off the flight that sent our luggage to Fort Lauderdale.
We still have not been able to get our luggage back. We just found one of them, one of the other ones ended up in Punta Cana and the other four are
still missing. I've been here for an hour, just trying to find my bags. And nobody seems to be able to help me or tell me where they even could be.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The problem is that Southwest, they don't give any answer, they don't answer the phone. So we don't know where our luggage is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BROADDUS: And still, people searching and looking for their bags. This has been a reminder for some folks to hold on to their bag tags. Some folks
even saying they're going to invest in trackers to put inside of their bags.
Along with the luggage, we have seen strollers and car seats. So that is another essential item families are without. And probably the most
devastating person that I've heard from today, Becky, was a woman. She and her husband need their medication. It is inside of their bag.
They only kept a small amount of their medication with them on the plane. Back to you.
ANDERSON: Yes, I mean, so frustrating for people. And, I mean, clearly, you know, very upsetting for those, as you have just described. Look,
Chicago is not unfamiliar with harsh conditions, particularly at this time of the year.
How much worse are things this year?
And what is the prospect at this point for some improvement?
What are the airlines saying?
BROADDUS: You know, I can only speak to Southwest and their latest update.
So, for example, there was a message played at different airports in Denver and Houston yesterday, to apologize to passengers first and foremost but
then following up and saying that they will not be able to re-book or reschedule some of those flights until December 31st.
Passengers do have the opportunity to be issued a refund. But many travelers we spoke with today do not have time to wait, they need to get
back home, they need to get to work, so, they're coming up with alternative plans. On a brighter note, we are not seeing deaths here like we've seen in
Buffalo -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Well, that is one thing to be thankful for. Adrienne, thank you for that scene.
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ANDERSON: That's just one airport in the States.
Coming up on CONNECT THE WORLD, he is a legendary football player in Iran but his family was prevented from leaving the country. We will have the
details on that up next.
And hurricane Ian roared into the record books, becoming the second deadliest storm to strike the continental U.S. this history. Why it tops
our list of climate stories for 2022.
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ANDERSON: Well, the family of one of Iran's most beloved football players was prevented from traveling to Dubai on Monday. Ali Daei is perhaps best
known for playing in the 1998 World Cup match when Iran beat the United States.
Media reports say the plane carrying his wife and daughter was forced to land on an Iranian island and the family was removed. He has been a vocal
supporter of the protests across Iran. Nada Bashir is in London with more.
Explain what we understand to have happened here and what authorities are saying about it.
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Becky, we have not had a direct response from the authorities as to why this plane was turned around and why the
wife and daughter of Ali Daei were removed from that plane on Kish Island in the Persian Gulf after leaving Tehran.
They have been planning on flying to Dubai for a short trip. But we have now heard from state-run media in a now retracted article, I should say,
that the wife and daughter of Ali Daei had been ordered by authorities not to leave the country.
They face a travel ban and were told that they had to inform the authorities of any plans to leave the country before doing so and failed to
do just that.
Of course, that article has now been retracted. We have separately heard from the semi official news agency, which has links and ties with the
Revolutionary Guard, saying that the wife of Ali Daei had faced travel restrictions over her alleged participation I what they have described as
riots.
Of course, this comes amid those ongoing protests in Iran, anti regime protests. We have heard from Ali Daei speaking to Iranian media, saying he
had not heard of any travel restrictions on his family, particular his wife. He's now waiting for their return back to Tehran.
ANDERSON: What do we know about their whereabouts at this point?
BASHIR: Well, at this stage, all we know is that Ali Daei is currently working on returning them to Tehran. He said they're planning on a short
break to Dubai although, there have been some reports in Iranian media that their final destination may have been in the U.S.
[10:20:00]
BASHIR: At this stage it's unclear what the next step is for them after being removed and placed in custody in Kish. They have not been arrested.
That is clear, according to Iranian media. Look, this is the latest in a string of attempts by the Iranian regime to put pressure or at least it
looks as though it might be on notable figures.
As we mentioned, Ali Daei has been a vocal critic of the Iranian regime. He has expressed his support and solidarity for the ongoing protest movement.
Back in November he refused an official invitation to the World Cup in solidarity with that movement.
He shared an Instagram post in September, saying that the regime needs to stop working on repression, violence and arrests and rather need to work on
solving the problems of the Iranian people -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Nada is in London reporting on the story. Thank you.
Let's get up to speed on some of the other stories on our radar right now.
And Taiwan extending the period for its mandatory military service to counter the threat from China. All eligible men will now have to serve a
year instead of four months. The Chinese president says the move is necessary to safeguard the island's democratic way of life.
The man arrested for an alleged bombing attempt at a Brazilian international airport over the Christmas weekend says that he wanted to
create chaos and prevent next week's presidential transition. The plan was to create a siege state in Brazil, so that incoming president, Luiz Inacio
Lula da Silva, cannot take power.
Nearly 46,000 people are sheltering in evacuation centers in the Philippines after heavy rains triggered flooding across the country's south
over the Christmas holiday. At least eight people there died, more than a dozen are still missing.
Well, 2022 has seen plenty of unseasonal and extreme weather events, hasn't it?
Illustrating just how the climate is changing. CNN's Bill Weir takes a closer look for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
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BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): I'm Bill Weir with the top 10 climate stories of 2022, a year that started with a bang.
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: A tsunami advisory is now in effect for the entire U.S. West Coast and Alaska.
WEIR (voice-over): A undersea volcano near the island nation of Congo erupted with such force that the ash cloud blew 35 miles in the
stratosphere. The boom was heard in Alaska. And tsunami waves took two lives across the Pacific in Peru.
Number nine, some of the world's most important rivers fell to sobering levels, like Italy's Poe to the Germans' Rhine, including not so mighty
Mississippi, where the Army Corps of Engineers is still dredging as fast as they can to keep billions' worth of goods and grain moving to market.
At number eight, a surprise reversal in coal country gives the U.S. its most ambitious climate laws in history.
JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: With unwavering conviction, commitment and patience, progress does come.
WEIR (voice-over): Biden promised to make America greener. It was all but throttled by West Virginia's Joe Manchin until four days of secret horse
trading with Chuck Schumer put the Inflation Reduction Act on the president's desk.
While environmentalists resent some of the concessions given to Big Oil, analysts say the rich incentives for people and companies to electrify
could get the country most of the way toward Biden's carbon-cutting goals.
At number seven, Nicole became the first hurricane to hit the Atlantic coast in the second week of November.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The intensity of the rain and wind have certainly gone up.
WEIR (voice-over): An unusually late arrival, about a 500 mile wind field, during outrageously high king tides. The combination cost five lives and
almost $2 billion in damages.
Number six, the 27th attempt at cooperation on climate action went into overtime as poor nations pleaded with rich ones to finally start picking up
the tab for loss and damages.
ANTONIO GUTERRES, UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL: Clearly, this will not be enough.
WEIR (voice-over): In the end, almost 200 nations agreed to set up a fund to help the most vulnerable. But a global pledge to phase out fossil feels
was stonewalled by oil-producing nations.
Number five, an increasingly unpredictable water cycle brought the kind of floods seen once every thousand years. From Dallas, where they got a
summer's worth of rain in a day, to Death Valley, that set a record with two inches of rain in one of the driest spots on Earth; 43 lives were lost
in flash floods and mudslides across six Kentucky counties.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where are all these people going to go?
[10:25:00]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where are they going to live?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WEIR (voice-over): The combo of heavy rain and rapid snow melt forced 10,000 to evacuate Yellowstone National Park as walls of water rearranged
entire landscapes in hours.
Number four, England, that green and pleasant land turned brown in 2022, as thermometers in the U.K. hit 104 degrees Fahrenheit and put an
unprecedented toll on firefighters.
Temperatures hit 106 in Spain as the European heat wave took thousands of lives.
Meanwhile, in China, records were smashed at hundreds of weather stations, the stifling heat lingered for 70 days.
Number three, the western megadrought brought Lake Mead to its lowest levels ever, exposing long-lost drowning victims and possible mob hits and
triggering the first-ever cuts for those last in line to use Colorado River water.
And the lake used to go, it used to go half a mile around the corner. And now it starts way back here. I cannot believe this.
While there is hope for a heavy snow pack this winter, it would take years of steady precipitation to refill Lake Mead and will likely inch closer to
Deadpool (ph) next summer.
From not enough water in the American West to way too much in Pakistan, at number two, a monsoon on steroids brought rains 500 percent above average
in some places as well as a dozen or more bursting glaciers. At least 33 million people have been affected, people responsible for less than 1
percent of climate altering pollution.
And at number one, the natural disaster of 2022:
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ian is here, John, we just felt it. Marked increase in wind speeds.
WEIR (voice-over): Hurricane Ian: when it roared from a tropical storm to a category three in a day, Hurricane Ian became the new poster child for
so-called rapid intensification, when warm water-fueled storms get so strong so fast, evacuation plans fall apart.
This is just unbelievable, the amount of damage in this one neighborhood.
Ian's wind, storm surge and freshwater flooding toll is expected to cause over $50 billion and, so far, it has taken over 100 lives.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, for some, this is the sound of terror in Ukraine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON (voice-over): Just ahead, we're back in Ukraine, where we will show you why that sound can be scarier than sirens if you need lifesaving
medical equipment in the middle of a blackout.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON (voice-over): Plus, the U.S. is scrambling to keep up with the growing number of asylum applications, as more and more migrants enter the
country every day. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD, I'm Becky Anderson, stay with us.
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ANDERSON: Welcome back. I am Becky Anderson in Abu Dhabi for you. You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD.
Well, it could be described as the phone call heard around the world. And the world is listening after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy
tweeted that he is relying on India's help to implement what he calls his peace formula for ending Russia's war against his country.
Mr. Zelenskyy's Monday phone call to Indian prime minister Narendra Modi came as New Delhi seeks to boost trade ties with Moscow. That is not good
news for Kyiv. Neither is a Russian ultimatum, issued one day after Vladimir Putin said he was open to negotiations aimed at ending the war on
his terms.
Later on Monday, foreign minister Sergey Lavrov threatened Kyiv with either accepting Moscow's demands or, as he put it, seeing the Russian military
take action.
On top of all of this, the power situation in Ukraine remains, I quote here, "really difficult." That's according to the country's energy
minister. It's scary in Ukraine when the lights go out, really scary, especially for those who need power for lifesaving medical devices.
My colleague, Will Ripley, brings us their story, have a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RIPLEY (voice-over): Christmas in Ukraine, even the air raid sirens don't get a break.
RIPLEY: So when the lights go out?
You use this.
How does -- how do you turn on?
Oh, like that.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Twelve-year-old Sebastian (ph) has an arsenal of battery powered lights for the blackouts so he can play with his small army
of toy tanks.
Unfortunately, this doesn't run on batteries.
RIPLEY: Oh, you use it as a weight. So that's how you stay strong.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Sebastian has cystic fibrosis, a rare lung disorder. He needs a nebulizer to inhale medicine. It keeps him alive. He could die
without inhalations.
"We can't miss them," his grandmother says.
"The first time we had a blackout, we took the machine and ran around looking for a generator. We found a shop where people charge their phones.
We did it there."
His grandmother shows us their small portable nebulizer. When the lights go out, it gets the job done, barely.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's machine number nine and --
RIPLEY: This is 1,319.
RIPLEY (voice-over): Patients like him rely on help from SVOI Foundation, a nonprofit in Kyiv. They've helped more than 6,000 people with breathing
problems. The situation for many, dire.
RIPLEY: What happens to people if the machine doesn't work?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They die.
RIPLEY: They die.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
RIPLEY (voice-over): "When there is no light for 20 or 30 hours, you have to go to the hospital," she says.
"We have patients who went from the apartment to the car for two days because they charged their device with a cigarette lighter."
The sound of a blackout even more terrifying than the sound of sirens for Olena Isayenko (ph).
"The sound is like a flatline," she says.
She's living with respiratory failure on the 15th floor. Blackouts mean no elevator, no way to get to the bomb shelter downstairs.
"We can't cook. When there is no heat, you can live with that. But when you can't breathe, it's your life."
Her portable respirator barely lasts two hours. It takes more than an hour to charge. Each blackout puts her life at risk.
For so many, victims of Russia's constant cruel bombardment, this is life, if you can call it that -- Will Ripley, CNN, Kyiv, Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, South Korea says it will expedite as much as possible the launch of its military drone unit to monitor and scout North Korean
military installations.
It is speeding up the launch after Pyongyang sent five drones into South Korean airspace on Monday. Seoul scrambled fighter jets and attack
helicopters in response and fired warning shots. More now from CNN's Paula Hancocks.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Just one day after North Korea sent drones over the border into South Korean airspace.
[10:35:00]
HANCOCKS: South Korea's president Yoon Suk-yeol says that they are speeding up the launch of a drone unit. Now the president said this was
already in the works, they have been planning this. But what had happened on Monday had shown that the military was not ready for this kind of
threat.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YOON SUK YEOL, PRESIDENT OF SOUTH KOREA (through translator): I think our people have witnessed how dangerous it is to have North Korean policies
solely relying on the North's goodwill and military agreements.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): So the South Korean military started tracking at drone at 10:25 in the morning on Monday. Now, according to the military,
they say these drones were less than two meters long. And they track them for some five hours.
So we've been told that five came across the border. One approached the capital, Seoul, and then four of the others were flying around Ganghwa
Island, which is just off the west coast of the peninsula.
Now South Korea's reaction was that they scrambled fighter jets and attack helicopters. In fact, one of those fighter jets did crash. The defense
ministry say there's no injury to the crew itself.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANCOCKS: Also what they did from the South Korean side is that they sent reconnaissance assets aircraft into North Korea as well, some just along
the inter-Korean border.
But some went into North Korean airspace and filmed and photographed military installations. So a tit-for-tat response for what North Korea had
done as well, the spokesperson saying it's a clear provocation and an invasion of our airspace by North Korea.
Now it is unusual for this to happen but it's not unprecedented. The last time that a drone was detected by the South Koreans was back in 2017. That
is when they discovered a crashed North Korean drone.
At the time the military said they believed it had been photographing a U.S. built missile defense system in the country. Also, a similar situation
in 2014, when they discovered a crashed drone from North Korea.
Now this has been a concern from the South Korean side but it's also coming at a time, a historic time, when North Korea has been continually firing
missiles and launching missiles throughout 2022.
Never in its history have we seen what we have seen this year. It also comes at a time when relations between the two Koreas are particularly bad
-- Paula Hancocks, CNN, Seoul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: After a treacherous journey for Rohingyas -- apologies, let me move on to another story.
A new study shows more than 1.5 million asylum applications are pending and U.S. Immigration reports the highest number on record.
In the meantime, the lines of migrants are growing longer at the U.S.- Mexico border, with the Trump era immigration policy known as Title 42 still in limbo. The policy, which allows border officials to quickly expel
migrants to slow the spread of COVID-19, was due to expire last week.
CNN's Camilla Bernal spoke with one migrant family about their hopes.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAMILA BERNAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A dream come true in the form of a hula hoop, toys their parents say they would not be able to
afford in native Venezuela.
An opportunity for his children, says this 30-year old, who left his country more than three months ago with his partner and four children. In
November, they made it to the U.S. and turned themselves in to immigration authorities.
"They sent us back," he said.
And because they're not legally married, the two got separated. And after about a week in a detention center, they ended up in two different cities
in Mexico.
Elvin's partner, Caroline, says she was told they were being sent back to Mexico because of Title 42, which allows border agents to immediately expel
migrants, citing COVID-19 concerns. And this is what they say led them to an illegal crossing 20 days later.
"I wanted to cross legally," says Caroline, but as a family, they felt they had no other option.
It's a desperation felt by many here. And, as a result, they end up on the streets during a cold front in El Paso. The city accommodates those who
have documentation taking more than 400 people into this makeshift shelter in its convention center over the holiday weekend.
Others ending up in Washington, D.C., outside of Vice President Kamala Harris' residence.
AMY FISCHER, MIGRANT SOLIDARITY MUTUAL AID NETWORK: The majority of them are planning to, you know, stay in D.C., or head up to New York.
BERNAL: Since April, Texas governor Greg Abbott has been busing migrants to northern states.
[10:40:00]
BERNAL (voice-over): These migrants were bused from Texas to D.C. on Christmas Eve, some wearing only a T-shirt in 18 degree weather.
For Elvin and Caroline the final destination is Chicago. They say they want to apply for refugee status, find work and provide for their four children.
BERNAL: And every single one of these migrants has a similar story. I've been speaking to them over the last couple of days and most of them tell me
that they're waiting to be able to afford a bus ticket to get to their final destination.
In the meantime, many of them are out here and preparing, as the sun sets, to sleep out on the streets, because the shelters are at capacity -- Camila
Bernal, CNN, El Paso, Texas.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, just ahead, it's been a tough year for the crypto industry. That is just one of CNN's top 10 business stories of 2022. It's
that time of year, folks. We will show you the full list, up next.
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ANDERSON: Well, as 2022 comes to a close, we're looking back at some of the year's the biggest headlines. CNN's Christine Romans has the top
stories for you now from the world of business.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Crypto crashed and streaming slowed. The recession debate raged. Elon Musk's chaotic Twitter
takeover. And the energy market turmoil raised prices at the pump. These are the top business stories of 2022.
Number 10, crypto crashed amid the downfall of its biggest exchange. Even flashy Super Bowl ads couldn't hold off the chill of a crypto winter as
investors ditched risky assets.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Has the bitcoin bubble finally burst?
Part of a crash that has cost investors more than $1 trillion .
ROMANS: A downturn made worse by the implosion of the world's largest crypto exchange, FTX, over claims IT misused customer money.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The $32 billion company that plunged into bankruptcy basically overnight.
ROMANS: Leaving millions of customers scrambling to recover funds. A class action suit for celebs who endorsed FTX.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm getting into crypto.
ROMANS: And attracting government scrutiny.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: FTX is prompting investigations by federal prosecutors now.
ROMANS: Disgraced FTX founder Samuel bank been freed or SBF saw his multibillion-dollar fortune evaporate.
SAM BANKMAN FRIED, FORMER CEO, FTX: I think it might be $100,000 or something like that.
ROMANS: Before being arrested on fraud and conspiracy charges, SBF legal team says it's considering all options.
[10:45:00]
ROMANS: Number nine, America faces a housing crisis.
SANCHEZ: Americans are struggling to keep up with rising home prices.
ROMANS: The pandemic altered the housing market, delayed construction, kept supply low, while demand spiked, creating a crisis of affordability.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Housing prices had a record high in April.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Prices are going up.
ROMANS: Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve's inflation fight more than doubled mortgage rates.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mortgage rates now topping seven percent, a 20-year high.
ROMANS: Pricing out many Americans.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: HOW many properties do you think you've explored?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thousands, thousands.
ROMANS: Home sales dropped while rental costs hit record highs.
Number eight, Wall Street's soured on streaming amid a slowdown. 2022 ushered in a new era for streaming services.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Netflix lost 200,000 global subscribers. The last time Netflix lost subscribers was October 2011.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Growing losses at Disney plus.
ROMANS: Streaming stocks tanked as the days of meteoric growth seem to be over. So Netflix introduced adds, a move it had resisted and wrote
crackdown on password sharing. While Disney saw a leadership shakeup.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Disney has ousted chief executive Bob Chapek after only two years on the job, replaced him with a familiar name, his predecessor
Bob Iger.
ROMANS: But all the major players revised plans, cutting costs to create profitable business models instead of relying on subscriber growth.
Number seven, a nationwide rail strike looms and is averted not once but twice. The first came in September. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some 60,000
engineers are threatened to walk off
the job as soon as Friday.
JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: It would be the first nationwide rail strike in 30 years.
ROMANS: Nearly one-third of the nation's freight could come to a standstill. Rail workers, working nonstop through the pandemic, demanded
better conditions as freight companies raked in record profits. Negotiations dragged on threatening a fragile supply chain. So the White
House stepped in with the labor secretary brokering and 11th-hour deal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Labor unions and rail lines reaching a tentative last-minute deal. But now this deal does go to the union members,
ROMANS: But rank and file workers wanted paid sick time not included in the agreement.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Workers at the biggest and most powerful rail union have voted down a tentative contract deals.
VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: And now you have four rail unions who have voted it down altogether.
ROMANS: This time, Congress stepped in, passing a bill forcing workers to accept the deal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The joint resolution has passed.
ROMANS: And stay on the job.
Number six, Americans return to the skies in record numbers but airlines couldn't handle the influx.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Huge lines are greeting travelers at airports across the United States.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Express a warning it's going to be a summer of travel hell.
ROMANS: Some days saw thousands of flights delayed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: More than 2100 are delayed.
ROMANS: Or canceled especially over holiday weekends.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 45,000 flight cancellations nationwide since the first of June.
ROMANS: One major reason, not enough crew members. Airlines trim staff during the pandemic so any disruption like bad weather sparked chaos.
Number five, a rough year for Wall Street amid a tech wreck. The breathless post-COVID rally ended this year.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The S&P 500 has fallen into what investors call a bear market. This was the worst day for the Dow since June.
ROMANS: Investors reacted to rising prices and the Feds aggressive campaign to fight them, raising the specter of a recession will also
hurting high growth stocks like tech.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN ANCHOR: Tech stocks have plunged since the start of this year.
ROMANS: 2022 was an awful year for tech companies after years of unstoppable growth, profits declined, leading to hiring freezes and an
alarming number of job cuts laying off thousands of tech workers.
Number four, the recession debate raged amid economic whiplash. COVID broke the economy leading to a recovery full of conflicting signals. GDP shrank.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Alarm bells are ringing for the U.S. economy tonight.
TAPPER: The U.S. economy shrank for the second quarter in a row. That is the common definition of a recession.
ROMANS: While big business voice is offered dire warnings.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If we're not in a recession right now, we're likely to be in one very soon.
DOUG MCMILLON, PRESIDENT AND CEO, WALMART: Customers who are more budget conscious that have been under inflation pressure now for months.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think policymakers should be prepared for the worst.
ROMANS: But despite the gloom of hot inflation and higher rates, U.S. economy was resilient with the labor market so strong companies were
fighting for workers.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are 1.9 open jobs for every unemployed person.
ROMANS: And people kept shopping driving growth.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Recession fears don't deter us shoppers in a record- setting Black Friday.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: American shoppers shelled out an all-time high, $11.3 billion.
ROMANS: Wrapping up 2022 with the recession questions still unanswered.
[10:50:00]
ROMANS: Number three, Elon Musk's chaotic Twitter takeover. The billionaire began building his stake in January becoming the largest
Twitter shareholder before offering to buy the whole thing.
QUEST: Elon Musk makes up $41 billion hostile bid for Twitter.
ROMANS: Musk wanted to unlock Twitter's potential. Twitter eventually agreed to sell itself before Musk did an about-face in May.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Musk is trying to back out of buying the social media giant, saying Twitter's withholding vital information.
ROMANS: Then came months of legal maneuvering, complicated by revelations from a whistleblower.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The company's cybersecurity failures make it vulnerable to exploitation.
ROMANS: Still, Musk eventually completed the deal instead of heading to trial. He immediately slashed jobs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nearly half of the company's employees now out of a job.
ROMANS: While rolling out other changes, including trying to launch paid verification and reinstating controversial figures including former
President Trump.
Number two, energy market turmoil raised prices at the pump. Russia has warned Ukraine threatened oil supply sending global prices soaring.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's a seven-year high. U.S. crude in the meantime, multi-year highs too.
ROMANS: That affected gas prices.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gas prices here in the United States reached record highs.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And that's up by a staggering 60 cents in just one week.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Many Americans couldn't afford to fill up the tank, so President Biden released oil from the strategic reserve and blasted U.S.
oil companies.
BIDEN: The profits are a windfall of war.
ROMANS: While also asking them to pump more oil. He did the same of Saudi Arabia during a controversial visit in July. But OPEC Plus did the
opposite, slashing production in October.
An attempt to boost oil prices finally weighed down by concerns over a global slowdown. Gas prices also fell ending the year cheaper than before
Russia invaded Ukraine.
Number one, the Feds aggressive fight to tame decades-high inflation. Americans paid high prices again this year.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Inflation in the United States soaring to a new
40-year high. Across the board, you're paying way more for just about everything. So the central bank jacked up interest rates seven times to
help even rolling out bumper three-quarter point hikes four times in a row. And the Fed isn't finished.
JEROME POWELL, CHAIR, FEDERAL RESERVE: We continue to anticipate that ongoing increases will be appropriate.
ROMANS: Some worry the Feds higher rates will spark a recession. They're already shaking markets and raising credit and mortgage payments. But have
they lowered consumer prices?
There's no clear signal yet. One thing is for sure of the effects we'll continue to work their way through the economy into next year.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Still to come, with energy costs soaring in the United Kingdom, some people are turning to what are known as warm spaces to cope with high
power bills. How they work is up next.
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ANDERSON: Well, as prices soar and temperatures drop, some in the U.K. are turning warm spaces this winter. These are community centers that offer a
warm place for people who are struggling to pay high energy bills. My colleague, Anna Stewart, has more.
[10:55:00]
ANNA STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A hot drink, somewhere to sit and chat, The Oasis Center in London is one of thousands of
organizations across the U.K. now running warm spaces for those struggling to pay their energy bills.
STEVE CHALKE, FOUNDER, OASIS TRUST: Being warm helps a person relax. The more relaxed they are, the more logically they can think about all their
other worries and stresses.
There's so many people though that are cold because, given the choice between being warm and eating, you have got to eat and you have got to feed
your family. What's happening this year is that more and more people are being caught into that trap.
STEWART: Some people call these warm banks but you don't use that term.
CHALKE: We think that's really important because it destigmatizes all of this. Once you're running a warm bank, if I come into your warm bank, I'm
admitting that I cannot heat my house.
But if you're running the living room, as we call, at The Oasis Center, well, actually, you might be a millionaire.
STEWART (voice-over): Charity National Energy Action predicts over 8 million U.K. households will be in fuel poverty by April, almost double the
number since last year, despite the government spending billions to subsidize rising energy bills.
CHARLOTTE HILTON, THE OASIS CENTER: I have spent over 100 pounds in a few weeks on gas alone.
STEWART (voice-over): Mum of four, Charlotte Hilton, works at the center but also uses its services to help support her family.
STEWART: Do you think there will come a point where you not be able to meet all of your bills?
HILTON: Yes, yes, there will be. It will become a point, because everything is going up but wages, benefits, all of those things -- and it's
not just affecting obviously lower class people; it's affecting everybody.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): We thought, what if the health service just could prescribe people a warm home?
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STEWART (voice-over): The National Health Service is so worried about the impact of the cold on people's health that it's testing paying for some of
the most vulnerables' heating.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There will be 1,000 homes helped this winter as part of this winter's trial. And there will be people at risk of being admitted
during the winter because they live in a cold home.
STEWART (voice-over): It's a worrying new reality for so many. The message here is that those who need help must not be afraid to ask for it.
CHALKE: People are scared of community, they're scared of being judged by others. I will not go to that warm bank in that church, I won't go to these
events, wherever it is, because I will be judged. Venture out. The world is full of wonderful people, you will meet friends.
STEWART (voice-over): Anna Stewart, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Stay with CNN for the next hour of CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson.
END
