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First Move with Julia Chatterley

A day after U.S. Security Deal, China Ask to Join a Regional Trade Pact; President Biden signs a New Order for Ethiopia Sanctions after CNN Reporting on Atrocities in the Tigray Region; Italian Workers Face Tough New Rules on Vaccines, as well as COVID tests.. Aired 9-10a ET

Aired September 17, 2021 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:14]

ISA SOARES, CNN ANCHOR; Live from London, I am Isa Soares, in for Julia Chatterley, this is FIRST MOVE and here is your need-to--know.

China tensions. A day after U.S. security deal, China asked to join a regional trade pact.

Ethiopia sanctions. President Biden signs a new order after CNN reporting on atrocities in the Tigray region.

And Italian job. Workers face tough new rules on vaccines, as well as COVID tests.

It is Friday. So let's make a move.

A warm welcome to everyone. Welcome to FIRST MOVE. Great to have you with us this Friday.

And let's begin with an update as we always do here on the show on the global markets. Futures are pointing to a mostly flat open on Wall Street

after a pullback for the Dow and the S&P in the previous sessions. You can see red arrows right across the board on those futures with roughly about

29 minutes or so until the bell opens, trading begins on Wall Street.

That said all the major averages remain on track to finish the week with modest gains. There you see the Dow up fractionally, same picture with the

S&P 500 and NASDAQ. Now, major tests for the market has of course is set to come soon. The Federal Reserve updates investors next week on when it might

ease stimulus and Congress remains far apart on a deal to raise the debt ceiling.

Now, if we have a look at European stocks and how they are faring in this Friday. Well, there you go. Green arrows right across the board. The U.K.

stocks gaining there just two-tenths of a percent despite news in fact that retail sales there took an unexpected drop last month.

And a positive close if we have a look to Asia -- how the trading week has been in Asia. Hong Kong rebounded off 10-month lows rising more, as you can

see there, one percent, and for the week however the Hang Seng fell almost five percent. It is now down eight percent so far, take a look at that

graphic -- this year.

Well in Hong Kong today, shares of deeply indebted property developer Evergrande, which we have been covering here every single day on the show

this week fell for a fifth straight session hitting their lowest levels in 10 years, 3.4 percent there.

Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan now say Evergrande's troubles could trigger a broader crisis in the Chinese real estate sector. Meantime, the editor of

the Beijing backed "Global Times" newspaper says Evergrande is not too big to fail.

Well, China today injected billions into the financial system to help ease growing concerns about those strains in the credit markets. We'll keep on

top of the story for you.

Now, let's get straight to our main drivers.

Chinese President Xi Jinping saying external forces should never be allowed to interfere in a country's internal affairs. He addressed the summit of

the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which was also attended remotely as you can see there by the Russian President and India's Prime Minister.

Mr. Xi's comments came after the United States unveiled a new security alliance to help Australia get nuclear powered submarines.

Ivan Watson is live in Hong Kong with us and he is monitoring the story. So, Ivan, look, it's clear the Chinese are not happy at all by this new

alliance. How have they responded and critically, I mean, I'm interested to know how it is being covered by the media in China.

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, it's been slammed in the media. As for Xi Jinping, and in his speeches to the Shanghai

Cooperation Organization, he did not directly address the new nuclear powered submarine deal between the U.S., the U.K., and Australia. But he

did have some words that were clearly critical of the U.S. with the ongoing tensions.

He called on the member states to reject condescending lecturing, to never allow any external interference in the domestic affairs of countries in

their region, and he called out so-called the use of the so-called rules to undermine the international order, which is kind of turning around a line

that Washington repeats that it is trying to maintain a rules based order.

The other criticism has come from a spokesperson for the foreign ministry, and from China's Ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the

IAEA, and he was specifically calling on the board of governors to denounce the tripartite agreement arguing that this is a violation of the nuclear

non-proliferation treaty.

[09:05:08]

WATSON: So that's another angle that Beijing is pursuing, another case that it's trying to make.

When it comes to the media, well, "The Global Times" is China's kind of very nationalistic tabloid newspaper, and it's had some choice words. It's

called Australia a running dog and saying that if it provokes China to expect no mercy, and it is accusing the U.S. of helping foment a submarine

fever.

And that's another line that Beijing has been repeating, that this will drive an arms race in the region. And interestingly, the Indonesian Foreign

Ministry picked up on that and also shared it in a statement warning about the risks of an arms race -- Isa.

SOARES: And as this is all unfolding of course, Ivan, you know, you've got China applying to join the Asia Pacific Trade Pact, of which of course,

Australia is a member. Do you know or what are you hearing in terms of whether it is a response to the submarine deal?

WATSON: The Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson denied that. He was asked about that at his daily briefing. He did have an interesting response

to that. He said, you know, there are these two different things, the nuclear powered submarine agreement between Britain, the U.S. and

Australia, and that is, quote, "promoting war and destruction, whereas China is promoting economic cooperation and the integration of economic

regions with its bid to join the CP-TPP." A lot of acronyms there.

There is some reluctance right out of the gates from the Japanese government about welcoming China into the organization. Some quotes to that

effect coming from senior Japanese officials. But some analysts have pointed out a weakness on the part of Washington here that it is promoting

military cooperation.

And next week, we'll see the leaders of the so-called Quad Alliance, that's India, Japan, Australia and the U.S. getting together to talk about their

cooperation, which has been carried out in the forms of joint naval exercises, for example.

This new announcement about building nuclear powered submarines for Australia, whereas China has been pushing forward on economic integration,

not only its enormous Belt and Road investments, but also as you mentioned, this Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership that it signed on to last

year.

And now it is pushed to join what was known as the TPP, which the U.S. pulled out of under the Trump administration, which had been seen as an

attempt to counterbalance China's enormous economic power here in Asia -- Isa.

SOARES: Such an important point there from Ivan Watson. Thanks very much, Ivan there.

Now the trilateral alliance that Ivan was talking about is also leaving France pretty furious as Australia now scraps a multibillion dollar deal to

buy French submarines. France is canceling a reception for U.S. dignitaries that would have been held in Washington today, and scaling down another

Franco-American military commemoration.

Melissa Bell is live in Paris with the latest.

Look, the French, I hear, Melissa are seething, and they are clearly, as we just outlined showing this today in Washington.

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. I mean, they've made that quite plain. The French press also up in arms about what's happened, but

beyond that question of the many billions of dollars that this will have cost France, there is perhaps a much more important question of how this is

being received in Brussels.

The news came, you'll remember Isa, just several hours after Ursula van der Leyen, the President of the European Commission had made that State of the

Union address, which was all about European unity, all about trying to make plain that Europe was ready to be a major actor on the global stage.

What a blow it took only a few hours later, when Europe learned on live TV of what was actually going on. Now, what's happened since are those growing

calls that had begun several months, a couple of years ago already that Europe needed greater strategic independence.

And I think what you're likely to see over the coming weeks, is Europe really try and go even further in that. It's taken a different position to

the United States towards China from the start, one of cooperation where it can, containment where it feels it must, and I think you're likely to see

as a result of this, a lot more hot push moment with Beijing than perhaps Europeans had imagined just a short while ago -- Isa.

SOARES: Yes, because despite the politics and the influence, it's also a huge economic loss for France.

Melissa Bell there for us. Thanks very much, Melissa.

Well, the Italian government is making it mandatory for all workers, whether public or private sector to obtain a so-called COVID Green Pass.

From October 15th, employees will have to prove either they've been vaccinated, they have tested negative or have recovered from a COVID

infection.

It is the first country in Europe to adopt such a strict rule. CNN's Ben Wedeman in Rome with all the details, and Ben, these very much are being

seen as some of the toughest measures in all of Europe, how is it being received?

[09:10:15]

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's been those measures, despite there being tough, are being received fairly positively.

The only sort of voice of discontent within the government coalition is the so called Lega, The League, a right-wing party that in the past has opposed

restrictions like these. But what they've discovered is that despite their position, the public is by and large in favor of imposing ever more

restrictive measures to compel as many people as possible to get vaccinated.

Now, the government has a goal of vaccinating 80 percent of the eligible population by the end of this month. By now at this time, 75 percent of the

population over the age of 12 has received at least one vaccine. So, they seem on course to achieve that.

Now, why are people so accepting of these harsh measures? Keep in mind that 130,000 -- more than 130,000 Italians have died from coronavirus. Italy was

one of the hardest hit countries in the early phases of the pandemic. People want to see life get back to normal.

And although you do have those who subscribe to magical thinking that perhaps this virus isn't real or perhaps the sort of solutions that they

are entertaining in some quarters in the United States of horse deworming or gargling with iodine that sort of thing hasn't caught on here, because

people basically understand, if this pandemic is not beaten by the use of vaccinations, it will go on in perpetuity at this point -- Isa.

SOARES: And if you fail to abide by these rules, what is the -- is there a fine? What's the repercussion if you're an employee?

WEDEMAN: There are a variety of repercussions for those who do not comply, for workers who show up to work without a Green Pass, they will be

suspended from their jobs without pay. Others who refuse to get a Green Pass and still go to work will be fined, and employers who don't check the

people are properly vaccinated will be fined as well.

So, there is a variety of incentives, penalties, prices to pay if you do not apply with this decree, which will go into effect on the 15th of

October -- Isa.

SOARES: Ben Wedeman for us in Rome. Thanks very much, Ben. Great to see you.

And still to come right here on FIRST MOVE, as regulators debate booster shots for Americans, the man leading Africa's vaccine drive, this extra

shot for the rich means fewer for the poor.

Then, Broadway comes roaring back.

[VIDEO CLIP PLAYS]

SOARES: What it takes to get Broadway's bright lights back on after 18 months of shutdown.

Those two stories after a very short break. You are watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:16:22]

SOARES: Welcome back, everyone. Let me bring you up-to-date the stories making headlines right around the world.

The U.S. President has signed an executive order authorizing new sanctions against participants in the Ethiopian conflict. Reports of atrocities have

continued to emerge from the Tigray region of Ethiopia. CNN has uncovered evidence of mass detention, sexual violence, as well as killings.

Nima Elbagir joins me now. And Nima, you know, when your exclusive report came out last week, I remember talking to you and the first thing I said to

you is, why isn't the international community doing more to stop these atrocities? Well, now that's coming, the stick is out. What can we expect

to hear from the United States?

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's important to point out that this isn't actually implementing new sanctions. What it's

done is it has broadened the scope of the sanctions and for the first time issue an ultimatum.

Officials tell us that this needs to be within weeks, that negotiation of a ceasefire, the lifting and allowing, by the Ethiopian government and its

allies of much needed humanitarian aid into the region, which has been very difficult to do within the last six weeks, pulling more and more families

into famine conditions.

All of that now is what the U.S. government is saying it is watching, and of course, also telegraphs a really important message, which is through

this executive order, the Biden administration is saying that the ethnic- based violence, as they call it, the rape, the gender-based violence, it constitutes what the U.S. considers to be a national emergency, i.e., it is

not in the interest of the United States, whether morally or from a security perspective to allow this to continue.

Given what we were discussing when we spoke after our last reporting, I think it's important to make clear that we spoke to congressional contacts

and they told us that it was our reporting really that triggered this because our communication of the situation, reality on the ground gave them

a renewed sense of urgency and they ratcheted the pressure on the Biden administration. This really has come from U.S. lawmakers.

I just want to remind our viewers of what we uncovered and it is very difficult to watch, the images are graphic, but they are really important

because what you're seeing here is the evidence of a methodical campaign of torture, detention, and execution. Those bodies that we found had been

executed after being forced to suffer the most horrifying torture.

And that is evidence of a methodology, which points towards all the hallmarks of genocide, and it is this that is pushing the U.S.

administration into these broader threats and broader sanctions at their disposal -- Isa.

SOARES: Briefly, Nima, what has been the reaction to this ultimatum from if there's been any from the Ethiopian and from the Eritrean government?

ELBAGIR: Well, it's clear that this is what they were worried about because after reporting came out, we were subjected to an extraordinary

smear campaign online, really horrific threats and name calling to anyone whose name appeared on these bylines and much of it was from people who had

official associations with the governments of Ethiopia and Eritrea.

So, it's clear this is where they were scared of ending up with. We are reaching out to the Ethiopian authorities to get comment from them. We're

waiting to hear back.

[09:20:03]

ELBAGIR: But what we've seen from their supporters in the diaspora and online, that they are very worried about the impact that the U.S. coming

out ahead of everyone else is going to have on the broader international response to this -- Isa.

SOARES: And if you haven't seen Nima's exclusive reporting, I encourage you to do so. Nima Elbagir there, thanks very much, Nima. Good to see you.

Now, CNN has obtained satellite images to show North Korea is expanding a uranium enrichment facility. According to analysts, this suggests Pyongyang

is planning to boost production of weapons grade nuclear material. And it comes weeks after report by the International Atomic Energy Agency found

the country had restarted a nuclear reactor at the same site.

Now, let me bring you another check of the markets if we can bring them up. It's still looking like a flat to actually, a pretty lower open that kind

of range. Dow futures is pretty flat. For U.S. stocks, options expiration Friday for Wall Street, which means trading volumes are likely to be much

higher than normal. Price swings could also be more intense.

Meantime, it's been another bumper week for U.S. IPOs with names like Dutch Brothers Coffee and Roger Federer's backed on sneakers going public on the

NYSE. The number of firms making their Wall Street debuts have already surpassed 2020 levels, and the NYSE is expecting a strong finish to the

year with more well-known names set to hit the market including Warby Parker eyewear, which is hoping to launch a direct listing on September

29th.

Firms are increasingly taking advantage of popular new paths to go public, including direct listings.

John Tuttle joins me now. He is the Vice Chairman and Chief Commercial Officer at the NYSE. John, great to have you on the show. Look, 2021 is

proving as we just outlined to be a pretty stellar year for you. What's driving this IPO activity?

JOHN TUTTLE, VICE CHAIRMAN AND CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER, NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE: Well, great to be with you. And you're right, 2020 was a record

year for the New York Stock Exchange. We've already surpassed those records in 2021. It's been a great group of companies that have come to market from

across geography, industry, size, and we are -- you know, and the market has been giving them a very warm reception.

You're right, we are seeing an exciting pipeline of companies looking to come to market. Markets are warm to these companies. So interest rates are

low and relatively stable companies are performing well in the weeks, months, and quarters post their listings.

So after a couple weeks of quiet at the tail end of summer, now that we're past Labor Day, we have an exciting pipeline of companies ready to come to

market.

SOARES: And John, give our viewers an idea of what kind of companies you're seeing going public? I mean, is there a trend that you are seeing

this year?

TUTTLE: Absolutely. So, there are three sectors I would really identify. The first one is tech. We have a strong pipeline of technology companies

looking to come to market. Over the past 12 months at the New York Stock Exchange, we welcomed the largest software IPO in history, the largest

cybersecurity IPO in history, and more exciting companies to come.

Another one is healthcare. Today, we have Ginkgo Bioworks listing on the New York Stock Exchange. It's the largest biotech listing of the year. And

also consumer names, too. Now that we're hopefully in the final stages of the pandemic, a lot of people are excited to get back out and enjoy life.

So, we had companies like Weber Grills, Traeger Grills and more exciting names to come list on the New York Stock Exchange.

And as we look forward, it's going to continue to be those sectors. But we're also seeing a lot of companies from outside the United States,

Southeast Asia, Europe, and South America looking to tap into the New York markets.

SOARES: And this week, and you can correct me if I'm wrong. I've been told and we are also be seeing a Swiss shoemaker backed by Roger Federer going

public at NYSE. And that really in many ways, points to the demand by consumers that you are talking about.

TUTTLE: Exactly right. And it was an exciting IPO. We got a very warm reception from public investors, and it was also fun to have everybody on

the trading floor wearing pairs of on sneakers.

SOARES: I'm pretty sure -- I'm pretty sure as many people would try to do that anyway, at any given day, but look, give me a sense of, you know how -

- whether you think 2021 will surpass the numbers we saw for IPO listings last year.

TUTTLE: We're already there at the New York Stock Exchange. 2020 was a record year. We've already beat that record in 2021. As we look forward,

though, the pipeline for Q4 remains strong, and as we look into the first half of next year, barring any market, any kind of negative market

activity, we are expecting a very robust pipeline of companies to come to market in that first half of 2022 as well.

SOARES: And what could hinder your plans then?

TUTTLE: There's a whole host of things. There's always geopolitical and marketing, you know, market moving events as you report on every single

day. But everything else held constant, we expect a very strong pipeline of companies to come to market.

SOARES: What was interesting as I was reading up is that, you know, you're still seeing some -- many companies as you say going down the traditional

IPO route, but you're also seeing companies taking other routes.

Is that an increase, you think? And why are we seeing that?

[09:25:10]

TUTTLE: It is an increase, and it is something we're really excited about, and an area where the New York Stock Exchange has been driving a lot of

innovation.

If we were having this conversation a couple of years ago, there would have only been one path to the public markets, and that was the traditional IPO.

Now, we have more paths that are more tailored to meet a company's objectives when it comes to market.

So we have a strong pipeline of IPOs. We have direct listings, which are coming to market. And today with Ginkgo Bioworks listing, this is a SPAC

business combination, and again, the largest biotech listing of the year.

SOARES: And let me ask you, John, very briefly, because we're running out of time, in terms of Chinese companies going public, are you seeing --

because I know, the shift somewhat of the U.S. regulatory environment has changed somewhat.

Are you seeing that impacted at all?

TUTTLE: Well, we had 13 companies from China list in the New York Stock Exchange in the first half of the year. Based on some regulation that was

passed on Capitol Hill and some of the actions by the S.E.C. and some actions by the Chinese government as well, we've seen a pause right now in

listings from China.

But that said, you know, our regulators are going to need to work together to identify a diplomatic solution and we encourage them to view that as

soon as possible.

SOARES: Thank you very much, John Tuttle, a very optimistic and bright picture that you are painting it. You know, it's great after the years

we've had of course with lockdown.

Thank you very much. The Vice Chairman and Chief Commercial Officer at the NYSE.

And we'll bring you the market open after a very short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:30:00]

SOARES: Welcome back to FIRST MOVE. The opening bell has rung. You just heard it there on Wall Street.

As John Tuttle just mentioned, biotech firm, Ginkgo Bioworks is ringing the opening bell to celebrate its new listing.

Let's have a look at the markets, the last day of trade. U.S. stocks searching really for direction in early action as you can see there and

it's been a really choppy week of trading for the major averages. They remain close to records, but stocks are still in the red for the month as

you can see as we're tracking the Dow, the S&P 500 and the NASDAQ here today. Ten companies in the S&P 500 are down by 20 percent or more from

recent highs.

Now the Fed's upcoming policy statement will be one of the big market events as you can imagine next week. All this coming as Fed Chair Jerome

Powell ordered a top to bottom ethics investigation at the Central Bank. Recent report says senior Fed officials have been actively trading on

financial markets.

Now, Cuba has become the first country to vaccinate children as young as two using an independently developed vaccine the government says is safe.

It wants to be able to reopen schools following a spike in infections among children caused by the delta variant.

CNN's Patrick Oppmann has more for you from Havana.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): First comes the jab, and then the tears.

In this one clinic in Havana the day we visited, over 230 children between the ages of two and five were vaccinated, hospital administrators tell us.

Several countries around the world have begun to vaccinate children, but Cuba is believed to be the first to vaccinate toddlers on a large scale.

Even though COVID vaccinations aren't mandatory here, Laura tells me she didn't hesitate to bring her four-year-old daughter, Annisol (ph) to get

the shot.

"I'm relieved," she says, "Because a lot of people are still getting sick. And with the vaccine, we are more protected."

Rather than rely on importing vaccines from abroad, Cuba has produced its own homegrown anti-COVID drugs. The island's government says studies show

they are safe even in children and have begun sending data to the World Health Organization for its approval. With the delta variant, cases in

children are soaring in Cuba.

And just since August, 10 children have died according to government statistics, something doctors here tell us they didn't expect would happen.

"It's more gratifying to vaccinate a child," she says. "You put the vaccine and know they're going to be immunized and won't have serious

complications, or even die from COVID."

The pandemic has hit Cuba hard with food and medicine shortages and in- person schooling cancelled indefinitely.

OPPMANN (on camera): Cuban officials had said that they would reopen schools in early September, but with the surge of new cases and deaths,

those plans are on hold.

Now officials say that before they can safely reopen schools, they have to complete an island-wide vaccination campaign that includes children.

OPPMANN (voice over): I meet Maisel (ph) and her daughter, Paula, right before the three-year-old gets her vaccine.

"I'm very happy," she says, "More than when I got vaccinated. Vaccinating her is the biggest comfort yet."

Cuba's vaccines require three doses. So, there are more jabs to come for these kids. But parents say if it means that life could begin to return to

normal for their children, then all the tears will have been worth it.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: We will have much more news after a very short break. Do stay right here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:36:17]

SOARES: Welcome back. Now, this hour, regulators are debating vaccine booster shots for Americans, but that would harm Africa's vaccine drive

says the head of Africa's Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. He warns that every extra shot in rich nations means one less for the world's

poorest.

Joining me is the Director of the African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. John Nkengasong. He joins me now.

Director, thank you very much for joining us today. Look, what we're seeing today is Western countries deciding whether to start providing booster

shots to some of their populations. Where does this realistically leave Africa? How much does it hinder, do you think the access to vaccines there?

DR. JOHN NKENGASONG, DIRECTOR, AFRICAN CENTRES FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION: I think we all know that Africa, as we speak, has very limited

access to vaccines. As a continent, we have vaccinated only about 3.5 percent of our population. So if the Western world was to continue with

that, it will further increase the gap between the vaccinated and unvaccinated in Africa. And we all know that unless we are all vaccinated,

almost at speed and at scale, the pandemic will persist, even if the Western countries have fully vaccinated their people.

We see what has happened in Israel where the population was vaccinated to a certain level, but then they were challenged with the delta virus, and then

many people who in fact, were vaccinated became infected.

So, I think it makes just good commonsense to know that we need to vaccinate many more people in the world than trying to increase their

boosters.

SOARES: Yes, that makes complete sense. But you're not saying that boosters are not necessary. Is that what -- I mean, what is your assessment

on the boosters, though?

NKENGASONG: Oh, no, they the concept of boosters is -- we have said this before that the science behind or evidence to suggest that we should be

moving towards a booster is very thin so far. They have essentially a couple of key questions that must be addressed. When does this immunity or

antibody levels against the various vaccines decrease to a certain level that it exposes anyone who has been infected to progress to disease to

severe disease quickly? We don't have that data and we need to have that data.

When is it exactly that we need to administer a booster? Is it at six months? Seven months or eight months? We truly don't have that data. So, I

think there's still a lot that we don't know about these vaccines, their behavior that will actually inform our decision to vaccinate -- to

administer booster doses.

SOARES: So do you think the West should be holding off then on administering these booster shots? And has the C.D.C. or the W.H.O. have --

do you know -- have you made that appeal?

NKENGASONG: We have made the appeal that it is really for our collective security interest to try to expand the vaccination to those who have not

been vaccinated, at least enable them to get the two shots so that they get the appropriate level of protection than trying to increase their booster

shots, especially against the background of the limited science and evidence that is out there that we can use to truly inform ourselves that

we need a third dose or a booster dose.

SOARES: You said you made that appeal, Doctor, have you heard back? Have any of them agree to it?

NKENGASONG: I know we have made the appeal, the W.H.O. has made that appeal. I mean, the Africa C.D.C. has made the appeal and we can only hope

and believe that the appeal is being listened to by those who have the control of the vaccines.

SOARES: Yes, and on top -- I mean, on top of the pressures that you've just outlined that you're facing, that the continent is facing with only

3.5 percent of people in the continent being vaccinated, I had read and you can correct me, but COVAX has also slashed its forecast for doses available

this year. Why is that? What is hampering this?

[09:40:18]

NKENGASONG: I think what is hampering COVAX ability to deliver vaccines is access to vaccines. I mean, many countries have the money, especially in

Africa to buy the vaccines. We have a mechanism, as you already know that we have established called the African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team that

have secured up to about 400 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

We want all our producers to give their actual -- to enable African countries to have access to the vaccine market. I think COVAX is also

facing the same challenge. So, without access to the vaccines, there is no way money can work for you.

SOARES: Yes. And where are you, Doctor, on the efforts to produce vaccines in Africa?

NKENGASONG: Well, I am very encouraged that many countries in Africa have now engaged in that process of vaccine manufacturing. I mean, about -- we

know that about five countries have now engaged in the process, including South Africa, Senegal, Rwanda, Egypt, Morocco, and Algeria. So we are very,

very pleased with that effort.

But that is not going to solve our problem now, that is almost on the median term to a long term investment. But what we need now is rapid access

to vaccines.

This pandemic is going out of control. We are not winning the war in Africa against this pandemic. Forty three countries in Africa out of the 55

countries are actually going through a third wave, about five more countries are now into the fourth wave. So we are not ahead of the

pandemic, we are lagging behind the pandemic. The virus is winning.

SOARES: Yes, and the important thing to note to everyone is, you know, in order to beat this, we have to do it together. That's really the message

that we need to keep repeating.

Dr. John Nkengasong, thank you very much. Director of the Africa C.D.C., appreciate your taking time to speak to us right here on the show.

Now, the "Road to Expo" is clearly upon us. The world's largest virtual and in-person event is a testbed for global events going forward. Anna Stewart

looks behind the scenes at what various countries are doing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do a little bit more this way and then compensate.

ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER (voice over): Getting ready for the opening of one of the world's largest events looks something like this.

A meticulous rehearsal for hundreds of dancers, performers, producers, and choreographers.

MANA AL BAYAT, CHIEF ENGAGEMENT OFFICER, EXPO 2020: It is going to be an incredible show because it will combine not only live performances

throughout Al Wasl Plaza, but it will also include amazing projection and amazing music.

STEWART (voice over): In just two weeks, the eyes of the world will be here when the doors to Dubai's Expo 2020 open on October 1st.

The global event's mission is to foster economic and cultural cooperation among top innovators, policymakers, and business leaders.

AL BAYAT: Our overarching theme at Expo 2020 is "Connecting hence creating the future."

STEWART (voice over): Traditionally, the Expo has been a place to showcase the latest technologies and innovations. With the COVID-19 pandemic, this

edition will be a testbed for large events, a new hybrid physical presence and a virtual experience.

AL BAYAT: Some people may want to come, but may not be able to physically. They will get to visit the expo site virtually, visit pavilions virtually,

even attend some of the events.

MEHDI TAHIR, DIRECTOR, U.K. PAVILION: We were one of the first countries in the world to release a virtual tour of our Pavilion.

STEWART (voice over): The Director of the U.K. pavilion, Mehdi Tahir says virtual experiences are at the center of the country's offer.

TAHIR: We build out a platform to be able to take all our events online.

STEWART (voice over): He says access in the pavilion from anywhere, wandering through its halls, engaging with innovations should be easy. All

you need is access to a web browser.

TAHIR: We've been really keen to make sure that those that can't physically get here are still engaged and immersed in the content that's

coming out of here.

STEWART (voice over): And that's been the focus of Expo organizers, allowing virtual travelers to explore every corner of their 1,080 acre site

with tools to draw even the youngest audience.

AL BAYAT: We also have an offering of Expo 2020 in the Minecraft world, which will allow the younger audiences to experience a special learning

journey throughout the Minecraft platform.

STEWART (voice over): Tapping into the potential of virtual reality and digital tools, the opening ceremony will be the first of many virtual

events.

We will accompany that physical experience of the next six months.

Anna Stewart CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: After the break, the curtain raise at the New York's theater land after an 18-month shutdown and a campaign to get Broadway seats filled.

That's after a very short interval.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:47:20]

SOARES: Broadway is back. This was the scene in New York's theater district earlier this week when the doors reopened to one of its most

popular shows. And masked patrons streamed into watch "Hamilton" as you can see there and roaring applause was heard for the first time since the COVID

shutdown. Listen to that -- eighteen months ago.

"The Lion King," "Wicked," and "Chicago" are also back and the TV star, Oprah Winfrey is voicing a major advertising campaign. Here's a little

view.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OPRAH WINFREY, SHOW HOST, TELEVISION PRODUCER, ACTRESS, AUTHOR, AND PHILANTHROPIST (voice over): This is Broadway.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is for you, Billy.

WINFREY (voice over): Where time stops every time a show starts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SOARES: Charlotte St. Martin is the CEO of the Broadway League, which is the trade association for the industry, and she joins us now. Charlotte,

congratulations on the comeback. It is wonderful to see Broadway back.

My producer in New York, team in New York were so excited to see already New York come to life. What does this mean for everyone who works really in

these productions?

CHARLOTTE ST. MARTIN, CEO, BROADWAY LEAGUE: Well, certainly it means they are coming back to life. The past two weeks, when you walk around the

theater district people are not walking on the ground, they are walking one feet off of the ground. It's a glorious time to have these incredibly

talented onstage and backstage people back to work.

SOARES: How many shows do you expect to have back on stage by the end of the year? Give us a rough idea of your plan.

ST. MARTIN: Right now we have 38 shows returning by the end of December, which means we're almost full. We have two theaters in construction and

renovation and we have 41, so that means only one theater will not be occupied by December 31st.

SOARES: And what have you had to do, just so our viewers get an understanding right around the world -- what have you had to do? What

measures have you had to put in place to make this work?

ST. MARTIN: A whole new set of protocols are in place now, including those for the audience, like all people who attend a Broadway show, have to be

vaccinated and show proof with ID unless they're under 12 and then they have to show a negative test.

Everyone has to wear a mask in the theater, and then backstage, same things, even the actors when they're not on stage will have to wear their

masks, but they're tested twice weekly.

There's a new security officer whose job it is to make sure that all of the safety protocols are in place. There's new HEPA filters that are good for

cleaning the air. There are a number of new contactless services.

Our goal has been from day one to ensure that all theatregoers and cast and crew would be safe when they are in our theaters, and that's why it took us

a long time to get up because we had to make sure that was the case.

[09:50:30]

SOARES: And of course, you know, Charlotte, this is not just a cultural rebound. It's also an economic one for so many of these theaters.

ST. MARTIN: Well, yes, I mean, Broadway contributes 97,000 jobs to the City of New York, and in our last full season, almost $15 billion in

economic impact to the city. So in addition to being a great business, we give great joy, and we make New York what New York is. Broadway is symbolic

with New York.

SOARES: And I don't mean to put a damper on the story at all, but of course, we are seeing -- you know, we're not out of the woods yet when it

comes to COVID and we are seeing U.S. delta cases rising. How worried are you that this actually may hamper the plan for the rest of the year,

Charlotte?

ST. MARTIN: Well, we have to keep very close watch on everything we're doing, not let down on our protocols. And of course, we are worried for the

people who are impacted by COVID. But we are going to be stringent to make sure that we don't have to shut down.

SOARES: Well, we're wishing you all the best of luck. It's great news to see Broadway back. Charlotte St. Martin, the CEO of the Broadway League.

Thanks very much, Charlotte.

ST. MARTIN: Thank you.

SOARES: Now looking skyward and the world's first all-tourist space crew are spending what could be their last full day admiring the view in orbit.

New images have been released of the Inspiration 4 mission. Look at that. And despite orbiting 357 miles above the Earth, the four crew members might

not get official astronaut wings from the Federal government.

Kristin Fisher is at Cape Canaveral. She joins us now. And Kristen, that is pretty unfair, I mean, it is a huge achievement and they won't get their

wings. How come?

KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE AND DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's essentially a technicality, and it is really part of this wider semantic

debate as we enter into this new era of space tourism.

Basically, when you're filling out your official paperwork with the F.A.A., SpaceX is given you know only a few choices about what to call the crew.

They can either be full-fledged crew members or spaceflight participants and because the crew of Inspiration 4 are not employers, or direct

contractors of SpaceX directly involved with the launch or landing of this spacecraft, SpaceX had to say that they are space flight participants.

And under the new eligibility requirements that the F.A.A. put out after Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson flew to space, only crew members and not

spaceflight participants are eligible for those government issued F.A.A. commercial astronaut wings.

So, it is the subject of a huge debate right now. I mean, right, you have some fellow NASA, former NASA astronauts, astronaut Scott Kelly, who spent

a year in space, he says, if you make it over the 50 mile threshold above Earth, you are an astronaut. It doesn't matter what the Federal government

gets to say.

And you know this does lead to the larger point of this is not a government enterprise, right? This is a private company sending the first all-civilian

crew all the way up into orbit.

So the F.A.A. says it is still deciding about what to do with this crew and all of these other space tourism crews. But we will have to wait and see

after this crew splashes down and that's going to be happening sometime either Saturday or Sunday, we think, we still don't know exactly from

SpaceX. It'll be happening somewhere off the Coast of Florida.

And the reason we're here right now in Port Canaveral, which is in Cape Canaveral, you see this ship right behind me. This is one of the booster

return ships. It's called a drone ship. This one in particular is called a Shortfall of Gravitas. And so that's what catches the booster as it glides

back down to Earth after propelling the Crew Dragon spacecraft all the way into orbit.

And just yesterday, we saw one of the capsule recovery ships passing through this canal and so this is where a lot of the activity is going to

be potentially over the next few days as this crew makes its way back down to Earth -- Isa.

SOARES: And I can't wait to hear what the experience was like for them as they spent their three days. It's fascinating.

We saw those photos and they probably, Kristin, they probably don't mind not getting the wings because the experience was all they've ever dreamt

of.

Kristin, thank you very much. Kristin Fisher there for us at Cape Canaveral.

Meanwhile, SpaceX founder, Elon Musk is paying tribute to a British inventor who inspired a generation of children to become software engineers

as well as coders. Sir Clive Sinclair, who started by selling pocket calculators and miniature TVs sparked a home computer revolution, that's

right, in the 1980s.

His most popular machine was the ZX spectrum. Some of his other products were commercially less successful, however, including Sinclair C5 electric

tricycle. However, his legion of fans argue, it was way ahead of his time as some members of my team have told me as well.

Sir Clive has died at the age of 81 after a long illness, and we thank him for his contributions.

And that is it for this show for this Friday. Have a wonderful weekend.

"Connect is World" is next with Becky Anderson.

Julia Chatterley is back with you next week.

Have a great weekend. Bye-bye.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:00:00]

END