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New Zealand`s Election Delayed Due to Coronavirus; Japan`s GDP Reports Economic Hit from Corona Virus; Japan Speaks Out About China`s Building And Militarizing Islands in the South China Sea; Potential Role of Light in Killing the Coronavirus
Aired August 18, 2020 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CARL AZUZ, CNN 10 ANCHOR: I`m Carl Azuz and this is CNN 10. We are your source for down the middle explanations of world news in 10 minutes. And
the two stories leading off today`s show have one thing in common, corona virus. In New Zealand, concerns about the spread of the disease have led
to the postponement of a parliamentary election. It was originally scheduled for September 19th now it`s set for October 17th. Prime Minister
Jacinda Ardern made the announcement after the number of COVID-19 patients jumped last week. The country had gone more than 100 days without the
disease spreading through its communities but this month an outbreak of dozens of cases took place in Auckland, New Zealand`s largest city.
So a strict lockdown was put in place there on August 12th and the election was delayed. It`s not the first time New Zealand has seen a lockdown like
this. It went under one of the strictest in the world starting on March 25th and that lasted five weeks. But life had been getting back to normal
before the most recent outbreak. Moving from the South Pacific to the North Pacific, Japan just reported the economic hit it took because of
corona virus. The Asian country has the world`s third largest economy behind the United States and China and Japan says its gross domestic
product dropped by 7.8 percent from the first quarter of this year to the second one.
That`s not the worst in the world. America`s drop in GDP between April and June was 9.5 percent. Germany`s was more than 10 percent. Britain`s was
more than 20 percent. Reasons for the decrease in Japan`s GDP included falling exports and less consumer spending because of corona virus related
restrictions but economic activity did pick up again in June and July. Meantime, Japan`s Defense Minister is keeping an eye on events in a body of
water that`s more than 1,000 miles southwest of the Japanese mainland. This is the South China Sea. It`s where about a third of the world`s
shipping trade passes through and Japan is one of several countries in the region and beyond that`s speaking out against China`s activity there. For
years, China`s been building and militarizing artificial islands in the South China Sea.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Final preparations before take-off. Rare footage of a U.S. Navy aircrew flying a mission over the South China Sea
last week.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (inaudible)
WATSON: This aircraft bristles with high power scopes to conduct surveillance.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We`re serving as those eyes and ears, patrolling ahead of the force. Mostly monitoring our adversaries.
WATSON: The adversary here is China and it`s not long before a Chinese voice calls out over the radio and tells the U.S. plane to leave.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (inaudible)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I`m the United States military aircraft. (inaudible) military operations. (inaudible)
WATSON: I witnessed similar challenges two years ago on a different U.S. Navy flight over this increasingly tense region. At least seven different
governments have competing claims to parts of the South China Sea but Beijing claims virtually all of this sea for itself. To cement it`s claim,
China embarked on a massive island building project constructing runways and radar stations on what had been reefs and atolls. Last month the Trump
Administration declared Beijing`s position illegal.
SECRETARY MIKE POMPEO: And we rejected China`s lawful claims in the South China Sea once and for all.
WATSON: The Defense Department says it has stepped up deploying warships and planes on what it calls Freedom of Navigation operations through the
sea. Prompting Beijing`s top diplomat to accuse the U.S. military of trying to destabilize the region.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE TRANSLATED: In the first half of this year alone, the U.S. sent military aircraft (inaudible) more than 2,000 times.
WATSON: But it`s not just the U.S. that`s challenging China`s territorial claims here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: China Coast Guard. China Coast Guard. (inaudible) calling.
WATSON: Late last year, Indonesian ships faced off against Chinese vessels.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You are in Indonesian waters sir. Please move away and go back to your territory sir.
WATSON: Indonesia deployed fighter jets to an island that it controls.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (inaudible) that affecting to our territory or, you know, (inaudible) we will protect our interests, national interests.
WATSON: Meanwhile other countries like Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines growing increasingly assertive against Beijing`s maritime
claims. The Philippines building up one of its own islands while the commander of the Philippine`s navy warns about alleged Chinese provocations
on the high seas.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The first one to fire a shot loses public support. And I`m sure they want us to take the first shot but we will not.
WATSON: With so many navies operating in such close quarters, there`s growing risk of a first shot that could trigger a wider conflict. Ivan
Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: 10 Second Trivia. Which of these types of electromagnetic radiation has the shortest wave length? Radio waves, infrared rays, visible light or
ultraviolet light. Of these options, UV light has the shortest wave length.
Mayo Clinic says if you follow the directions, most of the disinfectant cleaners you have at home can kill COVID-19 at least on the surfaces you
clean. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lists products containing ethyl alcohol and hydrogen peroxide as likely being effective cleaners but
the race is on to see what else can do the trick, essential oils, candles, ultraviolet light. One company is hoping it`s robot can seek and destroy
corona virus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This new technology could help in the fight against COVID-19. An autonomous robot that claims to neutralize harmful viruses
and bacteria. (Omar Dispui`s) Dubai based company has used ultraviolet light to purify air and sanitize drinking water for nearly five years. One
the corona virus hit, he and his team looked at ways to deploy UV light to fight the virus.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have camera. We have sensor. We have an --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The robot uses waves of ultraviolet light called UVC.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You will see it`s length of light and at that level of strength light can kill virus by disassembling it. Killing the -- DNA, RNA
and not letting them reproduce.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Using cameras and sensors, the robot maps its environment, plans it`s path and determines how long disinfection will
take. But before the UV lights turn on safety measures are taken.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have military grade UVC lenses. We have face shields. We have suits and gloves. If the UVC can destroy the DNA or RNA
of a virus or bacteria it can also be harmful to your skin and your eyes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Over 100 years ago, UV light was first used to disinfect drinking water in Masse, France. And since the start of the
COVID-19 pandemic it`s been trialed in New York subways and buses. UVC has been shown to be effective against other corona viruses but studies related
specifically to COVID-19 are still ongoing.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Since mid-March, we have basically in our laboratory and in our research endeavors done nothing but UV for viral surrogates for
COVID.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: According to (James Murray`s) research and tests by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, UV light helps decontaminate traces
of COVID-19 on N-95 respirator masks. (Murray) cautions that UVC is only as effective as the dosage of light it gives off.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can get results an inch away that are pretty impressive. Six inches away I`ll get no effect if I`m not careful. You
know, that can be overcome with these robots because generally they`ll put them in the room for 60 minutes. And so, we`re not trying to get it done
in 10 seconds. We`ve now got a huge amount of time and we can just dosing or pulsing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (Dispui) says his robot can last three hours on a full charge and can cover nearly 20,000 square feet in that time. While
questions remain whether this will stop COVID-19, he hopes that UVC can someday replace sprays and disinfectants. (Inaudible) CNN.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ: Sheer "pandemonium" wraps up our show this Tuesday. This is a birthday party for Xin Xing. She`s a panda at a zoo in southwest China
What makes her remarkable is her age. Xin Xing just turned 38. Panda`s in the wild are estimated to live only 20 years and in captivity 30. So this
particular panda is the human equivalent of 110 years old. She celebrated with a cake topped with watermelons, carrots and bamboo shoots.
I mean what else do you give a panda for her birthday. "Pandaloons", "Pandamime" lessons, would a "pandaring" be too pandering. Hey, look, no
matter how you look at it, she`s 38. Let`s keep that clocks "pandulem" swinging ya`ll. I`m Carl Azuz for CNN 10. South Cobb High School is in
Austell, Georgia. It`s great to have you guys watching today and thank you for your comment at YouTube.com/CNN10.
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