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Hala Gorani Tonight
Web Sites And Apps Go Dark Around The World For About An Hour; U.S. VP Addresses Migration With Mexican President; Uyghurs Deported From The Middle East To China; Joe Biden Prepares For First Foreign Trip As U.S. President; World Leaders To Have First In-Person Meeting Of 2021; Two Arrested After French President Emmanuel Macron Was Slapped; "Zero-COVID" Countries Facing Challenges Of Reopening; Met Police Officer Pleads Guilty To Kidnap And Rape Of Sarah Everard. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired June 08, 2021 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Hello, everyone, live from CNN London. I'm HALA GORANI TONIGHT. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris meets with
Mexico's leader with the issue of migrants at the U.S. border right at the top of the agenda.
Also this hour, an incredible report, CNN tracks down Uyghur families in the Middle East whose loved ones have been deported back to China. And
President Macron is slapped in the face while on a visit to the southeast of France. We'll have the very latest reaction from Paris.
All right, we'll have the latest on Kamala Harris' trip to Mexico in just a moment. But they are back up now, but for about an hour, dozens of websites
and apps around the world went down earlier today. A number of news outlets including CNN were affected.
Fastly, a leading content delivery service, you may not have heard of this service. You may not even know that it's essential to the way the internet
functions. It reported the widespread failure. It is blaming the global glitch on a technical issue. Anna Stewart joins me now with the very latest
on exactly what happened today. Anna.
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: I'd love to explain exactly what happened, Hala, but really, I think I probably need a PHD in some sort of cyber
security. But it was extraordinary, it was a huge web outage and within an hour, it was all over. But of course, for that time, there were lots of
people wondering is this a result of a cyber or a ransomware attack? No. This was a malfunction for a company as you say, many people will never
have heard of.
It's called Fastly, it is a CDN; a content delivery network firm. And effectively what this does for all the websites that were affected is it
makes their websites load faster or it should. And it does that by having service distributed all around the world and they're really close to the
NGs, and exactly how it works.
Now, Fastly, today, reported that it had some sort of configuration issue, it identified it, it fixed it and most of the websites as I say were back
up and running within an hour. But it really highlighted perhaps a bit of a fragility in the instance and how reliant so many companies are on firms
like that one.
GORANI: And so it really had happened when the U.S. was still asleep, so, many countries didn't even notice that there was an internet outage, though
we did here in Europe. But interestingly, I thought not every country in the same region was affected in the same way. Why is that?
STEWART: It depended which company and website was using Fastly and in which territories. So, yes, you're right. It was just certain countries,
but it was global, and it was quite confusing for a while to try and work out what it was. Particularly some news outlets were down. I think that's
what really worried people was it was some sort of attack on journalism.
GORANI: Yes --
STEWART: What was so interesting though, speaking to an expert earlier today was that, yes, lots of companies are reliant on -- just a few
companies like this one, but also it showed that what he called a single point failure for a company like this could have such a huge global impact
and how that could really become a target for a cyber attack right in the future.
GORANI: All right, Anna Stewart, thanks very much. Joining me now is Michael Daniel; a former special assistant to U.S. President Obama and the
current CEO of Cyber Threat Alliance. So, how does it work? I mean, I had not heard of Fastly before. I didn't know that Fastly and the content
delivery network which is run by Fastly was essential to how I and so many millions of other people use the internet today. How did -- what happened
exactly?
MICHAEL DANIEL, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, CYBER THREAT ALLIANCE: Well, actually, like the previous reporter was just saying, you know, the
technical details have not been fully revealed. But in general, these kinds of content delivery networks make it much faster and easier for people to
access content, reduces a lot of the latency, the lag time it has to reach a Web site, and allows you to scale up to a lot more users. So, based on
what the company has said, there was some sort of mis-configuration in how its systems were set up, and effectively when people --
GORANI: Sorry, right --
DANIEL: Were trying to reach those websites, they couldn't.
GORANI: And we have Matt. All right, and let me ask you also about how we can protect ourselves against this in the future. Was this just one of
those unfortunate glitches and it sometimes happens and we have to live with it or is this something we should be worried about?
DANIEL: Well, I think that, you know, in broad terms, there are always going to be glitches.
[14:05:00]
And given the complexity of the internet and how it works, it's actually kind of amazing that it doesn't happen more often, to be honest. But I do
think that companies like Fastly and others that are these content delivery networks, they should be really looking at how they can invest in
resiliency and redundancy and their customers should be making sure that they're making those investments and that resiliency and redundancy.
Because it is certainly true that they would become as demonstrated by this outage, anybody that wanted to disrupt, you know, large portions of the
internet for nefarious purposes would begin targeting these content delivery networks.
GORANI: So because this affected big e-commerce websites like Amazon for instance, do they have a claim against companies like Fastly for lost
revenue?
DANIEL: It's certainly possible. It depends on how their contract and the service level agreement that they have with their content delivery network
is structured. And it's entirely possible.
GORANI: Right, well, thanks very much. Michael Daniel, the CEO of Cyber Threat Alliance for joining us on this important story. I mean, for the
hour that this internet outage lasted, it really felt like the whole world was falling apart, and this really underscores our reliance on the Internet
and on these websites.
Thanks so much for joining us on this. I want to take you now to Latin America and let's go to Mexico as I mentioned at the top of the hour,
Kamala Harris has been meeting with Mexico's president to discuss the issue of migration as well as its root causes.
Because President Biden has clearly tasked Kamala Harris with this. You know, go to these countries where migrants make the trek up north, some of
the economic conditions and political issues with those countries are pushing these migratory waves in record numbers to the United States. What
can be done?
Well, we saw here the signing of an agreement which seeks to stem the tide of Central American migrants going to the U.S. And as I mentioned, in
recent months, the U.S. has seen a record number of people attempting to cross its southern border. Let's get more from CNN's Matt Rivers, he's live
in Mexico City.
OK, so this is tall order, right, asking Kamala Harris and I know they've worked on this issue now for several months to try to come up with
investment in those countries with political agreements with leaders in some of those countries to try to stem the flow. What is the strategy here
from the U.S. perspective and will it work?
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, Hala, I think what is clear is that the Biden administration understands as have previous
administrations, that the only way you substantively stop lots and lots of migrants from coming to the U.S. southern border is by affecting the
conditions on the ground in the countries where they are migrating from. You do not stop this migration situation in the U.S. with building a border
wall. You can do a lot in the U.S. perhaps with immigration reform, but given the political situation in the U.S., that's basically a non-starter.
And so what the Biden administration can do in executing its foreign strategy is look at how it can assist these countries in Central America
where people are migrating from in creating conditions on the ground that encourage people to stay. That's really easy to say it is incredibly
difficult to do. You are fixing chronic issues or trying to fix chronic issues in all these Central American countries.
Chronic violence, chronic poverty, and who do you have to work with to try and fix those problems. If you offer ton of money for example like the U.S.
does, and you want to give a bunch of aid money to these countries, what government do you trust to effectively implement those solutions?
Do you trust Honduras where the president there is the brother of an indicted drug trafficker, he's an unindicted co-conspirator, the president
in a U.S. drug trafficking case? Do you go to El Salvador where there's concerns that President Bukele there is turning into the next Central
American dictator?
Do you go to Guatemala where there's huge concerns about corruption in the courts? So, that is the situation facing the Biden administration. They
know what the problems are. They know that it's going to take money to fix them, but how do you work with people on the ground to make sure that the
money needs to get to -- or actually gets to the people that need it the most.
GORANI: And what is the answer to that? Because I mean, you mentioned Guatemala, Harris was in Guatemala yesterday and we know that U.S. money
has flowed into that country before, precisely with the aim of stemming the flow of migrants.
We know that U.S. money has gone to coffee farmers, to forestry companies, to even vocational schools to train people so that they get a job in
Guatemala and don't feel like they have to go to the U.S. to get a job. That hasn't worked because the number of Guatemalans attempting to cross
into the U.S. has reached record numbers in the last few years. So, what would be different this time?
RIVERS: Yes, you're right. You know, what the Biden administration says that they're doing differently is trying to get around these governments in
Central America by working more with the private sector.
[14:10:00]
You had Kamala Harris makes some announcements a few weeks ago with major multi-national companies who have announced investment strategies in these
countries. They say they're going to try and work more with groups that are on the ground. You know, in the past, a lot of that money that's been
allocated to these countries has actually flowed through USAID.
And so, it's not gone directly to these groups on the ground, kind of NGOs that maybe could make a difference. But you know, there really is no good
solution here. I mean, I spoke to one analyst the other day who works for the Wilson Center, a think-tank in the NGO, are in the U.S.
And she basically said, look, this is an incredibly difficult problem to solve. Is it possible? Yes, because these new strategies that the Biden
administration is trying to employ work? Yes, potentially, but it's going to take a long time. And what you have right now is an immediate problem at
the border?
That basically, the only way you get people to stop coming is if people in these countries look at these programs, look at these initiatives from the
United States and feel like their Latin life will improve in the near term which then persuades them to stay. That seems like a very tall order given
the status of the situations on the ground in all these countries including here in Mexico, poverty, violence, corruption, the list goes on, and it's
very difficult to solve these problems.
GORANI: Absolutely. And we've seen American money go to other countries, not just in Latin America to build roads, to try to sort of put together an
infrastructure to try to fight corruption. It hasn't worked very well in other instances there either. Thanks very much Matt Rivers as always. Still
to come tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Amannisa Abdullah is tormented by devastating guilt. Did she push too much? Did she not do enough to try and
save her husband?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: CNN tracks down Uyghur families in the Middle East whose loved ones have been deported back to China. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: In China's Xinjiang region, up to 2 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities have been detained in vast government camps and continue
to face what the U.S. has called a genocide. Beijing denies the allegations, dismisses them as propaganda, and says the camps are merely,
quote, "vocational training centers" for combating religious extremism. Some Uyghurs have managed to leave China, but say even abroad, even there,
even in Muslim majority countries, they're not safe.
[14:15:00]
A new human rights watch report says China has tracked down hundreds of Uyghurs across the globe, forcing them to return and face persecution. A
CNN investigation dives into Uyghurs deportations from the Middle East in particular. A stinging betrayal by predominantly Muslim countries as Jomana
Karadsheh now reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARADSHEH, (voice-over): This quiet Uyghur protest outside Istanbul's infamous Saudi consulate is a race against time. Nooriman (ph) father's
fate hangs in the balance.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): If he's sent back to China, he will be imprisoned and there's danger of death, she tells us. Nuriman (ph)
says she and her sister lost contact with their mother in China's Xinjiang region four years ago. If God forbid, we lose our father as well, it will
destroy us, she says.
KARADSHEH: Her father Hamda Awelli (ph), a Uyghur Muslim scholar was snapped by Saudi authorities in November while on a pilgrimage to Islam's
holiest city. Nuriman(ph) pleads, send him back to Turkey where he's a resident, not China. For her father, there's still time, for others, there
is little hope.
(on camera): Activists say at least five Uyghurs have already been deported from Saudi Arabia. We spoke to two of those families who confirmed the
deportations. This is just one part of what appears to be a terrifying campaign by China. Over the course of our investigation we have also found
cases of Uyghurs forcibly returned to China from the United Arab Emirates and Egypt. A violation of international law and where they may face what
the U.S. has labeled a genocide.
(voice-over): Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt did not respond to our request for comment. China is a major trade partner to these Muslim
majority countries who have not only turned a blind eye to China's treatment of Uyghurs, the autocratic governments have also voiced support
for what China insists is a counterterrorism campaign.
Maryam Muhammad has been keeping a dark secret from her boys, trying to shield them from the cruel reality of the world they were born into, a
nightmare that followed them thousands of kilometers from their homeland in Xinjiang. She tells them daddy is away working. The last time she heard
from her husband Marta Rosie (ph), he was being detained in Egypt on July 16th, 2017.
MARYAM MUHAMMAD, UYGHUR DEPORTEE'S WIFE: He said you are my precious, I love you so much. And from that day, I did not get any message about him.
KARADSHEH: Maryam was living her dream, she and Marta(ph) studied at Cairo's Al-Azhar University, got married and started a family. But when
China's long arm reached Egypt, they scrambled to get out. Maryam says she flew to Turkey with the boys, and with reports of arrests at the airport,
Marta(ph) tried to get the ferry out to Jordan, but was stopped.
There was little Maryam could do to try and find her husband, she wrote letters to U.N. agencies and governments, but she says no one responded.
Marta's(ph) detention was never acknowledged, like others, he just vanished without a trace.
Egyptian authorities believe to be acting at the behest of the Chinese government rounded up dozens, possibly hundreds of Uyghurs, many of them
male students at Al-Azhar. More than 20 were forcibly returned to China according to human rights groups, the Chinese crackdown on Uyghurs had
expanded far beyond its borders.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Below 21, but it's not exact number, maybe it will be more.
KARADSHEH: Abdul Alliup (ph) is a Uyghur activist. He says he's documented at least 28 deportations by these Middle Eastern countries. But no one
really knows how many Uyghurs may be behind bars in the region or how many have already been deported back to China. Too often, family members fear
that going public would only make things worse for their disappeared loved ones.
AMANNISA ABDULLAH, UYGHUR DEPORTEE'S WIFE: He's my children's dad.
KARADSHEH: Amannisa Abdullah is tormented by devastating guilt. Did she push too much? Did she not do enough to try and save her husband? She fears
family in China will pay the price for her speaking out now, but she says silence is no longer an option.
ABDULLAH: In two years, this kind of guilty feeling, all this inside of me, and I am not able to sleep. Not able to even like -- if I feel happy, I
have no right to feeling happy, I have no right to smile. I'm living like this.
[14:20:00]
KARADSHEH: Her husband Ahmad Talip lived and worked in the UAE for 10 years. In February, 2018, he was detained while picking up paper work from
a Dubai police station. It was two weeks from hell for a nine-month pregnant Amannisa and her son Jason Ahmed as he was moved between police
stations and jails.
ABDULLAH: I have fear if I don't hurry up, my husband will be deported. I am really worried about him at that time. I feel extremely helpless. And
there's no one that could help me at that time.
KARADSHEH: So, this is the document you got from court?
ABDULLAH: Yes.
KARADSHEH: She says no one would even tell her what Ahmad was accused of, only that he was wanted by China. This document Amannisa obtained from
Dubai's public prosecution confirms a Chinese extradition request. It also states the prosecution decided to close the case because Chinese
authorities failed to provide the required documents. But Ahmad was transferred to Abu Dhabi and a few days later, Amannisa was told he was
sent back to China.
ABDULLAH: If my husband have any crime, he committed any crime, why don't they tell me? Why China don't tell me? One of the most difficult question
in my life is where is my dad?
KARADSHEH: Eight-year-old Musa is left with photos and patchy childhood memories.
(on camera): This was in Dubai?
MUSA TALIP, FATHER WAS EXTRADITED TO CHINA: Yes. We're making a castle. But I cannot make a castle without my daddy.
KARADSHEH (voice-over): Musa says he's lucky. His little sister Amina never met her father. Like tens of thousands of Uyghurs, the family found
sanctuary in Turkey. But as the government forges closer ties with China, Uyghurs feel their safe space is shrinking. With nowhere left to turn,
Amannisa says she once asked for directions to the sea.
ABDULLAH: I say I want to take my child. I want to sit there -- actually, what I want to do is I want to go inside because I don't know how to swim.
(SOBBING)
KARADSHEH: Amannisa asks, is this world just not big enough for Uyghurs?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Amannisa is now living in Turkey. Jomana Karadsheh joins me now from Istanbul. Before I get to the Chinese reaction or lack thereof, these
Muslim majority countries, whether it's the UAE, whether it's Egypt, how do they justify deporting back to China Muslim Uyghur minorities who now has -
- it has been documented we've known for, you know, a while that they are being persecuted in their home country. How do they justify doing this, on
what basis?
KARADSHEH: Well, none of these countries, Hala, have confirmed any of these deportations, these arrests, you know. There was this massive sweep that
took place in Egypt back in 2017. And then about 20 Uyghurs, according to human rights groups were deported back to China, and none of this has been
acknowledged by these authorities. We have again reached out to all three countries and asked for comment on these cases and where they stand when it
comes to the whole issue of the Uyghurs.
And they have not responded to our requests for comment. I have to tell you, Hala, I mean, speaking to these families and other Uyghurs, the
impact, something like this has had on them, this feeling of betrayal by people who share their Muslim faith doing this to them has really been -- I
mean, you can't really describe the impact this has had on them.
This fear they live in right now, feeling that nowhere is safe, but we've also spoken to human rights watch that has been really closely monitoring
these cases over the past few years. And they will tell you that, you know, you're talking about countries here with autocratic governments, these are
unelected governments and human rights issues are not a priority for them. Hala.
GORANI: And the Chinese response?
KARADSHEH: Well, we did reach to the Chinese government, they did not respond to our request for comment on our reporting, but as you know, they
have repeatedly denied allegations of human rights abuses targeting the Uyghur minority and accusations of genocide.
The Chinese Foreign Minister calling these accusations recently preposterous. And you know, Hala, human rights watch says that it is
impossible in many of these cases to find out what's happened to Uyghurs who are forcibly returned to China.
GORANI: Jomana Karadsheh, thanks very much. And no doubt, the screen in China is blanked when we talk about this story and other human rights
issues in China, and I imagine that's what's happening right now there as we speak.
[14:25:00]
On to this story, it's the kind of police operation that sounds like it was written by Hollywood. For more than three years, the FBI and Australian
federal police have been tracking the activities of alleged global under world leaders through an encrypted communication app. And now it's led to
the arrest of more than 800 people around the world. Here's Ivan Watson. Ivan.
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hala, police in more than a dozen countries around the world are taking a bit of a victory lap
right now after they claim to have carried out a digital Trojan horse operation infiltrating the communications of narco mafias which has
resulted in a crackdown where they say hundreds of people have been arrested.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WATSON (voice-over): The police in Australia have been busy.
(BANGING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police search warrant, open the door!
WATSON: Raiding homes, seizing tons of drugs, tens of millions of dollars in cash, more than a 100 guns and conducting hundreds of arrests.
REECE KERSHAW, COMMISSIONER, AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE: We allege they are members of outlaw motorcycle gangs, Australian mafia, Asian crime
syndicates and serious and organized crime groups. We allege they have been trafficking illicit drugs into Australia at an industrial scale.
WATSON: The crackdown in Australia, part of a parallel investigation with the FBI rolling out across at least 18 countries.
SCOTT MORRISON, PRIME MINISTER, AUSTRALIA: The Australian government, as part of a global operation has struck a heavy blow against organized crime,
not just in this country, but one which will echo around organized crime around the world.
WATSON: The FBI's man in Australia says law enforcement fooled criminal gangs by targeting their communications.
ANTHONY RUSSO, FBI LEGAL ATTACHE: When criminal organizations have to engage in the logistics of moving their illicit materials, their money,
organizing violence, all of that activity has to happen over a communications platform of some kind.
WATSON: Australian law enforcement say hundreds of suspected criminals communicated on customized phones, equipped with an encrypted messaging app
called ANOM. That app was essentially created by the FBI and decrypted by the Australian federal police.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We introduced a dedicated encrypted communications device into the global criminal marketplace.
WATSON: This animated video distributed by the Australian police explains the operation.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The customized phones were used by alleged senior crime figures which gave other criminals the confidence to use the
platform. They had to know criminals to get hold of one of these customized phones. The phones couldn't ring or e-mail. It could only communicate with
someone on the same platform.
WATSON: For nearly three years, law enforcement say they've monitored these communications.
KERSHAW: Essentially, we have been in the back pockets of organized crime and operationalize a criminal take down like we have never seen.
WATSON: Thanks to the app, Australian police say they intercepted a planned mass shooting while acting on at least 21 threats to kill. Meanwhile,
authorities across Europe, New Zealand, Canada and the U.K. say they've also joined the operation conducting their own raids and arrest. With a
round up continuing around the world, police predict criminals may start turning on each other as decrypted messages reveal their secrets.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WATSON: Hala, the Australian federal police say that they were able to lay the foundation for this digital Trojan horse operation several years ago
when law enforcement organizations brought down another communications platform called Phantom Secure which was allegedly used by narco mafias,
and then they say that the FBI pushed forward this new messaging system ANOM to help fill that void.
Now, the announcement about the crackdown was carefully choreographed around the world with a press conference by the Australian authorities,
then by Europol in Europe.
And we're expecting another press conference from the San Diego office of the FBI explaining more details about their role in this. The Australians,
for example, even commissioned a cartoon to help explain their operation, and I think that part of the strategy for the big public relations splash
here is not only to take a victory lap, but they're also trying to create paranoia among the organized crime groups. Hala.
GORANI: All right, Ivan, thanks very much reporting from Hong Kong. Still to come tonight, President Biden heads to Cornwall for the G7 Summit to
tackle the world's most pressing issues, and we'll be joining him there later this week for live coverage, a preview with Nic Robertson who is
coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:30:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
GORANI: The COVID pandemic means this will be Joe Biden's first foreign trip of his presidency. And it will be the first big in-person meeting for
world leaders this year.
The G7 summit is taking place this week in Cornwall, located on the tip of the picturesque rugged county of Cornwall in southwest England. CNN will
have special coverage throughout the big event. We'll be there with you for it.
Our international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson is already there to set the scene.
There are big issues. There's the COVID pandemic, vaccine distribution, taxing corporations. Talk us through how these summits usually play out.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, there's the big- ticket issues that get discussed over the first couple of days. That is going to be tackling the global pandemic and specifically making sure that
enough vaccine can be pushed out by these wealthier nations, the G7 nations, the world's wealthiest democracies can be pushed out and rolled
out to everyone on the planet.
We keep hearing from leaders that this is not over until everyone has had a vaccine. Boris Johnson says he wants to see a commitment made that there
will be vaccines rolled out to everyone across the globe by the end of 2022.
He's talked about improving women's education in developing nations. That will be another big topic.
We had the G7 foreign ministers meeting and they agreed that 15 percent minimum tax or corporate tax for international and other companies around
the world.
[14:35:00]
ROBERTSON: That's something President Biden wanted to get on the agenda. This G7, the first one face-to-face for almost two years. The United States
missed out. They would have hosted the G7 last year. That got canceled because of the pandemic.
So a lot of issues for individual nations but to catch you up on the scene here, clear blue skies, beautiful azure blue sea. Several thousands British
police drafted in to help out with security. The roads here, everyone knows who live here, but they will be hearing it soon enough across the rest of
the country, the roads will be locked down for the event.
GORANI: Explain for viewers, why not hold it London?
ROBERTSON: Well, London has a habit of being gray and dreary.
(CROSSTALK)
GORANI: It's beautiful this week.
(CROSSTALK)
(LAUGHTER)
ROBERTSON: I know. It's going to be nice down here. But that does seem to be part of it. In past G7s, Sicily, beautiful blue skies, beautiful
oceanfront setting. Typically, governments try to showcase their most beautiful locations, if you will.
So part security, part isolating the sort of leaders from possible protests. And they are expected to be a couple of protests here. But really
it's also these sort of smaller summits, the G7, seven nations invited. But they can be held in these pretty seaside villages or towns.
You know, it's a chance for the government to show the best of British, if you will, and Cornwall will be hoping the weather continues to smile on the
leaders, when they are right here in a couple of days.
GORANI: It looks like we'll be spared from the sideways rain that sometimes befalls Cornwall, even during the summer months. We'll be lucky on that
front. Nic, I'll see you in about 24 hours. Good talking to you.
One of the G7 leaders has had an unexpected encounter with a member of the public. The French president Emmanuel Macron was on tour when this
happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI (voice-over): You see it there. He got slapped. He was there to meet restaurant owners. He was attacked. This is what he said afterward.
JEAN CASTEX, FRENCH PRIME MINISTER (through translator): For the heads of states, it's quite simply democracy that is being targeted. Democracy,
ladies and gentlemen, democracy -- and you're all an illustration of this - - is debate, it is dialogue, it is the confrontation of ideas.
It is the expression of legitimate disagreements, of course. It cannot, under any circumstances, be violence, verbal aggression and, even less,
physical aggression.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: My mistake; that was the prime minister reacting. But we have heard from the president Emmanuel Macron following that slap.
What did the president have to say?
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He's been explaining to local press, trying to put this into context, trying to play it down, explaining it's an
isolated incident. We are matter of months away, since it's next spring, from a very tight presidential election. That's how it looks.
This was the second leg of what was meant to be a charm offensive on the part of the French president, to reconnect with the French electorate. Two
things have happened since he was elected and so changed the political landscape in France.
First of all, the Yellow Vest protests that went on for two years and they were very personal and very violent. We know that.
The second thing that happened is, despite a strong showing in the beginning in terms of his popularity on the handling of the COVID crisis,
things went downhill. His popularity went down. He remains a fairly popular president, 41 percent approve of him.
[14:40:00]
BELL: But those who disapprove, really disapprove. He's incredibly divisive. The fact of the matter is, for the time being, it's an isolated
incident. It was one angry man, taking out -- carrying out an attack that's forbidden by law.
Emmanuel Macron playing it down. Once again, in the opinion polls and the run-up to the election and in the only poll that matters, is the one after
the second round.
GORANI: So one man was arrested and is potentially facing prison time.
Is this going to change --
(CROSSTALK)
GORANI: -- OK.
BELL: Two men in custody.
GORANI: Obviously, I'm wondering if this will change how he will campaign. In the U.S., it would be rare to see a U.S. President go up to people
without these people having been pre-screened.
BELL: Absolutely. The fact that the video went so viral so quickly is a reminder of how violent it is and shocking. You're talk about the president
of France being slapped by a man on a video and then widely transmitted.
It will be hard to recover from this and the Elysee not at all how they imagined this to go. But an important reminder that this is a president who
continues to divide the French public. Polls for the time being suggest that next spring, we'll be having a rerun of 2017, that's Emmanuel Macron
facing off with Marine Le Pen in the second round with a lot that's happened since.
GORANI: Melissa Bell, thanks very much.
It looks like U.N. secretary-general Antonio Guterres will be staying on for another five years. The Security Council recommended him for a second
term today. It would begin on January 1st next year.
If the General Assembly approves the recommendation -- and that's expected. There were no other official candidates.
A U.N. war crimes tribunal in The Hague has upheld a life sentence for former Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic. It dismissed his appeal holding
him accountable for the worst atrocities in Europe since World War II. Scott McLean has more.
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SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Justice has been a long time coming for victims of Ratko Mladic, the Bosnian Serb army leader convicted of crimes
against humanity and genocide for orchestrating a campaign of ethnic cleansing during the Bosnian War in the early '90s.
He hid out for 16 years after the war ended. After a trial of more than four years, his original conviction in 2017 sent him away for life. That
conviction describes in detail the atrocities his men carried out against Croats and Muslims, opening fire on unarmed detainees and civilians but
also in some cases, starvation, rape and suffocation.
His lawyer argued he was incompetent to stand trial and his appeal aimed to acquit him or lessen his sentence. But a five-panel judge upheld his
conviction on 10 out of the 11 charges against him. This failed appeal is unlikely to change the way people view him. He's a villain to Muslims and
Croats but still regarded as a hero among some ethnic Serbians -- Scott McLean, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: All right. Turning to the global coronavirus pandemic, Hong Kong, Australia and several other places have kept COVID numbers low with tight
restrictions. But as CNN's Kristie Lu Stout finds out, vaccinations are the only way to really keep the virus and its variants under control. Here is
the report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): White picket fences in a zero COVID-19 haven.
Welcome to The Lawn Club, a socially distanced garden party in the heart of Hong Kong's central district, a getaway for those who can't get away. This
is definitely refreshing with, you know, COVID and that we can't travel.
Hong Kong is one of many economies across the region that has managed to keep COVID-19 largely at bay. The city, along with Singapore, Australia,
New Zealand and others has suffered lower death rates during the pandemic by taking strict measures to eliminate the virus.
[14:45:00]
STOUT (voice-over): Lockdowns, mask mandates, tightened borders and strict quarantine policies require arrivals to spend weeks in total confinement.
Gabriel Leung is one of the region's top disease experts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GABRIEL LEUNG, DEAN OF MEDICINE, UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG: I don't think it's viable if you still rely on a lot of Public health and Social
measures, including border restrictions, including lockdowns, those are fine but you cannot do it on a permanent basis.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STOUT: The zero COVID strategy has kept death rates and infection rates low but Asia's pandemic success stories are facing a new challenge rejoining
the rest of the world. Australia has announced borders will remain closed until the middle of 2022.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT MORRISON, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: The reality is we're living this year in a pandemic that's worse than last year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STOUT: Is zero COVID and keeping the borders sealed a sustainable strategy for Australia?
CATHERIN BENNETT, EPIDEMIOLOGIST, DEAKIN UNIVERSITY: Well, it's not. So not only is it not a full seal because we still have to have freight, we still
have people returning home. We're also quite slow in getting to vaccination, so it's actually potentially making us more vulnerable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STOUT: Experts say the only viable long-term strategy is vaccination. But pandemic success has contributed to hesitancy in the region as zero-COVID
haven could only keep the virus away for so long, especially with new variants. Case in point, Taiwan where the virus has slipped in to the
airport and sparked a surge in local cases.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEUNG: We could be facing a worst pandemic in this part of the world that has never really been exposed to the virus on a large scale yet.
The Northern Hemisphere summer is a critical, critical period to get everybody vaccinated in order to prepare us for the autumn winter months,
which we know is going to give a seasonal kick to the virus.
All of these newer variants, which are now predominating where they are spreading and they will come in to our part of the world sooner or later.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STOUT: To pick up the vaccination paste in Hong Kong, the private sector has stepped in with property tycoons holding a lottery offering a brand new
$1.4 million apartment for the inoculated with the winning tickets.
Asia's walled gardens have managed to avoid mass deaths from COVID-19 but without high vaccination coverage, you can't keep the virus out even if you
stay sealed in forever -- Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Still to come, her abduction while walking home in south London brought hundreds of people to the streets demanding justice. We'll tell you
about the latest development in the Sarah Everard case. Stay with us.
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GORANI: A London Metropolitan Police officer has pleaded guilty to the kidnap and rape of Sarah Everard. Her murder sparked outrage across the
U.K. as protesters demanded accountability from the police. This man was a serving police officer. Nina dos Santos is following the story.
What can you tell us about this plea?
NINA DOS SANTOS, CNNMONEY EUROPE EDITOR: Well, Wayne Cousins, 48-year-old former officer of the Metropolitan Police, that's the biggest police force
in the country and also the most powerful one, pleaded guilty to the two charges of kidnap and rape in connection with the disappearance of Sarah
Everard today.
He appeared from the high security Belmarsh prison, which is where he's being held, via videolink to the Old Bailey court. That the main central
criminal court in London. It's understood that four members of Sarah's family were reported to have been there to hear the pleas.
He did not enter a plea on the charge of murder as yet. It's been reported that he is still undergoing psychiatric assessments and we're awaiting
medical reports that could be ready within a month's time.
The next date to keep in mind for the case is the 9th of July. In the meantime, there hasn't been quite the same reaction that we saw of that
outpouring of grief that you mentioned earlier in response to the disappearance on March 3rd of Sarah when this 33-year-old young woman, a
young professional and marketing executive, was disappeared, snatched from the London streets, the quiet London suburb after going to spend the
evening with her friend.
It wasn't late. It wasn't a particularly dangerous area. The fact she could have just vanished into thin air and then later it was discovered that her
body was found 15 miles away from London in the same part of the U.K. that Cousins lived in, there was this massive outpouring of grief.
Many people taking to the streets in the tens of thousands in London and elsewhere across the country to highlight the consequences of what they
called a dangerous, toxic culture of misogyny in the U.K. As I said, the next hearing will be on July 9th.
GORANI: Thank you.
On the heels of Sarah Everard's murder, a prominent British actress realized how far she goes to stay safe.
Keira Knightley says that when women began describing the precautions they took while walking alone, she realized she took them all as well without
thinking about it.
Knightley tells "Harper's Bazaar" that every woman she knows has been harassed, whether in the form of lewd comments or even being groped or
punched.
As if to underscore the concerns, during the interview itself, a man shouted comments and briefly followed Knightley and the magazine's female
journalist.
Women will tell you, they've all experienced it.
In Israel, the Netanyahu ear in Israel now has a likely end date. This Sunday, June 13th, the speaker of parliament has finally scheduled a vote
on the new coalition. If it's approved, ultranationalist Naftali Bennett would be prime minister for two years, followed by the more centrist Yair
Lapid, who you see there on the right.
Still to come, one for "Jurassic Park" fans, a beastly discovery in Australia. And it's the length of a basketball court. We'll be right back.
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GORANI: There was a terrifying sight outside a Jerusalem hospital after a parking lot collapsed into a giant sinkhole. The massive pit opened up on
Monday afternoon and took several cars with it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI (voice-over): Look at that. Emergency services scrambled to the area. Fortunately, it's hard to believe but no one was injured. The
Jerusalem affairs ministry is now trying to determine if it had to do something with tunnels being dug in the area.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Scientists in Australia finally identified a dinosaur whose skeleton was discovered 14 years ago. It's an entirely new species and it's
thought to be largest ever found in Australia.
The body was as long as a basketball court and as tall as a two-story building. They believe it's related to other dinosaur bones that were found
nearby.
So I don't know. Maybe an entire family of dinosaurs.
There you have it. Thank you, everyone, for watching. I'm Hala Gorani. Do stay with CNN. There's a lot more ahead on the other side of the break,
QUEST MEANS BUSINESS is coming your way. Stay with us.
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