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Hala Gorani Tonight
Hezbollah Fires Rockets Toward Israel; Ethiopian Government Threatens War in Tigray; Apocalyptic Scenes in Europe As Wildfires Scorch Southern Europe. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired August 06, 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 HOST: Hello, everyone. We're coming to you live from CNN in London on this Friday. I'm HALA GORANI TONIGHT. Rockets fly toward
Israel, Hezbollah claims responsibility for the first time in years. Are things set to escalate? We're live on the ground. Then a site of worship is
the latest flash point in Tigray. We'll tell you about the threats of war from the Ethiopian government.
And later, Europe is burning, literally, apocalyptic scenes in Greece as wildfires scorch the capital. Why we should all be worried. There is quiet
now along the Israel-Lebanon border after the sharpest flare up in fighting in years today, take a look. Hezbollah says it launched rockets toward open
land near Israeli positions in the Shebaa Farms area today calling it retaliation for Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon the day before. For Hezbollah
television and Lebanon aired this video just a short time ago. It is the third straight day of cross-border attacks and violence.
Now, both Israel and Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants are playing down the prospect of all-out war, but should we be worried? Hadas Gold is near
the Israel-Lebanon border tonight. Ben Wedeman is in Beirut. Hadas, let's start with you and what happened today and how concerned we should be that
this could escalate.
HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hala, I'm in Metula, we're just about a kilometer away from the border with Lebanon, and it's been relatively
quiet. We've seen families out and about. Life here seems to be continuing on as normal, this despite the fact that just earlier today, 19 rockets
were launched from Lebanon towards Israel according to the Israel Defense Forces. They say ten of those rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome
missile defense system, six of them they say landed in open areas, and three they say landed within the Lebanese territory itself.
The IDF saying it responded by striking what it said were the locations of those rocket launch sites. But as you noted, it is one of the most
significant escalations of cross-border violence that this area has seen in years. Because although rocket launches from Lebanon towards Israel are not
necessarily unique, there was actually a few just a few days ago, those have largely been attributed to these Palestinian groups. And while they
operate with a tacit of approval of Hezbollah, it's not Hezbollah itself. But that Hezbollah is taking direct responsibility for this is very
significant because the last time Hezbollah launched rockets towards Israel was in 2006.
They have launched other attacks, but not rockets like we saw today. This is very significant. Now, the Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson say that
while they do not want a full out war, that they would potentially be prepared to do so. But as you noted, the IDF is also taking note that the
rockets were targeted towards open areas and not towards heavily populated civilian areas. They believe -- the IDF believes that Hezbollah is doing
this to show that it is still in control of southern Lebanon. The big crush will be what will happen overnight? Will Israel strike further targets in
southern Lebanon? Will Hezbollah respond somehow further? Everything is very much on the precipice potentially of something more. Hala?
GORANI: And Ben Wedeman, what is Hezbollah trying to prove, to demonstrate, by firing these rockets?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Hezbollah says that this is in retaliation for an Israeli airstrike in the early hours of
yesterday. But it's important to read the statements they put out. They said they were targeting open areas around Israeli positions, and that they
were targeting Shebaa Farms, which in the opinion of Hezbollah has occupied Lebanese territory. They did not fire anything within Israel proper. And
the area has been quiet for the last seven or eight hours.
And therefore, it would appear that I think both sides want to prove that they have the ability to respond, and that they will respond to
provocations if necessary. But certainly, the view from Beirut is that this is a very sensitive time for Lebanon, a day before yesterday was the first
year anniversary of the Beirut port blast, many Lebanese believe that somehow Hezbollah was involved in importing the ammonium nitrate or perhaps
smuggling some of that to Syria. So there's a high level of resentment there, in addition to the fact of course, that, over the last two years,
Lebanese economy and banking system have utterly collapsed.
The U.N. says that 78 percent of the population is now living in poverty. It would certainly not be good for Hezbollah, which it's important to point
out is not only a militia, it's also a political party, a key partner in the Lebanese political system. And for them to suck Lebanon into a
destructive war along the lines of what we saw in 2006 would be tantamount to political suicide. So, I think it may be premature to make a prediction,
but perhaps this was a one-day event until the next time. Hala?
GORANI: All right. Ben Wedeman in Beirut, Hadas Gold at the Israel-Lebanon border, thanks to both of you. These cross-border attacks come amid
tensions between Israel and Iran over an attack on an Israeli-managed tanker last week. Iran is denying responsibility, but we're just learning
that a U.S. Defense Department team has concluded that the drone used in the attack was produced in Iran. Fred Pleitgen is in Tehran with more.
Fred?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Iran is issuing strong warnings towards the Israelis not to retaliate after a recent attack
on an Israeli-linked tanker in the Persian Gulf. The U.S., Israel, the U.K. and Romania all blame Iran for the recent attack on the tanker Mercer
Street, which is Israeli-linked and in which two sailors were killed. Now, the Iranians are saying they were not behind that attack and the head of
Iran's very powerful Revolutionary Guard Corp., he was recently in that area, in the Persian Gulf, and inspecting Iran's military facilities there.
He said they were fully combat-ready, and he also said that if the Israelis were to make a move, that Iran's answer would be military and would not be
diplomatic. Now, the Prime Minister of Israel Naftali Bennett, he came out and he said that Israel could take action against Iran by itself, and that
was also criticized by the Iranians. This is the spokesperson for Iran's foreign ministry speaking, he said, quote, "in another brazen violation of
international brawl, Israeli regime now blatantly threatens Iran with military action. Such malign behavior stems from blind western support. We
state this clearly, any foolish act against Iran will be met with a decisive response. Don't test us."
Of course, all of this comes right after a new hardline administration has taken office here in Tehran. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Tehran.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: All right, from the Middle East, let's take you to Africa. A fresh threat from the Ethiopian government tonight. Officials say they may re-
deploy their entire defense forces against Tigrayan fighters in the north. Now, this comes after the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front reportedly
took control of the historic city, if you visited Ethiopia, you may have visited Lalibela; it's a UNESCO world heritage site. It's considered holy
for millions of Ethiopian orthodox Christians. It's this beautiful -- it's in the region of Amhara, it's these beautiful churches that are carved
straight out of the rock.
And there are concerns for what will happen to some of these structures and also many concerns for what might happen to the region's inhabitants. Larry
Madowo who joins me now live from Nairobi, Kenya with more on what we know. What's the situation on the ground now, Larry?
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We understand that Tigrayan forces crossed the border from Tigray into Lalibela and they took over this important
cultural and religious location of Lalibela where UNESCO is now concerned, many in the international community, the U.N., the U.S., have all said they
need to protect these 13th century churches that were carved out of rock, like you mentioned. But the Ethiopian government has responded this evening
in two statements very detailed, issuing a laundry list of grievances against the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front.
But the kicker really is in the last sentence of that statement, and it says, "the federal government of Ethiopia is being pushed to mobilize and
deploy the entire defensive capability of the state, its humanitarian overtures for a peaceful resolution of the conflict remains
unreciprocated." You remember about a month ago, the Ethiopian government declared a unilateral ceasefire. The Tigrayan forces refused to respect
that. And now it seems they're beating the drums of war, and this conflict might just be about to escalate. Hala.
GORANI: Well, what are the Tigrayan forces aiming at here? Because they're moving into regions that clearly the Ethiopian military would say they
shouldn't be going into. And now the Ethiopian military is saying, listen, we're ready to go all out again. I mean, what are the -- what are the real
chances here that we'll see a full confrontation happen once again?
MADOWO: So, the Tigrayan fighters claimed that the only reason they're interested in Amhara and the far of these -- the neighboring regions to
Tigray is to facilitate aid access, that they're not interested in an all- out war in these regions. But previously, they have made it clear that theirs is a nationalist movement and they consider the Ethiopian military
and the Eritrean partners to be an invading force. So, this new advance and spillover into this new territory is really a worrying development, and it
seems to have incensed the Ethiopian military at the federal level with this new warning of war. This might yet be after a conflict that's been
running since November, we just don't know where this is heading, but truly, really of something of concern.
GORANI: All right, and we will keep an eye on it. Thanks very much Larry Madowo reporting live this evening. Southeast Asia is dealing with some of
the worst COVID-19 outbreaks we've seen so far, and the Delta variant once again is largely to blame. Thailand has set new records for not just cases,
but deaths today. Only about 6 percent of its population is fully vaccinated, that's an issue. In the Philippines, vaccination centers are
filling up, a two-week lockdown is now in effect in the country's capital. South Korea meanwhile is extending social distancing measures for another
two weeks. Let's go to Paula Hancocks in Seoul for more on this.
Now, the Delta variant has been causing a lot of damage elsewhere in the world. Is it this bad in parts of Asia because the vaccination rate is so
low?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Hala, that's certainly not helping the situation. And that's what we have been seeing really across the board
when you have low vaccination rates, then certainly the Delta variant is going to have a huge impact. We've been hearing from health officials in
many different countries saying that this Delta variant really is impacting the unvaccinated, in particular, here in South Korea, the vaccination rate
or fully-vaccinated people is just 14 percent at this point. They did start back in February. But they're still claiming that they will have herd
immunity by November, saying that they want to increase and speed up the vaccination rate.
But we're here in South Korea with the toughest levels of restrictions that we have ever had since the beginning of the pandemic. And it's what the
South Koreans consider to be a lockdown, but of course, it is a lot less stringent than the likes of what we saw in the United States, in the United
Kingdom. Restaurants and cafes are still open, beauty salons, hairdressers still open with some restrictions because officials here are pains to try
and keep the economy going. But they do say that they have school starting once again in two weeks.
They are going to try and make sure that they can have the daily case load of below 900 to make sure that the schools can go back. At this point, they
are at more than 1,700. So, they are hoping that they can half the amount of daily cases within two weeks. We'll have to see if that is even
possible. Hala?
GORANI: All right, let's hope that happens. It's past 3:00 in the morning there for you, Paula, thanks very much for staying up for us. Millions in
Australia are under lockdown as the country is struggling to contain an outbreak. The state of New South Wales reported a record number of daily
cases for the second day in a row. Although the actual number is lower than the figures we've seen in other parts of the world, but they're taking this
very seriously and have been since the beginning. Lynda Kinkade has our story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Anger and frustration on the streets of Melbourne after the Victorian government declares the start of
lockdown number six. Australians unable to leave the country for more than a year, now once again face restrictions on leaving their home. Virus-weary
demonstrators clashing with police as Australia's largest city struggles to contain a coronavirus outbreak.
DANIEL ANDREWS, PREMIER OF VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA: The advice to me from the experts is that if we were to wait even just a few days, there's every
chance that instead of being locked down for a week, this gets away from us and we are potentially locked down until we all get vaccinated. And that's
months away.
KINKADE: Almost two-thirds of Australia's 25 million people are now under lockdown as the highly contagious Delta variant spreads. Sydney has been
under lockdown for over six weeks, yet it recorded its worse day of the pandemic on Thursday, with the record rise in locally-acquired infections.
GLADYS BEREJIKLIAN, PREMIER OF NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA: The Delta strain is like nothing we've seen, and that's why the vaccine is our key tool.
Fortunately, we do have that tool now available in Australia. But we are constrained with some types of supply, obviously, which we've been talking
about.
[14:15:00]
But getting jabs into arms will massively help us reduce those case numbers and massively improve our ability to have additional freedoms moving
forward.
KINKADE: Until now, Australia had avoided some of the worst consequences of the pandemic in part by shutting itself off from the rest of the world.
Since March of 2020, the country has kept its border virtually closed. Tourists are not allowed to enter. Australians can't leave except under
special circumstances. And tens of thousands of citizens stranded abroad have registered for government help to return home, help that hasn't come.
After more than a year of Fortress Australia, frustration is growing at home and abroad.
RODGER POWELL, TOURISM & HOSPITALITY SERVICES AUSTRALASIA: We're one of only two countries in the world where the citizens aren't allowed to leave
the country, and the other is North Korea, which is not what I want to be held up against.
PHILLIP KOINIS, DIRECTOR, OXFORD TRAVEL: I'm hoping that the more we're vaccinated, the more will allow us to be a little bit more liberal in our
quarantine systems, our departure systems. Right now, the exceptions, they're difficult to obtain, and some people seem to be getting them a lot
easier than others.
KINKADE: Australia's prime minister said last week that at least 80 percent of the country's adults will have to be vaccinated for borders to reopen.
But with only 20 percent of those over 16 fully inoculated against the virus, it seems Fortress Australia will stay largely locked down and closed
off for the foreseeable future. Lynda Kinkade, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: And still to come tonight, the wildfires raging across parts of the Mediterranean are turning deadly. We ask an expert how much climate change
is to blame. We'll be right back, stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: Well, it's being likened to an apocalypse. We want to take you to Greece once again and other parts of the Mediterranean where right now
wildfires are burning out of control. Thousands of people have been forced from their homes in Greece, which has placed several regions on red alert,
as it deals with more than 50 active fires. At least one person has been confirmed dead there, along with two in southern Italy. Let's get the
latest from Athens, Elinda Labropoulou is there.
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ELINDA LABROPOULOU, JOURNALIST: At the moment, it seems that some of the fires, including the big fire in Athens, which is now in the northern
suburbs right outside the city, right behind me where you can see all this smoke is picking up. People have been evacuated from the area. We
understand that some houses are burning. We're looking at an area that's very close to the Greek capital.
GORANI: Well, if you are a climate change denier, you'll have to answer to many people. But one of them is the Greek Prime Minister. He says that
these fires are a reality of global warming. This is what emergency services across Greece, Italy, Turkey and Macedonia are dealing with as we
speak. Macedonia has declared a state of emergency for 30 days because of the disaster. And a farmer's group says Italy is facing three times as many
large Summer fires as usual this year. And the extreme heat is causing devastation beyond Europe.
You're looking at a grassland plain in Kazakhstan turned into a mass grave for horses that have nothing left to graze on. Let's bring in Jamie Beck
Alexander; a climate advocate and founding director of Drawdown Labs. Thanks for being with us. You follow of course, these climate events very
closely, and I guess the question is what can we do now? Because we're faced already with the consequences of climate change. What can we do now
to try to mitigate it?
JAMIE BECK ALEXANDER, FOUNDING DIRECTOR, DRAWDOWN LABS: Thank you for having me, Hala. I think that is the most important question that we all
need to be asking because there is no doubt that this -- the climate crisis is making these wildfires and other extreme weather events worse and happen
in places where we have not historically experienced anything like this. I think as your viewers in Africa and the Middle East and southern Europe,
we'll know better than anyone, this is all things that we have never, you know, experienced before.
So, fortunately, we know what the root problem is here. We know what is causing climate change. And that is this ever-accelerating build-up of
greenhouse gases in our atmosphere that sort of serves as this kind of blanket that we have now around the planet. And that's throwing all of our
planetary systems out of balance. But fortunately, we know where these greenhouse gas emissions come from, and we have solutions to address it.
So, these climate solutions are things like shifting our electricity production to renewable energy to shifting our modes of transport to
electric vehicles and bikes and walkable cities, to agricultural practices that are regenerative for the soil to shifting our diets, reducing our food
waste, protecting our ecosystems that actually help us absorb greenhouse gas emissions.
And, you know, ensuring universal education and rights-based reproductive healthcare for all is a global human right, and it actually has cascading
benefits for climate. So --
GORANI: Yes --
ALEXANDER: We know what is causing this planetary instability and we know how to address it. And now I think the question for all of us is what can
we all do in our -- in our individual lives and in all of our spheres of influence to scale and help bring about these climate solutions in the
world, quickly, safely --
GORANI: But just --
ALEXANDER: And absolutely.
GORANI: Absolutely, because these are long-term initiatives, and I guess the emergency is now. It's on our doorstep, literally. It's certainly on
the doorsteps of people who live in Greece, who live in Italy, who live in Turkey. And you know, we can recycle bottles and cans and do what we can on
a micro level, but it's on a macro level that things need to change. And I wonder if you think that countries are truly committed at a national and
international level to fixing this because it will take a concerted effort, but from all of humanity.
ALEXANDER: That's exactly right. That's exactly right. And I think we are not seeing anywhere close to the action of governments that we need to. But
I do think that people and individuals do have a role to play in pushing their -- you know, in pushing their -- you know, local leaders or their
legislators or here in the U.S., you know, pushing our policy makers to act more boldly. So, I think corporations have a role to play in coming out in
support of the bold climate and energy policy. I think investors have a role to play in investing on unprecedented levels in scaling climate
solutions.
I think there is -- there is a role -- I mean, this crisis, as we're all seeing now, as we're all going through this in real time together as a
global human family, I think that our challenge and what's being asked of all of us is to find our in-road. It's affecting all of us and I think we
all do have a role to play not just in our individual personal actions, but in all of our spheres of influence.
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So where we work, where, you know, our local --
GORANI: Yes --
ALEXANDER: Communities, you know, or how we can -- how we vote, where either -- how we -- how we work with our city councils and our policy
makers, I think we need to look more broadly at the ripple effects that --
GORANI: And then not to -- not to minimize the role of climate change, but I mean, in Italy for instance, the Minister for Ecological Transition
Roberto Cingolani said 70 percent of fires are caused by humans. I mean, arson, accidents, that kind of thing. I mean, there is so much education
that needs to happen because climate is making it worse. It's undeniable. Experts are telling us this. But then you have these random and
unexplainable human acts that compound the problem and make it worse. What can we do there?
ALEXANDER: That's right. I mean, I think there is -- you know, those fires started by humans wouldn't be nearly as big as --
GORANI: Yes --
ALEXANDER: They are because of the droughts and the heat that we're experiencing because of climate change. So, I think any individual action,
you know, of starting a fire by a human being is so much more -- so much bigger because of climate change. But I also think there is an incredible
opportunity for kind of education across all -- you know, here in the U.S., this is a very politically divisive issue. But I think the more we can
build bridges and communicate about this and how we all -- it's all in our best interests to address this crisis due -- you know, this affects our air
quality, it affects our longevity, the health of, you know, all human beings. And so, I think it's in all of our shared interest to address this.
GORANI: Sure, yes. Jamie Beck Alexander, thanks so much for joining us, really appreciate your time today on the program. Two Belarusian coaches
have been removed from the Olympics after they allegedly tried to send a sprinter back home against her will. We've been covering this story. The
International Olympic Committee has revoked their accreditation, so they're out. The organization says it will continue to investigate their role in
the scandal. Sprinter Kristina Timanovskaya says both coaches were key players in the attempt to force her back to Belarus. The Olympian refused
to go, and as we've been reporting, she has now taken refuge in Poland.
Still to come tonight, health officials are ramping up calls for pregnant women to get the vaccine. We'll hear from expectant women about what
they've decided and why? Plus, Apple announces a new tool to protect children from abuse. It is raising some questions about privacy though. So,
where do you strike the balance there? We'll explore that question coming up.
[14:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GORANI: For the first time in its sweeping offensive-aggressive across Afghanistan, the Taliban have taken a provincial capital. A government
source says the militants have captured the city of the Raj near the border with Iran and the capital of Nimruz Province. The U.N. envoy said the
country is at a dangerous turning point and called on the international community to help quickly.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBORAH LYONS. U.N. SPECIAL ENVOY TO AFGHANISTAN: In the past weeks, the war in Afghanistan has entered a new deadlier and more destructive phase.
The Taliban campaign, during June and July to capture rural areas, has achieved significant territorial gains. From this strengthened position,
they have begun to attack the larger cities.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: OK. Unclear how the international community could help. The U.S. is withdrawing, of course, as we know. Meanwhile, the Taliban are claiming
responsibility for the assassination of the government's top media officer. U.S. and E.U. diplomats are condemning the attack.
And some new developments on vaccines in the U.S., the CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, says COVID-19 vaccines no longer prevent transmission,
meaning that fully vaccinated people who get a breakthrough infection can pass it on. That's why the CDC is now recommending that fully vaccinated
people wear masks indoors again. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news here. He added that vaccines continue to work well at preventing illness and
death. Walensky also says the CDC is working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on a COVID-19 vaccine booster plan, which is expected in
September.
The British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, continued touring Scotland after a staff member traveling with him tested positive for COVID-19 and he
decided not to self isolate. Downing Street sources confirm the positive test result but insist that the trip, which ended Thursday, fully complied
with COVID guidance and that Mr. Johnson did not have close contact with that staff member, though some reporting contradicts that.
Health officials in the U.S. and the U.K. are calling for pregnant women to get vaccinated, but many moms-to-be remain hesitant. Salma Abdelaziz has
this story.
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hala, when vaccines were first rolled out, pregnant people were asked not to get immunized. That's because
pregnant people were not included in initial vaccine trials. But since that time, of course, guidance has changed. Health officials now pleading with
pregnant people to get immunized as soon as possible because there's some really worrying data coming from Public Health England. It shows that
unvaccinated expectant mothers have a one-in-seven chance if they contract covid 19 and are hospitalized, a one-in-seven chance of winding up in ICU.
Also, if you are pregnant and hospitalized with COVID-19, you have a one- in-five chance here in England of delivering pre-term that, of course, comes with the likelihood of an emergency c-section. But many parents-to-be
told me they're still getting contradicting information from their doctors, conflicting information from public health officials. It makes it difficult
to make an informed decision.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ready? So that Tommy has got to come in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: Pregnancy in the time of pandemic comes with a big question, whether or not to get vaccinated.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Three, two, one.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Staying up at night and researching. It became slightly like an obsession.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Being told women not to have it the next minute to have it. It was a bit confusing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: Guidance keeps changing. British officials first advise expectant mothers against vaccination, but since July strongly urging. In
the U.S., the CDC does not directly recommend it for pregnant people, but say they are eligible. Well, two leading obstetric groups say expectant
mothers should be immunized.
[14:35:05]
Unable to find clear answers, Christine Coffman in Maryland decided not to get vaccinated.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTINE COFFMAN, CONTRACTED CORONAVIRUS WHILE PREGNANT: I was definitely worried about it being so new and us not having a lot of research on it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: One week before her due date, she tested positive for COVID-19.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COFFMAN: And at that time, I thought that I was going to die. That it was terrifying knowing that I had this infection coursing through my body.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: As mom and baby got sicker, doctors performed an emergency c- section.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COFFMAN: They took her to the NICU and I didn't see my baby for two days, because I had COVID.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: Both are now back home happy and healthy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COFFMAN: Hello. Hi. I just really want my story to be an advice. If you're thinking about getting the vaccine, get it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: 98 percent of expectant mothers admitted to hospital with COVID- 19 in England since May were unvaccinated.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARIAN KNIGHT, PROFESSOR OF MATERNAL AND CHILD POPULATION HEALTH: The balance is very much in favor of the benefits of vaccination versus the
risks of the infection.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: Initial vaccine trials did not include pregnant women. But experts point to the nearly 200,000 pregnant people now safely vaccinated
across the U.S. and U.K. Back in the park, we asked if the real world evidence is enough.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Raise your hand if you've gotten the vaccine. For me, there's not enough data there personally from what I've researched to make
me feel comfortable getting it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just felt more comfortable and safer knowing that I had some protection than no protection at all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: A majority of pregnant people in the U.S. and the U.K. remain unvaccinated with many still waiting for answers. You can see how much each
of those women struggled with that decision about whether or not to get vaccinated. They all told me they got conflicting information from medical
professionals, they still had unanswered questions. There is one bit of good news, though, some of those answers might be coming soon. A trial was
started here in England just this week to study what is the best dosing interval for pregnant people, essentially when is the best time to get the
shot and how far apart during your pregnancy.
But of course, there's still many other issues that remain outstanding. And while public policy, science, health officials catch up, there's still this
very real threat out there, the Delta variant COVID-19, which is putting pregnant people more at risk than ever before, Hala.
GORANI: Thanks very much as, Salma.
The Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the Caribbean is now recovering. He got he got hurt during a protest. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Somebody just passed a stone at the Prime Minister. Hold on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Ralph Gonsalves was hit in the head by an object as he walked through a crowd of demonstrators on his way to Parliament. The protest was
over fears the government would make COVID vaccines mandatory. You can see him bleeding. This was not a small thing. His office says he was taken to a
nearby hospital where he stayed overnight.
Apple has unveiled plans to scan iPhones for images of child sex abuse. The company says it will test new technology that automatically matches photos
to a database provided by the U.S. National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Now, Apple says it is trying to strike a balance
between safety and privacy. Obviously, there are some concerns raised by advocates about all of this.
Let's get more from CNN's Clare Sebastian. Before we ask the privacy question, how would it work practically if this software or this program
detects a picture that can be matched to a picture in the database of the Center for Missing children's database?
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, Hala. So, a couple of things to bear in mind. This kind of technology has actually been around for a long
time, Google Twitter, Facebook already doing similar things. What Apple is doing here that's a bit different is doing it on the device level. So it's
not scanning through the cloud, this is not happening in Apple servers, this is happening on your iPhone or your iPad itself. It's not rolled out
yet. It's coming in a future software update. But what it does is it takes a sort of hash of these images and electronic sort of code, if you will. It
doesn't actually look at the image itself, but it matches that hash against a hash in a database that's held by the National Center for Missing and
Exploited Children.
As you mentioned, this essentially will prevent existing images of child sexual abuse material from being distributed online. We know that this is
an immense source of pain and stress for victims of child abuse that even after they might have sort of partially recovered from their assault, that
these images continue to be distributed.
[14:40:04]
And this is a crucially important tool, Hala, for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. They said in a statement in 2009 -- in
2019, rather, that if end-to-end encryption is implemented without a solution in place to safeguard children, the National Center for Missing
and Exploited Children estimates that more than half of its cyber tip line reports will vanish. So that the point of this Apple says that it will
detect these hashes, match them up. And if they get a match, they'll report it to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. And then it
can be reported to the authorities.
GORANI: And do they -- I mean, will Apple share user data with authorities? So if a picture is detected -- so I understand if the picture is detected
on someone's phone or in their cloud, what happens?
SEBASTIAN: Well, so the idea is that it then goes to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and it's up to them to sort of take it
from there. But this is why privacy experts are getting very concerned about this. Even though with a billion iPhones, this is going to be a
highly impactful thing when it comes to tracking down these images, Hala.
Privacy experts are very worried that this goes where Apple has, for many years, resisted going. You'll remember that back in 2016, they refused to
let the FBI crack into the encrypted iPhone of a terrorist suspected in the San Bernardino terror attack.
At this time, they are going there and privacy experts, like for example, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, they said in a statement today Apple
can explain at length how its technical implementation will preserve privacy and security in its proposed backdoor. But at the end of the day,
even a thoroughly documented, carefully thought out, and narrowly scoped backdoor is still a backdoor. They are worried that this will be
essentially a slippery slope, a term that's often used in these cases that once you sort of open this Pandora's box, that it can be used for
surveillance of all different kinds and could potentially fall into the wrong hands.
GORANI: Clare Sebastian in New York. Thank you.
There are many things you can do in a year, that's how long it took one American girl to learn to read music, play some of Beethoven's most famous
works in F major, and win a performance at Carnegie Hall and she's just four years old.
Brigitte Xie of Connecticut is not only the cutest piano prodigy we've seen in a while. She's also the youngest winner of the elite international music
competition ever. That earned her a spot at Carnegie Hall last November, but it was pushed back to this coming November because of COVID-19. Joined
the club, Brigitte, everything's getting pushed back and postponed, she's learning that lesson at a very young age. Well done though. Thanks for
watching tonight. I'm Hala Gorani. Stay with CNN, WORLD SPORT is next.
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