Return to Transcripts main page
Connect the World
Calls for Belarusian Airspace to be Closed After Flight with Leading Opposition Figure Diverted to Minsk; Global Outrage over Arrest of Belarus Opposition Activist; CNN Talks to Irish Minister for European Affairs; Exiled Opposition Leader: Sanction Lukashenko Regime; People in Gaza Digging Out, Looking to Rebuild -- Again; Some of the Injured were also Hurt in Previous Conflicts; Parts of Gaza Reduced to Rubble in 11-Day Conflict; U.S. Secretary of State Blinken Traveling to Mideast this Week; India's Staggering COVID Death Toll; Latin America's Grim COVID Milestone. Aired 11a-12p ET.
Aired May 24, 2021 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: Well, this hour forced out of the sky; a commercial airliner, like the ones millions of us use every year, was made
to land in the most bizarre way. We begin with what is an extraordinary story.
State sponsored a high a hijacking, outrageous and illegal behavior. A shocking act. Just some of the words being used to today to describe the
forced diversion of a commercial jet to the Belarusian capital of Minsk. Now growing calls for Belarusian space to be closed to international air
traffic as European governments threaten sanctions on those responsible and possibly wider penalties.
The facts, the Ryanair Athens to Vilnius flight intercepted by a Belarusian fighter jet and escorted to Minsk after what European officials say was a
fake bomb threat. One of the passengers, an out spoken activist in the opposition against President Alexander Lukashenko arrested after the flight
landed in Minsk.
That plane finally made it to Vilnius after a long delay. A passenger described the experience.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNKNOWN: We are very tired. We were eight hours there. We didn't get any information of what happened. Only what we could find on the internet. We
sat there and -- with no information.
UNKNOWN: Were you not scared for your life? Were you not scared for your life? Did you feel scared?
UNKNOWN: No.
UNKNOWN: No.
UNKNOWN: No. And how the whole incident was looking like when the (INAUDIBLE).
UNKNOWN: It was very calm. We only saw maybe by accident that something is going on. It was nothing. Were I went it was very calm and he was not
protesting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, my next guest says in a tweet, "The brutal Belarusian regime will face serious consequences." So when the European council meets
in just two hours. It's happening. Thomas Byrne is the Irish minister for European Affairs; he's also calling for the immediate release of the
activist Roman Protasevich, who he describes as a kidnapping victim.
Thomas Byrne is in Brussels for the meeting joining me now via Skype. It's good to have you, sir. Ryanair's boss describing this incident in undiluted
terms as a hijacking. Others have described it as piracy. How would you describe what happened?
THOMAS BYRNE, IRISH MINISTER FOR EUROPEAN AFFAIRS: Well, I think those words accurately reflect what happened. It was a kidnapping. And this was a
commercial jet that anybody, any of us could have been flying.
And it (ph) simply went through Belarus, in fact, was just about to cross the border into Lithuania and to its destination in Vilnius when the
Belarusian authorities, it appears, under a ruse forced the jet to come back to Minsk where a number of passengers left the plane, including a
prominent Belarusian democracy activist, as you described.
And this is just totally unacceptable. And I'm delighted that leaders are meeting at the European Council tonight. It was certainly a bad day to do
this if you're Lukashenko when our European leaders are meeting tonight, in any event. We're here meeting with leaders from our party grouping there in
Europe (ph).
And this is number one out item on the agenda. It is so important for credibility, for democracy, for safety of everybody that this be dealt with
toughest possible way today here in Brussels.
ANDERSON: Well, you are traveling with the Irish prime minister. The foreign minister said that secret service members may have been on that
Ryanair flight. Couldn't be sure they were Russian KGB agents. What more can you tell us about this?
BYRNE: Well look, we're still trying to establish the facts but it certainly appears that that is the case. I spoke to Belarusian opposition
leaders (INAUDIBLE) yesterday and this is one of the things that she asked for, which was a full investigation of what exactly happened here
yesterday. And that needs to happen.
And I'd be fairly confident that European leaders will agree to that.
[11:05:00]
But let's see what happens tonight. But we definitely need to get to the bottom of this. This is totally unacceptable. This is not the way to do
business in Europe. It is not the way to treat any European citizen and it is not the way to treat your own citizens. And I think Lukashenko and
Belarus must get that strong message tonight and that message must be followed up with severe action.
ANDERSON: What will the Irish prime minister's message be at this meeting and what are you hoping to achieve?
BYRNE: Well look, I think what he said, and as I said, he's discussing this as we speak with some of -- some of our fellow new (ph) Europe
leaders. What he's looking for, first of all, I think is an expansion of the sanctions for an investigation. And we want the look, as well, at the
pluses and minuses of sanctioning the airline and sanctioning Belarus airspace.
That's something that obviously seems very attractive when we first think about it. But we did want to just run through exactly how that would affect
Belarusian citizens themselves for whom that may be their escape route from this brutal regime.
So there's a package being discussed at moment through commission or the council and we certainly will want to support what they propose and I see
no reason why any European member state should be opposed to whatever package is put before leaders tonight. And that then needs to implemented
at the earliest possible moment.
ANDERSON: The E.U. and the U.S. already have sanctions on members of the Lukashenko administration. I just wonder given Russia's support for
Lukashenko, President Putin personally supporting who many refer to as Europe's last dictator. How concerned are you that sanctions or any
punishment could one, as you rightly point out, possibly lead to hurting the people of Belarus. And two could lead to further hostilities with
Russia?
BYRNE: Well, the issue of Russia was already on the agenda at the European Council tonight and how the European Union conducts relations with Russia.
This dictator deserves support from nobody. And Russia should look carefully at these actions. Look care at the response. There isn't nobody
that can accept what happened here. It is completely in breach of all of the norms the we have known throughout not even the western world but
throughout the world over the last few decades.
People are going to look carefully as to whether they will fly in particular regions or go to certain capitals because clearly safety can't
be guaranteed. So we need to guarantee people's safety and all nations need -- not just European nations but all nations need to come on board with
that. This is not the way to do business. It is not the way to treat commercial aircraft. It is simply abhorrent and I think quite frankly if
Lukashenko hasn't gone far enough, I think he's gone too far now.
ANDERSON: Well, there will be people watching this show tonight who wonder whether any E.U. state can offer protection from these kind of tactics be
them from Belarus or from Russia at this point.
BYRNE: Well, you've rightly pointed out that the sanctions that have been imposed on Belarus they've -- they've had some impact but clearly they
haven't deterred Lukashenko from -- from doing what he doing.
And our difficulty in Europe is that we uphold normal democratic values and we don't treat people like that and I think at times it difficult then to
understand when -- when -- when others don't uphold the values. So that's the difficult we have with this discussion, this deliberation.
But we really need to go right out to the edge of what's possible and to make sure that this does have an impact because the consequences are too
severe, not only for the Belarusian people that we must think of in the first instance, but anybody else who has any connection with our territory
flying over that territory or stopping in the airport or traveling, whatever it is, they need to be treated properly and this cannot be allowed
to happen and we cannot allow other regimes to start to think this is an acceptable way to do business on international airlines.
ANDERSON: I -- let's just have a listen to what one Belarusian opposition leader had to say in response to these events.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SVIATLANA TSIKHANOUSKAYA, BELARUSIAN OPPOSITION LEADER: Sanction to be for sure make Lukashenko to release political prisoners, including Roman. And
isolate Lukashenko politically and economically to make him more talkative for him to understand that the escalation of violence is unacceptable and I
had to say that escalation of repressions in Belarus in this situation that happened with flight is the result of impunity.
[11:10:00]
And democratic countries should put much more pressure on this regime on the Lukashenko personally.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Yes, it is not clear, unfortunately, that sanctions would do anything of the sort, sir, is it?
BYRNE: Well, as you've said, we've had -- we've had sanctions up to now. We want to expand them as much as possible but making sure that food, et
cetera can get in to the Belarusian people.
But we want to make sure the strongest possible message is going on. And as I speak, leaders are discussing this. Officials are trying to work out what
we can put together, what will work and what will have the best impact. And that needs to happen. And I'm absolutely confident will happen by the time
the leaders meet this evening.
I think it's an opportune moment that people -- leaders are here in Brussels and they know themselves that they are required to not only uphold
European values but make sure they're not threatened in any way by outside forces such as Lukashenko and try and encourage and give support to the
opposition.
I spoke to Sviatlana yesterday in support of them and it occurred (ph) to them that not only do we speak about these things but that our words are
met with action as well. And I think that's going to be a key test for Europe today.
But this is not -- the responsibility is on Lukashenko. The moral cowardice is on him. And we're going to stay -- we're going to be here to uphold our
values and sure, as I said, they're marked with appropriate action as well that this cannot be allowed to happen anywhere else in the world.
ANDERSON: This is indeed a key test for Europe. Thomas Byrne, thank you. On the last hour, Latvia's foreign minister told me more sanctions should
be on Belarus sooner rather than later. He says European Union has no choice but to act.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EDGARS RINKEVICS, LATVIA FOREIGN MINISTER: This is not only about sanctions. This is about security and safety of our own people. Also we
need to work at sector economic sanctions. This lesson must be very costly to Mr. Lukashenko and his cronies (ph). So I do hope that the European
leaders will make a political decision tonight in Brussels.
Of course it will require a couple of days or even weeks to do all the legal stuff. But they must do it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And a top aviation group demanding answers. IATA's leader, Willie Walsh, spoke with me a short time ago. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILLIE WALSH, DIR. GENERAL, INTL. AIR TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION: We strongly condemned the actions of the government of Belarus in intercepting this
flight and forcing it to land. It clearly was an extremely dangerous action by the government. It put the crew Ryanair aircraft in a very difficult
situation.
And I think we have to commend the actions of the crew because clearly they were left with very little choice but to follow the instructions that were
given to them. But we have to call this out.
This is unacceptable behavior. It has endangered the safety of the aircraft, the passengers and the crew on board that aircraft. And we demand
that it be investigated properly to understand why this happened and to get assurances that it will not happen again.
ANDERSON: A state sponsored hijacking is how Ryanair's CEO has described this. I heard it also described as piracy. How would you describe it?
WALSH: Well, I -- I can understand why Michael O'Leary has made those comments. I have to say it would be extremely difficult for any airline CEO
to be put in this position. I think what we need is to properly understand what happened. The information that's available to us certainly suggests
that this was an unlawful act taken to interfere with the proper operation of the civil passenger aircraft through the air space of Belarus.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Willie Walsh speaking to me last hour. Well, there are no rockets or bombs in the skies over Gaza and Israel but there are still
tensions on the ground. Israeli police shot and killed a man who stabbed two people near the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of Jerusalem.
That is the flash point of what has been this recent conflict. The cease fire between Israel and Palestinian militants does appear to be holding. It
is now in its fourth day. U.S. secretary of state, Anthony Blinken, heading to the region in the coming hours. His talks will focus on rebuilding. The
conflict, of course, left parts of Gaza utterly decimated. CNN's Ben Wedeman tells us this is nothing new for the people who live there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[11:15:00]
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not for the first time and probably not for the last, Gaza is digging out. It's over, for now. The rubble will be
cleared and perhaps the damage repaired. Yet one man made catastrophe after another has taken heavy toll.
Not far from the wall separating Gaza from Israel, children of the extended (INAUDIBLE) family search for traces of a life shattered.
Usma's (ph) aunt and three children were crushed to death when a bomb slammed into her home. Because the bombing around us was so intense, doors
and windows were falling on us. We ran to the inner room, she recalls. The last bomb was on this house.
Usma (ph) was able to crawl free. The people in this area are mostly farmers but their land often used by militants to fire rockets into Israel.
In the Aldi (ph) hospital, plastic and reconstructive surgeon, Ghassan Abu Sittah, is conducting one of eight operations on this day. He first
traveled to Gaza as a young medical student in the 1980s and has comeback regularly ever since, his task here never ending.
DR. GHASSAN ABU SITTAH, RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGEON: You start running into patient who is are injured in multiple attacks. So I've had patients who
had injuries in the 2014 war and then were injured in the great return marches or injured in previous conflicts and then again in this conflict.
And you have a kind of -- it becomes like an endemic disease. War injuries become like and endemic disease in Gaza.
WEDEMAN: In the Sheikh Hazia (ph) neighborhood, Rayzah Kabusafio (ph) waits for a truck to take his furniture away. His home still intact after
bombs obliterated the buildings just next door but it's now in danger of collapse.
Sisiv (ph) has struggled to push the bolder up the hill only for it to roll to the bottom, only to push it back up all over again. The relief of
surviving this war, no guarantee you'll make it through the next, says Gaza resident, Rima Abu Rahmah.
RIMA ABU RAHMAH, GAZA RESIDENT: There is no other option. We have to keep living. We have to rebuild it again and again until one day maybe we can be
free.
WEDEMAN: In the absence of some sort of resolution, such is Gaza's fate.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: And Ben joining us now live from Gaza. And I was struck by what the surgeon said to you there, Ben, that war injuries are like an endemic
disease. We have been here many many times before.
We've heard what the people of Gaza are telling you. You have reported on this conflict over many, many years. What's different this time, if
anything?
WEDEMAN: Actually, not much is different this time. In terms of the overall look of the conflict, what was different this time was the fact
that the brittle intercommunal relations between Israeli Jews and Israeli Palestinians seems to have cracked.
But in terms of Gaza, here, no it's very reminiscent of the wars in the past. This was a little shorter than some of them. But it's the same final
result. Lots of destruction, lots of death, certain amount of relief when it's over and the realization that they have to do it all over again.
Clearing -- clearing away the rubble, trying to find the means to reconstruct.
Now, this time around, for instances, Egypt has pledged $500 million to help reconstruct Gaza. The United Nations, $22.5 million. The Americans
haven't really made clear what exactly they're going to do. They have said that they would funnel their assistance through the Palestinian authority
in Ramallah but the Palestinian authority doesn't have much sway here because Hamas runs Gaza. Becky.
ANDERSON: Ben Wedeman is on the ground for you. Thank you, Ben.
Tony Blinken takes his first trip to the Middle East as the U.S. secretary of state. What he is saying about what needs to happen next and how the
U.S. involvement is being perceived by those involved. Then a new threat striking fear in India as the country struggles with a shattering COVID
death toll.
[11:20:00]
A report from New Delhi a little later this hour. And the coronavirus pandemic getting worse across Latin America and the Caribbean. We are live
in Mexico City as COVID deaths rise across the region.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: With a fragile cease-fire holding Gaza, the U.S. secretary of state will head to the Middle East today. Tony Blinken will meet with
Israeli and with Palestinian leaders during his visit. CNN asked Blinken on Sunday whether he sees progress towards longer lasting peace.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTHONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I think there has to be. I think both sides are reminded that we have to find way to break cycle because if
we don't, it will repeat itself at great cost and great human suffering on all sides.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: CNN's Nic Robertson joining us now in Jerusalem. And Secretary Blinken will travel to Jerusalem, as I understand it. He'll always be in
Ramallah and Cairo and in Amman, Jordan this week. I just want you to have a listen to a little more of what he had to say, Nic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLINKEN: We've got to deal with the situation, which is grave in -- in Gaza. We've got to start to bring countries together to support
reconstruction and development. And as we're doing that we'll be reengaging with the Palestinians, of course continuing our deep engagement with the
Israelis and trying to put in place conditions that allow us, over time hopefully, to advance a genuine peace process.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: What chance of a genuine peace protest at this point, Nic?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: There isn't. I mean what Secretary Blinken is really talking about here is -- is keeping alive
a process that might eventually get to the United States goal, which is a two-state solution. The top of his agenda coming here is making sure that
the cease-fire holds.
Now both sides seem to be holding it. So far both sides have good reason to hold it so far. But this is very high on his agenda, making sure that the
cease-fire doesn't break down. And that is to keep alive the possibility ultimately when perhaps there's a different political dispensation in
Jerusalem. A different political dispensation than the Palestinian authority that is more conducive to getting a two state solution.
Now he didn't lay that out explicitly but that's broadly understood where the United States sentiment is on this. The other big thing that he says is
important is making sure that there's sort of a parity between Jews and Palestinians and sort of expectancy of -- of -- of lives, of -- of what
they can -- of what they can achieve or what they can hope for in their -- in their lives.
And towards this he's talking about making sure that rebuilding can happen in Gaza and on that, that's a tough issue because, of course as Ben was
laying out there, Hamas controls Gaza and the United States is talking about funneling that money through the United Nations and through the
Palestinian authority.
[11:25:09]
And when asked about this, a senior State Department official said that's our plan. That's our hope. We understand the realities of the situation in
Gaza. We understand how these situations work. That there will be potentially efforts by Hamas to divert the money into their hands so they
can build more weapons.
But that's -- that's the plan. Whether we're going to here more detail on that when the Secretary gets here tomorrow, I'm not really sure, Becky.
There's a lot on this that -- there's a lot about this that is really all about, if you will, the analogy of keeping the bicycle moving lest it fall
over.
ANDERSON: Yes, because a cease-fire cannot be the end game here, Nic, can it? None of this happening in isolation. Iran, congratulating Hamas for
their quote, victory over the Zionist regime, end quote. That was from the supreme leaders of Iran.
And this while these crucial talks are under way in Vienna around the Iran nuclear deal. Many experts will have told you and have told me that this
week could be the peak in those talks. So how does this all sort of fit in, Nic?
ROBERTSON: Yes, and not only the supreme leader in Iran supporting Hamas but Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, saying thank you to Iran for the money
and for the weapons. So when you have the United States in this position as they are in Vienna, trying to get the Iranian negotiators to agree to allow
the United States back into the Iran nuclear deal, the JCPOA.
And Secretary Blinken over the weekend said this was the fifth or sixth round of proximity talks that are going to go ahead again in Vienna this
week. That's one of the background issues because where the United States wants to get is not just getting back in on the JCPOA, but it's getting to
the next thing, which is Iran's ballistic missiles and Iran's destabilizing influence in the region.
And one of those destabilizing influences is putting money and weapons in the hands of Hamas. So these things are all interlinked and we heard from
the -- from the director general, the international atomic energy agency today, which sort of oversees the -- the monitoring part of the JCPOA
saying that he's got another fudge, if you will, with the Iranians whereby they'll continue to monitor certain things that the IAEA this can't get to.
And then with the aim of passing that data to the U.N., to the IAEA in a month's time. And that's a stopgap because that's already been going for
three months. And in the last hour or so, Becky, with how the Iran nuclear officials saying that they have now upped their production of the highly
and rich uranium at 60 percent; way above the 5 percent threshold.
They've now produced -- I think its 12 kilograms of that and about 90 kilograms of the 20 percent rich uranium and several tons of the 5 percent
in rich uranium, all of which are way about the thresholds. Their threshold was 300 kilograms of the 5 percent of rich Uranium. So these are really
pressing issues, as you say, Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes, absolutely. It's quite lightly all grist for the negotiation mill. But as you say; very, very, very important stuff. Thank
you very much indeed for joining us. Nic Robertson is in Jerusalem.
Just ahead, a staggering death toll and a litany of sorrow. More challenges for COVID stricken India. The latest from Delhi is just ahead. Plus a dire
lack of COVID vaccines amongst the Japanese public may be the biggest hurdle standing in way of the Tokyo Olympics. How cities like Osaka are
struggling through what is a vicious fourth wave. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:30:00]
ANDERSON: While some parts of the world start to reopen, India's COVID nightmare remains tenacious. The country's death toll now topping 300,000.
The third highest in the world after the U.S. and Brazil.
India country engulfed by grief sadly and it's facing yet another challenge. A rare but fatal fungal infection threatening more lives. We've
been telling you about that, it's the so-called black fungus which targets COVID patient and others with weakened immune systems. So let's get you to
New Delhi and to CNN's Vedika Sud.
VEDIKA SUD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: India has reported over 220,000 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, taking its total case load to over 26.75
million. While there has been a consistent drop in cases over the last four day, India's death toll has largely stayed over 4,000 since May 8th. India
is now the third country after the U.S. and Brazil to report more than 300,000 fatalities.
The Delhi government claims it is running short on vaccines. It has temporarily suspended its vaccination drive for the 18 to 44 age group. The
unavailability of Covaxin vaccines and endogenous (ph) vaccine has also impacted those 45 and above. Many of who are due for their second dose.
The India government says almost 9,000 cases of mucormycosis, also known as black fungus, have been reported from states and union territories across
India. Black fungus is a rare and potentially fatal infection that has increasingly being detected in COVID-19 patients according the health
ministry.
If not detected and treated in time, this infection could be life threatening. India has the second highest total confirmed cases of COVID-19
after the U.S. according to data from John's Hopkin's University. Vedika Sud, CNN, New Delhi.
ANDERSON: Well, India sadly not the only place suffering. Latin America and the Caribbean seeing a surge in COVID cases with the death toll now
surpassing 1 million. Argentina is the latest. They hit a reset button with strict lockdown. But we are still seeing heartbreaking scenes across the
region hospitals and ICUs at capacity and countries struggling to get life saving COVID vaccines.
Let's get you to Matt Rivers who's been in the region throughout this pandemic. Joining us today from Mexico City, Matt
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Becky, you know I think because Latin America and the Caribbean share the Western Hemisphere with the United
States, there's just this inevitable comparison that takes place in this part of the world.
What is happening south of the U.S. and what's happening in the U.S.? And in the U.S., you know, we're seeing things go relatively well with case
numbers dropping to some of the lowest figures that we've seen since the beginning of the pandemic. The opposite is happening throughout this
region.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RIVERS (voice-over): As cases drop in the U.S. and other country opens back up, other countries are locking back down. Today more than ever we
need the take care of each other said the President of Argentina as he announced another strict lockdown that began over the weekend.
Only essential workers are allowed out during the day. Schools and non essential businesses shutdown once again. The restrictive measures now in
place until at least the end of the month.
The move comes as the country seven-day average of new cays hits the highest mark of the entire pandemic. It's now about even with the average
new cases in the U.S. even though Argentina's population is more than seven times smaller.
[11:35:00]
Inside the country's ICUS, stats on a line graph become real. Every patient is someone's child, somebody's parent says Dr. Pablo Pretesi (ph), tears in
his eyes. I feel their pain. Argentina's grief shared across Latin America and the Caribbean as the entire region grapples with what might
collectively be its gravest moment of this pandemic.
The region seven day average of new cases recently, the highest it has ever been. In Brazil, one of the worst hit countries in the world, cases that
had been declining are slowly edging back up still averaging more than 60,000 per day.
Health officials say a COVID-19 variant first detected in India has reached Brazil. And in smaller countries like the Dominican Republic, COVID-19
patients are forced to wait outside hospital entrances for beds to open up inside. Facilities overwhelmed by sick people.
UNKNOWN: (Foreign Language).
RIVERS: They let her die because of a lack of bed, of oxygen said this woman who had been struggling for three days to find a bed for her mother
sick with COVID. The way out of all of this, of course, are vaccines; which are an extremely short supply throughout the region.
About 7 percent of all people in Latin America and the Caribbean have been fully vaccinated. Far behind the U.S. The hope is that the U.S. will share
with this part of the world a lot of the 80 million doses promised for export by the Biden administration because without vaccines, it's unclear
how any of this gets better any time soon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RIVERS (on camera): Now Becky, if there is one good point of news throughout this region, it's actually here in Mexico. The second largest
country in terms of population in Latin America. We have seen a steady decline in new cases here over the last few months.
And on Sunday night, health officials reported 50 new deaths as a result of the coronavirus. That is the lowest such figure in more than a year. But
clearly, as you just heard, what's happening here in Mexico is an outlier when you stack it up against the rest of the region.
ANDERSON: Yes, absolutely. This pandemic exposing what are off times deficient health systems across the region. This vaccine roll out and it's
slow pace, as you rightly point out in that report, just not good enough, Matt.
RIVERS: No, not even close. And that's why you're hearing so many leaders calling on the United States and the excess doses that are there, they hope
the Biden administration shares those doses throughout the Western Hemisphere.
And it's also interesting when you consider from a geopolitical stand point but you've got a lot of countries in this part of the world relying almost
exclusively on the Chinese and Russian vaccines.
And of course to the competitors of the U.S. that's why you've got a small group of bipartisan senators in the U.S. calling on the Biden
administration to not only share these vaccines in Latin America and the Caribbean for health reasons but also for geopolitical reasons as well to
counter act any good will that Russia and china might be developing or generating in this part of the world.
But as far as we know, the Biden administration hasn't detailed exactly where they plan on sending those vaccines yet. That is kind of what
everyone is waiting on here south of the United States going all the way into South America, Becky.
ANDERSON: Yes, it would be good to hear. It would be good to hear. Thank you.
Hospitals in Osaka in Japan buckling under a disastrous fourth wave of COVID-19. The countries western region accounts for a third of Japan's
total death toll this month, despite only having 7 percent of the population.
Cases have exploded there in recent weeks, leaving hospitals with a shortage of beds and ventilators. Doctors warn that the health system is
teetering on collapse.
Meanwhile, Japanese officials rushing to start long overdue vaccine drive with the summer Olympics front of mine. Selina Wang with this report from
Tokyo.
SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm standing outside of Japan's first large scale vaccination center here in Tokyo. With the Olympics now just
two months away and Japan struggling with another surge in COVID-19 cases, the stakes are high for Japan to speed up its very sluggish vaccination
roll out.
Now at this center combined with another one that just opened in Osaka, the government is aiming to vaccinate as many as 15,000 people per day. Now
these centers only make a small dent in was is a very big problem.
Japan, so far, has only fully vaccinated less than 2 percent of its 126 million people. Less than half a percent of the elderly population has been
fully vaccinated and the majority of the healthcare workers in this country are still unvaccinated.
Now only the elderly population, those 65 and older are eligible to be vaccinated. I spoke to several of them who just received their first dose.
They say while they are relieved, they're also frustrated by just how long this roll out has taken.
[11:40:00]
UNKNOWN (through translator): I feel frustrated by Japan's vaccine roll out strategy. It's been so slow for a developed country so feel a bit
disappointed. I definitely don't think Japan should go ahead with the Olympics.
WANG: Japan's vaccine roll out has been held back by bureaucracy for planning and a lack of doctors and nurses to administer the vaccine. Now
the prime minister has said that the country aims to finish vaccination of the elderly population by the end of July after the Olympics has already
started.
But even that target public health experts tell me is an extremely optimistic one. Meanwhile, a growing course of voices are coming out in
opposition of the games, including from the medical community here who say that it is impossible to hold these Olympics safely. Selina Wang, CNN,
Tokyo.
ANDERSON: Just ahead, America's top diplomat taking action to try and ease the crisis in war ravaged Tigray. CNN has been to the Ethiopian region to
see why aid wasn't reaching starving civilians and we will discuss the U.S. latest action with our correspondent Nima Elbagir up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: The time for action is now. That is the word from U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on the unrest in Ethiopia. He announced the U.S.
would restrict visas for any Ethiopian or Eritrean government officials who stand in the way of a resolution on the Tigray region.
Blinken says that includes blocking access to humanitarian assistance. Government forces have been fighting Tigray rebels since November and CNN
has been in the region and witnessed firsthand there are trained troops disguised as Ethiopians manning check points and obstructing aid routes.
Also storming a hospital that we reported from.
Well, CNN's Nima Elbagir has done some outstanding reporting on this. She joins us now live from London. What do you make of this U.S. announcement
and its potential consequences, Nima?
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's a very clear message ahead of the already once postponed Ethiopian elections that
there will be no credibility with regards to the way that the international community views Ethiopia until the conflict in Tigray has come to
resolution.
What we're trying to pass at the moment, Becky, with regards to the financial assistance that the U.S. gives to Ethiopia, that's very clear
that they're going pause everything but critical aid, critical humanitarian assistance, which will be a very big blow because Ethiopia is the largest
recipient of U.S. foreign aid in Africa.
What we're trying to figure out is how the visa restrictions are going to work. Because there's a point of concern there. At the moment the U.S.
supports a joint mechanism between the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission, which is a state appointed body and the U.N. to investigate the atrocities
in the Tigray region.
[11:45:00]
Now is it going to be via these investigations that the -- that the U.S. will be basing its travel ban? That's going to be worrying for a lot of
Tigrayan advocates and activists on this issues that we've been speaking to, should a government that's being investigated be allowed to be part of
the investigations mechanism?
And if so, will that mean that the -- the -- this move on the part of the United States while very welcome, is purely cosmetic, Becky?
ANDERSON: We have heard from the Ethiopian government itself. What do they say?
ELBAGIR: Well, in addition to -- to what would be expected, their disappointment about the impact that this is going to have to the
U.S./Ethiopian relationship; the key line that jumped out to me was their categoric denial there would be any opportunity to see down and negotiate
with the Tigray people's liberation front. The forces that lead in the Tigray region and are currently in conflict with the Ethiopians.
They're saying categorically we will not sit down with the TPLF. And that is also going to be quite disappointing for the international community
because the hope was that this was going to be a way through this.
Overall, Becky, this is -- this is really big because it sends a message to a Nobel Peace Prize winner. Someone who saw himself and branded himself as
a reformist that you and those around you will not be welcome in the United States if this is not resolved. So in terms of how Abiy Ahmed, the prime
minister of Ethiopia sees himself, this will be a pretty wounding blow. Becky.
ANDERSON: And -- and lest anybody watching this not be aware of the work that you have done in the Tigray region and the reporting on the conflict,
you have investigating a wide range of atrocities being committed there; just explain what you have seen, what you have heard, what you witnessed?
ELBAGIR: The key issue really was the involvement of the Eritreans and the Ethiopian's governments initial denial of the Eritreans presence in Tigray,
which we spoke about back if December, Becky. We were able to find evidence that Eritrean troops were on the ground in Tigray and had begun targeting
civilians.
But again, when the international community came together and demanded Eritrean withdraw and the Ethiopians back at the beginning of April
promised that the -- that the Eritreans were in the process of withdrawing; when we got on the ground, what we found was not just Eritrean presence in
areas that they were supposed to have withdrawn from but the Eritreans able to block key aid corridors.
And that's what this sanction in the early hours of this morning U.K. time is about, Becky. It is about the fact that the Eritreans and the Ethiopians
in concert have been using food as a weapon of war. And -- and we were able to capture that on camera. And since then the U.S. Senate has come out with
a unanimous resolution calling for the Eritreans to withdraw.
And now we have this from the Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. But it needs to be more than cosmetic. It needs to actually meaningfully cause the
Ethiopians and the Eritreans to really think about what happens next. What do we not want to find ourselves embroiled in and -- and act accordingly.
Because at the moment that is the only hope for the people in that region, Becky.
ANDERSON: The time for action is now says Anthony Blinken. So as Nima rightly points out, the question is at what action and just how significant
it will be and what its consequences will be to be discussed. Thank you.
ELBAGIR: Thank you.
ANDERSON: Thank you, Nima. Still ahead on Connect the World.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You (ph) lost 80 percent of your tourism revenue because of pandemic.
NAJIB BALALA, KENYAN TOURISM MINISTER: (Inaudible) Yes.
MADOWO: How long will it take to recover?
BALALA: The projection is at until 2024. So we need to rethink and remodel our -- our way of doing anything (ph) so that we can survive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Zebras, elephants, rhinos with tourism money pretty much wiped out, Kenya looks at new ways to protect its animals. It's counting them one
at a time.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:50:00]
ANDERSON: Coronavirus pandemic has had consequences that sometimes are tough to even imagine. For example, the loss of tourism dollars has dealt a
huge blow to Kenya. Less money means less money to help protect wildlife. With that in mind, officials in Kenya are embarking on an ambitious
project.
They want to count every single animal in country. Well, CNN correspondent Larry Madowo joins us now from Amboseli National Park in Southern Kenya.
And what have you learned?
MADOWO: We learned, Becky, that they're counting every single animal from something as small as a (INAUDIBLE) to an elephant. A (INAUDIBLE) is a tiny
animal, only slightly larger than a house cat. And obviously an elephant is the largest land mammal.
And the fact that Kenya is investigating money in this in the middle of pandemic when most people are not vaccinated, speaks to how seriously they
take tourism here. It's a multibillion dollar economy. And they really lost a lot of money because of the pandemic.
But how do you count animals in a country so big? We came here to the Amboseli National Park to take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MADOWO (voice-over): A hippo getting a break from curious eyes now that the pandemic has stopped most tourists from coming here. Keeping track along
with a thousand other species, officials watching closely for an irreversible decline in numbers.
It's Kenya's most ambitious conservation effort.
BALALA: We need to get the tourist to help us to (INAUDIBLE) conservation. We lost a lot of livelihoods because there's no tourism. The parks are
closed and we could not help to communities (ph) around this around.
MADOWO: So Kenya last 80 percent of your tourism revenue because of the pandemic.
BALALA: Yes.
MADOWO: How long will it take to recover?
BALALA: The projection is until 2024. So we need to rethink and remodel our way -- our way of doing things so that we can survive till tourism
rebounces.
MADOWO: To do that, they are using aircraft, GPS trackers, camera traps and a whole lot of manpower to know exactly how many are left.
STEPHEN NDAMBUKI, WILDLIFE RESEARCH SCIENTIST: I feel that I'm really empowered and I feel that -- I feel that yes, I'm contributing to the
conservation and getting out data that can be used to inform the officials on conservation matters.
UNKNOWN: (INAUDIBLE).
MADOWO: Five hours a day, seven days a week, researchers are in the air combing through every inch of the country's rolling landscapes.
We are just kilometers away from the Kenya-Tanzania border. We're about 350 feet above ground. This is a good patrol height, they say, to be able to
count, observe and report any animals that they see.
The census will track the consequences of climate change, poaching and human wildlife conflict. Back on the ground there's a growing power
struggle with the Masi (ph) people who gave up land for some of Kenya's most famous parks. Their livelihoods depend on their cause.
But during COVID-19 when tourism completely dropped, the income for the villages has disappeared.
UNKNOWN: Has disappeared, sure.
MADOWO: And what are people doing now?
UNKNOWN: They used to be to make bracelets, necklaces but not any income. Therefore, if some of our women have a small need we have to sell one cow
to buy for them the food.
UNKNOWN: 15, 16, 17, 18 --
MADOWO: The team here suspects erratic weather is affecting animal routines.
PATRICK OMONDI, DIRECTOR OF BLODIVERSITY, KENYA WILDLIFE SERVICE: We have seen wildlife going into places they have not been in 50 years. We have
seen a lot of changes resulting from mainly climate change. Like, for example, within Amboseli we never used to have permanent lakes and this is
something we are investigating as scientists. But it's also now less than the habitat available for animals.
[11:55:00]
MADOWO (on camera): This wildlife census will cover all of Kenya's 58 national park and reserves on land and on water. The results will provide
the largest ever source of data for Kenya's conservation and tourism.
The government says it will help protect the millions who depend on this for their survival.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MADOWO: There's still two months until wildlife census is done. So they don't even have a ballpark figure because they never attempted something at
this scale. One of the animals they're looking into is the nocturnal pangolin, which is endangered.
And I -- one of the most interesting things about Amboseli here is that they have about 1,800 elephants and they know each of them by name. They
can trace their family tree and whose brother and whose cousin.
Becky, I asked some elephant friends to make a cameo but I think they missed their cue, so I'm sorry, I don't have anything to show you.
ANDERSON: Good for you. Larry, that was a super piece. Fascinating stuff. Thank you very much, indeed.
Before you go or before we go, in fact, folks, let's talk about GOATs, as in greatest of all time. You got to see this. Four time U.S. Olympic
gymnastics champion Simone Biles is now the first woman to land a Yurchenko double pike vault in competition.
She did it over the weekend at her first meet in almost two years. The difficult move, yes. That's a difficult move to say the at least has
historically been attempted only by men but Biles makes it look so easy doesn't she. She won the all around title at the competition with a
rhinestone goat on the back of her leotard. The greatest of all time. Thank you for joining us. It's a very good evening. (INAUDIBLE).
END
