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EU Reaches Deal on Gas cuts as Russia Tightens Taps; Europe Reaches Voluntary Deal to cut National Gas Demand; Congress on Aboriginal Peoples Welcomes Pope's Apology; Thousand's New Constitution gives more Power to President; Fauci: Monkeypox Vaccines Need to Reach more People at Risk; Thousands of Jellyfish Cover Israel's Coastline. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired July 26, 2022 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: Welcome back. While much of the world is baking this month under a prolonged heatwave, Europe is
already bracing for what could be a long, cold winter because of Russia's war on Ukraine.
EU member states today agreeing to voluntarily reduce natural gas demand by 15 percent this winter while facing down possible supply disruptions now
that action coming a day after Russia announced its cutting the flow of gas from the Nord Stream I Pipeline to 1/5 capacity and what the EU's Energy
Minister calls or Commissioner calls a politically motivated move.
Well, let's talk about that big agreement out of the EU today to cut gas demand, CNN's Clare Sebastian is with me the Europeans are saying this
comes off the back of the restriction in gas supplies, of course by the Russians suggesting this is Russia weaponizing gas, the Russians have got a
reason they say for cutting or further reducing this gas supply. Just explain what's going on here?
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so I mean, I think we all knew from the beginning of the war in Ukraine that you were never going to be
able to replace all of Russian gas without the gas. So there was always going to be demand reduction.
But here we have a very urgent situation, because until the recent cuts to the supply coming through Nord Stream I, it was the biggest single artery
supplying Russian gas to Europe. So it's critically important. It was at 40 percent capacity.
Now Russia says that another turbine needs repair one is already on its way back from Canada, Russia says it hasn't arrived yet. And another one needs
repair. And they say that means a cut of another 20 percent. The EU, of course says that that's just a pretext that this is a political issue.
And meanwhile, that has stepped up the urgency for the EU to agree on this new deal to cut energy demand gas demand, in particular, by 15 percent this
winter. It's a voluntary measure the 15 percent but if there's an emergency and they trigger what's called a union alert, then it becomes mandatory.
And here's where we get the compromises because in order to get this over the line, they had to agree to exemptions. Exemptions for countries like
Ireland and Malta who were not connected to the pipeline system - exemptions for the Baltics were not connected to the electricity grid and a
few other sorts of derogations.
They call it where people can reduce the target from 15 percent down to something lower. Critics are saying it's watered down, but it got over the
line, Becky, in five days.
ANDERSON: It got over the line in five days. But we know that there are 12 of 21 member states who really didn't like the idea of a sort of Europe
wide mandate on gas rationing effectively is what we're talking about here.
SEBASTIAN: Yes, I mean look cracks already appearing we're hearing from the Hungarian government, the chief spokesperson quoting the foreign minister
in a tweet, which I think we can show you he say this - for Hungary this decision is completely unacceptable. And its implementation is out of the
question.
He continues the proposal completely ignores the interests of Hungary. We're seeking more clarity on this from the Hungarian government. But they
are certainly very opposed to it. They have been opposed to a number of the measures that have sought to sort of garner agreement on an EU wide level,
but it shows how controversial this is and how powerful Russia's leverage still is, when it comes to its energy suppliers?
ANDERSON: It was an IMF report today significantly downgrading global growth this year, which pointed out that in the European space, there could
be even further downgrades should things get really difficult this winter, the ripple effect of this Russian war on Ukraine is really being felt in
the heart of Europe, isn't it?
SEBASTIAN: It really is. I mean, the German economy, the biggest in Europe is the most reliant on Russian gas. That's one of the reasons why this is
so impactful. The IMF has downgraded global growth from 6.1 percent to 3.2 percent. They say if Russia cuts the gas to Europe completely, then it will
go to 2.6 percent.
So you can see the impact there. And there is that uncertainty still, this is still hanging over Europe, Russia has used this tactic of incrementally
reducing these suppliers to sort of hold over Europe, this leverage and that is why we see this urgency today with these demand cuts.
ANDERSON: I spoke to the Spokesman for the Turkish President, the other day, Ibrahim Kalin, we were talking about whether he believed Russia could
be trusted with this grain deal, the export of grain, not just Ukrainian grain, of course, but Russian grain and fertilizer, through the Black Sea
and the Bosphorus in order to try and sort of, you know, prevent this catastrophic food crisis.
And he made a point, which I think is important. I think we have this sound. He made a point, which was effectively I don't think we have it. But
anyway, his point was, Europe shouldn't really be surprised by Russia's efforts at this point to weaponize gas. After all, the swindling sanctions
against the Russian oil industry have quite frankly had a massive impact on the Russians hasn't it?
[11:05:00]
SEBASTIAN: Right. And even before that, this has been part of Russia's playbook for a long time. Remember, I mean, you and I remember the gas cuts
to Ukraine over a number of years, about a decade ago.
So this is something that they have weaponized before. And oil this is coming more from the European side, the EU has now announced this gradual
embargo on Russian oil, and you don't really see Russia weaponizing its oil supplies quite as much as you do with its gas supplies, because oil is a
much bigger part of the federal budget.
Gas is smaller, so they're able to us that and plus, the prices are so high, that they're making even more money than before, even though the
exports are down.
ANDERSON: Keep an eye on the Euro, of course, around about parity, that currency fragile in the face of what could be, you know, a significant
downturn in economic growth going forward for Europe. Thank you very much indeed.
While Europe takes critical steps then to address energy security, Russia is again, attacking targets in Southern Ukraine. These pictures are from
that Toka (ph) a town President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calls an ordinary village with no basis no troops, here's again by Russian missiles after
Russia previously targeted a bridge there.
Now this is one of several areas in the south shelled by Russia in the days after the two countries signed that grain export deal in Turkey that we
were alluding to you just earlier. Ukraine says Russian missiles also fell on port infrastructure in Mykolaiv. Today's targets not far from Odessa,
one of three principal ports, where grain exports are set to resume this week, more with Ivan Watson connecting us this hour from Odessa, Ivan?
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there Becky that's right. The City of Mykolaiv that you mentioned is getting pounded day and
night by Russian missiles which the Ukrainian say are repurposed S300 surface to air missiles used instead just to hit targets on the ground.
And they say that part of the Mykolaiv port which has been blockaded, since the beginning of the war, that it was partially damaged and they published
censored images of some of the damage that took place. There could be some good news for the Ukrainians who've been making appeals at the highest
level for more anti-aircraft defenses to protect cities from the threat of Russian cruise missile strikes.
And the German government has announced that a number of anti-aircraft tanks have been delivered now at least three to Ukraine and that more are
on the way with a tweet published by the German Ambassador to the UK showing this piece of equipment, also saying that German multi pole rocket
launchers as well as howitzers have been delivered.
And this is important because a lot has been discussed about American high Mars long range rocket systems that we're hearing from Ukrainian frontline
commanders have transformed the battleground to some degree, hitting Russian ammunition depots, control points, bridges, cutting supply lines
deep behind the front lines.
And the Russians have talked about these weapons systems too. But it's not just the American rocket launchers that are coming in. It is other weapons
systems from other Western allies as well, that are complicating things for the Russians on the front lines.
They say they've made gains and the Ukrainians have conceded that in the Eastern Donetsk region within the past 36 hours. The Ukrainians say that
they're making gains on the southern front but not publicizing them for strategic reasons.
And we're also hearing disturbing reports of Ukrainian civilians trying to flee the occupied regions to the Zaporizhzhia region being stopped at a
checkpoint in - with images of this as well. This fits part of a broader pattern of Russia not allowing Ukrainians to flee the areas that they have
conquered, raises some real questions as to why civilians aren't being allowed to leave an occupation which Moscow has described as liberation,
Becky.
ANDERSON: Ivan Watson is on the ground. Ivan, thank you very much indeed. Well, that's the story then on the ground. Let's step back a moment as
Clare and I were just discussing EU member states agreeing to voluntarily reduce natural gas demand by 15 percent this winter.
This in response, of course to the reduction in supplies of gas by Russia, the EU Energy Commissioner says the Baltic's Ireland and Malta still intend
to reduce demand even though they have some exemptions from this plan.
[11:10:00]
ANDERSON: Last hour, I spoke to Maltese Energy Minister, Miriam Dalli, this country isn't connected to EU gas network and it relies heavily on gas to
generate electricity. So they are in a very sort of, you know, unique position. But she says the EU is sending a strong message of unity, despite
the compromise deal, have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIRIAM DALLI, MALTESE ENERGY MINISTER: It wasn't easy, but as you mentioned earlier, and that, this was a decision that was taken in around six days,
which reflects on shows also the urgency of the matter. It's all about preparedness.
The situation is what it is, and when you are faced with such a challenging situation, I believe that the options in front of us are either to actually
be prepared for what might happen or let things be and then you find the situation which is in your hands, which might be major and more massive
than you would have actually been able to cater for.
And I think what the 27 EU member states realized and I believe that what we managed to achieve also on this council was that we are sending a strong
signal as the EU as a whole that we're acting together, even though there are exemptions as you mentioned earlier.
But such exemptions take into consideration the different specificities of the different member states. But it is showing that the EU is preparing
itself for any eventualities, even considering also that the next months are definitely not going to be easy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: I want to talk more about Europe's energy conundrum, some more. Cuneyt Kazokoglu works on transitioning to new forms of energy with the
Global Energy Consultancy FGE. And that's something we can talk about before we do that this was a compromised deal, and reflects the fact that
European countries, of course, are in very different positions when it comes to reliance on gas from Russia and reliance on gas for their
electricity as a whole a one size fits all mandate from the EU was just not going to work, was it?
CUNEYT KAZOKOGLU, DIRECTOR OF ENERGY ECONOMICS AND ENERGY TRANSITION, FGE: No, it's not going to work. And, you know, the cracks show basically you
can see between the Mediterranean countries. It's their political aspects. They're of course, I'm pretty sure like countries like Greece, looking back
to the Euro crisis of Germany to it has treated Greece back then now sort of feeling a little bit of shadow further but also technical aspects as
well.
Like countries like Spain, France, Portugal, for example, not very much connected to European gas network. So they cannot do really much for
Germany in that context. Quiet contrary actually; Spain is a big LNG import.
ANDERSON: Yes, this was a significant announcement. And you know, quite frankly, we are talking about the potential for gas rationing come the
winter in Europe unless individual consumer's small to medium sized enterprises and industry can slash demand at this point. Has your done
enough? Do you think or could we see further swindling cuts?
KAZOKOGLU: Well, you can only see further of course. I mean, the question is how much is enough? First of all, you have to acknowledge that, at least
in our view, Russia is not going to cut gas supplies to Russia sorry to EU.
So that's not in Russia's interest anyway. So they will continue now a little bit lower, but come winter, they will probably raise the supplies as
well. So this has two advantages from the Russian perspective of course, so they keep the European resilience relatively low ahead of winter on one
side.
And on the other side, of course, they are rate, you know, jacking up the gas price, basically, I mean, today's approaching again, 200 Euro per
megawatt hour and that's basically welcome cash for Russia. So overall, the gas supply will not be diminished and disappear. But of course, the fear
from the cut is actually more effective than the cut itself at the moment.
ANDERSON: How do you rate European leadership at this point, when it comes to such a critical issue as gas demand and supply? It's not just the
winter, of course, we're having a heat wave this summer. So the air conditioning units off times working off as far as electricity as well. How
do you rate it? And has Europe thought this through enough do you believe?
KAZOKOGLU: No, not really. I mean, again, these are a little bit going into those political analysis. But overall, it is a mess, really, to be honest
with you. I mean, it's not.
ANDERSON: A mess, it has a ripple effect on these European economies. I mean, we've seen it IMF down graded--
KAZOKOGLU: You have to consider like--
ANDERSON: Of course.
KAZOKOGLU: You have to consider you know we are now in a very, very tight LNG market for starting from end of last year towards according to our
analysis towards 2026 even.
[11:15:00]
KAZOKOGLU: So that issue Europe is facing right now is probably not the end of the world. We will see the same theater in winter 2024 in winter 2025
even. So it will repeat itself.
And of course, like you know, with high gas prices that countries like Japan, South Korea, for example, are ready to pay the premium. But other
countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, for example, they are basically priced out of the market.
ANDERSON: You talk about this sort of sense of Schadenfreude by the likes of the Greeks and you know, potentially the Italians as well, when actually
the country that's in the real crosshairs at this point when it comes to industry.
And it is the industrial sort of heartland of the Europe is Germany, at this point, and do you see the ambition for reducing reliance on Russian
energy accelerating? Do you see the ambition quickly enough? I know that this has come at everybody very quickly it's your business to talk about
sort of clean energy, diversified fuels going forward? What are we seeing behind the scenes?
KAZOKOGLU: Yes, behind the scenes to be frank, I mean, there's a good likelihood that actually the German industry, you know, pressures, the
German government cuts a deal behind the scenes with Putin.
Like, tell them basically, we are going to, you know, subscribe to 10 years of gas supplies and supply us that amount of gas. So there is no option for
Germany in particular.
ANDERSON: So this is the European stepping down effectively.
KAZOKOGLU: Yes.
ANDERSON: And so that would that would suggest a fracturing in this European unity. Do you believe that is now happening?
KAZOKOGLU: Yes, absolutely and also, from the Putin's perspective, not cutting the gas hundred people creating this fracturing, because if he will
actually cut the gas 100 percent, then of course, the whole Europe should act together and cooperate.
But now you know, we supplies a little bit supplies that country and this country and basically, he creates this fracture, so he plays the game. I
know that sounds really cynical, and so on, and given the current tragedy, but he plays the game really well in comparison to the Europeans in this
case.
ANDERSON: Fascinating. Thank you, sir. It is always pleasure to have you on your analysis and insight very important as we continue to report on what
is going on as a result, of course of this Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Politics, reaching all the way to the final frontier Russia now says it will withdraw from the International Space Station after 2024 and form a
station of its own. Russia and the U.S. have worked together on the ISS for more than 20 years.
Well, you're watching 'Connect the World'. I'm Becky Anderson. Ahead, reaction in Canada as the Leader of the Catholic Church begs for
forgiveness for decades of abuse of indigenous children. CNN has been talking to the survivors. And it's a global health emergency largely
targeting gay men that are official being clear about whose most at risk for Monkeypox. That is after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:20:00]
ANDERSON: Pope Francis is once again asking for forgiveness for the Catholic Church's role in decades of abuse of Canadian indigenous children.
His apologies declared on Canadian soil have been welcomed by the Congress of Aboriginal peoples during the Pope's journey of penance as the Vatican
has described it.
But the group is also calling for concrete action from the church, let me just step back here from the 1830s until the 1990s indigenous children in
Canada were forced by the government into abusive residential institutions run by Christian churches. Right now the Pope is preparing for an open air
mass at Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium. CNN's Paula Newton is in Edmonton. She's there at the stadium and she joins me now live. And just describes
the atmosphere if you will?
PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know there is a lot of anticipation here, given the Pope's health everyone here really understands how special
that is he's come to Canada and is having an event like this Becky.
This is an open air mass. It is in a football stadium about 60,000 people should be on hand you should be here within the next few minutes. What's
also extraordinary though, Becky is where I'm standing now is where the Pope mobile will be doing its tour among the people. And it will be so
striking because it will be accompanied by indigenous musician.
So standby for that moment, it is really going to be something that is going to be a highlight of this visit and as you were just describing,
though, Becky. This isn't as a long time in coming and will in fact re traumatize so many people that have suffered through the harm done by those
residential schools. I want you to listen now to some of their voices.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON (voice over): It has taken the high tech tools of this century for Canadian soil to give up the torturous secrets of the last drones hovering,
swooping mapping, and ground penetrating radar peering into every layer.
UNIDENTIFED MALE: We see if there's any disturbances in that soil structure.
NEWTON (voice over): Disturbances, these are soil anomalies that could lead to the unmarked graves of Indigenous children those who were once students
of Fort Alexander Residential School, and the sacking First Nation in the province of Manitoba.
UNIDENTIFED MALE: When you have 190 anomalies, there's got to be something.
NEWTON (voice over): The Catholic Institution is no longer standing. But its survivors want you to know what it stood for abuse of all kinds that a
government report found amounted to cultural genocide.
UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: That's where the priests stayed.
NEWTON (voice over): Rita Guzman was just six when she arrived. The abuse started soon after.
UNIDENTIFED FEMALE: And he'd have us sit on his lap and meanwhile, he had his hands under skirts.
NEWTON (voice over): Patrick Bruyere was seven. He endured eight years.
PATRICK BRUYERE, RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL SURVIVOR: And he got me drunk. I didn't know what else happened when I got up that next morning.
NEWTON (voice over): Sarah Mazerolle was six forced to stay until she was 14.
SARAH MAZEROLLE, RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL SURVIVOR: Right off the face every morning. She did that to me.
NEWTON (voice over): Henry Boubard is 80 now just seven when the nightmare started.
HENRY BOUBARD, RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL SURVIVOR: With after what it's presented to me sexually I know I changed everything.
MAZEROLLE: You have to survive if you're going to live you have to find ways to get over everything that was being done to you?
BRUYERE: Well, it was all prayer was all behavior yourself, it was all don't speak your language because if you do, you will get punished you
know, and a lot of humiliation.
BOUBARD: This told me to pray, to pray to pray but prayer. What is prayer? No means nothing to me. If you don't pray the will to hell or that was all
these years I was living in hell in the residential school. This is hell to me.
NEWTON (voice over): Hundreds of victims like these from one school, and they were dozens of these institutions across Canada most run by the
Catholic Church. More than 150,000 indigenous children were forced to leave their families and were subjected to forced labor, neglect and sexual and
physical abuse.
And thousands just went missing. In the past year, several indigenous communities have discovered hundreds of unmarked graves and more searches
are underway. The survivors of Fort Alexander were too young to know where children went and why they're remaining unmarked cause in the cemetery made
from the old school pipes, who lays there?
[11:25:00]
NEWTON (voice over): So here to during the very week Pope Francis is on Canadian soil to apologize. They scour the land.
NEWTON (on camera): It is with these high tech tools that indigenous communities throughout Canada hope that they can get the spiritual
homecoming that their last children deserve something that no papal apology can give them.
NEWTON (voice over): The Pope arrives with a singular purpose, he says that of penance, but for decades, there was impunity. Very few staff members
were ever prosecuted. And that inflicts further trauma some survivors say and then there's the fact this in person apology to gears.
JOE DANIELS, RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL SURVIVOR: This thing had to be dragged out or dispersed. Somebody had to go to Rome to go in to go and practically beg
this guy to come here and apologize. Why couldn't he have done it on his own frontier?
NEWTON (voice over): As extraordinary as the Pope's pilgrimage to Canada may be, it stands diminished by the scope of the abuse that is already
known, and the horrors still to be discovered.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: And Becky, it is such a striking people gesture, the fact that the Pope has come here on Canadian soil and literally with his words,
yesterday, Becky begged the survivors for forgiveness, this what we have here. Now, as I said, it is the beginning of the healing.
And I had been so struck in so many years of covering the story, Becky, that so many of these survivors still cling to their Catholic faith,
despite it all, Becky.
ANDERSON: I was just considering the same thing as I looked at the people gathering there for what will be that mass in that Edmonton stadium and
that's coming up. The Pope has begged for forgiveness, they are calling this a journey of penance. What else is in this for the victims if
anything?
NEWTON: So yes, Becky even in the reaction yesterday, and I have to say again, it is very traumatizing just to hear the words of apology even
though it was important for him to say it. At issue now were decades where the Catholic Church, indigenous peoples here say stonewalled them, they
wouldn't hand over records, they wouldn't tell them who attended the school for how long, what do your records say what happened to these children.
The Vatican says that they have submitted documents, there is obviously a contention that they are withholding. And so for that purpose, the
indigenous groups here say that they want full transparency.
And then there is the issue of reparations that the Catholic Church is not without means here in Canada and throughout the world. And they are looking
to see what can be done.
When I speak to you about intergenerational trauma there is, you know, the after effects of this that goes down by generations. So you might have a
mother or a father or grandparent that was in residential school.
But the family life that those people came to when they came out of those schools, it was dysfunctional, and it continues to affect many generations.
They need healing, they need mental health supports, they have been getting those for years, they need more they need to try and rebuild their lives
through the generations.
So again, they will be looking for that transparency from the Catholic Church, but also from the means, the means to be able to rebuild their
lives, Becky.
ANDERSON: Paula, thank you. Paula Newton is in Canada for you. Well, the old saying goes democracy dies in darkness but the Arab world only
democracy has apparently died at the ballot box coming up on "Connect the World".
An historic vote in Tunisia and Kenyans were set to see two of their top presidential candidate's debate as their election gets closer. But one of
them is now refusing to share the stage with the other, more than that after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:30:00]
ANDERSON: It had been hailed a moment of hope for the Arab world. Protesters in Tunisia are rising up against the system of corruption that
has been robbing them of their livelihood for decades.
It was a movement that sparked the 2011 Arab Spring revolution and produced what was regarded as the sole democracy in the Arab world. But now Tunisia
appears to have taken a step away from democracy and towards authoritarianism. Exit polls show that Tunisians have overwhelmingly voted
to approve a new constitution that takes power away from Parliament and puts it in the hands of one man, President Kais Saied.
Opposition leaders had urged a boycott of the referendum and only about a quarter of Tunisia's voters bothered to cast a ballot. They say the fact
that so many people stayed at home shows that the public refuses to endorse the President's attempt to undermine democracy.
There was so much to unpack about this historic vote. CNN's David McKenzie has just returned from a trip to Tunisia and he's following the story for
us from his home base back in Johannesburg.
What are the implications just explain what was on the ballot here, and what the wider implications of this result might be?
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What was on the ballot, Becky was a wholesale undoing of the Jasmine revolution and the hard fought
constitution that was ratified in 2014. Basically, what it does is put a great deal of power into the hands of President Saied, he will be ruling
over parliament, who will be able to name and fire his cabinet members, he will be able to rule by decree, he'll be able to even extend his term limit
in certain circumstances.
So it's very much an undoing according to activists and democratic thinkers I spoke to when we were in Tunisia, of that constitution. The broader
implications are that it really feels like the last democratic space of the Arab Spring, more than 10 years ago has now been drastically reduced.
And our supporters of Saied and he does have supporters came out in relatively large numbers in Tunis early on Tuesday morning to celebrate
what was always a foregone conclusion.
As you say, Becky, it was - it seems to be a majority, a very strong majority of people who voted yes for this constitution. But very much a
minority of the population who even showed up to vote a short time ago, the Coalition of opposition parties, including the moderate Islamic in other
party condemning this yet again, and calling on the president to resign.
But it does appear that he will have further control of Tunisia, and his supporters say that's needed to avoid the economic turmoil that the country
has been through.
ANDERSON: David, you were just in Tunisia and you spoke to a lot of people on the ground for your reporting there, what are people's biggest concerns?
MCKENZIE: The biggest concern really is putting food on the table. There's been a huge amount of inflation similar to the rest of the world but
particularly bad in that part of North Africa.
Many people I spoke to felt that those who are in the middle class are slipping into a situation that even the most basic standards of living are
hard to attain. Take a listen.
[11:35:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The prices are going up.
MCKENZIE (on camera): And what does that mean for you and your family?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Young people they cannot marry now. They don't have enough money to live they cannot have a family.
MCKENZIE (voice over: I've sold nothing today says --, absolutely nothing. This place should be jam packed before the Eid holiday he says, but nobody
can afford meat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCKENZIE: Well, he had a sense of humor about it. But you really get a sense from people there that many people are not that interested in
politics. They want to have the economy back up and running.
They want to feel that the youth has a future and doesn't want to escape on boats to Europe. Just in the past few days, you've seen more than thousand
people picked up by rescue boats near Italy, both from Tunisia and Libya and other parts of that central Mediterranean route.
The President has consolidated power he believes he can steer the ship in a better direction but many feel that there is more instability to come.
Becky?
ANDERSON: David McKenzie on the story. Thank you, David. Well, voters in Kenya are just two weeks away from choosing their new president. Well, a
planned debate on Tuesday between the two main candidates hit a snag one of them is pulled out and said he would hold a town hall on TV instead.
Well, debate organizers said they still plan to go ahead with that event. Give one candidate all 90 minutes to answer moderator questions if the
other failed to show up that is called --.
CNN Larry Madowo interviewed both candidates and he joins us now live from Nairobi. So who are these two men and what prospects for success at this
point?
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The two men likely to win the presidency in Kenya, Becky, are Deputy President William Ruto and opposition leader
Raila Odinga.
Incidentally that both are technically in government, Ruto is the sitting Deputy President even though he has no real power and that is because since
2018, the opposition leader Raila Odinga has been working with the government of President Uhuru Kenyatta after a famous handshake.
Today was supposed to be the first and only face to face showdown between these two men who are likely to lead Kenya. Instead Raila Odinga has pulled
out of that debate. He says he will not share a podium with the deputy president because he lacks basic decency, morals or shame.
So it looks like William Ruto, the Deputy President will have 90 minutes to address the whole nation all to himself, but I spoke to both men before
this debate, kerfuffle and here's what they told me.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAILA ODINGA, KENYAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We will win these elections.
WILLIAM RUTO, KENYAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We're very confident we're going to win this election.
MADOWO (voice over): The 55 year old Ruto call themselves hustler in chief, a populist appeal to Canada's largest voting bloc, they use.
RUTO: Our plan in under the bottom up economic model is to focus on infrastructure that not only drives our economy, but intentionally
deliberately create jobs.
MADOWO (on camera): What is the difference between you as a candidate and your main opponents Raila Odinga who's one who you are allies before?
RUTO: I have a plan, he doesn't. When I listen to their campaign, they don't really have the detail on what they want to do is a good old man. But
I don't think today, he has the capacity to pull this country from where it is.
MADOWO (voice over): At 77, former Prime Minister Odinga is running for what he says is the fifth and last attempt to lead Kenya.
ODINGA: I'm younger than President Biden. I don't think that age has anything to do with it, I think is about the plan that somebody has for a
country.
MADOWO (on camera): If you were to win the presidency, what do you need to do fast to try and fix some of the many problems that Kenya faces?
ODINGA: We don't want to see as Sri Lankan syndrome, manifesting itself here in the country. So we have several options that we are going to look
at to keep the costs of essential goods down in order to ameliorate the suffering of our people.
MADOWO (voice over): Both sides have accused each other of corruption, and both claimed to have the solution.
RUTO: We ran the real high risk of running these countries using cartels and people who have not been elected, you know, people who will be in
shadows.
MADOWO (on camera): It's interesting. You mentioned cartels, because your main challenges accuse you of being corrupt that if you become president,
then this country will be even more corrupt than it is right now. What's your response to that?
[11:40:00]
RUTO: We are going to build the institutions to make sure that any corrupt person, including the President, can be prosecuted.
MADOWO (voice over): More than $16 million is stolen from the Kenyan government every day President Kenyatta claimed last year a staggering
figure for a poor nation.
ODINGA: What you call budgeted corruption? When we address this, what we are going to get a saving is going to be more than what you require to fund
the projects that we're talking about.
MADOWO (on camera): So your plan is to deal with corruption so that more money is available, but every government promises that but it just never
happens.
ODINGA: We're not going to make any compromises. And nobody is going to be indispensable, including myself, the fight against corruption.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MADOWO: The opposition leader Raila Odinga there, he's not the first man to skip a debate. In fact, in 2017, President Kenyatta also did not attend a
debate against incidentally, Raila Odinga.
So I got 90 minutes and we are getting right now a preview of what is likely to come. The undercard debate is going on right now. And another
presidential candidate has also decided to skip that debate.
So there is one candidate on stage right now. And he's got a captive audience of the whole nation. All major Kenyan stations are airing this
debate live. And the big thing Becky here, some supporters of William Ruto say that Raila Odinga at 77 just could not survive as 90 minute debate in
front of the whole nation.
William Ruto at 55 is a much younger, much faster, much naughtier and would have easily won this debate. So maybe it's a tactical decision to skip the
debate. ANDERSON: Fascinating. Thank you, Larry. Larry Madowo is in Nairobi. Well coming up experts sounding the alarm on monkey pox. Next I'll
speak to a public health expert who says we are falling behind both on vaccinations and on warning the people who are most at risk.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: The infectious disease expert most famous for guiding the U.S. through the toughest months of the Coronavirus pandemic is now very
concerned about monkey pox.
Earlier today Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNN that the United States needs to spread a wider net and get more people vaccinated. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: It's very clear with the spread of this that there now has to be
a balance between vaccines available for those who clearly have been exposed, as well as those at risk.
And that's where the now the change in the distribution so that you anticipate that someone might get infected as opposed to responding to
someone who is infected.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[11:45:00]
ANDERSON: My next guest says that the United Kingdom is also behind on vaccinations as well as messaging to the gay community. Will Nutland is the
Founder of The Love Tank, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting health and well-being in underserved communities.
Thanks for joining us; this is so important as ever, with a global health emergency, it's absolutely vital that the most at risk groups are
identified so that resources can be targeted towards them. So let's just start there. Can we be quite clear about what we know about this virus and
who it affects most?
WILL NUTLAND, PUBLIC HEALTH EXPERT: Absolutely, Becky, thank you for having me on today. And I have to say absolutely agree with everything that Tony
Fauci has said. So we know right now that there are about 16,000 diagnosis of monkey pox globally in London, we know that there are more than 2000
people who've been diagnosed with monkey pox.
And our surveillance data is really good at telling us exactly who those people are. Places like London and places like New York and places like San
Francisco, we know that the overwhelming vast majority of people who have been diagnosed with monkey pox are sexually active gay and bisexual men.
ANDERSON: How has it spread?
NUTLAND: So monkey pox, the current epidemics of monkeys of monkey pox is being spread, we know by close physical skin to skin contact. And the
evidence that we're generating in London tells us that we think in most of those cases, it's being spread through set close sexual contact.
So people are acquiring monkey pox during sex. But that's not the only way it's being transmitted. We do know that there are some people who are
telling us that when they're being diagnosed with monkey pox, that actually it wasn't through sex, but it was close skin to skin contact, what I like
to call sweaty close dancing in nightclubs, but where it does involve close skin to skin contact.
And unlike how we ordinarily used to think of monkey pox being transmitted, which was generally through household contact. What has concerned those of
us who are dealing with the monkey pox outbreaks globally, is that we now think this mode of transmission that we're seeing in the U.S. and Canada
and across Europe, is a different way of, of monkey pox being transmitted it is an extraordinarily different way than we've historically seen.
ANDERSON: Why has access to the vaccine to date been so tough? I know you've got both sort of professional and personal experience of those who
have been able to get access to a vaccine and those who haven't.
NUTLAND: So Becky, let's remember that 10 weeks ago, monkey pox outside of some parts of Africa was almost unheard of. And authorities such as those
in the UK held stocks have a vaccine in case of emergencies.
The vaccine that has been used for monkey pox is actually a vaccine that is ordinarily used for smallpox. And there is only a very, very small handful.
In fact, I think, probably only one producer of that smallpox vaccine, who has had to massively ramp up productivity in order to get as many vaccines
in many people as possible.
But just as the authorities, where I live, have been clamoring to get hold of some of that, that vaccine, so of governments and authorities in other
parts of the world. So we suddenly have very many people trying to get hold of a very, very limited supply of vaccine.
Right now, we know that in England, our authorities have purchased somewhere in the region of a quarter of a million doses of vaccination. A
coalition of organizations, including my own organization, are saying right now we need at least double that if we're going to bring this outbreak
under control.
ANDERSON: I know that you have said that we must listen to the evidence, look at the data and indeed the science. And you have identified the most
at risk groups. Is there a risk in identifying those groups, that that community will be stigmatized by the conservative right?
I don't want to draw parallels to the AIDS outbreak the crisis back in the 1980s and early 90s, although I have my brother died of an AIDS related
illness, so I remember the stigma that was attached to that and certainly would never want that, any other families or people to go through that. So
is there that risk do you worry?
NUTLAND: So I do worry in that and I think there are parallels we can draw from HIV. And I think there are parallels that we can also draw from other
recent infectious disease outbreaks, including from COVID.
The issue is Becky, if we pretend; if we pretend that these infectious diseases are not disproportionately impacting on particular groups of
people so in the case of monkey pox on sexually active gay and bisexual men, we pretend that that's not the case because we've fearful of stigma.
[11:50:00]
NUTLAND: Not only does that, that, that not destroy the stigma, we're going to have that stigma there regardless of that. But what it does is it draws
resources and attention away from those of us who most need to receive information and vaccination.
And I'm getting really tired of some of the conspiracy theories and, and the lack of evidence that's been kind of peddled online that suggests that
monkey pox is not disproportionately impacting on gay and bisexual men.
And if we let those anti-sciences anti-evidence arguments win, it means that in London next week, the people who will be front in the line to get
the limited availability of vaccines will not be those people who will most benefit from it, not be those people who are most likely to be exposed to
monkey pox.
It will be those people who want to believe the hype that monkey pox does not disproportionately impact key groups of people. I want to say this
again globally, monkey pox is disproportionately being diagnosed in sexually active gay and bisexual men right now.
ANDERSON: Important stuff, we thank you very much indeed for joining us.
NUTLAND: Thank you.
ANDERSON: Listen to the evidence and look at the data I believe the science. Thank you very much indeed, we will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Just before the break, sorry, that's not what I wanted to say. Let me start again. Before we let you go this evening, Israel's coastline
has some unwanted tourists.
I want to show you experts blame climate change for raising the water temperature and creating ideal conditions for these jellyfish to breed.
Swarms of them have taken over the waters stinging swimmers, clogging fishing nets and clogging desalination plants.
It's costing the tourism industry an awful lot of money Hadas Gold with the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): White speck stopped the turquoise blue waters off the coast of Israel, each one a translucent
pulsating jellyfish. Hundreds of millions of them eye catching but venomous swarming the Mediterranean Sea.
While the region has always had a jellyfish season in the warm summer months this year, rising water temperatures have caused an explosion in
numbers.
GOLD (on camera): Normally these beaches would be packed full of locals and tourist. But the lifeguards here tell me that the crowds are staying away
because of the jellyfish.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am afraid because it's very danger.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One of my son's was stung the other day.
BELLA GALIL, STEINHARDT MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY: But mostly they're moving with currents.
GOLD (voice over): Dr. Bella Galil is one of Israel's top jellyfish experts. She says this species is not native to the Mediterranean, but in
recent years entered from the Red Sea through the Suez Canal.
As the canal is expanded and waters continue to warm as part of climate change, she warns they could spread even further.
GALIL: Since the sea kept warming it spread with the warming sea and it now reaches Tunisia, Malta and Sicily. And with the expected continued warming,
it may reach European coast.
[11:55:00]
GOLD (voice over): Their sting is more painful than that for many jellyfish native to the Mediterranean, Galil says, and in some cases can cause people
to go into anaphylactic shock and coma. But it's not just the harm they can do to beachgoers that is a cause for concern.
GALIL: The most important is having a swarm a juggernaut of very efficient predators going through the sea and eating up the local biota that other
species are at a loss--
GOLD (voice over): Galil says some short term solutions like creating saltwater barriers in the Suez Canal could help stem the numbers. And
within a week this current wave is expected to subside. But as climate change continues to push temperatures upwards, these hauntingly beautiful
yet dangerous creatures will keep coming. Hadas Gold CNN, Tel Aviv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: That's it from "Connect the World" this evening. CNN there continues of course after this short break, don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
