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Connect the World
Funeral Procession Carries Pele to his Final Resting Place; NFL Player in Critical Condition after Cardiac Arrest; Israeli Minister Sparks Anger after Al-Aqsa Compound Visit; Ukraine: Number of Deaths in Makiivka is "Being Clarified"; Morocco Temporarily Prohibits Travelers from China; "Green Sarcophagus" Returned to Egypt. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired January 03, 2023 - 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)
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN HOST, CONNECT THE WORLD: I'm Eleni Giokos. I'm in for my colleague Becky Anderson. Welcome back to "Connect the World". We're live
in Dubai, and we begin in Brazil and Pele's final journey through the city where his legend was born.
The funeral procession for the late football icon is winding through the streets of Santos on its way to the cemetery where he will be laid to rest.
There will be a private funeral service for Pele's family. The 24 hour public wake that wrapped up just before the procession was so crowded.
That thousands of people in line were turning away more than 230,000 mourners attended the week at the stadium according to the Santos Football
Club. Brazilian President Lula da Silva was among those who paid their respects. Julia Vargas Jones has been watching all of this unfold covering
this over the past few days.
She joins us now live from Santos, Brazil. So many people turned away tens of thousands of people paying their respects to Pele. You were even
speaking to some of these people, celebrating his life mourning him, but a legacy that is going to absolutely live on?
JULIA VARGAS JONES, CNN PRODUCER: Yes. So Eleni we witnessed this very special moment that I want to share with you, which was when Pele's casket
was loaded onto the fire truck that you've probably seen those live images that is now making its way through the streets of Santos where he built his
career the city that claimed him as claims him as his son.
Crowd of the organize the Cheering Squad for Santos had a giant drum line, massive flags, Brazilian flags, Santos flags, throwing a last goodbye the
last hurrah for their King. And the people in that crowd have told me that Pele means so much more to them than a wonderful player.
Yes, they're so thankful for all of his achievements for the club for the country, but also who he was as a person. This is a man that inspired an
entire generation of soccer players. He paved the way for Brazil to become a soccer superpower.
That kind of recognition that Pele achieved for Brazil that simply wasn't there before. It's hard to think about what Brazil could have been without
the presence of this incredible player? It could have been so different, right?
He was the first one to show that kind of game that art form. And the entire generation of children that were able to look up to him as a role
model, a black man in the 1960s breaking those kinds of barriers was not easy at the time.
And yet, here he is being celebrated on his last day that people can come and pay their respects say their final goodbyes here behind me the cemetery
is the tallest cemetery in the world. There will be a mausoleum on the ninth floor we're being told where Pele will be late to rest his final
resting place overlooking that stadium of Santos where he built his career Eleni.
GIOKOS: Yes, and we're watching these live images of the fire truck, the procession that is happening right now. I can only imagine the emotions,
the atmosphere, Julia; it also struck me you know we were looking at images of his mother's home. She's now hundred years old.
And I think people sort of, you know, getting that snapshot of how he was raised where he grew up where his mother still resides? And seeing just the
sheer love and admiration of people on the streets must be completely overwhelming even to cover even for someone like you doing this for us.
JONES: It is, his mother still alive hundred years old. This city is so proud to have him as a son. You know, he was not born here, but he made the
city his home and he built his career here of course.
[11:05:00]
JONES: But internationally Eleni, you know, for me included. This is the legacy that he has left us with much more than the soccer. I don't
understand much about soccer. I didn't grow up watching soccer, even though I'm Brazilian. Please don't revoke my passport for saying that. But it's
not about that.
It's about showing Brazilians that we could be leaders in something that we could overcome, being a developing country that we could overcome the
poverty and the inequality, all of this to show that we could shine in the world stage like the King, like Pele did for so many years.
GIOKOS: Absolutely. Julia, good to see you, thank you so much for bringing us the stories, sharing some of the conversations you've had as we recover
the final goodbye for Pele, thank you so much!
Right for all of Pele's accolades from his record three World Cups to his being named the athlete of the century back in 1999. Perhaps one of his
greatest achievements was his humility - replaced Pele when he was retiring from the New York Cosmos in 1977.
He remembered this iconic man as very, very humble. He always gave you a hug, and would treat you like you were a long lost pal. Yet he always went
on to the field to win. Dennis Tueart now joins us live from Manchester, England. Dennis, it's great to have you with us on this day.
What an important moment. Yours and Pele's paths crossed when you were starting at New York Cosmos. And at the time Pele announced his retirement
but I want you to take me back to those moments you spent with Pele because he was still training. He was still on the field?
DENNIS TUEART, FORMER NEW YORK COSMOS TEAMMATE OF POLICE: Yes, I was 19 - we went to the North American Soccer League Championship in 1977. He'd been
in the U.S. on a three year deal 75, 76 and 77 with a PR contract to go beyond that with Warner Communications.
So he retired in 77. And I was still in England scored in England but unfortunately, English footballs in the dorm rooms. We hadn't qualified for
the 1978 World Cup finals. And that was seeing all the images or what was happening in the States and what Pele was doing in the States? The
attendances were up it was a summer season in America.
And it really tickled my professional opportunity. So when I went over in 1978, to sign all the forms, the early part of 78. I'm sitting watching a
video for the 77th season. And I'm looking for Stevie Hunt still played for with the Cosmos Georgia - still play for the Cosmos. But the person who's
missing in from 1977 to 78 is Pele. And I've been signed in my goodness. I just realized I've been bought to replace Pele was no pressure there then.
GIOKOS: You know pretty sure I'm sure whatsoever. We have a picture of you and your brother that was signed by Pele. I want you to tell us why this is
so special for you?
TUEART: Well, in our first season near the end of the year, we got to the final. And my brother came over for a holiday for a couple of week's
holiday and the kid every day coming to train with us and Pele because it's really building up the season.
Because we go into the final stage of the season, the Cosmos had a chance of winning the championship. Pele was virtually in every day. And he's
always moving around seeing people talking to people. And he was introduced to my brother, my younger brother Kevin.
And oh, yes, he says, this is Young Tueart. Hello, Young Tueart how are you? And my brother was just unbelievably affected by that. He just could
not believe that a great Pele would come and talk to him personally.
And sometimes when Pele came at the training and my brother weren't there, he turned to me and says, Dennis, where is Young Tueart? Where is Young
Tueart? And that photograph was an opportunity. We had a photograph in the locker room myself, Pele and his famous white suit.
Would you love the white suit? And my brother Kevin and we had a print made a bit before he left and Pele actually signed it. And you'll see to Kevin,
good luck and he signed Edson Pele, which was unusual - because nowadays, in the last few years, he just used to sign Pele so that's a unique
something for my brother to keep.
GIOKOS: Wow! What a fantastic photograph? You all look so young and dashing. You know, I want to talk about his legacy. And you know people are
forgotten you know, revere people and you know, we love them in our generation.
But it seems that Pele is going to have - I don't know like something that we're never going to forget. I think my daughter will know about Pele I
think generations to come will hear about this legend. You've said that he's going to be known as the best of all time in centuries to come. Do you
stand by that?
[11:10:00]
TUEART: Sorry, guys, but the audio is breaking down. Just distorted I can't quite hear the questions.
GIOKOS: OK, Dennis, can you hear me now?
TUEART: No--
GIOKOS: I think we've lost contact. We've lost contact with Dennis Tueart. Thank you so much for Dennis for sharing us - sharing with us lovely
stories of his interactions with Pele and that wonderful photograph that signed photograph of him and his brother and Pele those are live images
coming through from Santos, Brazil.
Funeral procession for the legend that is Pele heading towards the private funeral we'll cover the story as the hour progresses. The NFL is searching
for answers today as to what caused a member of the Buffalo Bills to collapse on the field and go into cardiac arrest during Monday Night
Football?
Damar Hamlin's teammates were visibly shaken after doctors had to perform CPR to restore the heartbeats of the 24 year old player. Hamlin was taken
to by ambulance to a local hospital where he is sedated and in critical condition currently we get more from CNN's Adrienne Broaddus.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ADRIENNE BROADDUS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The first Monday night Football game of 2023 between the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals ends
abruptly and tragedy after Buffalo Bill safety Damar Hamlin's tackle on Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins. You see Hamlin standing briefly and then
collapsing on the field.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now another Bills player is down.
EPHRAIM SALAAM, FORMER NFL PLAYER: When I saw that young man fall to the ground the way he did it. It felt like my soul had left my body.
BROADDUS (voice over): Within minutes after Hamlin's collapse medical staff started CPR on him, right on the field.
JOE DANNEMAN, REPORTER OF WXIX: Usually you see players gather around a player and that happened tonight. But when they saw them start doing chest
compressions. You saw the reaction of those players walking away and being distraught being very emotional, the kind of thing we don't see on a
football field.
BROADDUS (voice over): The 24 year old NFL star suffered a cardiac arrest according to the Bill's his heartbeat was restored on the field. And an
ambulance was driven onto the field to transport him to a local hospital.
DONTE STALLWORTH, FORMER NFL PLAYER: I've never seen anyone have CPR administered to them on the practice field or the game field. So that's
when I became concerned.
BROADDUS (voice over): Players huddled on the field visibly emotional, the NFL then postponed the game.
RYAN CLARK, FORMER NFL PLAYER: We were not ready for this. We were not prepared for this. These are all men that spend time together growing
together making sure that, one another is all right. Doing whatever you have to do for your brother and you are now putting the hopeless position
of being absolutely helpless.
BROADDUS (voice over): Hamlin is receiving care at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where fans could be seen holding vigil. NFL
Executive Vice President of Football Operations, Troy Vincent says some of Hamlin's teammates decided to stay behind. Hamlin's teammate Stefan Diggs
was captured in this video arriving at the hospital to visit his friend and teammate. This as well wishes are pouring in from the sports world.
LEBRON JAMES, NBA PLAYER OF LOS ANGELES LAKERS: Thoughts and super prayers goes up to the skies above for - family for him and safety of our players
in all sports is always the most important. So it was a terrible thing to see.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: Well, that was Adrienne Broaddus reporting for us. And I want to bring in CNN Sports Coy Wire who is a Former NFL Player who also played
safety for the Buffalo Bills. Coy, thank you very much for joining us! I have been watching you all day covering the story. And I know that you
yourself have had to carry on plane after accidents of your colleagues on the field.
It is not lost on us the significance of stopping the game last night and watching the emotion of players after this accident. Could you take us
through the NFL's decision or the decision to stop the game? And also what this means for NFL going forward?
COY WIRE, CNN WORLD SPORTS: Yes, thank you Eleni. You know, you have to commend I think all that were involved in this decision making process.
Their emergency action plan was set into action as soon as they saw the severity of this case.
And there was constant communication between the Executive Vice President of Football Operations for the NFL Troy Vincent, the Commissioner of the
League, Roger Godel, the Head of the Player's Union both Head Coaches the lead official there on the ground. Real live updates as to what was
happening.
[11:15:00]
WIRE: At one point though, Eleni, Troy Vincent asked the Head Coaches if they'd like to take their teams to the locker room so that they could
collect themselves and they did. And then, at that point, they were asked to assess the state of their teams and both head coaches, to their profound
credit.
Sean McDermott of the Buffalo Bills, Zach Taylor of the Cincinnati Bengals, they both looked in the eyes and faces of those men that they were seeing
and determined that they were too traumatized to go back out onto that field and play. And they made this unprecedented decision to cancel a game
in the middle of the game.
And that's powerful, because 10 years ago, five years ago, maybe even a year ago, I don't know that that would have ever happened. I can't remember
that has ever happened. So there's this paradigm shift in regards to player health and safety.
For those two coaches to make that decision to be thinking about the mental health, even of those other players, and teammates, is huge. So it's a
difficult situation when you see these players in the tears and it's tough to comprehend but players are not just coworkers, right?
They spend more time with their teammates for six to seven months out of the year than they do with their own spouse and family. They spend
Thanksgivings and Christmases in hotel rooms, celebrating with them.
They become like brothers and so to see someone like that you know, in my experiences in Eleni, I've witnessed guys have eyes rolling in the back of
their heads. I've seen their arms and hands twitching uncontrollably from trauma that was occurred on the field.
I've been on field with players were paralyzed, and ambulances had to come and take them off in a stretcher. And in the past those games went on. As
players we were always conditioned to compartmentalize to have this next snap or next play mentality, put the blinders on, reset, focus continue on.
But the fact that there's the sense of humanity now, with that event last night, again, I cannot overstate how profound that was. I think that's
going to make a huge impact on the NFL, the collegiate level here in the United States, the youth levels all across the world. Putting that priority
that emphasis on player safety first, much bigger importance than any game or season that could be played
GIOKOS: You know Coy Wire, watching you talk about your experiences and that the game just needed to continue. You said that this decision was
unprecedented. Do you think that this, perhaps now will say to precedence, that when you see trauma at the scale or any scale because you've
experienced bad situations, that it could change the way the games are handled when someone is hurt?
WIRE: Yes. I think it's going to further the change that we're already seeing Eleni. The titanium plate four screws in my neck, I was knocked
unconscious several times. One time I didn't remember what happened until the next day I watched it on film.
But just this season alone aside from this event, we saw Dolphins Quarterback - suffer multiple concussions. And it was after the last one
where no one knew that he had a concussion during the game. But it was the next day at Eleni that his Head Coach, Coach McDaniel pulled him aside
during film and said are you OK?
I think you should go see the doctor. The coach reported that, that didn't happen in the past. This situation Monday Night Football, these coaches,
the league executives who are assessing the situation, this game shouldn't go on. That didn't happen before. So in regards to player health and
safety, I think we already are evolving.
And we're witnessing this right now. But there's still room to grow. And it's unfortunate that tragic events like this happen, but perhaps they
don't happen in vain because we learned continue to grow continue to adapt to make the league better for this generation and generations to come.
GIOKOS: Yes, Coy Wire, thank you so much for your honesty and sharing your stories with us! We appreciate it.
WIRE: Got it.
GIOKOS: Good to see you. Just ahead on "Connect the World", Israel's controversial Security Minister is sparking anger here in the region. We'll
explain why next? Also a deadly strike in Eastern Ukraine and the aftermath why there's anger in Russia over the actions of its own commanders in a
live report from Kyiv?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:20:00]
GIOKOS: The most irresponsible man in the Middle East that is how former Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid is describing far right politician Itamar
Ben Gvir. The newly appointed Israeli National Security Minister is sparking anger after visiting the temple mount known to Muslims as Haram
al-Sharif earlier today. It is a key Jerusalem holy site and historical flashpoint.
You're looking at video of the visit published on Israeli media. Egypt and Jordan, along with the Palestinian authority have condemned Ben-Gvir's
visit. We've got Elliott Gotkine joining us now from Jerusalem. Elliot, good to see you, Ben Gvir has visited Al Aqsa before, but not as minister.
I want you to take us through the events of this morning.
ELLIOTT GOTKINE, JOURNALIST: That's right, Eleni. It was actually you know, to about half an hour after I woke up this morning. I can tell you around 7
a.m. soon after sunrise; Ben Gvir made this visit to Temple Mount known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif. And he went for about a walk about for just
under 15 minutes. He was accompanied by police. There were no incidents.
And he left he didn't visit. Contrary to some reports he didn't visit the Al Aqsa Mosque himself. And although Jews are not allowed to openly pray on
the Temple Mount, they are permitted to visit during certain times. So he wasn't breaking any laws or anything. I think the issue here is that it
comes as five days after this government, the most right wing government in Israel's history was sworn in.
It shows that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is either unwilling or unable to control his ministers. And I think it perhaps also lays down a
marker on the part of Ben Gvir and his Jewish power party as to how they plan to, to act during the course of this government.
And of course, you know, other ministers in the past have also visited Temple Mount without incident. But I think the main issue here, is that Ben
Gvir, not only does he have convictions for inciting racial hatred against Arabs. Not only does he have convictions for supporting terrorism, but in
the past, at least, he has advocated for a change in the status quo of Temple Mount such that Jews would be allowed to pray there.
And it's this even hint of a suggestion that there could be some kind of change to the status quo that is raising hackles both among Israelis among
Palestinians. And of course, in the region, as you say, we've had condemnation from Egyptians from the Jordanians from the Emiratis as well
former Prime Minister Yair Lapid. The British have expressed their concerns as well.
And we also of course, heard from the United States, a spokesman for the ambassador, saying that Ambassador nice has been very clear. In
conversations with the Israeli government on the issue of preserving the status quo, just finally Eleni to say that Netanyahu put out a statement
saying that there is no change to the status quo reiterating that position, Jews are still not and will not be allowed to pray on Temple Mount, Eleni.
GIOKOS: Alright, important messaging there. Thank you so very much. That was Elliott Gotkine for us. I want you to take a look at why the Al Aqsa
compound is so important and such a sensitive area. The Jerusalem compound which Jews call the Temple Mount and which Muslims call the Haram al-Sharif
is holy for both Jews and Muslims and a point of conflict between the two.
It once contained the first and second Jewish temples and is now home to two mosques. And agreement dating back to the Ottoman rule of Jerusalem
states that only Muslims can pray inside the compound.
[11:25:00]
GIOKOS: After taking control of the area in the 1967 War, Israel agreed to maintain the so-called status quo. Aaron David Miller is the U.S. State
Department's former Middle East negotiator and is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He joins us now live from
Washington, DC. Good to see you. So I want to talk about whether you view this as a provocation and how important the timing of this visit is?
AARON DAVID MILLER, SENIOR FELLOW, CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE: You know, buckle your seatbelt and get ready for a roller coaster
ride. There's a great line from John Buchanan's novel Greenmantle, in which he says, there's a hot wind blowing from the east and the dry grasses await
the spark. There's a reality here, you're now dealing with the most extreme right wing government in the history of the state of Israel.
Three of the ministers representing three small parties in the coalition, essentially are committed at least their views, whether their policies end
up in reality, it's something we have to watch. Committed to an anti- democratic, racist, Jewish supremacist homophobic view of where what is real should be and frankly, where it should be.
So I think Ben Gvir's visit, it's certainly not the first for a Minister of Public Security. He now has a new title. He's the Minister for National
Security. It isn't the First Minister of National Security, who has gone up to the Haram al-Sharif Temple Mount.
But given the context Eleni, given the fact that Ben Gvir has committed to changing the status quo and enshrining Jewish prayer on Haram al-Sharif
Temple Mount, given the fact that he was so radical that he wasn't even inducted into the Israeli military, I think the steps have to be viewed in
context.
And again, much of this depends on whether we're dealing with words here, actions and deeds that can provoke. Do I think there's this provocative
step? Of course, it was provocative.
GIOKOS: Yes, I mean, I'm looking at all the messaging that's coming through, Yair Lapid called Ben Gvir, the most dangerous man in the region.
Yair Lapid is also calling Netanyahu weak. What do you make of some of the messaging that we've been seeing around this visit?
MILLER: Well, I think it reflects a fundamental change over the course of the last year since the so-called government of change. You know, Yair
Lapid is now in the opposition. He clearly fears for the future of his state. But it also reflects, I think, a certain degree of partisanship,
you're going to have a government composed half of which is composed of Jewish fundamentalist.
And I think it's essentially a future that unless Mr. Netanyahu is able to demonstrate a degree of control and unanimity and comedy. And I don't think
you're going to get that from this government. You're in for a bitter environment of messaging. But again, words can kill in the Middle East and
they're extremely damaging.
The question is, will the views of these ministers, will Mr. Netanyahu acquiesce in them? Or will they be translated into a set of Israeli
policies that are qualitatively and quantitatively more radical, more extreme than anything we've seen in the past that Biden Administration
wants to adopt to wait and see. - they're sending Jake Solomon, the reports say.
National Security Adviser sometime this month, sit with Mr. Netanyahu. And again, that's I guess the next question, really Israel's closest ally, how
will Israel's closest ally respond to this new reality?
GIOKOS: Yes, look, Benjamin Netanyahu says they won't change the status quo, which is significant, but I want to talk about the reaction
regionally. Jordan has called this visit a flagrant violation of international law. About a month ago, my colleague and regular host of the
show, Becky Anderson sat down with Jordan's King, Abdullah Jordan being the custodian of Jerusalem's holy sites, I want you to take a listen to what
the king had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As custodian of those sites, do you believe the status quo and your role is threatened?
KING ABDULLAH II OF JORDAN: So you're always going to get those people that will try and push that and that is a concern, but I don't think those
individuals are under just a Jordanian microscope. They're under an international microscope. So you know, we've learned to, as we always say,
living between Iraq and a hard place that, you know, this is just another Tuesday for us.
If people want to get into a conflict with us, we're quite prepared. I always like to believe that let's look at the glass half full, but we have
certain red lines.
[11:30:00]
ABDULLAH II: And if people want to push those red lines that we will deal with that. But I have to believe that there are a lot of people in Israel
also that are concerned as much as we are.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: So, Aaron, this conversation happened by the way a month ago, which is interesting, because it's so relevant today. We've heard from the
Egyptians, we've heard from the Emiratis as well. I want to talk about what role regional players can have in working with those right wing
governments. And of course, relations that have just been in a way mended or starting, whether there's a risk of derailing those relations.
MILLER: I mean, look, Israel has two treaty relationships, one with Egypt since 1979, the other with Jordan since 1994. There have been many crises
between Israel and Jordan, and Israel and Egypt during this period, those relationships have endured. The question again Eleni is whether or not in
this new government, you are going to create a situation that is qualitatively and quantitatively much more radical and provocative than
anything we've seen in the past.
Egyptians and Jordanians particularly Jordanians have a fundamental political stake in ensuring that the status quo and the Haram al-Sharif
Temple Mount is adhered to. The other interesting question which we haven't raised as, what about the Abraham Accords? Where about the relationship
that the Israelis have established?
And Mr. Netanyahu has been in part, one of the mid-wives of those accords with Bahrain with Morocco and particularly with the United Arab Emirates,
will those relationships be damaged? I think the gold states will go to great lengths, as with the Biden Administration, administration, frankly,
to try to avoid a confrontation with Netanyahu.
But I think, given the fact that there are so many conceivable possible fires that can be lit now, in and around Jerusalem, in Gaza, Hamas weighed
in today. And they are eager to exploit the situation if it plays to their benefit and relationships Eleni between Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs,
which could also - the consequences. I'm hoping for the best but frankly, I'm buckling my seatbelt and preparing for the war.
GIOKOS: Well, Aaron David Miller, thank you very much. And you're right so many probabilities, so many potential outcomes here. We appreciate your
insights. Thank you. Well, coming up next, a deadly strike on Russian soldiers in eastern Ukraine is sparking anger with Russia. We'll have more
in a live report from Kyiv when we return.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:35:00]
GIOKOS: Well, there's growing anger inside of Russia in the aftermath of a deadly New Year's Day strike on Russian soldiers in Ukraine's occupied
Donetsk region. Some say Russian commanders ignored the dangers for their own soldiers; one Russian lawmaker is even calling for punishments. There's
also dispute over the number of Russian troops killed in that attack.
Meanwhile, more Russian strikes on Ukraine this one in Donetsk region, destroying an ice rink and a residential area. President Volodymyr
Zelenskyy is warning that Russia is planning a prolonged attack. But he says Ukraine is getting better at taking out drones and savoring small
victories.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Our task is to give Ukraine successes achievements, even small yet victories over terrorists and terror
on a daily basis. Each shot down drone each shot down missile, each day with electricity for our people and minimal schedules of power outages are
exactly such victories.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: Well, CNN's Scott McLean joins us now live from Kyiv. This attack on Makiivka, it's interesting to see the death toll numbers from the
Ukrainians and also the Russians. But also, interestingly, the criticism that's coming from within Russia on commanders operating on the ground,
take us through the latest.
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you're not hearing any criticism from within Russia of the Ukrainians. This is war. What you are hearing though,
is certainly some level of frustration with the military and intelligence leaders who allowed this to happen, who allowed so many Russian troops and,
and equipment and weaponry to be essentially in the same place at the same time, especially on New Year's Eve when Russia was launching strikes of its
own.
It's essentially made these Russian troops an equipment sitting ducks and pretty easy targets as well. Some pro-Russian bloggers are accusing the
military leaders of incompetence. Even 10 months into the war, saying that look, the lessons ought to have been learned by now that there are plenty
of open buildings, plenty of places for Russian troops to station themselves so that they are dispersed and they're not concentrated in one
single area.
You also have pro-Russian former officials from the Donetsk People's Republic suggesting that look; the Russian military has underestimated the
capability of the Ukrainian high Mar system. The U.S. supplied longer range; multiple launch artillery system that they say actually carried this
out.
And then you mentioned the death toll figures which are miles apart from one another. If you believe that Ukrainians, the death toll was some 400
with 300 injured, the official Russian numbers at this stage are just 63. But even a former pro-Russian official in that DPR region says that he
expects that the final number is in the hundreds are at least more than 100.
And if you look at the latest pictures from the scene, you can see that it is a pile of rubble, difficult to imagine how anyone could have survived
this. This was what a vocational school in Makiivka was once. We also have satellite pictures which are a little bit blurry. But you can see in the
center of them what was once that square there, that vocational school is seemingly obliterated.
But obviously the view from the ground is much more poignant as there doesn't seem to be almost three days on now very much rescue efforts going
on. It seems like heavy equipment trying to pick through the rubble and trying to count the dead. But again, we don't have any kind of confirmation
from the Russian side as to how high or if that death toll will in fact increase.
GIOKOS: Scott McLean, thank you so much. Let's get you up to speed now on some other stories that are on our radar right now. We started in France
with free condoms are now available to everyone 26 years of age and younger and emergency contraception without a prescription is now available to all
women.
The goal is to curb sexually transmitted diseases. President Macron says it's a small revolution in preventative health care. Actor Jeremy Renner
has so far had two surgeries to deal with injuries he suffered in a snowplow accident on New Year's Day.
Renner has posted multiple videos on social media in the past of him driving snowplows. He remains in critical but stable condition. More pain
for travelers in the UK after the country's Rail Union announced further trains strike. Approximately 40,000 workers began what will be five days of
strikes. Today the strikes will disrupt services across England Scotland and Wales with about only 20 percent of normal services running.
[11:40:00]
GIOKOS: The 188th U.S. Congress is set to be sworn in next hour but the race is still on for the next U.S. House Speaker. Hopeful and current House
Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy has been pushing hard to round up the crucial 218 votes needed to control the lower chamber of the U.S. Congress.
But he's not quite there yet. CNN's Lauren Fox reports for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REP. KEVIN MCCARTHY (R-CA): Happy New Year. - for one, I'm excited for 2023.
LAUREN FOX, CNN REPORTER (voice over): A speakership hanging in the balance. After months of outreach Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy heads to
the floor Tuesday unsure if he has the votes to be the next speaker. On Monday, McCarthy was asked the same question.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you have to speak to the votes for Speaker tomorrow?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And take away all the excitement.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we'll have a good day tomorrow.
FOX (voice over): Of revealing answer showing the math problem McCarthy has been battling for weeks with a narrow majority he can only afford to lose
four Republican votes. So far five Republicans have publicly said they'd vote against him, nine more pending a letter warning his attempts to win
them over have been too little too late. Still, allies say McCarthy isn't going to bow out of the race.
REP. WARREN DAVIDSON (R-OH): He's worked very hard to get the votes. He's worked very hard to earn the job as speaker and we'll see whether this is
placated. The people that put out a list of demands, he's gone really right up to the line, he's conceded on virtually everything that was on that two
page document.
FOX (voice over): McCarthy is determined to win, even if that means multiple rounds of balloting on the House floor, something that hasn't
happened for a century. Behind the scenes, McCarthy is still scrambling for support, making key concessions to conservatives.
One of them a rules change that would weaken the power of the very job he's vying for and lower the threshold it takes to call for a vote to house the
speaker from a majority to just five members.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And there's nothing he's done to earn my vote, I suspect 10 to 15 members will vote against them on the first ballot.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: And they could be a real cost here if Republicans can't pick a speaker besides delaying the start of committee work and legislating. A
letter sent to staff last week warned that if the house doesn't pass a rules package, by January the 13th committee staff cannot be paid. China is
accusing some countries of targeting its people with travel restrictions. It claims there's no science behind the tighter curbs, that's all coming
up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:45:00]
GIOKOS: The governments in Beijing and Hong Kong are criticizing new COVID related restrictions on Chinese travelers. Put in place by a growing number
of countries, China's government is taking it a step further threatening to hit back with countermeasures. This comes amid a surge in COVID cases
across China that have filled Shanghai hospitals. CNN's Ivan Watson has more for us.
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're seeing a growing backlash against the growing number of governments that are imposing
restrictions on travelers from China, due to concerns over the scale of the COVID outbreak on the Chinese mainland. Take a listen to what the
spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry had to say on Tuesday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAO NING, SPOKESPERSON, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY: We are willing to strengthen communication with the international community and work hard
together to overcome the epidemic. In the meantime, we believe that some countries have taken into restrictions targeting China. This lacks
scientific basis, and some practices are unacceptable. We firmly oppose any attempts to manipulate epidemic prevention measures in order to achieve
political goals. We will take counter measures based on the principle of reciprocity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATSON: And we still don't know what those reciprocal measures might be. Some voices in Chinese state media have gone further accusing governments
like the U.S. and Japan of using the COVID pandemic as a way to try to smear China, as that newspaper puts it.
But take a look at this map that CNN has compiled and it shows you the growing number of countries that are trying to put the brakes on some of
the travel from China to their territories. Most like the U.S. are saying that travelers need to get a negative COVID test within 48 hours of
departure to the U.S.
South Korea is requiring new arrivals to get COVID tests at Incheon Airport. And on the first day of this new measure, this was Monday; the
authorities in Korea say that out of 309 new arrivals, they tested 61 positive cases. And they're restricting some flights until at least the end
of the month trying to reduce the amount of travel coming in.
Morocco going one step further, completely prohibiting any travel from China to its soil for the time being. Now there have been some studies put
out one Chinese Health journal that says that in the main cities they believe that the peak of the outbreak has already been reached according to
mathematical statistical models.
But that they predict that the outbreak the infections will likely peak in rural areas and in the center and west of the country from the middle to
the end of January and the infections will probably bloom as the study puts it due to the travel around the Spring Festival and the Lunar New Year.
Other studies that have been out there have predicted that China could lose more than a million people due to COVID amid this outbreak. Ivan Watson
CNN, Hong Kong.
GIOKOS: The outbreak in China has renewed fears about the spread of the virus and potential mutations. Infectious disease experts warn that
monitoring for new Coronavirus variants will become more important in the coming year. Sub variants of the Omicron Coronavirus variant continue to
circulate around the world according to data from the Centers for Disease Control, Omicron subvariants XBB 1.5 and BQ. 1.1 are causing most of the
infections in the U.S.
Experts warned that the Coronavirus is consistently changing and that the more the virus spreads, the more it mutates. Just ahead the term metaverse
was coined more than 30 years ago. Now our reporter Anna Stewart goes inside the internet to see why two syllables could impact millions of
people.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:50:00]
GIOKOS: 2023 could be the year many people have the first experience with the metaverse. But as we hear from CNN's Anna Stewart, sometimes it seems
like the new technology is still in its dial up days.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER (voice over): Remember this movie? The concept of a virtual universe is rooted in science fiction. Over the years it's
been just that fiction. But now technology is beginning to catch up bringing the idea of the metaverse to reality. Its own two concepts,
expensive digital real estate and hugely popular games, but what exactly is the metaverse? What does it do? And why should you care? Let's break it
down.
NEAL STEPHENSON, AUTHOR, SNOW CRASH: It means a virtual environment.
STEWART (voice over): This is Neal Stephenson. He came up with the term metaverse back in 1992. But his book Snow Crash, back to you Neal.
STEPHENSON: Where large numbers of people can get together and interact with each other not as they are but through avatars, which are kind of the
three dimensional representations.
STEWART (voice over): For so long our experiences with the internet have been to D. It's been something we look at. But the metaverse gives users
the sense of being transported into the internet like this. Oh, hi. Meet Andrew Bosworth, also known as Bos, he works at Meta formerly named
Facebook.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Great, do we shake hands. How did this work?
ANDREW BOSWORTH, CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, META: We can do hi-fi.
STEWART (voice over): Oh, this is horizon workrooms the company's foothold in the metaverse. It's just one of the many ways into the metaverse that
are currently available. In these virtual worlds, you can play games, do business and dance with strangers that turn into friends, except that this
friend could be on the other side of the world.
BOSWORTH: As good as being together no, and it probably never will be. But it's the next best thing.
STEWART (voice over): This all sounds exciting; until you realize that the technology for building this new iteration of the internet is well, still
being built.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My legs.
BOSWORTH: We are working on that. To be fair, we are working on legs. It's one of the tricky things about VR. We're so early on. Oh, she left me, I'm
so sad. She's back maybe? Nope, she left again.
STEWART (voice over): In short, it's difficult to define the metaverse because it's constantly evolving, just as the technology is. What it is is
largely dependent on what it can do for us. And right now its capabilities are just a fraction of what they might be in five, maybe 10 years.
For now, it's this place where you can be whoever you want and immerse your virtual self into this alternative world that pushes past physical barriers
to collaborate and interact with other virtual avatars, objects and environments. As promising as it all may sound, we still have a long way to
go before we're living like this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where am I?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: IOI Plaza, your hologram in the real world.
STEWART (voice over): Anna Stewart, CNN Dubai.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: Well, I'm happy to say that Anna Stewart is back in the real world. She is not stuck in the metaverse. OK, so today for our parting shots a
precious treasure that was looted from Egypt is finally back home. Egyptian antiquities official say they have recovered a piece known as the Green
sarcophagus that was stolen and smuggled to the United States a few years ago.
Authorities say thieves only stole the lid of the sarcophagus which weighs 500 kilograms and left behind the base. The sarcophagus dates back at least
2300 years. The last of two which Egypt says it's been hunting for the last item with the help of the U.S. investigators. So before we go more pictures
of the funeral procession for football legend Pele as he heads to his final resting place in Santos, Brazil.
[11:55:00]
GIOKOS: These are live pictures as you can see, the fire engine carrying the casket of Pele. Thousands, tens of Thousands of people have been
attending the 24 hour awake, which ended today. The casket has been driving through the streets of Santos also passing by his 100 year old mother's
home.
Many people thousands of people had to be turned away because of the sheer volume of people wanting to pay their respects as they bid farewell to the
king of football. As you can see live pictures there from Santos, Brazil heading towards private funeral, which will be taking place later today.
All right, thank you so very much for joining us, I'm Eleni Giokos in Dubai. "One World" with Zain Asher is up next, you take care.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
