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Quest Means Business
Explosions Rock Ukrainian City; Foxconn Apologizes For Violent Clashes; EU Fails To Agree On Energy Cap. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired November 24, 2022 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:28]
RAHEL SOLOMON, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: US markets are closed for the Thanksgiving Holiday. In Europe, markets continued their winning streak
with a third day of gains.
Those are the markets and these are the main events: Russia continues to pound Ukrainian cities with new explosions heard in just the last few
minutes. We will take you there.
EU hopes to cap. Energy prices fall apart as Ministers fail to reach a deal before the winter.
And in China, the world's biggest iPhone manufacturer is apologizing to staff and also promising to pay up after violence erupted at its factory.
Live from New York, it is Thursday, November 24th. I'm Rahel Solomon, in for Richard Quest and I too, mean business.
And we begin with new developments in Ukraine where in the last few minutes, CNN's team on the ground in Zaporizhzhia have reported several
explosions, air raid sirens sounding across the cities and residents are being urged to stay in safe places.
The city has become one of the key hotspots in Russia's war in Ukraine, with its nuclear power plant being occupied by Russian forces for several
months.
And electricity and water are gradually being restored across Ukraine following Russia's relentless attacks on the country's energy
infrastructure. The most recent attacks forced all of the country's nuclear power plants to shut down because they weren't receiving enough power to
run safely. It is the first time that has happened in 40 years.
About a quarter of homes in the capital, Kyiv, are still without power as temperatures drop below zero.
Let's bring in now CNN's Sam Kiley, he is in Zaporizhzhia. So Sam, I want to get back to those explosions. You're there on the ground. What are you
hearing? What are you seeing?
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we heard about an hour ago, Rahel, there were some pretty loud detonations, we knew that they
were at some distance from us. Since then, the local authorities have confirmed that there were a number of explosions just on or just beyond the
outskirts of Zaporizhzhia City, that could, depending on the wind direction, even mean the nuclear power station, which is about 30
kilometers away.
But that notwithstanding, there haven't been any reports of casualties, and there is still power here in Zaporizhzhia, or at least in some parts of the
city. So in some ways, we are a little better off than a lot of other parts of the country where power has been restored to the national network, but
it is being rationed out and being focused on those much more high-priority issues such as obviously hospitals, but also public transport networks and
so on.
So there has been a continued level of bombardment. People forget quite often that, yes, there are these wave attacks of the cruise missiles. The
government says here, there have been seven of them last night, over 70 cruise missiles fired at the energy infrastructure of Ukraine, most of them
were shot down.
But that notwithstanding, there is also a ground war going on. There are still surface-to-surface missiles being fired, cities such Kharkiv and
Kherson, especially very frequently bombarded; recently Sumi in the north, close to the Russian border, also coming under attack. And of course, in
the East of the country, in particular fighting is very, very intense there indeed.
So there are these detonations now that the Ukrainians have, frankly, got used to living with -- Rahel.
SOLOMON: Well, Sam, it appears to me even nine months to the day into this war, even despite these attacks on critical infrastructure, the morale of
the people there in Ukraine, tell me more about that, both for people who are not fighting but also along the frontlines from what you can tell.
KILEY: Well, I mean, we have been talking frequently with soldiers as you might expect, and had been close to the frontline. We just were in Kherson
yesterday, which arguably is a new frontline. There were regular incoming and outgoing detonations, both sides shelling each other, maneuvering for
position there.
Morale remains high. From the military perspective, it is high because they are on the front foot. They've got the initiative. The NATO-supplied
weapons and NATO-style weapons that they've been supplied have been very, very important indeed in helping them tip the balance against more poorly
motivated, badly-armed Russian Army that is supplied with relatively obsolete equipment.
The Ukrainians are getting their hands on better equipment and putting it to extremely good use. They do not have enough though.
[15:05:10]
There is no military question about that. They need to be able to have the capacity to defend their skies more effectively if they're going to
prosecute this War Two the conclusion that they want, which is to drive the Russians completely out of their own territory.
But at the same time, the civilian population showing so far, almost bottomless wells of resilience are facing, what we're now looking at in
winter is extremely intermittent power, very cold, uncomfortable winter, intermittent water supplies, difficulties cooking, and so on and have to
say living in those conditions, as we have only just for a few days, is trying, it is stressful, it is hard work and there are contingency plans
for the evacuation of the more vulnerable populations from some of the bigger cities if that is what the government and local authorities decide
that they need to do in order to protect the most vulnerable, move them to places where they can be kept warm, where they can be fed, and where they
can get communications.
But there is absolutely no sign from the Ukrainian population that they're being cowed by this Russian campaign, but they do anticipate it to go on
and things to get worse.
SOLOMON: Certain level of self-awareness there, but also Sam just extraordinary to see the resilience.
We'll check back with you in the next hour.
Sam Kiley for us there. Thank you.
And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has compared the blackouts caused by Russian strikes to "using weapons of mass destruction."
CNN's Matthew Chance went to visit a reception center in Odesa in Southern Ukraine where those affected are able to get basic supplies.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right, well, all over Ukraine people because of the Russian missile strikes are being forced
to abandon their towns and villages and their homes and come to receptions centers like this one in Odesa to try and get some basic supplies.
(MATTHEW CHANCE speaking in foreign language.)
CHANCE: What kind of things do you have here, I am asking her.
(UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE speaking in foreign language.)
CHANCE: What's that? All right, okay. Sanitizer, soap.
(MATTHEW CHANCE speaking in foreign language.)
CHANCE: Food as well.
(UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE speaking in foreign language.)
CHANCE: It is flour. Fish -- tinned fish. There are all sorts of things. Some of it, of course, given by private donors. You can see some of it from
USAID, from the US aid organization, the government aid organization, and it is really just scratching the surface when it comes to the humanitarian
needs.
All right, well, we've come inside the reception center, and you can see, there are people sort of crowded in here giving their details so they can
receive some of this aid, distribution.
I'm going to speak to one of the organizers.
Victoria (ph), hi Have you got a minute?
VICTORIA, ORGANIZER: Hi. Yes.
CHANCE: Hi.
VICTORIA: Hi. Hello.
CHANCE: Thank you. How many people do you look after every day here in the center.
VICTORIA: Every day, we have from 500 to 700 families.
CHANCE: Families.
VICTORIA: A day. Yes.
CHANCE: So that's how many people?
VICTORIA: I cannot count how many.
CHANCE: That's more than a thousand, right?
VICTORIA: Yes, it is. Yes.
CHANCE: Yes, it's a lot. And is that number increasing?
VICTORIA: It goes up. The quantity goes up. I don't know if it's very hard, because these three days, we had no light.
CHANCE: Yes.
VICTORIA: And you know, a lot of houses totally depends on light.
CHANCE: Yes, so people have got no electricity.
VICTORIA: Yes. We have no warmth. We have no --
CHANCE: No heating.
VICTORIA: Yes.
CHANCE: No heating. People can't cook food and keep warm.
VICTORIA: Yes.
CHANCE: All right, well, just outside the reception center, we found this food kitchen that's been set up here in the center of Odesa, which is
obviously giving people perhaps the only hot meal they can get in these very difficult times of power cuts, food shortages.
It has been here this facility for some years before the war, but in the past few months, the situation has gotten a lot worse. Refugees, displaced
people from around Ukraine are highly dependent on this and the humanitarian situation in the country, because of the Russian missile
strikes and the ongoing conflict is getting a lot worse.
Matthew Chance, CNN, in the center of Odesa in Southern Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOLOMON: Meantime, Europe's plans to keep a lid on gas prices are being labeled a joke as EU leaders fail to agree on a deal to bring down energy
bills.
Ministers gathered for an emergency meeting in the hope of agreeing on a price cap for natural gas, but the talks ended with no deal with some
saying the plan was not effective and others not wanting a price cap at all.
The plan on the table would have limited prices at 275 euros per megawatt hour. They've talked that only a few days this year, even as prices hit
record highs. Leaders will now try again next month.
Poland's Climate Minister said no one could be happy with the outcome.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANNA MOSKWA, POLISH CLIMATE MINISTER: The gas price cap, which is in the document currently, it doesn't satisfy any single country. It is a kind of
joke for us after so many amounts of discussion and proposals, written proposals which were presented by Member States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[15:10:12]
SOLOMON: Vladimir Putin has warned that any price cap on oil would have "grave consequences." The Russian President said any such move would go
against market principles.
This week, Russia has already threatened to shut off gas supplies to Moldova, which is not in the European Union. The country has already seen
blackouts after Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
Anna Stewart with me now from London.
So Anna, it seems to me that the EU finds itself in a bit of a standstill. On the one hand, you did actually have some agreement on certain energy
principles and certain energy measures, but this idea of a price cap really threatens to derail all of the progress. I mean, walk me through this.
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: And it's not for the first time. We see this a lot with EU meetings. There was agreement on joint procurement of gas.
There is agreement on accelerating the deployment of renewable energy. But on this issue of the price cap on gas, how it should work, whether it
should exist, it's not just divisive, emotions ran really high.
Heading into this meeting, we had the Czech Deputy Prime Minister telling us that the meeting would be a little "spicy." We then had the Maltese
Energy Minister arriving and saying that proposal wasn't "fit for purpose."
This was, as you say, a proposal to cap the price of gas on the futures. This is on the front month at 275 euros per megawatt hour. Now, that is
actually really high. That is much higher than prices are right now. So there was certainly some concern. For those who support the idea of a price
cap, it was simply too high, it wouldn't be triggered, perhaps even ever. Certainly, it won't be triggered at the moment.
You have others who just disagree on the concept really have a price cap when it comes to the wholesale market at all. Some people might like to see
a price cap sort of issued or implemented onto energy suppliers, with consumers paying maybe a subsidy in between to make up the difference
between the wholesale price and the cap.
There are so many different options really for this on the table and the EU has really struggled to find any real common ground there.
It was interesting that to wrap up the meeting, we heard from the Czech Minister for Industry and Trade, he was chairing the meeting and this is
what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOZEF SIKELA, CZECH INDUSTRY AND TRADE MINISTER: I am glad to inform you that today, we are once again sending a clear message of unity.
We are not opening the champagne yet, but put the bottle in the fridge.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEWART: I don't think that got any laughs, and as for the clear message of unity, I think that message was about as clear as mud in terms of unity,
Rahel, but they meet again to discuss this in less than a month in December and they are so far apart from reaching agreement on this issue of the
price cap. I struggle to see how they'll find an agreement.
SOLOMON: It's a great question, and I'm not sure that the champagne is in the refrigerator either. We'll take his word on that.
Anna Stewart, thank you. Good to have you.
Carl Bildt is the former Swedish Prime Minister, and he is now the co-chair of the European Council of Foreign Relations and joins me now.
Carl, good to have you. Thank you.
So are you surprised at all by how these talks have broken down? I mean, one official, they are calling it a joke; another going into it saying this
is going to be spicy. Does this surprise you at all? What's your reaction?
CARL BILDT, FORMER SWEDISH PRIME MINISTER: No, it doesn't surprise me a bit. I mean, this is an extremely complicated issue. I mean, there are lots
of experts who doubt it can work. There's a lot of political pressure to do it. There are different ways of doing it. It's never been done before.
This is the way the EU works. You normally have a very sort of vigorous, to put it in those terms, discussion, a couple of meetings then eventually
arrive at something.
So I would expect the discussions to be resumed. I would expect there to be some sort of thing. I don't expect it to be perfect. But I expect it will
have a significant impact (AUDIO GAP), yes.
SOLOMON: I want you to walk me through some of the implications at play here, right, because you have a lot of different countries, different
objectives here. But I want to first ask, 275 euros per megawatt hour, is that too high?
BILDT: That sounds overly too high to me, but I'm not an expert on it, and some countries want to have it very significantly lower. That's
evidence here there is a room for discussion there. When you trigger it and what price you should have, and that's a complicated issue. It might well
be that you arrive at something that you have one price, and then you need to adjust it as you go along.
But any price cap has to have the effect of actually reducing Moscow- Kremlin income in order to finance the war. That's the key thing and that must be achieved.
SOLOMON: I take your point that it's a complicated issue, but it is certainly not the first complicated issue that world leaders have had to
face and so, what will it take to get some sort of measure in place that ultimately reduces the energy bill for Europeans, which is really at the
heart of this.
[15:15:05]
BILDT: Yes, but I would argue, it is probably the single most complicated issue that has been on the table. I mean, both the EU gas price cap and
then then also, G7 is supposed to sort of agree on it for oil. And to have price caps on extremely integrated global markets is by definition
extremely difficult.
It is not done by also affecting the insurance and the shipping companies (AUDIO GAP) that affects, of course, the economic interest of some of the
EU member countries. So there are extremely complicated issues that needs to be addressed.
I don't think there is a perfect answer. I don't think there is going to be a perfect solution. I don't think there is going to be something and are
going to be some impact of it. The question is how much and for how long?
SOLOMON: So, what will it take to get to some solution as imperfect as it may be? Will certain countries just have to cave and agree or what does it
take?
BILDT: I mean, the nature of the European Union is that you normally would have a tricky issue, you have a couple of meetings, and eventually after a
couple of failed meetings, you do have something coming out of it. I mean, that's the pattern of the EU, and that's the pattern when you have 27
countries in this particular case, you have to also take into account the G7 countries when comes to oil, which is a global commodity.
So it's going to take some time in order to achieve some sort of workable consensus between the 27th. I think they do me (AUDIO GAP), but I think
that they'll do it.
SOLOMON: Well, here is hoping.
Carl, can I also ask, you know the Central Bank of Sweden today raised rates, 75 basis points to two and a half percent, the highest since 2008.
This criticism is certainly not unique to Sweden, but it is -- but it also applies to Sweden, right?
This idea of Central Banks just being so slow. Why do you think the Central Bank is so slow? And do you think now there is an increased risk of
inflation becoming entrenched because of how slow the Central Bank was?
BILDT: They have taken a fairly robust measure. I think there are sort of some cases, where they have been slower, all of the Central Banks, but they
are not because there was a tendency to save for quite some time, the inflationary pressures are temporary, they're going to go away by
themselves. That's clearly not the case.
That's why we see Central Banks, including the Central Bank of Sweden now are taking fairly robust measures in order to try to kill it. Now, there is
of course the risk of a recession coming out of that, but I mean, killing inflation is now clearly the priority and action taken by Stockholm today
is another side of that.
SOLOMON: Carl Bildt, good to have your expertise today. Thank you.
BILDT: Thank you.
SOLOMON: And ahead, scenes of chaos as protests at China's Foxconn factory turned violent, how disruption at this one plant could dent Apple's global
sales this Holiday season. More on that when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:20:39]
SOLOMON: Welcome back.
In China, tech giant, Foxconn is apologizing to staff and also promising to pay up after a salary dispute led to chaos and violence at its Zhengzhou
manufacturing plant.
CNN's Selina Wang has the details from Beijing.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SELINA WANG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The world's largest iPhone factory located in China has offered to pay new workers $1,400.00 to quit
and leave their jobs. This is after violent protests broke out at the Foxconn Zhengzhou plant this week.
Video shows some workers taking the package lining up to leave. While this may temporarily calm the situation, it puts even more pressure on Apple.
This is where analysts estimate more than half of the world's iPhones are produced.
We've obtained new footage showing how these protests turned violent. These workers, they're angry about wages, dirty living conditions, chaotic COVID
rules. Video show squadrons of riot police arriving.
In one video, you can see a group of police in white hazmat suits and beating workers with batons and metal rods. Other videos show workers
protesting and tearing down COVID barriers, masses of them throwing metal parts towards police.
Another video shows a group of workers pushing over a police car cheering and chanting, and worker at the scenes at the protest turned into a river
of blood with police ruthlessly hitting workers.
This chaos at Foxconn has been ongoing for weeks. Several weeks ago there was a mass exodus of workers after a COVID outbreak. People literally
walking miles across highways to escape what workers said were subpar living conditions and COVID restrictions.
To get more workers, Foxconn went on a mass recruitment drive promising higher pay and bonuses, but this worker said when the new workers arrived
at the plant, the pay packages they were given were worse than what was advertised and they felt cheated.
Foxconn for its part is blaming the payments issue on a "technical error." Apple also told CNN that its employees were on the ground at the Zhengzhou
facility, and in a statement said: "We are reviewing the situation and working closely with Foxconn to ensure their employees' concerns are
addressed."
Selina Wang, CNN, Beijing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOLOMON: And as Selina pointed out, Foxconn is Apple's biggest iPhone maker producing about 70 percent, in fact of shipments globally.
Ahead of the Holiday season, some retailers are already warning that the latest iPhones can now be in short supply due to the chaos at that plant.
Output from the site could also drop by a third and analysts are predicting that iPhone sales could be down 20 percent this year compared to 2019 due
to the shortages.
John Denton is Secretary-General at the International Chamber of Commerce and joins me now from Madrid.
John, good to have you.
If you celebrate Thanksgiving, Happy Thanksgiving.
JOHN DENTON, SECRETARY-GENERAL, INTERNATIONAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: Hey, Happy Thanksgiving, Rahel.
SOLOMON: Good to have you.
DENTON: Not a lot of good news though.
SOLOMON: I know.
DENTON: Thanks a lot.
SOLOMON: I know. I know. So you know, I think coming --
DENTON: Amazing story --
SOLOMON: Yes, I'm sorry.
DENTON: That's an amazing story out of China. I've got to tell you.
SOLOMON: It is an amazing story, and what is interesting to me is that it continues to become more and more amazing, and not necessarily in a
positive way.
I mean, do you think it is surprising at all that iPhone or Apple would have so much concentration with one factory? I mean, when I hear that, I
think that just seems like an operational risk to begin with.
DENTON: Well, I mean, the world operates economically on comparative advantage theory. So, it is certainly understandable how they ended up
there. But I think the broader issue really is about how supply chains will look moving forward. I think that's a really challenging issue.
And one of the interesting -- I refer to comparative advantage, but when you look at issues like the CHIPS Act, the way in which the US and China
are operating in this relatively unmanaged strategic competition, the ideas of friend-shoring, the ideas of new nearshoring, all these sorts of things
coming through, you can see some short-term security issues here.
But still, if you look at it from an economic point of view, denying comparative advantage will add to costs as well.
So by the way, it was really interesting for me, I was in Bali at the G20. I'd been at COP27, and then actually was kind of like I was following the
leaders around because I was also at APEC speaking there, I was really pleased and we were really pleased at the ICC to see the Xi-Biden meeting.
We actually think that was a really helpful meeting and one of the best outcomes actually of the G20, because it does seem to put some management
back into the strategic competition, I think that could lead to a bit of stability for a period of time.
[15:25:20]
Both parties, of course, have longer term issues, but I think what it is also pointing to and this is where the Foxconn issue is interesting for me,
and I think, for thinking about from a global perspective, yes, there are some -- always every economy has its challenges in the US, has its
challenges in the short term with inflation, challenges in terms of economic outlook.
China has similar, but what's concerning, I think, if I was a Chinese policymaker and this is a discussion I've had with them as well, is that
long term, if they turn their back away from openness, their economy, you'll actually start seeing that some of these issues become structural
issues, which could actually create some real problems for the longer term in their economic development.
So getting the focus back on economic development, whereas you know, you hear the Xi speech at the 20th Party Congress, and it is really putting
security at the forefront, not economic development.
But frankly, you know, one of the points we would make as an organization that is all about enabling the private sector, enabling the economy, you
know, you turn your back on open economies, you start revealing some internal structural issues quite quickly.
And this is one of the things I think, will be revealed, I think, as we go along, unless there is this flip back to economic development in China, but
also with the US as well.
I mean, I think it is really important to think long and hard. I mean, the CHIPS Act may have some short-term advantages, but over a period of time,
it will all add to costs, and that will add to inflation as well. So, there are some challenges there that we need to work through.
But a commitment to open economies is actually not a bad start, which is why we're quite happy to see the G20 even talk about trade, which was good.
SOLOMON: Well, John, do you think that coming out of a post pandemic world and certainly the impact that we've seen to supply chains during the
pandemic, but even this issue with Foxconn will really start to make multinationals think differently about where their supply chains are
concentrated?
DENTON: Oh, absolutely. You look at Russia and Ukraine, the consequences of that. Companies -- I was in a meeting this morning with the Finnish
industry, you know, only four percent, I think of those who were previously in Russia are still there. There is quite a significant -- I mean, that's a
pretty massive shift in terms of rearrangement of your supply chain.
But it also tells you, you've got to build a lot of resilience and agility into existing supply chains and not complicate them, but I do think one of
the challenges moving forward, is this issue about how do you ensure resilient and effective supply chains.
You know, and there are other issues running around, Rahel, as well. I mean, because we are in more than 150 countries, 70 percent of the
countries we're in, we operate very effectively in developing and emerging economies with a record number of sovereign downgrades, you're actually now
seeing real issues emerge with access to trade finance, because what happens is that banks can't -- I mean, companies can't have a higher risk
rating than the countries they're in.
And so what we're seeing is, if you look at the downgrades, we're also seeing banks that now starting to withdraw credit, and actually limit the
access to trade finance, that limits the access for developing and emerging economies, particularly those with downgrades to participate in supply
chains.
So we've got to get more liquidity in into those economies as well. So crisis upon crisis, but solution upon solutions is what is required.
So, it is pleasing to see some stability, I think, in the management of the China-US relation, will that go long term is a different issue, but at
least for a period of time, pleasing to see the G20 actually do something in terms of, I think, getting focused on the energy transition, which is
also really important, but also recognizing the importance of trade.
And it is great to see just having been at APEC that the APEC economies are still committed to maintaining as much openness amongst each other as they
can.
These are positive signs in a world where economic -- if you look at the IMF reports over the last couple of years -- over two years, each quarter,
they go down and down and down, and now they're gone down another point, but looking forward.
So we've got to find these opportunities for growth wherever we can, and that is going to come from enabling the private sector operate effectively
across borders, enable enough liquidity to get into developing and emerging markets and we've got to maintain political, but also public popular
support for open markets and open market settings wherever we can.
SOLOMON: Well, unfortunately, John, we have to leave it here. But I think you're right. I mean, you're certainly seeing a lot more speak with the
World Bank reports with the IMF reports about how to ensure that emerging markets are protected as best as they can be in this period of perhaps of
an economic downturn.
So, we'll have to leave it here but it was good to have you.
DENTON: Thanks, Rahel.
SOLOMON: John Denton there.
[15:30:06]
And on Tuesday, he lost his job; Thursday, he made history. You know who we're talking about? Yes, that would be Cristiano Ronaldo, who has yet
another record to his name at the World Cup. We will be live in Qatar, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOLOMON: Welcome back, I'm Rahel Solomon, and there is more QUEST MEANS BUSINESS in a moment when we will be live in Doha where Cristiano Ronaldo
just made World Cup history as the only player to score in five Men's World Cup tournament.
And in the UK, new travel tech could make throwing away your water bottle and airport security a thing of the past.
But before that the headlines this hour.
US President Joe Biden says that he will work with Congress to try and get rid of assault weapons as mass shootings continue to plague the country.
Mr. Biden said it was sick that semiautomatic weapons were still available to purchase. It comes after recent deadly shootings at Walmart in Virginia,
and at an LGBTQ bar in Colorado.
The Lower House of Russia's Parliament has passed a bill which bans so- called LGBT propaganda among adults. Once it goes into law, it will mean that anyone who promotes or praises homosexuality could end up with a heavy
fine. Up until this point the law only applied to minors.
Ukraine is thinking its friends and allies on what it says is a special Thanksgiving. One of the President's Zelenskyy's top advisers shared this
message on Twitter wishing Ukraine supporters a peaceful and warm holiday.
Anwar Ibrahim has officially been sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Malaysia. The 75-year-old has vowed to focus on the country's economy while
fighting corruption and to also uphold Islam as Malaysia's official religion.
[15:35:03]
Well, we've had a couple of upsets in this World Cup so far, but tonight it is time for the biggest stars to shine.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar both in action for the first time today in Qatar and it has been a historic night for Portugal's captain, Ronaldo's
goal opened up a lively three two victory over Ghana, so that makes him the first man to score at five different World Cups.
As for Neymar in Brazil, they are two nil up against Serbia with about 20 minutes left to play.
World Sports Don Riddell is in Doha for us tonight.
So Don, we're also making a bit of history there, but Ghana also not making it easy for him. They played a good game, too.
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT HOST: Absolutely not. Yes, this one could have ended up in a draw. We'll come to that in just a minute. But yes, I mean,
just a huge night for Ronaldo. We've been talking a lot about the build up to this tournament. His spat with Manchester United, his club team letting
him go, and of course this is expected to be his final World Cup.
So he was pretty emotional during the anthem at the start of the game. That was very, very apparent just from watching the coverage of the match. Maybe
it was because he knew he was about to make history. Sixty-fifth minute, Ronaldo penalty, as you say first man to score in five different World
Cups. He is also now Portugal's oldest and youngest World Cup scorer at 21 years of age, and the first 37 now.
Ghana made it interesting. Andre Ayew there equalizing for the African side, but the Portugal clear with two goals in as many minutes. Joao Felix,
who is widely seen by many as basically the next Ronaldo, he is brilliant, this young player, and then Rafael Leao making it three one.
But Ghana got another one back and just look at the way this game equalized. The goalie caught napping, that could have gone horribly wrong
for the Portuguese side, but they were able to get clear. Ronaldo very much relieved at the end.
As you mentioned Brazil doing well as well. Many people think Brazil is going to be the team to win the World Cup this year. They're the only team
with five World Cup triumphs over the years, but they haven't done it for 20 years. They are here with a good team and they are playing well tonight
against Serbia.
All the talk is about Neymar in this side, but it's Richarlison, the Tottenham star who's got both goals. And the second one, by the way, was
absolutely brilliant. We'll be showing that to you later on CNN. It really was a wonderful goal. Definitely a Goal of the Tournament contender.
SOLOMON: Okay, Don, we'll check back with that. But also FIFA saying now that they will allow rainbow hats and rainbow flags into stadiums.
Don, walk me through what led up to this decision?
RIDDELL: Well, a number of very high profile incidents have led to this. One was the former Welsh female captain, Laura McAllister trying to wear a
rainbow bucket hat into the stadium and security took it off her.
There is a famous American soccer writer, Grant Wahl who we will be actually speaking to you later on "World Sport" who was detained for 25 to
30 minutes and was told to aggressively remove a rainbow t-shirt.
So this has become a real thing. The Welsh Football Association are saying that FIFA have assured them that their fans will be able to take the flags
in and the hats and all the rest of it and that they've communicated this to all of the stadiums and their security personnel. So, we'll see how that
happens.
But the rainbow clothing and apparel, the rainbow armband, the OneLove armband, that's become a whole thing here with FIFA shutting that down at
the 11th hour. A number of European captains were hoping to wear the armband promoting the OneLove campaign which is all about inclusivity and
is very much against discrimination of any kind.
And because FIFA banned them doing that, that's just basically poured more gasoline on the fire. That's why we saw the German team yesterday all
posing with their hands over their mouths basically implying or saying that FIFA had muzzled their freedom of expression.
And you've now got the bizarre situation where the players are not allowed to wear the rainbow armband, but you've got politicians in the stadiums who
are. Some of them even right next to the FIFA President, Gianni Infantino.
So it really is so inconsistent with what is allowed and what's not, and I think because of FIFA's stance, all they've done is just draw even more
attention to this situation, and the players and the fans are going to continue wanting to express themselves when it comes to Human Rights and
the Civil Rights that are so often denied people in Qatar.
SOLOMON: Don Riddell, good to have you. Thank you.
The EU Justice Commissioner met Twitter executives in Dublin today. One official later tweeting he expects the social media platform to comply with
EU rules. That comes amid rising concerns over safety for users in Europe after Elon Musk disbanded Twitter's entire Brussels office. The office was
tasked with keeping the social media platform compliant with the bloc's new rules on disinformation and hate speech.
[15:40:10]
And in the last hour, Elon Musk has tweeted an amnesty on suspended accounts will begin next week. That was in response to a poll that he
posted on Wednesday asking if more bank account should be restored. It comes after the billionaire reinstated former US President Donald Trump on
the platform. All of this though, adding to his problems, Musk, of his problems of holding on to advertisers. Clare Sebastian reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Many big advertisers have already fled Twitter over concerns about content moderation, and in the absence yet of a
functioning subscription model, Elon Musk may be trying to avoid losing more.
Twitter's new owner tweeted early Thursday that hate speech was down by a third from "pre spike levels." He did not specify exactly what dates he was
talking about, but did acknowledge a spike in hateful tweets right after he took over the company. Why the claim decreased, Musk credits limiting the
number of tweets a single account can post in a day, in his words to below what a speed typist on meth could do.
But it's difficult to corroborate his claim. The chart he posted also does not clarify what he is talking about, and there was no other evidence
presented. And there are concerns that since he took over the company, his free speech policies may have actually made it harder for the platform to
police content.
Just this week, Twitter paused paid verification, that blue checkmark, because it was leading to too much impersonation and confusion. And under
Musk, a number of high profile accounts banned for disinformation, including of course former President Trump had been reinstated.
And he may be getting ready to double down on that policy. On Wednesday, Musk tweeted a poll asking whether Twitter should grant a general amnesty
to all suspended accounts as long as they haven't broken the law, or engaged in egregious spam.
Well, Musk's claims about hate speech also came on the same day the EU Justice Commissioner was in Dublin set to visit among other places,
Twitter's European headquarters.
The EU has just tightened rules on policing online platforms with its new Digital Services Act and has already warned Musk to stick to its rules.
Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOLOMON: We are back after a quick break. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:45:01]
SOLOMON: The Patagonia region in Chile is home to fjords that once teemed with wildlife, but the ecosystem is under threat.
Today on "Call to Earth," biologists and Rolex Award laureate, Vreni Haussermann explains what is happening to the area's marine biodiversity
and why it is so important to reverse course.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VRENI HAUSSERMANN, ROLEX AWARD LAUREATE: For me, Patagonia is the most beautiful part of Chile. It's a very remote very wild and rugged coastline,
full of green forests. temperate rainforest, has lots of glaciers, rivers, lakes, and the coast is very steep.
The marine life came from deep waters, but also from adjacent areas, and so the diversity we find in fjords is elevated compared to other coastlines.
My name is Vreni Haussermann, I'm a scientist working at the University of San Sebastian, and I'm studying the marine biodiversity of Chilean
Patagonia.
Diving in Patagonia, we found many species that haven't been described before. The coastline is more than 100,000 kilometers, which is twice
around the world.
There are only a handful of scientists working there. So, even if we studied all the main areas, there are still most parts that we don't know
yet.
Chilean Patagonia was free of human impact for a long time, but in the 80s when aquaculture moved in, it started to be impacted. Life in the fjords
has been reduced in abundance. There are species we hardly don't find any more.
When we are impacting an area where we know very little about. We always have the risk that we are damaging ecosystems and the equilibrium of the
ecosystems is lost.
I hope that humanity understands the need to protect our planet. I hope humanity understands the need of protecting the oceans, and our lives and
the lives of all future generations depend on a healthy ocean and a little healthy planet.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SOLOMON: And let us know what you're doing to answer the call with the hashtag #CallToEarth.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:50:08]
SOLOMON: Welcome back.
Ever had to throw away your water bottle or tan cream at airport security because it's just a little too big? Or maybe you had to wait in line behind
passengers as they pull out their laptops and put small containers in plastic bags? Yes, the frustration. Well, those frustration could soon be a
thing of the past, in the UK, at least.
According to the BBC, the government is considering rolling out high-tech scanners by 2024, which would allow the UK to scrap security restrictions
on liquids and laptops.
Simon Calder is the travel correspondent for "The Independent" and he joins me now from London.
Simon, good to have you. So, how will this work? Because as passengers, we've been told that this was necessary to protect our security. So, how
does this work?
SIMON CALDER, TRAVEL CORRESPONDENT, "THE INDEPENDENT": Well, this simply uses the latest technology, CT scanners, these are very often used in a
medical environment, and effectively, what they do with your personal belongings is that they will have a very, very deep look at them. They will
identify if there's anything that's possibly threatening among, whether it's liquid or solid, in terms of explosives, and they will also present
the screening officers with a 3D, three-dimensional picture of what you're carrying.
And the idea is that you breeze through security, leaving your laptop there, leaving your liquids there, which of course we got used over the
last 16 years to carrying everything in small plastic bags in small quantities, and we will all have an easier time.
Now, to be fair, these machines are already in operation in various airports, and certainly if you sign up for the Transportation Security
Administration precheck scheme, then you are probably going to have a lighter touch anyway.
But this is spreading it across the UK, hopefully Europe and then maybe worldwide, and really just making the temporary rules that were brought in
overnight in 2006, making them genuinely temporary and speeding up the process for all of us.
SOLOMON: So, Simon I see your small bag of liquids there. I am curious, I'm not sure if you can see me. But if my one liter bottle water would be
allowed in the airport, but that's a selfish question. It's a personal question. But I do --
CALDER: Oh, most certainly would be, yes, you will be able to load up with water, with wine, anything you wanted to, just as you used to before 2006,
that wouldn't be a problem.
And the vast majority, of course of liquids, of anything that we take through scanners are completely harmless and 99.999, however many you want
of people who go through aviation security are completely blameless, but everybody has to be treated as a potential international terrorist. That's
an extremely undignified, stressful process. It's also very expensive, and this is hoping to speed things up.
Although of course, it's possible that the airports might pass on the very considerable multimillion dollar costs of this to the passenger.
SOLOMON: Well, that's what I was wondering, is the expense the reason why this has not been, you know, why this has not taken off thus far. So I take
your point that apparently it is.
But I also wonder so if this is being considered for major airports in the UK, how does this work for people who have connections? I mean, it already
feels like there is quite a bit of confusion among passengers if you're traveling in terms of what you can bring into this place and what you can
bring into that place. I mean, it sounds like a good idea, but then doesn't it just lead to more passenger frustration or confusion?
CALDER: Oh, absolutely, Rahel, and you've got that completely right. The big problem for aviation security is conformity worldwide. We were actually
supposed to be getting all these measures exactly a week from now, right across the UK on the first of December. That didn't happen because of COVID
and the extreme effects on airport finances that that caused.
But the big problem is, yes, you're flying from London Heathrow, say, Europe's busiest airport to somewhere in Europe, somewhere worldwide, and
you're allowed to go through with all your liquids, with your water bottle, with your laptop, and so on.
And then coming back, well, you would expect it to be the same, but it's not going to be and that is the big problem. But you're quite right. I
mean, I've just been traveling very widely. Sometimes you take your laptop out, sometimes you don't. Sometimes those liquids come out, sometimes they
don't.
And in some parts of the world, domestic flights in Australia, you can bring as much liquid as you want to, so still very, very confusing.
SOLOMON: It's a big mystery. It does seem.
So, Simon you mentioned some airports that have already implemented this type of technology. Is there any data to suggest whether it spent effective
or successful? I mean, how does this compare with the programs that we currently have?
[15:55:08]
CALDER: Oh, sure. It is much, much better from every point of view, and crucially, of course, it also, which is good news, unless you happen to
work in aviation screening, it reduces the number of officers that you need, because it should reduce the number of times that people get their
bags pulled out because they are nonconforming with the rules.
And yes, all the data in the airport at Shannon in the West of Ireland, brought this in, actually in March this year, and they're just saying, yes,
pack whatever you want, we don't care. We'll screen it all, and you'll have a much easier time. That's been very much welcomed by passengers.
But of course, when you fly back into Shannon, different rules apply. So it is going to get easier gradually, but we're still years, possibly decades
away from so-called smart security, which is something the airlines are really keen on. And this is the idea that there you are, Rahel, you just
walk along through a corridor, with your case, with your jacket on, and everything else, your phone, and that -- you will be scanned and checked
out as you walk along this corridor. You won't really notice a thing.
One or two people will be pulled aside at the end of that, but you'll just be able to get off -- get away and hop on your flight which hopefully will
be on time.
SOLOMON: Here is hoping. Simon Calder, I'll have to leave it here, but as someone who doesn't travel as much as I would like to, but enough, you
certainly have my attention. It sounds like an interesting program. Thank you.
CALDER: Thank you.
SOLOMON: Coming up, it's a Special Extended Edition of QUEST MEANS BUSINESS tonight. We will have a live report from a Ukrainian city rocked by fresh
Russian missile strikes right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOLOMON: Welcome back, it has been nine months since Russia launched its attempt to invade Ukraine fully and as winter approaches and temperatures
drop, Russian strikes have relentlessly targeted Ukraine's energy infrastructure leaving millions of people without water and heating.
[16:00:16]
END
