Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Officials Expanding MH370 Search; Analysis on Wing Piece; Jericho the Lion Alive and Well; Migrant Crisis Continues in Europe; Obama's Climate Change Program Targets Coal Industry; Puerto Rico in Default on Debt; Girl, 16, Stabbed at Israel Gay Pride Parade Dies; John Kerry in Egypt Pushing Human Rights, Iran Nuclear Deal; Myanmar Hit by Monsoon Rains, Flooding; Fires in California, Blue Mountains in Australia; Italian City's Invitation to Foo Fighters. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired August 02, 2015 - 02:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:00:08] ERROL BARNETT, CNN ANCHOR: Expanding the search. Officials begin looking for possible MH370 debris near additional islands in the Indian Ocean.

Also, U.S. President Barack Obama is poised to unveil a major climate change plan.

And aid is reaching Myanmar after weeks of heavy rains that have killed at least 47 people.

Hello, everyone. I'm Errol Barnett, with you solo for the next two hours here on CNN. A warm welcome to our viewers in the U.S. and all around the world. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

We begin with new information into CNN. The island of Mauritius is now helping to look for possible debris from missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370. Malaysia asked countries in the Indian Ocean for help after piece of the plane, a flaperon, was found on Reunion Island, highlighted there. Malaysian officials say it does in fact belong to a Boeing 777. And investigators will begin analyzing that piece to see if it is from the missing flight.

Meanwhile, searchers are combing Reunion for more wreckage but, so far, at this stage, they have not yet found anything linked to MH370.

Teams from Boeing and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board are heading to France to help identify that wing piece.

Saima Mohsin has more from outside the lab where the testing will take place.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Malaysian Transportation Ministry in a statement on Sunday has confirmed that this flaperon is indeed from a 777 aircraft. What they haven't said is whether or not it's from MH370. Verification will be conducted here at a laboratory in the south of France at a lab run by the French minister of defense where air crash investigators have been working for decades. They have the expertise and scientific and forensic tests that need to be done to confirm whether this is from the missing plane.

As well as the flaperon, there was that piece of what is believed to be a suitcase. It has been delivered to the Criminal Research Institute just outside Paris where French police are taking care of that.

Earlier, on Sunday, speaking to Australian media, Deputy Australian Prime Minister Warren Truss said that he doesn't believe it is likely to be from MH370. The reason he gave is the flaperon had Marine life on it and barnacles that indicated it had been in the water for a long time, indeed. But this piece hadn't. But they are going through the standard operation procedures of DNA testing. But they think it's not likely to be from MH370.

Meanwhile, experts from flying in from across the world and will meet first thing Monday to start their analysis and then they're coming here Wednesday to verify whether or not this flaperon is from MH370.

Saima Mohsin, CNN, France.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: At this point, let's bring in David Molko for more. He joins us live from Hong Kong.

David, we don't have solid confirmation any debris is from MH370 yet, but we have a few leads that could be promising. Bring us up to speed on the latest on the investigation and the ongoing search.

DAVID MOLKO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Errol, that's right. Of course, ultimately, with this flaperon and other pieces of potential debris washing up, or other reports of the possibility, this is all about the search for the plane, the passengers, and the truth. And the question is, will any of this get us closer to finding MH370.

One of the questions that has come up, Errol -- and Saima mentioned it there -- they will not look at this until Wednesday. That's what investigators are saying publicly. One of the reasons is because there are so many countries involved here, Malaysia, France, the United States, and China, with the most number of passengers on board that plane. They need to do this by the book. They need to agree on how they're going to move forward. Once they start taking a look at this piece -- we know it has been confirmed to be from a 777 -- it becomes look for these unique identifiers, something on that flaperon that can tie it to MH370.

Another thing that will happen -- and this may take some more time, Errol -- is when they begin to take it apart to look at the damage and see what kind of clues that provides about how this plane may or may have not gone down? Did it separate in the air or in the water? At the end of the day, this becomes about the search for the plane and the passengers. Families, 239, watching this closely. Errol, we cannot forget about them. At end of the day, it is fundamentally a human tragedy. [02:05:08] BARNETT: That's right. And Malaysian officials, in fact,

we saw last week, pledged once again to the families that they will continue to search until they get 100 percent confirmation that what they found is MH370. But just tell us what kind of help Malaysia is asking for from many nations that are along the Indian Ocean.

MOLKO: Errol, it appears we are beginning to see the beginnings of what could be a second search area. First, remember the underwater search area off the coast of Australia, they have been doing a deep sea search there since late last year, since October. That is continuing. Investigators in Australia are confident and believe that the piece of debris washed up on the island of Reunion reinforces it is consist where they are look. They still feel optimistic they will find the plane.

What the Malaysians are asking for is for all the countries in the surrounding areas, Mauritius, which you mentioned earlier, that tiny island 140 miles northeast, to begin to search as well and keep an eye out. We don't know if it's going to take an official form with planes and boats or if it will be community based with people looking on the shorelines for anything that can shed light. Again, Errol, at the end of this all, it becomes about the search for the truth. It is unclear if any of this debris, even if it is confirmed, if it can shed additional light on the resting place of the aircraft -- Errol?

BARNETT: We will continue to wait and see.

David Molko live for us in Hong Kong. Six minutes past two in the afternoon there. David, thanks.

Now to some other stories we're following. An oxford researcher tracking Jericho the lion has confirmed the animal is alive and well. The Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force told CNN on Saturday that poachers killed Jericho. They now say that was a case of mistaken identity.

As David McKenzie reports, Zimbabwe is cracking down on hunting.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Early reports that Jericho the lion was killed illegally by a hunter turned out to be false. The group that put out that information has since apologized. And the Oxford University research group that tracks these lions says he is doing just fine.

Now, Zimbabwe has appeared to have tightened up on hunting in the country. They've banned all kinds of hunting on the borders of Hwange National Park for big cats and other large game and they have banned bow hunting outright. It is with a bow that Walt Palmer shot Cecil the lion last month causing this global outcry. He says he did nothing illegal but Zimbabwe officials are trying to extradite him to face charges from the U.S. to Zimbabwe, but that might be a tall order. The guide and the hunter he hired to kill Cecil though faced charges this week in Zimbabwe and they could spend 1O years in jail if found guilty. David McKenzie, CNN, Johannesburg.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: Now to the migrant crisis in Europe. Reuters reports that French police blocked migrants trying to access to the Euro tunnel on Sunday night. People desperate to reach Britain have stepped up attempts to cross the tunnel in recent weeks. French and British officials have pledged nearly $11 million to improve security there around the tunnel.

Our senior international correspondent, Jim Bittermann, joins us live with more from Paris with more.

Jim, to some degree, we are used to seeing the migrant make the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean coming from North Africa, but why are we seeing an uptick in attempts a cross the English Channel in these past few weeks?

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: One of the things is the migrants have been making their way north to Calais for many, many months now. This problem has been ongoing for a couple of years now and nobody has come to terms with it. It's become a political football where the French are saying the British should do more and the British are saying the French should do more. The British press has been attacking the French. And we have regional elections on -- in France right now, and one deputy here is suggesting that if the British don't like the way the French are handling it, just let the immigrants go across the channel turning and let them come into Britain totally illegally. And so that's one drastic solution. No one is suggesting they will do that. In fact, over the weekend, in a joint editorial between the French interior minister and the British interior minister, the two of them said that basically the governments of both countries are concentrating on solving the problem, that the money is one way to go at it. And they are going to try to figure out ways of stopping the flow of immigrations towards the channel tunnel to begin with. But it's a problem that's really a difficult one to solve easily. And it's led to great delays around the channel tunnel. People can't get across as quickly as they might want to -- Errol?

[02:10:] BARNETT: As is true with the migrants crossing the Mediterranean from North Africa, to attack the sources of the issue is an economic one, a political one, and it really is multinational in a way. When you think of new policies likely to be announced by the U.K. and France today, you wonder how specific it will get, and if new policies are needed or if security procedures just need to be stepped up at the tunnel. Is that perhaps what the money will be used for?

BITTERMANN: In fact, one of the things that the French government has said is the Euro tunnel people are not doing enough in terms of providing security. And there are from both France and Britain calls for the European Union to do more. This would relate to that question of coming across the Mediterranean, landing on European shores. Basically, it's a problem that everybody knows has to be addressed, especially after what's happened this summer with the surge of migrants trying to get across to Britain. I think there's a much greater awareness on a political level that they have to do something. The question is what? That's where I think the officials are scratching their heads to do something that is meaningful. Putting more police on the job could help. For example, over the weekend, there was a sit-down by some of these migrants on the main access routes to the road access to the Euro tunnel from Calais, and that blocked the traffics and caused problems for people that wanted to get across. So in any case, police can help but they can't do everything -- Errol?

BARNETT: The latest information there from Jim Bittermann, live in Paris. 11 minutes past eight in the morning where you are. Jim, thanks.

A Mexican photojournalist, who left his home last month to escape threats, has been found dead. Officials say Ruben Espinoza was one of five people shot to death in an apartment in the capitol this weekend. Espinoza worked in Veracruz where 13 journalists have been killed over the last five years.

The U.S. president plans to announce an ambitious climate change program on Monday. The details on what he hopes to accomplish and how it could shape his political legacy, next

Also, facing a financial crisis with unusual limitations. Coming up for you, what sets Puerto Rico apart as it struggles with debt. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:16:28] BARNETT: Welcome back. U.S. President Barack Obama's launching a major climate change plan that's taking aim at the nation's coal-burning power plants. The proposal will set the first- ever standards for the industry to limit carbon pollution and seeks to reduce emissions by 32 percent over the next 15 years. Mr. Obama gave details of the plan in a video posted to social media over the weekend. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Climate change is not a problem for another generation, not any more. That's why on Monday my administration will release the final version of America's Clean Power Plan, the biggest, most important step we've ever taken to combat climate change.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: Now this move will likely face a lot of resistance from coal industry supporters and Republican lawmakers as well.

Earlier, I spoke to CNN political commentator, Ben Ferguson, about the political impact of this proposal.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: Ben Ferguson, our CNN political commentator, joins us now from Dallas to talk about this and really what to expect.

Ben, great to see you.

President Obama, not getting the memo he is supposed to be a lame duck here in his last few years as president, poised to push for new EPA regulations to limit U.S. carbon emissions. I would imagine the rest of the world will be happy the U.S. is planning to this but how stiff will Republican opposition be?

BEN FERGUSON, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I don't know if it's just going to be Republican opposition there does not seem to be an appetite for this among Democrats running for re-election. This has not been a top-10 issue for Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders, who are running for the Democratic nomination. So I was shocked by this. I think this is more about legacy building or legacy hunting for this president. Because if he really wanted to accomplish this, this should have been done before the mid-terms, and it should have been done early on in the presidency when he had control of the House and Senate, yet he didn't. I think he needs to check his own backyard and his own party to see if there is a mandate for this.

BARNETT: But then again, it's also a bit of a chess move when you think about it. The president is using his executive platform while he can to push these issues.

FERGUSON: Sure.

BARNETT: But also consider the timing. We've got Republican debates coming up for these next few weeks. This makes an issue that wasn't central to the campaign almost something to talk about. Do you think there was a bit of strategy to raise this issue before Republicans ask the voters to vote for them?

FERGUSON: I think there is gamesmanship with this issue but I don't think this is going to be something the Republican candidates are going to spend much time on. We are leading the world when it comes to climate change. We hold ourselves to higher standards than 99 percent of the countries around the world and we also put more money into green alternative energy than any other modern country in the world as well. When you look at what we've done, I think a lot of people say, we are doing a lot, however, many of the Republicans are going to make it clear we don't want to stifle American factories and infrastructure here by going to green alternative energy, which, in many cases, has not been affordable and has not worked. Many of the companies, including Solendra, were embarrassments to this president early on. We gave out government-backed loans for hundreds of millions of dollars and now those companies no longer exist. I think the Republicans will fight back on this and say, hey, we want to have more jobs in America, we want to have more manufacturing in this country, but if we implement this, it's going to push jobs overseas, and that's the opposite of what the candidates will say they want to do if they are the president of the United States.

[02:20:05] BARNETT: And the opposition has characterized these efforts as a war on coal. We'll surely hear more on that.

FERGUSON: Yeah.

BARNETT: But what we understand from this plan is that similar to Obamacare, if states don't like what the federal plan is, they can announce their own plan, announce it by 2018, and implement it by 2022. So either way, like it or not, won't this at the very least get states coming up with their own plans should they dislike the Obama plan?

FERGUSON: It will certainly get the states to come up with plans, but I think you'll also see states immediately start to fight this. They don't like the federal government coming in and telling them what they can do. It will play into a lot of the governors that are running for this in the GOP primary, into their hands, saying we are tired of the federal government overstepping their boundaries in our states. You'll see a lot of states and swing states early on in these primaries that are going to be absolutely against this. I think ultimately what this real discussion is going to be over is, if you do get rid of coal, how much is it going to cost the average American for that ideal, for that idea when it comes to the energy they have to purchase, which has been going up. We know where the gas prices are. Thank goodness they're down a little bit. But with instability in the world and heating and natural gas prices where they are, a lot of people will say, hey, we can't afford this ideal right now.

BARNETT: Yeah, and the Obama administration saying that it will save the average American money on their power bills, but this debate will continue and it will be a heated one.

(CROSSTALK)

BARNETT: Ben Ferguson, we've just ran out of time, but thanks so much --

FERGUSON: No problem.

BARNETT: -- for talking to us today. We'll talk again soon.

FERGUSON: Thanks.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: Now Puerto Rico is in default for the first time. The commonwealth failed to make a $58 million debt payment to its Public Finance Corporation over the weekend. That's a small part of the island's $70 billion debt.

Nick is the national economic correspondent for the "Wall Street Journal." He joins us from D.C. to talk about this unique situation.

Nick Timiraos, Puerto Rico is a U.S. commonwealth. How does it unique structure under American law lead to this crisis?

NICK TIMIRAOS, NATIONAL ECONOMIC CORRESPONDENT, WALL STREET JOURNAL: In a few dimensions, Errol. First, because they are not a state and they have amassed all this debt, they are not able to use the bankruptcy restructuring process that is available to, say, Detroit. When Detroit was in a similar situation two years ago, their municipalities were able to file for Chapter 9 under the U.S. bankruptcy code. Because Puerto Rico is a territory and not a state, they don't have access to that part of the bankruptcy code. So there is a movement to change the law so that Puerto Rico can restructure their debts in the same way that cities in the United States can. But until that happens, you have 16 different entities in Puerto Rico that have issued debt and there is no formal way to restructure that debt if Puerto Rico concludes they can't pay it, which they have.

BARNETT: And Puerto Ricans and the politicians have lobbied for equal representation under U.S. law, but its status as a commonwealth has always prevented that. What about the political dimension to all this? The U.S. is approaching an election year. But if residents here can't vote, does it really matter? Does it play into this at all?

TIMIRAOS: Yes, Errol, that is an important dimension here. Because Puerto Rico doesn't have representation in Congress, they don't have a vote. So there hasn't been a lot of interest or urgency in Washington, D.C., to tackle this. One exception is that there have been millions of Puerto Ricans that have come to the United States and hundreds of thousands of them have settled in Florida. Florida is going to be very important in the presidential election next year, and Puerto Ricans can play a swing vote there. So they've already said, look, if you are running for president, you're going to have to pay attention to this issue because Puerto Ricans carry some important political sway. In the same way we have seen with Cuban-Americans in past elections in Miami. So that's going to raise the attention and the profile of this issue over the next year.

BARNETT: And considering how important Florida is in the U.S. presidential election and its 25 electoral votes, it's essential for the Republicans to win in light of the presidency, so we'll see if it's mentioned in the upcoming Republican debate. But considering how unique this is, what is the current plan to pay the estimated $72 billion of debt?

TIMIRAOS: Right now, the government in Puerto Rico is in talks with bond holders about a way to restructure the debt. I think both sides agree there needs to be an economic reform in Puerto Rico. This is a region that has been in recession for nine years. It dates to 2006. They have lost a lot of human capital and a lot of business capital. Because Puerto Ricans are American citizens, they can come to the United States, and that's what has happened. So their tax base has shrunk as hundreds of thousands of residents have left to the United States in search of jobs and it's going to require -- I mean, right now, the simple fact is that the government is spending more money than it collects. They have to raise taxes or overhaul the tax system in some way to collect more revenue. They may have to cut government services. But that really will exacerbate the recession that Puerto Rico has faced. So it's going to take everybody kind of coming together here and coming up with a five-year plan, a one-year plan, frankly, to set different triggers that have to be met so Puerto Rico can do what it has to do.

[02:25:43] BARNETT: Certainly, it's a grim economic picture at the moment.

Nick Timiraos, of the "Wall Street Journal," thanks for breaking it down for us. We appreciate it.

TIMIRAOS: Thanks for having me, Errol.

BARNETT: Still to come here on CNN, sorrow and anger in Israel after a 16-year-old girl, stabbed at a gay pride parade, dies from her injuries.

Also coming up, the U.S. secretary of state delivers his message to a skeptical region. Ahead, the push for support of the Iran nuclear deal.

You're watching the world's news leader.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:29:38] BARNETT: Our first half hour is done. Welcome back to our global viewers. I'm Errol Barnett. Let's update you on our top stories right now.

Testing is expected to begin Wednesday on the airplane debris found on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean. Investigators want to see if it belongs to Malaysia Airlines flight 370, which has been missing now since March 2014. Meanwhile, the island of Mauritius is also patrolling its waters, looking for wreckage.

U.S. President Barack Obama is unveiling a major plan to fight climate change on Monday. The proposal aims to reduce carbon emissions from coal burning power plants over the next 15 years. But the move faces strong opposition from Republican lawmakers and coal industry supporters.

Two Turkish soldiers are dead and dozens are wounded in a suspected suicide attack at a military police station. This happened at 3:00 a.m. on Sunday. The regional government office suspects that PKK militias used a tractor with two tons of explosives to carry out the attack. The Kurdish Worker's Party has not claimed responsibility.

Take a look at this. It was the scene Sunday night in Jerusalem. Hundreds of people turned out for a vigil to honor 16-year-old Shira Banki. She and five others were stabbed last week at a gay pride parade. Banki died from her wounds early Sunday

Now Israel's prime minister has sent his condolences to Banki's family and promises to bring the killer to justice. Police say an Orthodox Jew was behind the attack, and this wasn't his first offense.

Nic Robertson has more from Jerusalem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Shock here in Jerusalem and beyond at the death of Shira Banki. 16 years old, stabbed while attending a gay pride rally, Thursday, succumbed to her injuries. A vigil for her here. A lot of young people turning out, lighting candles in the shape of a heart. People bringing flowers as well, many of them young girls. More shock than tears. There were people playing guitars in memory of her. And there were images of her shown on the walls, images of when she had been in London at Madam Trousseau's. A real outpouring of shock and also support for her family. And her family saying in a statement that she was charming, happy, lively and beloved daughter, murdered just because she came to support her friends and any person's right to live their life in their own way, murdered with no purpose but stupidity, evilness and recklessness her life came to an end. Her family made an appeal for less hate and more tolerance in the country.

It really has shocked people here that the man who perpetrated this crime had only recently been released from jail for a similar attack 10 years ago. People concerned how he could get so close to this rally. A real sense of shock and an outpouring of support for her family. Young people, even people that didn't know her, coming to pay their respects.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: Egypt has once again delayed proceedings against three "al Jazeera" journalists. The verdict in their retrial has been pushed back to August 29th. The trio are accused of helping the Muslim Brotherhood and they face terror charges. One of the journalists was departed back home to Australia but the charges against him still stand. Now Egypt says it has no journalists in prison for reporting, only for terrorism and other offenses.

This delay comes as the U.S. secretary of state pushes Egypt for improvements in human rights. John Kerry visited Cairo for security talks with the Egyptian foreign minister.

As Ian Lee reports, the Iranian nuclear deal was one of a wide range of issues on the agenda.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Egypt is an important regional ally for the United States. Putting this trip for Secretary of State John Kerry is as important on a number of fronts. Kerry and Egypt's foreign minister discussed everything from human rights and security to the economy and Iran. Secretary of state is in the Middle East to promote the Iran deal, reiterating it's good for the region.

JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: There can be absolutely no question that if the Vienna plan, fully implemented, it will make Egypt and all the countries of this region safer than they otherwise would be.

LEE: Egypt has been more receptive than other countries regarding this deal. Egypt's foreign minister expressed hope it could lead to a nuclear-free Middle East. Kerry's visit was also to help improve relations between the two countries. They haven't held this level of talks since 2009. A lot has happened since then. Relations soured after the 2011 revolution and grew worse following the overthrow of President Mohammed Morsey by the army in 2013. The State Department has heavily criticized Egypt's human rights record. For Kerry, it was a balancing act of pushing for improved human rights while dealing with security. Egypt faces a threat from an ISIS branch in northern Sinai. The militants have killed hundreds of people, including civilians. Kerry was keen to show the United States supports them in that fight. The U.S. recently delivered eight F-16s to Egypt, which were paraded with fly-overs over the capitol. Egypt's foreign minister reaffirmed that while the two countries can have differing opinions at times, the fundamental relationship is solid.

Ian Lee, CNN, Cairo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[02:35:25] BARNETT: Now to other stories we're following from around the world. This is fantastic news. Nigeria's army has rescued 178 hostages held by Boko Haram militants. More than 100 of the captives were children. A Boko Haram commander was also captured in the mission on Sunday. The Islamist militants have been waging an insurgency in northeastern Nigeria for the past six years.

ISIS militants may be tech savvy users of social media to recruit and spread their horrific message but it seems they have fallen for one of the oldest Internet scams in the books. Police say three Chechnyan women who expressed interest in joining ISIS but claimed they couldn't afford to travel to the Middle East. Once the recruiters sent money by electronic transfer, the women would delete their social media accounts. They came to the attention of police after collecting about $3,000 but they are unlikely to be punished because that would require someone from ISIS to file a complaint.

The World Anti-Doping Agency says it is very alarmed by reports of widespread doping while tracking field athletes in major competitions. British and German media report that between 2001 and 2012 a third of the medals for distance events at the Olympics and world championships went to athletes with suspicious blood tests. This is based on lab results from about 5,000 athletes which were leaked to the media.

The Greek stock market is set to reopen in about one hour for now. It has been closed for more than a month because of the financial crisis there. There will be restrictions for local investors to keep more money from flooding out of the banks. Traders are predicting heavy losses at the start. We will get you a live report from Athens next hour. We're, of course, watching that closely. Myanmar faces a very tough road ahead as it struggles to recover from

weeks of deadly monsoon rains and flooding. We'll look at the latest relief efforts, coming up.

Plus, a massive California wildfire is spreading at an alarming rate. Next, the latest on the blaze that is forcing thousands from their homes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:40:41] BARNETT: Thankfully, aid is being brought in to Myanmar after weeks of deadly monsoon rains. The now U.N. says at least 47 have been killed and more than 150,000 people displaced and those numbers are expected to rise.

Earlier, John Vause spoke to Eamonn Murphy about relief efforts. Murphy is the U.N. resident and humanitarian coordinator for Myanmar.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EAMONN MURPHY, U.N. RESIDENT & HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR FOR MYANMAR: The government is working with the humanitarian partners, the local groups, including the local Red Cross. The communities themselves are mobilizing resources. But more resources are needed from the international community because the resources -- the physical resources in the country are stretched thin because it is affecting so many different parts of the country.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: When do you think we'll get the final word on the death toll and the damage which has been cause by this flooding?

MURPHY: It will take some time. In some parts of the country, the data is more accurate. But the floods are going to spread to other lower parts of the country. And rivers have reached maximum capacity and some dams having to release waters is going to cause flooding in other parts of the country. This is going to be a short term. This is going to be a long-term issue as these floods spread and the impact on people's livelihoods and their homes is felt.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: Now the tropical cyclone responsible for this relentless rainfall is slowly moving across central India and bringing the threat of more flooding with it.

Our meteorologist, Derek Van Dam, has been tracking all of this and can tell us how dangerous these next few days will be.

DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It is. Errol, I've seen some impressive rainfall totals on this but nothing like what we saw in Bangladesh. They are measuring rain in meters, not in millimeters. The situation is very severe and leading to landslides as the system moves into India. This is in the northern state and this is unfortunately the result of a landslide that unfortunately wiped out a significant village. There were reported 20 fatalities from this particular landslide and subsequent flooding from the heavier rainfalls. This is all thanks to a large tropical cyclone. This is a low pressure system. This is not a typhoon but a large rotating mass of cloud. You can see it settling in across Myanmar and Bangladesh and the eastern and northeastern sections of India. This is drawing in motion from the Bay of Bengal and is going to continue to fuel more rainfall and unfortunately leave scenes just like this. This is some of the flooding that inundated the regions and communities across Myanmar. Look at the rainfall totals. We are measuring in meters. That's 1.2 meters in Bangladesh. Even significant amounts just to the south of that as well. We have the state under a monsoonal rain warning and that extends into the central part of India. It will continue to bring the possibility of flooding. This is a large tropical trough that extends to Vietnam. We have video coming out of that area that is showing running water through city towns and taking away motorcycles. Unfortunately, fatalities there as well. This is an exceptionally beautiful part of the world but it is socked in with cloud and rain. Ho Cho Minh, we are expecting between 100 to 250 millimeters in the next 48 hours. That will lead to the possibility of flooding over that part of the world.

I want to bring you back to the United States. We have phenomenal video coming out of the U.S. state of Iowa. This is from a pop-up severe thunderstorm on Sunday evening in Iowa. Adams County, in fact. This tornado appears to be dancing on the fields, almost. If you -- take away the destruction of this, Errol, it's actually beautiful. There were no fatalities but some barns were destroyed as it went through, mainly farmland. And unfortunately, some of the cattle there was also impacted by this particular tornado. But stunning images coming from a local resident out of that region.

BARNETT: And seeing the video there, it is a clean depiction and the balance of the cylindrical twists there.

VAN DAM: It's called a rope tornado.

BARNETT: A rope tornado.

VAN DAM: That is correct.

[02:45:09] BARNETT: And there you see it.

Derek Van Dam, we'll see you again next hour.

VAN DAM: Thanks.

BARNETT: Thanks very much.

Now at least 21 wildfires have forced 12,000 people to evacuate in California. Take a look at the Rocky Fire in the northern part of the state. It has been spreading very quickly, scorching 47,000 acres. The state itself is suffering from a four-year drought creating the perfect climate for fires.

And you have a similar situation down in Australia. There, firefighters are battling massive bush fire in the Blue Mountains. This is New South Wales just west of Sydney. Rain has helped crews get the upper hand but rough terrain and gusty winds could keep this fire burning for days.

Christian Gussett (ph), with Seven News, has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTIAN GUSSETT (ph), REPORTER, SEVEN NEWS (voice-over): As night fell, the Blue Mountains turned orange.

(SHOUTING)

GUSSETT (ph): And the fire that had been slowly burning through Wentworth Falls much of the weekend had become an emergency.

(SHOUTING)

GUSSETT (ph): Residents packed their belongings and got out as the front raced towards them. They feared this would happen earlier in the day when the firefighters still had the upper hand.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the moment, it's quite exciting, but as long as the wind doesn't change direction, and then it all gets pretty serious really quick.

GUSSETT (ph): At sunset, as the weather bombing helicopters retired, that's exactly what it did. Fanned by gusty winds and blazing a path towards homes, the fire swelled in size, 10 times bigger than the day before, and just like that, emergency crews found themselves in the middle of a fire storm.

Fatigued after two days of wrestling with the blaze, crews gave it everything they had.

UNIDENTIFIED FIREFIGHTER: Just a hairy moment when you're not sure how it's going to end, but the boys did a great job.

GUSSETT (ph): As quickly as it began, it started to rain. The downpour proving to be the change in fortune that firefighters had been waiting for. With luck finally on their side, it wasn't long before they had the inferno back under control.

Christian Gussett (ph), Seven News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BARNETT: We'll try and lift your spirits after the break. 1,000 hard-core Foo Fighter fans convinced the rock band to come to their city. Next, the soulful invitation from a small Italian town.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SINGING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:51:37] BARNETT: If you're a die-hard fan of the band Foo Fighters and you would like them to play a concert in your small town, this is what you need to do.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SINGING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: How cool is that? That's 1,000 fans of the Foo Fighters together playing the hit song "Learn to Fly," complete with vocals, guitars, bassists and drums. This video was their plea for the Foo Fighters to play in their city. And it was not in vain. Lead singer, Dave Grohl, posted this YouTube clip a day later speaking in rough Italian. Grohl said, "I'll see you soon."

Earlier, CNN's Michael Holmes spoke with Fabio Zaffagnini, the creator of that "Learn to Fly" video, and he said, as you might imagine, it was no small feat to pull it off, but the response has been a thrill.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FABIO ZAFFAGNINI, CREATOR OF ROCKIN' 1000 VIDEO: We've been working very hard. We had to recruit more than 1,000 people, select them, because they had to be good enough to play all together, synchronized. So we did some crowd funding and it lasted for something like six months and, in the end, we just made it. We played all together last Sunday. We had a lot of fun. It's been a magic day. At the end of that, we just published the video in a couple days. It went viral, much over our expectations, and it's been just a fantastic sensation just receiving the message from Dave Grohl to the guys, all of us. We live in a tiny, tiny town in Italy. For us, it's a real miracle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BARNETT: That Fabio Zaffagnini, the creator of the Rockin' 1,000 video campaign. Some effort there.

Now dozens of endangered animals took center stage on the New York's iconic Empire State Building. Check it out.

(VIDEO)

BARNETT: Organizers projected giant images of more than 100 animals on the skyscraper Saturday night. It included a tribute to Cecil the lion whose death sparked international outrage. Their goal was to call attention to the animal's dwindling numbers and to promote a new documentary called "Racing to Extinction."

Now from Snoop Dogg to surf dogs, at least 50 canines hit the waves in the U.S. for the annual Surf Dog Competition. It's back. This is serious business, too. Entrants are judged on their abilities, the duration of their ride and their confidence. The competitors are also divided by size. According to their owners, they love hitting the waves.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I taught her how to balance in a pool on a boogie board. The rest of it is just her. She's just a fantastic balancing dog.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She is always excited when we come down here. She doesn't run away from the surf board. She's not scared. And, yeah, she is always excited when we hang out on the beach for a day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[02:55:16] BARNETT: Proceeds from the event go to area animal charities. Good stuff.

You have been watching CNN NEWSROOM. Hopefully, I've not scared you away. I'm Errol Barnett. I'll be back with another edition of the world's biggest stories after this short break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[03:00:08] BARNETT: The search expands. Malaysia asks other nations to be on the lookout of any debris that --