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Huge Wildfire in Canda Threatens Second Province; Kimg Jon-Un Says He Is Committed to Curbing Nuclear Weapons; Kenya Announces Plans to Close Refugee Camps. Aired 5-6a ET

Aired May 08, 2016 - 05:00   ET

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

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[05:00:09] GEORGE HOWELL, CNN "NEWSROOM" ANCHOR: A huge wildfire in Canada grows even larger, now even threatening to jump into another province.

North Korea leader Kim Jung-Un says he is committed to curbing nuclear weapons and satellite imagery may suggest otherwise.

And Kenya announces plans to close its refugee camps including the biggest refugee camp in the world.

Live from CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, welcome to our viewer here in the United States and around the world. I'm George Howell, CNN "NEWSROOM" starts right now.

Good day to you. We begin this hour in Western Canada, the devastating with wild fire there that is showing no signs of letting up as it nears a neighboring province. In Alberta, officials say the Fort McMurray fire now covers some 2,000 square kilometers that's almost half a million acres. More than 500 firefighters around the ground fighting that fire. You can even see it from the international space station, look at that.

These photos show just how big this fire has become since it started just about a week ago. Wind is fanning the flames to the northeast and soon the fire could reach into Saskatchewan. Our Dan Simon is on the ground and has been following developments of these huge fires.

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DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh you can see some of that thick smoke behind me. This fire is still very much out of control and you still have so many people who are evacuated. Nearly 90,000 people evacuated. That is an unprecedented situation here in Canada. In terms of the weather, it's pretty hot today, the conditions remain dry, it can be windy. So terrible conditions for fighting this fire. There is a chance that there could be rain in the forecast tomorrow so that would be welcome news but even if does rain this fire is going to be go on for some time, perhaps several weeks.

In terms of the damage, the numbers are staggering, 1,600 homes and businesses destroyed. Most of that destruction in the Fort McMurray community. All the people who have been evacuated. A lot of them are staying in shelters of course many also staying with relatives. But if that's not an option, if you can't stay with a friend or family member, perhaps you are going to a hotel, but it's pretty much impossible to find a hotel room in the area.

Of course, people are anxious. They want to know if they have a home to go back to and right now they're just dealing with the now. They're trying to get the essentials in place, food, shelter, and water as this fire continues in Canada.

Dan Simon, CNN, Fort McMurray Canada.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Dan, thank you.

Now, thankfully no fatalities have been reported as of yet, but thousands of people have lost so much, most everything they owned in this fire and there are so many people stories of people who escaped with their lives, but have nothing left.

CNN met one refugee from Congo and her daughter, a mother who says the wildfire is bringing back painful memories.

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GODELIVE OHEIO, CONGO REFUGEE FIRE EVACUEE: It's heart breaking because I don't know if I have anything to go back to. I really don't know, and I've been -- when I was seven years old, I went through the same thing. I left the Congo to come here. So it so, it brings back those memories so bad. The last few nights for me, I haven't slept. I'm up all night. I realize I'm a refugee again in a country that I thought I won be a refugee so it's so heart breaking.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It looked like the place would be all burned and I'm scared if my house would be burned down, my room, my stuff, my clothes. And I'm scared if my school, we will be burnt too.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: Oh, earlier CNN spoke with a wild land fire professor at the University of Alberta and he said this fire could burn into the winter.

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MUKE FLANNIGAN, PROFESSOR OF WIDLAND FIRE UNIV. OF ALBERTA: There are deep organic layers what we call peat bogs and they can burn underground in smaller all the way through winter, and then pop up next spring, that's not unheard of it happens all the time. So this is a huge fire.

It's now moving away from the city values, is moving into the Boreal forest where, you know, Boreal forest survives and thrives in high intensity fire, so what happens is you have trees, they burn, you get a new forest, they burn. Is just a cycle of life in the Boreal forest.

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HOWELL: Now, it's not clear what caused this huge wildfire but the expert you just heard there says that climate change could bring similar fires in the future. Let's get more now on this from our own meteorologist Derek Van Dam. Derek, you -- tell us more about what he was saying, just about this particular fire.

[05:05:03] DEREK VAN DAM, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, he was mentioning the Boreal forest, is now is trying to move in to that particular region, that's full of coniferous trees, it's a more pine tree. So, they're very tinder, and they burn very easily, you can imagine just how quickly pine goes up, you know, you think about how structure that's made of pine ...

HOWELL: Right quickly.

VAN DAM: ... like very, very quickly, I mean within a matter of seconds. So it spreads very, very easily. So spot fires are in essence starting to make this fire larger and larger and larger, which is now over 2,000 square kilometers.

Take a look at some of the math that I did just a little bit ago. This is amazing for our domestic audience, just to put this hole into perspective, the fire now at 772 square miles. If we were to put the square miles of Boston, Chicago, and Houston together, that is comparable to the size of where the fire stands now, and it's only getting larger.

Well, I mean, you can see it from the International Space Station. This is a photo that was tweeted by Tim Peake from ESA. This is incredible, and that smoke is actually getting filtered from the jet stream and the upper level winds directing the smoke as far south as the headquarters, you got CNN in Atlanta, Georgia, the southeastern United States with a haze over the area on Friday.

This is nonetheless impacted the air quality across Bismarck, North Dakota and Minneapolis, St. Paul, for instance, but this is the least of the concerns of course, it's the fire and the evacuees that are dealing with this particular disaster. We have talked so much about highway 63 running in and out of Fort McMurray. And here's an aerial image of that highway 63, remember the convoy of over 2,500 vehicles evacuating people in and out of city. This is a latest GIS image overlaid on Google maps and this is actually highway 63 running north and south across Alberta and there's of Fort McMurray, those yellow dots actually indicates the hotspots from about six days ago when the fire originally started, but the shades of red indicating the recent flare ups within the past three to six hours.

Good news is, conditions are going to improve but I don't want to belittle the fire threat here, is still extreme right through the first parts of this week. This fire will likely burn for the next weeks to come as it continues to smolder and the firefighters get a better handle on the situation, cool attempt just coming this way. I have to get to this footage because this is incredible. Coming to CNN just now, overnight, Northeast Colorado, a spectacular sight. A twister that was a half mile wide on the ground for six miles caught on tape, on video, and you are looking at it here right now. Unbelievable footage.

HOWELL: I tell you Derek, I've been storm chasing for our coverage before. You see one of those in the rearview mirror.

VAN DAM: And you drive the other direction?

HOWELL: Yeah, you do.

VAN DAM: As quickly as possible.

HOWELL: Derek Van Dam, thank you so much.

Moving on now to events in North Korea. The leader there Kim Jung-Un making some major announcements to his country and the world at large. State media quoted Kim as saying he will not use nuclear weapons unless the nation's sovereignty is threatened. He gave those remarks to the historic Ruling Party Congress that is underway in the capital. It is the first such meeting of its kind in 36 years also it's the 10th trip there for our correspondent, Will Ripley on the ground in Pyongyang and files this report.

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WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Given that North Korea has reputation for being one of the most secretive countries on earth, it's shouldn't come of any surprise that the political process here is also veiled in a real lack of transparency to say the least.

The past two days of the historic Workers Party Congress, the first in 36 years. We know that it's been happening in the April 25th People's House of Culture in Pyongyang, a building that we are not allowed anywhere close to aside from on the first day we took some pictures from across the street, we've been taken on sight seeing tours around the city while the work of the party Congress has been happening behind closed doors. And each evening now around 10:00 at night, there's been a surprise news broadcast. An unannounced broadcast proclaiming to people what has happened at the Congress to that day. It's only about 30 minutes long today.

We were told that the Supreme Leader Kim Jung-Un gave a policy speech although the narrator didn't specify which policies he talk about other than to say, that he's continuing to hold very true to the policies of his late father and grandfather before him. And then we heard from about 10 different party officials from different sectors, the nuclear, and science, even textiles and manufacturing. All of them saying they wholeheartedly support their Supreme Leader and they encourage people to do the same.

So it is really, although we don't get a whole lot of information, it certainly is a window into how things works here. The government tells the people what they need to do, what they need to think, and then the people wholeheartedly applaud and they celebrate what the government and their leader is doing. Another day of life here in the North Korean capital.

Will Ripley, CNN, Pyongyang.

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[05:10:03] HOWELL: Amid all the political fan fare and as Will points out, celebration in North Korea, there are new warnings, the think tank 38 North says satellite imagery shows the North Koreans maybe, preparing for yet another nuclear test I should say. Even before that, there was speculation that a test blast could be stage to coincide with this very important the meeting of the Congress.

In Bangladesh, police are investigating the hacking death of a Sufi Muslim spiritual leader. The attack was similar to recent attacks carried out by radical Islamists. For more on this, Alexandra Field joins us live in Hong Kong this hour following the story. Alexandra it's good to have you, so, you know, what more do we know about this specific attack and who might be behind it?

ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: George, at this point no group has publicly come out and taken responsibility for the hacking death. In these previous cases where people have been hacked to death quite recently in Bangladesh, you have seen groups, including ISIS come out and take responsibility.

Police also say they have not yet maybe rest connected to this case and it isn't clear what the motivation would have been for the gang of people who attacked and killed Mohammad Shahidullah, he was a Sufi Muslim religious leader, he had been leaving a meeting with his disciples when he was killed in the same manner that others have been targeted. And this is something that is certainly been ratcheted up in past few week and then the last month, a number of these attacks not just targeting secular or atheist bloggers but also targeting LGBT activists, religious minorities and even a professor -- Professor Rezaul Karim Siddique was killed in Rajshahi he which is the same place that this Sufi Muslim leader was killed.

It's the place we actually visited just last week and there has been quite a backlash from the community there. They are calling for answers, they are demanding answers, they're calling the government to do more to try and stop these hacking death. There are also questions about why that professor was killed. ISIS did take responsibility for his death online. And they said that he was somebody who is promoting Atheistism. I spoke to his daughter who says her father was an atheist, there's no evidence that he had done any kind of writing that would have publicly criticized Islam which has been sighted as a reason in some of this very brutal attacks, George.

HOWELL: Alexandra Field, live for us in Hong Kong, Alexandra, thank you so much for your reporting there, we'll stay in touch.

It is 5:12 on the U.S. east coast and still ahead this hour on "NEWSROOM", the Mexican drug lord El Chapo is transferred to a prison near the U.S. border. A move that may bring the drug kingpin one step closer to extradition to the United States. We have the very latest ahead for you.

Plus, in the race for the White House, Donald Trump says he is a better candidate for women than Hillary Clinton. The reason why he says that's as "NEWSROOM" continues.

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[05:15:33] HOWELL: Welcome back to CNN "NEWSROOM", I'm George Howell.

The Mexican drug kingpin known as El Chapo is now just a couple of miles from the United States border. The notorious cartel leader has been transferred to a prison in Ciudad Juarez which is just across from the city of El Paso, Texas. The Mexican government says the move was due to security renovations at the facility where he Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman was imprisoned. There are also suggestions that it could be connected to El Chapo's extradition to the United States. Our Nick Valencia looks into it and tells us about what happened earlier Saturday.

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NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And what we're told by a senior Mexican law enforcement official is that he was transferred very, very early this morning, around 2:00 a.m. local time to a penitentiary in Ciudad Juarez which is just about a mile and a half or two miles away from the city -- the U.S. city of El Paso, we're told that this perhaps it has something to do with the extradition process, the proximity to the United States, it get him one step closer to the emendable transferred to the U.S. where the Mexican government had agree on his extradition.

We're now being told by the Mexican government that this move has to do with renovation and security measures and precautions being taken in the El Chapo penitentiary. We know from Mexican government officials that the -- that we were told in the past that they were taking added precautions after his recapture. They we're guarding him heavily, 24/7. We also understood that he was being shuffled from cell to cell to avoid another embarrassing escape like the one we saw in July of 2015.

It really does, though, seem to speak to, you know, that the lack of logic and reasoning in Mexico's decision to transfer him. Why would they move him from the most secure prison to one that is not as secure? They're saying officially that this has to do with renovations. We're also hearing from other sources the Mexican government that this may have to do with the extradition process. The actual reasoning is anyone's guess.

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HOWELL: Nick Valencia there for us. Now according to officials, the U.S. has been preparing for El Chapo's transfer for months. They say that he will be sent to New York to face U.S. charges.

In Australia, every elected holder of office will have to run for re- election come July 2nd. Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced the double dissolution election on Sunday, both Houses of parliament, it will be dissolved until after the outcome of the voting. Mr. Turnbull is seeking a mandate for his political coalition.

America's Choice 2016, the race for the White House, a recent CNN/ORC poll found that 64 percent of women view Donald Trump as unfavorable, and to try to lessen that gap, the Republican frontrunner has begun attacking Hillary Clinton on her record with women in recent days Trump has even gone further, trying to link Clinton to her husband, the former President of the United States Bill Clinton, and his infidelities.

Trump has also accused Hillary Clinton of wanting to abolish legal gun ownership in the United States. He told the Washington State crowd, that Clinton wanted to take away guns and abolish the Second Amendment of the constitution.

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DONALD TRUMP, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Hillary Clinton wants to abolish the Second Amendment. She wants to abolish it. OK?

Hillary Clinton wants to take your guns away and abolish the Second Amendment. She wants to take the bullets away. She wants to take it. You tell me that's something we can live with. We're going to cherish the Second Amendment. We're going to take care of the Second Amendment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOWELL: The Second Amendment states the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. Clinton has never argued to abolish the Second Amendment but has called for stricter controls on firearms in the U.S.

Now attacks from Donald Trump are nothing new for Clinton and neither are attacks on her husband. CNN's Jake Tapper looks at all the way the two leading candidates are likely to try to outdo each other if they hope to become their party's nominee.

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HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you so much.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: So here are the cards the nation has dealt itself. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

[05:20:04] A new CNN/ORC poll shows these two would be the least popular nominees in modern history. So in a match-up between the nation's first female nominee and perhaps the most unpredictable candidate ever, the deck would be stacked with wild cards as well.

TRUMP: I haven't even started on her yet.

TAPPER: Wild card number one, Donald Trump is given fair warning that his attacks on Clinton will only intensify. TRUMP: Crooked Hillary and wonderful Donald.

TAPPER: After all, she's now his biggest competition. CNN's newest poll shows Trump lagging behind 41 percent to Clintons 54 percent in a hypothetical match-up.

TRUMP: She's the worse Secretary of State in the history of this country.

TAPPER: But will the kinds of attacks that have worked so effectively for Trump in the Republican primaries.

TRUMP: The only thing she's got going is the woman's card ...

TAPPER: Work in a general election?

TRUMP: She called me sexist and I hit her with the husband.

TAPPER: When Hillary Clinton called him sexist a few months ago, Donald Trump doubled down, calling out Bill Clinton's infidelity. And Hillary did not put up much of a fight. What will her strategy be now?

CLINTON: I'm not going to deal with their temper tantrums, or their bullying or they're efforts to try to provoke me, he can say whatever he wants to say about me. I could really care less.

TAPPER: Wild card number two, Trump says he will redraw the electoral map by appealing to working class voters. Trump will likely try to out like Clinton on the left on trade. Can industrial states such as Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin turn the election? Romney lost the states in 2012, and so went the race.

Wild card number three, Trump has made many comments that folks have found offensive, but the remarks that have offended women and Latino's might be the most consequential electorally. Just to focus on Latino's the question is will this gin up minority turnout in swing states such as Arizona, Nevada, Colorado and Florida.

TRUMP: We're going to build a wall!

TAPPER: And then there's a wild card number four, the Justice Department.

CLINTON: But I've never sent or received any material marked classified.

TAPPER: What will the FBI investigation into Clinton's email server turn up? A former state department staffer has been given immunity and is cooperating and Clinton will soon be interviewed by the FBI. It's a question terrifying many Democrats.

Jake Tapper, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HOWELL: The current President of the United States, Barack Obama is hoping to shape the minds of young people. The President delivered a commencement address on Saturday to graduating seniors at Howard University and he encourage the students at this historically African- American school to become more engage in the political process and warned against censoring speech.

Our Joe Johns has this report.

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JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: President Obama delivering a commencement speech that was both nonpolitical and very political at the same time, perhaps giving us a glimpse at the message the outgoing president will be sending as the country starts looking toward the November election.

While he mentioned none of the candidates for the White House by name from either party, he did present a dramatically different crew of the country than we've seen and heard from Republicans, especially from the presumptive GOP frontrunner Donald Trump.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: No matter how ridiculous or offensive you might find the things that come out of their mouths, because as my grandmother used to tell me, every time a fool speaks, they are just advertising their own ignorance.

JOHNS: Mr. Obama making the case that things have not only gotten better in the U.S. since he graduated from college, he said the same is true since he took over the White House, giving a speech to one of the country's best known historically black universities which gave him an Honorary Doctor of Science Degree for his work on the Affordable Care Act.

The President also made a few statements that could be construed as writing his own legacy saying, his election did not create a post racial situation. And also speaking directly to those who may question why he was not able to get certain things done while in office? The President said it's all about the vote.

OBAMA: It is absolutely true, that 50 years after the Voting Rights Act, there are still too many barriers in this country to vote, there are too many people to trying to elect new various to voting. This is the only advanced democracy on earth that goes -- goes out of its way to make it difficult for people to vote.

JOHNS: And there was an oblique reference in the speech to activists who attempt to shout down politicians and others at rallies and speeches. Mr. Obama did not mention the Black Lives Matter movement or any other group by name but the inference seemed clear.

OBAMA: Our democracy gives us a process designed for us to settle our disputes with argument and ideas and votes instead of violence and simple majority rule. So don't try to shut folks out. Don't try to shut them down, no matter how much you might disagree with them. [05:25:09] JOHNS: The President is expected to give commencement speeches to 2 other universities this year, the Air Force Academy and Rutgers.

Joe Johns, CNN, Washington.

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HOWELL: In the Philippines, a presidential election is just a day away and the controversial leading candidate is drawing comparisons to Hitler. Davao mayor and presidential frontrunner Rodrigo Duterte is the favorite to win Monday's race, but the country's current president is warning that he is a dictator much like the makings of Germany's, you know, Hitler. Duterte has been accused of running vigilante squads that have killed more than a thousand suspected criminals.

On the Italian-Austrian border, a planned protest turned violent with Italian Police firing tear gas to disperse crowds, hundreds of demonstrators gathered on Saturday, as it added the railway station near the border, scuffles broke out and spilled into the tracks. Protesters are angry over Austria's plans to put up a fence at that crossing with Italy. It is a route that migrants used to get into Northern Europe.

In Berlin, police arrested several left-wing protesters at a far right rally against German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Police say protesters threw bottles at officers who responded them with tear gas, some of the far right in Germany are angry over Ms. Merkel, they're angry at her allowing more than a million migrants into that country in the last year alone.

You're watching CNN "NEWSROOM". Still ahead this hour, a devastating blow to hundreds of thousands of refugees in Kenya. Why that country is shutting down all of its refugee camps. We're live in the United States and around the world this hour. You're watching CNN "NEWSROOM".

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[05:30:24] HOWELL: Welcome back, to our viewers here in the United States and around the world, you are watching CNN "NEWSROOM". I'm George Howell, with the headlines we're following for you this hour.

In western Canada, a fast-moving wildfire now covers some 2,000 square kilometers. That's nearly 800 square miles and it may reach into Saskatchewan province. That is the very latest from officials in Alberta. They have already evacuated 90,000 people from Fort McMurray and to areas north of there.

North Korea's leader Kim Jung-Un, says that he will only use nuclear weapons if his country's sovereignty is threatened. That quote from state media there as he leads the nation's first Ruling Party Congress in 36 years. He reportedly also said that he wants North Korea to be a, quote, responsible nuclear power.

Another hacking death to report sadly, in Bangladesh. This time a Sufi Muslim spiritual leader was killed. Police say it happened after the 65-year-old was leaving a meeting with his disciples. It is the latest in a series of similar attacks in the nation carried out by radical Islamists.

In Australia, voters there will be headed to the polls on July 2nd. Every elected official seat is up for grabs in the general election. Prime Minister Turnbull called for the balloting and hopes that his coalition will come out head.

We turn now to Kenya where the government has announced that it is closing all of the country's refugee camps, a huge move that could displace more than 600,000 people, the decision also Dadaab, the world's largest refugee camp.

For the very latest we turn to CNN Robyn Kriel on the ground live for us in Nairobi, Kenya. It's good to have you with us Robyn, so what more do we know about why the government has made this announcement?

ROBYN KRIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No real idea as to why they have made this announcement on Friday, George, showed and indeed this is not the first time that the Kenyans have announced this. They did so this last year as well but back off from closing the refugee camps due to international pressure. And again this pressure is mounting ever since that announcement on Friday.

Now the Kenyans say that the reason that they're closing down, they have decided to disband the government's department of refugees that oversaw how refugees were treated and the logistics behind hosting an enormous, more than half a million number of refugees in this country, they say it's because of economic reasons, because of security reasons, and environmental reasons.

Now, the economic reasons, Kenya is obviously East Africa's largest economy, however, this would place a tremendous burden on the economy and it has done for the last 25 years. Kenya, for example, Dadaab is a 25 plus year-old refugee camp and a number of other refugee camps across the country catering to South Sudanese for Indians, Congolese have all been around for a very, very long time.

Security, particularly in the northeast of the country, along the Somali-Kenya border that's where Dadaab and its outlined camps are located. Kenya is saying that the threat posed by the terror groups Al-Shabaab which has launch attacks here in Kenya that Dadaab is a breeding ground for those terrorists. However this being disputed.

Now Amnesty International is saying that this is completely reckless of the Kenyans. That this will take millions of people lives in jeopardy, as well as human rights watch is saying at similar things as well is made as all in some frontier. The Kenyans however are sticking to their guns saying that these refugee camps must be closed, it's disbanded by Department of Refugees and they're calling on the international community to help them in what they say a time as a time of need and particularly those people on the ground here.

HOWELL: Robyn, so they point to security as one of reasons for this announcement, but, you know, just to break this down, when we talk about people that are at these refugee camps. We're talking about people who either went there, decided to go there. People who were brought there or people who were born there. Three very different groups, so I mean, is there any indication of what can happen to these people?

KRIEL: Well, a number of people will say that they didn't choose the refugees do not the choose to have to go to refugee camps. Obviously, if they had the choice, they would rather be in their home nation and unfortunately, in East Africa, there are a number of conflicts on the borders with Kenya particularly, such as in Somalia, in South Sudan which has been the throes of terrible conflicts since 2013. Somalia's civil war has been going on for more than a decade as well.

[05:35:06] Other smaller places the Burundi, which had seen a large number of refugees come to Kenya. The DRC, even some Rwandan refugees and Ethiopian refugees, so really Kenya is the be go to place for people who have been displaced due to conflict, due to starvation, drought, things like that. And obviously CBC (ph) would rather be often times in their own home countries if they were more stable and more conducive to living normally.

Then you see the people who are born there George, number of these refugee camps are decades old particularly Dadaab and because of Somalia's civil war that's been ongoing for more than 20 years, a number of people are born there and where would they go, the only place they have ever known as home is those refugee camps, and then what nationality are they? Are they Somali? Are they Kenyan? Where would they even call home? Also another big sticking point is that the fact that a whole town, particularly in Dadaab around Dadaab the world's largest refuge camp has sprung up around this refugee camp. A number of jobs for Kenyans have also come about because of this refugee camp. All of these things will have to be looked into if the government does indeed go ahead with its plan to close them.

HOWELL: If it's indeed a sweeping announcement, but as they say the devil is in the details and I'm sure these are details, Robyn, we will be covering for some time. Robyn Kriel, live for us in Nairobi, Kenya, thank you for your reporting today.

This story just into CNN, ISIS is now claiming responsibility for an attack that killed eight policemen in Egypt. It happened in a district south of the capital Cairo, early Sunday. The plain clothes officers were in a government mini van on a routine security check when four gunmen hiding in a truck opened fire. The attackers then fled the scene.

Moving now to Syria, the opposition forces say there say the Assad regime could soon carry out a massacre against prisoners.

The human rights group says government forces tried to stop a revolt of about 800 inmates on Friday. The group says some prisoners nearly suffocated in what appears to have been tear gas. The inmates don't want to be transferred to a prison near the capital and for almost a week they have been demanding trials and better conditions of the jail. Three journalists from Spain who went missing in Syria last July have now been released. The freelance reporters disappeared while working in the city of Aleppo which as you'll keep in mind that's where extremist groups are fighting for control. It is not clear who kidnapped them but some Spanish media, the outlets there say they were held by al-Qaeda affiliate al-Nusra Front. The Spanish government says, Turkey and Qatar helped rescue -- rather help secure their release

Now to Saudi Arabia, the world's largest crude oil exporter, the kingdom is restructuring its government in hopes of diversifying its economy away from oil dependence. And it cost that country's veteran petroleum minister his job after 20 years at that post. CNN Money's Emerging Market's editor John Defterios is live from with this story in Abu Dhabi. It's good to have with us John, so first of all what a surprise, what a move, why is this being done?

JOHN DEFTERIOS, MONEY EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Well, indeed, you are correct. It is a very big move. In fact, though this has been the talk of the oil world, if you will for the better part of a year. Ever since the deputy crown prince in Saudi Arabia Muhammad bin Nayef has consolidated power, George, and is trying to change the economy. So he's looking for some fresh blood in some very key positions. But Ali Al-Naimi make no doubt about it was the most powerful man in oil for the better part of two decades at one point he was the minister of petroleum, the chairman of Saudi Aramco a very importantly imprudently in Saudi Arabia the chairman of Supreme Petroleum Council. So he sat at top the largest proven reserves in the world and as a result was the de facto leader of OPEC, the club of oil exporters George, but that all changed, with the struggle have been a royal decree by the King Salman, the current king and deputy crown prince looking there shuffle the cabinet and bring in young blood and push forward a plan they call vision 2030. This is an effort to reduce the dependency on oil right now who's the role of private sector and overtime probably in the next two years if not sooner to privatize 5 percent of the energy behemoth, Saudi Aramco.

But to go back to Ali Al-Naimi, we see the video of him being flash up often on here, he was the Saudi Aramco for six decades started as a clerk there eventually earned his ranks and PhD. in petroleum engineering and held a very powerful post for 20 years. But changes the foot here in the Middle East and North Africa, and everybody is looking to Saudi Arabia to see if they can deliver on these plans for vision 2030 and have such a radical cabinet reshuffle.

[05:40:06] HOWELL: What more do we know John about this new minister and will the oil market accept this change without great deal of shock?

DEFTERIOS: Well, it's a obvious and very key question that you're asking George. Al-Falih though is extremely well-known here in the Middle East. That in fact throughout the oil world he was the CEO Saudi Aramco, the energy giant that I talk about there for six years is the current chairman. But there's been a lot of changes in the last year that I was talking about. He became the Minister of Health and it was a signal that it's been transferred into the cabinet prevention only the time when the Deputy Crown Prince wanted to give him the top job which is the Minister of Petroleum.

In fact it's an expanded role which will include mining as well. So very strategic. The energy markets will probably like it. He's a very sensible man and very importantly as Saudi Aramco tries to go public, is will be ushering in a new era or transparency and he is a very point spoken man and in fact we have him on an energy panel in Daovs at the World Economic Forum back in January and he said Saudi Arabia is prepared for this new era.

It's not oil George at 100 till 1$20 a barrel, but probably $40 to $60 a barrel in the medium term. So no real surprises to the oil market, what is the surprise here is the change right at the top after seeing Ali Al-Naimi the number of different meetings over the last 20 years.

HOWELL: Well, it is a big change indeed. John Defterios live for us in Abu Dhabi, John thank you for your reporting this day.

This is CNN "NEWSROOM" ...

DEFTERIOS: Thanks.

HOWELL: ... still ahead, a photo journalist captures the real story of Italy's notorious mafia. Up next, a look at her long career filled with images of shoot-outs, of arrests, and carnage.

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[05:45:07] HOWELL: This story just in to CNN. At least 52 people are dead after two passenger buses caught fire on Sunday in Ghazni province that is in Southeastern Afghanistan. One of the buses was speeding when it collided with a fuel tanker, the other bus was close by when it also caught fire. We understand at this point 73 people were injured there.

Not many people know the real story of Italy's mafia, but photo journalist Letizia Bataglia surely does. Now in her 80s, she is still considered one of the most important mafia photographers, she sat down with Barbie Nadeau to tell her story reflecting on a long career filled with thousands of photos, but we warn you, some of the images that you'll see are graphic.

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BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Few people have seen as many murders as Italy's celebrated mafia photographer, Letizia Bataglia. Now in her 80s she's showing her morbid photo collection of corpses in a book at an exhibition in the Sicily capital of Palermo.

LETIZIA BATAGLIA, MAFIA PHOTOGRAPHER: My archive is full people, death. I remember when the telephone called, run, run, there is something in the street. And we go out with the Vespa, we didn't know why we were running. We know that something was happening.

NADEAU: Bataglia's pictures chronicle one of the bloodiest periods in Italy's battle with organized crime between 1974 when she began her career as a photojournalist and today, hundreds of judges, police officers and ordinary people were killed at the hands of Sicilian Mafia known as the Cosa Nostra. Bataglia armed with her camera was on the front line.

BATAGLIA: I was not in a country where there was war. It was not a war. It was a town in Europe, this was not only blood, mafia, you understand is corruption, it is to control all. This is in Sicily.

NADEAU: Your photos, were their weapon in the way?

BATAGLIA: I think, I think some very little part, I did my part, I think I did my part, a little part. This is my job. My work. To denounce corruption, mafia, and to exalt beauty.

NADEAU: Were you ever afraid?

BATAGLIA: Sometimes, when they call me, they wrote a letter against it to say that, if you don't go away from Palermo, you will be killed. I had some, but fear is not important like democracy or beauty.

NADEAU: Not all of them more than the 600,000 photos in her archive are of death. She's also captured the beauty and spirit of Sicilian life.

Barbie Nadeau, in Rome

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HOWELL: You can head over to our website to see more of Letizia Bagtalia's photos and learn more about the violence that she witnessed in Sicily. Again that's CNN.com/photos.

Still ahead, a new champion is crowned at Churchill Downs. We'll have all the details of the 142nd winner of the Kentucky Derby.

This is CNN "NEWSROOM".

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[05:52:48] HOWELL: Could you do that? I mean, wow. A French contestant has won China's 3rd International High Line Tight Rope Walking Tournament. Look at this video right there. And that just impressive. 16 contestants from 10 countries raced each other while walking on a 25 millimeter wide tight rope that is less than an inch wide, one of contestants almost fell and was saved by wires strapped to the rope and his waist. OK. Good on him.

OK, there is a new champion at Churchill Downs. Favored horse Nyquist ridden by Mario Guttieriez I should say. Took home the win at the Kentucky Derby and our Coy Wire has all the details for us.

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COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS: Our 167,000 spectators here at Churchill Downs witness the 142nd of the Kentucky Derby, this was the second largest attendance in Derby history. Nyquist the undefeated equine to this race as a heavy 2-to-1 favorite and he showed why. In the final furlong, Nyquist ahead of the pack with Exaggerator, making a valiant surge but he fall short, Nyquist too fast, too strong, securing his lead and capturing the run for the roses. Final time 2:01.3 seconds, Exaggerator comes in second, coming in third was Gunrunner. Now with this iconic win, Nyquist is proven he's a force to be reckoned with. The perfect 8 for 8 in his lifetime of races. Owner Jake Paul (ph) already bought the horse for $400,000, but with this Derby win, Nyquist career earnings jumped to $4.56 million, so Nyquist proving to be a pretty good investment. High hopes for Nyquist now could he accomplish what American Pharaoh did just last year when he became the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years, will no more just a couple of weeks May 21st when Nyquist will make a run for the second jewel in the Triple Crown at the Preakness.

Coy Wire, CNN, Louisville.

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HOWELL: Coy, thank you. So, do you like food trucks? Well this weekend, if you do, Brussels became the epicenter for food trucks. In fact, it's a huge food truck festival, it's not only letting people eat their way through the European capital but organizers hope to break a world record.

[05:55:07] CNN's Erin McLaughlin has this great assignment for us in this report.

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ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Belgium is stealing the world record from the United States for the most food trucks in one place at one time. There's 140 trucks from all over Europe, let's check it out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is our version of little fish and chips.

MCLAUGHLIN: As the president of the Food Truck Association in the States, how does it make you feel to see it here in Belgium?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're just excited. I mean it really kind of spawned from Los Angeles and it came, you know, sweeping throughout the United States, and now we're seeing it's everywhere. So we're just -- we couldn't be happier.

MCLAUGHLIN: So what makes a good food truck?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, a food truck isn't just great food. It's a great social experience. It's great interaction with their customers.

MCLAUGHLIN: All right, so what is this?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a bubble waffle with ice cream, fresh fruit, enjoy it.

MCLAUGHLIN: When in Belgium, you have to try a waffle. In this case, a bubble waffle. Erin McLaughlin, CNN, Brussels.

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HOWELL: You have to try the waffle. Erin, thank you so much. And thank you for being with us this hour for CNN "NEWSROOM". I'm George Howell at the CNN center in Atlanta. For our viewers in the United States, New Day is next and for other viewers around the world, "Best of Quest" starts in a moment. Thank you for watching CNN, the world's news leader.

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