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BBC Correspondent Expelled from North Korea; Canadian Wildfire Gets the Upper Hand; Weather Helps Fight Canadian Wildfires; Controversial Mayor Leading in Philippines Presidential Election; John McCain: A Disconnect between GOP Party's Leadership, Many Trump Supporters; Russians Celebrate Victory Day; Syrians Make the Most of Temporary Truce; El Chapo Moved to Prison Close to U.S. Border; Emotional Cruise from Cuba Back to U.S.; Search for Queen Nefertiti's Tomb Hits Snag; Technology Enables Disabled Athletes to Compete. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired May 09, 2016 - 02:00   ET

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

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[02:00:46] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers here in the United States and all around the world. I'm Rosemary Church. I'll be with you for the next two hours. Thanks for joining us. This is CNN NEWSROOM.

And we begin with some developing news this hour. North Korea is expelling a BBC correspondent. Rupert Wingfield-Hayes had been in Pyongyang reporting ahead of the Workers' Party Congress, but authorities took issue with what they called "disrespectful reporting," especially on leader, Kim Jong-Un. The BBC says that Wingfield-Hayes and two other employees were detained and questioned for eight hours. The company is now trying to get them all out of the country.

Now, within the past hour, CNN's Will Ripley spoke to us live from Pyongyang about the circumstances surrounding the reporter's expulsion.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: He actually wasn't here to cover the Workers' Party Congress specifically but he was invited in with a group of Nobel laureates who came here to have discussions with North Korean officials and they made various stops touring the country last week and over the weekend. They say that his reporting was disrespectful of the supreme leader, Kim Jong-Un. They also say he violated local customs and acted in an aggressive manner during different times during his trip. This is the accusation from North Korea. And so as he was -- I actually saw Rupert yesterday at the Engato Hotel (ph) as we were there shooting a report. He said he had been spoken to very harshly earlier by the North Korean authorities about his reporting. He hadn't been reporting for the past few days. We believe he was at the hotel, the Engato Hotel (ph), which is -- we're here at a different hotel, the Korio Hotel. The Engato (ph) is on an island separate from the rest of the city. Anyway, he'd been there for the past few days not filing any reports and had told me yesterday he wanted to get on a plane today to leave the country. According to the North Koreans, as he was at the airport, he was detained and questioned. A BBC correspondent who was at this press briefing, and there were just a handful of news outlets there, he actually used the word "interrogated" and tried to ask the North Korean official how the rest of the world would view the fact that North Korea detained and punished a journalist for reporting things that they didn't agree with. But that question was not answered. The official walked out of the room.

We have just been told that I need to put on a suit, bring my passport and we need to bring our camera and go back over to the Engato (ph). Typically, when we have to dress up and bring our passport, it means there's some sort of an interview with an official, but we don't know who we're going to be speaking to or what the topic will be. Obviously, this is a very sensitive issue for all journalists who come into North Korea to report. And the North Koreans take very seriously any comments made about their leader.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: We'll continue to watch that story.

But I want to move to Canada now where firefighters in Alberta say they may be getting the upper hand on a massive wildfire that has torn through the province for more than a week now. The government said they expected the Fort McMurray fire to have doubled in size by late Saturday. But thankfully, the blaze slowed its progress. Cooler temperatures and a little rain have also helped fire crews.

More than 160,000 hectares have been scorched so far, and thousands have been forced to evacuate. Officials warn the fires may still burn for months to come. And the huge blaze continues to head east. Alberta's premier says the fire is 30 to 40 kilometers away from a neighboring province.

And Paul Vercammen has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm in front of a center here in Edmonton where many of the fire refugees are getting supplies and/or spending the night. They've been through a harrowing ordeal. That fire right now, you can hear the wind is blowing toward the east. And firefighters are hoping that it continues to slow down just a little. By blowing east, that means away from Fort McMurray. That's the city that was absolutely ravaged by fire next week.

You can imagine a difficult ordeal for anybody, but imagine this to the eyes of a child.

UNIDENTIFIED BOY: I saw flames, and they were very bad. And like the fire, it was basically very big. I saw the smoke in downtown. And we thought my school was burnt down, but it wasn't. It's like very bad. [02:05:20] VERCAMMEN: Families grateful for the 1,500 firefighters

battling blazes across Alberta, some 40 in all. And firefighters are beginning to feel the effects of this. Many of them have been working nonstop. Relief going to come later in the week from both New Brunswick and Quebec. Ontario firefighters already here. It's been a long and arduous assault. And an ominous note, officials here saying this could be the start of a rather long and dastardly fire season.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Paul Vercammen reporting there.

Chad Morrison is the wildfire manager of the Alberta Fire, and says that Fort McMurray is currently off limits to everyone but first responders. And even though there's a long way to go, Sunday was a good day.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHAD MORRISON, WILDFIRE MANAGER, ALBERTA FIRE: We had a little bit of help here, unexpected help, a little bit of help from Mother Nature and the weather. But really here a lot of the hard work, a lot of the credit goes to hard work of the firefighters. They were able to hold the line here most of the day in most of the fire, especially around in the city itself. The fire still is, now still only about 161,000 hectares, or about 320 acres. We continue to hold it. But we were still very challenged throughout the day today and yesterday in extreme fire conditions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: We do want to take a closer look now at the weather conditions.

Our Pedram Javaheri joins us now.

And of course, this is a good thing, some rain and the lower temperatures. But how long can we expect those to stick around?

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, AMS METEOROLOGIST: This is the lowest temperatures I've seen in about two weeks' time. We're talking about 50 Fahrenheit, 10 degrees Celsius. That's pretty remarkable considering it was 90 Fahrenheit, 32 Celsius just a few days ago. We're seeing the cooling trend. That's good news. The winds should die down. Three to four days of improving conditions. Rosemary, we'll show you exactly what we have because the radar imagery looks pretty good. You look at this. That's all rain beginning to push in across this region. We've picked up just a few millimeters across Fort McMurray. But again, any rainfall at this point is good news. Any cloud cover is good news. This particular feature kicked up some winds that hindered some of the activities across this region but want to show you how the fires have really expanded first to the West, then to the south, back up to the north, now to the east. And what the firefighters across this region is saying, because of the wilderness area to the east here, that's favorable, if we can get everything moving away from the population center of Fort McMurray, that's good news, that is precisely what's happened in recent days. The wind should die down a little bit but just to give you a little bit of the scale of what's taken place. 16,000 square kilometers have been consumed. Roughly the size of the country of Kuwait, if you're watching us in the United States, roughly the size of the state of New Jersey. So again, pretty expansive area has been consumed just within a week or so across this region. You look at what happened on Sunday alone, about the same size as the city of London has been consumed, when it comes to fire across this region. Certainly the winds have not helped out but notice what happens, 10 degrees Celsius, 50 Fahrenheit. It remains rather cool the next couple of days. 16 Celsius or about 60 Fahrenheit is what is considered normal. It gets there by Friday. It wants to warm up Saturday toward Sunday. I think these next couple of days is what's key for firefighters.

Keep in mind because of the tremendous amount of heat that's been generated at the surface here we get what are known as pyrocumulus clouds that begin to develop. They can create their own weather from the fire itself, create thunderstorms. That could take some of the embers downstream and generate additional fires downstream. And this is something Rosemary and I were just talking about off camera a few minutes ago, where firefighters are saying this could continue several weeks, several months potentially before everything is contained as these fires go down into the arboreal forest to the east, very vegetative area, a lot of field for these fires. It's going to be a long-term event.

CHURCH: It seems extraordinary but at least it gets away from the population.

JAVAHERI: Absolutely. These things are normal. Fires across areas that are wide open are normal. And sometimes temperatures of 800 to 900 degrees are needed for some of these trees to pollinate and for their pine cones, for example, to begin to open up and allow additional seedlings to come out. So this is a part of a normal across this region.

CHURCH: We'll talk to you next hour.

JAVAHERI: Yeah.

CHURCH: Thanks so much.

Well, police in Bangladesh are investigating another hacking murder. The latest victim is a 65-year-old Sufi Muslim spiritual leader. He was found hacked to death Saturday in the country's west.

Our Alexandra Field has just returned from Bangladesh and joins us now from Hong Kong.

Alexandra, these hacking murders, horrendous and shocking. What are authorities telling you about this latest deadly attack?

[02:09:51] ALEXANDRA FIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they've made no arrests in connection to the death of Mohammed Shahidullah. They have not unearthed any motivation behind the brutal killing of this spiritual leader and no one has publicly stepped forward to claim responsibility for it.

As you point out, Rosemary, he was a Sufi Muslim, a spiritual leader. Sufis are largely regarded as mystics. The practice is quite devotional. It includes a lot of devotional songs and music. Obviously, Bangladesh is a majority Muslim country and there are stricter interpretations of Islam. The majority of Muslims in Bangladesh are Sunni, not Sufis. But Sufis are respected throughout Southeast Asia.

So this man's family is asking why he would have been targeted. They say he was killed, hacked to death, his body found in a mango grove after he had left a meeting with his disciples. But his son tells CNN that this was a simple man, an ordinary man, a grocer. They're not sure why he would have any enemies.

As far as what police can tell, again, they're continuing to investigate but they've failed to make any arrests. At this point, they're looking into the possibility that this is connected to that spate of hacking deaths that we have seen across this country in the last 15 months.

But they're also looking at the possibility, Rosemary, that this could have been a more personally motivated attack. In the cases of the other deaths, the bloggers, the LGBT activist, the religious minorities, even the academics who have been hacked to death, the extremist groups who've come out and claimed responsibility in those killings have often cited that their victims have insulted Islam in some way or promoted atheism -- Rosemary?

CHURCH: And, Alexandra, you said no arrests made in that latest attack but what about the other ones you referred to there? Any indication, anything coming out of what authorities are telling you about the people who are associated with this?

FIELD: The authorities, the government officials in Bangladesh have been telling people that they need to be careful about what they say, actually instructing the bloggers and atheists in that country to not say things that are offensive to Islam. That has not been well received, clearly, by the people who are supportive of the victims.

We spent a lot of time speaking to activists in that country, to the LGBT community, to the family members of those who have been killed and they say the government has frankly not done enough to stop these killings and not done enough to prosecute the assailant. So many people in these cases are telling us, yes, they have seen police bring people in for questioning or make arrests, but they are not seeing the prosecution of these individuals. And they fear that is why these attacks are going on unchecked.

There are, of course, questions about how closely any of these attacks are related, whether you have the same people connected to several different deaths here. But when you talk to people in the community at large, they're saying that the government needs to take a much harder line, they need to pursue the people who are involved in these attacks, and come out more strongly in the defense of the people who are now being targeted -- Rosemary? CHURCH: Very disturbing.

Alexandra Field, just back from Bangladesh, reporting there live from Hong Kong. Many thanks to you.

We turn to the Philippines now. And a controversial mayor was the front runner leading up to Monday's presidential elections. Now voters are lining up at the polls to make their opinion heard.

The likely U.S. Republican presidential nominee is getting mixed reaction within his own party. What John McCain says about Donald Trump, when we come back.

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[02:15:08] CHURCH: In the Philippines, millions of voters are lining up at the polls to cast ballots for their next president and elect government officials. The latest polls show a controversial mayor leading the presidential race ahead of the elections.

Our Michael Holmes has more on the campaign and the candidates.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Campaign ads line quiet streets in the Philippines. Philippine law prohibits active campaigning by the candidates in the 24 hours leading up to an election. But the mood as voting gets under way is anything but quiet.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): I'm weighing up who is the best candidate that will make the country even better. A place where there is peace and order.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translation): I hope whoever becomes the president they will help the homeless, provide work for our husbands, and run the Philippines well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): Someone who can make the prices of goods go down so that for us who are poor we can make a better living.

HOLMES: The five candidates for the Philippines' top seat made one last pitch to voters on Saturday as the 90-day campaign period came to a close. Recent polls show long-time Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, with a solid lead. Nicknamed "The Punisher" for his tough stance on crime, he's vowed to execute 100,000 criminals and, quote, "dump them into manila bay" if elected.

Senator Grace Poe is Duterte's closest rival. According to the Filipino pollster, Social Weather Systems, she has campaigned for what he had calls a, quote, "caring government," emphasizing public service and infrastructure. Poe has been challenged over her citizenship after being a U.S. citizen for several years but ultimately was declared eligible by the Supreme Court to continue her campaign.

Interior Minister Mar Roxas (ph), current vice president, Jojo Binay (ph), and Senator Miriam Denso-Santiago (ph) are also in the running. It's a big election for the Philippines.

In addition to the next president and vice president, voters will elect half of the country's Senate, the entire House of Representatives, and tens of thousands of local posts.

Michael Holmes, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And joining me now from Davao is "Time" magazine correspondent, Charlie Campbell.

Thank you so much for being with us. Hope you can hear me OK there.

So let's start by talking about Rodrigo Duterte, who has been compared to Donald Trump. He appears to be on track to win this election. Why do voters find minimum so compelling and appealing.

CHARLIE CAMPBELL, CORRESPONDENT, TIME MAGAZINE (voice-over): Duterte's appeal stems very much from his record fighting crime. Davao used to be one of Asia's most dangerous cities, and since he took office, it's become one of the safest. Of course, the tactics he used to achieve the transformation are very controversial. The International alleges that around 700 suspected criminals have been gunned down in the street without trial. He puts the number himself at closer to 1,700.

[02:20:21] CHURCH: So how might Duterte change the country if he does win? What specifically does he plan perhaps for the economy?

CAMPBELL: Well, the economy's definitely Duterte's shakiest aspect of his policy. Whenever I asked him personally about this and he keeps on reverting back to law and order as being a prerequisite for an investment. Fortunately, the fundamentals are very good. Under the outgoing President Aquino growth is about 6.5 percent. Inflation is very low. And the population is very young. It seems like it's a perfect and a very sweet spot for foreign investors. So hopefully, if he's elected, he will just keep on with the same policies and that won't be too bad for the country.

CHURCH: And you mentioned the outgoing president, who was warned that Duterte will be a dictator. But voters don't appear to be concerned about that. Why?

CAMPBELL: It seems they have quite a short memory in the Philippines. It was ruled by a dictator, a man named Marcos, for many years. Yet people don't learn about this in school. Young people are very unaware of what happened. The Marcos family still has not been held to account for the abuses that happened during his reign. In fact, President Marcos's son, Bongo Marcos, is leading polls running for vice president in the same election. So it seems that perhaps a better education would stop them falling back into the trap once again.

CHURCH: And also we understand about nine people have died, linked to election violence. What security measures are in place right now to try to prevent further violence?

CAMPBELL: Security is very tight at all the hotels in the key areas. But one of the things the government has done is installed automatic vote counting, which reduces the period between the vote being cast and the results being received, which is always a very tense time when tempers can flare and violence can be achieved. Hopefully, this year there will not be as much violence as we've seen in previous years.

CHURCH: "Time" correspondent, Charlie Campbell, joining on the line. And we'll talk again with Charlie next hour. Many thanks to you.

Now to the U.S. presidential race. Now that the Republican Party has a presumptive presidential nominee, the next question is who will be Donald Trump's running mate. Sarah Palin, who was a vice presidential candidate back in 2008, told CNN she would probably be a controversial figure if she were asked to join the ticket.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH PALIN, (R), FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR & FORMER VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think there are so many other great people out there in America who can serve in this position. I think if someone wanted to choose me they already know who I am, what I stand for. They wouldn't be in for any surprises.

I want to help and not hurt. And I am such a realist that I realize there are a whole lot of people out there who would say, "Anybody but Palin." I wouldn't want to be a burden on the ticket. And I recognize that in many, many eyes, I would be that burden.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

The man who brought Palin to the national forefront is also speaking out about a Trump nomination. Senator John McCain chose Palin at his running mate when he was the Republican presidential nominee in 2008, as we mentioned.

He told CNN's Manu Raju there's a disconnect between his party's leadership and many Donald Trump supporters.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R), ARIZONA: I've said all along that I would support the nominee of the party. I believe that a Hillary Clinton presidency will cause the economy to continue to stumble along and put us in the economic malaise that basically we've had for eight years.

MANU RAJU, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: In some ways I wonder if you think the party leadership is sort of disconnected to what the base of the party wants. Millions of voters are getting behind Donald Trump but the leadership is not. Are you worried there's a disconnect there?

MCCAIN: You have to draw the conclusion that there is some distance if not a disconnect between party leadership and members of Congress and many of the voters who have selected Donald Trump to be the nominee of the party. We could go down the list, but a lot of it is older, white, blue-collar workers who see no prospect of a job ever again. We see dissatisfied young people who are carrying student debts into his first job for many, many years. And of course, the perception, which is largely reality, not totally, that there's gridlock in Washington. And that's given rise to Trump and Sanders. And that's something that we in the Republican Party are going to have to look at very carefully.

[02:25:24] RAJU: And should your leadership listen to those folks a little better?

MCCAIN: You have to listen to people that have chosen the nominee of our Republican party. I think it would be foolish to ignore them.

RAJU: Is there anything specific in Donald Trump's national security profile that's better than Hillary Clinton? Is there anything specific you that like about what he said about foreign policy?

MCCAIN: Well, I think American leadership, he emphasizes that. And that's important. This president doesn't want to lead. Hillary Clinton was secretary of state for four years. Tell me one accomplishment that she can point to besides the fact that she flew more miles than anybody, any other secretary of state in history. I believe that the Republican Party must maintain its viability as a party. And I am a Teddy Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan Republican, and I will do everything I can to continue to steer the Republican Party along those lines in that direction.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: John McCain there.

Let's take a short break right here. Still to come, Russians are celebrating a major day in their country's history. We will take you to one of Moscow's biggest parades. That's coming up next.

Plus, a temporary calm falls over parts of Syria, bringing people back into the streets. And diplomats are hoping fresh international efforts on their part can make it last. We'll take a look at that. Stay with us.

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[02:30:05] CHURCH: A warm welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and, of course, all around the world. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rosemary Church.

So let's update you on the main stories we've been following this hour.

[02:30:05] ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: A warm welcome back to our viewers here in the United States and, of course, all around the world. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rosemary Church.

So let's update you on the main stories we've been following this hour.

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CHURCH: Russians are celebrating Victory Day with a military parade. The streets of Moscow are full of pride as the country marks the Germans' formal surrender in World War II back in 1945. Ceremonial wreaths will also be laid at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

And our Matthew Chance is live from Moscow's Red Square in the heart of these celebrations.

Matthew, talk to us about the significance of this day for the average Russian and what you've seen unfold so far. Looks like a glorious day there for sure.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is. It's absolutely scorching. It's a national public holiday here. Russians I think celebrate this Victory Day, May the 9th, here in Russia, more intensely, I think it's fair to say, than other peoples around the world who participated in the Second World War. Take a look at the crowds that have gathered here just outside Red Square. The Kremlin is over there in the distance. There's going to be a big military parade with various dignitaries particularly from Russia. Ambassadors and such, seeing a march past of thousands of Russian troops, military hardware, and things like that. So it's a display of triumphalism but it's also a celebration and a commemoration of the enormous sacrifice. Remember, that Russia paid, or the Soviet Union paid in particular during the Second World War. They call it the great patriotic war here. Millions of people from this part of the world died in that conflict. Something like 25 to 28 million people from Russia and the former Soviet states is what most historians agree on. So it's a conflict that touched the lives of families right across the country. You can speak to anybody here, and they've got grandfathers, uncles, brothers, fathers that participated or were killed in that conflict. And that's why I think it has such a resonance even today in 2016 and why there are so many people that have come out on this day on May the 9th in the center of Moscow and other cities as well in Russia to commemorate Victory Day.

CHURCH: And what about President Vladimir Putin? What role will he play today?

CHANCE: Of course, as the commander-in-chief, he'll be overseeing this whole parade. The march past will be past him on Red Square. You know, this isn't just a commemoration about past events. It's also a celebration of the current Russian military as well. I mean, they're very proud here of their military, of their military technology. We're going to be seeing some of the latest Russian aircraft, SU-35s that have recently seen action for the first time in Syria. New tanks, new nuclear missiles are going to be paraded past as well. It's an opportunity for the Kremlin to be triumphalist, as I say. But also bolster support in its country in its policies at a time, remember, of economic crisis in Russia. There's been a big dip in the oil price and a big dip in the ruble. People's savings have been slashed and the price of living has gone up enormously. And also relations with the West in particular are very strained over the situation in Ukraine and over the situation in Syria as well and other things. This is an opportunity for the Kremlin, as I say, to bolster support in its policies.

[02:34:35] CHURCH: Our Matthew Chance joining us there. Glorious day in Moscow as Russians celebrate Victory Day, remembering those lost in World War II. Many thanks to you.

And as Matthew mentioned, Russia has taken a crucial role in the conflict in Syria. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is slated to meet with his French counterpart in Paris later Monday. The two diplomats are expected to discuss among other things the ongoing crisis in Syria. But Kerry's spokesman is not saying if Kerry will also attend a meeting of the so-called "friends of Syria" nations, also meeting Monday in Paris. Ministers are expected to announce ways to end the deadly and destructive five-year conflict.

While international efforts to end the war continue, so does factional fighting. Still, two weeks of bitter clashes that killed almost 300 civilians have given way to a temporary cease-fire in Aleppo. The truce has brought some semblance of calm to that city and other parts of Syria.

As CNN's Fred Pleitgen reports from Damascus, war-weary Syrians would welcome permanent peace.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(GUNFIRE)

FRED PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): After a recent spike in fighting in Syria's brutal civil war, at least in some parts of the country, some respite. Residents crowd cafes and restaurants in the government-held part of Damascus, one of several cities where limited ceasefires have been agreed and put in effect in recent days.

"We were so concerned for our daughters," this man says. "We wouldn't even let them leave the House. But look now, we're taking them with us."

And this man adds, "Things are so much better than before. I think local reconciliation like in some neighborhoods could be a solution."

Russia and the U.S. brokered ceasefires between government forces and many rebel factions in Damascus and the Latakia region. It will last between 48 and 72 hours. The truce has been extended to Aleppo as well where heavy fighting killed hundreds of civilians in the past two weeks, including one of the last pediatricians in the rebel-held part of the city in a strike on a children's hospital.

Now many Syrians hope this new period of relative calm could last more than just a few days.

(on camera): Of course, people here are discussing the prospects of political reconciliation, or a longer-term ceasefire. The majority of the people we spoke to here say in the government-held part of Damascus say, right now, they're just enjoying this moment where they don't have to worry about machine gun fire or mortars raining down on their heads.

(EXPLOSION)

PLEITGEN (voice-over): But in many places, the civil war rages on. Dozens of pro-government and rebel fighters were killed in heavy fighting outside Aleppo on Friday. An Islamist group even filming the battle with a drone.

After five years of fighting, many here say they're simply fed up with the violence.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My heart is broken. I see what's happening there. Syria is -- everywhere is my country. And everywhere is my family.

PLEITGEN: Despite the current calm, no side of Syria's civil war seems willing to back down, leaving many worried that the quiet like here in Damascus could be all too brief.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Damascus, Syria.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And stay tuned for the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM, when we will take you to Damascus for a live report from Frederick Pleitgen on how life has changed since the cessation of hostilities and the challenges that remain. That's 8:00 a.m. in London, 3:00 p.m. in Hong Kong.

Mexico's most notorious drug lord is now within sight of the U.S. border, a move which may bring el Chapo one step closer to extradition to the United States. We'll take a look at that.

Plus, tales from the first American cruise to Cuba in decades. You will hear one passenger's emotional journey. We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:42:05] CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Notorious Mexican drug kingpin, el Chapo, is now just a couple of miles from the U.S. border. The move could make it easier to extradite the cartel leader to the United States. CNN's Boris Sanchez has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One of the most notorious criminals in the world on the move this weekend. Authorities transferring Joaquin "el Chapo" Guzman, going from a prison in central Mexico to a maximum security lockup in Ciudad Juarez, just a few miles from the United States. The exact reason for the move is still unclear. But officials on both sides of the border have been laying the groundwork to extradite el Chapo to the United States for months.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The only way that the government of Mexico is going to ensure absolutely that they don't go through another embarrassing situation, another embarrassing escape is to extradite him to the United States.

SANCHEZ: The drug kingpin had been kept at a prison, the same one he fled last July. His brazen escape allegedly made through a well-designed series of tunnels, led to a massive manhunt and drew international attention. After months on the run, el Chapo was finally caught in January, returning to the prison after his recapture.

The transfer to Juarez comes just one month after Guzman's defense team said he wanted to be transferred to the United States as soon as possible. El Chapo's attorneys say the conditions he was facing at the prison in Mexico were unbearable, making him seriously ill.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): At 9:00 at night, they at the jail began the nightly role call. The next step is at 1:00 in the morning. But between 9:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m., he said, if you could only know all the movement there, all the noise out there, it's impossible to sleep. Then for a start, during the day, I cannot sleep because there is a roll call every hour.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Boris Sanchez reporting there.

And once el Chapo is transferred to the U.S., he will stand trial in Brooklyn, New York on charges of murder, kidnapping, and torture, as well as importing a quarter of a million pounds of cocaine into the country.

Well, the first U.S. cruise ship to set sail to Cuba in decades has now arrived back in Miami, Florida. Some 700 passengers toured the island nation for a week. For many of them, including one woman with Cuban roots, the journey was very emotional.

Ann Keil with our affiliate, WSVN, has this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARY PENAS, CUBAN CRUISE PASSENGER: So I'm hoping this is a door opening for change. The experience was much better than I expected.

ANN KEIL, REPORTER, WSVN (voice-over): The "Adonia" returns with hundreds on board who saw, heard, and experienced Cuba like few Americans have.

(SINGING)

[02:45:03] KEIL: Mary Penas' ties to the island nation bring out raw emotion. She was among more than a dozen Cuban-Americans on the ship.

PENAS: I went to the home where think parents were born, that my grandparents built. I met my cousins for the first time. I'm 47 years old. I had never met them.

(HORN)

KEIL: Our cameras were rolling as the "Adonia" set sail seven days ago with 704 travelers, determined to be the first, the first on a U.S. cruise ship to sail from the U.S. to Cuba in more than 50 years.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It exceeded our expectations.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was absolutely great. We felt so welcomed.

KEIL: Passengers tell us they will treasure most the personal connections made with the Cuban people, the sharing of cultures.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We had a great time, interacted very well with the citizens of Cuba.

KEIL: And some admit they're hopeful that with time the bimonthly journeys to Cuba will help to improve relations between two countries with a difficult past and questionable future.

PENAS: It was a very hard decision for me, a very personal decision. My father was a political prisoner and spent a lifetime fighting against the regime in Cuba.

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CHURCH: That was WSVN reporter, Ann Keil, reporting.

A group of Cuban migrants stranded in Panama since March will soon be bound for Mexico. Panama had been preventing the nearly 4,000 migrants from traveling through the country in hopes of reaching the U.S. Well, now the migrants are set to be flown to Juarez in Mexico starting Monday.

A 3,000-year-old mystery goes on a little longer. Coming up, how a British Egyptologist plans to fight on after a setback in trying to find the final resting place of fabled Queen Nefertiti. We're back with that and more.

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[02:50:52] CHURCH: The burial site of Egypt's Queen Nefertiti has long eluded archaeologists. And now one Egyptologist, who believes he's found her remains, has hit a snag. He's been scouring through King Tutankhamen's tomb, which he says contain secret chambers. But Egyptian officials say the evidence he's found is not enough to warrant excavation.

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CHURCH (voice-over): An archaeological battle in the Valley of Kings, all over a suspected hidden chamber in the ancient tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh, King Tutankhamen. The big question, could the mummy of his famous stepmother, Queen Nefertiti, lie behind the mausoleum's walls?

British Egyptologist Nicholas Reeves thinks he may have found the final resting place. But after a three-day conference that examined radar scans of the tomb, no one can say for sure.

Last year, Reeves and his team tried conclusively determine if Nefertiti's remains are inside. Ground-penetrating scans were taken and Reeves said they suggest two hidden chambers lay within King Tut's tomb. He believes the rooms may contain metal and organic material.

But Egypt's former antiquities minister dismisses the idea.

ZAHI HAWASS, EGYPT'S FORMER ANTIQUITIES MINISTER: What has been said about the discovery of Nefertiti inside the tomb of Tutankhamen is not correct. This tomb in my opinion was made for Ai, who took the throne after King Tut. And maybe because of the sudden death of Tutankhamen, maybe they built a wall to strengthen the tomb. But there is nothing behind this wall.

CHURCH: If Nefertiti's remains are inside, it's a find 3,000 years in the making, shedding light on a period of Egypt's history that remains in the dark. A find so fabulous it could boost the country's critical and lagging tourism industry.

Reeves says he will keep pushing for more evidence.

NICHOLAS REEVES, BRITISH EGYPTOLOGIST: If I'm right in my understanding of reading of the evidence to suggest it might be the burial of Nefertiti behind the north wall, surely that's worth going the extra mile. But you know, I haven't got a crystal ball. I don't know what the future holds in store.

CHURCH: Egypt's Antiquities Department says if it's proven there are hidden chambers, it may allow a one-inch hole to be drilled.

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CHURCH: We'll keep an eye on that story. Now we turn to the Summer Olympics. And they're almost upon us,

of course. 10,000 or so athletes will head to Rio and will certainly entertain us. But it's the Paralympics in September that could change people's lives. The technology which enables many of these athletes to compete will eventually be available to all.

Patrick Snell has the story.

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PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT ANCHOR (voice-over): Denise Schindler didn't let the loss of her lower right leg, as a young girl, prevent her from becoming a world champion athlete. The German cyclist won a silver medal at the 2012 London Paralympics. Now she's getting ready for Rio later on this year. And for this event, Schindler plans to compete using a new leg prosthesis made with a 3-D printer.

DENISE SCHINDLER, PARALYMPICS ATHLETE (through translation): We are currently testing the 3-D printed prosthesis and whether its quality reaches that of the traditional handmade prosthesis.

SNELL: Experts say the new prosthesis is quicker and cheaper to produce than traditional plastic casting. Schindler is working with a U.S. company on the innovative product, which they recently showed to U.S. President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel at a technology trade fair.

SCHINDLER (through translation): I was, of course, very proud to present this project because it means a lot to me. Mr. Obama and Chancellor Merkel were very interested. And I was surprised to see how informed the president was about the issue. He was very positive about it.

SNELL: Schindler says she worked with engineers going through 52 versions before settling on a final model that's comfortable but doesn't compromise on performance.

[02:55:09] SCHINDLER (through translation): It feels different when I cycle due to its quality but we are on the right path to reach the right stiffness and aerodynamics. The new prosthesis is also lighter and that's an advantage when competing.

SNELL: And Schindler hopes, ultimately, 3-D printing will make sports prostheses less expensive and more accessible to athletes all over the world.

Patrick Snell, CNN.

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CHURCH: Amazing there.

And finally, to eastern China and an annual tightrope walking contest. Don't look down. These daredevils from around the world have to walk across a ravine without a balancing pole. And that would be a 400-meter fall, by the way, if not for some safety ropes. The winner, Frenchman Nathan Poullot. He is the closer of the two guys, not the guy bouncing around in the background.

Thanks so much for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Rosemary Church.

Remember you can always follow me on Twitter anytime, @RosemaryCNN. I'd love to chat with you.

I'll be back with more CNN NEWSROOM after this very quick break. Don't go anywhere.

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