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The Global Brief with Bianca Nobilo
Former Pakistan PM Attacked; Battle For Kherson; Call To Earth. Aired 5-5:30p ET
Aired November 03, 2022 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[17:00:31]
CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome. I'm Christina Macfarlane in London. This is THE GLOBAL BRIEF.
Ahead, Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan survives an apparent assassination attempt, triggering pro-Khan protests across the country.
Then, Russia claims it will withdraw from Kherson, but Ukraine is calling that move a trap.
And a planet worth protecting. We will take you to Australia, the U.S., and Mexico for this year's Call to Earth Day.
Now, it's 2:00 a.m. in Pakistan, where former Prime Minister Imran Khan is now in stable condition after he was shot in the leg and thigh at a
political rally. A spokesman for Khan is calling it an assassination contempt. Khan said in a statement that he believes senior Pakistani
officials, including current prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, were behind the attack. They are denying that.
In the wake of the shooting, pro-Khan protesters have broken up across Pakistan. Hundreds have gathered to block roads and chant slogans against
the current government. Well, police say a suspect is in custody after a shooting which also killed one person and more than several others.
Sophia Saifi is in Islamabad with more now on this highly charged act of violence.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SOPHIA SAIFI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the chaotic moments after the shooting, Imran Khan had to be carried out and whisked away from the
crowd. A gunman had opened fire at a rally intense of thousands of his supporters.
His target? Khan's party says was a former prime minister himself.
Shot in the lower leg, he was bundled to a bulletproof car and driven two hours to Lahore for surgery.
A party senior leader released a statement from Khan, saying Pakistan's old cricketing hero blamed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, his interior minister
and a senior intelligence official for an attempt on his life, calling for their removal from office.
It was, the government said, a grievous accusation.
Outside the hospital, people waited desperately for news. Protests broke out across the country, as news of the shooting spread. Six others were
injured in the attack and one was killed, according to a senator from Khan's political party, the PTI.
Please pray for Imran Khan, for our fellow workers who are injured, the senator says, and for a party member who has died.
Khan had been on the campaign trail to demand snap elections in Pakistan, after he was ousted in a vote of no confidence in the parliament just six
months ago, accused of bad governance and mismanaging the country's failing economy.
Sophia Saifi, CNN, Islamabad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: Now, as Ukraine's counteroffensive gets closer to the occupied city of Kherson, they are trying to decipher a confusing situation. That's
because Russian appointed officials say, its troops likely, their troops will likely withdraw from the city before Ukrainians arrive.
But Ukraine is not buying that. They're saying, there's no evidence that Russian troops are leaving. One official is calling it misdirection, saying
Russia is laying a trap to lower their guard.
Nic Robertson is joining me now from Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine.
And, Nic, just talk us through why Ukrainian officials are right to be cautious about this.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, psychological operations are key part of warfare and Ukrainians know because they just
pulled one over on the Russians a couple months ago. The Ukrainians spoke about having a huge offensive in Kherson. The Russians responded by pushing
troops from the northern front -- the eastern front down to the south, to defend Kherson.
And guess what? The Ukrainians had a lightning advance up here in the north along the eastern front. Why? Because they essentially tricked the Russians
into believing that the offensive was going to be in the south.
So, they are wary of what they're seeing in Kherson right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTSON (voice-over): A top Kherson's main government building, a change. No Russian flag. On a bus nearby, residents cheer, realizing the
Russian checkpoint is gone.
A city resident, whom CNN is not identifying for their own security, describes the changes.
[17:05:04]
There's no large armored vehicles in the city during the day, he says. And all the military checkpoints in the city are gone.
The region's Russian installed government told a Russian media propagandist, Russian troops are holding the city for now. But added, most
likely our troops will leave for the east bank.
What Russia is planning, not clear. Ukrainian officials fear deception.
NATALIA HUMENIUK, SPOKESPERSON, UKRAINE DEFENSE FORCES SOUTH (through translator): We see it and realize that these may be certain tricks,
military maneuvers, to build correct defenses as they see it. Nevertheless, we see that in Kherson, there are still regular units wearing civilian
clothes.
ROBERTSON: But Ukraine still claiming gains, Thursday, destroying several boats in Kherson port. And Wednesday, destroying a Russian surface to air
missile system. Often used to hit Ukrainian civilians in nearby Mykolaiv.
In the Black Sea, too, Russia appears on the back foot, as grain shipments resumed following Putin's reversal, his refusal this past weekend to
cooperate with the U.N. brokered deal, citing new guarantees from Ukraine.
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Russia reserves the right to withdraw from these agreements if these guarantees are
breached by Ukraine.
ROBERTSON: Another sign, according to Ukraine's president, that Putin is being forced to change.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Two hundred and fifty-two days ago, Russia demanded security guarantees from the United
States of America. After eight months of the Russian so-called special operation, the Kremlin is demanding security guarantees from Ukraine.
ROBERTSON: In Kherson, Putin's intent, still far from clear. Residents report plenty of Russian heavy weapons on the edge of the city.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTSON (on camera): Now, I don't think there's any doubt in the Ukrainian officials' minds they are going to take a Kherson. But they will
be very aware of what that means for President Putin. Kherson, the capital of one of the provinces that is illegally annexed and taken into the fold
of the Russian federation, it will be hugely embarrassing for him to lose it.
Russia, it appears, is developing a sort of narrative here that might get the around that awful specter of a terrible disaster loss for President
Putin, possibly by in trapping the Ukrainians and scoring some sort of victory, or at least being able to depict it as a withdrawal that they
said, they were going to do.
Again, it's not clear. This is warfare, psychological operations, or specialty and capability of both sides. But Putin, to lose Kherson, that
would be big and he will not want that to seem like an outright loss.
MACFARLANE: Yeah, a confusing picture there Nick, as you said. We will continue to keep a close eye on how this develops. Thanks very much for us
there live in Kramatorsk tonight.
Well, elsewhere in Ukraine, the United Nations nuclear watchdog says, it has not found any signs of undeclared nuclear activity at the three sites
it inspected. The inspection came after Moscow accused Kyiv of working on a dirty bomb. That's an explosive device laced with radioactive material.
Meantime, Ukraine's grid operator says the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant has been disconnected from the power grid. Again, the company says Russian
missiles hit to power lines feeding the plants.
All right. Coming up on THE GLOBAL BRIEF, a U.N. special envoy offers new figures about the number of people Iran has arrested during six weeks of
protests. And they are alarming.
And his far-right alliance helped bring Benjamin Netanyahu back to power in Israel. Now, the extremist lawmaker wants a powerful government role.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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MACFARLANE: Welcome back.
Let's take a look at the other key stories making international impact today. The U.S. and South Korea have extended their joint military
exercises after North Korea fired multiple missiles into the sea on Thursday. Reports suggest that North Korea might have also launched an
intercontinental ballistic missile that failed. Officials in Pyongyang called the drills' extension, a quote, dangerous and false choice.
The British government says it is ready to support a peace process between the Ethiopian government and Tigray forces. It comes one day after the two
parties agreed to a permanent cease-fire. It's a significant step towards the end of a two-year-long war that is left thousands of people dead and
millions in need of humanitarian help.
Police in Brazil are making progress clearing highways and roads amid protests against the result of Sunday's presidential election. Far-right
president, Jair Bolsonaro, let narrowly lost to leftist Luis Inacio Lula da Silva.
Bolsonaro took to social media Thursday to ask his supporters to clear the streets. The U.N. says, as many as 14,000 people have been arrested in Iran
in anti-government protests. It's a special Iran human rights envoy says thousands of students, journalists, and activists, are among those
detained.
Former U.S. secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, spoke about the protests here on CNN earlier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HILLARY CLINTON, FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I think that what we're seeing in Iran has been brewing for many years, and young people who are
connected to the rest of the world, who get to travel to some extent, certainly online, if not in reality, are just not willing to live with the
loss of freedom that is imposed upon them.
So, we are speaking out. It is -- it is something that, again, has to be calculated carefully because the regime is most likely to be softened up
and give into internal pressures.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MACFARLANE: A new right-wing government is taking shape in Israel, as final election results confirmed Benjamin Netanyahu will be returning to
power. The current prime minister, Yair Lapid, conceded defeat a few hours ago, calling to congratulate Netanyahu. The former prime minister will
serve an unprecedented sixth term. A far-right alliance helped Netanyahu's coalition won a majority of seats in parliament.
Now those extremist allies are pushing for key government rules. One of those allies, Itamar Ben-Gvir, wants to be put in charge of police. He
supports relaxing open fire rules against Palestinian rioters and wants security forces to be immune from criminal prosecution.
As Hadas Gold reports, Ben-Gvir has a long history of inciting anti- Palestinian hatred.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Until recently, this man, Itamar Ben-Gvir, was considered a fringe far right activist settler lawyer,
his signature white kippah almost always askew on his head, now a leader of the projected third largest bloc in the Israeli parliament, set to be a key
component of Benjamin Netanyahu's now likely comeback as prime minister.
The 46-year-old has been a provocateur since his youth. Once a supporter of the Jewish nationalist party, deemed a foreign terrorist organization by
the United States, and ultimately outlawed by Israel. He was once filmed holding a hood emblem he claimed was from a car of former Israeli Prime
Minister Yitzhak Rabin, an architect of Israeli-Palestinian peace process, vowing, we got to his car and we'll get to him, too. A Jewish extremist
assassinated Rabin three weeks later.
Exempted from the military draft, he says he was denied for his political views, Ben-Gvir became a lawyer, often representing Jewish extremist
settlers and famously hung a portrait in his home of Baruch Goldstein, an Israeli doctor who massacred 29 Palestinians in 1994 before being killed
himself. Ben-Gvir later tweeted he would take the portrait down.
In 2007, he told CNN the holiest, most contested site in Jerusalem, the third holiest site in Islam, is for the Jews only.
ITAMAR BEN-GVIR, JEWISH POWER PARTY LEADER: Temple Mount is for the Israel, for the Jewish people, not for the Islamic people. They have Mecca,
Medina. We have the Temple Mount.
GOLD: That same year, he was convicted for inciting anti-Arab racism and supporting terrorism.
In 2020, his sights turned to politics, winning a seat in the Knesset in 2021 and a platform that included annexing the West Bank, relaxing the
Israeli military open fire policy against Palestinian rioters, and pushed for the death penalty for terrorists.
He has spent his time in parliament attracting the spotlight. From stunts like pulling a gun during clashes between Israelis and Palestinians in East
Jerusalem, telling police to shoot Arabs who throw stones, to being forcibly removed from the floor of the Israeli parliament for calling a
fellow member, the leader of the Arab movement party who's also an Israeli citizen, a terrorist, saying he didn't belong in Israel.
Just last year, Netanyahu himself dismissed the idea of Ben-Gvir leading a government ministry, saying, "A minister? No. Not in my government."
But this year, his tune changed. Asked again if Ben-Gvir would be a minister, he answered, "Of course, he can be."
While vying to be put in charge of the police as a Minister Ben-Gvir, that could affect Israel's relationship with its most important ally, the United
States.
NED PRICE, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: And we hope that all Israeli government officials will continue to share the values of an open,
democratic society including tolerance and respect for all in civil society, particularly for minority groups.
GOLD: The extremist once shunned from Israeli politics now a top figure appearing on cooking shows and possibly soon the Israeli cabinet.
Hadas Gold, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: A new study shows that magic mushrooms could be a key to better mental health. It indicates the fungus mind altering substance
psilocybin could help people with depression. Scientists say patients who take a sympathy version benefit when they also get counseling about the
chips that the experience. But they say that the beneficial effects seem to wear off after three months.
All right. You're watching CNN. Stay with us. We'll be right back after this quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MACFARLANE: Welcome back to CNN second annual Call to Earth Day, environmental initiative that celebrates a plant worth protecting. This
year, we are focusing on the importance of our oceans with the team, living ocean turning the tides.
Through today, we have taken you around the world from Mumbai to Mexico to showcase conservation and education projects.
We begin our special coverage underwater in Australia with a glimpse of why grey nurse sharks should be treated like Labradors of the sea.
[17:20:04]
BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHALISE LEESFIELD, OCEAN AND SHARK CONSERVATIONIST: I know there is a huge stigma around town. They are scary. But I promise you, they are the
sweetest animals ever. They are so docile and curious. And they are like the laboratories of the city.
Unfortunately, the grey nurse sharks, the population at Fish Rock are critically endangered. So, bringing as much awareness to these sharks as
possible is just my mission.
My name is Shalise Leesfield, I'm 16 years old. And I'm an ocean and shark conservationist.
Fish Rock is actually home to one of the largest ocean cabins in the southern hemisphere, which is the 125 meter long cave that runs straight
through the rock. And diving there is just such an adrenaline rush.
I love to call Fish Rock a beacon of hope for these sharks because it's their home, it's where they aggregate, it's where they feed. And raise
their young pups. It's such a crucial base for them and to not have protection for such an important habitat for them is just devastating.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the dark of the cave. And then you can direct them where they want to go.
LEESFIELD: Unfortunately, from about the `50s to the `70s, they did have that reputation of being man eaters and very scary animals. So if you kill
them, you made the coastline safer, and you are a hero. So of course that cut their numbers right down and earned them that critically endangered
title. But there are numbers still have not caught back up.
They take, when they reach six to eight years old, that's when they reach sexual maternity and that's when they can re-breed and build their numbers
back up. But unfortunately, they are very slow breeders, because they only have 1 to 2 pups or baby sharks every 2 years.
Oh incredible. Insane. It's just bustling with life. A real aquarium.
The way that Fish Rock is at the moment, it isn't ideal. So of course there is always room for more protection.
We're thinking maybe 1,500-meter zone around the island where it's just no fishing and just for the sharks.
Being really young, it most definitely was a challenge. But it's just the mentality of not caring about how old you are and where you come from. Just
using your voice to speak up for just what you would love for me, which was the ocean.
As the younger generations, we are the ones that will be inheriting the earth and the ocean as well. So just not caring about, you know, who you
are and where you come from, and your age. And not letting that restrict you. Using your voice to speak up for what you love, and what you're going
to inherit, just makes it all worth it when you're going to see that snag tooth of the shark.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MACFARLANE: Mesmerizing, isn't it?
We all know that it's important to teach children about the ocean's role in the planet. We want to take you to projects that they're doing just that.
Gabriela Frias is in Merida, Mexico, joining us tonight, from an ocean fair.
And our Lynda Kinkade is at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta in the U.S.
Gabriela, just to you first, we know that children these days are so aware of climate change and the environment. Talk us through what the kids are
learning where you are at the ocean fair today.
GABRIELA FRIAS, CNN EN ESPANOL ANCHOR-CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christina, let me show you directly. You can take a look at this. It was raining early
today, so you see some of these kids. But they're learning about sea turtles, marine life, a workshop on reptiles. They will look at examples of
microfibers that end up in the ocean, and essentially, their connection between the ocean and livelihood, even if they don't live near the
coastline.
Also, they're talking about the oceans of witnesses of life. They will also take part and other workshops this afternoon but this is part of 12
pavilions. This is one of 12 pavilions that is part of who national park. This is a natural reserve.
It was created almost ten years ago but the moment that started all this was born point 27 years ago. So this is the way children get connected to
the relevance of the oceans in the world. At the same time, the teachers are the instructors are as young as eight years old. This is sharing
knowledge, scientific knowledge about the importance of the ocean.
This is a humongous effort from a group of scientists that just want to know how children experience nature, conservancy but in a different way
than adults.
[17:25:06]
They tell me that adults tend to be more tragic, more negative in the way they talk about conservation and children are not.
MACFARLANE: Gabriela, thank you.
Let's go to Lynda Kinkade because, Lynda, as Gabriela was saying there, discussing how important it is for kids to learn about conservation, tell
us what you've been seeing today. I understand that you had some pretty special guests at the aquarium today.
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I did, actually, I don't know if you got there earlier, Christina. I had the opportunity to swim with sharks, zebra
sharks. Right now, I am under the tunnel which host North America's largest aquatic habitat.
So here, children get up close and personal and see whale sharks, zebra sharks, sting rays, manta rays, you name it. These little fellows, the
zebra sharks, similar to the one I saw him earlier today, they are an endangered species because of the shark fin trade.
So, right now, children can hear about the efforts to find genetically compatible zebra sharks, harvest their eggs and send them to the other side
of the world to Indonesia where they are hoping to rebuild the wild population. They have already had some success.
In September, two eggs hatched. After two months, they'll release them to a marine protected area, so this is a world first, a huge collaboration
between aquariums, universities and conservation organizations. A lot of success with that program so far. We also got a chance to see the whale
shark feedings.
Now, you'll see sometime over the next 30 seconds or so, a whale shark passes over my head, there are two in this aquatic habitat, and they're
also endangered because their hunted for their friends, meat, oil. They're also a victim of caught in fishing gear, sometimes hit by ships.
So the aquarium stuff, the scientists are using their efforts to study their weight, their biology, their reproductive health. They educate
children about how they take that knowledge out into the field in exhibitions, to places like the Galapagos -- Christina.
MACFARLANE: Good on you, Lynda, for swimming with sharks. I'm not sure I have the courage to do that. I know that your three little girls were done
with you today at this conservation project, so lovely to see you educating the next generation. There they are, gorgeous girls. Lynda, thank you.
KINKADE: You would love it here, Christina.
MACFARLANE: Yeah, I can tell.
Thanks so much, Lynda. And our thanks to Gabriela as well, what an important day it is to highlight the causes.
Don't forget that you can always join in on the conversation at #calltoearth, and you can read more about it on CNN.com/calltoearth.
That is a perfect place to leave it tonight. Thank you so much for watching.
END
