Return to Transcripts main page
The Global Brief with Bianca Nobilo
UK Media: Government Sources Say Deportation Flight To Rwanda Will Not Go Ahead On Tuesday; Ukraine Weapons Support; South Sudan Aid. Aired 5- 5:30p ET
Aired June 14, 2022 - 17:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[17:00:20]
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome. I'm Lynda Kinkade, in for Bianca Nobilo. And this is THE GLOBAL BRIEF.
Tonight, we will deliver our policy. The British prime minister shutting down critics of his government's controversial Rwanda refugee scheme. The
first plane set to take off spotted on the tarmac just a few moments ago.
And then, as Russia makes progress in Ukraine's east, Western allies are deciding how many more weapons they're willing to send to the frontlines.
And, we will discuss why a major charity says funds have dried up in some of the most vulnerable countries. The World Food Programme now saying it
needs to suspend some of its aid to South Sudan.
Well, the first plane-load of migrants from the UK is being deported to Rwanda and it is expected to take off soon, despite intense opposition.
Now, the plane was spotted on the tarmac at the English air force base believed to be preparing to fly the migrants to Africa.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson hopes the new controversial policy will help deter people smugglers. Rwanda says it is ready to receive those
people and help them settle. Vans carrying the first deportees were seen driving down the road near the base just a few hours ago.
Critics of this policy, including the Church of England, says flying these vulnerable people to Rwanda is unethical and un-workable. In the case of
one Iraqi migrant, the European court of human rights just agreed with them.
CNN's Nada Bashir is tracking the controversial story for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NADA BASHIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, despite legal challenges and fierce criticism, the British government is pushing ahead with its first
deportation flights to Rwanda. But since the first high court legal battle on Friday, a number of individual deportation notices have been canceled.
The European court of human rights has even issued a ruling ordering the British government not to deport an Iraqi national who is set to be on
Tuesday's flight, stating that the asylum seeker had not yet exhausted all legal proceedings in the UK. The move could set a precedent for others
waiting deportation.
It was previously thought that more than 100 people had received those notices, telling them they would be deported to Rwanda. But according to
rights groups and advocacy groups involved in that legal challenge and directly in contact with the asylum seekers in the UK, that number has
dwindle down to single figures.
And we heard from Foreign Secretary Liz Truss speaking on Tuesday, she said that those that were not on the first flight would be on subsequent
flights. Home office spokesperson has said the flight with go-ahead even if only one person was on board.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson assured cabinet ministers on Tuesday, the government would push ahead with its plans despite the
criticism that it has faced.
BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: My message to everybody today is that we are not going to be in any way deterred or abashed by some of the
criticism that is being threatened upon this policy, some of it from slightly unexpected quarters. We are going to get on and deliver.
BASHIR: Now, the government of Rwanda has said that it stands ready to receive asylum seekers from the UK and has asked for the program to be
given a chance. But there is a much broader legal question here. The U.N.'s refugee agency, UNHCR, has described the policy as unlawful.
Meanwhile, human rights watch has warned over Rwanda's appalling human rights record.
The British government has said that the policy will do deter refugees and asylum seekers for attempting to make the dangerous crossing from Calais,
in northern France to the UK.
But we visited a number of those refugee camps in Calais. I spoke to asylum seekers there. And many told us they're undeterred. This is simply another
obstacle in an already long and difficult journey.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees also cast doubt on the British government's justification for the policy, and has said there must be
another way to deal with the issue of illegal migration.
Nadia Bashir, CNN, Paris, France.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, Doris Uwicyeza Picard is the chief technical adviser for Rwanda's minister of justice and the country's top legal negotiator for
this immigration partnership. She spoke to us earlier about the deal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DORIS UWICYEZA PICARD, CHIEF TECHNICAL ADVISER, RWANDA MINISTRY OF JUSTICE: This partnership, it's not about what we are getting per se. It's mostly
because of our history, the recent history. As Rwandans, we have an intimate knowledge of the plights of refugees, and we want to help. We have
-- this has always been reflected in our international policies.
We were at the forefront of the emergency (INAUDIBLE) evacuating people from the -- from Libya, who were trapped in Libya, and they were detained
under inhumane conditions.
[17:05:11]
And we brought them to Rwanda to a safe place where they can rest, to be accommodated, and be transferred to their third countries or be relocated
to Rwanda.
So, this is always been our practice. For those who believe it is inhumane, I believe it is because they are not aware of the details of this
partnership. It is very humane at its very core. It is about providing a safe haven to people in a community that is ready to welcome them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, Ukraine's president says Russia will go further than the Donbas if given the chance, urging U.S. to send more heavy weapons before
it's too. Late -- rushes gaining ground -- heat is severed all three bridges to Severodonetsk and is demanding Ukrainian troops there surrender.
But they're still holding out. Some troops are reportedly holed up in a chemical plant along with hundreds of civilians.
Ukrainian says Russian attack has gotten so fierce that people in the shelters can no longer stand it. It says it's trying to evacuate civilians
one by one and more pledges of help could come soon. The U.S. says it expects new announcements of weapons packages to Ukraine when dozens of
countries meets in Brussels on Wednesday.
Well, I want to bring in CNN's Ben Wedeman who is live for us in Poltava, Ukraine.
Good to have with us, Ben.
So, as this battle in the east of Ukraine intensifies, we have been hearing these call from President Zelenskyy wanting more weapons ahead of
tomorrow's NATO meeting of defense ministers. And we also heard from Ukraine's deputy defense minister who says that they've only received 10
percent of the weapons they've asked for.
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And the problem is, even if pledges are made or announcements are made at this 50-country
member country Ukraine contact group meeting, the problem is that it takes time. It takes time to train Ukrainian personnel in the use of these weapon
systems.
And what we found out, speaking to commanders, as well as ordinary soldiers, is that Ukraine cannot wait for these new weapon systems.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WEDEMAN (voice-over): American symbol, American weapon. Ukrainian troops try out new equipment, U.S.-supplied M4 rifles, fresh out of the box. Away
from the front lines, these soldiers are preparing to join the battle raging in the east.
This exercise is designed to test Ukrainian forces to the use of Western weapons. This is an American 50 caliber machine gun firing Italian bullets.
There's a problem, though, we're told there's not enough Western ammunition.
And not enough weapons, either. Even in this drill, much of the firepower dates back to the Soviet era. Ukrainian forces are slowly losing ground in
the battle for the eastern Donbas region.
Morale here is high.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning, Vietnam!
WEDEMAN: Yet no one believes these rifles will halt the Russian advance.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This, this is not enough.
WEDEMAN: Ukrainian officials say Russian artillery outnumbers their artillery at a ratio perhaps more than 10 to 1, used to deadly effect in
the city of Severodonetsk, now almost completely under Russian control. Big guns, not small arms, could help Ukraine turn the tide.
VITALI, UKRAINIAN ARMED FORCES: If I can protect myself as a soldier with this weapon, I can protect my comrades. But unfortunately, I can't clear my
country from invaders using only this rifle so we need more artillery. We need to have a rocket system, and serious weapon, because it's a modern
war.
WEDEMAN: The U.S. and its allies delivered advanced weapon systems to Ukraine, and more are on the way. But the army here is losing men at an
alarming rate, more than 100 killed in action every day according to Ukrainian officials.
We need a basic minimum to avoid more casualties. Artilleries, smart weapons, radar, drones, and people to train us says the commander,
Lieutenant Oleksandr, a veteran of the French Foreign Legion.
We've shown we will fight. We will train to use these weapons.
And that will take time, and time is a luxury that this nation at war cannot afford.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[17:10:06]
WEDEMAN (on camera): And at this point for Severodonetsk, it is too late. I was back there in April for a while and back then, it was clear the
Russians had a huge advantage in terms of artillery, for instance. The city was being clobbered every single day. And Ukraine, back then, needed these
weapons.
And here we are, what's? A month and a half later. The city is probably going to fall in the next days or perhaps weeks. These weapon systems that
the Ukrainians have made clear they desperately need have not arrived inadequate numbers to fend off would looks like a deadly and for Ukrainian
troops in Severodonetsk -- Lynda.
KINKADE: Yeah. All right. Ben Wedeman for us on the ground, some great reporting there. Thanks you thanks to you and the team.
Well, the war in Ukraine, as we have been discussing in recent weeks is worsening an already dire global food crisis. And now, further 1.7 million
in South Sudan could be at risk for starvation. The World Food Programme announcing it needs to suspend some of its aid to the country.
The decisions come as the World Food Programme grapples with severe funding shortages -- conflict, climate change and soaring food prices have already
left over half of South Sudan's population with food insecurity.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADEYINKA BADEJO-SANOGO, WFP ACTING COUNTRY DIRECTOR FOR SOUTH SUDAN: We are particularly concerned with these cuts, especially because these cuts
are happening at the start of the lean season when families have completely exhausted any food reserves, and are likely to continue to suffer acute
levels of hunger, as the lean season deepens.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Let's bring in Marwa Awad, a spokesperson for the World Food Programme. She joins us from Bentiu, one of the hardest hit areas in South
Sudan.
Good to have you with us.
Just, if you can, just describe what's sort of impact this global food crisis is having on the area that you are in. What are you using?
MARWA AWAD, SPOKESPERSON, WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME SOUTH SUDAN: We have been warning about tremendous needs rising in South Sudan for months. Last year
we had to cut our Russians down to about half the size to be able to stretch the little resources that we have to reach more people. But now,
because of lack of funding and lack of resources, we are being forced to humanitarian triage. We are focusing on our assistance on are the group of
people who are the most in need, who would not be able to survive without our assistance, that would be 45 million people. As a result, we are unable
to reach 1.7 million people who are slightly better off than their brethren in the camp that were reaching.
But as the food crisis continues, those people will continually fall down, slide down the scale of hunger.
KINKADE: And it is really a double whammy, because many countries are starting to feel the impact, not just the impact of food no longer being
exported from the Ukraine and Russia, which provide typically over a tenth of the world's calories, but also these cuts to funding, this aid that is
often being redirected to Ukraine right now.
In terms of the number of people, you mentioned 1.7 million people will no longer get help from the World Food Programme in South Sudan, what's sort
of rations are the currently on?
AWAD: Well, we stopped providing rations to the 1.7 million people, and this includes 170,000 schoolchildren who will no longer be receiving school
meals. School meals are a very important magnet for families who are incentivized to send their children to schools and to finish their
education and make something of their lives.
Unfortunately, Ukraine has just the latest in a series of problems that have been harming or be setting the people of South Sudan. There was
continual flooding since four years ago, still happening. I'm here in Bentiu, the places completely underwater. In addition to ongoing violence
and at the same time displacement of people losing lives and all means to survive.
It's very unfortunate because when I speak to people on the ground like I did today, they are really desperate. You can see the desperation in their
eyes because they know that tomorrow they can survive today tomorrow or next month will not be able to go on.
[17:15:07]
And we are witnessing a lot of negative coping strategies such as families pulling their children out of school, no school meals, families are poor so
they would rather pull the child out of school, to have been held, to either work on the streets or even child marriage. We are very concerned
about girls in communities where we are no longer able to reach them.
So, what's important to highlight is that humanitarian action in South Sudan has worked in the past. Last year, we helped to stave off famine in
some of the worst off areas, specifically in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area. We managed to pull people back from the brink.
What we need now is the larger community, international community and donors to not forget about South Sudan and to support WFP and agencies to
continue serving people here, as long as they need to. South Sudan is a very young country. It is only about 11 years old. People need more help
than they're getting right now.
KINKADE: All right. Marwa Awad, we have to leave it there for now. Great to have you on the program. We do urge our viewers if you can to help with
donations of any kind.
Well, food and fuel shortages have become huge in Sri Lanka. The government is giving thousands of workers a day off to tend their home gardens. The
South Asian nation has been ramped by protests as it suffers its worst crisis in decades. It's making it difficult to pay for imported food, fuel
and medicine, so the government is giving every public sector worker Fridays off so that they don't have to commute, and can spend a day growing
food at their home.
U.S. President Joe Biden will visit Saudi Arabia next month, the country that he once described as pariah. The White House says Mr. Biden was
invited by King Salman and will participate in a summit with other Gulf monarchies. He's expected to see the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, who
U.S. intelligence assesses was responsible for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre faced questions about the president's positions towards the controversial prince.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KARINE JEAN-PIERRE, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: We've spoken to this before, the president is focused on getting things done for the American
people.
MJ LEE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The question that I asked though, does he believe that MBS was responsible for Khashoggi's death?
JEAN-PIERRE: You know, the murder of Jamal Khashoggi was something that we and so many others around the world took very, very seriously. He issued an
extensive report on Khashoggi's murder --
LEE: Does he believe --
JEAN-PIERRE: Go ahead. I have already answered the question.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE; Well, still to come, after the break, the family of missing British journalist Dom Phillips say that they're not getting the full story
from Brazilian officials. We will have what President Bolsonaro is saying next.
And stunning images that highlight a global problem, climate change bringing record-breaking heat waves to all corners of the planet. A look at
what can be done about it when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[17:21:21]
KINKADE: We have an update on our top story.
The UK press association and "Reuters", quote, government sources are saying the migrant deportation flight bound for Rwanda from the UK will not
go ahead as planned. Sources say that due to last-minute interventions by the European Court for Human Rights, all the migrants onboard that plane
had been removed. We will bring you more updates on this story as we get them.
Let's take another look at other key stories making international impact today.
The Cambodian court has handed down jail sentences to an American lawyer and dozens of other opposition figures for conspiring to commit treason.
Theary Seng who is dressed there as the Statue of Liberty said that she expected to be found guilty. Rights groups as well as Washington say this
mass trial is politically motivated.
Freelance reporter working for "The New York Times" has been convicted and fined by a court in Zimbabwe. He was found guilty of producing fake
accreditation documents for two of the newspaper's journalists. A media watchdog calls this a monumental travesty of justice.
The family of missing British journalist, Don Phillips, say that they have received contradictory information from Brazilian officials. Phillips and
Bruno Pereira, a Brazilian indigenous expert, disappeared in a remote region of the Amazon on June 5th. Phillips' family say Brazilian officials
told them on Monday that two bodies have been found. Police later denied that.
Well, from Central Europe to India from the United States to Chile, almost every corner of the globe, there are heat waves producing destructive and
sometimes that the situations. Spain right now is entering its earliest heat wave in more than 40 years. Temperatures are reaching more than 40
degrees Celsius in some areas. Forecasters wonder if the hot weather system will move to France and the UK in the coming days.
And now to the hottest March on record, India and Pakistan are dealing with more record breaking heat. Pakistan's climate ministry says that the
country jumped from winter to summer without experiencing any spring. Health officials in the U.S. state of Texas are warning residents to stay
indoors and drink plenty of liquid. They say that a heat wave is baking the southwest state. It could be fatal for people not prepared.
CNN's chief climate correspondent Bill Weir has been tracking these global hotspots.
Good to see you, Bill.
Give us a sense of what is causing these so-called heat domes we're seeing around the globe.
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Lynda, it seems that the science is still -- you know, they are working on the early days of this,
but the preliminary hearings these days is as the poles are getting warmer and the subtropical latitudes -- the jet stream, which is normally sort of
a built that goes around the top of the planet that controls the weather and keeps everything cool, the warm this time of year below that is
wobbling.
It forces these heat domes to move slowly as a pattern. Both North America and Europe, as we're seeing today. He is the silent killer. This is the
statistics are often under reported as they look back. It could be heatstroke or a heart attack, or something else. Heat stress related that
can take lives.
Just another example of the cruelty of the comic races, a price on the most vulnerable, the lowest on the bottom rungs of the economic ladder, seniors,
the most vulnerable among us. We are seeing that now.
And the heartland of the United States, there are about 500,000 people without power this morning. Just as they hit 110 degree Fahrenheit, 40
degrees Celsius there and, of course, air conditioning is survival in these horrible situations.
[17:25:05]
And so, unfortunately, the forecast for the summer is that this will be the norm for months now, as he said, and it has not officially begun.
KINKADE: It is absolutely crazy. And, Bill, today, here in the U.S., the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee met to discuss a short and
long term solutions for the extreme drought that we are seeing in the Western part of the U.S. What are some of the solutions being discussed?
WEIR: Well, I mean, there is only so much you can do other than rain dance, in some cases. It really comes down to conservation. Ultimately,
there are too many people and not enough water to go around, especially around the Colorado basin, 40 million people depend on that. The reservoirs
that are the banks of life Powell, like Mead, have sunk to precipitous lows, really threatening the livelihood. They had to release upstream
reserves, much to the chagrin of people who are sort in cooler, greener areas, where the water does not evaporate as fast, in order to save desert
cities, water supply downstream.
You know, there is an old saying, Mark Twain is attributed, but no one knows for sure that whiskey is for drinking and water is for fighting, when
it comes to water rights in the American West. We are certainly seeing that in real time these days.
KINKADE: Yeah, we certainly are. Bill Weir, our CNN climate correspondent, good to have you with us, thank you.
WEIR: Thank you, Lynda.
KINKADE: And a reminder on the update that we brought you on our top story. The UK press association, Reuters, are quoting government sources,
say that the migration flight bound for Rwanda from the UK will not go ahead on Tuesday as planned. The sources say that due to last-minute
interventions by the UK court of human rights, all the migrants on board the plane have been removed. We will bring you updates on that story as we
get them.
Thanks so much for watching. I'm Lynda Kinkade. That was your GLOBAL BRIEF. I'll see you again tomorrow.
END
