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One Hundred Days of War in Ukraine; President Biden Calling Action on Gun Violence; Queen Elizabeth Celebrates Platinum Jubilee; African Food Crisis Increase as the War in Ukraine Continues; New Cases Force Lockdowns In Multiple Shanghai Neighborhoods; U.S., China Wrestle For Influence In South Pacific; UK Celebrates 70 Year Reign Of Queen Elizabeth. Aired 2-2:45a ET

Aired June 03, 2022 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to "CNN Newsroom" everyone. I'm Michael Holmes. Appreciate your company. Coming up here on the program, 100 days and counting since Russia's invasion. Ukraine battles unrelenting attacks with utmost resolve.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: My fellow Americans, enough. Enough. It's time for each of us to do our part.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: The U.S. president pleads, urging lawmakers to do something about senseless gun deaths.

And celebrating 70 years on the throne, throngs of admirers' honor Queen Elizabeth on her platinum jubilee.

It has now been 100 days since Russia invaded Ukraine in a war that has cost thousands of lives and left entire parts of the country in ruin. Some of the fiercest battles right now are happening in Severodonetsk. Most of the city now in Russian hands.

But Ukraine's president says his troops are withstanding the powerful onslaught. Volodymyr Zelenskyy estimates about 20 percent of Ukraine is under Russian control. Most of it in the Donbas region. A top Ukrainian military officer says the fighting is intense, but there are no plans to withdraw from Severodonetsk.

Further south, local officials report one person was killed when a Russian missile hit a school being used as a shelter. This was in Kharkiv. Russia claims it struck a military command post.

Joining me now from Canberra, Australia, Malcolm Davis. He's a senior analyst of Defence Strategy and Capability at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Always good to see you, Malcolm. Let's talk about Severodonetsk. What would be the significance of Ukraine using that in a territorial and tactical sense? What would it mean on the broader battlefield?

MALCOLM DAVIS, MILITARY ANALYST: Well, Russia supposedly has control of most of Severodonetsk. From Severodonetsk they can increase pressure on Ukrainian forces in assailient (ph). That is an exposed pocket of Ukrainian forces with the aim being to defeat those forces or certainly, encircle them from the north and south. And the goal would be, for the Russian forces, to advance towards Kramatorsk, which is further to the west of Severodonetsk.

That would be a big victory for the Russians if they could do that. For the Ukrainians, obviously, they need to hold that off and defend that salient (ph). And that's going to become very challenging for the Ukrainians in the coming weeks.

HOLMES: The Ukrainian military intelligence is predicting that Russian troops will increase air and missile strikes on critical infrastructure and try to seize the entire Black Sea coast of Ukraine, all the way around to Transnistria, Moldova. Are Russian forces in your view capable of that right now or likely to be in the near future?

DAVIS: They're not capable of it right now. I think that they are seeking to, essentially, defend against Ukrainian counteroffensives, particularly around Kherson. But if the Russians can hold off long enough to reintroduce new forces into the battle, into that region, then potentially they could breakthrough Kherson and advance to Odessa.

The objective in controlling that southern coast would be to, essentially, cut Ukraine off -- cut Ukraine's access off from its maritime trade and thus leave it a completely landlocked state. And that would make it very difficult for Ukraine to survive economically.

It would also give Russia a greater ability to essentially control the flow of wheat coming out of Ukraine. And thus, that would give Russia great bargaining power in any international negotiations over the outcome of this conflict.

HOLMES: Yes. And to that very point to, I mean, do you think Russia is now just wanting to consolidate, put in place, you know, so called facts on the ground, so that any territory gained is territory kept in a future deal, not that Ukraine would agree with that, but you think that's what Russia's trying to do?

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DAVIS: I think so. That's certainly what they want to be able to achieve, to control the Donbas, which includes Donetsk and Luhansk, and control the south coast. That gives them an assured access to Crimea, which is probably one of the most important territories for Moscow's perspective to control.

But it also gives them a position where by they can then strengthen their forces over time and ultimately launch a follow-on attack into Kyiv at some future date. So, any negotiated settlement that we sit down and talk to the Russians over must sow the seeds of a future conflict. It's certainly not going to mark an end to the war and a return to the status quo ante.

HOLMES: Always a fascinating discussion, I wish we had more time. We don't. Malcolm Davis in Canberra. We'll check in with you again. Thanks so much.

DAVIS: Thank you very much.

HOLMES: A Ukrainian helicopter pilot is describing for the first time his daring rescue mission flying into the Azovstal steel plant. Video released by Ukraine's military shows part of the flight. The pilot says Russian anti-aircraft defenses may it very difficult, very dangerous. And despite being hit by a Russian missile, he was able to get 20 wounded people out.

Ukraine's president says many people died during the seven missions that were carried out involving 16 helicopters. Ukrainian defenders held that plant for weeks before Russian forces eventually took over.

And President Zelenskyy says Ukraine's military has held back Russian attempts to advance on Zaporizhzhia in the south. The city is close to Russian held territory. It is also the closest thing to a safe haven that many desperate Ukrainians can find. Some of those displaced have been living in their cars for weeks and have nowhere to go. CNN's Melissa Bell has our report.

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MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Alive and safe, but stuck in Zaporizhzhia. Some of the families that fled the Russian bombings of southern Ukraine. Others have just found themselves on the wrong side of a line that is hardened. Some of these families now living in their cars have been here for weeks.

Olena Babak (ph) came from the Black Sea town of Skadovsk to buy medicine for her elderly parents. She's now living with others in the open air.

Look, she says, he's just had surgery. My husband's without a leg. This grandmother is recovering from a stroke. I can hardly sit, she says. My legs are swollen. Can I just get back to Kherson or is this some kind of cruel joke? Please, just let me die in Kherson at home.

Some of the families bringing their anger to Zaporizhzhia regional administrative building.

Like Alexi Ismailof (ph) who fled Mariupol with his wife, but has had no contact with the rest of his family for three months.

ALEXI ISMAILOF, UKRAINIAN: They still stay in Mariupol. And during three months, I don't -- has any contact. What happened with my father, with my sister? I like to come back and help. I like bring them to Ukraine. BELL (voice-over): Marina Notanova who's in charge of social services

for the greater Zaporizhzhia region says humanitarian aid has been hard to bring because her teams to the south of the city are now without communications. She tells us that it will also be necessary to tell those trying to return of the dangers they face.

MARINA NOTANOVA, DIRECTOR, SOCIAL PROTECTION, ZAPORIZHZHIA MILITARU ADMIN (through translation): It's very dangerous there, she says. So, this will be discussed with them at this new filtration camp, to find out why they want to go and whether they understand the risks.

She says that beyond the water already being provided here, they will soon be a medical center, showers and a room for mothers and children. For now, these families wait. Just hungry to get home. Melissa Bell, CNN, Zaporizhzhia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Now, in a rare primetime address, the U.S. president made an emotional appeal to lawmakers to pass gun control laws as the nation, of course, reels almost daily it feels like, from a scourge of mass shootings. He says, too many everyday places in America have become, what he called, killing fields and battlefields.

Joe Biden calling the refusal of many Republicans to even debate gun reforms unconscionable. He says, quote, "We can't fail the American people again and it is time for common sense to kick in."

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BIDEN: After Columbine, after Sandy Hook, after Charleston, after Orlando, after Las Vegas, after Parkland nothing has been done. This time, that can't be true. This time we must actually do something. This isn't about taking anyone's rights. It's about protecting children. It's about protecting families.

For God's sake, how much more carnage are we willing to accept? How many more innocent American lives must be taken before we say enough?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: President Biden is calling for a ban on assault weapons like these. He also wants stronger background checks, as well as so-called red flag laws. CNN's Kaitlan Collins lays out the major proposals for us.

KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. President Biden delivering this rare evening address at the White House, but it came after he was briefed on three separate shootings within just three weeks. And the president clearly fed up with the violence that he's seen taking place in the United States after coming face to face with a lot of the victims' families.

The president using the word enough several times throughout his speech, saying it was enough carnage that it has happened. That there is time for change. And where he thought that change should happen is in Washington. And you saw the president repeating a lot of the lines he's drawn before when it comes to guns, saying that there should be a ban on assault weapons, calling for universal background checks, new red flag laws. Also, gun safety storage laws. Talking about that aspect as well, which is something that has in part of those negotiations on Capitol Hill.

But you also sense the part of realism in the president's remarks. Because when he talked about this ban on assault weapons that he wants to see reinstated, you also saw the president say, if that's not going to happen, they should at least raise the age of which you can purchase one of those assault weapons from 18 to 21.

The president even pushing back on criticism that you've heard from Senate Republicans as recently as this week saying, well, it's different because they can be 18-years-old and in the military. The president said he views that differently because those, of course, are 18-year-olds who are trained by some of the best people in the military on how to use those weapons.

And it's a different dynamic, he argued. And of course, his audience here was not just talking about what the American people have been through seeing this violence, seeing this carnage, but also these negotiators on Capitol Hill. As the president was using the words that victims' families in Texas, in Uvalde, Texas, had used to him the words "do something." He was saying he was giving that message to Congress. Kaitlan Collins, CNN, the White House.

HOLMES: It seems incredible that it has only been 10 days since the massacre at the elementary school in Uvalde in Texas. And during that time, those 10 days, there have been 28 mass shootings in the U.S., coast to coast. All the communities you can see here on this map from Tacoma over in Washington on the west coast, to Kissimmee here in Florida, and then Cleveland, Ohi, Phoenix in Arizona.

More than 100 victims, just think about that, in 10 days. President Biden on Thursday reminded Americans that guns are the number one killer of children in the U.S. More than car accidents and cancer. And what seems like an endless cycle of mass shootings here in the United States has Americans grasping for answers. CNN's Brian Todd takes a look at recent tragedies and what practical measures experts say could make a difference.

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WENDELL FRANKLIN, CHIEF, TULSA POLICE DEPARTMENT: This is yet another act of violence upon an American city.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Another news conference.

UNKNOWN: We are grieving with you.

TODD (voice-over): Following another mass shooting in America. Four people gunned down inside a hospital in Tulsa, on the heels of the massacre of children and teachers in Uvalde, Texas, on the heels of murders of 10 people at the grocery store in Buffalo.

CHETHAN SATHYA, DIRECTOR, NORTHWELL HEALTH'S CENTER FOR GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION: The fact that these mass shootings are now just happening at such frequency is really, really scary.

TODD (voice-over): The news conference in Tulsa comes on the same day the alleged Buffalo shooter, Payton Gendron appeared in court for an arraignment on several murder and domestic terrorism charges. Since the beginning of the year, there have been more than 230 mass shootings nationwide, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

Twenty of them just since Uvalde, with 105 people shot and 17 killed. CNN and the Archive define a mass shooting as one that injures or kills four or more people.

TODD (on camera): As Americans, have we basically given up and accepted mass shootings as normal?

JEFFREY IAN ROSS, CRIMINOLOGIST, UNIVERSITY OF BALTIMORE: That's my fear. I think we've become desensitized. We see on our nightly news of people killed in mass shootings and we start saying maybe there's nothing we can do about it.

TODD (voice-over): Making the problems of mass shootings even harder to solve, analysts say, is the fact that the shooter's motives are often so varied. In Buffalo, a young man who authorities say was driven by racial hatred. In Uvalde, a troubled young man overwhelmed with rage.

[02:15:00]

In Tulsa, a man apparently upset with a doctor who performed back surgery on him.

ROSS: I think at the basis of much violence is a grievance or disrespect. We talk about, you know, violence interrupters, better conflict resolution, that sort of the things. Skills are being taught. I'm not sure that that's the answer. It can't hurt.

TODD (voice-over): And it's not just the lives lost, it's the whole country that suffers, experts say, including children who see constant reports of mass killings and have to go through active shooter drills at school, always with the underlying fear that this could happen to them.

SATHYA: PTSD, future behavior health issues, substance use issues, you know, not feeling safe in their own homes or their communities and not being able to really excel and reach their full potential. I think that's absolutely a concern. And future generations are going to suffer tremendously if we don't fix this now.

TODD (on camera): Regarding how to fight this epidemic, the experts we spoke to say it might be better for the U.S., at least initially, not to focus so much on the repealing the Second Amendment, given how hard that would be politically, but instead approach it like a public health crisis and strengthen some safety measures like background checks, red flag laws, and safe stories laws. Brian Rodd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Still to come here on the program, the queen's platinum jubilee will soon enter day two, but we've learned that the monarch will not be attending the next part of her celebrations. Find out why when we come back.

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HOLMES: In just a few short hours, the second day of festivities for Queen Elizabeth's platinum jubilee will kick off in the U.K. Thursday's celebration is a roaring success, full of royal pageantry.

A once in a lifetime event began with the trooping of the color to honor Britain's longest reigning monarch. The Queen along with the working members of the Royal Family waved to crowds from the Buckingham Palace balcony as jets formed overhead.

Look at, that forming a 70, the number of years that her majesty has served on the throne. CNN's Anna Stewart joins me now live from Windsor with an update on what's going to come. But first of all, the Queen is going to miss the thanksgiving service. Bring us the latest on why.

ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: Good morning, Michael. Yes, her majesty, the Queen had a very long, very active day yesterday, particularly of course for a 96-year-old who suffers mobility issues. So, she will be taking today as a rest day. She actually lives here in Windsor, Windsor Castle, here behind me.

[02:20:02]

So, yesterday, if you think about it, she traveled into London, all made up, ready for the world's cameras, stood on that balcony for trooping the colors to take the salute, then for the fly pass with all of the family. She then actually travelled back to Windsor and it was here that she started off the ceremony of the beacon lighting, which you probably have pictures of.

And that was at 9:30 p.m., so, our team here was actually all asleep. So, it was a very long, very active day. Buckingham Palace told us that she experienced some discomfort and that is why she won't be making appearance today. However, they were very keen to emphasize that she really, really enjoyed the first day of the jubilee celebrations.

And I think all the thousands of people and there were literally thousands. We were surrounded yesterday, who are all there to pay their respect to the Queen, all hoping just to catch the tiniest glimpse of her on that balcony. I think they'll be thrilled to know that their presence was counted and that she really enjoyed herself. Michael?

HOLMES: I just love that a 96-year-old monarch outlasted you, Anna Stewart. What's on the program today for the jubilee? STEWART: Well, a little less party, a little less pomp and pageantry.

Today, the main event is at St. Paul's Cathedral. There'll be a service of thanksgiving and the key theme here really is giving thanks for people who have performed public service, public duty. A key one being her majesty's 70 years of public duty, but 400 people who have also dedicated their lives or committed some act of public duty will all be invited there as well.

So, you can expect to see lots of key workers and people who worked through the pandemic. We're also expecting to see Prince Harry and Meghan the Duchess of Sussex at this event. They kept a very low profile yesterday, of course, no longer being working members of the Royal Family. They weren't on that famous sort of balcony scene for the fly pass.

They were spotted by the tabloid press watching trooping the color from inside the Major General's office. No sign yet of Lilibeth or Archie. We're not sure actually whether they were in the U.K. Of course, yesterday, pretty much the best crowd pleaser I think was Prince Louis for the fly pass, so I'm sure you all have seen the pictures, covering his ears because it was so loud, there's always one.

So, I hope people see some of the Royal kids turn up there today at St. Paul's Cathedral. But yes, I think it'll be a great day. Max Foster is going to be joining us in those few hours with lots, lots more. Michael?

HOLMES: I was just watching the ear covering there as you spoke. Long day -- long day for you yesterday. Another one ahead. Anna Stewart, always a pleasure, good to see you.

All right, celebrations in honor of Queen Elizabeth aren't just being held in the United Kingdom, but around the world.

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British forces based in Cyprus there, holding a beacon lighting ceremony, that included a charity concert by soldiers and local musicians. And Australia's new prime minister, lit the commonwealth beacon in Canberra, as the government announced that an island in the nation's capital will be renamed Queen Elizabeth II.

CNN's coverage of the Queen's platinum jubilee begins in less than two hours with Max Foster at St. Paul's Cathedral. You can watch the celebrations 9:00 a.m. in London, 4:00 in the afternoon if you're in Hong Kong.

Now, some of the world's most vulnerable populations maybe on the verge of severe food shortages due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. We'll explain what one African leader is trying to do about it, when we come back.

Also, just as a Shanghai begins making progress against its recent COVID outbreak, a setback. Coming up, why the city that just eased restrictions is putting some neighborhoods back in lockdown. We'll be right back.

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[02:25:00]

HOLMES: Welcome back. I'm Michael Holmes. You are watching "CNN Newsroom." The war in Ukraine has now raged for 100 days and the impact being felt all around the world especially when it comes to food security.

Ukraine, a major grain producer, and many countries rely on its wheat, barley and sunflower. That's about half of Ukraine's grain exports, some 22 million tons can't be shipped right now because of Russia's blockade of Ukrainian ports. The United Nations now warning that up to 15 million people worldwide are at risk of hunger because of this conflict.

Now, many African nations are especially vulnerable to disruption of grain shipments. The head of the African Union expected to meet today with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, about freeing up critical shipments of grain and fertilizer.

CNN's David McKenzie joins me now live from Johannesburg. This meeting especially relevant for African nations because they will -- many of them will suffer the most from these shortages, right?

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Michael, it's a real crisis in the making here. This knock on effect of the long running, well, 100-day running Ukraine war is this impact on food security. You know, the head of the World Food Program called that blockade that you described, a declaration of war on global food security.

The Russians are surrounding Odessa ports and other ports with ships and navy ships and also, they've mined them, which has effectively stopped the export of millions and millions of tons of grain and other agricultural products out of Ukraine, a powerhouse of agricultural exports.

Now, you're right. This has an impact across the world, but especially in a number of countries in the African continent. For example, Macky Sall, the president of Senegal, who is meeting with Vladimir Putin today in Sochi, in the Black Sea coast, his country depends for 50 percent of its wheat imports from both Ukraine and Russia.

Somalia, for example, depends on 90 percent of its imports. So, in the initial weeks, this will have an impact on prices. But we might really see an impact on just the availability of food itself, which could have a very severe outcome for many countries on this continent, Michael?

HOLMES: Yes, speak to the political significance of this meeting, too. I mean, they're showing that Vladimir Putin is an entirely frozen out, politically. A lot of African countries reluctant to take sides in the Ukraine conflict, right?

MCKENZIE: That's a very good point. It's significant for the Kremlin that a head of state is meeting with Putin and the head of the African Union, in Macky Sall. And it does show that if not friends, certainly Putin still has countries, leaders, regional blocks that are willing very much to talk to him, to try solve some of these issues.

Earlier this week, Macky Sall, that same president, complained that the sanctions, particularly on the SWIFT payment system are affecting African countries when it comes to trying to buy Russian grain and fertilizer. The E.U. countering with the fact that Russia started this war. But there is, as this drags out, complications and possible chinks in the armor, trying to force Russia to stop this aggression.

The African continent, in particular, not universally, but certainly many countries here have a more ambivalent attitude towards criticizing Russia. And part of that I think is just the necessity to secure food stocks in the coming months, Michael?

HOLMES: All right. Fascinating stuff. David McKenzie, good to see you, my friend. Thanks for that there in Johannesburg.

[02:29:58]

OPEC has announced an increase in oil production in response to the falling output from Russia because of western sanctions. The Cartel will boost supply by almost 650,000 barrels a day in July and August. The announcement sent oil prices higher on Thursday, but they have come down a little bit since then, the U.S. praising Saudi Arabia for OPEC's decision. Some analysts believe it could lead to improve relations between the two countries. President Joe Biden is set to meet with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman later this month.

Each time Shanghai takes two steps forward in its fight against COVID, it seems to take one back. Multiple neighborhoods are now sealed off after seven new cases were reported on Thursday, just a day after the city eased restrictions. For more on all this, I'm joined by CNN's Steven Jiang in Beijing. It's a cruel twist, isn't it? Some people being rid locked down just a day after being freed? Is there going to be more of this, do you think?

STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU: Michael, there was little doubt about that because Shanghai officials and indeed authorities from across China hadn't made clear they're going to stick to very strict enforcement of this country's zero-COVID regulations.

Now, it is -- part of that, of course, is whenever a new positive case emerges, an entire residential commercial building or complex will be placed under lockdown again, which is why we've already seen dramatic video of people literally fleeing from a shopping mall in Shanghai upon learning a positive case may have recently visited the location.

That's why it's always worth remembering when we are talking about the reopening of Shanghai or other Chinese cities, it's really not about a return to pre-pandemic normalcy as we are seeing in other parts of the world.

The reality here is even though residents in Shanghai, for example, have regained some degrees of freedom of movement, they were faced with increasingly pervasive and invasive COVID measures that are here to stay. That means the constant need of scanning those so-called location QR codes to allow the authorities to track your every move in the name of contact tracing. That also means in the case of Shanghai getting tested every 72 hours in order to access most public places.

Now, numerous residents there already telling us there was growing frustration or even anger about the chaos in many of those testing locations and telling us they had to wait for hours to get tested if they got lucky. Even though the authorities there had promised to set up over 10,000 such testing locations, it seems that many failed to open it either turned out to be under-equipped or under-staffed.

So all of this, of course, calling into the question again, the sustainability of this zero-COVID policy, but so far, there was a little indication President Xi Jinping would change his mind if anything. Local issues -- local officials have been told to stick to zero-COVID but also trying to minimize the economic and social impact of its enforcement, which just seems to be a mission impossible.

But state media has said zero-COVID is China's "magical weapon" in dealing with the pandemic. So, Michael, let's see if they can make some magic in the coming weeks or months. Michael.

HOLMES: Some of those residents probably not feeling too magical. Steven, good to see you, thanks for that. Steven Jiang in Beijing. Wow.

Well, a COVID vaccine for the youngest Americans might soon be on the horizon. The COVID White House czar, Dr. Ashish Jha says children under five could be eligible for vaccination as early as June the 21st. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's vaccine advisors will review data submitted by Pfizer and Moderna during a meeting on June 14 and 15, then the agency will decide whether or not to recommend the shots for that age group. After that, it goes to the Centers for Disease Control for review, and director Rochelle Walensky will need to give the final green light.

It's a game of geopolitical chess in the South Pacific, and China just came up short in the latest round. This week, Beijing failing to get what it wanted in its sweeping attempt to expand its influence in the region. But the U.S. and Australia are now racing to outplay China and make sure the strategic region stays out of its orbit. Ivan Watson with the details.

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IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): To many outsiders, island nations in the South Pacific or a tropical paradise, exotic and remote, and get the focus of intense diplomatic activity from China, part of a Chinese push for influence that's turning the blue Pacific continent into a zone of geopolitical competition between China and its Western rivals. China's foreign minister has been leading a delegation on a whirlwind 10-day tour across the South Pacific, meeting face to face or virtually with officials from at least 11 different Pacific island nations. Most of these countries' entire populations are dwarfed by even a small Chinese city.

[02:35:01]

WANG YI, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTER: Speaking a foreign language.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't be too anxious. Don't be too nervous. Because the common development of the prosperity of China and all other developing countries would only mean greater harmony, greater justice, and greater prosperity of the whole world.

WATSON: The last time great powers competed in the South Pacific was World War II when the U.S. and its allies fought a grinding island- hopping military campaign against Japan. Since the war, many Pacific islands still have close ties to the U.S. and its Western allies. But in March, that status quo was shaken with the leak of a secret security agreement between China and the Solomon Islands signed the following month. It allows the Solomon's government to call for help from Chinese police and armed forces.

In May, the release of another proposed document, the Chinese Pacific Island countries' common development vision, a sweeping vision slammed by the President of the Federated States of Micronesia. In this letter, he accuses China of offering attractive economic assistance as part of a bid to take control of security, communications infrastructure, and fisheries in the islands. Just days after being sworn in to her new job, Australia's Foreign Minister rushed to shore up Western support for the region.

PENNY WONG, AUSTRALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: And Australia will be a partner that doesn't come with strings attached, nor imposing unsustainable financial burdens. We're a partner that won't erode Pacific priorities or Pacific institutions.

WATSON: During his visits, China's Foreign Minister refused to take questions from independent journalists.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That no questions will be asked at this press conference.

WATSON: Prompting a boycott from reporters in the Solomon Islands like Dorothy Wickham.

DOROTHY WICKHAM, SOLOMON ISLANDS JOURNALIST: And we wanted our government to remember that we were a democratic society. I mean, they are in Parliament, for the in democratically by the people. And if there were the (INAUDIBLE) around signing agreements with foreign powers, then at least our people should be informed.

WATSON: Meanwhile, the prime minister of Fiji has a warning.

FRANK BAINIMARAMA, FIJIAN PRIME MINISTER: Geopolitical points cutting, means less than little to anyone whose community is slipping beneath the rising seas, whose job has been lost to a pandemic.

WATSON: On Monday, Chinese diplomat backtracked offering a softened vision of Chinese influence in the Pacific, expect more visits from high-level delegations in the months ahead as foreign governments scramble to secure influence in the South Pacific. Ivan Watson, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Now, the truce in Yemen will remain in place for at least two more months. The UN says all sides in the conflict have agreed to extend the truce which was set to expire on Thursday. Under its terms, all military operations will remain on hold while oil shipments to the Houthi rebels will continue as well as international commercial flights from the capital. International negotiators are trying to cut a permanent peace deal and the U.S. says the truce is a good sign.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NED PRICE, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: This extension brings further relief and hopes to millions of Yemenis. This is a pivotal moment for Yemen. Yemen has the opportunity to continue this progress and choose peace instead of war, suffering, and destruction.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Seven years of fighting have devastated Yemen turning it into what some called the world's worst humanitarian crisis, the war pitting a Saudi-led coalition against the Houthi rebels, backed by Iran.

Still to come here on the program. Britain's Queen Elizabeth celebrating her Platinum Jubilee, a look at the pomp and the pageantry when we come back.

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[02:41:18]

HOLMES: Welcome back. Well, Buckingham Palace pulled out all the stops on Thursday to mark Queen Elizabeth's seven-decade reign is a little bit of the colorful Platinum Jubilee spectacle from the Trooping the Colour parade to the Royals on the palace balcony to a memorable fly past.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Queen Elizabeth undeniably has the starring role of course, at her Platinum Jubilee but when she joined the family at Buckingham Palace to watch the Royal Air Force fly past on Thursday, she was upstaged by her great-grandson there, William and Kate's son, Louis stealing the show, covering his ears at the roar of the Jets.

The four-year-old's mouth was so wide open, it made his mum, the Duchess of Cambridge, laugh. Other times -- don't laugh at a four- year-old. Other times, the Little Prince seemed a little bored, but he gathered himself long enough to give everyone a cheery goodbye.

Thanks for spending part of your day with me. I'm Michael Holmes. "WORLD SPORT" starts after this short break. I'll see you tomorrow.

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[02:45:00]

(WORLD SPORT)