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United Kingdom Under Extreme Temperatures; Travels Disrupted by Heat Wave; Ukraine Fighting on Two Enemies; Russian Soldier Fights for Ukraine; Vladimir Putin Met with Iran's Leader; Grain Trade on the Table for Turkey-Russia Meeting. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired July 19, 2022 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
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LYNDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. You are watching CNN Newsroom. I'm Lynda Kinkade.
Just ahead, tarmac melting, train services suspended, fires raging and Europeans baking in a so-called heat apocalypse.
Well, as his war rages on in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin makes a rare trip out of Russia today. A live report on his objectives in Iran.
Plus, crisis in Sri Lanka as the parliament gears out to vote for a new president. Its acting leader tells CNN the previous government was covering up the facts about the country's economic disaster.
UNKNOWN: Live from CNN center, this is CNN Newsroom with Lynda Kinkade.
KINKADE:LEMON: With U.K. is bracing for what could be its hottest day of all time. In the coming hours temperatures in England could reach 40 degrees Celsius or higher which is about 104 degrees Fahrenheit.
Monday was Britain's third hottest day in record with Suffolk hitting 38 degrees Celsius. Wales also broke its own heat record. The blistering temperatures are doing a real number on public transportation. Melting tarmac caused delays at London airport near London.
And railway crews are watching for trucks bending and buckling. Paris is also preparing for sweltering weather. Temperatures there could reach 39 degrees Celsius today. And in southwest France wild fires have charred some 11,000 hectares forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate.
In Spain, fires forces state railway company to suspend service between Madrid and Galicia. Passengers onboard this train could see flames in the distance when looking out the windows.
And Portugal's drought is going from bad to worse triggering wildfires that have been raging for days. CNN's Melissa bell has a closer look at the threats across parts of southern Europe.
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Southern Europe in flames. Vast waves of the Mediterranean engulfed by wildfires driven by the sweltering temperatures of Europe's second heat wave this summer from Portugal through Spain, Italy, and France where one of two massive fires near the city of Bordeaux continue to rage and spread.
Down here on the ground you get a real sense of what the firefighters are facing. These parched conditions the earth already dry for so many months of high temperatures and those high temperatures still continuing. What the firemen in this case, French Air Force firemen having to do is find those parts of the fire inside the contained zone and put them out as quickly as they can.
For nearly a week now temperatures across Europe have soared. In Spain and Portugal, more than 1,000 people have died amid record heat with temperatures set to rise further and as far north as the United Kingdom.
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STEVE BARCLAY, BRITISH HEALTH SECRETARY: With a clear message to the public is to take the sensible steps in terms of water shade and cover. We're asking people to keep an eye out for their neighbors and those who may be vulnerable.
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BELL: The Rome region has declared a state of emergency. After several weeks of drought some Italian towns now banning the use of water for washing cars and watering gardens with fines of up to $500.
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UNKNOWN (through translator): It's ridiculous because the population tries to save money by having the vegetable garden and then you prevent them from watering it. I understand not washing the car and watering your garden but the vegetable garden it's absurd.
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BELL: These are the beaches of southwestern France, the Atlantic coast where so much of France is accustomed to coming to spend its summer holidays, and yet the beach is completely evacuated, the camping grounds as well, many of those thousands of people who've been off to go elsewhere where people who come here on holiday.
To places like Cazaux now the scene of a battle being waged day and night in the face of record temperatures and changing winds.
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JEROME FLEITH, FRENCH AIR FORCE (through translator): There is no let-up in our efforts. It tests our equipment and our men but we have to hold the line for as long as it takes.
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[03:05:01]
BELL: A desperate battle against time and temperatures that are set to rise further still. Melissa Bell, CNN, Cazaux, France.
KINKADE: Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri is standing by live at the weather center but I want to bring CNN's Nada Bashir in who is outside Kings Cross railway station in London. Good to see you out there in the heat for us. Our thanks to you, because we know that U.K., Wales, Ireland all sweltering, experiencing these record hot temperatures. Just explain how these conditions are impacting transport.
NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Yes. Well, it's having a significant impact on transport. We're outside King's Cross, one of the busiest stations in the capital. And if you just look at the departures board walking in there are significant delays, significant cancellations as a result of the intense heat.
The infrastructure on the national rail service simply not built for the kinds of temperatures that we saw yesterday and today. Now the message that we've been hearing from the national rail service simply is, do not travel unless it is absolutely necessary. There are warning signs across the station advising people not to attempt to make those journeys unless it is absolutely necessary.
Not only of course because of the health risks associated with the intense heat and traveling in that intense heat, but also because of the infrastructure. And what we saw yesterday is this, the overhead wires and the actual steel rail lines along the tracks overheating causing the situation on the tracks to be unsafe for travel for these trains to actually pass through.
And what we've also heard from network rails that trails are having to move at a slower pace as a result of those safety precautions. So, there are significant delays, and that has really cause major disruption across the rail line. Between midday today and later in the evening no trains will be leaving Kings Cross to head up to the north of England as a result of those disruptions.
This is expected to become the norm in this hot weather unless of course major changes are made to those rail services in order to be able to cope with the heat. And that has been a key focus for the British government.
We know that those emergency cobra meetings were held over the weekend. We are expecting the government to continue those into departmental meetings not only to focus on the health contingency -- contingency plans, but also to look at how the U.K. is prepared to handle it in terms of infrastructure.
As you mentioned there, we saw a significantly high temperature today. Those are expected to be even higher potentially reaching above 40 degrees Celsius, that's around 104 degrees Fahrenheit. The infrastructure in the U.K. simply not prepared for that kind of heat, Lynda.
KINKADE: And Nada, it's not just trains impacted, planes are also affected. And despite these extreme conditions, schools are staying open, but with the disruptions we are seeing with transport, are people choosing to stay home? What sort of advice are authorities giving?
BASHIR: Well, it's been a bit of mixed messaging. That we have heard of course that advice not to travel unless you absolutely have to because of the intense heat. With schools for the most part have remained open. We heard from the deputy prime minister, Dominic Raab speaking on Sunday ahead of that sweltering heat we saw yesterday.
He said that it's safe for children to go to school, that they should be going in. And that those precautions are in place to ensure that the conditions at school are safe in terms of the heat. But we've seen a number of schools shutting early, asking parents to come and pick up kids earlier from school as a result of the heat.
And of course, there are concerns around the health risks. The advice that we've been hearing from the government is to take those extra precautions, stay out of the intense heat during the day, avoid it where possible, keep an eye on the elderly and on young children. To ensure that they aren't suffering the side effects of perhaps heat stroke or heat exhaustion, and of course to make sure you're drinking fluids.
Here at Kings Cross just yesterday they were handing out free bottles of water to people in the station to make sure that they are keeping hydrated during this intense heat. But of course, as we continue to see those temperatures rising, we've heard from experts that this is going to become the norm in the summer months.
These temperatures are way above average for this time of year, but with the effects of climate change temperatures are expected to become more extreme more frequently. And we have heard from the government minister, Kit Malthouse, who have been overseeing the U.K. government's preparedness for this heat wave.
He said that over the Monday, Tuesday heat wave over that 48-hour period the government is going to be learning some pretty key lessons when it comes to how to deal with this heat, both in terms of the infrastructure challenges, but also, of course, in terms of the health risks associated with that.
Now working very closely with the National Health Service and the ambulance service in order to ensure that they are prepared to deal with what is expected to be an influx of course as a result of all this heat wave. Lynda?
KINKADE: All right, Nada Bashir for us in London, our thanks to you. So, Pedram, what can we expect in the coming days, and what does this signal about what this summer is going to be like?
[03:10:06] PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's going to be a long summer, Lynda. You know, when you think about summer actually only being about three and a half weeks old here, it really speaks to the significant a potential here for additional rounds of heat to be experience over the next several weeks and several months as well.
But across in London, in particular, less than 5 percent of homes and residents there have access to air conditioning units. You get into the higher end apartments. Of course, the businesses you'll find air conditioning units but less than 1 percent of the U.K. in its entirety among the lowest in all of Europe also has access to AC units.
And notice, 50 percent chance we could exceed 40 degrees across areas of England, 80 percent chance record temperatures could be observed. What's really most impressive to me at this hour, a little after eight in the morning, local time, the temperature in London currently at 28 degrees. That is warmed up 4 degrees from the previous hour alone.
The average for this time of year into the afternoon and what is climatologically the hottest time of year is 23 degrees in London, so we've already exceeded that by 5 degrees at 8 in the morning. And again, the temps really going to expand farther here over the next few hours into the upper 30s and close to 40.
But here's the all-time temperatures observed in each country whether it be Portugal, Spain, France, and the U.K. July 2019 was across areas of Cambridge there were a 38.7 was observed. You can mark the 19th of July 2022 potentially as the new record holder once we get to this afternoon for the all-time warmest weather.
And notice, just yesterday, temps pushing up very close to that at 37.8 across Jersey airport, that's right here in the English Channel where the average high this time of year in the warmest time of year is around 20 degrees. Now here's what it looks like. We expect the 38 in London, a 41 in Paris, work your way towards areas to the south temperatures cooled off a little bit compared to what we've seen in recent days.
But a sense of perspective here shows you what's happening with London actually, potentially getting warmer than what Tehran is expected into the afternoon hours on this Tuesday. Good news. We do have a little bit of a marine influence coming in here as we go in from Wednesday into Thursday. Expect those temperatures at least for those northern cities to drop off close to a seasonal average.
And by tomorrow, even into the afternoon it'll actually be cooler than what it is right now at 8 in the morning. High is expected to be 26 degrees. Paris also at 26 degrees. And it really important to note, right here in the middle and latter portion of July to early August is typically when you experience the hottest weather
So, this is what you expect this time of year, but certainly not this far removed from what is average and that's really what's most impressive. And even across the United States significant bouts of heat here in place where upwards of 50 million Americans dealing with these excessive heat alerts, temps there as warm as 45 degrees will feel like.
And we expect this to continue for a few days before at least some brief reprieve as in store here, but again, for them, a reprieve is the upper 30s versus what has been the low to mid-40s over the last several days.
So, we'll follow this carefully because the long range forecast once again, Lynda, shows excessive warmth set to continue. A lot of the records that we've seen sat across portions of the United States, portions of Europe as well, are just two to three years old. We don't long -- no longer talk about these records having stood for say, 80, 100, 150 years. These are things we've seen repeatedly in 2003, 2008, 2019, and in 2021, and of course now in '22 we've seen similar records go down again, Lynda.
KINKADE: Yes. Talking about reprieve there it doesn't feel like a high 30s is much of a break from the heat. Pedram, thanks so much.
The U.N. secretary general is warning that half of humanity is in, quote, "danger zone for extreme weather." He talked at a climate change conference that no nation is immune, and yet we continue to fade our fossil fuel addiction.
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ANTONIO GUTERRES, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: This has to be the decade of decisive climate action. That means trusts, multilateralism and collaboration. We have a choice, collective action or collective suicide. It is in our hands.
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KINKADE: Well, since the start of the year heat records are far outpacing cold temperature records across the planet. There been already nearly 190 all-time heat record set in recent months. more than 50 in just the past week. And all indications will continue -- it seems to be that this is going to continue with greater frequency because of global warming.
Well, the demand to power -- for power to cool homes and businesses could drive Europe into an unprecedented gas crisis in the coming days. While the Nord Stream 1 pipeline is set to reopen this week after maintenance work there are concerns Russia could keep the taps turned off in retaliation for E.U. sanctions. The International Energy Agency is warning more needs to be done to reduce the reliance on Russian power in the coming months.
It is something the French president is addressing with his counterparts from the UAE. They met in Paris Monday to discuss the new agreement to guarantee the supply of diesel from the UAE to France.
[03:15:07]
Well, now to Ukraine where allegations of treason are fueling more government shake-ups and exposing the shadow war happening behind the scenes of Russia's invasion. On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy officially asked parliament to remove the head of Ukraine security service known as the SBU.
A day earlier Zelenskyy suspended his security chief along with a top prosecutor saying they failed to (Inaudible) Russian collaborators from their ranks. He says dozens of workers within both departments are operating against Ukraine in Russian occupied territory while many others is suspected of treason. The news might just be the site of much wider perch among the security establishment.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): Personnel audit of the service is taking place. The issue of dismissal of 28 officials is being considered, different levels, different directions but the grounds are similar, unsatisfactory job performance.
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KINKADE: Well, even as those accusations shake Kyiv, Russian troops are continuing their relentless attack. Ukraine says at least seven missiles were fired at the port city of Odessa overnight, hitting homes and other civilian areas. Officials say at least six people were wounded including a child.
Today as Ukraine says its forces are still fending off Russian advances in the Donetsk region, a key target in Moscow's push to capture the entire Donbas. And new weapons supplied by the west could help turn the tide against Russia. In particular, Ukraine's military says longer-range artillery is playing a critical role as they mount a counter offensive on Russian held territory in the South.
Well, nearly five months into this war we've heard of a number of stories of foreign fighters choosing to take up arms to help the Ukrainians.
Well, now CNN's Scott McLean has the story of a Russian soldier disillusioned with the Putin regime now fighting to defend Ukraine. And a warning, some of the images we're about to show you are graphic.
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SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: These are Ukrainian troops striding past the burnt out remains of Russian tanks in March. "The resorts of Ukraine are waiting for you," one of the hottest tourist shouts Stepan Kaplunov, the soldier shooting the helmet cam footage. In another video he's heard a ranging transport for a wounded comrade pulled out of the line of fire. Later, they're narrowly missed by an incoming round.
None of this is uncommon for a front-line Ukrainian soldier, what's uncommon is that Kaplunov is Russian. He showed us his identification to prove it. We met Kaplunov at a rehab center for soldiers on the outskirts of Kyiv where he is recovering after being hit by Russian tank fire. He was defending the eastern suburbs of the capital.
STEPAN KAPLUNOV, FIGHTING FOR UKRAINE (through translator): I remember that (Inaudible) are very badly can cost and my ears were bleeding. Plus, I had damage to some internal organs in the shrapnel wounds in my eye. So, when they came to my senses after a few seconds, I could not see anything. I tried to crawl away and wanted to blow myself up with a grenade to avoid being taken prisoner.
MCLEAN: He wanted to die because he says if caught, he would have been tortured killed or imprisoned. This month, the Russian parliament passed a treason law explicitly banning its citizens from fighting with foreign armies against Russia punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
Kaplunov was born in Ivanovo, about 150 miles northeast of Moscow. He says he joined the Russian military and even served in Syria. He says he was never a fan of the Putin regime but never felt compelled to leave until 2014 when Russia invaded Ukraine.
KAPLUNOV (through translator): Well, I'm not going to say is that 100 percent of my motivation was exactly justice. There are some predispositions in people. People who like adventure and risk taken and I wanted to put my military skills to good deals. I thought that the right and deserve to be helped.
MCLEAN: His decision cost him some friends back home and earned him the ire of the Russian state. The Russian government's official newspaper listed him among hundreds of people suspected of terrorism or extremist activities. He says he's fought with different units of the Ukrainian military since he arrived eight years ago beginning with the Azov battalion which at that time was associated with white supremacists and even embraced neo-Nazi emblems.
He openly describes himself as a Ukrainian nationalist but insists he is no white supremacists or neo-Nazi. He proudly sports a born to kill tattoo and another with the German phrase widely used as a battle cry throughout history, but also linked to the Third Reich, victory or death.
[03:20:09]
"That's my motto in life," he says. But in 2019, a pro-Russian blog claimed he has a Swastika tattoo on his chest which he denied but refused to prove it.
KAPLUNOV (through translator): I don't want to pull my shirt off but I don't have this tattoo.
MCLEAN: Have you ever had?
KAPLUNOV (through translator): No. I don't need to prove anything to anyone.
MCLEAN: His case illustrates the complex realities of this war and the ideological and propaganda war being waged in parallel to the real-life battlefield. Russia has sought to justify its invasion by magnifying a small minority of far-right extremists in Ukraine, while Ukraine has also accused the Russians of being racists and Nazis. Extremist or not, Kaplunov knows he can never return to Russia, nor
can he go back to the front lines. Though he says that when his wounds finally heal that's exactly where he's going.
Scott McLean, CNN, Kyiv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, Vladimir Putin is on a rare foreign trip visiting Tehran to meet with both the Iranian and Turkish presidents. Their main focus is on Syria but other topics will likely include Ukrainian grain exports to largely frozen due to Russia's naval blockade.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also renewed his threat to hold bids from Finland and Sweden to join NATO.
CNN's Clare Sebastian is joining us with more on this from London, our Jomana Karadsheh is standing by for us in Istanbul. Good to have you both with us. I'll start with you first, Clare.
The president of Russia and Iran begin meeting last hour. What does Russia want from this meeting, what are Putin's objectives?
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So, with Iran, Lynda, this is an interesting one, because this is the second time the two leaders will have met in the last month. This is an alliance that Russia is trying to cultivate two countries under heavy international sanctions that trying to increase trade.
They say that trade increased 80 percent over the course of 2021 and they're targeting much bigger goals than that. So clearly, there's economic cooperation there.
There is also a sense that Russia wants to show its continued influence here on the international stage taking part in the so-called Astana-format -- format talks on Syria. The three sort of countries involved in that, Iran, Turkey and Russia have not met in person since before the pandemic, so a significant moment here.
And of course, coming just three days after U.S. President Biden held his big trip to the Middle East cementing the U.S. alliances in that region. This is a chance for Russia to build its own alliances as a counter to that and reassert its own influence in the region.
And the other part of this that will be closely watched is that U.S. intelligence revealed in the last week that it believes that Iran is getting ready to supply Russia with up to several hundred it said, drones including weapons capable drones.
Now Iran has dismissed this. Russia has said no comment on this so we don't have confirmation that this is happening but they will be closely watched for any clues as to this potential military cooperation between the two sides as well.
KINKADE: All right. Our thanks to you, Clare. I want to go to Jomana in Istanbul. Jomana, the talks were outlook as having a focus in Syria. What does Iran hope to gain by hosting the leaders of both Russia and Turkey.
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Lynda, Iran is the center of dynamic diplomacy according to the Iranian foreign minister who put that out in a tweet yesterday. Clearly, a message here from the Iranians that despite attempts by the west to try and isolate Iran that it remains an important player on the global stage, that it is able to forge alliances with different countries.
Now that being said, as Clare mentioned there, talks known as the Astana talks between these three main players in the Syrian conflict have been taking place for years now and there has been cooperation between these three and various summits and meetings.
A short time ago, we saw the welcoming ceremony for President Erdogan there. And I have to say, Lynda, it did not appear like the warmest meeting between the Iranian and the Turkish presidents, perhaps no surprise their relations have been strained in recent years between the two countries.
Tensions rising in recent weeks after we heard from the Israeli saying that working with Turkish authorities, they disrupted what they said was a plot to target Israeli citizens and tourists here in Turkey and in Istanbul, so a lot to discuss there.
But all eyes are going to be on the two key issues there on the table. You've got the issue of Syria and Ukraine. President Erdogan is going to be holding a bilateral meeting with President Putin in the coming hours.
[03:24:54]
We expect that they're going to be discussing that grain corridor out of Ukraine. As you know, Turkey, a key NATO member also maintains strong ties with Russia. It also those two presidents have a good working relationship and truly Turkey has really tried to use this to emerge as a mediator between Russia and Ukraine.
And we've seen perhaps some initial success when it comes to the issue of unblocking the export of Ukrainian grain. A meeting last week took place in Istanbul between the United Nations, Turkey, Russia, and Ukraine and they've reached some sort of a potential agreement on this grain corridor. We're expecting a second meeting this week, and perhaps the signing of an agreement has also been suggested for this week.
But the one thing I can tell you, many in this region specially in Syria are going to be keeping a very close eye on, Lynda, is the issue of Syria when it comes to that trilateral meeting between the three leaders. Turkey has made clear that it is ready to launch a new military offensive into northern Syria. It has reinforced its troops there.
It has, we've heard the threats from the Turkish leadership saying that they're ready to launch another offensive right now to clear Syrian Kurdish forces that Turkey views as a national security threat. It views these Syrian Kurdish fighters as a terrorist organization and existential threat to this country and that they're going to launch an operation to push them back from some of these border regions.
But because of the complexity of the Syrian, of Syria, really, they will not be able to do this, Lynda, without some sort of a green light from the -- from the Iranians and the Russians. Of course, the two key players, they are backers of the Syrian regime.
So, we'll have to see what comes out of this. We know that the Syrian Kurdish authorities in northeastern Syria have declared a state of emergency, so all eyes on that meeting. Will there be a military offensive or will they be able to reach some sort of an agreement to avert a military operation.
KINKADE: Yes, we'll see if Turkey gets that green light. Jomana Karadsheh, good to have you with us from Istanbul. Thanks very much.
Still to come, Ukraine looking ahead to rebuilding and recovering following Russia's brutal invasion, all while rooting out corruption. I'll speak with the journalists in the country about this when we return. Stay with us. You're watching CNN.
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KINKADE: Well, the people of Ukraine are facing the enormous challenge of rebuilding their country in the wake of Russia's devastating invasion. Officials estimate that the recovery could cost at least $750 billion. World leaders and international organizations have outlined a plan in recent weeks to fund the reconstruction.
But amid the ongoing war and rebuilding the country is also rooting out corruption. Well, let's bring in Natalya Gumenyuk. She is a journalist me now from Slavic in Ukraine. Thanks so much for joining me.
[03:30:02]
So, you're an independent journalist. You've been traveling the country, checking the pulse of the nation at a time as when Russia is ramping up attacks on civilians. You are writing that Ukraine was far from perfect when the war began, struggling with corruption, mismanagement, the centralization of power. Describe for us how the war has changed what Ukrainians value.
NATALIYA GUMENYUK, JOURNALIST: I cannot say that it's exactly the war. I think the very critical where the whole last eight years, since 2014, since Euromaidan revolution, then there was the first attempt of Russia to annex Ukraine. And, you know, there was still that, still that time we did have the democratic government, the opposition, and all the effort into reform.
Of course, things are far from, you know, perfect. But I don't think there is any country, like, which is fully perfect. However, while traveling all around the country and I've been to major affected areas to the religious and talks to hundreds of people on different level. I do see that first of all, on the level of values, it became clear that, you know, for the people despite is no, it's not about ethnicity. It's not about history. It's really about the way of life that people have the right to choose. The people, have the right to, you know, choose the life they want now.
GUMENYUK: But I understand that there are still other things apart from, you know, like these personal freedoms. So of course, a lot of people I talk to they really say that, you know, for them the right to choose, the right to go to the elections means that they want to keep their politicians accountable, the local government.
And what I also feel very strongly that of course, Ukraine as many countries today, they are politically polarized. But I've seen how the cooperation between the government and the, you know, cities and the people from the various political parties, because we often have the cases when the governor would be from the governing party, the mayor would be from the opposition.
Yet, wherever I go in most of the towns in regions in Ukraine, they cooperate because they do understand this threat for them is existential.
KINKADE: Yes, exactly. They all have a common threat right now. This week, Ukrainians -- Ukraine's President Zelenskyy fired two top officials. The biggest shake up of his government since the war began. The reason given is that the people working for them are accused of treason, of helping the Russian state. How are Ukrainians responding to that news?
GUMENYUK: Because we were speaking about the head of the Secret Service and the security council and the general prosecutor, both of them are very close to President Zelenskyy. The head of the security service is a person with whom he worked for 20 years.
And I think it's symbolically important because the, not like accusation, the reason they are suspended, they're not really fired but suspended, is that in the Southern Ukraine, they figure out that there were people working for Russia or at least are suspected.
And we are speaking about the dozens of the prosecutors in Kherson region. It's really like when the southern Ukraine. We know that Russia, you know, like messed up into the Ukrainian, stayed for, for years, for years. But it seems, but -- but it's important and received more positively that, you know, it would be OK.
There is little distrust to the head of this Secret Service or the general prosecutor, but it would be unfair to leave them at their position if, you know, they failed within the last couple of years to let's say, clean up the law enforcement in this situation. So, it's rather seen as a party positive development.
KINKADE: So Ukrainian officials are estimating that the country's post-war recovery plan could cost as much as $750 billion. How can Ukraine rebuild civil society once it effectively ends in many parts of the country?
GUMENYUK: But I do think that the civil society, first of all, the economy really matters because just now driving to the place I am, you know, the big town of Chernihiv it's situated on the rivers. Two months ago, all the bridges were, you know, broken, destroyed. It means like the big town is just cut down from everything.
Now I see that there were temporary bridge, but it brings economy back and, you know, that's what is really important. Give another example. I'm currently in the town of Slavutych. It's a town which is just not far away from over the river from the Chernobyl power station. It was built after the tragedy and you know, it's workers of the stations are working there.
Technically, all the workers used to go there. We are trained through Belarus prior to the war. Now it's impossible. So, you really need to think big how you totally redevelop some of the things in the country.
[03:34:52]
So, it's not just about, but just shortly mentioned. I know a lot of anti-corruption activist. I talked to the anti-corruption prevention center. It's not like people are rosy and thinking that now Ukraine is perfect or because it's war, everything is solved. But we haven't registered any major scandal.
And what I also can ensure that there were issues with the corruption, but if we speak about the eight last years, the you know, the legacy of this government as well, we didn't have any major scandal when, for instance, there was a mismanagement or misuse of the foreign funds.
So, it's not about what people promise and what they say. We can really look at the track record of what was happening within the exactly last eight years when the current government, the current civil society kind of bear responsibility because it's their legacy.
KINKADE: All right. Well, we would love to talk to you again sometime. Good to get your perspective, Natalia Gumenyuk, thanks so much.
GUMENYUK: Bye. Thank you. Bye.
KINKADE: Still to come, Sri Lanka's acting president tells CNN the previous government was covering up the facts about the country's economic disaster. More from our exclusive interview, next.
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KINKADE: Welcome back. In Sri Lanka, three candidates be nominated by members of parliament to be considered as the country's next president. Lawmakers are expected to select a new leader Wednesday when parliament reconvene to hold a secret ballot.
Sri Lanka's ruling party is backing a Ranil Wickremesinghe who is serving as acting president after the previous president was forced to resign last week.
Sri Lankans view Mr. Wickremesinghe as part of the political elite that destroyed the nation's economy. And his nomination threatens to inflame an already volatile situation right across the country. Demonstrators hit a tipping -- demonstrations hit a tipping point early this month when protestors took over government buildings. CNN's Will Ripley spoke with the country's acting president who blames the previous administration for covering up the facts about Sri Lanka's financial crisis. He has more now on the expected changes in the leadership of the country.
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: On Wednesday, the parliament here in Colombo will decide who takes over as president for the remainder of the former president, Rajapaksa's term. And the front running candidate is the current acting president and former prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe.
Now, we had a chance to sit down with him. It's his first interview since becoming acting president, his first international interview anyway, and he sat down and was very candid about the challenges facing Sri Lanka right now, a nation that is in crisis, a nation where people are waiting days for things like food and fuel and medicine.
[03:40:02]
A nation that is so deeply in debt that it cannot pay off the interest on its loans, but he seemed pretty confident that once stability and calm is restored here, he can turn the economy around. He thinks he's the right person for the job. Despite the fact that protestors have been calling for his resignation, they set his house on fire.
And he talked about, you know, really candidly, his former boss, the former president who's now fled in exile most recently to Singapore, as far as we know. He said, and I think this is really an attempt to try to distance himself, that the former administration was not telling the truth.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RIPLEY: You said earlier as president, it's important to tell the truth. Do you think that the previous administration was telling the truth to the people of Sri Lanka?
RANIL WICKREMESINGHE, ACTING PRESIDENT OF SRI LANKA: No.
RIPLEY: They were not.
WICKREMESINGHE: They were not.
RIPLEY: They were lying to the people.
WICKREMESINGHE: They were covering up facts.
RIPLEY: What were they covering up?
WICKREMESINGHE: That we are bankrupt, that we need to go to the answer this.
RIPLEY: So, what would you like to say to the people now truthfully as somebody who could very likely be their next president?
WICKREMESINGHE: We'll tell the people I know what they are suffering, we have -- we have gone back. We have to pull ourselves up by the booth reps, but we can do it. We don't need five years, 10 years, by next year let's start stabilizing them. And by the end of, certainly by 2024, let's have a functioning economy which we start growing, export-oriented economy, a dynamic economy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
RIPLEY: He said getting Sri Lanka back on track means that they have to restore stability here in Colombo and other areas where there has been a large amount of civil unrest.
I mean, it was just a couple of weeks ago that protestors occupied the presidential palace. They briefly occupied the prime minister's office. They set the prime minister's residence on fire. He says that will not happen on his watch. He has issued a state of emergency. He has authorized the police and military to take whatever steps are needed to keep protesters, allow them to peacefully protest, but to keep them from occupying any other government buildings.
And that is something that, potentially could lead to clashes here on the streets of Colombo, given that there are huge protests scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, local time.
Will Ripley, CNN, Colombo.
KINKADE: Bhavani Fonseka joins us from Colombo, Sri Lanka. She's a human rights lawyer and a senior researcher for the think tank Center for Policy Alternatives. Good to have you with us.
BHAVANI FONSEKA, SENIOR RESEARCHER, CENTER FOR POLICY ALTERNATIVES: Thanks, Lynda.
KINKADE: So, Bhavani, I'll get more to that interview in just a moment, but I want to start with the fact that this is a critical week for Sri Lanka. Wednesday parliament is set to elect a new president, paving the way for a new government. Who is likely to get that job?
FONSEKA: Well, Lynda, the process started today. A matter of hours ago, we found out that there are three in the running, Ranil Wickremesinghe, Dullas Alahapperuma and Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Because in less than 24 hours we will find out who is likely to be our next president.
This is a critical time considering the crisis that we are facing. Now, it's very unclear who will likely get the majority of the votes. And it is up to the members of parliament to vote and decide. So, we'll have to see. There's a lot of, I think, negotiations happening in terms of the different parties in parliament. But this is a decision with the members of parliament. So, we, as citizens, will have to watch this very closely.
KINKADE: And as we just played that sound, that exclusive interview, with CNN, Wickremesinghe, the former prime minister, now the acting president, he claims he didn't know about the fact that Sri Lanka was bankrupt and needed to go to the International Monetary Fund. And he blames the former president. Do you think people believe that? How could he not have known?
FONSEKA: Well, there is a huge trust deficit that the present acting president is facing. That's Ranil Wickremesinghe many unhappy and says that he is not to be trusted. That he's a continuation of the old problem that he's a Rajapaksa.
So, I'm surprised at any politician now is saying they were not aware of the scale of the problem, because even last year, opposition members of parliament were saying that -- the government needs to go to the IMF, that we are heading towards an economic crisis.
So, I'm surprised that the president acting president who is now in the running for the post is saying that he was not aware and the government was lying because there were indicators things were becoming very, very dire.
KINKADE: Yes, and it certainly sounds like he is campaigning for the top job. Given his comments about, saying that he believes that by next year by 2024, that the economy will be back up and running.
[03:45:04]
He said that, there'll be a functioning economy, which will start growing, an exported-oriented economy, a dynamic economy. Do you think that that can happen in such a short period of time at such a quick turnaround?
FONSEKA: I think that's extremely ambitious considering the crisis we are at. I mean, we are facing a looming humanitarian crisis with many people not even being able to get proper meals. There's Sri Lanka is bankrupt. We are looking to international assistance, including a possible IMF bailout.
So, I think it's very ambitious to say it's possible in that short time period, but definitely I see the acting president on campaign mode and he's really, really campaigning for this position tomorrow with various promises being made by, I mean, he came out yesterday and made very, very ambitious proposals.
So, let us see what happens tomorrow. But despite who comes in, who is elect -- whoever is elected is going to have this mammoth task in addressing multiple crisis from a political to an economic crisis to now a humanitarian crisis. So, it's an unenviable job that whoever is going to get tomorrow.
KINKADE: Yes. Huge, huge challenges ahead. Bhavani Fonseka in Sri Lanka, thanks so much for joining us.
FONSEKA: Thank you.
KINKADE: Well, still to come, a heat wave spreading across China sends people indoors just as parts of the country go under lockdown again, the latest on China's fight on two fronts when we return.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KINKADE: Welcome back. China has reported almost 700 new local COVID
cases Tuesday, the most since May. The Omicron sub variant BA.5 is spreading across the country, sending some cities into full or partial lockdown.
And all of this as a brutal heat wave could bring temperatures as high as 42 degrees Celsius this week.
SNN's Selina Wang joins me now from Beijing with the latest. So, the temperatures are soaring. And we are seeing more snap lockdowns right now in China.
SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Lynda, absolutely. This scorching heat combined with zero COVID, rising COVID cases is really a double whammy for people's daily lives. And of course, on the economy, you have dozens of cities across China reporting record high temperatures.
Last week, more than 80 cities reported a red alert, meaning they expected temperatures to surpass 104 degrees Fahrenheit. This week, there hasn't really been much relief with more than 50 cities reported an orange level alert, which is the second highest alert level for high temperatures.
[03:50:02]
Now all of this as China reports nearly 700 COVID cases. That's considered a significant outbreak here in China. That is the highest number of daily COVID cases since May. And still, in many cities across China, people are required to line up for their regular COVID tests. Often these lines are stretching very long in the sun without any shade.
For instance, here in Beijing, just over the weekend, when it was 99 degrees Fahrenheit, I waited in the line for about an hour. And you saw people fanning themselves, holding umbrellas, trying to cool themselves down with ice, cold water, but still imagine this weather. Still unbearable in a t-shirt in shorts, but for those COVID workers, they are covered in head to co -- toe, full protective gear outside for hours.
So, there have been increasing reports of COVID workers suffering from heat stroke, from heat exhaustion, many viral videos of those workers collapsing on the ground from heat exhaustion.
And of course, all of these snap block downs. Well, they're also ruining some people's summer holidays. Thousands of tourists were stranded over the weekend in Beihai City. This is a popular summer resort destination in China. Authorities ordered mass testing and ordered residents to stay in their homes.
All of this is also hammering an economy that's already trying to recover from these COVID lockdowns, from China's zero COVID policy. Authorities say that these heat waves could have an adverse impact on crops, such as soybean, wheat, and corn. That threatens to push up inflation in China. Already port prices have jumped significantly in China because of the
rising price of feed. So, all of this coming together is extremely bad timing for the economy and for people's lives who have already been dampened by COVID lockdowns, Lynda.
KINKADE: All right. Selina Wang for us in Beijing. Good to have you with us. Thank you.
Well, Ghana has confirmed its first outbreak at the highly infectious Marburg virus. It comes after two unrelated men tested positive for the virus and later died. The World Health Organization is monitoring more than 90 people who came in contact with the patients.
Marburg is similar to the Ebola virus with symptoms including diarrhea, fever, nausea and vomiting. It can have up to an 88 percent mortality rate, and there are no vaccines or antiviral treatments.
The top infectious disease expert in the U.S. says he plans to retire by the end of president Biden's current term. Dr. Anthony Fauci made the comment clarifying an earlier interview. His name has become synonymous with America's fight against the coronavirus. Fauci has worked for more than five decades, advising seven U.S. presidents, but he says there's much more he wants to accomplish.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: Obviously, you can't go on forever. I do want to do other things in my career, even though I'm at a rather advanced age, I have the energy and the passion to continue, to want to pursue other aspects of my professional career. And I'm going to do that sometime. I'm not exactly sure when, but I don't see myself being in this job to the point where I can't do anything else after that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, Fauci says he doesn't have an exact retirement date in mind yet, but he has some time a few more years.
Well, a still ahead. A tribute to Nelson Mandela. Prince Harry urges action against climate change and the assault on democracy in a keen note address. We'll have the details when we come back.
[03:55:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Welcome back. Britain's Prince Harry gave the keynote address, marking Nelson Mandela International Day at the U.N. on Monday. He called on everyone to meet the many challenges facing the world today with action as Mandela would have.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRINCE HARRY, DUKE OF SUSSEX: This has been a painful year and a painful decade. We're living through a pandemic that continues to ravage communities in every corner of the globe.
Climate change wreaking havoc on our planet with the most vulnerable suffering most of all. The few weaponizing lies and disinformation at the expense of the many and from the horrific war in Ukraine to the rolling back of constitutional rights here in the United States, we are witnessing a global assault on democracy and freedom, the cause of Mandela's life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KINKADE: Well, Prince Harry also recalls his mother Princess Diana's friendship with Mandela. The prince and wife Megan Markle are in New York for the U.N.'s annual commemoration.
Well, the U.K. is one step closer to having a new prime minister. Four candidates are left in the race to succeed Boris Johnson who's stepping down after a series of scandals.
On Monday, a lawmaker Tom Tugendhat was knocked out of the contest after finishing last in the third round by a voting by conservative members of parliament. Rishi Sunak topped to the ballot with 115 votes. The fourth round of voting takes place in the coming hours. M.P.s will keep voting and eliminating the candidate with the least support until there are just two.
From there, card carrying members of the conservative party about 200,000 people will vote for Johnson's successor as party leader and prime minister.
Well, the record heat wave in the U.K. wasn't enough to stop Britain's annual swan census, the 800-year-old tradition of counting the Queen's swans began on Monday. So-called swans uppers will spend the next few days on the River Thames checking the swans health and weight. This dates back to the 12th century when the crown first claimed ownership of all mute swans, which were then considered a delicacy often served at banquets.
Well, these days swan -- swan upping is not just ceremonial, but also an important part for wildlife conservation.
Well, thanks so much for joining us. I'm Lynda Kinkade. CNN Newsroom continues with my colleague Christina Macfarlane. Stay with us. You are watching CNN.
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