Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Boris Johnson Gives Final Speech As Prime Minister At 10 Downing Street; Liz Truss Vows Action On U.K.'S Economic Challenges; Foreign Fighters Join Ukraine's Counteroffensive; U.N. Chief Urged Demilitarized Zone Around Nuclear Plant; Hurricane Kay Strengthens As It Moves Towards Baja California; Pakistan's Largest Lake Breaches As Floods Impact Millions. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired September 07, 2022 - 00:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:00:52]

JOHN VAUSE, CNN ANCHOR: All around the world, you're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

Ahead this hour, in Liz they trust for now. Facing a daunting to do list, the U.K.'s new prime minister purges her cabinet rewarding key allies with ministerial appointments.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog report on the ongoing fighting around the Zaporizhzhia power plant is out. Conclusion, firing artillery rounds at a nuclear facility is dangerous. All parties please stop.

And Fat Leonard aka Leonard Francis is on the lam ahead of a sentencing for bribing U.S. Navy officials with sex parties and wads of cash.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with John Vause.

VAUSE: Britain's fourth Prime Minister in six years is beginning her first full day in office. But Liz Truss has already purged her cabinet of supporters of her opponent. Rewarded allies with senior ministerial positions are vowing to bring down record high inflation, deliver relief for families and business from soaring energy costs. Reassuring Britain they can ride out the storm while promising prosperity for all.

On Tuesday during an audience with the queen, Truss was invited by her majesty to form a new government and officially became a prime minister, only the third woman in British history to do so.

In the hours ahead, come to first real test, the rough and tumble of the parliamentary question time. And this new leader with no popular mandate, no political capital will need parliamentary support to tackle that laundry list of major challenges.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LIZ TRUSS, BRITISH CONSERVATIVE PARTY LEADER: Our country was built by people who get things done. We have huge reserves of talent of energy and determination. I am confident that together, we can ride out the storm, we can rebuild our economy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Notably, Truss's cabinet is diverse and for the first time in British history, now the four most senior positions, the so-called Great Offices of State Prime Minister, Chancellor, Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary are held by a white man.

Truss's predecessor Boris Johnson is pledging his support for the new prime minister and her team as he reflects on his own time in office.

CNN's Max Foster reports now from London.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A final lap of honor for Boris Johnson flanked by applauding staff and civil servants, Johnson departed Downing Street as prime minister for the last time. Asked for what he'll do next.

BORIS JOHNSON, FORMER BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I'm now like one of those booster rockets that has fulfilled its function. And I will now be gently reentering the atmosphere and splashing down invisibly in some remote and obscure corner of the Pacific.

FOSTER: A speech outlining his legacy. Brexit, the vaccine rollout and support for Ukraine, many in his party sad to see him go ousted following months of scandal.

Johnson made no mention of the events that ultimately led to his downfall. He concluded by throwing his considerable political heft behind his replacement.

JOHNSON: It's time for politics to be over, folks. It's time for us all to get behind Liz Truss and her team and her program and deliver for the people of this country.

FOSTER: Johnson and Truss then took separate planes for the 1,100 mile round trip to Scotland to visit the Queen. Johnson submitting his resignation and Truss being invited to form a new government, meetings which are strictly private.

For Britons, looking on support amidst a cost of living crisis is their top priority. Truss will be expected to lay out a new vision and quickly. The leadership contest lasted six long weeks, during which the pound slumped to its lowest rate against the dollar since 1985.

Returning to London, Truss stood where Johnson had stood hours before. Britain can ride out this storm, she said as thunder cracked and lightning struck over London. Details of how will follow this week.

[00:05:05] TRUSS: We shouldn't be daunted by the challenges we face. As strong as the storm may be, I know that the British people are stronger.

Max Foster, CNN, London.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Catherine Rampell is a CNN Economics and Political commentator and opinion writer for The Washington Post. Thanks for being with us.

CATHERINE RAMPELL, CNN ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Great to join you.

VAUSE: OK, so Liz Truss was a very jolly hockey sticks as she addressed the nation on her plans for economic recovery. Here's a little more from the U.K's new prime minister.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUSS: We will transform Britain into an aspiration nation with high paying jobs, safe streets, and where everyone everywhere has the opportunities they deserve.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: And you get a new car and you get a new car. OK, so the big picture first up here, from what you heard during the prime minister's address, did it give you confidence that Truss at least understands the kind of problems the country is facing? And has the right policy ideas?

RAMPELL: Not particularly. Look, I would not want to inherit the set of conditions that this new prime minister is inheriting. Right? They include an energy crisis, a broader inflationary crisis, there are some who are projecting as much as 20 percent inflation in the U.K. in the not so far off future, labor unrest, also related to all of those inflationary problems, as well as a possible recession.

So, no doubt whoever takes over this job has their work cut out for them. But the set of policies that she seems to be honing in on and there are a lot of, you know, question marks still in there involves something like stimulating the country's way out of inflation, which any economist -- virtually any economist will tell you is only going to make the problem worse.

That if you give people more cash to spend, for example, by cutting their taxes or spending more money, that is going to make demand outrun supply even further, and potentially make the situation worse.

VAUSE: OK, so let's take a closer look at those policies. This is how Liz Truss will bring about an economic revolution, here she is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUSS: I have a bold plan to grow the economy through tax cuts and reform. I will cut taxes to reward hard work and boost business led growth and investment. I will drive reform in my mission to get the United Kingdom working, building and growing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: You know, trickled down economics isn't exactly bold or credible, her big spending plan to rein in energy prices as well as other spending, which she plans to have been met with concerned by the financial markets, notably in the U.K.'s 10 year borrowing rate is about three percent on Tuesday, first time since 2014. The pound has been fully against the dollar faster than other major currencies, down six percent against the U.S. dollar since early last month, which is when Truss emerged as the front runner for the top job.

Not exactly a vote of confidence about the markets in the prime minister. So, specifically, what are their major concerns about her policy?

RAMPELL: I think there are a number of things to be concerned about. One of course, as I just said, the idea of stimulating demand, whether through tax cuts or anything else, or giving people cash in various forms, is unlikely to help with inflation.

And in fact, is likely to make it worse. The problem right now is that there just is you know, as the cliche goes too much money chasing too few goods. So, giving people more cash to spend is probably going to bid up prices even higher.

Beyond that, she also has made some other comments that I think are concerning to markets which are expressing in those numbers that you just read out. There disbelief that she will be able to get inflation under control.

So, for example, she suggested that the government should be revisiting the mandate of the central bank. It's not exactly clear what that means. But there's a fair amount of economic research to suggest that central banks are more effective when they are seen as politically independent, that they're -- that they're not basically under the thumb of politicians who are always eyeing the polls in the next election. They're willing to make hard choices that in the near term might cause a lot of political pain. But over the long run, will lead to more stable prices and a stronger economy.

VAUSE: And concern over the U.K. economy has led to a gloomy outlook, this has been the concern for some time. The only thing keeping the U.K. from being an emerging market economy is a currency crisis, say analyst.

And the fact is driving this downgrade, things like high inflation, political instability, trade problems, and the country's central bank expects one of the worst recessions in recent times to begin in the fourth quarter of this year.

Just for context, India and Brazil are emerging market economies, which is indicative of just how serious and how grave this economic crisis is for the U.K.

RAMPELL: Yes, I mean, I think it's a little bit glib to say that that's the only thing that stands between the U.K. and being a Britain and being an emerging market.

[00:10:08]

I mean, the GDP per capita is still much higher in the U.K. than in most other countries that are generally regarded as emerging markets, but it is a very troubled economy right now. But there is some wiggle room for the new P.M. who's coming in to try to make things better on the margin.

And I think the real risk is that not only will things not get better, but there will be some unforced errors here that, in fact, make the inflationary environment worse, make the risk of recession worse, make the risks of the pound quite a bit worse as well. And that's what again, markets are worried about and regular people whose living standards are at stake should be worried about as well.

VAUSE: Catherine, great to have you with us. We really appreciate it. Thank you very much.

RAMPELL: Thank you.

VAUSE: The U.N.'s nuclear watchdog has released its findings on the dangers facing the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, currently under Russian control in southern Ukraine.

The International Atomic Energy Agency was warned that without immediate changes, Ukraine is facing a nuclear emergency. The IAEA was given access to the plant last week and experienced Russian shelling firsthand.

They're now recommending a safety zone around the plant, lowering the Russian incoming fire a major threat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAFAEL GROSSI, IAEA DIRECTOR GENERAL: Now, the IAEA has been there. We have corroborated what is happening. And this is a measure that one way or the other must be put in place. We can do it. We have the means to do it.

Nuclear safety is indispensable. Nuclear security is indispensable. We are playing with fire.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: The report also mentions the presence of Russian military equipment and personnel at the facility, as well as supervising group of Russian nuclear experts.

Meantime, the White House says there's no indication weapons bought by Russia from North Korea have made their way onto the battlefield in Ukraine. U.S. official tells CNN Moscow is in the process of purchasing millions of rockets and artillery rounds from Pyongyang. And the U.S. believes Russia has already bought weapons capable drones from Iran. The Pentagon as well as other sources say it's indicative of Russia running low on ammunition. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIG. GEN. PATRICK RYDER, PRESS SECRETARY, PENTAGON: Certainly, as has been said, we assess that things are not going well on that front for Russia. So, the fact that they're reaching out to North Korea is a sign that that they're having some challenges on the sustainment front.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: All this comes as President Vladimir Putin attended war games in eastern Russia. Moscow claims 50,000 troops are taking part in the drills. Western analysts say that number is an exaggeration.

Meanwhile, Russian media reporting heavy attacks in the Kherson region, one local official claims Ukrainian forces fired at least 74 rockets early Tuesday, hitting road infrastructure and a hydroelectric power station.

It's all part of a strategic counter-offensive to reclaim territory in Kherson. Ukrainian forces are getting help from foreign fighters.

CNN's Sam Kiley has this exclusive report.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go, go, go, go. No panic, no panic. This normal, this normal.

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Among the most forward troops in Ukraine's latest counteroffensive, this really is normal. When the crunch of incoming artillery is this intense, casualties in this reconnaissance unit, which includes three foreigners, are inevitable.

Mark Ayres, a Briton, was lightly wounded on day one of the offensive. On day two, he was more seriously wounded in the leg by artillery, alongside Michael Zafar, a former U.S. marine from Kansas. He was hit in the hand, stomach and head. They joined Ukraine's Army together but met fighting ISIS in Syria.

Zafar is the former U.S. Marine's Kurdish code name.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am fine. Go.

KILEY: As recon troops, they've been the tip of Ukraine's attacks on its southern front in the fight to recapture Kherson.

MICHAEL ZAFAR, AMERICAN FIGHTING IN UKRAINE: I remember looking to my left and pop. I couldn't see anything for a bit. Everything looked the same. Everything came to. Looked at my left, looked fine. Looked at my right, okay. I'm (EXPLETIVE DELETED) there, (EXPLETIVE DELETED) there. Okay. To the hole, to the hole.

KILEY: It's going to be a slow grinding fight, they say, whatever the claims of Ukraine's government. This counteroffensive is being billed as kind of a quick process. Do you think that's --

MARK AYRES, BRITON FIGHTING IN UKRAINE: No, definitely not. It won't be quick. I mean it's hard, slow-fought, meter by meter, position by position because we haven't got resources to do a massive blitzkrieg.

[00:15:03]

KILEY: U.S. weapons and other NATO equipment have proved useful, but not decisive as Ukraine has captured a handful of villages since the counteroffensive began. Here, Russian troops wave a white flag of surrender, precision artillery strikes by U.S.-supplied howitzers are monitored by Zafar's unit with a drone.

Russia has motivated its troops with false claims that they're liberating Ukraine from Nazis. For Ukraine, it's a battle of national survival, attracting help from around the world.

Do you feel sorry for the Russians?

AYRES: No. Not at all. It's not like Ukraine has invaded Russia. They've invaded Ukraine. They're here killing civilians, killing our soldiers. I've got no sympathy for them whatsoever.

KILEY: Ukraine's imposed a news blackout on the southern offensive and keeps his casualty figures secret. But for these men being wounded isn't the end of combat. It's an interruption.

Are you going to go back?

ZAFAR: Yeah, once everything heals on my body probably within three to four weeks. I should be right back out there.

Sam Kiley, CNN, Odessa.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Joining me now from Australia's capital, Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst of defense strategy and capability at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Thank you, got it out. Good to have you with us.

MALCOLM DAVIS, SENIOR ANALYST, AUSTRALIAN STRATEGIC POLICY INSTITUTE: It's great to be here.

VAUSE: Thanks. OK. Now, after the IAEA called for a special safety and security zone around the plant, the U.N. Secretary General put those recommendations to the Security Council. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONIO GUTERRES, U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL: An agreement on a demilitarized perimeter should be secured. Specifically, that will include the commitment by Russian forces to withdraw all military personnel and equipment from that perimeter and the commitment by Ukrainian forces not to move into it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Russia's U.N. Ambassador welcomed a permanent presence by the IAEA at the plant, said Russian troops were preventing a radiation disaster. But nothing about withdrawing Russian forces.

That seems to indicate -- indicative Moscow is not likely to agree to this plan. So, no surprise to anybody really.

DAVIS: Not really, I mean, sort of, I think it would be extremely unlikely for Russia to withdraw or accept some sort of demilitarized zone around Zaporizhzhia for the simple reason that they want to use that nuclear power station as a potential threat to Ukraine that they can exploit in the future.

The artillery shelling all around the plant I think is a warning sign that they could attack the plant directly, although we've had nuclear engineers state that artillery shells won't necessarily cause a meltdown.

What concerns me more is the potential for the Russians to like demolition charges at key locations around the plant that could then basically destroy the coolant system and cause that meltdown.

So, I don't see the Russians essentially withdrawing from the plant, I see them staying in place and continuing to have that essentially a nuclear sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of the Ukrainians and indeed, the rest of Europe.

VAUSE: And this comes after word that the Kremlin is actually sort of -- the Russian military rather, is running short on ammunition, sourcing artillery rounds, as well as rockets from North Korea. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RYDER: It's indicative of the situation that Russia finds itself in and shows the fact that they're trying to reach out to international actors like Iran and North Korea that don't have the best record when it comes to international stability.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: If buying weapons from the U.S. is like shopping at Bloomingdale's. Does that mean North Korea the equivalent of the Dollar Store? And what are the implications here for Russia? Not just the short term, but the long term as well.

DAVIS: I've never heard it put that away. But it's an accurate analogy. Look, I think what it indicates is that the Russians are having real problems in terms of thinking about national mobilization for a wider and longer war. Maybe Putin is sensing he's not getting the national support to take that step.

So, as an interim step in between that option would be going to other states such as North Korea and Iran, and certainly a country like North Korea can provide large amounts of artillery shells, battlefield rockets, small arms, ammunition, the sorts of things that the Russians would need to essentially waged a brutal war of attrition against the Ukrainians to wear them down over the course of the winter.

And at the same time, utilize energy blackmail against the Europe to try and erode Europe support for Ukraine, so that in 2023, in the spring, Russia is perhaps better prepared to launch counter offensives to take back territory that maybe the Ukrainians took in the south and the east.

[00:20:01]

VAUSE: Well, OK, so we also have this report from Bloomberg about details of this internal Kremlin report assessing the impact of economic sanctions.

The headline is, Russia privately warns of deep and prolonged economic damage, and within this report, Russia may face a longer and deeper recession as the impact of U.S. and European sanctions spreads, handicapping sectors that the country has relied on for years to power its economy.

If you are Russian and you read this report, it is grim. But for Ukraine in the West, there's almost relief that you know, about the impact the sanctions are having. And so, all that builds up into assessments on the economy from Putin and down is just not true.

DAVIS: Well, yes. And I think that sanctions invariably as a weapon take a long time to generate effect. Maybe we're starting to see the edge of that effect beginning now, after the six months of those sanctions being in place.

But how long they remain in effect is the key question. As I said earlier, Putin is using energy blackmail against Europe to try and erode Western European support for not only supporting the Ukrainians with military hardware, but also keeping those sanctions in place.

So, in part, the damage to the Russian economy will depend on the resolve of Western European citizens to bear out what's going to be a brutally cold winter.

And secondly, it does depend on whether Russia can convince China to come in with economic aid of its own that could circumvent the effect of those sanctions. That's still a factor that could play out in 2023. We'll just have to wait and see how Beijing sees that option.

VAUSE: Yes, they are a key player. They've been very quiet for the time being.

Malcolm, thanks for being with us. Welcome Davis there in Canberra.

DAVIS: Thank you.

VAUSE: Coming up next on CNN NEWSROOM, authorities in Pakistan breached the country's largest lake in hopes of saving densely populated areas from gathering floodwaters.

Plus, Hurricane Kay has claimed the lives of at least three people in Mexico expected to continue gaining strength. We're tracking the storm when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Not one but two growing tropical systems to watch in the Atlantic, Earl has strengthened to a hurricane. It's the second hurricane of the 2022 Atlantic season. And in the Pacific, watches and warnings are in place for hurricane Kay, moving up Mexico's Pacific Coast after leaving at least three people dead.

Let's bring in Senior Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri for more on this. So, which one is the big concern here?

PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST (on camera): You know, at this point looks like Kay quite a bit impacts potential here as it approaches land, John, and you'll notice it is the low grade tropical system Category 1 right now. It is forecast to increase in intensity and this is a very broad reaching system.

So again, only Category 1 but the winds away from the center extend over 300 kilometers where you're still going to feel tropical storm force winds.

Now, notice, the government of Mexico is certainly taking this very seriously. We've got tropical storm warnings in effect, even some hurricane warnings in effect across portions of the Baja. This includes La Paz, Cabo, San Lucas as well.

[00:25:08]

So, a lot of people across this region certainly going to be impacted as the system kind of meanders close to land, notice within the next 24 hours could get up to Category 2, then we can slightly back down to Category 1 and potential landfall there across portions of the central west central area of the Baja.

And then, notice kind of what happens here, approaching Southern California, the steering environment changes and the system weakens. Now, models really differ quite a bit here as far as the intensity and where the potential impacts of this system are going to be.

Because we do think if approaches portions of San Diego, winds away from this region coming in from the east certainly could increase the temperatures but quite a bit of cloud cover across the area also could kind of help cap some of these temperatures.

Of course, we know how things have played out here in recent weeks with extreme heat. So, some beneficial rain potential in place. But depending on the track of the system, it could also exacerbate the heat if it shifts away from land and brings in that easterly flow winds from the desert into populated areas of southern California.

Regardless, parts of Mexico certainly going to see the heaviest impacts of this with as much as 150 millimeters before it's all said and done.

John, look across portions of the Atlantic, we've got multiple systems taking shape, one Earl and other one in Danielle, a couple of disturbances developing off the coast of Africa with a very slow start.

You notice last September, we were already towards the F letter storm. We are right now at Earl, previous September and 2020. We had pushed all the way through the old letter storm. So, we are certainly kind of catching up here but the activity is really beginning to pick up.

This particular storm right now looks to potentially be a major hurricane. But the impacts could get very uncomfortably close here, John, towards areas of Bermuda by Thursday afternoon and Thursday nights. So, we'll follow this year as the story progresses towards the north.

VAUSE: Pedram, thank you for that, we appreciate it.

Well, heaping misery upon tragedy in Pakistan with as much as a third of the country underwater. Now, an unexpected breach in Pakistan's biggest lake, putting hundreds of thousands of people at risk of more flooding, more destruction.

Not clear yet if that breach was natural. Authorities breached lake intentionally earlier this week trying to divert some of the water but the deluge across the country has already killed more than 1,300 people.

CNN's Anna Coren reports now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Stretching to the horizon and beyond, an expanse of endless brown, murky water dotted with tops of trees and roofs of houses. Never before has Pakistan seen this scale of flooding as water now covers one-third of the country.

This climate change-induced disaster has been months in the making. With more than double the amount of rain falling since May, in what the U.N. has referred to as a monsoon on steroids.

Last month's deluge unleashing even more misery as violent for torrents of water damaged crops, the sheer volume unable to drain away.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hundreds of thousands of families now have absolutely nothing. The land where they had their house is totally flooded. They don't have anything more than what they're wearing.

COREN: Thirty-three million people have been affected. That's around 15 percent of Pakistan's population. More than 600,000 people have moved into displaced persons camp, but some of the most vulnerable have been left stranded.

On this tiny strip of land are a number of families, their surviving livestock, a few belongings, and 24-day-old Shamal (ph). Her mother is sick, exhausted and struggling to care for her sixth child. She's marked the baby's forehead to ward off evil spirits.

I want my baby to survive, but it's God's will if she dies, she says. We cannot afford to move from this area. We are at the mercy of nature because we are poor people. She says she labored with the baby through the rains.

The World Health Organization says 1.2 million pregnant women are among those displaced across Pakistan.

A few bags of aid have been dropped off, but it's not enough to sustain the families according to its 70-year-old grandmother, who has witnessed three floods in her lifetime but nothing quite like this.

We keep our eyes on our children after sunset. They could fall down into the water and drown. We have one meal a day. We have to save food for our kids. God, please help us.

But it's not just a lack of food they're worried about. Mosquitoes, venomous snakes, and waterborne diseases are a constant threat. The WHO says cases of typhoid, malaria, and diarrheal diseases are rising and will undoubtedly worsen.

Foreign aid is slowly trickling in. Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. and now head of USAID, Samantha Power, and U.N. secretary-general Antonio Guterres, are due to arrive

in Pakistan this week, in a desperate bid to ramp up international assistance and support.

[00:30:1]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pakistan, looking forward, is very dire. We've got to be there for the long term. We've got to be there for three or four months, at minimum, in order to save lives.

COREN (voice-over) But for these people, near survival is a daily struggle. And these clear blue skies are not expected to last long. More devastating monsoonal rains are days away to further terrorizing a traumatized country.

Anna Coren, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: In China, hundreds have been rescued from villages and towns cut off by landslides triggered by Monday's earthquake. We'll have more details on that when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: Welcome back, everyone. I'm John Vause. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

In the wake of China's 6.6 magnitude earthquake, hundreds have been rescued after they were left stranded in a nature reserve. Elsewhere, towns and villages have been cut off by landslides.

State media also reporting the death toll has risen to 72; more than 250 hurt.

As CNN's Kristie Lu Stout reports, the quake hit a region that's no stranger to disaster.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT/ANCHOR (voice-over): The death toll is rising, and aftershocks continue in Sichuan, after a magnitude 6.6 earthquake hit the Chinese province on Monday.

"It threw me directly onto the ground," a survivor says as she receives treatment from rescue workers.

Over a million residents in the surrounding areas are reported to have felt moderate tremors. Some homes and buildings are destroyed or severely damaged. And Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered all-out rescue efforts to save lives.

This dash cam video shows the moment the quake struck in Luding, a county near the quake's epicenter. Tall trees and structures are swaying, shaking. At one point, the facade of one building just crumbles.

STOUT: It has been a brutal and cruel summer for Sichuan, a landbound province in Southwestern China that's home to 84 million people who have had to endure multiple trials before the quake.

STOUT (voice-over): Authorities locked down 21 million residents in the Sichuan capital of Chengdu because of rising cases of COVID-19.

This social media video underscores the heightened tension among residents, who are venting their frustration as they remain in lockdown after the quake.

[00:35:09]

On social media, a man pleads --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): If you understand the situation we are dealing with in Sichuan right now, because of COVID, we can't go out, but because of the earthquake, we can't be inside. Who can tell us where's the safest for us?

STOUT (voice-over): The region has also endured drought and the worst heat wave on record.

And now, the aftermath of a deadly earthquake. It's misery upon misery in this afflicted Chinese province.

Kristie Lu Stout, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: The United Nations says the world is in the last minute of the 11th hour regarding a humanitarian crisis in Somalia.

Famine is just months away from parts of the country, which is facing drought conditions, as well as food price surges. And the whole of Africa is on track for a fifth consecutive failed rainy season.

This as Somalia's UNICEF representative says more than 700 children [SIC] deaths -- child deaths, rather -- were reported between January and July of this year.

More than 1 million Somali children face acute malnutrition, if nothing changes.

Amnesty International is appealing to the Iranian government to save the lives of two activists sentenced to death. The two were accused of trafficking charges, but Amnesty believes at least one of them is being prosecuted for speaking about abuses against the LGBTQ community in the region.

CNN's Salma Abdelaziz has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Human rights defenders and activists are ringing the alarm after two individuals were sentenced to death by an Iranian court.

The two individuals -- Zahra Sedighi-Hamadani and Elham Chobdar -- were sentenced to death for, quote, "corruption on earth," Iranian state media saying that these two individuals were found guilty of smuggling, of taking women -- human trafficking, taking women and girls across the Iranian border illegally.

Separately, also, Hamadani, in an earlier accusation to the prosecutor of that region, was found to be, according again to Iranian state media, Iranian officials, was found to be spreading Christianity and promoting homosexuality.

Now, rights groups say these allegations are baseless, that this death sentence is, in actuality, a punishment for Hamadani's work, also known as Zahra in the activist community. Hamdani's work as an LGBTQ+ activist and her gender orientation and her sexuality, that it is discrimination against her.

In the case of Elham Chobdar, it's unclear what her status is. She is not defined as an activist. We're working to find out more about her. But Amnesty International saying that these -- this death sentence is outrageous. It is calling on Iranian authorities to immediately release these two individuals.

In the case of Hamadani, again, known as Zahra in the activist community, this is part of a long ordeal. Hamadani had initially been arrested in Iraq last year. After that arrest, had tried to make -- Hamadani had tried to make their way into Iran, and then eventually, to Turkey to try to seek asylum, but of course, was detained in Iran. And now, this death sentence handed. Human rights defenders say that there will be an appeal in an Iranian supreme court, but they are concerned that this is a continuation of a persecution of sexual minorities in Iran.

Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Just ahead here on CNN, a former defense contractor who pleaded guilty to the biggest corruption scandal in the history of the U.S. Navy, he's on the run. We'll have the latest on the man known as Fat Leonard, when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:40:5]

VAUSE: New details have emerged about the remaining suspect in a deadly stabbing spree in Canada's Saskatchewan province as the man hunt for the alleged killer enters its fourth day.

Myles Sanderson had been assessed as -- by a psychologist as a moderate risk of violence, has a prior criminal history. But earlier this year, corrections officials granted him presumptive release, saying they did not believe he would be a risk to the public.

He is now on the run for his alleged role in a mass stabbing, which killed ten, wounded 18.

Sanderson's brother, Damien, on the left here, was the second suspect in the attack until his body was found on Monday.

The infamous former defense contractor known as Fat Leonard is on the lam.

U.S. Marshalls say Leonard Francis removed his ankle monitor by cutting it off, then escaped house arrest in San Diego just three weeks before sentencing.

In 2015, Francis pleaded guilty to charges in the biggest corruption scandal in the history of the U.S. Navy.

CNN's Oren Liebermann has more now, reporting in from the Pentagon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: This is an investigation that's gone on for years and was perhaps nearing its conclusion. Leonard Francis was scheduled to be sentenced later on this month, after he pleaded guilty to charges of bribery and fraud seven years ago.

In the intervening period, he had at times been in federal custody, been under house arrest, cooperated with authorities until he vanished. Police went to check on him in house arrest over the weekend, but they

got no answer. When U.S. Marshals went in, all they found was his ankle bracelet in a portable cooler.

U.S. Marshals say they spoke with neighbors, who told them that they'd seen moving trucks at the house over the course of the past few days, an indication, they say, that he'd been planning this escape, this leaving of house arrest, for quite some time now.

Again, Francis pleaded guilty back in 2015 to charges of bribery and fraud. The investigation has started two years earlier. Prosecutors say that Francis handed out expensive trips, fancy meals, and had parties where Navy officials had the services of prostitute. In exchange, those Navy officials directed toward Francis the services and the Navy craft and Navy ships which would use his tugboat services, as well as his fuel.

Prosecutors say it was Francis's goal to bilk the Navy out of millions of dollars.

He was then taken into custody as the investigation continued and was scheduled to be sentenced later on this month. Now U.S. Marshals say they are looking for him. They have several leads they're trying to follow up. But as of right now, Francis is on the run.

Oren Liebermann, CNN, in the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: I'm John Vause. Thank you for watching. I'll be back with an hour of CNN NEWSROOM at the top of the hour.

But first, WORLD SPORT with Patrick Snell starts after a very short break. See you soon.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:45:26]

(WORLD SPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: All around the world, you're watching CNN NEWSROOM. Ahead this hour, in Liz, they Truss, for now. Facing a daunting to-do list, the U.K.'s new prime minister purges her cabinet, rewarding key allies with ministerial appointments.

[01:00:00]