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Italy's Right-Wing Coalition Set To Win Election; Protests In Russian Dagestan Region Against New Draft; Noru Downgraded After Slamming Philippines As Super Typhoon; Protests over Mahsa Amini Continue In Iran As Crackdown Widens. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired September 26, 2022 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us all around the world. I'm Michael Holmes. Appreciate your company. Coming up here on CNN Newsroom, a history making election in Europe with final results still coming in Italy looks at for the most far right ruling coalition since Mussolini was the first female prime minister at the helm.
Few fury and frustration in one of Russia's poorest regions as people fight back against Putin's plan to mobilize thousands more troops for his war in Ukraine. And super typhoon Noru leaves a trail of destruction in the Philippines. We're tracking where the storm heads next.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from CNN Center. This is CNN Newsroom with Michael Holmes.
HOLMES: And we begin with what looks like another stunning success for Europe's hard right at the ballot box. Exit polls indicate Italian voters have just elected the country's most right wing government since the fascist era, a coalition led by Giorgio Meloni and her Brothers of Italy party are on track for victory as the official results are awaited.
Meloni will likely become the country's first female prime minister. And despite her political leanings, she told supporters she's ready to reunite the country. Have a listen to it.
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GIORGIA MELONI, BROTHERS OF ITALY POLITICAL PARTY LEADER (through translator): It's important to understand that if we're called to govern this nation, we will do it for everyone. We will do it for every Italian. We will do it with a goal of uniting these people to highlight what unites them rather than what divides them. Because the major objective we've always given ourselves in life and that we've given ourselves as a political force is to ensure that Italians could once again be proud to be Italian.
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HOLMES: Now again, the official results are still pending that Italy's Democratic Party has already conceded. Now, Sunday's election comes as Italy faces a deepening political and economic crisis. The vote was triggered after the Prime Minister Mario Draghi resigned in July after he failed to unite the government behind his economic policies. More now from CNN's Barbie Nadeau in Rome.
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BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTRO (on camera): All indicators point to a very comfortable victory for the center right coalition in this general election. Now this coalition was led by the far-right Brothers of Italy party led by Giorgia Meloni, who is now on track to be Italy's first ever female prime minister. She campaigned on strong traditional family values.
This coalition was anchored by the Donald Trump loving Matteo Salvini and his labor party. They campaigned on anti-immigration and secure borders. The other anchor of this coalition was a longtime politician is kanji the political legend Silvio Berlusconi, who three times was elected to prime minister of this country.
What this victory means that this will be the first time since the end of World War II and the fall of fascism that Italy has been led by such a far right leaning coalition government. Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN, Rome.
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HOLMES: Heated protests have erupted again in some of Russia's ethnic minority regions over the government's mobilization order and the war in Ukraine.
Now that video is from the predominantly Muslim region of Dagestan and shows women arguing with police and questioning why their children are being drafted.
The women venting their anger their chanting no war as an officer walks away. In other confrontations police did not walk away they responded aggressively arrests reported yet again. This video showing officers pushing back demonstrators. Nearby authorities responded with this.
Gun fired into the air as an officer tries to disperse a large crowd of protesters. We also saw big crowds at an anti-conscription rally in the Far Eastern Sakha Republic. Authorities there have acknowledged that some residents have been enlisted by mistake and two senior Russian lawmakers express concerned with the chaotic handling of conscription.
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A Ukrainian official also says the draft has disproportionately targeted, a predominantly Muslim ethnic group in Russia unhealed Crimea. And many Crimean Tatars are trying to flee the region. Here's how Ukraine's President reacted.
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VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The criminal mobilization is being used by Russia not only to extend the suffering of people in Ukraine, and to further destabilize the world, but also to physically eliminate indigenous men living in territories controlled for now temporarily by the Russian Federation.
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HOLMES: We're all seeing a lot -- also seeing a large Exodus at the Russian border with Georgia have a look at that hundreds of cars waiting in line to get out of Russia as people seek to evade the draft. And in the north, there have been similar scenes at the Russian finished frontier. A border guard official says on Saturday alone, more than 8,500 Russians crossed into Finland, Finland's ambassador to the U.S. spoke earlier to CNN.
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MIKKO HAUTALA, FINNISH AMBASSADOR TO US: In the process of adopting decisions that will to actually make it more difficult or basically impossible for the Russian tourists to use (INAUDIBLE) as a prostitute or to come to Finland. To protect our own borders, we have to make sure that we will be able always under any circumstances to control the flow and make a decision who is coming.
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HOLMES: All right, I want to bring in Anton Barbashin. He is the co- founder and editorial director at Riddle Russia he joins me now live from Berlin and appreciate your doing so.
Let's talk about the cost of this war in human lives to these regional areas, these minority areas of Central Asia Buriaci, Dagestan, which is majority Muslim and elsewhere. What has been the cost to those people?
ANTON BARBASHIN, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR AT RIDDLE RUSSIA: Well, first of all, we have to say that before mobilization we certainly seen North Caucasus republics like Dagestan Buriaci and more in Siberia being hit very hard, the death toll but there are not exclusively just those ethnic republics, say Gastramalskav (ph) region were also hit hard.
But if you actually look at the numbers proportionately to the population, those republics are smaller. So the absolute numbers of death toll there are quite higher than their Russian republics. But since mobilization start, we're actually seeing a much greater push to get people from those Republic's to go to war mobilization, there seems to be much greater disarray. People are being grabbed from universities, and it's already starting to make people question the policy like Dagestan, for instance.
HOLMES: Yes, and as you say, I mean, the death toll on a per capita level from these areas is way above somewhere like Moscow, for example, I read a quote in a foreign policy article quoting a man in Dagestan, who was told you're fighting for your children's future. And his reply was, we don't even have a president. What is the general status of minorities in Russia non-Slavs, how would they treat it even before this war?
BARBASHIN: Well, situation is here rather complex. There are quite a few very different republics, say Chechnya as a very kind of exclusive rights. It's governed by its own people. It has quite a great subsidies from Moscow, but in other cases like to Tuva, it's one of the poorest republics of Russia.
In some other cases, we have very mixed republics like Tatarstan and others. But generally speaking, it's not exactly great, because for instance, Putin has been trying to, well, increase the policy of Russia dominated history teaching, some of the languages are being kind of deprived of their rights.
HOLMES: Yes, yes, yes, language has been wiped out and people, signs in minority language is being pulled down in places like Moscow and so on. It's interesting that Putin constantly pointed to the alleged ill- treatment of Ukraine's Russian speaking minority as a reason for the invasion.
But here we are with soldiers with roots in poorer regions becoming what the former Mongolian President this week said, was cannon fodder for this war. What power, what voice do they have to change this? I know there are civil society organization, what can they do to change this?
BARBASHIN: Well, one of the specifics here is that some of those regions have a very, kind of, I wouldn't say weak civil society then I have enough freedom of journalists. So it's much easier for the state to do whatever he wants in those regions.
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And you know, those people did not have enough voice. But now we're actually seeing that because of the mobilization, because of the push that kind of Kremlin is trying to assert, we're hearing more of them from Sakha, from Dagestan, from many other regions.
HOLMES: I was reading a well-known Russian analyst who I won't actually name here because they're in Russia, and they can go, frankly, I'm afraid for their safety. And he wrote recently that, quote, a deeply ingrained culture of Russian supremacy and racism remains utterly unexamined. Would you agree with that? And what is the effect of that racism, xenophobia, even on Russian society?
BARBASHIN: Look, Russia is one of those European empires, a former empires that never actually spoke about its past, honestly. I mean, for 70 years after the Empire collapse, we have Soviet Union where the dominant idea was the so called Soviet people, where religion ethnic basis did not supposedly matter. And Russia was able to avoid a conversation of how got so big, how some of those indigenous nations were slaughtered in some of the cases, how they were incorporated in Russian Empire. And basically Putin is using that, and he's trying to make them look into the West as the enemy and not really consider some of the local issues, some of the local issues that arise from basic racism that does exist. In fact, in Russia, it's probably not as bad now as it was 10 to 15 years ago, we don't see much of the ethnically based violence, but still the situation is not exactly ideal.
HOLMES: It's such an important aspect of this conscription debate who is getting conscripted and where they're coming from and, you know, it's not the wealthy sons of politicians, that's for sure. Anton Barbashin, we really appreciate you taking the time very important issue. Thank you.
Now as Russia enlists more troops, Ukraine is still fighting off the one stationed on the Eastern Front. In the Donetsk region, the Ukrainian military says it has repelled several Russian attacks near the city of Kramatorsk on Sunday, it also says it hit 10 Russian weapons and military hardware targets in the Zaporizhzhia region.
And to the West, Ukraine reports Russia launched a drone attack on Odesa on Sunday. A military official says the Russians attacked an administrative building that so far, no reports of casualties.
And in the Kharkiv region, the city of Kupiansk under Ukrainian control after Russia's retreat, but the threat of Russian shelling remains, and not all civilians are welcoming the Ukrainians as liberators. CNN's Ben Wedeman is there. He has a story.
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BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Where a few loaves of bread, the residents of Kupiansk risked their lives. Ukrainian forces retook the city about two weeks ago, but the fighting is far from over. Yuliya describes it in one word, intense. That's the echo of cluster bombs falling not far away.
Sometimes I'm scared is Dineen (ph) over the sound of nearby shelling, sometimes I don't care.
WEDEMAN (on camera): These are the few people left in Kupiansk, this city, even though theoretically the Russians have left. The Russians are just across the river. And in fact, according to the soldiers here, there are still Russians inside the Ukrainian controlled part of the city.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): Russian forces took control of Kupiansk with little fighting in the first days of the war, it served as the administrative center for the Russian occupied part of the Kharkiv region. Pro-Russian sympathies linger on here, the Russians paid salaries and pensions, and the recent Ukrainian counteroffensive turned the city into a warzone, sparking resentment against both sides.
Everyone in the same says Yavgin (ph), the mood of the population is shot. It's too early and too dangerous to begin clearing away the rubble. Wreckage still scattered in the streets. WEDEMAN (on camera): Basically there's a fairly constant incoming and outgoing artillery and rocket fire here.
WEDEMAN (voice-over): An hour's drive away in the town of Izium, no shelling, but shell shocked still shows on the faces of people waiting for food. The fighting has moved on the scars it left deep. They hit my home says Yudmila (ph). More spares no one, adds Katalina (ph).
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The local fire station has become a warehouse for supplies donated by a town near Kyiv. In her grandfather's arms, Alina (ph) recalls intense bombing. It killed her dog and hit the roof. We were hiding in the basement she says. Back in Kupiansk, tank rumbles toward the front. The battle, which is on. Ben Wedeman, CNN, Kupiansk, Ukraine.
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HOLMES: The Philippines still reeling after being slammed by a super typhoon on Sunday, Noru has since been downgraded to a regular typhoon. Still a typhoon though. Catastrophic flooding is still a possibility in many cities like you see here, at least five people reported dead from the storm so far.
Now on Sunday, the storm battered the Philippines with high waves amid the downpour. The Philippine National Weather Service says it is the strongest typhoon the region has seen this year. Let's bring in CNN meteorologist Pedram Javaheri with the latest and we're talking last night with Derek about the thing about this was just how fast it intensified.
PEDRAM JAVAHERI, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, 150 or so kilometers per hour increase in a span of 12 hours incredible storm system that really could catch a lot of people off guard. We knew was certainly on the horizon. But the intensity at which it really magnified the intensity there in a span of a few hours made this system that much more dangerous 240 kilometer per hour winds at landfall into the afternoon hours of Sunday.
And you'll notice it left behind at least a quarter of a meter of rainfall across portions of the Philippines. But as you said, Michael, here is certainly still a hurricane, still a typhoon I should say and still has potential to strengthen to a category three potential hurricane equivalent once it makes another landfall over across areas of Vietnam.
So notice this, we think sometime Wednesday afternoon, maybe Wednesday evening, the system gets up to about say 200 or so kilometers per hour, maybe we can slightly down to 175 kilometers, which is a strong category two equivalent, maybe a category three equivalent, and it makes landfall potentially near Danang. Vietnam, certainly population density, over about a million people reside here.
And notice this, forecast guidance for these wind gusts, Michael, on Wednesday afternoon, bring it up to 171 kilometers per hour. So if you think conditions were rough across the Philippines, you've got to be on alert across areas of Vietnam as well.
Here's what's happening with even though we do have a tropical storm across the Western Caribbean. We have also hurricane warnings that have been prompted in the Cayman Islands western areas of Cuba. This is the warmest body of water across the entire region here of the Atlantic when it comes to how much oceanic heat is available.
So we know atmospheric conditions are right for this system to strengthen and notice possibly gets up from a tropical storm right now to later on Monday night into Tuesday morning. A category two makes initial landfall there around areas of western Cuba and then very quickly strengthens beyond this into another area that's very conducive here for extreme ocean heat, possibly taking it up to a category four, of course the western coast of Florida very much densely populated as well.
We think sometime Wednesday maybe into Thursday, this system pushes close to land, but you'll notice it does take quite a bit of time. It is quite a broad feature so the impacts could begin as early as Monday afternoon Monday night with coastal surge and also quite a bit of heavy rainfall in store there.
And notice the storm surge beds, Michael, up to four plus meters in western Cuba, up to over two meters across areas of Southwest Florida so we're going to be following this as the story progresses.
HOLMES: Yes, four meters. Wow. All right, Pedram, Thank you. Pedram Javaheri there with the latest.
Meanwhile, hurricane warnings have been issued for Western Cuba. People there will likely start feeling the impact in the next several hours. CNN's Patrick Oppmann with more from Havana.
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PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Cuban officials have warned residents in the western portion of this island remain on alert as Ian approaches Cuba. Certainly in the low lying areas, areas that are close to the water. Most likely people will have to be evacuated from those areas.
West of Havana is mostly agricultural areas and what we've heard throughout the day on Sunday is that people are reading their farms, are taking their livestock to areas that will be safer for them, are trying to collect crops. There's a lot of tobacco grown in this area. Because they know that when the heavy winds in rain come in that is when they could lose their crops so they've been warned to get ready in advance of this powerful storms arrival.
Up in (INAUDIBLE), the Cuban government has not really given specific instructions to people. They're watching where this storm goes if it will stay offshore or if it will make landfall in Cuban territory. Certainly, if it comes to Cuba as a major hurricane, a category three or above it could cause quite a bit of damage here. People have been hoping they will get through this hurricane season in Cuba without a hurricane striking. The island that does not appear to be the case though and Cubans are very concerned because already the Cuban economy is taking so many hits throughout the last year or so with the result of the pandemic, essentially ending for more than a year.
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All tourism to this island, the impact of U.S. sanctions are bad at -- bad economic decisions made by the Cuban government. So this storm if it hits parts of the island, where food is grown, where tobacco is grown, it will only damage the economy all that much further. So Cubans are simply wondering if the impacts of the storm will be too much for them to bear. Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.
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HOLMES: Now to the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona, a body that was washed out to sea in Canada has now been recovered. At least seven deaths attributed to that storm across Guadalupe, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Canada. The Nova Scotia premier says climate change is a contributing factor to the intensity of Fiona and other storms. Officials say the priority now is restoring power and clearing roads across the province.
And in Puerto Rico nearly half of the customers still don't have power one week after Hurricane Fiona hit the island. New York City Mayor Eric Adams was in Puerto Rico on Sunday surveying the damage left by the storm and meeting with local officials.
New York City is home to a large Puerto Rican community. The man travels to the Dominican Republic on Monday.
Demonstrators gathered in Paris on Sunday to stand in solidarity with Iranians protesting the death of Mahsa Amini, that and what we know about events inside Iran when we come back.
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HOLMES: Welcome back. Anti-government protests continued in Iran on Sunday despite a security crackdown arrests and internet disruptions. What started as demonstrations over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody now includes protests against the Iranian regime itself.
People around the world showing their outrage over, I mean his death, rallies held Sunday in Paris and London and elsewhere. Police say 12 people who were arrested and at least five officers seriously injured at a protest outside the Iranian Embassy in London. But Sunday also saw pro-government demonstrations in some Iranian cities. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh with the details.
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JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): It appeared on Sunday like the Iranian government was still mobilizing the masses, crowds of its supporters taking to the streets of the capital Tehran and other cities. In these pro-government rallies, crowds estimated in the hundreds of thousands. According to state media, they were out to show unity and outrage against what they described as these acts of sabotage by those they referred to as the rioters in reference of course to the protesters dismissing what the world has been seeing going on in Iran as the works of a handful of mercenaries serving foreign enemies they say, forcefully removing the headscarves of women on the streets.
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Of course, the world has seen those remarkable images the video of those acts of defiance by women in Iran in recent days, removing their headscarves, they've been forced to wear for decades, burning them, cutting their hair in public. We have seen this young generation of Iranians rising up on the streets demanding freedoms and rights that they have never had.
But it appears that the government is continuing to dismiss what is going on as a foreign conspiracy to destabilize the Islamic Republic. We have heard President Ebrahim Raisi on Saturday saying that they must be dealt with decisively statements, indications from the army and the Revolutionary Guard Corps that they are ready to intervene in the crackdown. also, and to try and crush these protests.
It's very difficult for us to assess what is really going on, on the ground in Iran what the casualty toll is of this ongoing crackdown. But according to estimates from various groups, including human rights organizations and state media, they say that dozens have so far lost their lives in the country.
Amnesty International saying that authorities have opened fire live rounds deliberately and directly at protesters, state media also. The government saying that a number of the security apparatus have also been killed in recent days.
And according to state media, more than 1,000 people have been detained so far, it is very difficult for us to know what is going on, on the ground in Iran in real time because the government is continuing to restrict the internet and to block social media platforms. So it's very hard to assess how big, how widespread the protests still are.
But on Sunday, despite the restrictions on the internet, we began to see video emerge of protesters back out on the streets with nightfall, more defiant protesters back out in the capital Tehran and other cities, chanting the now familiar slogans, Death to the dictator. And we are all together. We must not be afraid. Jomana Karadsheh, CNN, Istanbul.
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HOLMES: Now I'd like to bring in Gissou Nia. She's a human rights lawyer and the director of the Strategic Litigation Project at the Atlantic Council. She joins me now live from Los Angeles and appreciate you making the time. I guess, you know, in recent years, there have been protests 2017, '18, '19. And they usually sparked by one thing, but more thing, just something else much broader grievances. Is that the case this time as well?
GISSOU NIA, DIRECTOR OF THE STRATEGIC LITIGATION PROJECT, THE ATLANTIC COUNCIL: Yes, absolutely. We've been have -- Iran has been experiencing more frequent protests ever since 2017. The space between the protests has shortened. But in recent years, we've seen protests over water shortages, spikes and gas prices and things like that.
Here. It's very clear that the protests were sparked by social demands. They were sparked by, you know, people being outraged at the actions of the morality, the so called morality police. And it has quickly spread into being anti-government protests. The chants from protesters are very clear. They're saying death to the dictator and death to the IRI (ph).
HOLMES: Well, to that point then, what are the chances these protests will achieve what others have not in a significant way in terms of, you know, fundamental change?
NIA: We already see that reformist leaning elements in Iran who are affiliated with the government are calling for the banishment of the morality police. So we already see that these protests are stirring something in terms of change that we haven't necessarily seen before.
I think it's very important to note, though, that these protests are not just about some temporary reforms. They're not just about getting rid of the morality police are sort of, you know, circumscribing what they do. This is actually a much broader and people are calling for wholesale change. They want to change to the discriminatory legal framework that's currently operational in the Islamic Republic of Iran, and they want to be able to have their basic rights and freedoms.
HOLMES: It's interesting when we talk about those bigger picture issues, you focus on accountability and international courts at the UN and so on. What would that look like accountability in the context of what's playing out in that bigger picture.
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NIA: Absolutely. So a lot of people are asking what the international community can do to support the people of Iran. And one of the main things is that currently in Geneva, there is the 51st regular session of the U.N. Human Rights Council. That is the U.N.'s highest human rights body.
They are convening. They'll be there until October 7th. And what I want to get on the agenda this week are serious discussions about creating an accountability mechanism that would be housed at the U.N. and that would be responsible for essentially documenting these human rights violations and atrocity crimes that are happening in Iran and ensuring that information will be preserved to go support prosecutions and national courts around the world, or eventually in Iran's domestic court, should there be a change and should the judiciary become independent.
HOLMES: What then might, quote-unquote, "success" look like for these protesters?
NIA: So I think that we've seen that there have been universal jurisdiction trials and investigations to seek real accountability. I think what the protesters want is a change in their social circumstances.
As I noted, there is an extensive gender discriminatory framework operational in Iran but also with respect to other marginalized populations -- ethnic minorities, religious minorities, LGBTQ.
The young people of Iran, I mean a lot of these folks are Generation Z. The young people of Iran want a change. And so I hope that the ruling establishment takes this seriously. There is no other way for young people to make a change.
They can't hit the ballot box. They can't contact their elected representative. So they have to go to the streets. We need change. We need accountability for the violations that have happened. And I hope that the international community really supports the people of Iran in this effort.
HOLMES: Yes. We are almost out of time. But real quick if you can, I mean when you look back over all of it and the protests and this one as well, has the regime just miscalculated the anger of Iranians, anger at the blocking of reforms, increasingly limited freedoms, repression, and so on. What is the cumulative effect of that? And has the regime basically underestimated the people?
NIA: So the Islamic Republic thrives on corruption. A lot of the sons and daughters of those that are in the clerical establishment and preach this piety are themselves not engaging in that kind of Islamic lifestyle. Yet they are enforcing this framework on, you know, the 80 million people in Iran.
And so I think they've really overplayed their hand. There has to be large scale reforms, or a whole, you know, a whole scale of change to the ruling establishment.
But a lot of people who are in the establishment have vested financial interest in keeping this going. And so that is where the international community comes in. There should be no allowance for these individuals to be able to have their assets offshore, to have property in these jurisdictions. All of that needs to come to an end. And we need to stand by the people of Iran.
HOLMES: Yes. Indeed. Gissou Nia, thank you so much. Really appreciate you coming on.
NIA: Thank you.
HOLMES: Still to come here on the program, Typhoon Noru sweeps through the Philippines with warnings of catastrophic flooding. We'll have the latest on the storm and other extreme weather around the world. We'll be right back.
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HOLMES: Welcome back to our viewers all around the world. I'm Michael Holmes. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
Now new details on the severe weather that we are following.
Tropical storm Ian picking up steam as it heads towards Cuba. The National Hurricane Center in the U.S. expects it to strengthen into a hurricane on Monday and a major hurricane by Tuesday.
And in the Pacific, the Philippine was hit by a super typhoon on Sunday but that has now been downgraded to a regular typhoon. The storm making its way now towards Vietnam, leaving a path of destruction in the Philippines.
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HOLMES: A siren wails in Manila, a warning sign for these residents, it's time to move to higher ground. Thousands of people were evacuated across the main island of Luzon in the Philippines, ahead of the powerful storm Noru, locally known as Karding.
Evacuation centers near Manila quickly filled up, a lesson some people heeded from the past -- don't let a storm hit you while you're sleeping.
One official says many people live on the riverside. And their homes are made from light materials so when the rains come, they are the first to be affected.
Noru made landfall in the Philippines at full fury, super typhoon status although it has since been downgraded. Still officials warn the strong winds and heavy rains combined with low-lying areas in the Philippines could be perfect conditions for catastrophic flooding.
Half a world away, parts of the Eastern Seaboard of Canada is cleaning up from a difference devastating storm, this one named Fiona, no longer a hurricane, but leaving a trail of destruction through Nova Scotia and other provinces.
TIM HOUSTON, NOVA SCOTIA PREMIER: Predictions were for a massive storm, historic storm. We certainly have seen that Fiona definitely left a mark on the province, the damages, it's pretty heartbreaking.
The scale of the damage still unfolding but with the storm sweeping some houses into the sea and flattening others into scraps of wood, officials say it will be a long road to recovery.
Canadian troops have been deployed to help clear debris to make way for emergency crews to try to restore power to some hard-hit areas. Further south in the Atlantic, all eyes are on a system called Ian.
The National Hurricane Center predicting it could reach Category 4 status in the next few days.
Now earlier, I spoke with Niko Wieland who is chief of communications for UNICEF in the Philippines about the conditions on the ground and the unique challenges for aid groups.
Here's part of our conversation.
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NIKO WIELAND, CHIEF OF COMMUNICATIONS, UNICEF PHILIPPINES: This typhoon quickly exploded into a super typhoon category. So it hit the offshore islands and Luzon main province at the east coast last night.
So evacuations were underway, obviously. And as the storm progressed towards the mainland, it intensified, however it brings heavy torrential rain, as you've mentioned, the risk of flooding.
What does that mean for children? Many of them had to leave their homes with their families. They're currently in evacuation centers.
And it puts them under extreme stress, obviously. And we are coordinating with the U.N. humanitarian country team now in getting assessments on what the impact actually was to further assess the situation.
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HOLMES: You mentioned the intensification. And that was the crazy part of this. This thing intensified faster than our own meteorologist has ever seen before. The experts called it explosive intensification in its incredibly short period time.
How did that affect the ability to prepare and even warn people what was coming?
WIELAND: Absolutely. It is a challenge. The Philippines is one of the top five countries most vulnerable for a climate disaster. So preparedness is absolutely key. And it certainly put a strain on efforts to evacuate people on time.
That is why we advocated it's so important to put children at the center of preparedness and evacuation scenarios because it needs for them to be exposed to other impacts, such as for example, being out a school for a long period of time and having to leave their belongings at home. Being more vulnerable to exploitation and other issues that we know from temporary evacuations.
So if storms come in and this was by far the strongest this year, these are all elements that have to be considered to make children at least feel safe when they have evacuate their homes into centers and being able to reach them there essential services, such as nutrition, health services and protection services, as well as safe water. You mentioned the flooding. One of the highest risk in flooded areas are waterborne diseases. And children, especially if they are malnourished, they are most vulnerable to waterborne diseases, which can be deadly.
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HOLMES: That was Niko Wieland with UNICEF, Philippines.
Now in Pakistan, record floods have left more than 1,500 people dead, but the waters still have not fully receded and they're causing another wave of misery across the country. Parents say their children are becoming sick, even dying. The same water that brought so much death and destruction, also spreading disease.
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ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The monsoonal rains maybe over but the volume of stagnant water is now causing a health crisis especially in Sindh, one of the worst hit provinces in the country's southeast where cases of cholera, dengue and dehydration have surfaced.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have seen families and children consume the very floodwater that they're surrounded by. And that is what -- because they don't have access to any other water source.
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HOLMES: Heartbreaking. That was CNN's Anna Coren reporting on "PAKISTAN'S SICK CHILDREN". You can see her full report Monday on Amanpour.
Hundreds of Germans protested on Sunday calling for the activation of the halted Nord Stream 2 pipeline, the project that would have supplied Russian oil to Germany. The war in Ukraine, of course, caused energy prices in Europe to rise, much of the continent trying to declare its energy independence from Russia, including Germany but that is hard to do.
Meanwhile, German Chancellor Olaf Scholtz has signed a deal with the UAE for the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company to supply liquefied natural gas to Germany.
The energy crunch is being felt throughout Europe. CNN's Jake Tapper spoke exclusively with British Prime Minister Liz Truss about a brewing energy crisis. The new leader details steps being taken to make the U.K. more energy independent.
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LIZ TRUSS, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: What we've done is we made sure that no family, no household, is having to pay more than 2,500 pounds on those energy bills. But we're also providing more help to the most vulnerable families.
We are also, as well as dealing with the real short term issue we face this winter, next winter, making sure we invest in the U.K.'s energy supply.
So there's one thing during discussions with the United States about how we can collaborate more closely on energy supply because we don't want the United Kingdom to be dependent on authoritarian regimes like Russia. We want to work with friends and partners like the United States, like our friends in Europe.
As well as building more of our own domestic supply, more nuclear, more renewables, less (INAUDIBLE) like hydrogen because we can never be in a position again when we are so dependent on the global spot price and essentially, regimes like Russia.
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HOLMES: And in the midst of new tax slashing measures in the U.K., the British pound keeps losing ground against U.S. dollar falling to a record low of just over $1.03.
Let's have a look at it now. You can see right now. It has come off that low ever so slightly. But there are fears in the U.K. that sterling could slide to parity with the dollar in the coming months.
And if you travel the lot to the U.K. that is unthinkable, incredible.
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HOLMES: All right. still to come after the break. Not everyone in Japan supports a state funeral for assassinated prime minister Shinzo Abe. We'll explain in the live report from Tokyo.
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HOLMES: Japan is preparing for the state funeral of former prime minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday. Abe was assassinated during a campaign speech back in July. Leaders from around the world will be attending the ceremony, but some in Japan don't believe Abe should get a state funeral.
CNN's Blake Essig joins me now from Tokyo. Good to see you, Blake. So while you've been out in about, how is the whole thing been received by the Japanese public?
BLAKE ESSIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Michael, Japan is a nation divided when it comes to this celebration for a man who was both equally revered and criticized here in Japan.
That said about 4,300 people are expected to attend tomorrow's state funeral, including about 740 dignitaries, among them U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. She arrives here in Tokyo in just a few hours. And the prime ministers from Canada, Australia, India, and Singapore.
Now, the government does say that tomorrow's state funeral is meant to honor Japan's longest-serving prime minister. Hosting this event has instead created controversy.
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ESSIG: Across Japan, the feeling of shock, sadness and disbelief, continues to be felt nearly two months after former prime minister Shinzo Abe was gunned down on the street while delivering a campaign speech.
In the days that followed, Japan said its final goodbye to its longest-serving prime minister. But as messages of condolence came pouring in from around the world, current prime minister Fumio Kishida made the decision to further honor Abe's diplomatic legacy by holding a state funeral.
FUMIO KISHIDA, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER (through translator): By conducting the state funeral, we are mourning former Prime Minister Abe and showing our country's determination to resolutely defend democracy and not give in to violence.
ESSIG: That decision, that opposition lawmakers say was made without consulting Japan's parliament, is expected to cost taxpayers more than 1.6 billion yen, or nearly $12 million U.S.
JUN AZUMI, DIET AFFAIRS CHIEF, CONSTRUCTIONAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF JAPAN (through translator): Prime Minister Kishida made this decision by himself. He did not make a proper effort to reach a consensus that involved the voices of the citizens and the opposition parties.
ESSIG: The prime minister defended his decision to lawmakers, but admits his explanation was insufficient. As a result, public opinion against holding a state funeral continues to mount. In fact, according to the latest poll from Nomor Shimbun (ph), a slight majority of the public stands in opposition.
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ESSIG: More recently, one man reportedly told police he was so against the event that he set himself on fire outside of Prime Minister Kishida's residence.
Gatherings like this one protesting former prime minister Shinzo Abe's upcoming state funeral have been held on a regular basis since the government announced the plan back in mid July.
Although the specific reason for each person here varies, the underlying message remains the same.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm against the idea of holding the state funeral for anyone.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Many people can't even eat right now. Instead of spending billions of yen on the funeral, they can help the lives of many people. It's outrageous that they chose to use it on something like this.
ESSIG: While many people, including the thousands gathered here at this event, don't think it should happen, others say a state funeral is appropriate to honor Abe's legacy. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I support a state funeral. Abe was an international
statesman who attracted more people to Japan.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: His legacy is reflected in the way he raised Japan's global profile. And he was able to implement a new (INAUDIBLE) while facing huge opposition. And how that law has now become essential for maintaining peace and security. I think his past achievements for Japan make a state funeral appropriate for him.
ESSIG: Despite public backlash, appropriate or not, a state funeral for Abe will take place. A polarizing figure in life and even in death as deep divisions about his leadership haven't disappeared.
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ESSIG: Tomorrow's state funeral will be the first held for a former prime minister here in Japan since 1967, when one was held for Shigeru Yoshida, a man who was a key player in Japan's post war democracy and recovery and helped put Japan back on the global map.
Now, as for tomorrow's event, a divided nation will once again be on display with areas set up for mourners to gather and lay flowers while at the same time multiple protests are expected to be held, Michael.
HOLMES: All right. Blake, thanks for the report. Appreciate it. Blake Essig there in Tokyo.
There's a big thaw in South American relations starting on Monday. Venezuela and Colombia are starting to reopen their borders. We'll tell you what it means for everyday citizens.
You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
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HOLMES: The border between Venezuela and Colombia is due to reopen in the coming hours. The election of a leftist president in Colombia has lead to improved ties between the two neighbors.
And as CNN's Rafael Romo reports, that could have an impact beyond South America.
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RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A dusty old machinery, cobwebs, and not a single employee around. It's hard to imagine that only seven years ago, this was a bustling shoe factory in a Venezuelan town at the border with Colombia.
Rafael Gomez, a former worker, says back in 2015, this factory would produce about a thousand pairs of shoes daily.
"When the border closed," he says, "we could no longer import the raw materials we needed, which meant we had to shut down.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro an initially ordered part of the border shut in 2015 after an incident in which he claimed three members of his country's armed forces and one civilian were shot at the border, an incident that was never clarified.
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ROMO: The shutdown eventually spread to the entire border, and happened amid years of bad blood between Colombia's right-wing president and the Venezuelan government controlled by leftists since the turn of the century when Hugo Chavez rose to power. All that changed last month when Gustavo Petro, a leftist former guerilla, was sworn in as president of Colombia.
During a presidential debate in March, Petro spoke in favor of reestablishing relations with Venezuela and reopening the 2,200 kilometer border.
"We would save the border, take it away from the mafia. We would industrialize it and border towns would thrive", then candidate Petro said.
For the Colombian right, it's not only about the border.
Back in February, then Colombian vice president Marta Lucia Ramirez said she was concerned that military cooperation between Venezuela and Russia meant there was a risk that military equipment might end up in the hands of criminal groups at the border that threaten Colombian security.
When he took office in August, Petro became Colombia's first leftist president. Last week, it was clear the Kremlin perceives this as a positive change.
Russian President Vladimir Putin called Colombia a promising ally in Latin America, praising Petro for being open to strengthening ties between the two countries.
For Colombian political analyst and former national security adviser Jaime Arango (ph), Petro's new foreign policy means that Colombia will join a new political and economic bloc of nations.
"What those of us in the previous government consider meddling they now interpret it as an alliance," Arango said.
Back at the border, and far from politics, business owners say they are ready for a reopening.
"I want to see more people like we used to have before the border closing in the pandemic," she said.
She has already brought new chairs and tables for her restaurant.
Her hope of an economic boom is in sharp contrast with the fear many feel in Bogota about what the thawing of relations with Venezuela and other countries like Russia may spell for Colombia's future.
Rafael Romo, CNN. (END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Thanks for spending part of your day with me. I'm Michael Holmes. You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram @HolmesCNN.
Do stick around, CNN NEWSROOM continues after the break with the one and only Paula Newton.
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