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Putin Accuses Ukraine of 'Terrorist Attack' in Russia; New Delhi Meeting Fails to Deliver Joint Declaration; South Carolina Jury Finds Former Attorney Guilty of Murder; Alarm Grows Over Schoolgirls Being Poisoned in Iran; Greek PM: 'Tragic Human Error' Caused Fatal Head-on Cash; Kim Orders Increase in Food Production Amid Signs of Crisis; Nigerian Presidential Candidates to Challenge Results. Aired 12-12:45a ET

Aired March 03, 2023 - 00:00   ET

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

JOHN VAUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Ahead this hour on CNN NEWSROOM, with friends like these. A group of far-right extremists fighting for Ukraine claiming responsibility for an attack on two Russian villages. Ukraine calls it a false flag operation. So who are the Russian Volunteer Corps?

[00:00:44]

Alex Murdaugh found guilty of killing his wife and son, and with that comes the downfall of a powerful family which for generations exerted influence in courtrooms in small towns across South Carolina.

And Taliban tactics. Almost 1,000 schoolgirls are sickened in Iran. What many suspect is a deliberate attempt to force them from the classroom.

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

VAUSE: Russia's strange obsession with capturing what's left of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut may soon be here.

For months, Moscow has sent a staggering and ever-increasing number of troops into this battle. Ukrainian fighters have managed to hold their lines, but military leaders say that's becoming increasingly difficult, and a tactical retreat is on the table.

On the Russian side, much of the fighting in recent weeks has been done by mercenaries with the notorious Wagner Group. On Thursday, they released this video, reportedly from Bakhmut, raising their banner on top of a heavily-damaged building.

Alongside the mercenaries, Ukrainian troops tell CNN they're facing at least two Russian paratrooper battalions. A CNN team reporting from a neighboring town heard the constant sound of artillery fire throughout the day. Ukrainian troops are now building new defensive lines West of Bakhmut.

And in the coming hours, the White House plans to announce further military aid to Ukraine, mostly much-needed ammunition.

Ukraine is denying any involvement with an alleged raid in Southern Russia, which Moscow says resulted in civilian deaths. Russian officials claim a small Ukraine armed group crossed into the Bryansk region. But a Ukrainian presidential adviser dismissed the allegations as either classic deliberate provocation by the Kremlin or the work of Russian partisans taking a stand against Vladimir Putin.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen has more now from Moscow.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Breaking news on Kremlin-controlled media. A violent attack by Ukraine into Russian territory, they claim.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): According to updated information, as a result of the actions of the infiltration in the village of Lyubechane, Klimovsky district. The number of dead civilians increased to two.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Soon, this video emerged of a group calling themselves the Russian Volunteer Corps, standing in front of a Russian government building.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Russian Volunteer Corps crossed the state border of the Russian Federation. The proof is right behind my back. We don't fight civilians, and we don't kill the unarmed. Keep that in mind. Now it's time for ordinary citizens of Russia to understand that they are not slaves. Rise in rebellion and fight.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): It turns out CNN had interviewed one of the alleged fighters in December.

PLEITGEN: How do you feel about Russia now?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): For us, they're enemies, no matter what.

c The Russian Volunteer Corps says it's a group of Russian nationals fighting on the side of Ukraine. This video, released on their social media channel, shows them in battle.

The Russian president calls them terrorists. He said they opened fire on a car, killing and wounding several people.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): They infiltrated the border territory and opened fire on civilians. They saw it was a civilian car. They saw there were civilians and children sitting there.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Putin canceled a trip to Southern Russia and seemed to blame both Ukraine and the West for the incident.

PUTIN (through translator): This true crime has been committed by the neo-Nazis and their masters. I'm sure these masters will not even remember today's crime. No one will pay any attention to it. But, I repeat, they will fail. We will stamp them out.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Ukrainian officials denied any involvement and say the Russian Volunteer Corps is not officially part of Ukraine's defense forces.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Cedric Leighton is a CNN military analyst and retired U.S. Air Force colonel. He joins us now from Washington. Good to see you, sir.

CEDRIC LEIGHTON, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Good see you, too, John.

VAUSE: Let's start with that attack on Russian soil. Now, according to Michael Colburn (ph), a researcher with the investigative website Bellingcat, the Russian Volunteer Corps are led by a figure well-known to him and those who follow the transnational far-right: Denis Kapustin.

Now, the Anti-Defamation League says Denis Kapustin is a Russian neo- Nazi who lived in Germany for many years, has trained young members of the far-right National Democratic Party of Germany and others. He also has ties to the Azov, as in the Azov Brigade, which is a Ukrainian extremist far-right group, as well.

So when Putin actually goes publicly and says the attack was carried out by neo-Nazis, there's an element of truth in that statement. And while the Ukrainian military may have nothing to do with this, this is a big problem. It's a major issue they have to deal with.

LEIGHTON: Yes, it certainly is, John. And, you know, when you look at this gentleman's pedigree, you notice that he has trained members of the youth wing of the NPD Party in Germany, which is a successor to the Nazi Party.

So there are, you know, some real issues that the Ukrainians have to be very careful with, because in this war, quite frankly, image is everything and it becomes important for them to be as clean as possible and to, you know, show as many democratic tendencies as possible, and probably more, it is very important for them to follow all the rules of armed conflict of the Geneva Convention. And anything that smacks of them not doing so can be very detrimental to the Ukrainian cause.

VAUSE: Yes. And there are so many foreign fighters who flocked to Ukraine just for, you know, the battle, or whatever. That is an issue, as well.

But this weird obsession that the Russians have right now of capturing Bakhmut, it looks like it may be coming to an endgame here. On Tuesday an adviser to the Ukrainian president signal what seems to be a change in tactics. He was talking to CNN. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ALEXANDER RODNYANSKY, ECONOMIC ADVISER TO THE UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Our military is obviously going to weigh up the options. So far, they you know, held the city. But if need be, they will strategically pull back. Because we're not going to sacrifice all of our people just for nothing. So it will be a strategic step by the military.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Which is a bit of a shift, because there's been always this, We'll fight to the end. We'll haul it to the end.

But at the same time, Ukraine is sending more troops into the fight there. So it seems like there's a few things happening here. It could be all part of disinformation. The extra troops could be there to defend the city. They could provide cover for re treat. Or they could be part of a counteroffensive. How do you see all of this?

LEIGHTON: Yes, I think it's more strategic retreat at this point in time, because I don't see the Ukrainians having all the logistics in place for a counteroffensive. Of course, they could surprise us. You know, anything is possible in warfare.

But at this point in time, it looks like the best course of action for the Ukrainians would be to mount a strategic retreat, pull the forces back just enough so that they aren't impacted by the encirclement moves that the Russians are actually executing right now around Bakhmut.

VAUSE: How does an early spring thaw fall into all this? How does that play into it? Because what was frozen territory or frozen ground is now mud.

LEIGHTON: Yes. That's true. And in fact, the winter in Ukraine has generally been warmer than it normally is, and so you're dealing with a lot of mud, more now than you would normally deal with at that point of time in the year.

So there is that factor. There is also the factor of the troop fatigue that is -- that is a key issue for the Ukrainians and also for the Russians, to some extent. But the Russians have a much greater manpower resources, John, and that's what you're seeing here. They're bringing them to bear, you know, with a couple of the Wagner Group and that is creating a real problem for the Ukrainian defenders at the moment.

VAUSE: Just very quickly, you know, the Russians have had staggering losses trying to take the city. At the end of the day, could they win the battle but lose the war because of this?

LEIGHTON: Most certainly. And in fact, this could very well prove to be a Pyrrhic victory for the Russians. They have staked so much on Bakhmut that I think they're really putting too much into this from a military standpoint.

And it could very well result in great losses for them, and it could also put them at a significant disadvantage going forward. VAUSE: Colonel, as always, thank you so much. Good to have you with

us.

LEIGHTON: You bet, John, anytime.

VAUSE: A brief meeting Thursday between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Lasted just ten minutes, but it's notable for being the highest level face to face contact between Moscow and Washington since Russia invaded Ukraine.

The last time Blinken spoke with his Russian counterpart was by phone in July. A U.S. official says Blinken initiated the brief encounter with Lavrov on the sidelines of the G-20 foreign ministers' meeting in New Delhi.

Russian officials brushed off the meeting as insignificant, but Blinken said afterwards he delivered three key messages to the Kremlin, beginning with calls to end its relentless assault on Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: I told the foreign minister what I and so many others said last week at the United Nations and what so many G-20 foreign ministers said today. End this war of aggression. Engage in meaningful diplomacy that can produce a just and durable peace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Blinken also revealed Washington has made a serious proposal to Russia to release detained American Paul Whelan. He did not go into any detail. U.S. officials say the offer was made some time ago.

[06:10:09]

VAUSE: The G-20 in New Delhi wrapped up without a formal joint declaration or communique, because Beijing and Moscow objected to the language about the invasion of Ukraine.

It was not the outcome that the host, India, had hoped for. More now from CNN's Vedika Sud, reporting from New Delhi.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VEDIKA SUD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Russia's war in Ukraine once again passed a shadow on the G-20 talks this time in New Delhi when foreign ministers from the world's largest economies convened.

According to India's external affairs minister, countries were unable to reach a consensus to assure joint statement due to differing opinions by various parties on the conflict. Similar disagreements over Russia's invasion of Ukraine played out in the Southern Indian city of Bangalore last month, when G-20 finance ministers failed to agree on a statement after their meeting. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who attended the meeting, said

that it had been marred by Russia's unprovoked and unjustified war against Ukraine and called on the Kremlin to end its war of aggression.

His Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, accused Western colleagues of focusing on the Ukrainian situation and using mostly foul (ph) means to pass the conflict as Russian aggression.

Lavrov and Blinken had an unexpected meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 meeting. The first between the two leaders since the war in Ukraine began more than a year ago.

At a time when the world is grappling with soaring food and energy costs, India has been keen to position itself as a leader of the developing nations, often referred to as the global South.

And this was central to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's opening remarks at the G-20 meet, when he appealed to the leaders to not allow issues that cannot be resolved together to come in the way of those that can. India has been trying to bring Russia and the West closer but achieved little success on Thursday.

Vedika Sud, CNN, New Delhi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VASE: And support for Ukraine will be at the top of the agenda as the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen meets key allies in North America next week.

On Monday, she'll be in Ottawa for talks with the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau. She'll also address Canada's Parliament and then head to Washington and a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday. Besides discussing Ukraine, climate change, and securing supply chains for a clean technology are also on the schedule.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Guilty verdict. Verdict, guilty. Verdict, guilty. Verdict, guilty.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: Disgraced former attorney Alex Murdaugh has been found guilty on two counts of murder for killing his wife Maggie and his son, Paul. The jury deliberated less than three hours Thursday before returning the guilty verdict, which was welcomed by the late prosecutor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CREIGHTON WATERS, LEAD PROSECUTOR: Justice was done today. It doesn't matter who your family is. It doesn't matter how much money you have or people think you have. It doesn't matter what you think, how prominent you are.

If you do wrong, if you break the law, if you murder, then justice will be done in South Carolina.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: The sentencing phase will begin about nine hours from now. Murdaugh does not face the death penalty. Prosecutors have indicated they will seek life in prison without the possibility of parole.

In separate cases, Murdaugh faces dozens of financial crimes for defrauding clients and his former law firm as well as the government.

CNN's Randi Kaye was there in Walterboro, South Carolina, when the verdict came down.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Almost six weeks of trial and 61 witnesses for the state in their main case. And then 14 witnesses for the defense. It was certainly quite a trial here in Walterboro, South Carolina.

So much testimony. Certainly, a couple of things stood out, both of them coming from Paul Murdaugh's cell phone. One was the kennel video, which put his father, Alex Murdaugh, at the time of the murders at those dog kennels on the property known as Moselle.

For many, many months Alex Murdaugh said that he was not there earlier in the night with his family and only found them their dead at the kennels, and that's when he called 9-1-1.

But at least ten witnesses say they heard his voice on that video and finally took the stand and admitted being there. There was also the hoodie of the Snapchat video that Paul Murdaugh sent to friends on Snapchat at 7:56 p.m., and that showed him wearing -- showed Alex Murdaugh wearing long pants and a blue shirt.

Later when he saw investigators, he was wearing shorts and a white T- shirt. So of course the state said that he had washed up and changed clothes after allegedly killing his family at the time.

Now we know that the jury has found him guilty of both of those murders.

Randi Kaye, CNN, Walterboro, South Carolina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: And we'll stay with the story a little longer. Live to Los Angeles now, and Sara Azari, a criminal defense attorney.

[06:15:04]

It's been a while. Good to see you.

SARA AZARI, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Great to see you, too, John.

VAUSE: Well, this was a six-week trial, much longer than expected. A lot of evidence, a lot of testimony, and yet the jury came back with a guilty verdict in less than three hours. So was it just simply an open-and-shut case?

AZARI: It actually wasn't, and I'm absolutely stunned. This case, to me, and to a lot of -- and I spoke to a lot of judges, legal scholars. It was cloaked with doubt.

And what this very quick verdict tells me, John, is that this jury just couldn't get past the lie. The idea that Alex Murdaugh was at the kennels with his wife and son before the murders, within, you know, five minutes or so, according to the timeline of the state, and then lied about it.

And you know, what it also tells me is that the jury didn't really do an analysis of circumstantial evidence. You can't possibly put every piece of circumstantial evidence in this case within the instructions, and then come up with the verdict in two and half hours.

I think what happened here is that, once Alex Murdaugh testified, this jury had made up its mind. And this was just a matter of taking votes today. I'm absolutely shocked.

VAUSE: He didn't have to testify, right?

AZARI: He did not have to testify. That's a defendant's right to invoke or not. I understand from his attorneys that he was absolutely adamant about testifying. They were sort of on the fence for a long time about whether he should or shouldn't.

And why that matters is, No. 1, you know, he almost had to, because he had to explain himself. And he had to try to humanize himself. In hindsight, it probably wasn't a great idea.

And what that means for his appeal, John, is that, even though he has a lot of different good grounds for appeal, like the admissibility of all of this financial crimes, which is really character assassination for him -- the lying, the conning, the cheating, the stealing.

Because of his testimony, a lot of things could be harmless error. So it really boxed him in in terms of appellate issues. But I think one grounds that his team can pursue is the idea of the admissibility.

Anything and everything that had to do with him stealing from clients and friends. And it was really the end of the day, not about the theft and the motive. More about the lying. That he looked these people in the eye and he lied to them. And therefore, the prosecutor was able to tell the jury, he's looking you -- looking at you in the eye, and he's lying to you. You can't believe a word he's saying.

VAUSE: There was, like, one key piece of evidence, which was the video recorded by the son which -- at the crime scene just minutes before it actually happened. That proved a lie. If that didn't exist, though, if that hadn't been found, is it likely he would have walked free?

AZARI: I think, John, had that not been found, he probably, the state probably wouldn't have even had a case. Because if you think about it, you know, they had no physical evidence. They had no science. It was the defense that brought the science into this case, or the lack of science.

And so it was, but for that video, the fact that he didn't disclose being there when he was asked; he didn't say he was there. When was the last time you saw your wife and son? He didn't say it when he was there. That is what really did him in.

And you know -- listen, I have had my heartbroken by juries over and over. I've fallen in love with them over the years. But I -- you know, the jury has spoken. I respect the verdict. I, however, don't think it's the right outcome.

VAUSE: Well, the sentencing phase begins in a few hours from now. Why did the prosecution decide back in December that they would not seek the death penalty here?

AZARI: I think this was really about the takedown of Murdaugh. This was a small community. He had done a lot of people wrong. And obviously, there was a lot of financial victims around him.

The prosecution, if -- if he was found not guilty, and even if there was a hung jury, they weren't going to retry him on this, then they would seek LWOP (ph), which is allowed in South Carolina, on with financial crimes. Because they -- there they have a very strong case.

They didn't have a very strong case beyond a reasonable doubt on the murder side. But now that they're going to get the LWOP (ph), they're getting what they wanted.

VAUSE: Sorry, what is that in particular? The L Law (ph)?

AZARI: Life without the possibility of parole.

VAUSE: Oh, OK. Thank you.

AZARI: And that's -- you know, listen, the judge sentenced him from 30 to life. But I'm told that this particular judge really doesn't give you anything below life on a murder. So I think that's -- that's expected sentence.

VAUSE: Yes. So he gets either 30 years or life without parole. And so either way, it's a death sentence behind bars, I guess.

AZARI: I -- (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

VAUSE: Given the family's long history and the prominence as local prosecutors, does that complicate where he spends time in jail? Does that -- does that come into play?

AZARI: No. I think this is all about you are no different than anybody else. You're not above the law. And now that you are a convicted murderer, you're going to be among any other convicted murderer.

[06:20:10] And that's another issue, John. Because had he been either -- if there was there a hung jury or he was not guilty, and then he was found guilty of some of the federal financial crimes, he had the possibility of spending his -- spending his sentence, serving his sentence in federal prison, which is much better, especially on white-collar crimes, than being in the population of murderers in a South Carolina prison. So that's obviously another huge consideration here.

VAUSE: Yes. There's so much going on in this trial, and so much evidence, so much to hear (ph). There's been a lot of testimony, and yes, it's been an interesting six weeks.

Sara, thank you so much. It's good to see you. So long.

AZARI: John, take care.

VAUSE: You, too.

Well, in Iran, hundreds of students have reportedly been poisoned in recent months. What Tehran is saying about it and why some many female students have been specifically targeted and what some students are now telling CNN. That's up next.

And the blame game is on in Greece after a fatal head-on train collusion. Ahead, protests, a strike, heartbreak and grief.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VAUSE: It could be described as chemical or biological warfare and terrorizing a wide section of the population. Hundreds of schoolgirls in Iran have been poisoned nationwide over the past several months.

A member of Iran's Parliament told the country's semi-official news agency that almost 1,000 students have been poisoned. Nearly all of them at girls' schools. The U.S. is calling for accountability.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KIRBY, NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL SPOKESMAN: It's deeply concerning news that's coming out of Iran, what could be the poisoning of young girls that are just going to school.

And the truth is we don't know right now what caused those ailments. We see reports that the Iranian government are investigating it. That's the right course of action. We want those investigations to be thorough and complete. And we want to be transparent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: CNN has found some of those who have been left sickened. And Nima Elbagir has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Desperation and chaos gripping Iranian cities for months. Terrified parents watch helplessly as their children fall prey to mysterious ailments.

CNN communicated with witnesses and survivors of some of these incidents at mostly girls' schools across the country.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): It was a terrible situation. Girls have been falling on the floor and were crying. Some were unable to walk. Really didn't want to leave one another.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): They wouldn't let us go home. They forced us to stay inside.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): There was a bitter smell. There was a smell outside, too. Then I felt sick.

ELBAGIR (voice-over): Many of the students who spoke to CNN reported spilling noxious odors. This as Iranian authorities' explanation has been shifting.

[00:25:04]

But state media is now referring to the incidents as poisonings.

Some parents worry these are targeted attacks on girls, meant to prevent them from attending school. Many of the attacks have been in the religious heartland of Iran.

Yet the minister of education has said that most of the cases were caused by rumor, and there is no problem.

The reported poisonings began a month and a half after protests erupted across Iran, led by women demonstrating against the country's repressive conduct and clothing laws.

CNN cross-referenced local media reporting with testimony from victims and eyewitnesses to tally the number of incidents. State media have reported incidents at nearly 60 schools since late November.

CNN has spoken to eyewitnesses in dozens of these cases. In one school in the regime heartland of Qom, there were at least three incidents reported to CNN, the latest this week.

And incidents continue to be reported into this week in the towns of Esvoha (ph) and Ardovir (ph), when medical sources tell us a student was admitted to the ICU, suffering seizures after the latest incident.

One of dozens who have been hospitalized. Another family joining the hundreds desperate for answers.

Nima Elbagir, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: The official death toll in Greece after two trains collided continues to rise, 57 people are now confirmed dead. Dozens more remain in hospital. Crews continue sifting through the wreckage in the city of Larissa,

but hopes of finding survivors are fading. Some families are still waiting for news of their loved ones as authorities try to identify victims at a local hospital.

And the anger continues to build, as well. Peaceful protests were held in Thessaloniki, where the passengers' ill-fated journey was meant to end, as well as in Athens, where the journey began.

The Greek Federation of Rail Workers announced a 24-hour strike, saying government disrespect for their industry is what caused the crash.

The federation says requests for more staff, better training, modern security systems, were thrown in the bin.

Earlier this week, the prime minister blamed the disaster on tragic human error. And the Larissa station manager was arrested. An audio recording of him speaking to one of the train drivers was released on Thursday. And CNN's Nada Bashir has details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADA BASHIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Mangled metal, charred debris, the remnants of a disaster that could have been avoided. And now, this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Proceed through red traffic light exit until traffic light entry of Neon Poron.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Vasilis, am I good to go?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Go, go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Done. Have a good night.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Have a good trip.

BASHIR (voice-over): An audio recording of the stationmaster in Larissa, ordering one of the train drivers involved in a deadly collision to ignore a red light warning.

The country's prime minister has described the collision as the product of tragic human error.

The stationmaster heard in that recording now detained, charged with causing math mass deaths and grievous bodily harm through negligence.

BASHIR: That negligence has, of course, come with devastating consequences. You can see behind me the emergency response team still working to clear the wreckage, still working to try to recover bodies.

But in the most tragic of cases, there was only DNA left to identify some of the victims.

BASHIR (voice-over): And for those involved in the recovery efforts, it is a deeply difficult process.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Instead of saving lives, we've had to recover bodies. It is not something we like. It is not something we want to do. And it is something that will remain our memory forever, as much as we try to get rid of it.

BASHIR (voice-over): The tragedy has sparked anger across the country. Protestors seen here, clashing with police officers in Athens.

The country's transport minister has since tendered his resignation, conceding on Wednesday the country's rail network is simply not up to the standard one would expect in the 21st Century.

And as recovery efforts draw to a close, questions over accountability and frustration towards the government are only growing.

Nada Bashir, CNN, in Tempi, Greece.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: Still ahead here on CNN, and the winner is. The three leading candidates in Nigeria's presidential election have all declared victory. The controversial election now heading to Nigeria's highest court. The latest in a moment.

Also, the North Korean leader orders big changes to food production as the nation faces a growing food crisis.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:32:05]

VAUSE: Welcome back to our viewers all around the world. I'm John Vause, and you're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, has ordered a big increase in food production. According to state media, Kim issued the order at a party meeting on Wednesday amid signs of a growing food crisis at home.

Paula Hancocks joins us now from Seoul with more.

And Paula, it seems North Korea was on the brink of a major food shortage. If they could produce more, wouldn't they have done it by now?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's the point, John. I mean, North Korea has been struggling with food shortages for years now.

In fact, even before the COVID pandemic and the shutdown of the borders, the U.N. assessed that almost half of the population was undernourished.

What we've been hearing from Kim Jong-un is he wants to take more state control of agriculture and farming, and that has many experts concerned.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HANCOCKS (voice-over): Concerns about North Korea's food crisis are growing. Reports from multiple sources say deaths due to starvation are likely.

LUCAS RENGIFO-KELLER, THE PETERSON INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS: Probably its worst point since the famine in the 1990s, which killed 3 to 5 percent of the population.

HANCOCKS (voice-over): Attention is being paid at the very top. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held a Worker's Party meeting this week, calling for a fundamental change in farming and state economic plans.

But many say it is his regime, its chronic mismanagement and isolation, that has caused this crisis.

LINA YOON, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: We're really talking about three years of not import fertilizer. There's been no imports of tools or components to fix the outdated machinery that they have.

HANCOCKS (voice-over): And extensive shutdown of borders due to the COVID pandemic, and almost no food or aid was getting into the country.

Only in recent months has minimal trade restarted with China.

South Korean officials said last month they believe deaths from starvation are occurring in certain areas but provided no evidence. It's rural development agency estimates that the North's food production dropped almost 4 percent last year from the year before.

RENIFO-KELLER: Food has dipped below the amount needed to satisfy the minimum human needs. So as it stands, by that measure, even if you distribute food perfectly equally, which is totally inconceivable, you would have hunger-related deaths.

HANCOCKS (voice-over): Speaking to South Korea's foreign minister last week, he said Pyongyang has to decide to help its own people.

PARK JIN, SOUTH KOREAN FOREIGN MINISTER: The only way that North Korea can get out of this trouble is to come back to the dialogue table and accept our humanitarian offer to the North and make a better choice for the future.

HANCOCKS (voice-over): The regime's focus remains on its nuclear and missile program. Seoul's ministry of unification says if Pyongyang had used the money spent on launching missiles last year for food, it could have bought 1 million tons, more than enough to cover the annual food shortage.

But that focus is unlikely to shift.

[00:35:02] YOON: As the time goes on, the capacity for North Koreans to endure hardship becomes harder and harder. Their -- their resilience, you know, runs off, and their -- you know, their resources also decrease.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HANCOCKS: Now Kim Jong-un this week also said that the next few years, the next three years, in fact, were crucial to solving the food crisis.

Now, many experts would agree with that. In fact, they would have a shorter timeline. But they don't necessarily agree with the fact that Kim John young says he also wants more state control of the economy.

Now in the past, what we've heard from many experts is this unofficial trade that used to happen across the border between China and South Korea, smuggling in goods that were then sold at unofficial markets, which is where many North Koreans would be able to afford to shop.

That simply doesn't exist anymore, because the borders are so tightly shut.

So even though there is some official trade coming now from China, that is likely to be used for the elite and the military, first of all.

So the main thing that everybody is looking for when it comes to trying to alleviate the food crisis is opening the border with China -- John.

VAUSE: Paula, thank you. Paula Hancocks, live for us there in Seoul.

Well, the disputed Nigerian presidential election could soon be heading to the country's law highest court. The official results place the People's Democratic Party candidate, Atiku Abubakar, finishing second. Abubakar.

But he declared himself the legitimate winner anyway. Along with the third-party candidate, Peter Obi, both are now mounting legal challenges.

Meantime, the spokesperson for president-elect Bola Tinubu said he welcomes the legal challenges. Saturday's election has been criticized by independent observers for irregularities.

CNN's Larry Madowo is now reporting in from Lagos.

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LARRY MADOWO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Another extraordinary day in the Nigerian postelection period, where No. 2 and No. 3 in the presidential election will say they won the election and they will both go to court to contest the outcome.

Atiku Abubakar of the People's Democratic Party, who has won and lost six times, says he was the rightful winner, and this election was a rape of democracy. Some strong criticism for the independent National Electoral Commission.

ATIKU ABUBAKAR, NIGERIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The weekend election was neither free nor fair. And the most (UNINTELLIGIBLE) indicate that it was the worst conducted elections under democratic rule. Manipulation and fraud attended (ph) this election and was unprecedented in the history of our nation.

MADOWO (voice-over): Peter Obi of the Labor Party was the last of the lead (ph). Also says he was won the election and the Nigerian people have been robbed. And this will go down in history as the most controversial election. And he, too, is going to court.

PETER OBI, NIGERIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Let me reiterate. I will show you the good people of Nigeria that we'll explore all legal to reclaim our mandates. We won the election. I will prove it to Nigerians.

MADOWO (voice-over): Abubakar and Peter Obi actually have a history. Peter Obi was Atiku's running mate in 2019, and Atiku left the door open for a dialogue between them.

Bola Tinubu's presidential campaign says they're misleading the public and Bola Tinubu won the election.

MADOWO: So this battle now moves to court. And Nigerian courts have never overturned a presidential election. But as Peter Obi says, he hopes that they will do the right thing, because the future of their children is at stake.

Larry Madowo, CNN, Lagos.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE: A fire at a Hong Kong skyscraper lit up the night sky on Thursday. The blaze broke out shortly before midnight on the roof of the 18-story hotel, which is still under construction.

Flames quickly sparked throughout the floors. The fire could be seen from miles away. Falling debris and embers started fires on nearby buildings. At least two people were hurt. Still no word on the cause of the blaze.

Coming up here on CNN, lawmakers coming to blows in the Georgian Parliament over a bill seen by many as an authoritarian shift in the country.

And not long from now, a capsule carrying astronauts and a cosmonaut expected to reach the International Space Station. More details on their mission.

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[00:41:32]

VAUSE: And the protests became physical fights in the Georgian Parliament on Thursday. Lawmakers were holding a hearing on the controversial Foreign Agents' Bill, where members of the opposition and the ruling Dream Party started fighting.

The ruling party backs the bill, which would require organizations receiving 20 percent of their funding for overseas to register as foreign agents.

Critics say it's similar to Russia's law that's being used to crack down on civil society.

Protests have broken out across Serbia over the replacement of two deputy prosecutors investigating a state-run energy company. Hundreds demonstrated peacefully in the capital of Belgrade.

The prosecutors were looking into the misappropriation of more than $7 million from a state-run utility.

Another prosecutor says the two were reassigned, due to slow work at their own request. But at least one demonstrator just wasn't accepting that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANKO CEGI, SERBIAN PROTESTOR (through translator): I came here to support these great prosecutors who had found courage and strength to fight against the problem that grips the society, and that is not only crime but also corruption.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAUSE: The protests comes as Serbia is seeking European Union membership by proving it can fight corruption and organized crime.

Just minutes from now, a NASA SpaceX capsule scheduled to arrive at the International Space Station. Two Americans, a Russian, and an astronaut from the UAE blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center barely 24 hours ago.

The capsule has been zeroing in on the space station for the last few hours. They're supposed to reach the destination about a half an hour from now. This is trip No. 6, manned trip No. 6 to the ISS for NASA's commercial crew program.

And while they are there, the crew will carry out science experiments and maintain the 20-year-old space station. They'll be there about six months.

Thank you for watching NEWSROOM. I'm John Vause. Stay with us. More news at the top of the hour. In the meantime, WORLD SPORT starts after the break. See you again here in just under 17 minutes.

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