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Israel Strikes Gaza and Lebanon after Flurry of Rocket Attacks; Fresh Protests Against French Pension Reforms; Soaring Violence Follows Israeli Raids On Al-Aqsa Mosque; Ukrainian Company Wants to Rebuild World's Largest Airplane; Macro Urges Xi to Reason with Russia on Ukraine Peace; Beijing Plays Central Role in Iran-Saudi Reconciliation; Startups Working to Improve Cash Flow to Sub-Saharan Africa; Koepka, Hovland, Rahm Share Lead at August. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired April 07, 2023 - 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, HOST, "CNN NEWSROOM": Hello and welcome, everyone. I'm Michael Holmes. Appreciate your company. Coming up here on CNN Newsroom, Israel carries out military strikes in southern Lebanon and Gaza, after it says dozens of rockets were fired by Palestinian militants. More than half a million protesters take to the streets across France ahead of a ruling on the government's plan to extend the retirement time age by two years. And Saudi Arabia and Iran have entered a new era of cooperation. What this new dynamic could mean for the Middle East?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN Newsroom with Michael Holmes.
HOMLES: Violence erupting again in Israel, Gaza, and now Lebanon, two days after Israeli forces stormed one of Islam's holiest sites. Several hours ago, the Israeli Military announced new strikes on both Gaza and Lebanon, saying it went after targets belonging to Hamas militants. Now, that's after a flurry of rockets were fired from Gaza towards Israel on Thursday, most of them reportedly intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome. The Israeli - Israel Defense Forces then carried out yet another round of airstrikes on Gaza, which of course is run by Hamas. The militant group released a statement saying it holds the Israeli occupiers responsible for the dangerous escalation, coming, of course, after the violence at the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Israel also blames Palestinian militants for a barrage of rocket attacks from Lebanon into northern Israel. Many were intercepted. There was, however, some damage on the ground. It was the largest attack from Lebanese soil since the war with Hezbollah 17 years ago. The UN's peacekeeping force in Lebanon stressed a short while ago that neither side wants another conflict. Now, the airstrikes and rocket attacks follow Israeli raids, as we said, on the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third holiest site. CNN's Hadas Gold reports from Jerusalem now on how the violence unfolded. HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Streaking across the sky in northern Israel, dozens of rockets fired from Lebanon Thursday, according to the Israel Defense Forces, which said it intercepted most of them, but some made impact, this car hitting the Israeli town of Fassuta. And in Shlomi, the storefront of this bank was destroyed.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I hear the siren. I hear the bomb. I was in my home. It was very, very scary.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I'm still shaking because it's - children are not supposed to see this in this age.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLD: The Lebanese Army says it found these rocket launchers and rockets close to the Israeli border Thursday and is working to dismantle them. Israel has pointed the finger at Palestinian groups and doesn't think the Lebanon-based Hezbollah was responsible. Not since the war between Lebanon and Israel in 2006 have so many rockets been fired across the border, a worrying sign of escalation in an already tense time for the region.
Israeli Police stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque multiple times this week as Palestinians gathered for Ramadan. Footage from inside the mosque showed Israeli Police beating some worshippers with batons and rifle butts. Police say they moved in after Palestinians barricaded themselves inside the mosque, threw rocks and set off fireworks. Jordan, the custodian of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, told CNN that it believes Thursday's rocket attacks were a response to Israeli actions at the mosque.
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AYMAN SAFADI, JORDANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: The two are obviously interconnected, were unfortunately at the exact moment, a dangerous moment, which we've worked for months to avoid, which is a moment where violence is erupting.
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GOLD: As the first day of the Passover holiday came to an end, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a meeting of his security cabinet.
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BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (TRANSLATED): We will strike our enemies and they will pay the price for any act of aggression.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GOLD: Multiple hotspots flaring up at once, just as Easter begins in this holy land, and all three main religions are supposed to be celebrating. Hadas Gold, CNN, Northern Israel.
HOLMES: All right. I want to bring in Dalia Dassa Kaye who is a Senior Fellow at the Burkle Center for International Relations at the University of California, Los Angeles. Thanks for making the time. Tensions were already high, of course, following those raids on the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Violence involving Al-Aqsa and Jerusalem more broadly often provoked regional reaction. So, we've seen the rockets from Lebanon, the IDF striking back.
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What do you make of developments?
DALIA DASSA KAYE, SENIOR FELLOW, UCLA BURKLE CENTER FOR INTL. RELATIONS: Yes. Well, I think, as you say, Jerusalem is a particularly sensitive spot. It tends to trigger regional reactions, which is exactly what we're seeing. The Israeli raids on Al-Aqsa were particularly provocative. And we have the backdrop also of unprecedented escalation within and an upheaval within Israel itself. So, I think Prime Minister Netanyahu is going to want to show resolve that Israel, despite the domestic upheaval, can respond forcefully to these kinds of attacks on national security, especially when he was accused of sacrificing, jeopardizing Israeli security by pushing these reforms within Israel forward. So, it is very significant, and it's happening on multiple fronts. So, it's a very worrying development.
HOLMES: Do you get the sense that neither Hezbollah or Hamas want an escalation of hostilities? But, I suppose at the same time, it's probably fair to say that in this part of the world escalation can happen, whatever the parties might want.
KAYE: Well, that's often the case. Military - controlling Military escalation is not a science. And so, there can be miscalculations. That is the fear. It does seem that Hezbollah is not interested in a wider war. They're not trying to claim responsibility. Israel is targeting Hamas. Even within Lebanon, it's targeting Hamas facilities. So, I think on both sides, there is an interest in not bringing the region back to the brink as it was back in 2006 in that month-long war.
But, we also see red lines may be changing. Hezbollah is thought to have instigated a very serious attack, a road bombing, an unusual road bombing within Israel about a month ago. So, they could be pushing the limits. Again, Netanyahu with his domestic landscape may be interested or even if it's not the motivation may not mind the conversation changing in the region away from his internal pressures. So, all of this could continue to lead toward more violence in the weeks ahead.
HOLMES: Yes. Yes. That domestic pressure and certainly those within his cabinet on the far right who would probably be pushing for even more serious reaction. I wanted to ask you about Lebanon. Lebanon's governor has condemned the firing of those rockets. But, in reality, what power does central government have over whatever Hezbollah or Hamas wants to do in the south of the country? I mean, it's pretty much a failed government. And do you see a potential Iranian hand in all of this? KAYE: Yes. Well, absolutely. The central Lebanese government is quite weak. Hezbollah is the main actor kind of calling the shots in the country. So, I think what we have to bank on in controlling this escalation is Hezbollah itself is not going to want to jeopardize de- escalation that actually we've seen since last fall with Israel. We had an interesting maritime agreement between Israel and Lebanon, which left Hezbollah would have to have agreed to, and there is a lot of potential economic opportunity for the Lebanese state that will also benefit Hezbollah. So, there is a lot at stake that hopefully will restrain action.
The Iranian factor, though, is worrying, because in the backdrop, we're also seeing growing Israeli tensions with Iran, failed nuclear agreement, Iranian confidence as it's breaking out of its regional isolation, with new normalization agreements with Saudi Arabia, with the Emirates, under the cover of Chinese brokering that agreement, and that kind of covers. So, I think there is concern Iran may have reasons to not want escalation. On the other hand, it may look at this as a separate track, and may, I think, believe incorrectly that Israel may be more vulnerable because of its internal pressures, and may see an opportunity to put the pressure on. But, I do think Israel will respond forcefully as we're seeing.
HOLMES: Yes. I've covered this part of the world for 35 years. I first went there 35 years ago, and it just always seems to be a cycle of retaliation. Each side says they're responding to the other and on and on it goes. Do you see an off-ramp in this current round of violence?
KAYE: Well, I think this current round of violence the off ramp can be the Israeli-Lebanese and Hezbollah dynamic where neither side really does want this to go to full-fledged war. But, I think that the underlying dynamics have not changed, which is you do have an Israeli government with extreme right wing ministers who are very and promoting very provocative actions and rhetoric. That is inflaming the region. That has not changed. The pressures within Israel are only on pause. They haven't solved. And then you have an Iranian government that is equally hardline, also not suggesting that despite its approach with Saudi Arabia and others in the region that it's changing course in its direction when it comes to Israel or with escalation toward the United States.
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So, I think that the brighter dynamics are incredibly worrying even if we have a way of getting off this particular escalatory cycle.
HOLMES: Yes, yes. Appreciate the analysis. Dalia Dassa Kaye, thank you so much.
KAYE: Thank you.
HOLMES: Well, a new round a protests against the government's plan to pension reforms gripped France on Thursday. I want to show you the scenes as protesters targeted a well-known financial building in Paris for its ties to private pension funds. The 11th day of nationwide demonstrations devolved into the usual clashes between police and protesters. The Interior Ministry says more than 150 police officers were injured. Authorities detained more than 100 people. Across the country, nearly 600,000 people attended the protests. And as CNN's Melissa Bell reports for us now, the clashes between police and protesters have become increasingly violent. A warning, her report contains disturbing video.
MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Another march turns to violence. The streets of Paris made weekly a battlefield between a violent minority targeting riot police and officers, now accused of the disproportionate use of force by human rights groups, facing allegations of arbitrary arrest, the excessive use of batons, and targeting journalists.
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BELL: For weeks, the protests against the government's plans to raise the retirement age in France from 62 to 64 were remarkably peaceful. But, the forcing through Parliament of the reform in March changed that, the weekly protests turning more violent with the so-called Black Bloc more visibly present, masked militants who use violence to target symbols of the state and capitalism.
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GERALD DARMANIN, FRENCH INTERIOR MINISTER (TRANSLATED): This is everything that resembles authorities, everything that resembles the Republic, everything that resembles the Republic as we have loved it for at least two centuries, that is attacked by these ultra-left thugs.
EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT: We will not give into this violence. In a democracy, violence is not allowed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BELL: Since 2016, the loosely organized group of anarchists has sought direct confrontation with the police whenever it could, and have now attached themselves to the previously peaceful pension protests. In a rare interview, CNN was able to meet with one.
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BELL: Is it about reclaiming the streets then?
LOUIS, REVOLUTIONARY MILITANT: Yes, because the streets are just for us. Because the streets are just for the people. We want the police to get out of the street. Get out our life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BELL: For the Police, the job is an unenviable one, keeping order on the streets even as they are directly targeted. Since the start of the pension protests in January, more than 1,000 policemen have been injured. But, of those, 768 were injured in the last two weeks, according to the Interior Ministry.
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LOUIS (TRANSLATED): The violence is no longer on the fringe of demonstration. It's become central to it. In fact, the people have understood that and protesting calmly, they will get nothing especially from this government.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BELL: But, in a worsening cycle of violence, the Police is now accused of its own disproportionate use of force. Amnesty International tweeting the #ProtectTheProtest, and French Police facing 45 official investigations into allegations of excessive force, according to the Interior Ministry. One brigade, in particular, created during the yellow vests movement, the "Brav-M" (ph), accused of particular ferocity. With order on the front line of the protest movement largely broken down, there are weekly victims on all sides. Protesters have lost eyes testicles, many others have been pushed in hospital, with distrust now high as each side seeks to reclaim the streets. Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.
HOLMES: Dominic Thomas is a CNN European Affairs Commentator, and a Professor at UCLA, joining me now from Los Angeles. Always good to see you, Dominic. So, France's Interior Ministry says about 570,000 people took part although the French union has claimed that the number was far higher, which they always do.
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Whichever estimate is right, that is a lot of people. Are you surprised that the passion hasn't ebbed at all?
DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: No, Michael. I think that if anything what's happened here is that it's actually, you had previous or prior to this legislative move, a rather fractured opposition, and this has provided them an opportunity to be united against one thing. It's not uniquely the question of pension reform. It's more of a kind of anti-Macron movement that this has developed, and whether or not this movement ends up coming down as we move forward and given the fact that Emmanuel Macron no longer has a legislative majority in the lower house, in the French Parliament, you're likely to see these kinds of demonstrations, protests and labor actions continue on, as he intends to push through further legislative items, Michael.
HOLMES: Yes. There were talks between the unions and the government. They quickly failed. But, I think it lasted minutes, actually. But, was there ever a chance they would succeed? I mean, do you get a sense there is any appetite for compromise from either side?
THOMAS: I don't think there is at the moment. And I think that early on, that consultation did not take place, and it's a little too late to be doing this. And I think ultimately, what we're seeing here is a kind of standoff between all the sort of branches of government. You have the President and the Prime Minister, increasingly, actually under pressure from their own representatives that are hearing the sort of a discontent and dissatisfaction of the individuals that elected them. You have this divided parliamentary system where the upper house supported pension reform, but the lower house did not. And this was, of course, the catalyst for these early demonstrations.
And we're also waiting now, Michael, for the Constitutional Council to weigh in on this and to determine whether or not the legislative process was respected. And of course, the fourth branch, if you could call it that, is the streets. And as we know, there are historic precedents for protests against legislation, and often governments have backed down. And I think they see an opportunity here in this united opposition to change the course that Emmanuel Macron is attempting to map out here in his second term as President.
HOLMES: Yes. There is another protest called for April 13, which is the day before, what you just mentioned there, the Constitutional Council, which is going to rule on the reforms. What's your sense? Does the court has the power to strike down some or all of it, but what's your read on the chances of that? Is that a court likely to be swayed by protests?
THOMAS: Yes. So, it's - I think that it's very hard to tell. First of all, the Constitution of it is much like say the upper house, which is different to the Parliament, is far more conservative. You have former prime ministers. You have a lot of Macron supporters that are on there. It seems unlikely. What they have to measure here is not just simply, of course, the legalities is what they'll be looking at. It's not just what's happening on the street.
But, can you just imagine, Michael, the impact this would have if they were to in fact find that the legislative protests had not been respected, and that Emanuel Macron had to recourse to 49.3 Article to push this through without subjecting it to a vote. It would effectively undermine the very legitimacy of the executive office, in other words, of Emmanuel Macron, and that of his Prime Minister, and it would have a dramatic impact and really sort of trigger further massive kind of demonstrations. So, it's going to be a very important day. And I think that the streets are trying to apply pressure on them, as the government is as well, Michael.
HOLMES: Yes. That was interesting, the protesters, it's a sidebar, really, but it's indicative. They attacked one of Macron's favorite restaurants, briefly setting it on fire. And it brings me back to the point you were just making there. How is this whole issue affecting Mr. Macron politically, I mean, especially since he bypassed Parliament to bring about the reforms?
THOMAS: Yes. Yes. What we're seeing in these demonstrations, and remember all the way back when we were talking and covering the yellow vests, they were targeting particular institutions and so on, that have significant businesses, government buildings, places that Emmanuel Macron stormed off and so on. So, I think what's really interesting is actually if you see where Emmanuel Macron is right now, he is abroad. He is traveling to China. Emmanuel Macron, as we know, does well on the international stage and enjoys favorability ratings that are diametrically opposed to the situation back at home. And I think his situation is precarious. As we saw back last spring when we were looking at the French presidential elections, not only did he lose his a majority in Parliament, but so many people will argue that in the first stages, only 28 percent of people voted for him. There were huge abstention rates, and in the runoff stages, in fact, more people voted against Marine Le Pen than it did really vote for him.
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So, I think he is in a fragile position. His favorability ratings are not good. And ultimately, this theater is playing out on the domestic scene. And the fact that he is traveling internationally now, working on questions with the European Union, the Ukraine question, the China question and so on, I think are also important to look at, but they don't play out well in terms of the optics locally, where these issues are playing out in France, Michael.
HOLMES: Yes. Always great analysis. Dominic Thomas, thanks so much.
THOMAS: Thank you, Michael.
HOLMES: A Russian tank crew caught off guard before taking fire from Ukrainian forces. You will see the dramatic video of the incident. That's coming up. Also, the Biden administration issuing its report on the U.S. Military withdrawal from Afghanistan. Why it is blaming Donald Trump for the chaotic exit? We will be right back.
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HOLMES: The Biden administration is blaming conditions created by Donald Trump for the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. A report summary released on Thursday doesn't admit any mistakes, and says President Biden followed his military leaders' recommendations. CNN Natasha Bertrand reports.
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: The White House said on Thursday that it would be transmitting to certain congressional committees a long-awaited after-action report, outlining lessons learned from the lead up to the withdrawal of Afghanistan and of course, the aftermath, as well as that Abbey Gate bombing that took the lives of 13 U.S. service members as that very chaotic evacuation was taking place. Now, this report is classified, and members of Congress are going to be able to read a hard copy of it. But, they of course will not be able to disseminate it widely.
However, the White House is kind of getting out ahead of this, and they released their own summary of their perspectives of the lead up to the withdrawal and the lessons that they believe the administration has learned since, namely among those lessons are the fact that they will now begin evacuations much sooner than they did with Afghanistan. They say that they delayed those evacuations essentially because they did not want the world to lose confidence in the Afghan government, and for the Afghan government to collapse. Well, now they say that they're prioritizing faster evacuations, and they're also working more aggressively to communicate the risks to Americans who may be in these situations where the security environment is deteriorating very rapidly, as we saw with that rapid Taliban takeover in Afghanistan.
So, while the White House says that they will be taking these lessons learned and applying them elsewhere, they also are arguing very fervently that this was a bad hand that was dealt to them by the Trump administration. And they say that everything that they did was really a reaction to deals that President Trump made with the Taliban that forced the Americans to withdraw from Afghanistan, reduce their presence there, and thereby leave the Afghan government and the Americans in country a lot weaker.
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That is the argument the White House is making. Obviously, this after- action report going to Congress, it will remain classified. But, what remains to be seen, of course, whether any of this will be made public for now. However, the administration really pointing the finger back at their predecessors. Natasha Bertrand, CNN, at the Pentagon.
HOLMES: Well, U.S. President Joe Biden is condemning the expulsion of two Democrats from the Tennessee House of Representatives as shocking and undemocratic. The Republican-led legislature voted out Justin Pearson, and Justin Jones, but spared Gloria Johnson. They took part in a protest on the House floor last week against gun violence, which Republicans say violated House rules.
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HOLMES: Spectators in the gallery erupted in chants of shame on you, after Thursday's expulsion. Here is what the lawmakers had to say.
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JUSTIN JONES, EXPELLED TENNESSEE LAWMAKER: What we're seeing is a very dangerous step in Tennessee that should signal to the nation that this is - if it can happen here, it can happen anywhere.
JUSTIN PEARSON, EXPELLED TENNESSEE LAWMAKER: The status quo is not working. It's hurting people. It is killing people, and they're treating things like this is normal. We can never normalize the ending of democracy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gloria, should America be worried about what we've seen here today?
GLORIA JOHNSON, TENNESSEE STATE HOUSE DEMOCRAT: America should absolutely be worried about what we've seen here today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: More now from CNN's Gary Tuchman.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It was a tumultuous day here on Thursday at the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville, outside the Capitol and inside the Capitol. There were hundreds of protesters here, afraid of what might happen, the three Democratic legislators, and indeed what they feared did happen. The Republican supermajority in the House of Representatives voted to expel two of them. Those two representatives expelled were Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, accused of disorderly conduct after an incident last week. A third member, Gloria Johnson, was also part of it. She survived by one vote. She is still in the legislature.
But, those three legislators said they were not being acknowledged. They walked into the well of the House of Representatives last week, and started talking about what they wanted to see with gun reform after the horrifying school shooting that happened here in Nashville. But, they were declared out of order. They violated the rules. Typically, in a legislature or in Congress or in a City Council, if you violate the rules, you get a slap on the wrist, or maybe you're centered, but the decision was made to fire them, to expel them. Despite the fact that they were elected in their districts by tens of thousands of voters, they are now gone.
When the decision was made for those two men to be expelled, people screamed and yelled. They actually had a die in where people were lying down in the halls of legislature. And when it all ended, and when the representatives came out, there were Tennessee troopers separating the protesters from the legislators as they came out. It was a wild day and a very unusual day in American politics. This is Gary Tuchman, CNN, in Nashville, Tennessee.
HOLMES: The Chairman of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee wants to hear from a former senior prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. Republican Jim Jordan has subpoenaed Mark Pomerantz for his role in investigating Donald Trump and his business empire. It's the latest move by Republicans to frame Trump's recent indictment as politically motivated. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg fired back on Twitter saying, "The House GOP continues to attempt to undermine an active investigation and ongoing New York criminal case with an unprecedented campaign of harassment and intimidation."
Meanwhile, Stormy Daniels says she and her words absolutely wishes to testify against Donald Trump if the hush money case ever goes before a jury. In a new interview with TalkTV's Piers Morgan, Daniels said that when she watched Trump in court on Tuesday, she felt "The King has been dethroned". The former adult film star also lamented that violent threats against her have become "way more specific and graphic" allegedly by people who are no longer trying to hide their identities.
Bitter enemies no more, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to a fresh start with China playing the role of peacemaker. When we come back, an expert on the region will explain how Beijing, Tehran and Riyadh all stand to gain a great deal from the reproach mom.
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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: And welcome back to our viewers all around the world. I'm Michael Holmes. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.
Now Palestinian authorities in Gaza claim an Israeli air strike deliberately damaged a children's hospital there. No casualties reported but the Palestinian ministry of health says the attack caused distress among the young patients.
The Israeli military says that it's been carrying out strikes against Hamas targets in Lebanon and Gaza. It is the latest escalation since tensions flared earlier this week when Israeli police twice raided the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem during Ramadan prayers.
Now the strikes against Hamas come just hours after a barrage of rockets nearly three dozen in all were fired from southern Lebanon towards Israel. The IDF says most but not all were intercepted.
We now want to take you to the grueling battle for the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut through the eyes of Ukraine's special forces. The Ukrainian military released this video showing troops fighting house per house in damaged buildings.
Ukraine says that it repelled about ten new Russian attacks in Bakhmut in the past day or so. And also says it is grinding down Russian forces there ahead of an expected Ukrainian counter offensive.
Meanwhile Ukraine says this footage shows its forces destroying a Russian tank. You can see there catching on fire after munitions were dropped from a drone. You can see it happening.
Ukraine didn't say when or where that happened. There's a lot of those videos out there on the Internet. Meanwhile, in Kherson region, officials say seven people were wounded from Russian artillery fire on Thursday.
And a Ukrainian aircraft producer wants to get the world's biggest plane back in the sky. The Antonov 225 was one of a kind airplane which was destroyed in fighting near Kyiv. But as David McKenzie reports, Ukraine is not ready to give up on it.
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DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The first hours of the war, Russian elite forces descending on Gostomel Airport outside Kyiv, their intended launch pad to the capital, it didn't work out.
Ukrainian forces famously pushed the Russians back. Then they made a discovery at Gostomel. The pride of Ukraine, the remarkable AN-225 or Mriya cargo plane gutted in the fighting.
CAPTAIN YEVHEN BASHYNSKY, PILOT: You know, it was feeling like you're a part of something great.
[01:34:59]
MCKENZIE: It's the first time Pilot Yevgeniy Bashynsky has come back.
Yevgeniy, coming back here, it must be quite hard for you. What's the emotion like?
BASHYNSKY: It's very, very hard to be here and to see all this station (ph) -- destroyed planes, destroyed hangars. It's quite hard to see. MCKENZIE: The Ukrainian Antonov Company says it wants to rebuild this one of a kind giant no matter what it takes.
Designer Valeriy (INAUDIBLE) says they've already retrieved much of what they can use.
You can feel the extraordinary size of the plane inside the fuselage. And Mriya was the heaviest plane in the world. It could carry up to 250 tons inside or even on top.
Designed to transport the Soviet era Buran space craft, the Antonov Company refurbished the Mriya multiple times with six turbo fan engine, each with more than 50,000 pounds of thrust and 52-wheel landing gear system, the Mriya was a marvel, an outsized hit with plane spotters and aviation enthusiasts.
When you were flying this then, so many people wanted to take photos of it, follow it. What was that like.
BASHYNSKY: I was feeling a great responsibility, not only to operate this plane properly, correctly but it was also a great responsibility because you're attracting a lot of attention. A few days after, you can open the YouTube and see oh, what have you done?
MCKENZIE: But to put Mriya back in the sky, the Antonov Company says it could cost early a billion dollars and take years. But for Ukrainians it's a point of pride.
David McKenzie, CNN -- Kyiv, Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: European leaders are in Beijing trying to strengthen economic and diplomatic ties with China. The French President Emmanuel Macron met with his Chinese Counterpart Xi Jinping on Thursday. The two leaders striking a deal on nuclear and wind energy.
Also on the agenda, finding solutions to end the war in Ukraine. During a meeting with Mr. Macron and the European Commission chief Ursula Von Der Leyen, President Xi said his top priority is pushing for a cease fire.
China has attempted to frame itself as an agent of peace but it's also the same time, refused to condemn Russia for invading in the first place.
Mr. Macron is hoping for a breakthrough and counting on President Xi to reason with Russia.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EMMANUEL MACRON, FRENCH PRESIDENT (through translator): The Russian aggression in Ukraine has dealt a blow to the stability. It ended decades of peace in Europe. I know I can count on you. Moreover, under the two principles I have just mentioned, to bring Russia to its senses and everyone to the negotiating table. And we will come back to this in detail but we need to find a lasting peace.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Two long-time adversaries in the Middle East -- Iran and Saudi Arabia have now concluded an historic agreement to restore their respective embassies and resume a more cooperative relationship. And at the center of the dramatic reconciliation is Beijing, marking a key moment in China's expanding global influence.
CNN's Becky Anderson with our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Iran and Saudi Arabia, two Middle Eastern powers overcoming years of hostility, signing an agreement to reestablish relations and reopen embassies.
The two sides also taking steps to resume direct flights and issue visas. But this pivotal meeting not taking place in the Middle East, they've flown to Beijing. China acting as the guarantor of this agreement and to quote, "contribute Chinese wisdom and strength to the security, stability and development of the Middle East region".
VALI NASR, MIDDLE EAST STUDIES, JOHNS HOPKINSUVTY: First of all we're seeing a China that has gone beyond its usual only business to get into security matters and is also building a relationship of trust with Saudi Arabia. I think it's a big deal that Saudi Arabia is trusting China to deliver Iran and to monitor an agreement.
ANDERSON: The two broke off relations in 2016, after Saudi Arabia executed Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr. Saudi Arabia's embassy in Tehran was ransacked.
For years, the two have opposed each other on most conflicts in the region from Yemen to Iraq and Lebanon.
Iran accused of being behind a major attack on Saudi Arabia's Aramco oil facility in 2019 claimed by the Iranian backed Houthis.
[01:39:55]
ANDERSON: And at their lowest point, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman compared Iran's Supreme Leader to Hitler.
MOHAMMED BIN SALMAN, SAUDI ARABIA'S CROWN PRINCE (through translator): He wants to create his own project in the Middle East, very much like Hitler who wanted to expand at the time.
ANDERSON: The reestablishment of relations comes after multiple rounds of negotiations between the two sides. Saudi Arabia trying to tone down regional tensions as it seeks to diversify its economy
Iran trying to come out of its international isolation following months of mass protests and years of sanctions.
The United States apparently welcoming the agreement. NED PRICE, U.S. STASTE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON: We support dialogue. We support direct diplomacy. We support anything that would serve to deescalate tension in the region and potentially help to prevent conflict.
If this is the end result of what was announced in recent days, that would be a very good thing.
ANDERSON: But it's a diplomatic win for a more assertive China with Beijing vowing to play an active role in the region.
Becky Anderson, CNN -- Abu Dhabi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Saudi author and commentator Ali Sahabi joins me now from Miami. And thanks for doing so.
So you know, follow -- this all follows the China-brokered deal in Beijing last month. You had Iran and Saudi officials holding these first-- talks for the first time I think since 2016. That handshake in Beijing on Thursday.
I don't know if you thought it was a little awkward or not but it was a handshake. What was the significance of the imagery and the talks themselves.
ALI SHIHABI, SAUDI AUTHOR AND COMMENTATOR: Well, the significance is that really that handshake took place in Beijing. There have been previous handshakes with the Iranians the previous deals in the past 20 years that the Iranians have not upheld.
So the fact that China brought its involvement and prestige and was a co-signatory through the tripartite agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran, gives it the special significance that differentiates it from previous deals that have been done with the Iranian government.
And I think that -- the Saudis confident.
HOLMES: Ok. Given the competing priorities in the region, I mean some pretty obvious ones, they support opposite sides of the conflict in Yemen. They support rival factions in Lebanon and so on.
Given all of that, where do you think meaningful common ground might exist from all of this?
SHIHABI: Well, I think primarily Saudi Arabia's looking at Yemen which is strategically its priority. The negotiations with Yemeni parties to end the civil war are really progressing very, very well.
And I think Saudi Arabia's objective is to make sure that Iran does not become a spoiler to this agreement. And so this agreement in Beijing gives Saudi Arabia a lot of comfort that Iran will be supportive rather than a negative force in Yemen going forward.
(INAUDIBLE) but it's China's involvement that gives this whole agreement its special weight.
HOLMES: Saudi Arabia of course is a western ally. Iran very much not. How much does this rapprochement play out in terms of dynamics with the West? Does it signal a loss of influence for the U.S. for example?
SHIHABI: To a certain extent it does a little bit. I mean what Saudi Arabia is doing is it is complementing its close relationship with America and the West with a very close strategic relationship with China.
And you know, after Saudi oil fields were attacked in 2019 by the Iranians, and when there was really no response from the United States, the deterrent impact of America was punctured towards Iran really in the Gulf.
And so Saudi Arabia reached out -- there were different ways Saudi Arabia could have responded. It could have responded militarily but it decided to respond politically and to complement if you want U.S. alliance with its -- a political alliance with China where by China brings its politics and economic weight to bear on Iran to impact Iranian behavior. And that is really what is underpinning this whole exercise (ph).
HOLMES: What about China? What do you think China wants to get from having forged this relationship? Inserted itself, if you like, as a broker in the region.
SHIHABI: Well, you know, China imports a majority of its oil really. I mean 40 percent of its oil come from the Gulf, the Persian Gulf or Arabian Gulf. So China has a huge vested interest in stability in the Gulf.
[01:44:53]
SHIHABI: So it makes a lot of sense for China to be heavily involved in ensuring that stability. Now obviously, America benefits from that stability in the West and the global economy does also.
So everybody is a winner here. But China is the primary power that gets its oil from the Gulf at the moment. So it has a huge vested interest in the Gulf's stability and this agreement is working towards that stability.
HOLMES: So how then would you see relations playing out in the months ahead in a geo political sense. Not just from Saudi's perspective but Iran. What are they going to want to see from here?
SHIHABI: Well, I think Iran has been very interested in reopening diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia and having easier access to pilgrimage for its population, opening up embassies, opening up consulates. Iran is stressed economically also so it wants to open up you know, economic channels that might bring foreign investment into Iran.
So Iran can be a great beneficiary, you know, Iran has -- Saudi Arabia (INAUDIBLE) of co-power and Iran has been a revolution power exporting its revolution all around the region.
And hopefully, this agreement maybe a first step in making Iran look more inward at developing its own economy rather than disrupting the politics and economics of its neighbors.
HOLMES: Certainly a change in power dynamics all around -- China, the U.S., Iran, Saudi Arabia.
Ali Shihabi, thank you so much. Really appreciate your expertise.
SHIHABI: Pleasure, Michael. Thank you.
HOLMES: Easter Week services are underway for Christians and Catholics around the world. Just ahead, the symbolic rites Pope Francis performs for Holy Thursday and what he's expected to do for Good Friday.
That's when we come back.
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HOLMES: Now when people leave or flee their nation for better opportunities abroad, they often send money home. And it turns out Sub-Saharan Africa is the most expensive region in the world to send money to.
Well now, a money transfer company in Tanzania is working to cut that cost. It's backed in part by another company that helps (INAUDIBLE) startups with AirBNB and Strike among others in its roster.
That story now in this week's "African Insider".
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MAYOWA KUYORO,PARTNER, MCKINSSEY NIGERIA: It's a (INAUDIBLE) eruption. And I think that is a good and accurate way to think about what is happening. It's actually exploding across the continent.
It's continental transfer is one of them and I think that is one area that is actually ripe and (INAUDIBLE) for disruption (ph).
A lot of them are actually focused on setting further so that in southern Africa, Nala, Mama Money.
BENJAMIN FERNANDEZ, CEO, NALA: I think payments across the continent are 1 percent (INAUDIBLE). There's so much more to be done.
[01:49:57]
My name is Benjamin Fernandez (ph). I'm the founder and CEO of Nala.
We started in the U.K. about a year and a half ago. And started there primarily because of the large African (INAUDIBLE) for a population that live in the U.K.
Today we're near (ph) both cross-border payments from the U.S., the U.K. and 19 European countries to 5 African countries. And it's been challenging. Every single market that you operate in across the African continent has its own government laws, government policies, that you have to work around and work with.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: According to the World Bank, I think the average remittance fees are around 6.5 percent. In Africa it's almost 8.5 to 10 percent. So we are paying even more than the rest of the world to transfer money.
FERNANDEZ: In some services, if you want to send money from one country to another, the money has to pass through six or seven different protocols in order for that to get delivered to the final user through either technology or bank route.
And that every single step of that way, it charges you for money and that's why it makes it really expensive.
And this is a big part for us as a business. One we think about increasing economic opportunities asking ourselves this question of how we reducing fees, how they enable each penny spent to go farther away for the user.
We just recently got our payment service, (INAUDIBLE) license in Tanzania which enables us to think directly to telcoms which ultimate (ph) users all those made of organizations and banks or, you know, services in between. They would have to use before in order to make that transaction.
Every single services in between charges us a fee that we have to eat ourselves or maybe pass on to the customer in order to cover our cost to make that single transaction.
We have a compare rates function in our product where people can compare rates for all of their services and we show it and list all our competitors that they're comparing rates with because we believe even for that day, if they're not the best, we should tell them who's the best.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM. We'll be right back.
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HOLMES: Welcome back.
Hundreds of earthquakes were reported near an active volcano in Colombia on Thursday. And now there are calls to speed up the evacuation of 2,500 families near that volcano.
Colombia's Geological Service says it detected 7,100 seismic activities as they call it on Wednesday. There are fears that the Nevado Del Ruiz volcano in the northwestern part of the country could erupt within days or weeks. The volcano previously erupted in 1985 killing 25,000 people.
Pope Francis will preside over the Way of the Cross in the Rome at Good Friday services in the coming hours. Yesterday, he led Holy Thursday services including washing and kissing the feet of 12 people at a local juvenile jail.
The ceremony commemorates Jesus' washing the feet of his disciples at the Last Supper. The 10 boys and girls as you can see there were seated on a platform so the Pope didn't have to kneel down. He's had ongoing knee issues and trouble walking.
Well, there is rain in the forecast for Augusta, Georgia in the day ahead which could put a damper on the second round of the Masters quite literally. Right now three golfers are sharing the lead, American Brooks Koepka, Norway's Victor Hovland and Spain's John Rahm, all at 7 under par.
Tiger Woods 9 shots back complaining of a sore leg after the first day.
CNN's Don Riddell reports from Augusta National.
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DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORTS ANCHOR: A really difficult day for Tiger Woods during his opening round at the Masters. A 74 at two over par score would have fallen well short of his expectation.
And given that it was such a glorious day here, it was more than 80 degrees, sunshine from start to finish, given that the weather is going to change, it's going to be wetter, and much, much cooler Tiger perhaps knows that he's missed his chance.
TIGER WOODS, PRO GOLFER: Well, I feel like (INAUDIBLE) is good. I just didn't do the job I need to do to get the wall close. Today was the opportune time to get the ball, get the round under par and I didn't do that today.
Most of the guys are going low today. This was the day to do it. Hopefully tomorrow, I'll be a little bit better, a little bit sharper and I inch my way through it. I mean this is going to be an interesting finish to determine with the weather coming in. If I can just kind of hang in there, maybe try to inch my way back, hopefully it will be positive towards the end.
RIDDELL: You know, Tiger Woods hasn't missed a cut at August since the mid 90s. But he's got it all to do if he wants to play a part of the proceedings here this weekend.
So a difficult day for Tiger Woods. Not so much for one of his playing partners, Norway Victor Hovland. He shot a brilliant 65. We have an eagle on the second and he never looked back from there. So a 7 under par score for Victor Hovland.
And the world number 3, John Rahm he had a double birdie on his first hole, also ended up with a 65 for a superb comeback performance from John Rahm. And what about Brooks Koepka. He might just be the story of the opening day. Koepka is one of the breakaway rebel Liv Golf players. His game has really been in the wilderness for a few years. But he won on the Liv tour in Orlando at the weekend. He came out on a shot of 65.
And he could be a key part of the conversation over the next few days as well as narrative continues between the Liv guys versus the PGA tour guys. That would certainly make things very interesting.
Back to you.
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HOLMES: Our thanks to Don Riddell.
Now an amateur mathematician appears to have solved a geometry problem that has puzzled scientists for more than 60 years.
He's come up with a 13-sided shape called the hat because it looks like one. Kind of. It also dubbed in Einstein, not for the physicist but the German saw one stone.
Apparently it means it can cover a surface without a repeated pattern. That's a first for a single tile.
The creator, a retired printing technician gold help from a math professor and two other academics. The shape will not be copyrighted so that everyone can enjoy working with it in decorative art and architecture and anything else.
Thanks for watching, spending part of your day with me.
I'm Michael Holmes. CNN continues though with your favorite Canadian, Paula Newton.
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