Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Belarusian Leader Speaks on Wagner Head's Whereabouts; Zelenskyy Meets the Turkish President on the Fate of the Grain Deal; 17 Died in the Nitrate Gas Leak in a South African Settlement Camp; Dozens Trapped In Quito Cable Car Gondolas; UN: Spike In Violence Against Sudanese Women & Girls; Meta's Twitter Rival App "Threads" Gains Traction. Aired 2-2:45a ET

Aired July 07, 2023 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. Welcome to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.

Coming up on "CNN Newsroom." No one appears to know where Yevgeny Prigozhin is right now. Ahead, why no one can locate the Russian warlord? And what officials found during a raid of his St. Petersburg estate?

Plus, the head of the IAEA says nuclear waste water from Fukushima, Japan is safe to be released, but many locals aren't convinced.

And later, after just one day, Elon Musk threatens to sue Threads over its similarities to Twitter.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: And we begin this hour with some bizarre twists in the mystery of Russian warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin. The whereabouts of the Wagner mercenary group leader are unknown at this hour. The president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, reveals that Prigozhin isn't in his country, but likely in Russia.

A short time later, Russian state media showed video of a raid on Prigozhin's office and residence in St. Petersburg, where they say they recovered wigs, gold, cash, guns, and fake passports. The Kremlin refused to comment on Prigozhin's whereabouts saying it has neither the ability nor the desire to track him.

CNN's senior international correspondent Matthew Chance was at the Lukashenko news conference in Minsk.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A rare meeting with the Belarusian leader and an extraordinary revelation on the whereabouts of Wagner, the Russian mercenaries he's meant to be sheltering. Despite earlier statements, neither its fighters nor its leader, he tells me, have taken up his offer of exile.

ALEXANDER LUKASHENKO, BELARUSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): As far as I am informed, as of this morning, the Wagner fighters are now stationed at their regular camps where they go for rotation to rest and recover from the front lines. In terms of Yevgeny Prigozhin, he is in St. Petersburg, or maybe this morning he would travel to Moscow or elsewhere, but he is not on the territory of Belarus now.

CHANCE (voice-over): It wasn't meant to be this way.

Lukashenko's deal was how the Kremlin explained how Wagner's armed uprising last month had been brought to an early end.

There was even talk of Prigozhin arriving in Belarus and of all charges against him being dropped. That deal now appears in doubt.

(on-camera): So the offer that you extended to Wagner and to Yevgeny Prigozhin has not been taken up? They are not in your country?

LUKASHENKO (through translator): Not yet. This will depend on the decision made by the Russian government and Wagner PMC. If they deem it necessary to locate a certain number of Wagner fighters in Belarus for rest and preparation, then I will keep my promise.

CHANCE (voice-over): But the Kremlin may have other plans. Russian state TV has for days been painting Prigozhin as a traitor and a criminal, now broadcasting these new images of a raid on his St. Petersburg property with police seizing weapons, cash and gold, even wigs for disguise and multiple passports under aliases.

The Kremlin told CNN they won't comment on where Prigozhin is or whether new charges may be filed against him.

But Lukashenko raised the disturbing possibility of Prigozhin being assassinated before insisting the Kremlin would never do it.

LUKASHENKO (through translator): What will happen to Prigozhin next? Well, in life, anything can happen. But if you think that Putin is so malicious and vindictive that he will do him in tomorrow, no, this won't happen.

CHANCE (voice-over): But clearly, the fate of Wagner and its leader is now in question. Just last week, these satellite images appeared to show a military base in Belarus being prepared for a possible influx of fighters. Lukashenko may now himself have got cold feet.

(on-camera): Is part of this you rethinking the wisdom of inviting a battle-hardened, rebellious mercenary group into your country? Are you concerned that would have destabilized Belarus? I mean, the Russians thought it was safe to have them, but, you know, they were wrong.

[02:05:07] LUKASHENKO (through translator): This is not a situation where I was lending Wagner a helping hand. This was breached in a process of negotiation. You know what was at stake. I made this decision at that time and I would stick to it. But I don't think Wagner would rise up and turn its guns against the Belarusian state.

CHANCE (voice-over): But for Belarus, Wagner's absence may yet be a blessing in disguise.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Minsk.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: The U.S. is expected to give the green light to sending controversial cluster munitions to Ukraine. That's according to defense officials who spoke with CNN, telling us a formal announcement is expected on Friday. Those weapons are banned by more than 100 countries because they scatter a hail of smaller bombs across a wide area. But if they fail to explode, they can become a long-term danger to anyone, similar to landmines. Both Kyiv and Moscow have already been using cluster bombs.

Search and rescue operations are now over at the site of a deadly Russian missile strike in the city of Lviv. Officials made the announcement a short time ago, saying the death toll now stands at 10 people, with 42 others injured.

They say Thursday's strike destroyed more than 30 houses, along with hundreds of apartments and multiple other buildings. Ukraine calls it the most devastating attack on the city, which until now was considered a relatively safe haven. There are also reports some bomb shelters were closed during the attack. The mayor of Lviv had this response during an interview on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDRIY SADOVYI, LVIV, UKRAINE MAYOR: We have in my city 6,000 shelters. It is private shelters, in local government shelters, in different owners. And after missiles attack, we made a new decision. All shelters must be open all time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said Kyiv needs more than promises on its aspirations to join NATO. He says the alliance should send what he called a clear signal at its upcoming summit in Lithuania. Zelenskyy spoke during a visit to the Czech Republic on Thursday. He also addressed Ukraine's ongoing counteroffensive, saying there's something more important than its speed. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): As for the counterattack, we are attacking. We now have the initiative. The offensive is not fast, that's a fact. But nevertheless, we are advancing, not retreating, like the Russians. And that's why I see a positive in this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: President Zelenskyy will be in Turkey on Friday, with 10 days left before a grain deal brokered by that country and the U.N. expires. Nada Bashir joins us now from London.

So Nada, the Zelenskyy-Erdogan meeting, so take us through what's at stake here.

NADA BASHIR, CNN REPORTER: Well, look, when the deal was signed last summer, this was a landmark agreement between Ukraine and Russia brokered by the United Nations and the Turkish government after months and months of negotiations. And this came in the midst of a severe food security crisis, particularly for those countries most dependent on Ukraine's grain exports.

And essentially, what this deal has guaranteed over the last year is the safe passage of vessels carrying grain and fertilizer from Ukraine to pass through the Black Sea safely. What it entailed was a joint inspection by representatives from both Russia and Ukraine at a port in the Black Sea with the supervision of both Turkish representatives and U.N. observers.

Now, of course, as you mentioned, that this deal is set to expire in just 10 days. It was already renewed back in May. And of course, there is significant concern that Russia may not cooperate on a potential renewal of this deal. We heard from the Russian Foreign Ministry earlier this week saying that they see no basis for the renewal.

They accuse those participating in the deal of actually serving those countries that aren't so dependent on Ukrainian-gray countries, in their words, that are well-fed, as opposed to those that are in a weaker position, perhaps more dependent on those grain exports when it comes to food security.

But of course, this has been denied by members of the international community. This deal has gone a long way in order to actually prevent the food security crisis that we saw last year. And of course, there is real concern that if Russia does not cooperate, this could really put the global grain market in a terrible position. Now, of course, that meeting between President Zelenskyy and President Erdogan is set to take place later today in Istanbul.

President Erdogan has, in fact, maintained relations, maintained communications with President Putin, often to the disappointment, often to the criticism of his Western NATO allies. But of course, this has put President Erdogan in a position where he is able to present himself as a mediator and perhaps when it comes to the grain deal, his international allies, particularly in NATO and the E.U., will be leaning on President Erdogan in order to secure a further renewal of this deal.

[02:10:13]

BRUNHUBER: All right. Thanks so much. Nada Bashir. I appreciate it. President Zelenskyy says Ukraine had lost track of some 200,000

children during the war. He made that statement during a visit to Bulgaria on Thursday. Zelenskyy says some of those children have been deported to Russia, while others might be in occupied territories. But ultimately, Ukraine isn't sure how many of them are still alive.

Earlier this year, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over an alleged scheme to deport Ukrainian children to Russia. The Kremlin dismissed the warrant as null and void.

The U.S. Treasury Secretary is meeting with senior Chinese officials in an effort to ease tensions after months of flare-ups between the two superpowers. In a few hours, Janet Yellen is expected to hold talks with the Chinese premier, who is seen as a close ally of the president. She's also met with the former vice premier and the governor of China's central bank. China's finance ministry has called her visit a key measure to strengthen communication between the two countries.

CNN's Anna Coren is covering this, live in Hong Kong. So Anna, the two sides seem to be making all the appropriate noises. Take us through what's happened so far and what we're expecting.

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kim, we can tell you that Janet Yellen is currently meeting with the American Chamber of Commerce and representatives from the American business community in China. You're looking at live pictures right now. Let me read to you some of the remarks or opening remarks.

She has said that direct and clear lines of communication at senior levels is in the best interest of U.S. and China. She says that a shift towards market reforms would be in China's interest that past reforms spurred rapid growth. And she went on to say that the U.S. is not seeking wholesale separation of economies, looking to diversify and not decouple. You know, this follows on from the remarks that she gave, you know earlier this year, saying that it would be disastrous for the United States to break away from the Chinese economy, to decouple.

But look, she has met this morning with some of her old friends, the former counterpart and also former Vice Premier Liu He, as well as the former People's Bank of China Governor Li Gang. They met for what we hear were informal and substantive conversations. She's currently holding that round table. Then later, she'll be meeting with the Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the Great Hall of the People before having dinner tonight with some leading Chinese economist.

Kim, Beijing really sees Janet Yellen as the voice of reason within the Biden administration. You know, she has pushed to maintain economic ties with China. She's argued against tariffs, cautioned against restrictions on investment in China. And as I say, she is saying that America needs China, it needs to de-risk, but certainly not decouple.

But, you know, it's not going to be without tension, these meetings. She's spoken out against China's human rights record and believes that the American supply chain needs to diversify away from China. But she will certainly attempt to convince Beijing that it's not trying to -- U.S. is not trying to harm or to contain the Chinese economy by, you know, blocking access to sensitive technology such as semiconductors in the name of national security.

This is a real bugbear for China. And this week it retaliated by announcing that China would restrict the export of certain minerals critical for the production of semiconductor chips, solar cells and other tech products.

Now, Kim, yesterday there were some terse words from the Commerce Ministry just as Janet Yellen really landed in Beijing. It said that the restrictions that the U.S. will place on China will backfire against the U.S. But it was a much more conciliatory tone this morning.

We heard from China's finance ministry that said it hoped the U.S. would take concrete actions to create a favorable environment for the healthy development of bilateral economic and trade ties that are mutually beneficial.

You know, as we know, these are the world's two largest economies. They share something like $700 billion in trade annually. You know, they need each other, especially, Kim, at a time where there is such economic uncertainty globally.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. Absolutely. We'll be following this story throughout the day, Anna Coren in Hong Kong. Thank you so much.

[02:15:00]

All right, still to come, disheartening new reports about how women are being abused and mistreated in countries consumed by turmoil and conflict.

Plus, 12 years after the nuclear disaster, Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant officials are moving forward with a controversial plan for the site's wastewater. We'll have that story coming up. Stay with us

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: Search and rescue operations are ongoing at a settlement camp near an illegal gold mine in South Africa after at least 17 people, including children, died from a nitrate gas leak on Wednesday.

CNN's David McKenzie reports from Johannesburg.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's certainly a very disturbing tragedy here in South Africa. At least 17 people are dead, men, women, and children, according to authorities, because of this nitrate gas leak to the east of where I'm sitting here in Johannesburg. Now, authorities say it could be linked to illegal miners that operate in that part of the city as well as other parts. They go into disused and even active gold mines to extract the precious metal and sell it on the black market.

Now, this video shows the canisters in these shacks. This very tightly packed informal settlement to the east of Joburg (ph), where the people noticed this odd smell. According to police who spoke to local media, they alerted the police. At least one person seems to have shut down one of those gas cylinders, which could speak possibly to foul play, but it's too early to tell. The authorities say they will stamp out illegal miners, but they are finding it very difficult to deal with these organized groups.

This is what one official had to say about being on the scene.

PANYAZA LESUFI, PREMIER OF GAUTENG PROVINCE: The scene was heartbreaking. It was heartbreaking. I regretted -- we have to go through that. It was heartbreaking. So, it's something that -- we might need assistance personally because the bodies were scattered literally everywhere.

MCKENZIE: Illegal mining in South Africa is a million dollar business according to researchers and certainly because of the organized nature and the heavily armed nature of many of these groups authorities are struggling to clamp down on these miners. At this stage, no arrests have been made.

David McKenzie, CNN, Johannesburg.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: The U.S. State Department is condemning the brutal assault of a well-known Russian journalist and calling on Moscow to investigate the attack. According to sources, reporter, Elena Milashina, and lawyer, Alexander Nemov were heading to a court hearing in the Chechen capital on Tuesday when armed men pulled them from their vehicle and savagely beat them. She was badly bruised, her head shaved and covered in green paint. Nemov was reportedly beaten and stabbed but survived.

[02:20:03]

In the skies over Syria, Russian fighter pilots have stepped up their harassment of U.S. military drones that operate in that airspace against ISIS targets. Yet again, on Thursday, Russian jets intercepted an American drone and forced it to take evasive action.

CNN's Oren Liebermann has the latest from the Pentagon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: For the second time in as many days, Russian fighter jets intercepted and harassed U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drones operating over Syria. This time, it occurred early Thursday morning, and the commander of U.S. Air Force Central Command, Lieutenant General Alex Grinkovich, says those Russian fighters got dangerously close to the U.S. drones.

In this video, you can see this encounter as it happened. You see as the Russian fighter jets get close and fly above and faster than the drone, one of those jets begins dropping a series of flares. And it almost looks like the fighter jet is attempting to hit the drone with those flares.

This is very similar to what we saw the Russians do one day earlier. That's when three Russian fighter jets approached three U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drones and conducted very similar activity, which the Department of Defense called unsafe and unprofessional.

In that case, one of those Russian fighter jets dropped parachute flares in front of the U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone, while another lit afterburner in front of the Reaper drone, which made it difficult to operate the drone in a safe manner.

Crucially, it's not just the U.S. that appeared to be the target of these aggressive Russian activities. The French said they were also essentially harassed by a Russian fighter jet. This time the French, on the official Twitter account of the French Armed Forces, say they had two of their Rafale fighter jets operating near the Iraq-Syria border when a Russian Sukhoi SU-35 fighter jet came up and operated in a nonprofessional manner.

The French, according to this tweet, essentially averted any sort of risk and flew away. We've seen this play out over several months back in April, a U.S. official told us it was essentially the Russians trying to operate in a new and more aggressive manner here, ignoring the deconfliction protocols that were specifically set up to avoid any sort of conflict or miscalculation between two of the most powerful militaries in the world.

Oren Liebermann, CNN in the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: An Israel Defense Forces soldier has been named as the victim of a shooting near an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank on Thursday. Hamas has claimed responsibility for the attack. The Israeli military says a gunman fired at security forces who had stopped his vehicle for inspection.

(VIDEO PLAYING)

You can hear the gunfire that was in that video obtained by CNN. The IDF says the suspect was, quote, "neutralized after the incident." The shooting comes after the Israeli military ended its occupation -- its operation in Jenin, the largest incursion in the West Bank in more than two decades.

Twelve Palestinians and one Israeli soldier were killed. And the United Arab Emirates will contribute $15 million for urgent humanitarian needs in the Jenin refugee camp. The money will support efforts by the United Nations to repair a Health Center and homes that were destroyed in the violence.

Protesters are expected to take the streets across Pakistan in the coming hours, angered by the burning of a Quran in Sweden. The Prime Minister called for nationwide participation in the demonstration, which coincides with Pakistan's Holy Quran Day. It comes a week after a lone protester was allowed to burn a copy of Islam's holy book outside a mosque in the Swedish capital, Stockholm.

Torrential downpours and floods have killed at least 15 people in southwest China, leaving urban areas underwater and toppling buildings. State media says at least four others are missing. More than 85,000 people have been displaced just in Sichuan province.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered authorities to step up their prevention and response efforts as the country enters its main flood season. Hundreds of emergency teams have been deployed to help rescue and relief operations. Rescuers used a drone to drop a rope and life jackets to this bear trapped in the floodwaters before they were carried to the riverbank by crane.

People in parts of Europe are cleaning up from another day of severe storms. There were over 60 large hail reports, most of them in Spain, with some of the hail measuring about 6 centimeters. Heavy rainfall was the problem in parts of Italy, with some areas getting as much as 143 millimeters of rain in about four hours.

Now, the good news is the storms are wrapping up and there are no threats for severe weather across Europe in the coming hours.

And the news is not so good for people in Canada. Officials there say the wildfires that have been burning across the country won't let up anytime soon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL BLAIR, CANADIAN MINISTER OF EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS: This forecast outlines a high likelihood of heightened fire activity through the next two months. Drought conditions, when coupled with above normal temperatures across most of the country, means that the risk of fire activity is going to remain very high throughout the majority of the summer.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[02:25:02]

BRUNHUBER: Right now, there are 648 wildfires throughout Canada and more than 300 of them are considered to be out of control.

U.N. officials sign off on a controversial plan to release nuclear waste water from Japan's Fukushima power plant, but many remain skeptical and worried about the impact. We'll have that story next. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom."

The head of the U.N.'s nuclear agency has given his support to Japan's plan to release treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear site into the Pacific Ocean.

The International Atomic Energy Agency chief discussed the plan just a few hours ago. He says he's convinced it is safe for people and the environment, but that does little to reassure rattled residents, local fishermen, neighboring countries, and some international scientists.

We get more now from CNN's Mark Stewart in Tokyo.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARK STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Soon, the treated wastewater inside these massive tanks at the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant will be released off Japan's Pacific coast.

It was collected after the meltdown at the plant following the massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011.

The release is controversial. The chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency came to Tokyo to reassure the public.

(on-camera): What do you say to members of the public who feel a bit leery about this decision to release the water?

RAFAEL GROSSI, DIRECTOR GENERAL, IAEA: First of all that I understand them. So all sorts of fears kick in and one has to take them seriously to address and to explain.

STEWART (voice-over): In April, CNN was granted rare access to the plant. We saw the tanks with enough water to fill more than 500 Olympic pools. The water has been treated and diluted to remove radioactive elements. One exception, tritium, a radioactive isotope, which the government says is impossible to remove. It's all part of the process to slowly decommission the plant.

As you can see on this map, the release of tritium is common for nuclear plants around the world. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission says that the radiation from tritium is far less than what one might assume. It says a cross-country round-trip flight exposes a person to 12 times more radiation compared to water with tritium from a nuclear plant.

(on-camera): How will you know if this was the right decision or this is the right decision?

[02:30:00]

GROSSI: Well, I think we have the benefit of science. Either you have a certain radionuclide in a water sample, or you don't have it. And for that, you have -- it's a measurable thing. So we have the science, we have the laboratories, and we have a network of international laboratories working with us to ensure the credibility and the transparency of the process. STEWART (voiceover): The release is drawing criticism from Asia, including South Korea and China. Despite the reservations, including those of local fishermen, the planned release is moving forward a process that will likely take decades to complete.

Mark Stewart, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Now, developing story just in from Ecuador. Rescue efforts are underway for at least 70 people trapped in cable car gondolas in the capital Quito. City officials say 11 people have already been brought to safety.

Firefighters were alerted to a technical failure on the cable cars Thursday afternoon. Rescue units are working with high mountain teams and monitoring the operation from a drone. The city says those rescued are being evaluated for any medical issues.

Well, it's been a disheartening week for women living in some of the roughest corners of the world. In Afghanistan, the Taliban have given beauty salons one month to close as the extremist group extends its repressive rule over women. The Taliban have already rolled back decades of progress by limiting women's access to education and employment.

Salon closures will further restrict their freedom and hurt families who rely on them for income. And UN officials are reporting a shocking spike in violence against women and girls in Sudan after the fighting broke out nearly three months ago, much of it is sexual violence against female refugees.

So, for more on this, I want to bring in UN Women director Osnat Lubrani who's in Geneva. Thank you so much for being here with us. I want to start there in Sudan and the UN report this week that the conflict is resulting in more and more gender-based violence, rape, sexual assault.

I mean, the problem was already bad before the conflict. What's happened -- tell us what's happening now that's making the problem even worse?

OSNAT LUBRANI, UN WOMEN DIRECTOR, HUMANITARIAN SECTION: Well, as you know -- let me first say that even before the crisis that started in April, more than three million women -- Sudanese women were at risk of gender-based violence. The estimate right now that we have from the UN is that it spiked up to 4.2, with violence on the street with women have to -- having to go out in dangerous situations.

We know that there are already cases that have been verified of at least 20 conflict-related cases of violence against women. But we know that it's much, much more. And it's -- unfortunately, because of the situation still very hard to investigate very hard to verify, but already we're taking action to try and help these women.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. I mean, to help people -- I mean, attacks on the health facilities, it's -- it makes it even worse. And as you're saying, I mean, it's very difficult and dangerous for aid workers to access these women so concretely -- specifically, what more can be done right now to help them?

LUBRANI: Well, you know, first of all, we all hope that the conflict can be brought to an end. That will -- that will definitely be the solution. But we have partners on the ground. Partners that have been working with the humanitarian community before. And we are supporting them to open safe spaces to help women and to deliver essential services.

I would want to say that the issue of mental health of psychosocial support is also extremely important for those that are survivors. So, we are doing what we can to work with our partners through our partners, and also try to get on the ground as much as possible.

BRUNHUBER: Yes. I want to turn now to Afghanistan. The closing of beauty parlors, obviously, that's just the latest in a long string and a rollback of rights for women in that country. But even if we just look at that specifically for a moment, I mean, it's still a huge blow for women. One of the few places they could still work.

LUBRANI: I think -- and I'm glad, Kim, that you're bringing this to the world's attention more. I think this is, as you say, just the latest thing in the catastrophe in terms of the assault on women's rights in Afghanistan. It is something that is unprecedented. And it's really affecting 28 -- more than 28 million women who are in need of humanitarian assistance cannot get support because they can only be supported by a -- through women.

[02:35:13]

And there is now a ban that has been placed since 24 December on women working in organization -- in humanitarian organizations. So, this is having a terrible impact, the banning women from work and it contradicts the basic human rights and humanitarian principles of independence and neutrality.

Having said that, UN Women is still on the ground. We are supporting the women. Again, what I mentioned with regard to psychosocial real challenges for women, the number of suicides that are growing, so they need all the support we can -- we can provide, and we are still there on the ground to help them.

BRUNHUBER: Yes, not just suicide. I mean, there's, you know, depression, domestic violence increases in forced marriage, all of that has gone up, according to a recent UN report. But -- I mean, how do you help people on the ground when the international community -- women aren't allowed to work with NGOs anymore? I mean, that must make it even more challenging.

LUBRANI: It is extremely challenging, but we are doing what we can. We are -- I can say that at the local level, we are trying to get to the women you know with the negotiating access to them. There are certain activities that we can do. And the mere fact that we are there, we are -- we are with the women's groups and individual women, and we have networks where we can be continued to be in touch with them. So, there is still work that is ongoing to help them you know with increasing food security, as you say, domestic violence.

But I also want to say that this is affecting the entire societies. I was just recently in Afghanistan and speaking to the women -- of course, many of the women and to hear what the impact it has. But also on the families, you know.

For a father to have to say to his daughter that he -- she cannot go out to school, there -- women that were supposed to finish their medical degrees that are now being denied, it's going to rob the country out of thousands of medical workers. So, it's a catastrophe for the entire society. And it needs to be fought against every day

BRUNHUBER: Yes, absolutely. It's vital that the world not lose focus on these two regions. So, many problems there. Really appreciate your perspective. Osnat Lobrani, in Geneva, thank you so much.

LUBRANI: Thank you very much.

BRUNHUBER: Sure. Potential legal action in a social media showdown. Twitter is threatening to sue Meta over its new app, which looks very similar to Twitter. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:40:20]

BRUNHUBER: Meta says Threads had 30 million signups within one day of launching. And many say they're ready for an alternative to Twitter. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANI FERGUSON, ADVERTISING EXECUTIVE: I don't know if there's room for another media -- social media app right now. But I think Twitter's had its day. I think anything can basically rival Twitter nowadays. Yes. I mean, Elon Musk has -- Elon Musk has completely ruined Twitter.

TEE PETERS, ARTIST: So, for me as someone that jumped on Instagram for years and I built my own follower for years and I'm verified today, it's like, all my work can pay off now because now we're on Threads. I get to reap the rewards of all my previous work rather than starting from scratch -- start from zero with Twitter, for example, so.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Twitter clearly sees Threads as competition. Here's CNN's Brian Fung.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN FUNG, CNN TECH REPORTER: Twitter's newest rival is off to a strong start. And in response, Twitter is threatening to sue. According to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Threads gained 30 million signups on its first day.

Amid that blockbuster launch, Twitter sent a letter to Meta accusing it of trade secret theft. The letter claims Meta hired former Twitter employees who use their knowledge from working at Twitter to design Meta's new app. Meta has dismissed the allegations as false.

The huge launch shows there's demand for a Twitter alternative, especially after months of changes by Twitter that have made it harder or more costly to use its platform. Meta has tried to copy other apps before but never when those other apps have done so much to drive users away. In Twitter's case, that meant everything from laying off content moderators to locking popular features behind its paid subscription service.

So, how does Threads work? It's simple. After downloading the app, you sign up with your Instagram account. Then you're presented with a bare-bones Twitter experience. You can post text and images. You can reply to people in threaded conversations. And you can quote other posts which are called unsurprisingly, Threads.

There are a few things the app doesn't have yet. There's no real search function and no hashtags. The only feed available is an algorithmic one that sprinkles in other accounts in between those you already follow.

But there's limitations that haven't stopped a huge number of people from trying the new app whether that's because they're fleeing Twitter or being pulled in from Instagram. While it's too early to say if threads will be a Twitter killer, it's fair to say Twitter seems to have a serious competitor on its hands.

Brian Fung, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: All right, thanks for watching. I'm Kim Brunhuber. "WORLD SPORT" is up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:45:34]

(WORLD SPORT)