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CNN International: Italy Issues Heat Red Alerts for Rome and 9 Other Cities; FDA Approves First Over-the-Counter Birth Control Pill; Egypt Proposes Mediation Plan at African Leaders Summit on Crisis in Sudan; India Set to Launch Historic Moon Mission. Aired 4:30-5a ET

Aired July 14, 2023 - 04:30   ET

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

[04:30:00]

BIANCA NOBILO, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Bianca Nobilo. And if you're just joining us, let me bring you up to date with our top story this is hour.

Most TV and movie production in the U.S. is shut down now that the actors' union SAG-AFTRA is on strike. Members are expected to picket major studios offices and streaming services today. Screen writers have been on strike since May.

And extreme heat is scorching parts of the U.S. Nearly the entire state of California is under heat alerts and Death Valley could reach an incredible 130 degrees Fahrenheit -- that's 54 degrees Celsius or even higher this weekend.

Much of Europe is also sweltering and climate scientists at the European Space Agency saying it's only just begun. The Italian Health Ministry has issued a red alert heatwave warning for ten major cities including Rome and Florence. In northern Italy, the he has claimed the life of at least one person. A construction worker who died after collapsing on a roadside on Tuesday.

And a new study says more than 61,000 people died in Europe from heat related illness last year during Europe's hottest summer on record. That's a staggering number.

And Italy of those was hardest hit with about 18,000 deaths. And temperatures in Rome will rise again this weekend. And may reach 40 degrees Celsius -- 104 degrees Fahrenheit -- early next week. CNN's Barbie Nadeau is one of the many millions sweltering in Rome.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBIE NADEAU, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): Rome, the eternal city, lately is more like the infernal city. A deadly heat wave gripping southern Europe has made those trying to enjoy a Roman holiday rather uncomfortable.

CATHERINE HODGDON, TOURIST: I mean, it's hot. But yeah, it is a little disappointing. I was thinking today, like, because we're planning to not be out when it's the hottest, like we're missing some hours to be able to do stuff.

[04:35:00]

But ultimately, to be able to enjoy it the most, we are going to have to cut out those hot hours in the day.

NADEAU (voice-over): Temperatures are climbing and expected to top 40 degrees Celsius, 104 degrees Fahrenheit in Rome.

Italians have named the heat wave Cerberus after a figure in Greek mythology that guarded the gates of hell.

Officials say the best way to combat the heat is with water, and Rome has no shortage of that. Rome has more than 4,000 public water fountains with drinkable water, and Rome's Civil Protection Agency has an app that will help visitors locate the closest one.

The command center head Giuseppe Neppolitano tells us that common sense is key and staying hydrated is essential. So is using water to cool off, he says. But tempting as it may be to swim in a fountain, doing so runs the risk of a several hundred dollar fine.

SARAH SMITH, TOURIST: Oh, we can't stay out all day, that's for sure.

ANDY SMITH, TOURIST: I think we just have to take a lot of breaks and not try and over plan.

NADEAU (voice-over): The heat wave is supposed to last at least through next week, and for most tourists, canceling is not an option. Which means another week of hell not fit for man or beast.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NADEAU: And you know, Bianca, I can attest to the fact that it is hot. It is sweltering. It's packed by tourists. We are by the Coliseum. People are gathered to take these walking tours of the city. You know, a lot of people can't change their holiday even though the weather is just going to get hotter and hotter. So they're going to have to suffer through it. Try to stay cool when they can. Try to drink a lot of water. Try to stay out of the sun if possible. But it's hot -- Bianca.

NOBILO: Try and stay cool as you can, Barbie. Thank you so much for joining us. Barbie for us in Rome.

The World's Health Organization has classified the popular artificial sweetener aspartame as possibly carcinogenic. Officials say some research showed a potential link between the product and liver cancer but that the science was by no means conclusive at the stage. The organization says its guidelines for consumption remain the same. Aspartame found in thousands of products like Diet Coke and Pepsi Zero, some juices, low-calorie ice cream and sugar-free gum, also contain this artificial sweetener.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first birth control pill that can be purchased over the counter without a prescription. It is called Opill and doctors hope it can significantly expand access to contraception because it doesn't require patients to take the time to visit a doctor to get a prescription or pay for that doctor's visit. CNN medical correspondent Meg Tirrell explains how Opill works.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It's similar to what's known as the mini pill which essentially only uses the hormone progestin. When you use it perfectly, it's 98 percent effective in preventing pregnancies. You lose a few percentage points in the sort of typical use if you're not perfect at taking at the exact same time every day.

Importantly the FDA put no age redescription on this here and that is something doctors tell me that is important because it is especially younger people who can often have trouble getting prescription contraception. The only people for whom it's contraindicated, who should not take it, are those who have breast cancer or a history of breast cancer because it is a hormone.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NOBILO: The Opill is expected to be available over the counter in stores early next year.

We now know why Lisa Marie Presley died in January. According to the Los Angeles county medical examiner, she had a blockage in her small intestine. It was attributed to a complication from weight loss surgery years prior. The toxicology report also found certain medications were in her system but they didn't contribute to her death. Lisa Marie was, as you probably know, the only daughter of the late Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley. She 54 years old.

Still ahead, a deepening human crisis in Sudan and millions of people forced from their homes as violence from the warring factions spreads. And evidence now of new atrocities.

[04:40:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NOBILO: Welcome back. Egypt has proposed a plan to mediate between Sudan's rival factions after months of war has deepened the humanitarian crisis. Leaders of Sudan's neighboring countries gathered at a regional summit in Cairo on Thursday. Egypt's president is calling for a ceasefire, opening safe passages for aid, dialogue and a mechanism to communicate with the warring parties. Earlier cease-fires brokered by the U.S. and Saudi Arabia fell apart after repeated violations -- and quite quickly too. Leaders at the summit expressed their worries over the spillover effect that Sudan's three-month conflict has had on their countries.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAHAMIT IDRISS DEBY, CHADIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The clashes taking place in Sudan are a great source of concern for my country and all the neighboring countries. Chad continues to deplore the deterioration of the situation, the destruction of public buildings, the attacks against innocent civilians and the targeting of basic social service institutions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: The summit on the Sudan conflict comes as the U.N. says it has found scores of bodies in a mass grave in the Darfur region. And CNN's Stephanie Busari is joining us now from Lagos. Stephanie, do we have any sense of how the proposals are going to be received by the warring parties in Sudan, just as we're discovering even more about the tragic humanitarian toll of this conflict?

STEPHANIE BUSARI, CNN SENIOR EDITOR, AFRICA: So going by previous attempts to mediate, Bianca, it seems that the warring parties agree to measures put in place, such as cease fires and other recommendations to allow humanitarian aid to get in. But in the next breath they seem to violate those conditions that they've agreed to.

So going by the previous actions, there doesn't seem to be much hope. I mean, these talks happened yesterday, so we don't know yet how the -- factions have responded to these recommendations that Egypt -- that came out of the Egypt summit.

But, you know, like I said, going by those previous actions, analysts aren't holding their breath that they will comply with the ceasefires. And, you know, these -- this is against the backdrop of grim discoveries such as what the U.N. reported about 87 bodies in Darfur. There could be more because eyewitnesses have been talking about bodies piling up on the streets as they flee.

[04:45:00]

So, you know, it is kind of a deepening crisis that the world is urgently trying to resolve -- Bianca.

NOBILO: Stephanie Busari, live from Lagos, thank you.

Outrage in Italy after a court acquitted a school janitor of sexual assault by groping a teenage girl because the act lasted less than ten seconds. The 66-year-old man said that he touched the student under her clothes, quote, as a joke, an explanation that the judges accepted. The ruling sparked viral reactions on social media. Including people posting videos of themselves touching sensitive parts of their bodies for 10 seconds to show how long and potentially life changing in terms of trauma that can be for someone.

And when we come back, India shoots for the moon.

Still to come, we're getting a closer look at the launch at the country's historic mission for a controlled landing on the lunar surface. Why engineers are hoping that this time they can do it?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NOBILO: We want to take you live to Paris as France celebrate Bastille Day. [04:50:00]

The date commemorates the 1789 storming of the Bastille prison, a key date the in the French Revolution. That a history buff, we know that. France is stepping up security measures after the country was hit by riots following the deadly police shooting of a teenager near Paris just weeks ago.

They're just minutes now from the launch of India's historic mission to the moon. The nation hopes to make a controlled landing of a probe and a robot on the lunar service. If its successful, India would be just the fourth country to accomplish such a feat. And who better to discuss this with than CNN's Kristie Lu Stout. Kristie, what is riding on this from the perspective of scientific discovery but also national pride?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, so much riding on this, Bianca. What India wants to do is, it wants to successfully soft-land a rollover on the moon. The Chandrayaan-3 -- that means moon vehicle in Sanskrit -- is launching today 2:35 local time, that is just under 30 minutes from now.

And as the name suggests, this is India's third mission to the moon and it's part of the country's greater bid to be a space power. During the last mission that took place in 2019, the rover crashed after a hard landing. So with this mission, they are trying to land the rover softly and also land in pretty challenging terrain near the Moon's unexplored south pole. Now space officials say that the lander is due to reach the moon on August 23. And after the landing, the scientists they plan to deploy the rover and also to conduct some scientific experiments on the moon. Including analyzing the chemistry of the soil, measuring the temperature of the lunar surface and standing for moon quakes.

Now earlier today -- this is launch day -- India's Prime Minister tweeted this -- let's bring it up for you.

He said, 14th of July 2023 will always be etched in these golden letters as far as India's space sector is concerned. Chandrayaan-3, our third lunar mission, will embark on its journey. This remarkable mission will carry the hopes and dreams of our nation.

And Bianca, success would be absolutely massive for India because so far only three countries have successfully soft landed a craft on the moon. The United States, the former Soviet Union, and China. Back to you -- Bianca.

NOBILO: So then on that point, Kristie, China does have a very ambitious lunar mission of its own on space discovery now. How does India stack up against China in the wider space race?

LU STOUT: Yes, China's space program has accelerated rapidly, especially in recent years under Chinese leader Xi Jinping. It was earlier this year when China successfully sent its first civil astronaut into orbit. It was last year when he completed the basic construction of its Tiangong space station. And it was in 2019 -- that was when China successfully landed a rover on the far side of the moon. In China, his big dreams. It is planning for a man moon mission within the decade.

India is carving out is only niche. Focusing on low-cost space missions. We've heard from Prime Minister Narendra Modi encouraging more private investment. Investment into startups to launch more rockets and at low cost. And analysts say that is where India has leverage, to focus on low-cost space programs. The geopolitical environment also helps out India in this regard. Back to you -- Bianca.

NOBILO: Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong for us, thank you so much. We'll be checking with you throughout the day, so follow those developments.

In the spotlight today, a founding member of the group Fleetwood Mac is paying tribute to a band mate who died last year. Drummer Mick Fleetwood wanted to honor the late keyboardist Christine McVie on what would have been her 80th birthday. He released an unusual version of her hit " Songbird." Here's a little bit of it, follow then by the original version.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICK FLEETWOOD, FLEETWOOD MAC DRUMMER: And the songbirds keep singing Like they know the score And I love you, I love you Like never before,

CHRISTINE MCVIE, FLEETWOOD MAC SINGER: Songbirds are singing, Like they know the score And I love you, I love you, I love you Like never before

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NOBILO: McVie wrote some of Fleetwood Mac's biggest hits and she died last year November after a brief illness. Mick Fleetwood said there are currently no plans to release his representation of McVie's song commercially.

Star American gymnast, Gabby Douglas, is returning to competition after taking some time off. The three-time gold medalist says that she's resumed training with next year Summer Olympics in Paris Olympics as her goal. Douglas last competed in Rio in 2016 where she led the U.S. team to its second consecutive gold-medals.

[04:55:00]

Her announcement follows that a fellow gold medalist, Simone Biles, who said that she too is ready to compete after a two year break.

Burger King Brazil is living in a Barbie world it appears. Ahead of the new "Barbie" movie's release, the fast-food giant celebrated by creating a special Barbie meal. It includes a cheeseburger dressed with smoky pink sauce, a side of 10 potatoes -- which are just fries -- and for dessert a pink vanilla and strawberry milkshake with a pink frosted doughnut. Warner Bros. pictures, which is distributing the "Barbie" movie is also owned by CNN's parent company Warner Bros. Discovery.

Fast food franchise Chipotle is turning to a collaborative robot to help with guacamole production. It is testing the "Autocado" which will perform the tedious task of cutting, coring and pealing the avocados for the guacamole. But a real person still does all of the mixing of ingredients. Chipotle says the robot won't replace human workers but will free them up for more complicated tasks. This news comes during a time of historic labor shortages in the U.S. restaurant industry. Only once in the last two decades have there been as many openings in the industry as there are right now.

The European Union is lifting restrictions on food imports from Japan and this comes after the EU and Japan summit where Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida met with the EU President Ursula von der Leyen. The EU started restricting certain farm and fish imports following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that damaged the Fukushima nuclear power plant. But evidence and assessments found by the International Atomic Energy Agency found that the measures were no longer needed.

And that does it here on CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Bianca Nobilo in London. "EARLY START" with Rahel Solomon is up next. I'll see you next week.