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Russian Military Silenced After The Sacking of General Popov; Ukrainian City Hit by Russian Drones; Anthony Blinken to Hold Talks with Wang Yi at the ASEAN Summit sidelines; Italy issues Red Alerts for Rome and Nine Other Cities; A Feline Coronavirus may Slow Down Cyprus' Cat Population; India to Launch a Historic Moon Mission. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired July 14, 2023 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.
Ahead on "CNN Newsroom." United against Putin. As U.S. President Joe Biden wrapped up his trip to Europe, he made the world's position on Russia's war in Ukraine clear.
Parts of Italy are sweltering under a red alert heat wave. Some places could hit historic temperatures. We'll have a live report from Rome.
And the countdown is on. India hopes to land a spacecraft on the moon, something only a handful of countries have achieved.
UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: U.S. President Joe Biden is back in Washington, ending a busy week of talks with European allies amid Ukraine's ongoing counteroffensive.
One of Biden's primary goals was securing long term commitments from allies to keep supporting Kyiv in its fight to push Russian forces out of the country. Speaking at a news conference just a short distance from the Russian border, the president said Europe's security and America's security are closely bound together. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, U.S. PRESIDENT: Peace and security in Europe is essential to U.S. security and peace. The idea that there could be conflict in Europe among our friends and us not engaged has never happened in modern history. That's why we're staying together.
(END VIDEO CLIP) BRUNHUBER: As for NATO's promise to bring Ukraine into the alliance at an unspecified future date, Russian President Vladimir Putin had this reaction.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): As for Ukraine's membership in NATO, this creates threats for Russia's security, obviously. And one of the reasons for the special military operation is the threat of Ukraine joining NATO. I'm convinced that it won't improve the security of Ukraine itself, and in general, it will make the world a lot more vulnerable. And will lead to additional tension on the international stage.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: The top Russian lawmaker is urging the military to keep General Ivan Popov in service. He was fired after railing against top military leaders over what he called lack of support for troops on the front lines. Nick Paton Walsh has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As Russia paraded Thursday the surrender of heavy weapons from the failed Wagner Rebellion to the regular army, effectively Russia disarming itself, fresh criticisms of the war's disaster were coming from inside the top brass against itself.
Echoing the same complaints made by the perhaps vanished and vanquished Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, a bombshell audio message from a top commander in the South, the latest tear in the fabric of Putin's command.
IVAN POPOV, RUSSIAN GENERAL (through translator): I, in the name of you, in the name of all our fallen combat friends, had no right to lie. Therefore, I outlined all the problems today in the army, the lack of counter-battery in combat, of artillery reconnaissance stations and the mass deaths and injuries of our brothers from enemy artillery. I also raised a number of other problems and expressed it all at the highest level, frankly and extremely harshly. Our senior commander hit us from the rear, treacherously and vilely decapitating the army at the most difficult and tense moment.
PATON WALSH (voice-over): He likely meant this man, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who ordered Popov sacked shortly after he expressed dissent.
Shoigu was doing his usual tour of factory Thursday, as Kremlin sources insisted the audio was private, meant for soldiers' ears only, as if that somehow made it OK.
Another surreal type of disaster management on display Thursday, as Russia tried to show control after the assassination of another top commander while out jogging deep inside Russia. Here, his alleged assassin, Russia's claims he's the killer and confessed hard to verify, showed how purportedly carried out the killing.
In the gilded servitude of Putin's Russia, none of this, the hitmen in Russian parks or the commanders fired for decrying front-line incompetence, is ever meant to happen. But still, it is, daily and faster perhaps than he can process or adapt.
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: U.S.-made cluster munitions are now part of Ukraine's war arsenal. U.S. officials are confirming they've delivered some of the controversial weapons to Kyiv. Ukrainian general says those munitions can reshape the battlefield to Kyiv's advantage and possibly even force Russians to abandon some positions if they know cluster munitions could be used.
[03:05:08]
Meanwhile, Ukraine says its air defenses shot down 23 drones that Russia launched overnight, but some drones still struck the southern city of Kryvyi Rih, leaving one person wounded and damaging multiple buildings.
For more, Salma Abdelaziz joins us from London. So Salma, let's start with those latest attacks. What are we learning?
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So we're just getting information this hour, Kim. So bear with me because we're just finding out the repercussions of a barrage of overnight drone strikes. Ukrainian forces saying they shot down 23 drones among them were 16 of those Shahid drones, those Iranian-made drones.
We're also getting information that there were sites struck in Kryvyi Rih, this southern city in Ukraine, where multiple drone strikes on the city destroyed buildings belonging to utility and transport companies. That's according to local regional officials. Two residential buildings were struck as well, damaged, and a 56-year-old man was injured.
So we're waiting to find out more, of course, about these overnight attacks. These are common, these are occurring far from the front lines in many cases. And you'll remember, it was just about a week ago, Kim, that the city of Lviv was struck. That's near the Polish border, all the way in the west of the country.
That deadly barrage of Russian missiles on Lviv eight days ago caused casualties. So there's a sense across the country that nowhere is safe, a true heightened sense of anxiety that these Russian missiles, these Russian drone attacks could strike anywhere, anytime.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah. Absolutely. And then, some of the delivery of the cluster munitions from the U.S. to Ukraine. How's that being received?
ABDELAZIZ: So Ukrainian officials, Ukrainian commanders on the ground, as you can imagine, are welcoming the arrival of U.S. cluster munitions. They say this could really change the battlefield, that it could cause Russian troops even to recede, withdraw in areas out of fear of the use of these cluster munitions.
But of course, as you understand, these are a highly controversial weapon that the U.S. has given Ukraine here. They're banned in about 100 countries. Now, the U.S. says that Ukraine has provided written guarantees, written consent that they would not use these cluster munitions in any population areas, that they would only be used in very specific tactical purposes.
And the U.S. says that this is a temporary measure, that the artillery rounds that Ukraine needs are not readily available, and that's why they've turned to these cluster munitions. Again, they have arrived in Ukraine, they have yet to be used on the battlefield. And part of the reason why this is so important to Ukraine is because they absolutely have struggled to make any major gains. Yes, we've seen some modest wins, settlements gained.
Ukraine insists that along the southern front is trying to consolidate those gains. But the hope is from those Ukrainian commanders that these cluster munitions could change the tide if even just a little bit. Kim.
BRUNHUBER: All right. I appreciate that. Salma Abdelaziz in London.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin says he has no doubt Ukraine will become a NATO member after the war. He spoke with CNN's Wolf Blitzer after the NATO summit in Lithuania where he received security guarantees but no timeline for joining the alliance. Here they are.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: How is Putin reacting to this expansion of NATO?
LLOYD AUSTIN, U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY: Well, I'm sure Putin's very concerned. This is probably something that he didn't expect to happen, although President Biden warned him of this at the very beginning.
But, you know, he's brought NATO closer to his doorstep. And so, you know, if you were him, you'd certainly be concerned about what you're seeing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Meanwhile, close allies Russia and China have been holding talks on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Summit. China's top foreign policy chief said when meeting with Russia's top diplomat that the two countries should strengthen their strategic communication and coordination. The U.S. Secretary of State met with the same Chinese envoy in Jakarta and were told there were no breakthroughs.
CNN's Marc Stewart is live in Tokyo. So, Marc, no breakthroughs. Take us through the meeting.
MARC STEWART, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No breakthroughs, Kim. And yes, expectations were low. Yet this 90 minute meeting is being described by a State Department official as both candid and constructive and in many ways picked up where previous discussions between the United States and China left off.
We know that during this gathering, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken did call for peace in the Taiwan Strait. We also know he had a conversation with the Chinese diplomat about the fentanyl crisis, which is plaguing the United States, a shared concern.
Also, the recent Microsoft computer email hack was brought up for discussion. We don't know all the specifics on that, but it was something that was raised with this Chinese official.
[03:10:06]
Even though this meeting is failing to generate big headlines, it is still seen as very significant because just six months ago, it was a very icy relationship between the United States and China, especially after that spy balloon incident which led to the cancellation of a meeting between Secretary of State Blinken and Chinese officials.
Since that time, we have seen Secretary of State Blinken come to China. We just -- a couple weeks ago saw Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visit China for discussions that were seen as somewhat productive. So all of these conversations, while they may not be generating big headlines or big significant takeaways, they are very symbolic that in the sense that they are helping to resume this discussion between the United States and China, which had been very chilled for several months.
We are still yet to see a meeting, a new meeting, a recent meeting in the future perhaps between President Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The last time they met was on the sidelines of the G20. That was last year. Perhaps these conversations will lead to that moment, that potential moment, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah, we shall see. Marc Stewart in Tokyo, thanks so much.
Alright, still ahead. A deepening humanitarian crisis in Sudan. Millions are forced from their homes as violence from warring factions spreads. The evidence of new atrocities is discovered.
Then the story of a tragic episode of a boy who wanted to provide for his family in Pakistan by finding work in Europe, but he didn't make it.
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BRUNHUBER: New reports from Sudan reveal the worsening humanitarian crisis in the war-torn country. The numbers are staggering. More than three million people have been forced to flee their homes.
The International Organization for Migration says nearly 2.5 million are internally displaced while more than 730,000 have crossed the border into neighboring countries. The World Food Program says 20,000 Sudanese refugees crossed into Chad
just last week, many of them coming from Sudan's Darfur region. The International Criminal Court is investigating a wave of violence in Darfur. The ICC says reports of killings and sexual and gender-based violence have surged since April, when rival military factions went to war. Among the allegations: mass rape and violence against children.
Now, that dire warning comes as the U.N. says it's found scores of bodies in a mass grave in the Darfur region. More now from CNN's Stephanie Busari in Lagos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEPHANIE BUSARI, CNN SR. EDITOR, AFRICA: A mass grave with at least 87 people was discovered in Sudan's West Darfur region, a United Nations agency said Thursday.
The grave was discovered outside the region's capital in El Janinia, and the U.N. said some of the bodies were of ethnic Masulite people who are often targeted by Sudan's paramilitary rapid support forces, also known as RSF.
[03:15:04]
The U.N. says it has credible information that the killings were carried out by the RSF who are fighting against the Sudanese National Army.
The RSF have denied their involvement in the attacks. The RSF involved from the Janjawick militia, which were accused of genocide and war crimes in Darfur 20 years ago.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, said he was quote, "appalled by the callous and disrespectful way the dead along with their families and communities were treated."
The U.N. has said crimes against humanity been committed in Darfur and that their fears that history could be about to repeat itself are 20 years after the genocide that killed more than 300,000 people and displaced millions.
The gruesome discovery came as leaders from Sudan's six neighboring countries met in Cairo for more mediation talks.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi presented an initiative based on the ceasefire, opening of safe passages for aid, and comprehensive dialogue between the warring parties.
Leaders at the summit also expressed their concern over the spillover effect Sudan's three-month conflict has had on their borders. The U.N. says nearly 2.8 million people have fled Sudan, many without passports, for some of these countries such as Ethiopia, Chad and Libya.
Stephanie Busari, CNN, Lagos
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: And joining me now is Donaig Le Du, the spokesperson for UNICEF in Chad. Thanks so much for being here with us. First, I just want to start with what we just saw there, your reaction to this new horrific discovery.
DONAIG LE DU, SPOKESPERSON, UNICEF CHAD: Well, you know, what we've been seeing here on the Chadian side of the border is dozens and dozens and hundreds of people coming every day from the other side, from the Darfur province.
And the stories they're telling are absolutely horrific. I met a woman just the day before yesterday and she was 28, heavily pregnant, six months pregnant, with three children and she was sitting there in this neighbor in this border city. And she told me how she had to flee El Jenina, the main city in Darfur, which is 30 kilometers away, that's 15 miles, 18 miles on foot.
And she told me she had to, her house was burned down. They couldn't take anything. Her husband, she hasn't heard from him. And she told me how she had to run without even having shoes on. She tied her little two years old on her back.
And the five-year-old and the seven-year-old had to walk barefoot 30 kilometers to get to Chad. And she told me how she saw bodies of her neighbors scattered on the street while she was fleeing.
BRUNHUBER: It's unbelievable and as we just heard earlier the U.N. was talking about how there's been a huge increase in sexual violence perpetrated against people just like that women and children who have been forced to flee their homes as well.
LE DU: Well, you know, almost 90 percent of the people who cross here to Chad are women and children. They arrive here, they're extremely tired, they're in a very poor condition, most of them have nothing. Yesterday, I was at the border and I saw an old woman being carried in a wheelbarrow, being pushed by other people.
It's really difficult and we're extremely worried for the fate of children here because You know, they've been at war for almost two months back there at home in Darfur. And so when they come here, they're in a very difficult state.
We have malnutrition that is spiking. And we are currently quite worried about, first of all, the health of the children, but also their well-being. And honestly, the children I've been speaking to have seen what no human being should ever see.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah, absolutely. We're showing some pictures from some of the refugee camps in Chad where you've been. So you're talking about their condition when they get to the refugee camps. I mean, what are the conditions like in the camps themselves?
[03:19:50]
LE DU: Well, they're safe. First of all, they're safe and that's maybe the most important thing on the short term. Now they're crossing over to a very remote region of Chad, which even before all of this started had very poor access to basic services. There's no running water, there's no electricity, there's hardly any sewage system.
And of course, now, for example, in Adre, the city, which is literally on the border. This was a small city of maybe 15, 20,000 people. And now the number of refugees, we don't have an exact estimation. UNHCR is trying to count them, but they have counted 65,000 at this point, which is already like three or four times the local population.
So now we have a double issue. We have the refugees streaming in. But we also have the local population who had very little in the beginning, and now they have to share the little they have with the refugees.
For example, yesterday I was in one of those refugee camps and people, I mean they're not really camps, they're settlements. People sit wherever they can sit. They're going to be moved in proper, decent camps further in time.
But for now, they're just sitting on people's fields. So what happens with the crops in September? There's going to be no crops. You can only share what you have with people coming to seek refuge in your house. But if you have nothing, then we have a double issue. And also the prices have spiked because this city here was getting all its supplies from Sudan and now nothing's coming. So the prices are doubled or tripled in the past month.
BRUNHUBER: Donaig Le Du, thank you so much for speaking to us, I really appreciate it.
LE DU: Thank you for having me.
BRUNHUBER: At least six people were killed and 14 wounded in an attack carried out with explosives in western Mexico. The governor calls it a brutal act of terror, as police received an anonymous complaint on Tuesday about human remains on a road. When they arrived at the scene, at least seven explosive devices were detonated in what he described as a trap. Four state officials and two civilians died.
Last month, an overcrowded boat packed with more than 750 migrants capsized near Greece. The majority of them drowned, including a 14- year-old boy from Pakistan.
CNN traveled to his home in Punjab province and spoke to his devastated father. CNN's Anna Coren has this exclusive report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The lush plains of Gujarat in Punjab province are home to some of the most fertile land in all of Pakistan.
The mighty Indus River and its tributaries, the lifeblood.
But not everyone here prospers from its richness. 14-year-old Mohammed Abouzar felt the heavy burden of responsibility.
His father, a school van driver earning less than $90 a month, was struggling to provide for the family. Abouzar worried about the future of his younger brothers, especially 6-year-old Azzan, who is severely disabled.
My son pleaded with me to be sent abroad, he explains. He said look at how we live, we'll die of hunger. It's best for me to leave so I can support our family.
Many older boys from the village had already made the trek to Europe through human smuggling operations, sending hefty remittances back home.
Abouzar's uncle had decided to go, and the teenager knew this was his chance.
The people smugglers said it would cost more than US$ 8,000 to send my son to Italy. I said I can't afford it. He told me your kid will earn that in a couple of months.
At the beginning of May this year, Abouzar, his uncle and a small group of teenage boys from the village set off.
Human smugglers organized for the group to fly from Karachi to Dubai, then to Egypt before transiting to Libya. From Tripoli International Airport, they drove to the Libyan port city of Tobruk and waited in a camp filled with other illegal migrants for the next month.
The day before the group set sail for Italy, their final destination, Abouzar sent a video to his brothers, hoping to make them laugh. He then recorded the group's final prayers.
That night, he called his father.
My son was really happy. He said, don't worry, Dad. It will be OK. We'll have life jackets. It's a big boat. Once I'm there, you'll have nothing to worry about.
On the 9th of June, Abouzar boarded the Adriana, a fishing vessel with a capacity of 100. Instead, 750 illegal migrants were crammed aboard, of which almost half were from Pakistan, according to the Pakistani Interior Ministry.
[03:25:04]
Within days, the trawler would capsize off the coast of Greece, as a Greek coast guard ship watched on.
More than 600 people drowned in what would become one of the deadliest migrant boat tragedies.
Among the survivors, only 12 Pakistanis. Abouzar was not one of them. Don't send your children away.
Dying of hunger is better than this. Don't send your children away. For us, life and hell are now the same.
But this grieving father's warning is falling on deaf ears. According to U.N. migration, last year Pakistanis weren't even among the top 10 nationalities arriving in Europe. This year, however, they're ranked number five, with economic migration fuelling the surge.
A financial crisis in Pakistan and record high unemployment is driving many families to make this life-altering decision.
ROBERTO FORIN, HEAD OF E.U. OFFICE, MIXED MIGRATION CENTER: The common narrative is that smugglers are there to lure people into this dangerous journey. We look at who are the people that influence the decision of migrating and it's mostly family. So migration is a family investment.
COREN (voice-over): For this mother in Bandali, in Pakistan, administered Kashmir, Her 20-year-old son was supposed to be on that ill-fated vessel. She says the human traffickers disembarked him because of overcrowding. He's now waiting for the next boat.
I asked him to come home, but he won't, she explains. He wants to go to Europe like other boys from our village. I pray that he makes it.
Anna Coren, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Pentagon confirms Ukraine has now received its first shipment of U.S. cluster munitions. Coming up, CNN speaks exclusively with the top Ukrainian commander about what these controversial weapons will mean for Ukraine's counter-offensive.
And Chinese hackers are accused of breaking into U.S. government email and gaining some key information. What the Biden administration says they took. That's coming up. 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."
A quick update on the latest developments in Ukraine. Officials say at least one person is injured after a Russian drone strike on the city of Kryvyi Rih. They also say multiple buildings were destroyed in the city northeast of Kherson. Ukraine says 23 other drones launched by Russia overnight have been shot down.
[03:30:00]
Meanwhile, U.S. officials are confirming they've delivered controversial cluster munitions to Ukraine. They say Ukraine has no plans to use them near civilian areas.
One of the most fearsome weapons in the U.S. arsenal is now in the hands of Ukraine's military. In an exclusive interview with CNN, a top Ukrainian general explained how U.S. cluster bombs can give his troops a much needed edge on the battlefield.
CNN's Alex Marquardt has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALEX MARQUARDT, CNN SR. NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Brigadier General Oleksandr Tarnavsky is in charge of what is arguably the most important part of Ukraine's counteroffensive, trying to punch through the Russian defenses in southern Ukraine and split Russia's forces.
Now, he told CNN exclusively, he has a powerful new weapon, American cluster munitions.
(on-camera): Have you used them already? And how much do you think they are going to change the fight?
(voice-over): We just got them. We haven't used them yet, he says, but they can radically change the battlefield. The enemy also understands that with getting this ammunition, we will have an advantage.
Radical changes are needed, as Ukraine's counteroffensive has made only modest gains in his area, riddled with mines. The Russians, he said, prepared intensely.
The counteroffensive is successful, but not as much as each of us would like, he tells us. They made very dense, complex minefields, which are now located in the areas where Ukrainian equipment and personnel will go through.
Tarnavsky hopes the Russians will abandon areas where clusters would be most effective. He says the munitions will be strictly used away from civilians and only with the approval of senior leadership.
They've arrived as artillery ammunition is running low and as news comes that a Ukrainian missile strike, reportedly with a British cruise missile, killed a Russian rising star, Lieutenant General Oleg Sokov, the most senior Russian killed in Ukraine so far.
Long-range ammunition that can reach well beyond the front line, Tarnavsky says, is in dire need.
Long range ammunition is effective, he says. This may be the problematic issue today. It's like boxing, he adds. We hold the opponent at arms length, at long distances we defeat them effectively.
(on-camera): The Pentagon has now confirmed that these US-made cluster munitions are indeed in Ukraine. They are banned by more than 100 countries, but not by Ukraine, Russia or the United States.
If Ukraine uses these US-made clusters, Russia says they will be forced to respond, they say, in a reciprocal manner. But Russia has been using their own cluster munitions since the very beginning of the war and not just on the battlefield, but against civilians as well.
Alex Marquardt, CNN, Dnipro, Ukraine. (END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: The U.S. State Department says its top diplomat raised concerns about hacking with China, warning the U.S. government will respond to any action that targets its interests. After Microsoft announced China-based hackers breached email accounts at two dozen organizations, including some U.S. government agencies.
CNN's Kylie Atwood explains what China may have gained from that attack.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN U.S. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: The Biden administration believes that China's hack of U.S. government agencies provided the Chinese government with insights into the Biden administration's thinking ahead of the planned visit to China by the Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken. That's according to two U.S. officials familiar with the matter.
And we should note that Microsoft said that they learned about this hack on June 16th from their customers, and that's when they began investigating it. That is the same day that the Secretary of State left Washington and headed to Beijing for those meetings.
Now, we should also note that this hack only was able to gain access to the unclassified side of U.S. systems. And so therefore, when you talk to U.S. officials, the amount that the Chinese officials were able to glean was quite limited. But it did provide them with some insights leading into the Secretary of State's visit, which could have contributed to how Chinese officials thought about that visit, which is significant.
We should also note that Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, who is also compromised in this hack. She is planning to visit Beijing in the coming months.
Kylie Atwood, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: North Korea defended its latest intercontinental ballistic missile launch in a rare statement at Thursday's U.N. Security Council meeting.
Its ambassador called the test an exercise of the country's right to self-defense. He also criticized the U.S. and regional allies for engaging in large-scale military exercise and calling it a provocation. North Korean representatives haven't spoken at the Security Council meeting since 2017.
[03:34:54]
The red alert heat wave warning is in effect in some major cities in Italy as temperatures continue to soar. We're on a live report from Rome and it's not just Italy, millions of others across Europe are also bracing for record high temperatures. More details after the break. Please stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRUNHUBER: Much of Europe has been sweltering this month, and climate scientists at the European Space Agency say it's only just begun.
The Italian Health Ministry has issued a red alert heat wave warning for 10 major cities, including Rome and Florence. In northern Italy, the heat has claimed the life of at least one person. A construction worker 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. Italy was the hardest hit with about 18,000 deaths.
For more, CNN's Barbie Nadeau joins us live from Rome. So, Barbie, another year, another heat record broken with dangerous consequences.
BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: That's right. You know that death last week, they are really warning that things could get worse here. We're looking at even higher temperatures next week.
And you got to understand, Kim. This city is brimming with tourists. They haven't had tourists like this since before the pandemic. So you've got a lot of people in squat, you know, out in the open and authorities are really worried about it. We took a closer look, though, at what Rome is doing to try to help the heat wave.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NADEAU (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 HOGDON, 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. 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: 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.
[03:40:06]
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 (on-camera): And you know, Kim, you look at some of those images, and those people out there under this heat. You know, there's not a cloud in the sky and people are seeing Rome, and a lot of people like you said are able to cancel their vacation, they're not able to postpone. And so they're gonna persevere. But if you got two days to see a city like Rome or Florence, or any other European city under the sea, they're going to take advantage of it even though it's really quite dangerous. Kim?
BRUNHUBER: Yeah. It is dangerous and I'd have to say it still does look beautiful there behind you. Barbie Nadeau in Rome. Thanks so much. I appreciate it.
While neighboring countries in the region, millions are bracing for scorching temperatures from the Mediterranean to the Middle East, Southeastern Turkey and North Africa. Temperatures are expected to reach a staggering 48 degrees Celsius, that's 118 Fahrenheit on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia which could be Europe's hardest ever recorded temperature.
Now, earlier I spoke to Henning Gloystein, director for energy, climate and resources at the Eurasia Group. And he said the extreme heat is deadly, and are also straining water supplies. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HENNING GLOYSTEIN, DIRECTOR FOR ENERGY, CLIMATE, AND RESOURCES, EURASIA GROUP: This is the problem it is the frequency and the constant pressure of the heat and drought is causing, across Europe and of course the vulnerable people are at risk here of heat exposure, people will die in this sort of weather. That's the brutal reality of this stuff.
But there are more long term problems here as well. It's not just the imminent heat. Even if it gets colder next week, briefly it will get cooler. I should probably say that there is extreme stress on water supply, fresh water supply accessing across Europe, and most extreme we would probably be seeing in Spain, where there has been regional water rationing already in place. And that sort of stuff is really disruptive for life. But it's actually also affected places where it isn't as obvious. North of the alps, Germany, Poland, France and even the Nordic Scandinavian. They all had constant declines of freshwater supply over the last years. And it just gets worse. So the latest data says more than 40 percent of the entire European Union is currently in the water deficit.
And, you know, year after year of record only a record droughts and heat waves will compound this problem. And it just shows that this climate change issue isn't something that we need to plan for the future we need to added to the media in this issue.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah, absolutely and there are so many things that might happen in longer term and it's multifaceted as you say. But I don't want a hand wave though the loss of life here. You mentioned last year setting all sorts of records, that we know from report that came out this week that, last year more than 61,000 people died in Europe because of the heat. Unfortunately we know that as the temperature rises, so does the body count.
GLOYSTEIN: Yeah, absolutely. And you know this is sometimes dismissive. You know, it's elderly and they are people and it is the entire system in Europe aren't really prepared to handle temperatures as you mentioned. But earlier, like 45 to maybe 50 degrees centigrade, people can normally live under those conditions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: The death toll and landslides in Japan has risen to 11. Officials said another 14 people have been injured and three people are still missing. Southwestern Japan has been experiencing heavy rainfall all month with record breaking amounts of rain falling earlier this week. Japan's weather agency says that the rain and the possibility of
landslides will continue to move northward.
European Union is lifting restrictions on food imports from Japan, now this comes after the E.U.-Japan summit where Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida met with E.U. president Ursula von der Leyen. The E.U. started restricting certain farm and fishing ports following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that damaged the Fukushima nuclear plant. But evidence and assessment by the International Atomic Energy Agency found that the measures were no longer needed.
The island of Cyprus is sometimes known as the island of cats and evidence of their cohabitation with humans goes back thousands of years. But now a deadly virus is devastating the cat population there.
CNN's Linda Kinkade has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LINDA KINKADE, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Cyprus is famous for its cats. About 1 million of them, mostly strays.
Archaeologists trace the first known example of cat domestication to the island. But now they're becoming known for another reason. They are dying. The killer is FIP, Feline Infectious Peritonitis. A type of
coronavirus only found in cats and not knowing to be transmissible to humans.
[03:45:06]
At this clinic in the Cypria capital Nicosia, veterinarians are caring for infected cats like Beibei, a six-month-old kitten.
FIP was regarded as an incurable feline disease until recently.
The treatment isn't cheap and there's no ready supply in the island and diagnosis can be tricky.
KOSTIS LARKOU, VETERINARIAN: The virus itself comes from a mutation from the Feline Coronavirus, enteric forms. The virus completely change the approach and the aggression so it takes over all of the body after the mutation. So why the mutation is happening and why it's happening more often now, we don't know. It's very strange.
KINKADE (voice-over): The reason for the outbreak might be unclear, but its potential damage for infected cats is startling.
LARKOU: Like 90 percent of the cats will die.
KINKADE (voice-over):An animal rescue volunteer shares this grim view. VASKILIKI MANI, ANIMAL RESCUE VOLUNTEER: I know us Cyprian's take
pride in saying Cyprus is the island of cats. Unfortunately, very shortly, if we don't take immediate action, what we will be saying is Cyprus is the island of dead cats.
KINKADE (voice-over): That fear is sending desperate cat owners scrambling for help.
DEMETRIS EPAMINONDAS, VICE-PRESIDENT, PANCYPRIAN VETERINARY ASSOCIATION: Internet, black market, and that is what we worry about because nobody knows what they are getting.
KINKADE (voice-over): Animal advocates are demanding access to medication and government accountability.
MANI: If it can be curable, then leaving them to die from FIP is neglect. and in itself animal neglect is animal cruelty.
KINKADE (voice-over): The agricultural ministry told AFP news agency it's examining all possible means of addressing the issue.
Linda Kinkade, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: India shoots for the moon, still to come, counting down to the country's historic mission for a controlled landing on the lunar surface. Why engineers are hoping it's third time lucky? Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BRUNHUBER: India is counting down to its historic mission to the moon. It's trying to make a controlled landing of a probe and rover onto the lunar surface. It's hoping to launch its spacecraft in just over an hour. And if the landing is successful, India will only be the fourth country to accomplish the feat.
All right. Joining me now is CNN's Kristy Lu Stout. So we're just looking at the clock, waiting for that launch. So what is India trying to achieve with this lunar mission?
KRISTY LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kim. Yeah, we are counting down to the countdown. And this is important for India because it's India's latest attempt for a soft landing on the moon. The Chandrayaan-3, which means moon vehicle in Sanskrit, is launching today, 2:35 p.m. local time or less than two hours from now.
And as the name suggests, this is India's third mission to the moon. It's all part of the country's greater bid to be a space power. Now, during the last mission, which took place in 2019, the rover crashed after a hard landing. But with this mission, they're aiming to land the rover near the moon's unexplored south pole. And space officials in India say that the lander is due to reach the moon on August the 23rd.
After the landing, scientists plan to deploy the rover and to conduct a number of scientific experiments on the moon, including analyzing the chemistry of the lunar soil, measuring the temperature of the lunar surface, and scanning for moonquakes.
[03:50:09]
Now, earlier today, launch day, we heard from India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who turned to Twitter to share this. Let's bring it up for you. Narendra Modi saying this, quote, "14th of July 2023, will always be etched in 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," unquote. Now, success, Kim, would be absolutely huge for India. So far only three countries have successfully self-landed a craft on the moon, the U.S., the former Soviet Union, and China.
BRUNHUBER: So then, Kristie, on China, I mean, China has its own ambitious lunar mission. How does India stack up against China in the greater Asia space race?
LU STOUT: Well, China's space program has accelerated rapidly in recent years. It was earlier this year they sent their first civilian astronaut into space. Last year they did basic completion of the Tiangong space station and it was in 2019 when China was able to successfully land a rover on the far side of the moon.
China is also looking forward to a manned moon mission within the decade . Now India in contrast they are focusing on a niche in low- cost space missions. We've been hearing from Narendra Modi the Prime Minister of India calling for greater private investment into startups to launch more rockets saying this is the niche that India can carve out to be a low-cost space player. The geopolitical environment also tilts in favor of India as well. Back to you.
BRUNHUBER: Interesting. All right. Thanks so much, Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong.
The union representing 160,000 actors is now on strike, effectively shutting down much of the movie and TV production here in the U.S. No agreement was reached between SAG-AFTRA and the major studios and streaming services before contracts expired.
Actors are demanding more pay for streaming residuals as well as protections from A.I. technology. They joined Hollywood writers who have been on the picket line for two months. Union president Fran Drescher said the studios left no choice but to strike. Here she is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRAN DRESCHER, PRESIDENT, SAG-AFTRA: I cannot believe it, quite frankly, how far apart we are on so many things, how they plead poverty, that they're losing money left and right when giving hundreds of millions of dollars to their CEOs. It is disgusting. Shame on them. They stand on the wrong side of history.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: 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 before. The Tuxt College report also found certain medications in her system, but they didn't contribute to her death. Lisa Marie was the only daughter of the late Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley. She was 54 years old.
The maker of ChatGPT is under investigation for possible violations of the U.S. consumer protection law. It's the clearest example yet of direct U.S. government regulation of artificial intelligence. The Federal Trade Commission wants to know if that company, OpenAI, has damaged consumers' reputations by misusing personal data. The AI- powered chatbot is popular for its ability to provide detailed responses to questions.
And artificial intelligence is being used by some British retailers to catch shoplifters. But some groups say the facial recognition technology could do more harm than good. Anna Stewart explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): Got that feeling you're being watched? You probably are. And it's not just CCTV, AI could be watching too.
(on-camera): So your camera should have picked me up as I walked through the front door.
SIMON GORDON, CEO, FACEWATCH: Yeah.
STEWART (on-camera): So if you were the security guard and you discovered that I'd stolen something, you would go to this and find me.
GORDON: Yeah, I'd scroll down and look at the system and I'd know what time you've walked in, so I'd be able to find your face and in fact here's your face. Stole a load of steak. And ran out.
STEWART (voice-over): I'm a suspect. A case of mistaken identity, I assure you. But here's what happens next.
A suspect's biometrics are stored by FaceWatch for a year. If they return to the shop, their presence will be alerted to staff. And for prolific thieves, or those suspected of taking a high-value item, the biometrics could be shared with other stores in the area. All legal under British law.
GORDON: I was reporting all these crimes to the police, trying to help the police, giving them CCTV, and nothing ever happened.
[03:55:03]
STEWART (voice-over): This didn't start in a store, but a wine bar. London's oldest wine bar, in fact, run by FaceWatch founder Simon Gordon.
GORDON: Our goal is to be the trusted, and we are the trusted name in facial recognition and crime prevention. We're just here to prevent crime. We don't, were not --
STEWART (on-camera): Isn't that the police's job? Are you filling a gap that shouldn't be filled by private businesses?
GORDON: Everybody should be taking security seriously.
STEWART (voice-over): Gordon says there's no bias in the AI algorithms and the company also uses human super facial recognisers. But mistakes happen. Accuracy was 99.85 percent in June, according to FaceWatch.
MADELEINE STONE, SR. ADVOCACY OFFICER, BIG BROTHER WATCH: If you're put on a watch list, your information is held for up to a year because there's no real due process. This is all done by a private company, there's no police involvement, there's no direct evidence that anyone's actually committed a crime. So you could very easily be wrongly placed on watch lists and have your life really changed because some AI-powered technology has flagged you as a criminal, which you aren't.
STEWART (voice-over): For shoppers leaving a store with FaceWatch tech, there's a mix of opinions.
UNKNOWN: I don't want my face to be recognized, I'm just doing my shopping.
UNKNOWN: I mean it's uncomfortable, but I mean I understand why they're doing it.
UNKNOWN: I think in this day and age, even our phone, facial recognition, biometrics and everything, it's all around us so I don't think there's any escaping it.
STEWART (voice-over): Back at the supermarket, it's time to see how quickly alarm bells will ring now I've been flagged.
(on-camera): That was quick, I didn't even make it down the first aisle.
GORDON: That's a match, it's 99 percent similarity. You would trigger an alert in a store down the road if you'd carried out more than one crime here or if it was over a certain value.
STEWART: Well, thanks for showing me how it works. Could I ask that you delete my profile?
GORDON: Absolutely.
STEWART (on-camera): Not really, I think.
(voice-over): Anna Stewart, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Massive franchise Chipotle is turning to a collaborative robot for help with guacamole production. It's testing the auto-cato, which will perform the tedious task of cutting, coring and peeling the avocados. But a real person still does all the mixing of ingredients.
Now, Chipotle says the robot won't replace human workers, but will free them up for more complicated tasks. The move comes during a time of historic labor shortages in the U.S. restaurant industry. Only once in the last two decades has there been as many openings in the industry as there are right now.
And that wraps this hour of "CNN Newsroom." I'm Kim Brunhuber. My colleague, Bianca Nobilo, has more "CNN Newsroom" right after the short break. Please stay with us.
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