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China's Xi Arrives In South Africa For State Visit, BRICS summit; Wagner Boss Yevgeny Prigozhin Claims To Be Making Africa Freer; Thaksin Shinawatra Returns To Thailand After 15-Year Exile; Arevalo Wins Guatemala Presidential Election; Japan to Release Treated Water From Ruined Nuclear Plant Despite Concerns; Japan to Begin Releasing Wastewater as Soon as Thursday; Fires Highlight Ongoing Dispute for Maui's Water Rights; Climate Change Exacerbating Extreme Weather Events; Tenerife's Affected Areas to be Declared "Disaster Zone"; Personal Costs of Russia's War on Ukraine; Spanish Soccer Chief Apologizes for Unwanted Kiss; Key Takeaways from the Historic Women's World Cup. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired August 22, 2023 - 01:00   ET

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

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[01:00:25]

LAILA HARRAK, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome, I'm Laila Harrak. Ahead on CNN Newsroom. As China's economy slows down, Xi Jinping heads to the BRICS meeting in South Africa, will new alliances be enough to help it bounce back.

In Thailand, a controversial ex-Prime Minister returns after 15 years of self-imposed exile to face criminal arrest. We're live with the details.

And an unwanted kiss on the lips threatens to overshadow space victory at the Women's World Cup.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from CNN Center. This is CNN Newsroom with Laila Harrak.

HARRAK: Heads of state from more than 60 countries are on the invite list for the 15th BRICS summit now getting underway in South Africa. Chinese President Xi Jinping is among them arrived in Johannesburg on Monday greeted on the tarmac by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The Summit is a chance for Mr. Xi to try to extend China's influence in the global south as a response to Beijing's increasing rivalry with the United States and it seems many countries are eager to join BRICS.

But one leader who is conspicuously absent Russian President Vladimir Putin, he's attending virtually out of concern. He could be arrested in South Africa on a warrant from the International Criminal Court.

CNN Beijing bureau chief Steven Jiang joins us now with more on what President Xi hopes to accomplish at the summit. Steven, with the President put in a no show. All eyes will be on President Xi what will be his main priority?

STEVEN JIANG, CNN BEIJING BUREAU CHIEF: You know, Laila, this is only Xi Jinping second international trip after the pandemic. And the first one is actually back in March to Moscow to see his quote unquote, deal -- dear friend, Putin. So this kind of dynamic in a way really illustrates the importance these leaders attached to this grouping, despite their country's vastly different economic and political models. And because they are really a share -- they're really bonded by this shared, genuinely shared grievances or some would say desire to change the current global order, let and dominated by the U.S. and its Western allies at a time when BRICS economies are growing in importance, and with the population accounting for some 40 percent of the world's total.

That's why as you mentioned, one of the items on their agenda is to discussing the potential expansion of this grouping that of course, would further increase its impact and by extension, the leaders role occupied by the Chinese leader Xi Jinping, but they are also trying to discuss ways to deepening their economic and financial cooperation to reduce the reliance on the U.S. dollar.

So ahead of the summit, you have seen a lot of Chinese officials and state media really drumming up this narrative of the global south banding together to counter what they describe as the U.S. policy of unilateral sanctions and long arm jurisdictions.

But as you mentioned, this trip comes at a time when China is facing a lot of strong winds domestically, on the economic front the post-COVID economic rebound, not doingly (ph) --not doing nearly as well as officials had hoped, so that means Xi Jinping may be facing more constraints when it comes to the kind of projects he is able to finance and invest across the global South, especially in Africa.

So experts and analysts say the Beijing leadership may be now adopting a so called low cost high impact strategy of, for example, improving party to party relations to tout the superiority of China's political system by having more African military officers being trained here in China. And not to mention, expanding Beijing soft power. CCTV, the state media outlets here, for example, just debuting a second season of a show called classics quoted by Xi Jinping across Africa, I'm sure officials here hope that's going to be a huge hit. Laila.

HARRAK: All right, Steven Jiang in Beijing. Thank you so much. Joining me now is Mary Lovely. She's a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. Thank you so much for joining us, Mary.

Now, President Xi has just arrived in Johannesburg for the BRICS summit on a rare trip abroad. And this comes as his country is grappling with an economic downturn turn what more can you tell us about that?

MARY LOVELY, SENIRO FELLOW, PETERSON INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS: Yes, the economy seems to be on a bit of a knife edge after having a pretty good first quarter.

[01:05:05] The second quarter numbers are not good growth has slowed. Youth unemployment in particular is very high. The property sector which as you know, is already highly indebted, with many very large companies close to bankruptcy is teetering. And we're seeing some signs of falling property prices, again, very destabilizing, and we're trying to see what the government officials in China will do to respond to this situation.

HARRAK: Well, one of the ways that they're trying to respond is by turning to BRICS. Why are BRICS markets so important for China? And is this a mutually beneficial relationship?

LOVELY: BRICS economies have been important to China for quite some time. They're seen as a way for China to expand in terms of exports, in terms of the large state owned companies, particularly construction companies, as China has over built infrastructure, it needs to employ these companies, they can go out into company -- countries that are BRICS or prior to that, obviously, the Belt and Road Initiative, now what is being called the Global Development Initiative.

And this is an important outlet for the economy. It's also an important source of political support for President Xi, who, of course, is facing an increasingly, we might say, more aggressive West in terms of recognizing some of the risks that China poses.

HARRAK: Now, China, as you know, wants to expand the five-nation alliance, is this mainly to serve its financial interests? And how does it fit into Xi's efforts to shore up the Chinese economy?

LOVELY: Well, I think in particular, it serves his political interests to have more countries as part of BRICS, and particularly to push back against what they perceive as Western dominance of global institutions in the global economy.

It is also important in terms of again, creating these networks, where the Chinese economy can expand, especially if the West continues to try to decouple, derisk, diversify whatever D word you'd like to use, all of them involve reducing Western dependence on Chinese suppliers. And so the BRICS countries could become a substitute for Western markets.

HARRAK: Now, is there anything anxiety around China's economy? And are we seeing the end of the so called Chinese miracle? How do you see it?

LOVELY: Yes, that's been a big discussion of late with various perspectives. To my view we are seeing is definitely a transition point for the Chinese economy. Of course, the Chinese growth has been really phenomenal. We haven't seen anything like it. But it's been slowing for some time. And China has been faced with a lot of issues for some time, including, of course, the end of population growth, so a declining labor force an aging society, particularly worrisome is a lack of dynamism in the economy, a failure of firm productivity to grow.

All things that would be needed to create a country that may not be growing so fast in terms of absolute size, but would be growing in terms of GDP per capita, which is what's really important to the Chinese people.

And it's important to President Xi as well, who seeks to escape the so called middle income trap that China may now find itself in if it's unable to increase output per worker. So it's at a very delicate point. It has a lot of problems. Of course, the property sector overhang, China is overbuilt.

Many Chinese households have invested their whole nest egg into real estate. And so trying to get this sector to shrink, without causing the economy to really move into a recession or a funk for years, is something that I think is going to be a very difficult tightrope for the Chinese economy officials to walk yet it's something that they're trying to do right now.

HARRAK: Mary Lovely, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. Thank you so much for joining us.

LOVELY: Thank you.

HARRAK: Ukraine's President is meeting with Balkan leaders in Greece.

[01:10:00]

Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying Greece will help train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets and the sooner they're trained the sooner the jets can join the counteroffensive. Fred Pleitgen brings us the latest.

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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): As Kyiv's offensive grinds on with only modest gains, Ukraine's President already taking a seat in the next major weapons platform his country is set to receive. Two key U.S. allies Denmark and the Netherlands confirming they will give Ukraine American made F-16 combat aircraft.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT: Today we are confident that Russia will lose this war. Together, we prove that life is a value, that people matter. Freedom matters. Europe matters.

PLEITGEN: The Biden administration already signaling it will approve the F-16 transfer to Ukraine once training is complete. Denmark and the Netherlands could give Ukraine dozens of aircraft.

METTE FREDERIKSEN, DANISH PRIME MINISTER: Together with the Netherlands we are the first country to make a solid and concrete commitment to donate Western fighter jets and hopefully, others will follow now.

PLEITGEN: The Ukrainians say a severe lack of air power is stalling their counteroffensive. Ukraine's old legs can't compete with Russia's modern Su-35 fighter jets and their powerful radars. That allows the Russians to easily target Ukrainian ground forces leading to head losses. Well, Ukraine probably won't have the F-16s until early next year, Kyiv believes they will stop Russian jets from attacking Ukraine's troops.

YURII IHNAT, UKRAINIAN AIR FORCE SPOKESPERSON (through translator): They will not be able to do this with F-16 pressly (ph). Air superiority is the key to success on the ground.

PLEITGEN: But on the ground, Moscow's forces are putting up a tough fight both in the south of Ukraine and in the east. Russian President Vladimir Putin visiting the main headquarters in southern Russia this weekend to get battlefield updates as Russians are increasingly feeling the war come to them.

These people on the Russian side of the border with Ukraine complaining to Putin about shelling from Ukraine, which Putin's army so far seems unable to stop.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Give us the opportunity to receive compensation. We want to move away from here it is impossible to leave here.

PLEITGEN: And Ukraine is vowing to continue its fight trying to push the Russians back hoping in several months modern Western jets could be a game changer. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRAK: Months after his failed coup on Moscow, Yevgeny Prigozhin is turning his attention to Africa. The boss of the Wagner mercenary group says he and his fighters are on the continents right now, quote making it freer, and he says Wagner is also making Russia greater around the world.

This clip of Prigozhin, claiming to be in Africa made the rounds on pro-Russian military blogs Monday but CNN can't verify where it was filmed or its authenticity. Well, Wagner fighters have been active in African conflicts for years, as CNN investigation has uncovered the group's involvement and complicity with atrocities in places like Mali and the Central African Republic.

With Thailand's Parliament set to vote on a new prime minister, a former Premier returns home to cheers and an arrest after years in exile, more on this ahead.

Plus, human rights wash accuses Saudi border guards of killing hundreds of Ethiopian migrants. You'll hear harrowing accounts from the survivors. Ahead.

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[01:16:11]

HARRAK: Donald Trump has announced on social media that he plans to turn himself in at the Fulton County Jail in Georgia on Thursday. His lawyers have agreed to a $200,000 bond for the former president and Trump's release conditions prohibit him from communicating directly or indirectly with his 18 co-defendants witnesses or unindicted co- conspirators or use social media to target them. Trump has been indicted on 13 felony counts in the 2020 Georgia

election subversion probe. Several of his co-defendants have also agreed to the terms of their bond agreements with the district attorney's office.

We're following developments in Thailand where controversial ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has returned home after 15 years in exile. Well, soon after his arrival, Thaksin was arrested and taken to the Supreme Court, which has now sentenced him to eight years in prison for corruption.

Thaksin has long denied the charges ever since he was ousted in a 2006 military coup. Meanwhile, Thaksin's older Pheu Thai Party which finished second in May's elections, as taking the reins to form a new government. While the Move Forward party which actually won the election has been pushed aside by Thailand's conservative establishment.

CNN's Paula Hancocks is following all this for you from Seoul. Paula. If Poo Thai (ph) -- Pheu Thai rather manages to form a government, how would that affect tax in the Shinawatra?

PAULA HANDCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Laila, Pheu Thai is a party that is backed by Thaksin so they are closely affiliated. In fact, the candidate that they will be putting up for prime minister is actually just tweeting about the return for Thaksin, saying to return to the motherland is a incomparable happiness and congratulates the family and the former Prime Minister for returning to Thailand.

So this is the man who potentially will be the next prime minister if it does go ahead and if he manages to secure the vote this afternoon. Now, as you mentioned, Laila, the latest information we do have is that Thaksin has now been sentenced. He was at the Supreme Court, and the judge there sentenced him to eight years in prison on corruption charges.

Now these were charges that were brought against him in absentia while he was in self-exile, and he was potentially going to face up to 10 years in prison, but eight years is what the judge has decided. So we will have to see where exactly Thaksin is taken next, and where he is held.

What we are expecting, though, in the coming hours is that there will be this vote to decide who the next prime minister in Thailand is. As I say there is only one candidate and it is the candidate for Pheu Thai.

Now just on Monday, there was a fairly dramatic about turn from this party. They didn't win the most votes in the election that was the Progressive Party Move Forward who was unable to form a government as they were blocked by the conservative and military backed parties. So Pheu Thai has now said they will form an 11-party alliance that will not include Move Forward but will include the military back parties. Laila.

HARRAK: All right, Paula Handcocks reporting in Seoul, thank you so much.

Bernardo Arevalo has been announced as Guatemala's new president, with all the ballots counted from Sunday's runoff.

[01:20:00]

The progressive candidate received 58 percent of the votes beating former first lady Sandra Torres on 37 percent earlier. The president- elect spoke with CNN about his goals.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BERNANDO AREVALO, GUATEMALAN PRESIDENT-ELECT (through translator): When we are done governing, Karin Herrera and Bernardo Arevalo want to leave behind four major social packs a great national pact on education, a great national pact on health, a great national pact on the environment, and a great national pact on development.

For these three years, we want to work on creating these converging spaces for actors that have been divided because we have lived in this polarized environment, which is convenient for the corrupt to prevent any citizen mobilization.

We want to fight this polarized logic with mechanisms of communication for these actors to begin to know each other, to understand each other more, to trust each other, and to be able to reach great consensus that will then allow this country to have horizons and development strategies that are not just my governing program for these four years, but rather that they begin to think this is what we should be doing in 20 to 30 years. And then what each government does is contributes its part within that medium and long term strategy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRAK: So who is Guatemala's new president? Bernardo Arevalo comes from the progressive Seed Movement Party. He served as a member of Congress and as the ambassador to Spain in the 90s. The 74-year-old is also the son of the country's first democratically elected president.

Human Rights Watch claims Saudi authorities have killed hundreds of Ethiopian migrants crossing the border from Yemen. CNN's Salma Abdelaziz has the details.

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SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): A deeply disturbing report released on Monday by Human Rights Watch alleges that Saudi border guards killed at least hundreds of Ethiopian migrants and asylum seekers attempting to cross the border from Yemen into Saudi Arabia between March of 2022 and June of this year.

The more than 70 page report again released by Human Rights Watch is based their organization says on interviews with more than 40 individuals, some 38 of them -- themselves migrants asylum seekers who attempted to cross the border Human Rights Watch says it also conducted a review and assessment of some 350 pieces of video and imagery and also assessed extensive satellite images from the region.

Together, Human Rights Watch says that this work found or paints a pattern of widespread and systemic violence by Saudi border guards against groups of migrants, Ethiopian migrants and asylum seekers attempting to cross into Saudi Arabia again from Yemen.

The accounts are absolutely harrowing. More than two dozen individuals describing explosive incidences to the use of rockets, mortar fired, gunfire by Saudi border guards. Some survivors describing Saudi border guards asking them which limb they would prefer to be shot before shooting them at close range.

To give you an understanding of just how deadly these crossings are, according to Human Rights Watch his findings as work again interviews with 10 individuals who were describing multiple crossings that total to some 1,200 individuals trying to cross that border. Of those 1,200, 655 resulted in death that is less than a 50 percent survival rate again, according to human rights watches work.

Now, Human Rights Watch says that if these killings are committed as part of an intentional Saudi government policy to murder migrants, it could amount to a crime against humanity. We do also have a statement from an anonymous Saudi source. This is a source that requested anonymity, citing long standing norms around the government's communication with the media.

But this is what the statement from the Saudi official from the Saudi government source says the allegations included in the Human Rights Watch report about Saudi border guards shooting Ethiopians while they were crossing the Saudi-Yemeni border are unfounded and not based on reliable sources.

Now, the route I'm describing, known as the eastern route, essentially connects the Horn of Africa across the Gulf of Aden, and then sees migrants asylum seekers cross into Yemen, and eventually try to get to Saudi Arabia that is among the most dangerous routes in the world.

It has been for many, many years, but it has come under increased scrutiny in recent years with a conflict in Tigray region, forcing many vulnerable families out and civil war in Yemen, making that place ever more hostile.

[01:25:00]

The Human Rights Watch says that the violence along that Yemeni Saudi border region is ongoing. Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRAK: Well, one of the individuals mentioned in the report by Human Rights Watch is an Ethiopian man who attempted to migrate to Saudi Arabia to find a job. He says he lost his leg after being fired upon during the three-day crossing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MUSTAFA SOFIAN MOHAMMED, ATTEMPTED CROSSING INTO SAUDI ARABIA (through translator): They were firing nonstop and I thought the sky was falling on me. I thought I was dreaming at first. I couldn't believe my eyes. I looked around and landed my eyes again at it and knew I had no leg anymore. I started praying, lying there.

My fellow Ethiopians planning to go to Saudi, please look at me. There was a rain of bullets waiting for you. Look at me and learn.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRAK: Well, he says there were 45 people who were tempted to cross the border that day, only three survived.

Still to come. U.S. President Joe Biden visits Hawaii for a firsthand look at the devastation left behind by the deadly wildfires. Plus, Japan pushing forward with plans to release wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant in just a matter of days. Despite concerns, details ahead.

And raging wildfires in Spain forced the government to declare an island a disaster zone, but they can't do so until the blazes are put out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRAK: Welcome back to our viewers all around the world. I'm Laila Harrak and you're watching CNN Newsroom. Officials in Japan now say they will begin releasing treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plants into the ocean as early as Thursday.

Well, that decision was made after the government held a Cabinet meeting to discuss the issue. This comes despite pushback from neighboring countries and public concern, especially among those in the fishing industry. Japan's Prime Minister tried to ease fears.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FUMIO KISHIDA, JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER (through translator): The government will continue to take sufficient measures so that fishermen will be able to make a living without concerns. Even over the next several decades. I promise that the government will take full responsibility to deal with this issue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[01:29:45]

HARRAK: The head of Japan's fisheries association says while the group has a better understanding of the government's plan, it still opposes the move to release the treated wastewater.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MASANOBU SAKAMOTO, HEAD OF NATIONAL FEDERATION OF FISHERIES COOPERATIVE ASSOCIATIONS (through translator): Scientific safety doesn't mean that people will feel safe in their daily life. Even though the Fukushima water discharged is scientifically safe, the reputation damage to local businesses remains.

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HARRAK: U.S. President Joe Biden is promising government support for Hawaii as long as it takes after witnessing firsthand the devastation left behind by this month's deadly wildfires.

He and first lady Jill Biden toured the affected areas in Maui on Monday including the historic town of Lahaina, and met with first responders and survivors.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I know the feeling that many of the people in this town, this community -- that hollow feeling you have in your chest like you're being sucked into a black hole, wondering will I ever get by this.

But I also want all of you to know that countries grieve with you, stands with you, and will do everything possible to help you recover, rebuild, and respect culture and traditions when the rebuilding takes place.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRAK: At least 115 people have been killed and more than 800 are still unaccounted for following the deadliest wildfire in the United States in more than 100 years.

Meantime, the Maui fires have reignited a long running fight over freshwater rights in the area that dates back to the late 1800s.

And as CNN's Bill Weir reports, this dispute could further complicate the recovery efforts.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: It is not just the missing souls on the worried minds of Hawaiians, or how and when they'll rebuild. There are also deep fears over the water that flows from the mountains to the sea and aquifers and keeps Maui alive.

GOVERNOR JOSH GREEN, HAWAII: There has been a great deal of water conflict on Maui for many years. It's important that we're honest about this. People have been fighting against the release of water to fight fires. I'll leave that to you to explore.

WEIR: Ok, let's do it. And let's start with the American and European plantation owners, who arrived in the mid-1800s to get rich growing sugar, and over the generations diverted water from countless farms like this.

HOKUAO PELLEGRINO, HAWAIIAN FARMER: These stonewalls are built by our ancestors 500 years ago. WEIR: Wow, really?

PELLEGRINO: Yes. Yes. What people like our family and many other native Hawaiian families all throughout Hawaii saw where the plantation was is their water disappear really overnight.

WEIR: Like turning off the tap?

PELLEGRINO: Yes, which is why like our family, like many other families in Lahaina and elsewhere, they were forced to leave their ancestral land.

WEIR: And maybe work for the same plantation owner who took your water, right?

PELLEGRINO: Yes.

WEIR: But even after the U.S. apologized in '93 for the overthrow of the kingdom of Hawaii, and even as once lush landscapes turned flammable, it wasn't until farmers like Hokuao Pellegrino fought in court for over an decade that water rights were returned.

PELLEGRINO: Even in our oceans, you know, because freshwater feeds those near short fisheries and grows the seaweed, the limu (ph), you know, for the small fry, for our turtles and other important fishes.

That's all coming back now that the waters are flowing into the ocean.

WEIR: But then came the fire and written complaints from the powerful West Maui Land Company insinuating that firefighting efforts were hampered because a single Hawaiian farmer couldn't be reached for permission to divert extra water.

PELLEGRINO: And this particular case here, it absolutely would not have made any difference. You have to understand that the West Maui Land Company, (INAUDIBLE) Irrigation Company's system is not tied whatsoever to the Maui Fire Department hydrant system. And helicopters weren't able to even fly anyway at that point.

So, you know, to even insinuate that that could have made any difference is just a complete farce.

WEIR: But with an emergency declaration, Governor Green has rolled back Lahaina's water designation and told the "New York Times" that we've tipped too far towards water rights for nature and natives.

KEKAI KEAHI, COMMUNITY ORGANIZER: 75 percent of the water resource in Lahaina is controlled by private entities. Only 25 percent is controlled by the county government.

WEIR: It's one big reason Lahaina community leaders gathered the media on Friday to call out the governor.

KEAHI: My hope that the community had the input to build back how we see fit for our community. My fear is that the community will be gone and this will be replaced with multi-million dollar homes. Because we have builders already coming.

PELLEGRINO: It's like just colonization repeating itself all over again, just in a different format, you know? It's disaster capitalism at its finest.

You are throwing spears to the people of Lahaina when they're already down.

[01:34:53]

WEIR: The very first Hawaiians crossed oceans with sacred tallow (ph) plants in their canoes. And Pellegrino is now using descendants of those plants to make poi (ph) for President Joe Biden's welcome lunch.

But he says this kind of aloha can only last if there is enough water for every living thing.

The West Maui Land Company did not return a call for comment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRAK: And that was CNN's Bill Weir reporting from Hawaii.

Parts of the southwestern U.S. are facing a lengthy recovery after tropical storm Hilary. Officials in Los Angeles say there were no deaths or significant injuries as a result of this storm. Firefighters received more than 4,000 emergency calls, and were able to respond to nearly half of them, finding scenes like this with people trapped in knee-high waters.

Hilary broke records in Nevada, producing the most rain ever from a tropical system in the state. The rainfall more than double the old record set 160 years ago.

Well now, people across the southwest are struggling with the next steps after the storm.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NANCY ROSS, CATHEDRAL CITY, CALIFORNIA RESIDENT: Who has flood insurance in the desert? Now, I mean there could be that really over attentive person who buys, you know, all kinds of insurance that they're never going to need. But 99 percent of us didn't and wouldn't, and won't moving forward.

It's the desert, this is an 89-year occurrence. I don't think any of us are going to live another 89 years, you know. So hopefully, we won't see another one.

HARRAK: So what can people do in the faces such unexpected disasters?

Earlier, I spoke with Sarah Kapnick, a chief scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. And I asked her if local authorities and the federal government have the budget to help with the growing number of climate disasters?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH KAPNICK, CHIEF SCIENTIST, NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION: People have been used to the number of disasters they've had in the past (INAUDIBLE) the magnitude of events, the probabilities of the events are growing, but also the punch that they're packing when they unfold. The financial costs has have been growing and the total number.

So people are starting prepare for these being higher numbers, but it hasn't -- they're not fully ready at the moment, and we're trying to give them all the information to plan for those changes.

We're seeing with these events that occur that cause these financial impacts, and the way to reduce those impacts is to build in adaptation, build in resilience plans to reduce how those extreme events meets that financial impact.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRAK: We turn our attention now to parts of Europe that are breaking heat records this week, including in France where officials say certain areas parts of the country could be under red level heat alerts as temperatures soar. That's the highest alert possible from the country's meteorological agency.

France's health minister warns they could reach temperatures never before measured in the area.

Italy has even named its newest heat wave Nero. It's set to bring temperatures of up to 38 degrees Celsius or 100 degrees Fahrenheit for at least five straight days. The trend extends throughout the region, with other major cities around Europe set to log sweltering temperatures this week as well.

Spanish officials are set to declare areas affected by wildfires on the island of Tenerife, a disaster zone once the flames are under control, but that moment hasn't happened yet. The situation is said to be improving, but more than 12,000 people have been evacuated from their homes as the blazes continue.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRAK: Plumes of smoke and orange flames illuminate the skies over Spain's Tenerife Island. Impatience growing among residents over the weekend as they wait for firefighters to gain control of the flames.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We hope and we trust. We ask God that this will end because the fire will move down and reach the houses, as it's already near the houses.

HARRAK: Regional authorities say the fires burning since last Tuesday have destroyed thousands of hectares of forest. More than 12,000 people were evacuated from their homes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: we had to run away with our clothes on, and that's all. The police gave us just 20 minutes to get a few things. HARRAK: Spain's acting prime minister Pedro Sanchez visited the fire

affected areas on Monday.

PEDRO SANCHEZ, SPAIN'S ACTING PRIME MINISTER: Let's hope that the weather helps us, so that we can consider the fire stabilized in the next few hours or days. Hopefully, the weather will be on our side.

[01:39:53]

HARRAK: He added that the government would classify the affected area as a disaster zone to free up more aid. Regional leaders say the situation has improved since Sunday, with some residents allowed to go back home.

But difficult terrain and a heat wave in Europe made it difficult to extinguish the fire, which authorities say was most likely man-made.

According to Reuters, most popular tourist destinations in the island are so far unaffected by the fires. And the two airports remain open.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRAK: Voters in Ecuador have passed a referendum to stop oil drilling in part of the Amazon. Early results show about 59 percent of Ecuadorians rejected oil drilling in Yasuni (ph) National Park, one of the most biodiverse places on earth.

Drilling proponents say Ecuador was shooting itself in the foot, but environmental and indigenous groups say the country news to move away from fossil fuels and protect the Amazon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JUAN BAY, PRESIDENT, WAORANI INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY: We have saved the greatest biodiversity that has been recognized nationally and internationally. We have saved those people's involuntary isolation who today have been heard.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRAK: Well, with the passage of the referendum, the state oil company will have a one-year deadline to wrap up its operations.

Still to come, on the frontlines in Ukraine, we hear from a firefighter who has lost nearly all his family since the war began.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRAK: As Ukraine's counteroffensive drags on, death and despair take a toll on the survivors of Russia's brutal invasion.

CNN's Nick Paton Walsh reports on the personal tragedies of a fireman living on the front lines.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: The aftermath is not always easier. These are the firemen of the most bombed city on earth, Orikhiv in the throes of the counter offensive. And this is a normal day for them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let me pass. Hi. Say Hi to your subscribers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Girls will see you. And you'll get married.

WALSH: Here's the story one we've gotten to know, Dima.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sometimes it feels we were born in this war. We were in the basement saying goodbye to life.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The fire moved through the balconies.

(EXPLETIVE DELETED) a bomb just landed.

WALSH: Pain here doesn't just come from the flames. away from the frontlines, Ukraine is suffering in ways we don't see.

Dima has lost nearly all his family since the war began. His wife left for Europe as a refugee just days after the war started with his son and he doesn't know if they will ever come back.

The emptiness of their family home is a crippling constant weight on him.

[01:44:56]

DIMA: I'm going insane. Silence. The silence is killing me. When I'm working, I feel better than here. I get so used to being there. At work I feel more at home and I can sleep despite the shelling.

WALSH: The gaps between the horror, harder than the horror itself. And sleep when it comes is some kind of work.

DIMA: These days I can barely sleep. When I fall asleep, I dream about my family. I'm coming back from my shift and my family is here waiting for me.

My wife is back. We are together again. I'm so happy to see them after such a long time. I didn't see my family for nearly a year.

It's a painful subject.

WALSH: Orikhiv has been ground to dust in the last two months. But Dima's grief here came immediately with last year's invasion. His father died, in its first days just before his wife left, from a heart attack. He says, because of shelling. In that chaos, Dima had to bury his father himself.

DIMA: His heart just stopped from fear. When it explodes everything shakes inside you. So he died in my mother's arms.

WALSH: Now, he only has his mother left. She won't leave the house where his father died and where Dima was born and where the flames may strike again.

DIMA: I have my own war with my mother. One day, I will just tie her up and bring her here. Because I only have her. As soon as I see an air-raid alert, "Orikhiv, gliding bomb."

As soon as I see Orikhiv. I call her, "Mum hide", "Mum hide". She says she's hiding but I don't know. My mama is a tough one.

WALSH: Nearly every Ukrainian home has holes in it, for people who won't come back and emotions forge in a war with no end in sight.

DIMA: I want all the Russians to live in a place like this after all they did to my town. Make them live in these conditions to the end of their lives. I don't want them to exist at all as a nation.

I agree there are normal people everywhere on each side. But I will hate them until the end of my life.

WALSH: Nick Paton Walsh, CNN -- Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRAK: We'll be right back.

[01:48:16]

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HARRAK: The Spanish team celebrated in Madrid after winning the nation's first Women's World Cup championship in Australia. Throngs of cheering supporters crowded the streets to welcome them home.

But Spain's historic victory was somewhat tarnished by controversy, after the country's soccer chief kissed star player Jennifer Hermoso on the lips during the medal ceremony. Video shows Luis Rubiales embracing Hermoso then putting both hands on her head before kissing her. He then pats her on the back as she walks away. Rubiales is facing widespread criticism for the incident with politicians and fans labeling his behavior "unacceptable". He apologized Monday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LUIS RUBIALES, PRESIDENT, ROYAL SPANISH FOOTBALL FEDERATION (through translator): I surely made a mistake. I have to recognize that. Well, in a moment of elation without any intention of bad faith, what happened, happened I think in a very spontaneous way. I repeat, there is no bad faith between either of the two of us.

But outside of the bubble, it looks like it has turned into a storm. And so if there are people who have felt offended, I have to say I'm sorry. There is no other way, right?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRAK: After the kiss, Hermoso said she, quote, "didn't like it", according to video post on social media by media outlets. Although she later downplayed the incident saying, quote, "it was because of the emotion of the moment".

Well, earlier, I asked CNN sports analyst Christine Brennan to weigh in on the incident.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTINE BRENNAN, CNN SPORTS ANALYST: He had staged it with what some and many might call actual sexual abuse. A sexual assault where at the very least, as one of the Spanish government ministers said, a -- could be called sexual violence.

And obviously, the forced kiss that I think now pretty much everyone knows, that Luis Rubiales did with, of course, one of the great stars of the Spanish team, Jenny Hermoso. And as she said right afterwards, that she did not like that.

And so the thought that this would occur on that world stage, the world is watching, and he did it then.

If he's willing to do that in front of everyone and the cameras, as the whole planet is focused on that stadium and that moment in Spain with its great victory just 30 minutes after the final whistle blew, then what in the world are these people doing behind the scenes?

And of course, the answer, as we know from 11 months ago, that there are allegations of serious concerns about coaching techniques, training, health, and welfare of the athletes. And this just, I think, points out to everyone that those stories are real and those allegations are a big concern, because here you see this in front of the world, shocking, it's awful. It's unacceptable, just terrible.

And but they did it, and he did it, and he felt he could do it, which is really something to behold. But truly, I think, a statement on where soccer is, the misogynistic and sexist nature of the sport.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRAK: The player who scored Spain's winning goal against England learned after the game that her father had died. Olga Carmona's 29th minute strike delivered Spain the win. The next day, the star player tribute to her father on social media. She wrote in Spanish, "I don't have the words to thank all of your love. Yesterday was the best and worst day of my life. I know you'd want me to enjoy this historic moment, so I will be with my teammates. So that wherever you are, you'll know that the star is also yours, dad."

CNN's Amanda Davies looks back at the key moments of the Women's World Cup, and what's potentially ahead for the tournament.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN WORLD SPORT CORRESPONDENT: If anyone does still need to be convinced about women's football, they just have to look at the hard and fast facts, the numbers of what have played out here in Australia and New Zealand over the past four weeks, the sense of pride and excitement over what has been achieved has been hard to escape here on the grounds. And rightly so.

1.9 million fans have attended matches. That's over half a million more than the target that was set. China's match against England produced the highest reach for a single match anywhere in the world, 53.9 million viewers. Three-quarters of a million fans attended the fan festivals in host countries, the first time they've ever had them at a Women's World Cup.

And for the first time, the Women's World Cup as a tournament has broken even, with revenues generated of $570 million.

[01:54:55]

DAVIES: The first ever Matildas captain, (INAUDIBLE) Dolan, told a story at the draw on the stage for this tournament back in October, about how she and her teammates had to bake cakes and sell them to raise money to buy their football kits.

She's not been able to believe what she has seen play out. Beyond her wildest dreams is how she has put it.

And that is even before you get to the football. In many ways, it has felt like a changing of the guard, bidding farewell to some of the icons of the game that have done so much, fought so hard to get it to where it is today. The likes of Brazil's Massa, Megan Rapinoe, Kristen Sinclair (ph) -- allowing the next generation now to step up and shine.

Colombia's teen sensation (INAUDIBLE), Spain's Selma (INAUDIBLE). Now there had been skepticism about raising the number of teams taking part from 24-32 relatively quickly, given the developments of the game. But Morocco produced 2 wins on their debut, and knocked out Germany from the competition. Nigeria beat Canada, Portugal where just a post away from knocking out the USA. And we have 2 teams in Spain and England reaping the reward of investment in their games and domestic leads.

Two first-time finalists leading the way, now being talked about as the standard bearers for the rest. Tellingly though, both still have their battles ongoing, question marks over the methods of Spain coach Jorge Vilda, England's fight with their football association over commercial payments and bonuses, alongside the likes of Jamaica, Nigeria, and so many other claims for what is right, not just special favors, just equality of other federations and in other areas across the game.

We've had just a taste of what can happen when this beautiful game and its players get just a fraction of the investments and attention they deserve.

Just imagine what the 2027 Women's World Cup will bring if everyone gets on board.

Amanda Davies, CNN -- Sydney, Australia.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HARRAK: And that wraps up for this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Laila Harrak.

Rosemary Church picks up our coverage after a quick break. Do stick around.

[01:57:21]

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