Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Russia Confirms Yevgeny Prigozhin Died In Plane Crash; U.S. Commerce Chief In Beijing Amid China's Economic Woes; Zimbabwe Torn By Accusation Of Election Fraud; Russia Ramps Up Military Spending Amid Conflict; Russia's War on Ukraine; Spain's Football Federation to Hold "Urgent" Meeting; British Museum: Recovery of Some Stolen Items Underway; Shocking Video from India; No Sign of Nessie after Biggest Search in 50 Years; Crew-7 Arrives at the ISS. Aired 1-2a ET

Aired August 28, 2023 - 01:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[01:00:30]

LAILA HARRAK, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to all of our viewers watching from around the world. I'm Laila Harrak. Ahead on CNN Newsroom, Russia officially confirms the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, their mercurial Wagner chief who led a failed uprising against the Kremlin. But what happens to his mercenary group without their leader.

A critical moment for the world's top two economies as the U.S. Commerce Secretary arrives in Beijing, but can't move visit prevents tensions from boiling over.

Plus, revelations of theft within the British Museum are shining a spotlight on the fights over whether some of its colonial treasures should be given back.

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

HARRAK: Well, after days of uncertainty, Russia says it has confirmed that Yevgeny Prigozhin was among the 10 people killed in last week's plane crash. Supporters of the Wagner boss gathered at a makeshift memorial in Moscow to remember precaution who died two months after leading a failed uprising against the Kremlin. CNN's Matthew Chance has more from Moscow.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is final confirmation that the Wagner boss is indeed dead after Russian investigators say genetic analysis of the 10 bodies recovered from Wednesday's plane crash confirms that Yevgeny Prigozhin was on board and was killed. It is a sudden, if not altogether surprising end, one of Russia's most controversial figures.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHANCE (voice-over): He carved out a pivotal role in Russia's Ukrainian war. Often visiting his Wagner mercenaries near the frontlines in Bakhmut, where he'd sent them to fight what became a very personal battle, not just against Ukrainian forces, but with Russia's own military leadership, who may regularly condemned as incompetent as thousands of his hired fighters were killed.

Here Prigozhin points that a pile of dead bodies next to him and launched into a tirade. Those who didn't give us ammunition will go to hell and eat their intestines, he said. Then he named Russia's defense minister and army chief. You animals are sitting there, he says, and think you've the right to decide their lives, he bolds. It was extraordinary criticism of Russia's high command.

And he followed it up with unprecedented action, leading what he called a march for justice towards Moscow, effectively a Wagner military uprising that challenged Kremlin authority. A deal was done to call off the rebellion as Prigozhin forces advanced on the Russian capital.

But a furious President Putin called it a stab in the back from a man he regarded as loyal. It was in the service to the Kremlin first as its catering contractor in the 1990s that earn Prigozhin the nickname Putin chef and Prigogine emerged as one of Russia's most powerful figures. His Wagner mercenaries at the behest of the Kremlin were active in Ukraine, the Middle East and several African states, where human rights groups accused them of horrific abuses.

But Prigozhin was much more than just Putin chef turned Putin's warlord. He was Putin's troll as well. Setting up this notorious troll Factory in St. Petersburg, the internet research agency, where internet provocateurs were paid by Prigozhin to distort the U.S. political debate around 2016 presidential elections. Prigozhin was sanctioned by the U.S. but denied any involvement in election meddling. He denied links with Wagner too.

But with Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, that mask was discarded. After his abortive uprising in June, Prigozhin and his Wagner forces were officially exiled to neighboring Belarus. But the Wagner leader continued to travel freely even visiting the Kremlin to discuss the group's future role.

[01:05:07]

Prigozhin's most recent video showed him speaking in an unidentified African state, where he said he and Wagner would continue to promote Russian interests. But it wasn't to be. Back in Russia, his private jet was recorded plunging from the skies on a flight from Moscow to St. Petersburg. Russian investigators confirm all 10 people on board, including Prigozhin were killed, a dramatic end to a controversial figure.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHANCE: While there are still many questions about how that plane was brought down, the Kremlin dismissing allegations that it was involved as absolute lies. Russian officials say investigators will release their findings. But if you are expecting the real cause of the crash that killed Russia's Wagner mercenary chief to be revealed soon. Matthew Chance, CNN Moscow.

HARRAK: Joining me now, Kimberly Marten, is a professor of political science at Barnard College. Some of her recent publications have focused on the Wagner group. Professor, the official narrative is that the Kremlin had nothing to do with this plane crash. But we now do have official confirmation from the Kremlin that the Wagner chief died in that crash. What do you make of the mourners now openly gathering at a makeshift Prigozhin memorial in Moscow? Do you think that in depth, you know, what significance is the Wagner chief taking on?

KIMBERLY MARTEN, PROF. OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, BARNARD COLLEGE: Well, you know, first of all, I think that it's pretty clear that it is very convenient for the Kremlin that Prigozhin died, whether or not they ever take responsibility for having done it. Prigozhin had been a thorn in Putin side for the last couple of months after he staged the mutiny in late June. And it's not surprising that there are some mourners for him, but the size of the crowd is relatively small.

And something to keep in mind is that there are no armed Wagner formations on Russian territory at the moment. And so it would be impossible for a Wagner group these days to stage another mutiny as Prigozhin did in late June.

HARRAK: Let's talk a little bit about the other prominent Wagner people that were on that plane, what can you tell us about them?

MARTEN: Well, there were two that were very prominent one is Dmitry Utkin. He was the original military commander of Wagner back when it was originally formed in 2014 in eastern Ukraine. And in fact, the group was named after him. His nom de guerre was Wagner, because he saw Richard Wagner as being the composer that the Nazi government in Germany was fond of, and he considered himself to be fond of the Nazis.

So that's one of the people that died, that may have great resonance for people who were in the Wagner group. But there's no evidence that in recent years, he had been doing that much directly for Wagner, the other person who's very significant is Valeriy Chekalov. And the reason that he's so significant is that he was running Prigozhin's businesses in Syria, and was also apparently responsible for logistics.

And so in addition to having military experience himself, he was somebody who really had a handle on the business empire that was associated with Prigozhin. And so again, it was a convenient person for Putin to have we gotten out of the way so that other people in the Kremlin can take over the business enterprises associated with Prigozhin.

HARRAK: Now Professor without Prigozhin who could become the new Wagner chief and how will Wagner be defined going forward?

MARTEN: That's the big question. And there are a few ways to look at it. Some people have been predicting that the Russian military intelligence agency, the GRU will just take direct control over the Wagner group. Wagner always had a close relationship with the GRU. But the thought by some people is that may be now they'll come directly under military command, that would pretty much destroy what the Wagner group has accomplished, though, in part because it does have all these business enterprises that military people are not going to be particularly good at running.

And in part because it has a reputation of being very flexible, very creative, innovative kind of tool. And if you put it under bureaucratic control by the military that would sort of wreck what it is that it is doing. And it's also not clear, even if they are willing to sign contracts with the Defense Ministry, that people in the Wagner group, many of whom are Russian veterans who want to go back to working directly for the Russian Defense Ministry.

Another possibility is that some individual could take it over. There are a couple of people that have been proposed. Putin himself proposed a commander named Troshev who had been associated with Wagner. Prigozhin had fired him in late June because there was a rumor that he had actually informed the Kremlin beforehand about the mutiny. But in a meeting in the Kremlin, in mid-July, Putin suggested to a group of Wagner commanders that he might take over.

[01:10:24]

And the report that we have and who knows whether it's true coming from the Kremlin is that many of them nodded their heads. But that Prigozhin immediately said, no, the boys aren't interested. So it's possible that somebody like that could become an individual in charge. And there are other people. There are other oligarchs we can think about. But it's also possible that the Wagner group is just going to split into various parts in the various locations where it is deployed, and that it won't continue as a unified group.

HARRAK: A final question for you, Professor. Is this a watershed moment? Is Russia headed now into a more turbulent time?

MARTEN: Well, I think the real watershed probably happened with the mutiny itself in late June because that showed that Putin was not as much in control of the people who were working for him as he had believed that he was. And so it's telling that the only way that if what we believe is true that this was an assassination, it's telling that the only way that he was able to feel comfortable in controlling Prigozhin was to have him killed.

In a sense, as many people have said, it's almost like a mafia way of acting. It's not the way we expect a normal government to act. But certainly we'll have to look forward to see what is happening next. One question that remains unanswered is how the Russian troops in the field in Ukraine fighting right now in that war that Putin launched last year, how they feel about it, how much respect they had for Prigozhin, and whether they feel that this instability sort of negates what they've been doing by putting their lives on the line for Russia.

HARRAK: Kimberly Marten, thank you very much.

MARTEN: Thank you. HARRAK: Well, meantime Ukraine is honoring the memory of three pilots killed in a collision over the weekend.

And that was part of a special piano ceremony held by the Ukrainian Air Force Sunday. So remember the pilot known by the call sign Juice, and two others they were killed after their aircraft collided in midair while on a combat mission.

Well now to the ongoing efforts to repair the rocky relationship between the United States and China. U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is in Beijing for meetings with her Chinese counterparts and other officials. Raimondo's visit comes amid heightened tensions between the two countries and as China faces mounting economic problems ranging from a real estate crisis to slumping exports. Well, Raimondo says it is profoundly important that Washington and Beijing have a stable economic relationship.

CNN's Kristie Lu Stout joins us now live from Hong Kong. And she's monitoring this meeting. Kristie, this visit comes at a very critical moment for the world's top two economies.

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely, Laila. The U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is in China for this four day visit. Earlier today she met with her Chinese counterpart, Wang Wentao. And Raimondo said that stable relations between U.S. and China are profoundly important pointing out that these two countries share more than $700 billion in annual trade out. Now, she also added that she would not compromise on matters related to U.S. national security.

Now as for China's position, this is what we heard from the Chinese Commerce Secretary Wang Wentao who said this quote, I am ready to work with you together to foster a more favorable policy environment for stronger cooperation between our businesses to bolster bilateral trade and investment in a stable and predictable manner, unquote.

Now this visit, it comes at a time of deep concern about the world's top two economies. Now on Friday, we heard from the U.S. Fed chief, he cautioned that inflation is still too high, higher rates may be needed. Meanwhile, China faces a number of pressing economic issues including slumping exports, a ongoing property crisis, youth unemployment with data that is so bad that the government recently suspended the release of it.

Raimondo's trip to China, she's going to both Beijing and Shanghai. It follows a flurry of visits from several other U.S. officials, as the country seeks to stabilize its relationship with China because tensions have flared over trade, over targeted sanctions, over access to technology like chips over raids on U.S. consultancy firms. And China is welcoming this visit. In fact last week, it praised the U.S. Commerce Department and its decision to lift export control measures on 27 Chinese companies saying that it paves the way to normal trade. Back to you Laila.

[01:15:03]

HARRAK: All right, Kristie Lu Stout, thank you so much. Greatly appreciate it. Now amid China's economic struggles and the commerce secretary's visits, let's take a look at how Asian markets are faring right now. They seem to be very happy with what they're seeing. They're all trading in green.

Now, over half a dozen people are dead in Haiti after a church led protest ended with gunfire. According to a local human rights group, hundreds gathered to march against gang violence in a suburb of Port- au-Prince on Saturday, when a gang opened fire on the crowd with machine guns. The human rights group says at least a seven people were killed and possibly many more. No word on how many were injured. But the group says up to 10 people were kidnapped during the violence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I followed the pastor during the protest. When we arrived at their strongholds, the gangs attacked us. They opened fire on us with all sorts of guns. The pastor's followers really believed what he told them. He said they were bulletproof, that those who are wounded had no faith. I was there I saw everything with my own eyes. The gangs were firing and the pastor was walking.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRAK: Well, thousands of Haitians have been displaced following recent conflict between rival gangs. Officials say they've set up new camp sites for the displaced and distributed aid to help them.

The U.S. Justice Department is investigating Saturday's racially motivated mass shooting in Florida as a hate crime. On Sunday Jacksonville community held a vigil for the three victims killed by a gunman at a store near historically black university. Well, authorities say the gunman used racial slurs, drew swastikas on his firearm and left behind multiple racist creeds. While the city's mayor called for unity in the wake of the gun violence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONNA DEEGAN, JACKSONVILLE MAYOR: We have to do everything that we can in this community to bring unity, unity to our safety, no more division, no more hate. We cannot tolerate hate against our black community. We simply cannot and will not tolerate it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRAK: And U.S. President Joe Biden says he is grieving with those who lost loved ones in the Jacksonville shooting and he made a strong plea to Americans to stand against white supremacy. CNN's Priscilla Alvarez reports.

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: President Biden mourn the loss of life after a racially motivated attack in Jacksonville, Florida, and also noted the tragic symbolism of when it happened, noting that it was a day of commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington, a watershed moment in the racial justice movement. And it was also a day that ended with Americans wounded by gun violence.

Now in the statement, he went on to say that quote, even as we continue searching for answers, we must say clearly and forcefully that white supremacy has no place in America. The statement went on to say that we must refuse to live in a country where black families go into the store, or black students going to school live in fear of being gunned down because of the color of their skin. Hate must have no safe harbor. Silence is complicity and we must not remain silent.

Now the President has spoken extensively about gun violence. He's signed legislation, as well as signed executive actions in an attempt to curb gun violence. But he has also acknowledged that his -- there are limits to executive power. Now when I've spoken to White House officials here they say part of the focus is also how they respond to communities in the short term and in the long term. And that these shootings have sometimes become so commonplace that they now also have to consider all the different factors that a community may require in the aftermath of gun violence, so all of this, just one part of the administration's agenda going into the next few days.

Priscilla Alvarez, CNN, the White House.

HARRAK: A training exercise in Australia turns into a nightmare for the U.S. Marines. Coming up we'll go live to Sydney for the latest on the three Marines who were killed and five more seriously injured when the Osprey they were flying and crashed.

[01:19:24]

And the standoff in Spain over that unwanted kiss at the World Cup. We'll look at which side seems to be winning their case in the Court of Public Opinion.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRAK: Accusations of election intimidation and suspicious arrests have the African nation of Zimbabwe on edge. Zimbabweans went to the polls last week to elect a new president. The Electoral Commission says the incumbent, Emmerson Mnangagwa, won with 52 percent. He's calling for peace and unity. But the opposition and civil society groups say the vote was marred by delayed ballots and suspected voter intimidation, including threats of violence, harassment and coercion.

The opposition leader, Nelson Chamisa, who finished second is rejecting the vote as illegitimate. All this comes as police arrest 41 election observers saying they illegally coordinated the release of results. Earlier, a coalition of human rights groups publicly outlined multiple alleged voting irregularities.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NELSON CHAMISA, ZIMBABWEAN OPPOSITION LEADER: We stand here in the aftermath of a highly, highly contested election of an election that poll observers from across the board, all observer missions without exception have rightly described as an election that is so damaged in reputation, and that is so fraudulent in characterization that falls short beneath the requirements of the Zimbabwean constitution, the electoral laws, and the guidelines are for regional, continental and global bodies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRAK: And this Zimbabwe's second presidential elections since strong man Robert Mugabe was ousted and the current president is from the same political party. Mugabe was well known for using voter intimidation and violence to maintain his iron grip on power.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin offered his condolences Sunday to the families of three Marines killed in an aircraft accidents in Australia. U.S. and Australian military rescue crews hurried to transport the injured from a remote island to a hospital in the northern city of Darwin. The military says 23 Marines were flying in an Osprey when it crashed Sunday on Melville Island, some 50 kilometers north of Darwin. Many of the survivors were injured five of them severely.

CNN's Angus Watson is in Sydney, Australia for us. Angus, I understand this was a routine training mission.

ANGUS WATSON, CNN PRODUCER: It was and they were flying over a very remote part of the country, according to Australian authorities. The crash happened on a hillside in dense vegetation in a sparsely populated area of Melville Island, which is 80 kilometers off the north coast of Australia some 50 miles. And that remoteness is making it harder for authorities for the U.S. Marine Corps to recover the bodies of the three people that died in this tragic incident.

That recovery effort will continue until tomorrow likely, authorities say. The 20 other Marines who survived the incident albeit with injuries have all been taken to the Australian mainland to Darwin, where several of them are in serious condition we are told.

[01:25:01]

Now what we don't know is why this incident happened once the recovery mission has been completed, Australian and U.S. authorities will be able to begin their investigation into just why this training incident went so horribly wrong. What we do know however Laila is that Ospreys have had a track record of deadly incidents. Just last year, nine U.S. service personnel were killed in relating -- in incidents relating to Ospreys crashes in California and in NATO during NATO, sorry, in Norway, during NATO training operations there.

So authorities in the U.S. and authorities in Australia have been cautious to say, been very firm in the fact that all military operations are dangerous, even training exercises all carry this level of seriousness and in this case, it was tragic. Laila?

HARRAK: All right, Sydney's Angus Watson reporting in Sydney. Thank you so much, Angus.

Now, last year, Vladimir Putin promised no limits when it came to military spending, 18 months into Russia's war on Ukraine it looks like he's keeping his word, details after the break.

Plus stolen artifacts from the British Museum are shining a spotlight on the trafficking of antiquities worldwide. We'll discuss with an experts after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRAK: Welcome back to all of our viewers around the world. I'm Laila Harrak. And you're watching CNN Newsroom.

Moscow's mayor says defense forces destroyed a drone flying towards the city just a short while ago. State media report two airports were also temporarily closed for all flights. But there are no reports of casualties or damage so far.

And on the battlefield, meanwhile, Ukraine says it's making gains along a key section of the southern front in the Zaporizhzhia region and is still on the offensive in the Bakhmut region but as that Russian shelling has escalated and villages in the northeast. And in the capital of Kyiv, officials say two people were wounded and houses damaged following Russian strikes early Sunday morning.

And as the war in Ukraine grinds on, Russia ramping up its military spending. A new report revealed -- reveals rather, Moscow has doubled its defense spending for this year. CNN's Clare Sebastian has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In Russia today, military production is sacred. Russia's main tank factory showing off its latest shipment and a choreographed glimpse into the strain of wartime production. Output here has more than tripled over the last year according to Russia's Prime Minister.

[01:30:02]

JANIS KLUGE, GERMAN INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL AND SECURITY AFFAIRS: What we have seen is that military spending has been much higher than was actually planned for this year, and it looks like the spending that was planned for this year is already exhausted now that we are halfway through the year.

SEBASTIAN: The Russian budget had earmarked roughly $50 billion for defense. A budget document seen this month by Reuters suggests Russia has now more than doubled that estimate. Experts say it could be even higher.

RICHARD CONNOLLY, ASSOCIATE FELLOW, RUSI: It looks as though it expresses A percentage of GDP, it could be anywhere between 8 to 10 percent of GDP. So we think it is a proportion of GDP it could be has almost tripled.

SEBASTIAN: Are you surprised in any way by this?

CONNOLLY: No. It's the only stand.

SEBASTIAN: President Putin was very clear there are he said last December, no limits to military funding.

And yet, as Russia's annual weapons exhibition got underway this month, the Teflon had started to come off its wartime economy. Military spending helping fuel a resurgence in inflation and a plummeting ruble prompting an emergency rate rise from the central bank and putting even the most loyal Russians on edge.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every other country is now laughing at us.

SEBASTIAN: Sanctions and lower prices also sent Russia's vital oil and gas revenues plummeting in the first half of this year. But, prices have been recovering over the summer.

KLUGE: Russia is still earning a huge amount of dollars and yuan and euros by exporting energy and other resources. And it is going to earn these dollars also in the future because, you know, as we have learned, we cannot easily push Russia out of the oil market.

SEBASTIAN: There is, though, another challenge facing Russia's weapons industry.

Do you like playing basketball, ask this recruitment video for the Kazan Helicopter plant. The CEO of its parent company recently told Putin they need to fill 23,000 jobs this year, wages are already up 17 percent.

CONNOLLY: This is a very tight labor force for a number of demographic reasons, but also to do with the war border, other people have left the country, some people have been mobilized.

SEBASTION: Sanctions have also disrupted supplies of high tech components for weapons, experts say, raising costs even further. And yet, the Kremlin has found a way to justify this -- a war with the west.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The Western elite make no secret of their goal, which is, I quote, "Russia's strategic defeat".

CONNOLLY: So the Russian population are being presented with that view so they're prepped. They're being prepared and shaped to expect that it maybe going to have spend more money, take more of a hit on living standards, to fight against such a powerful adversary.

SEBASTIAN: A fight now happening on the front lines and in the factories.

Clare Sebastian, CNN -- London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRAK: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he wants to equate corruption with treason during wartime. Speaking with Ukrainian media on Sunday, Zelenskyy says the Ukrainian parliament will get a proposal from him in the coming weeks discussing the war in Ukraine. Zelenskyy says he believes it is possible to push for the demilitarization of Russia and Crimea by political means.

While responding to calls by a U.S. Senator this week to announce elections in 2024, Zelenskyy said voting could take place during the war if there was help from the West.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We need a legitimate choice. We need this choice to be made by society so that it does not divide our people. We need the military to be able to vote.

They are defending this democracy today, and not giving them this opportunity because of the war is unfair. I was against the elections only because of this issue.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRAK: Hurricane warnings have been issued for the western tip of Cuba as a Tropical Storm Idalia rapidly gains strength while the storm is currently stationary but is expected to bring hurricane-force winds to western Cuba on Monday along with heavy rainfall there and across the eastern Yucatan peninsula.

Forecasters say Idalia will keep strengthening as it moves into the gulf of Mexico and on towards Florida's gulf coast. It's expected to make landfall there on Wednesday as a category two hurricane. The Florida Panhandle and southern Georgia could see bands of heavy rain as early as Tuesday.

And tourists and residents on the Spanish island of Majorca are trying to deal with the aftermath of severe storms. The island region was slammed Sunday by heavy rains and strong winds that uprooted trees and sent debris flying.

[01:34:56]

HARRAK: A Britannia cruise ship that was docked in Majorca broke free and collided with a fuel tanker. Well, the cruise line says a small number of people suffered minor injuries.

The storms brought a drop in temperatures following Spain's fourth heat wave this summer.

Staying in Spain -- Spain's Football Federation will hold what it calls an extraordinary and urgent meeting on Monday, a week after that unwanted kiss on the lips of a player at the medal ceremony for Spain's World Cup champions.

And that's according to Reuters, citing a federation spokesperson. The chief of the country's football federation shows no sign of stepping but Jennifer Hermoso, the player who says she was wronged seems to have public opinion on her side.

Al Goodman has the details. AL GOODMAN, CNN JOURNALIST: Spanish Football Federation president Luis

Rubiales' grip on power has loosened after FIFA, the world governing body for football, provisionally suspended him for 90 days.

But the voices against Rubiales are growing louder. This weekend, the coach of Spain's National Team, Luis dela Fuente condemned Rubiales' behavior. FC Barcelona coach's Xavi Hernandez voiced support for Jennifer Hermoso, a star of the Spanish Women's team that won the World Cup a week ago.

It was Rubiales' kiss on the lips of Hermoso during the award ceremony that set off this controversy. Hermoso says it was non consensual, Rubiales disagrees.

Jorge Vilda, coach of the World Cup winning women's team said he was sorry the women's World Cup victory was harmed by Rubiales' inappropriate behavior.

During the weekend, Hermoso has gotten support at various football games. At a women's match near Madrid, players held a banner saying "With you Jennifer Hermoso".

In men's game in the Spanish Liga, they wore shirts saying "It's Over", or carried a banner "We Are All Jenny".

And in the United States in the National Women's Soccer League, players at two games wore a white bracelet saying "With You Jenny".

Al Goodman, CNN -- Madrid.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRAK: The British Museum says it's in the process of recovering some of the items stolen from its collection. Now this comes after revelations that an estimated 2,000 items were taken and the museum failed to properly heed warnings that some of them had appeared for sale online.

The institute says most of the missing items were small pieces kept in a store room and included gold jewelry and semi precious stones dating back centuries. The museum's director has stepped down over the incident.

Christos Tsirogiannis, forensic archeologist is an expert on the antiquities market and he joins us now live from Cambridge, England.

A very good morning, sir. Good to have you with us.

Now for a key cultural institution, which has defended its position for years that historic artifacts are sacred at the museum rather than in the country of origin, what do you make of the British Museum's handling of this?

CHRISTON TSIROGIANNIS, FORENSIC ARCHEOLOSTIS: Well, obviously this is -- proven now, that it wasn't ever true. I, mean the British Museum was found that their security protocols were wrong and the objects were totally unsafe.

Therefore (INAUDIBLE) can now reverse this argument to their benefit just proving that it is true. Actually it was the British Museum that proved that there was no basis of any safety in their claims for the past decades at the very least.

HARRAK: Now, the counter argument of course that can be made is that a large museum like the British Museum, you know, vast collection is vulnerable to theft and items being stolen because it has such vast collection.

TSIROGIANNIS: That doesn't mean absolutely anything. They are equally responsible as an institution to safeguard their collections and properly (INAUDIBLE) regardless if they house just a few objects or these 8 million objects according to reports.

Every museum is absolutely responsible for (INAUDIBLE)

HARRAK: Are there other museums that you can think of that have been a victim of a similar crime? I mean is there always a record of every item? How up-to-date are catalogs? I mean these are really old institutions.

TSIROGIANNIS: The basic priority of every museum as an institution is first to catalog fully and record fully every object at the moment in terms of each collection.

And, while there have been incidents of theft in various other museums, on both sides of the Atlantic, the main difference is that those museums immediately, with the support of the police authorities, who are already conducting the investigations.

[01:39:56]

TSIROGIANNI: Usually immediately releasing images of the objects that have been lost in order to stop these objects further being trafficked into the market, involve the public and the experts in possible identification, give things to the police authorities or the institution itself.

And also to stop making fake arguments by the people who potentially have both objects from the British Museum collection to -- not to claim that they couldn't have possibly known.

This is the reason that the museum should have already published images of the stolen objects, but they haven't done so. So it seems that they are constantly shooting themselves in the foot.

HARRAK: The museum is saying -- it's my understand is that the investigation is ongoing and that's why they're not releasing a list of the missing items.

The British Museum also says that it is recovering 2,000 missing items and that's underway right now.

Where do stolen works of art usually turn up? How big is the demand for some of these priceless artifacts?

TSIROGIANNIS: The demand is always huge and, especially for classical antiquities. As it has been reported that many of the stolen objects are, hence they are called classical antiquities because there is a classic demand always about them.

But the non-releasing of the images by the museum is not justified just by saying to the museum itself that it is an ongoing investigation.

On the contrary, it is because there is an ongoing investigation that could have justified even more (AUDIO GAP) release of the images of the objects missing in order to help the public and the experts, the authorities and the institution itself.

HARRAK: Now, you know, for a world renowned museum like the British Museum, which I think is one of the most visited places in the world, how damaging is this from a reputational point of view?

TSIROGIANNIS: It is extremely damaging because no one there was expecting ever to be hurt like that, or for this volume by the thousands of objects to be missing as a result of apparently an inside job. And, especially when this (INAUDIBLE) of the magnitude of the British Museum, this was totally unexpected.

And therefore it is extremely damaging for the institution itself, for its fame and for other institutions as well, at least in the U.K.

For now, at least have the opportunity to conduct their own internal investigation, and cross-check their inventory with the objects they have to save. They have similar cases like the one in the British Museum, now we are all experiencing.

HARRAK: And so you think this is unlikely to happen again?

TSIROGIANNIS: No, on the contrary, I am very much afraid that this may happen again and again in the British museum or elsewhere exactly because it has been now revealed that they have a poor cataloging system and also many objects were not catalogued at all.

And therefore, it would be extremely difficult to be identified, these objects that have been stolen, especially in the cases that there are no images in the records that should have been created and fully recorded beforehand.

HARRAK: All right. Christos Tsirogiannis, thank you so much. We greatly appreciate it. Thank you.

TSIROGIANNIS: Thank you very much.

HARRAK: Still to come, disturbing video out of India shows a teacher telling students to slap a Muslim classmate. More on the shocking incident when we return.

[01:43:50]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRAK: Now, a shocking incident out of India. A school has been ordered to shut down after a video emerged showing a teacher telling students to slap a Muslim classmate.

CNN's Vedika Sud is live in New Delhi. Vedika, what more can you tell us about this?

VEDIKA SUD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Laila at the very outset, I want to warn our viewers that that video that we are talking about could be disturbing for some to see, or even the content for some to hear about.

Now, it is a 39-second clip and this clip has been confirmed as authentic by the Indian police. It is from the state of Uttar Pradesh in India which is governed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu Nationalist Party, the Bharatiya Janata Party and this is what it shows.

39 seconds of complete torture of a seven-year-old young Muslim boy. He is being slapped on the forehead, on the face, and then on the waist. And all of this, the instructions of the class teacher sitting there on her chair and selecting three boys to come up one after the other to hit him.

Now the police have opened a case and an investigation in this incident and they have said, and I'm going to quote them here, "It's come to our awareness that the female teacher declared when the mothers of Mohammedan students don't pay attention to the children's studies, their performance is ruined."

Now, you also have the opposition that has condemned the incident. This video, like I said, has gone viral online and has led to widespread condemnation and dismay.

Rahul Gandhi from the main opposition political party here in India has tweeted, and here is what he said and I'm going to quote him here. "Sowing the poison of discrimination in the minds of innocent children, turning a holy place like a school into a marketplace of hatred." This is the same (INAUDIBLE) spread by the BJP that has set every corner of India on fire.

So he is obviously blaming the governing Bharatiya Janata Party, the Indian prime Minister Narendra Modi and the chief minister of the state of Uttar Pradesh for the "religious intolerance," quote unquote, that he talks about here.

This comes at a time when the Muslims in India, which is about 14 percent of the total population in India, according to activists have been persecuted over the years and have been facing harassment and have been marginalized, according to activists across the country.

There has been widespread condemnation on this one incident. The teacher in that video has been quite belligerent and openly asking for those children to thrash this young boy, who keeps wailing, Laila, he keeps crying through that video. This is torture and the psychological effects on that young boy, of

course, cannot even be explained here.

Back to you.

HARRAK: Vedika Sud, thank you so much.

All right. We'll be right back.

[01:48:43]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRAK: No sign of Nessie. Researchers, rather -- I should say -- say they heard some curious sounds, but there were no sightings of the elusive Loch Ness monster in the biggest search in five decades.

Teams used drones with thermal scanners, boats with infrared cameras, and underwater audio equipment all to scan the Scottish lake for the legendary creature.

But Nessie still remains a mystery. There researchers say they will study the data they compiled to see if they can learn more about what some say is lurking in the loch.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALAN MCKENNA, MEMBER, LOCH NESS EXPLORATION: We have some fantastic bizarre sounds on Friday which was incredible. I still don't know what that was.

So on Saturday and today, we went back over that area with a hydrophone on deep scan. We went back to the scene, we lowered the hydrophone again, and we did not hear those sounds. So I'll leave it up to you guys.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRAK: Well, the team says they are not sure if the sounds came from an animal or the water itself.

There are now more than 1,100 officially recorded Nessie sightings, according to the Loch Ness Center.

Paul Nixon, general manager of that very Loch Ness Center joins me now live from Scotland.

A very good morning, Paul. The story of Loch Ness, it is great full court (ph), are there still people out there that believe that the water monster exists?

PAUL NIXON, GENERAL MANAGER, LOCH NESS CENTER: There are people everywhere that believe that there is something in Loch Ness. Whether it is a monster or not, I'm not so sure. But this morning there are people still on the banks of Loch Ness looking, as there are every morning. HARRAK: All right. Well, monster hunters from around the world have

descended on the Loch this past weekend, the biggest search in five decades. Why now?

NIXON: Well, we have reopened the Loch Ness Center at the beginning of the summer and part of that quest is to inspire a new generation of Nessie hunters.

There are people who have dedicated their whole lives to searching for what is this Loch Ness monster. And it is time that we reinvigorate that search and that quest.

Also we are armed with technology this time around as you've already talked about which has been giving us some quite interesting results.

HARRAK: How important is Loch Ness as a tourist attraction for your area?

NIXON: It is an incredibly important storyline, but it, tourism is a byproduct of Nessie. Nessie was never constructed really to be a tourist driver. I mean the story goes back to the sixth century where a (INAUDIBLE) banished a water beast. So I don't know how much tourism featured on people's radars back in the sixth century.

HARRAK: But it does now because it drives so many people to your area, so it has become a major tourist attraction in the meantime.

So no luck. Nessie eluded all those that came looking for it. What do you think is behind that enduring fascination and appeal of Loch Ness?

NIXON: Loch Ness is massive, it is 26 miles long. So there are loads of space for Nessie to hide. You can fit the entire world population inside Loch Ness.

It's a huge chasm of water, and even last week we were hearing stories that people have discovered some caves in a remote location on the banks of Loch Ness.

That is still to be confirmed, but there are secrets still showing up today.

HARRAK: What kind of secrets?

NIXON: Well as your clip report said, these sounds we don't know what was causing these underwater sounds. They were detected on a hydrophone 60 feet down.

We are analyzing the results of some drone footage which that was shot last night as well and we are also analyzing all the different sighting reports that came in. Some were negative, some we are still working on to interpret what they were.

HARRAK: Paul, it is all a lot of fun. Is it even important at this point whether Nessie exists or has ever existed?

NIXON: I think it is important that we find answers, and certainly there are so many unanswered questions, which is why we need this next generation to pick up the chalice (ph) and lead the charge?

HARRAK: Do we need an excuse to go to Scotland?

NIXON: Probably not, but it is the perfect excuse to surround yourselves in the stunning scenery and wildlife that you will spot when you are up here.

[01:54:55]

HARRAK: Absolutely agree with that last point.

Paul Nixon a very good morning to you. Thank you for joining us from Scotland.

NIXON: Thank you.

HARRAK: Now, NASA's Crew-7 arrived at their home very far away from home for the next six months. The four astronauts from four different space agencies and countries were welcomed aboard the International Space Station Sunday.

After a nearly 30-hour journey on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, the new international team has crew members from the United States, Russia, Denmark and Japan. They will relieve four astronauts from the Crew-6 mission, who are due to fly home next weekend.

Until they depart, it is a bit of a crowded house on the ISS right now with 11 crew members on the orbiting lab.

But the new arrivals said they look forward to working with everyone, stressing the need for unity and cooperation in space.

A new study suggests the connections that we feel with our loved ones don't always end after death. According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, more than half of Americans say they have been visited by a dead relative in their dreams or in some other form.

Many also reported to feeling a late relative presence or even having their loved one communicate with them.

Researchers say that a survey included responses from Americans of all religious backgrounds, including Buddhists, Jews and Muslims.

That is very reassuring.

It was a magical event in Germany, hundreds of Harry Potter fans dressed up as the Boy Wizard to successfully break the world record for the most Harry Potters to gather in one place.

A total of 1,748 people showed up at Hamburg City Hall topping the previous world record of 997 costumed fans. Crowds were filled with people dressed in black capes, round glasses, and painted on lightning bolts.

No spells needed here, to see how much these fans love the famous character. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We not only made the attempt, but we broke the world record. That was more than exciting for us in the run-up because we didn't know whether 500 people, a thousand, or 5,000 people would show up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRAK: The event celebrated the 25th anniversary of the publication of the German translation of the first "Harry Potter" book.

And that wraps up this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Laila Harrak.

Rosemary Church picks up our coverage after a quick break.

Do stick around.

[01:57:39]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)