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74 Dead in Johannesburg Fire; Typhoon Saola Headed for Hong Kong, Southeast China; Drone Attacks Open New Phase of War for Russia; Ukrainians Learn to Fly Civilian Drones Adapted for War; Junta in Gabon Names Transitional President Despite Reaction from Neighbors; North Korea Reopens Borders. Aired 12-12:45a ET
Aired September 01, 2023 - 00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello. I'm Kim Brunhuber.
[00:00:33]
Ahead on CNN NEWSROOM. South Africa's president calls it a wake-up call. New demands to fix Johannesburg's inner-city housing crisis after a fire kills dozens trapped inside a hijacked building.
Plus, Ukraine's foreign minister slams critics of his country's slow- moving counteroffensive, telling them to shut up or join the fight against Russia.
And Hong Kong hunkers down, preparing for what could be its worst storm to hit there in five years.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: South African authorities are investigating what caused a Johannesburg building to go up in flames in the middle of the night with hundreds of people inside.
At least 74 of them were killed, with some of the victims burned beyond recognition. Twelve children were among the dead. The fire also left dozens of people injured.
A call center has been set up for those looking for missing loved ones.
The five-story building had once served as an Apartheid-era court and a women's shelter but has been turned into informal housing. The South African president called the tragedy a wake-up call. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CYRIL RAMAPHOSA, SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT: The lesson for us is that we've got to address this problem and root -- and everything else, root out those criminal elements, because it is these types of buildings that are taken over by criminals, who then levy rents on vulnerable people and families, who need and want accommodation in the inner city. (END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: The building that burned was owned by the city of Johannesburg, but authorities say it was, quote, "hijacked."
CNN's David McKenzie explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(SCREAMING)
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A woman's wail pierces the streets of Johannesburg.
(SCREAMING)
MCKENZIE (voice-over): More than 70 people are now dead and dozens injured after a brutal fire tore through a five-story building in the center of the South African city.
WISEMAN MPEP, SURVIVOR: People were making noise, yelling, Fire, fire, fire, fire!
MCKENZIE (voice-over): Survivors like Wiseman Mpep say he was woken up by screams in the early hours of the morning and raced to get out of the building, but the gates were locked.
MPEP: So I come back in the gate, the fire is full full. After that, I don't have any plan. I just sit.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): The smoke quickly smothering him.
MPEP: The smoke is coming for me. After that, I just fell down. Then from there, I don't know anything until now.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): Authorities quickly on the scene, moving through the building, floor by floor and pulling out charred bodies. Many, though, still remain missing.
MPEP: I have a brother, sister, sister's husband.
MCKENZIE: And you don't know where they are?
MPEP: I don't know.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): Another survivor, who lost three sisters, describes how her niece was thrown out the window and caught by people who already made it outside.
OMAR FOART, SURVIVOR: My in-law just hit the window and threw the daughter outside. The people then caught the daughter while it was hot in the air.
MCKENZIE: When you look at this building behind me, you can imagine the chaos and the terror that ensued. People desperately trying to get out of those packed apartments. Floors of it totally gutted as people were burned to death.
This is what's known as a hijacked building in South Africa, taken over by gangs and mostly leased to poor migrants.
HERMAN MASHABA, FORMER MAYOR OF JOHANNESBURG: This, for me, it's made of culpable homicide. Because it was bound to happen. Actually, what you see in this building, I can tell you. I can take you to buildings that are worse off, where people live worse than pigs.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): This tragedy tangled into the deeply-ingrained inequality across the country. Many of the people who lived here were migrants, just hoping to start a new life. Instead, emergency services are sorting through the ashes of the little that is left.
David McKenzie, CNN, Johannesburg.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: So in that report, we heard from the former Johannesburg mayor, who said hijacked buildings exist with the full knowledge of the national government.
Well, we have him here. Herman Mashaba is the president of the ActionSA political party. And he's with us live from Johannesburg.
Thank you so much for joining us here. So you called this deadly fire "culpable homicide" in that package there. That's a very strong accusation. Explain what you mean.
MASHABA: Well, yes, good morning, Kim. And thanks for giving me the opportunity.
Actually for me, in my world, it was culpable homicide. Because this happened with the full knowledge of government over many years.
Ten years into our democracy after 1994, we started to really see criminality and the breakdown of the rule of law with the full knowledge of our government.
And the way I left my business in 2016, really sick and tired of being an armchair critic. I decided to really do something about it and became the mayor of the city of Johannesburg.
Before taking over this position, I started challenging the national and provincial government, who really assist me in reclaiming those buildings from hijacked buildings. Because these buildings really were used for criminality, for human -- for human trafficking, and using mainly undocumented foreigners, coming into South Africa looking for opportunities, being --
BRUNHUBER: How many buildings here are we talking about? How widespread is this problem in Johannesburg?
MASHABA: A message. In the three years as the mayor of the city of Johannesburg, I uncovered over -- just over 600 buildings. So it is a widespread problem.
And I continue, and I'd like to challenge the world that if you look at those building are continuing -- there's more than 100 such buildings that can really explode anytime.
It is for that reason I feel that, until someone is going to be held accountable. But unfortunately, because our government is not interested in those (UNINTELLIGIBLE). When I was mayor, I reported numerous cases of these hijackers, but unfortunately, they were protected by law enforcement agencies.
BRUNHUBER: What do you mean protected by law enforcement agencies?
MASHABA: Well, when you report someone who's involved in criminality and nothing happens, I actually at one stage went to report that the head of the police, of the specialized unit called the WARPS (ph), actually reported him for -- for defeating the ends of justice, because all the cases, as they made out, we would report them to the law enforcement agencies, requested all the detectives to bring those cases to him.
And I reported that this as a case against him for defeating the ends of justice. So how many years later, nothing has happened.
BRUNHUBER: So it sounds like it's a very tough to bring these people to justice. I mean, the government officials just said that these hijackers will be brought to justice. I mean, it doesn't sound like that's likely.
How hard is it to actually find the gangsters that are allegedly responsible for cases like this?
MASHABA: Very, very easy, very possible. The only thing you need is political willingness.
Unfortunately, when you have senior politicians also being part of this criminal syndicate, and they capture your criminal justice system, you stand no chance of ever succeeding.
Because if you look at South Africa, you have three tiers of government. You've got local government. You've got the province and national government. The municipality, your -- your prosecutorial, the responsibility. It's the responsibility of province and national government.
And when they refused to prosecute, they -- you don't have prisons as a municipality. So you rely on people who are responsible for creating this mess to do something about it, and if they do nothing, then nothing happens.
I listened to our president yesterday calling this an unfortunate situation. How can you call something -- something like this unfortunate, when you knew very well what's happening in the city of Johannesburg.
I remember myself, I was two years into government during the June 16 commemoration in 2018. I brought some of the cases of criminals in the city of Johannesburg to the president of the country, Cyril Ramaphosa, to tell the president I'm sitting with massive cases, 60 of them clear as daylight, but there's no prosecution.
And he said to me, he said, Please, can you send them to my office? When I got to the office immediately, transmitted those cases to him. Not even acknowledgment of receipt of my email.
BRUNHUBER: Yes. The president did say this was a wake-up call. It does beg the question about why they'd been asleep on this issue for so long.
[00:10:03]
We don't have much time, but I do want to ask you about this. There were South Africans in that building, living in that building. There were also many migrants. According to the latest statistics available there, there are about some four million foreign-born people in South Africa.
Many end up settling in Johannesburg, where you are. So what can be done to house them more safely?
MASHABA: Well, the thing is, just to give an example, when I took over as the mayor of city -- as the mayor of the city of Johannesburg, every time in 2016, I had --
BRUNHUBER: Let me just -- sorry, sorry. Let me just jump in, because I -- we don't have much time. I don't want to go back to sort of 2016. I just want to ask you, looking forward now, what more can we do, do you think, right now going forward?
MASHABA: Well, that's all I wanted to give you the context. When you're sitting with 100,000 of your own people underhoused (UNINTELLIGIBLE), tell me, how do you then become the -- take the responsibility for the world?
Johannesburg alone in 2016 was sitting with 300,000 housed in (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
Now, if we are expected now to now do something to cater for -- for migrants from all over the world, then I'm not really sure how anyone can ever solve it (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
We're sitting with a massive housing backlog in the city of Johannesburg and all of South Africa, of our own people.
BRUNHUBER: Yes. It is a situation, though, that does have to be grappled with. The people are there. We'll have to leave it there. Herman Mashaba in Johannesburg, thank you so much for being with us. Appreciate it.
MASHABA: Thank you so much.
BRUNHUBER: A pair of typhoons are barreling through the Northwest Pacific at this hour, threatening major population centers. It all is bearing down on Hong Kong and China's Guangdong province.
Haikui is a bit further out to sea but is expected to bring heavy rain to Taiwan this weekend. Now, Saola is the more immediate concern.
Schools are closed, and flights are suspended across Hong Kong ahead of what could be the city's worst storm in five years. Now, China has issued a typhoon red warning. That is the highest level across Guangdong province.
The latest advisory shows maximum sustained winds of 220 kilometers an hour, with gusts around 270 kilometers an hour.
Live now to Hong Kong and CNN's Kristie Lu Stout.
So, Kristie, I completely butchered the name of that typhoon that's heading towards Hong Kong and Southern China. They are bracing for it. How prepared are they?
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR/CORRESPONDENT: Here in Hong Kong, Kim, we are hunkering down, as Typhoon Saola approaches. Signal number eight has been raised, which has effectively shut down the entire city.
And that's the reason why I am reporting from home. Businesses are closed. Schools are closed. The Hong Kong Stock Exchange is closed, as well.
Cathay Pacific, the flagship carrier of Hong Kong, announced the cancellation of virtually all of its flights as the storm passes through.
We have a statement from Cathay. Let's bring it up for you. They said this, quote, "With the exception of CX840 September 1 to New York JFK, all Cathay Pacific flights arriving in and departing from Hong Kong between 2 p.m. on Friday, September the 1 and 10 a.m. on Saturday have been canceled."
Now, the Hong Kong Airport Authority, we've learned, they've said that 366 flights have been canceled so far. Thirty more have been delayed.
And we're also closely monitoring the situation in mainland China, where there on Thursday, authorities raised the typhoon level alert to its highest level.
We have learned that schools are closed in Shenzhen and Guangzhou. In the megacity of Shenzhen, we've also learned that businesses and markets there will be closed from 4 p.m. later today, this Friday. And residents there have been urged to stay at home.
Authorities there are not taking any chances, given recent extreme weather events in China. And it wasn't that long ago when Beijing and the surrounding Hubei province struggled with those record rains and floods that took the lives of dozens of people and displaced about one and a half million residents. As for the situation right now here in Hong Kong, looking out my
window, it is very, very mild to say the least. But according to the Hong Kong weather observatory, they say that conditions will deteriorate rapidly as the storm progresses, as it nears Hong Kong. And residents have been urged to stay indoors.
Kim, back to you.
Guangdong province All right. Listen, we will stay on top of the story. And you stay safe, as well. Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong, thank you so much.
All right. Here in the U.S., the price tag for cleaning up after Hurricane Idalia is soaring into the billions. Moody's Analytics estimates the storm caused between 12 and 20 billion dollars in damages and lost output.
Still, that pales in comparison to Hurricane Ian last year, which cost nearly 113 billion.
[00:15:05]
An ocean gauge in Cedar Key, Florida, measured the storm surge at nearly three meters, well below what forecasters predicted.
President Joe Biden has approved a major disaster declaration for the hardest-hit areas in Florida and made plans to tour the damage on Saturday. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: To the people of Florida and throughout the Southeast, I'm here to make clear that our nation has your back. And we're not going to walk away. We're not going to give up. We're not going to slow down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Well, flooding remains a major concern in South Georgia and the Carolinas and along the coast. The National Weather Service warns that life-threatening surf and rip current conditions could persist for several days.
Ukraine's counteroffensive is making gains step-by-step in the South, but the toughest battle with Russian forces may be just ahead. We'll explain coming up. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRUNHUBER: Ukraine says its troops are edging towards what could be the toughest line of Russian defenses in the South.
It's happening near the village of Robotyne, which the Ukrainians have recently captured. But now, they're up against a maze of heavily- fortified trenches and obstacles that Russia was building for months.
The Ukrainian bridge in -- brigade in that area is acknowledging there is a tough fight ahead.
Now, Ukraine has faced criticism that its counteroffensive is too slow, which prompted an angry response from its foreign minister on Thursday. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DMYTRO KULEBA, UKRAINIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Criticizing the slow pace of counteroffensive equals to spitting into the face of the Ukrainian soldier who sacrifices his life every day, moving forward and liberating one kilometer of Ukrainian soil after another.
I would recommend all critics to shut up; come to Ukraine; and try to liberate one square centimeter by themselves. Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Meanwhile, President Zelenskyy says Ukraine has successfully used a new weapon that can hit a target from 700 kilometers away.
Now, they didn't give any details about the weapon or the target. And CNN couldn't independently verify his claim.
Now, Zelenskyy spoke as Ukraine is setting up a new phase of the war by taking the fight directly to the enemy. Russia has been subjected to a growing number of drone attacks on its soil in recent weeks. And just days ago, Russia was targeted with the largest wave of such attacks since the war began.
Matthew chance has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(SOUND OF ARTILLERY)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Barely a night passes now when Russians somewhere aren't shaken by powerful drone attacks.
(SOUND OF ARTILLERY)
CHANCE (voice-over): This recent barrage hitting an airport in the city of Pskov, some 400 miles from the Ukrainian border.
Russian air defenses, spread thinly, unleashes fire power. But faced with a major upsurge in drone attacks, there were just too many targets to defend.
Russian officials say at least four military cargo planes used to transport troops and equipment through the war zone were damaged. Footage of the burning aircraft suggests destroyed. A significant blow to Russian logistics.
On Russian state TV, controlled by the Kremlin, the drone strikes are barely mentioned. Instead, the focus is on Russia hitting Ukraine, and targets being struck across the front lines by Russian forces. But the Kremlin can't hide what's happening.
(SCREAMING)
CHANCE (voice-over): Russian civilians like these in the Bryansk region are sharing videos online.
(SOUND OF ARTILLERY)
CHANCE (voice-over): This family were congratulating their daughter on her birthday.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
CHANCE (voice-over): As the drone strikes thud close by. "Stop the music," she tells her mom. "That's the fourth explosion," she says.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
CHANCE (voice-over): Security footage in Bryansk near the Ukraine border, you can hear one of the drones before it hits.
Russian officials vowed a punishing response. But Moscow's revenge attacks are no match for carefully-planned strikes on targets picked to cause maximum disruption.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
CHANCE (voice-over): And to force Russians to see their Ukraine war coming home.
Matthew Chance, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: And for more analysis, we're joined by Mick Ryan, a retired major general of the Australian army and a former commander of the Australian Defense College.
He's also the author of the book "War Transformed." And he's speaking to us from Brisbane, Australia. Thank you so much for being here with us.
So let's start with those Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia. Now, the idea of bringing the war home to Russians, aside from maybe boosting Ukrainian morale, do you see it having any real effect here?
MAJ. GEN. MICK RYAN (RET.), AUSTRALIAN ARMY: Well, good day, they are having an impact, as we saw in that last report. Four significant cargo aircraft have been destroyed. That's a significant cost to the Russians.
But they're having to further disperse their assets and further manage air defense assets between Ukraine and Russia, which will cause the Russians some problems.
BRUNHUBER: And politically, as well, do you see it having an importance there?
RYAN: Absolutely. I mean, these ultimately are political strikes. They're designed to embarrass Putin, to show the Russian people that the Russian military can't defend them how they've been told.
And at the end of the day, the Ukrainians still haven't taken off the table some kind of regime change. Just because the U.S. administration has, doesn't mean that the Ukrainians might believe that Putin's days might be numbered.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Now, to the wider war and the Ukrainian advances in the South. How significant are these?
RYAN: Well, they're very significant, particularly after the last couple of months of criticism the Ukrainians have received, unfairly, of course, about the progress in this war. We're seeing them into the main defensive zone in the South.
They are making progress, as they have been for some time now. And I expect in the coming days and weeks, we may see some pretty significant activities from the Ukrainians.
BRUNHUBER: We heard there from the Ukrainian president about this -- this new weapon, a long-strike capability. What do you think is, and what effect do you think that will have?
RYAN: Well, there's a bit of speculation it could well be a lane (ph) stripe version of the Neptune missile that sunk the Moskva. But they are other options, as well.
At the end of the day, what it provides Ukraine was that it was a strike option, because the ATTACKS wasn't provided by the U.S. They had to replace that capability.
And it really forces the Russians to rethink defensive air bases and critical logistic hubs within Russia itself.
BRUNHUBER: We heard there from the Ukrainian foreign minister, saying in no uncertain terms, what he thinks about those who have criticized the counteroffensive for being too slow.
Now, this issue, the slow pace of the war, how long, protracted conflicts like this can take. I mean, this is something you just wrote about. You said essentially that the West has to accept that this will be a long war.
Explain how we may have to re-frame our thinking and what sort of political challenges that sets for the West in terms of their support for Ukraine.
RYAN: Well, most importantly, we need to have strategic patience. I mean, Ukraine and Russia are too large, populous and wealthy countries. Neither of them is willing to take a step back in this war.
[00:25:08] Well, Ukrainians shouldn't bear under an existential threat. So in reframing this war, Western politicians and citizens probably need to invest more in the defense industry to increase capacity and to commit to long-term support to Ukraine beyond 2023, beyond the 2024 election here in the United States.
BRUNHUBER: All right, always appreciate your analysis. Mick Ryan, thank you so much.
RYAN: Thank you.
BRUNHUBER: Well, ordinary commercial drones are proving indispensable in Ukraine's war effort, often flown by some unlikely pilots. CNN's Christiane Amanpour reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR (voice-over): Any support is welcome in Ukraine, especially if it appears blessed by Jesus, say these drone students, set up in an abandoned church, working on their simulators and convinced their cause is just.
YULIA, UKRAINIAN DRONE PILOT: We do whatever we can now to resist because Russians want to kill all of us. This is genocide.
AMANPOUR (voice-over): Next door, in the construct and repair class, Yulia solders and tweaks and teaches. This part is fairly simple and fun, she says.
AMANPOUR: And did you study engineering? What are you in normal life?
YULIA: Writer and film director.
AMANPOUR: You're a writer and a film director.
YULIA: Yes.
AMANPOUR: And now you're a drone operator?
YULIA: Yes.
AMANPOUR (voice-over): We're not allowed to disclose the location where Yulia and the others put theory into practice.
AMANPOUR: Here, in this innocuous-looking field with a rudimentary obstacle course, this could almost be child's play, but with deadly results, of course.
These are all civilian drones that the Ukrainians are repurposing for their current war effort. They can be bought off store shelves. But this signifies a turning point in the conduct of modern warfare.
AMANPOUR (voice-over): A 500-dollar drone that's been weaponized can take out vehicles and weapons systems worth millions. Software engineer Lyuba Shipovich started the Victory Drones initiative. LYUBA SHIPOVICH, CO-FOUNDER, VICTORY DRONES: The most advantage is
it's one of the most cost-effective weapon, and it's also a weapon and it could be used as reconnaissance. For reconnaissance purposes, if you see the enemy, you can hit the enemy, you can hide your soldiers. So it's pretty --
AMANPOUR: But the enemy can see you?
SHIPOVICH: Yes, if you don't use security measurements.
AMANPOUR (voice-over): Like hiding or disguising their signals, because the Russians are adapting fast. She says they're mostly crowd- funded and have deals with the Ukrainian military to train frontline troops, tens of thousands so far in what's become indispensable strategy.
That was just practice, dropping a water bottle full of sand, but just a few days ago, the group says one of their former trainees took out this Russian tank on the Eastern front.
They can also wipe out artillery positions and troop carriers.
AMANPOUR: How long did it take you to learn to fly?
AMANPOUR (voice-over): Many of these citizen soldiers are women, busting stubborn myths.
And Yulia, of course, agrees. In fact, she assembles the drones her husband flies, too.
AMANPOUR: And a lot of women are taking up this fight?
YULIA: Yes. We are young people, and we're fighting for our existence.
AMANPOUR (voice-over): Christiane Amanpour, CNN, Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: A new video appears to show the Wagner chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, claiming to be in Africa just days before his death. Prigozhin is seen here writing in a vehicle and wearing gear which resembles what he wore in the only other recent video where he's said to be in Africa.
The video is published on Wednesday by the pro-Wagner telegram channel, Gray Zone.
Now, it's not clear when or where the video was recorded, but Prigozhin seems unbothered about his safety and says he's fine. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YEVGENY PRIGOZHIN, FORMER HEAD OF WAGNER GROUP (through translator): For everyone discussing whether I'm alive or not and how I'm doing, it's currently a weekend in the second half of August 2023. I'm in Africa, so for those who like to speculate about my elimination, my private life, my work there, or anything else, everything's fine, as a matter of fact.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Now, Prigozhin's words suggest the video could have been recorded on the weekend of August 19th. He died, of course, in a plane crash just four days later on August 23, along with nine others, while en route to St. Petersburg.
The crash came two months to the day after Prigozhin's attempted mutiny against Russia's military leadership.
Well, the military junta that took over Gabon is moving to cement its hold over the country by installing a new president days after staging a coup. We'll have details after the break. Please stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[00:32:26]
BRUNHUBER: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM/ I am Kim Brunhuber.
Not long ago, the papal plane landed in the capital of Mongolia, and Pope Francis began his visit to one of the world's smallest Catholic communities.
Mongolia has a Buddhist majority and is believed there are only around 1,400 Catholics living there. This is the first time a pope has traveled to the huge country, landlocked by China and Russia.
It could present a chance for the Vatican to improve relations with those two major powers.
More condemnation for the military coup in Gabon on Thursday, with the African Union announcing plans to suspend Gabon from all of its activities until constitutional order is restored in the central African country.
The military junta that took over Gabon on Wednesday says the general who led the coup will be sworn in as transitional president on Monday.
Now, deposed President Ali Bongo appealed for help from other nations on Wednesday while being held under house arrest. The coup happened shortly after Bongo was declared the winner in Saturday's disputed election.
CNN's Larry Madowo has more on the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LARRY MADOWO, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We are getting the first indication about how Gabon's new military junta intends to govern the country.
They call themselves the committee for the transition and restoration of institutions, and they're saying now that they will honor all foreign and domestic obligations of the Gabonese government.
They're reassuring development partners, creditors, everyone who has business in Gabon that they intend to guarantee those obligations. And it was then talked when the subsequent leader, General Brice Oligui Nguema, will formally take office.
COLONEL ULRICH MANFOUMBI, REGIME SPOKESMAN (through translator): Finally, the president of the transition will be sworn in as the president of the republic in front of the constitutional court on Monday the 4th of September 2023.
MADOWO: General Oligui Nguema is not new to leadership. He was the aide de camp of former Gabon President Omar Bongo until his death in 2009. He is the head of the Republican Guard, this elite unit of the military. And now he gets to lead Gabon.
But an alliance of opposition parties says the people of Gabon should be grateful that the military took over power, but it should be open to talks about the best solution forward for the country.
They say that President Ali Bongo was wrongfully declared the winner of the election on Saturday before it was complete, and they believe they won this election rightfully.
So that's an interesting development in this crisis. This entire coup began because the opposition, and many in Gabon, saw that -- the third term of Ali Bongo was illegitimate after a sham election.
[00:35:10]
Larry Madowo, CNN, Nairobi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: The United Nations has condemned the coup in Gabon, and on Thursday, the secretary general said military governments aren't the answer, adding that the U.N. needs to increase support for efforts to bring democracy and stability to the continent. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTONIO GUTERRES, UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL: Many countries face deep-seated governance challenges, but military governments are not the solution. They aggravate problems. They cannot resolve a crisis. They can only make it worse.
I urge all countries to move quickly to establish credible democratic institutions and the rule of law.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Gabon is the latest of mostly former French colonies facing a military coup. In July, the military took over Niger, which followed coups in Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Chad and Sudan in the past four years. Iran has banned one of its star athletes from all sports for posing
with and shaking the hands of his Israeli opponent last week in a weight-lifting championship in Poland. Iranian officials condemned the jester as unacceptable and unforgivable.
Iran has long prohibited its athletes from competing against Israelis, but the hardline stance has earned Iran a four-year ban from international judo competitions.
Well, that sanction came after it was revealed an Iranian champ withdrew from a Judo tournament in 2019, rather than face an Israeli in the final.
North Korea finally lifts its COVID restrictions and reopens its border, but only to certain people. Just ahead, we'll explain who's being invited back into the country and who's not.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRUNHUBER: All right. Have a look at this. It was quite a sight on this Canadian highway near Toronto. Authorities rushed to capture 5 million bees which spilled out of their crates and onto the road.
It happened on Wednesday, when police say the straps attached to the crates carrying bee hives got loose. It took more than half a dozen local beekeepers about four hours to get most of the insects back in their hives.
One beekeeper was stung repeatedly, but police say no other injuries were reported.
North Koreans who have been stranded abroad for the past three years will finally be able to return home. That's because Pyongyang has begun lifting the tight COVID restrictions that effectively sealed its borders.
CNN's Paula Hancocks is in Seoul and has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): North Korea's athletes are back on the global stage. Its taekwondo team headlined at the opening ceremony of the world championships in Kazakhstan earlier this month, believed to be the first overseas sporting engagement since its borders reopened.
Pyongyang confirmed its borders are reopening to allow citizens stranded outside the country for more than three and a half years to return, one week quarantine required on arrival.
[00:40:02]
North Korean restrictions were among the harshest in the world. It is considered one of the last countries to reopen its borders, and even then, they're only opening a crack, with some international flights resuming with China and Russia. Tourism, though, is still a dream. Koryo Tours, which specializes in
taking Westerners into North Korea, says they've heard nothing beyond plans to repatriate its own citizens. Quarantine alone makes tourism impractical.
SIMON COCKERELL, GENERAL MANAGER, KORYO TOURS: So this is businesspeople, diplomats, workers, wait staff, free cutters, students, all kinds of people, essentially marooned outside of that country, with in most cases, no way to contact family for three and a half years.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): But Bart Van Genugten went on a tour of North Korea with his father one year before the borders closed. He created YouTube videos of his experience.
BART VAN GENUGTEN, YOUTUBER: You go and everybody hopes, maybe, that they will see a bit more of the real North Korea, which won't happen. They show you the place that they want to show you, and it's the best of the best. And all the loyal people live in Pyongyang. You know, the wealthy people are among all the North Koreans. So now, we're probably far from certain realities.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): He does see value in North Korea seeing foreigners in their country but acknowledges useful interactions with the people are rare.
Western tour operators, already a niche market, likely to be among the last to be invited back.
COCKERELL: The tourism market in North Korea, over the few years prior to the shutdown, exploded hugely to the point where the North Koreans brought in a limit on Chinese visitors of 1,000 per day to Pyongyang. That limit was routinely breached.
HANCOCKS: One other group waiting to be allowed back in. Diplomats, the vast majority of them left during the pandemic, unable to send supplies in or rotate staff out.
And so far, only Russian and Chinese officials have been invited back to Pyongyang since the restrictions eased, showing Kim Jong-un's political priorities.
Paula Hancocks, CNN, Seoul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: The president of FIFA condemned Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales nearly two weeks after he forcibly kissed player Jenni Hermoso on the lips.
On Thursday, FIFA head Gianni Infantino posted his first public reaction to the incident, which happened during the presentation ceremony after Spain's Women's World Cup victory.
Infantino wrote, in part, quote, "The well-deserved celebrations for these magnificent champions were spoiled by what happened after the final whistle. This should never have happened."
FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings against Rubiales four days after the final and provisionally suspended him for 90 days while the investigation proceeds.
I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back at the top of the hour with more CNN NEWSROOM. But first, WORLD SPORT starts after the break.
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