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Ukrainian Forces Advance Towards First Line Of Russian Defenses; African Union Suspends Gabon's Membership After Military Coup; At Least 74 Killed In Johannesburg Building Fire; Super Typhoon Heads Towards Hong Kong, China Issues Highest Warning; Trump Pleads "Not Guilty", Waives Arraignment; Rubiales Kiss Controversy; Ukraine Adapts Civilian Drones to Destroy Russian Weapons; Growing Calls for Spain's Luis Rubiales to Resign; Helping Migrant Workers Send Money Home; Chinese Tech Firms Launch ChatGPT-Style A.I. to the Public. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired September 01, 2023 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:00:25]
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Kim Brunhuber. Ahead on CNN Newsroom. Ukraine's counter-offensive faces one of its toughest obstacles yet as troops advance on Russia's heavily fortified positions round Zaporizhzhia.
New video surfaces of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin claiming in Africa just days before he was killed in a plane crash in Russia and the U.S. government moves to stop a planned expedition to the Titanic next year by the company that owns the exclusive salvage rights to the wreck.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from CNN Center. This is CNN Newsroom with Kim Brunhuber.
BRUNHUBER: Ukraine says its troops are edging towards what could be the toughest line of Russian defenses in the South was happening near the village of Robotyne which Ukrainians recently captured. But now they're up against a maze of heavily fortified trenches and obstacles that Russia has been building for months.
Ukrainian brigade in that area acknowledges there is a tough fight ahead. Ukraine has faced criticism that is counter-offensive 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 counter-offensive equals to spitting into the face of 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 hit a target from 700 kilometers away. Now he 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.
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MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Barely a night passes now, when Russians somewhere aren't shaken by powerful drone attacks. This recent barrage hitting an airport in the city of Pskov, some 400 miles from the Ukrainian border.
Russian air defenses spread thinly unleashes firepower, 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 to the war zone with damaged. Footage 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. The Kremlin can't hide what's happening.
Russian civilians like these in the Briansk region are sharing videos online. This family were congratulating their daughter on her birthday. As the drone strikes third close by. Stop the music she tells her mom, that's the fourth explosion, she says.
Security footage and Briansk 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. And to force Russians to see their Ukraine war coming home. Matthew Chance, CNN, London.
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[01:05:00]
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, AUSTRALIAN ARMY (RET.): Well, yes, they are having 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 air 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, our 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 Ukrainian still haven't taken off the table, some kind of regime change. Just because the U.S. administration has doesn't mean Ukrainians might not believe that Putin's days might be numbered.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Now, so the wider war on 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 perceived unfairly, of course, about 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 or weeks, we may see some pretty significant activities from the Ukrainians.
BRUNHUBER: We heard there from the Ukrainian President about this new weapon along strike capability. What do you think it is? And what effect do you think that will have?
RYAN: Well, there's a bit of speculation, it could well be a lane strike version of the Neptune missiles that sunk the Moscow. But there are a range of other options as well. At the end of the day, what it provides Ukraine with is a strike option. Because the attack comes wasn't provided by the U.S. they've had to replace that capability. And it really forces the Russians to rethink defense of air bases and critical logistic home 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 counter-offensive for being too slow. Now that 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, the West has to accept that this will be a long war, explain how we may have to reframe 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 two large populous and wealthy countries, neither of whom is willing to take a step back on this walk or will Ukraine shouldn't they're in under an existential threat. So in reframing this for Western politicians and citizens probably
need to invest more in defense industry to increase capacity, and to commit to long term support to Ukraine beyond 2023 beyond the 2024, election year in the United States.
BRUNHUBER: All right, always appreciate your analysis. Mick Ryan, thank you so much.
RYAN: Thank you.
BRUNHUBER: A new video appears to show the Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin claiming to be in Africa just days before his death. Have a look.
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YEVGENY PRIGOZHIN, WAGNER PMC CHIEF (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 that video was published on Wednesday by the pro Wagner Telegram channel Gray Zone. It's not clear when or where the video was recorded. Prigozhin's words suggest the video could have been recorded on the weekend of August 19. He died in a plane crash just four days later on August 23 along with nine others while enroute to St. Petersburg. The crash came two months to the day after Prigozhin attempted mutiny against Russia's military leadership.
In Russian state media says a funeral was held Thursday for Prigozhin's right hand man's Dmitry Utkin. He was the co-founder of the Wagner private military company and its military commander. Russian authorities say Utkin died in the same plane crash last week that killed his boss.
Russian state media say the funeral was held with military honors with only relatives and close friends in attendance.
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 orders restored in the Central African country.
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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. 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 of Saturday's disputed election. CNN's Larry Madowo has more on the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): We're getting the first indication about how Gabon's new military rule is 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 with creditors, everybody who's got business, the government of Gabon that they intend to guarantee those obligations. And there was a talked about when the self-declared leader General Brice Oligui Nguema will formally take office.
COL. ULIRCH MANFOURMBI MANFOURMBI, REGIME SPOKESPERSON (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 fourth of September 2023.
MADOWO: General Oligui Nguema is not new to leadership. He was the ad camp (ph) of a 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 junta 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 in 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 so that the third term of Ali Bongo was illegitimate after a sham election. Larry Madowo, CNN, Nairobi.
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BRUNHUBER: And the United Nations has condemned the coup in Gabon and on Thursday, the Secretary General said military governments aren't the answer, and 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 the 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 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 knee shear which followed coos in Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali, Chad and Sudan the past four years.
South African authorities are investigating what caused the 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. 12 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 storey building had once served as an apartheid era court and a women's shelter but had been turned into informal housing. The South African President called the tragedy, a wake up call. Here he is.
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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 the burn was owned by the city of Johannesburg, but authorities say it was hijacked. CNN's David McKenzie explains
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DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): A woman's whale pierces the streets of Johannesburg. More than 70 people are now dead and dozens injured after a brutal fire tore through a five storey building in the center of the South African city.
WISEMAN MPEP, SURVIVIOR: Usually people are easy -- they make noise. Yeah. Fire, fire, fire, fire, fire.
MCKENZIE: Survivors like Wiseman Mpep say he was woken up by screams in the early hours of the morning and race to get out of the building. But the gates were locked.
MPEP: So I come begging the gate. The fire is the full. After that I don't have any plan. I just deceit.
MCKENZIE: The smoke quickly smothering him.
MPEPE: The smoke come up to me. Yeah. After that, I just fall down. Then from there, I don't know anything.
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MCKENZIE: Authorities quickly on the scene moving through the building floor by floor and pulling out charred bodies, and either still remain missing.
MPEP: I have a brother sister, she has a sister husband.
MCKENZIE: You don't know where they are?
MPEP: I don't know.
MCKENZIE: 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 hit the window and threw the daughter outside. The people then caught the daughter while it was hot in the air.
MCKENZIE (on camera): 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 a totally gutted as people were burnt 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 JOHANNESBERG: This is not an accident. This for me, it's made our cup alongside because it was bound to happen. We are actually what you say in this building. I can tell you I can take you to buildings that are west of London's where people live in western peaks.
MCKENZIE: This tragedy tangled into the deeply ingrained inequality across the country. Many of the people lived here were migrants just hoping to start a new life instead, emergency services now sorting through the ashes of the little that is left. David McKenzie, CNN, Johannesburg.
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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 them 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, came in thanks for giving me the opportunity. As I actually for me in my world, regardless as culpable homicide, because this happened with the full knowledge of our government over many years. 10 years into our democracy after 1994, we started really seeing criminality and the breakdown of the rule of law with the full knowledge of our government.
And when 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. Upon taking over this position, I started challenging the national and provincial government to really assist me in reclaiming these buildings from hijacked buildings, because these buildings really were used to for criminality, for human trap -- for human trafficking. The using mainly the undocumented foreigners coming into South Africa look for opportunities being here --
BRUNHUBER: How many buildings here are we talking about? How widespread is this problem in Johannesburg?
MASHABA: Massive. In the three years as the Mayor of the City of Johannesburg uncovered over -- just over 600 built buildings. So it is a widespread problem. I can tell you and I'd like to challenge the world that if you look at this building, I can tell you there is more than -- 100 of such buildings that can really explode anytime it is for that reason, I feel that someone is going to be held accountable.
But unfortunately, because our government is not interested in this matter. When I was the mayor reported numerous cases of these hijackers, but unfortunately, they were protected by law enforcement agencies.
BRUNHUBER: We don't have much time. But I did 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 4 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 you an example, where not to go by as the main city as the Mayor of the City of Johannesburg at that time in 2016. I have --
BRUNHUBER: Let me just, sorry, sorry, let me just jump in because we don't have much time. I don't want to go back to sort of 2016. I just want to ask you sort of looking forward now what more can we do, do you think right now going forward?
MASHABA: Well, that's what I wanted to give you the context when you're sitting with 300,000 of your own people on the housing list, now tell me how do you then become the rest take the responsibility for the world.
Johannesburg alone in 2016 was sitting with 300,000 housing backlog.
[01:20:04]
And now if we are expected now to -- now do something to cater for migrants from all over the world, then I'm not really sure how anyone can ever solve it (Inaudible). We sit in with a massive housing backlog in the city of Johannesburg and throughout South Africa of our own people.
BRUNHUBER: Yes. It is a situation though that doesn't have to be grappled with the people are there. We will have to leave it there though. Herman Mashaba in Johannesburg, thank you so much for being with us. Appreciate it.
MASHABA: Thank you so much.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Just ahead. Hong Kong is bracing for a direct hit from a major typhoon. We'll tell you how people are preparing for what could be the worst storm to hit the region in years. Plus, cities and towns across the southeastern U.S. are picking up the pieces after Hurricane Idalia. How much insurance companies are saying it could cost. We'll share that after the break. Please stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BRUNHUBER: Typhoon Saola is weakening a bit as it approaches Hong Kong but forecasters are warning it's still a very powerful and dangerous storm. That last reported had maximum sustained winds of 220 kilometers an hour with gusts around 270 kilometers an hour. Saola is skirting the Hong Kong Coast right now and could make a direct hit or spin away from the city.
China has issued a typhoon red warning its highest level across Guangdong Province. Forecasters are warning of heavy rain, violent wind and damaging storm surge in low lying coastal areas. Schools across the region are closed an air and train travel are suspended.
All right, we go live now to Hong Kong and CNN's Kristie Lu Stout. So Kristie, take us through what's heading your way and how prepared are folks there for what's coming.
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kim, here in Hong Kong folks here including myself are hunkering down and bracing for the arrival of Typhoon Saola. Authorities here have raised the typhoon signal to number eight effectively shutting down the entire territory and that is the reason why I'm reporting from home. Most businesses are closed, schools are closed, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange is closed. The flagship carrier of Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific has canceled nearly all of its flights.
We have a statement from the carrier let's bring it up for you with Cathay Pacific saying this quote, with the exception of CX840, the September 1 flight to New York JFK, all Cathay Pacific flights arriving in and departing from Hong Kong between 2:00 p.m. On Friday, September the first and 10:00 a.m. Saturday, September the second has been cancelled, unquote.
And we've also learned from the Hong Kong Airport Authority that a total of 366 flights have been canceled, 40 more delayed. Meanwhile, we're also monitoring the situation in mainland China on Thursday. Authorities there lifted the typhoon alert warning to this highest level warning. We have learned that in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, schools are closed.
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In Shenzhen markets and businesses will be closed starting from 4:00 p.m. later today, this Friday, all residents have been urged to stay indoors. And Xinhua, the state news agency has been reporting that some 4,000 rail lines have been suspended throughout Guangdong Province. Look, authorities are not taking any chances because of recent extreme weather events in China. Wasn't that long ago, when Beijing and Hebei Province the surrounding province are pummeled and struggled through record breaking rain and floods that took the lives of dozens of people displaced one and a half million residents out here in Hong Kong.
We continue to monitor the conditions as this typhoon approaches. Looking outside my window the conditions remain extremely mild, very light rain at this moment, but the Hong Kong Weather Observatory is warning as this storm nears conditions will deteriorate and worsen quickly. They've advised all residents to stay indoors. Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Yeah, good advice. And then Kristie, I mean a double whammy for the region not one but two typhoons. Where's that one expected to hit?
LU STOUT: That's right. We have typhoon Saola and also another type of targeted region and that is typhoon Haikui. Typhoon Haikui is expected to make landfall and hitting Taiwan on Sunday and then after that it will sweep through and reach eastern China making landfall in Zhejiang province which was around 100, 200 miles south of Shanghai, but it's expected by the time it hits the coast of China that it will weaken down to something equivalent to a category one, a category two storm, not a super storm but a potent one nonetheless. Kim.
BRUNHUBER: All right, stay safe out there. Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. Appreciate it.
President Joe Biden plans to travel to Florida on Saturday to get a firsthand look at areas hit hard by Hurricane Idalia. You signed a major disaster declaration and ordered all available federal resources to help with recovery. CNN's Brian Todd reports.
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GOV. RON DESANTIS (R) FLORIDA: I've seen a lot of really heartbreaking damage.
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voiceover): Florida Governor Ron DeSantis touring some of the areas hit hardest by hurricane Idalia in Big Bend region of the Gulf Coast.
DESANTIS: People really made good decisions protected themselves. Also this forecast turned out to be accurate. It had been eye in the Big Bend many days ago. And that's what ended up happening.
TODD: Now as the remnants of Idalia make their way up the East Coast. We're getting a clearer picture of the damage. One of the hardest hit areas the town of Perry, Florida, where many streets and homes are covered in downed power lines and massive trees.
Alexis Griffin and her four children arrived back at their home in Perry to this, no fewer than four large trees had crashed on their home.
ALEXIS GRIFFIN, PERRY, FLORIDA RESIDENT: Just feels like you know, something out of your control that has been ripped out of, you know, ripped out of your hands. It's kind of devastating.
TODD (on camera): How do you feel about how you start back?
GRIFFIN: You don't know what to think or how to think it. Is just taking it one step at a time.
TODD (voiceover): This 83-year-old woman and her 92-year-old sister were in their house when most of their roof ripped off.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I thought it was a tornado that. The roof just flew off. And then it started leaking.
TODD: Dale Farmer says although his home is damaged, it doesn't matter to him. He's just grateful to be alive.
DALE FARMER, PERRY, FLORIDA RESIDENT: Material things don't matter anymore. Every day is the blessing we have and every day I get up I tell myself today's going to be the best day of my life. And today is the best day of my life. That's it.
TODD: Idalia made landfall near Keaton beach about 22 miles south of Perry as a category three storm with maximum sustained winds of 125 miles per hour. Across the region, roads are littered with debris, power poles and trees, some completely rip from the ground. And then there are unbelievable scenes like this. A home pretty much torn apart by the wind no longer a roof covering it. Yet somehow the bed in this upstairs room looks virtually untouched.
Meanwhile, North Carolina seeing severe flooding today in places like Columbus County. South Carolina has already experienced inland coastal flooding and powerful winds tearing down trees and power poles. And in Georgia, crews work to continue to restore power and clear roads.
Back in Florida, residents and business owners in Cedar Key also picking up the pieces from what's left after Idalia. A process that those on the small coastal islands say they aren't unfamiliar with and one that the community always comes together for.
HEATHER GREENWOOD, MANAGER, CEDAR KEY BED AND BREAKFAST: Soon as you hear cat three and above. All of the community gets together the boarding happens the boarding up happens, the library gets emptied, the museum. There's lots of prep and all this can be rebuilt.
TODD (on camera): Taking a look again at the sheer violence of the damage of this house. Take a look at how that large branch stabbed through the roof. Like a spear and came out the other side.
[01:29:53]
Alexis Griffin now says that the prospect of coming back to this house and actually stepping inside it, that she is simply afraid to.
Now, as for the larger picture, the firm Moody's Analytics says their preliminary estimates are that Hurricane Idalia caused between $12 billion and $20 billion in damage and lost output to this entire region.
Brian Todd, CNN -- Perry Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: The judge overseeing the election interference case in Fulton County, Georgia says he intends to allow TV cameras and live streaming of all proceedings as the case moves ahead.
But Donald Trump won't be there next week for his arraignment. Trump waived that court appearance on Thursday as he formally entered a not guilty plea for the fourth time since June.
CNN's Sara Murray has the details.
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SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Donald Trump officially entering his plea of "not guilty" in the sprawling racketeering case he faces in Fulton County, Georgia where he and 18 other co-defendants were charged for their efforts to allegedly try to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia.
Donald Trump is now one of five, again of the 19 codefendants in that case, who have entered "not guilty" pleas and who waived their right to an arraignment. That means we're not going to see Donald Trump showing up next week in the Fulton County courthouse. We won't see him on camera there as many had expected.
And now it's a question of what happens next for Donald Trump's case. His attorney has moved to sever his case from other co-defendants saying while there are some who want to move ahead speedily with this trial, move ahead the trial in October of 2023, Donald Trump is not one of them. His attorney says there's no way he's going to be ready for trial by then.
It's also possible we could see Donald Trump's team try to move this into federal court. They've not made that attempt yet. But others involved in this case have.
Trump's team may be waiting to see how his other co-defendants fare and their arguments before they make their play to move Trump's case to federal court.
Sara Murray, CNN -- Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: All right. Still to come: "abuses of power", the words of a Spanish football star as she voices her support for teammate Jenny Hermoso after that unwanted kiss. We'll have more on what she said next.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRUNHUBER: All right. Let's get you up to speed with developments in Ukraine. Military officials say Ukrainian forces are making more progress in the south and edging towards what could be the toughest Russian lines of defense there across the border.
[01:34:46]
BRUNHUBER: Russia claims it foiled a Ukrainian sabotage operation in western Bryansk region. Russian officials say these weapons including American made machine guns were seized from a sabotage group that supposedly planned to target military and infrastructure facilities. Two members of the group were reportedly killed and five others detained. Ukraine's security service dismissed those claims as fantasies.
Drones are again targeting Russia. In the past few hours, Ukrainian drones targeted both Moscow and Kursk regions. Officials said on Thursday, one drone was shot down near Moscow and three more intercepted in the Bryansk region bordering Ukraine.
And that comes just a day after the biggest drone assault on Russia since the war began. 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: 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: Next door, in the construction and repair class, Yulia solders and tweaks and teaches (ph). This part is fairly simple and fun, she says.
And did you study engineering? What are you in normal life?
YULIA: A writer and a film director.
AMANPOUR: You're a writer and a film director.
YULIA: Yes.
AMANPOUR: And now you are a drone operator.
YULIA: Yes.
AMANPOUR: We are not allowed to disclose the location where Yulia and the others put theory into practice.
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.
A $500 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, FOUNDER, VICTORY DRONES: (INAUDIBLE) -- it's one of the most cost-effective weapons 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. So --
AMANPOUR: But the enemy can see you?
SHIPOVICH: Yes, if you don't use security measurements.
AMANPOUR: Like, hiding or disguising their signals because the Russians are adapting fast. She says they are mostly crowd-funded and have deals with Ukrainian military to train frontline troops. Tens of thousands so far in what has 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.
How long did it take you to learn to fly?
Many of these citizen soldiers are women, busting stubborn myth (ph) and Yulia of course, agrees in fact she assembles the drones her husband flies, too.
And a lot of women have taken up this fight.
YULIA: We are all people and we are fighting for our existence.
AMANPOUR: Christiane Amanpour, CNN -- Ukraine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: The United Nations has proposed terms to Russia for the renewal of the Black Sea grain deal which is critical for the global food supply. Secretary general Antonio Guterres said on Thursday that he sent a letter with concrete proposals to Russians foreign minister. But Guterres warns that any renewal of the deal must be stable and not quote, "moved from crisis to crisis, suspension to suspension".
Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow wants to see some guarantees. Here he is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SERGEY LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): As you know, President Putin has repeatedly officially stated clearly that all measures are taken not on the negotiations of the Russian part, of the Black Sea package but measures taken to solve all problems that have remained unfilled.
Despite the promises of the U.N. Secretary General, whose efforts we appreciate. But as soon as the talks turn into more concrete decisions on the same day, we are ready to resume the Ukrainian part of the grain package.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Russia pulled out of the U.N.-brokered deal in July. The Black Sea Agreement allowed for safe passage of Ukrainian and Russian exports of grain, fertilizer and other goods.
Two years after the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, there are still major problems with the American program meant to help Afghans resettle in the United States.
[01:39:53]
BRUNHUBER: The State Department's watchdog agency says the Afghan special immigrant visa program has a huge backlog of applications. Those waiting for help include vulnerable Afghans and those who served as interpreters and translators for U.S. missions.
The State Department says it's granted 34,000 special visas so far but nearly 70,000 are still under review. A report says one reason for the delay is the lack of U.S. presence in Afghanistan. The Taliban can control who gets to leave.
Israeli officials say an off duty the Israeli soldiers killed on Thursday when a Palestinian man rammed his vehicle into a group of people near a checkpoint in the occupied West Bank.
Seven others were injured including three Israeli soldiers and a Palestinian street vendor. The Israeli military says the driver had passed through the checkpoint earlier but then returned with a vehicle and he drove it into a group of off-duty soldiers. The driver was shot and killed.
Iran has banned one of its star athletes from all sports for posing with and shaking the hand of his Israeli opponent last week at a weightlifting championship in Poland.
Iranian officials condemned the gesture 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 competition. Now, that sanction came after it was revealed in Iranian camp withdrew from a judo tournament in 2019 rather than face an Israeli in the final.
Spanish football star Aitana Bonmati called out abuses of power on Thursday during her acceptance speech after winning UEFA Women's Player of the Year. The midfielder also voiced support for teammate Jenny Hermoso who was forcibly kissed on the mouth by Spain's football chief at the Women's World Cup final last month.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ATIANA BONMATI, SPAIN SOCCER PLAYER (through translator): We are not experiencing a great moment in Spanish football. We just won the World Cup. But nobody is talking about that much, because things have happened I wish hadn't.
I think as a society, we shouldn't allow abuses of power in a work relationship, as well as a lack of respect. So from my teammate Jenny to all of the women who suffer the same, we are with you. I hope we keep working to improve society.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Meanwhile, the president of European football's governing body has condemned the unwanted kiss. EUFA chief Aleksander Ceferin called Luis Rubiales' behavior inappropriate and said the incident overshadowed the team's victory.
CNN's Atika Shubert has all the latest developments.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: At the moment of Spain's triumph, an unwanted kiss now threatens to bring down Luis Rubiales, the powerful president of the Spanish Football Federation.
Rubiales apologized but it was not enough and he became the target of national anger, a wave against sexism in sport, triggered in part by Miguel Angel Gallan (ph) and his unassuming office in Madrid, officially the head of the National Training Center for football coaches. Unofficially the longtime nemesis of Rubiales and the football federation.
He says he has filed more than 50 complaints against the federation, one of which landed the previous president in prison. Now he hopes to take down another with this kiss.
"It was a sexist and intolerable act, a chauvinistic act," he said to CNN, "by a president who is already plagued by corruption scandals and sexism."
Steeped in tradition, Spain's Royal Football Federation has long ruled over the nation's lucrative football fortunes.
When this furor broke, Spain's prosecutor was already investigating Rubiales for trafficking and influence and bribery. Allegations that Rubiales has consistently denied.
CNN has reached out to both the federation and Rubiales, neither have responded.
And now women footballers have entered the professional ranks. They are demanding equal pay, and rights and structural change, says the president of Spain's women's league La Liga F, Beatriz Alvarez who's had her own disagreement with Rubiales.
"In that federation meeting, that totally delirious speech he made," she says, "look at how they applauded him. It is unacceptable. It shows that more than the president has to change, the entire model has to change." As the scandal grows at the Rubiales hometown church, his mother went
on hunger strike to support her embattled son briefly hospitalized continuing to defend his innocence even as others close to him are speaking out.
His own uncle, Juan Rubiales told Spanish news "El Mundo" that the kiss was just the tip of the iceberg.
[01:44:47]
SHUBERT: "I was not surprised by that at all", he said. "He's an extremely arrogant man, who has not acted as a president should. Instead of being a political leader, he wanted to be a warrior who sees ghosts and enemies everywhere." He said, "In the end his own worst enemy was himself."
Spain's historic win at the Women's World Cup it seems is forging a path for change in more ways than one.
Atika Shubert for CNN -- in Madrid, Spain.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: All right. Still to come this hour, a big reveal today from popstar Taylor Swift. A preview of what she is bringing to the big screen just ahead.
Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER: Just a few hours ago, the papal plane landed in the capital of Mongolia. Pope Francis began his visit to one of the world's smallest Catholic communities. Mongolia has a Buddhist majority and it's 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. The visit could present a chance for the Vatican to improve relations with those two major powers.
South Africa has the most industrialized economy in the region and attracts millions of foreign nationals. Most migrant workers come from other parts of the continent and need reliable ways to send money home to their families.
This month "Africa Insider" meets one of the country's leaders in the international money transfer market, Mama Money.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAYOWA KUYORO, PARTNER, MCKINSEY NIGERIA: The technology to connect a lot of our financial systems is still maturing. There are few companies that are helping to solve this issue of transfers on the continent. (INAUDIBLE) in Southern Africa, Nala, Mama Money.
MATHIEU COQUILLON, DIRECTOR, MAMA MONEY: I see fintech as a bridge to enable the people of South Africa and the continent at large to be able to become financially included.
My name is Mathieu Coquillon, co-founder and director of Mama Money, an international money transfer operation based in Cape Town, South Africa.
Motivation to start this business was to help migrant workers, who send small amounts of money home on a monthly basis, who pay ridiculous amounts of fees to be able to do that, to be able to do it using their cell phone, very simply at a low cost, less friction and so the money arrives home with their loved ones reliably and efficiently.
When we initially started, we went out and interviewed thousands of potential customers. And we asked them questions, how do you send money? What does it cost? What is the money used for? And then, you know, who do you send the money to?
And nine out of ten would smile and say they send the money to their moms back home. So in honor of their mama, we named our company Mama Money.
[01:49:51]
COQUILLON: We started with money transfers from South Africa to Zimbabwe. And now we are sending money to over 60 countries in Africa, Asia and Europe.
Since we launched in 2015, we have registered over 700,000 customers. We've completed 10 million successful transactions. We have over 3,000 field agents across the country. And we have 120 full-time staff at our head offices in Cape Town.
Our biggest achievements so far, definitely has to be how we have had an influence on reducing the cost for remittances. When we started, the average cost for someone to send $100 or $200 out of South Africa was around 15 percent. Today it is very close to the global average of 7 percent.
That is literally millions and millions of dollars extra that arrives in the mamas' pockets, the people that need it most every single year.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: Chinese tech firms have entered the global A.I. race.
Still ahead, how these companies hope to compete with the ChatGPT and others on the cutting edge of artificial intelligence.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRUNHUBER: Chinese tech firms are jumping into the artificial intelligence race. Two companies released A.I. bots to the public on Thursday. They hope to rival the big names like ChatGPT and other global competitors leading the fast growing industry. CNN's Michelle Toh reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHELLE TOH, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Chinese tech firms Baidu and SenseTime have just launched their answers to the ChatGPT craze, rolling out their A.I. bots today to the general public. The move marks a new milestone in the global A.I. race which is heating up.
Baidu for one is now letting all users get their hands on its platform which is dubbed Ernie Bot. The tool allows users to conduct A.I. powered searches, or carry out an array of tasks from creating videos to making newsletters to providing summaries of complex documents.
Now, the news sent Baidu's shares up immediately surging more than 3 percent in New York on Wednesday, and nearly 5 percent higher in Hong Kong on Thursday.
Baidu is among the first companies in China to get regulatory approval for this rollout. And it's the first to launch this type of service publicly, a source tells me.
Until now, Ernie Bot had been offered only to corporate clients or select members of the public who requested access through a wait-list.
Meanwhile, SenseTime which is an A.I. start-up based here in Hong Kong also announced the public launch of its own platform today. The company's stocks surged 4 percent in Hong Kong after the news.
Now Baidu has been a front runner in China in the race to capitalize on the excitement around generative A.I. The tech behind systems like ChatGPT or its successor GPT-4. Baidu announced its own iteration back in February giving it an early advantage in China according to analysts.
Since then though, competitors like Alibaba have also announced plans to launch their own ChatGPT-style tools adding to the list of Chinese businesses jumping on this bandwagon.
Now Alibaba told CNN today it had filed for regulatory approval for its own bot, which was introduced in April.
To stand out, companies are now showing off how their tech can be used for different scenarios.
[01:54:59]
TOH: Baidu says its service is different because of its ability to generate various types of responses like text, images, audio and video.
SenseTime has touted a range of features which it says lets users write code more efficiently or receive personalized medical advice.
Michelle Toh, CNN -- Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BRUNHUBER: The U.S. government has filed a motion in federal court to stop an expedition to the Titanic planned for next year. The voyage is being organized by RMS Titanic, a company which owns the exclusive salvage rights to the ocean liner's remains.
But the government's motion cites a law that protects and preserves the shipwreck as a gravesite. The legal battle comes a few months after a submersible went missing as it goes to the ship and it suffered a catastrophic implosion killing all five people on board.
Popstar Taylor Swift is taking her record-breaking Eras tour to the big screen. The mega star rolled out the trailer for her upcoming concert film on Thursday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TAYLOR SWIFT, SINGER: Welcome to the Eras Tour.
This has been the most extraordinary experience of my entire life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: It's called Taylor Swift, the Eras Tour Concert Film and starting October 13th, it will splash onto the screens in the United States, Canada and Mexico, according to a news released from one theater chain. Tickets are already on sale with Swift also posting this reminder "Singing and dancing along in Eras attire is encouraged."
All right. Well, have a look at this. A Canadian highway near Toronto was abuzz the other day as authorities rushed to capture five million bees after they spilled out of their crates and onto the road. Police say the straps attached to the crates carrying beehives got loose. It took more than half a dozen local beekeepers about four hours to get most of the insects back into their hives. One beekeeper was stung repeatedly but police say no other injuries were reported.
All righ.t Thanks for watching. I'm Kim Brunhuber.
CNN NEWSROOM continues after a short break. I will be back. Please stay with us.
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