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Morocco Quake Kills At Least 300; G20 Members Divided Over Ukraine War; North Korea's "Paramilitary Parade"; African Union To Become Permanent Member Of G20; Sexual Assault Complaint against Spain's Luis Rubiales. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired September 09, 2023 - 00:00   ET

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

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MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): I'd like to welcome viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Michael Holmes.

We begin with breaking news out of Morocco, where state television reports hundreds of people have been killed, dozens more injured after a powerful earthquake hit late on Friday night.

Images on state television showing buildings toppled or heavily damaged and residents running into the streets in fear. The U.S. Geological Survey says the 6.8 magnitude quake was the strongest in the region in more than 120 years. Larry Madowo joins me live from Lagos, Nigeria.

A terrible death toll one imagines will only grow. Tell us what we know about the strength and breadth of this earthquake and the toll it's taken.

LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Michael, we know that authorities in Morocco say this earthquake hit after 11:00 pm, a little 11:00 pm local time, in the high Atlas mountains southwest of the country.

A lot of people were forced to spend the night outside after the buildings were damaged and we still don't have the full accounting of what happened here because it's not yet dawn in Morocco.

When that happens in the sunlight, it's likely those numbers will increase. Almost 300 people dead so far, 296; 153 wounded. That's what we can tell will so far. When they have sunlight and can see exactly the extent of this damage, we can see that.

Authorities are warning that there is still a possibility of aftershocks. People have felt some of these aftershocks as far as Rabat in the capital and other parts surrounding the epicenter of this in a village southwest of Marrakech, which is a popular tourist destination.

Small population, 840,000 people; however, the vast damage has happened in the mountain ranges that are hard to reach. So that's where the most deaths are coming from, the most injuries are coming from.

Again, this is a very early account of what happened in this earthquake, the worst to hit this country since 1900. Even though these kinds of earthquakes are uncommon, they are not completely out of the ordinary but the extent and breadth of this is something that is shocking scientists.

HOLMES: Yes and a lot of the video we are seeing showing these, you know, collapsed or partially collapsed buildings. Talk about, you know -- I have been to Morocco and spent time there. Speak about the older buildings as a particular issue in a place like Morocco.

MADOWO: So some of the early analysis says that some of the historic walls of the medinas in Marrakech have been destroyed. They are historic. That's part of the reason Marrakech is popular as tourist destination. Some were built in the 12th century.

So they are not using most modern technology which explains the vulnerability. Even though they have been around a long time, survived the elements and vagaries of weather, but something this serious, they could not survive it.

We will have a better sense when dawn comes around and it can be surveyed properly. But authorities, the interior ministry in Morocco telling people not to panic. You can expect why there is this much panic on social media.

People seeing the damage of buildings and the houses and the cars and everything around them essentially sometimes flattened. But the minister telling people not to panic, even though sometimes rescuers are struggling to reach some of the most affected, especially places where the roads have been washed away or damaged or blocked.

So it's still a fast developing situation we are watching.

HOLMES: I was about to ask you that.

What are you hearing about the difficulties that rescuers will face?

There are reports of damage in remote areas and also infrastructure damage.

MADOWO: So that's going to be one of the immediate challenges here, accessing the people affected and trying to carry out rescue operations. People could be under the rubble of some of these damaged buildings.

And authorities are already reporting, state TV in Morocco, they are having difficulty reaching these places. Most of the damage has been in the mountain ranges and some of these roads have been damaged or blocked because of the rubble, the falling rubble on them.

It's a nighttime operation at this time. It's just after 5:00 am in this region. So not the best visibility. So rescuers will not be trying to access places they can't quite see if they are not quite sure the state of the road. That's part of the difficulty. This will be an operation that goes

into full swing as the day breaks and they can see better and assess the damage and see what equipment they need.

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MADOWO: So still very early in this crisis.

HOLMES: We will check in with you in the hours ahead. I will just say that authorities in Morocco are calling on people to donate blood. There is a shortage of blood for the many, many people injured in this earthquake.

I want to go to CNN's Benjamin Brown. He is a CNN researcher there. He is in Marrakech in Morocco, joins me by phone, happened to be there.

Ben, tell me what you saw and felt when the quake struck.

BENJAMIN BROWN, CNN RESEARCHER: Hi, yes. So actually on the rooftop of my hotel, the ground started shaking. I needed a couple of seconds to understand really what was going on.

Then many of us who were in the hotel at the time, yes, left the hotel, went on to the street and tried to find an open stretch of land. Obviously, lots of small alleyways into Marrakech. You don't want to be caught there.

So made a way for open land. And to be honest, what surprised me a lot at the time was that there wasn't a lot of panic, real rush. People were calm, making their ways into parks, anywhere really away from high walls and tall buildings.

Then it kicked in a couple of minutes later; screaming began, I think when people realized, obviously, the extent of the damage and injuries. Obviously, this happened in the night. So many people just waking up, people in the streets in their pajamas as well.

The extent of the injuries became apparent, that's when the panic kicked in. I saw many people actually fall out of their homes and in stretchers or wrapped in carpets, being brought into the streets, what appeared to be quite serious head injuries with a lot of blood.

Actually, so bad to an extent I saw one instance of an ambulance having to turn away an injured woman because they were at capacity. The ambulance just full of injured people. So yes, absolutely shocking scene in Marrakech.

HOLMES: What time exactly was this?

It's made worse by the fact that I suppose most people were asleep?

BROWN: Yes, most people are asleep. They have been quite -- there is a night life in the evening and many were still out and about. As I saw in the street, many people, obviously, in their nightwear, who just made their way out of their homes, probably already in bed. And that's when the night continues for some, up until, basically, an

hour ago. The streets were full of people. Many of them not sure whether to go back inside, whether to stay outside.

Now the streets have slowly been clearing with people going back into their homes, obviously, who can do so. Many have decided to play it safe, to camp out in the streets and in the open squares. Many people set up makeshift beds here and had for the night.

HOLMES: What have you seen in terms of damage, Ben?

BROWN: So in terms of damage, I have seen buildings not fully collapsed, at least not in the part of the city I am in. Buildings partially destroyed. Rooftops have come off. Obviously, a lot of glass shattered through windows and glass doors all over the street.

And it's mainly the old walls that I have seen that have crumbled. Maybe not completely but crumbled from some height, especially the top tiling, just flooding into the streets, leaving shards of glass, shards of tile littering the streets and boulders as well that have come up from the old walls.

HOLMES: And, yes, you mentioned the narrow little alleyways that you get around the medinas in Morocco. Give people a sense of the architecture and the history of the place because a lot of these buildings have been around for forever.

BROWN: Yes, many have, especially in the older parts of Marrakech. Most of them are very, very old. Very few new, modern buildings. That's part of the terrific value of the city. It's old and narrow alleys and grand old buildings.

At the same time, that means that we are seeing these buildings crumble. The narrow alleyways, what I have seen, a couple instances people haven't been able to get their cars through. So maybe someone wants to pick up injured people, I'm seeing some injured people transported down the alleyways on the back of motorbikes.

So these alleyways, yes, really, really appearing to be hindering the effort, from what I have seen.

HOLMES: All right. Ben, we'll check in with you as well later. Benjamin Brown, thanks so much, on the spot for us in Marrakech.

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HOLMES: All right. Let's move on for the moment. We will keep you informed of any developments in Morocco as we get news from there.

Now U.S. President Joe Biden scheduled to arrive this hour at the G20 summit site in New Delhi. We will bring that to you live when it happens as well. Mr. Biden and India's prime minister held talks on Friday soon after the president arrived into the country. You see them greeting each other there.

Afterwards, the two leaders announcing a series of agreements on trade and technology, including semiconductors, telecoms and computing.

For the first time China's Xi Jinping is skipping this high-profile summit. Some see that as an opportunity for President Biden to fill a vacuum left by Xi's unexpected and unexplained absence.

The war in Ukraine will be a major topic of discussion but, given the deepening rifts among some G20 members over the war, doubts have arisen about whether the summit will issue a joint communique.

Even though Vladimir Putin won't be at the summit, Moscow says it won't agree to any statement on the Ukraine conflict that doesn't also reflect Kremlin views. The head of the European Council downplayed any breakthroughs but said it's important to keep trying.

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CHARLES MICHEL, EUROPEAN COUNCIL PRESIDENT: I don't think it's (INAUDIBLE) will resolve in two days all the problem of the world (ph). (INAUDIBLE) but I think it can be both a step in the right direction and we should work to make it happen and to support the (INAUDIBLE).

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HOLMES: And CNN's Kevin Liptak is live from New Delhi.

What then are the hopes for this summit?

What are the odds of a joint communique, something substantive on Russia's war on Ukraine?

KEVIN LIPTAK, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, well, sounds this morning like diplomats are still working on the language of that joint statement. Any potential language would have to be cleared by Russia as well, which is a member of the G20, despite Vladimir Putin skipping this week's summit.

And White House officials said this morning they acknowledged the difficulty in coming up with any kind of joint language about Ukraine, when Russia is involved, in a drafting of it. So it will remain to be seen what they are able to come up with by the end of this summit.

But I think when you are talking to American officials, they view an opportunity in absences of president Xi and President Putin on the world stage this week. They feel like President Biden will be able to provide a more affirmative agenda while he is here.

And he is planning to make a number of announcements when it comes to things like World Bank reform, things like instituting a new major infrastructure project between India, Saudi Arabia and other countries in the Middle East.

They do feel like they have these objectives that President Biden can accomplish without the presidents of his adversaries here. In a way, it's an opening. It can provide Biden an opening to tell the world that the United States is a more reliable partner than these other countries.

When it comes to Ukraine specifically, President Biden will have work to do in convincing some leaders who are attending this summit to condemn the war in Ukraine. This has been something that he has been working on for the last 1.5 years.

He has had quite a bit of success other forums, like the G7, in convincing countries to rally behind Ukraine amid the invasion. Other countries in the so-called Global South have been less convinced. They haven't necessarily condemned that war. They continue to purchase Russian fuel. They continue to trade with Moscow.

And so one of the president Biden's objectives when he speaks about Ukraine in the opening session of the G20 today will be to make the case that this is an issue of global democracy and that these countries would benefit from speaking out more forcefully against Russia's invasion.

So President Biden certainly has a packed agenda. The White House isn't necessarily focused on the absences here but certainly they are focused on what President Biden hopes to accomplish with these leaders when he sits down with them in about an hour or so.

HOLMES: A lot of people think Xi and Putin not being there provides an opportunity, sort of clears the stage, if you like. But I guess when it comes to deliverables, how much can be accomplished or even agreed on without, you know, the leader of the world's second biggest economy and we just don't even know why he is not there.

LIPTAK: Yes. And the White House doesn't know why either. They say it's up China to explain.

And I think you make a good point. The ambitions of the summit are somewhat muted. This is not a summit where folks will walk away sort of wowed by the accomplishments that these leaders were able to come to. And I think for the man at the center of the summit, the Indian prime minister Narendra Modi.

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LIPTAK: There is a level of disappointment there. He had hoped to use this gathering as a way to bolster his international credentials, to posit himself as a global statesman. It's remarkable in New Delhi. You see his face every 10 feet on posters and billboards. He is the face of this summit.

So I think a lack of a communique, a lack of a joint statement will be a disappointment. We heard from the White House last night, that in that meeting, in their discussions with the Indian officials, there is a disappointment there that Xi is not attending.

But at the same time, there are these other accomplishments that President Biden does hope to tout, including a reform of the World Bank. These are steps that the White House says could unlock hundreds of billions of dollars in new loans and grants for the developing world. It is the developing world that I think is the main focus of this

weekend's summit. President Biden really hoping to make the case for the United States and that part of the world when this comes to investments and infrastructure as opposed to China, which is not here.

So President Biden can really make that case without any sort of interference from Beijing.

HOLMES: Kevin Liptak, good to see you.

For more on the significance of the summit, who is there, who is not, joined by David Sanger, CNN political and national security analyst. David is also the White House and national security correspondent of "The New York Times" and author of the book "The Perfect Weapon."

Always good to see you, David. Putin and Xi aren't there.

I wanted to ask you, too, are you surprised Ukraine's President Zelenskyy isn't there; I mean, wasn't invited by Mr. Modi?

Given Biden's priority to get support and keep it up in the fight against Russia, what did you make of that?

DAVID SANGER, CNN POLITICAL AND NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: What's fascinating, Michael, is that all three leaders are not there for different reasons. President Xi because he doesn't want to give credibility to what is basically a Western constructed grouping, this G20.

It's a big difference from his immediate predecessor, Hu Jintao, who used one of these G20 meetings to coordinate with President Obama on the 2009 financial crisis, and other Chinese leaders.

But what we're seeing from Xi Jinping is a willingness to go off and create his own kind of institutions.

Putin didn't show up for his own reasons, didn't want to be facing criticisms about the war.

And then comes Zelenskyy, who didn't show up because he wasn't invited. He wasn't invited because the G20, unlike some of the other international groups he appeared in front of, has people in it who very much either support the Russian position, like the Russians, or are nearly in support, like the Chinese, or who are on the fence, like the Indians.

But in any case, you know, he just was not going to be welcomed.

HOLMES: And it is interesting because G20 finance ministers met earlier this year. There was a proposed statement, you know, that Ukraine conflict was causing immense suffering, you know, exacerbating existing fragilities in the global economy, I think was the wording; not really severe language there.

China and Russia blocked that; no consensus statement came out. It's difficult to imagine a joint communique at the end of this meeting, especially considering India's fence sitting on the war.

SANGER: I think there is a possibility there is no statement at all. Or the second possibility, a statement so bland as to be useless. That would be a step back, I think, for President Biden, who is trying to project this image that the world has come together against Russia's invasion; when, in fact, Europe has come together, NATO has come together.

Some of the Western allies in the Pacific, notably South Korea and Japan and Australia and New Zealand have come together but not much of the rest of the world.

HOLMES: Yes. So often summits like the G20 end up being a lot of talk and few tangible deliverables or promises are made and then not kept or followed through on.

What do you look -- what would look like success at this one?

SANGER: I think two different things. One is if they could press the World Bank or the IMF, two of those institutions that China participated in when they were a developing country.

But today is coming up as competitors do, to get them to work on debt relief for some countries having the hardest time post-COVID. And the second is to work on food relief to make up for the grain exports that are not coming out of Ukraine. You are never going to replace Ukraine in that way.

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SANGER: But you may be able to alleviate it some. If Biden could get either of those, then it would be worth the trip.

HOLMES: Speaking of things that have been talked about a lot and promises made and not delivered, climate, you know, what's interesting, in the last year in particular, you can't ignore it. You just have to stick your head out window.

So when it comes to climate, you know, as I said, many prior commitments. Money would be sent to poorer countries to deal with the effects of climate change and was never sent. That loss and damage, that sort of thing.

Do you think, given what we have seen and are seeing this week around the world, could the impetus for real action be greater this time?

SANGER: You know, you would hope so, given the speed at which all of this appears to be happening. But let's face it. All during the Obama administration, the key repeated concept was we're only going to tackle climate if we can get the United States and China and the world's other largest emitters to work together.

And that conversation has just about come to a halt. That's completely ended. John Kerry went to China not long ago. Fact of the matter is the Chinese are not in the mood right now to go work with the U.S. the way they were even five or seven years ago on this, even though the issues are so much harder.

Now you could argue that China's gone a long way on its own. Obviously, electric cars are a very big deal within the Chinese economy. They rolled out recharging stations faster than we have. But they are still heavily dependent on coal, the ultimate emitter.

HOLMES: Yes. I got to leave it there, David. Great to get your analysis. Thanks so much.

SANGER: Great to be with you, Michael.

HOLMES: Still to come on the program, help for an American man trapped 1,000 meters underground. How rescuers are preparing to begin pulling him from one of Turkiye's deepest caves. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM. We'll be right back.

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HOLMES: Welcome back.

North Korean state media says the country held a paramilitary parade on Friday to mark the 75th anniversary of its founding. The leaders of Russia and China reportedly sent congratulatory letters to Kim Jong- un, who attended the ceremony with his daughter. CNN's Paula Hancocks joins me live from Seoul.

Good to see you. As with anything in North Korea, so much is about the messaging. Tell us about the event.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this was always going to be a big one. North Korea had already warned us they were going to do something on this day, the 75th anniversary of the founding of the country.

Now any anniversary that ends in a zero or a five is a big deal in North Korea. So what they have done and it happened overnight coming into Saturday, they held this paramilitary parade.

It was different to the usual military parades that we see these massive ICBMs rolling through the square. It wasn't like that. It was more looking at the paramilitary side. So looking at the support that would go behind these massive missiles.

For example, we saw rocket launchers which were hidden in trucks, tractors towing troops and also weapons. So really showing what would support what they often like to show to the rest of the world and that is those significantly large missiles.

Now it was also about diplomacy. We hear from state-run media. They have told us that, as you say, there were congratulatory letters from the leaders of China and Russia. Xi Jinping said he was ready to strengthen strategic communication with North Korea and with Kim Jong- un.

And then with Vladimir Putin, the -- according to state-run media, the letter said he wants to expand bilateral ties in all respects in a planned way. Now of course, this is something that will perk up ears in Washington.

And, of course, here in Seoul as that relationship between Russia and North Korea is concerning at this point. Washington saying that they believe that they are close to announcing an arms deal, which could see North Korea giving weapons to Russia, which could end up on the front lines in Ukraine.

U.S. officials say they also believe that there may be a planned leader to leader meeting within this month. Now we know in Russia there is the Eastern Economic Forum, which starts tomorrow on Sunday, until the 13th of September.

So certainly all eyes are on that to see if there is going to be any kind of Kim Jong-un-Vladimir Putin meeting. Now it is, obviously, speculation at this point. But U.S. officials have said that they believe it is a possibility.

And they believe that there are actively advancing talks of an arms deal between Russia and North Korea, which they point out would violate U.N. Security Council resolutions, which Russia has signed on to in the past.

So the U.S. said that they would be sanctioning those elements if there were to be some kind of a deal done and there would be punishments in the future -- Michael.

HOLMES: All right. Paula, thanks for that update.

Now a rescue operation to free an American from one of Turkiye's deepest caves could soon get underway. The American researcher Mark Dickey has been stranded for a week some 1,000 meters below ground after suffering gastrointestinal bleeding.

In the coming hours, doctors will decide if he is well enough for rescuers to begin to pull him out. It's expected to take about four days to bring him to the surface.

When we come back on the program, much more on the G20 summit in India. A look at why the event is so important politically for the host country's leader.

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(MUSIC PLAYING) HOLMES: More now on our top story this hour, the breaking news out of

Morocco, where the government says a powerful earthquake has killed nearly 300 people and injured more than 150 others. The quake brought down buildings late on Friday night. Witnesses say people are trapped under the rubble.

Thousands of residents fled out into the streets and spent the night outside, as officials warned of possible aftershocks. The interior ministry says all available resources have been activated. The U.S. Geological Survey says the 6.8 magnitude quake was one the strongest to hit the region in more than a century.

Daybreak is still over 1.5 hours away.

All right, joining me is David Wald, a seismologist with the U.S. Geological Survey.

Great to have you on.

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake, what can you tell us about the strength of that magnitude? What is its potential?

DAVID WALD, U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY: Well, the important thing is the proximity of the shaking to the population. So it's a moderate-sized earthquake but it's shallow and in an area that's fairly populated. So that's a problem.

The other component that leads to a disaster, of course, is the vulnerability of the buildings. We are seeing that now in the news that you are presenting. There is a lot of vulnerable structures, homes, adobe block, unreinforced concrete and concrete frames.

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WALD: Those, with this level of shaking that was reached, are quite vulnerable.

HOLMES: Tell us what we know about what the region is like in terms of seismic activity, because apparently it's the biggest earthquake in a century.

WALD: That's right, but only by a small amount. And some of the earlier events in Morocco, 1960 and 2004, while smaller, were in more populated areas. So they created quite a bit of problems.

In 1960, there was 13,000 fatalities from a earthquake closer to Agadir. So this earthquake is between Agadir and Marrakech to the northeast in this less populated area but it's a larger earthquake. So there is a trade-off between the size of the earthquake and the population.

HOLMES: So -- go on. No, carry on.

WALD: Well, the whole region, Northern Africa, is prone to earthquakes and historically there have been many earthquakes of this size and, depending on exactly where it is with respect to the cities, that leads to devastating consequences.

HOLMES: Explain for us, the epicenter is, obviously, important but also the depth of the earthquake. You said this was reasonably shallow.

What does that cause?

WALD: Well, the shallowness makes it more proximal to the population. So deep earthquakes attenuate the shaking before it reaches the surface. Shallow earthquakes create stronger shaking.

So this was felt all over Morocco into north and into Spain and even Portugal and south into Algeria, a very wide footprint of shaking. The strongest shaking was in the Atlas mountains in the central region. We see damage in Marrakech, which I think is 75 kilometers away.

HOLMES: OK. Tell us what the region can expect in the hours and days to come in terms of aftershocks, further activity.

WALD: Right. So, so far, we have recorded one magnitude close to 5.0, 4.9 aftershock. There are more aftershocks happening below the threshold. We expect those to continue and more magnitude 5 and larger earthquakes are possible.

And so the challenge here is that, of course, this happened at 11:00 at night. A lot of people were inside at the time. And overnight it's hard to get a lot of information back from the field. And I think we will see casualties and losses grow as we see daylight.

HOLMES: Yes, one thing we look at, we are looking at the video you were referencing about some of these buildings that have been damaged. And you do make the point, really depends where it is, because there are so many historic building in Morocco, old buildings and not built to stand.

They have been around a long time, not built to standards we see today.

WALD: That's right. The vintage of the structures is one factor. Also the type of construction. And a number of the types of construction here are extremely vulnerable, even with some of the newer structures.

HOLMES: David Wald, appreciate your expertise on this. Thanks so much for the time.

WALD: My pleasure. Take care.

HOLMES: All right. Back to India. Leaders have started arriving at the G20 summit. We are standing by see the summit host, prime minister Narendra Modi, welcome the U.S. President Joe Biden to the summit venue.

For Mr. Biden it's an opportunity to strengthen U.S. ties with global partners and also perhaps capitalize on the absence of the Russian and Chinese leaders, clearing the stage, if you like. And for Mr. Modi, it's a chance to bolster his stature as an

international statesman and champion of the developing world. Vedika Sud joins me now from New Delhi.

And talk more about, this is an important event for Mr. Modi politically, domestically. There is an election campaign coming up.

How important will it be for him to get, if not a joint communique, some other tangible win at this G20, both for his desires to be seen on the global stage but also at home?

VEDIKA SUD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Michael, the stakes are very high for the Indian prime minister Narendra Modi both at home as well as part of the global order. Any joint statement, if that happens, will be big win for him ahead of the elections in India next year.

It will also bolster his image as a global leader and statesman. At this point it looks pretty unlikely that the joint statement could be out, given that the leaders from the West are very clear that there needs to be an outright condemnation of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

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SUD: Whereas Russia and China, they would want to be a important part of the joint statement once it's discussed with the leaders. Yesterday India mentioned that there is a joint declaration that they have drafted. But now that will be tabled before the world leaders and they will have to take a final call on it.

Well, if there isn't a joint statement this year, it will be the first in a G20 that a joint declaration hasn't been put out. According some experts, there could be a chair summary because that's what we have seen in the previous meetings.

Behind me you can also see VIP movement probably of the president of the U.S., Joe Biden, right behind me. He is on his way to the G20 venue as we speak, where he will be meeting the Indian prime minister who will be welcoming him in moments from now.

That handshake is due in 10 to 15 minutes from now after which there will be a photo op following which there will be the first session of the G20 summit that commences in moments from now.

As of now, you have a lot of the world leaders converging in central New Delhi, meeting with the Indian prime minister, who is hosting the summit on behalf of India. You can see the motorcade has left the spot and we will be reaching that venue in moments from now.

Coming back now to whether there will be a joint statement or not, we will get to know in about 24 hours from now. If you remember, during the Bali summit last year, there was a declaration and that was essentially because there was no real consensus on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

And that could be the biggest reason why there won't be this one time. Also, we spoke to foreign affairs expert Michael Kugelman and he said it's best to keep expectations muted when it comes to this G20 summit.

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MICHAEL KUGELMAN, THE WILSON CENTER: Given the deep divides and tensions among the G20 members, I think that there is a good chance that there will not be a joint communique, which would suggest a lack of consensus.

If you don't get a joint communique, one would have to conclude that the summit has been a failure. For me, that's the key thing, is to keep expectations realistic.

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SUD: And the White House said that Joe Biden is ready to roll up his sleeves and have those discussions, very critical and important ones, without the leaders of Russia and China at the table. Back to you.

HOLMES: And before I let you go, when it comes to Ukraine, of course, you know, Vladimir Putin is not there.

But Modi himself, he is sort of -- he is riding the fence, isn't he?

He is not likely to be vocal about the war. India is buying Russian oil and coal and relying on Russian weaponry and he is also worried about the growing closeness between China and Russia. So he is not someone who is going to be probably pushing that conversation in terms of a criticism of Russia's side.

SUD: Well, it is the balancing act that he is doing with Russia as well as the U.S. They are traditional partners in many ways. Russia and India have been for decades. Meanwhile, the U.S., like both the leaders said, they met so many times in the past that they are getting closer as strategic partners.

Yes, there is a balancing act there. But fact that there has been no invitation to Zelenskyy, to attend this summit virtually or in person, also says a lot. A lot of leaders have come out and expressed their disappointment that Zelenskyy won't be a part of this G20 summit.

Even the White House while interacting with the press mentioned they did express their disappointment and that they were very keen to have Zelenskyy as part of the G20 summit but India has not extended a formal invite to Zelenskyy and they haven't expressed this in any official terms yet. Back to you.

HOLMES: All right, Vedika Sud there in New Delhi, thank you.

All right. Quick break here on the program. When we come back, more fallout from that unwanted kiss at the Women's World Cup. Why Spain's football chief could soon face criminal charges for his actions.

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HOLMES: Welcome back.

Spain's national prosecutor filed a complaint against the country's suspended soccer federation president, accusing him of sexual assault and coercion. It stems from that unwanted kiss that he gave to the football star Jennifer Hermoso at last month's World Cup. Atika Shubert with the details.

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ATIKA SHUBERT, JOURNALIST: The bottom line here is that Spain's once powerful head of the football federation could now face possible criminal charges over this. It comes days after Jenni Hermoso filed an official complaint with the prosecutor.

This is the next step in the legal process. And the official complaint that was filed by the prosecutor states, quote, "crimes of sexual assault and coercion."

Now the sexual assault part has been seen now over and over on the internet, on TV. It is that infamous kiss that was planted by Luis Rubiales on Jenni Hermoso after Spain won the World Cup.

The coercion part, however, happened several days afterwards, according to prosecutors. Jenni Hermoso says she came under increasing pressure from Luis Rubiales and his associates to put out a statement in defense of Rubiales, saying nothing untoward happened.

Now that pressure, according to the prosecutor, could be considered as harassment and that is the coercion part of this complaint by the prosecutor. Now you don't expect to see a trial anytime soon. There is still an evidence-gathering process.

And remember, this incident happened in Australia, so prosecutors say they will also be looking to Australian law on this.

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SHUBERT: As for Rubiales, he has not responded to this most recent statement from the prosecutor. He has, however, consistently denied any wrongdoing. He maintains that the kiss was completely consensual.

And if this legal process plays out he will have an opportunity to prove his case in court -- Atika Shubert, for CNN, in Valencia, Spain.

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HOLMES: A clash of the titans at the U.S. Open men's final. Daniil Medvedev upset the world number 1 on Friday night in New York. Medvedev advances to his third career open final, his fifth grand slam final -- he's only won one of those.

He is going to be facing number 2 Novak Djokovic. Djokovic one victory away from completing his quest for a record-extending 24th men's grand slam final, which would tie Margaret Court of Australia for the most majors of all time.

Now country singer Zack Bryant is apologizing after he was arrested in Oklahoma for interfering with state troopers who pulled over his security guard. The former internet sensation said, on social media, he was frustrated on Thursday night when he refused an order by authorities to get back into his own vehicle.

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ZACK BRYANT, SINGER: I'm wondering why it's taking so long.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's none of your business, you get back in your truck. You are interfering with an officer discharging duties right now. You get back in your truck or go to jail, I don't care which.

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HOLMES: Bryant ended up in handcuffs in the back of a patrol car as he basically asked to. According to local media, he was taken to jail and then released on bond the same night. The Navy veteran says he supports law enforcement. He says he was truly sorry to the officers involved.

And no, Rocky was not going to deck Pope Francis with a right cross but they did have a friendly -- there you go. Sylvester Stallone and the family visit the Vatican. That's when we come back.

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HOLMES: Well, the U.S. President Joe Biden is now arriving at the site of the annual G20 summit in New Delhi. Indian leader Narendra Modi there to greet him. We are expecting the opening remarks of the Indian prime minister in just a little while. We'll bring that to you, as we have been discussing, during this hour.

An important event for Modi. He and his party have really used this event to showcase that India is a global power on the world stage and all that happening with Modi at the helm. He wants to promote India's position and his domestic clout as well. We'll keep an eye on this as we see the greeting there now.

All right. Well, law enforcement in London say they have confirmed the sighting of a man fitting the description of a terrorism suspect who escaped from prison just days ago. Police and the community have been on the lookout for Daniel Khalife since he broke out. Salma Abdelaziz is following the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Police are combing through London's largest park, Richmond Park. Some 2500 acres looking for a fugitive terror suspect. Daniel Khalife, a 21-year-old who was awaiting trial on terror offences staged a bold escape from Wandsworth prison early on Wednesday.

According to authorities he left from the prison kitchen wearing a chef's uniform and clung to the bottom of a delivery van to make his jail break.

Now authorities have called it extremely concerning that Khalife is back on the loose and have staged essentially a nationwide manhunt.

COMMANDER DOMINIC MURPHY, METROPOLITAN POLICE COUNTER TERRORISM COMMAND: He could be anywhere in the country at the moment. And yes, of course, we're mindful of the risk of him potentially leaving the country.

We're focusing our efforts in London at the moment. So we have counterterrorism officers now deployed across London, working with colleagues from across the Metropolitan Police and our partner agencies to try and find him here.

ABDELAZIZ: Now the Met Police Commissioner has said that the jailbreak was clearly preplanned and that investigations are underway to determine if Khalife had any help from inside the prison.

A 21-year-old who did serve in the British military stands accused of planting fake bombs on military bases. He was awaiting trial for terror offenses and alleged breaches of the Official Secrets Act.

Now the last time he was seen he was dressed again in that chef's uniform, red and white trousers, a white T-shirt and brown shoes. And the hunt for him has already triggered some delays in airports and ports across the country as authorities try to track him down -- Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.

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HOLMES: You knew when Rocky went to the Vatican, he and the pontiff would had to mix it up a little.

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POPE FRANCIS, PONTIFF, ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH (through translator): We grew up with your films.

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SYLVESTER STALLONE, ACTOR: Ready to box.

Yes, right.

So good to meet you.

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