Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

U.S Officials Worried on the Collapse of Israel's Iron Dome; Two Beluga Whales Arrived in Spain After a Successful Rescue Operation in Ukraine; Darfur Could Face Another Genocide As War In Sudan Rages On; Harnessing The Power of Iceland's Volcanoes. Aired 2-2:45a ET

Aired June 21, 2024 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom."

There are growing concerns in Washington that Israel's Iron Dome could be overwhelmed if a full-blown war breaks out between Israel and Hezbollah.

Alarming signs that Darfur could be on the brink of yet another catastrophe. We'll look at the humanitarian crisis as the civil war rages in Sudan.

And the high-risk mission to rescue two beluga whales from a war zone. We'll hear from a guest who helped lead that effort.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): Live from Atlanta, this is "CNN Newsroom" with Kim Brunhuber.

BRUNHUBER: We begin in the Middle East, where each passing day brings new fears that the war in Gaza may not be Israel's only major concern. U.S. officials tell CNN they're worried that Israel's Iron Dome air defense system could be overwhelmed in a full-scale war with Hezbollah.

Attacks from the Lebanese militant group backed by Iran have been on the rise over the past few months, and Israel has responded with airstrikes. U.S. officials say Israel plans to shift resources from Gaza to the north, and a land and air incursion into Lebanon is increasingly likely. Israel has evacuated about 60,000 people who live along its northern border, and more than 90,000 people have fled their homes in southern Lebanon.

More now from CNN's Natasha Bertrand.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: CNN is learning that U.S. officials have serious concerns that in the event of a full- blown war between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group could overwhelm Israel's air defenses in the north, including Israel's much-vaunted Iron Dome air defense system.

Those fears have only intensified as Israel has increasingly indicated to U.S. officials that it is preparing for a land and air incursion into Lebanon to try to push Hezbollah back from the Israel-Lebanon border.

Israeli officials have actually told the U.S. that they are planning to shift resources from southern Gaza to northern Israel in preparation for a possible offensive against Hezbollah, and one U.S. official said the U.S. is preparing for the worst, telling CNN, quote, "the fact that we have managed to even hold the front for this long has been a miracle."

Despite the Israelis signaling that they are preparing for a possible offensive, though, they have been surprised by the sophistication of some of Hezbollah's recent strikes, and they continue to worry about the fact that Hezbollah has been stockpiling precision-guided munitions and missiles from Iran for years, as many as 150,000 of them, according to IDF estimates.

Now, the U.S. is scrambling at this point to try to de-escalate the tensions at the border, but Israeli officials have signaled that they are determined to create this buffer zone and push Hezbollah back so that Israelis can return to their homes in the north.

The U.S. is trying to do that diplomatically, but as one senior administration official said, quote, "we're entering a very dangerous period." Something could start with little warning.

Natasha Bertrand, CNN, in Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Israel's military says it has eliminated two people described as terrorists who pose a threat to its forces in central and northern Gaza. The military operation in Rafah to the south is continuing despite the tactical pause each day between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. Now, video shows severe damage caused weeks ago at the Rafah crossing passenger terminal on the Gaza side of the border with Egypt. No aid has passed through the crossing since early May.

The treason trial of an American-Russian dual citizen got underway on Thursday and is set to resume on August 7th in the eastern Russian city of Yekaterinburg. Amateur ballerina Ksenia Karolina could get up to 20 years in prison in Russia for reportedly donating a little more than $50 to a Ukrainian charity in the U.S.

As Matthew Chance reports, she is one of a growing number of American detainees being used as bargaining chips by the Kremlin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Yet another U.S. citizen on trial in Russia. This is Ksenia Karolina from Los Angeles, now in a glass cage in Yekaterinburg. A dual Russian citizen, the 33-year-old was arrested on treason

charges earlier this year while visiting family. In the U.S., she is a beautician and amateur ballerina accused of donating just over $50 to a Ukrainian charity.

Her boyfriend, Chris Van Heerden, issuing a new statement obtained by CNN calling for her immediate release.

[02:05:01]

It's hard to believe Ksenia has been in Russia and unable to return to the U.S. for over six months, he wrote. She is an innocent young woman with a whole life ahead of her. Her friends and supporters are hopeful that the Russian court will see that prosecuting her is a mistake and send her home to Los Angeles.

But Russia is now holding a growing number of U.S. citizens in jail, like "Wall Street Journal" reporter Evan Gershkovich, whose trial for espionage is set to start next week. The 32-year-old journalist denies allegations he was gathering information on a Russian tank factory for the CIA.

Paul Whelan, a 54-year-old former U.S. Marine, serving 16 years in a Russian prison.

What U.S. officials say were trumped up spying charges.

And Alsu Kurmasheva, a jeweled U.S. citizen working for Radio Free Europe, accused of failing to register as a foreign agent. Critics accused the Kremlin of collecting Americans as bargaining chips to trade.

Not every detained American is accused of spying. Schoolteacher Mark Fogle was sentenced in 2022 to 14 years hard labor for bringing medical marijuana into the country.

And Gordon Black, a 34-year-old staff sergeant in the U.S. Army, was recently sentenced to nearly four years here for stealing money and assaulting a woman believed to be his Russian girlfriend.

There have been prisoner swaps before, like the U.S. basketball star Brittany Greiner convicted for carrying cannabis oil into Russia, then exchanged for a convicted Russian arms dealer in a U.S. jail.

But the prisoner the Kremlin most wants now is this man, Vadim Krasikov, an FSB agent convicted of killing a Chechen dissident in a public park in Berlin. But Germany is reluctant to bargain a convicted Russian assassin for the American prisoners the Kremlin may be willing to trade.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Moscow.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: Vladimir Putin has wrapped up his trip to North Korea and Vietnam, but not before taking one more shot at the West. The Russian president accuses NATO of creating a threat for Russia in Asia.

During a meeting with his Vietnamese counterpart, Putin said the two countries have a mutual interest in building up security in the Asia- Pacific region and they would settle disputes peacefully. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We see what's happening in Asia, right? The bloc system is being cobbled together in Asia. NATO is already moving there as a permanent place of residence. This of course creates a threat for all countries in the region, including the Russian Federation. We are obliged to respond to this, and we will do so.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Before he left Hanoi, the Russian leader also delivered a warning to South Korea. He says it would be, quote, a very big mistake for Seoul to supply weapons to Ukraine.

So how do you transport enormous marine mammals across a huge distance? Experts worked long and hard to make it happen for a pair of beluga whales in danger in Ukraine. We will have that story when we come back. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:10:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: Well, in less than a week, right here on CNN, U.S. President Joe Biden will square off the former President Donald Trump in their first debate of the 2024 election cycle. While the faces may be the same, many of the issues aren't. Details now from CNN's Jeff Zeleny.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF U.S. NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): The historic rematch between Joe Biden and Donald Trump is anything but a rerun. A vastly different set of issues are driving this race as the president and former president come face to face for the first debate of the 2024 campaign, four years since they shared a stage.

JOE BIDEN, THEN-DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You're the worst president America has ever had. Come on.

DONALD TRUMP, THEN-REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In 47 months, I've done more than you've done in 47 years, Joe.

ZELENY (voice-over): Feels like an upside down lifetime ago, back when the coronavirus pandemic was raging.

TRUMP: You have to understand, if you look, I mean, I have a mask right here. I put a mask on, you know, when I think I need it.

BIDEN: This is his economy as being he shut down.

ZELENY (voice-over): In the Biden-Trump sequel, an entirely new fight has been brewing on the campaign trail.

TRUMP: You could end up in World War III with this person. He's the worst president ever.

ZELENY (voice-over): And in TV ads.

UNKNOWN (voice-over): This election is between a convicted criminal who's only out for himself and a president who's fighting for your family.

ZELENY (voice-over): That offers a window into the new issues and fresh lines of attack, a reminder of just how much the country, the world, and yes, they have changed.

From an insurrection and all its fallout to a new fight on abortion rights in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and a war in the Middle East, to the very stark question of America's role in the world.

Yet the economy, inflation and immigration are still at the center of it all. Trump's record was at the heart of their last debates, even as he sought to deflect.

TRUMP: If he gets in, you will have a depression the likes of which you've never seen. Your 401ks will go to hell and it'll be a very, very sad day for this country.

ZELENY (voice-over): While those warnings didn't come to pass, Biden's record is now under the microscope, complicating his effort to make it a referendum on Trump.

BIDEN: The fact is that everything he's saying so far is simply a lie. I'm not here to call out his lies. Everybody knows he's a liar.

ZELENY (voice-over): And America's oldest presidential candidates are even older. Trump 78, Biden 81. With age and fitness for office now a central issue in the race.

Public opinion for presidents can be punishing. Biden's favorability has fallen 11 points since 2020, with nearly 6 in 10 Americans holding an unfavorable view. Perceptions of Trump have changed less, with more than half still seeing him in an unfavorable light.

Televised debates have long been a storied part of presidential campaigns, with history making moments for candidates.

Yet this showdown is without parallel.

The nation's 45th and 46th presidents still seeking to define one another in the earliest general election debate in memory, an old duel being fought on new ground. And it will be an extraordinary sight, a sitting president facing a

former president. It simply has never happened in a televised debate in American history.

Of course, the last debate was all about Trump's record. Now this one is likely to be about Biden's record. Of course, both candidates are still trying to draw that contrast with one another.

One thing is clear. This is the earliest debate in presidential campaign history. The question is, will this define the race for the months to come?

Jeff Zeleny, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: And tune in to see the CNN presidential debate right here, of course, on CNN, coming up on Thursday, June 27th at 9 p.m. Eastern. And we'll replay the debate in its entirety a couple of times. And you can watch it at 7 a.m. London time on June 28th. That's two in the afternoon in Hong Kong.

Ukraine could be getting more leeway to conduct strikes inside Russia using weapons provided by the U.S. Last month, Washington allowed Kiev to do that, but only near the northern Kharkiv region after Russia launched an offensive there. But the U.S. national security adviser and the Pentagon now suggest the policy has expanded to include any place where Russian troops are trying to invade Ukraine.

Kyiv has also moved to the top spot on Washington's priority list for receiving advanced air defenses. According to multiple U.S. sources, Ukraine will now be the first in line to receive the U.S.-made Patriot and NASAM interceptors, skipping other countries on the waiting list.

[02:15:07]

Now, with Russian attacks on the increase, it's not just humans who are in danger in Ukraine. Two beluga whales in an aquarium in Kharkiv were coming under threats as bombs fell closer and closer. As CNN's Salma Abdelaziz reports, it triggered an extraordinary rescue operation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Meet Miranda and Plombir, two very playful beluga whales from Ukraine's Nemo Dolphinarium in Kharkiv.

Their smiling faces are much-needed respite for a country at war, in a city where Putin's troops are fast approaching. The front lines drawing closer and closer to the aquarium and supplies needed to care for the animals becoming scarce.

A multinational team scrambled an extremely complicated and high-risk marine mammal rescue operation. Its mission? Transport these gentle giants nearly 2,500 miles across Europe to Spain, a trip that would take over 34 hours.

It started with a 12-hour drive and a truck through an active war zone, the team comforting Miranda and Plombir on the bumpy ride. That was followed by European border control checks into Moldova, a special plane equipped with its own crane to safely lift the precious cargo on board, and finally, a chartered flight. A trauma team was at the ready throughout.

The organizations involved in the effort telling CNN about the unprecedented nature of this operation.

DENNIS CHRISTEN, SR. DIRECTOR OF ZOOLOGICAL OPERATIONS/MAMMALS AND BIRDS, GEORGIA AQUARIUM: It took a lot of navigating some unfamiliar territory. It's not a facility we worked out of. It's definitely not an airport that typically handles this sort of situation. The equipment that they have to be able to load a dynamic animal load that weighs that much into large cargo aircraft doesn't exist. So we had to make some pretty innovative, sort of come up with innovative solutions to deal with those things.

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): Their final destination, Valencia, Spain, where their caregivers are set to stay with Miranda and Plombir until they settle into their new home, the Oceanografic de Valencia facility, which is already home to another pair of belugas, even warming the temperature of their water to make it more comfortable for their new arrivals.

CHRISTEN: So anytime you're moving an animal from a home that it's comfortable, it's adapted to a new condition, there's a lot that we have to take into consideration to really acclimate those animals. And we're watching them all day today and through the night. And so it's exciting to see how well they're doing.

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): The two celebrating their new waters with a spurt of excitement and a spark of curiosity as they begin to make new friends.

Salma Abdelaziz, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: And joining me now with more on that difficult journey for the pair and what happens next is Daniel Garcia Parraga. He's the director of zoological operations at the whales' new home, the Oceanografic Aquarium in Valencia, Spain. Thank you so much for being here with us. So we saw you briefly in that footage hugging your colleagues as you got these whales into their new home. I want to take you back, though, before they were rescued, just how precarious was their situation there in Kharkiv?

DANIEL GARCIA PARAGA, DIRECTOR OF ZOOLOGICAL OPERATIONS, OCEANOGRAFIC AQUARIUM: Well, good morning, everyone. Good morning, Kim. Basically, we didn't have that much information. What we managed to receive is that the animals were in extremely warm water for them, like 26 degrees Celsius. I think it's equivalent to 77 Fahrenheit, but for Arctic animals, it's pretty warm. At some points, they were on a half diet because they need to restrict

the food because sometimes they were sparsing the supplies. The bombing noise was actually getting the whales very nervous when that was occurring. So it's something that certainly affects a lot of people.

You don't have to have the bombs over your head, but actually the impact, even they were like one kilometer or 800 meters from the aquarium, was really hard for the animals to tolerate. So they were in a very complicated situation, besides that the caregivers, also the Kharkiv Dolphinarium was reduced because many of the trainers had to go to the front lines.

So basically, the animals were in a quite critical situation, though still stable. We found that based on some preliminary results that we managed to obtain from there, were clinically healthy enough to tolerate the transport.

So we decided to go ahead before it was too late. I would say the situation at this moment was not absolutely critical, but the problem is if we wait and the situation is too critical, there is no margin to operate.

[02:20:00]

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, that's fascinating. I never thought about that, the sound and vibrations of the bombing affecting these animals as well. Now, what was accomplished there? I mean, it's being hailed as the most complex marine mammal rescue ever undertaken. I mean, you were there for part of that journey. Take us through why it was so complex.

PARAGA: Well, it was extremely complex and we really knew what it was going to be because there were so many uncertainties. We didn't have the clinical, all the clinical data of the animals before transport. That's something that we always try to have.

We didn't have the information about the containers. The whales are typically transported with a lot of water and we need to be sure that this water will stand in the containers for the whole trip, for the whales and for our safety. At the end, we have to put those containers in a plane and if those containers fail and leak the water inside the plane, it's really, really dangerous. And it certainly, if we lose the water during the transport, we will certainly lose the animals.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. And I understand early on, early on there were leaks in those containers. So, they had to kind of fix things and make sure they didn't. I mean, what was that like? The feeling as you were there sort of holding these creatures' lives essentially in your hands.

PARAGA: Absolutely. No, no, it was, I mean, we really had a hard time. I mean, we, thanks God, we really managed to get the people from, I mean, Dennis Christen from Georgia and Kitty from SeaWorld, that they have much more experience than us transporting beluga whales, certainly not in this context.

For them, that they have moved dozens of animals, this was definitely the most critical situation they have been come across because there were so many uncertainties also in Moldova with the tracks and in the plane. The boxes were not ready basically to fly. And we need to adapt with cautions, with boards in the very last minute to avoid spill in the plane and get the animals safe into Spain.

BRUNHUBER: You know, as if all the logistical hurdles weren't enough, you had bureaucratic hurdles as well. So, what was that moment like when you were able to finally get them through all of these hurdles and into their new home?

PARAGA: Well, basically, when we got the two animals inside the pool here at the Oceanografic, it was, I mean, we took a breath. I mean, as soon as we arrived to the aquarium, many people want to hug us and that was like we managed to arrive with the animals alive in the airport and at the aquarium, but we really need to get the animals in the water.

That's what they need to be and that's where they belong. And that was critical for us to take a breath until they take a breath in their new pools and new home. So, that was a fabulous moment. We were exhausted. We were over 36 hours of non-sleep, but that was a very, very special moment in our life, I would say.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, I can imagine. So, finally, what happens in the longer term? I mean, will they eventually go back?

PARAGA: Well, the animals have been donated to the Valencian regional government. So, the Oceanografic of Valencia belongs to the regional government here of the city. We are a private company managing the operation and we provide technical services, but the animals have been donated to the aquarium.

So, they will stay here and basically participate in the ACA program for beluga whales together with U.S. counterparts according to the best insurance of the population. So, it's not some animals that need to come back. We basically will try to fight for the best of them, whatever it is.

BRUNHUBER: Well, listen, congratulations on that successful, if arduous journey and I certainly hope that they thrive in their new home. Daniel Garcia Parraga, thank you so much for being with us. I really appreciate it.

PARAGA: Thank you very much, Kim, for the opportunity. Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Ahead here on "CNN Newsroom," lawmakers in Kenya take up a controversial finance bill as protests against the measure erupt in the streets. Well, that story and much more straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: Welcome back to all of you watching us around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber. This is "CNN Newsroom."

Violent clashes between police and protesters broke out in Kenya's capital this week as lawmakers debate a controversial finance bill. Now a CNN team witnessed chaotic scenes, including authorities breaking up demonstrations with tear gas and water cannons. Parliament was sealed off from the public Thursday and hundreds have been arrested this week.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SOSPETER OBUNGU OWICH, ACTIVIST AND KISUMU RESIDENT: We are telling William Ruto, if you continue imposing taxes against the hustlers whom you ensure to protect, time is coming that we are going to lead a serious revolution against your government. And we are going to make sure that we get you out of that office.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Now, Kenya's government says the tax increases are necessary to reduce the country's budget deficit.

Well, there are fears that Darfur may be on the brink of yet another genocide. The United Nations Refugee Agency says Sudan's warring factions must resume negotiations and is urging the U.N. Security Council to get involved. The U.N.'s high commissioner for refugees says he is deeply alarmed about the scale of the humanitarian emergency. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FILIPPO GRANDI, UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES: The biggest appeal that I wanted to make, that I want to make, is to the military people that are fighting each other and reducing this country to ruin and to rubble. They have to stop. This war has to stop. Peace is the only solution.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BRUNHUBER: Nine million people have been displaced and more than 14,000 killed since the war broke out between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in April of last year. And more than 1.9 million have fled to neighboring countries, making Sudan the world's most pressing displacement crisis, according to the U.N.'s HCR.

For more on this, I'm joined by Sudanese political commentator Dallia Mohamed Abdelmoniem. Dallia has written extensively about her own family's escape from Sudan's capital, Khartoum. And she joins us now from Cairo, Egypt. Thank you so much for being here with us. So we know that ethnic-related killings have intensified in Darfur since mid-April last year. So what do we know about the situation right now in Darfur?

DALLIA MOHAMED ABDELMONIEM, SUDANESE POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Darfur has, I mean, historically has always been a site of conflict. Only this time it's between the two sides that before were friends. The situation is not good. The number of Al-Fasher has been contested

as a vital stake in this war for the past few weeks. And it was a haven for a lot of the displaced people of Darfur.

Don't forget there was, because of the previous conflict 20 years ago, the number of displaced was already -- people were already displaced. So now they're, like, doubly displaced. The situation is bad. Starvation, no access to food or to aid supplies is being used as a weapon, as a tool by both sides.

[02:30:02]

So the civilian population is the one that's suffering the most. The RSF is currently threatening to shut down the main water reservoir in Al-Fasher, which is the large the last city, not under the control of the militia. And that city alone is housing more than 2 million people.

And already one town has fallen. It was garrison for the army and they reportedly -- the army reportedly withdrew. So, now, thousands of people are stuck. Some have managed to leave, hundreds of thousands of others have not.

And this is besiegement of towns and cities by the RSF and continuous aerial bombardment by the army basically puts the civilian population at huge risk.

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: So the way things are going, I mean, are things heading towards another genocide do you think?

ABDELMONIEM: I think ethnic cleansing and targeting has started from the first day of war, means since 15th of April 2023, the people of Darfur were attacked. The Masalit tribe in the city of al-Geneina alone, 15,000 of them were thought were massacred by the RSF.

Same stories and reports are emerging from the state of Aljazeera, which is in the central part of Sudan. So ethnic targeting if before the RSF was targeting certain ethnic troop -- groups and tribes, it's now all over, it's widespread. Anyone who they deem as none RSF, they're at the mercy.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah, and tragically, as you've reported, women's bodies have essentially become part of the battlefield here.

ABDELMONIEM: Sadly, yes. And it's also very extremely underreported. The reports of rape and sexual slavery, servitude, and forced marriages is harrowing, and the protocols officially document them become extremely impossible to do. But the reports are there and there is stories are emerging, and -- I mean, it's a tragic case, and 10 million, 10 million Sudanese are displaced, and the vast majority of this displaced people are women and children are the most vulnerable. They're the most at risk and not being done to alleviate their suffering.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah. Let me ask you about that then. What more can be done? What more should be done right now? Obviously, a lot of the world's attention is focused on other

conflicts, whether the Israel-Hamas conflict or Ukraine.

ABDELMONIEM: Both parties to the conflict, whether its the army or the RSF, have backers, have foreign backers. These backers are well -- are known. Everyone knows who they are, more pressure needs to be applied on them to no longer supply nor support either side. There needs to be an arm sanction, there needs to be more effort being put into place to at least guarantee safe passageways for the aid convoys for civilians to be able to leave.

Nothing is being done. It's Sudan and even though it's the largest humanitarian crisis, and there's a famine and people, I know there's reports are that nearly 1,000 people are dying from lack of food. And nearly, a quarter of the city's population is displaced, nearly more than half of the population is facing acute hunger. That's 25 million people, you know?

And we get a lot of sound bites and we get a lot of statements. But no actual, you know, policy change to make sure that what they're calling for is actually applied.

BRUNHUBER: Yeah.

ABDELMONIEM: More pressure needs to be -- more pressure needs to be put on both the RSF and SAF to ensure at least if nothing else, that at least aid and humanitarian assistance gets through to the civilians. But that's not being done at all.

BRUNHUBER: You're talking about statements. I mean, the U.N. is calling for both sides to negotiate. What is the latest there? Is there any hope here?

ABDELMONIEM: Well, no, I don't think so. Neither side is willing to admit to get to say that the table in negotiate. Like I said, not enough pressure is being applied to both to either side to ensure that they put down their weapons at least talk, nothing. There have been reports of secret meetings and so on. But nothing of fruit has come from them. It's just mere words.

And no one is -- I think there's also a fear of calling out whether it's the RSF or SAF because they think by calling them out or sanctioning them, then they will apply more --- apply more, you know, damage or control over the civilian population. But that's already happening.

[02:35:02]

I mean, it can't get any worse than it is at this moment. So why not take that extra step and ensure at least you get them to the table, ensure that backers push them to get to the table to at least start negotiating. But so far, it's all been just weak words in my opinion.

BRUNHUBER: Well, I have to leave it there, but really appreciate getting your insights.

Dellia Mohamed Abdelmoniem, thank you so much for speaking with us.

ABDELMONIEM: Thank you.

BRUNHUBER: Dozens of migrants adrift at sea in a small wooden dinghy have been rescued by passing luxury cruise ship, the MS Insignia was diverted by Spanish authorities and rescued 68 miles migrants off the coast of the Canary Islands. Data from Spain's interior ministry show a drastic increase of the number of migrants arriving by sea, especially to the Canary Islands. The Atlantic route continues to be the deadliest.

One Spanish NGO says on average, 33 people die each day attempting to cross.

While the world searches for clean energy sources, some scientists are looking far beneath the Earth's surface, and one of the most volcanic areas on the planet. We'll have details about that when we come back.

Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BRUNHUBER: More than 45,000 people in Bangladesh have been forced to leave their homes because of monsoon flooding. Low-lying areas are hardest hit, of course, and hundreds of shelters have been set up to cope around 1.8 million people have been adversely affected in one district alone, with more than 1,600 villages experiencing high water.

In Saudi Arabia, more than 300 Hajj pilgrims have died and thousands treated for heat stroke in Mecca, where the temperatures reached 49 degrees Celsius, about 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Dozens of Indonesians, Jordanians Pakistanis, and Tunisians are among the dead. The death toll is higher than in previous years and the number is expected to rise after Saudi Arabia and Egypt release official figures.

Iceland's volcanoes can be deadly and destructive and strangely beautiful, but they can also be green. Icelandic scientists are working to harness the intense energy stored beneath the Earth surface, energy which is completely clean.

CNN's Fred Pleitgen explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): The awesome power of nature on full display in southwest Iceland. The Reykjanes Peninsula, close to the capital, suffering a string of violent volcanic eruptions in the past years. Iceland's massive activity both a burden and a blessing for those who live here.

The town Grindavik, close to the eruption site, evacuated -- a fissure running right through the streets and the houses.

Klara Halldorsdottir, one of the more than 3,000 residents evacuated last November, says she's had enough and will never move back. KLARA HALLDORSDOTTIR, FORMER GRINDAVIK RESIDENT: I get goosebumps when I talk about it because it was really, really strange. Just long lines of cars exiting town.

[02:40:02]

It was like in a terrible movie or something.

PLEITGEN: When things appear to get more calm, a few months later, another violent eruption occurs as the Reykjanes Peninsula seems to have entered into a period of high volcanic activity that could last months, years, or even centuries, experts say, keeping the specialists at Iceland's Meteorological Office tasked with predicting eruptions busy round the clock.

SARA BARSOTTI, ICELANDIC METEORLOGICAL OFFICE: The GPS station -- they're telling us if the ground is changing, it is forming, we are maintaining the geochemical monitoring that is telling us which are the kind of gases that are leaving the volcanoes.

PLEITGEN: While volcanoes often have an impact on life here in Iceland, the Icelanders have found ways to harness the power of our violent Earth. Geothermal power plants, feeding off he heat, providing emission-free energy in abundance and leading companies from around the world to move energy-intensive manufacturing, like aluminum production, to Iceland.

Our team traveled all the way to the northeast of Iceland to the Krafla Geothermal Plant. When drilling a new bore hole here at Krafla, they accidentally hit a shallow magma chamber and now are working on harnessing the Earth's energy almost directly from the extremely hot magma.

The project's director says this technology could provide clean energy for hundreds of millions of people.

HJALTI PALL INGOLFSSON, KRAFLA MAGMA TESTBED: We have a very big part of humanity living close to a volcano. And if we are able to harness the volcano directly, reducing the risk by lowering the pressure and lowering the tension in the volcano, then, of course, we have a win- win situation.

PLEITGEN: Using the Earth's natural energy with burning fossil fuels. The scientists acknowledge there is still a long way to go and a lot to be learned, but they also believe the potential energy supply could be virtually limitless and totally clean.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BRUNHUBER: The Copa America kicked off Thursday here in Atlanta, Georgia, with a title holders Argentina taking on Canada. Now the tournaments being played outside of South America for only the second time in its 108 year history with the U.S. hosting. On the opening match, Argentina came out on top of 2-nil wind thanks to goals by alvarez and Martinez.

Now, there was a moment of concern when Lionel Messi went down late in the match. Well, he got up pretty quickly, apparently uninjured.

All right. That wraps this hour of CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Kim Brunhuber. I'll be back in 15 minutes with more news.

"WORLD SPORT" is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[02:45:00]

(WORLD SPORT)