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Russian Border Region Declares Emergency; Japan P.M. Says He's Not Running For Reelection; Russian Expands Evacuations As Ukraine Advance; Fast-moving Wildfire Scorches Forests Near Athens, One Killed; Ceasefire & Hostage Talks to Resume on Thursday; Hundreds of Rohingya Killed in Drone Strikes Amid Renewed Fears of Ethnic Cleansing; Court Opens Murder Investigation Into Former PM Hasina and Six Others Over Police Killing During Protests; Utah's Famous Double Arch Rock Formation Tumbles Into Bay. Aired 2-2:45a ET

Aired August 14, 2024 - 02:00   ET

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

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[02:00:28]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world and to everyone streaming us on CNN Max. I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead. Gaza ceasefire talks are set to resume on Thursday. But could Iran's warning of a potential attack on Israel threaten the prospects of a deal?

A Russian border region declares a state of emergency as Ukrainian troops push forward with their cross-border incursion.

And a surprise announcement from Tokyo as Japan's Prime Minister drops out of the race to remain his party's leader amid controversy.

ANNOUNCER: Live from Atlanta. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Good to have you with us. With the latest round of ceasefire and hostage release talks are expected to kick off Thursday in Doha, Qatar, diplomatic sources tell CNN, the last-ditch effort is not expected to stop Iran from retaliating against Israel over the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Sources say mediators will present a plan to representatives from Israel and Hamas separately, but a number of key sticking points remain, including possible last-minute demands by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

His office denies his changed positions and accuses Hamas of adding unrealistic demands. U.S. President Joe Biden is pushing back on questions about what he's doing to pressure Israel and Hamas to come to the negotiating table but he acknowledges he has concerns about the talks, given the threat of an attack on Israel by Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you think you can still get to a ceasefire dead or is starting to be a distant possibility?

JOE BIDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: It's getting hard. We'll see what Iran does and we'll see what happens if there's any attack. But I'm not giving up.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are those two things tied together? Do you have any understanding that Iran cease or stop doing an action if a ceasefire deal was possible?

BIDEN: That's my expectation, but we'll see.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: CNN's Paula Hancocks is following developments and joins me live now from London. Good morning to you, Paula. So, what is the latest on the lead up to Thursday ceasefire and hostage release talks and what role might they play in Iran's calculation when it comes to retaliatory strikes on Israel?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, at this point, we are seeing a massive amount of diplomatic activity, specifically from the Biden administration, really trying to push these ceasefire hostage deal through. We've heard from the State Department that President Biden's Middle East coordinator Brett McGurk is heading to the Middle East, will be in Egypt and also in Qatar. Those two countries are the key mediating countries when it comes to trying to secure this deal.

And he will be doing that this week. The Biden administration is trying to create a final bridging proposal, which will be acceptable to both sides. We also know that Amos Hochstein, who is the special envoy for trying to plicate the situation between Israel and Hezbollah, will be heading to Beirut as well. So, it's really a multi- pronged diplomatic effort by the United States at the same time that they are putting some significant military assets into the region as well.

And as you heard from the U.S. President, Joe Biden there saying that he is concerned at the situation at this point. We have though heard from two Biden administration officials that they don't necessarily believe that Iran has decided exactly what its retaliation will be at this point. Remember, this is a very new president in Iran. It was just the day after his inauguration that the Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated.

So, they believe he hasn't necessarily decided on the exact course of action but there are hopes that it will not be a course of action that will trigger a far wider conflict and all-out war in the region. But there are many concerns that that one could affect the other, that a retaliation could affect these ceasefire talks, which are still planned for Thursday at this point. Now, we've heard from Hamas that they don't want to rehash the talks.

[02:05:00] They don't want to try and change the proposal that they believe was on the table back in July and one that the U.S. President Joe Biden was very vocally supportive of. They say that they are ready to sign up to that one. Israel saying it's going to send a delegation on Thursday. We did hear from two diplomatic sources, though, saying that all of this last-ditch mediation effort is unlikely to impact in any way on Iran's planned retaliation. Rosemary?

CHURCH: All right. Thanks to Paul Hancocks joining us live from London.

Well, let's go live now to Tel Aviv and to Ambassador Alon Pinkas, former Israeli consul general in New York. Appreciate you being with us.

ALON PINKAS, FORMER ISRAELI CONSUL GENERAL IN NEW YORK: Good morning, Rosemary. Good to be with you.

CHURCH: So, U.S. officials don't believe Iran has decided yet how it plans to retaliate against Israel for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. But at the same time, diplomatic sources suggest the ceasefire and hostage release talks set for Thursday are not expected to prevent any retaliatory strikes from Iran. So, what is your response to those assessments?

PINKAS: Well, you know, Rosemary, the insertion of Iran's new policy, as if its retaliation is contingent on a hostage deal was a new addition to this mix. And I have to say, maybe it's true, maybe it's not. I found it a little bit weird. It is clear in Israel, at least, it is clear that Iran either has not made its mind up or has made its mind up but it's just taking its time because the toll it exact on Israel is heavy. You have to remember, there are two forms of escalation here.

One, bilateral, Iran, Israel, Israel, Iran and one that involves Hezbollah and Lebanon. These are two separate things.

CHURCH: Indeed. And one of the remaining sticking points to negotiating a deal is the possibility of last-minute demands coming from Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu. Do you think he wants a deal, or does he want to see a wider regional war going by his actions to date?

PINKAS: Well, tragically, the answer is, no, he does not want to deal. Ad yes, he -- I don't want to say that he wants a broader war but he thinks he will benefit from a broader war. At least, he somehow deludes himself into thinking that he can control the escalation. I know this is a harsh thing to say, but you just connect the dot. In the last six months, you talk accurately, Rosemary, about new demands. This has been going on for six months.

New demands, new stipulations, new conditions, new clarifications, each basically undermining a deal that was there for the tape.

CHURCH: And what do you think it would take to reach a deal? How do you compare the demands of Hamas to those being made by Israel? PINKAS: Well, no one has illusions about Hamas. The question is, what does Israel want here? I mean, what are the political goals? Because, remember, Rosemary, for 10 months Israel has been fighting a war essentially without political object. This is one of the very rare few cases in history in which a war is not aligned. I mean, the military aspect of the war is not aligned with political goals. Now, what would it take? Two things that I don't know if they will happen.

One is extensive pressure from the U.S. and the second is domestic, extensive. Again, domestic pressure in Israel from either the negotiators who have been divulging, sort of anonymously to the media and last few weeks that they are unhappy with Mr. Netanyahu's demeanor and new demands every other day and from the public in the form of demonstration. So, you mentioned needing more pressure from the U.S. in what form would you want to see that pressure for both Hamas and for Israel to reach a deal?

And how does the approval of an additional $20 billion in arms sales to Israel help or hinder that process?

PINKAS: Well, I'm not sure -- I'm not sure that that new arms deal is in any way connected. I mean, obviously the timing raises questions but this is a deal that has been negotiated for a long time and the supply dates to many of those weapons systems, including more advanced F-15 jets is only four or five years ahead. So, we're not talking about some kind of a, you know, immediate supply that fuels the war and stands in contradiction to American efforts.

Now, in the last few days, there have been indications that the U.S. will is ready, or at least is coming to terms with the idea of calling Mr. Netanyahu's bluff.

[02:10:03]

While on the other side, Qatar, particularly, but also Egypt has said -- have said that they're to call Hamas's bluff. Now, if everyone calls everyone's bluff, you know, you and I can talk on about this forever, but there's no hostage deal. There's no ceasefire. So, the pressure that I'm talking about is not necessarily concerning or does not necessarily involve or concern weapons shipments but much more political and diplomatic pressure from the Biden administration.

CHURCH: All right. Alon Pinkas joining us there. Really appreciate your perspective and analysis. Thank you.

PINKAS: Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Ukrainian forces are advancing further into Russia's Kursk Region, and now the governor of Belgorod, the region just south of Kursk has declared a state of emergency, saying Ukrainian forces have launched drone attacks there. It's been one week since the incursion shocked and humiliated Moscow and put Russian President Vladimir Putin on the defensive. Ukraine claims it's already taken control of more than 1000 square kilometers, 40 of those in the past day alone. Ukraine's foreign ministry says the country does not intend to annex the territory, and that they only want to, "protect our people's lives from Russian attacks coming out of Kursk. President Zelenskyy saying the incursion is a boon for Ukraine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE (through translator): All of us in Ukraine need to act as unitedly and effectively as we did in the first weeks and months of this war when Ukraine seized the initiative and began turning the situation in favor of our state. We have done the same now. We have once again proven that in any situation, we Ukrainians are capable of achieving our objectives, of defending our interests and our independence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: He went on to say Russian servicemen are surrendering on masse, thanking them for, "replenishing the exchange fund for future prisoner swaps." CNN cannot independently verify those claims.

CNN's Frederick Pleitgen brings us the latest on Ukraine's offensive. A warning, though some of the images in his report are graphic.

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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A Russian attack gunship firing at Ukrainian forces from the air in the Kursk region inside Russia. While on the ground, a Russian soldier's body cam records what appear to be several killed Ukrainians near their destroyed armored vehicle.

The Kremlin trying to show its forces are halting Ukraine's advances. But the reality is this, more Russian civilians having to evacuate their towns and villages as Kyiv's troops press ahead.

We left the chickens at home, this woman says. We gave them two bags of grain, some water, and left. Maybe there will be nothing to return to.

What seemed to be Russian prisoners of war transported in a Ukrainian pickup, as a Ukrainian soldier spray paints the Ukrainian spelling of a town's name inside Russia. Kyiv's lightning offensive caught not just its allies off guard, but Moscow as well.

Russian President Vladimir Putin trying to publicly brush off Ukraine's incursion, meeting with the head of the Palestinian Authority in Moscow, after earlier berating his generals to oust Kyiv's troops from Russian soil.

VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The main task for the Ministry of Defense is, of course, to drive and squeeze the enemy out of our territories.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): Russia has vowed a massive retaliation in Kyiv fears Moscow could launch even larger missile strikes at Ukrainian cities, but Ukraine's president vowing not to back down.

ZELENSKYY (through translator): Russia needs to be forced into peace, especially if Putin is so set on fighting.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): And Vladimir Putin's grip on power may not be as strong as some believe. Russian opposition activist Vladimir Kara- Murza who was recently released from a Russian jail in a prisoner's swap, said on CNN's OutFront.

VLADIMIR KARA-MURZ, RUSSIAN OPPOSITION POLITICIAN: I don't only think, I don't only believe, I know that Russia will change and I will be back in my homeland. And as I told him, it's going to be much quicker than you ever think.

PLEITGEN (voice-over): But for now, Moscow says it will bring more reinforcements to its southwestern regions to try and oust Ukraine's invasion force before it can dig in.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Jill Dougherty is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, and is CNN former Moscow bureau chief. She joins me now from Washington. Always a pleasure to have you with us.

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So, as Ukraine pushes deeper into Russia, taking more territory, President Putin is withdrawing some of his military forces from Ukraine to respond to this audacious offensive into his country.

[02:15:07]

How are the Russian people responding to this news, particularly those directly affected, who, of course, have had to evacuate their homes?

DOUGHERTY: Well, if you look at the video that's coming out, social media, et cetera, the people who are being taken from their homes and evacuated are really feeling abandoned by Moscow. And you can understand why. They're saying that there was no notice that this was going to happen. They were not warned, and that they actually weren't being taken out. It appears that now some of them are, but I think you'd have to say for the people in that region who have really gone through quite a lot compared to other Russians in Moscow and other places, this is really, really a blow, and it's unclear where it's all headed. It appears that Ukraine, as you said, continues to take territory.

CHURCH: And Russian news outlets are admitting that Ukrainian troops have had some success with this incursion. So, how humiliating has this been for President Putin after vowing to protect his people, and how might this change the way the Russian people view him?

DOUGHERTY: You know, I don't think on the last part of the question that we really know. This is very early and we really don't know exactly where all of this is headed. Why did Ukraine actually want to do this? There were lot of theories. But I think, you know, if you look at the Russian people right now, I would look at the instructions that the Kremlin gave to the media, the state-controlled media, of course, telling them essentially how to handle this.

Because all of a sudden, they had a big problem on their hands. So, what do you tell the Russian people? Don't sensationalize this. Don't talk about a second front. And that, of course, is really important, because the Kremlin, Rosemary, is trying to let people in the big cities, Moscow, Saint Petersburg, believe that this is a war, but it's over there and it really doesn't affect them, et cetera. Whereas, obviously we're saying it is beginning to affect Russians very directly.

And then they're also saying, tell human interest stories. Don't tell, you know, big, serious, theoretical things. Go for the human stories of people who have been killed or injured. And then finally, make sure that Russians know that the government and Putin are on their side and will never leave anyone behind, that type of message. So, when they're issuing those types of directions, I think that we realize, we can definitely realize that they understand they have a big problem, in a propaganda P.R. sense, with their own people.

CHURCH: Right. And how do you expect Putin to respond militarily to this Ukrainian incursion and how was it even possible that Russia was taken off guard by this?

DOUGHERTY: I don't know how he can explain it quite honestly, I think we're going to have to see. What does he do to the people who are in charge who allow this to happen. Where were the intelligence people who should have known that this was going on? How did the military handle it? How are the Ukrainians essentially able to walk right in? These are big questions for Putin. And if you look at the way he's behaved in this he essentially disappeared for two days.

He said nothing, and then when he came out, he downplayed it. He said, you know, this is a provocation. And even right now, in their counter action to try to counteract the Ukrainians, they're calling it -- the Kremlin is calling it a terrorist operation. They're not calling it a military incursion, because, again, they want to downplay it. Behind the scenes, I'm sure they know that this is a major step indeed.

CHURCH: And of course, the end game for Ukraine, if they can hold this captured Russian territory, and we don't know if they will be able to, but, but the end game is to perhaps exchange it for Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory and prisoners of war. But how likely is that do you think? How likely is it that they would get that far before Russian troops stop their advance in its tracks?

DOUGHERTY: Well, I mean, at this point, there are no peace negotiations. So, you know, all of this would be very theoretical. We were saying, there are many theories as to why they did this, you know, divert the Russian forces from Donbas, where the big fighting is still taking place. Get prisoners whom they could exchange and that's possible.

[02:20:06]

Get land that could be part of some type of deal in the future maybe. I do think that part of it was to embarrass Putin. I mean, this was they obviously didn't know whether this would succeed, but it apparently has, so far in quite a major fashion. So -- but the effect, psychological effect of having something like that happen is pretty major. I mean, Russians know about this. What they are going to conclude about it, whether they'll just, you know, blame it on the military, or blame it on Putin that we still don't know.

CHURCH: Jill Dougherty, many thanks for joining us and sharing your analysis. Always appreciate it.

DOUGHERTY: Sure.

CHURCH: Still to come. Japan's Prime Minister bows to pressure, announcing he'll step down next month. We'll head to Tokyo for a live report.

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CHURCH: Japan's Prime Minister says he'll step down next month, ending a three-year term marked by political scandals. Fumio Kishida made the announcement during a news conference saying he will not seek reelection as President of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. And CNN's Hanako Montgomery joins us now live from Tokyo. Good to see you. So, what more are you learning about Kishida's decision and what comes next?

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, during his press conference today, Kishida said that by stepping down, he wanted to restore people's faith in politics. Now what he meant by that is the fact that his party has been embroiled in a couple of very significant political scandals. First there was the political slush fund scandal, where several politicians and factions within the ruling party were found to have not properly reported funds raised through different fundraising events.

Now, this lack of reporting, or this under reporting, continued for several years, but we only found out about it last year in December when local media first reported this issue. Now several politicians within the ruling party including the former Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga criticized Kishida for the way he handled this scandal and for not taking full responsibility, even though his faction was part of the problem.

Now, the second scandal that Kishida pointed to during his presser, and the reason why he decides to step down is the Unification Church scandal. As I'm sure you remember, Rosemary, a couple of years ago, the former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated by the son of a member of this religious organization. And people have been criticizing the way the Japanese government has been handling the scandal because even though it decided to strip the Unification Church of its name, it hasn't completely halted the organization's activities.

[02:25:00]

And we know that asides from the fact that the son of a member assassinated a former Japanese Prime Minister due to the church's ties, the organization has also been involved in several other scandals, including being accused of human rights abuses and of asking for excessive donations from its members and bankrupting families. And in terms of what comes next for Kishida and for his ruling party, Rosemary, we know that an election will be held in September of this year, and there are already several members and politicians who could emerge as key political leaders, Rosemary.

CHURCH: And Hanako, what's been the overall reaction to Kishida's announcement?

MONTGOMERY: Yes, Rosemary. I think it's been shocking, but not all that surprising. We know that Kishida has been dealing with and battling very, very low approval ratings, really, for the past year or so now. In fact, last month, his approval rating was 15.5 percent which is the lowest it's ever been for Japan's ruling party since it first came into power in December 2012. And also, the Japanese economy isn't doing too well.

Its GDP has slipped to fourth in the world. The Yen is at historic lows. We're also seeing inflation. So, for all of these reasons, Rosemary, I think Kishida decided that it was time for him to acknowledge that his approval rating was really affecting his leadership and that he needed to step aside so that somebody else could lead his party to the general elections come October 2025, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Hanako Montgomery, many thanks for that report. Appreciate it.

Greece's worst wildfire of the year has eased as strong winds die down and firefighters work to put out the last of the blaze. More than 400 square kilometers or 156 square miles of forests in the Attica region and up to the suburbs of Athens have burned in the fast-moving fire. At least one person was killed, and 1000s of residents were evacuated as the fire came very close to the Greek capital, where more than three million people live.

Emergency crews have been working to extinguish the fire, which began on Sunday near the town of Varnabas. One resident describes the inferno.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): It was hell. The fire started from very high up, and it came all the way down to the village. It was running at great speed. It was very windy. There was panic, there were sirens, a lot of people, police, people, crying, screaming, shouting, and it reached and burned all the way down to Athens.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: A local mayor told CNN, at one point, the fire was faster than the cars and trucks, and he said that studies show in the next 30 years, similar fires could devastate everything under 300 meters, leading towards the middle of Greece.

Across Europe, there's no relief in sight from the heat wave, especially in the southeast. Temperatures are expected to remain in the mid to upper 30s, even reaching 40 degrees Celsius in some areas. And CNN's Barbie Latza Nadeau joins me now live from Rome with more. Good morning to you. So, what is the latest on these high temperatures across Italy and other parts of southern Europe?

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes. You know, we're bracing for two very, very hot days where there are 22 cities in Italy that are under a red alert. Now those are the main, you know, tourist destinations, like here in Rome, in Florence, Naples. And, you know, what that means, according to the health ministry is that conditions are so hot that it's not just people who are vulnerable. People who have health issues that are at risk, but everyday people, normal people, people who have no problems with their health are also at risk with these high temperatures.

What that means in practical terms is that the tourists who are out during the heat of the day are the ones that are specifically vulnerable right now and that's what the Civil Protection people are really worried about. Everyday Italians, people who live in Southern Europe know how to deal with the heat. They stay inside. They drink a lot of water. They don't go out. But we see lines outside the coliseum and the Pantheon and people throwing their coins into the Trevi Fountain under the heat of the day.

They're telling people to stay inside between 11:00 and 6:00 p.m. But of course, that's really difficult if you're here in Rome or another beautiful city in Italy for a couple of days. It's hard to take that advice, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Yes. Absolutely. And it's a story we keep hearing over and over again, isn't it? And Barbie, the wildfire in Greece, it has eased, but what are the overall conditions there now? And how is this affecting residents?

NADUEA: You know, it's just utter devastation, you know, and we're talking about so close to the city of Athens. So, these aren't summer homes along the coast. These are homes where people live. And, you know, in these next days, now that the fire has subsided, you know, people are just looking at the damage, counting the damage. You know, they're finding their pets have died.

[02:30:07]

They're finding that they've lost their garden, their homes, their vehicle, you know, all of these sorts of things, obviously, have an economic impact as well.

And so even for the tourists there too, you know, these are -- this is devastating. These cities, especially Athens and even cities like (inaudible), where there have been fires around the city as well, are very much dependent on tourism as a big economic factor here. And so, tourists are afraid of these fires. So you're going to see a lot of people just nervous about going. These fires are devastating. And even though that they've subsided for now, of course, there's always concern that just some careless act is going to start them up again. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Right. Thanks to Barbie Nadeau, bringing us that live report. Appreciate it.

Still to come, the human toll of the war in Gaza, a father loses his wife and newborn twins in an Israeli strike, his heartbreaking story next.

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CHURCH: Gaza ceasefire and hostage release talks are set to resume on Thursday in Doha. Mediators are making a last-ditch effort to revive the stalled negotiations as the world braces for a potential Iranian attack on Israel. Two sources tell CNN the renewed diplomatic efforts are not expected to stop Iran from retaliating after the assassination of Hamas' political leader Ismail Haniyeh. U.S. officials believe Iran has still not decided on a course of action against Israel.

Last week, the U.S., Egypt and Qatar, key mediators in the talks said they will use the meeting to present a "final bridging proposal." Israel is sending a delegation to the talks and Hamas has indicated that it's still interested in a deal. Meantime, the planned ceasefire talks have not stopped Israeli strikes across Gaza. The enclave's ministry of health estimates nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed since the war started. In the past 24 hours alone, the ministry says more than 30 people were killed in Israeli strikes, including three-day old twins and their mother.

CNN's Jeremy Diamond has the heartbreaking report.

[02:35:00]

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): How do you console a man whose whole world has been shattered? A man who hours earlier was locked in the warm embrace of his wife and newborn babies, but now cries out in agony, begging to see them one last time. His new horrific reality is too much to bear. His wife and twin babies are dead, killed in an Israeli strike on their apartment in central Gaza, according to hospital officials.

Aysal and her brother, Aser, were just three-days-old. The Palestinian ministry of health says they are among 115 infants born and killed during the war in Gaza. Hours earlier, their mother, Jumana, a pharmacist, was blissfully responding to congratulations and well wishes on Facebook. "I feel like it was a miracle. Alhamdulillah sister, everything is going well." Jumana, Aysal and Aser now lie here in a room consumed with Mohammad's inconsolable grief.

These are the birth certificates he says, while I was getting them, I received a phone call telling me our apartment was targeted, and that my wife and children were at Al-Aqsa Hospital. Neighbors are still sifting through the aftermath of that strike. Hospital officials say an Israeli shell hit the building. The Israeli military did not respond to CNN's requests for comments.

The victims of several other strikes in central Gaza also pour into Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital were more parents grieve the deaths of their children. How can I live after you, my son, this mother cries. Amid the grief, there is also anger and exasperations including from the dead man's father,

The entire unjust world does not care about this. That's all I can say, Hassan says. Just numbers, we are just numbers. But for God, we are martyrs. One-by-one, their bodies are brought out of the morgue, so the living can pray for the dead, including nine month-old Jamal and his father, (inaudible).

Mohammad is performing the same rituals for his wife and twin babies, but prayers offer little comfort for a man who has lost everything, for a new father with no children to raise.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Haifa, Israel.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: To Myanmar now, and renewed fears of ethnic cleansing against the stateless Rohingya Muslim minority. Hundreds of people, including women and children, were reportedly killed by drone strikes while fleeing violence in western Myanmar last week. Witnesses and activists say the displaced families were waiting to cross the river to Bangladesh at the time of the attack. Unverified reports put the death toll at 200 people which, if confirmed, would be one of the deadliest attacks against civilians in Myanmar's three-year civil war.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NICHOLAS KOUMJIAN, U.N. HEAD OF INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATIVE MECHANISM FOR MYANMAR: There's no doubt that the military, that the Junta is becoming more desperate and we have seen, for example, this big increase in the use of aerial bombing. And the targets of these bombings are usually civilian targets. Schools and churches and hospitals are often the only structures in the area, and those are the structures that are being -- major structures that are being bombed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Witnesses and Myanmar's Junta say the drone attack was carried out by a powerful ethnic armed group that's fighting the military. However, the militant group known as the Arakan Army deny involvement and blame the junta and its allies. A Bangladesh court has opened a murder investigation into the former prime minister and other top authorities over the police killing of a man during recent protests, that is according to state media.

The inquiry is the first murder case to be filed against Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina since she fled to India last week. In her first statement since leaving Bangladesh, Hasina called for an investigation into what she described as heinous killings and acts of sabotage in July. The protests against a quota system for government jobs escalated into deadly violence, with clashes nationwide leaving at least 300 people dead.

And we'll be right back.

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[02:41:40]

CHURCH: A popular rock formation in Utah has collapsed into the water below. Officials say the geological feature known as the Double Arch gave way on Thursday in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. They released pictures of the before and after in a Friday news release. No injuries were reported in the collapse. The Double Arch was formed from Navajo sandstone dating back about 190 million years. Since its formation, the rock feature has suffered erosion over time caused by wind and rain. Officials suspect water level changes and strong waves contributed to the arch's collapse.

I want to thank you so much for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. "World Sport" is up next. Then I will be back in about 15 minutes with more "CNN Newsroom." Do stick around.

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[02:45:00]

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