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Get Out Of Gaza City; French Government Collapse; Nepal's Social Media Ban; More Details Emerge From Jerusalem Bus Stop Shooting; Italy Pays Last Respects To Giogio Armani. Aired 12-12:45a ET

Aired September 09, 2025 - 00:00   ET

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

[00:00:32]

LYNDA KINKADE, CNN HOST: Ahead here on CNN NEWSROOM. Get out. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's warning to the residents of Gaza City as the Israeli military prepares to seize control.

The French government has collapsed with less than nine months on the job. The prime minister loses a confidence vote over a controversial plan to cut the budget. And Nepal lifts its ban on social media after deadly protests, the worst unrest there in decades. We'll have a live report coming up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Live from Atlanta, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Lynda Kincaid.

KINKADE: Israel's prime minister is warning residents of Gaza City to "get out" as the offensive there intensifies. On Monday, airstrikes again targeted high rise towers in the densely populated area as the Israeli military moves forward with plans to occupy Gaza's largest city. One building that collapsed after a strike had housed the Palestinian Center for Human Rights.

The group says, its office had previously been raided by Israeli Defense Forces and was even used as a military base during previous operations. Benjamin Netanyahu says he's targeting buildings because of the presence of Hamas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: I promised you a few days ago that we will take down the terror towers in Gaza and this is exactly what we are doing. In the past couple of days, 50 such towers were taken down by the air force. Now all this is only an introduction, the CIFTA to the powerful main act, which is a ground maneuver of our forces who are now assembling and organizing into Gaza City.

And this is why I say to the residents of Gaza, I take this opportunity. Listen carefully. You have been warned. Leave now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Amid the intensifying assault, Qatar's prime minister is pressing Hamas to "respond positively to a new ceasefire proposal put forward by the US." Israel has said it's giving the proposal serious consideration.

For more, I'm joined by Stephen Cook. He is a Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. Great to have you with us.

STEPHEN COOK, SENIOR FELLOW FOR MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES, COUNCIL ON FOREIGN RELATIONS: Thanks for having me.

KINKADE: So Israel is stepping up its strikes on Gaza City, targeting high rises, pushing into urban areas. How would you describe this operation so far?

COOK: Well, so far I think the Israelis are still in a preparatory phase. They've been relatively restrained, and let me underline the word relatively. I think that's because the IDF senior command is mostly opposed to conducting this operation. And there is an awareness that there is a proposal out there for a hostage and ceasefire deal.

And so, the hope is that enough of this pressure on the outskirts of Gaza City, taking down some of these buildings, will compel Hamas to negotiate in good faith over this latest proposal that the Trump administration has tabled.

KINKADE: You know, Israel has, it's claimed it's decimated Hamas leadership and its capabilities. Yet attacks continue. Over 450 Israeli soldiers have died since 2003, including four on Monday. And of course we saw that attack in Jerusalem where six Israelis were killed by two Palestinian government.

So even if Hamas is wiped out, you know, why the war itself fuel future radicalization. What's your assessment?

COOK: Yes. I think this is a very serious question, a very serious issue that the Israelis have really failed to confront, which is what is the strategic goal in pursuing the conflict at this point, given how much damage they have done to Hamas. What is killing one more mid level commander of Hamas going to do to advance Israel's goals?

Even supporters of the war in Israel have raised this question. If the goal is to secure Israel, bring back hostages, there is a deal on the table, as the Israeli chief of staff says, that the country should take.

KINKADE: And, you know, looking at that deal, you know, that, you know, the Trump administration has put forward, Israel has accepted. But Hamas calls it a humiliating surrender. Where do you see this going? Is a deal like this viable?

[00:05:00]

COOK: Well, none of these deals have been viable because neither side have really been willing to bring this conflict to an end. When the Israeli chief of staff was speaking about a deal to be taken, he was referring to a previous deal which would have led to a partial and staged release of hostages in return for Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

There is a new plan that starts with the return of all of the hostages, dead and living, and that would lead to an Israeli withdrawal. But Hamas is suspect of this because it doesn't really obligate the Israelis to leave under a certain timetable.

KINKADE: Yes, exactly. And Trump has called this a final offer to Hamas. Is that effective diplomacy or could it dangerously close off future options?

COOK: Well, this is part of President Trump's style to kind of threaten and bluster as a way of, he believes, bringing people to the negotiating table. But it does, in fact, send the message that the United States is giving a green light to Israel to move in full force into Gaza City.

The Israelis have a plan to evacuate people, but this is a city of almost a million people, and thus far about a tenth have been willing to leave the city. So it sets Israel for a grinding and bloody conflict in which many innocents will likely be injured and killed.

KINKADE: Yes. And the United Nations continues to warn about mass displacement and famine. Is Israel nearing a legal or moral breaking point, and could that further shift international support?

COOK: Well, this is a debate that has been going on. Certainly the Israelis have been displacing people throughout this conflict. The question of whether there is a famine or not is something that the Israelis dispute. I think no one disputes that people are hungry in the Gaza Strip.

So I think the question of famine is being litigated both in the court of public opinion as well as with the legal standards here. Regardless, the population of the Gaza Strip is suffering terribly after two years of war. And as the Israeli chief of staff said, he doesn't believe that there's a real point in continuing the conflict and continuing this Gaza operation.

KINKADE: All right. Stephen Cook, great to get your analysis. Thanks so much for joining us. We appreciate it.

COOK: Thank you.

KINKADE: At least five people were killed in Israeli strikes in eastern Lebanon on Monday. That's according to Lebanon's Health Ministry. The IDF claims it had struck several Hezbollah militant positions, including military training compounds used for planning attacks against Israel.

On Monday, Hezbollah announced the deaths of five of its members from the same region. The Iranian-backed militant group did not provide details about the Soviet Union circumstances of their deaths. It simply referred to them as martyrs.

Russia is dismissing Western threats of further sanctions following its largest aerial assault yet on Ukraine on Monday, the Kremlin warned such measures would be absolutely useless. That's after President Trump said he's ready to expand sanctions against Moscow, and as Europe's top sanctions envoy arrived in Washington.

Ukrainian officials say the Russian president only understands force and has no intention of stopping the war. Over the weekend, Russian strikes hit a Kyiv government building for the first time. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh picks up the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: I've been fears for weeks that Russia's nightly assaults would at some point escalate to the point where they would overwhelm the capital's practiced air defenses. But Kyiv hits hard by 810 drones, a record backed by nine cruise missiles, four ballistic missiles that seemed to get the better of the practiced air defenses around that city.

Three killed, comparatively low toll, despite one of those three being a child under the age of one. But deeply symbolic damage done to a key government building inside the government area of Kyiv.

Ukraine's Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko posting a picture of herself standing in front of the burned out ruins of one of the offices where she frequents, a place that she gave Western diplomats a tour of in recent hours. A sign as Trump's envoy to Ukraine, Gen. Keith Kellogg said, that Russia is escalating this war.

Putin, perhaps buoyed by his recent summit in China where he shared a limo with India's leader, discussed, weirdly, immortality in a hot mic moment with China's President Xi Jinping, possibly seeing now with the support of those two key powers, the road ahead for his offensive in Ukraine extended. It is clear, it seems, from Ukrainian sources, that Russia is amassing troops on the eastern front line, possibly for another push before summer turns into the fall.

But a lot now resting on the decisions of US President Donald Trump, who said at the weekend he would introduce new sanctions, who said too he would talk to Putin imminently, even said at the weekend he might have European leaders visit him Monday or Tuesday.

[00:10:11]

A lot still waiting from the White House now, including indeed details of what those sanctions might be. Could it be banking sector in Russia that is hit that could potentially damage the frail Russian economy? Or could it be secondary sanctions, tariffs against Russia's major hydrocarbon customers, India or China?

So much to be decided but it seems, at this stage, Moscow's made its decision to pursue as aggressively as it can. For now, offensives in the air against Ukraine, but probably too in the days ahead, increased intensity on the front line as well. Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: France is facing yet another political crisis after lawmakers voted to oust Prime Minister Francois Bayrou in a landslide confidence vote on Monday. Bayrou called the vote in a bid to push through his widely unpopular government budget plan.

Now, President Emmanuel Macron is left with dwindling options as the opposition seeks to further erode his centrist government. CNN's Melissa Bell reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA BELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Another French prime minister ousted 364 lawmakers voted out Francois Bayrou with 194 voting for the government, making him the fourth prime minister to lose office in 20 months despite his pleas just moments before.

FRANCOIS BAYROU, FRENCH PRIME MINISTER: If we want to save the ship we and our children are on, we have to act immediately.

BELL: Just weeks after announcing he wanted to slash 44 billion pounds from the budget in 2026.

BAYROU: 5,000 pounds of additional debt per second, we should call it by its name. It's a mortal danger for a country.

KINKADE: But France's parliament has had no majority ever since the French President Emmanuel Macron dissolved the assembly, triggering elections in 2024 that left his center party weakened and the extremes both left and right much stronger. Since then, two prime ministers have tried and failed relatively quickly to get the confidence of France's parliament.

MICHEL BARNIER, FORMER FRENCH PRIME MINISTER: We proposed a budget, a difficult budget where everything was difficult to reduce our deficit. This deficit did not disappear by the magic of a no confidence vote.

BELL: The poisoned chalice to Francois Bayrou who's faced a far right and far left emboldened by the failures of the center to govern, ruling out any cooperation with him at all.

ANTOINE BRISTIELLE, DIRECTOR OF POLLING, JEAN-JAURES FOUNDATION: Yes. We are maybe in the -- in a regime crisis. So it's really complicated. There is no real solution in the current context with the way the French political parties are working together.

BELL: With this latest vote here at the national assembly, the French president is fast running out of options. He said that he will name a new prime minister in the next few days. The question whether he or she will have the numbers behind them to try and govern successfully.

And this with the clock ticking and the need to pass a new, smaller budget before the end of the year. And for now, no sense of who might be able to do that. Melissa Bell, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Nepal is walking back its controversial social media ban. Still ahead, the latest on the deadly crackdown of protests that led to the government's decision.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:18:00]

KINKADE: Nepal is lifting its ban on about two dozen social media platforms, including Facebook, WhatsApp and Youtube. The decision comes after the worst unrest the country has seen in decades. At least 19 people were killed Monday as police fired on young protesters.

Nepal's prime minister says he's deeply saddened by the events and blamed "infiltration by various vested interest groups for the violence without elaborating further."

I want to go to CNN's Hanako Montgomery for the latest. Hanako, this is, you know, just heartbreaking. Nineteen people losing their lives protesting what they saw as government censorship, demanding access to social media platforms that most of us take for granted. Just take us through the latest on the casualties and walk us through how this unfolded.

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Lynda, as you said, I mean, it's very tragic day in Nepal. As you mentioned, at least 19 people were killed. Hundreds more are feared injured following a deadly clash with riot police.

Now, as you mentioned, Lynda, these protests were first triggered by a social media ban that targeted very popular platforms in Nepal, such as WhatsApp, Facebook and X. Now the government said that this ban was necessary because they wanted to stop fake news disinformation from spreading within the country.

They also said that these platforms didn't properly register with the country's government, so they needed to ban these platforms. But critics and protesters say that this is really just an effort to censor the public, that this infringes on people's freedom of speech.

But it's important to note, Lynda, that these protests, while they were catalyzed by this social media ban last week that was issued last week, the protesters are saying that this issue is much bigger than that there's more to really protest here. They're frustrated with the government's what they say, widespread corruption, and a lack of economic opportunities and job opportunities for the country's youth.

Here's what one protester said about why he was demonstrating.

[00:20:04]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every corruption in the country from the local level to federal level, all the Nepalese citizens are fed up of corruption. Every youth are going outside the country. So we want to protect our youth and make the country's economy better.

(END VIDEO CLIP) MONTGOMERY: And, Lynda, we're hearing that the Nepali government has issued a second curfew that begins at 8:30 AM local time on Tuesday in an effort to quell more protests from occurring. But we're hearing reports that protesters are already gathering despite of this curfew and that they're planning to begin demonstrating from 11:00 AM local time. Lynda?

KINKADE: All right. Hanako Montgomery, good to have you on the story. Thank you.

Well, the Korean Air flight will head to the US as soon as Wednesday to bring home more than 300 South Korean citizens detained in an immigration raid last week. They were taken into custody at a Hyundai battery plant that's under construction here in Georgia. US officials say the raid targeted illegal workers and those with visa violations.

South Korea says most of the workers are employed by subcontractors, not Hyundai, and that it's working with the US Government to eventually allow them to reenter the country.

One of the US Senate's top Democrats says the Trump administration's threats of immigration raids in Chicago are not making the US any safer. Dick Durbin of Illinois called the recently announced Operation Midway Blitz a waste of money, saying it only serves to "stoke fear and represent another failed attempt at distraction."

It's the latest criticism of President Trump's aggressive action to combat crime and immigration issues in Democratic led cities. CNN's Priscilla Alvarez reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PRISCILLA ALVAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Department of Homeland Security announced their operation in Chicago and the state of Illinois called Operation Midway Blitz. Now, this is expected to include stepped up enforcement in the area, not necessarily the start of immigration arrests. Of course, those have been happening in Chicago.

But over the last several days, the administration has surged federal personnel there and are expected to continue to do that as they target undocumented immigrants who they say have criminal records, although what we have seen in other cities is that those without criminal records can similarly be arrested by federal authorities. Now, this is part of the Trump administration's attacks against sanctuary cities.

Those are cities that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities. And ones that the President and his officials have repeatedly called out because they say it makes it more difficult for the federal authorities on the ground who are trying to target public safety and national security threats.

But it's not just Chicago. In fact, officials tell me that privately there had been conversations for weeks about targeting Chicago. But also Boston, which also announced an operation over the weekend where they too are stepping up their enforcement in the city. And that's ultimately what this looks like, surging federal personnel to these Democratic led cities who they say are hampering their immigration enforcement efforts.

It looks a lot like Los Angeles. That is, according to my sources, what much of this is based on, which similarly looked like federal personnel surging into the city targeting undocumented immigrants. And then as those immigration protests began, that is when National Guard was deployed to quell those protests.

Now, there's still the question as to whether National Guard would play a role in places like Boston or Chicago. White House border czar Tom Homan saying that it's not off the table, though there is ongoing litigation about the way the administration used it in Los Angeles. And however they used it in the state would still be distinct and different from the way that they used National Guard in the in Washington, DC. which is not a state. Therefore, the government has more authorities.

All the same, though, this is still in its beginning phases, so it's unclear exactly how it will unfold. But officials tell me what is certain is that there is an expectation of more federal personnel in these cities as the administration tries to advance its aggressive immigration agenda. Back to you.

KINKADE: Well, Israel's prime minister is vowing a harsh response after a deadly attack in Jerusalem. Ahead, the latest details on the shooting and what authorities have learned about the two gunmen.

[00:24:35]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: We've got some breaking news just into as Thailand's former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is going back to prison for another year. The Thai Supreme Court just ruled that his hospital stint two years ago will not count towards his overall sentence.

The influential billionaire had returned home in 2023 after 15 years of self-imposed exile, spent only hours in prison before being transferred to hospital. The king had reduced his eight year sentence to one year before he was released on parole. Thaksin had been accused of abuse of power and corruption during his time in power, charges he claimed were politically-motivated.

Israel's defense minister is warning of the most severe consequences after the deadliest attack in Jerusalem in more than two years. At least six people were killed Monday when two gunmen opened fire in a busy bus stop.

[00:30:04]

And now we're learning more about the attackers and how Israel is responding. CNN's Jeremy Diamond reports from Jerusalem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Amid pops of gunfire, this crowded Jerusalem bus stop is thrown into chaos, sending terrified Israelis running for their lives. Israeli authorities say two Palestinian gunmen opened fire here, killing at least six people during rush hour. More than a dozen others were wounded in what authorities called a terrorist attack.

ELAZAR TOLEDANO, WITNESS (through translation): Suddenly I started hearing a burst of gunfire, at first small and then it intensified. People were looking at each other trying to understand what was happening but no one understood. Only maybe after two or three seconds, someone suddenly shouted attack. And people started running.

DIAMOND: This bus was damaged when the Israeli police say two terrorists opened fire on this crowded police bus station in Jerusalem. You can see some of the bullet holes that are still left in this bus, what authorities say is the deadliest terrorist attack in Israel in nearly a year.

FADI DEKAIDEK, MAGEN DAVID ADOM: It was so hard to see all the people laying down in the street and blood -- bleeding.

DIAMOND: Police are hailing an off duty soldier and several armed civilians for returning fire, almost immediately killing the shooters. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowing Israel will deliver a harsh response and won't be deterred.

NETANYAHU (through translation): These murders, these attacks on all fronts do not weaken our resolve. They only increase our determination to complete the missions we've taken upon ourselves.

DIAMOND: Within hours, Israeli Security Forces began raiding several Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank that were home to the attackers. Israeli police also arrested a resident of East Jerusalem for suspected involvement in the attack.

In Jerusalem, six families have joined this region's long list of mourners. But at this bus stop, shards of glass are swept up, blood is washed away, and people return to their daily lives. Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: At least 10 people are dead and more than 40 injured after a freight train collided with a double-decker bus north of Mexico City on Monday. In the video verified by CNN, you can see the train plowing into the bus as it tried to cross the tracks in a slow moving traffic, tearing off its roof.

Authorities say the bus driver was taken into custody as investigators work to determine the cause of that deadly collision.

Well, loved ones have said their final goodbyes to fashion legend Giorgio Armani. Next, we'll take you to Italy as people all over the country honor his legacy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:35:41]

KINKADE: Welcome back. Well, in an ending worthy of a TV series finale, Rupert Murdoch's family succession dispute has come to a long awaited end. Under the agreement, Murdoch's eldest son Lochlan will remain in charge of the family's conservative media empire, which of course includes Fox News and the Wall Street Journal.

As the family's existing trust setup is replaced, three of Murdoch's adult children will reportedly depart with a billion dollar payout each. The Murdoch succession drama kicked off in 2023 when Rupert Murdoch moved to amend the trust to consolidate control with Lachlan and cut the other children out of the business.

Prince Harry is back in Britain for a rare and brief visit. The Duke of Sussex traveled from his California home to attend several charity engagements. He also laid a wreath and flowers at St. George's Chapel in Windsor in honor of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away three years ago on Monday.

Despite a lot of media speculation, it's not clear if the prince will meet with his father, King Charles, during this visit. The two have not spoken in person since February of last year.

Giorgio Amani was laid to rest on Monday in a private funeral. Family and friends and longtime colleagues gathered at a small church near his home village in Northern Italy. Amani's loss has been felt worldwide and especially in Milan, his home city. Both his birth declaring it was a day of mourning for the designer whose 50 year career had defined Italian style. CNN's Barbie Latza Nadeau has more from Rome.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBIE LATZA NADEAU, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: All across Italy, Armani stores like this one in Central Rome closed Monday afternoon out of respect for their founder, Giorgio Armani, who died on September 4th. In the Northern Italian town of Rivalta, a private funeral with around 20 people was held. His final resting place will be the family tomb alongside his parents and a brother.

Over the weekend, around 16,000 people paid their final respects in Milan at the Armani Theatre, where his coffin was covered with white flowers and surrounded by illuminated lanterns. All eyes now going forward on what is next for the storied brand without their beloved leader, Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[00:40:09]

KINKADE: The rare red panda cub has made her debut. She was born at a zoo in England on June 23rd. The birth brings a boost to Europe's breeding program for the endangered red panda. It's a relief to many as habitat loss and illegal poaching has landed the species on the endangered list.

Red pandas are native to the Himalayan foothills of Nepal, India and Myanmar, and forests in Western China. How cute.

Thanks so much for watching CNN newsroom. I'm Lynda Kincaid. I'll be back with much more news at the top of the hour. But stick around right now, World Sport is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: At least six people killed Monday when two people opened fire on a busy bus stop. And now we're learning more about the attackers and how Israel is responding.

[00:30:10]

CNN's Jeremy Diamond reports from Jerusalem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DIAMOND (voice-over): Amid pops of gunfire, this crowded Jerusalem bus stop is thrown into chaos, sending terrified Israelis running for their lives.

Israeli authorities say two Palestinian gunmen opened fire here, killing at least six people during rush hour. More than a dozen others were wounded in what authorities called a terrorist attack.

ELAZAR TOLEDANO, WITNESS (through translator): Suddenly, I started hearing a burst of gunfire: at first small, and then it intensified. People were looking at each other, trying to understand what was happening, but no one understood.

Only maybe after 2 or 3 seconds, someone suddenly shouted, "Attack!" And people started running.

DIAMOND: This bus was damaged when the Israeli police say two terrorists opened fire on this crowded bus station in Jerusalem. You can see some of the bullet holes that are still left in this bus. What authorities say is the deadliest terrorist attack in Israel in nearly a year.

FADI DEKAIDEK, MAGEN DAVID ADOM: It was so hard to see all the people laying down in the street and blood -- bleeding.

DIAMOND (voice-over): Police are hailing an off-duty soldier and several armed civilians for returning fire almost immediately, killing the shooters.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowing Israel will deliver a harsh response and won't be deterred.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): These murders, these attacks on all fronts, do not weaken our resolve. They only increase our determination to complete the missions we've taken upon ourselves. DIAMOND (voice-over): Within hours, Israeli security forces began raiding several Palestinian villages in the occupied West Bank that were home to the attackers. Israeli police also arrested a resident of East Jerusalem for suspected involvement in the attack.

In Jerusalem, six families have joined this region's long list of mourners. But at this bus stop, shards of glass are swept up, blood is washed away, and people return to their daily lives.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: At least ten people are dead and more than 40 injured after a freight train collided with a double decker bus North of Mexico City on Monday.

In the video, verified by CNN, you can see the train plowing into the bus as it tried to cross the tracks in a slow-moving traffic, tearing off its roof.

Authorities say the bus driver was taken into custody as investigators work to determine the cause of that deadly collision.

Well, loved ones have said their final goodbyes to fashion legend Giorgio Armani. Next, we'll take you to Italy as people all over the country honor his legacy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:37:48]

KINKADE: Welcome back. Well, in an ending worthy of a TV series finale, Rupert Murdoch's family succession dispute has come to a long- awaited end.

Under the agreement, Murdoch's eldest son, Lachlan, will remain in charge of the family's conservative media empire, which of course, includes FOX News and "The Wall Street Journal."

As the family's existing trust set-up is replaced, three of Murdoch's adult children will reportedly depart with $1 billion payout each.

The Murdoch succession drama kicked off in 2023, when Rupert Murdoch moved to amend the trust to consolidate control with Lachlan and cut the other children out of the business.

Prince Harry is back in Britain for a rare and brief visit. The Duke of Sussex traveled from his California home to attend several charity engagements. He also laid a wreath and flowers at Saint George's Chapel in Windsor in honor of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away three years ago on Monday.

Despite a lot of media speculation, it's not clear if the prince will meet with his father, King Charles, during this visit. The two have not spoken in person since February of last year. Giorgio Armani was laid to rest on Monday in a private funeral. Family

and friends and longtime colleagues gathered at a small church near his home village in Northern Italy.

Armani's loss has been felt worldwide, and especially in Milan, his home city of his birth, declaring it was a day of mourning for the designer, whose 50-year career had defined Italian style.

CNN's Barbie Latza Nadeau has more from Rome.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADEAU: All across Italy, Armani stores like this one in central Rome --

NADEAU (voice-over): -- closed Monday afternoon out of respect for their founder, Giorgio Armani, who died on September 4.

In the Northern Italian town of Rivalta, a private funeral with around 20 people was held. His final resting place will be the family tomb, alongside his parents and a brother.

NADEAU: Over the weekend, around 16,000 people paid their --

NADEAU (voice-over): -- final respects in Milan at the Armani Theater, where his coffin was covered with white flowers and surrounded by illuminated lanterns.

All eyes now going forward --

NADEAU: -- on what is next for the storied brand without their beloved leader.

Barbie Nadeau, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: Well, the rare red panda cub has made her debut. She was born at a zoo in England on June 23rd.

The birth brings a boost to Europe's breeding program for the endangered red panda. It's a relief to many as habitat loss and illegal poaching has landed the species on the endangered list.

Red pandas are native to the Himalayan foothills of Nepal, India and Myanmar, and forests in Western China.

How cute!

Thanks so much for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Lynda Kinkade. I'll be back with more news at the top of the hour. But stick around right now. WORLD SPORT is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:45:32] (WORLD SPORT)

[00:57:29]

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