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Nepal-China Flood Claims 616 Lives, 2,500+ Missing; At Least 27 Killed in Overnight Strike in Kyiv; Trump Claims "Historic" Oil Deal with Venezuela; Iceland Votes on Whether to Restart Talks to Join E.U.; Roger Federer to Be Inducted into Tennis Hall of Fame. Aired 5- 6a ET

Aired August 29, 2026 - 05:00   ET

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

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SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hello and welcome. I'm Salma Abdelaziz in London. Let's get to the headlines.

The race is on to find survivors from the devastating flooding along Nepal's border with China. We're going to have the latest on those recovery efforts.

Sixty-five billion barrels: that is how much of Venezuela's oil reserves are involved in a deal reached with the U.S. We're going to break down the agreement and how it could impact consumers.

And what president Trump has called an excursion in Iran has now lasted six months. We'll have the latest on where the conflict stands.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from London, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Salma Abdelaziz.

ABDELAZIZ: Let's begin with that devastating flooding along Nepal's border with China. Police in Nepal say the death toll has risen to 116 people.

Now Chinese state media report seven people are confirmed dead in Tibet and more than 3,000 people are still missing across both sides of that border, including hundreds of foreign nationals who are visiting the area.

The flooding and landslides have wreaked havoc across the region, destroying buildings, washing away bridges and burying towns under feet of mud and debris. More rain is expected in the region this weekend, adding to the growing concerns about further flooding and landslides.

Now search and rescue efforts are underway again in Nepal. Army officials said seven military and seven civilian helicopters rescued nearly 900 people on Friday but that very remote location in the Himalayas and the difficult conditions are complicating relief efforts in some of the hardest-hit areas.

This dramatic video shows a massive flash flood just raging through a Nepali town on Wednesday. Now remarkably, one house withstood the flood waters, as you can see, with people on the balcony there. Thousands of people are, of course, in urgent need of food, water and other aid.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TAMARA DEMURIA, CHIEF HUMANITARIAN OFFICER, CORUS INTERNATIONAL: We're still in search and rescue period and we see that a lot of efforts are put together by the security forces as well as the government of Nepal to uncover the bodies, to find the missing population.

It's not over yet. And very complicated to even access some of the geographies further north. Some of the communities are completely cut out. We cannot even get there to understand what's left. And the damage is way more severe further north. You go all the way close to the Chinese border, the damage is insurmountable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: Now the first shipment of American aid has arrived in Nepal for flood victims. The U.S. embassy in Nepal says aid groups are working to deliver food, blankets, mosquito nets and other supplies for hundreds of people sheltering to schools in the region.

CNN's Hanako Montgomery and her team visited one of the hardest-hit areas in Nepal, where they found a town destroyed and buried under mud.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HANAKO MONTGOMERY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Look at how this town has been devastated by the flooding. I mean, this entire area completely covered in mud and debris that's been brought in from the river just over there. The first floor of all these buildings, I mean, just completely filled to the brim with mud.

And as you can tell, it's raining right now, which is exactly what the Nepali authorities were fearing. They fear that this additional rain could contribute to a secondary flood.

It's also made it pretty difficult for them to find remaining survivors because, of course, it's really hard to find individuals in these remote parts, especially if choppers can't land and they can't get to those people safely.

But I want you to take a look here. I mean, look at how much mud there is. This is several feet high. And because of the rain, it's also made a lot of this mud pretty loose, making it a little bit difficult to walk around here.

But take a look at this. I mean, electric lines completely destroyed. This debris here, this looks like pipes, metal pipes. And, I mean, it looks like threads here. That's how badly destroyed it is. And, wow, look at this truck.

Take a look here. The front end of this truck is just submerged in mud.

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I mean, hopefully, there was no one riding it at the time but you can see it just completely tipped off the edge here. Wow. And now because of this heavy rain, it's now created almost a stream that's leading back to the river. I don't know if you can see down there.

But you can tell the river, I mean, tide is still pretty strong. The current is still pretty strong. And, again, this is what Nepali authorities are fearful of because with this rain, with monsoon season, it could mean that we see further devastation.

Look here. I mean, this wall completely destroyed. And this is the scene that we keep seeing playing out across different remote villages in Nepal that were worst affected by the flooding.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: Last hour I spoke with the interim country director with Plan International Nepal. She described to me the current situation on the ground for survivors and their most urgent needs.

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SRIJANA GURUNG, INTERIM COUNTRY DIRECTOR FOR NEPAL, PLAN INTERNATIONAL: Especially in the areas where the access is really difficult and the reach is only through the helicopters, a lot of people, what we understand, the information that we have received on the ground, is they are taking shelters with their relatives.

But there's only so much somebody can provide. So even if they have the shelter, temporary shelter, the (INAUDIBLE) still there. And, for those who have been evacuated, government has holding centers.

But there is definitely a need for food, immediate need for food, for wash and water. And a lot of, as you can see in the --

(CROSSTALK)

GURUNG: -- and this is a lot of people ...

ABDELAZIZ: This is such a global disaster that you're describing here. Of course, you say it's difficult to fathom what's happening on the ground. But this is something that touches so many countries. It's happened along the border of China and Nepal.

But it also is a place that attracts tourists, that attracts pilgrims. We know that many foreign nationals are caught up in this crisis.

Does that mean, as an aid group, that you're seeing an outpouring of assistance?

Or are you simply not getting all the help you need?

What is lacking right now?

GURUNG: I think everybody is doing their best, whether it's an individual level, whether it's organization level, government level and also from the international community.

It is really difficult that a country like Nepal, which produces less than 0.1 percent of global carbon emission, have very minimal contribution in the climate change, has to suffer this level of result. And it is one of the countries which is at the highest risk.

Especially it is the -- this community is also one of the communities who had to undergo similar crisis in 2015 earthquake. So not just once but twice. Communities, children, young people having to go through this level of devastation, shock after shock, time and again is really frustrating.

But we do believe that there is help coming. There is -- government is strongly working on rescue and on relief. Various international organizations have extended their support.

Even Plan International globally is providing as much support in terms of reaching to the affected communities, whether through different food, shelter or other requirements, lifesaving requirements.

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ABDELAZIZ: Two of the only known Americans to survive the flood are now sharing their harrowing ordeal. They tell CNN's Will Ripley that the water came rushing down the mountain like a tsunami. They say they only survived because their tour guide helped them up the mountain to higher ground

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ANJANA RAJA, AMERICAN FLOOD SURVIVOR: So the way it came is came just like a tsunami. Just came going all the way up and just like a tsunami. The -- how it's sweeps going like a row. It just took the buses, the --

PATTABIRAMAN VENTAKASEN, AMERICAN FLOOD SURVIVOR: Houses.

RAJA: -- houses, people, everything. We saw people just getting sucked in the water. It was so traumatizing to see that. People are screaming. But, of course, water doesn't hear anything.

It just kind of sucked them in. I don't know if they were thrown away somewhere in the shore but then this happened. It was just a span of 30 minutes. In 30 minutes, everything was swept and gone. It was -- there was no water after that.

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ABDELAZIZ: And the son of an American couple who survived the flood spoke with CNN about that moment that they received a phone call from his parents, letting him know that they're OK.

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VIKRAM RAVI, SON OF FLOOD SURVIVORS: Suddenly, I get a phone call and it's from my mom. So I pick up and she's just crying -- she's crying. She's saying, "Shiva saved us, Shiva saved us," this massive mudslide -- tsunami is actually the word she used to -- "trampled villages and buried hundreds of people.

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"There's so many people dead."

And I'm just sitting there like, what is going on?

I mean, I think my first -- my first emotion was confusion, because it's just something I wasn't prepared for. Like, the news wasn't out yet, as far as I'm aware. I got more context about the whole situation over the next few days.

But I guess, looking back on this retroactively, I'm just thankful that I was able to hear her tell me that she's OK, rather than, again, having to go look for her in this impossible ordeal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ABDELAZIZ: Scientists are monitoring a second, newly-formed lake in the Nepali mountains that could burst its banks. CNN's Tom Foreman explains how the rescuers are still facing the threat of another flood.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For all the people involved in this dismal and dangerous work of rescue and recovery, this is something they really don't need. Let's put ourselves on the map first.

India down here, Nepal right through here, China up in this area. And this is where it all happened, the middle of the country there.

What happened?

Well, researchers say, in the initial incident, this glacier over here collapsed and it created a landslide. It forced all this debris and mud and water and ice to rush down here, to hit this river valley and send a liquid shock wave through it.

Now when I say a liquid shock wave, how much of a shock?

Traveling more than 100 miles an hour. And look at this. If you see the before picture, which we're looking at now, this is the after. Look how far down. This is just absolutely blasted out. And this is where the new concern comes in.

Because if you look closely, you can see right here and right here, those are lakes that have formed along the path from the water building up there against the debris.

So they've been watching this very carefully, saying, what if, in fact, all of this that is building up right now -- and this is one of the actual sites -- what if the water building up behind this, what if this debris and all this scree and rock and mud, what if it gives way?

What happens then?

Does one of these lakes or both of them, do they cut loose and come shooting right back down that valley, right on top of the very people who are trying to rescue and recover those who were lost in all of this?

That's the worry.

What can they do about it?

Maybe not a lot but they're trying to get some cameras in place. They want to get more sensors in place to track this. And most of all, they're warning those workers. Look, as hard as the work is, as tired as you are, you have to be ready at a moment's notice to run for higher ground if another flash flood starts coming through.

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ABDELAZIZ: We have breaking news coming out of Ukraine right now in to CNN. Officials say emergency operations are underway. This is near Kyiv after a Russian airstrike killed at least 27 people. This is potentially one of the worst attacks we've seen in some time.

And it could get even worse. Officials say at least 42 others were injured in the attack. This is in the Bucha district just outside of the capital. Four of them are children. Rescue crews and firefighters are working at the scene. We're getting those pictures to you now, along with medical services.

Now close to 400 people have been evacuated from the emergency zone and about 50 residential buildings are damaged. The full scope of the damage is, of course, still being assessed. We're going to have much more for you here on CNN right after the break.

President Trump unveils a sweeping Venezuela oil deal, giving the U.S. access to billions of barrels. We have the details up next.

Plus, the U.S. and Iran have effectively been at war for six months now. We're going to look at what could come up in the conflict that president Trump said would be over in a matter of weeks.

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ABDELAZIZ: The Trump administration is challenging a federal judge's decision blocking new restrictions on mail-in voting. Now this move comes just weeks before the midterm elections in November.

The rules would require states to submit lists of mail-in voters to the U.S. Postal Service. The Postal Service would then be allowed to refuse to deliver ballots from states that did not meet requirements for voter lists and envelopes. For now, those changes remain on hold for two weeks.

President Trump says the U.S. has reached what he calls a historic oil deal with Venezuela. The announcement comes as the U.S. faces dwindling emergency reserves, while the Iran war disrupts one-fifth of the world's oil supply.

President Trump says the U.S. will get majority control of more than 65 billion barrels of Venezuela's oil reserves. That will increase oil supply and, presumably, lower gas prices. Now he says the deal will also strengthen relations between the two countries.

Venezuela's acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, is also praising the agreement. A White House official says that Rodriguez granted a private company a 100-year concession to develop the oil fields. It's a joint venture between the U.S. government and a private operator in Venezuela.

To discuss this further, I want to bring in now Christopher Sabatini. He is the director of the Latin America program at Chatham House.

Good morning to you. Thank you so much for joining us. First of all, president Trump is, of course, describing this deal as a win for both countries.

But when America is gaining majority control of 65 billion barrels of oil reserves, what are the people of Venezuela actually getting out of it?

CHRISTOPHER SABATINI, SENIOR FELLOW FOR LATIN AMERICA, CHATHAM HOUSE: It's not clear. He's promised that out of this will come $205 billion worth of tax revenue for the interim government of Delcy Rodriguez.

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That's problematic at a number of levels. First of all, Delcy Rodriguez represents the vice president of the former president that he extracted on January 3rd. She's part of the repressive machinery in Venezuela that has governed for over 20 years, has broken up the opposition stolen elections.

So he's basically locking in an agreement with the government that is completely discredited, that only has about a 25 percent approval rating. But also that those promised gains are not going to come for a long time.

This is a hugely risky endeavor and a long-term endeavor. It is not in the interest of Venezuelan people and it's not even interest in the interests of the U.S. people. I'm going to call it for what it is. This is a big con to both sides.

ABDELAZIZ: A big con to both sides. You also question the legitimacy and the credibility that Delcy Rodriguez even has to negotiate this deal.

What kind of blowback could she face at home?

Is there anything that could hold up what you, again, are describing as a big con?

SABATINI: So first of all, her party, which was founded by Hugo Chavez, who made his entire campaign platform on resource nationalism, the United Socialist party of Venezuela, has basically stood for economic resource nationalism, nationalizing companies overseas.

Now she's done a complete about-face. This will quite likely splinter her base. There's already signs of splinters from some of the more leftist oriented elements of the party. And so she's already in a difficult position.

This is going to do so even more. And it even violates the constitution that was created by the constituent assembly, dominated by the PSUV, the Chavistas. So it would require, in theory, a constitutional reform.

Now this is a government that hasn't had much respect for its own constitution. So that may be just a minor issue to deal with. But then in terms of the opposition, this is -- they see this as a completely bold and, quite frankly, illegitimate move.

To strike a deal with an interim government that was not elected to cut out the opposition, to violate the Constitution, to allow the U.S. to seize, basically the resources of Venezuela, no one, except for maybe the interim president who is facing a potential indictment and jail time, just like her former boss, is going to agree with this deal.

And in terms of the benefits to the U.S., these are also completely overblown. This is a -- these are fields largely that have been fallow for a long time, those that have already been tapped. The rigs and such are rusty. They will need completely new investment.

But they're also in far-flung places and, in many cases, in conflict areas. So will require security, maybe even U.S. military security. This is a completely undefined project that promises things that will never be delivered.

ABDELAZIZ: It's extraordinary. As you're -- as you're questioning this deal and as you're describing it as undefined, vague, you're bringing up the resources; you're saying no one in Venezuela would even agree.

You're saying even for the United States, there's very little benefit. I'm doubting whether this deal is actually going to come through. But the timing here is curious as well. You have an already vulnerable

Venezuela, reeling from earthquakes. And you have a president Trump who is desperate to lower gas prices.

Is there any impetus to make this deal happen and genuinely provide some benefits, whether that's for Americans or Venezuelans?

SABATINI: To add another thing, Salma, is now there's the risk also of Canada imposing export taxes on Alberta's gas and oil exports to the United States.

So yes, he's trying to claim that these barrels of oil, 65 billion, are ready to be tapped, ready to be sold, ready to plug any holes left by -- in the global energy markets left by Iran's control of the Strait of Hormuz.

And, of course, for U.S. consumers, any problems that may arise from the current trade war between the U.S. and Canada. But again, this is not oil that's ready to move. This will not hit markets for years or at least a year.

So it's just simply a show to convince, as you say, midterm voters that maybe there's relief in sight for the high levels of price -- gas prices right now in the United States.

But it's not realistic. It can't be delivered. And, quite frankly, this could actually cost the U.S. taxpayer far more because of all the complications of guaranteeing the investment, $100 billion through, that the U.S. is basically going to guarantee for this oil production.

It's going to require far more than that. And again, it will take a long time for this oil to be tapped, produced and then delivered.

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ABDELAZIZ: Christopher Sabatini there, putting some major question marks on what you describe as a big con, this deal with Venezuela, for --

(CROSSTALK)

SABATINI: -- I'm calling it --

ABDELAZIZ: -- cost American taxpayers money and could also cost Venezuelans their very valuable resources. Thank you so much for your time.

SABATINI: Thank you, Salma.

ABDELAZIZ: It's been six months since the U.S. and Israel launched the war with Iran. Despite initial descriptions of the conflict as simply an excursion that would only take a few weeks, president Trump's goals still remain unfulfilled.

The U.S. has burned through weapons stockpiles, forcing some inventory that was originally intended for Ukraine or South Korea to be redirected. But Iran shows no signs that it plans to surrender or abandon its nuclear ambitions or reopen the Strait of Hormuz anytime soon. Our Kristen Holmes has more for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What we are now hitting that six-month mark and that is well beyond, if we're being generous, the six-week mark president Trump put in place. At one point, he actually said 3-4 weeks, again, far beyond that.

Now whether or not they still consider this a war, that might be up for debate within the administration. But for the American people, it certainly feels as though this is still ongoing. And it doesn't appear that there's going to be any end in sight. Here's what president Trump said this week as we were hitting that six-month mark.

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DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: We don't want to speak to them. We're not looking to meet or anything. The strait is open. We're taking a lot of boats. Millions and millions of barrels of oil are coming out of the strait every day.

Other countries recognize that. Every once in a while they shoot some -- you know, they put some shots out. You know, we totally cleared the strait of -- we have the best minesweepers in the world.

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HOLMES: No talks planned, no talks on the horizon.

So what exactly is going to happen next?

Well, we talked to these U.S. officials. They believe that this economic D-Day, this strangulation shift in posture, from military operation to economic sanctions and trying to put that pressure on Iran is the best course of action.

But those same officials say that this could take months to actually see any kind of movement. And for Iran's part, they say that they're not going to work under any pressure.

That has been the big question about this kind of economic chokehold that the administration is planning. Iran has faced international sanctions for years and still not shifted their position when it comes to having a nuclear program.

So how is this any different?

But again, these various officials, they believe that this is their best pathway forward. But also when you look at this overall, the global economy has been harmed by this war in Iran.

President Trump just now, you heard him saying that the Strait of Hormuz is open. It is open and more ships are getting through. But it is still not at the same level it was before they launched this war in the first place.

So it certainly seems this decision to shift strategy from military operation to economic is trying to put this war at an arm's length, particularly heading into the midterms. But Americans are still feeling the pinch on their pocket.

A lot of this stemming from the higher prices, particularly around the pump when it comes to this war in Iran. And this economic chokehold, moving away from military operations, it's unclear if that's going to have any economic benefit for everyday Americans right now.

You hear president Trump over and over again saying he's not in any rush, that he doesn't feel any pressure to bring them to the negotiating table, to come to an agreement. There are a lot of Americans across the country who would disagree -- Kristen Holmes, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: Still to come here on CNN NEWSROOM, the painstaking search continues for survivors of a deadly flood at the Nepal-China border. But a newly formed lake is fueling concerns of even more flooding.

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ABDELAZIZ: Welcome back. I'm Salma Abdelaziz. Let's take a look at today's top stories.

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ABDELAZIZ: President Donald Trump is praising a new deal that he says gives the U.S. access to 65 billion barrels of Venezuela's vast oil reserves. He says the move will more than double American oil reserves and lower gas prices.

The deal comes as U.S. emergency reserves have fallen to their lowest levels since the early 1980s. The national average price of gas is now above $4 a gallon.

And a legal battle is brewing ahead of the U.S. midterm elections. The White House is appealing a federal judge's ruling that temporarily blocks the U.S. Postal Service from carrying out Trump's executive order that could limit mail-in voting.

The rules would allow the Postal Service to refuse to deliver ballots from states that did not meet certain requirements.

The death toll in the catastrophic flood along Nepal's border with China has risen to more than 600 people, with more than 3,000 people still missing across both sides of the border, including hundreds of foreign nationals who are visiting the area.

More rain is expected in the region this week -- this weekend, adding to the growing concerns about further flooding and landslides. CNN's Mike Valerio is tracking developments on the deadly flooding in the Himalayas and has more now from Beijing for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE VALERIO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I mean, it's staggering. And we can report here in the afternoon in Asia, Salma, the two people have been rescued in this control room. Let's put up the video disaster zone in China.

This is the core of the region the Chinese rescuers are concentrating on right now. Remember that video of the customs house being hit by that black wall of water and debris, well, now nothing there that we're able to see from the latest video that CNN has gotten is also on our live story on cnn.com.

There you go. You just see it's the river. And then that layer of mud, sand and debris that came cascading down.

But we want to get to two sound bites. This is from the other side of the border on Nepal. We're first going to listen to a woman who is still searching for the rest of her family. She says she may be the only one left. And then you'll hear the second sound bite.

A woman whose baby was found and she'll describe what she was feeling leading up to that moment before her baby was found. Let's play those two sound bites. We'll talk more on the other side, Salma.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RANI GUPTA, FLOOD VICTIM (through translator): We have even put up photos but we don't know anything. Nothing is known over there. It has been three days. There has been no update about any of my family members.

When will I be able to meet them?

No other family members are left in my family.

[05:35:02]

I am the only one who's here now. I don't know where to go and I don't know what to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATTI MAYA TAMANG, FLOOD VICTIM (through translator): I had completely lost hope that I no longer have my children. I was going through a period of grief and I couldn't even control myself and thought that there was no point in staying alive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VALERIO: So we've seen that rescuers have been able to access many towns in Nepal. But the difference from what we're watching from our newsroom here in Beijing and what we're seeing from Chinese state media and social media is that, now, Salma, crews have been able to reach where that port crossing was.

And this is certainly a new development.

So what's going to happen in the next couple of hours?

They, the rescuers who are working from the Chinese side, they want to be able to cut a road into that sludge and debris to try to get more equipment there.

Because, as I'm sure you'll see in some of the video, there are drones that have been shipped in from all parts of China that are starting to, deliver supplies to the rescuers who have been able to get there.

And also, you know, we have a quote from one of the battalion leaders, who's, you know, said to Chinese central television, the state media outlet, that's one of the two outlets there on the ground with Xinhua news, that the buildings within this mudslide impact zone, they're all gone.

So certainly miraculous that, what we were talking at the top of this segment, that two people were rescued. But they are going to search every square meter of this sand to just make sure that they have left no stone unturned and that could there perhaps be somebody under a bus, under a piece of debris.

They're going to search every square meter and they are nowhere near done yet, Salma.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ABDELAZIZ: Joining us for more on this catastrophe is professor Benjamin Horton. He is the dean of the School of Energy and Environment and chair professor of Earth Science at City University of Hong Kong.

Thank you so much for joining us.

I think so many of us are asking that question, what role did climate change in triggering or intensifying this disaster, especially since it was triggered by a massive glacial collapse?

How would you answer that?

BENJAMIN HORTON, DEAN, SCHOOL OF ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT, CITY UNIVERSITY, HONG KONG: I would say that climate change played a dominant role in this disaster.

Climate change from the burning of fossil fuels has increased temperatures around the world. The temperatures in the Himalayas have grown about 1.3 degrees C. over the last 50 years. Now that may not seem very much but when, at 0 degrees C. water is ice

and at 1 degree C. water is liquid, those glaciers are going to melt. They will melt catastrophically and you will have disasters of an increasing frequency and an increasing intensity as a result of climate change.

ABDELAZIZ: And as you're speaking, we are looking at live images right now of people in that disaster zone. We were told earlier, by an aid worker, that this region in the Himalayas has become more vulnerable to these types of natural disasters. I read that you've described this as a compound event.

What does that actually mean?

HORTON: Well, it means that these events are complex. You have the root cause, which is the hazard.

And they are these glaciers that, when the ice volume decreases because of climate change, when the glacial area decreases because of climate change, because of their melt rate decreasing, because of climate change, because they're more increasingly unstable, that's the hazard.

But they're complex because it relates to vulnerability and exposure, the exposure of the population to these hazards, and then their vulnerability because they live close to the floodplains. There are poor building codes. There's a lack of science here in terms of warnings, identifying what the most prone areas.

And then it's also a compounding hazard because, afterwards, there are a lot of like aftershocks of the event. There are further, further possible outbursts of glacial lakes. And we also are struggling with our recovery efforts.

ABDELAZIZ: I love that you broke that down so, so easily for us, exposure and vulnerability -- exposure being, of course, that we're seeing these glaciers melting faster, the climate change vulnerability being the building structures, the infrastructure in that area across the Himalayas.

[05:40:00]

Are people being protected against this vulnerability?

And if not, what is the way to protect those communities at risk?

HORTON: Well, we've known for decades that this was going to happen. You know, climate scientists, when we see these events, we see an increasing sadness and frustration, because, for decades, we know what happens.

If you put carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, you raise global temperatures. And that increases the probability of extreme events, which cause these disasters. And if you have people in harm's way, these disasters have a huge human toll in terms of lives lost. So we have 3,000 missing; of the ones that survive, their livelihoods

may be destroyed for generations. So we really need to attack the root of this problem.

I mean, I applaud CNN for allowing me on the show to clearly state the link between these disasters and climate change, because too often we do not do that, be that heat waves and wildfires or, in this case, landslides and devastating floods.

So if you want to solve it, go to the root of the problem. Stop emitting greenhouse gases. I mean, I've been watching your show for the last few minutes previously. You're talking about Venezuelan oil.

But in that conversation, there was nothing about, why are we trying to get more resources for the petroleum industry when the impacts of those are on these innocent people?

If we think about Nepal, Nepal's contribution to the greenhouse gas problem is around 0.02 percent. They don't contribute to this problem but they've certainly been hit so very, very hard.

ABDELAZIZ: Professor Benjamin Horton there with a very clear description of the causes, the root causes, as you describe them, behind this disaster and what needs to be done to stop those disasters now. Thank you so much.

Back now to our breaking news.

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ABDELAZIZ: The deadliest attacks we have seen in some time, a regional governor says that at least 27 people have been killed and dozens more wounded after a Russian drone attack targeted an explosion at a warehouse. This was near Kyiv.

Close to 400 people have been evacuated from the area and about 50 residential buildings are damaged. Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russian drones hit a storage building. This triggered a blast.

Now he did not give specifics on what was hit exactly but said that an investigation would be open soon. Now since ammunition cannot be stored near homes or other residential areas, Russia's defense ministry says its forces struck an arms depot storing drone-making equipment.

We're going to have more on this story for you as details become available to CNN.

Coming up next on CNN NEWSROOM, the tiny Nordic nation of Iceland is voting on whether or not it should resume talks on joining the European Union.

Just ahead, will fears about Trump's threats to its neighbors finally push Iceland into saying yes to the E.U.?

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ABDELAZIZ: Crowds are flocking to Norway's royal palace today. This is as the country mourns its longtime king, Harald V, who died on Friday at the age of 89 after 35 years on the throne. He was Europe's oldest reigning monarch.

Some people describe Harald as the grandfather of all Norwegians and he was praised as an inclusive and unifying figure. The king is succeeded by his son, who thanked the country for its support and compassion.

The polls have now opened in Iceland and people are voting on whether to restart talks to join the European Union. The main issues facing voters are sovereignty, security and the strategic Arctic north and fishing rights. CNN's Sebastian Shukla has more on the story for us.

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SEBASTIAN SHUKLA, CNN FIELD PRODUCER (voice-over): A referendum to determine Iceland's future, a simple yes or no question that could restart talks of the tiny Nordic island joining the European Union. But the issue has sharply divided the country.

Opponents say Iceland should keep its independence that it gained from Denmark in 1944. And they say Iceland already benefits from its ties to Europe as a NATO member that participates in the E.U. single market and is part of the Schengen free travel zone. Sovereignty, according to some voters, is a top concern.

OLAFUR BJORN SVERRISSON, ICELAND RESIDENT: I think it's most important whether we have something to say about our resources and how much power we are lacking to letting go to the E.U.

SHUKLA (voice-over): Others argue it's a changing world and joining the E.U. would help protect the country in a world that's increasingly focused on the strategic Arctic North. And it could potentially lower interest rates and inflation if Iceland adopts the euro.

AGUSTA UNNUR GUNNARSDOTTIR, ICELAND RESIDENT: I think it's more steady for us. We are very small nation and most of the companies, the big companies, they use euros. So why not the public?

SHUKLA (voice-over): But it could all boil down to fish. Fishing is a cornerstone of Iceland's culture and economy and for many, sharing its rich fishing grounds with Europe is a deal breaker.

HEIDRUN MARTEINSDOTTIR, FISHERIES ICELAND CEO: We have 100 percent of the profit in Iceland and we want to keep it that way. So that is our worries if we join the common fisheries policy is that this value chain that has generated all this profit for the Icelandic population, that that will be torn apart.

SHUKLA (voice-over): Fishing rights are fiercely protected in Iceland. From 1958 to 1976, the country clashed with Great Britain in the so called Cod Wars, which was a series of sea skirmishes involving boat rammings and net cutting. Iceland ultimately won out, gaining full control of its 320-kilometer fishing zone.

Security is also on people's minds. Iceland has a coast guard but no army relying on NATO for defense, which is a growing concern in the country. As Russia expands its presence in the Arctic and U.S. president Donald Trump has threatened to acquire neighboring Greenland.

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GUNNAR TRYGGVASON, ICELAND RESIDENT: Trump and Greenland and the response, that frightens me. Secondly, the tariffs that he's putting on Canada and is threatening to put on European countries as well, it might help us to be part of a bloc.

SHUKLA (voice-over): Iceland has considered joining the E.U. before. In 2009, talks started and later stopped without gaining traction.

If Iceland votes yes in this referendum, negotiations will begin to try to reach a formal agreement, followed by a second referendum in Iceland, which will be the deciding vote on whether it will join the bloc or not -- Sebastian Shukla, CNN, Berlin.

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ABDELAZIZ: Still ahead on CNN NEWSROOM, Roger Federer celebrates his place among the greatest players in tennis this weekend as he is inducted into the sport's hall of fame. Ahead, the Swiss star tells us about his incredible career.

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ABDELAZIZ: Tennis superstar Roger Federer is one of the sport's all- time greats.

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Now for a new honor, the 20-time grand slam champion will be inducted on Saturday into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Federer retired four years ago.

He told CNN "WORLD SPORT"s Don Riddell that the honor is a chance to reflect on his career, as he claims his place alongside the legendary tennis players he's long admired.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DON RIDDELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: If you could play anybody already in the Hall of Fame, if the tennis gods would grant you that, who would you pick and why?

ROGER FEDERER, TENNIS HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE: Yes. So I would have a little list probably together. I would love to play maybe Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Stefan Edberg, Boris Becker and again against Pete Sampras.

I think those would be my favorite players to play against. I've always admired their personalities, what they have achieved and what they represent in the game. So that would be a very special match.

RIDDELL: It's wonderful that now you get to sit alongside them in the Hall. Roger, I followed your career very closely and from your first big win at Wimbledon to your very last match there were a lot of tears. I would imagine this ceremony will be quite emotional for you.

So when do you think you might start getting choked up on Saturday?

FEDERER: Yes, it's a good question. I'm also not sure yet so far. I've arrived in Newport a couple of days ago after playing the exhibition match with Andy Roddick, Agassi and McEnroe in New York, where we had an amazing time.

I've been answering a lot of questions already about entering the Hall of Fame and it's just nice to be in front of the media again and talking about all my memories.

So far, I've been actually really, really good. I'm maybe -- I don't want to say confident that tomorrow I'll get through it without any tears or not getting too emotional. But maybe also I'm just really at peace with my career.

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ABDELAZIZ: Thank you so much for watching. I'm Salma Abdelaziz for our viewers in the United States and Canada. "CNN THIS MORNING" is coming up next. For the rest, it's going to be "AFRICAN VOICES."