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Russia Claims It Detonated Tank Packed With Explosives Via Remote Control In New Tactic; Blinken And Xi Meet To Try To Manage Tensions; Funerals Begin For Victims Of School Attack. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired June 19, 2023 - 10:00:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:00:37]

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: I'm Becky and it's a live from Abu Dhabi where the time is 6:00 in the evening. This is CONNECT THE WORLD.

You are more than welcome.

Coming up this hour. Fierce fighting in the West Bank as Israeli forces raid Jenin.

Alexei Navalny appears in court to face a new extremism case.

Antony Blinken meets Chinese President Xi in an effort to smooth relations.

And later this out a new golf major winner at the U.S. Open.

We start with the deadly Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank and scenes not witnessed in some two decades. Israeli forces in Jenin backed by an

army helicopter engaging in fierce battles with Palestinian militants. Palestinian health officials report at least five Palestinians killed and

90 injured. Israel's military reports seven of its troops were injured.

Hadas Gold watching all of this for us from Jerusalem. Hadas?

HADAS GOLD, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Becky. This was supposed to be an arrest rate to arrest who wanted suspects who were ultimately

arrested. But it escalated into something much bigger that lasted something like 11 hours. And Israeli forces only were finally leaving Jenin in the

last hour or so. Now, Jenin, as we've been talking about for so long for the last two years has really been a hotspot in the occupied West Bank for

some time,

Not only for military activity, but also for these Israeli military rates. But, Becky, what happened today showed a rather alarming increase in the

types of weaponry and firearms being used by both the militants and the Israeli military. So we're seeing some really dramatic video of as we're

seeing some of these Israeli military vehicles entering Jenin. Some sort of roadside explosive device goes off as one of them passes.

Now these really military telling me that a panther command vehicle was hit by this IED, and essentially took out the entire underside of it. I think

we're showing -- yes, we're showing the video here. You can see it just kind of explode as it drives by. We do know that some of the Israeli

injuries are from that IED. And in addition to that there was heavy gunfire in general. The Israeli military says towards their vehicles, rendering at

least five of them actually inoperable.

And it took several hours actually to extract some soldiers who were still in Jenin. They are all out as far as we know against seven Israeli soldiers

injured. On the other side, though we are -- we did also see for the first time in decades scenes not really seen since the Second Intifada since the

early 2000s. And that is an Israeli Apache helicopter firing over Jenin as they were trying to extract the soldiers.

Now the Israeli military saying that they fired towards what they called open areas. But it is incredible to see an Apache helicopter like this over

a very dense urban area over Jenin and firing towards the city. Now, we don't know if any injuries that happen as a result of that Israeli -- of

that Apache helicopter firing down and the militants there did say that they fired back towards the helicopter -- towards the helicopter.

We do know that five Palestinians were killed, seven were injured. We know at least two of those killed were claimed by Islamic Jihad as militants,

but among those killed were also a 15-year-old boy and amongst the injured war, a critically injured girl and we also know that at least one photo

journalist. A freelance photo journalist who was injured while covering this rate. But, Becky, really alarmed to see both the IED being used by the

militants and this Apache helicopter being used by the Israeli military. Again, scenes we have not seen here in decades. Becky?

ANDERSON: Yes. And more on this as we move through the next couple of hours. Hadas for now, thank you.

To Russia's war on Ukraine now and what could be a new battlefield. A tactic by Russian troops. The defense ministry in Moscow claiming Russian

forces destroyed a Ukrainian stronghold by blowing up a remote-controlled tank that was loaded with explosives. Pro-Russian media posted this video

online. It's unclear if the tank was remotely detonated or if the Ukrainians destroyed it.

Well, meantime, both sides claiming battlefield wins as the fighting rages on the eastern and southern front lines.

[10:05:01]

CNN's Ben Wedeman joining us now from Zaporizhzhia. And we've just shown video of what is being reported as a new tactic by the Russians. What do we

know at this point? We're going to run this video again as soon as you talk.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTENATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What we know is, according to the account from the Russian defense ministry's Telegram

account is that that is a T-54 tank, which dates back to the years just after World War II which was packed with perhaps more than five tons of

high explosives. Now, according to that account, it appears that the -- a driver, somebody of that tank basically pointed in the direction of

Ukrainian lines.

It moved forward and about 300 meters from the Ukrainian lines, it looks like it hit a mine, and then it was hit by an RPG round fired from the

Ukrainian lines. And then it explodes. Now, we don't know whether as a result of that explosion, the Russians were able to move forward or not.

300 meters is a fairly good distance, despite the size of that explosion. Perhaps some Ukrainian troops were killed or wounded.

We just don't know at this point. But it certainly seems an interesting new tactic being used by the Russians, as this counteroffensive gathers pace.

Becky?

ANDERSON: Alex, let's talk about that counteroffensive. How is it progressing? Is it clear at this point that., Ben?

WEDEMAN: Well, we're in the initial phases. And it's clear that the Ukrainians have yet to commit the bulk of their forces. Many observers will

tell you that it's -- they're still engaged in shaping or softening up operations before the major push happens. Now, what we've heard so far from

the Deputy Defense Minister of Ukraine, is that they have managed to liberate some territory, 113 square kilometers.

So far, the latest town that was liberated, we believe between today and yesterday was the town of Piatykhatky which is about an hour's drive from

here. That was a town with a pre-war population of about 10,000 people. But to put all of this in perspective, keep in mind that this offensive is

perhaps a week and a half old. And about that same amount of time back in September, the Ukrainians were able to take about 4600 square miles or

about 12,000 square kilometers in the Kharkiv region.

So clearly, the Russians appear to have learned some lessons since then. They -- the Ukrainians aren't making the sort of progress that perhaps some

were expecting, but we have to keep in mind, Becky, that it is still early days.

ANDERSON: Ben Wedeman is on the ground for you in Zaporizhzhia in Ukraine. Ben, thank you.

Well, the jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has appeared in a courtroom to face new charges of extremism. Now this trial is taking place

at the same correctional facility where he is already serving an 11-1/2- year sentence. The extremism charges could extend his prison term by decades. He maintains his imprisonment is to silence his criticism of

Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Here's CNN's Matthew Charles with more on the closed-door trial.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it paints a very disturbing picture of Russia today. Alexei Navalny, the prominent

anticorruption campaigner here, first poisoned and nearly killed, then arrested and sentenced to nine years in jail is now facing new extremist

charges that could see his prison term extended by up to 30 years sparking new outrage among his supporters.

Well, the hearing was at a remote penal colony where Navalny is being held. And either journalist or his parents were allowed inside the courtroom. But

the prosecution detailed nearly 4000 pages of new allegations against the 47-year-old Kremlin critic, including that he created an extremist network

and financed extremist activity. In a statement, Navalny quipped that it was clear, I am a sophisticated, I'm persistent criminal.

But he added that it seemed impossible to find out exactly what I'm accused of. Matthew Chance, CNN Moscow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, meeting face to face and sending a global signal. America's top diplomat U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken talks with the Chinese

President Xi Jinping earlier today in Beijing.

[10:10:07]

Their meeting is a big deal, it could mark a crucial step towards calming tensions between the world's two biggest economies. That relationship of

course is created in the wake of a dispute over Chinese surveillance balloon, amongst other things earlier this year. Other issues include

Beijing's close ties with Moscow, and U.S. efforts to limit the sale of advanced tech to China.

Well, CNN's Kylie Atwood is in Beijing. Anna Coren standing by in Hong Kong. Kylie, let's start with you. Observers say U.S. officials have kept

expectations for the Blinken trip to China fairly low. But Antony Blinken did speak with the Chinese president. What came out of that meeting, as we

understand it?

KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, listen, the Secretary of State said that over the course of the two days spent here in

Beijing, where he met with multiple Chinese leaders that there was progress made on a number of issues. He said that they agreed on the need to

stabilize the relationship. That in and of itself is significant, of course, Becky, because we have seen, you know, this relationship spiral --

downward spiral, really, over the course of the Biden administration and even before that.

But when you talk to U.S. officials, they weren't expecting, as you said, major deliverables to come out of this. But one of the goals that they

really set out to accomplish was to try and stand up military to military channels of communication between the U.S. and China. The Secretary of

State telling me at a press conference just this evening that China did not agree to set up those channels, saying that at this moment, those channels

have not been set up.

That is something that he will continue to press them on. He said he raised it multiple times in his meetings. The backdrop, of course, is that there

have been some close calls between the U.S. and China in the areas surrounding the South China Sea militarily just over the course of the last

few weeks here. Now, when it comes to Taiwan, the Chinese readouts of the meetings made it very clear that Taiwan's -- that China said that Taiwan

was the number one issue that could raise problems for the U.S.-China relationship.

They pressed that the United States should not support Taiwan's independence. And it was clear when the Secretary spoke that he reiterated

U.S. positions on Taiwan. The two sides are very far apart when it comes to the issue of Taiwan right now. Here is what the Secretary said on that

topic at the press conference.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANTONY BLINKEN, UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF STATE: We do not support Taiwan's independence. We make clear that we oppose any unilateral changes

to the status quo by either side. We've been clear and consistent in our policy. At the same time, we and many others have deep concerns about some

of the provocative actions that China has taken in recent years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ATWOOD: Now, areas where there was actually some forward movement on the issue of synthetic opioids in the United States. The major killer of

Americans, something that the Secretary of State has focused on. What he said was that the U.S. and China agreed to stand up a working group to try

and cut off those chemicals, those precursor chemicals for fentanyl that are coming from China and coming into the United States. That's

significant.

We know that he wanted to get something done with China on that, it seems that there's forward momentum there. And then he also said that in the

coming weeks, they're going to be other senior U.S. officials who traveled to visit Beijing. Of course, we expect that that's going to be folks like

the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of the Treasury, to discuss matters related to the economy and trade with China.

Those are things that the Chinese officials really want to engage with the U.S. on.

ANDERSON: Let me bring Anna in here. Thank you, Kylie. Ana, the worsening relations between the U.S. and China not doing Beijing any favors at a time

when the world's second biggest economy is quite frankly struggling to get into second gear as it comes out of the pandemic, of course. Industrial

output and retail sales growth both missed forecasts last month. A more stable relationship with Washington ought to allow Beijing to be able to

focus on its growth story going forward.

And what's the perspective on this trip from where you are?

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Look, it's desperately needed by China. We've heard it from Xi, we've heard it from Blinken. They need that

relationship. You're talking about the two largest economies in the world. Two top trading partners in the world. Almost $700 billion worth of trade a

year between China and the United States. These economies are entwined, Becky. They need each other.

[10:15:04]

And you're absolutely right. You know, China has come out of the pandemic and the growth has not been there. They have soaring youth unemployment,

the property market is sluggish, and it needs its vital export market with the United States. And as Kylie was just referring to, you know, Blinken's

visit will hopefully pave the way for the treasury secretary and the commerce secretary to then come to Beijing.

You know, the Biden administration has not really held trade talks with China. So this will be that opportunity. You know, this was all about

establishing a line of communication between these two superpowers, you know, they will thrash out the policy later on, in that visit, you know, in

the weeks and months ahead. But let's now have a listen to what Antony Blinken had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLINKEN: It was important to me that we make clear. The very clear difference between allegations that we were -- that we're trying to contain

China and decoupled economically, as opposed to what we're actually doing, which is, as I've said, de-risking and also diversifying when it comes to

our supply chains. As I mentioned, the economic relationship with China is vitally important. And also when it's fair, a very positive thing for

countries around the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COREN: Yes. Vitally important for the two countries involved, but also internationally. Becky, I should just mention that we have heard from the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they hurled a briefing a short time ago and they said that Blinken's visit marks a new beginning. So, certainly,

positive words coming out of Beijing.

ANDERSON: That is absolutely fascinating. Thank you very much indeed. Kylie Atwood in Beijing. You heard from Kylie earlier and Ana in Hong Kong for

you. Appreciate it, Ana.

Still to come. Fleeing the violence in Sudan. CNN's Nima Elbagir takes us inside a refugee camp, to show us just how dire the situation is there for

thousands of people.

Plus, the deadly fallout from a fanatical cult in eastern Kenya. How investigators found hundreds of followers in shallow graves, that is just a

head.

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ANDERSON: A 72-hour ceasefire is now in effect in Sudan following intense fighting between its warring factions. The latest truce comes as the United

Nations today hosts a conference in Geneva to raise what are critically needed funds to support relief efforts in Sudan and to ease the

humanitarian crisis there.

[10:20:04]

Almost 2-1/2 million people. Let me put that to you again. 2-1/2 million people have been displaced as the fighting between the Sudanese army, the

paramilitary Rapid Support Forces enters what is its third month.

Well, tens of thousands of Sudanese are fleeing to South Sudan. A country already stretched for resources. As CNN's Nima Elbagir now finds out

conditions in the refugee camps are dire. Lacking even basic facilities.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: This is Africa's largest refugee crisis. And you can see the conditions here for

yourself. The people here are being largely ignored by the world. Aid agencies are doing what they can, but it is simply not enough.

ELBAGIR (voiceover): South Sudan is one of the poorest countries in the world. They barely have enough to feed and shelter their own returnees. And

they're also being asked now to absorb fleeing Sudanese and other foreign nationals with limited support from the outside world. And it is almost

impossible.

With rainy season starting what you see here, it's only going to get worse. So many of those speaking to us say that they feel a sense of humiliation

that that message that they're receiving from the world, from the international community, so they are not worthy of support. And until aid

arrives here in meaningful quantities, it's hard to argue with that.

Nima Elbagir, CNN, Renk, South Sudan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: And you can learn more about Africa's largest refugee crisis online. We've got testimonies detailing the unsanitary conditions and

stretched resources at that Renk transit camp near the border of South Sudan and Sudan. And you can learn more about the United Nations appeal for

aid. We'll do more on that next hour. You can also find more at that -- on that @cnn.com on your laptop or computer or through your CNN app on your

smartphone.

Well, days after a brutal massacre at a Ugandan school. The victims' families are now laying their loved ones to rest. Official say at least 41

people were killed in Friday's attack. Most were students. The Ugandan military says some of the victims were hacked to death with machetes while

others died after their dormitories were set on fire.

Ugandan officials blamed the attack on rebels linked to ISIS and have reportedly ordered more soldiers to Western Uganda to pursue them.

Well, in Kenya now where investigators have found what could be one of the worst mass suicides in recent history. More than 300 bodies have already

been discovered and now all thought to be connected to widely followed cult led by an enigmatic pastor preaching starvation in the search for

salvation.

CNN's Senior International Correspondent David McKenzie traveled to the site of these crime scenes and he joins us now from Johannesburg where you

are back at base. David, what can you tell us about how this came to be what you found and how things went so horribly wrong?

DAVE MCKENZIE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it certainly did go horribly wrong, Becky. And this cult was developing for several

years. Investigators say it could be one of the worst mass suicides of its kind in decades globally. We traveled to the coast of Kenya to find out

more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCKENZIE: He called it the wilderness, luring his flock to a remote corner of Kenya. We've come to try and understand how over many months so many

could die. In the Shakahola forest. The data is still being found. Forensic teams carefully remove the remains of members of the Christian death cult

from shallow graves. They have already unearthed more than 300 people, many of them children, many showing signs of starvation.

FRANCIS WANJE, FATHER OF CULT MEMBER: It's painful. It was painful. It was so painful. This is my daughter.

MCKENZIE: Francis Wanje says his daughter and son-in-law, both abandoned good jobs and took their children to the forest cult. What happened next is

hard to comprehend.

WANJE: In which we die and to meet Jesus. And they have to start with the children.

MCKENZIE: The members of the cult including your own family, they were starving the children.

WANJE: Yes.

MCKENZIE: And then when the children didn't die quickly enough.

WANJE: They suffocate them.

MCKENZIE: They suffocate itself.

WANJE: Suffocate them. Yes.

MCKENZIE: And this is your own blood.

WANJE: And I wonder where my children or my child, my daughter could change to be such an animal.

[10:25:10]

A wild animal to kill her own children.

MCKENZIE: Pastor Pail Mackenzie began his cult in Malindi.

This is the church where Pastor Mackenzie had a huge following in his sermons.

He amplified his message online. He preached a doomsday prophecy for at least a decade, calling on the faithful to reject modern society. Pull

children from school, avoid hospitals. He demanded total devotion. You must deny yourself, you must reject yourself. You must reach a point of ending

your life, he says, For the sake of Jesus.

His anti-government stance got him arrested and detained but never prosecuted. In 2019, the church was closed down. Later, the pastor started

his forest community. We found a former cult member in Malindi. We agreed to hide her identity for her own safety. She escaped the forest last year.

Why did you move your whole home and all your children and move into the forest? The pastor used to call me, she says. He was calling me telling me,

my daughter, you're being left behind. And when the ark is closed, it will be too late. So, I decided to go. When the COVID pandemic hit, she says

many saw it as evidence that the prophecies were real. Mackenzie charged her family $80.00 for a piece of land in Galilee.

There were seven other biblically named settlements in Shakahola. With more than 1000 followers she says. Still cult members made regular trips to a

nearby village for food and water. In December, those trips suddenly stopped, says this village elder. The starvation had begun. He says, they

alerted authorities but they did nothing. Even after hungry children started escaping to the village.

What's been called the Shakahola massacre has shocked this nation. Pastor Mackenzie and his closest followers are being held under terror laws.

What happened in the forest with your followers?

PAUL NTHENGE MACKENZIE, CULT LEADER: I can't tell nothing about that because I will need custard for two months. So, I don't know what is going

outside there. Have you been there?

MCKENZIE: Francis Wanje says there needs to be justice. He mounted a rescue mission to get his grandchildren out. When they found his grandson Ephrem

(ph), he was close to salvation. His two brothers were already dead.

WANJE: He went through hell. He went to hell. I'm telling you. In fact, when he was rescued, he told them that if you could come here, maybe late.

A bit late. Already fund me, had already gone to see Jesus because (INAUDIBLE)

The very highest levels of the Kenyan government have apologized for their inaction and the pain has caused.

The scale of what happened in the forest is still being understood. Hundreds are still missing. And many more mass graves need to be exhumed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCKENZIE (on camera): Becky, flight attendants, civil servants professionals, all kinds of different people from all across Kenya were

drawn to this cult say investigators. And even now, more than 60 survivors who are rescued from that forest are refusing to eat say prosecutors. This

shows the hold of this cult that had had on people there and this tragedy is certainly still unfolding. Becky?

ANDERSON: David, thank you very much indeed. David McKenzie with his reporting for you. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me Becky

Anderson. Time in Abu Dhabi is just before half past 6:00.

Coming up. The man accused in last week's migrant boat disaster appear in court. You'll find out what they had to say after this short break.

Meanwhile, Pakistan observing a day of mourning for hundreds of its citizens presumed dead in that terrible tragedy.

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[10:31:53]

ANDERSON: Welcome back. You're with CONNECT THE WORLD with me Becky Anderson out of Abu Dhabi. Time here just up half past 6:00. Your headlines

this hour. Palestinian health officials say at least five people including a teenage boy were killed during the Israeli military raid in the West

Bank. Israeli forces backed by an attack helicopter, staged an operation to arrest two suspected militants.

Seven Israeli troops are injured. America's top diplomat says he and China's President agree that there is a need to "Stabilize their country's

tense relationship." U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrapped up his high stakes trip to Beijing earlier after meeting with Xi Jinping. The

Chinese leader says the future of humanity hinges on both countries getting along.

Well, Russia may have a possible new battlefield tactic. The Kremlin saying its forces destroyed Ukrainian stronghold by blowing up a remote-controlled

tank packed with explosives. It is unclear if that actually happened or if Ukrainian forces destroyed the tank seen here in this video.

Well, nine Egyptian nationals accused of people smuggling appeared in a Greek court today. The alleged smugglers are facing charges including

forming a criminal organization, manslaughter and causing a shipwreck. This comes after a migrant ship carrying as many as 750 people capsized off the

coast of Greece last week. The remains of 78 people have been found but the final toll is expected to be in the hundreds. These men have pleaded not

guilty.

It is worth remembering that this story is part of a much wider story, not least the failure of a -- of a European migration policy. The first quarter

of this year alone has been the deadliest in six years for migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean. According to the U.N.'s agency on migration, at

least 441 people have drowned between January and March trying to make it to Europe from North Africa.

That is the world's most dangerous maritime crossing. Officials warned that the death toll is likely much higher since some of the boats reported as

missing but there are no records of survivors or rescue operations. The U.N. says that about half of those deaths were due to delays or the absence

of any search and rescue efforts.

Well, Pakistan's Prime Minister is declaring Monday a day of mourning after the migrant boat disaster. Pakistan's government says more than 300 of its

citizens died when the boat capsized off the coast of Greece last week. Prime Minister is setting up a high-level committee to investigate the

tragedy. Let's bring in Sophia Saifi standing by in Karachi in Pakistan. A high-level investigation by which the Prime Minister means what at this

point?

[10:35:02]

SOPHIA SAIFI, CNN PRODUCER: Well, Becky, what we have seen is -- as you've just mentioned, there aren't really proper numbers coming out of Greece at

the moment. Pakistan has given this kind of vague -- not this specific number, but they've said close to 300 people have died. What's happened in

the past 24 hours across the country as that there's been an immense clamp down on human trafficking networks across the country.

Now, this could just be seen as a cosmetic effort to put a band aid over the larger issue of human trafficking that is prevalent here in Pakistan.

We have to understand that there is a massive economic crisis that Pakistan is currently in the grips of. There is record inflation. There are food

shortages, but there is also a lot of anger and confusion about who has died. The families are reaching out to different officials.

Most of the families that have been affected whose family members are now missing in Greece are in the eastern province of Punjab and in the north --

northern part of Pakistan in Pakistan administered Kashmir. A lot of people still don't have answers about whether family members are, whether they

have survived or whether they haven't. So yes, while arrests have been taking place, there was a session in Pakistan's Parliament today where

Pakistan's defense minister Khawaja Asif called Greek authorities called the Greek coastal guard heartless, for not going in and rescuing those

people in time.

There has been condemnation in Pakistan's newspapers and editorials this morning, while they're condemning the government for creating a situation

where so many people are fleeing the country. There is a lot of anger towards what they call Europe's xenophobic attitudes towards immigrants.

So, we're still trying to figure out how many people have died. We're getting reports that there are lots of children who are amongst the death

toll as well.

But we're still not being able to get some clarity from the Greek authorities. And by we, I mean a lot of families here in Pakistan, who have

been affected, who have been reaching out to human rights organizations in Greece to find out the fate of their family members. A lot of grief, a lot

of uncertainty and a lot of confusion about this tragedy that has taken place and is having a huge impact here in Pakistan. Becky?

ANDERSON: Yes. And understandably so, Sophia. Thank you. Sophia Saifi is in Karachi for you.

Well, amid the devastation, there were some tears of joy as Syrian teenager reunited with his older brother on Friday. You can see he is running and

hugging his brother after they finally found each other.

We'll get you up to speed on some of the other stories that are on our radar right now from this part of the world.

And a big announcement in the Middle East, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates restoring diplomatic ties between their respective embassies in

Abu Dhabi and Doha as well as the Qatari consulate in Dubai. The UAE was among several nations in the region to cut ties with Qatar in 2017.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is attending a reception in Paris today to present his country's bid to host the prestigious Expo 2030 Trade

Fair. Four cities are competing to host the event including (INAUDIBLE) Rome, Busan and South Korea and Odesa in Ukraine. Voting to choose the host

city takes place in November.

And the kingdom's Foreign Minister visited Tehran over the weekend to meet with his Iranian counterpart. This visit is part of an effort to restore

diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Rivals after a seven-year rift, of course.

You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me Becky Anderson. Ahead in sports news for you. The new U.S. Open champion not exactly a household name. We

will tell you about him, who he is and his emotional victory on Sunday in Los Angeles. That is after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:41:26]

ANDERSON: A powerful move against racism by the Brazilian men's national football team. The squad wore all black kit for the first time in its

history during Saturday's friendly against Guinea in Spain. The Brazilian Football Federation is behind the move accompanied by the motto, with

racism there is no game. This comes after Brazil's Real Madrid a striker was reportedly a target of racist attacks this season.

Well, a day of high emotion with a touch of final whole drama at golf's third men's major of the year. The winner, someone most casual golf fans at

least probably haven't even heard of before the weekend. Amanda Davies joining me now. What a result.

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: What -- yes.

ANDERSON: A result. What happened?

DAVIES: I mean, for all -- for all the talk of the likes of Rickie Fowler Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler. Perhaps it's all in a name, Wyndham Clark

surprising everybody. A player who up to this point hadn't finished higher than 75th in major. Takes the victory at the age of 29 and has been

speaking to my CNN sport colleague Patrick Snell about just what it means. He drew on some special extra inspiration to complete his victory at the

U.S. Open.

And we've got that coming up in just a couple of minutes.

ANDERSON: I'm very much looking forward to hearing that interview. But, you know, just watching these images, it showed just what this meant to him.

It's just an unbelievable victory. Good on him. That's coming up in World Sport. That is after this short break. I will be back with the second hour

of CONNECT THE WORLD straight after that. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WORLD SPORT)

END