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Sources: House Speaker Pelosi Expected To Visit Taiwan; First Grain Ship Leaves Ukraine; Sudan's Rulers Hunt For Whistleblowers After CNN Report. Aired 10-10:45a ET
Aired August 01, 2022 - 10:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:00:30]
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN ANCHOR: The second in line of presidential succession in the United States Nancy Pelosi is expected to visit Taiwan this week. China
warning of an egregious political fallout in response.
And what you're seeing is the first shipment of grain leaving Ukraine since the start of Russia's invasion. A moment Ukraine's foreign minister
describes as a day of relief for the world. But Will Russia stick to its side of the bargain?
And after a CNN investigation uncovering the exploitation of gold resources in Sudan, sources tell CNN that authorities are stepping up strong arm
tactics as they hunt for people who were involved in that reporting. We'll be speaking to CNN's chief international investigative correspondent Nima
Elbagir.
Hello and welcome. This is CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Eleni Giokos in for Becky Anderson. And we begin with a big moment on the world stage. A top U.S.
lawmaker despite concerns from the Biden administration and a strong warning from China, sources tell CNN that Nancy Pelosi is expected to visit
Taiwan as part of a closely watched trip to Russia -- to Asia rather. The stop will be the first for a U.S. House Speaker in 25 years and is
currently not listed in her public itinerary.
It comes as a tense and sensitive time in U.S.-China relations earlier. White House official told CNN that the trip is consistent with American
support for Taiwan. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KIRBY, NATIONAL SECURITY COORDINATOR, STATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS: There is no reason for the Chinese rhetoric, there is no reason for any actions
to be taken. It is not uncommon for congressional leaders to travel to Taiwan. It is very much in keeping with our policy and consistent with our
support to Taiwan under the Taiwan Relations Act. We're not -- we shouldn't be -- as a country, we shouldn't be intimidated by that rhetoric or those
potential actions.
This is an important trip for the speaker to be on and we're going to do whatever we can to support her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS: And as we await more details of her trip, Will Ripley reports on the impact in Taiwan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Taiwan's first line of defense from a Chinese invasion Taipei port, a crucial river
gateway to the capital. If China takes the port, the presidential office could be next. For decades, Taiwanese troops have been training to defend
this island from the Mainland's massive military. The world's only Chinese- speaking democracy preparing for a David and Goliath scenario made more credible by Russia's war on Ukraine.
The latest fiery threats from Beijing whose communist rulers regard Taiwan as a breakaway province, reaching fever pitch all over leaked plans of a
potential visit to the self-governing island by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The highest ranking U.S. official to visit Taiwan in 25 years.
Pelosi is leading a congressional delegation to the Indo-Pacific region, including Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan.
No official mention of Taiwan. Analysts say Pelosi could still visit Taiwan, a whirlwind stop lasting hours, not days, and attempt to rein in
the rhetoric and tame China's threats to not play with fire by supporting Taiwan independence. Senator Tammy Duckworth's delegation dropped by Taiwan
for just a few hours in May, China still flew dozens of warplanes near Taiwan. Taipei leaders call Beijing a bully and the new cycle moved on.
TSAI HUAI-CHUNG, TEASHOP OWNER IN TAIWAN (through translator): I don't think they will retaliate. I don't worry about it. Mainland China is just
threatening us. If they really decide to invade Taiwan, they can kill it within two to three days. They don't need to talk much.
RIPLEY: It's a view shared by many in Taiwan. They've been riding this rhetorical roller coaster for decades. As the latest U.S.-China threats
dominated global headlines, they were barely mentioned by the media in Taiwan. The island with the most to lose has lost interest.
MAGGIE LIN, DIRECTOR OF AFTER SCHOOL CLUB IN TAIPEI (through translator): I wasn't interested in finding out more about it. I'm not concerned. China
has done the same thing many times. But exchanges between Taiwan and the U.S. shouldn't be stopped because of this.
RIPLEY: Many Taiwanese people perceive war with China as a distant threat. A threat some observers say could draw closer with each escalation.
[10:05:02]
Xi Jinping is China's most powerful leader since Mao. He's bound to bring Taiwan back to the mainland by force if necessary, is backed by a massive
military and growing nuclear arsenal.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: All right. That was Will Ripley reporting for us. And standing by in Beijing, we've got Selina Wang. Selina, listening to Will Ripley and
he's talking about this rhetoric that the U.S. and Taiwan frankly has become quite accustomed to. Now, it seems that the question really centers
around how much appetite does Xi Jinping really have to escalate things now that we know that Pelosi is very highly probable to visit Taiwan?
SELINA WANG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, Eleni, as you just said, a lot of what we're hearing from Beijing is this fiery rhetoric that
we have heard before when it comes to Taiwan. We've heard language like a possible egregious political fallout. Chinese military has said that they
won't, "Sit idly by" House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ends up going to Taiwan. But look, the timing here is very provocative.
China is much more powerful and aggressive and confident now than it was about 25 years ago, when the last house speaker went and visited Taiwan.
And we're also just months away from a key political meeting with when Chinese leader Xi Jinping is expected to step into an unprecedented third
term. So this is a moment in time when he cannot appear weak. And that is driving some of the concerns about how China may overreact and that could
actually spark potentially a further escalation.
However, also important here is that China's military has been showing its force as well, which is also coinciding with China's military's
anniversary. We have seen military drills in the -- in the yellow seas, as well as in the East China Seas, including the drill around Pingtan Island,
which is actually China's closest point to Taiwan just over 77 miles away. In addition to all of this, it's not just that Nancy Pelosi has a high
stature. She's not any other congressional leader.
It's also that Nancy Pelosi is seen as a hostile figure by many in China. She's known for her long history of criticizing China, especially around
its human rights record. But on the other hand, there are many experts, including here in Beijing who say all of this that we're hearing from
officials, all of this is just strong language that Beijing does not actually want an escalation any more than the U.S. side does.
So the question here is, how does China have a strong response that saves face and shows how angry China is, while not actually sparking a further
escalation? Because while most do not believe that China would engage in any direct hostile activity, the concern is that with all the military
assets in the area that any accident or miscalculation could spiral into something more, Eleni.
GIOKOS: Yes. Selina, thank you so much for that. We have Will Ripley standing by. And just seeing your piece and hearing, you know, the sort of
reality of people knowing that China has incredible strength, and if it wanted to attack Taiwan, it could. But do people there feel that they're
stuck in the middle between China and the U.S. now both wanting to show who's stronger and I guess the U.S. clearly not wanting to make a
concession for obvious reasons, and China not wanting to not show that it is not happy with what is going on right now.
RIPLEY: Publicly, you know, Eleni, Taiwan's leaders and people in the government would say that they're grateful for the United States sending
lawmakers, especially someone like Nancy Pelosi here because that -- those conversations, those face-to-face meetings are invaluable in building the
kind of relationships with the people who vote for law in the United States, who would potentially vote for assistance from the United States to
Taiwan in the event of some sort of a military conflict with China.
So, they view these meetings as crucial. But at the same time, Nancy Pelosi coming at this time puts Taiwan in a very awkward position because of how
close this is to President Xi Jinping's party congress and potentially, you know, unprecedented third term very likely, he's going to get it, you know,
could get president for life. So important to President Xi is stability, that the Taiwanese, they base their foreign policy decisions when it comes
to China entirely around what would Xi Jinping think about this.
They tailor it to one man's personality for a country of about 100 -- you know, 1.5 billion people. And the reason why they do that is because they
know it is President Xi in the end who can point and say we're going to do zero COVID. So, all of a sudden, zero COVID and all of those people's lives
affected inside China. But, you know, what's to say that he wouldn't do something -- he wouldn't do something that could drastically affect the 25
million lives here on the island of Taiwan despite, you know, warnings and whatnot from the Western world.
He could be somewhat emboldened by his alliance with Vladimir Putin, you know, the two authoritarian strongmen, you know, supporting each other's
agendas. So, there's concern at the government level that China has a bigger military, they certainly have now a more powerful president than
they've had since now. But is trying to really want to take that kind of a step now? They do believe it will happen at some point. A lot of people
believe it's just a matter of time. Not if but when.
[10:10:12]
GIOKOS: I want to bring in Kylie Atwood who's at the United Nations right now. I have to say it's been interesting watching the rhetoric, the
messaging, we know that Nancy Pelosi has bipartisan support, but also I was watching her Twitter feed. And she showed 28 years ago that she visited
Tiananmen Square as well. What kind of messaging do you think -- what is the sort of overall message that you're hearing on the ground from the
United States in particular, and what the U.S.'s stance is going to be?
KYLIE ATWOOD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, I think it's really interesting to note that trip that Pelosi made years ago to
Tiananmen Square, it is undoubtedly part of this whole broader story that we're looking at here as she prepares to make this trip because Chinese
officials know that she has been an ardent supporter of pro-democracy protests. She has been a supporter of Taiwan's democracy.
That is part of their calculation and part of the reason, aside from the fact that she is one of the top or ranking U.S. official to visit but
that's part of what frustrates them potentially, about her going to Taiwan on this trip. And I also think it's important to note that President Biden
himself, according to our sources at the White House has not explicitly told the speaker not to visit Taiwan.
While the administration has briefed her and her team on the risks associated with this planned visit. President Biden doesn't feel like it's
his place to say no, you cannot go and that is important here because it really does put the decision in her lap, her team as they prepare to make
this visit. And we should note that she was actually planning to make this visit earlier in the year but because of COVID complications had to push it
back to at this point. So, we're really watching to see what her team says as she comes out and makes us visit.
GIOKOS: All right. Kylie Atwood at the United Nations, Selina Wang in Beijing and Will Ripley, thank you very much for covering all the angles
around this story as it develops. We'll get back to you. Much appreciated.
Now out of Ukraine and back on the high seas at last. A ship loaded with more than 26,000 metric tons of Ukrainian grain is on its way to its first
stop in Istanbul. It is the first to leave Ukraine's Black Sea port since the early days of Russia's assault. And the prevailing mood is cautious
optimism as the vessel carries with the hope of dialing back a global food crisis.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS (voice over): After weeks of negotiations, the first ship leaves port in Ukraine. A slow sail and only a drop in the ocean to alleviate the
grain crisis. The Razoni carrying corn expected to arrive in Istanbul on Tuesday for inspection set up by grain deal between Russia and Ukraine.
Before setting sail to Lebanon, Tripoli port, the U.N., a broker of the Green Deal inked in Istanbul welcomed the development.
Turkey who spearheaded the negotiations and now host the Joint Coordination Center says more ships to depart soon. The shipment is very positive,
according to the Kremlin spokesman, while the U.S. Embassy struck a more cautious note about the deals future. The agreement remains shaky with
Russia hitting the Odesa port just after the signing last week. The first ship has left the port.
But the success of the deal and ending global grain shortages will depend on whether or not the grain's precious transport keep sailing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: The Northeast of Odesa, a long night and a grueling day in Mykolaiv as Russian forces dial up the attacks and we'll get the latest from the
ground.
And how a CNN exclusive report has triggered protests in Sudan calling for the end to the country's military rule. There's also evidence of a Kremlin
connection that would explain just ahead. Stay with us.
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[10:16:37]
GIOKOS: World leaders are expressing cautious optimism that Russia will allow food exports to sail on the Black Sea in peace but there is no hint
of peace on the ground in the port city of Mykolaiv. People there have experienced another brutal round of Russian shelling. Local officials say a
trauma center was among several civilian buildings hit. CNN's Nic Robertson joins us now from Kazanka in Ukraine.
Nic, thanks so much for joining us. And you just got back from Mykolaiv. Could you describe to us what you saw?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes. Nighttime, a real blackout on the city. No lights to be shown from any windows. So it hard or
makes it hard for any Russian targeting of the city with any sort of drone or other overflights, no aircraft or anything like that. Is -- there's been
missiles fired, cluster bombs over the city. Last night not as intense and as heavy as Saturday night. Nevertheless, windows in the city still shaken
by the impacts in the middle of the night.
And the residents, you know, very much nervous about what's going to happen. This is a city that before the war had a population of about
480,000 people. And it's now down to about 230,000. And I spoke with the mayor about this and he said look, my message to people is that they should
leave until the shelling is over. There has barely been a quiet nights in Mykolaiv since the war began.
But the intensity is picking up and the perception is according to the mayor, this is because Russia is not making games on the ground, he said
and that Russia also has subversive spies, if you will who are scouting out potential targets within the city telling the Russian authorities and by
this mechanism trying to hit various targets in the city. But as we saw over the weekend, a very well-respected -- very wealthy businessman in
Mykolaiv and his wife were killed in their mansion.
They were sheltering in the basement when the bombing was going on. A huge missile hit the back of their house and they both died. And I think the
perception in the city as you know if it can happen to somebody as significant who's made such a contribution to society as he has then, you
know, then it can hit anyone. But there's a lot of -- been a lot of respect paid this businessman in principle because he's so wealthy he could have
left the country but he didn't. He stayed and tried to help.
GIOKOS: All right. Nic Robertson, thank you so much for that insight.
Now even with constant Russian bombardment and living under the threat of war, Ukrainians are still enlisting into the army to join the front lines.
CNN Jason Carroll spoke to several Ukrainians including an injured soldier about what keeps them going. But a warning some of these images you're
about to see are graphic.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Yuri Godemenko (ph) is just out of the hospital after doctor who spent more than a month
tending to his injuries.
CARROLL (on camera): Here. This is his shrapnel from the leg.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. From here.
CARROLL (voice over): An unwelcome souvenir of war. Another piece embedded in his chest. His leg shattered so badly these rods now holding together.
[10:20:01]
This video showing the moments after Godemenko was injured and rescued in June by fellow soldiers who were fighting alongside him on Ukraine's
eastern front. An area where Ukrainians have managed in places to hold back the Russian advance. Godemenko was laying a mind when he was hit by Russian
mortar fire. Doctors initially thought his leg needed to be amputated, but they saved it and his life.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel the pain. But I feel also an angry and my angry is more bigger than as a pain.
CARROLL: Patriotism, sense of duty, anger. There are a range of reasons for what continues to motivate Ukrainians to join the military. But anger is
one reason this new soldier will soon be deployed to the Eastern front and gave up his job as a personal trainer to join the fight. Soldiers asked
that we not show their faces to protect their security.
CARROLL (on camera): Do you have any worries about going there?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of course, but my hate is much more than any worries.
CARROLL (voice over): He says he did not tell his family he joined the military.
CARROLL (on camera): Do you think that's going to work?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They will be boring less for some time.
CARROLL (voice over): Family, not an issue for this young soldier who says his father is already fighting for Ukraine. And he says his decision to
join was not about emotion. But Yuri Godemenko says it is hard for him not to give into his emotions. He says as soon as he's well enough, he would
like to go back to the front line despite his wife's objections.
She says no woman in the world wants her man to go fight but respects his desire. One Godemenko says is also personal.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now I have a personal motivation too because I need to revenge for this (INAUDIBLE) all the enemies of my country and kill them.
Kill them all.
CARROLL: Jason Carroll, CNN, Kyiv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: The fallout from Russia's war in Ukraine stretches all the way to Sudan, where demonstrators have been calling for a return to civilian
leadership. Sunday's protest in the capital Khartoum was triggered by an exclusive CNN report into Russia's plunder of Sudanese gold to bankroll its
war in Ukraine.
Now sources inside Sudan tell CNN that authorities are now stepping up strong arm tactics as they hunt for the people who've been speaking, try
investigation. CNN's Nima Elbagir is leading this reporting and shows us the notorious Wagner Group suspected of helping Moscow. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIMA ELBAGIR, SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Wagner's tentacles stretch right across Africa. We've discovered some of its most
notorious operatives are working on Sudan. Yevgeniy Prigozhin, the head of Wagner, Mikhail Potepkin, Prigozhin's head of Sudan ops and Aleksandr
Sergeevich Kuznetsov. Wagner's key enforcer, previously convicted of kidnap and robbery.
Working with this man, Sunni's general Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo AKA Hemeti in a quid pro quo for training and weaponry. We traveled 200 miles north from
the capital Khartoum to gold country to take a closer look at Wagner's main moneymaker, artisanal gold. Miners bring rocks the extract here to be
processed. 85 percent of Sudan's gold is produced artisanal.
ELBAGIR (on camera): This right here, it may not look like much. This is what's left after the rocks that the miners have brought in is milled. Now
they've taken what they can out of it. But this gets sold. And when it's properly processed with someone who has superior technology, you can make
10 times what those miners over there are making.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: And CNN's chief international investigative correspondent Nima Elbagir is now live with us. Nima, it's such a powerful report because it
shows the influence that Russia has in various countries around the continent but importantly the work that you did in Sudan.
[10:25:06]
These protests we've seen against the military government since last year. But your reporting has really struck a chord with people that know that
money is being siphoned and being taken away from economic development. Take us through what you've heard.
ELBAGIR: Well, I think it's important to mention that when we reached out to both Russian and Sudanese authority's Yevgeniy Prigozhin that we didn't
receive a response, but it's clear that Sudanese authorities at least were responding on the ground in the ways that they tend to when there is any
challenge to the entrenchment of their authority. We understand from our sources that they have been hunting down people that they suspect of having
worked with us.
People who were involved with the anti-corruption investigations from the perspective of the civilian officials. Much of what is driving the
authorities fear is the fact that there has been such a widespread outpour of anger in a country that has just under 200 percent inflation, more than
Venezuela, more than Zimbabwe, for people to discover that billions of dollars have been siphoned away not just by the soldiers, but for the --
for a financial pipeline that goes to spilling blood a continent away.
You really see how that's reenergized a lot of the conversation online. Because for many Sudanese, there had been a sense that they were protesting
and dying and the world was just watching. And now there is so much more vigor around a renewed sense that well, at the very least, if it means that
those who have thrived off this theft can be prosecuted, then that there is a real commitment to perseverance, Eleni.
GIOKOS: Yes. Nima, I hope so too because this has been such a powerful report and absolutely having an impact, immediate impact. Thank you so
much, Nima. Great to see you.
And that is, of course is fascinating. And if you'd like to read more about it, go to our Web site, and you'll find more of Nima's reporting as well as
maps linking it all and a closer look at the key players that Nima talked about. That's all on your CNN app, or you can go to cnn.com.
Political protests are also consuming Iraq. Ahead on the show, the violence that broke out over the weekend and the parliamentary sit in that is
persisting for a third day.
Plus, from deadly floods to wildfires burning across Europe. We'll take a look at some of the economic and ecological impact aall those extreme
weather is having on bees.
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[10:30:13]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GIOKOS (voice over): At this hour, scenes of complete disorder at Iraq's Parliament. Supporters of the powerful cleric Muqtada al-Sadr are
continuing they sit in for a third day and they're demanding major changes in their governments. More than 100 people were injured in clashes over the
weekend as demonstrators breached Baghdad's Green Zone for the second time in the week. Al-Sadr has called the protests a golden opportunity for those
facing injustice.
We have Nada Bashir in the region for us. She joins me live from Istanbul. Nada, could you give me a sense of what the protests are calling for and
what they're expecting?
NADA BASHIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL REPORTER: Look, Eleni, as you said that we're in the third day of that sit in in Iraq's Parliament in Baghdad.
Pretty remarkable scenes as we've seen over the weekend. Thousands of demonstrators, largely supporters of influential Shia cleric Muqtada al-
Sadr storming the Green Zone taking occupation of the Parliament building which has -- for this point been suspended.
And of course, at first these demonstrations were sparked on Wednesday in response to the nomination of rival Shia leader Mohammed Shia al-Sudani a
suddenly for the position of prime minister. And this comes after months and months of political deadlock in Iraq's Parliament. But really we've
seen these demonstrations gain momentum and as you mentioned that we heard that statement from Muqtada al-Sadr yesterday really calling on the Iraqi
people to take to the streets not only in response to al-Sudani's nomination, his rival Shia leader but also now to call for a complete
overhaul of the political system.
They are demanding fundamental changes to the political system, electoral reforms, constitutional reforms. He has accused his opposition's of really
working in the interests of Iran as opposed to the Iraqi people. This has really gone at the support of thousands now in Baghdad. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BASHIR (voice over): The center of Iraqi politics now at the heart of some of the biggest protests Baghdad has seen in months. For three days now
these protesters have occupied Parliament. The vast majority ardent supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr, the influential Shia cleric calling for an
uprising.
SAMIR NAEEM, PROTESTER (through translator): We want free and fair elections and we want to amend the constitution. But the most important
thing is to put an end to corruption. If we end corruption, then we win.
AMIR AL-UKEYLI, PROTESTER (through translator): Politicians do not represent the people, their legitimacy is over. Now the legitimacy is for
people only.
BASHIR: Protests was sparked a week ago following the nomination of a new prime minister by Iraq's pro-Iran Coordination Framework Alliance. Their
pick rival Shiar leader Mohammed al-Sudani. The move follows months of political deadlock over the establishment of a new government. And a mass
resignation by al-Sadr's lawmakers who accused the opposition of serving the interests of Iran over the Iraqi people.
Now as frustrations mount over the country's dire political and economic situation, al-Sadr is calling on the Iraqi people to take to the streets.
Despite the outgoing prime minister's appeal for dialogue.
MUSTAFA AL-KADHIMI, OUTGOING IRAQI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): The political blocs must sit down, negotiate and reach an understanding for the
sake of Iraq and the Iraqis. 1000 days of quiet dialogue are better than a moment in which a drop of Iraqi blood is shed.
BASHIR: Water cannons, tear gas and even stun grenades were used by security forces over the weekend in an attempt to push protesters back
outside the perimeters of the Green Zone. Amid the chaos, at least 100 injuries. Western leaders have expressed concern over the further
destabilization of security in Iraq. But the implications of this latest crisis could prove far reaching.
Al-Sadr's movement if successful could cut political parties aligned to run out of the Iraqi government, dealing a major blow to Iran's growing
regional influence. And as these protests gain momentum, there are fears that already delicate regional dynamics could be pushed into even greater
uncertainty.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASHIR: And look, Eleni, we are already seeing counter protests in Baghdad, that opposing Coordination Framework Alliance, one of the largest Shia
alliances in the Iraqi Parliament. Now supporters of that alliance are taking to the streets in Baghdad in opposition to the demonstrations we've
seen in support of Muqtada al-Sadr.
[10:35:01]
There are concerns that there could be rising tensions between these two different demonstrations. We did see injuries over the weekend in response
to those protests. As you saw there, the security forces really cracking down on the demonstrations. At this stage, the political leaders have urged
all of their supporters taking to the streets to avoid confrontation to take part in peaceful protest.
But of course, these things can change very quickly. And as we've heard from numerous Iraqi politicians and leaders, and of course, also from the
international leaders are calling for deescalation. They are calling for peace, for dialogue to be pursued to find a resolution really to this
crisis. And there are concerns now that if dialogue isn't achieved, there isn't a peaceful resolution to the stagnation we've seen for months now.
This could really spark further confrontations between these groups and plunge Iraq into further political turmoil.
GIOKOS: Yes. All right. Nada Bashir, thank you so much.
All right. Let's get you up to speed on some other stories that are on our radar right now. Two massive wheat silos in Beirut have collapsed. The
structures already weakened in the 2020 port blast, have been burning for weeks amid soaring temperatures in the city. Lebanon's minister of public
works says other silos also expected to collapse. Incredible images there.
Iranian journalist -- all right. Let me just get my spots, I've lost it. Apologies. Iranian journalist and activist Masih Alinejad says the Iranian
regime is watching her. That is after police in New York arrested a man armed with an A.K.-47 style rifle. Driving in her neighborhood. Police say
he was behaving suspiciously. Alinejad says federal agents told her to stay away from her home. CNN has -- in the meantime reached out to the man's
attorney but has yet to receive a response.
Myanmar's military regime is extending emergency rule for six months and that's according to state media. The junta seized power last year. It's
been cracking down on anti-coup protests and recently executed four people including two pro-democracy activists.
And coming up. After a year's long wait, England has much to celebrate after winning its first ever major Women's Championship. That coming up
after this. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GIOKOS: The governor of Kentucky says hundreds of people have gone missing in the devastating floods that hit the eastern part of the state. Right now
30 people are known to have died but more victims are expected to be discovered in the coming weeks.
[10:40:00]
The recovery efforts ongoing even as more rain falls and new flood alerts are issued in the same region. Extreme weather is also claiming hundreds of
lives in Pakistan. Disaster authorities there say more than 400 people have died in heavy rains and flash floods since the monsoon season began.
A recent flooding in Iran has killed nearly 70 people and dozens are missing.
Meantime, extreme heat waves are helping to fuel fires like this one in Northern California. Some two million people across several U.S. states are
now under red flag warnings. Meaning an increased risk of fires. And take a look at this. Wildfires scorching parts of Europe as well. This is Greece
where the fires are destroying forests and that is threatening the country's bee population. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS (voice over): These honey bees produce delicious pine honey, a traditional and popular treats in Greece and an important export. And these
bees require thriving pine forests to do so.
But wildfires are wiping out not only the trees, but the beehives as well. Last year wildfire in Athens destroyed 250 beehives belonging to this
beekeeper, the loss still haunts him.
SIDERIS TSIMINIS, HONEY PRODUCER (through translator): It is a really awful thing to be afraid to enter the forest, the few forests that exist, but
you're afraid of losing even more of your wealth and ending up with nothing.
GIOKOS: Unfortunately, wildfires are burning again this year. And they're becoming more common due to climate change.
CHRISTOS ZEREFOS, CLIMATE EXPERT: A large phenomena like the heatwaves or like extreme weather, lightning and other and wildfires in the forests of
Europe, particularly in the Mediterranean, we know the costs and the costs are very high.
GIOKOS: In the last year, Greece has dramatically boosted spending to fight and prepare for wildfires from some $20 million to more than $122 million.
Greece is also debuting the European Union's pre-positioning project where firefighters from other E.U. member states are stationed in Greece to
respond quickly to the fires and to provide much needed relief to the Greek firefighters.
KOSTAS ZINELIS, FIREFIGHTER (through translator): The extreme weather phenomena unfortunately put a strain on Greek firefighters as the working
hours in the field increase. They have to be on alert all the time.
GIOKOS: And as the firefighters battle the fires, they help preserve the pine forests and the bees. And the bees then help rebuild the forest.
TSIMINIS: It will take many years for it to go back to the way it was but it is essential for the bees to be there because it helps the burned forest
to be reborn.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GIOKOS: All right. Moving on now. And after decades of heartbreak and close calls England has finally brought home football glory again. England won
its first ever major Women's Championship in dramatic fashion Sunday at Wembley Stadium beating Germany in the Euro 2022 final. Amanda Davies joins
us now live from Wembley. Amanda, I have to say I have major FOMO. Tell me what that was. It must have been incredible.
AMANDA DAVIES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: Eleni, it was emotional. I think that is the best summary of it has been incredible. It has been a really, really
long time coming. And as you'd expect the party is well underway. 7000 fans have joined the lionesses in the centre of London at Trafalgar Square
today. The players say they feel they've done more partying in the last 24 hours and actually playing football but the football that they played,
well, it has certainly made an impact. Not only being felt here in England but around Europe and the rest of the world.
The question now is how we harness it and take it forward and that's what we're going to be looking at in World Sport in just a couple of minutes.
GIOKOS: I can totally feel the energy and looking forward to your updates. Amanda, you'll be back after the break and more Connect the World at the
top of the hour. Stay with CNN.
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