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One World with Zain Asher
Tension Between Niger And Regional Neighbors Grows; Russia Not Present In Jeddah Talks; Tensions Flare Once Again Between China And The Philippines In A Territorial Dispute In The South China Sea; Trump Lawyers Face A Looming Deadline; UNICEF Finds Half A Billion Children In South Asia Suffer Under Extreme Heat; Death Toll From Pakistan Train Derailment In Pakistan Expected To Rise; New York City Struggles To Find Shelter For Thousands Of Asylum Seekers; Nail-Biting Match Between England And Nigeria At The Women's World Cup. Aired 12-1p ET
Aired August 07, 2023 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ZAIN ASHER, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Hello, everyone. I'm Zain Asher in New York and this is One World. The tension between Niger and its regional
neighbors is growing. The Economic Community of West African States, or ECOWAS, plans to meet Thursday to decide its next move. The bloc gave
Niger's military junta until yesterday to reinstate ousted President Mohamed Bazoum, which, of course, did not happen. ECOWAS has said the use
of force is still a possibility. Niger appears to be getting ready with the junta calling for troops from around the country to go back to the capital.
On Sunday, the junta shut down all airspace over Niger. That's led Air France to suspend flights to and from Niger's capital and neighboring
countries, as well. CNN's Larry Madowo is following this story from Nairobi. Larry, here's the thing. If ECOWAS puts on the table the idea of
military intervention, if President Bazoum is not reinstated and does not follow through with that, what are the ramifications of that, do you think?
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They will lose credibility in this situation, but also it signals to future military coup leaders that, yes,
there will be no consequences if you overthrow a democratically elected government. But ECOWAS boxed themselves in with this decision. By
threatening military action within a week, they have either to go through with it or risk losing that credibility, but they have to save face
somehow. They made it seem like this was always going to happen.
Now, President Bola Tinubu, who's chairing the heads of state summit, is calling another summit to deliberate on what they will do which is buying
time, I guess, as political or diplomatic options are considered here. But the military has been making a big show of how much support they have. For
instance, this extraordinary video from the main stadium in Niamey, which was failed by supporters of the coup, keen to show France, keen to show the
West, but especially keen to show ECOWAS that they support the military against any external aggression.
It's important to note that so far, we have not seen any pro-Bazoum voices, and I will get to that in a second. First, I want you to hear from some of
the protesters who were there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNKNOWN (through translator): If ECOWAS forces decide to attack our country before reaching the presidential palace, they will have to walk over our
bodies, spill our blood, and we'll do it with pride. It's France that's behind this ECOWAS force that wants to attack us.
UNKNOWN (through translator): I think that everywhere in the world, they see that the people are mobilized. They're going to have to crush us all to
reach the presidential palace.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MADOWO: The supporters of the military sounding defiant there, saying that actually ECOWAS is just a proxy for France, and they will have to walk over
their bodies. That is a valid point of view held by some in the country. But also, we have not seen any strong supporters of President Mohamed
Bazoum's government. Yes, they exist. But in a country where there's very little independent media, state television has been controlling the
narrative here.
And all they're showing is these rallies across the nation supporting the military, as if there are no people who support President Bazoum, who feel
slighted by the military taking over. The only time we saw them, Zain, was on July 26, the first time that President Bazoum was held at the
presidential palace and people spontaneously gathered outside the National Assembly to support him, to say he needs to be released, and they want a
path back to democracy.
ASHER: Right, Larry Madowo, live for us there. Thank you so much. Turning now to Russia's war on Ukraine, where both sides are reporting heavy
fighting along the southern frontlines. Kyiv, meantime, is confirming strikes over the weekend on two strategic bridges between Crimea and
Russian-occupied areas nearby. Ukraine says both bridges are key logistical routes used by Moscow's military. And we're now learning about an alleged
plot to assassinate Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy. The country's security service says that a Russian informant is currently in custody.
[12:05:00]
CNN's Nic Robertson joins us live now from London. So, Nic, I do want to say that a Russian informant is currently in custody. CNN's Nic Robertson
joins us live now from London. So Nic, I do want to talk about these talks in Jeddah with 42 countries represented discussing the war in Ukraine.
Obviously, Russia, not present in these talks. But just walk us through whether or not this is a signal that perhaps the diplomatic route in terms
of finding a solution to this war is still viable at this point.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yeah, I think if you sort of take it at very, very basic principles, this was the second in a
series of discussions like this with countries, not all of them, many of them though, supporters of Ukraine, others undecided, others like India,
China, the UAE, South Africa, who are all impacted economically by the war and to varying degrees engage with Russia and Ukraine would like them to
not engage at an economic level because engaging at an economic level with Russia whether you're buying coal, buying gas, buying oil. That helps fund
the war in Ukraine.
So, Ukraine is out to try to explain to those countries not to do it, but at the same time those countries are also out to explain to Ukraine, you're
not perhaps not the biggest player here at the table, you've got strong allies, but there are ground realities. President Putin is somebody we do
business with, and we don't like the fact that our economies are being rattled. So, you know, you may have to come to a different consensus about
what peace looks like in the future.
Ukraine believes that their 10-point peace plan is the one to go with, and that means that Russia should leave all of Ukraine's territory. I think
it's very telling here from what one of the biggest players around the table had to say. And before I say that, it's telling that Saudi Arabia was
able to get them, China, to the table, and the Ukrainians were very grateful for that.
And I think that's a significant sort of part of the expansion of the talks, what Saudi was able to bring to the table and the players it was
able to bring to the table. You had the Saudi host sitting right in between the U.S. delegate and the Chinese delegate. These things are not
insignificant.
But the Chinese takeaway is, look, this has bought a degree of trust in all the parties around the table and a degree of understanding of what the
international consensus is. So, if China says that, even if it's not moving to the same goalpost that that Ukraine wants, it is a more successful peace
narrative than we've previously had, but the reality is the war is still being fought and there's no end in sight. Indeed, the Russians, as you
said, weren't at the table, and you know, one of their strongest or most vocal politicians is saying this is no time for peace talks with Ukraine.
ASHER: Let's talk about another development that we've gotten. Ukrainian security services basically saying that a Russian informant has been
arrested because they were involved in some kind of a plot to assassinate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a trip to Mykolaiv. Walk us
through what we know, Nic.
ROBERTSON: Yeah, unnamed woman, these are allegations that are being put forward by Ukraine's intelligence services, the SBU. In the context of
Mykolaiv and President Zelenskyy's visit, there will have been a high degree of concern about what is seen as collaborators. You know, going back
more than a year now, the city's governor there has been extremely concerned that buildings that are getting targeted in Mykolaiv, it really
gives the impression that the Russians know who's in the building and when they're in the building.
So, there's this real concern about collaborators. That's probably writ large around Ukraine, but we know for sure Mykolaiv. So, this woman,
unnamed woman, that the Ukrainian intelligence services are pointing the finger at here, she was working on a Ukrainian military base about 30
miles, 50 kilometers from Mykolaiv. She was running a store in that base.
And what the intelligence services are saying is she was trying to gather information about precisely where Zelenskyy would be and at what time. And
they believe that that was going to help bring in Russian airstrikes on his position, assassinate him. And they also say that this woman had been told
to try to get information about Ukraine's electronic warfare sites, vital for sort of Ukraine's air defenses holding off the cruise missiles and
drones and all those sorts of attacks.
So, this is somebody they now have in custody. But this won't be the search, the end of their search for collaborators. But this, until now, it
seems to be the most high-profile potential assassination of the president that we're aware of.
ASHER: We'll keep an eye on it certainly. Nic Robertson, live for us there. Thank you so much. All right, tensions are flaring once again between China
and the Philippines in a territorial dispute in the South China Sea. The Philippine Foreign Ministry is condemning China for firing water cannons at
its vessels on a resupply mission to troops on a disputed shore. China, for its part, is accusing the Philippines of sending construction materials to
repair a vessel parked on that reef since 1999 in an attempt to permanently occupy that reef.
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Beijing claims it has sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea. And now, to show force in an attempt to permanently occupy that reef,
Beijing claims it has sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea.
And now to show force in international waters off of the coast of Alaska, the U.S. military deployed four of its navy destroyers to monitor 11
Russian and Chinese ships operating there last week. U.S. defense officials say the show of force did not pose a threat to the U.S. or Canada. China
says that the Joint Maritime Patrol is not targeted at any third party and has nothing to do with the current international situation.
Our CNN National Security Reporter Natasha Bertrand joins us live now from the Pentagon. So, these Chinese and Russian vessels were technically in
international waters, not necessarily considered a threat, certainly viewed as viewed as provocative nonetheless, especially by the U.S. Just walk us
through that.
NATASHA BERTRAND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY REPORTER: Yeah, Zain, and it really underscores just how close Russia and China are militarily now and how that
military cooperation really is only increasing despite China, as you were talking to Nic earlier, wanting to play a role in those peace talks for
Ukraine. Now, what we know from the U.S. military is that U.S. Northern Command and NORAD, they did respond to this Russian and Chinese fleet
presence in the Bering Sea off the coast of the Aleutian Islands last week, and they sent, according to the U.S. senators from Alaska, roughly four
U.S. Navy destroyers, as well as reconnaissance aircraft to kind of track the movements of these Russian and Chinese vessels.
But U.S. Northern Command in a statement to CNN, they did say that these did not pose a threat to the U.S. or Canada and that they were in
international waters the entire time. But still, it's raising a lot of concerns, especially among the lawmakers from Alaska, about how close
Russia and China are getting to the U.S. and to Canada with these exercises because this is not the first time that they have done this. They conducted
this kind of exercise last summer, as well, and at that time, the U.S. response was, according to Dan Sullivan, one of the U.S. senators from
Alaska, tepid. That is the word he used, because it really only was a U.S. Coast Guard vessel on a routine patrol that encountered these Russian and
Chinese ships.
Well, this time around, the U.S. military is responding much more forcefully. We saw the Navy destroyers, the planes, and they're
emphasizing, you know, that this is part of their growing response, of course, to these Chinese and Russian activities, which are posing, you
know, if not a threat, they are at least just very provocative, right, especially at a moment when the U.S.-China-Russia relations are so tense.
Now, the U.S. Senator from Alaska, Dan Sullivan, he actually described this, quote, "as a new era of authoritarian aggression led by the dictators
in Beijing and Moscow". As you mentioned, Zain, China did release a statement saying that this was not directed at any third party or was part
of kind of routine exercises, but still bound to raise a lot of questions here about the military cooperation between them and of course about how
close they're willing to get to the United States, Zain.
ASHER: Right, Natasha Bertrand, life for us there. Thank you so much. Lawyers for former U.S. President Donald Trump face a looming deadline
today. In just under five hours, they must respond to the Justice Department's request to limit what Trump can say about evidence he
receives. Mr. Trump was indicted for the third time last week on charges alleging a conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election. CNN Justice
Correspondent Jessica Schneider is covering the case for us from Washington, D.C.
JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Zain, every step of this case is shaping up to be a big fight. Trump's attorney flooded the airwaves over
the weekend, vowing to fight that protective order that's proposed by the special counsel. Trump's team actually must file its opposition today by 5
p.m. And they've also previewed their coming claims that they want this case moved out of Washington, D.C.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SCHNEIDER (voice-over): Former President Donald Trump and his legal team going on offense this weekend after Trump pleaded not guilty to four
charges alleging that he tried to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
JOHN LAURO, TRUMP ATTORNEY: The point is that we will not agree to keeping information that's not sensitive from the press.
SCHNEIDER (voice-over): Trump's lawyer says his legal team plans to oppose a protective order requested by prosecutors that would put some
restrictions on what Trump and his team can do with evidence shared with them. Federal prosecutors arguing limits need to be imposed on Trump,
citing his previous public statements about witnesses, judges and lawyers in the case. And in the filing attached a Truth social post of Trump's
where he warns, "if you go after me, I'm coming after you".
Trump rebuking the concerns of federal prosecutors, continuing to lash out on social media at the case and the judge over the weekend, claiming he
cannot get a fair trial in Washington, D.C. Trump writes that he plans to ask Judge Tanya Chutkin, who is presiding over the case, to recuse herself
and further claiming he will also request a change of venue for the trial. One of Trump's rivals for the Republican nomination for president
disagrees.
[12:15:00]
CHRIS CHRISTIE, U.S. REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I believe jurors can be fair. I believe in the American people, and I believe in the fact
that jurors will listen fairly and impartially.
SCHNEIDER (voice-over): Despite his legal troubles mounting, Trump hit the campaign trail this weekend visiting South Carolina, where he again
criticized his latest indictment and Special Counsel Jack Smith.
DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: He's a deranged human being. You take a look at that face, you say that guy is a sick man. There's something
wrong with him.
SCHNEIDER (voice-over): A Trump campaign advisor tells CNN Trump has no plans to change his rhetoric. The former president also took aim at his
former Vice President, Mike Pence, disputing the claims in the indictment that he pressured him to reject the election results. Trump's Attorney,
John Lauro, says that Trump was merely asking the vice president to act.
LAURO: What President Trump did not do is direct Vice President Pence to do anything. He asked him in an aspirational way. Asking is covered by the
First Amendment.
SCHNEIDER (voice-over): Pence confirming the claims in the indictment and says he has no plans to testify but will quote comply with the law.
MIKE PENCE, FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: Frankly the day before January 6th, if memory serves, they came back as lawyers did and said we want you to
reject votes outright. This -- this -- they were asking me to overturn the election. I had no right to overturn the election. I know we did our duty
that day.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SCHNEIDER (on-camera): So, we are expecting a flurry of filings before the next court date in the 2020 election case. That is scheduled for August
28th. Now, as for Trump's claims that he'll try to get the case moved out of Washington D.C. it's interesting to note that about three dozen January
6th defendants, they've already tried that argument and no judge even those appointed by Trump have ever agreed, Zain.
ASHER: All right, still to come here on One World, bearing the brunt of the global climate crisis through no fault of their own ahead, an alarming new
report by UNICEF details where children are at most risk. New York City also says it needs federal help as it seeks assistance to find shelter for
thousands of asylum seekers in the city. We'll have the latest on the migrant crisis in the U.S. coming up later.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ASHER: Many climate experts claim it's an irrefutable fact. When it comes to global warming, those who have contributed the least will suffer the
most. Now, a new report by the United Nations is providing some staggering statistics that appear to back that up.
[12:20:00]
According to UNICEF, 76 percent or nearly half a billion children in South Asia are living under extreme heat. That means three and four children in
the region are already facing dangerously high temperatures compared to only one in three children or 32 percent worldwide. And the U.N. warns
those living in Afghanistan, in Bangladesh, India, the Maldives and Pakistan are at extremely high risk. The situation is only expected to get
worse.
As we've been reporting on, July was actually the hottest month ever, ever recorded globally. UNICEF's regional director for South Asia says that
young children simply cannot handle the heat. And he warns without immediate international attention, children in the region will continue to
bear the brunt of more frequent and more severe heat waves in the coming years through obviously no fault of their own.
James Elder is the global spokesperson for UNICEF. He joins us live now from Geneva. James, thank you so much for being with us. We're talking
about 460 million children particularly in the as part of Asia who are dealing with consistent temperatures of about 35 degrees Celsius or higher,
which is 95 degrees Fahrenheit for the Americans. Just explain to us physiologically what that does to a child being exposed to those kinds of
temperatures on a consistent basis.
JAMES ELDER, GLOBAL SPOKESPERSON, UNICEF: Sure, Hi Zain. Look, the thing with children is that they have trouble regulating temperatures in their
bodies, much more so than adults. So, they're not able to remove excess heat from their bodies in the way adults do.
Now what this means, and again, what this means to hundreds of millions of children, as you just rightly pointed out, is that this can be anything
from severe headaches to, you know, dizziness, to organ failure. These are the very real immediate impacts to those children pretty much as you and I
speak. And of course, there are then the longer-term issues around the climate crisis, which we are living through now, which is the fires and the
floods, because this is not something in five, 10, or 20 years' time.
So, there are very immediate impacts to those children, which of course also speak to their ability to learn and concentrate. And then of course,
there are those things where they are just, whether it's Pakistan, 12 months ago and those horrendous floods, or what children are enduring
today. These are the realities, Zain, of a climate crisis, it is very much with us now.
ASHER: And I think what is devastating is that a lot of these countries are dealing with other problems in addition to the climate crisis. So, you
obviously mentioned Pakistan just a year ago. A third of that country was underwater, given the sort of biblical level of floods we saw in that
country. On top of that, Afghanistan is dealing with a whole host of issues, especially food insecurity being one of the many issues that
Afghanistan is dealing with right now. So how do these countries cope? And what sort of assistance is required from the international community?
ELDER: Yeah, it's a great question. I think in some parts they don't cope. Some of these children, as you rightly said, Zain, they don't really have a
carbon footprint and yet they are very much at the front line of this. There's a great injustice yet again for these boys and girls. So, some
parts of it they simply don't cope. And as long as mitigation measures keep being ignored by governments and fossil fuel industries, that will
continue.
The nexus with food is very, very important. These heat waves mean crops get destroyed, they mean water scarcity, and then sometimes mums and dads
simply can't go to work so there's a loss of income. So, this has a domino effect for these hundreds of millions of boys and girls.
But as you rightly allude to Zain, there are things that can be done. Now, the United Nations Secretary General, I think, was nail on the head when he
spoke about this crisis we are we are careering towards something with our eyes wide-open. And it's time, he said, for the world to wake up and step
up. And he was very unequivocal about who needs to step up. It is those, you know, the polluted heart of this climate crisis. And that is the fossil
fuel industry. And the fossil fuel industry need to be directing our movement towards renewables, not obstructing it.
So, mitigation remains one for the children of our planet now. Then there are things around resilience. UNICEF does a lot of resilience work for
those services key to children. Education, we build cyclone resilience schools across say Mozambique. Not only do they keep children safe and they
enable them to go to school after a cyclone. They're the safest place for a community, Zain.
And then, of course, governments need to make sure when they're looking at climate financing, keep your lens on children too frequently, that's not
the case. So, there are things that can be done and there are things like UNICEF is doing. But mitigation, you know, we are that generation, the
first one to know the climate crisis is real.
[12:25:00]
We're probably the last one to be able to do anything about it. That is an obligation that simply must be met for the boys and girls of the region you
and I are speaking about and across the world.
ASHER: I mean, you talk about mitigation as being, you know, the key to this here, and you talk about the role that fossil fuel companies play. If
fossil fuel companies don't step up to the plate here, what are the consequences? I mean, we've talked about the fact that July was literally
the hottest month ever on record. Things are going to get worse in subsequent years, in coming years. What's at stake here?
ELDER: Everything. I think whether you listen to a politician or an environmentalist, it's so clear that we are seeing extinction of species
and removal of arable land and you look from, you know, we have the satellites to look down at the earth and see deforestation. This is your
children, this is our children, this is the children UNICEF represents. There is nothing exceptional about the human species if we do not protect
those things that we have.
So, we are looking at, you know, migration on scales we have not seen. We will look at wars around water. And we are aware of these things. These are
not a surprise. Scientists has been warning for a long, long time. And now, as you say, a fossil fuel industry who the Secretary General mentioned had
a $400 trillion windfall in terms of income last year, yet spends, you know, less than a single-digit percent when it comes to renewables or
carbon capture.
That simply can't be the case. And that of course requires pressure from you, from me, from mums and dads, from when you're looking at your elected
officials because there is simply no bigger issue on the planet right now than saving the planet for boys and girls.
ASHER: You put it so well. James Elder, global spokesperson for UNICEF. Thank you so much for your time. We appreciate it. All right, still to come
here, Niger's military junta shows no signs of giving up power, despite pressure from its neighbors. We'll look at the scenarios for the next
chapter for Niger.
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[12:30:43]
ASHER: Hello and welcome back to One World. Let's catch up on the headlines. Devastating images of a home literally falling off the banks and
crumbling into a river in Alaska. Civil officials in the capital of Juneau have issued an emergency declaration after an outburst from a glacier-
dammed lake and inundated the region. The record high flooding also prompted some local evacuations, as well.
In Italy, wildfires have forced the evacuation of more than 600 people from tourist areas around Sardinia. Italy's fire brigade says strong winds
fueled more than 40 wildfires on the island. The flames came close to urban areas and even reached a popular beach resort. Investigators are looking
into arson as a possible cause.
And Somalia says 45 jihadists belonging to an al-Shabaab group were killed in a joint international operation in central Somalia. An army statement
says 10 prominent leaders were among those killed. Al-Shabaab is the largest and most active al-Qaeda network in the world. That's according to
U.S.-Africa command.
All right, it is a pivotal week that could determine Niger's political future. Last week, ECOWAS, the 15-nation bloc of West African states,
threatened Niger's coup leaders with military intervention if the country's democratically elected president was not reinstated by the end of the
weekend. Now, 24 hours later, President Mohamed Bazoum is still not back in power and his whereabouts are not clear. So, what exactly happens next?
ECOWAS now has a decision to make whether or not to bring in troops. Any intervention could have a profound effect across the region, a region by
the way that's already been beset by coups and of course would be fertile ground for Islamic groups to gain more power.
Time now for The Exchange and a closer look at the situation in Niger and across the Sahel. We are joined now by our good friend Kamissa Camara,
she's a Senior Advisor for Africa at the U.S. Institute for Peace, and she also served as the foreign minister of Mali. Kamissa, always good to have
you on the program. I think my question is, what does happen next? I mean, you have a situation whereby ECOWAS has put the threat of military
intervention on the table, and now they're in this sort of period where they sort of have to follow through. And if they don't follow through, then
they risk losing credibility. So where do we go from here?
KAMISSA CAMARA, FORMER MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, MALI: Well, you said it all, Zain. ECOWAS, the stakes for the ECOWAS are really, really high. The
ECOWAS credibility is on the line. Right after the coup, the regional bloc was very assertive as to the fact that they are against coups. The Nigeria
president was very, very adamant that he was against coups and that Nigeria was going to be the leader of the ECOWAS efforts to reinstate President
Bazoum.
More than a week later, we now have a deadline that has passed, a deadline that the ECOWAS has sent to the junta leaders of Niger, saying that if they
did not reinstate President Bazoum, that they would send military troops to Niger to reinstate the president. Now, we're close to 24 hours after the
deadline has passed, it doesn't look like a military intervention will happen.
Now, the ECOWAS is now facing legal but also operational challenges for a military intervention to take place. Nigeria did not get the approval of
their Senate to send troops to the ECOWAS. And so, what happened next? I think that's the million-dollar question.
ASHER: I mean, was it smart of ECOWAS to sort of box themselves in in this way? Because you also have other ECOWAS members. I mean, Mali is a member
of ECOWAS. So is Burkina Faso. They've both said, listen, if you guys intervene in Niger, we're going to side with the Nigerians. So, was it a
smart strategy? I mean, is it something that perhaps should have been thought through? Because if they -- as we pointed out, I mean, if they
don't intervene, it's sort of, you know, as we point out, they lose credibility in this way.
[12:35:10]
CAMARA: Yeah, so, you've mentioned Mali and Burkina, but there is also Guinea, which is a country that is in the ECOWAS region. And all of these
three coup countries now have been suspended by the ECOWAS. And so, the ECOWAS has truly boxed itself in. I think that the ECOWAS has tried to play
on the diplomatic negotiations on threats and thought that it could potentially bring back President Bazoum. And I think the main mistake that
ECOWAS has made was to draw this red line and saying that if you do not reinstate President Bazoum, that's the only condition that will make the
sanctions and take away this threat of military intervention.
Now, the diplomatic negotiations have not been successful. Last week, Nigeria sent the Sultan of Sokoto, who is a very respectful religious
leader in the region. So not only in Nigeria, but also in Niger and also the former President of Nigeria Abdulsalami who is a military leader to
negotiate with the Niger junta. The negotiations were not successful and what we've seen in the last couple of days is Niger closing its airspace.
So, now what should we make of this? That clearly shows that the Nigerian junta is not ready to relinquish power, that they are ready to fight, and
that they will make sure that the ECOWAS is unsuccessful in its attempts to reinstate President Bazoum. And then what does France do with all of this?
Because France has said, listen, we support ECOWAS. But would France support ECOWAS through a military intervention? I mean, that seems to be a
stretch. What do you think?
CAMARA: And you have to look at France's intervention and involvement in the Sahel as a whole. There has been in recent years growing anti-French
sentiment. Both Mali and Burkina have made sure that their defense agreements with France are canceled and that has pushed France out of the
Sahel quite a bit. Niger is really the last friend of France in the Sahel and despite that, I think France is trying to be extremely prudent in the
way it gets involved in the situation. So, France has been rather quiet in recent days.
ASHER: Because of course, as a form of colonial power, I mean, the optics would not look good if it supported --
CAMARA: It would not look good.
ASHER: Right. So, in terms of the Wagner group, you know, how might they try to capitalize on all of this if there was to be military intervention
by ECOWAS?
CAMARA: It's really hard to see what Wagner could do and how the type of support that Wagner could lend to the Nigerian junta. We could speculate
and say that, you know, it's an easy cross-border operation that the Wagner group could do from Mali to Niger. Wagner does capitalize on leaders who
are being isolated, which is the case in Niger. So, it's not impossible to see Wagner forces in Niger. I think, again, like you said in your
introduction, I think the next week is going to be extremely critical for Niger but also for the entire region.
ASHER: All right, Kamissa Camara, we'll see what happens. Thank you so much for being with us, we appreciate it.
CAMARA: Thank you for having me.
ASHER: Of course. All right, still to come here, a controversial move to house asylum seekers in Britain. This floating barge has begun accepting
migrants despite safety concerns. Details ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:41:48]
ASHER: Officials in Pakistan are launching an inquiry to find out what caused Sunday's deadly rail crash. At least 30 people were killed and
dozens hurt when a passenger train derailed in a remote farming area of southern Sindh province. CNN's Anna Coren has more on what we're learning
about the disaster.
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The death toll from Sunday's train derailment in Pakistan is expected to rise due to the severity of injuries,
according to local officials. And looking at the pictures of the mangled wreckage of the aftermath, it's not difficult to understand why.
Yesterday, the Hazara Express left Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, at 8 AM local, with 950 passengers on board. More than five hours later, just
after 1 PM, the train derailed near the town of Nawabshah in Sindh province, 170 miles from Karachi. Authorities say the train was travelling
at moderate speed, 28 miles an hour, when it ran off the tracks, ten cars derailed.
This is a remote farming area, so the first people on the scene were local villagers trying to pull survivors from the wreckage. Eyewitnesses spoke of
people screaming and bodies everywhere, including women and children. Local media reports it took hours for emergency crews to arrive. They had to
bring in heavy machinery to free passengers who were trapped. The military also assisted. The injured were taken to local hospitals where an emergency
was declared to deal with the influx of patients. Body bags lay on the ground next to survivors. Let's now have a listen to one of those
survivors.
UNKNOWN (through translator): It was so sudden and we were seated comfortably until then. We heard the growling sounds and I gathered that
the train had derailed. Then a storm of dust spread. Then a burst fell on my head and blood splashed.
COREN: The cause of the derailment is unknown at this stage. But the railway minister said it could be a technical fault or an act of sabotage.
An investigation is underway. Fatal train accidents are frequent in Pakistan. And the country's decaying rail network has lacked funding and
attention despite promises from successive governments to upgrade the system. Anna Coren, CNN, Hong Kong.
ASHER: Now, to the migrant crisis. Britain has begun moving some migrants to a barge off its southern coast. About 500 migrants from countries like
Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan will be temporarily housed on the Bibby Stockholm barge as they wait for their asylum claims to be processed. It's
part of a plan to provide housing that's less expensive than hotels. The move is igniting protests from some groups who describe it as inhumane. The
country's union is voicing safety concerns calling it a death trap and an accident waiting to happen.
New York City is also struggling to find shelter for thousands of asylum seekers. Nearly 100,000 have come through the city's intake centers since
last spring, and nearly 200 sites have been opened to house them. And according to one CNN affiliate, New York is now considering converting
soccer fields on Randall's Island into a tent city. City officials say that they need federal help.
[12:45:07]
CNN's Polo Sandoval joins us live now from New York. So, Polo, listen, New York City is a very diverse, certainly very inclusive city. There is this
generosity of spirit when it comes to welcoming people from other places. But I get the impression that's now being tested. Walk us through it.
POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is the incredible irony in all of this, right? A city of migrants is now essentially struggling to try to
find temporary housing for migrants. Those recently arrived, we have been seeing this since last April, mentioned close to 100,000 who have actually
turned to New York City officials for resources, for food, for a place to stay. You mentioned temporary housing. That is still the biggest challenge
for New York City officials today.
The building that you may be able to see just across the street here in the heart of Manhattan, that has been serving as a primary intake for asylum
seekers, many of them from Latin American and African countries before they can get in touch with the resources that they need. So, the challenge that
we're hearing from New York City Mayor Eric Adams is the fact that they're running out of space, according to him. It got to a point just last week
where we saw dozens of asylum seekers, mainly adult men, sleeping outside of that hotel that you see behind me. It wasn't until a couple days later
that the city was actually able to find temporary housing for them, that the sidewalks were clear.
I just spoke to a family from Venezuela a few moments ago that's only been in New York City for a week and it's already been just a trying experience
from getting some of their belongings lost to not being able to depend on certainty when it comes to long-term housing. They have three school-aged
children.
The school year is fast approaching. If they don't have the documents necessary or a place that they've called home for at least two weeks, there
is a challenge there where they cannot actually register the children to start school this coming semester.
So, it's really just a myriad of challenges right now for the asylum seekers themselves. But as for the city, it's finding places for these
asylum seekers to call home. And it's gotten to a point where Mayor Adams has not ruled out the possibility that they could even erect tents in the
iconic Central Park to house asylum seekers. So, this all really, there's still many moving pieces in all of this well over a year into New York
City's asylum seeker crisis. Over 100,000 people have turned to the city and out of those, about 56,000 of them are still in the city's care. The
system is certainly buckling under pressure. Zain.
ASHER: And so, what's next in terms of the city being able to get federal help? What's on the table here?
SANDOVAL: They continue to underscore their call for not just state assistance, but also federal assistance. We have continued to hear not just
from New York City officials, but also officials in Washington acknowledging that this continues to be a federal issue, that many of these
asylum seekers are presenting themselves before a federal system. They are petitioning for asylum. But according to New York City's mayor, they have
not seen a leading role from the Biden administration, though they do continue with their conversations. Now, the White House, for its part,
maintains that they are engaged in those talks with the administration of New York City's mayor. But still, we have not seen any actual sort of
concrete movement, especially any sort of long-term policy that would specifically address this issue coming from Washington, even coming from
the state. So, this is why the city level is really calling on that involvement, both at the state and at the federal level, for some kind of
response to this crisis that continues to worsen by the day.
ASHER: All right, Polo Sandoval live for us there. Thank you so much. All right, in the Women's World Cup, England advances to the quarterfinals
after a penalty shootout. A closer look at this very exciting match in the live report, next.
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[12:51:39]
ASHER: In the Women's World Cup, it was a nail-biting match between England and Nigeria. Nigeria ultimately lost and England ended up advancing to the
quarterfinals after winning in a penalty shootout. Even after their star player, Lauren James, was sent off in regulation time. England now face
either Jamaica or Colombia. And in another big match, co-hosts Australia are on their way to the quarterfinals after 2-0 win over Denmark. A crowd
of over 75,000 packed the stadium in Sydney to watch the match. Australia will either face France or Morocco on Saturday in the last eight of the
tournament.
For more on this, let's bring in Don Riddell. So, here's the thing. I mean, yes, Nigeria lost and that is certainly a bummer, but Nigeria also proved
that they can go toe-to-toe with literally one of the best teams in the world. I mean they lost but it could have gone either way. They gave it
everything. That's my summary.
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: So, you're obviously a Nigeria fan. It's a bummer if you're a Nigeria fan and maybe not so much if you were
supporting, I don't know, England as I was.
ASHER: Was it that obvious, Don?
RIDDELL: Look, fair play to Nigeria and full credit to them. They've had a wonderful tournament. They've gone further than some were expecting. They
got out of a really tough group. They held the Olympic champions Canada to a goalless draw. And also, it was goalless against European champions
England after 120 minutes. But in the end, it just wasn't to be. We're showing you some of the key highlights here. England thought they could
have had a penalty during this game. VAR thought otherwise.
This actually was the turning point when Lauren James was sent off for a rather petulant kick at one of the Nigerian players. She earned a straight
red card for that. And you would think that that would play to Nigeria's advantage, having an extra player for half an hour. But it wasn't the case.
They actually found it harder to play against 10. Nigeria missed their first two kicks in the shootout and look at that from Chloe Kelly the
decisive goal in the shootout for England.
I think England will feel as though they dodged a bullet here today. Nigeria played incredibly well. The Super Falcons will feel hard done by,
but in the end, England squeaked through. That's football sometimes. Sometimes it's very, very close and penalties decided and it's no fun to be
involved in a penalty shootout. But England, I think, in that regard, were the better team today but it was the luckiest goal for them.
ASHER: Yeah, and for Nigeria though to make it to the knockout stage to begin with I mean that was certainly historic and -- and Don, let's talk
about the U.S. I mean what went wrong for them if you look at their performance overall in this particular World Cup?
RIDDELL: Well, not much went right to be honest. I mean we could tell from their opening game against Vietnam that they were really struggling to get
going and they never really improved they did have a much better game against Sweden the one where they ultimately came unstuck but the alarm
bells had already been ringing, to be honest.
And this is a team that arrived here full of confidence and swagger. They were going for the three-peat, which would have been unprecedented, three
World Cup titles in a row. They have dominated women's football for the last two decades.
But I think one of the things that went wrong for them is that everybody else is catching up. Excuse me. It's been quite apparent at this tournament
that so many other teams have really stepped up and improved in the last few years.
[12:55:00]
Perhaps, the U.S. team was relying too much on their old guard, their seasoned players who are towards the end of their career. Maybe they
started to believe their own hype. Maybe all the work and the fight that they've put in off the field to improve the standing of women's football
and the way this team was paid and compensated and treated. Maybe some of that had taken its toll. There were also 14 rookies in this squad. Maybe
that was too many.
So, I think there are a lot of problems with this U.S. team. They've got a long, long trip home to reflect on what went wrong. They want to improve
before the Olympics, which are now what, less than a year away in Paris next year. But very, very difficult and a shock to see the U.S. team go out
because they have always made it to at least the semi-finals and here they are gone before the last eight.
ASHER: Yeah, we just we saw a video of the very sort of teary-eyed, emotional Megan Rapinoe started to be sent home. Right, Don Riddell, live
for us there. Thank you so much. And thank you so much for watching One World. I'm Zain Asher. Amanpour is up next. You're watching CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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