Ukrainian Troops Inspect Russian Humanitarian Aid Trucks; Nuri al-Maliki Steps Down as Prime Minister
AMARA WALKER, HOST: I'm Amara Walker at CNN Center. Welcome to News Stream where news and technology meet. Ukraine inspects a convoy of trucks that Russia says is carrying aid hours after Russian armored personnel carriers were reportedly seeing crossing the border. Plus, a break in a Iraq's political deadlock, but can a new leader bring the country back from the brink? And calm returns to Ferguson, Missouri. A look at what's being done to address racial tensions after the police shooting of an unarmed teen. We begin now with major developments along Ukraine's border with Russia. Russian armored personnel carriers are set to have crossed over during the nighttime hours. Now this as Ukrainian border guards get their first look at what's on board those Russian trucks that Moscow says are carrying aid for Ukrainian civilians. The reported sighting of the Russian military vehicles came from Ukraine's counter terrorism operation. A spokesman from the unit told CNN that a number of them are spotted crossing the border from Russia overnight. Now Ukrainian border guards in the meantime are in Russia examining the contents of a huge convoy of aid trucks. Kiev suspects this mission could be a camouflaged effort to smuggle supplies to pro-Russian rebels. Let's get more now from CNN's Will Ripley. He joins me live from Kiev. Will, do we know what was found inside these trucks?</s>WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know that the inspection team from Ukraine has been working now for several hours. And on the ground and the new pictures that are coming in show that while the trucks do seem to contain some amounts of humanitarian aid, a lot of the trucks appear to be nearly empty, which of course raises the question why would Russian send a convoy from Moscow of trucks that are nearly empty? In the meantime, you also have the Ukrainian government verifying the observation of a number of western journalists on the ground right now that this convoy of armored personnel carriers, which were essentially tanks on wheels that are used to send troops and supplies into the battlefield, these APCs were seen crossing from Russia into Ukraine overnight. And the Ukrainian government believes that they may be headed to battle ravaged Luhansk where rebel forces have lost most of the territory that they held recently. Some estimates are they control now just 20 percent of what they used to. And the journalists and the Ukrainian government say what was observed in those armored personnel carriers, Amara, were men in military uniforms. So this now explains some of the skepticism from the Ukrainian government here in Kiev about this Russian aid convoy, because they've been saying for months now that they believe Russia has been funneling supplies and weapons to these pro-Russian rebels, which has prolonged this deadly fighting. And then they wonder what the intentions are of Moscow while also trying to publicly appear that they're sending humanitarian aid to help the civilians who are suffering and dying as a result of this conflict.</s>WALKER: Yeah, if these trucks are empty it makes you wonder if this humanitarian aid convoy was being used as a possible distraction as these APCs were being brought over the border as it has been reported. Let's talk about the fighting that we're seeing, the Ukrainian military stepping up its offensive. And you also had a rebel leading in Luhansk resigning. Ukraine gaining the upper hand. What's the latest?</s>RIPLEY: Yeah, the Ukrainian military certainly does believe that they've gained the upper hand here and the fighting is extremely intense as it has been for several days now. 25 battles reported in the last 24 hours, shelling in all areas of Donestsk, 11 civilians killed just overnight, 15 civilians killed yesterday, including three children when there was shelling at a bus stop. So certainly the military confrontation appears to be escalating. Two key rebel leaders have stepped down just this week, one in Luhansk, as you mentioned, the other in Donetsk, which may be a sign that their power structure is collapsing. And then another reason why, you know, there's suspicion about this convoy coming from Russian heading towards one of the hardest hit areas where the rebels are struggling. Is this an attempt to somehow send in more help for these pro-Russian separatists as they fight an estimated 50,000 Ukrainian soldiers right now.</s>WALKER: OK, Will Ripley with the latest there from Kiev. Thank you, Will. Well the U.S. and UN are welcoming Iraqi prime minister Nuri al- Maliki's decision to step aside. He made the announcement Thursday after weeks of pressure form inside Iraq and around the world. It's hoped his successor Haider al-Abadi will be able to form a more inclusive government and help end the threat from ISIS militants. Nick Paton Walsh has the details from Baghdad.</s>NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Last night, after days of pressure, Nuri al-Maliki finally accepting what many said was the inevitable, appearing on state television flanked by Shia politicians and accepting, yes, that he would step down as the prime minister, a post he's held for eight years, many accusing him pretty much since the American left town of fomenting sectarian division, marginalizing the Sunni minority here in Iraq. But he appeared on television and handed power to Haider al-Abadi, the prime minister designate, a man who now has 26 days to get a cabinet together. A huge task for Mr. al-Abadi, welcomed to the post by Washington, but still now having to heal the division between the Sunnis who in many say have been so disenfranchised by Baghdad and its central government that it allowed ISIS militants to move across the north of this country. Al-Abadi has to make the Sunnis feel included in that government, he has to make the Kurds work with Baghdad if he's going to present that kind of unified face that the west wants to see if they're to provide greater military aid to assist the Iraqi army in their pretty difficult fight now to push ISIS militants back. We heard from Mr. al-Abadi in some statements this morning saying that the road ahead of me is hardly paved with roses. But if we all pull together, perhaps we have a chance to do this. It's difficult. The Sunnis are still very angry. They haven't come together openly to embrace his leadership yet, but there are real hopes both outside and inside of Iraq.</s>WALKER: And let's take a closer look now at the man tapped as Iraq's next leader. Now before his nomination Haider al-Abadi was deputy speaker of the country's parliament. He belongs to the same Shia political party as Nuri al-Maliki. And after the fall of Saddam Hussein, al-Abadi served as communications minister under the provisional government and was elected to the current parliament in 2005. But as you heard from Nick Paton Walsh there, al-Abadi has a huge task ahead of him. This is News Stream. Still to come here this hour, it was a very different seen in Ferguson Missouri Thursday. Officials promised change in response to protests after a police shooting left an unarmed African- American teenager dead. And the death toll from the Ebola virus climbed higher as the outbreak sparks a controversy in the sports world. Plus, Pope Francis preaches peace to young Catholics in South Korea as he continues his first papal visit to Asia.