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CNN Live At Daybreak
Bombing at Indonesian Embassy in Paris; Latest on Blast at Egyptian Hotel
Aired October 08, 2004 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Lin in for Carol Costello.
Right now in the news, the winner of this year's Nobel Peace Prize is expected to be announced any moment now. You're looking at a live picture out of Oslo, Norway. And as soon as we get a translation, we will let you know the name of that person who won that prestigious award.
In the meantime, the casualty count in the bombings in Egypt is fluctuating this morning. Right now, Israeli officials are saying at least 24 people are dead and 30 missing in explosions at the Taba resort. The site was frequented by Israeli tourists. We are going to have a live report about six minutes from now.
And tonight's the night George Bush and John Kerry go for round two of the presidential debate. This time, it'll be a town hall style meeting in St. Louis, Missouri. CNN's live debate coverage starts at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
And lifestyle maven Martha Stewart goes to prison today. She's due to report to a minimum security federal women's facility in West Virginia. It is the start of her five month prison sentence for lying about a stock sale, although she still is appealing that case.
Chad Myers -- good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.
I was kind of surprised that they did a Friday night debate, though, with all the baseball going on and such, I mean, people going out.
LIN: You think -- well, bats will be swinging in many places then.
MYERS: Well, we hope not in one, anyway. At least we hope they --
LIN: Not in the debates, no.
MYERS: Yes. I know you're only saying that figuratively, but anyway, not really.
(WEATHER REPORT)
LIN: Thanks very much, Chad.
And while you were giving the weather, we've heard out of Oslo, Norway a woman for the second year in a row has won the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize. Her name is Wangari Maathai. She is a political activist and an environmentalist out of Kenya. She founded a green belt movement back in 1977 and is responsible for not only planting some 20 million trees, but also starting a program that helps basically try to stop deforestation and some development in open space areas.
But she's done much more than that and risked her life while doing it. We're going to have more on this remarkable woman shortly. They are still speaking Norwegian out of Oslo, Norway and as soon as we get an English translation, we're going to bring you more.
But that is the breaking news of the moment.
In the meantime, we are turning now from talk of peace to acts of war. There is bloodshed across the globe this morning, in France, Iraq and Egypt. And in Paris, a bomb detonated hours ago, just outside the Indonesian embassy. Police say 10 people were slightly wounded.
Meanwhile, a hospital in Falluja reports 14 people killed and 16 wounded in a U.S. air strike. A doctor there says the strike hit a wedding party. A military statement says it is targeting a meeting of terrorist leaders.
And the latest figures out of Taba, Egypt is 24 dead and 30 missing following two explosions at a resort hotel frequented by Israelis. Dozens more people are wounded. Two other Egyptian resorts were also bombed.
We're going to get a check on all of these attacks. Right now we are going to begin with the bombing at the Indonesian embassy in Paris.
Our Jim Bittermann joins me live from the French capital -- Jim.
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi Carol.
Yes, in fact, it was about 5:00, just after 5:00 a.m. this morning when residents of a fairly upscale neighborhood of Paris, the 16th Arrondissement, were shaken from their beds by a huge blast. About 10 people were slightly injured in that blast. The bomb was planted directly under the flagpole of the Indonesian embassy. So there's no question, I don't think, about what the target was.
The French information minister, Dominique de Villepin, was on the scene within a few minutes after the blast. He said that the explosion left a hole about a half meter wide in the pavement in front of the embassy and said that there were a lot of windows blown out and cars damaged by the explosion. And he also said that there was no real specific threat that he knew of against the Indonesian mission here. But he's called a meeting this morning of some of his intelligence chiefs, trying to decide whether the threat level in France should be reassessed -- Carol.
LIN: Jim, any idea whether this is at all, in any way, in connection with the bombings in Egypt, at the Egyptian resort in Taba?
BITTERMANN: Well, there is no official link to them, but I -- just judging from the way this blast was conducted, I would say probably not. I mean, in fact, it was a much, much smaller affair. It was planted in front of the front door of the Indonesian embassy. No connection to any kind of Israeli interests here in Paris. So I would say there's probably no connection that I can see, and, of course, we have no official confirmation of that and investigators are still trying to decide exactly who might have been responsible.
LIN: Indonesia, I think it has the second largest population of Muslims in the world.
Any idea why that embassy would be targeted?
BITTERMANN: Well, in fact, they've had a lot of trouble with Islamic terrorists in the recent years. There were three major attacks in Indonesia itself and the Indonesian government has rounded up a fair number of Islamic fundamentalists who they believe may have been connected with those blasts there. There are about 150 or so in jail. So there may be some connection to that.
There is also a possibility that it's connected to the inauguration of a new president in Indonesia that's going to take place later on this month.
LIN: Jim Bittermann, thank you very much.
Jim Bittermann on the phone from Paris.
In the meantime, to the rebel held Iraqi city of Falluja right now. People there are still searching for bodies at the site of a U.S. air strike. The casualty count right now stands at 14 dead and 16 wounded. The military reports the attack was on a safe house where terrorist leaders were meeting. But a hospital official says the air strike hit a wedding celebration, and the groom, along with women and children, are among the dead and wounded.
And terrorist bombs explode at an Egyptian resort packed with Israeli tourists, killing and wounding scores of people. One side of the Taba Hilton Hotel was sheared off by two bombs, an attack Israeli officials say has all the hallmarks of al Qaeda.
Live now to CNN's Ben Wedeman at that hotel -- Ben. BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Carol, actually we're a few miles way from that hotel. Earlier today, the Egyptian government set up a roadblock here, not allowing the press to go anywhere near that hotel. Now, I just got off the phone with someone from the interior ministry of Egypt, who told me that according to their figures, the death toll stands at 22 with 33 injured. Some of them have been checked out of the hospital since they were treated. Now, that does not, of course, include some of the dead that have been taken over to Israel.
Now, I drove through the night to the site of the hotel and was able to get fairly close to it. And you can tell that it was a huge bomb. One Israeli official there I spoke to said it looks like a car bomb. It went off right outside the western side of the hotel, blowing up the area outside the lobby.
One of the Israeli survivors telling me that the lobby at the time, which was about 10:30 p.m. local time, was crammed with people, children among them. And I did have a chance to speak with one of the Israeli rescue workers, who told me that as of at 10:00 this morning, there were still several bodies in the ruins that they could not pull out and one of those bodies was that of a child -- Carol.
LIN: Ben, you know, there's speculation as to who might be responsible, al Qaeda, possibly Palestinian militants.
Do you think this is related to Israel's missile strikes into Gaza and the Palestinians lobbing missiles back into Israel?
WEDEMAN: It's difficult to say, Carol. But this sort of operation, which involved actually three separate explosions all within the space of about an hour and a half, required a lot of planning, required a lot of logistics to get people on the ground and get it ready. So the events in Gaza are only about a week, a week and a half old. So it would be difficult to make a direct link between them.
I did speak with an Israeli source, however, who told me that one intelligence official believed that there was the possibility that some members of Hamas, the Islamic militant organization, had somehow gotten out of Gaza into the Sinai Peninsula. And that may be related in some way to the warning that the Israeli government renewed to Israelis visiting the Sinai -- Carol.
LIN: All right, Ben Wedeman, thank you very much.
Ben reporting close to the resort in Taba where these explosions, a series of bombs, have killed more than two dozen people. We're staying on top of that story throughout the day.
In the meantime, we want to get to better news here. We have learned who the winner of this year's Nobel Peace Prize is. It is a woman, a Kenyan, an activist, an environmentalist and a political activist. Her name is Wangari Maathai.
I want to go to one of our producers, Gladys Njoroge.
She is in Nairobi right now -- Gladys, what do you know about this winner?
GLADYS NJOROGE, CNN PRODUCER: Well, we Wangari Maathai is a 64- year-old Kenyan who's been very outspoken in her environmental campaign. Just six years ago, she became very well known locally and abroad when she opposed a government backed luxury hotel project, housing project, actually, that would have meant the clearing of hundreds of acres of land in the Karura Forest, which obviously would have meant a lot of deforestation.
So she's been very outspoken. She's had to contend with the police at times in her efforts to try and save the trees.
LIN: The hotel project that you were talking about was a skyscraper project that was in one of Kenya's most well known open space areas.
To what extent did she do -- to what extent did she go to to stop this project?
NJOROGE: Well, she had a lot of run-ins with the police and tried to oppose it and she actually successfully did that, because it meant that the government's luxury housing project didn't take place. So she pushed hard. She, again, as I said earlier, had to contend with the police a lot. She sustained some injuries, as well, then, because she was trying to campaign for the housing project not to take off. And in the end she, if you want, saved the Karura Forest.
LIN: Gladys, try to give us the big picture about this woman, though. I mean it wasn't this one particularly political act here. I mean clearly the Nobel committee feels that this woman has had a tremendous impact on changing the landscape for world peace.
How is it that a political activist who plants trees and stopped a skyscraper from being built has made that impression on this committee?
NJOROGE: Yes, obviously she's been involved again in trying to campaign for women's rights. Her tree planting project was (UNINTELLIGIBLE) target women who would be able to be an effective mechanism to bring that about. Again, it's not only the Karura Forest that she saved. There's also the Uhuru Park, which is in central Nairobi, which would have seen -- which, again, was threatened by another skyscraper. But then again, she saved it by opposing that move, actually planting trees there to symbolize that the trees should be respected.
It's the only green part in the city at the moment because, again, because of the town pressures. A lot of trees have been cleared out for offices. And so she saved the landscape, so to speak, of Nairobi, of central Nairobi, by maintaining that patch of green. And, again, her empowerment of women has also -- is something to recognize in that sense.
LIN: The first African woman to win this prize, the second woman in a row to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Have you heard from her? Has CNN spoken with her to get her reaction?
NJOROGE: Well, CNN has been trying to contact her, but obviously it's great news for Kenya because, again, she's done a phenomenal job. She's very well respected locally and abroad. And so it's a huge achievement, which I'm sure she'll be glad to accolade.
LIN: Gladys Njoroge, CNN producer in Nairobi, thank you very much.
We are going to have much more on this story as it breaks throughout the morning. The Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to Wangari Maathai, a political activist and an environmentalist out of Kenya.
Well, still to come this morning, this is the day Martha Stewart moves into new accommodations. Allan Chernoff takes a look at Stewart's changing style, or lifestyle, in 12 minutes.
And the number of jobs is growing in this country, but just what kind of jobs? Louise Schiavone asks that question in 32 minutes.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Friday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Your news, money, weather and sports.
It is now 17 past the hour.
And here's what's all new this morning.
An investigation is under way in Paris after a bomb went off in front of the Indonesian embassy. Ten people were slightly wounded in the blast. Officials say they did not get any advanced warnings about the threats against the embassy.
And another air strike in Falluja. The U.S. multinational forces say they were targeting a safe house used by insurgents to plan attacks. A hospital official says 14 people were killed in the blast.
In money, Bank of America is cutting another 4,500 jobs beginning this month. The company says the moves are necessary to streamline operations. They've cut 17,000 jobs since finalizing their acquisition of Fleet Bank earlier this year.
And in culture, Britney Spears may really be married. The singer's spokesperson says all the proper paperwork has been filed to make her marriage legal. The wedding ceremony for Spears and hubby Kevin Federline was conducted last month in Los Angeles.
And in sports, the Cardinals have a commanding lead in their series against the Dodgers. St. Louis beat L.A. 8-3, to take a 2-0 lead. Game three will be in Los Angeles tomorrow night.
And Chad will be watching.
MYERS: I will be, of course. Unless there's football on. And then college football supersedes baseball.
LIN: You've got to get that screen and screen thing going. MYERS: Well, you know, and I only have one satellite dish, because I'm a cheapskate, so I can't put my picture and picture in there. And that's kind of -- so do I go back to cable or what?
(WEATHER REPORT)
LIN: It's also time for Martha Stewart to be making a move and paying the piper. But what actually awaits the domestic diva when she serves her time behind bars? We're going to get a preview ahead.
This is DAYBREAK.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Well, just minutes ago, environmental activist Wangari Maathai was announced as the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wangari Maathai will be the first woman from Africa to be honored with the Nobel Peace Prize. She will also be the first African from the vast area between South Africa and Egypt to be award the prize. She represents an example and a source of inspiration for everyone in Africa fighting for sustainable development, democracy and peace.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: All right, Maathai is the first African woman to win the prestigious award and is the eleventh woman to be honored in the 103 year history of that award.
Stein Tonnesson of the International Peace Research Institute joins me now from Oslo, Norway on the telephone with some reaction to the announcement.
Mr. Tonnesson, was this as much a surprise as it was last year when the Iranian activist Ebadi, Ms. Ebadi, won?
STEIN TONNESSON, INTERNATIONAL PEACE RESEARCH INSTITUTE: It was a surprise to some, particularly those like me, who tend to think that the prize would be given to very well known, top level politicians. But the committee seems to give a preference to individuals with an important cause. So those who follow that have not been surprised.
LIN: Mr. Tonnesson, had you heard of Wangari Maathai before?
TONNESSON: I have heard of her, but I had not much knowledge of her and I had not really detected before this morning, when people started to speculate, that she would be the one chosen for an environmental prize. But I knew very well that the committee was looking for a chance to widen the prize and award another green prize, because this is the first time since 1970, when it went to the scientist Norman Borlaug for his work with the green revolution, the so-called green revolution.
LIN: And what sort of statement do you think the committee is trying to make here, then?
TONNESSON: They're making a statement about the important relationship between the environment and war and conflict and peace. And I think that perhaps the reasons given were not that interesting, but this is a field that is certainly being studied more and more, also, at our institute here, because we want to look at what a sustainable environment means for peace.
And it will be exciting to see what Wangari Maathai will say in her lecture when she comes to Oslo, because I was much impressed with her statement in the radio just now.
LIN: And what is it that you heard? We're in rolling coverage right now, so we're kind of just going with the moment. So you've heard from her before we have.
TONNESSON: Yes, we heard speculations that she would get it already this morning, because the Norwegian radio seemed to have picked up that possibility. So I had the chance to look a little into her record. I heard her talk also about how by having a sustainable development you can avoid that people fight for resources and thus reduce the risk of war.
There is also another reason that she might think of, which is that wars in Africa are much worse in terms of human suffering than elsewhere, because people often live on the margin of existence. So the infrastructure is destroyed once you start having war. If you could plant trees, avoid the desertification and improve the environment, it would also be possible for people to survive more easily than they do today.
LIN: And the personal cost to her for the work that she's done, I mean she was the founder of Kenya's green belt movement back in 1977. She was a member of parliament. She ran for Kenya's presidency. But more significantly, the style with which she has gone forward, for example, the skyscraper project, which was scheduled for Nairobi's most important public space...
TONNESSON: Yes.
LIN: ... the location of this complex, I mean she went up right against Kenya's president, Daniel Arap Moi to oppose this...
TONNESSON: The former president, yes.
LIN: ... the former president -- to oppose this project. And as a result of that, she had been evicted from her offices. She was vilified by both the press as well as the police in her country. She claims that she has been arrested, beaten unconscious.
TONNESSON: Yes.
LIN: The cost of environmental work in Kenya, and in particular in Africa, is a very high one to pay.
TONNESSON: She's been extremely courageous. She's been part of the struggle for democracy in Kenya, which has had much success Daniel Arap Moi left office. And she is now also an assistant minister. She also once actually sued her own minister for corruption.
So she has been very, very courageous and I really look forward to meeting and hearing her.
LIN: You know, and she, up against some pretty tough competition. I mean, just on our list alone, Mr. Tonnesson, we were anticipating that it might be Mohamed ElBaradei from the International Atomic Energy Committee...
TONNESSON: That was my pick, too.
LIN: ... the pope, the president of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf.
This...
TONNESSON: Yes, he didn't have much chance because he must negotiate peace in Kashmir with India before he has a chance. The leaders of India and Pakistan would have a good chance in the future if they can resolve the Kashmir issue, but not if they don't.
LIN: And we were even anticipating the possibility that the committee might not even award a prize this year.
TONNESSON: Now, that I was sure they were going to do because they -- the committee is working quite well together at the moment and it's many years since they were not able to award the prize. That would be a kind of defeat.
LIN: Mr. Stein Tonnesson, thank you very much for your perspective and your expertise.
Our congratulations to Wangari Maathai, 64 years old, the founder of Kenya's green belt movement, political activist, environmentalist, who has risked her life for her cause.
We want to let you know, also, what's next in the next half hour of DAYBREAK. For example, a trilogy of deadly strikes gained global attention this morning from Falluja to Paris, France, and to the shores of Egypt. We've got the latest on these deadly attacks straight ahead.
This is DAYBREAK.
And we're also going to gauge the reactions of a group of undecided voters live during the debate. And the debate tonight, we're talking about the second presidential debate. We are live from the post-debate spin rooms. And, of course, you can trust CNN for complete live coverage of the presidential debate tonight, beginning at 7:00 p.m..
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): What if a photo really worth more than a thousand words? Elizabeth Mynatt thinks so. She's an associate professor at Georgia Tech who's part of the Digital Family Portrait Project. Beyond a simple picture frame, a system of microphones, cameras and sensors can allow family members to keep an eye on their elderly loved ones while still giving them their independence.
ELIZABETH MYNATT, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, GEORGIA TECH: Economically, these technologies can have a tremendous impact for the senior adults in this country as well as other countries that are grappling with how to care for an aging population.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As a person moves from room to room, family members can receive real time information. The signal is sent over an encrypted Internet channel in order to protect the person's privacy. Through the digital portrait, a family is able to pinpoint any causes for concern, like leaving an oven on or a kettle boiling.
MYNATT: I'm quite optimistic that these technologies will become commonplace in the home in the next few decades.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired October 8, 2004 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Lin in for Carol Costello.
Right now in the news, the winner of this year's Nobel Peace Prize is expected to be announced any moment now. You're looking at a live picture out of Oslo, Norway. And as soon as we get a translation, we will let you know the name of that person who won that prestigious award.
In the meantime, the casualty count in the bombings in Egypt is fluctuating this morning. Right now, Israeli officials are saying at least 24 people are dead and 30 missing in explosions at the Taba resort. The site was frequented by Israeli tourists. We are going to have a live report about six minutes from now.
And tonight's the night George Bush and John Kerry go for round two of the presidential debate. This time, it'll be a town hall style meeting in St. Louis, Missouri. CNN's live debate coverage starts at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
And lifestyle maven Martha Stewart goes to prison today. She's due to report to a minimum security federal women's facility in West Virginia. It is the start of her five month prison sentence for lying about a stock sale, although she still is appealing that case.
Chad Myers -- good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.
I was kind of surprised that they did a Friday night debate, though, with all the baseball going on and such, I mean, people going out.
LIN: You think -- well, bats will be swinging in many places then.
MYERS: Well, we hope not in one, anyway. At least we hope they --
LIN: Not in the debates, no.
MYERS: Yes. I know you're only saying that figuratively, but anyway, not really.
(WEATHER REPORT)
LIN: Thanks very much, Chad.
And while you were giving the weather, we've heard out of Oslo, Norway a woman for the second year in a row has won the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize. Her name is Wangari Maathai. She is a political activist and an environmentalist out of Kenya. She founded a green belt movement back in 1977 and is responsible for not only planting some 20 million trees, but also starting a program that helps basically try to stop deforestation and some development in open space areas.
But she's done much more than that and risked her life while doing it. We're going to have more on this remarkable woman shortly. They are still speaking Norwegian out of Oslo, Norway and as soon as we get an English translation, we're going to bring you more.
But that is the breaking news of the moment.
In the meantime, we are turning now from talk of peace to acts of war. There is bloodshed across the globe this morning, in France, Iraq and Egypt. And in Paris, a bomb detonated hours ago, just outside the Indonesian embassy. Police say 10 people were slightly wounded.
Meanwhile, a hospital in Falluja reports 14 people killed and 16 wounded in a U.S. air strike. A doctor there says the strike hit a wedding party. A military statement says it is targeting a meeting of terrorist leaders.
And the latest figures out of Taba, Egypt is 24 dead and 30 missing following two explosions at a resort hotel frequented by Israelis. Dozens more people are wounded. Two other Egyptian resorts were also bombed.
We're going to get a check on all of these attacks. Right now we are going to begin with the bombing at the Indonesian embassy in Paris.
Our Jim Bittermann joins me live from the French capital -- Jim.
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi Carol.
Yes, in fact, it was about 5:00, just after 5:00 a.m. this morning when residents of a fairly upscale neighborhood of Paris, the 16th Arrondissement, were shaken from their beds by a huge blast. About 10 people were slightly injured in that blast. The bomb was planted directly under the flagpole of the Indonesian embassy. So there's no question, I don't think, about what the target was.
The French information minister, Dominique de Villepin, was on the scene within a few minutes after the blast. He said that the explosion left a hole about a half meter wide in the pavement in front of the embassy and said that there were a lot of windows blown out and cars damaged by the explosion. And he also said that there was no real specific threat that he knew of against the Indonesian mission here. But he's called a meeting this morning of some of his intelligence chiefs, trying to decide whether the threat level in France should be reassessed -- Carol.
LIN: Jim, any idea whether this is at all, in any way, in connection with the bombings in Egypt, at the Egyptian resort in Taba?
BITTERMANN: Well, there is no official link to them, but I -- just judging from the way this blast was conducted, I would say probably not. I mean, in fact, it was a much, much smaller affair. It was planted in front of the front door of the Indonesian embassy. No connection to any kind of Israeli interests here in Paris. So I would say there's probably no connection that I can see, and, of course, we have no official confirmation of that and investigators are still trying to decide exactly who might have been responsible.
LIN: Indonesia, I think it has the second largest population of Muslims in the world.
Any idea why that embassy would be targeted?
BITTERMANN: Well, in fact, they've had a lot of trouble with Islamic terrorists in the recent years. There were three major attacks in Indonesia itself and the Indonesian government has rounded up a fair number of Islamic fundamentalists who they believe may have been connected with those blasts there. There are about 150 or so in jail. So there may be some connection to that.
There is also a possibility that it's connected to the inauguration of a new president in Indonesia that's going to take place later on this month.
LIN: Jim Bittermann, thank you very much.
Jim Bittermann on the phone from Paris.
In the meantime, to the rebel held Iraqi city of Falluja right now. People there are still searching for bodies at the site of a U.S. air strike. The casualty count right now stands at 14 dead and 16 wounded. The military reports the attack was on a safe house where terrorist leaders were meeting. But a hospital official says the air strike hit a wedding celebration, and the groom, along with women and children, are among the dead and wounded.
And terrorist bombs explode at an Egyptian resort packed with Israeli tourists, killing and wounding scores of people. One side of the Taba Hilton Hotel was sheared off by two bombs, an attack Israeli officials say has all the hallmarks of al Qaeda.
Live now to CNN's Ben Wedeman at that hotel -- Ben. BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Carol, actually we're a few miles way from that hotel. Earlier today, the Egyptian government set up a roadblock here, not allowing the press to go anywhere near that hotel. Now, I just got off the phone with someone from the interior ministry of Egypt, who told me that according to their figures, the death toll stands at 22 with 33 injured. Some of them have been checked out of the hospital since they were treated. Now, that does not, of course, include some of the dead that have been taken over to Israel.
Now, I drove through the night to the site of the hotel and was able to get fairly close to it. And you can tell that it was a huge bomb. One Israeli official there I spoke to said it looks like a car bomb. It went off right outside the western side of the hotel, blowing up the area outside the lobby.
One of the Israeli survivors telling me that the lobby at the time, which was about 10:30 p.m. local time, was crammed with people, children among them. And I did have a chance to speak with one of the Israeli rescue workers, who told me that as of at 10:00 this morning, there were still several bodies in the ruins that they could not pull out and one of those bodies was that of a child -- Carol.
LIN: Ben, you know, there's speculation as to who might be responsible, al Qaeda, possibly Palestinian militants.
Do you think this is related to Israel's missile strikes into Gaza and the Palestinians lobbing missiles back into Israel?
WEDEMAN: It's difficult to say, Carol. But this sort of operation, which involved actually three separate explosions all within the space of about an hour and a half, required a lot of planning, required a lot of logistics to get people on the ground and get it ready. So the events in Gaza are only about a week, a week and a half old. So it would be difficult to make a direct link between them.
I did speak with an Israeli source, however, who told me that one intelligence official believed that there was the possibility that some members of Hamas, the Islamic militant organization, had somehow gotten out of Gaza into the Sinai Peninsula. And that may be related in some way to the warning that the Israeli government renewed to Israelis visiting the Sinai -- Carol.
LIN: All right, Ben Wedeman, thank you very much.
Ben reporting close to the resort in Taba where these explosions, a series of bombs, have killed more than two dozen people. We're staying on top of that story throughout the day.
In the meantime, we want to get to better news here. We have learned who the winner of this year's Nobel Peace Prize is. It is a woman, a Kenyan, an activist, an environmentalist and a political activist. Her name is Wangari Maathai.
I want to go to one of our producers, Gladys Njoroge.
She is in Nairobi right now -- Gladys, what do you know about this winner?
GLADYS NJOROGE, CNN PRODUCER: Well, we Wangari Maathai is a 64- year-old Kenyan who's been very outspoken in her environmental campaign. Just six years ago, she became very well known locally and abroad when she opposed a government backed luxury hotel project, housing project, actually, that would have meant the clearing of hundreds of acres of land in the Karura Forest, which obviously would have meant a lot of deforestation.
So she's been very outspoken. She's had to contend with the police at times in her efforts to try and save the trees.
LIN: The hotel project that you were talking about was a skyscraper project that was in one of Kenya's most well known open space areas.
To what extent did she do -- to what extent did she go to to stop this project?
NJOROGE: Well, she had a lot of run-ins with the police and tried to oppose it and she actually successfully did that, because it meant that the government's luxury housing project didn't take place. So she pushed hard. She, again, as I said earlier, had to contend with the police a lot. She sustained some injuries, as well, then, because she was trying to campaign for the housing project not to take off. And in the end she, if you want, saved the Karura Forest.
LIN: Gladys, try to give us the big picture about this woman, though. I mean it wasn't this one particularly political act here. I mean clearly the Nobel committee feels that this woman has had a tremendous impact on changing the landscape for world peace.
How is it that a political activist who plants trees and stopped a skyscraper from being built has made that impression on this committee?
NJOROGE: Yes, obviously she's been involved again in trying to campaign for women's rights. Her tree planting project was (UNINTELLIGIBLE) target women who would be able to be an effective mechanism to bring that about. Again, it's not only the Karura Forest that she saved. There's also the Uhuru Park, which is in central Nairobi, which would have seen -- which, again, was threatened by another skyscraper. But then again, she saved it by opposing that move, actually planting trees there to symbolize that the trees should be respected.
It's the only green part in the city at the moment because, again, because of the town pressures. A lot of trees have been cleared out for offices. And so she saved the landscape, so to speak, of Nairobi, of central Nairobi, by maintaining that patch of green. And, again, her empowerment of women has also -- is something to recognize in that sense.
LIN: The first African woman to win this prize, the second woman in a row to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Have you heard from her? Has CNN spoken with her to get her reaction?
NJOROGE: Well, CNN has been trying to contact her, but obviously it's great news for Kenya because, again, she's done a phenomenal job. She's very well respected locally and abroad. And so it's a huge achievement, which I'm sure she'll be glad to accolade.
LIN: Gladys Njoroge, CNN producer in Nairobi, thank you very much.
We are going to have much more on this story as it breaks throughout the morning. The Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to Wangari Maathai, a political activist and an environmentalist out of Kenya.
Well, still to come this morning, this is the day Martha Stewart moves into new accommodations. Allan Chernoff takes a look at Stewart's changing style, or lifestyle, in 12 minutes.
And the number of jobs is growing in this country, but just what kind of jobs? Louise Schiavone asks that question in 32 minutes.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Friday morning.
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LIN: Your news, money, weather and sports.
It is now 17 past the hour.
And here's what's all new this morning.
An investigation is under way in Paris after a bomb went off in front of the Indonesian embassy. Ten people were slightly wounded in the blast. Officials say they did not get any advanced warnings about the threats against the embassy.
And another air strike in Falluja. The U.S. multinational forces say they were targeting a safe house used by insurgents to plan attacks. A hospital official says 14 people were killed in the blast.
In money, Bank of America is cutting another 4,500 jobs beginning this month. The company says the moves are necessary to streamline operations. They've cut 17,000 jobs since finalizing their acquisition of Fleet Bank earlier this year.
And in culture, Britney Spears may really be married. The singer's spokesperson says all the proper paperwork has been filed to make her marriage legal. The wedding ceremony for Spears and hubby Kevin Federline was conducted last month in Los Angeles.
And in sports, the Cardinals have a commanding lead in their series against the Dodgers. St. Louis beat L.A. 8-3, to take a 2-0 lead. Game three will be in Los Angeles tomorrow night.
And Chad will be watching.
MYERS: I will be, of course. Unless there's football on. And then college football supersedes baseball.
LIN: You've got to get that screen and screen thing going. MYERS: Well, you know, and I only have one satellite dish, because I'm a cheapskate, so I can't put my picture and picture in there. And that's kind of -- so do I go back to cable or what?
(WEATHER REPORT)
LIN: It's also time for Martha Stewart to be making a move and paying the piper. But what actually awaits the domestic diva when she serves her time behind bars? We're going to get a preview ahead.
This is DAYBREAK.
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LIN: Well, just minutes ago, environmental activist Wangari Maathai was announced as the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wangari Maathai will be the first woman from Africa to be honored with the Nobel Peace Prize. She will also be the first African from the vast area between South Africa and Egypt to be award the prize. She represents an example and a source of inspiration for everyone in Africa fighting for sustainable development, democracy and peace.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: All right, Maathai is the first African woman to win the prestigious award and is the eleventh woman to be honored in the 103 year history of that award.
Stein Tonnesson of the International Peace Research Institute joins me now from Oslo, Norway on the telephone with some reaction to the announcement.
Mr. Tonnesson, was this as much a surprise as it was last year when the Iranian activist Ebadi, Ms. Ebadi, won?
STEIN TONNESSON, INTERNATIONAL PEACE RESEARCH INSTITUTE: It was a surprise to some, particularly those like me, who tend to think that the prize would be given to very well known, top level politicians. But the committee seems to give a preference to individuals with an important cause. So those who follow that have not been surprised.
LIN: Mr. Tonnesson, had you heard of Wangari Maathai before?
TONNESSON: I have heard of her, but I had not much knowledge of her and I had not really detected before this morning, when people started to speculate, that she would be the one chosen for an environmental prize. But I knew very well that the committee was looking for a chance to widen the prize and award another green prize, because this is the first time since 1970, when it went to the scientist Norman Borlaug for his work with the green revolution, the so-called green revolution.
LIN: And what sort of statement do you think the committee is trying to make here, then?
TONNESSON: They're making a statement about the important relationship between the environment and war and conflict and peace. And I think that perhaps the reasons given were not that interesting, but this is a field that is certainly being studied more and more, also, at our institute here, because we want to look at what a sustainable environment means for peace.
And it will be exciting to see what Wangari Maathai will say in her lecture when she comes to Oslo, because I was much impressed with her statement in the radio just now.
LIN: And what is it that you heard? We're in rolling coverage right now, so we're kind of just going with the moment. So you've heard from her before we have.
TONNESSON: Yes, we heard speculations that she would get it already this morning, because the Norwegian radio seemed to have picked up that possibility. So I had the chance to look a little into her record. I heard her talk also about how by having a sustainable development you can avoid that people fight for resources and thus reduce the risk of war.
There is also another reason that she might think of, which is that wars in Africa are much worse in terms of human suffering than elsewhere, because people often live on the margin of existence. So the infrastructure is destroyed once you start having war. If you could plant trees, avoid the desertification and improve the environment, it would also be possible for people to survive more easily than they do today.
LIN: And the personal cost to her for the work that she's done, I mean she was the founder of Kenya's green belt movement back in 1977. She was a member of parliament. She ran for Kenya's presidency. But more significantly, the style with which she has gone forward, for example, the skyscraper project, which was scheduled for Nairobi's most important public space...
TONNESSON: Yes.
LIN: ... the location of this complex, I mean she went up right against Kenya's president, Daniel Arap Moi to oppose this...
TONNESSON: The former president, yes.
LIN: ... the former president -- to oppose this project. And as a result of that, she had been evicted from her offices. She was vilified by both the press as well as the police in her country. She claims that she has been arrested, beaten unconscious.
TONNESSON: Yes.
LIN: The cost of environmental work in Kenya, and in particular in Africa, is a very high one to pay.
TONNESSON: She's been extremely courageous. She's been part of the struggle for democracy in Kenya, which has had much success Daniel Arap Moi left office. And she is now also an assistant minister. She also once actually sued her own minister for corruption.
So she has been very, very courageous and I really look forward to meeting and hearing her.
LIN: You know, and she, up against some pretty tough competition. I mean, just on our list alone, Mr. Tonnesson, we were anticipating that it might be Mohamed ElBaradei from the International Atomic Energy Committee...
TONNESSON: That was my pick, too.
LIN: ... the pope, the president of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf.
This...
TONNESSON: Yes, he didn't have much chance because he must negotiate peace in Kashmir with India before he has a chance. The leaders of India and Pakistan would have a good chance in the future if they can resolve the Kashmir issue, but not if they don't.
LIN: And we were even anticipating the possibility that the committee might not even award a prize this year.
TONNESSON: Now, that I was sure they were going to do because they -- the committee is working quite well together at the moment and it's many years since they were not able to award the prize. That would be a kind of defeat.
LIN: Mr. Stein Tonnesson, thank you very much for your perspective and your expertise.
Our congratulations to Wangari Maathai, 64 years old, the founder of Kenya's green belt movement, political activist, environmentalist, who has risked her life for her cause.
We want to let you know, also, what's next in the next half hour of DAYBREAK. For example, a trilogy of deadly strikes gained global attention this morning from Falluja to Paris, France, and to the shores of Egypt. We've got the latest on these deadly attacks straight ahead.
This is DAYBREAK.
And we're also going to gauge the reactions of a group of undecided voters live during the debate. And the debate tonight, we're talking about the second presidential debate. We are live from the post-debate spin rooms. And, of course, you can trust CNN for complete live coverage of the presidential debate tonight, beginning at 7:00 p.m..
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): What if a photo really worth more than a thousand words? Elizabeth Mynatt thinks so. She's an associate professor at Georgia Tech who's part of the Digital Family Portrait Project. Beyond a simple picture frame, a system of microphones, cameras and sensors can allow family members to keep an eye on their elderly loved ones while still giving them their independence.
ELIZABETH MYNATT, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, GEORGIA TECH: Economically, these technologies can have a tremendous impact for the senior adults in this country as well as other countries that are grappling with how to care for an aging population.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As a person moves from room to room, family members can receive real time information. The signal is sent over an encrypted Internet channel in order to protect the person's privacy. Through the digital portrait, a family is able to pinpoint any causes for concern, like leaving an oven on or a kettle boiling.
MYNATT: I'm quite optimistic that these technologies will become commonplace in the home in the next few decades.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
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