Return to Transcripts main page

Your World Today

G8 Preparations; 'Africa at Risk'; Fighting Corruption

Aired July 04, 2005 - 12:00   ET

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

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is YOUR WORLD TODAY.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Police scuffle with protesters opposed to G8 policies with the summit in Scotland just two days away.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I really don't view our relationship as, you know, quid pro quos.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JIM CLANCY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Rejecting the idea of payback, the U.S. president says Britain's support in Iraq does not guarantee U.S. backing of Tony Blair at the G8 summit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Team, we've got a confirmation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VERJEE: And a smashing success for NASA. Why a space probe's collision with a comet is cause for celebration.

It's 5:00 p.m. in Edinburgh, noon in Washington, 9:00 a.m. at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab in California. I'm Zain Verjee.

CLANCY: I'm Jim Clancy. Welcome to our viewers throughout the world. This is YOUR WORLD TODAY.

VERJEE: The stage is set for the G8 summit in Scotland, where leaders are expected to tackle some of the world's most pressing problems.

CLANCY: And the pressure really, Zain, is on. Anti- globalization protests in Edinburgh and the Live 8 rock concerts over the weekend, for that matter, all aimed to bring awareness to the summit that begins Wednesday.

VERJEE: Now, the group of eight consists of the most industrialized nations: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

CLANCY: Topping the agenda is going to be debt relief for Africa and... VERJEE: As well as efforts to reach an accord on global warming that really recognizes the problem, as well as the need to combat it.

CLANCY: Now, an agreement on global warming by the G8 nations could prove to be quite a difficult task. British officials say pre- summit discussions over the weekend were rather intense, was the word that was used. Harry Smith has a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRY SMITH, REPORTER, ITV NEWS (voice-over): The demonstrations have already begun. This is outside the Faslane nuclear submarine base on the Clyde, designed to draw attention to the amount the G8 countries spend on arms.

The blockade is planned to last right through the summit meeting at Gleneagles. The world's most powerful men don't get together until Wednesday, but already deals are being done behind the scenes.

Tony Blair, however, has been given a timely warning that his aim of agreement on climate change may still be far off. Interviewed by Trevor McDonald, George Bush signaled he wouldn't sign up to anything which wasn't in America's interest, even though the prime minister supported him over Iraq.

BUSH: Tony Blair made decisions on what he thought was best for the people of Great Britain, and I made decisions on what I thought was best for Americans. And I really don't view our relationship as one of, you know, quid pro quos. I view our relationship of one of stong allies and friends working together for the common good.

SMITH: The agreement of America is crucial. Environmentalists say its industries are responsible for nearly a quarter of all CO2 emissions.

TONY JUNIPER, FRIENDS OF THE EARTH: The American position in the run-up to the G8 summit is short-sighted, immoral and negligent. The United States says it wants to protect its own economy, but in so doing, will be jeopardizing some of the poorest people in the world with the threat of climate change.

SMITH: The opposition say it reveals just how little influence the prime minister has in Washington.

OLIVER LETWIN, U.K. SHADOW ENVIRONMENT SECRETARY: Well, it's very sad to see that the prime minister doesn't seem to be able to use the influence one would hope he had after all the support that he's given to President Bush to persuade the American administration to be more cooperative about climate change.

SMITH: But Bob Geldof, heading north to Edinburgh, said that after Saturday's concerts he was more optimistic about a deal on debt relief.

BOB GELDOF, LIVE 8 ORGANIZER: The mood is one of possibility. But that's pop. You know, you've got to temper that with the reality of politics. The reality of politics is that these guys should, in theory, listen to what their electorate are saying, but it's a moot point as to whether they will.

SMITH: At Gleneagles, the demonstrators will be kept well away from the G8 leaders, but thousands are expected to converge on Scotland to make sure their message is heard.

Harry Smith, ITV News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VERJEE: With Africa set to take center stage at the G8 summit, leaders will also have to grapple with the issue of whether making money available to African governments encourages corruption. As part of our special "Africa at Risk" coverage, our Lagos bureau chief, Jeff Koinange, reports on what Nigeria is doing to fight corruption.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): She's probably not the obvious choice to lead a crusade against corruption in a country where graft (ph) seems like a national pastime. But Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria's finance minister, relishes a good fight and likes to clean house.

NGOZI OKONJO-IWEALA, NIGERIAN FINANCE MINISTER: Corruption is there. In my country, we accept it.

KOINANGE: After 20 years at the World Bank, Okonjo-Iweala was offered a cabinet position to help battle what she calls Africa's scourge, corruption. But she has no illusions she can make changes overnight.

OKONJO-IWEALA: The first thing you do in fighting a problem is to acknowledge openly you have it. And then when you acknowledge you have it, and you've made the analysis of where the problem is, then you fight it.

KOINANGE: Over the years, billions of dollars in aid have been siphoned. Today, Nigeria's foreign debt has ballooned to more than $35 billion. Despite some impressive changes over the past five years, western donors find it difficult to forgive Nigeria.

OKONJO-IWEALA: We are trying to correct a lot of things in the economy that have not gone right in the past. We are trying to reform the way we manage our public expenditures, set the budget right, and rein in fiscal -- fiscal spending. And we've done that.

KOINANGE: And there's another reason. While Nigeria is one of the world's largest oil producers, pumping two million barrels a day, about two-thirds of its population live on less than a dollar a day.

But Okonjo-Iweala's hard work seems to be paying off. Just this past week, the Paris Club agreed in principle to forgive two-thirds of Nigeria's debt. That comes to about $18 billion. And the remaining $17 billion owd to the World Bank and IMF may be forgiven by the end of the year. The finance minister admits it's been a hard-fought battle to get to this stage.

OKONJO-IWEALA: There are days when it's so hard, you know, to be so difficult, because in reforming, you know, you are fighting vested interests who are busy trying to tell people that the reforms aren't working when they actually are. You know, who are busy trying to paint the country differently for their own political interests.

KOINANGE: Finance Minister Okonjo-Iweala has an energetic sidekick in her fight against corruption. Nuhu Ribadu, head of Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, or EFCC, the lawyer-turned-police officer has come to be known as the anti- corruption czar. A daunting title in a country that many say is the most corrupt in the world.

NUHU RIBADU, EFCC CHAIRMAN: We are not running away from the problem. We never said that we are not (INAUDIBLE). And we never said that it is something that we cannot do anything about.

KOINANGE: Among Ribadu's recent cases, the arrest of a state governor with a suitcase full of money at London's Heathrow Airport. And she forced Nigeria's inspector general of police resign after more than $10 million was allegedly discovered in his bank account.

These examples, though, are a mere drop in the bucket when you consider the amount of money stashed illegally in overseas accounts by Nigerians. Ribadu puts that figure at more than $20 billion. Of course the ultimate victims of this rampant corruption are ordinary Nigerians.

RIBADU: Nigeria is a country that there has to be a rule of law. It is not going to be a safe haven for criminals no more.

KOINANGE: Words that seem so much more easier said than done.

(on camera): It may take years, maybe even decades to help solve Nigeria's corruption problem. And while some small steps are being taken, the question is, how much of a difference will it make to those living on just a dollar a day?

Jeff Koinange, CNN, Lagos.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: All of those factors are being taken into account by protesters that have gathered near the Gleneagles G8 summit preparation. Before that summit gets under way, they are in the streets trying to make their point.

Our own Paula Hancocks is there. She joins us now.

Paula, I understand, really demonstrations, violent protests have been pretty sparsely attended.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Jim. At the moment, it doesn't seem to be too tense an atmosphere up here. There's about two thousand police on the streets at the moment trying to make sure these protests don't get out of hand, and they've got about 5,000 more that have been drafted in from England and Wales. So they are very prepared.

There have been some little scuffles. Earlier on today, about 200 anti-capitalist protesters went to the financial district. They're still in a sit-in down there just by the insurer Standard and Life. They've been there for about four hours now. But they're surrounded by pretty much the same amount of police and riot police.

Also, in the shopping street behind me, on Princess Street, there has been more of a carnival atmosphere. A lot of protesters have been singing and dancing, making music in the middle of the street that has been cordoned off. And shoppers have just been stopping what they are doing to watch them and take photographs themselves.

So there's certainly a large presence of protesters coming up to Edinburgh at the moment. Bob Geldof has said that he wants up to one million protesters to come to Edinburgh. And if that happens, they certainly will be noticed, because there's only about 450,000 population here.

But there are many different protesters with many different messages. We had a stop the war coalition protest last night, we've had make poverty history march with a quarter of a million people on Saturday. And then earlier on this Monday, we had about 400 protesters sitting on a road on the way to a major naval base which houses Britain's Trident Missile Submarine. So they had to sit-in there to stop cars coming through.

So at the moment, it is not particularly tense. There have been obviously pockets of violence.

Also, a little earlier on this morning, Richard Branson, the Virgin boss, turned up with a plane full of international campaigner from places, from America, from Asia, from Africa, all wanting to make their voices heard. So there are certainly a lot of protesters coming up here in person to say to these G8 leaders meeting just sort of 40 miles north of here later this week, to say exactly what they want. The main things are, debt cancellation, fairer trade, and also more and better aid for the world's poorest nations -- Jim.

CLANCY: All right. Paula Hancocks reporting to us there from Scotland. The latest on the protests around the summit.

VERJEE: CNN's special coverage of "Africa at Risk" will continue throughout this week. You can join our Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour as she examines issues facing the continent. A 90-minute special includes reports on poverty in Ethiopia, as well as a conversation with the British prime minister, Tony Blair.

All that and a lot more at 17:00 GMT on Tuesday.

CLANCY: All right. Let's shift our focus now to Iraq. Police investigating now two roadside bombings in the capital. They say one explosion happened in southwest Baghdad. It killed two civilians, it wounded two others.

Hours earlier, another bomb went off in southeastern Baghdad, apparently targeting an Iraqi police convoy. One civilian killed in that attack.

Now, further to the north in Mosul, gunmen say -- officials say gunmen shot and killed a senior member of the Kurdish Democratic Party. A bodyguard for the governor of Niniva (ph) province was also shot dead Monday in a separate attack.

VERJEE: Egyptian officials say they've heard nothing from the people who kidnapped their top diplomat in Iraq. Ihab al-Sherif was abducted by gunmen near his home in Baghdad on Saturday night before he could even present his credentials as ambassador to the country's president. He is the highest ranking foreign official to be kidnapped in Iraq.

The U.S. military says an unknown number of suspected militants and civilians were killed in an air strike in Afghanistan last week. An official statement described the target as "a known operationing base for terrorist attacks." A U.S. military spokeswoman says final casualty figures are still undetermined, but that any loss of civilian life is regrettable.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LT. CINDY MOORE, KABUL: We have to rely on a battle damage assessment. And currently, that is ongoing. And the forces on the ground are putting together that report so that we will have an accounting of what took place. I think certainly, U.S. forces regret if there is a loss of innocent lives, and we follow very stringent rules of engagement, specifically to ensure that non-combatants are safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VERJEE: U.S. commanders say the attack was planned and carried out quickly to prevent the escape of an important target.

CLANCY: All right. We've got to take a short break. But there's much more ahead here on YOUR WORLD TODAY.

VERJEE: It's white knuckle time in five cities around the world as those competing to host the 2012 summer Olympic games unleash some heavyweight lobbyists just 48 hours before the decision.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VERJEE: Welcome back. Let's take a look now at some stories making news in the United States.

In his speech marking Independence Day, President Bush called on Americans to support U.S. troops in Iraq. Mr. Bush reiterated his resolve to keep U.S. forces in place until the fight is won. He added that the insurgents' efforts to break the will of the American people will fail.

Independence Day celebrations are under way across the United States as well. One of the largest events will take place in Washington, D.C., where a concert on the U.S. capital lawn will include musicians Gloria Estefan, the Beach Boys and the O'Jays. The finale will feature one of the country's most elaborate fireworks displays.

Fifty-five thousand runners raced through the streets of Atlanta in the 36th annual Peachtree Road Race on Monday. Kenya's Gilbert Okari emerged victorious in the world's largest 10 kilometer event. And on the women's side, Lorna Kiplagat, of the Netherlands, originally of Kenya, captured her fourth Peachtree title.

Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson has died at age 89. The former senator from Wisconsin initiated the environmental observance 35 years ago. Nelson, a longtime conservationist, modeled the idea of Earth Day on anti-Vietnam War educational tactics. He died on Sunday of cardiovascular failure at his suburban home in Washington.

CLANCY: Five great cities, but there can be only one. All right. We look at the cities here around the world.

You've got London, Paris, Madrid, competing with Moscow and New York. All want to host the 2012 Olympics.

That competition come douns to a vote on Wednesday by members of the International Olympic Committee. Now, there may be more than one vote because of the way that they do it. Mike Chinoy tells us that there's some intense last-minute lobbying going on right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE CHINOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With a decision set for Wednesday in Singapore, the competing cities are marshalling their big guns, seeking to sway the 110 members of the International Olympic Committee. British Prime Minister Tony Blair arrived, his summit with Singapore's prime minister taking second place to his lobbying in support of London's bid.

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: It's a bid that's got the enthusiastic support of the British people, of all the political parties of the government. And the country's right behind it..

CHINOY: Leading a huge New York delegation was Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (R), NEW YORK CITY: We are united in ways that America and New York can only do when our back's to the wall. You saw us like an athlete who fell and got back up, and said, OK, just a little more of a challenge, and went out and ran even harder. We are going to win.

CHINOY: French President Jacques Chirac is not in Singapore yet, but will arrive in time to press the case for Paris.

JEAN-FRANCOIS LAMOUR, FRENCH SPORTS MINISTER (through translator): You know the attachment of the president, as with all of us, to the values of the Olympics. The president has been attached to the project for a very long time. He reinforced the dialogue between the Olympic world, the IOC and France.

CHINOY: Madrid and Moscow is one of the remaining contenders in what's been described as one of the most intense competitions ever for the right to hold the Olympics. Each city will make a final presentation on Wednesday.

It's a complicated voting system. Unless one city wins a majority in the first round of voting, the city with the lowest number of votes is eliminated, and a new ballot is then held. And the lobbying will go right down to the wire.

Mike Chinoy, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: Stay with us when we focus on London's bid later in this program. We'll be talking with Sir Robin Wells. He's on the London bid team.

Well, NASA scientists really celebrating this day. They hit a deep space bull's eye.

VERJEE: It's pretty amazing. There were cheers all around as word came that their research probe had made violent contact with a comet exactly as planned.

We're going to bring you more on the Deep Impact project right after the break.

This is CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CLANCY: Well this time it was rocket science. I mean, go 250 million miles, and get right on target.

VERJEE: NASA went out looking for contact with its Deep Impact spacecraft and it really succeeded. It was quite incredible, and it was actually described as precise as a bullet hitting a bullet out in space.

CLANCY: Daniel Sieberg has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT: NASA might as well have painted a bull's eye on Comet Temple One because they hit their target from about 83 million miles or 120 million kilometers away. We can show you some of the footage that took place. This is animation, we should point out, on the left there from NASA, showing this probe or the impactor heading towards this comet. The whole explosion took place at about 23,000 per hour, a huge impact. You can see there the probe on its way -- the fly-by spacecraft, I should say, monitoring the probe on its way into the comet.

And on the right, what you're looking at there are some pictures from the actual explosion that took place. And you can see in the animation right there, right as that hit. And that on the right is the actual image. On the left is the NASA animation exactly as they predicted it would happen.

This probe or impactor really smacked into this comet which is about half the size of the island of Manhattan in New York, creating about a five ton of TNT explosion. And you can see here again some of the images of hitting this comet, Temple One, again, about 83 million miles or 120 million kilometers away.

So why did NASA do this? Well, the whole point is to discover the ingredients of a comet. They're almost like a time capsule. They want to get some understanding of how the solar system was formed about 4.5 billion years ago.

This is the first time that NASA has attempted anything like this to get beneath the surface of a comet. Previously, we've had pictures of a comet from a distance, but never right up close and beneath the surface of a comet, hoping for a hole or a crater about the size of a football field. And you can see there the debris, the ice and the dust that's kicked up by this explosion as the impactor hits it.

There's a fly-by spacecraft, which you can see from the animation, that's getting these pictures and sending them back down to Earth about 1:52 Eastern Time, which is exactly when NASA had predicted this would happen. The spacecraft itself took off about six months ago. The whole mission itself has been planned and been in the works for several years.

So a lot of excitement at the Jet Propulsion Lab in California when these pictures came in. And you can see here again some of the images illuminated by sunlight, this explosion that took place on the comet, Temple One. And you can see here the high-fives and the celebration at the Jet Propulsion Lab.

The scientists extremely happy with what happened. It almost surpassed their expectations. And really, this was threading the needle for these scientists to hit this comet that far away at those speeds, almost like one bullet hitting another bullet, with another bullet taking pictures of all of this and sending it back down to Earth.

So an unprecedented and historic mission. Again, NASA very excited about what clues it could provide to the origins of our solar system.

Daniel Sieberg, CNN, Atlanta. (END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: Well, stockbrokers on Wall Street wish their predictions could be as good as those scientists' predictions were, or at least right on target. U.S. markets closed, of course, for Independence Day. Todd Benjamin, though, joins us with an update of what's going on in Europe -- Todd.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

CLANCY: We do have to take a break.

VERJEE: We do. We'll be back in a second.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VERJEE: Hello and welcome back to "YOUR WORLD TODAY" on CNN International. I'm Zain Verjee.

I'm Jim Clancy and these are the stories that are making headlines around the world.

Anti-globization: Protesters scuffling with police during a march in Edinborough, Scotland, near the site of this week's G-8 summit. Police were out in full-force to prevent any escalation of the violence. And so far, the marches have been peaceful. Global warming and aid to Africa are expected to top the agenda at those talks.

VERJEE: Politicians and sports stars are arriving in Singapore in a last-minute bid to sway Olympic officials meeting to choose the host of the 2012 summer games. British Prime Minister Tony Blair himself, is lending weight to London's bid. Paris, Madrid, Moscow and New York are also on the field of finalists. The winner will be announced on Wednesday.

CLANCY: And the United States is marking its independence today with celebrations and commemorations all across the country. In Washington, the Declaration of Independence was read aloud by the National Archives. 200 veterans wounded in the war in Iraq did the readings.

But as Americans are waving their flags, opinion polls show many people overseas do not share a high opinion of the USA, especially after the war in Iraq. But our next guest says: Well, not everyone has jumped on the anti-American band wagon. We're joined by Anne Applebaum. She's a contributing editor for "Foreign Policy" magazine.

You know, in the wake of some really wad opinion polls, I've heard many Americans ask: Why do they hate us? You asked another question equally as important: Why do they like us?

ANNE APPLEBAUM, "FOREIGN POLICY": Yes, indeed. Thanks, Jim, for asking me that. What interested me was when you break down polls. You know, first of all: Who was this 40 percent of the French who still like us and who were the 40 percent of the Germans who still like us?

And it turned out, that when you broke down the numbers and you broke them down by class and by education, I discovered that in most developed countries, the most pro-American groups are at the lowest end of the income scale and the lowest end of the educational scale. This was true in Western Europe and also true in places like South Korea.

Then, when you look at some of the more rapidly developing countries like China, or more importantly, India and the Philippines, you -- it turned out that as you went up the scale, people were more pro-American, and as you were more educated, you were more pro- American.

And I concluded that there was something like an aspiration class of people around the world who admire American capitalism and who see it as a, you know, it's something they want, they aspire to be.

In countries which recently joined, you know, the international markets and joined the global economy, their people who have become part of that, tend to be more pro-American.

CLANCY: All right. Well, some studies do show U.S. popularity, especially in recent years, really taking a slide. Do you blame the government? Do you blame the Bush administration? Do you blame the conflict in Iraq?

APPLEBAUM: I think there are a lot of factors going on. I mean, some of it, the most dramatic numbers, are to do with the conflict in Iraq. But I think there's also something more fundamental going on. You know, the global capitalism is threatening to a lot of people. It's threatening to a lot of people, particularly in Western Europe, the elites in Western Europe, the people who run the countries now. They haven't quite figured out how to deal with it yet and they identify the United States with global capitalism.

And fairly or unfairly, it's an English-speaking system, which is working according to American rules and those who feel threatened by that, tend to not like the United States. Those who feel like it's something they'd like to be part of, tend to admire the United States.

CLANCY: Now, you've lived overseas in Poland and it's true that patriots, people that live abroad, Americans that live abroad, are more sensitive to what others think of their country. At the same time, you come to the United States, come back -- move back to the United States, like I did after living more than 12 years overseas and what you find is Americans really don't care what the rest of the world thinks.

APPLEBAUM: Yes. I think that's a mistake. I actually also lived abroad for about 15 years and came back a couple of years ago. And you know, it seems to me, that, you know, when we -- particularly now, the War on Terrorism really is an ideological war. It's one which we need alliances for all kinds of reason, not just military.

CLANCY: And it's fought on television. Everybody's seeing it, everybody is taking part.

APPLEBAUM: Exactly and you know, we need cooperation with custom's officials and we need cooperation with law enforcement officials all over the world. And I think it's really important that our government speak directly to those people who admire us, even if it's not the government, even if it's just the public.

I'd really like to see the administration making more of an attempt to speak, you know, on public television in Europe and abroad and everywhere. Simply because, you know, these are our constituents. You know, these are people who will support us in the War on Terrorism. These are people who will invest in our country. These are the people who will visit the United States as tourists and I think, you know, we should make sure that they understand that we are open to them.

CLANCY: All right. Anne Apalachicola, this Independence Day, I want to thank you for coming on and telling us just a little bit about the people who like America. The people with the entrepreneurial spirit.

APPLEBAUM: Thank you and happy Fourth of July.

CLANCY: Same thank you.

VERJEE: U.S. forces in Iraq are marking America's July 4th Independence Day. Troops gathered in Baghdad to hear the singing of the U.S. National Anthem. But amid the celebration, U.S. forces also carried out raids in the Baghdad area, along with Iraqi troops. The U.S. military says they arrested at least 100 suspected militants, including foreign fighters.

Since the ouster of the Taliban regime, the picture of everyday life in Afghanistan looks very, very different, but not everything's changed. Barbara Starr takes a look now, at the dual-realities facing every Afghan citizen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From the moment, one arrives at the airport in Kabul, a reminder: There are still some 20,000 U.S. troops in the country.

But this is now a place where Afghans see signs of hope. In this class, young girls learn to become mid wives. They will provide urgently need care to mothers and newborns.

At this nursery school, a proud rendition of the national anthem. But one child is unconsolable after his mother leaves for work.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The boy's first day. So that's why he's a little upset.

STARR: The smallest Afghan citizens are carefully looked after here. At this school for street children, it is their eyes one remembers; smiling eyes of a young girl. But a 13-year-old boy with eyes of an old man; we can not know his worries. For the men of this still-conservative Islamic country, an ancient ritual: The washing of their feet before entering the mosque.

But nearby, in this post-Taliban era, women, some still in birkas, now move easily through markets full of produce. These young men are making butter. They churn to a modern beat. Music was banned during the Taliban.

(on camera): The market streets of Kabul have never been busier. The traffic jams in this city of 5 million people are now legendary. But underneath the surface, there is great concern that violence is once again on the rise in this country.

(voice-over): Lieutenant General Karl Eikenberry is the U.S. Commander here. He is worried there will be continued attacks prior to the parliamentary elections. But on this day, his first concern is about an outbreak of disease.

KARL EIKENBERRY, U.S. COMMANDER: It's not uncommon for cholera to come up at this time of year.

STARR: The journey moves south, to Gardez, once a Taliban stronghold. Eikenberry leaves his security detail behind and walks through the town with the local governor, meeting Afghans directly.

But another reality of Afghanistan emerges. We join a combat patrol into the mountains with U.S. troops and Afghan militia men. It is rough terrain. Almost immediately, the convoy stops. The Afghans worry there is an al Qaeda ambush ahead. Soon, we get the all-clear and proceed.

At this fire base, matters take another turn. Insurgents fire rockets at us. U.S. troops immediately return mortar fire. But the ultimate sign of hope: The new Afghan army. The men who fought against the Soviets, fought against the Taliban, are now fighting for their country.

Barbara Starr, with CNN cameraman Thomas Epsler (ph), Afghanistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: We're going to turn our attention now to the Middle East, where Israel's planned pullout of Gaza is drawing ever closer. President Moshe Katsav warning of violence. He tells Israeli Army Radio, Jewish extremists taking part in protests could resort to even assassinations.

VERJEE: Most Israelis favor withdrawal from Gaza and parts of the West Bank, but rightists vow to fight disengagement.

Guy Raz reports on how Israelis are expressing which side they're on.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUY RAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fashion writers in Israel joke that orange is now the new black. These strip of cloth dangle from scooters, rearview mirrors, big cars and small ones. Among religious girls, orange shirts are cool. This sign reads "the orange will win."

EVE HAROW, DISENGAGEMENT OPPONENT: That's the color and that's a way of expressing, even when I'm drive, expressing to people how I feel.

RAZ: Eve Harow is a mother of seven, a West Bank settler and bitter opponent of her government's plan to pull out of the occupied Gaza Strip.

HAROW: The precedent that it sets, which is the terror win and the terror can drive Jews out of their homes.

RAZ: Some of the opponents are religious, believing the land Israel is evacuating was promised by God. Others see it as a victory for Hamas: they are well-organized, loud and visible.

(on camera): Jerusalem is now a wash in a sea of orange. It's estimated that one out of three cars in the city are now flying the colors. But supporters of the Gaza disengagement are quickly going ground and soon enough, they hope, blue streamers will become as common as the orange ones.

So blue, too, is making in roads. Chezi Barzani (ph) now drives around with a blue streamer affixed to his antenna.

CHEZI BARZANI, DISENGAGEMENT SUPPORTER: I think that's the smallest answer that the peace movement and Peace Now and all the rest of the peace movement could do in order to answer the orange ribbon.

RAZ: Barzani is part of Israel's vanquished left, peace advocates who don't support Ariel Sharon, but do support his Gaza pullout. Barzani his compulsory military service in Gaza and developed a deep contempt for the occupation.

BARZANI: I think Israel should've withdraw from Gaza from the minute it entered there in '67.

RAZ: The man laughing all the way to the bank is Roni Ratzon. His factory manufactures both the orange ribbons and the blue ones. I am not a political man, he says, I'm just trying to make a living.

Guy Raz, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: The race to host the 2012 Olympics: Getting down to the wire.

VERJEE: When we come back, a closer look at London's bid and what the British capital stands to gain from hosting the summer games. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CLANCY: Welcome back, to our viewers around the world and in the United States. You're watching CNN International, but we want to keep you to date on news in the United States as well.

So, we have a couple of headlines from there. The search continuing for a missing 9-year-old boy in the U.S. state of Idaho. The boy's 8-year-old sister turned up on Sunday in the company of a registered sex offender at a restaurant in the girl's hometown. The children disappeared after their mother, brother, and mother's boyfriend were found murdered in their home. That was back in May.

The three suspects in the high-profile disappearance of an American student in Aruba are in court this day. A judge will decide whether they can be held in custody for another 60 days. The suspects have not been formally charged in the case, but under Aruban law, prosecutors can request numerous extensions for holding them.

The United States is welcoming 15,000 new citizens this Fourth of July week. This group took the citizenship oath this morning at Freedom Park in Arlington, Virginia. They hailed from more than 25 different countries that included China, Afghanistan, El Salvador and Nepal. Some 450,000 people are naturalized, in other words, they become U.S. citizens, every year.

VERJEE: The five cities vying to host the 2012 Olympics are bracing for a big decision on Wednesday. Paris is regarded by many as the front runner, but London is being seen as a close second.

Joining us now is Sir Robin Wales. He's the mayor of east London borough of Newham (ph) and a London 2012 board member. Sir Robin, are you nervous, stressed?

SIR ROBIN WALES, LONDON 2012 BOARD MEMBER: Hi, hi.

VERJEE: Are you nervous about the decision? It's looming...

WALES: On the decision? Well, yes, we clearly -- we're clearly hopeful that we're are going to win. There are some very good bids, but we've worked very hard on our bid. It looks to be a good bid. We are confident. We are very hopeful, but yet, nervous would certainly be one way of describing it too.

VERJEE: Do you think it's going to come down to a face-off between London and Paris?

WALES: Well, that's what all the smart men are saying, but I have to say, when you've got cities like New York, Madrid and Moscow and you're clearly up against some stiff competition, never mind Paris and London. So, yes, we think it will come down to that, but we think we have an excellent bid.

It's got huge impact -- the legacy of it is what's really, I think, selling it. It's going to make a huge difference to one of the most deprived areas of Europe and for us locally, it could make a -- it could transform the experience of our young people. So, we are very, hopeful that we are going to win it.

Tony Blair's courting Olympic committee members in a last-minute lobbying bid. You know, the French President Jacques Chirac is going to be there making and final presentation. And Tony Blair is going to have to go off early to Gleneagles. Are you a bit worried, you know, that Chirac may bring the French a little bit of an edge, because he's there?

WALES: No, I think people understand that Tony Blair has got stuff to do at the G-8 in terms of Africa and climate change, that I think everyone in the world would want him to do. I see no problem with him doing that. But I'm delighted that he's going to be over there. I think people understand Tony Blair's got, no, I think people understand. The issue about debt and Africa and the issue about climate change is so enormous, that we would be -- I think we would be angry if Tony Blair didn't come back and get organize for it.

So, no. I think the I.O.C. will understand and anyway, I have to say it's been really difficult for the prime minister to get there and he's moved heaven and earth to get there because he recognizes the importance of this bid for the legacy that it'll leave in the east end of London and indeed, the rest Britain.

NO, I don't think -- I think people understand. They are smarter than that.

VERJEE: Is there any last-minute deal making London's trying to do before Wednesday?

WALES: I think we've sat all the way along and said it's a quality bid. (INAUDIBLE) We've put a great bid together. It's the athletes -- centers on the athletes, right? We are using athlete who are actually designing the bid and working on the bid. So, it's there for the athletes and sports people.

VERJEE: No, no, but are you going to the people that will be voting on the Olympic committee and saying: Look, you know, if you cast round one's vote for New York and they don't win, cast it for London. Is that sort of stuff going on?

WALES: People will have all sorts of discussion, but I think we've always relied on the quality of our bid and as we've gone along, I think people have begun to understand the quality of the bid. I think what were saying to people is: This is going to be the greatest Olympic games in history. If you come to London, it'll not only a fantastic game for the athletes, but a fantastic legacy.

And remember, it's coming to, perhaps, the most ethnically diverse place on the face of the planet. We are hugely ethnically diversed and work well together. So, I think it's a great place to come and I think that's what we are selling the bid on, its quality.

VERJEE: Sir Robin Wales, making a good pitch for London there. Thank you, so much, Sir Robin.

WALES: Thank you so much. Happy Fourth of July. Thank you. VERJEE: Thank you. He's the mayor of east London's borough of Newham. Also, a London 2012 board member. Thank you.

(WEATHER REPORT)

CLANCY: All right. Maybe you were one of millions of people around the world who saw those Live 8 concerts. Zain flew all the way to London. She saw it.

VERJEE: It was for a night. It was a little bit decadent, even for me. But will the message in this massive effort really make a difference? What we want to talk a bit about that after the break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CLANCY: Live 8, the best concerts ever. Certainly the biggest.

VERJEE: Yes, absolutely. It was loads of fun. But the real question is this, did the message really get across? Here's Gavin Morris.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GAVIN MORRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 100 global super stars united in demanding action on poverty. But at Saturday's Live 8 concert in London, one far less famous face stole the show. Berhan Waldoo (ph) was a symbol of Ethiopia's dying generation in the Band Aid campaign 20 years ago. Now as a healthy beaming woman, sharing the stage with Madonna, she portrayed Live 8's renewed aspirations.

BOB GELDOF, LIVE 8 ORGANIZER: When you bring someone out like Berhan, the possibility of life and hope and intellectual creativity and talent and beauty and human wonder, is made tangibly present at that moment. And the world stops and they cry.

MORRIS: Powerful images, and the media is paying attention. But even as the concert garbage was being swept away, organizers were being asked if the public's attention span would endure longer than the clean-up. Were the thousands who turned up or the millions that watched on television actually engaged in the issues? New opinion polls in Britain and America suggest Africa is well down the priority list of issues people want to see the G-8 address. To some observers, definite signs of Africa fatigue are setting in.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The vast majority of the British population, they are fed up. They are tired with aid to Africa. They believe that Africa should address its problems.

MORRIS: But Live 8 organizers say more than 26 million people have signed up to their agenda. Thousands of protesters are gathering in Scotland to add their voices to the campaign to make poverty history. And it's to Scotland and eight of the world's most powerful men that attention now turns. Bob Geldof claims a coup in winning the very public support of Prime Minister Tony Blair. But that's one vote out of eight. GELDOF: The power politics was -- are more difficult to organize than the willingness of crowds to arrive and artists to do their greatest, I think. And, it's far more difficult to get eight men to agree, so what you have to do is get their countries to agree, and they must do their bidding. The question now, is will they?

MORRIS: Put another way, can 100 pop stars singing in harmony persuade eight powerful men to speak with one voice?

Gavin Morris, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: This is YOUR WORLD TODAY. I'm Jim Clancy.

VERJEE: And I'm Zain Verjee. This is CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com