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Your World Today

London on Alert; Interview With Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif

Aired July 27, 2005 - 12:00   ET

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

JIM CLANCY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: One in the dock, at least three more to go. British police arrest a suspect in last week's attempted attacks in London.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. GEORGE CASEY, COMMANDER MULTINATIONAL FORCES: And if the development of the security forces continues to go as it is going, I do believe we will still be able to take some fairly substantial reductions after these elections in the spring and summer of next year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: U.S. military commanders look ahead to a pullback in Iraq. And...

CLANCY: Inundated in India. Record rainfall soaking the west coast.

VERJEE: I'm Zain Verjee in Washington. It is noon in the U.S. capital, 9:30 p.m. in Mumbai.

CLANCY: I'm Jim Clancy at CNN Center. Welcome to our viewers around the globe. This is YOUR WORLD TODAY.

VERJEE: British authorities have made a number of arrests in connection with last week's botched attacks on the London transit system.

CLANCY: Just before dawn, police stormed a home in Birmingham. They used a stun gun to subdue one man identified now as one of last week's would-be bombers. Twenty-four-year-old Yasin Hassan Omar of Somali origin is being held now at a high security prison in London.

VERJEE: A short while later, three other men were also arrested in Birmingham. They are being held in a local police station.

Meanwhile, a nationwide hunt is under way for the three other bombers who attempted to set off explosives last Thursday.

CLANCY: Our correspondents Nic Robertson and Jonathan Mann standing by at two locations now, bringing us up to date on the investigations.

We begin with Nic. NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Jim, we've heard a little bit from the police here in the West Midlands. They won't release any details of the operation that took place this morning. They did say that it was a joint operation between West Midlands Police and the Metropolitan Police in London who are leading the investigation into the July the 21st bombings.

They have now -- at least sources close to the investigation -- have now confirmed that Yasin Hassan Omar, the 24-year-old Somali who moved to Britain in 1992 with his parents when he was 11 years old, has been arrested. He is the first of those four most wanted men in Britain, the four suspect bombers from last week, the first to be arrested. He was, as you say, taken to central London.

The other three men arrested here are being held at a Birmingham police station. It is not clear why they are being held in Birmingham. But it is perhaps an indication that they are not so central to the police investigation into those bombings -- into those bombings last week.

We talked with local residents this morning about the police operation here. They describe hearing bangs early in the morning, the door being broken down, it appears, into Mr. Omar's house.

The police have said that they used a taser gun to subdue him in that arrest. We know that the police have been very concerned because of his failed bombing attempts last week that he could be very dangerous. The public have been warned not to tackle him, but to call the police.

It's not clear what led the police to this address this morning. But one resident we talked to here told us that she had been concerned and surprised about some activities at that house over the last two weeks.

She told us that she had seen over the last two weeks a car, an old car, she described it, with four men in it, men she described as being Somali-type origin, East African origin. She said that they had come and gone to the house over the last two weeks at very odd hours, parking outside her house, coming and going in the middle of the night, during the day.

That had raised her concerns about what they were doing. She had no idea, she said, that they might be linked with the bombing. But she was surprised because this activity had picked up over the last -- over the last few weeks.

But now Mr. Omar at Paddington Green Station in central London where Jonathan Mann is -- Jonathan.

JONATHAN MANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Nic, Paddington Green is the highest security police station in this city. I know you can't see much from your vantage point, but behind me, if you could, you'd see essentially an office building built atop a bunker. This police station has been at the very center of investigation from the very start, quite literally, July 7, in the attacks that killed 52 people. The bombers struck a subway station, Edgware Road Station, which is literally just across the street from where I am standing.

The police here have long experienced doing this kind of work. This is where IRA suspects used to be interrogated, and, in fact, where the British prisoners who were at Guantanamo Bay were interrogated when they were first released from Cuba.

As best we can figure, there are now six suspects being interrogated here. But this is not the only focus for the police operation that is still under way in this city.

There were raids being conducted in the north of the city this morning. More police efforts to find out what in fact is there, what they left behind.

The raids were near the site where they seized a car earlier in this week. No arrests were made in connection with that raid, but, of course, the man hunt continues.

The police are looking not only for the three suspected bombers who are still on the loose, the men whose pictures have been spread all through this city and around the world, but the chief of the London police, the Metropolitan Police commissioner, said they are also looking for the people who equipped those bombers, the people who trained them, and the people who inspired them.

And so the investigation is still very much under way in London, in Birmingham, and elsewhere around the country -- Jim.

CLANCY: John Mann there in London. Our thanks to you.

Our thanks to Nic Robertson as well, who's up in Birmingham.

We're going to continue to follow this story minute by minute.

Police in Egypt, meantime, coming up with a list of some 15 names of people that they believe are now connected to the bombings at Sharm el-Sheikh. Those bombings killed more than 80 people.

Some of the people on the list believed to be connected to last year's attack on other Sinai resorts. Police have taken DNA samples from a few families in the region. Investigators now trying to match that DNA with some of the remains believed to be those of the bombers.

Well, joining us to talk a little bit about the terror attack on Sharm el-Sheikh and the ongoing investigation, Egypt's prime minister, Ahmed Nazif. He joins us now from Cairo.

Mr. Prime Minister, thank you so much for being with us. What can you tell us about the investigation? What is new?

AHMED NAZIF, EGYPTIAN PRIME MINISTER: Well, Jim, it's really a terrible event, as you know. There's a lot of feelings here in Egypt about it, a lot of anger. But it's also solidarity, determination.

And we believe that the investigation is going very well. We expect that we will be able to find out who is responsible for this act and bring back to justice.

CLANCY: Now, initially people said they were convinced this had to be an outside job. That is, outsiders who might have come to Egypt to do this. Increasingly, it's looking like people who are Egyptian may have plotted this attack, and, at the same time, plotted an attack on the economy of your country.

NAZIF: Well, yes, that's true. I mean, Sharm el-Sheikh, you know, is a symbol for Egypt. It's our crown jewel. It's a city of peace. But it's also one of the most attractive tourist destinations in the world.

So it is a very significant event that has taken place. But, as I said, we think that we will be able to overcome this, and we are determined to make sure that Sharm el-Sheikh remains the city of peace.

CLANCY: Now, some of the people that work at those hotels have reported that as many as 40 percent of tourists have canceled their visits. What would you say to people that are thinking, contemplating coming to Egypt, seeing many of its, you know, really wondrous attractions from the pyramids, the tombs of the kings, and the resorts?

NAZIF: Well, we still say that they have to come. I mean, we don't believe that we should let the terrorists have their way. I mean, this is exactly what they want us to do, to stay at home, to be scared. I don't think we should be.

We should be careful, of course. We should learn our lessons. We should make sure that we increase our security measures, but I don't think that we should capitulate to this and just leave Sharm el- Sheikh to become -- you know, it's, as I said, a crown jewel. We don't want to make it a ghost city by any means.

CLANCY: Mr. Prime Minister, at the same time, today, sadly, it was announced on a Web site -- this hasn't been confirmed by anyone yet -- but it was announced in Iraq that two Algerian diplomats have been executed by al Qaeda. Egypt, itself, you lost one of your top diplomats there to violence in Iraq.

Clearly, al Qaeda there is trying to drive out any support, any show of legitimacy for the government, the new fledgling government in Iraq. What must be the response, not only of Egypt, but other countries as well?

NAZIF: Again, I don't think we should give away to those senseless acts of violence. This is really just an excuse that the terrorists use to kill people and to terrorize them. But I think that we should focus on the issues.

We should make sure that Egypt will continue to support the Iraqi people. We will continue to look forward for improvements in the Iraqi situation that the Iraqis can overcome. They can become an independent nation having its own government, being able to run as a free democracy. And we should not really take these incidents and let them shape our decisions.

CLANCY: Mr. Prime Minister, many people look to Egypt as the leader of the Arab world, the largest Arab country. Long a force in politics there. They look for leadership, and they're wondering right now as they look at what's going on in Iraq, they see the bombings in London, now in Sharm el-Sheikh, elsewhere around the globe, they really wonder, what are terrorists trying to achieve? How are they trying to defeat the ideas of the west and of some of the Arab nations?

NAZIF: Well, basically, these are people that are taking it back a hundred years, at least. We need to keep pushing for reforms. We need to make sure that we have international cooperation in fighting the terrorism.

We cannot allow them to have their way, as I said. And I believe that. There is a lot we can do together. I mean, all nations.

This terrorism now does not respect any borders in any way. And in that sense, we need to have an international effort working together to make sure that the concepts of freedom and democracy, and of progress and reform, continue to prevail.

CLANCY: The National Democratic Party, the party of President Mubarak, going to begin its convention. They will be naming their candidate. Is President Mubarak going to stand again? He's 77 years of age.

NAZIF: Well, we expect him to stand again. I think that President Mubarak is in very good health. And we think that he is a leader.

He has shown a lot of leadership for Egypt, for the Arab nations. And he is a statesman of the world. He has -- as I always say, we invest a lot in President Mubarak. And I think that right now he is the right choice for Egypt. So I do believe that and I hope that he will decide to run.

CLANCY: National Democratic Party, President Mubarak has to capitalize on this. He's got a lot of reforms that he says he's pushing through. One of them is the election itself. Other presidential candidates going to be in there.

How's the party going to forge the way ahead to claim credit for this?

NAZIF: I think the most important thing to focus on right now is that we have taken a major step for reform. We now have a multi-party presidential election in Egypt for the first time. And I believe that this is a very important step on its own.

We think that we need to focus on running a free, transparent election. We need to gain the trust of our people, the Egyptians, going to the polls, and knowing that their vote will count, that they have a free choice in doing so. And we should present leadership to the world in the Middle East in advancing the cause of democracy.

CLANCY: Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif of Egypt. Mr. Prime Minister, our thanks to you for being with us on YOUR WORLD TODAY.

VERJEE: Next on CNN, the story behind the story of Donald Rumsfeld's latest visit to Baghdad.

CLANCY: As the U.S. defense secretary makes an unannounced visit again, word that a significant number of American troops could be headed home next year.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VERJEE: Welcome back. You are watching an hour of world news here on CNN International.

An Internet statement posted in the name of al Qaeda in Iraq says the group has killed two Algerian diplomats. Threats to kill the Algerian charges d'affaire Ali Baruoki (ph) and colleague Azadin Belkadi (ph) were posted on the Web site on Tuesday. They were grabbed last week in Baghdad's Mansour neighborhood that's home to a number of Arab embassies.

U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has popped up in Baghdad on another unannounced visit. But it's his top commander, General George Casey, who's grabbing the headline.

Aneesh Raman from Baghdad now on possible plans to bring home a significant number of American troops in the not-too-distant future.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Wherever the U.S. secretary of defense goes, so follow questions about coalition troop size in Iraq. And on a surprise visit Wednesday, Rumsfeld's top commander here tackled that issue, suggesting possible troop reduction following the general elections in December. An answer punctuated with a number of "ifs."

CASEY: If the political process continues to go positively, and if the development of the security forces continues to go as it is going, I do believe we'll still be able to take some fairly substantial reductions after these elections in the spring and summer of next year.

RAMAN: A scenario heavily reliant on Iraq itself. Ahead of meetings with both the president and with the prime minister, Secretary Rumsfeld voiced strong concerns on border security...

DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: It's important for them to work with their neighbors to see that the behavior of particularly Iran and Syria improves. It has been harmful, and Iraq is a big country. RAMAN: ... and on meeting the looming deadline now just weeks away to finish writing a constitution for a public referendum in October, something Rumsfeld sees as risk of crumbling, bluntly warning Iraqi politicians that they must move forward and that compromise is necessary. From the Iraqi prime minister agreement, and along with a call for a speedy withdrawal of foreign troops, a caveat.

IBRAHIM AL-JAAFARI, IRAQI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We do not want to be surprised by withdrawals that are not in connection with our Iraqi timing.

RAMAN (on camera): With the ongoing insurgency, the months to come here are critically important. A constitutional referendum, another round of national elections, and the installation of Iraq's first permanent government. A process also, it seems, critical to the Bush administration.

Aneesh Raman CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VERJEE: After more than a month of deliberations, a French jury is handing down the verdict in a notorious child sex abuse trial. Decisions and sentences have begun to be read for each of the 65 defendants.

They are accused to what amounts to a local pedophilia ring that saw children as young as six months abused. During the trial, prosecutors gave evidence that three generations of a single family were at times involved in the crimes. It's now known that one of the main suspects known as Frank Vi (ph) was sentenced to 18 years in prison. Other sentences are still coming in.

CLANCY: All right. Let's pause for a moment to take a look at some of the other stories that are making news in the United States.

The search for missing American teenager Natalee Holloway now involves draining a pond in Aruba. The pond near a beach where the two brothers say that they dropped off the Alabama teen and a judge's son on the day she disappeared. Investigators say they expect to have the catch basin drained within one day. Police are acting on a tip from a local man.

The father of Utah teenager Elizabeth Smart said he hopes the man accused of kidnapping her is going to be kept in a mental hospital now that he has been declared mentally incompetent to stand trial. Brian David Mitchell is accused of kidnapping Elizabeth from her bedroom back in 2002 when she was 14 and sexually assaults her and keeping her as his second wife for nine months.

Americans are getting to know a lot more about John Roberts, the man President Bush wants on the Supreme Court. The National Archives has released documents from his days as a young lawyer in the Justice Department. They show that he pushed for a limited Supreme Court role on hot-button issues back in the 1980s, such as the death penalty appeals. Roberts also counseled the Reagan administration against some affirmative action policies.

Well, coming up next on CNN, we're going to be taking a look at how the world markets are faring.

VERJEE: And General Motors consumers lose a major perk for now.

This is YOUR WORLD TODAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CLANCY: Well, investors appear to be eying the numbers this day. Let's check how the markets are moving in the U.S. and Europe. Valerie Morris joins us from New York City.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

CLANCY: We're going to have a roundup of the main stories coming up in just a moment.

VERJEE: Also ahead, questions about the Pakistani connection to the first round of the London bombings. We're going to speak to a Pakistani diplomat.

And another round of arrests in last week's attempted London attacks.

We'll bring you all those details next on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CLANCY: Welcome back to YOUR WORLD TODAY here on CNN International. I'm Jim Clancy.

VERJEE: And I'm Zain Verjee, here in Washington, D.C. Here are some of the top stories we are following.

U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has made another unannounced visit to Iraq. Rumsfeld met with Iraqi leaders and U.S. commanders. During the visit, General George Casey, who's the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said a significant troop pullout could take place by spring of 2006. There are currently 135,000 American troops in Iraq.

CLANCY: The search for those responsible for Saturday's bombings in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, now focusing on the people in the Sinai. Police have at least 15 names of people they believe may be connected to the attack. They've also taken DNA samples from several Sinai families. They're trying to match that DNA with the bodies of the possible suicide bombers.

VERJEE: British police have identified one of the men arrested in Birmingham, earlier on Wednesday morning. They say he is 24-year- old Yasin Hassan Omar of Somalia origin. Three other men were also arrested in Birmingham. They're being held in a local police station.

Meanwhile, a nationwide hunt is under way for the three other bombers who attempted to set off explosives last Thursday.

CLANCY: Robyn Curnow has more now on the spate of arrests in Birmingham and elsewhere across Britain.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBYN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Swooping on these quiet Birmingham streets in early morning raids, a break-through for police.

One of the four men they have arrested is Yasin Hassan Omar, believed by the police to be one of the failed suicide bombers. Twenty-four-year-old Omar came from Somalia in 1992 and is a legal permanent resident in the U.K. He was linked to the attempted bombing at Warren Street Station.

Police say the primary suspect, believed to be Omar, was arrested at a separate property to the other three. And that he put up a fight. Police had to use force.

STUART HYDE, ASSISTANT CHIEF CONSTABLE: We had to use a police taser in order to effect the arrest of the individual here. But he is now safe in custody.

CURNOW: Police confirm the primary suspect, Omar, is being held at London's high security Paddington Green Station while the other three remain in custody in Birmingham.

Meanwhile, police say they found a suspicious package during the Birmingham raids, forcing them to evacuate situated (ph) residents from nearby homes as the bomb disposal units prepare to carry out a controlled explosion.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was very, very frightened. Because, I mean, you know, this is a quiet area.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were just told to evacuate the house because there was a bomb or something. Somewhere near our road. So we were just told to get out of the building as soon as possibly we could.

CURNOW: Intense police activity across the country. Two other raids reported in London, two men also arrested at a station in Lincolnshire, north England. They had been on a train en route to London's King's Cross Station, the scene of one of the July 7 blasts.

(on camera) The manhunt no longer only focused on London, but still the British capital remains on high alert. Although police believe they have one of the failed bombers in custody, there are still deep concerns that the other three would-be bombers want to finish what they started on July the 21st.

Robyn Curnow, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE) CLANCY: As Robyn's report there mentioned, Omar is a Somali. The others suspected in the attempted attacks named is an Eritrean. As police look at possible east African links, investigators in the July 7 blasts -- this is the earlier blast that claimed so many lives -- are focusing, instead, on Pakistan.

Three of the suicide bombers were of Pakistani descent. Some had recently visited Pakistan.

Joining us now for some discussion, Pakistan's high commissioner to the U.K., Maleeha Lodi.

Thank you so much for being with us. What is the Pakistani community in Britain saying today? What are their concerns that they voiced to you?

MALEEHA LODI, PAKISTAN'S HIGH COMMISSIONER TO U.K.: What I think most of their concerns revolve around feelings of apprehension.

As you know, the vast majority, if not 99.999 percent, look at their response to the bombings. Their response to the bombings was to condemn the atrocity, and to say very loudly that this action, this act was abhorrent to Islam. So I think having said that, there is a sense of apprehension amongst the Muslim community in Britain about a possible backlash.

And I think it's very important to hear what Prime Minister Blair and other British authorities have been saying. Because I think it's important that they keep saying what they have been, which is, that the acts of just a few individuals should not stigmatize an entire community. So that's where we are with our community here.

CLANCY: Is there any apprehension about the practice of sending young men back to Pakistan to study at some of the madrasas there, to get religious education there? Any apprehension about where did these young men pick up this radical ideology?

LODI: Well, I think first of all, we've got to put this issue in perspective. What we're dealing with here is a globalized phenomena. It's an aspect of globalization. Terrorism, now that we're dealing with this threat and this challenge, has both national and international dimensions. So I think to just zero in on one dimension would perhaps not enable us to craft a proper response.

A proper response right now requires both international and national elections where societies which are being affected, and my country has been a victim of terrorism for a long time. We have been on the front lines fighting the war on terror. We have lost a large number of our law enforcement personnel doing precisely this.

So I think the important thing right now is to keep our focus on the international effort to ensure that the kind of intelligence sharing that is vital in fighting this war continues. To also ensure that we remain united in this fight.

CLANCY: But, the Taliban of Afghanistan. They started out in the madrasas. They gave their fealty, their support to al Qaeda. A lot of al Qaeda support said to be along the Pakistani border right now. This is a problem, that, in reality, cannot be separated from Pakistan, can it?

LODI: Well, I think the point that President Musharraf also made in a recent nationwide address is that this is a job that we all have to undertake. This is not Pakistan's job alone.

In fact, we have taken it so seriously that 700 terrorists have been caught by Pakistan itself. We have put 70,000 of our law enforcement, paramilitary, and regular forces on the longest border with Afghanistan.

And you know something, Jim? The total number of forces within Afghanistan are not more than 20,000.

So I think when we look at what needs to be done for successful interdiction, for successful crack down on people who are practicing violence and are terrorists, we need international effort. And we need proper effective interdiction and proper policing on both sides of the border.

CLANCY: And madam, high commissioner, some people, there in Britain where you are, would argue what they need also is the support of the Pakistani community. To point out, and to see that they are stopped, some of the more radical voices that are within the Pakistani Muslim community there, the people who are preaching hatred.

LODI: I -- I think we are...

CLANCY: Is the community ready to stand up there and do that?

LODI: Jim, the community is already standing up and doing that. I think we have to be very careful here. This is a job that all of society has to do. I think to shift the onus of responsibility only to one community, as I said to you, what we are confronted with is something that threatens all of us. Everybody's security is at stake.

The people who died in the 7/7 bombings, some were Muslims. So I think it's important to see that victims are Muslim, too. And therefore, the Muslim communities here, and the Pakistanis, of course, the British Pakistanis are part of that community.

This is an issue that has best addressed by the leaders of the community. But when I say that, the leaders of all communities. All of society has to come together to fight this, because this is a common threat. And we have a joint responsibility to fight it.

I think to do -- to get into a situation where we are only asking one section of the community to address it is not going to lead to a comprehensive response, which is what we need. We need a comprehensive response at the international level. And we need a comprehensive response at the national level, be it Britain, or be it Pakistan. That's exactly what we are trying to do in Pakistan itself.

CLANCY: Pakistan's high commissioner to the U.K., Maleeha Lodi, I want to thank you very much for joining us here on YOUR WORLD TODAY.

And when we continue, a hint at least of light at the end of the tunnel.

VERJEE: The top commander in Iraq suggests a significant troop pull-out is possible next year.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VERJEE: Welcome back. You are watching YOUR WORLD TODAY, an hour of world news here on CNN International.

The top U.S. commander in Iraq says he thinks a fairly substantial American troop pull-out could start as early as spring of 2006. Our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre, joins us now with more on that.

Jamie, how realistic is that?

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Zain, it could happen. But it is a hopeful scenario. It's based on things going pretty well, perhaps a little better than they're going right now, even.

There were two big conditions named for the possible substantial withdrawal of U.S. troops in the spring of next year. One is, of course, the training of Iraqi forces, which eventually will have to replace them. And their ability to take on insurgents. The level of the insurgency. And, of course, the pace of political reform and the drafting of the new constitution.

Still, General George Casey, the top commander in Iraq, said -- gave what is the closest that anyone has come to announcing a goal for the withdrawal of U.S. troops early next year.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. GEORGE CASEY, COMMANDER, MULTINATIONAL FORCES: We have built a readiness assessment that we've been doing now for the last several months. We have transition teams embedded with the divisions. And so, when we get these reports, we know they're solidly based.

And I do believe that, if the political process continues to go positively, and if the development of the security forces continues to go as it is going, I do believe we'll still be able to take some fairly substantial reductions after these elections in the spring and summer next year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCINTYRE: Pentagon officials have indicated that the way this would work, assuming again that things are going pretty well by the spring of next year, is that in many of Iraq's provinces, in fact, in about 14 of the 18 province, they believe they would be able to turn over areas completely to Iraqi forces and concentrate the U.S. forces where they still have to fight the insurgents in, basically, four provinces that are still trouble spots. This would be done gradually over time. And the goal would be to have a substantial reduction of the forces in Iraq, perhaps even cutting the U.S. force by half.

But, again, Pentagon officials are stressing that all of this is based on what's going on in the ground. The last thing they want to do is pull out before Iraq is ready to take over and let everything slide backwards -- Zain.

VERJEE: What are some of the problems they're facing with the Iraqi security forces that they ultimately want to hand over to?

MCINTYRE: Well, some of the forces are performing pretty well. But they need them to be able to operate totally on their own without any U.S. support. That means not just fighting ability, but intelligence, command and control. And they need to be very loyal to the new government.

And that's the other part of it, is the political piece. That new constitution has to be accepted, has to be seen as working. The government has to be seen as having the support of the people. Otherwise, no matter how well trained the forces are, they're not going to be effective.

VERJEE: Jamie McIntyre, reporting from the Pentagon -- Jim.

CLANCY: The United Nations says donations to help the starving people of Niger now jumping dramatically. That since the media began the focus on the crisis there. The World Food Program sending in aid. It's not expected to arrive before Thursday.

Jeff Koinange, our correspondent, is in Niger. He describes to us the scale of the crisis.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Now, the first thing that hits you when you arrive at one of these displacement camps is the sight. The sight of starving mothers in the hundreds, and their equally starving and malnourished children. Mother, who have walked, some of them, hundreds of miles to get to displacement camps like this in the heart of the baking African sun.

But these are the lucky ones. These are the ones who are going to get some sustenance to keep them going for the next few days and maybe even the next few weeks. Tens of thousands of others in the bush and in the villages face imminent starvation. Across the country, 3.5 million people face starvation. And 150,000 children will die if help doesn't arrive on time.

And this for a catastrophe that could have easily been avoided. Aid workers have been raising the red flag as far back as last November, telling the world that help is needed in Niger. But it seems the world turned its back on the country. And now a country is in dire need of help. Help, which, if it doesn't arrive in the next few days, in the next few week, these children who are already suffering from starvation, from diseases such as cholera, malaria, and pneumonia, these very children will surely die.

Jeff Koinange, CNN, Maradi (ph), in southern Niger.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VERJEE: Let's check some other stories making news in the United States.

A new CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll shows most Americans now think the United States will lose the war in Iraq. According to the survey, 43 percent are confident that the U.S. will win the war, but 21 percent responded saying they think the U.S. can win, but won't. And 32 percent of those polled think the U.S. cannot win the war in Iraq.

New York's governor, George Pataki, says he will not be seeking a fourth term in office. Pataki says he's also not ruled out a 2008 run for the Republican presidential nomination. Earlier this year the governor's approval rating dipped to an all-time low in New York. Pataki was a relatively unknown state senator when he upset Democrat Mario Cuomo in the 1994 governor's race.

Astronauts on board the Space Shuttle Discovery are spending their first full workday in space, trying to make sure they can safely return to Earth. A laser on the cargo base robotic arm's examining the shuttle, really looking for damage from the launch. Cameras showed a small piece of debris falling off the shuttle during lift-off on Tuesday morning. In a news conference last hour, a NASA flight director said there isn't enough data back yet to know the extent of any damage.

CLANCY: Time to a check of the international weather forecast. And for more, let's check in with Femi Oke.

Hi, Femi.

FEMI OKE, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, there. I have an admission to make. In the last hour, Jim said I was exaggerating about how much rainfall has fallen in Mumbai. Mumbai is on the northwestern side of India. It's the rainy season right now. They're into the southwest monsoon. They have received incredible amounts of rainfall. I'm saying, the rain is up to here at least. I want to show you how much 900 millimeters is.

This is how much rain Mumbai, just one area in India, saw in the last 12 hours. That is a spectacular amount. This is just where the weather data, the weather information was measured. So we could have seen more than this amount, 900 millimeters, about three feet, or three-foot worth of rainwater.

Raj Rangopal -- excuse me -- reports from the situation in Mumbai.

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RAJ RANGOPAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Water, water everywhere as the skies open up and a high tide floods storm water drains in this coastal city.

Mumbai normally braves heavy rainfall during the three-month long monsoon season. But this time it was too much, even for this city. In the space of 12 hours, it recorded more than half its annual average rainfall, throwing rail and road traffic out of gear.

Weather officials say it was a record not just for the city, but for the entire country.

"This is the first time I have seen this sort of flooding," says this man. "We see waterlogged streets every year, but this time it's not going down."

The city's rail commuter service, which carries more than 4.5 million people to work, was suspended for hours. Long distance trains had to stop well outside the city. Air links to Mumbai, too, were cut off after runways were flooded.

Office goers and school children caught in the downpour late Tuesday had to spend the night in offices and schools. Anxious family members had no way of contacting them with telephone links snapped, as well.

The state government declared a public holiday, and called in the military, including personnel from the naval headquarters in the city to assist in the rescue effort. Government officials say many of those who died across the state were caught in landslides and floods.

And there's no respite in sight. Meteorologists are predicting heavy rain for the next 48 hours.

Raj Rangopal, CNN, New Delhi.

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OKE: Thanks very much. So, the rainwater at least up to here. And it's not going anywhere. Because we've seen more rain just streaming across that north western section of India in the next couple of days. The rain continues.

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CLANCY: All right, Femi, thanks for that. Femi, stay tuned, because we have a story coming up on the Belgrade zoo and their new reason to celebrate.

VERJEE: Just ahead, Jim, a new addition getting a lot of attention. We'll tell you why. Stay with us.

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CLANCY: One model fits all. If you're tired of your wardrobe, tired of walking and tired of hunting for a parking space, well, according to Atika Shubert, they may have a car for you. It's revolutionary. Here it is.

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ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The ultimate in environmentally friendly transportation, of course, is your own two legs. But if walking seems like too much work, consider Toyota's transport of the future, the i-Unit.

Toyota calls it a wearable vehicle, carrying you indoors and outs. Toyota's technicians let us take it for a spin.

It has two modes, a walking mode that keeps you on eye level with of pedestrians at a maximum speed of six kilometers an hour. The speed mode reclines the i-Unit, and converts it into a car designed to go on public roads with a maximum speed of 60 kilometers per hour.

I-unit's inventor explains.

KATO YOSHIAKI, TOYOTA: If we want to go anywhere, what kind of tool is needed? So, from that point, we make this one. This vehicle, (UNINTELLIGIBLE). For example, we don't assess handicaps people, everyone can drive.

SHUBERT: Sensory devices warn you when an object is approaching. And a stereo system plays music, all controlled with a touch of your finger.

(on camera) What other features are you planning to have?

(voice-over) Toyota is also developing a personal identification system that will read the palm of your hand, instead of using an ignition key. The i-unit will also come equipped with a mobile phone and Internet access. If Toyota has its way in the future, your car may literally become an extension of you.

Atika Shubert, CNN, at the World Expo in Ichi (ph), Japan.

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VERJEE: The Belgrade zoo is welcoming a new addition. A baby harbor seal was born earlier this month, making it the country's first successful artificial breeding. The zoo is well known for breeding animals in captivity and now houses eight harbor seals, including the baby seal's parents. The zoo has yet to name the new addition.

CLANCY: Well, it looks like a lovely day in Belgrade to be a seal.

This is YOUR WORLD TODAY on CNN International. I'm Jim Clancy at CNN Center.

VERJEE: I'm Zain Verjee in Washington. Thanks so much for joining us.

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