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CNN Live Sunday

Monsoon Continues To Pound Mumbai; Shuttle Discovery To Stay In Space One Extra Day

Aired July 31, 2005 - 16:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Dramatic new developments in a London terror investigation. One suspect is talking, others are rounded up. This hour, we're live from London and Rome with unfolding details.
Also, on board the Shuttle Discovery, NASA gives astronauts the OK to return to earth but challenges remain.

And investing in the future of Iraq: Educating young people starting in the classroom. This hour, why that's an uphill battle.

Hello, and welcome to CNN LIVE SUNDAY. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. All that and more after a check of the headlines.

Tribal outcasts under suspicion in Egypt: Are they behind the recent series of bombings at a Sinai resort in Sharm el-Sheikh? Egypt's prime minister says investigators have not seen evidence connecting the attacks which left 84 people dead -- are they connected to al Qaeda? He says, it's more likely tribal outcasts are the culprits.

Under the right conditions: Tens of thousands of U.S. troops currently on duty in Iraq could be enjoying homecomings early next year. Those comments from Iraq's national security adviser Mowafak al-Rubaie. He says multinational forces may still be needed, but more than 200,000 Iraqi security forces will be in place by December.

Reuters is reporting that Iran says it will resume sensitive nuclear activities at one of its plants tomorrow. Earlier, Tehran had set a Monday deadline to hear compromise proposals from European leaders to break an impasse in negotiations. The EU wants to offer economic and political incentives for Iraq to suspend its nuclear fuel reprocessing activities.

Up first, the London terror investigation is moving at a very fast pace. British police made several arrests today bringing the total number of people in custody to 21. Among them, four suspected would be bombers. We're told one of those suspects, Hussein Osman, is talking to investigators in Rome. His attorney says he plans to fight extradition back to London.

We're hearing authorities in Rome are gathering some valuable information from Hussein Osman, including the possible motive for those attempted bombings ten days ago. CNN's Jennifer Eccleston is on top of that and other developments coming from Rome -- Jennifer. JENNIFER ECCLESTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Fredricka.

Well, first of all, the judge that questioned the London bombing suspect, Hussein Osman, today validated his arrest and his detention under the extradition request from the United Kingdom. That means he'll stay in jail until a decision on the extradition is processed.

Now, his lawyer, Antoni de Sunesta (ph), tells CNN he will indeed fight extradition, and that would delay any possible return to the United Kingdom by several months due to a lengthy appeals process.

Now, Sunesta (ph) also gave some insight into the mind-set of Osman regarding the July 21 failed bombings that he did indeed confess to carrying a bomb onto the London tube, but said it was meant to be an attention grabbing strike, that he was emphatic that it was not meant to kill anyone.

Now, a source close to the investigation tells CNN that Osman has no links to the July 7 tube attacks and has no links to al Qaeda. The source said that Osman told police there were five bombers in that attack, and that Ibrahim Muktar Said, who is custody in London, gave Osman a backpack with a bomb and instructed him where to put it just one day before that attack, that would be on July 20.

Now, Osman said there were no explosives in the bombs, that it was only designed to make a noise. Now, we've also learned that Osman goes by another name, Issak Abuz Hamdi (ph). That name comes from his Ethiopian birth certificate. And the name Hussein Osman is from a fake Somali passport.

Now, we also learned today that police arrested his older brother in Northern Italy on charges of destroying evidence. Of course, another brother was arrested with Osman on Friday in Rome. And he has been detained for carrying false documents -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Osman, who is fighting this extradition, Jennifer, how long might this process take before there's an outcome?

ECCLESTON: Well, we'll know in the coming days whether the Italian authorities will actually process the extradition to the United Kingdom. That is, whether they will determine there is enough evidence from British authorities to actually send him back to that country for trial.

Now, what his attorney told us is that he is going to fight that extradition, which means that there will be a lengthy appeals process. That could take place anywhere up to two months, backwards and forwards in the judicial system. So, we may not see, if it is agreed that he should be extradited, he may not be in the United Kingdom for at least 60 days -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jennifer Eccleston in Rome, thanks so much.

British police are investigating and interrogating seven suspects arrested today south of London. CNN's Jim Boulden is gathering details. And he's at Scotland Yard -- Jim.

JIM BOULDEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. Yes. Those seven people were arrested earlier today. Some of them were arrested in the city of Brighton, which is on the south coast in the county of Sussex, which is south of London. We are told that they are six men and one woman.

We should also say, however, that armed officers were not involved in those arrests, so we do not believe that these people were of particular danger to the public.

Now the British police are notoriously tight-lipped when it comes to the reason why they take people into custody. But we did get a little information about today's arrests.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEOFF WILLIAMS, SUSSEX POLICE: We have today conducted two searches of two addresses. At present, seven people have been arrested: six men and one woman. They've been arrested under the Terrorism Act. And they are currently being interviewed at the police station in Sussex.

Of course the key issue for us is the safety public is always paramount. And I want to say that this was a low key operation. It was a planned operation. And we would assess that there are no risks to the members of the public.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOULDEN: Now, since July 21, the failed bombings on that date, there have been some 35 people arrested under the Terrorism Act. 18 are still held in custody. Of course, that includes the two suspected bombers arrested in that dramatic fashion that we saw on Friday, and another suspected bomber caught nearby. And, of course, there was another bomber found earlier that week in Birmingham. So those four main suspects are here in London. We heard about the fifth possible suspect in Rome.

But as of now, the police have not told us whether they located the so-called mastermind if there is one. And the police are also very concerned there may be other cells out there, but today's arrests do not lead us to any of those conclusion as of yet -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Jim, were police led to the seven arrested today by information gathered from the others already in custody?

BOULDEN: Well, they could either have been information from the others in custody, or the number of houses they have raid. They raided a number of places on Friday. And what can you suspect from that is that they found information, probably cell phone information. They might have found information in address books that made them want to go to these locations.

But I do stress, no armed officer. We have seen enormous amount armed officers at all these raids in other place. We've seen bomb dogs go. We've seen sniffer dogs. We've seen men in chemical suits. We saw none of that on Sunday -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Jim Bouldon in London, thanks so much.

Well, British police are urging Zambia to hand over a British national who is suspected of facilitating the July 7 bombings. Rashid Haroun Aswat was captured in Zambia 11 days ago. Azwat is no stranger to authorities overseas and in America which raises questions of whether there was a missed opportunity to capture him before the London attacks.

CNN's Kelli Arena explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It all started here, in Bly, Oregon, where U.S. officials say Aswat allegedly scouted this ranch for use as a jihad training camp, met with potential recruits and even conducted fire arms training.

Fast forward to early this summer. Sources tell CNN, Aswat was traced to South Africa. The U.S. wanted to capture him and bring him back to New York, but multiple U.S. sources with knowledge of the case say British authorities balked, because Aswat is a British citizen. While the two sides were negotiating, Aswat slipped away.

PAT D'AMURO, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: We have an extradition treaty with the U.K. And they do become concerned when your talking about rendering a citizen back to any particular country.

ARENA: Sources say there is an arrest warrant for Aswat under seal in New York. It's unclear whether U.S. investigators will get a chance to question him. And counterterrorism experts say it's also not clear whether having him in custody before the bombings would have changed anything.

Kelli Arena, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Aswat is from the Leeds area in London, which is where three of the fourth July 7 London bombers lived.

Count on CNN for late breaking developments on the London terror investigation. If you're away from your television, go to our Web site, CNN.com. And there you can find photos of the bombing suspects and browse our free video as well.

Now, to Niger where millions are on the brink of starvation. Relief workers are struggling to keep malnourished children alive, a tough task where before this crisis, one out of four kids dies before the age of five. The U.N. is now doubling the number of people it hopes to feed.

Our Jeff Koinange is in Maradi, Niger -- Jeff.

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Fredricka. And the reason why the U.N. is doubling the number of people it's going to feed, is because think about it this way, the country twice the size of Texas with one tenth the infrastructure.

So, what we're talking about is they need to travel to the remote areas. And the U.N. had anticipated feeding 1.6 million people. That's now going to jump up to 2.5 million people. The Russian (ph) government here, Fredricka, has sent a plane load of high energy biscuits and generators and all kinds of logistical equipment that landed this evening about a couple of hours ago in the capital Niamey.

And at the same time, (INAUDIBLE) said, they are slowly but surely getting to the remote areas. It's going take a while, they said, because of logistics, because of infrastructure, because the roads are so terrible. And, of course, because people are spread out across the country. But they do say they are making progress. And they're going to reach their goals hopefully, even if the rains don't come on time, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Jeff, how is it they're coordinating the food deliveries, given that the infrastructure, as you said, is very challenged. And roads are impassable, and some cases nonexistent?

KOINANGE: That's right. They're working closely with several aid agencies everything from (INAUDIBLE) Doctors without borders, C.A.R.E., Christian Catholic Relief Services, they're all on the ground working together.

This is key here, because all of these aid agencies have their various stations, if you will, across the country. So, if the U.N. gives them x-amount of supply, they have to themselves take it the next step. And they have to work in tandem. If they don't do, that a lot of people will definitely starve, because we've been going to the countryside almost every day.

And what we're seeing are very disturbing signs. Lots of people trying to make their way desperately to the big towns, because they realize that a lot of the time the aid workers may not get to them, they may have to get to the big cities. And that's causing problem. And that's why the cities are becoming so over populated -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And Jeff, with so many aid agencies who are getting involved, many of them with different objectives and different methods of delivering help, how well are they working together?

KOINANGE: That's a very, very good question. As you know, with the aid agencies are on the ground, everywhere (AUDIO GAP) at the same time, Fredricka they realize that this is a problem, a catastrophe, a disaster, that shouldn't have happened in the first place.

They have to realize that from the onset and do something about it, otherwise we'll keep seeing those images of those babies with distended bellies all over the place. And (INAUDIBLE) in the end, they have to realize that teamwork comes (INAUDIBLE) first.

Once they get that out of the way, if the rains do not come, they have another year of trouble here. We're not quite out of the woods just yet. It's important that they get the aid to the most remote regions, so the people can stop suffering -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Jeff Koinange, thank you very much for that report from Maradi, Niger.

Well, CNN is going to stay on top of developments in Niger. We'll have live reports all this week.

Coming up next, though, Shuttle Discovery: NASA sets a date for astronauts to come to earth. But that return could be complicated by other issues still facing the crew.

Plus, a missing girl is found and reunited with her family. That's the good news. But there's a disturbing side to the story still. We'll hear from the child's mother.

And a new approach to teaching the children of Iraq. Why officials are turning to cartoons for the answers.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: There's no escaping trash day, not even in space. Astronauts on the Shuttle Discovery are spending today taking out tons of trash from the International Space Station. They're also loading up the station with much needed supplies.

Back on Earth, NASA managers are deciding whether to make repairs to the shuttle before its scheduled trip home. CNN space correspondent Miles O'Brien has that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): So far, so good, but still no final clearance for Discovery to endure the searing heat of reentry. Engineers on the ground, poring over reams of images, say the orbiters thermal tiles are just fine and so are the blankets that guard the top of the spacecraft.

But there is still work to do before they bless the leading edge of the wing and two spots on the nose where gap fillers between tiles are protruding.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have various options from pulling the gap filler out to trimming the gap filler, or putting it back down into the gap.

O'BRIEN (on camera): The uneven surface is of concern, because it can create a blow torch effect as the space shuttle reenters the atmosphere, greatly increasing temperatures at the rust spots and in their wake. The shuttle team will now try to determine just how hot the spots will be and whether the tiles in those locations can take the added heat.

When I spoke with shuttle commander Eileen Collins a little while ago, she didn't seem too concerned.

EILEEN COLLINS, SHUTTLE COMMANDER: I believe the gap fillers are within, or similar to what we have seen on some previous flight. So, it's definitely not a big concern to me right now.

O'BRIEN (voice-over): We caught up Discovery's crew on a day between spacewalks. On Saturday, astronauts Steve Robinson and Suichi Noguchi spent just shy of seven hours working in the void, practicing some rudimentary techniques for repairing a shuttle heat shield in space. It looked like the Michelin Man trying to patch a hole in some dry wall.

STEVE ROBINSON, DISCOVERY MISSION SPECIALIST: We want to have this backup that we never planned to use. And yesterday's experiments actually went pretty well. It's nothing like it has been done on a spacewalk before.

O'BRIEN: While the big piece of foam that fell off Discovery's fuel tank during launch did not cause any damage to the orbiter, it did prompt NASA to ground the shuttle fleet. And that has changed Discovery's mission. The crew will spend an extra day docked at the space station, so the station crew can scavenge for supplies, because no one knows when or if the shuttle will return to the space station. But no decisions on that front yet.

MICHAEL GRIFFIN, NASA ADMINISTRATOR: We would feel awfully silly if we made a premature decision to shut down the shuttle and then it turned out that the fix wasn't all that difficult and we could get on with flying the shuttle safely.

O'BRIEN: For now, the safety of this flight is uppermost on NASA's mind. Shuttle managers are deciding whether they should send the spacewalkers on a mission to the bulging gap fillers to either trim them back or simply yank them out.

Miles O'Brien, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: So what are some of the concerns that an astronaut might have at about this juncture? Astronaut Brent Jett who joins us live from the Johnson Space Center in Houston might have a few ideas to share with us. So Brent, is this mission in trouble, in your view?

BRENT JETT, ASTRONAUT: Fredricka, no, the mission's not in any trouble at all. The mission management team today will get a final bit of data on the wing leading edge. And then tomorrow, we expect to have the data we need to make the decision on the gap fillers.

WHITFIELD: So if you were on board this shuttle, and you hear about this dangling filler material, how concerned would you be?

JETT: Well, as you heard Eileen, we have seen previous missions that have some gap filler protrusions from the tiles. Primarily the concern on one of these is that it's a little outside the family that we've seen in the past.

So, we have two teams right now at NASA working this problem. One is an EVA team looking how we would go down there and fix the problem if we needed to. And the other is the analysis team which is determine doing we need to do anything at all. And those two teams will bring all their information to the mission management team sometime on Monday and should have a decision then.

WHITFIELD: And when you encounter obstacles or challenges such as the ones you describe, you immediately start thinking about options. So put yourself in their shoes. Say you were the commander of the Shuttle Discovery, what are some of the options that you want explored?

JETT: Well, I think as the crew gets more information on tomorrow, on the actual analysis and the EVA options, they'll primarily be concerned how does that EVA task impact other things they want to do with the station.

Right now, I believe the leading candidate is to try to fit -- if they want to do an EVA is to try to fit it in on EVA 3 which would be Wednesday. So, I'm sure that's where the crew is probably going to start talking about, OK, how does that affect the other things we want to do on EVA 3.

And if we go down there with an EVA crew member, we want to be very careful in that area, working in that area. So those will be, if the decision is made to do an EVA, those are the issues the crew is concerned about.

WHITFIELD: On the issue of tiles or fallen debris, Commander Eileen Collins already expressed that there was some disappointment that that was a recurring problem. And it was her recommendation that the shuttle should not fly again until that problem is rectified. So, immediately following this shuttle's scheduled reentry, do you expect that this kind of problem will be resolved in time for Atlantis to launch, or perhaps even the shuttle that you are going to be commanding in February, will and still be on schedule?

JETT: Well, we don't know how long it's going to take to correct the problem of the foam coming off the tank in the area of the pow ramp. But let me just emphasize that any time we see a problem on a shuttle flight or post landing when we examine the shuttle, if we see a problem that is a potential safety issue, we will not fly the next shuttle flight until that problem is resolved. We've had this similar situations previously in the program. So this really, the idea of having to resolve an issue before we fly again is really how we do business.

I think as more and more of the data comes out how the piece of foam came off, I think there are folks here that are fairly optimistic we can resolve the problem quickly. And, if we can, we should be able to get Atlantis back on its next mission STS 120, hopefully by the end of the year.

WHITFIELD: And now that NASA says that their scheduled reentry will be delayed by one day. Instead now, it's scheduled that Discovery might make its way back to Earth on Monday. Will the crew at this point feel added anxiety? Are they feeling like this is the opportunity they need to continue to do more work? JETT: Actually the crew is probably very happy. And I don't want to speak for them, but if I was in their position, I would be very happy. Typically, the shuttle missions, time line, our schedule is very compressed. We have a lot of work to do in a short period of time. That one extra day will do a couple extra things that will allow us to transfer some more water, potentially, to the space station, remove more trash and other things that need to come back to Earth.

And so it should help the timeline a little bit. Should help their schedule. And also help the space station, in case Atlantis, the next mission is delayed.

WHITFIELD: Brent Jett, an astronaut, a fitting name. I think your parents had your future planned out for you when they named you. Thanks so much for joining us. And good luck on your planned commanding of a shuttle come February.

JETT: Thank you very much, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Well, rains are still falling in flood ravaged India, making an already situation worse. We'll get a report from Mumbai straight ahead.

Plus, they're the future of Iraq, but a centerpiece of their existence is very much in doubt. Coming up, the challenges of educating Iraqi's youngest.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: News around the world now.

Tragedy off the coast of Taiwan today: Four people drowned and 26 others injured when a ferryboat caught fire and sank. Patrol and fishing boats rescued the rest of the passengers, many of whom accused a captain of failing to evacuate the boat properly. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Mexico's Popocatepetl volcano putting on quite an impressive display south of Mexico City. Yesterday, an eruption sent a plume of smoke and ash more than a mile into the heavens. Earlier eruptions Friday sent not only a column of ash skyward, but red hot rocks as well. The debris posed no threat to nearby settlements.

At least 15 people were killed when a tornado ripped through East China. Eight of the victims were workers who died when the tornado flattened their factory. There are also reports of a number of children dying when the roof of their classroom collapsed.

Western India is getting no relief from a deadly monsoon that set an all-time national record for rainfall. Waters are rising again in Mumbai, the financial capital formerly called Bombay. CNN's Satinder Bindra is covering the disaster from that city.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SATINDER BINDRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's been raining nonstop in western India almost for a week now. And the death toll here has crossed 1,000.

It was raining so heavy in India's financial capital, Mumbai, this morning that the police were forced to put out an advisory, warning people to stay indoors. Even Mumbai's airport had to be shut down for a while, and many of the flights that were scheduled to land were diverted to the country's capital New Delhi.

The airport is now open, but the city's rail transportation system has also been badly affected. The worst affected area in Mumbai is the northern part of the city where water levels rose alarmingly this morning. In some parts of the north, water levels reached almost seven feet.

Many residents are getting angry. They're also concerned they still don't have power. And many residents also don't have access to safe drinking water. Economic lapses in this city are now almost $200 million.

Satinder Bindra, CNN, Mumbai.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Back in the arms of her mother: A missing Nevada girl is returned home, but the story doesn't end there.

Plus, technology and the war on terror: Terrorists using cyberspace to recruit. It's part of the CNN "Security Watch" coming up.

And a new way to educate in Iraq: How a cartoon could impact the future of the children.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories now.

A terror suspect who fled London is apparently speaking out in Rome. Hussein Osman was arrested there Friday. Sources tell CNN he confessed to investigators that he carried a bomb on a London train on July 21 and said that he and three other bombing suspects have no connection to Al Qaeda or the deadly July 7 bomb attacks.

British police arrested seven more people in connection with the case today. That brings the total to 21 suspects now in custody.

In our "CNN Security Watch." Technology and the changing face of terrorism. The information superhighway is providing means for terrorists who recruit, grow, and expand their deadly reach in a virtual battlefield. CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr takes a closer look at the fight against their growing threat.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Web sites, chat rooms and blogs. Terrorists now have unprecedented access to these sophisticated Internet tools, are and using them to communicate about their plans, to gather new recruits, to get more money.

BRIG. GEN. JOHN CUSTER, CENTRAL COMMAND INTEL CHIEF: The Internet today is the single most important item in the radicalization of young Muslims.

STARR: In the wake of recent attacks, Brigadier General John Custer, Central Command's Intelligence Chief warns of what he calls the terrorist class of 2005.

CUSTER: This class becoming tactically efficient in Iraq, in Egypt, in any -- in England, what will be the long war enemy, the opponent that we will face over the next 30 years?

STARR: No one is saying the London bombers used the Internet to plan their attacks. But here, at Central Command's highly classified operation center, the focus is on what the military believes is the virtual world, terrorists have turned into their Islamic empire, one that cannot be defeated with firepower.

CUSTER: What they have been able to do is build a virtual caliph an entity that exerts state like powers in the Internet, in the ethereal world.

STARR: Cyberspace terrorists don't have to protect leaders. Have no capital city, but Custer warns their deadly reach is global.

CUSTER: We know of over 4,000 Jihadist, terrorist sites connected to chat rooms that you can move to and discuss tactics. You can discuss resources; you can actually talk to people who claim that they have perpetrated attacks.

STARR: Custer says Osama Bin Laden is now super empowered by the information revolution. He issued statements from hiding he doesn't have to personally order attacks.

CUSTER: The franchises around the world can see what they need to do. You attack economic targets. You attack England in the middle of the summer in the height of their tourist season.

STARR: To fund these types of attacks, experts say some of these extremist Web sites actually take credit cards, but in the cyberspace world of terrorism, it may no longer matter if it's Al Qaeda that orders the attack.

Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And be sure to stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security. In the fight for Iraq insurgents' attacks aren't letting up as Iraqi leaders press ahead with plans to have a constitution completed by mid-August. Today, south of Baghdad, gunmen attacked a convoy belonging to the political party of Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed Chalabi. Police say a bodyguard was killed and three others wounded. Chalabi aide says the deputy prime minister was not in the convoy. Chalabi survived an assassination attempt in that same area last year.

South of Baghdad, a car bomb exploded near an Iraqi police patrol. Official's say five people were killed, ten wounded and a roadside bomb inside the capital claimed the lives of four U.S. soldiers. The bomb exploded on a road near the Baghdad airport.

The insurgency isn't the only challenge U.S. and Iraqi officials face. The country's infrastructure is also in bad shape and many Iraqis don't even have basic necessities. For the country's youngest children that means no education, but a U.S. agency is working to change. Reporting from Baghdad, here's CNN's Aneesh Raman.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Given all these kids have seen, what they're watching right now is hugely important. Huddled in a conference room in front of them, an education. The first of its kind, this animated show teaches the basics with Iraqi characters, dialects an Iraqi identity and in a country where the primary school system is in shatters it's also about bringing lessons to those most in need, among 4-year-olds to 5-year-olds in Iraq, only 5 percent are being taught.

JAMES WEATHERILL, USAID: Children at that age very impressionable, they are like a sponge, they are absorbing everything around them, everything that they see.

RAMAN: USAID is funding the $3 million program aimed at kids in hopes of jump-starting a better education for students of all ages.

WEATHERILL: It probably needs about another 10,000 schools in the country. We are talking about almost doubling the number of schools in the county; this is billions of dollars in investments.

RAMAN: Billions of dollars needed not just for education but for basic services. Security, government infrastructure, reconstruction is a zero-sum game for one department to get money, it means another does not. Which is why for the minister of education, there are no small problems.

ABDUL FALLAH SUDANI, IRAQI MINISTER OF EDUCATION: The biggest problem is curriculum. The biggest problem, other problem is schools. They are not good schools. Most of them are old schools.

RAMAN: Getting school like this one up and running isn't the only issue, there are big problems at every level. A dearth in teachers, a lack in security, and beneath it all, a pressing fact. Fifty percent of this country is under the age of 18. For the new Iraq to have any hope, everyone here agrees, the kids must be in school. And they want to be. I love school, says Ahmed, they teach us math, science, and they teach us conversation.

School is our future. If you don't go school, you will always be ignorant. The children of Iraq are growing up alongside their country, eager to learn, lacking the infrastructure to do so. And until schools are built, programs like this are trying to bridge that divide and prepare the future.

Aneesh Raman, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: It was a rough week for the Boy Scouts at the National Jamboree in Virginia. They lost four scout leaders in an accident on Monday, and President bush had to cancel twice this week. Today the president's expected to help them pay tribute to those fallen leaders. Our Kathleen Koch is live at the jamboree in Fort Ap Hill, Virginia.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes Fredricka, we're here actually at the large arena where they've already begun letting hundreds of boy scouts begin to pour in for the final evening of celebration and remembrance, and this is the culmination today of a day of very busy outdoor activities. The scouts have been all around this 76,000-acre base, engaged in activities. Everything from archery to mountain boarding to fishing, also scores and scores of different merit badge activities.

So as you mentioned, the jamboree did certainly begin with tragedy. The four leaders from Alaska electrocuted on Monday. And then on Wednesday, 300 plus scouts who were overcome by the heat while they were waiting for President Bush's visit that then had to be canceled. The boy scouts that we've seen today have been very cheerful, very upbeat, very positive, and they say they've recuperated and they're ready for tonight's celebration.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It shows that he supports the boy scouts.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I look forward to it, and I was wanting pictures. So I'm ready to get pictures.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If he shows up, I'll be excited, yeah.

KOCH: President Bush will be speaking here at around 7:15. It takes quite awhile to get some 42,000 boy scouts, volunteers and leaders into this large arena; they're gradually filing in. They have to go through the magnetometers, as you can see over my shoulders they have water sprinkled throughout the field so they're really ready. But the temperatures are much lower today than they were last week. Then, you had a heat index of over 100 degrees, roughly 105, 110. Today, the temperatures have only been in the 80s, much, much milder, just in case they have ambulances positioned around the field -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right Kathleen Koch thanks so much.

Reunited after eight days. An abducted girl is returned to the arms of her mother. That story straight ahead. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Police have rescued a missing Nevada girl from Mexico where she was found with a convicted sex offender. Her mother flew to San Diego and then crossed the border to welcome her back to safety. Fred Blankenship from CNN affiliate KGTV has their story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CARMEN BAUER, MOTHER: I want to thank everybody in America, all the authorities, everybody that helped me finding my daughter.

FRED BLANKENSHIP, CNN AFFILIATE KGTV: After eight agonizing days. This grief stricken mother was finally reunited with her precious young daughter in Taiwan. The girl was taken by a convicted sex offender.

BAUER: Because of you guys, I found her, and she'll be back in my arms later today.

BLANKENSHIP: The eight-year-old was abducted from her Nevada home by convicted sex offender Fernando Aguero July 22nd. He happened to be the mother's live-in boyfriend. She says she had no idea about his past, especially in light of the relationship; he and her young daughter appear to share.

BAUER: He loved her, they were very close, they became like father and daughter. They got along very well.

BLANKENSHIP: Based on cell phone leads and tips from Aguero's family, he and the girl were tracked to Mexico, where they were spotted in an Ensenada shelter. What started out as a day of joy for the mother turned into a nightmare of sadness? Authorities painted a grim picture.

MICAH RUPP, FATHER: When we interviewed him, with the district attorney's office, he said that four months previous to today, he had sexually assaulted or molested the little girl, and that he decided to bring her to Mexico.

BLANKENSHIP: Not easy news to take. The girl's father is just happy she's safe.

RUPP: I feel much relieved and I'm very happy. And I just want to tell her I love her.

BLANKENSHIP: Fred Blankenship, 10 news.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: The suspect could face life in prison without parole if convicted.

In other news across America now. A huge wildfire near Vail, Oregon now stretches over 34 square miles. And is threatening homes. Firefighters are making progress the blaze is 75 percent contained and officials hope it will be contained by tonight.

It's just one of eight wildfires burning across Oregon.

A Florida company is sending portable putting greens to U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The company says it wants to bring a little bit of home to the soldiers and give them a chance to improve their golf game during their down time. The PGA is also pitching in sending along clubs and balls.

And in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania, archaeologists are searching for artifacts at a house believed to be the former home of Blackbeard's mistress. There is speculation the notorious pirate and his friends spent a lot of time at that house and possibly hid their stolen treasures there.

Picture perfect. How to get a million-dollar smile in a snap! The details when we come back.

BRAD HUFFINESS, METEOROLOGIST: I'm meteorologist Brad Huffines your allergy outlook around the country. Basically where you've seen scattered showers the past few days, allergy problems are less. Where the drought continues, allergy problems continue to be quite high. In fact looking out west expect to see the allergy problems continuing from portions of California through Nevada and in over in Utah. And also the allergens still fairly extreme across northern sections of Colorado. In the east, as the cool front came by last week, some scattered showers, things are looking good for those who suffer from allergies, from the Great Lakes all the way down to the southeast.

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WHITFIELD: Well here's a story you can sink your teeth into. A New York dentist is offering patients a chance to have a movie star smile without spending thousands of dollars. What's the catch? You have to part with these pearly whites at the end of the day. CNN's Jeanne Moos explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (Voice over): Dentures are dated! The latest thing is the snap-on smile. And not just anybody's smile.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These are Gwyneth.

MOOS: Gwyneth as in Paltrow, can you see the toothy resemblance, or maybe you prefer the Sarah Jessica, as in Sarah Jessica Parker or the Julia, as in Julia Roberts.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're like horse teeth, almost, on me!

MOOS: Danielle King's own teeth are smallish. The snap-ons can be made to fit almost anybody. Check out the before-and-after.

You say she's missing three teeth?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She has three teeth. MOOS: This New York dentist Dr. Marc Liechtung doesn't just make snap on teeth, he wears them to get the feel of the device he patented. A set like this might set you back over a thousand dollars, they're for people who don't want to spend, say, $20,000 bucks on veneers or maybe they want them for a special occasion.

JENNIFER VASQUEZ, SNAP ON SMILE WEARER: It was definitely a financial thing, I'm getting married.

MOOS: There's her ring, Jen Vasquez will have the snap-ons for the perfect smile in her wedding pictures. Though, when she reveals her actual teeth -- they look good without them!

VASQUEZ: Oh.

MOOS: It takes two appointments to get snap-ons, they make a mold, the snap-ons cling to the tiny bulges in your teeth.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Wow.

LIECHTUNG: And it doesn't move. I never had a case where it moved or fell out.

MOOS: Never?

LIECHTUNG: Never.

MOOS: Jen can eat soft food and chew gum. The latest design made out of a more flexible resin with cut windows enables you to eat regular food; you just take them out when you sleep like contact lenses. You can't exchange them, like I couldn't put on your teeth or anything like that.

LIECHTUNG: No, you couldn't put on my teeth.

MOOS: At the New York Center for cosmetic dentistry Dr. Jeff Golub-Evans concentrates on replicating celebrity smiles.

DR JEFF GOLUB-EVANS, COSMETIC DENTIST: A good smile has become a fashion accessory, and a great smile has become a fashion statement.

MOOS: Those are Sarah Jessica's and the Julia's and the Gwyneth's are easy to mix up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These are mixed up, no wonder why I didn't like the way these looked on me.

MOOS: DR. Golub-Evans even made snap-ons for a woman in her 80s who asked for Kim Cartel's (ph) smile.

GOLUB-EVANS: Bless her heart; what she wants is to have nice teeth on Sunday when she goes to church.

MOOS: But be prepared to lisp until your tongue adapts. Dr. Golub-Evans used to make snap-ons for actors when they needed bad teeth. A snap-on smile reminds us of Halloween, Billy bob teeth and even Billy Bob gums. Whitney Casey never leaves home without a set of bad teeth in her makeup kit.

WHITNEY CASEY: No guy is going to date with you these teeth in.

MOOS: When overly aggressive guys hit on her, she puts them in. We both did.

MOOS: We should try walking down the street.

Prepare for sneak peeks, if you want to wipe the smile off a guy's face, try this --

CASEY: Hello lover.

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Frightening. I'm Fredricka Whitfield thanks for watching. Stay with CNN, the news continues right after this. We'll be focusing on the very latest from London and there are several new developments to update you on.

Also ahead, best-selling author Terry McMillan she is known for her waiting to exhale and how Stella got her groove back. Well now she's talking about another private matter. Marriage and divorce. That is coming up. Stay tuned.

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