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Pentagon: 1,500 U.S. Troops in Kuwait to Head to Iraq; Pentagon Looks Into Alleged Massacre by Marines in Haditha, Iraq; Relative Calm After U.S. Military Vehicle Incident in Afghanistan

Aired May 30, 2006 - 12:00   ET

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

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: More U.S. soldiers on the ground. Troops stationed in Kuwait will be heading into the most dangerous part of Iraq.
JIM CLANCY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Earthquake relief. Cartons of food, drinking water and other items pouring into Indonesia's Java region, but is aid reaching those who need it the most?

CHURCH: And good vibes. Fans are grooving as an American hip- hop band returns to Johannesburg with a benefit concert.

CLANCY: It is 12:00 noon in Washington, 11:00 at night in Yogyakarta, in Indonesia.

I'm Jim Clancy.

CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church.

Welcome to our viewers throughout the world and in the United States.

This is YOUR WORLD TODAY.

CLANCY: There are not enough boots on the ground in Iraq, at least in one region. That would appear to be the admission of U.S. commanders who are getting an additional 1,500 U.S. soldiers for the volatile Anbar Province, where insurgents have taken control of some key areas.

CHURCH: And coming to grips at home. Members of is U.S. Congress have been warned to brace for possible charges of murder and a cover-up in the killing of Iraqi civilians by U.S. Marines.

CLANCY: All right. First, let's go to the troop levels. As Iraqi officials struggle to set up their new government, the Pentagon says it's going to be moving some 1,500 troops now stationed in Kuwait as a reserve force to the Al Anbar Province to boost security there.

Kathleen Koch joins us live from the Pentagon right now.

Kathleen, why is this being done? Is this an admission that they just need more -- more boots on the ground?

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Certainly, Jim. And as you mentioned, this is a very violent region, Al Anbar Province. And the Iraqi forces and the existing U.S. forces on the ground simply have not been able to maintain control.

So they have decided to put roughly 1,500 troops from what you described as this brigade that's being held right now in reserve in Kuwait. And that's precisely why they are there. Whenever additional forces are needed anywhere in Iraq, they can be quickly moved to one of those hot spots.

Now, these two battalions are from the 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division. And that follows some 750 troops from this same brigade that were sent in March to the Baghdad area. Now, those troops are still there in country, and the Pentagon is describing this as a temporary deployment. They really aren't giving any end date from when they will be pulled out.

Pentagon spokesman Brian Whitman told reporters this morning that the Al Anbar province is "still a challenge." It's a place where additional work needs to be done.

Back to you.

CLANCY: Well, that's -- it's also a very -- it's populated mostly by Sunni Arabs, but there were some tribal chiefs that had sided with the U.S., were working with the U.S. And it's my understanding that more than 10 of them have been killed now, assassinated, and there's real concern here that the insurgents are taking control.

KOCH: There is a lot of concern about this region. Whitman, though, this morning said that he believes, the Pentagon believes that this area is, though, an exception to the rule, that it's really four of the 18 provinces in Iraq that are having problems.

And it's important to point out this was a time frame, the spring, when the U.S. military indicated they had hoped they could begin to draw down troops. And, of course, we all know that President Bush's poll numbers are slipping. He's under a lot of pressure to start bringing forces home. Midterm elections are approaching.

But Jim, perhaps this is just another indication that he is sticking to his vow to let the commanders on the ground to decide what troops are needed where and for how long.

CLANCY: All right. Kathleen Koch, reporting to us there live from the Pentagon.

Kathleen, thanks.

KOCH: You bet.

CHURCH: Well, sources tell CNN the killing of at least 24 Iraqi civilians last November may lead to murder charges against a small group of U.S. Marines. The sources say some U.S. lawmakers have been warned privately to brace themselves for that possibility. Military investigators strongly suspect between four and eight Marines snapped and went on a shooting rampage in the town of Haditha. The incident happened when the Marines went on the hunt for insurgents responsible for a roadside bomb that killed one of their own. Sources say investigators have concluded there was a cover-up.

One U.S. congressman strongly agrees.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. JOHN MURTHA (D), PENNSYLVANIA: We are fighting a war about America's ideals and democracy's ideas. And something like this happens, they try to cover it up.

They knew the day after this happened that it was -- it was not as they portrayed it. They knew that they went into the rooms, they killed the people in the taxi. There was no firing at all. And this comes from the highest authority of the Marine Corps.

So there's no question in my mind -- and I don't know how. That's what we have to find out. This is the type of thing that makes it so difficult.

We are supposed to be fighting this war for democracy, and yet something like this happens that sets us back. It's as bad as Abu Ghraib, if not worse.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Senior Pentagon Correspondent Jaime McIntyre looks at the timeline of events in Haditha and how the military's first account of the incident changed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When CNN caught up with the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine regiment in Haditha last October, the unit it was thick in the fight against insurgents, capturing weapons and uncovering roadside bombs. Just over a month later, these civilians, videotaped by an Iraqi journalism student, would die in what U.S. military investigators now strongly suspect was a rampage, by a small number of Marines who snapped after one of their own was killed by a roadside bomb.

GEN. PETER PACE, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: There are two ongoing investigation. One investigation has to do with what happened. The other investigation goes to, why didn't we know about it sooner than we knew about it.

MCINTYRE: At first, the U.S. military simply refused to believe villagers who accused the Marines of murdering unarmed civilians, even when presented by credible evidence assembled by "TIME" magazine in February.

BOBBY GHOSH, "TIME" MAGAZINE: They were incredibly hostile. They accused us of buying into enemy propaganda, and they stuck to their original story, which was that these people were all killed by the IED.

MCINTYRE: But that story fell apart in the wake of an investigation. That sources tell CNN will likely result in charges of murder against some Marines and dereliction of duty against others.

Sources say between four and eight Marines from Kiyo (ph) company were directly involved, but some Marines from different units say they knew what happened, because they helped document the aftermath.

Lance Corporal Ryan Briones told "The Los Angeles Times" he took pictures of at least 15 bodies, and is still haunted by the memory of picking up a young girl who was shot in the head. "I held her out like this," he said, demonstrating with his arms extended, "but the head was bobbing up and down, and the insides fell on my legs."

Briones mother CNN he is now suffering from post-traumatic stress.

SUSAN BRIONES, MARINE'S MOTHER: That's what affects Ryan the most, is that he had to pick up this child's body to put her in a body bag.

MCINTYRE: A timeline put together by "TIME" magazine and confirmed for CNN by Pentagon sources shows the sequence of events in Haditha on November 19th. After a roadside bomb killed 20-year-old Lance Corporal Miguel Terazes (ph) at 7:15 in the morning, the Marines immediately suspected four Iraqi teenagers in a taxi, and shot them along with the driver when the marines say they failed to lie on the ground as ordered.

The hunt for bombers moved to a nearby house where seven people, including two women and one child, were killed. Then eight people, including six women, were shot next door, while a group of women in a third house were not harmed. But in a fourth house four men were killed.

(on camera): Sources tell CNN the investigation is substantially complete, and that charges including some murder charges, could be filed sometime in June. And that investigators have concluded there was a cover-up, but those sources won't say if that's limited to the handful of Marines who did the killings.

Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Well, U.S. President George W. Bush says the U.S. stands ready to help Iraq's fledgling democracy. A short time ago he accepted the diplomatic credentials of Iraq's new ambassador to the United States, Samir Sumaidaie. Mr. Bush says he is impressed by the courage of the Iraqi leadership.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I look forward to working with you, Mr. Ambassador, and the new government to help Iraq become a country that can govern itself and defend itself and sustain itself and defend itself. I am confident in the future of liberty in Iraq because I believe the people of Iraq want to live in a free society.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And before taking up his post in Washington, Sumaidaie served as Iraq's ambassador to the United Nations.

CLANCY: An initial investigation by the U.S. military points to brake failure after a truck driven by American troops plowed into a dozen Afghan vehicles. Monday's accident triggered deadly riots in Kabul. At least eight people were killed, more than 100 wounded in the unrest. A military spokesman called the driver very experienced and said he ran into the cars to slow down the vehicle, but one Afghan member of parliament wants the driver held responsible.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RAMAZAN BASHERDOST, AFGHAN MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT (through translator): We should not hide yesterday's incident. The American soldier who committed this must be tried according to international law. He should not only compensate for damages, but also he should be physically punished.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Well, the streets of Kabul are mostly quiet now a day after the riots. U.S. troops, meanwhile, have kept a low profile and remained on base. The accident and the riots that followed have triggered charges and counter-charges about who fired first and who fired back.

CLANCY: Barbara Star is our correspondent on that story in Afghanistan. Here's her report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It is the day after the rioting and violence in Kabul. CNN has learn from coalition sources familiar with the investigation that U.S. soldiers at the scene of that traffic accident report they definitely saw people in the crowd firing weapons at them. And it is only then that they, the U.S. soldiers, returned fire to defend themselves. Overnight, 800 Afghan national army troops arrived here in the city to try and maintain order.

The assessments here today is that much of the violence and the rioting was sparked and organized by those who are opposed to Afghan President Hamid Karzai. It appears that there was a good deal of cell phone traffic across the city after that initial traffic accident in which people were rallied to try and come out in the streets.

That is when the mob began moving across the city. There was rock-throwing. There was rioting. There was some burning of facilities. The government here then again called in those Afghan forces overnight to try and assist the city police in maintaining the curfew and restoring order to the city. But it underscores there is a feeling here by many local Afghans that President Hamid Karzai is politically vulnerable.

Barbara Starr, CNN, Kabul, Afghanistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: Israeli and Palestinian officials now say at least three Palestinian militants were killed in fighting with Israeli troops inside the Gaza Strip. It was a raid by undercover police.

The Israeli military said it fired on militants who were preparing to launch a rocket into Israel. Nine people, including a medical worker and a journalist, were wounded after an Israeli helicopter gun ship fired a missile into that same area.

Wire service reports say that Israeli troops killed three more Palestinian militants in separate predawn raids across the occupied West Bank. Witnesses say the three militants, as well a three civilian bystanders, were wounded in those raids.

CHURCH: Well, just ahead here on YOUR WORLD TODAY, we turn our attention to Indonesia.

CLANCY: A country devastated by a powerful earthquake that changed so many lives. What is the international community doing to help?

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: And a warm welcome back to you all.

CLANCY: All right. You are watching YOUR WORLD TODAY, right here on CNN International.

CHURCH: Well, in the earthquake-ravaged region of Indonesia, emergency relief operations are picking up place.

CLANCY: Some 22 different countries have contributed or at least pledged assistance, and the airport and historic city of Yogyakarta has reopened, we're told.

CHURCH: Still, many survivors say they have not received any aid.

CLANCY: More than 5,3400 people, of course, were killed in Saturday's quake. More than 100,000 now homeless.

CNN's Dan Rivers reports from the hard-hit district of Bantul.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DAN RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The desperate need is now being met by a huge response. A nerve center has been set up in the worst hit district of Bantul. Eight agencies from around the world are here to help.

Medical supplies are among the thousands of boxes being sent out to remote villages. Staff using any available vehicle they can lay their hands on. Local cars, driven by local people, pack with life- saving cargo. A fleet of helicopters is also in operation, vital to cut down journey times and deliver supplies fast.

The man overseeing it all says the situation is not as desperate as it was in the province of Aceh after the tsunami.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Aceh was a very different situation. The local administration was basically wiped out. Here they are in control and running things. The infrastructure here has not been damaged anywhere near the situation in Aceh. So it's an easier context within to work.

RIVERS: But many villages here have suffered awfully.

This is Banda Jaweh (ph). We felt one of the numerous aftershocks which continually unnerve this traumatized community, sending them often fleeing from the rubble.

(on camera): Of the 50 houses in this village, 49 of them have been completely destroyed, reduced to just piles of rubble. Only one has survived, and that belongs to the village chief. It's over there. And the reason that's still standing is because it's made of reinforced concrete.

(voice over): But most poor farmers here can't afford steel rods to make their houses strong. Already, they're cleaning off the bricks, ready to rebuild the same insubstantial structures which just proved so deadly.

This village has received no help yet. Its inhabitants forced to scavenge through the rubble for anything worth salvaging. The task for the aid agencies is huge, getting to the most vulnerable and trying to end their misery.

Dan Rivers, CNN, Bantul, Indonesia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Well, international aid organizations need all the help they can get for Indonesia, and they are accepting donations. If you do want to help, you can go on to our Web site, CNN.com. It has a complete list of agencies involved. Among them, UNIICEF, the International Red Cross and Save the Children.

The Web site address, cnn.com/international.

CLANCY: A Wall Street executive has been tapped to take over as U.S. Treasury secretary. U.S. President George W. Bush announcing the nomination of Henry Paulson a little bit earlier on Tuesday. Treasury Secretary John Snow, whose departure has been rumored for some time now, stepped down.

Ed Henry joins us now from Washington.

Was Mr. Snow not liked in the administration? Why the decision to go for a change?

ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I think it was more an issue of the fact that there's real Republican frustration that in this election year they are not getting enough credit for what is seen as a good U.S. economy right now. So it's not that they didn't like him. They didn't feel that maybe Snow was doing an effective enough job.

And Hank Paulson, as chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs, seen as a real Wall Street heavyweight. One White House ally telling CNN that basically the president decided to go with the Robert Rubin model, the Goldman Sachs executive who became Treasury secretary in the Clinton administration.

And while the economy is doing well right now, there are a lot of market jitters about inflation, about high energy prices, about U.S. budget deficits. And this ally of the White House was saying it was time to really restore credibility on Wall Street, and the president himself tried to make that case by touting Paulson's credentials.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: As Treasury secretary, Hank will be my principal adviser on the broad range of domestic and international economic issues that affect the well-being of all Americans. Hank shares my philosophy that the economy prospers when we trust the American people to save, spend and invest their money as they see fit.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: There have been a lot of questions, and, in fact, the White House had a hard time filling this job in part because of questions about how much power and influence the Treasury secretary really has in this administration, whether it's been downgraded. One thing we know for sure, regardless of the power, is that Mr. Paulson will be making a lot less money. Last year he raked in some $38 million. As Treasury secretary he will be making now low six figures -- Jim.

CLANCY: All right. Ed Henry reporting to us there from the White House.

Thanks, Ed.

Well, for our viewers in the United States, a look at your national headlines are next.

CHURCH: For the rest of us, we'll check in on the latest business news. CLANCY: Also ahead, the dirty face of what is known as the beautiful game, racism in soccer, coming up a bit later.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And hello everyone. I'm Tony Harris at the CNN Center in Atlanta. More of YOUR WORLD TODAY in just a few minutes, but first a check on headlines in the United States.

This developing story out of San Francisco. Police say City Hall was evacuated after three suspicious devices were found. Some surrounding streets were also shut down, and the bomb squad is at the scene. But at this point, police say it's unclear what the devices are and where they were discovered.

Critically wounded but responsive and likely to survive. That's the latest medical update on CBS correspondent Kimberly Dozier. The same roadside bomb that wounded her yesterday also killed two colleagues. She's being treated now at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany.

One emergency room worker says the CBS reporter likely would have died if she suffered such gruesome injuries in the United States. That's because of the extraordinary abilities at the Baghdad emergency room where she was rushed.

This is where her life was likely saved. CNN happened to be shooting a documentary there when she arrived. Here are some of the comments from the medical staff after that treatment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. TIFFANY FUSCO, U.S. MILITARY HOSPITAL, BAGHDAD: Her blood pressure dropped to a point where we could barely see what it was anymore. We could barely assess it. Basically, it means that she was going down, and she did pretty hard. But we were able to get her back by giving her fluids and medications.

MAJOR SAM MEHTA, U.S. MILITARY HOSPITAL BAGHDAD: If this severe trauma would have happened back home in the states, she would have probably died.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Overreaching or in the line of duty? Today lawmakers looked into the FBI raid of a colleague's office. That colleague is Representative William Jefferson, a Democrat from Louisiana.

The FBI raided his Capitol Hill office under the cover of darkness just over a week ago. Today's hearing examined whether the raid violates the Constitution. Some lawmakers think, well, it blows the line that separates the presidency from the Congress.

Men, women and children gunned down in cold blood. That's the allegation. U.S. troops are now under investigation for the bloodshed. We are monitoring the Pentagon's probe into the alleged atrocity last fall that happened in the city of Haditha in western Iraq. U.S. Marines are suspected of killing two dozen unarmed civilians. Accusations of a cover-up also part of the mix.

Democratic Congressman John Murtha has been briefed what happened. The Pentagon critic and decorated war veteran had this to say on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING".

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MURTHA: The military says this, the military says that. Look, this happened six months ago. This happened November 19th. They knew the day after what had happened.

So they keep spinning it to try to make it look -- look like it was something that happened during action. This is -- they keep saying, well -- six months, Soledad, this has been going on.

We've got to get it out. We've got to get it over with. We have to make the truth.

And I give General Hagee, the commandant of the Marine Corps, credit. He's over there right now telling the troops we've got to protect non-combatants. The rules of engagement insist that you don't fire unless you are in danger. And I understand the pressure the troops are under, but that's not the point. The point is we can't let something like this go on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Murtha calls the alleged atrocity as bad as the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal, if not worse.

Let's get a check of weather with meteorologist Dave Hennen in the CNN weather center.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: Once again, CNN is following a developing story in San Francisco. San Francisco's City Hall has been evacuated, and surrounding streets shut down.

Police have found what they describe as three suspicious devices. The bomb squad is on the scene. Don't know what the devices might be, or even where they were discovered. The incident began to unfold at about 7:30 a.m. local time.

We will continue to follow this developing story at the top of the our with "LIVE FROM."

I'm Tony Harris in Atlanta. YOUR WORLD TODAY continues after a break.

You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CLANCY: Hello everyone, welcome back to YOUR WORLD TODAY. I'm Jim Clancy.

CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church. Here are some of the top stories we've been following this hour.

CLANCY: An initial investigation by the U.S. military points to brake failure after a truck driven by American troops slammed into a dozen Afghan vehicles in rush hour traffic. Monday's accident triggered deadly riots in the capital, Kabul. A military spokesman called the driver very experienced and said he ran into the cars to slow down the vehicle.

CHURCH: Earthquake relief efforts in Indonesia focus on providing medical attention and shelter to thousands of survivors. Some 22 countries have pledged support, but the logistics of coordinating the massive relief effort remain a challenge. The death toll has risen to more than 5,400. Thousands more are injured and more than 100,000 left homeless.

The Pentagon says it will move some 1,500 troops stationed in Kuwait to Iraq to boost security. The two battalions will head to the troubled Al Anbar Province, which has been the scene of much insurgent activity. The Pentagon says the move is a temporary one.

CLANCY: A U.S. journalist wounded in Iraq by a roadside bomb that killed two colleagues, now listed in critical but stable condition. Journalist Kimberly Dozier has arrived at the U.S. military base in Germany. Doctors there say she's doing as well as could be expected and has been moving her toes. Two other journalists for CBS, both of them British, were killed in Monday's attack. They were traveling with a U.S. military convoy when the car bomb exploded. A U.S. soldier, as well as an Iraqi contractor, were also killed in that same blast.

Earlier we spoke to "Time" magazine's Misel (sic) Weisskopf -- Michael Weisskopf about the danger that journalists face. Now, Weisskopf, if you recall, lost a hand when he very bravely picked up a hand grenade that had been tossed inside the military vehicle that he was traveling in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL WEISSKOPF, "TIME" MAGAZINE: It was little bit like Russian roulette. Every time you got into a humvee and suited up with the armor and helmets and the ballistic glasses, and you went out, you were as protected as you could be. And after all, you were with American soldiers who knew the terrain. They knew the risks. Nevertheless, even for them, it really was a crap shoot as to whether or not you would be the guy in the humvee when the roadside bomb went off.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CLANCY: Weisskopf has written about his experiences in a soon to be published book called "Blood Brothers."

CHURCH: Well, East Timor's government is showing the strain after days of pitched battles, looting and arson in the capital, Dili. The nation's cabinet has fired the defense minister, and Foreign Minister Jose Ramos-Horta says the government has, quote, "failed miserably to ease the unrest."

Damian Ryan has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAMIAN RYAN, NATIONAL 9 NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The main road into Dili so often has seen tension, today a flash point, for gang warfare. Guns ready, Australian forces move in and diffuse the crisis. As the youths are rounded up and disarmed, some spot arrival in the crowd. Special forces step in to save him, leaving the gang to torch his motorbike instead. Half an hour later, just down the road, it's on again, tension all too visible among young soldiers facing down the mob.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're meant to get space between the two groups, all right? Push up.

RYAN (on camera): A few hours of calm can be shattered by something like this: two rival gangs from the east and west; in the middle are soldiers trying to separate them.

(voice-over): There's no doubt the streets are safer than they were on Sunday. There were 72 reports of gunfire. By yesterday, it was down to just five. But the gangs are out in force, torching property by night, and by day, this Dili army headquarters.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The difficult thing is catching them, because they're generally just kids with a lighter in their pocket.

RYAN: These houses, though, are safe. Leaves and branches on the gates mark them out as properties owned by those friendly to local gangs. After two weeks of this oppressing need for food, as far as the eye can see, people are waiting for rice, ten times the number that were here yesterday. This time, there's a queue, although crews keep the crowd under tight control. When women get to the warehouse, there's one bag of rice per person.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is no point giving out rice to someone who, five minutes later, have that taken away from them from someone with a gun.

RYAN: Rebels and gangs are gradually being disarmed. These are some of the 450 weapons confiscated so far. Frightened police who took to the hills to hide from rival factions in the army are back in Dili.

The Australians believe they are close to making East Timor more secure. The problem, then, is politics, tension between the charismatic President Gusmao and Prime Minister Alkatiri, whose decision to sack striking soldiers sparked the present crisis. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the president is moving cautiously, probably starting with the prime minister agreeing to some change.

RYAN: In crisis talks that lasted several hours, the prime minister refused to step down. He's now under extreme pressure to fix the problem he's blamed for starting.

In Dili, Damian Ryan, National 9 News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: Indonesia is located in what is known as the Ring of Fire. It's a highly volatile area, prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. As survivors cope with one disaster, another may be brewing nearby.

Atika Shubert has our report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Victims of Friday's earthquake, struggling to survive the aftermath, may not want to know of another danger looming in the distance. Mount Merapi, literally "mountain of fire," stands some 50 kilometers, about 30 miles, from the epicenter of last week's 6.3 magnitude earthquake. Geologists say the quake destabilized Merapi's lava dome, now in danger of a possible eruption.

TERUYUKI KATO, SEISMOLOGIST: I believe the large earthquake that occurs along the (INAUDIBLE) interface may trigger the volcanic activity in the nearby region.

SHUBERT: Professor Teruyuki Kato of Tokyo University's Earthquake Research Center says there are thousands of earthquakes that happen every day, most too small or too far away to be felt. Ninety percent are caused by the collision of tectonic plates that make up the Earth's crust, none more active than the so-called Ring of Fire. Encircling the Pacific Ocean, the Ring of Fire is the boundary of the Pacific plate, one of the fastest tectonic plates, moving northwest at roughly 7-10 centimeters a year, about the same speed at which fingernails grow.

More than 50 percent of the world's active volcanoes are located here, along the island archipelagoes of Asia. Indonesia alone has more than 100 of these smoldering mountains, strung out over 3,000 kilometers. Indonesia is home to the most violent eruption in recorded history. In 1815, Tambora spewed so much dust into the atmosphere, it disrupted global weather conditions, blocking out the sun in a catastrophe that was called "the year without summer." Now scientists say Indonesia is due for another massive eruption.

KATO: In that region, the previous earthquake occurred more than 100 years ago. So that may mean that, in that area, the stress has already accumulated very large. If one big earthquake occurs along plate boundary, the stress propagates from the earthquakes to the neighboring areas. So that may generate the next earthquake. SHUBERT: The massive 9.1 magnitude earthquake, off the coast of Sumatra in 2004, triggered the tsunami that killed more than 200,000. Three months later, another 1,000 were killed in an 8.7 trembler in the same area, both reactivated dormant volcanoes in the region.

Now another disastrous earthquake at the doorstep of the country's most active volcano, ominous rumblings from Indonesia's mountains of fire.

Atika Shubert, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: Incredible pictures. We're going to take a short break, but we'll be back.

CHURCH: We're going to take a look after that on racism in soccer. One particular player, in fact, who's taking up the cause. He's from CameroON. He knows all about racism in football, and he's been trying to kick that out of the game. Do stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good afternoon again everyone. I'm Tony Harris at the CNN Center in Atlanta.

Just want to give you an update on a developing story CNN right now. CNN is following a story that is developing in San Francisco, and just for a moment, if I could just talk to the folks in the control room, I am not hearing programming, so if you can make that are correction for me, I'd appreciate it. Beautiful. Thank you.

San Francisco City Hall has been evacuated and surrounding streets shutdown. Police have found what they describe as three suspicious devices. Affiliate pictures now from KGO in San Francisco. As you can see, a member of a team working on something right now. The bomb squad as you can see from this picture on the scene, don't know what the devices me might be at this time, or even where they were discovered. The incident began to unfold at about 7:30 a.m. local time in San Francisco.

At this time, don't know if San Francisco's Mayor Gavin Newsome was in his office at the time the evacuation order was given.

Once again, San Francisco's city hall has been evacuated and surrounding streets shutdown. Police have found what they describe as three suspicious packages. You see there kind of a wide shot of the city hall there. And on the right side of your screen there, you see what appears to be a member of the bomb squad working on that particular area near what looks to be a trash can.

Once again, the pictures from our affiliate KGO. This is an aerial picture from KGO's helicopter covering the scene right now.

And again, we received word of this a short time ago, inside the last half hour, or 45 minutes or so, that this was a developing story and that police were being moved to the city hall. And we discovered, as you can see, that's actually the best shot we've had so far of what appears to be the package in question right now. We understand that at least a couple of the packages -- he's opening the package as you can see now. Looks to be some kind of a case. We understand that at least one -- and as you can see this member of the bomb squad is actually going through that package that was left at this location at city hall here in San Francisco. We're going to just watch this as it unfolds for you live.

Looks to be some clothing of some kind. The member of the bomb squad just taking his time working through this package now, putting whatever contents he pulled out moments ago back into the case and closing the case.

We believe a couple of the packages, a couple of the devices may have, in fact, been X-rayed and members of the bomb squad are trying to determine what in fact they're dealing with and what the to do with these devices. Our Law enforcement expert Mike Brooks is on the line with us.

Mike, you know this scene, how it plays out as well as anyone from all of your years working with the D.C. Police. Walk us through what we're seeing right now. I am not sure whether this member of the squad is wearing gloves. I would imagine that that person should be, but obviously the case is being picked up and moved right now. What does this seem to indicate to you, Mike?

MIKE BROOKS, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT EXPERT: I'm hearing from one of the CNN affiliates out there that apparently one of the suspect packages has been rendered safe, so it would say to me if they're going ahead and picking one of these up, that they believe that there is no hazardous material in that particular box. Otherwise, a bomb technician would not place his hands on any suspect device unless it was a last resort. They would go ahead and try to render it safe remotely, use a robot, those kind of things, and not pick it up. But that says to me that they believe that there's no suspect material, hazardous material in that device.

HARRIS: And your sources haven't indicated to you where the other two packages were found, have they?

BROOKS: No, they have not. But what they're going to do, is they'll go to the different buildings, (INAUDIBLE), and I know that there are security cameras. They'll go in, take a look at those.

HARRIS: Hey, Mike, can we assume from this shot, do you have access to a monitor where you can actually see what's going on unfolding?

BROOKS: I do not right now, Tony.

HARRIS: Let me just describe this to you, because right now clearly the San Francisco police are unstrapping the guy who was a member of the bomb squad who actually went over to check out this one individual package, this kind of suitcase-looking package here, and now an officer is actually walking away from the case. So clearly, that is a case that has been rendered not a problem.

BROOKS: Exactly. Once they go ahead and take the suit off, then that will tell me that there is nothing that they fear from that particular package, and then possibly turn it over to an (INAUDIBLE) officer and find exactly out why these are there, how they got there, and that would be part of the subsequent investigation.

HARRIS: All right, let me read something to you right now, just new information I'm getting, at least one of the suspicious devices that would have to be this one that we're seeing being taken away right now has been rendered safe. An officer on the scene says that possibly two of the devices have been found to be safe. Now, there is still, at least, based on the latest information, one other device that is still a suspect device. And what is the course of procedure here? Is that a device they will try to either send a robot in or will they try to X-ray the device in some way, Mike?

BROOKS: What they'll try to do, Tony, is they'll go ahead and make a diagnostic assessment of it. You can look at it with binoculars, see if there's anything sticking out of it. They'll look for any tampering switch, or anything at all like that without giving away too many secrets. They'll take a look at this.

HARRIS: Got you.

BROOKS: and then a technician in one of the suits can go down, and he can set up an X-ray if he feels it's safe to do so in the vicinity. But again, you always -- technicians are always hesitant to get anywhere near a device, but they'll go down, set up an X-ray, shoot that X-ray, take a look at it, and see if there's any components of a real improvised explosive device, and then they'll go from there to decide where they want to go.

HARRIS: OK. Our law enforcement analysts Mike Brooks for us now. We'll continue to follow this story with an update with Kyra Phillips at the top of the hour.

Let's back to YOUR WORLD TODAY on CNN International.

CLANCY: Just two weeks before the World Cup, footballs governing body issued a whole new set of penalties for racism in soccer.

CHURCH: One player who's experienced it firsthand is Cameron International's Samuel Eto'o.

CLANCY: After helping Barcelona to win the Champion's League, and then the Spanish title this season, he set out for Israel on a very different mission.

CHURCH: Joining the fight to kick racism out of the game. Here's Fionnuala Sweeney.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The dirty face of what is known as the beautiful game. At Zaragosta (ph) in Spain, racists abuse hurled at Samuel Eto'o one of the world's most talented footballers. he stunned the crowd with a threat to leave the field, and then scored a goal that lead Barcelona to victory.

SAMUEL ETO'O BARCELONA PLAYER (through translator): I don't wish this experience on anyone. It's terrible that things like this occur in our streets, we have to unite to fight this phenomenon.

SWEENEY: Eto'o's problems are not unique. Racism is a problem in many European leagues. So football's governing bodies have decided that clubs unable to control their fans will lose points and may be thrown out of prestigious competitions.

Eto'o says the issue goes well beyond soccer.

ETO'O: What happens in the football stadium reflects what is happening in society.

SWEENEY: Some football journalists agree it's not fair to tarnish soccer.

RON HUGHES, SPORTSWRITER: If racism exists and if you are sucking in racism through your stadium, you've got to be a little more sophisticated than to say we're going to take points off you, we're going to kick you out of the tournament or whatever, because then you are using the sport. You are just saying it doesn't matter who comes through the gates, we will kick you out if you are not doing it our way.

SWEENEY: Eto'o went to Israel to see how soccer can be part of the answer rather than part of the problem. The Peres Center for Peace brings Israeli Arab and Jewish kids together on the football field.

RON PUNDAK, DIRECTOR, PERES CENTER FOR PEACE: (INAUDIBLE) side would say that they wanted to be shaheed (ph) and explode in Israel, wants to meet Israelis then see everybody as a human being and become friends of Israelis and vice versa.

SWEENEY: A politically charged Israeli-Palestinian conflict sometimes seeps onto the terraces in Israel as the games between Beta Jerusalem and B'Nai Tachnin (ph). Eto'o joined players from the teams to encourage good will.

ETO'O: Through football it is possible to bring people together even if we don't speak the same language. Football unites and that is its greatness.

SWEENEY: Eto'o won't be gracing the World Cup with his talents as Cameroon, like Israel, failed to qualify, but he may still make an impact on the sidelines as football's ambassador for tolerance.

Fionnuala Sweeney, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Well, many Muslim women say wearing the head scarf is a human right and a religious duty. Secularists see it as a political symbol.

Nowhere is that divide more sharp than it is today in turkey. There's a clash between religion and state especially in a population that's 98 percent Muslim.

Paula Hancocks has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Daily life in Istanbul. Fishermen cram the bridges looking for the perfect catch. A multitude of mosques and minarets rising above them on the skyline of the secular society. But as religious and nonreligious mix easily among Istanbul's famous tourist spots, modern and traditional attitudes do not.

The clearest sign of polarization is the controversy over how women should dress. For Dilek Golet the clash between state and religion cost her the career as a doctor.

In 1999 she was excluded from the university because she refused to remove her head scarf. Headscarves are also banned in government buildings and hospitals.

DILEK GOLET, HEADSCARF ADVOCATE: In front of the doors, always I was police (ph) and it sent a message we couldn't be exempt. In the end, there were so many protests, but it didn't change the situation.

HANCOCKS: After six months, she gave up even going to the front gates. This interpretation of secular, Golet says, signifies an abuse of her religious rights.

GOLET: It is not necessary to be ruled by the Sharia or Islamic rules, it is just enough to respect freedoms and rights of others. You can support the secular system, but if you respect others' rights and freedoms, you can survive.

HANCOCKS: But the secular left fears the influence of the ruling party. The prime minister's Justice and Development Party has Islamist roots. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he has fully adopted secularism and democracy. But others like this writer artist and staunch secularist Bedri Baykam say Turkey is facing a soft religious revolution.

He fears that if the lines between religion and state are blurred, the political system in Turkey will be compromised. He already believes Islamists want women wearing head scarves in government.

BEDRI BAYKAM, SECULAR MOVEMENT LEADER: Not because they want woman to go into politics, but because they want Islam be their present and defying the a secular democratic society, they want it as a flag. That's all. It's a game.

ORAL CALISTAR, TURKISH JOURNALIST: Both sides are using the head scarf, one is saving us from the scarf, the other is supporting the scarf. But both sides are not sincere in this issue.

HANCOCKS (on camera): When the modern Turkish Republic was born in 1923, head scarves were banned completely. It took decades for that ban to be lifted and in recent years an increasing number of Muslim women are choosing to cover their heads. Weather it is a religious right or a political statement, this one piece of fabric now epitomizes the ongoing clash in Turkey between religion and state.

Paula Hancocks, CNN, Istanbul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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CHURCH: And we will have more of YOUR WORLD TODAY including the interview from Ann Veneman from UNICEF. We'll be talking about AIDS, some 25 years after it was recognized. I'm Rosemary Church.

CLANCY: I'm Jim Clancy. This is CNN.

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