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Death with Dignity; Racist Rhetoric

Aired December 21, 2006 - 12:00   ET

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

JIM CLANCY, CNN ANCHOR, YOUR WORLD TODAY: Death with dignity: Doctors fueled the right to die debate when they grant an Italian man his final wish.
COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, CNN ANCHOR, YOUR WORLD TODAY: Criminal probe: A group of Marines could be charged with murder in the killing of civilians in Haditha.

CLANCY: And racist rhetoric? Miami blasts a U.S. congressman who compares the city to a third-world country.

MCEDWARDS: Plus, monkey menace: India struggles to deal with an invasion of primates.

It is 6 p.m. in Rome, 10:30 p.m. in New Delhi. Hello and welcome to our report broadcast all around the globe. I'm Colleen McEdwards.

CLANCY: I'm Jim Clancy. From Miami to Baghdad, this is YOUR WORLD TODAY.

After a campaign that sparked a national debate in Italy, a 60- year-old man in the advanced stages of muscular dystrophy finally achieved his goal on Wednesday night. Piergiorgio Welby passed away after a doctor administered painkillers and disconnected the respirator that had been keeping him alive. Though Welby's life has ended, the controversy over euthanasia goes on in Italy. CNN's Michael Holmes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INT'L. CORRESPONDENT, YOUR WORLD TODAY (voice over): Piergiorgio Welby's mind was sharp. Wracked by advanced muscular dystrophy, he was ready to die, but the courts wouldn't let him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): In Italy, euthanasia is a crime. This does not mean that it doesn't exist. There are requests for euthanasia that are not carried out because doctors are afraid of being prosecuted.

HOLMES: But his pleas to be allowed to die sparked an impassioned debate in Italy, over the right to die, in the predominantly Catholic nation where euthanasia is banned. Welby tried the legal route, the courts said no. But one of Welby's doctors said yes, giving sedatives and unplugging life-support equipment.

DR. MARIO RICCIO ANESTHESIOLOGIST (through translator): He heard Saturday about the verdict. I asked him if the prosecutor's response had made him change his mind. But he told me he did not change anything. And that he wished to be sedated and stop the medical treatment.

HOLMES: Doctors who perform euthanasia in Italy can face up to 15 years in jail. But doctors, and some politicians, who supported Welby said the Italian constitution givers patients the right to refuse treatment. And all his doctor had done was respect that wish.

MARCO CAPPATO, PATIEN ADVOCATE (through translator): What happened tonight is the respect within legal terms what he asked, with the strength of his nonviolence, with the resistance to what he himself called a torture.

HOLMES: The torture is over now. Piergiorgio Welby passed away peacefully, his final wish granted, if not approved by law. Michael Holmes, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: There is the background on a case that we're talking about. It's fair to say this is igniting a furor in Italy. Some lawmakers want the doctor prosecuted for murder. Let's go right now to our Rome Bureau Chief Alessio Vinci. He's been following this story all along.

Alessio, any reaction from the Piergiorgio Welby's family?

ALESSIO VINCI, CNN ROME BUREAU CHIEF: Well, so far, we only heard from Piergiorgio's sister, Carla, here, who basically urged the politicians to begin a serious discussion about euthanasia in this country. One thing is clear is while euthanasia, of course, is illegal. There is also a sort of a legal catch-22.

On the one side, you have a law here, that allows patients to refuse medical treatment. On the other side, you have also doctors who are morally and legally obliged to try to keep a patient alive.

So all of this, of course, people here hope that this death of Piergiorgio Welby, this very public death, of Piergiogio Welby will actually spark a national debate, not just in the media, but also in the parliament, where across political spectrum politicians are calling in both in favor and against, of course, legalizing euthanasia, Jim.

CLANCY: It's interesting in a country that's overwhelmingly Roman Catholic, the Vatican has weighed in. I was surprised to hear one source there saying that, you know, keeping him on a respirator, that wasn't therapy. It wasn't going to improve his situation. The Vatican has some surprising viewpoints on this.

VINCI: Well, first of all, at the Vatican and the pope, himself, only a few days ago reiterated the Church's position against euthanasia, against killing a person -- that is even before it is born, abortion, that is. At the same time, we're beginning to hear from some Vatican officials that they are against what is known here, as a canamento (ph) therapegati (ph), which is basically forced therapy, if you want, basically artificially keeping somebody alive through a respirator. You may remember John Paul II, before dying went to the hospital twice.

And there was some questions before he died whether he should go back to the hospital a third time. There were some reports that suggest the pope had said, if I go to the hospital, will I be cured? And the doctors said, no, you won't. And therefore he agreed to remain back at the Vatican where he eventually he died a few days later.

This is what the Vatican basically says. They're against euthanasia. They are against, of course, killing someone or even assisting some to a suicide. But they're also against this idea of artificially keeping someone alive. They do realize that today, medicine has made so much progress that they actually can keep people alive a lot more than they could say, 10, 20, even 30 years ago when some of these laws were written.

CLANCY: Alessio Vinci, as always. Thank you very much for putting in perspective over what's going to be, no doubt, a national debate there in Italy.

MCEDWARDS: All Right, Jim, we want to turn to the war in Iraq. The nation's security forces reeling from yet another insurgent's blow. A suicide bomber blew himself up outside the Baghdad police academy, killing at least 15 Iraqi civilians, wounding 15 others. This attack targeted a group of men gathered to enlist in the national police force.

Well, the setback comes as the new U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates is in Iraq on a fact-finding mission. He met with generals and ground troops to talk about strategy. Some soldiers said the U.S. needs to send more troops to Iraq, so that Iraqi forces can be better trained to take over security.

Now, later, Gates met with the Iraq's prime minister, and other government officials, and pledged the support of the U.S. mission in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT GATES, U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: The Iraqi government is determined to improve the security of the people here in Iraq, and above all, here in Baghdad. And much of our discussion, today, was focused on how the United States can be helpful, and the Iraqi's government's efforts to accomplish that goal.

And how, in our partnership, with the Iraqis in the lead, we can best play a supporting role. And that was really the focus of our discussions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CLANCY: U.S. President George W. Bush says he's considering sending more troops to Iraq. He did say that he's inclined to believe that the U.S. Army and Marines must be increased overall. Residents in Baghdad reacted to President Bush's comments about U.S. troops in Iraq. Some say an increase in troop levels would not improve the secretary situation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): As far as I'm concerned, this won't provide anything for keeping security. The Iraqi army and police are responsible for providing and keeping stability and security.

Bush and all the coalition troops should proceed that well. As the proverbs says, "People of Mecca know well it's districts." That is to say that the Iraqi people know well their areas and districts.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): The U.S. troops are occupying forces. They want to plunder our wealth. They don't love us. If they loved us they should maintain security and stability. Now, our sons are unable to go outside of their homes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Just the American troops withdraw. We will enjoy security and peace. The Iraqi national guard and police are capable of keeping peace and security.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CLANCY: President Bush says he will announce his new strategy in Iraq sometime early next month.

MCEDWARDS: Well, Iraqi witnesses call it a massacre. Now, a group of U.S. Marines could be charged with murder in the deaths of two dozen Iraqi civilians in November of last year. Our Senior Pentagon Correspondent Jamie McIntyre gives us the background of this case.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT, YOUR WORLD TODAY: Defense attorneys say the killings of 24 civilians at Haditha, including unarmed women and children, may have been justified under military law.

The Marines, now under investigation for the deaths, claim, according to their lawyers, they were in hot pursuit of insurgents. Those attorneys argue just because innocents may have died doesn't automatically mean the Marines did anything unlawful.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To use a Vietnam expression, to save the village, we had to destroy it. And that's the problem.

MCINTYRE: As harsh as it seems, the killing of unarmed civilians in warfare can be considered justified, but according to experts in the law of war, only if the deaths were unavoidable and the military objective important enough.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The proportionality says the death and wounding of civilian, the destruction of civilian property, may not be disproportional to the concrete military advantage to be gained. MCINTYRE: Gary Solis is a former Marine trainer and retired military judge. He says the Marines at Haditha had a right to protect themselves if they honestly believed armed insurgents were among the civilians.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The war is not a suicide pact. At some point, you have to make the decision to fire or not fire.

MCINTYRE: Defense attorneys say they will argue the military objective, hunting down insurgents who detonated a deadly roadside bomb, was worth the risk to civilians who were in the houses. From which the Marines say they were taking fire.

Prosecutors would likely counter that the use of indiscriminate gunfire and grenades to clear houses was a disproportionate application of force, given the uncertainties about who was inside. It's a much less clear cut case experts say than the June 8th precision air strike that al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al Zarqawi, who was in a house with several civilians, including two women and a child.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is Zarqawi worth five noncombatants? Obviously, the decision was made, yes, he is. And I don't have a problem with that decision. Although one has to regret the death of noncombatants, particularly women and children. Is Zarqawi worth 10, 20, 50? How many is he worth? Someone has to make that call.

MCINTYRE (on camera): The contention that the civilians killed at Haditha were in an inadvertent tragedy of war and not victims of murder hinges on a second argument as well. That the Marines were under honest belief that they faced a deadly threat from the houses they attacked and had to make quick decisions under the stress of combat. Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: Japan pouring cold water on talk of a possible deal on North Korea's nuclear program.

MCEDWARDS: That's right and that tops our check of other stories making news around the world this hour, for you.

The Japanese envoy says flatly that negotiations are deadlocked, and confrontational. And the chief U.S. negotiator says Pyongyang has to show some flexibility. North Korea is insisting that the U.S. lift financial restrictions as a first step. The U.S. wants North Korea to focus on dismantling its bombs and not divert the negotiations.

CLANCY: After ruling Central Asia's Turkmenistan with an iron fist for more than two decades, the President Samamorat (ph) Niyazov has died. Niyazov controlled the world's fifth biggest reserve of natural gas. During his rule, Niyazov created a lavish cult of personality. One of the things he did, rename the month of January, after who else? Himself. He also banned the ballet and recorded music.

MCEDWARDS: Well, hopes for peace in Somalia are fading as violent clashes threaten to widen into a regional conflict. On Wednesday, the EU expressed optimism about future talks between the transitional government and a rival Islamic group, now Somali Islamists claim to be at war with Ethiopia, which backs the interim government. Both are battling for control of the country.

CLANCY: All right, coming up, mocking words towards the West coming from Iran.

MCEDWARDS: When we come back, how President Ahmadinejad is responding to efforts to slap his country with sanctions.

CLANCY: Also, London fog, grounding thousands of flights, while travelers across the Atlantic are stranded by snow.

MCEDWARDS: And viva, Miami, many locals love it. But one prominent outsider says it's like stepping foot in the Third World. The controversy when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MCEDWARDS: Welcome back to CNN International and YOUR WORLD TODAY.

CLANCY: This is, of course, the program where we try to bring you the viewers of the United States, and all around the world, the very latest on some of the most important international stories of the day.

Let's turn to Iran where Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the U.S. president needs to step out of his glass palace and mingle with common folks.

MCEDWARDS: That's even as the Iranian leader's own people hand him a bit of a setback at the polls.

CLANCY: Yes, his jab at George W. Bush also coming as U.N. diplomats are trying to get the final signatures on a package of sanctions for Iran over its nuclear program.

MCEDWARDS: That's right. Well, first let's look at those elections, that many allies of the Iranian president backing (ph). Final results show both reformists and moderates did well in local races that were considered kind of a referendum on the president's policies. Aneesh Raman joins us from Tehran.

Aneesh, it is possible to say what this means?

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN INT'L. CORRESPONDENT, YOUR WORLD TODAY: Yeah, Colleen, we have seen this as a stinging defeat. That's how it's being described within Iran for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

His hard-line conservative allies losing their dominant majority in the Tehran city council, which is seen as a barometer of a national trends. That majority has gone to moderate conservatives and to reformists, who had largely drifted into political oblivion in the past few years. Today I sat down with Masoumeh Ebtekar, she's the first female vice president Iran has had on their reformist President Hatami (ph), since she's been an academic, she has now gotten the most votes of any reformist in the city council.

I started by asking her how significant this election was for the reformist movement in Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MASOUMEH EBTEKAR, FORMER IRANIAN VICE PRESIDENT: The reformist movement is alive. It's sometimes an undercurrent, but also sometimes it emerges and it shows itself.

I think that looking at the nationwide statistics of the people who enter the councils, throughout the country, it indicates a strong tendency towards reformist policies and reformist candidates. And this is a new hope.

RAMAN: So what does this all mean? She says domestically there might be some change. But on foreign policy, she says there's near uniform support among the various political factions here, especially on the nuclear front where Iran's president has been the most defiant. She did say, though, that the reformists would have hope he would have been a little bit more tactful in some of his approaches.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EBTEKAR: There should be a very delicate approach to international relations with the world. Of course, the rights of the Iranian nation, the dignity of the country. These are things, as I mentioned, there is no difference of opinion between the different political groups. But I think if we go back to the policy of dialogue among civilizations that President Hatami (ph) that pursued during his presidency, that is the approach that the reformists believe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RAMAN: The dialogue does not seem like it's on the table. Today, Iran's president mocked U.S. President Bush saying he lacked the support of the American people. And as the U.N. debates whether to impose sanctions on Iran, the Iranian president maintained, Colleen, that this country would not back down, would not suspend its nuclear program.

MCEDWARDS: Aneesh, what prompted that -- you know, this step out of your glass house kind of comments. And what's the reaction been?

RAMAN: Well, I think we've seen increased confidence among Ahmadinejad and his supporters. Despite this defeat, because of the turnout. It was high, above 60 percent. They say that legitimizes Iranian's investment in this theocratic democracy.

And so they use that to then point back and say U.S. President Bush doesn't represent the majority of Americans. And that he shouldn't be chastising Iran for something that is evident there, as well.

It is, perhaps, why it is unlikely that we'll see any dialogue between the two leaders. They grow farther apart by the day, despite suggestions from within both countries that the U.S. and Iran should sit down through diplomacy and resolve this issue, Colleen.

MCEDWARDS: All right, Aneesh Raman in Tehran. Thanks.

Jim.

CLANCY: Speaking of diplomacy and that issue, let's go to the U.N. and get the latest there on the effort to impose sanctions. There have been weeks now of haggling over the wording. The diplomats are said to be putting the final touches on a resolution that would aim -- and stressing the word "aim", there -- to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions. Senior U.N. Correspondent Richard Roth joins us now, live.

Richard, where does this all stand?

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SR. U.N. CORRESPONDENT, YOUR WORLD TODAY: Well, it looks like we may have a vote tomorrow morning, New York time. The British ambassador indicated yesterday that would be possible. It seems that the ambassadors may want to observe the holiday period. That's enough of an impetus to get things going.

This resolution not as tough as the U.S. and others and may have forecast weeks ago, a lot of objections from China and Russia. This resolution would ban importing and exporting of materials and technology that are related to all kinds of fields, related to the nuclear ballistic missile, delivery system, uranium enrichment. All of that to try to put a dent into Iran's ambitions that the U.S. says is headed to a nuclear weapon.

However, what Iran says what it is doing is peaceful nuclear research. Russia and China had objections to a travel ban on figures related to a uranium enrichment industry. That has been softened and taken out, really. Some names are put on a list, but even that has been softened. Thos names would have been barred from travel. It may be pushed down to a sanctions committee.

All of this means is that the Security Council is back on focus on Iran, warning Iran that it has to suspend uranium enrichment. It failed to do so by the August 31st deadline. As one ambassador has said he doesn't think this will do the trick and that further action may be needed down the road.

They're calibrating it so they're not hitting them hardest right now, giving them some more diplomatic opportunity to come back to a favorable position, according to the Security Council.

CLANCY: All right, Richard Roth, with the very latest on this. We can expect a vote coming up. We'll have to wait and see how this final resolution looks -- Colleen.

MCEDWARDS: Coming up, a U.S. city compared to a Third World country. And this statement made by a U.S. congressman. CLANCY: Coming up, on YOUR WORLD TODAY we'll look at the outrage sparked by that comment.

MCEDWARDS: While in another city, let it snow, let it snow. And now it has. And thousand of holiday travelers have nowhere to go.

CLANCY: Details on that blizzard in Colorado that's wreaking havoc on everyone's travel plans.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

HARRIS: Donald Trump will join "LARRY KING LIVE" tonight at 9:00 Eastern. Tune in for that, won't you? You'll be back in the "NEWSROOM" at 1:00 p.m. Eastern. You've been hearing about what a big, fat mess Denver is today. We will check in for some status reports and track where that nasty front is headed next.

Plus, it's not the snow, but wind that has NASA's hackles up. The shuttle hopes to return tomorrow. More on that story at the top of the hour in the "NEWSROOM." YOUR WORLD TODAY continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

MCEDWARDS: The only replacement for Fidel will be the Cuban Communist Party. Those words from interim Cuban leader Raul Castro yesterday. He was referring to his older brother, of course, who hasn't been seen publicly since his surgery back in July, which underscores the question, is Cuba close to the end of an extraordinary era?

Karl Penhaul asked some Cuban citizens if change is in the air.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's an event Fidel Castro rarely misses, the biannual plenary session of Cuba's parliament, known as the National Assembly of People Power.

Authorities say the meeting, due to begin Friday, will review the state of the economy, and chart the political course for 2007. Ordinary newspapers, like newspaper seller Xiomara Gonzalez, say they'll be watching assembly for fresh clues about when or if Castro will make his public comeback.

XIOMARA GONZALES, NEWSPAPER SELLER (through translator): Commander is recovering. It was a tough operation. He can't be running from one place to another. He has to look after himself. I'm sure he'll want to stay on top of everything in the assembly and give his opinions and guidance.

PENHAUL: The last published images of Fidel Castro were these images with ideological Hugo Chavez in September, and another in October.

At 86, retiree Angela Garcia, knows there's come a time in life when you have to take it easy. But she's confident Cuba's revolution won't crumble while Castro is away from the helm.

The youth are the ones in command now. They must back Fidel, because we have to keep up the pace of the revolution, she says.

In the square, close to the U.S. special interest section, those gathered are more intent of getting a visa out of here than worrying about Castro's health or parliaments plans for 2007.

JULIO ROJAS (through translator): Everything just carries on as normal. Ordinary Cubans have no control over what happens. People just wait around for things to get better.

PENHAUL: In Old Havana's Central Park there's just one topic of conversation -- baseball. Many say that's because the game is Cuba's national passion. Others whisper, it's bread and circus, keeping them entertained with baseball keeps their minds from straying to more controversial issues.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We can't talk about politics. It's prohibited.

PENHAUL (on camera): For now at least, the baseball fans say they'll focus on sports and leave the politics to parliament.

Karl Penhaul CNN, Havana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: Indonesia's supreme court has overturned a conspiracy verdict against cleric Abu Bakar Bashir. Bashir spent more than two years in jail for his alleged role in the 2002 Bali bombings. The attacks killed at least 202 people, most of them Australian tourists. Some foreign government say Bashir is the spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiah, the extremist group blamed for the Bali bombings, as well as other deadly attacks across Indonesia.

MCEDWARDS: He is said to be one of Indonesia most wanted terrorist suspects. Norden Top (ph) is blamed for several bomb attacks across the country over the years. Although Indonesian police are on his trail, some say the elusive fugitive may be hiding in plain sight.

Dan Rivers explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Menacing, dangerous and still at large, Nordon Top is increasingly being seen as Al Qaeda's emerging point man in Southeast Asia. The authorities say he's behind a series ever deadly bombings, including the huge blast in Bali in 2002. Each year has brought a renewed attack in Indonesia, from hotels to embassies, mimicking the targets picked by Al Qaeda. SIDNEY JONES, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: Nordon Mohammed (ph) Top is very much following the Al Qaeda line of needing to go after the United States and its allies wherever and however one can, and that means attacking western targets in Indonesia, as much as it does in Iraq, or Afghanistan or anywhere else.

RIVERS: Nasia Abbas (ph) used to know Top when they were both in the terror group Jemaah Islamiah.

NASIR ABBAS, FMR. JEMAAH ISLAMIYAH MEMBER: The mission to kill people, and bomb is one of the techniques. He will not stop as long as he's still alive.

RIVERS: Last year, police came tantalizing close to catching Nordon at this apartment above a restaurant in Samarang, Indonesia. He used it as a propaganda studio, recording chilling messages, warning of further attacks. In other videos, he's shown training with firearms, learning unarmed combat, as well as detailed bomb-making techniques.

Security guard Hambute Preempto (ph) saw Nordon at the restaurant on several occasions, but didn't recognize him.

He says, "I was shocked when the police told me he was not Nordon Top. If I had known, I could have got the reward money."

But Nordon has a network of safehouses that he can rely on. This one was raised just after he fled.

(on camera): This is an average house on an average street. There is nothing at this address that would alert the police which is exactly why Nordon chose it. The neighbors say they never saw anything suspicious here. But it is remarkable to think that one of Asia's most wanted terrorists was staying right here.

(voice-over): The Indonesian police again came close to catching him in April, they denied the trail has now gone cold. He says, while hunting Nordon, we've gathered evidence identifying the bombers. It's just a matter of time before we catch them all.

JONES: I don't think the man should be written off until he's either behind bars or dead, and I couldn't say we're out of the woods in terms of another attack.

RIVERS: A warning that has real resonance at this time of the year. In 2000, Nordon was blamed for more than 30 attacks on churches and priests -- bringing mayhem and bloodshed in Indonesia on Christmas Eve.

Dan Rivers, CNN, Indonesia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: Well, now, I think we should take a couple minutes and look at some of the weather woes in other parts of the world. Mother Nature delivering an unwanted Christmas present for thousands of travelers both in Britain and in the United States.

First though, let's go to London where a thick fog has grounded hundreds of flights, leaving passengers to spend the night at the world's busiest airport.

Paula Newton was there.

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dense freezing fog common in London, but this year, it's turned Christmas into chaos for thousands of stranded passengers.

Hundreds of flights are canceled, many more delayed. Half of all flights from Heathrow, especially the British and European destinations are canceled or delayed. And even long haul flights are experiencing long waits. And as the fog gets thicker, patience on the ground is getting thinner.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Family in Holland, and they really want to see their grandson. So we are concerned. It's not great fun being in an airport.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It seems like we're not going to spend Christmas with family.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, there's nothing you can do. It's bad weather. Tough luck.

NEWTON: With just a few days to go to Christmas, the fog stubbornly refuses to lift.

MARK BULLOCK, MANAGING DIRECTOR, HEATHROW AIRPORT: We are doing everything we can over at Heathrow to make a difficult situation as smooth as possible for passengers.

NEWTON: There is little comfort in the weather forecast. British Airways has already canceled all domestic flights for Friday.

PHILIPPA DREW, LONDON WEATHER OFFICE: High pressure is going to stay with us right through the next days, right across Christmas and beyond that as well. At the moment, it's difficult to say when we're going to see improvement.

NEWTON: In this kind of weather, planes land on autopilot. For safety reasons, only half as many are allowed to land or take off as usual.

ERIC MOODY, RETIRED 747 PILOT: (INAUDIBLE) you're trusting the equipment totally. You have (INAUDIBLE) pilots on most airplanes. You just sit there and monitor what's happening and hope that everything comes out well in the end.

NEWTON (on camera): Heathrow remained shrouded behind that wall of fog. And the forecast isn't exactly full of good cheer. London is likely to be socked in by fog for a third straight day on Friday, and that just happens to be the busiest flying day of the year here in Heathrow. Paula Newton, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCEDWARDS: All right. Let's turn to severe weather in the United States now. A blizzard backed by high winds has slammed the Rocky Mountain region. The international airport in Denver, Colorado is expected to remain closed throughout the day.

Patti Logan has that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATTI LOGAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Here in Denver, the snow is still coming down. It's been coming down for almost 24 hours now. It's a beautiful sight toward the heart of the city here. But it's also a very difficult time for the holiday travelers, especially out of Denver International Airport where there are about 1,000 flights that have been canceled and about 3,000 people who stranded out at the airport and sleeping on cots and trying to do the best they can with some handout blankets and hoping that the food and concessions hold out there at the airport.

They don't expect folks to get out until later tonight. So it's going to be rough going for quite sometime to untangle the mess out of Denver International Airport. We've got highways closed to the north. I-25 is closed to the Wyoming border. To the South, to the New Mexico border. And we've also got I-70 closed, east to Kansas right now.

So nothing is really moving around Denver except the Amtrak trains are getting in and out. They are behind schedule. But that's about all that's moving in Denver. It's a beautiful holiday season here with the white Christmas upon us, but it's pretty rough for the holiday travelers.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: All right.

MCEDWARDS: Yes, it's pretty unless you're stuck.

CLANCY: I can remember that, you know, having grown up in Colorado and seeing that kind of snow. That's really what it's about. Kids love it because they're not going to school. It's a waste, going to be off the Christmas holiday vacation anywhere. Well, not cold everywhere, except a pair of Republican lawmakers and they're soaking in some really hot water for their opinions about what can happen to the U.S. if immigration policies aren't tightened.

MCEDWARDS: We'll tell you what one said about Miami, a city where most of the residents are Latino. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CLANCY: Well, welcome back, everyone. This is CNN International and YOUR WORLD TODAY. I'm Jim Clancy. MCEDWARDS: And I'm Colleen McEdwards. We're seen live in more than 200 countries and territories all around the world.

Well, a U.S. Republican is accused of bigotry for remarks about an incoming Congressman's request to be sworn in on the Koran instead of the Bible. Democrat Keith Ellison is the first Muslim elected to Congress. In a letter to his constituents, Virginia Congressman, Virgil Goode expressed concern about more Muslims being elected to office and demanded the use of the Koran. He continued, this is a quote, "I fear that in the next century, we will have many more Muslims in the U.S. if don't adopt strict immigration policies that I believe are necessary to preserve the values and beliefs traditional to the United States of America."

CLANCY: All right. Another U.S. Congressman has also landed in hot water for his comments about U.S. immigration policies. Republican Tom Tancredo angered many when he recently likened Miami to a third world country.

John Zarella has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whoa, you are in broadcasting with that type of English?

JOHN ZARELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Enrique Santos doesn't sugar coat how he feels about Republican Congressman Tom Tancredo.

ENRIQUE SANTOS, RADIO SHOW HOST: The real problem is people like him, they're racist, he's a bigot.

ZARELLA: Santos and Joe Ferrero you are the irreverent hosts of a Spanish-language radio show in Miami.

SANTOS: How we feel of him coming to the third-world country called, that he so-calls Miami.

ZARELLA: Since last month, when Tancredo, a Colorado Congressman and outspoken opponent of illegal immigration likened Miami to a third world country, the radio hosts blasted him and defended Miami's salsa flavor.

SANTOS: We may come from third world countries, but we built this city to what it is.

JOE FERRERO, RADIO SHOW HOST: Built this city on rock 'n' roll

SANTOS: We built this city on not rock and roll in the case, but on (INAUDIBLE) and we're proud of it, dammit

ZARELLA: Tancredo's remarks had Florida's Republican governor steamed too.

JEB BUSH (R), FLORIDA GOVERNOR: What a nut. I'm just disappointed. First of all, he's from my own party. ZARELLA: But it doesn't end there. Now, the feud between Tancredo and Miami has boiled over again. The Congressman was supposed to be the guest speaker Thursday at a rotary club luncheon in Miami. But he was canceled because of concerns over safety and possible protests which only furthered Tancredo's opinion of Miami as both third-world and intolerant.

REP. TOM TANCREDO (R), COLORADO: There is something third- worldish about politicians being threatened with bombs. And certainly, in Havana, the situation is such that you cannot say certain things. You are prevented from talking about things that the ruling clique there in the city there feels is unacceptable.

ZARRELLA: Tancredo says Miami is third-worldish because there's no pressure there to be an American or be assimilated to this country.

TANCREDO: We end up vulcanized (ph), we end up a sort of cultural linguistic political tower of Babel. And I think to a large extent Miami is and Miami-Dade reflect that.

ZARRELLA: Tancredo says his feelings on bi-lingualism and diversity have nothing to do with race or bigotry. It's about the ingredients needed to hold the American fabric together.

TANCREDO: And one of those things, by the way, is a common language. It's the English language. We need it in order to communicate our differences.

ZARRELLA: Tancredo should have been given the opportunity to communicate his differences of opinion, says Bill Coffman, the president of the neighboring Miami Beach Rotary Club.

BILL COFFMAN, MIAMI BEACH ROTARY CLUB: If you believe in democracy, when somebody says something that you absolutely disagree with, you first have to defend their right to say it. And so we wanted to defend a right to say it.

ZARRELLA: Coffman says they have not formally invited Tancredo to Miami Beach. But his club is looking into putting together a forum where the Congressman can have his say and Miami can explain why he's wrong.

John Zarrella, CNN, Miami.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCEDWARDS: That would be interesting.

Coming up, battle for the planet of the apes, sort of.

CLANCY: Very tiny apes, if you will: monkeys, actually. We're going to explain right after this.

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CLANCY: Well, some people in India are going bananas about monkeys.

MCEDWARDS: These creatures are roaming the streets of New Delhi and they can be pretty aggressive.

CLANCY: Not really a joke, Satinder Bindra has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SATINDER BINDRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An invasion of monkeys, they swarmed this district court complex in New Delhi terrorizing many visitors, lawyers and clerks. Experts estimate there could be more than 6,000 monkeys running amuck all across India's capital. So many that even the supreme court, the highest court in the country, is discussing ways to move them out of the city.

Typist Satinder Kharana (ph) says he was bitten by a monkey a few years ago. Now, he says, he lives in fear of another attack.

These monkeys are really very troublesome, he says. They steal our pens, spectacles and court seals (ph) and throw them away. We're really scared of them.

If monkeys are treated like pests here, they're treated like god just a short distance away. Many Hindus like Shikarmar Manocha (ph) believe monkeys are holy. Manoca (ph) feeds them every week and says that gives him a spiritual high.

I don't care if someone believes in monkeys or not, he says. It's my love, feelings and devotion for them that I'm concerned about.

With humans leaving so much food around in a city which continues to encroach on forests which were once home to monkeys, experts warn the man-monkey confrontation can only get worse.

DR. IQBAL MALIK, PRIMATLOLGIST: They're fighting for space, for food, for water, for sleeping quarters, for everything.

BINDRA: As monkeys get more aggressive, the city authorities are feeling the heat to catch more. Many are injured in the process.

Hundreds more continue to be held in cages because no one wants them. CNN wasn't allowed to film these captured monkeys. This video was shot by animal rights activists.

(on camera): Because this matter was still in court, no one from government was willing to talk to us on camera. But officials do say they're trying to improve living conditions for monkeys. They're also trying to find ways to reduce they're growing numbers.

(voice-over): Birth control is one option. And instead of feeding monkeys, experts say animal lovers should contribute cash to create special monkey sanctuaries.

MALIK: So the sanctuaries should be made in a place that people can come and feed them and get blessed, if they think that they are. BINDRA: It's a suggestion that finds residents with many within this court complex where monkeys and humans are struggling to live in peace.

Satinder Bindra, CNN, New Delhi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCEDWARDS: I'm Colleen McEdwards.

CLANCY: I'm Jim Clancy. That's YOUR WORLD TODAY.

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