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Your World Today

Day of Mourning for Virginia Tech Victims; France Prepares for Radical New Chapter in its Political History; Interview with Mary Read's Father; Election Campaign in Nigeria

Aired April 20, 2007 - 11:59   ET

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

STEPHEN FRAZIER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: A somber day of mourning for the lives cut short on the campus of Virginia Tech.
RALITSA VASSILEVA, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: A moment of silence, a pause to remember how the 32 victims lived and not how they died.

FRAZIER: The governor of Virginia has declared Friday a day of mourning, but the remembrance extends far beyond the Commonwealth of Virginia. We've been showing you images. There's the House of Representatives. We've shown you a cathedral in Baltimore, the drill field here at Virginia Tech.

Churches, in fact, across the country are planning to ring their bells and hold prayer services in honor of the victims.

VASSILEVA: And again, that is in Baltimore Basilica. You will be hearing the ringing of bells after the moment of silence, as the whole country from East Coast to West Coast remembers the victims of Virginia Tech today.

Friday, a day of mourning, but also a day of hope and remembrance of the lives of the incredible young people at Virginia Tech and their incredible professors.

Let's listen.

(BELL TOLLING)

VASSILEVA: We're watching live pictures from the campus of Virginia Tech University. We see the students and faculty all wearing orange and maroon, the colors of the state university. Observing a moment of silence to remember the 32 victims of Virginia Tech University. Young lives cut short in a very senseless way.

FRAZIER: And it could not be a more international set of celebrations here. First, the moment of silence. You heard also the ringing of the bells.

This is something that every culture understands. And the officials at Virginia Tech took pains to point out that the ringing of the bells is not just here a symbol of morning, but also of a new day, because in most cultures, including those that have sent students to Virginia Tech, such a multinational community there now, that is a sign of happiness at times, a new life, a new leader, a new wedding, perhaps.

Let's listen some more.

VASSILEVA: Some more pictures there as Virginia Tech mourns and thinks about the lives of those who were felled by the gunman who took his own life, also. Thirty-two students and lecturers died just four days ago, and now this moment to remember their lives.

FRAZIER: This is the view across the drill field that is such a key part of Virginia Tech's culture. And that's the chapel in the background.

What we were looking at a moment ago was the makeshift memorial, Ralitsa, and the 32 makeshift markers that they put up there, baskets of flowers, actually, and flags to mark those who were killed on Monday.

VASSILEVA: Also, there's been an opportunity for the students and faculty to post notes at that makeshift memorial, remembrance, the things they remembered about the victims, what they liked most about them. And that has been just a way to deal with the grief of this immeasurable loss in their of lives. A place of learning not supposed to be dealing with such a tragic, senseless loss of life.

FRAZIER: And whenever there are young lives that are cut short, lives with so much promise -- and these were elite students gathered here from around the world -- there's a special sense that this was tragic. And the university, again, is at pains to talk about what they had already accomplished, how special these young people were. Rather than to focus on the loss, it was to focus on celebrating their achievements, and also to celebrate their sense of community here. It is a place that's very tight-knit.

VASSILEVA: The 32 victims will be receiving posthumous degrees. Many of them were just a month or show shy of getting their degrees. So the university will honor them with posthumous degrees. All 32 will have a degree saying that they graduated from Virginia Tech.

Classes also will be resuming this Monday for those who can bear to go back to class. The college saying it will be very flexible and understanding. Only those who want to return on Monday can return. A lot of them have gone home, some international students have traveled home to faraway places to mourn and to try to get over the horror of what happened just four days ago.

FRAZIER: They are anticipating the need for a lot of adjustment in schedules here. There may be many students so traumatized by these events that they sit out the rest of the term and perhaps lose part of their credits.

American schools have been down this road before. Not always for such violent reasons, as we look there at the flag at half staff. That's happening across the nation.

You remember -- well, you're too young, Ralitsa, but you remember the college strike against the war in Vietnam which sent students home at the very end of a semester, and they got no credit for that. Many schools invited them back in the fall and they doubled up on the course work to try to make good on the time that they lost. There may be arrangements like that in the offing, but we're not that far down the road yet.

VASSILEVA: As we see there, another note and memorial of the victims. Again, the colors, the orange and maroon. Those colors also giving the students a sense of belonging, a sense of courage to move ahead, belonging to a special community that is grieving together, and that is looking for ways to move beyond this terrible tragedy that has come upon this college campus.

FRAZIER: And they know here that they are just at the center of these observances. Their governor is holding a similar observance in Richmond, the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia. There are churches and universities around the country, not just the commonwealth, echoing these scenes with observances of their own. It even extends out of the academic world, Ralitsa, into the financial center of the nation.

VASSILEVA: Yes. New York City, the rainy weather there is reflecting the mood of this nation on this day. The Nasdaq stock market paused its busy work for two minutes to send condolences to the Virginia Tech community.

FRAZIER: It may not be too easy, but if you look closely, you can read the message on that huge outdoor electronic billboard. Normally, it tracks stock prices. But here, if you look closely, you can see, "Our thoughts and prayers are with Virginia Tech students and factuality and their families." Just ahead of the -- just on top of the U.S. flag there on display.

Welcome to our program, which is seen in 200 countries and territories around the world, including the United States.

I'm Stephen Frazier.

VASSILEVA: And I'm Ralitsa Vassileva.

FRAZIER: At this kind of tragic moment, we focus sometimes on the numbers, how many people were killed, how many were hurt, trying to just get a sense, first, of the scale of the tragedy. But then we want to move beyond that.

VASSILEVA: Anderson Cooper goes beyond that, goes beyond the numbers and tells us the personal stories behind some of the victims.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Liviu Librescu was a survivor of the Holocaust, well respected in his field, loved by those he taught. He was remembered by his wife.

MARLENA LIBRESCU, WIFE OF LIVIU LIBRESCU: He was a very good man. I don't know if was heroism, but his life was only his family and his students. COOPER: Librescu was the oldest who died on Monday. Reema Samaha was among the youngest. She was 18 and loved to dance.

"I'm glad I hugged you at our last practice," one student wrote on a campus memorial.

"Save me a dance up there," wrote another.

Lauren McCain was 20. She was an international studies major, and her great-grandmother still finds it hard to believe that Lauren is gone.

FERN MARTIN, VICTIM'S GREAT-GRANDMOTHER: They told me, and said, Lauren is in the -- Lauren is not with us anymore.

I said, why? I said, is she on her way here?

And they said, no. They had a shooting over there.

COOPER: Emily Hilscher's friends say she loved animals. That's why she was majoring in animal and poultry sciences.

"You will never be forgotten, Emily. We love you," a note at the memorial reads.

MARK DEMETRIOU, VIRGINIA TECH STUDENT: She was just a really kind person, always really friendly to me and everyone else. And it's -- it was just really hard to hear that she passed away, and that somebody could just take a life like that, an innocent life.

COOPER: Emily lived on the same floor as Ryan Clark. His friends called him Stack. And there are many messages left for him.

"Stack," one friend wrote, "you were the light in the lives of so many people. I can understand why God would want to have you in heaven with him."

Ryan was a resident assistant, and planned to pursue a doctorate in psychology.

JACOB LUNDEEN, FRIEND OF RYAN CLARK: He worked so hard. You know, like I said, he was a triple major. But he always had fun.

He was always having fun, laughing. And that's one of the things that I learned from him, is that, no matter how bad things get, you have got to think positive. And you have got -- you need to look on the brighter side of life.

COOPER: Jeremy Herbstritt's family is also trying to look on the bright side. He wanted to be a civil engineer.

MIKE HERBSTRITT, JEREMY HERBSTRITT'S FATHER: The rest of our life is going to be celebrating his life, to say what he did good, and to say, that Jeremy was a good boy, a good man. And we're going to love him forever.

COOPER: Every day here, tears are shed, fond memories recounted.

Matthew La Porte, a member of the Corps of Cadets, is remembered for always making his friends laugh.

MELISSA FARKAS, FRIEND OF MATTHEW LA PORTE: He was wearing these Joe Cool sunglasses at night. And -- because he wore them all the time. He loved them. And she asked him, why are you wearing sunglasses at night?

He's like, "Because the sun never sets on a bad ass." And he just had a very unique and very fun personality and sense of humor.

COOPER: Michael Pohle was funny, as well. A lacrosse player, he was about to get a degree in biological sciences.

LAUREN MOONEY, FRIEND OF MIKE POHLE: He was goofy, just had a real love for life. He was just a beautiful person. He touched a lot of people, without even knowing that he was so important to them.

COOPER: There are so many others, lives cut short, but lives well lived.

Daniel O'Neil was a grad student in engineering. He loved to play the guitar and recorded this song, posting it online. His voice will live on. So will the memories of all those who died.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

DANIEL O'NEIL, VIRGINIA TECH MASSACRE VICTIM (SINGING): Because I know that life goes on. And I'm sure that we will be fine. But don't lie to me and tell me that you would love to be mine.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

VASSILEVA: Back to live pictures from the campus of Virginia Tech State University, where a moment of silence was just observed at the top of the hours -- the top of the hour to honor those who died just four days ago, and also to honor their lives.

FRAZIER: There are so many questions still unanswered about this, so many people seeking greater understanding of what happened. Even without knowing a lot of answers, we are hearing support being provided to this community from people all around the world. Our inbox just flooded here with e-mails.

VASSILEVA: From all over the world, people sending their condolences to those affected by the tragedy at Virginia Tech.

FRAZIER: As we watch these continuing scenes, we are going to share some of the thoughts that have been sent in here.

Lillian (ph) from Kenya sent one message. "I would like to let those know who are bereaved know that God will give them comfort in their time of mourning. May the victims' souls rest in peace."

VASSILEVA: Florina (ph) from Romania wrote to us, "Every time I see the images from Virginia Tech, I can't help having tears in my eyes. I hope the victims' families can cope with their pain."

FRAZIER: Jenny (ph) from Malaysia writes, "As a parent myself, I can only imagine the grief of the victims' parents. What an unnecessary loss of precious lives."

VASSILEVA: And Adawali (ph) from Nigeria has this message of encouragement for students attending Virginia Tech. "Lift your heads, and the name of your great school, so that the flag of the school will keep flying. Stay strong."

FRAZIER: As you can hear, people's opinions on this coverage the full spectrum. We'd like to thank you for sending us your thoughts. Please continue to do that, and we'll read them out as the day progresses here. But that's exactly the kind of thoughts expressed on campus, as well.

VASSILEVA: And as America mourns the Virginia Tech victims on this day, coming up on our show, we will show you how Iraqis are fighting back against senseless violence in their country.

FRAZIER: There is a new green zone in Baghdad. It has nothing to do with the war. Tired of seeing bombs planted around the city, one group is instead planting flowers, hoping that gardens could bring much needed beauty to Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have the hottest star today, OK, who is the son of the hottest actor in the industry getting married to the most beautiful face in the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VASSILEVA: A love story sweeps India off its feet. Two stars tie the not in what's been called Bollywood's biggest wedding.

HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And who will be the next French president?

I'm Hala Gorani, in Paris. Join me for a live report, as France prepares for a radical new chapter in its political history.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GORANI: Welcome back to Paris, France, and CNN International. This is YOUR WORLD TODAY, and I'm Hala Gorani.

Well, the candidates in the French presidential election have just a few hours left to make their final pleas and send out their messages, hoping that French voters will put them through to the second round two weeks from Sunday. A couple more days left, but there is an issue in this French presidential election.

Up to 40 percent of voters, two days before they go to the polls, say they are still undecided. And that can have a major impact on the result. You see here on your screen the conservative, Nicolas Sarkozy, closer to the United States. He is favored to lead France into the post-Jacques Chirac political era.

But there is also the socialist left-wing candidate, Segolene Royal. She is running a close second. She's closing the gap, though, in recent days.

The end of campaigning will give voters a chance to reflect before polls open on Sunday. A runoff between the top two contenders is planned for two weeks from this Sunday.

As we mentioned, though, many, many undecided voters. Among the 12 candidates, all their campaign strategy is focusing on trying to get those who have not made their top pick yet to favor their candidate.

Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GORANI (voice over): The passionate campaign speeches, the last- minute pleas. It's the final countdown in France's race for the presidency.

The socialist candidate, Segolene Royal, in Toulouse, the right wing frontrunner and leader in the polls, Nicolas Sarkozy, and the so- called third man, centrist Francois Bayrou, all among 12 vying to succeed Jacques Chirac. But although there may be passion and interest, there's also major indecision. Up to 40 percent of French voters say they still don't know for sure who they will pick on Sunday.

JONATHAN FENBY, AUTHOR, "ON THE BRINK": A lot of voters are undecided, basically because they have got three strong candidates to choose between. And those have been sending out rather confusing messages.

GORANI: On the streets of Paris, a few undecided voters share their confusion.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't recognize ourselves anymore in French policy and French politicians.

"No, I haven't decided yet," says this woman. 'First, I wanted to vote for Sarkozy, but at the moment, I'm thinking about voting for Segolene Royal. I will decide for sure Sunday."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know where my decision lies, but I've got a little doubt today whether my decision is going to be A or B.

GORANI: Doubt that campaign managers hope will play in their favor. With the highest number of newly registered voters in 25 years, and so many undecided, experts say poll numbers may not be as reliable this time, and France could be in for some major surprises come Sunday. (END VIDEOTAPE)

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PETER READ, MARY READ'S FATHER: I'm sure every parent says that about their child. But in Mary's case, I think it was universally recognized.

CLANCY: What do you want the world to know about Mark Karen?

READ: I want the world to know that Mary was selfless, she was focused on service to others, she was here to major in elementary education because she wanted to help and teach children. She loved children. And that's really what she wanted to do with her life.

CLANCY: Mary was very proud of her Korean heritage, as well?

READ: Mary and her brother are very proud of the fact that they have a foot in both worlds, and through their mother, and their Korean heritage, and, of course, through our family, here in America. And they both exemplified the very best of what they received from their parents.

CLANCY: And she was comfortable balancing between two worlds, bringing them together?

READ: Well, again, it was her gift in this life, she brought people together, and she bridged divides and gaps. And that's one divide and one gap that I think even now she's going to help bridge.

CLANCY: When you went to her dorm room, very difficult job, packing up her belongings. You pulled out some of the things that she had there, as her own keepsake.

READ: Mary had some pictures, and she had some scriptural quotations, from Jeremiah 29:11, that I would like to share to you. She inserted her own name.

"For I know the plans I have for you, Mary, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you, and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope, in the future."

And that just so much reflects her faith, and her optimism, and her big hopes and dreams for the future, to be able to learn and to grow and to serve, and especially to help children.

She had pictures with some of her very good friends, and this is one I especially like with her very good friend Danielle. They went to high school together. You see him here with the ropes from their French honor society. And Mary was in French class on Monday morning.

And I have another one here that Mary had, with her other very good friend Mary Draper, from their National Honor Society induction. And what I want you to understand about my daughter, and about all of these sons and daughters, they are the best that this generation had to offer. And they were here at Virginia Tech, because they believed in this school, and this community, and they believed it would help them go out into the world, and do great things for other people.

And so, even though we are talking about my daughter, and that's, of course, what's closest to me, I want everyone to be thinking about each and everyone of our sons and daughters as individuals and human beings, who were really the best, and the brightest that our generation had to offer, and we were all so proud of every one of them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VASSILEVA: That was Peter Read, the father of Mary Read, who died in the Virginia Tech massacre. So many great deeds that will be left undone since the loss, the senseless loss of these young lives.

Since those shootings, many have asked how and why. CNN's Soledad O'Brien takes you inside the mind of a killer in a special report, "Massacre at Virginia Tech," which airs Sunday at 0200 GMT, and again at 0600 and 1400 GMT.

GORANI: Welcome back to Paris, France. I'm Hala Gorani with more on the French presidential election, the first round of voting in two days time.

Candidates making their final push to try to get those undecided voters to cast their ballots in their favor, hoping to make it to the second round and be elected president of France, succeeding to Jacques Chirac.

Here is a recap and a reminder of the main contenders in this French presidential race. First off, there is Nicolas Sarkozy. He is the conservative candidate, from the Union for a Popular Movement, that is the ruling party of the President Jacques Chirac. He was Jacques Chirac's Interior Minister. He is 52 years old.

Segolene Royal is Sarkozy's closest opponent as the Socialist Party candidate. She hopes to become France's first woman president. That would be quite a break with the past. She's 53 years old and has run on a platform of traditional social values.

Now Francois Bayrou. He's been called the third man. He's the Union for French Democracy candidate. He is considered a centrist. He's promised to create a coalition government. He's 55 years old, a teacher, farmer and part-time horse breeder.

Finally, Jean-Marie Le Pen. He's the National Front far right candidate. He is the fifth time running for president, he is 78 years old, considered a long shot by some. A viable candidate by others. He stunned France five years ago, making it to the second round, the extreme right wing candidate.

Our Paris correspondent Jim Bittermann is here. You've been following French politics for how long, Jim?

JIM BITTERMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, 1981 was my first election here. And this has been the most exciting. No question about it. Also been one of the longest. This has been one long campaign. The official period is about two weeks long, but the unofficial campaign really started last summer, some of the first Sarkozy literature starting coming out last summer.

I thought I would show you how this works here. Every French voter, after all the information, they have heard all through the month since, got this this week in the mail. These are the campaign brochures for all the candidates that come in exactly the order their was determined by lot. And they also have in here the ballots that they can actually take into the polling station and put in an envelope, that's the ballot they've cast. Or they can get more of these at the polling station.

A very simple system. This year, they tried electronic voting machines, and just as in the United States, a lot of controversy about that.

GORANI: A lot of controversy and some reluctance to actually embrace it fully, I think.

BITTERMAN: Absolutely.

GORANI: But as far as international viewers are concerned who may not have followed this campaign as closely as we have, why is this such a crucial period in French politics and for the country as a whole?

BITTERMAN: Well, I think there's a lot of things happening here. One of the things is it's a generational thing. These are all new candidates, who are basically coming from a generation of leaders that has not known World War II, for example. Of the top three you mentioned, Francois Bayrou, 55, is the oldest of the three, only Jean- Marie Le Pen, if he does get into the second round, seems very doubtful. But if he gets into the second round, he would be one person that would have an institutional memory of the war.

That's one thing. A new generation of voters. And there's been a lot of new voters come in the system. And we mentioned in the stories we've done, more than a million new voters that have come into the system. So that's another thing.

Also I think there's a feeling here that something needs to be done to modernize France, to bring France up to speed with the rest of the world. A lot of doubt about it.

GORANI: Absolutely. The labor market, very high unemployment. Double digits. French voters really want their country to change for the better.

BITTERMAN: Exactly. And the question is how to do that. And as Dominic Noisey (ph) just said a little bit ago, the fact is that each one of the candidates represents a different style of change, and that's what the French voters are going to have to choose between.

GORANI: All right, Jim Bitterman, we're going to be following this over the next two days and beyond, the second round is in two weeks, but before that happens, we need the two top front runners to emerge, and in the next few hours, we're not going to be able to give you polling numbers anymore. This is French law. The two days proceeding the first day, we cannot give you official polling numbers, but we will still be covering this election, of course, from all angles. Hope you can join us for that.

This is YOUR WORLD TODAY. I'm Hala Gorani in Paris. Much more ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

VASSILEVA: Welcome back. You're watching YOUR WORLD TODAY, here on CNN International.

FRAZIER: We're seen now live by more than 200 countries and territories across the globe.

Well, even as French voters are getting ready to go to the polls this weekend, Africa's most populous nation is also set to elect a new president Saturday in what will be the first civilian to civilian handover in the nation's history. There are 25 candidates in the running, and it's an exciting race. People are packing the public spaces.

Isha Sesay reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISHA SESAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Crucial days ahead for Africa's most populous nation. As Nigerians look to elect a new leader Saturday. Last weekend's regional elections were seen as a key test in Nigeria's move towards multiple party democracy. But with widespread reports of electoral fraud and voter intimidation during last Saturday's elections, questions are once again being asked about the state of democracy in the nation.

Nigeria's current vice president, Atiku Abubakar who was only included on the ballot this week, is among those concerned.

ATIKU ABUBAKAR, NIGERIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We do not anticipate any elections on Saturday. What we anticipate is again, votes allocation by the ruling party.

SESAY: The government and electoral commission have rejected calls for Saturday's polls to be postponed. But there's a sense here the seemingly constant political bickering and controversy is overshadowing key issues that concern ordinary Nigerians.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The poverty situation is increased. (inaudible) say 75 percent of the people in Nigeria are poor. I think poverty is the aspect they should really work on. SESAY: After eight years of civilian rule, few Nigerians are enjoying the wholesale benefits of democracy. Nigeria may be the world's sixth largest oil provider with foreign exchange reserves of more than $40 billion. But it remains one of the world's poorest countries. More than 70 percent of the population lives on less than a dollar a day. And while President Olesegun Obasanjo has made great strides in reforming the economy, there's a desire for the new government to go further in creating desperately need jobs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Person that will come in next should try to create jobs. We have graduates, people who leave school but there's nothing out there to do.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FRAZIER: And Isha joins us live from Abuja in Nigeria with more on this exciting race. Isha, let's talk a little bit about what happened last weekend. There were 36 states electing new governors, and those elections, unfortunately, seem to be marred by a lot of violence and a lot of potential cheating.

SESAY (on camera): Indeed, Stephen. There have been widespread reports of electoral fraud, voter intimidation, and wholesale rigging. Now, the President Olusegun Obasanjo himself said in a nation-wide broadcast that there were irregularities that marred last Saturday's poll, but he was keen to stress that progress had been made from other elections.

Now, those elections last week were seen as a key test ahead of Saturday's presidential election, and there's no doubt that those reports have some what jaded ordinary Nigerians, who are now questioning the value of their vote. But having spoken to the spokesperson, for the electoral commission, they are keen to stress that Saturday's landmark presidential election will be free, fair and credible.

Stephen?

FRAZIER: Those are the key words, Isha, if this comes off as free and fair, it's not just good for Nigeria, but in a sense it would bolster the idea of good governance across Africa.

SESAY: Stephen, there is a lot at stake here, and political analysts that you speak to are keen to stress it's not just democracy in Nigeria that is at stake. The fact of the matter is, Nigeria is this continent's most populous nation and it's a key player, it's a regional superpower.

So, for a lot of people, successful elections would be a massive boost for the experiment of democracy in this nation, and would further boost that experiment across the nation, and, really, it would also influence further a field internationally in terms of Nigeria's oil reserves which are key strategic interests certainly, to countries like the U.S.

FRAZIER: Well, we will be watching these developments very closely. We're glad you're there. Isha Sesay joining us from the administrative capital Abuja, Nigeria. Isha, thanks.

VASSILEVA: And now to a story that has gripped India today. Two of Bollywood's biggest stars are now Bollywood's hottest couple. The wedding of Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan took place on Friday.

FRAZIER: Satinder Bindra was in Mumbai. That was about as close as he could get to the ceremony, and like everybody else in India he found himself on the outside, trying to look in.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SATINDER BINDRA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They promised it would be a private affair. It was. Just over 100 family, friends and relatives were invited to what's been described as Bollywood's grandest wedding in recent times.

Thousands watched. Others climbed rooftops for the best view. But they couldn't see much because of these buses. Besides transporting the groom's family for their traditional wedding procession, they also served as a shield. Blocking the media from taking pictures.

The groom in this case, Abhishek Bachchan, one of India's hottest stars and son of acting legend Amitabh Bachchan. Because of the large crowds it took the groom's family almost an hour to reach the marriage venue. Waiting outside a huge crowd as police tried to push them back.

Abhishek's bride, former Miss World Aishwarya Rai, currently one if India's top actresses, quietly made her way inside. Following tradition, Abhishek Bachchan covered the last few yards to the venue on a white stallion.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The hype is OK, the excitement will never go away. And this is because of the celebrity status they have achieved by their hard work, and luck.

BINDRA (on camera): For three days now, this marriage has been one of the top stories in the Indian media. Journalists have been reporting every tiny detail, everything from the wedding cart, to the trousseau to who is on the guest list.

(voice-over): Several radio stations have been offering prizes for listeners giving correct answers related to wedding trivia. Radio jockey Malishka says she can never forget this day.

MALISHKA, RADIO JOCKEY: It is something to tell your kids about. I was alive when Bollywood's biggest wedding happened, the prettiest woman married the most eligible guy then.

BINDRA: Some Indians are despondent their media is devoting so much time to the couple's wedding. But others say India is now just like the rest of the world, where the paparazzi set the agenda.

SHALINI SHARMA, MEDIA CRITIC: Bad thing for the stars, good thing for the people and the media. I mean, it is always interesting. There is always a curiosity element. Everybody loves to know what the next guy is up to behind closed doors.

BINDRA: At 33, few now expect Aishwarya Rai to act in many more movies. But critics say she will make much more money doing endorsements. That's not what the fans are thinking about, even after climbing trees. In a long wait, most went home without even a glimpse of their favorite stars. Satinder Bindra, CNN, Mumbai.

FRAZIER: Well, now to the more recent developments from what was once one of Hollywood's, not Bollywood's, hottest couples. Where actor Alec Baldwin is now in hot water because of a hot-blooded phone message he left his daughter.

He's in a bitter custody battle with his ex-wife, Hollywood star, actress Kim Bassinger. And his daughter Ireland is getting caught in the middle of this. Take a listen here to a message he left for his 11-year-old on a voice mail machine.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

ALEC BALDWIN, ACTOR: I'm tired of playing this game with you. I'm leaving this message with you to tell you, you have insulted me for the last time. You have insulted me. You don't have the brains or the decency as a human being. I don't give a damn that you are 12 years old or 11 years old, or that you are a child. You are a rude, thoughtless little pig.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

FRAZIER: You know, this seems like it should be a private matter inside the family. But the tape was handed over to a Web gossip site, tmz.com. A spokesman for Alec Baldwin says what you don't hear on what they are playing the apology he made after the call. Kind of discomforting.

VASSILEVA: Very, very.

Well, just ahead, growing hope in Baghdad.

FRAZIER: As insurgents plant bombs, there are lots of other people planting flowers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Instead of planting bombs, we plant flowers. It's beautiful. It makes me feel comfortable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRAZIER: One man's campaign to return Baghdad to its former beauty. And there was much of that.

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FRAZIER: A terrible week in Baghdad. It is the deadliest since the security crackdown began two months ago. VASSILEVA: To some, the situation seems hopeless, but not to everyone. Kyra Phillips talked with the governor of Baghdad.

FRAZIER: He is leading a campaign to bring natural beauty back to what was once one of the world's most beautiful cities.

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KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is a moment no one takes for granted in Baghdad. "We all love beauty, and can you see I'm comfortable talking to you, because we are sitting in a nice garden," Baghdad's governor, Hussein al-Tahan tells me, the environment creates relaxation, so we with increase the gardens and parks in Baghdad, this will help the Iraqi people.

In Iraq, in this war zone, a park, fresh flowers, new paint are considered gifts. "Instead of planting bombs, we plant flowers. It's beautiful. It makes me feel comfortable."

"Thank god for the flowers, grass, even cleaner streets. It just makes me feel better." And that's exactly what Governor al-Tahan wants. He's spending millions of dollars, trying to replace the destruction of bombs with beauty.

Now painted with the Iraqi flag, these columns used to be covered with quotes from Saddam Hussein. Hundreds of gardens are blooming. Fountains, art. Street work. Even blast walls are becoming beautiful murals.

"The security situation forces us to put up blast walls, the governor explains. Not everyone wants to accept this military environment, so we are changing colors. Avoiding the ugly appearance, and painting positive pictures."

However, that ugly picture of war still makes these projects brutally difficult and deadly.

You've had 300 workers and engineers die trying to do this job. How do you keep workers coming back?

"We are trying to coordinate more security for them. Their job is more dangerous than being a minister in Iraq."

Dangerous for garden supervisors like Manaf Faroun (ph). "I just wanted to defy the terrorists and add something to our country," Manaf tells me. "This regains the beauty of our past."

Beauty and bravery, still hard for many Iraqis to believe in.

(on camera): This is Zayouna Park (ph). It cost half a million dollars to build this, and it's the first recreation area of its kind, since the fall of Saddam Hussein. It has two soccer fields, plus a volley ball, handball and basketball court. It has a garden, and a brand new restaurant. It's beautiful.

The only problem is, Iraqis are still afraid of the terrorists. Which means they are still afraid to come here. Today, it's empty.

(voice-over): So, how are you going to get the moms and the kids to the park? "We believe that behind every man, there's a great woman, and those women are led by their children. And the children will convince the women to visit these parks and gardens."

Familiar sounds of sirens now come binned with samples of new scenery. One more creative attempt at peace in Iraq. Kyra Phillips, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VASSILEVA: Let's hope it will bring some peace. I'm Ralitsa Vassileva.

FRAZIER: I'm Stephen Frazier. The news continues.

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