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Your World Today

World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz to Fight for Job; Russia, U.S. Agree to Tone Down Rhetoric; Fighting Between Palestinian Factions Leaves 12 Dead

Aired May 15, 2007 - 12:00   ET

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

JIM CLANCY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: A day of reckoning for the embattled president of the World Bank. Paul Wolfowitz prepares to face the board to save his job.
HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Progress in the investigation of a missing British girl. Police formally question a man in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN SWEENEY, BBC REPORTER: SWEENEY: No! Listen to me! You were not there at the beginning of that interview! You...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CLANCY: Well, a meltdown on videotape. A BBC reporter loses it while confronting Scientologists. Did the church turn the tables on him?

GORANI: And the story of a blind man with a unique vision that helped save dozens of lives during World War II.

It is noon in Washington, 5:00 p.m. in Lisbon, Portugal.

Hello and welcome. Our report is broadcast around the globe.

I'm Hala Gorani.

CLANCY: I'm Jim Clancy.

From Washington to Berlin, Lisbon to London, wherever you are watching, this is YOUR WORLD TODAY.

Paul Wolfowitz is headed for a showdown.

GORANI: The World Bank President goes before the board of directors in just a few hours to fight for his job.

CLANCY: This meeting is coming after a scathing internal report that accused Wolfowitz of breaking bank rules has he arranged a promotion and a pay raise for his girlfriend.

GORANI: Well, the report also said that the World Bank is suffering from a "crisis in leadership," and questioned whether Wolfowitz should remain as president. U.S. State Department Correspondent Zain Verjee joins us now with a look at what to expect at that crucial meeting.

Zain, first off, exactly what did the report say?

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPT. CORRESPONDENT: A scathing report, Hala, as you just mentioned. Some real tough words for president of the World Bank Paul Wolfowitz.

The report basically says that he violated staff rules by promoting and giving his girlfriend a pretty chunky pay raise. Her name is Shaha Riza.

She was earning something like $194,000 tax free. It also goes on to say that it created a situation of conflict of interest, saying -- and I'm quoting from the report -- "It evidences questionable judgment and a preoccupation with self-interest over institutional best interest." It also questioned Wolfowitz's ability to lead the World Bank now effectively, saying, look, essentially, there's a crisis in leadership.

Paul Wolfowitz, though, is fighting back. Fighting to hold on to his job tooth and nail. He's been under huge pressure to resign.

The White House says it fully backs him, it supports him. And today the message from the White House specifically is that, you know, what he did does not amount to a firing offense.

Paul Wolfowitz is going to go before the board today, this afternoon at 5:00 p.m. He is going to give his statement, and then he is going to take questions -- Hala.

GORANI: Now, we know what the committee investigating Wolfowitz has said. What is Wolfowitz's defense in all of this?

VERJEE: He is saying that he did nothing wrong. He acted entirely properly, and he acted all along in good faith.

He says that, you know, look, you know, when it was 2005, I was negotiating my contract. I went to the World Bank, and I said I'm romantically involved with one of the employees. What shall I do? He says that he acted upon the recommendation of the World Bank's Ethics Committee, and they were fully in the picture of exactly what he was doing.

Now, we talked to his lawyer, Robert Bennett, and he gave us a statement and said essentially that Wolfowitz has been treated really unfairly in all of this. Robert Bennett says that "I'm very disappointed that the ad hoc committee that insisted on confidentiality put its report on its Web site before the full board had a chance to consider the report."

He goes on, "This is just one more example of unfair dealing and the unfair effort to get him to resign." Robert Bennett also added that Wolfowitz is not going to resign under a cloud, and he hopes that the World Bank board will be objective and give Wolfowitz a fair shake -- Hala.

GORANI: One quick last question, very briefly. This is the number two -- former number two at the Pentagon, one of the architects of the Iraq War. Is the World Bank board likely to fire him, the board?

VERJEE: Well, that's unknown. The lawyer said he will not resign under a cloud and this is the situation. But what people are saying is that this now is bigger than the girlfriend.

You know, this is a power play essentially by the Europeans and the World Bank, who never really liked Paul Wolfowitz as being an architect of the war in Iraq. They don't like his management style. They're unhappy with the way he's handled his anti-corruption drive at the World Bank, and what they want is to see him out. And really, this is about anti-American sentiment, too, at the World Bank.

GORANI: All right.

Zain Verjee, thanks so much for that live report.

CLANCY: All right. We're going to find out about 5:00 p.m. A lot of factors that are coming in here.

You know, a lot of people are saying Wolfowitz has a point about the Ethics committee, while other critics look at them and say, you know what needs to happen? Wolfowitz needs to go for the credibility of the bank and he can take the Ethics Committee with him.

GORANI: Well, there's a 24-member board that's going to decide what action, if any, to take against him.

We'll be following that and, of course, bringing you the latest.

CLANCY: All right.

Now facing a host of contentious issues, a U.S. diplomatic mission to Russia off to a rather tense start so far. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and President Vladimir Putin finding very little common ground on the future of Kosovo or on that U.S. missile defense system. They say they have agreed, though, to tone down the public rhetoric through a public statement that Rice said.

"We're going to have our differences. There's no doubt about that. There are going to be old scars to overcome. There is no doubt about that. But the relationship needs to be free from exaggerated rhetoric."

Senior International correspondent Matthew Chance is monitoring the trip from Moscow for us.

Matthew, what does both Moscow and Washington see is in their advantage by warming up this really chilly relationship right now? MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's a good question, because we give a lot of attention to the ways in which the relationship has been frosty over the past several months. But certainly there are a lot of advantages for both sides for them to warm these frosty relations. That's why we're seeing this diplomatic initiative from the United States with the visit of Condoleezza Rice.

Last month, it was Robert Gates, the U.S. defense secretary who was here. And that's perhaps on the side of Washington they really want to bring Russia on board with a range of issues in the international arena.

The United States still needs Russia very much to maintain pressure, for instance, on Iran over its controversial nuclear program. A program that Russia is helping to construct. They want to make sure that Russia stays on side, on their side when it comes to imposing even tougher sanctions on Iran, if that comes to be necessary.

Also, from the Russian point of view, there's a very strong and increasingly growing trade relationship between Russia and the United States. They don't really want to do anything that might jeopardize that.

Having said that, though, Jim, of course there are these outstanding issues. The issue of missile defense in Europe, the issue of Kosovo, which still continue to divide the two countries in terms of foreign policy.

CLANCY: All right. Matthew Chance there in Moscow, continuing to watch the developments coming out of these meetings that are going on with the U.S. secretary of state right now.

Thank you, Matthew -- Hala.

GORANI: Turning to Iraq, U.S. and Iraqi forces are using all available assets in the search for three missing American soldiers south of Baghdad. Hundreds of Iraqis have been questioned and near a dozen detained in the hope of locating the missing men. ]

They are now presumed kidnapped by insurgents connected to al Qaeda. That group is demanding a halt to the search.

CLANCY: All right. Let's go now to Middle East, in Gaza, where the masked gunmen are roaming the streets while terrified residents are hiding indoors. Fighting between Palestinian factions continues to threaten to spiral out of control.

Twelve people were killed Tuesday. This is the deadliest day yet in several days of fighting.

Ben Wedeman reports the violence coincides with the darkest day on the Palestinian calendar.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Tuesday was supposed to be a day of protest for Palestinians. Every year on May 15th, they mark Yom al-Naqba (ph), Catastrophe Day, to commemorate the loss of their land and the creation of Israel. But the present day catastrophe in Gaza eclipsed commemoration of the old one, as Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah turned their guns on one another yet again.

Since last week, the factional clashes have left more than 20 people dead in Gaza. The Palestinian unity cabinet, or what's left of it, met late Monday. The interior minister had already resigned in frustration following the dramatic collapse of a new security plan for Gaza.

A spokesman declared the factions had settled their differences.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can confirm that through the meetings today between the prime minister and the leaders of Hamas and Fatah, we have an agreement and we have confirmed that this agreement should be implemented this night.

WEDEMAN: But the agreement died shortly after dawn, when yet another hair-raising gun fight broke out between Hamas and Fatah in the heart of Gaza City.

But it is this incident that may well mark a turning point for the worst in relations between Fatah and Hamas. Hamas gunmen reportedly ambushed a car carrying members of the Fatah-affiliated Presidential Guard. One witness said the vehicle was riddled with gunfire after it crashed. At least seven members of the guard were killed.

"We protested to Hamas," says this Fatah spokesman. "They said they're having problems convincing their men to abide by yesterday evening's agreement."

A Hamas spokesman in turn blamed the Presidential Guard and added that it was supplied with, in his words, American weapons and supported by the U.S.

The United States, anxious to bolster President Mahmoud Abbas, has provided forces loyal to Abbas with training and what is described as non-lethal equipment.

Life in Gaza has come to a virtual standstill. Mass gunmen now rule the litter-strewn streets.

(on camera): Gaza is now well on its way to anarchy. Factions that once fought Israel are now at one another's throats, and the dream of a Palestinian state more elusive than ever. Marking an old catastrophe, Palestinians now have yet another one to contemplate.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE) GORANI: Well, Hamas and Fatah are actually partners in a unity government, as we heard there, even though it's really teetering on the brink, it seems. But on the streets, there are competitors in an arms race involving a dizzying number of different forces.

Jonathan Mann joins us now with some "Insight" -- Jonathan.

JONATHAN MANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hala, President Abbas is supposed to be in charge of all official Palestinian security forces. And, in fact, his Fatah movement ran the government for so long that it hired and paid most of the people on the payroll.

But after Hamas won parliamentary elections last year, it set up a militia of its own. So think of a rough estimate of about 80,000 armed men in various units and uniforms, and at this point you need a scorecard to keep track of all the guns in Gaza.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOUIN RABBANI, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: What we have seen with the growing disintegration of the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian national movement over the past five years is a growing proliferation of Palestinian militias and armed groups, and also security forces, factions within factions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANN: To start with, there's the group many Palestinians consider their army, the national security force. It is the largest force under Abbas' control, with an estimated 30,000 men. Though like all the numbers you're going to hear, that's just a rough estimate. It includes a general intelligence force, military intelligence, naval police, and a commander group called Force 17.

Abbas also has an elite Presidential Guard of at least 4,000 men. Now, the guard is expanding fast. It receives the best training and equipment of all of the official security forces.

Then there are the regular Palestinian police, roughly 7,000 men. And the preventive security forces, another 5,000.

There are the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade and other smaller groups that total a few thousand more men. And then there are several thousand PLO troops based in Jordan called the Badr Brigade, not to be confused with a group of the same name in Iraq. President Abbas has formally asked Israel to allow them in to join the fun and games in Gaza.

Meantime, Hamas has hired guns of its own, Hamas' executive force, which has grown from an estimated 3,000 members to at least 5,000, and the 10,000 in the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades. Then there's the popular resistance committees that add another thousand or so.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) RABBANI: We're pretty much staring over at the edge of the abyss. If this government collapses as a result of this new round of bloodshed, a prospect which I think is increasingly likely, it is quite certain that we'll go to a situation which will be significantly worse.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANN: The Palestinian Authority has been subject to an international embargo ever since Hamas took power. So, how are they getting all the guns?

Well, U.S. and Israeli security officials say that Hamas smuggles in its money and weapons from Iran and other allies. The U.S., for its part, is openly backing Fatah with millions of dollars officially for the Presidential Guard, and weapons are said to be coming in from Egypt and Jordan, as well.

So, there's more enough -- more than enough, rather, for the fighting to go on if no one finds a way to stop it -- Hala.

GORANI: And so what does it -- could they not all see this coming, continuously funding, arming some of these factions?

MANN: They could...

GORANI: That it's going to end up becoming an internal...

MANN: And we saw it. We all saw it six months ago. And that's why the Mecca Accord was reached to put these two parties into a coalition government.

Fatah and Hamas were supposed to be cooperating. What, in fact, happened is they agreed to cooperate, agreed to form a unity government. But they couldn't agree on what to do about the security forces. The solution was to name a neutral figure as interior minister.

GORANI: And he is gone.

MANN: A neutral figure -- he quit. So they don't really know what to do.

In any other situation, you might say, well, time for a new election. Settle this at the polls. But it's too dangerous to have an election.

We just heard one man say that if the government collapses, the fighting will get even worse. And Hamas says it doesn't want a new election. It won.

GORANI: It won, right. That's what -- that's what so many say in the Middle East.

MANN: So they're... GORANI: There's the democratic result of an election, yet we're being punished for it. I mean, that's what you hear when you travel around the region.

So, it's really a complicated issue on so many levels.

MANN: There's no solution unless they can find one together.

GORANI: Jonathan Mann, thanks very much, with some "Insight".

CLANCY: Well, there's a lot more to tell you about right here on YOUR WORLD TODAY.

GORANI: And we'll get the latest twist in the case of Madeleine McCAnn. She's the British girl missing in Portugal.

CLANCY: We'll tell you about a new development in that case.

GORANI: But first, what is all the yelling about? It's part of an interesting confrontation we will replay for you.

CLANCY: And then take a close look at the lower right portion of your screen. An elderly man attacked and beaten. No one, no one intervenes.

Do people just not care anymore? We're going to ask that question.

You're watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CLANCY: Hello, everyone. And welcome back to YOUR WORLD TODAY on CNN International.

GORANI: We are going deeper into the day's top stories this hour.

CLANCY: Now, one of the stories that we're following is the Church of Scientology, and it is, as everyone will admit, a bit of an enigma.

GORANI: Well, it's a following, a religion, a mystery all wrapped up in one package.

CLANCY: A lot of people over the years have investigated or tried to investigate the group. Even some of them going inside it.

Members, though, fiercely protect it, as a BBC reporter found out.

Randi Kaye has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN SWEENEY, BBC REPORTER: Don't batter (ph) me. TOMMY DAVIS, SPOKESMAN, CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY: No, I'm not stopping here.

SWEENEY: No. No.

DAVIS: You listen to me for a second.

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What you're about to see is a reporter crack. John Sweeney had been investigating the Church of Scientology for the BBC. He says he was chased by sinister strangers and spied on at his own wedding.

Just before he lost it, Sweeney attended an Industry of Death exhibition. Members of the church showed disturbing video and blamed the Holocaust on psychiatry.

SWEENEY: No, Tommy, you...

DAVIS: Brainwashing is a crime!

SWEENEY: No. Listen to me! You were not there at the beginning of that interview!

DAVIS: Brainwashing is a crime! It's a crime!

KAYE: Sweeney's documentary "Scientology and Me" included the clips of his shouting match with Scientologist Tom Davis.

SWEENEY: Do you understand?

DAVIS: Brainwashing is a crime against humanity.

SWEENEY: Do you understand?

KAYE: Clips of Sweeney's meltdown were posted on YouTube. Sweeney did not want to be interviewed tonight, but released a statement on the BBC's Web site: "Scientology has prepared an attack video. Scientologists are expected to release 100,000 copies of it."

Why?

BRUCE HINES, FORMER SCIENTOLOGIST: To try to get him to back off and possibly to get the BBC to back off. And, secondly, it's just to discredit the individual John Sweeney. He's the one doing this documentary on Scientology. And, if they can show that he is not credible, they will do that.

KAYE: Former Scientologist Bruce Hines, who left the church after 30 years, says it's common practice for Scientologists to keep their on cameras rolling on reporters.

MIKE RINDER, DIRECTOR, CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY INTERNATIONAL: John Sweeney would have denied that anything that he had done happened. That would have all ended up on the cutting room floor. Nobody would have ever seen it.

DAVIS: I would just like to -- and -- and I hope somebody is shooting this. OK. Good.

SWEENEY: Rather, there's actually -- to be fair, there's...

DAVIS: There's...

(CROSSTALK)

SWEENEY: ... there's one camera from the BBC and one camera from your...

(CROSSTALK)

DAVIS: No, you listen to me for a second. You have...

SWEENEY: Some people say it's a cult.

DAVIS: ... no right whatsoever to say what and what isn't a religion. The Constitution of the United States of America guarantees one's right to practice and believe freely in this country. And the definition of religion is very clear. And it's not defined by John Sweeney.

KAYE: Here, Sweeney had just suggested to Davis, critics believe Scientology is a cult.

SWEENEY: Now, my friend, it is your turn to listen to...

(CROSSTALK)

DAVIS: Goodbye.

SWEENEY: No. It is your turn to listen to me.

I'm a British subject, not an American citizen. And, in my country, we have a freedom of speech.

KAYE (on camera): In his documentary, Sweeney apologizes for losing control. He says he was wrong, that he let him team down, lost his voice, but not his mind.

In a separate video being shown on YouTube, he apologized to Tom Davis and the Church of Scientology.

SWEENEY: You were interrupting me or preventing me from saying my points.

(CROSSTALK)

DAVIS: You interrupted me first. But that's immaterial.

SWEENEY: And I wanted to demonstrate to you that, actually, my voice is louder than yours. But I did it in a way which I -- I regret. And I apologize to the Church of Scientology.

(CROSSTALK) KAYE (voice-over): None of this surprises former Scientologist Bruce Hines, who says specific steps are taken to respond to reporters.

HINES: These give quite a lot of information about what to do about what they call black propaganda. And black propaganda, in their view, is any sort of negative -- negative publicity.

KAYE: Negative publicity is nothing new for the Church of Scientology. But, this time, it may have successfully turned the tables, exposing a journalist, a critic, at his worst, faster than he could apologize.

Randi Kaye, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GORANI: Well, that's up for the viewers to decide.

Still ahead on YOUR WORLD TODAY, a profile in courage.

CLANCY: He put his life on the line to save dozens from certain death in concentration camps. The story of a blind man with a little workshop.

GORANI: Also ahead, the Indian government has tried other ways to keep the Taj Mahal pristine white. Now will a mud pack restore its original beauty?

Stay with us.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CLANCY: All right. Now, to a major development in that case of the missing British girl in Portugal.

GORANI: Madeleine McCann disappeared from her sort apartment 12 days ago. Police, though -- and this is the difference -- now have a suspect.

CLANCY: The British man was seen helping the family. He was functioning as an interpreter, moving in and out of the area where they were staying and he actually lived about 100 meters from the family's room at that resort.

GORANI: But we must point out that while police call him a suspect, he has not been charged.

Harry Smith has more on the man at the center now of the investigation.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRY SMITH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Continuing their heroic efforts to pursue a family life as normal as possible, Jerry (ph) and Kate McCann they walk the twins to a nearby (INAUDIBLE) this morning as the latest news broke. They were sad to be encouraged by the development. It's thought that Robert Murat, pictured here earlier this week had been helping the McCann's as a interpreter, using his fluent Portuguese to liase between the family and the police. He was questioned at a local police station, along with two other people. All three were released late last night and driven off. It's not known where Mr. Murat spent the night. Police have been carrying out a detailed search at his house, which is just over 100 yards from the apartment where Madeine was abducted 12 days ago.

Officers wearing forensic overalls and masks could be seen examining a green van parked in the driveway. They've also drained the swimming pool and the cess pit.

Mr. Murat's mother, Jenny, also helped in the investigation, pictured here at the stall she set up for locals to pass on information which might help the police. The green van in the background is the one now being searched.

So what do we know of Robert Murat. He's 33 years old, the son of an English mother and a Portuguese father. He grew up in the Algarve, but moved to England in his late teens. About 11 years ago he married an English woman in Normok. He worked at a Bernard Matthews plant, sold cars and was an occasional police interpreter. Then three years ago, his marriage broke down and returned to live with his mother in Praya Deluge (ph), Leaving behind his daughter, who like Madeleine is blond and now four years old. Friends of Mr. Murat heard the news in disbelief.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Complete shocked. Freaked out, because he's -- I just think everyone's barking up the wrong tree, to be honest. I mean, he's a really nice guy, always very helpful, and that's probably his downfall.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've known Robert, his brother and his sister since they were little children. They grew up here, and he just seems -- he's just the most helpful person. He's working with the police. He wouldn't tell the media or anything because he was helping the police.

SMITH: At the house today in a police guard is still there. There was a brief glimpse of his mother as she opened the gate for a visitor. Mr. Murat is not held by police, but so far, he hasn't been seen since he was questioned.

Harry Smith, ITV News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GORANI: All right. And there will be a news conference at 1:00 p.m. Eastern -- that's in about 23 minutes from now -- held by police in Portugal about the disappearance of Madeleine McCann and their investigation, and we will be monitoring that and bringing you any updates as they come in here to CNN -- Jim. CLANCY: Well, Hala, this is a case, of course, that's received widespread, international media attention, celebrities stepping in to make public appeals, or donate money to a reward fund that's grown to millions of pounds.

Nowhere, though, is the concern for Madeline, though, felt more than in her hometown of Rothley, in central England, and that's where Phil Black joins us right now to tell us what the situation is there and how people are viewing these recent developments -- Phil.

PHIL BLACK CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jim, it has been a very difficult day here in Rothley. The people here have invested a great deal of emotion in Madeleine's well being, and you only have to take a walk along the tributes here behind me to get a real sense of just how much she and her family are loved here. So, today's developments although significant are a little tantalizing. There is much that is unknown, questions unanswered, complexities still to be explained. Among those that want the answers are Madeline's her grandparents.

Sue and Brian Healey, Please, step in.

Sue, tell us, have you heard from Portugal at all today?

SUE HEALEY, MADELEIN'S GRANDMOTHER: I've just spoken to Portugal about 20 minutes ago. It was a family friend I spoke to. It wasn't Kate. He really doesn't know anything more than we're getting on the news and in the media. None of us do. And Kate -- I text Kate this morning. And she -- she replied, and I knew from her text that she had had quite a bad evening, quite a bad night, as I did myself. And I think that the coverage last night was quite upsetting. We'd been quite strong during the day, but, you know, you're going to have lows, and last night was certainly one of them.

We don't know if anything will come of this inquiry. It could just be a red herring, you know. We've had them before. And I just think that obviously Kate is affected, just as I'm affected by it. We've been to a service this afternoon at the primary school that Madeleine is due to start in September. It was a beautiful service. About half an hour. And it was performed by the children in the school That Madeleine was to join. And the bishop was there. We didn't tell the media because it was a private thing, and the children were asking for help for Madeleine and that Madeleine would be returned to her parents and I think we've -- no one asks better than children and I think we were very moved and we've come away with renewed strength. And we're just hoping that we get Madeleine back soon.

BLACK: Sue, can I ask. This must be difficult, but for you, you must obviously be concerned not only about your granddaughter but your daughter, as well.

HEALEY: Yes, I am concerned about Kate. She's a very strong, kind, caring human being. She looks very frail. But she's steely and because she knows Madeleine needs her mother and needs her to stay strong, she will do. But she must be -- she must be torn apart. I know her love for Madeleine and I just, you know, it must be unbearable for her.

BLACK: Finally, what do you make of all this, when you see all this support in Rothley? What are your thoughts?

HEALEY: I just think the people are -- there are so many good, good people that want a good outcome to this and I'm just amazed. I don't know anyone, the media, anyone that isn't short of 100 percent behind us in wanting to get Madeleine back and very touched by everything that people are doing. Doesn't matter what religion, what creed. You know, it just brings the goodness out in people and we are -- it's this that makes us go on day by day, because normally, we wouldn't be able to do this. We wouldn't be able to talk when we're so full of despair and grief and worry. And we're doing it purely because we're getting this kind of support and I just ask people to carry on praying that we'll get Madeleine back soon.

BLACK: Sue, Brian, thank you very much.

Jim, it's hoped that some of the answers that we -- that we're asking about today's developments will come. Many people here in Rothley will be glued to their televisions in a short period of time when that statement from Portuguese police is expected -- Jim?

CLANCY: Phil Black, thank you very much for that interview and report.

Well still ahead, it's one of the most beautiful monuments in all of the world.

GORANI: But the vision in shimmering white is turning yellow. Will some mud help restore the Taj Mahal to its former glory?

CLANCY: Also, the videos capture disturbing ages of crimes. But why? Why are people just standing by watching and doing nothing?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CLANCY: Jerry Falwell, the religious leader in the United States, whose support and backing is often sought by presidential contenders, has been found unconscious in his office. CNN confirms he has been taken to a local hospital in Lynchburg, Virginia. He apparently missed a morning appointment and he was found unconscious in his office.

Jerry Falwell, the one-time leader of the Moral Majority in the United States has a very popular on-air televangelism operation. He has been both criticized by some as injecting too much religion in politics and supported by others as a reasonable voice against sex and violence in television and other areas of American life.

Once again, Jerry Falwell reportedly pa (ph) -- unconscious, found in his office, has been taken to a Lynchburg, Virginia, hospital. We'll have more on that coming up at the top of the hour and especially for viewers of CNN USA.

GORANI: Sister network USA, and of course, the televangelist, the founder of that popular TV show, very, very well-known figure here.

Now, a story of a World War II hero you've probably never heard of before.

CLANCY: That's right. He name is Otto Weidt, and much like Oscar Schindler, whose story was chronicled in the pain (ph) movie "Schindler's List," Weidt saved many Jews from certain death.

GORANI: Now unlike Schindler, Weidt could never see those he helped. Frederik Pleitgen explains why.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Inge Deutschkron comes to this room almost every day. It's a room she worked in for almost two years during the second World War, a room where a blind man saved her life many times, she recalls.

Otto Weidt manufactured brooms and brushes at this Berlin workshop. He employed almost only Jews, most of them blind, like him. Inge Deutschkron was one of the few non-blind workers.

INGE DEUTSCHKRON, HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR: We have been treated so badly by the Nazis. I don't want to say that it's influence us, but it was awful, it was degrading, you know? And here was a man who treated us with respect. As I said, like human beings should treat each other ...

PLEITGEN: But Otto Weidt did even more. He put his life on the line time and again to save some of the weakest among the persecuted, the blind.

DEUTSCHKRON: Suddenly, a big van stopped here in the courtyard. Two gestapo men came out and said all blind people, make yourself ready. You will be deported. Do you know what that means, blind people? He turned to the gestapo, what do you think? How can I complete my work? I have orders from the verma (ph), from the army, for brooms and brushes. How can I fulfill these orders if you take my workers away?

PLEITGEN: When the Nazis started deporting Jews to concentration camps in 1941, Otto Weidt hid whole families in his workshop and like Oscar Schindler in the movie, "Schindler's List," Weidt persuaded and often bribed the gestapo, the Nazi secret police, to let him keep his workers, saving dozens from certain death in concentration camps.

Here in Otto Weidt's workshop, a foundation is setting up the first permanent memorial for Germans who hid Jews during the Nazi era, a memorial that its founders say would have been unthinkable in Germany only a decade ago.

JOHANNES TUCHEL, "SILENT HEROES": All people who were against the Nazis were seen as traitors in Germany, and so the Germans need a lot of time to accept that is what the good thing to fight against Nazism. DEUTSCHKRON: Not everybody is born a hero. There were many people who said I would so much like to help but I'm afraid. Yes, that is a valid argument, understand?

PLEITGEN: But Otto Weidt was a hero Inge Deutschkron says, a blind man with a little workshop who deserves to be honored.

Frederik Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GORANI: Well, time for us to take a short break.

CLANCY: When we come back, bystander syndrome. Why some people just stand around and watch, but don't step in to prevent heinous crimes. More coming up.

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GORANI: The Indian government is being told to give the Taj Mahal a makeover. A new parliamentary report says that pollution is turning the monument's marble surface a dingy yellow. The committee created to monitor the building says dirt and dust created by fossil fuels among other things are causing the unflattering color. They recommend a mud pack to help restore the surface. Currently, cars and buses must park two kilometers from the Taj Mahal to limit pollution near the monument.

CLANCY: It's still beautiful.

Well, it happens -- sorry. It happens so often that psychologists have a name for it. This is not a beautiful story, it's called the bystander effect.

GORANI: That's when people watch a crime being committed and yet do nothing to stop brutal attacks.

CLANCY: Whether it's fear, whether, you know, it's just indifference or what is it? Something else maybe. Many people are just reluctant to step forward as we learn now from Anderson Cooper.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): This video captured on a surveillance camera is shocking to watch. A 91-year-old man punched in the face repeatedly, mercilessly, by a carjacker outside a Detroit liquor store. Also shocking to see, a crowd of at least a half dozen people standing by. It's not clear whether any of them know the attacker. What is clear is that they appear to do absolutely nothing.

SUZANNE YATES, PSYCHOLOGY PROFESSOR: We see it happen time and time again. We know that the social forces are very powerful but it doesn't stop it from being shocking.

COOPER: The phenomenon is so common, in fact, that it has a name, the "bystander effect," or the "genovese effect." Kitty Genovese was murdered in 1964. She was returning to her Queens, New York apartment late one night when she was stabbed to death right outside her building. She screamed for help as 38 neighbors watched from above. The attack lasted more than 30 minutes.

JODIE FOSTER, ACTRESS, "THE ACCUSED": I'm just this, this low life whore that he raped right in front of you. You're not like all the others, you're worse.

COOPER: A movie called, "The Accused" was based on another well- known case. Sheryl Oroya (ph) was gang raped by four men on a pool table in a Massachusetts bar while some patrons cheered them on.

And just this past February, surveillance cameras captured this Chicago police officer beating up a petite female bartender while customers stood by.

Psychologist Suzanne Yates says one possible explanation for the bystander effect is what's called "diffusion of responsibility," assuming others will act.

YATES: The more people who could help, who are available to help in an emergency situation, the less likely it is that any one of them actually will help.

COOPER: Yates also points to what's called "group" or "pluralistic ignorance."

YATES: The way that people decide if it's a crisis is often by looking around to other people. We all look around and notice everybody else looking cool. And it leads us to believe that nobody else thinks there's a problem.

COOPER: There is also, of course, the fear factor.

YATES: Fear about what might happen if you intervene. You could be next, he might pull out a gun or a knife.

COOPER: As for the carjacking victim who happens to be a World War II vet, he survived the ordeal, his spirit intact.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When the guy could have grabbed the keys and taken off, not to beat him.

COOPER: Someone eventually did call 911 and the alleged assailant, 22-year-old Diante Bradley (ph), was arrested and entered a not guilty plea on charges of carjacking and assault with intent to do great bodily harm. As for the harm done by those who did nothing, they'll have to live with themselves.

Anderson Cooper, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: A quick programming note here. Be sure to watch "ANDERSON COOPER 360" on Wednesday beginning at 0200 GMT. Anderson is going to be taking a special look at Africa, the continent's hopes and its challenges. CNN's Africa Correspondent Jeff Koinange will be Anderson's guest for a special hour, tune in.

GORANI: All right, we're looking there (ph), to the latest developments in this story of Jerry Falwell, the American televangelist.

CLANCY: He's a pioneer in the field and we understand he is gravely ill. According to a spokesman, for the group, telling CNN that he is undergoing cardiopulmonary resuscitation at this time. Jerry Falwell, this is the leader of the Moral Majority Coalition and some would say a right wing religious force within the United States. But he was found unconscious in his office.

GORANI: In Lynchburg, Virginia, Liberty University.

CLANCY: That's right. He was (ph) rushed to the hospital. We're going to have more details on this on CNN coming up, straight ahead.

GORANI: Our sister network CNN USA will pick up the story on Jerry Falwell. We will be looking into it, as well, as well as all the latest world news. For now though, for YOUR WORLD TODAY, that will do it.

I'm Hala Gorani.

CLANCY: I'm Jim Clancy, and this is CNN International.

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