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Your World Today

Iranian Reaction to U.S. Intelligence Report; Supreme Court Gitmo Arguments; Man Missing More Than Five Years Now Arrested

Aired December 05, 2007 - 12:00   ET

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

HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Verbal jousts. Iran's president claims a new American intelligence report is a great victory. The U.S. president says Iran still has some explaining to do.
JIM CLANCY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Unanswered questions. A missing British boater surfaces after more than five years and is promptly arrested on suspicion of fraud.

GORANI: And a dangerous mentality. Tragic consequences for one family in a culture that often puts a premium on very hard work.

CLANCY: And a devastating mistake. Two Czech families whose babies were switched at birth try to set things right.

GORANI: It is 8:30 p.m. in Tehran, Iran, 5:00 p.m. in London.

Hello and welcome, everyone. Our report is seen around the globe this hour.

I'm Hala Gorani.

CLANCY: I'm Jim Clancy.

From Tokyo to Prague, wherever you are watching, this is YOUR WORLD TODAY.

Iran calling it a declaration of victory, while the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency says it's a sigh of relief.

GORANI: Now, we begin with fallout from a surprising turnaround in U.S. intelligence on Iran's nuclear ambitions.

CLANCY: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad saying now that a new U.S. report is what he termed a final blow to critics of Iran's nuclear program. The report finds his country stopped work on nuclear weapons back in 2003 and has not resumed it.

GORANI: Meanwhile, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the IAEA, says Iran is somewhat vindicated by the report. Mohamed ElBaradei, who you see there, says inspectors haven't found a smoking gun but says Iran still must address lingering concerns.

CLANCY: Still, for its part, the United States says nobody should relax here just because Iran doesn't have an active nuclear arms program. President George W. Bush stressing that Iran's past covert work proves it's a country that can't be trusted. He's also warning Iran to choose its next move with caution.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Iranians have a strategic choice to make. They can come clean with the international community about the scope of their nuclear activities and fully accept the longstanding offer to suspend their enrichment program and come to the table and negotiate, or they can continue on a path of isolation that is not in the best interests of the Iranian people. The choice is up to the Iranian regime.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GORANI: George Bush. Well, Iran, though, says it's already done enough explaining and defending against what it calls lies about its nuclear program.

Let's bring in Aneesh Raman now for more reaction from Tehran.

All right, reaction to what the Iranian president has said in the last 24 hours from where you are, Aneesh?

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN MIDDLE EAST CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Hala, we decided to go beyond Ahmadinejad's words, because they weren't surprising, and really hit the streets of Tehran to find out what people thought, and not everyone said what you'd expect.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAMAN (voice over): It's an old Iranian refrain heard time and again over the past two years, that the Islamic republic is pursuing peaceful nuclear energy. But now a twist. The U.S. intelligence community agrees.

Forty-year-old Majid (ph) had just read the news.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It made me feel American politicians who want to run the world are betraying everyone. People to people in each country, we have no problems with each other.

RAMAN: Iranians almost as a whole have been steadfast in support of their right to nuclear energy, even as tensions and sanctions have ratcheted up over the past two years.

(on camera): There is in Tehran a clear sense of vindication, and while word is still getting out, news of the report is the headline of virtually every major newspaper.

(voice over): To make sure nobody misses the point, Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in his first comments on the subject, touted the report of victory. And for many here, the fact that President Bush Tuesday showed no change in strategy only serves Ahmadinejad.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: George Bush could have been more conciliatory, which he wasn't. Now, Ahmadinejad can turn to Iranian people, can turn to Arab people, can turn to the Muslim people, can turn to the world and say that, but, look, this man has something against us.

RAMAN: It's become a battle of dueling presidents with their people stuck in between. And because of that, even after the latest bout, it prompted a rare call from 65-year-old Mehdi (ph) that maybe Iran, for the sake of itself, should consider suspending its nuclear program.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We also have the right not to insist on some of our rights, and if Iranian politicians left enrichment alone, maybe the economic situation here would improve. The sanctions at least would end.

RAMAN: That is unlikely, but the hope here is that the world will now see Iran not through the eyes of George Bush, but through their own.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RAMAN: And Hala, there wasn't any sense of joy in Tehran today. Even the hard-liners didn't take to the streets to rally against the West. Instead, there is that hope that despite these two presidents digging in day by day in their positions, that perhaps dialogue among the people can force dialogue to resolve this issue -- Hala.

GORANI: And what is the feelings regarding the U.S. president, knowing that in about a year's time there will be another president in office? Are Iranians, by and large, saying they think that might open a new chapter?

RAMAN: Yes, I think they are, and they're looking forward to that, but they're not putting anything past President Bush in terms of what they could expect in this year. You know, he's not described as a lame duck president here. He's quite literally a man that they speak of and think of every day because of the fact that he has spoken so highly of tensions with Iran and has kept up that stance on the Iranian threat despite this latest report -- Hala.

GORANI: All right.

Aneesh Raman, live in Tehran, the only U.S. journalist in the Iranian capital.

Thanks so much for your report -- Jim.

CLANCY: All right. Let's shift our focus now to Iraq, where U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is saying that stability may be within reach. He made the comment during an unannounced visit to Baghdad Wednesday.

Secretary Gates saying there's been a dramatic decline in violence throughout the country which he attributed, at least in part, to the success of the so-called surge strategy of increasing U.S. troops. Now, unfortunately, while the secretary was holding a news conference, a car bomb exploded in the nearby Karada district of Baghdad, killing 15 people and wounding another 32.

Let's go to another case that involves the war on terror, one that has evoked strong reaction all around the world. The U.S. Supreme Court considering the rights of detainees at the prison camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Senior Pentagon Correspondent Jamie McIntyre joins us now with more on what is really at stake here, not just for a handful of detainees, but for everyone in Guantanamo -- Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, it's a very interesting -- just over an hour of oral arguments here before the Supreme Court, just a few -- concluding just a few moments ago. What seemed clear was that the high court takes very seriously this question of, how is it that detainees can be held for extended periods of time with no ability to challenge their confinement? And that's the legal principle at stake here, the Writ of Habeas Corpus, which is guaranteed to every American under the Constitution, but is not necessarily guaranteed to foreign detainees who are held outside of U.S. soil.

The most riveting moment in the oral arguments came about 45 minutes or so in when Justice Stephen Breyer posed a question to the Bush administration's attorney, the U.S. solicitor general, Paul Clement, and posed a case that was very similar to one of the plaintiffs. He said, what if I'm a suspected terrorist, I've been arrested in Bosnia, accused of associating with al Qaeda, and I want to make the claim that I'm not guilty, and that the government should not hold me for six years without either releasing me or trying me or giving -- or charging me? He said, where do I go to make that charge?

And Solicitor General Paul Clement said, I don't know that you can make that argument. I don't think you can. And Justice Breyer said, exactly, that's the point.

The government -- the Bush administration is arguing that the Detainee Detention Act provides an adequate substitute for the ability of someone to go to court and make that case, but the justices -- some of the justices seemed very sympathetic to the attorney for the plaintiff, Seth Waxman (ph), when he argued that they essentially have no way to challenge their confinement. Of course, the justices took all of this in, and they will render a decision probably in the summer.

So, for those Guantanamo detainees that have spent six years there, they're going to have to wait another six more months to find out what the high court here in the United States has ruled -- Jim.

CLANCY: Obviously snowing and cold there, and yet this case has brought a number of people out there to the steps of the Supreme Court, hasn't it?

MCINTYRE: Yes. In fact, there was a little political theater here. There were some protesters -- or demonstrators, really -- dressed up as if they were Guantanamo detainees to make the point that these people have been held indefinitely. And that's really one of the things that seemed to bother some of the justices.

On the other side, Justice Scalia was very skeptical that this right had ever been given to somebody who was an alien, he said, not a U.S. citizen. And he pressed the plaintiffs to produce any case law that would show that had been the case in the past. But what is the case in the past is most of the people have been -- in this situation have been considered prisoners of war, and as you know, the Bush administration insists that the detainees at Guantanamo aren't POWs, and therefore aren't entitled to the Geneva Convention protections.

CLANCY: All right. There on the steps of the Supreme Court in Washington, our own Jamie McIntyre.

As always, Jamie, thank you -- Hala.

GORANI: The disciplinary hearing for a Saudi lawyer who defended a female rape victim has been adjourned. That's according to The Associated Press.

His name, Abdul Rhaman al-Lahem (ph). There you see him. He defended this young lady who was gang-raped a year and a half ago and now is accused of insulting Saudi Arabia's Supreme Judicial Council.

The case triggered global outrage when the rape victim was sentenced to 200 lashes for being in the company of a man who was not her relative, as well as a prison sentence. Al-Lahem (ph) could face disbarment for his public objections to his client's punishment.

Check out the story as we've been following it on CNN.com as well.

CLANCY: All right. Going right down our list of stories, our next story may seem like it was lifted straight out of the pages of a mystery novel.

GORANI: And like any good mystery, there are more questions than there are answers. At least for now.

CLANCY: That's right. This case involves a British canoeist presumed dead after what appeared to be a mishap at sea back in 2002.

GORANI: But now he's turned up very much alive and very much in trouble with the law.

Phil Black sorts out the facts.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This battered red kayak washed up on the northeast coast of England in 2002. Its owner, John Darwin, was presumed dead, but last Saturday, he walked into this London police station, claiming he had no memory of the time since his disappearance.

DET. TONY HUTCHINSON, Cleveland POLICE: He was in apparent good health, tanned, well nourished, and dressed. BLACK: Now Britain is enthralled by the mystery of what happened to John Darwin during those missing five and a half years. It is a mystery that continues to deepen.

On Wednesday morning, Darwin was arrested on suspicion of fraud.

HUTCHINSON: Without doubt, this is an unusual case. However, there will be people out there who will know exactly where he has been, where he has been living, and what he has been doing.

BLACK: Darwin's wife, Ann, sold their England home and moved to Panama City after he disappeared. Now this photo has emerged, allegedly showing the couple together in Panama just last year. And Darwin has told the British newspaper she was shocked to learn of her husband's reappearance. She admits cashing in his life insurance but says she did so in good faith.

HUTCHINSON: Clearly, we will be looking to see if there is, indeed, any -- has been any contact over the last five years between Mr. and Mrs. Darwin.

BLACK: Members of Darwin's family have welcomed his return with emotions ranging from joy to outrage.

MARGARET BURNS, JOHN DARWIN'S AUNT: They're elated he's alive and well and back, but I'm more angry as to what he's put them through. Very angry.

BLACK: Police say John Darwin will undergo medical examinations to determine the extent of his memory loss before they question him.

Phil Black, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: Well, let's bring in Paula Hancocks now. She's at the house where John Darwin vanished in the seaside town of Seaton Carew. I hope I'm saying that right.

Paula, this is pure fodder for the British tabloids -- well, for everyone. They have dubbed this Darwin guy the "Canoe Man."

What are locals saying about this bizarre story?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, as you can imagine, Darwin is certainly the talk of this town. This is quite a small town in the northeast of England.

Now, many people -- for every single person you speak to, there's a different theory as to what exactly happened. Many of them here remember five years ago when there was a huge land and sea rescue operation launched to try and find John Darwin. It lasted several days. And of course, all they found was a paddle and then later on the destroyed remnants of his canoe.

Now, some of them are saying that they thought it was a little bit fishy at the time. Now, of course, this isn't based on fact, but this is based on their opinions that the sea was very calm when he went out in his canoe. They couldn't understand how he managed to get into trouble.

But for all the people I spoke to, everyone is just amazed that this has happened in this small town.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: I mean, were you surprised when you heard what has happened? I mean, in this little area?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, yes, because it is quiet here. Very quiet. Nothing really happens. It's a very quiet little backwater (ph). So, yes, we were surprised.

HANCOCKS: Are many people talking about it up here?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everyone. It's the topic of conversation everywhere at the moment.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, that's unusual. (INAUDIBLE) come back there. I mean, it's a thing of television film really, isn't it? But I don't know. We'll wait and see.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HANCOCKS: Now, John Darwin is expected to be questioned by police somewhere at a police station near this area, either tonight or tomorrow of the coming days. And certainly, we know from the police themselves they're going to have to do some medical tests on him first to detect whether or not he does have amnesia. If he does, how bad that amnesia is -- Jim.

CLANCY: Bizarre case. We're going to continue to follow it.

Paula, a very interesting story.

Paula Hancocks, thank you.

Well, this is YOUR WORLD TODAY.

Ahead this hour, a look at the Japanese work ethic.

GORANI: It's a culture that can prove extremely demanding. We've heard that before. So much so that some workers who strive to get ahead end up paying the ultimate price.

We'll explain.

CLANCY: And then later, two healthy babies, one Czech hospital, a devastating mistake. Their story straight ahead. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GORANI: Welcome back, everyone. You are with CNN International. And this is YOUR WORLD TODAY.

CLANCY: We are covering some of the most interesting stories in the world, trying to bring you some of the details of the challenges other people face in their lives.

Now, in one of those challenges, the people of Japan, known widely for their strong work ethic, their long hours on the job.

GORANI: As a result of that, there is a growing problem there. It's known as karoshi, literally to be worked to death.

CLANCY: That's right.

We've got a report on that now from Kyung Lah.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Life rarely slows down for Hiroko Uchino (ph), juggling a job and her two kids, 9-year-old Ami (ph) and 7-year-old Yuki (ph). The moment she does have to herself, she tries to understand why she's alone.

Thirty-year-old Kanechi Uchino (ph) was just starting his adult life. Newly married with two toddlers, he was working as a middle manager for one of Japan's biggest companies, Toyota Motor Corporation.

"This is where I work," Uchino (ph) told his daughter. The hours were demanding and were getting longer.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Fourteen, 15.

LAH: Hiroko Uchino (ph) says her husband worked these hours nearly every single day for six months, logging more than 100 hours of overtime one month alone. So exhausted, she says, that he could barely pick up his children. On February 9, 2002, at the age of 30, Kanechi Uchino (ph) collapsed at work and died of a massive heart attack.

"It happened all of a sudden," says his wife. "He was just 30 years old. I knew he was tired, but I never thought he would die like this."

Uchino (ph) filed with the government to declare her husband's death Karoshi, which means death from overwork. After a five-year court battle to get worker's compensation, she won.

"There are many people working hard like him," says Uchino (ph). "I hope this case helps those people."

(on camera): The Japanese government says last year, 300 families claimed their loved ones died from karoshi. Of them, about half have officially been acknowledged as karoshi cases. Social service agencies say their numbers are much higher, at 10,000 per year, and they warn in our high-tech global economy, this is a problem that will not be limited just to Japan.

(voice over): As companies rely on BlackBerrys, cell phones and laptops at home, the Karoshi Hotline National Network says employers demand more off-the-clock hours and employees find it harder to shut off the job.

KANAE DOI, KAROSHI HOTLINE NATIONAL NETWORK: Other companies also should pay attention to this judgment, and there is a social phenomenon in Japan because any workers in the world can be affected by overtime or work-related stress.

LAH: Uchino (ph) continues to pray nightly for her husband, thankful for her legal victory. Toyota would not comment on Uchino's (ph) case, but said in a statement, "We express our condolences. Our company will continue to work on the care of our employees' health conditions."

Uchino (ph) says her children were so young, they don't remember these moments with their father. What's hard for their mother is that they never will.

Kyung Lah, CNN, Japan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GORANI: Well, there's a lot more ahead on YOUR WORLD TODAY. The latest on the U.S. presidential race.

CLANCY: Yes. We're going to take note of the fact that Democrats didn't waste any time raking President Bush over the coals about that intelligence report that said Iran give up its quest for nuclear weapons years ago.

GORANI: Also, even one of their own was feeling the heat. We'll tell you who got singed after this.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BUSINESS REPORT)

GORANI: As the key Iowa caucus draws near there's been some moving and shaking among both parties.

CLANCY: We're going to bring you the latest on the U.S. presidential campaign when we come back.

And then a little bit later, Larry King joins us to talk about his interview with Brad Pitt and the new project close to the heart of the Hollywood heartthrob.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CLANCY: No matter where you are around the globe, this hour, welcome back.

GORANI: This is YOUR WORLD TODAY. I'm Hala Gorani.

CLANCY: I'm Jim Clancy. These are some of the stories that are making headlines in YOUR WORLD TODAY.

Iran's president calls it a declaration of victory. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad welcoming a U.S. intelligence report that finds Iran stopped work on nuclear weapons back in 2003. The United States, though, still says the fact that Iran hid the program means it cannot be trusted.

The U.S. Supreme Court taking a look at the rights of prisoners being held at the Pentagon's detention camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, they're considering whether foreign detainees have a right to appeal to U.S. federal judges.

Police have now arrested a British man who went missing five years ago after a presumed boating accident. John Darwin turned up alive and well in London, saying he remembers nothing since his disappearance. He's been detained on suspicion of fraud.

GORANI: Well, now to the U.S. presidential race, and one candidate's efforts at damage control. Republican Mitt Romney has fired a landscaping company that worked at his home in Boston after learning that it continued to employ illegal immigrants.

The news had come out earlier, but Romney had agreed to give the owner a personal friend a "second chance" but he canceled their contract finally on Tuesday when Romney said he learned the company, in fact, still employed illegal workers. Immigration, of course, a hot button issue in America, especially for republicans. And Romney has faced tough criticism from other candidates over this matter.

CLANCY: Well, as the crucial Iowa caucus draws near, the race is shaking up for both parties. Suzanne Malveaux joins us now live from Des Moines with the latest on the race for the White House. What's it looking like out there? We've seen a jumbling of the leaders.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: You certainly have, and the polls show it still could be anyone's race here in the state of Iowa. There was a very interesting and unique debate that took place yesterday. This was a radio debate, no television cameras allowed so you really have to pay attention, listen carefully to the messages. Those one-liners that perhaps punch through this two-hour debate.

There were three subjects they tackled. It was immigration, China, but the one that caused all the fireworks, Jim, that was over Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Iran's not a problem. MALVEAUX: The bombshell over Iran dominated the democratic debate. Each candidate taking a swipe at President Bush for maintaining his aggressive posture against Iran even after an intelligence report revealed Iran had abandoned its nuclear ambitions in 2003.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I still feel strongly that Iran is a danger.

MALVEAUX: It was just the red meat the democrats were craving to set themselves apart from the current administration.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: They should have stopped the saber rattling, should never have started it.

SEN. JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You cannot trust this president. He is not trustworthy. He has undermined our security in the region.

JOHN EDWARDS (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This president who just a few weeks ago was talking about World War III, he, the vice president, the neo cons, have been on a march to possible war with Iran for a long time.

MIKE GRAVEL (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What the intelligence community has done is drop-kicked the president of the United States.

MALVEAUX: But several candidates attempted to drop-kick the steady front runner, Senator Hillary Clinton, on the same issue. They criticized her for supporting legislation which designated the Iranian revolutionary guard was a terrorist organization. Edwards said it not only opened the possibility for President Bush to take Iran to war, but was, in fact, nearly a declaration of war. Clinton bit back hard.

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, you know, I understand politics and I understand making outlandish political charges, but this really goes way too far. In fact, having designated the Iranian revolutionary guard a terrorist organization, we've actually seen some changes in their behavior.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Now, Jim, Senators Dodd as well as Biden voted against that measure. Senator Barack Obama actually skipped the vote. But it really was very tempting. Many of them just couldn't pass up this opportunity to build on this strategy, a strategy of comparing the former first lady to President Bush, likening the two of them but, of course, team Clinton hit back very hard. They didn't leave any of those charges unanswered -- Jim?

CLANCY: Suzanne, the primary in Iowa, like elsewhere, is a chance for the voters to find out about the candidates put it's also a chance for the candidates to find out about the voters in the United States. What really concerns the people there in Iowa? What are they putting on the list -- on the top of their list? MALVEAUX: Sure. There are so many things here in Iowa. You have to realize this is local politics. It's retail politics. So they are talking about health care, they are talking about energy policy, they are talking about education, things that mean so much to the voters here. They realize they have this kind of awesome responsibility, really as the first caucus, the first date to make their views known here. It will be a critical test for many of those front-runners -- Jim?

CLANCY: All right, Suzanne Malveaux in Des Moines. It looks a little warmer there now, but I'm sure it isn't. Thanks, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Bitter cold. Thanks.

GORANI: U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is urging more African countries to send peacekeepers to Somalia. She also expressed growing unease about deteriorating security elsewhere in the continent. She spoke after meeting with African leaders in the Ethiopian capital. Rice said Ethiopian soldiers currently occupying parts of Somalia should be replaced by peacekeeping troops from a number of African countries.

CLANCY: The chances for stability in Somalia are also being threatened by conflicting reports about the health of the President Abdullahi Yusuf. Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein has been insisted that the president's health is definitely OK and he will be traveling to Europe for a medical checkup. There's no first class hospitals in Somalia. All this follows reports that Mr. Yusuf, who had a liver transplant, back in 1996, was in serious condition in a hospital.

GORANI: Fighting between Ethiopian soldiers and insurgents in Somalia has contributed to a humanitarian crisis there. This comes on top of the really questions surrounding the health of the leader of Somalia. The United Nations says more than 1 million people have been internally displaced.

Let's speak now with U.N. Undersecretary John Holmes. He's recently returned from a visit to Somalia and he joins us live from our U.N. bureau in New York.

Tell us about the humanitarian situation in Somalia and why you are concerned about it, Mr. Holmes.

JOHN HOLMES, UNDERSECRETARY, U.N. OCHA: Well, the humanitarian situation is very grave in Somalia and extremely worrying. There are something like 1.5 million people who probably need help of one sort or another but the thing that's worrying us most is all the people who fled Mogadishu because of the violence and increasingly terrible things happening there.

I was able to visit an area where some 200,000 of them are camped by the side of the road, escaping the violence. To see how much they are suffering, they are just living in huts of branches and cloth. There is a relief effort under way there. We have been able to reach some of them. They are getting water and food now and some medical help but there's a big crisis there. A lot of people we can't reach. What worries me most of all is people still leaving Mogadishu because situations there are so terrible.

GORANI: Let's frame this situation a little bit. There is a government there, backed by Ethiopia. The president currently ill, being treated in Nairobi. That government supported by the United States, but there are Islamist rebels there and that is leading to all these internal refugees. What numbers are we talking about?

HOLMES: Well, I think there is something like 600,000 people who have left Mogadishu altogether. That's some two thirds of the population over the last few months. Because of the fighting, as you say, between Ethiopian forces who invaded Somalia a few months ago, the Somali forces and rebels against them. And there's been some terrible things happening there, been a lot of violence, a lot of heavy weapons being used. Bodies being dragged through the streets, retaliation for that. And people leaving in panic and going anywhere to escape that violence. Those are the people we are trying to help most of all.

GORANI: It really does sound like a lawless nightmare for these poor individuals caught in the middle of the fighting. What is the biggest concern in terms of what is afflicting them? Is it hunger? Is it disease? What is it?

HOLMES: It's a combination of all those things. Hunger is obviously a very basic problem. This is an area where the harvest failed regularly. The most recent harvest doesn't look like it's been much better. There are various endemic diseases and where the local administration has essentially collapsed for many years now because of the conflict that's been going on for 16 years. It's a combination of all those things that makes people unable to cope with anymore. We can't always find them and reach them because of the instability.

GORANI: That's the problem, the safety of the crew, the safety of those individuals who really want to help but can't because they're risking their own life by trying to gain access to these people who have had to flee situations of horror and war.

HOLMES: That is a real problem. I was able to visit yesterday but I had a lot of protection. Most international relief workers are not able to work in the area I was in because it is simply too dangerous. We're having to operate through national staff and through local partners who are doing, by the way, a fantastic job in very dangerous circumstances. But if we were able to move more freely and if the security situation was a bit better, obviously it would be much easier for all concerned and we would be able to get to grips with some of the people we can't reach at all at the moment.

GORANI: All right. Security and the need for humanitarian relief, both these things very difficult at the same time in Somalia and other parts of Africa. John Holmes, the head of humanitarian affairs at the U.N., thank you for joining us.

HOLMES: Thank you.

GORANI: Seen all across the globe, this is YOUR WORLD TODAY. CLANCY: That's right. We still got a lot ahead. We have some human interest from both sides of the grobes or the globes, including this one. Police in Florida, Hala, going beyond the call of duty and the results of their efforts, well, they delivered.

GORANI: Plus, two babies switched at birth. The mistake went undiscovered for months. And now two families make a very difficult choice. Details ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CLANCY: Hello, everyone, welcome back. You are watching YOUR WORLD TODAY on CNN International.

GORANI: All right. We are seen all over the world. Welcome to our U.S. viewers this hour.

Now this story. Imagine being lost and in labor.

CLANCY: That's exactly what happened to one expectant couple in Orlando, Florida. They weren't going to Sea World either. The parents were heading to a hospital when they lost their way. They pulled up next to a police cruiser. Then the police officers quickly put their training to use and delivered the baby themselves. Good work, guys.

GORANI: Well, the mother and baby are doing fine. One officer who helped says it's probably the most gratifying thing he's done in his eight years at the police department.

CLANCY: The mother probably said the same thing.

GORANI: OK. Well, this is probably a story that is a lot sadder because when parents bring a child home from the hospital, the first days are a special time, but for one family that time was deferred for an entire year.

CLANCY: That's right. 12 months, they were raising a baby girl but it wasn't their daughter. Emily Chang brings us their remarkable story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EMILY CHANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A child's first birthday, usually a cause for celebration. But for the families of Veronika and Nikola, it's also the first anniversary of a devastating mistake. One year ago, a mix-up at this hospital outside Prague, both babies swapped at birth and given to the wrong families.

The mistake was only discovered two months ago, when prompted by his suspicions that his daughter did not look like him, Libor Broza took a DNA test to establish paternity of Nikola. The results came back negative. But worse was to come. DNA tests also proves that Libor's partner, Jaroslava could not be the mother. Stunned, the couple contacted the hospital where their baby was born. An investigation showed that their biological daughter, Veronika, was living with another couple, a couple completely unaware of the terrible truth. DNA tests proved that they were the true parents of baby Nikola. Shattered, the parents began the process of swapping the children, and on the advice of their psychologists, the girls were returned to their biological parents this week.

JAROSLAVA CERMAKOVA, BIOLOGICAL MOTHER OF NIKOLA (through translator): She's not crying anymore. I think she likes her new home. We play different games and I think she's quite satisfied.

CHANG: But the move is heart wrenching for both sets of parents.

CERMAKOVA: We hope this will work well. I don't want any more changes.

CHANG: The hospital calls it a regrettable situation, caused by the serious mistakes of two nurses. But for Veronika, Nikola and their parents, the girls' first birthday marks a year they can never get back.

Emily Chang, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GORANI: Well, still ahead, a sneak peek at a conversation a Hollywood superstar.

CLANCY: That's right. Brad Pitt unplugged. Can't really say that because actually he was plugged into a microphone, alongside Larry King, talking to Pitt, his project in New Orleans and much more than that. A preview of the interview from Larry himself when we come back. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CLANCY: Well, he's definitely a Hollywood superstar who needs no introduction, but right now practiced pit's primary goal, help rebuild the city of New Orleans. Pitt plans to build 150 homes in the lower ninth ward, an area of the city that was totally devastated by hurricane Katrina two years ago.

CNN's Larry King just sat down, talked with the star, and earlier we talked with Larry about the interview that was done right there on location.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LARRY KING, CNN HOST: First, changed, Jim, the drama of it, the chance that you could see a man who's an international, major film star, totally committed to improving a place that is devastated. Ward nine in New Orleans is a war zone. I hadn't been in New Orleans in some years. The last time I was there, I was King of Pacchus for the Mardi Gras. I had seen nothing of what Katrina did.

When you see this and when you love the city and his love for the city comes through so what you have is a background of me and him talking about devastation, about a place he loves, a project he wants to rebuild 150 homes to start with, eventually more than that, and then to see behind you empty places where homes were. Pink symbols of what might be built. It works so well-being on set. On the scene rather than in a studio set.

CLANCY: Listen, you're no stranger to celebrities that come on and they are speaking up for a cause, but in this case, you seem to be saying this man's bringing a lot of passion here. Let's face it. He's also taking a lot of risk, too, isn't he?

KING: Yeah, he is. Of course putting himself on the line. He put up $5 million of his own money. He's challenging the establishment in a way, saying we can do it. You didn't. We can. He's not doing movies at the moment. He has no committed script. A lot of people can come forward and make an appearance, go in for one shot and then leave.

He is there, there. He meets all the people. He rides around on his bike in the community. He's totally committed. That comes through. The people love him. People who have lost their homes, a lot of them were there. We talked to some of them. Totally entranced with what Brad Pitt is doing.

CLANCY: Any surprises in the interview? What will we see?

KING: We will see him discuss his role as a family man, some early films, how he got to be a star, which is really interesting. And how he got the part in "Thelma and Louise," how if he had not got that part if we had ever heard of Brad Pitt. You will hear in the middle of the interview Hillary Clinton endorse on the project. He was thrilled with that. He calls on all the other people to endorse it. He talks about fatherhood.

But the main gist of it is his passion for what happened there and his knowledge, knowledge of the green environment, knowledge of architecture, knowledge of home building, knowledge of what it takes, knowledge of the devastation and what caused it. This is a very bright man, totally committed. There's no one who will watch this and say, oh, this guy's a phony.

CLANCY: All right. Larry King, I can't think of anybody better to bring it out in Brad Pitt. Thank you very much.

KING: Thank you for that, Jim. Thanks very much.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: All right. Now remember the show airs Wednesday night, that's tonight, 9:00 p.m. Eastern standard time. It airs again Thursday at 10:00 hours Greenwich meantime.

GORANI: As they say, sometimes a picture is worth 1,000 words but sometimes a picture needs no words at all. Those are my favorites. CLANCY: Yeah, they are. But it won't stop us from trying. Let's turn to our best pictures of the day. First to Macau, China. Tourists say I have had enough of this. After a guided tour -- tour guide took them to one souvenir shop after another, these Macau sight- seers turned on the tourist guide. Riot police, with batons and shields to be called in to stop the tourists' trinket tantrum.

GORANI: I'm trying to figure out how the photographers were made aware of the tantrum.

In Thailand, it was a celebration fit for a King but that was the whole point. Thousands marvel at the fireworks display of the 80th birthday of the King. He is the longest serving living monarch. Louis XV, Queen Victoria both served longer.

CLANCY: As the Monty Python boys say, time for something completely different.

GORANI: All right. Call them dads in drag or dudes in dresses, you can also call them ridiculous. The gender-bending display was part of a radio show contest where fathers could win concert tickets for their kids for Hannah Montana.

You have a daughter, Jim. Does she like Hannah Montana?

CLANCY: Yeah.

GORANI: Would you have done this for her?

CLANCY: Absolutely not.

GORANI: Come on. Throw on the stilettos, Jim. Maybe it's something they wanted to do all along.

CLANCY: I personally went for the tourists that rebelled in Macau. They were from mainland China and they said that's enough.

GORANI: Done shopping.

All right. That's enough for us for this hour, at least. I'm Hala Gorani.

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

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