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Your World Today

Palestinian Turmoil; Iraq Mass Grave Discovered; Aceh Rebels Disarm

Aired December 27, 2005 - 12:00   ET

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

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is YOUR WORLD TODAY.
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Pre-election chaos in the Fatah party. Palestinian militants seize government buildings in Gaza and the West Bank.

JIM CLANCY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: A chilling discovery in Iraq. A mass grave unearthed in the shadow of a Shia Muslim holy site.

CHURCH: And allies under fire. Present turmoil and future plans of the Bush and Blair administrations.

CLANCY: It is 12:00 noon right now in Washington, D.C., 7:00 p.m. in Gaza.

I'm Jim Clancy.

CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church.

This is YOUR WORLD TODAY.

Well, we begin in the Middle East, where armed Palestinian militants demanding more job opportunities have taken over Palestinian government buildings to make their point.

Meanwhile, Israeli defense forces fired missiles at several buildings in Gaza.

Guy Raz joins us now live from Jerusalem with some details.

Guy, let's start with this inner turmoil, this chaos within the Palestinian movement. What's behind it? What's at the heart of it?

GUY RAZ, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, the talk among Palestinians in Gaza and in the West Bank for the past half-year, I would say, has been about the impending disintegration of Fatah, which essentially is the largest, the most important and the most historically representative Palestinian political movement.

Now, essentially what we have seen today in Gaza and in the West Bank is broadly related to the disintegration of Fatah. Armed groups of militants took over various government offices in Gaza and one Palestinian Election Commission office in the West Bank near the town of Ramallah. Now, this is a scenario that has been playing out again and again over the past several weeks: armed groups essentially going into either election offices or government offices, making various demands. Last week it was Bethlehem. Today it was Gaza and the town of Aram (ph).

Now, broadly speaking, these groups are making similar demands, which is essentially demands for jobs and for transparent elections. But what is really striking about it all is that, by and large, virtually all of these groups are actually members of Fatah themselves, members of Fatah's armed wing known as the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade.

So what we are probably seeing now, Rosemary, is a revolt, an internal revolt within Fatah led, in large part, by the younger generation of Fatah activists, younger members of the movement who essentially see the old guard, the men who dominate most of the government posts, as corrupt and ineffective.

And all of this of course happening within the framework of the upcoming Palestinian legislative elections. Those are set to take place on January 25. And there's a considerable amount of tension surrounding those upcoming elections because all indications point to the fact that Fatah will fare very badly in those elections. Fatah the movement, which now dominates Palestinian political life.

And the reason why Fatah may fare badly in those elections is simply because many Palestinians now regard the movement as corrupt and as ineffective -- Rosemary.

CHURCH: And, of course, all this is going on, and Israel has attacked parts of northern Gaza. What information do we have on those attacks? And just how extensive were they?

RAZ: Well, early this morning, we understand that the Israeli army unleashed a barrage of mortar and artillery fire into northern Gaza, damaging a few buildings in the area. But there were no injuries.

Now, the Israeli army essentially says this is designed to thwart rocket attacks which have been launched by Palestinian militants into Israel over the past several weeks. It's happened several times in the past several weeks with some of those missiles reaching large Israeli cities like Ashkelon. One yesterday hit very close to a kindergarten.

Now, the main reason why Palestinian militants have managed to land those rockets deep inside Israel is because they have set up their launching sites on land that was formerly Israeli settlements, land that Israel essentially abandoned last summer when it ended its 38-year military occupation of Gaza. And when Israel did that, the government here essentially warned the Palestinian authority that it would respond to any attacks emanating from Gaza harshly.

So that is most likely what we are seeing now. And the Israeli army has suggested that within the next day or so it may set up some kind of buffer zone in northern Gaza manned by aircraft in a bid to put an end to those rocket attacks -- Rosemary.

CHURCH: Guy Raz reporting there from Jerusalem.

Thanks so much.

CLANCY: Meantime, Lebanese officials making an arrest in the assassination killing of an anti-Syrian politician and journalist, Gebran Tueni. That was earlier this month.

Abad al-Kadr (ph), a Syrian citizen, was arrested in Beirut on Tuesday morning. A high-ranking Lebanese official says the suspect was observed near the scene of the explosion and had made cell phone calls to Damascus just before the blast. Authorities have 48 hours to formally bring charges against him.

Well, turning now to Iraq, where thousands of people marched through Baghdad, it was a show of support for a national unity government that would combine Sunnis and Shia Muslims in sharing power.

Further to the south, construction workers found the remains in a mass grave that are believed to date back to Saddam Hussein's rule and the end of the 1991 Gulf War.

CNN producer Arwa Damon has the latest from Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN PRODUCER: Reconstruction workers in Karbala, laying a water pipeline, discovered another horrific example of Saddam Hussein's regime of their history in the past. They discovered a mass grave.

The bones and skulls of individuals found in this location believed to be Shias who were killed during Iraq's 1991 uprising, where country-wide some 30,000 Shia were killed. And Iraqi officials say since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime, about 300 mass graves have been discovered. This being the latest that was found yesterday morning.

This, while we wait for the Saddam Hussein trial to resume for alleged crimes committed against the people of Dujail, where about 148 residents were killed after a failed assassination attempt against the former president in 1982.

Meanwhile, in Baghdad, some 2,000 to 3,000 demonstrators took to the streets in a western Baghdad neighborhood protesting the preliminary results of Iraq's December 15 elections. The demonstrators carried banners saying, "No Shia, no Sunni. Yes to a united Iraq."

The demonstration was organized by the Madam (ph) group, an umbrella alliance made of at least 30 parties, including main secular Shia groups, as well as the Sunni bloc.

Now, they are demanding a revote and a suspension of Iraq's Electoral Commission. And they're saying that if their demands are not met, they will boycott the results of the election and possibly also boycott Iraq's to-be-formed parliament.

Also in Baghdad overnight, an Apache attack helicopter crashed in the western part of the city. The U.S. military issuing a statement saying that enemy fire was not involved. However, this does remain a clear indication of how dangerous even day-to-day operations are in Iraq.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: Turning now to Sri Lanka, where a military spokesman says a mine attack that killed at least 10 of his country's soldiers was the work of Tamil Tiger separatists. The blast occurred as those soldiers were traveling on an army bus in the northern state of Jaffna. That is a stronghold of the separatists.

The Tamil rebels are denying responsibility for the attack. More than 60,000 people have lost their lives in two decades of separatist fighting.

CHURCH: Well, four and a half months after signing a peace agreement, rebels in Indonesia's Aceh province have formally disbanded their military wing after a 29-year conflict in which 15,000 were killed. The two sides are now joining forces in the post-tsunami struggle to rebuild.

Sarah Sultoon reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARAH SULTOON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A bittersweet end to what's been described as one of the longest wars in modern history. A peace deal between Indonesia's government and Aceh's armed rebels, inspired by the tsunami tragedy a year ago.

IRWANDI YUSUF, SENIOR REBEL NEGOTIATOR: On behalf of (INAUDIBLE), I have the honor to announce that the Aceh national armed forces (INAUDIBLE) fighters are now demobilized and (INAUDIBLE).

SULTOON: Indonesia's president called it a golden opportunity to show the world how hope can flourish among the ruins of destruction.

SUSILO BAMBANG YUDHOYONO, INDONESIAN PRESIDENT: I would like to convey my heartfelt gratitude to the international communities for their generous contribution to support the reconstruction effort in Aceh. It is important to sustain long-term commitment for the continuity of the reconstruction program in Aceh.

SULTOON: Both sides had made moves towards compromise before the tsunami. Then the disaster forced them to work together.

YUDHOYONO: I hope that the peace process here in Aceh will be the long-lasting moment since (INAUDIBLE) key factor to make the reconstruction program in Aceh a success.

SULTOON: Fifteen thousand people had died in the conflict over the past 29 years before the tsunami claimed the lives of some 130,000 more in Indonesia alone. Rebel leaders say they ordered an end to the fighting after the dimension of the disaster became clear.

Now international authorities have overseen 840 rebel weapons put beyond use. And the government is promising that most of its troops are on their way out.

YUDHOYONO: If there is a need to deploy and employ engineer units in this reconstruction effort, not for combat duties, the number must be reasonable. It could be one or one and a half battalion, less than 1,000. Not 15,000 that is already stated in the press. And, of course, this deployment, an employment of the engineer units, should (INAUDIBLE) to stop the ongoing peace process.

SULTOON: One small sign of hope in a region pausing to remember one of the worst natural disasters in living memory.

Sarah Sultoon, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: In Russia, the parents of 186 children who were killed along with some 300 people in total are outraged. They say the Beslan school siege is now being whitewashed by prosecutors who have ignored their testimony.

Those prosecutors have been investigating the 2004 tragedy. They say that the security forces, the Russian police, made no mistakes in the way they handled the hostage-taking crisis. The parents are looking on, they point to a previous report by local officials that found the security services were, in fact, incompetent.

All right. Lifting up their palms in prayer...

CHURCH: Still to come, earthquake survivors seek solace and shelter in Pakistan as they face a bitterly cold world ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CLANCY: Hello, again. This is YOUR WORLD TODAY, an hour of world news from CNN International.

Well, it has been two and a half months since a devastating earthquake shook all across South Asia. Now tens of thousands of survivors are still living in only tents. Nighttime temperatures, though, are now falling well below freezing. In fact, far below freezing in most of the quake zone. That weather expected to turn even colder, especially at higher elevations.

U.S. Relief agency Mercy Corps has been airlifting metal roofing sheets and building supplies into the area. They hope that's going to help shore up the meager protection these refugees have. The group says it's helped residents to build shelters for more than 2,600 households.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH KREGER, MERCY CORPS: Right now we are at 16,000 feet, or roughly around 2,000 meters. And snow comes here, and it falls very heavily. Last year had about four to six feet of snow during the winter. And if they don't have these shelter, then it's going to be very cold in the winter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Well, CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta returned to visit some of the survivors in Pakistan, and finds that for many the tragedy of the earthquake is still unfolding.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We had heard the numbers over and over: more than 80,000 dead and more dying every day. But it was numbers and just numbers, and it wasn't until I walked right into the middle of a funeral procession that it started to really sink in.

It happened just moments after we arrived at the small village of Marathinolia (ph) in northeastern Pakistan.

We learned quickly -- and perhaps it was obvious -- even if they lived no one here escaped this earthquake.

(on camera): Malik Nurasen (ph) has lived right here. His entire family now lives with him. On the morning of October 8, you could actually see what happened, all the devastation. A crack appeared. The entire earth started moving and parts of his home just completely washed away, wiped away by the earthquake, falling down the hill.

(voice-over): Malik Nurasen (ph) will try to brave the winter here in his own home, reluctant to ever leave his property. You see, there are no land deeds in many parts of Pakistan. He is worried he will never get his land back.

But many others didn't have that as an option. Their homes beyond ruined, they all have a new and they hope temporary way of life.

(on camera): One of the things I was so struck by was just how massive this place is. Those are the Himalayan Mountains all behind me, and we are in the foothills of those mountains. This is one of the many villages of tents that sprung up immediately after the earthquake. There's about 6,000 people living here in about 1,000 tents. That's six people per tent. That's actually considered pretty good.

I want to point out a couple of things, though, that are concerning. One is these tents are not winterized. They will not protect against the rain. The will not protect against the immense cold, and it is getting colder here now, much more colder at night, below freezing for sure. The ground is getting hard, and it's become increasingly difficult to dig, so you can pound these stakes into the ground.

Still, the U.N. informs these people that they'll be living here for about six months. At this altitude even I'm becoming a little bit short of breath.

Still, the people so concerned they are about aftershocks and more debris coming down from the mountains. They want to live as high as possible, so people are continuing to move up the hill.

(voice-over): Gofer Azkan (ph) used to live way up in the mountains. He has put together two tents for his family. He tells me this one sleeps six and has absolutely no heat.

This is all the food for his entire family: a half a pot of rice, a quarter bag of flour and a small handful of sprouts.

Even though he's optimistic, I couldn't help, but wonder which would be more difficult for him to overcome, the cold or the starvation.

These are all the stories, tales of so much death and the struggle to survive, at nearly 3,000 feet above sea level, in 30- degree temperatures as winter comes, roaring so far away from help.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Marathinolia (ph), Pakistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: Well, Dr. Gupta really put something in perspective there for us, because when you look at international news, if you follow our broadcast, you hear about Darfur, the Congo, AIDS, you hear about earthquakes, hurricanes, floods. And it just is overwhelming.

CHURCH: It is. And we've actually made the plight of those quake victims our inbox topic of the day.

We're asking you to respond to this question: Are victims of the earthquake in South Asia also victims of donor fatigue?

CLANCY: E-mail us your thoughts -- are people just tired of giving -- at ywt@cnn.com. Don't forget to include your name and where you are located.

CHURCH: We'll also try to read some of your responses later in the hour. So do get them in to us.

Well, still ahead, the words used to describe him conjure up extremes and opposites.

CLANCY: That's right. Charming, ferocious just two of the terms that were used to describe him. When we come back we are going to look at the life and times of Australia's richest man, Kerry Packer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Daryn Kagan at CNN Center in Atlanta. More of YOUR WORLD TODAY in just a few minutes. First, though, let's check on stories making headlines in the U.S.

Just a short time ago, a Miami rape suspect appeared before a judge to face a new charge of escaping from jail. The judge on the other end of this video link denied bail to Reynaldo Rapalo. A tipster led police to him just outside of a video store in southwest Miami, where he was arrested without incident last night.

He is charged with sexually assaulting seven women and girls ranging in age from 11 to 79 years old.

Now to New Orleans and questions about the first police shooting since that city reopened.

You can see a number of officers surrounding a man who was waving a knife. A witness says the man had just assaulted a drugstore employee. And police were following him down the street, ordering him to get down. But when the man lunged at an officer, police opened fire.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID ADAMS, NEW ORLEANS POLICE SPOKESMAN: We have several officers out here. Police officers right in front of him. Life is in imminent danger. He has to back out of the way to keep from being stabbed in his chest. And I don't think it's too much force.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Robert Jenkins is an attorney who witnessed the incident. He spoke to Miles O'Brien on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT JENKINS, WITNESS: When the police came out, they ordered the man to put the gun down -- I mean, the knife down. They told him to get on the ground.

He refused. They pepper-sprayed him. He still didn't go down. And they also, you know, showed great restraint early on in terms of following him down the street.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: A reminder to our viewers. You can watch CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING" weekdays beginning at 6:00 a.m. Eastern, then CNN LIVE TODAY takes over at 10:00 a.m.

The winter weather is causing big problems for drivers trying to get in and out of Seattle today. Accidents involving several semi trucks are blocking the eastbound lanes of I-90 at Snoqualmie Pass. Both west and eastbound lanes were closed earlier this morning.

Transportation officials say visibility is poor. The snow is deep.

The gift that just keeps on giving, Chad Myers. Poor West Coast.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: We are following this developing story here in Atlanta. It's a situation in downtown Atlanta, not too far from where we are here at CNN.

Police have shut down a block of Peachtree Street. They did that because there's a report of a suspicious package at an office building.

Police say that about 11:30 a.m. they were called to 34 Peachtree Street. That has been closed. For those of you familiar with downtown Atlanta, this is very close to the current location for World of Coke.

So we will continue to keep an eye on that story.

Also today, a former Major League Baseball star is in jail in Palm Beach, Florida, this morning. He is charged with robbing a jewelry store.

Police say that four-time all-star pitcher Jeff Reardon claimed to have a gun and escaped with a bag full of money. Police say when they arrested him, Reardon did not have a gun, offered no resistance, and blamed medication for his actions. He also said that he was sorry.

Hundreds of people turned out in Tampa to pay their last respects to the son of Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy this morning. Coach Dungy took a leave of absence from the team last Thursday after learning of his son's death.

Eighteen-year-old James Dungy was found dead in his Tampa-area apartment. It apparently looks like it was a suicide.

Most, if not all of the Colts, attended the service. Six charter buses carrying the team arrived in Tampa earlier today.

There are some big movie buffs at the Library of Congress, apparently. They are saving films for posterity. Find out which flicks are going into the vault for future generations to see. That's coming up at the top of the hour on "LIVE FROM."

Meanwhile, YOUR WORLD TODAY continues after a quick break.

I'm Daryn Kagan.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back to YOUR WORLD TODAY on CNN International. I'm Rosemary Church.

CLANCY: I'm Jim Clancy. These are the stories that are making headlines around the world.

In Iraq, construction workers who were laying a water pipeline in the Shia city of Karbala have now uncovered a mass grave. This grave, believed to contain the remains of people who were killed by Saddam Hussein's security forces during the 1991 uprising that followed the first Gulf War.

In Baghdad, thousands of protesters backing Sunni, Arab and secular Shia politicians marched through the streets Tuesday. They want a government of national unity.

CHURCH: A Syrian citizen has been arrested in connection with the killing of anti-Syrian politician and journalist Gibran Tueni. A high-ranking Lebanese official says Abel al Qader (ph) was observed near the explosion site and had made cell phone calls to Damascus just before the blast. Authorities have 48 hours to formally charge him.

CLANCY: Armed members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades took over Palestinian government buildings in Gaza and the West Bank. The militants demanded more jobs and the inclusion of more of the candidates that they prefer for next month's parliamentary election.

In northern Gaza, Israeli defense forces launched aerial strikes on several buildings. The IDF says the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade used those sites to launch attacks on Israel.

Now, Tuesday's incidents that involved young members of Fatah -- and armed ones, we should add -- is a troubling development ahead of elections. The lawlessness undermines the authority of President Mahmoud Abbas and could be an indicator that the militants of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other groups are going to gain more political power as a result of those elections next month.

Joining us now live from Ramallah in the West Bank is Palestinian legislator Hanan Ashrawi.

Hanan, how should this be interpreted by people who look on? What's going on within the Palestinian Fatah movement?

HANAN ASHRAWI, PALESTINIAN LEGISLATOR: Yes, Jim. What you described is actually accurate. Because what's happening within the Fatah movement is a power struggle, very clearly, blatantly. It is a strife between the old guard and the young guard. It is a strife between a struggle for power between the people who returned from Tunis and the traditional historical leadership. And between the younger generations, the middle and younger generation on the ground and in Palestinian.

For a long time, the older generation has hogged power. And the younger generations have been asking for some power-sharing and democraticization within Fatah. Matters have been coming to a head. And what brought them out into the open was the primaries, or the preliminary elections for the legislative elections, in which there was a great deal of rigging and fraud and, of course, some intimidation and use of firearms. And that has led also to the increase and confidence in Hamas, leading to a major showing by Hamas in the local government elections. And now issues of corruption, issues of demands of better places in the elective list. Fatah produced two lists, two slates for the legislative elections. And, of course, issues of absorption of the militants within the security services have all led to this internal crisis, which is very serious indeed.

CLANCY: Well, all right. People want to know -- and as they look on and they wonder. They know, they've heard the young people, young Palestinians saying the old guard is corrupt, that all these people want is the money and to be able to control it. Are there indications -- could the young people really do any better? Could Hamas do any better?

ASHRAWI: Well, the thing is, it's not so simple. You cannot brand all the older generation with the corruption label and to say the younger generation is reformist and clean. No, there are good and bad on both sides.

But the problem is that the younger -- the older generation has held on for too long and has thwarted any attempts of democratization and power-sharing. This has undermined Fatah as a whole and led to Hamas rising on the platform of reform and change. People want reform and change. They don't necessarily agree with Hamas' ideology.

That's why we think that there should be a third way, that there should be democratic forces within Palestine who are offering a real authentic alternative to the simplistic politicization of national corruption on the one hand and Islamic political parties and ideology -- absolutist ideologies on the other.

We believe the majority of the Palestinians want nothing more than good governance, a system of democracy, inclusive democracy. And, of course, rule of law. These things have to be guaranteed. The problem is that Fatah has led to degrees of lawlessness within and instability, and now there is real fear that Hamas will take over.

CLANCY: The real force for all of this, some people have argued, is unemployment. Can anyone solve that problem?

ASHRAWI: Well, unemployment is a major issue. Certainly it can go up as high as 50 percent in Gaza, and this is a problem because all the promises have not materialized. Even the donor community, job donations, have not materialized. And, of course, Israel is still controlling Gaza. It's turned it still into a prison. Now with the return to encouraging to strafing (ph) to trying to create a buffer zone, as they say, ethnic cleansing in northern Gaza. And now in the West Bank, the policy of assassinations, the siege is as tight as ever.

The wall of separation and annexation is still being built. Jerusalem is totally isolated. This has led to tremendous economic hardship and the younger generation feels disenfranchised on the one hand and totally deprived economically. And the majority of Palestinians are feeling the pinch, are looking towards the authority to produce results and authority is totally hemmed in by the Israeli siege itself and by the escalation in Israeli violence.

CLANCY: All right. An economic crisis within a political crisis within an occupation. It affects many more people than just the Palestinians. Hanan Ashrawi, as always, thank you very much for being with us.

ASHRAWI: That's right. Thank you, Jim. My pleasure.

CHURCH: All right, to the United States now. President George W. Bush ended the year with a series of speeches designed to shore up public support for U.S. involvement in Iraq. Mr. Bush also touted achievements at home, including low unemployment rates.

But as Dana Bash reports, one issue overshadows his message as he heads into the new year.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Bush arrived in Texas for a quiet end to a tumultuous year. But hopes for a 2006 political rebound are already in peril with new revelations that his secret post-9/11 directive was broader in scope than he acknowledged.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I authorized the interception of international communications, of people with known links to Al Qaeda and related terrorist organizations.

BASH: In admitting the highly classified program exists, the president did not let on that the National Security Agency is not just eavesdropping on conversations. It is getting help from U.S. telephone and Internet companies to collect and analyze a large amount of information, a source familiar with the program confirms to CNN.

"The New York Times", which first reported the story, says U.S. telecommunications companies granted the NSA access to monitor e-mail and phone traffic in and out of the United States without a warrant. It is what intelligence and law enforcement experts data mining, described to CNN by former officials familiar with the program, as trying to uncover terror plots by watching who talked to whom, when, and from where.

GEORGE BAURIES, FORMER FBI AGENT: It's not infringing or looking at individual words of a conversation, or listening to any one individual, but the pattern of information flow, which is key to determining an ongoing threat.

CNN was unable to confirm with any telecommunications companies whether they're cooperating with the government. And the White House refuses to confirm "The New York Times" report.

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell, who did not know about the classified surveillance program while in the Bush Cabinet, says it is justified and should continue. However, he said controversy could have been avoided had the president gone through the courts. COLIN POWELL, FMR. SECRETARY OF STATE: My own judgment is that, it didn't seem to me anyway, that it would have been that hard to go get the warrants.

BASH: Civil liberties advocates call the program a major violation of privacy and the law.

LISA GRAVES, ACLU: Nothing the Congress has passed since September 11 has authorized this president to engage in this type of surveillance of the American people -- people on this soil -- for any reason.

BASH (on camera): The White House insists anything the president approved was carefully reviewed and was within the bounds of his authority. But Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy tells CNN he can't find anyone who thinks the so-called data mining aspect of the secret surveillance program is legal. And he promises to aggressively ask the White House about it during bi-partisan hearings early next year.

Dana Bash, CNN, Crawford, Texas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: As a footnote, things aren't going that well for one of Mr. Bush's closest allies either. It's been a tumultuous year for the British Prime Minister Tony Blair. He's been taking heat for a lot of different things.

And Robin Oakley reports the policy issues that have divided his cabinet appear to be only multiplying.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just seven months ago, Tony Blair became the first Labor Party leader ever to win three elections in a row. But at year's end. Britain's prime minister is looking like a man on the ropes. His cabinet colleagues are squabbling openly over policy. Even his normally loyal leader John Prescott is threatening his flagship policy on education. And his efforts to rescue a lackluster six months in the E.U. presidency with a last-minute deal on the E.U. budget have brought trouble, too.

His finance minister and would-be successor Gordon Brown is said to be dismayed by the cost. Opposition parties have flayed Mr. Blair for giving away part of Britain's rebate without recasting the farm subsidies which so benefit the French.

It was, said one British member of the European parliament, game set and match to French president, Chirac.

NIGEL FARAGE: Unlike you, he stands up for the French national interests, not some bizarre notion of Europe. And he has outclassed and outplayed you at every term.

OAKLEY: The Newkey (ph) members, Blair charged, sat behind the British flag, but didn't represent Britain. TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: This is the year 2005, not 1945. We're not fighting each other anymore. These are our partners, they're our colleagues, and our future lies in Europe.

OAKLEY: If that won him some cheers on the continent, Blair's finding it hard going at home. For the first time since 1992, the opposition conservatives, boosted by the arrival of a new leader, the 39-year-old David Cameron, have taken a lead in the opinion polls. Interesting that the conservatives are now looking forward, Cameron is testing Blair.

DAVID CAMERON, LEADER, U.K. CONSERVATIVE PARTY: It's only our first exchange and already the prime minister is asking me the questions. This approach is stuck in the past, and I want to talk about the future. He was the future once.

OAKLEY: Ouch.

At his final meeting with the media before Christmas, Blair was unrepentant about the public service reform program which has many opponents in his own party.

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I've never felt more confident about the fact that we are doing the right things for the long-term future of the country.

OAKLEY: And he insists his opponents have no policies worth the name.

BLAIR: We are the ones making the weather. Now that's why however difficult it is, we stick with it and we carry it through.

OAKLEY (on camera): A defiant prime minister, it seems, is unbowed by public criticism and by his opponent's advance. The new conservatives are yet to unwrap policies. But lawmakers agree that since he said he'd be gone by the time of the next election, Mr. Blair's authority has begun to suffer.

Robin Oakley, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: Now, do you tune out when you listen to your iTunes?

CHURCH: That's our question. It's a different world when you cruise through it while listening to your iPod. But there are hazards to being so oblivious. We'll explore them when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back to CNN International, this hour of international news. Well, you may have been the happy recipient of an iPod this holiday season. But be forewarned, along with all those tunes comes a hazard. With your headsets on you're a lot more oblivious to your surroundings.

Dan Lothian tells us why that could be a problem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The crushing crowds and deafening noise of Boston's busy rail commute a potential thief's paradise. Their targets? Passengers lost in their iPods.

LT. DET. MARK GILLESPIE, MASS. BAY TRANSIT POLICE: When you have them on, you've signed off mentally as to paying attention to anything other than you're doing than walking and listening to your music.

LOTHIAN: This passenger seems completely oblivious to a transit order wearing a bright-colored vest warning passengers to be on the lookout.

GILLESPIE: Sir? Sir?

Some of the people we have to actually take a couple extra steps after and actually physically touch them to hand out these flyers to get their attention.

LOTHIAN (on camera): Being zoned out has cost some commuters dearly. Investigators have seen a rise in robberies around the transit system. Cash, credit cards and other valuables snatched from the pockets and purses of commuters who are either listening to music or deep in a cell phone conversation.

GILLESPIE: If you have an iPod or you talk on a cell phone you should read this.

LOTHIAN (voice over): Fearing these crimes could escalate, especially during the busy holiday season, Boston Transit Police and other law enforcement agencies have launched a safety campaign, handing out flyers with tips like staying alert or removing earphones when entering or leaving a subway station at night.

GILLESPIE: But if people don't take these measures of safety, that they could potentially become victims.

LOTHIAN: Undercover officers will also be working the crowds at some stations. Elvis Hernandez loves his music but won't let the volume drown his sense of awareness.

ELVIS HERNANDEZ, TRANSIT RIDER: But I do pay attention. I do be careful of my surroundings, especially in the holiday season. It gets a little crazy around here.

LOTHIAN: This commuter stays safe by dropping the stereo.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I usually keep one off, so I don't really -- I can still hear what's going on around me.

LOTHIAN: An effort to keep commuters tuned in to their surroundings and not just their iPod.

Dan Lothian, CNN, Boston. (END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: All right, we want to check the international weather now and that cold snap in India.

CLANCY: Let's check in with Femi Oke. Hi, Femi.

(WEATHER REPORT)

CLANCY: All right.

CHURCH: Thanks, Femi.

Well, want some spacious digs next time for your vacation?

CLANCY: But you want to be able to afford to come home? Well, we may be able to get that story. Maybe we'll have time. We better take a short break here.

CHURCH: All right.

CLANCY: We'll be back as we reorganize.

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CLANCY: All right, Rosemary. We are bound and determined we are going to get to read some of the e-mails that all of you have sent to us this hour. We want to check our "Inbox."

CHURCH: Our question of the day asked are victims of the earthquake in South Asia also victims of donor fatigue?

CLANCY: Now Dennis from Amsterdam writes this: "The victims of the earthquake are also victims of aid fatigue. It would be better if we gave aid in general and then use specific disasters to motivate."

CHURCH: Now Sheldon from New Jersey tells us "I don't think it's donor fatigue. Financial resources are being depleted at a rapid rate because of so many disasters. We're just unable to keep up."

CLANCY: And here's one, Rosemary, from Shashi in Massachusetts. It says, "the survivors are victims of donor fatigue, but what's doubly distressing is that they're victims of their own government" -- meaning the Pakistani government. She says they are intent on "buying billions of dollars in arms."

CHURCH: And finally, Joanne from Maryland. She writes, "I am not so sure it's as much donor fatigue as it is donors tired of seeing no progress. If CNN and others gave any positive feedback, then many might give more." Of course, we can only report what happens out there, can't we?

CLANCY: All right, we thank everybody for your e-mails that you have sent us today. We're going to have a chance in the hours ahead to read some more of them. Well, nine years after a hot cinnamon roll came out of the oven in an uncanny resemblance to Mother Teresa, the so-called "Nun Bun" of Nashville, Tennessee has gone missing, folks, stolen, police say, by an evil grinch early Christmas morning.

The pastry bandit pried the door off the Bongo Java Cafe and got away with the dough. Before it was stolen, anyone who came into the coffee shop could see the bun, and now that bun, the image of Mother Teresa, is gone. It sat on a shelf right below the cash register. I wonder if they took any of the cash too .

CHURCH: What do you think they are going to do with that?

CLANCY: I don't know. Mother Teresa would probably say it should have been eaten while it was fresh. I'm Jim Clancy.

CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church. Thank you for your company.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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