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Your World Today

Russia Finds and Kills Its Most Wanted Man; Iraqis Living in Fear; Israeli Prime Minister Says No to Prisoner Swap; Italy Celebrates World Cup Victory

Aired July 10, 2006 - 12:00   ET

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

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Russia finds and kills its most wanted man, a Chechen warlord they say was responsible for slaughtering Russian citizens, including children.
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hamas hard line. The militant group's leader says the Israeli kidnapped soldier will not be released until Palestinian prisoners are freed.

HOLMES: An explosion flattens a New York City building, sending smoke into the air and frightening area residents.

CHURCH: And Italy goes wild. They're celebrating the country's rise to become World Cup champions.

HOLMES: Hello and welcome, everyone. Just some of the stories we're following this hour. And our report broadcast right around the globe.

I'm Michael Holmes.

CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church.

From Russia to the Middle East and Europe, this is YOUR WORLD TODAY.

HOLMES: A Chechen warlord who claimed responsibility for some of Russia's worst terrorist attacks is reported to have been killed.

CHURCH: Russia's security service says that Shamil Basayev was killed overnight in Ingushetia in a special operation aimed at Chechen rebels. It says five other rebels were killed in the operation as well.

Here are some of the recent attacks the Chechen terrorist has claimed to be behind.

HOLMES: First, the seizure of some 800 hostages in a Moscow theater back in 2002. Most of the rebels and about 120 of the hostages were killed when Russian forces used gas to neutralize the rebels and enter the theater.

CHURCH: Two years later, at least 331 people, including 156 children, were killed in the September 2004 school hostage-taking in Beslan. HOLMES: Basayev has also claimed responsibility for a 2004 attack in which two Russian passenger planes were blown up almost simultaneously. Eighty-nine people died in that attack.

CHURCH: In February that year, 40 people were killed and 100 injured when a suicide bomber detonated on a Moscow metro train.

HOLMES: And finally, Basayev claims to be behind the seizure of about 1,000 hostages at a hospital in 1995. About 100 people were killed in that incident.

So, what are the implications, political or otherwise of Basayev's death?

Let's go to our senior international correspondent, Matthew Chance. He's standing by in Moscow.

Matthew, was this a symbolic killing, or is it going to do real damage to the rebel movement?

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think it was, first and foremost, a symbolic victory, a symbolic blow for the Russian government in their fight against the Chechen militants in the breakaway republic. Shamil Basayev was certainly the highest profile of the Chechen rebel warlords. He was the most brutal in planning and executing his attacks, certainly the most deadly when it comes to Russian civilians.

And so, it is a big victory symbolically for the Russian government. They're showing that they've taken some very firm action against this militancy that continues in their southern Russian republic.

Also, it's a big loss for the Chechen rebels. They're not exactly a centralized group. It's more a group of -- you know, a collection of different groups that carry out attacks without much coordination, as best we understand it. But certainly, those Chechen militants have lost one of their most charismatic and effective commanders.

At the same time, the situation on the ground, it's not clear how this is going to affect that, because they've killed the man, yes, but they haven't addressed the underlining problems that gave rise to the insurgency in the first place. And so, undoubtedly, it will continue.

HOLMES: And so, Matthew, with such a fractured infrastructure, if you like, no clear successor to him. And also, if you could touch on what the situation is like in Chechnya now.

CHANCE: Well, the situation, according to human rights groups in Chechnya, is extremely dire. It's very difficult for a journalist to get into Chechnya and see for themselves what the situation is because the Kremlin, the Russian government, maintains such control over what journalists do there, restricts their access to certain things, and limits your activity basically to going with the Russia forces or their proxies. It's also very difficult to go there independently because of the kidnap situation from Chechen militants themselves. So there are dangers on so many different fronts. But, by all accounts, from the human rights groups who are there, the human rights situation is very -- is very dire. Disappearances continue with impunity.

And so it's a very awful situation for Chechen people.

HOLMES: Indeed.

Matthew, thanks.

Matthew Chance there in Moscow -- Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right. To Iraq now.

And Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is urging Iraqis to unite as brothers after a sharp rise in sectarian violence. Two car bombs exploded in a Shia district of Baghdad Monday, just minutes apart. At least eight people were killed and dozens more wounded.

Elsewhere in the capital, Sunni families are burying loved ones, victims of brazen weekend attacks. Police say Shia gunmen set up roadblocks, dragged people with Sunni names from their cars, and shot them. They say at least 40 people were killed, including women and children.

HOLMES: Well, the fact that the gunmen were killing people in plain view, in broad daylight, underscores just how dangerous the streets have become, particularly in the capital, Baghdad. Many Iraqis live in constant fear, fear that somebody might attack them, and fear that authorities are unable or unwilling to help.

Our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, has more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): By night, bodies are pulled from the Tigris River in Baghdad. Most have their hands bound and have been shot execution style, in the head.

In the safety of daylight, Mohammed Jasim Mohammed (ph) searches for two brothers missing for 22 days. Two other relatives have already washed up here. He's a Shia and blames Sunnis for their killings.

He is close to tears. "What do we do?" he says. "Just wait here to get the bodies, and then give them a proper burial."

Across Baghdad, helplessness in the face of fear is pervasive. A spate of sectarian violence over the weekend resulting in more than 70 brutal killings is only the latest in the months of Sunni-on-Shia and Shia-on-Sunni violence since the attack on an important attack Shia shrine in February. ASHRAF JEHANGIR QAZI, U.N. SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE: Militias have now come to almost defying the political process. And that's an extremely dangerous development. There has been a low-grade ethnic cleansing.

ROBERTSON: The U.N. says at least 150,000 people have fled their homes. But millions more are living in fear.

This Baghdad Sunni who wants his identity hidden is so afraid of random sectarian attack even at home, he is selling his house and plans to leave Iraq. "They target scientists, intellectuals, people with money, Sunnis, Shias. Whatever's written on your ID, you're a target," he says. "Who targets who is not known, but it's fear of the unknown that destroys you," he adds.

Some people are so afraid they've stopped venturing beyond their sectarian enclaves.

Shia Haj Zubez' (ph) car parts store is a 15-minute walk through his own neighborhood from his house. Even then he says he prays before going out to work.

"Inside my shop, I'm not safe," he says. "I get worried when someone comes in. Are they coming to buy something or kill me?"

Once a confluence of cultures, Baghdad is turning into sectarian islands of fear.

(on camera): In an indication of just how bad fears have become, one international official told me of reports among his staff that a 15-year-old girl had been beheaded and a dog's head sewn on her body in its place. And of a young child who had had his hands drilled and bolted together before being killed.

Whether or not the reports are accurate, the staff took them as fact. It seems in this climate of fear, no act is so barbaric it can't be believed.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Well, also in Iraq, the judge in Saddam Hussein's trial is threatening to drag the former Iraqi leader into court if he continues boycotting the procedure. Two of Hussein's co-defendants made their closing arguments Monday. Hussein and several other defendants are demanding better security for their attorneys and no limitations on their closing arguments before they'll appear back in court.

They're charged in connection with the 1982 killings of Shiites in the town of Dujail.

HOLMES: Well, turning now to Afghanistan, where coalition troops are keeping up the pressure on Taliban militants in the South, U.S. and Afghan forces have killed more than 40 suspected insurgents in a raid on a military hideout near Tarin Kat.

U.S. military officials say the fighting left one Afghan army soldier dead and also wounded three coalition troops. The fighting follows intense clashes in neighboring Kandahar province over the weekend.

The British defense secretary says his government plans to send nearly 900 reinforcements to southern Afghanistan. This move coming as the prime minister, Tony Blair, warns that British troops face, in his words, a dangerous and difficult mission there. Six British soldiers have died fighting Taliban militants over the past month. More than 3,000 British troops are already stationed in Afghanistan

CHURCH: Well, now to the deadlock over the latest crisis in the Middle East. Israel's prime minister says he will not free Palestinian prisoners in exchange for a captured Israeli soldier, while the Hamas leader in exile says Palestinians are united in demanding a prisoner swap.

John Vause reports from Jerusalem.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Amid the death and destruction in Gaza, the blood and rubble. No one looks ready to back down. Not the Israeli prime minister...

EHUD OLMERT, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: I want it to be very clear. I don't negotiate with Hamas. I did not negotiate with Hamas. And I will not negotiate with Hamas.

VAUSE: ... nor Khaled Mashaal, the hard-lined Hamas leader living in exile in Damascus.

KHALED MASHAAL, HAMAS LEADER (through translator): We will not allow Israel to dictate to us.

VAUSE: Caught in middle, more than a million Palestinians and one kidnapped Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit. Mashaal says Shalit is a prisoner of war and being treated humanely, but insists he'll only be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

MASHAAL (through translator): Israel says the soldier must be released but refuses to release the prisoners. This is not a starting point for a solution.

OLMERT: Khaled Mashaal is a terrorist with blood in his hands. He's not a legitimate partner for anything.

VAUSE: The Israeli prime minister gave no time limit for the military offensive, now in into its second week, aimed at trying to free the Israeli corporal and to stop Palestinian militants firing these crudely-made rockets at Israeli towns and cities. But that could mean the Israeli military will be in Gaza for months, maybe more. Less than a year after they pulled out, along with 8,000 Jewish settlers, the so-called disengagement meant to bring an end to these violent confrontations.

Ehud Olmert was elected on a promise to evacuate thousands of Jewish settlers from the West Bank. Disengagement (INAUDIBLE) called realignment. That could now be a hard sell to the Israeli public.

OLMERT: Well, I haven't changed my basic commitment to the realignment plan. I know that this will be difficult, and it is difficult.

VAUSE (on camera): Ehud Olmert's critics are now yelling, I told you so about last year's Gaza pullout, saying it's nothing less than a total failure. And they warn the same will happen again if he tries it in the West Bank.

John Vause, CNN, Jerusalem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Do stay with us. A lot more ahead on YOUR WORLD TODAY.

CHURCH: There is in New York a four-story building collapse after a gas explosion. And authorities are trying to piece together whether it had anything to do with a suicide attempt. Puzzling questions about that still ahead.

HOLMES: An amazing scene there.

And also, there is no mystery why fans are going bonkers in Italy. It is time to celebrate winning the World Cup, something our correspondents know all too well.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: And welcome back, everyone.

Seen live in more than 200 countries across the globe, this is YOUR WORLD TODAY.

Well, an explosion has destroyed a four-story building on New York City's Upper East Side. A top fire department official says a suicide attempt may be to blame for the blast, which did injure several people.

Allan Chernoff joins us now with all the details.

Extraordinary pictures we're seeing, Allan. What more have you been able to learn?

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT: Well, Michael, I can tell you that the firefighters here are still waiting before going into the rubble to determine whether indeed anybody else remains underneath what they say is about 20 feet of rubble. The rubble still smoldering, although they have stopped spraying water on it right now.

With me right now is the doorman of the building right next door, Randy Roig. And Randy, tell me what you heard this morning. What happened?

RANDY ROIG, WITNESS: About a quarter to nine, it was just a loud explosion. It shook me and my partner back, it penetrated our doors to blow them wide open. And we saw the whole area just filled with smoke. We actually saw one of the pedestrians pick up a young lady filled with blood, and we called the EMS right away.

CHERNOFF: What did you think it was?

ROIG: We didn't know actually what it was. We just knew it was a loud explosion with a lot of smoke. We didn't know whether it was a manhole that blew up, we didn't know whether it was a car that blew up. We weren't too sure.

CHERNOFF: And everyone from your apartment building, 17 stories high, everyone was evacuated?

ROIG: Yes, everyone was evacuated.

CHERNOFF: OK. Randy, thank you very much.

ROIG: Thank you.

CHERNOFF: Now, Michael, you did mention in the introduction that there is speculation this may have been a suicide attempt. In fact, that speculation coming from the fire commissioner himself.

At the same time, we should report I spoke to the Con Edison utility meter reader who told me last month there actually had been a gas leak in the building and that the gas had been turned off. So there had been a problem there.

And indeed, Randy Roig told us a few moments ago that, only last week, once again, people in his building smelled a gas leak coming from the adjacent building. So, we don't know, of course, whether or not this is a suicide -- or was a suicide attempt. But clearly, there does seem to be some issue with the natural gas in the building that did explode this morning -- Michael.

HOLMES: All right, Allan. Thanks for the update.

Allan Chernoff there on the spot in New York -- Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right.

Well, the thrills, the spills, the agony and ecstasy, and all of the above played their part in the climactic match of the 2006 World Cup. Italy is the jubilant victor, but for France it all ended in tears.

French team captain Zinedine Zidane bowed out of his football career with a vicious head butt. Italian defender Marco Materazzi was felled by that blow to the chest. Italian media is reporting he was provoked by a very serious comment. It got Zidane sent off but didn't stop him getting the Golden Ball as the best player at the 2006 World Cup.

Well, the French team were putting a brave face on defeat as they arrived home in Paris. French president Jacques Chirac tactfully sent aside -- or set aside Zidane's violent exit from the match, choosing instead to emphasize the positive as he invited the entire team to the palace for lunch. He hailed Zidane as a virtuoso and a genius of world football.

And infamy may be overshadowing their victory, but Italians are still celebrating like there's no tomorrow. The win is the fourth for the nation, and fans have been painting the town red and white and green in Rome. It's also a welcomed relief from the massive (INAUDIBLE) scandal that's been hanging over Italian soccer.

HOLMES: Oh, what a party.

CHURCH: Yes.

HOLMES: Can you imagine?

CHURCH: And it continues.

Well, that brings us to our "Question of the Day." Should Zidane have been given Golden Ball? Do you think, for example, sports reporters may have voted on it too early, before Zidane received that red card?

HOLMES: And did it matter in the end? Do you think it tarnishes his career?

Tell us your thoughts by e-mailing us, YWT@CNN.com. We're going to read some of them a little later.

CHURCH: All right. For our viewers in the United States, a check of U.S. headlines is coming up next.

HOLMES: Indeed. The rest of us are going to be looking in on global financial markets.

And then later, boy, a tricky repair job here. Space shuttle astronauts taking a walk on the dark side. And, no, we don't mean that.

(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 here in the U.S.

We are following a developing story out of New York's Upper East Side. The city's fire commissioner says it probably was a gas explosion that caused the collapse of a four-story building. Eleven people were injured, including six firefighters. The blast is under investigation. The city's fire commissioner says a doctor who worked in the building was pulled from the debris, injured, but alive and alert.

Here's what else he told us earlier today on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COMM. NICHOLAS SCOPPETTA, FDNY: At about a quarter after 7:00 or so, Con Ed got a call that there was the odor of gas. And, in fact, one of their mechanics was at the scene investigating that call, we believe, in the building next door when the explosion occurred.

We're very fortunate here. We believe there was only one occupant in the building. If that turns out that to be the case, then there's been an enormous catastrophe avoided. If this had been a fully-occupied building, there's no telling how many people would have been killed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

In other headlines today, diplomacy remaining the watch word in the growing tensions over North Korea's missiles program. Much of the world has been concerned with the communist nation's launch last week of seven missiles. A short time ago, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the U.N. Security Council will hold off on a vote for now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: The allies, the people who put forward this resolution -- by the way, there are a number of (INAUDIBLE) resolution -- believe very strongly that North Korea has to have a message from the international community that their current course is destructive and will isolate them. But we do think that the Chinese mission to North Korea has some promise, and we would like to let that play out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Two Security Council members, Russia and China, have opposed sanctions against North Korea

A church outing turns tragic in Missouri. Police say five children drowned in a river at Castlewood State Park. A sixth child is in the hospital.

Authorities say one child became caught in the undertow and the others jumped in to help. The victims range in age from 9 to 15. They were part of a group celebrating a volunteer appreciation day.

Prosecutors cannot use the chilling words of an alleged child killer against him, but they say they can convict him anyway. Jury selection is under way northwest of Orlando today in the trial of John Evander Couey. You might remember the case.

Couey is accused of kidnapping, raping and killing 9-year-old Jessica Lunsford in March of 2005. Last month, a judge tossed out Couey's taped confession because he repeatedly asked for a lawyer but didn't get one. Prosecutors say they still have enough evidence to convict Couey without the confession. They plan to seek the death penalty

A smokin' prediction from the World Health Organization. It says tobacco use will kill a billion people by the end of the century. That's 10 times the tobacco-related deaths in the last century. Health officials estimate there are 1.25 billion smokers in the world right now

And oath of office, a cut in pay. Earlier today, Henry Paulson was sworn as the new U.S. Treasury secretary. He leaves behind his multimillion-dollar paycheck that he enjoyed as chief executive of Goldman Sachs. President Bush and Chief Justice John Roberts on hand for that ceremony.

Two Discovery astronauts are on their second spacewalk, plugging away at repairs to the International Space Station. We're looking at live pictures from space right now. They've already finished installing a spare pump, and they're now replacing a cable assembly. The spacewalk is scheduled to wrap up in just over two hours

Torrential rains flooded parts of southern Colorado over the weekend. A section of Interstate 25 had to be shut down near Pueblo because of weather. Experts say the rains and flooding won't do much to alleviate Colorado's drought.

Ahead on CNN's "LIVE FROM" -- well, we'll get to that. But right now, let's check in on the weather.

Jacqui Jeras has a look at that -- Jacqui.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey, Daryn.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: All right, Jacqui. Thank you.

Now, ahead on CNN's "LIVE FROM" at the top of the hour, more on the investigation into today's building collapse and explosion in New York City.

Meanwhile, YOUR WORLD TODAY continues after a quick break.

I'm Daryn Kagan.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Hey, and welcome back to our viewers right around the world to YOUR WORLD TODAY. I'm Michael Holmes.

CHURCH: And I'm Rosemary Church. Here are some of the top stories we've been following this hour.

The vice president of Chechnya's resistance government and its top field commander has been killed. (INAUDIBLE) Shamil Basayev was slain overnight in Ingushetia, the republic that borders Chechnya. Basayev claimed to have masterminded both the Moscow theater and Beslam hostage episodes. Moscow and the Kremlin-backed government in Grozny said Basayez got what he deserved.

HOLMES: Britain's defense secretary says his government will deploy nearly 900 more troops to southern Afghanistan in the coming months. The move coming as Prime Minister Tony Blair warns that British troops face, in his words, "a dangerous and difficult mission there." Six British soldiers have died fighting Taliban militants over the past month. More than 3,000 British troops are already stationed in Afghanistan.

CHURCH: No agreement in sight over Israeli's offensive in Gaza. Hamas' leader in exile insists Palestinian people are united in wanting a prisoner swap. Khaled Meshaal said from Damascus that the captured soldier is being treated fairly. This a day after Israel's prime minister said he would not free Palestinian prisoners in exchange for a captured Israeli soldier. Ehud Olmert says the offensive will continue.

HOLMES: Well, as Meshaal and the Israeli prime minister accuse each other of using terrorist tactics, Palestinian civilians undeniably are caught in the middle.

Here's Dan Wedeman.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Workers repair severed phone cables, cut when an Israeli aircraft bombed this bridge near the town of Behanun (ph), a favorite launching point for Palestinian militants firing rockets into Israel.

Further south, another bridge blown, this one connecting northern and southern Gaza. Since the capture last month of Israeli Corporal Gilad Shalit, Israeli forces have blasted key Gaza infrastructure, trying to pressure Hamas to release Shalit and put an end to the rocket attacks. But here at least, the destruction is more symbolic than affective.

(on camera): The Israeli military says the rationale for destroying bridges like this is to stop militants from moving around the Gaza strip. But as you can see, it doesn't seem to have stopped anybody.

(voice-over): The bridge is out, but not the road that runs right by it. Palestinians are hoping the usual sources will help to fix the damage.

MKHAIRMAR ABUSADA, INSTITUTE FOR DEVELOPMENT STUDIES: It's going to cause the repair of the damaged bridges, but I'm sure that is going to take lot of Western money to repair those bridges again, which were originally built by Western money, by the way.

WEDEMAN: In late June, Israeli aircraft bombed Gaza's own electricity plant, which provided around half of Gaza's power.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This caused so many things in Gaza, but in our station (ph), no. But this time, they do something unimaginable. WEDEMAN: Gaza is now entirely dependent upon Israel for electricity, which falls far short of local needs, leaving the likes of shopkeeper Ahid Mushtahi to do his books by candlelight. "What we have done that Israel has to destroy our infrastructure, our power plants?" he asks, "For an Israeli soldier who isn't worth a pack of cigarettes?"

Rather than call for the release of the Israeli prisoner and bring this crisis to an end, some here seem content to curse Israel in the darkness.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Gaza.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: East Timor has a new prime minister. Former rebel leader Jose Ramos-Horta replaces Mari Alkatiri, who resigned last month after the country was wracked by weeks of violence. Alkatiri has been blamed for the unrest, which began after he sacked hundreds of soldiers. Sir Ramos-Horta was one of the main architects of the island nation's independence from Indonesia. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996.

HOLMES: The Kyoto News Agency says China has asked Japan a United Nations Security Council vote on North Korea for several days. Now, this all comes as the Security Council is about to resume debate on possible sanctions against Pyongyang. U.S. envoy Christopher Hill is in Japan. He's trying to drum up support for Washington's hardline position.

Our Atika Shubert has more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): U.S. envoy Christopher Hill ends his hastily-arranged trip to Asia in Japan, a staunch U.S. ally. After meeting with Japan's foreign minister, Hill appealed once again for North Korea to return to six-party talks.

CHRISTOPHER HILL, ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE: North Korea has a choice before it. A choice of whether to go for a continued isolation or to join the international community. And I hope they will make the right choice.

SHUBERT: Japan, with U.S. support, is pushing for tough sanctions on North Korea through a U.N. Security Council resolution that may be voted upon later today. The U.S. and Japan are appealing for a united front, but China and Russia, both with veto power, are opposed to Japan's resolution. South Korea, too, has criticized the plan, while North Korea has threatened to launch more missiles.

That has prompted Japanese lawmakers to consider whether the country has the right to carry out a preemptive strike, despite Japan's pacifist constitution. In a press conference, Japan's cabinet secretary said, "The government has said in the past, if there are no other means to prevent a guided missile attack, then it is legally possible to say that to attack the missile launching base is within our right to self defense."

Over the weekend, the USS Mustin arrived at the Yokosuka Naval Base outside of Tokyo. The U.S. Navy destroyer is equipped with an Aegis tracking system, an integral part of the joint U.S.-Japan missile defense shield. But the ship's commander insists it is a routine deployment.

CMDR. EDWARD B. CASHMAN, U.S. NAVY: We are aware of the situation in North Korea and the events of the past several weeks. We don't have any particular mission right now. We're tasked to come and turn over, as part of the normal rotation of forces.

SHUBERT: A routine deployment that is timely nonetheless.

Atika Shubert, CNN, Tokyo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: All right. Let's have another look at those live pictures. The Italian team has touched down in Italy, returning champions coming back from Germany. Right now the World Cup is onboard the aircraft with them. A bunch of heroes if there ever were. This is from a couple of minutes ago, this plane touching down. It's a military base, actually, just south of Rome. And chartered plane coming back with the heroes with the World Cup, defeating, of course, France in a very exciting match on Sunday.

We're going to keep an eye on this. Exciting days for the red, white and green -- Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right. From touchdown to outerspace now, where astronauts from Shuttle Discovery are taking a stroll.

Let's bring in space correspondent Miles O'Brien. Hello to you, Miles.

They're even going as far as calling this, what, a spacewalk ballet? Is it that beautiful.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN SPACE CORRESPONDENT: I think it is a beautiful sight. Look at these live pictures now. It's hard to think about -- this is something that is traveling at approximately 300 -- excuse me, 20,000 kilometers per hour, and about 300 kilometers above us.

But there you see that acrobatic arm, which is attached to the space station with Mike Fossum on the end, the NASA spacewalker. And he's carrying with him something that is about the size of a piano, weighs about 150 kilograms, which is a giant cable reel. This is the replaced cable reel that will put on a rail car, which goes up and down the spine of the International Space Station -- the truss, they call it.

That cable reel failed. It has a cutter attached to it for emergencies, in case he gets snagged. Well, it wasn't snagged, but the cutter still cut the cable and so now they have to replace it and the cutter in order for that rail car to continue back in action. They need that thing to be operative in order for the space station construction to continue.

Take a look at some of the pictures we've seen earlier as the spacewalkers did their job. You can see on -- when you look on this picture, you can see the dangling cable at one point when they came to it and pulled it out and got ready for that swap.

In addition to this, they also put on a pump, a giant pump, about 620 kilograms in all, that is not there to replace a failed pump. It's cooling pump that might one day be used if the air-conditioning system, the cooling system, fails on the space station. they put it essentially on, I guess you could call a luggage rack or something for the space station.

Back now, you can see these live pictures. You can see Mike Fossum. Well, there you see --by the way, that's the rail-car area they were working at earlier, getting that old spool out of the way. But that live picture right now gives you really good sense the size of that space station. That big tube in the center-left portion of the screen is the Destiny science lab.

And then you see the space walker, Mike Fossum. He's covered over by that lettering. You move to lose that lettering. If you lose that, you get a better picture of him. He is being moved ever so gently by that robot arm to that place on the space station rail car area, where he'll put in that new spool. So far, so good, things going according to schedule. And assuming this goes well, the space shuttle construction can be off to races -- Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right, Miles, just very quickly, I mean, a day after the shuttle was OK'd and cleared for return to Earth, this has all gone pretty well, after what was a pretty difficult start to this operation.

O'BRIEN: It's been an awfully difficult three-and-a-half years for the space shuttle, of course, since the loss of Columbia in February of 2003. This is only the second flight since then. They've scrupulously gone over -- it's the most photographed shuttle mission ever. And they've gone through scrupulously all of the imagery and the inspections, and they have determined that there is no significant damage to the heat shield.

Right now, they are clear to land, and that is a moment for the engineers at NASA to breathe a bit of sigh of relief. Actually a big sigh of relief -- Rosemary.

CHURCH: All right, space correspondent Miles O'Brien in his element, thanks so much.

HOLMES: Best job in the world.

CHURCH: He loves it.

HOLMES: Yes, he's good at it.

The most popular sport in the world is marking the end of the World Cup tournament in Germany, of course.

Up next, Italians are on top of the world celebrating their championship victory. We'll have the story after the break.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Oh boy, what a sight, the colors of Italian flag in fly- past. Unbelievable. These pictures coming now live from an air base, a military base just south of Rome. As the Italian team, the victorious Italian team, bring home the hardware for their country after that win in the World Cup, the world's biggest sporting event. There can be no doubt. We're going to keep an eyes on those pictures.

Welcome back, meanwhile, to this broadcast. Seen right around the globe. YOUR WORLD TODAY on CNN International.

Too much soccer is never enough, that's what I say anyway. Now that the World Cup is over, we can talk a little bit about the legacy of the tournament -- the upsets, the surprise victories, the referees, of course that head-butting incident seen, and some say felt, right around the world.

Who else buy Tommy Smith of ESPN International joining us from Bristol, Connecticut with his insights into the tournament.

Zizi, what was he thinking?

TOMMY SMITH, ESPN INTL.: I think he wasn't thinking, I think that was the big problem. If you were thinking at all, you would never get involved in that situation. I mean, it was just a horrible way to end a fantastic career. I mean, you just can't explain why somebody would do something like that. There is no logical explanation for it. It was a moment of madness, and I'm sure he's going to live to regret it for the rest of his life.

HOLMES: Now I don't want to waste our time talking too much about that. I agree entirely. Something certainly was said. Exactly what was said, I'm sure, will emerge in the fullness of time.

But you know, it wasn't just what he did; it was it meant to the team. Now, your the expert -- do you think he could have made a difference? He's certainly one of the better penalty takers on the team.

SMITH: Oh yes, it made a difference, there's no question about it. I mean, this was a selfish act by a big star. I mean, rather than thinking about how he was insulted, he should have been thinking about the impact it was going to have. His team goes down to 10 men. And as you rightfully said, he would be the first person up to take a penalty kick, and you saw him take a penalty kick earlier in the game, and he scored it. There's no reason to believe that he wouldn't have scored it, so it definitely had a very negative effect on the team. I mean, it was just a disgraceful act.

HOLMES: It was.

At the end of the day, Tommy, Italy, the winner.

And there we've got our live picture up from just south of Rome, where we're waiting for the team to actually get off the plane. This is huge for them, and a troubled time in Italian soccer as well.

SMITH: Yes, it's huge for them. I don't think that they had any thoughts of the scandal on their mind. They went out to win a World Cup. I said here on CNN when the competition started that Italy would win the World Cup. I feel very for Italy this morning. And certainly now in the next weeks, we will go forward with the scandal, but I don't think the scandal had anything to do with the way this Italian team played. They were just a good team. I mean, Cannavaro had the defense together, and if you did breach that defense, well, the goalkeeper was there, and he came up with incredible saves. I mean, Bofone (ph), some of the saves he came up with, you just couldn't -- I mean, there's no words to describe them, and he kept them in the game. I know that's what he was supposed to do.

And then you had Pirlo (ph), who was just a magician on the field, and there were 10 Italians that scored in this World Cup -- 10 different players! Where's all this (INAUDIBLE) that I hear, the Italians play so defensive. Nothing defensive about that, is there?

HOLMES: And a bunch of them were substitutes as well, heaven forbid.

The doors are open to open on that plane.

Tommy, you know, when you think about this tournament, one thing we didn't hear was criticism of the organizers. That says this was well run. What do you think this is going to do for world football, particularly in a country like the U.S., where we're being seen right now, where it seems every kid play soccer, but the grownups not so much.

SMITH: You know, this time there was a buzz in the U.S. There was a buzz about watching the games on television. ESPN showed every game in high definition. This competition was very, very well-run. I mean, the people who hate soccer around the world were all saying, oh yes, the hooligans, and this was going to happen, and that was going to happen. Well, the prophecy of doom, it didn't happen. It was a great tournament, and it was a tournament that many, many millions of people enjoyed. And I think it can only have just a positive effect on what happens on football or soccer, call in what you want, in the coming 10 years.

HOLMES: Yes, that's going to be test. I've been reading a lot in the U.S. papers that a lot of people really do enjoy the game. I like your idea, though. They're still complaining that it's not high enough scoring. I like you're idea, just make it six points for every goal, huh?

SMITH: That'd be -- I mean, that's ideal. You know, now they're complaining this morning -- they've figured out another thing to complain about -- is that a game like this shouldn't end on penalty kicks.Well, My suggestion is, have the penalty kicks before the game, and you have a team out there that really wants to make sure that they go out and win, because you don't want to lose on the penalty kicks.

HOLMES: Yes, love your idea. Just stay with us Tommy. Just going soak up the moment for a moment here.

Cannavaro, the Italian captain, holding up the World Cup there for all to see. What a moment for the Italians. And I tell you, they partied last night. It's going to be nothing to what happens tonight. They're going to be fated throughout the city. And there's another flight path.

Tommy, I don't know if you can see these pictures, but it's got to be incredible in Italy for the next few days, isn't?

SMITH: Yes, it certainly is. And, you know, if you come from a country that qualifies for a World Cup, there's a buzz within the country. I can just imagine what it is to come from a country that has absolutely won a World Cup. And I know it's not their first World Cup, but every time you win a World Cup, it's like you win your first World Cup all over again, and they're all in love with the Italians now. The Azzurri can do no wrong.

And I tell you, not alone are the parties in Italy. There were parties in New York last night in little Italy. There were incredible parties in Australia yesterday, anywhere that the Italians are. And they are partying, and they are partying for a long time in the future.

HOLMES: Speaking of that, I asked an analyst this earlier, and, you know, if Italy beat the Australians on a questionable penalty, does that mean we kind of won the World Cup, sort of, or no?

SMITH: Well, I doesn't work like that. You know, not really. But you can have a claim to fame and hype. You're one of the better teams in the World Cup because of the fact that it was a questionable one. And look at Grosso, I mean, look at his story. He was involved in that penalty kick. He scored the goal against Germany that really sealed it for the Italians. And yesterday, he sealed the World Cup for them. You would be very hard-pressed at the beginning of this World Cup to say that this man would turn out to be a legitimate hero.

HOLMES: Absolutely. I thought you'd say that, Tommy. I'll keep trying, though, I -- though what a great team. Do you think that, at the end of the day, when we looked at all of these teams before, I know you predicted Italy. I remember you doing it. Do you we ended up with the two best teams?

SMITH: Yes. I think we ended up with the two best teams the way the play went. You know, the Italians played much better. Their best game was against the Germans. They knocked the Germans out, and they got to the final on merit. The French also started very slow. We didn't see much from the French early on. And, like, they had to come up with the good results of fall teams. They had to get a result against Togo or else they might have been on their way home. And then they started to play well. So I think at the end of the day, overall, when you look back on the tournament, I think the two best teams were in the final.

HOLMES: Tommy, always terrific to see. Tommy Smith of ESPN International. It's been a pleasure having you on the show this last month. Great stuff. Good to see you.

SMITH: It's been great fun. Thank you very much.

HOLMES: Yes. And we'll keep looking at these pictures now. The Italian team getting off the plane, mingling around, and showing off the World Cup. We're going to be back. More of YOUR WORLD TODAY after this. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, before the break, we were talking about the World Cup. And, of course, the Italian members on the team arriving back, having won the 2006 World Cup trophy.

It's time now to open up our inbox.

France's Zidane was awarded the World Cup Golden Ball, despite being kicked out of the final match. We've been asking you for your thoughts on that very matter.

HOLMES: Yes, the question was pretty much should he have been given the Golden Ball, which is the player of the tournament? He's how some of you replied.

Eeshan writes from South Africa, "Sentiment should not come into play when deciding the player of the tournament. Truthfully speaking, Italy's Cannavaro should have won the Golden Ball."

CHURCH: All right, unfortunately, we are out of time. We have to say good-bye at this point. Thanks for being with us.

HOLMES: The news continues.

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