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Your World Today

Comments by an Australian Cleric About Women Trigger Outrage; War in Afghanistan; The Battle to Secure Baghdad

Aired October 26, 2006 - 12:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're disgusting. And frankly, they should be rejected by anyone of conscience and decency.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: A Muslim cleric sparks a firestorm of protests in Australia when he compares women who don't wear the traditional head scarf with uncovered meat.

JIM CLANCY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: The president of Afghanistan calling for an investigation into reports that dozens of civilians have been killed by NATO bombs.

GORANI: With most Republican candidates trying to play down the unpopular war in Iraq, this one has a novel strategy, saying he's sorry.

CLANCY: And NASA launches a high-stakes mission to the sun. Good thing they're going at night.

Hello, everyone, and welcome to our report broadcast around the globe.

I'm Jim Clancy.

GORANI: I'm Hala Gorani.

From Sydney to Kandahar, the campaign trail, to the surface of the sun, wherever you're watching, this is YOUR WORLD TODAY.

Well, he says his sermon was meant to protect women's honor. Critics say it was an incitement to rape.

CLANCY: We're going to begin our report this hour with remarks by a senior Muslim cleric in Australia that has triggered outrage all the way to the prime minister's office.

GORANI: Well, we've heard similar controversies in other countries over whether women should wear head scarves.

CLANCY: But as we hear now from Ben Fordham, this one stands out for the cleric's comparison of uncovered women to uncovered meat, inviting sexual attack.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN FORDHAM, REPORTER: One-word answer to this question: Will you resign?

SHEIKH TAJ EL DIN AL-HILALI: No and no and no.

FORDHAM (voice over): Sheikh in Al-Hilali is suffering from heart troubles, high blood pressure, and asthma attacks. But health problems were the least of his worries today.

JOHN LAWS, RADIO BROADCASTER: I mean, what he spews is just horrible, just horrible.

FORDHAM: Once again, Australia's most senior and controversial Muslim cleric was the number one talk-back target and front page news.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's been a lightning rod for controversy and mistakes and problems for a long time.

FORDHAM: He stands accused of blaming women for wearing suggestive clothing that could provoke sexual attacks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're disgusting, and, frankly, they should be rejected by anyone of conscience and decency.

FORDHAM: The latest saga includes a speech in which the sheikh alluded to Sydney's infamous gang rapes, comparing women to meat.

"If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside on the street, or in the garden, or in the park, or in the backyard without a cover, and the cats come and eat it, whose fault is it, the cats' or the uncovered meat? The uncovered meat is the problem."

Today, the sheikh was laying low but granted an exclusive interview to "A Current Affair". Muslim leader Kazar Trad (ph) translated.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He said, "If I take meat out of my fridge and put it outside, then I'm saying that I'm discarding it, that cats can come and eat it.

FORDHAM (on camera): But that is not the way we live in Australia. In Australia, the uncovered meat is not the problem. The cat is the problem. The rapist is the problem.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's right.

FORDHAM: Why did he say -- hang on a moment. Why did he say that the uncovered meat is the problem?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's saying that the man is responsible, the cat is responsible.

FORDHAM (voice over): But the damage was already done.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am very, very angry. How much longer can, as an Australian society, can we tolerate this behavior?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I don't know about you, but as far as I'm concerned, this bloke's played his last card, hasn't he? He's a disgrace to all well-meaning Muslim people. And you've got to get rid of him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Any sort of suggestion that some women are equivalent or even likened in any way to uncovered meat is just plainly obnoxious and offensive.

FORDHAM (on camera): Many people in Australia today, including some female Muslim leaders, are suggesting that these comments will encourage sexual assault against women.

What does Sheikh Hilali say about that?

(voice over): In the speech, the sheikh also said this: "If she was in her room, in her home, in her hijab, no problem would have occurred."

MAHA ABDO, MUSLIM WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION: The hijab is not a tool to be a deterrent for sexual assault or any assault, or physical assault, for that matter. It is a spiritual connection between myself and god.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I grew up down at the beach wearing bikinis all the time, little shorts, skirts.

FORDHAM (on camera): So you don't feel like you're inviting trouble?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. No.

FORDHAM (voice over): And today on the streets of Lakemba, Muslim men had no objections rejecting the sheikh's position.

(on camera): What do you think of the clothes this girl is wearing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Beautiful.

FORDHAM: Beautiful? You've got no problem with it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No problem.

FORDHAM (voice over): Sheikh al-Hilali claims his comments on the jail sentences handed down to gang rapists were also misunderstood.

(on camera): What did you mean by the judge showing no mercy by giving someone 65 years?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He said what is meant by that is that anybody who commits a crime of rape deserves 65 years in prison.

FORDHAM: And why does he say without mercy? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The intention in that context is this person does not deserve mercy, that the judge should not show mercy to that person.

PAUL SHEEHAN, AUTHOR & COLUMNIST: I think (INAUDIBLE) has a credibility problem. He says one thing in Arabic and he says another in English.

FORDHAM: Can you say very clearly that you are sorry for the people who have been offended?

HILALI: A 100 percent misunderstanding.

FORDHAM: I can't hear you saying -- I can't hear you saying sorry.

HILALI: Misunderstand. I'm very, very sorry for that. People misunderstanding my talk and my message.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't pretend to know what's -- what's required to get this man sacked, but Sheikh Taj El Din al-Hilali has really got to go.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GORANI: All right. That was Ben Fordham reporting.

And Jim, it's interesting to see, though, that the most extremist things that are said among clerics are the ones that get the most press. I mean, they're the ones that get the most attention. But you heard even in that piece there that -- that most of those Muslims who were asked said they didn't agree.

CLANCY: No, not at all. And not representing the mainstream point of view, not understanding.

Let's give you an update now on a controversy that sparked outrage across the Muslim world.

A Danish court now ruling that the newspaper that first published cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed did not libel Muslims. At least 50 people died in riots sparked by the cartoon's publication. The court ruled, while Muslims found these cartoons offensive, there was no basis to assume their purpose was to belittle Muslims.

Nonetheless, they found it very offensive.

GORANI: All right. We're going to continue to follow these controversies and the one out of Australia, as well. But now we take you to Afghanistan, where there's heavy fighting between NATO forces and a resurgent Taliban.

The government says dozens of civilians were killed during NATO operations in the volatile Kandahar province this week. NATO says an initial review found 12 civilian deaths.

Berged Inzeklu (ph) reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice over): NATO troops on patrol in the area where it's claimed scores of civilians lost their lives. A local Afghan official has suggested that the deaths may have been due to the fact that the bombing was carried out late at night and that the warplanes were not clear exactly what they were hitting.

MAJ. LUKE KNITTIG, ISAF SPOKESMAN: We assess that we have killed as many as 70 insurgents in these three engagements. Them trying to keep us from doing our mission there. But we do take very seriously these credible reports of civilian casualties, and we will pay very close attention to the delegation that President Karzai has sent there to understand how people were affected.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The incident follows heavy fighting last month between Canadian NATO forces and the Taliban. Operation Medusa was launched to quell the insurgency in and around Kandahar province, where the Taliban was gaing a strong foothold.

That campaign was declared a success, with claims of up to 2,000 Taliban fighters killed and the area cleared of their influence. But NATO continued to patrol the area and has confirmed that 48 rebels were killed on Tuesday during fierce fighting. The news that up to 50 civilians, mainly women and children, may also have died during a major Islamic holiday is now the subject of an official investigation.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GORANI: Well, that was Berged Inzeklu (ph) reporting -- Jim.

CLANCY: All right. Let's go on now and take a look at some of the other stories that are coming up.

We've got our own correspondent in Afghanistan right now. Jamie McIntyre, our Pentagon correspondent, is traveling with General James Jones, the supreme NATO commander. He joins us on the line now.

What is the overview, Jamie, there of how the NATO mission in Afghanistan is going?

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Jim, you know, they recognize there's a lot of fighting in the south, but General Jim Jones, the supreme NATO commander, says that he believes, despite all the talk about reviewing the strategy in Iraq, that Afghanistan is basically on the right course.

He points to a sharp decrease in the number of attacks against NATO forces this month compared to August and September, the big spike during that NATO offensive in the south. And in fact, NATO says that this week they had the lowest number of casualties they've had in a long time. One British marine so far having died in that fighting in the south.

But we also took a foot patrol through downtown Kabul today and found, you know, a remarkably peaceful city, in contrast to, say, the capital of Iraq, which is intense and have increasing casualties. General Jones is also meeting with his commanders to see how that agreement that's supposed to stop the flow of Taliban fighters across the Pakistan border is going to far. It seems to be having only limited success to getting reports. Taliban fighters continuing to cross over.

But the main point they make here is that, despite the fact they may have some tactical military victories from time to time, they really need to follow that up with reconstruction and real aid to the people of Afghanistan, because that's the only thing that's going to win the hearts and minds. We saw a few of those people in Kabul who are in pretty good shape today, but there are many other people across the country who feel like they're getting any help from the government -- Jim.

CLANCY: Well, and so he sees that as key, a two-pronged approach here? Because a lot of people, aid workers have said that President Karzai was known to be working with the West very closely, and that they're really measuring the West by Karzai, how much aid they are delivered. Is that how he sees it, not only in military terms, but in those reconstruction terms, to really define whether Afghanistan will be a success?

MCINTYRE: Right. I mean, they feel that they have a window of opportunity.

They dealt the Taliban a defeat in the summer, but they're by no means defeated. They could easily come back.

They say the strategy now is they've got to follow this up with some real progress, some real improvements in the lives of Afghan citizens to have a hope of not having the Taliban simply come back into these areas. And that -- that's a strategy that they're pursuing. They're really trying to push that aggressively.

And, of course, the other big problem is the drug problem. And we've yet to really hear any good solution to get that under control. And that's funding and fueling the Taliban insurgency.

CLANCY: All right.

Jamie McIntyre there, embedded with the supreme NATO commander, General James Jones.

Jamie, as always, thank you.

Now there are less than two weeks to go to the U.S. midterm elections.

GORANI: And one U.S. Republican is hoping his new TV ad pays off at the polls, but will his mea culpa really work at this stage of the game?

CLANCY: Also, shame and disgust. Graphic photos casting a cloud over the work of German peacekeepers in Afghanistan. More on that story coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CLANCY: Hello, everyone, and welcome back. You're watching YOUR WORLD TODAY.

GORANI: We are bringing our CNN viewers in the U.S. and around the globe up to speed on the most important international stories of the day.

And we start with this...

CLANCY: The rising death toll in Iraq. A major factor, of course, in the growing antiwar sentiment in the U.S.

GORANI: Now, that toll has reached the highest monthly level in one year.

CLANCY: Now, the U.S. military reports five more U.S. soldiers were killed in Anbar province, bringing October's death toll now to 96.

GORANI: At least 14 Iraqi policemen were killed in a wave of attacks in and around Baquba. Gunmen attacked a police checkpoint and ambushed a police convoy nearby. Dozens of officers are still missing.

CLANCY: An adviser to Iraq's prime minister, meantime, trying to smooth over an apparent rift between U.S. and Iraqi plans for a timeline to curb the violence. Mowaffaq al-Rubaie says U.S. and Iraqi leaders, in his words, "... are not rivals competing. We are in full agreement."

GORANI: All right.

Iraq a big topic and a big concern for many Americans who have been polled recently in terms of how they will make their choice in their voting booth come midterm elections in less than two weeks. Many recent U.S. troop deaths have come in Baghdad, a result of increased aggressive patrols, but U.S. commanders acknowledge that the operation to secure the capital has fallen far short of expectations.

We'll have more on the elections in just a bit, but for now, John Roberts goes along on a mission to show us the difficulties.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN SR. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Lieutenant Colonel Al Kelly is the new sheriff in town in Baghdad's Horia (ph) neighborhood.

LT. COL. AL KELLY, U.S. ARMY: Anybody from the outside ever come in and make any threats here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no. ROBERTS: The Stryker Battalion has been in Horia (ph) a week now. The mission: to stop sectarian violence. It has driven many Sunni Iraqis out of what was once a religiously diverse area.

(on camera) How urgent was the need for a unit like yours down here?

KELLY: I think -- I think it was pretty urgent. We got here, I think, about a week or so too late. They had already done a lot of the moving of Sunnis out of this area.

ROBERTS: As Baghdad goes, many military experts believe, so goes much of Iraq. If the capital is lost to civil war, it could take the entire country with it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

ROBERTS: Iraqi police, not yet up to the job, have been losing ground in this neighborhood. Privately, some American soldiers wonder if they'll ever be ready for primetime.

But they are the centerpiece of a plan so critical to the future of this country that the American commander, General George Casey, makes a personal visit to the police chief to check in.

GEN. GEORGE CASEY, CENTRAL COMMAND: Who is the enemy in this fight?

ROBERTS: The strategy is for the Americans to chase out the militias and restore order to the point the police and Iraqi army can one day take over.

CASEY: It takes time. Don't expect something to happen overnight here. This is a long-term proposition.

ROBERTS: Horia (ph) is but one neighborhood in this cauldron of growing sectarian violence, pitting Sunni against Shiite, even Shiite against Shiite.

(on camera) Gaining control of Baghdad's security is an overwhelming task. It is so big, there are so many people, so many weapons and so many competing interests.

It's almost like one of those carnival games. U.S. forces would come in and put down the violence in one area. Suddenly, it would pop up in another. They would tamp it down there. A third area would suddenly become violent. And when they left the first to put that violence down, the first area would pop up yet again.

(voice-over) The task is complicated by Iraq's tangled web of politics. U.S. and Iraqi forces went into Sadr City early in the morning looking for a Mehdi militia member suspected of leading death squads.

After a fierce firefight, in which 10 suspected militia members were killed, Iraq's prime minister denied he gave permission for the raid and said it wouldn't happen again.

And when U.S. troops seized a cache of weapons from a TV station owned by Iraq's largest Shiite political party, the nation's national security advisor forced the military to give them back.

MOWAFFAQ AL-RUBAIE, IRAQI NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Because the forces do not understand the culture of this country, they don't understand the language, they don't understand the religion. They don't understand what goes on.

ROBERTS: More and more Iraqis are embracing private militias as their only source of real security. And U.S. forces believe some militia leaders will kill people in their own religious group just to increase their power.

This deadly car bomb in Horia (ph) looks like a typical insurgent attack. But the Americans, who have been trying to put the local Shiite militia out of business, smell a setup.

CAPT. EDWIN MATTHAIDESS, U.S. ARMY: As we come in to help with security and do some assessment with the Iraqi army, the militia leader and his sheikh brother are right there, and they're the first people to talk to me, and they tell me this is why they need a militia.

ROBERTS (on camera): So you think he was trying to make a point?

MATTHAIDESS: A little too convenient.

ROBERTS (voice-over): Conspiracy theory? Perhaps. But in a city, a nation where so many people are fighting for a piece of the action, the Americans are ruling nothing out.

John Roberts, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GORANI: Well, still ahead, a three-dimensional view of the sun.

CLANCY: Of the bazillion stars that are there in the sky, the sun is the only one that, well, for us really counts. More on NASA's two-year mission a little bit later.

GORANI: Also, how did a proposed sight for a museum to promote tolerance become the object of controversy? We'll take you to Jerusalem.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Heidi Collins at the CNN Center in Atlanta.

More of YOUR WORLD TODAY in just a few minutes, but first a check on stories making headlines right here in the United States.

The battle at the border. President Bush signed a bill to crack down on illegal immigration. He says the U.S. is a nation of immigrants, but the borders must be secure.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The bill authorizes the construction of hundreds of miles of additional fencing along our southern border. The bill authorizes more vehicle barriers, checkpoints, and lighting to help prevent people from entering our country illegally. The bill authorizes the Department of Homeland Security to increase the use of advanced technology like cameras and satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles to reinforce our infrastructure at the border.

We're modernizing the southern border of the United States so we can assure the American people we're doing our job of securing the border.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: The bill the president signed today does not include any money for the fence. An earlier bill makes a $1.2 billion down payment on that cost.

The power of the presidency and how the public feels about it. This new CNN poll was conducted by the Opinion Research Corporation. It shows 39 percent of those asked say the Bush administration has gone too far in restricting civil liberties to fight terrorism. About one third say the restrictions are about right. And one in four say the administration has not gone far enough.

Asked if President Bush has more power than any of his predecessors, 65 percent say no, 33 percent say yes.

All this week, the best political team in television has been investigating America's "Broken Government". Our coverage continues tonight with "Power Play," hosted by John King. That will be at 8:00 Eastern, 5:00 Pacific.

Five more American troops killed in Iraq. That makes 96 this month alone. U.S. military officials say the latest troop deaths happened during combat operations in the volatile Anbar province.

Also today, a military spokesman say troops continue to search for a missing U.S. soldier. He's described as an Iraqi-American translator who may have been abducted while visiting family in Baghdad.

And near Baquba, officials say at least 14 Iraqi policemen and an unknown number of insurgents were killed this morning in intense battles there.

Towering flames, but no injuries in this raging fire in Iowa. The warehouse was filled with motor oil and filters. There are no other buildings nearby. No word on what may have ignited the predawn blaze.

To southern California now. A wildfire there sweeping across hundreds of acres in Riverside County. Fierce, dry Santa Ana winds are making matters even worse.

Fire crews say the winds are pushing the flames through more brush near I-10 in the Banning pass. Mandatory evacuations under way for Poppet Ranch, Twin Pines and a juvenile center there. No injuries have been reported.

Just days before Halloween, but beginning to look a lot like Christmas. A snowstorm blanketing Colorado, more than a foot of snow on the ground in parts of the state. The snow and whipping winds have shut down some roads, and many schools are now closed. And people being asked to stay put inside their homes.

Pretty understandable, Rob Marciano.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, Heidi.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: Famed for her beauty, infamous for ugly behavior. Supermodel Naomi Campbell in trouble with the law again. A woman has accused the 36-year-old of assaulting her.

London police arrested Campbell and questioned her. A spokesman for the British-born beauty says it's merely a misunderstanding that will quickly be resolved. Campbell has been accused of assault at least three times before.

At the top of the hour, we'll hear from Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, a Pentagon briefing just after 1:00 Eastern. You can catch that right here, CNN "NEWSROOM" with Kyra Phillips and Don Lemon.

Meanwhile, YOUR WORLD TODAY continues after a quick break

I'm Heidi Collins.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CLANCY: Hello, everyone, and welcome back to YOUR WORLD TODAY. I'm Jim Clancy.

GORANI: I'm Hala Gorani.

Let's update you on what's happening in Iraq and the impact that it might have on the elections. First off, the U.S. monthly death toll in Iraq has reached the highest level in a year. The military says five more U.S. troops died Thursday during operations in Anbar province, west of Baghdad. That brings October's death toll to 96, equal to the number killed last October.

CLANCY: With U.S. congressional elections less than two weeks away, Republicans are trailing Democrats in many races across the country. Political analysts say the war in Iraq is one big reason. And as Randi Kaye reports, that has one Republican incumbent asking voters for forgiveness, hoping that will get him back to Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) REP. MARK KENNEDY (R-MN), MINNESOTA SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: Good to see you guys. Thanks for being here.

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Republican Congressman Mark Kennedy is lagging 16 points behind in the polls. He needs a breakthrough strategy, and hopes his new TV ad, which plays like a 30-second mea culpa, works.

KENNEDY: None of us like war. And we have made some mistakes in Iraq. We're facing an enemy that must be defeated.

KAYE (on camera): Some say that this new campaign ad of yours sounds a bit like a confessional.

KENNEDY: A confessional reflects the fact that you have a faith, a goal, an objective in something. I have a goal. And that is to make sure that America maintains the resolve necessary to win the central challenge facing our generation.

KENNEDY: Leaving Iraq now will create a breeding ground for new attacks on America. That's the harsh reality.

KAYE (voice-over): The question is, why, with less than two weeks to go until Election Day, would Kennedy stand before the camera and say this?

KENNEDY: I approve this message, even though I know it may not be what you want to hear.

How should that be extraordinary? Tell me...

KAYE: Because you're coming out..

KENNEDY: Tell me a bigger issue.

KAYE: ... two weeks before the election, saying, hey...

KENNEDY: Tell me a bigger issue.

KAYE: ... we messed up. I know you're frustrated. I'm frustrated. If you send me to Washington, I can fix it. Whatever you do, don't send my opponent, because she is certainly not going to fix it.

That's extraordinary.

KENNEDY: She hasn't set a desire to win.

KAYE: But that is extraordinary.

KENNEDY: She hasn't stated a focus on what the consequences of losing are.

KAYE: Do you agree...

KENNEDY: That is -- that... KAYE: ... that's an extraordinary effort, though?

KENNEDY: I don't agree that's extraordinary. I think that it should be the norm.

KAYE (voice-over): With U.S. casualties mounting in Iraq and sectarian violence on the rise, to some, the ad comes across as a last-ditch effort to close the gap.

KENNEDY: It's got nothing to do with polls. I mean, this is an issue that 40 percent of the people agree with me. Sixty percent of the people, you know, have a different view. How would that be viewed as an issue that is politically driven?

KAYE (on camera): I'm just trying to understand why, with just two weeks to go, is it now really surfacing in this campaign.

KENNEDY: This is the central issue. You need to address a lot of issues in the campaign.

KAYE: But why not address it six months ago?

KENNEDY: Nothing else matters when you get focused on terrorism. That's where it's appropriate that, when you close the campaign, this would be the focus.

KAYE: Until now, Kennedy and Democratic opponent, Amy Klobuchar, have gone head to head on issues they say are equally important to Minnesotans, gas prices, health care costs, and tax cuts. It wasn't until last week that either mentioned Iraq in a campaign ad.

AMY KLOBUCHAR (D), MINNESOTA SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: Hi there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, Amy.

KLOBUCHAR: Hey. How are you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good job?

KLOBUCHAR: Good to see you. Thank you.

(CROSSTALK)

KAYE (voice-over): Democrat Amy Klobuchar would rather stick to the issues than critique her opponent's latest ad.

KLOBUCHAR: I'm not an ad analyst.

(LAUGHTER)

KLOBUCHAR: I am just working for the people of Minnesota here. So...

KAYE: Like most Democratic candidates, there's little need for Klobuchar to talk about Iraq. KLOBUCHAR: It's about affordable health care for our families and college for our kids. It's about homegrown energy for our rural economy and paying down the national debt, so we can protect Social Security.

KAYE: The issue, by itself, is hurting Republicans all over the country.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

KAYE: Kennedy, a three-term House member, has voted in favor of the president's positions more than 90 percent of the time. He approved of the Iraq invasion, and, until now, has been firmly aligned with the White House on Iraq.

But he realizes it's time to step out of the shadow of the White House and remind voters who is really on the ballot.

KENNEDY: This race isn't about the White House or the president. The last time I checked, the names on the ballot are Mark Kennedy and Amy Klobuchar.

KAYE: Randi Kaye, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CLANCY: All right. Randi Kaye there. I don't know if that was a mea culpa or not on his part. I think he's saying really that you don't understand, I have to support this, and I'm sorry you don't understand.

GORANI: And I'm sorry if it's unpopular, as well. Anyway, very interesting. Just less than two weeks before the elections.

Well, we're going to take a short break here on YOUR WORLD TODAY. Coming up, it looks like some ghoulish stunt dreamed up for Halloween.

CLANCY: But it wasn't. The skull was real, and the German government is not laughing about these macabre photos of its peacekeepers posing in Afghanistan.

GORANI: And celebrities leave their egos at the door in a new campaign ad targeting world poverty. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Zero and liftoff of the Delta 2 Rocket with stereo, giving us a three-dimensional look at the physics of our sun.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GORANI: The U.S. space agency, NASA, has just launched a STEREO shot to the sun. In space speak, STEREO stands for Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory. CLANCY: OK, so that's a pretty long one. There are two spacecraft on board. That's the important thing. The idea behind the two-year, $555 million mission is to get a first-ever look at the sun in 3-D. No, not putting on a cheap pair of those glasses. Why is that important? It's virtually the only way, Hala, to get an accurate look at solar flares.

GORANI: Huge eruptions from energy from the sun's surface. The solar flares -- we see it sometimes with satellites, actually -- play havoc with electronics here on Earth.

Well, welcome back to CNN International.

CLANCY: Can't wait to see those pictures. This is a program seen in stereo in more than 200 countries across the globe, YOUR WORLD TODAY.

Well, Afghanistan says graphic photographs of German peacekeeping troops apparently desecrating skulls goes against Islamic values and Afghan traditions.

GORANI: Well, the images of soldiers posing with skulls in Afghanistan appeared in a German newspaper on Thursday. Now, some fear they could damage the already-fragile NATO mission.

CLANCY: We get more from Robin Oakley.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These pictures, in the German newspaper "Bild," who German soldiers apparently desecrating a human skull in Afghanistan, have outraged the nation.

An investigation has been launched by the Bundesvere (ph), the German army. At least six soldiers, two of them sill serving, are being questioned by prosecutors after publication of the photos, one of which shows a soldier simulating a sex act with a skull. Shocked German politicians, led by Chancellor Angela Merkel, have rushed to condemn the behavior shown in what Angela Merkel called the "horrible pictures."

ANGELA MERKEL, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): The German government will investigate the soldiers who played a role in this and take the most drastic measures. Such behavior is inexcusable.

OAKLEY: The defense minister insisted the behavior shown in the photos, apparently from 2003, was totally against the values taught to German soldiers.

JOSEF JUNG, GERMAN DEFENSE MINISTER (through translator): If these things are confirmed, those involved will face disciplinary, or even criminal measures. Anyone who behaves in this way, manner has no place in the Bunesvere.

OAKLEY: That opinion was echoed in the German streets, and by a social democrat lawmaker.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm appalled that these things can happen. It's awful, just a shame.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The German government should take care of it and find out what really happened.

URSULA MOGG, SOCIAL DEMOCRAT LAWMAKER: We have to tell the soldiers that they are representatives of the army, and are representatives of the German society when they go abroad. And so we need an investigation, that's for sure, to give the message that we don't accept it in parliament.

OAKLEY: Not every soldier lives up to his uniform. U.S. forces in Iraq have been shamed by the atrocity at Abu Ghraib Prison. The British army, too, has had to discipline soldiers over the mistreatment of prisoners. But the revelation of the German soldiers' behavior couldn't have come at a worst time, on the very day Germany announced a plan to play a much greater military role in the world, working with United Nations, the European Union and NATO. NATO's secretary general was swift to condemn the action of a tiny minority among Germany's peacekeepers in Afghanistan.

JAAP DE HOOP SCHEFFER, NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL (through translator): This incident is not representative of the German army or NATO. Fortunately, it is an exception, but it is not acceptable.

OAKLEY: The problem for the German authorities is that in terms of opinion across Afghanistan and the world, the harm done by one such incident can easily outdo all the good done by a whole battalion of peacekeepers. And it remains to be seen how much the risk of retaliation on other German soldiers abroad has been increased.

Robin Oakley, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(NEWSBREAK)

GORANI: Still head, a new television ad featuring Hollywood celebrities urges Americans to vote.

CLANCY: But there is a bigger message behind this call to go to the ballot box. We'll tell you just what that is right after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Saving lives in the world's poorest countries, winning the fight against global aids and extreme poverty -- there aren't two sides to these issues; there's only one. Please vote. One.org.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CLANCY: Some very recognizable faces there waiting in line to cast ballots. That's a new television advertisement calling on Americans to get out and vote.

GORANI: But the ads have an underlying message: join the fight against global poverty and AIDS.

CLANCY: These ads are getting a lot of attention because they feature some of Hollywood's top movie stars, country western singers.

GORANI: Right. And they're trying to make a nonpartisan point. The ad also features prominent members of both the Republican and the Democratic parties.

CLANCY: Now a little bit earlier, Hala talked with former Clinton White House spokesman Mike McCurry and former Bush financial strategist Jack Oliver.

GORANI: Right, I started by asking Mike McCurry why he thought it was important to take part in the filming of this ad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE MCCURRY, FMR. CLINTON WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECY.: Well, we're at a point, historic moment, where we can really do something about extreme poverty and AIDS in this world, that we can save lives and actually improve the quality of life for billions of people on this planet if we commit the resources to do it. This is an issue that Democrats and Republicans can unite on. I thought it was important, with my friend Jack Oliver, to send the signal that Democrats and Republicans can be together in this fight to combat extreme poverty.

GORANI: All right, now Jack Oliver, of course, we have a Democrat on the one hand, Mike McCurry, you a Republican, how do you measure success since this is a bipartisan effort?

JACK OLIVER, REPUBLICAN FUNDRAISER: Well, I think success is going to be measured by our ability to motivate people, beginning in 2006. But really also focusing on the 2008 presidential campaign to make the voices of the over three billion people around the world, who live on less than $2 a day heard in American politics. And the way to do that is with grassroots. And that's why we're so excited the one campaign we've already signed up over 2.5 million people who are wearing this bracelet saying, I want to make sure that poverty is an issue addressed in elections because it's important that we, as Americans, come together to focus on this very important issue.

And as Mike said, the great thing about this, is this is an issue that Republicans and Democrats we can work together on, people of all religious faiths, people who are not agreeing on almost any other issue. This is an issue they can come together and they can work together on in a bipartisan, bicultural effort to try to make sure that America's compassion, and America's focus is placed around the world on this vital issue of fighting extreme poverty and AIDS.

GORANI: All right. And briefly, before we get to the current campaign, which is very heated, what are you asking voters to do, Mike McCurry, when they read the pledge, the agreement? What tangibly can they do?

MCCURRY: Well, we want them to go to the Web site, one.org, and look at this list of things that we are asking our elected leaders to commit to. They are very much related to the goals that the U.N. has set and the world community has set to really fight poverty and AIDS around the world, to really make life better for those who face the most intolerable conditions on the planet.

But what this is really about, and Jack just referred to it, is building a political movement in this country that shows political leaders that there is a constituency in this country ...

GORANI: Jack Oliver, let's talk about the current campaign, the Iraq war, the Iraq war, the Iraq war. That is really the main theme right now. We're seeing it, in some cases, potentially hurt Republican candidates.

OLIVER: Well, no. I would say, like all people, the president and all Americans are not satisfied with the progress we've made in Iraq, but it's not just that. It's what are we going to do to continue to win the war on terrorism? The president addressed this yesterday. You're hearing candidates on both sides of the aisle talk about the issue.

But I think what you're going to see in this election cycle -- and I'm an optimist, so I think Republicans are going to still win the House and the Senate -- is a clear choice on issues, whether it's winning the war on terrorism and making sure that, as leaders, we have the tools we need on surveilling of terrorist activity or detaining or the Patriot Act or it's on the tax issue. You know, the tax issue is something the American people understand.

GORANI: Right. That has slipped, though, in our list of priorities in terms of what will decide. Are you having trouble raising money this time around compared to your fundraisers in previous elections?

OLIVER: Not at all. The good news is, as Republicans, we're motivated at the grassroots level and we have the resources we need to get our message out.

GORANI: If the Democrats take control of Congress, will it be because the Iraq war is perceived as not being led well by the Republican White House?

MCCURRY: Iraq is kind of hovering over this election, but it really is also that two-thirds of this country wants to move the nation in a new direction, a different direction. They're not satisfied with the leadership of President Bush and the Republican majority and they want some changes. And this is going to be an election about changing the direction of the country.

And democrats are going to be prepared to do things like raise the minimum wage, do something about the cost of healthcare for Americans, implement the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, which have not been implemented by the current administration.

They're going to fight the war on terror a different way and win it. And I think that message is the one that's now resonating with voters and why Democrats are substantially ahead in so many of these races.

GORANI: All right. And, Jack Oliver, how do you react to that?

OLIVER: Well, I mean, obviously, Mike and I can agree on the need to fight poverty and how to do it. We disagree on what's going to happen in the elections. I think what you're going to see, as the American people get closer and closer to the election, they take a hard look the issues that matter most to them: winning the war on terrorism, making sure the economy is vital.

And while I agree people want to make sure we're moving the ball forward in Iraq -- and that's an issue that everyone is concerned about -- I think the American people will take a strong look and, as Mike and I would disagree, I think they're going to remain focused on keeping our economy moving strong and the way to do that is not to elect a Democratic House which will raise your taxes.

GORANI: Well -- and Mike McCurry, the last word to you. You see, in the current campaign, some nasty political ads out there in states that have close races where it is very important for either party to get ahead in order to have a chance of controlling either the House or the Senate. What do you make of some of those ads that you see?

MCCURRY: Well, it's very hard to break through the clutter, but I think the voters are getting sick and tired of that kind of partisanship and that kind of bitterness. And I think that's why they like to see guys like me and Jack Oliver together making a case, why we need to come together.

And, you know, after this election, regardless of what happens -- and I obviously think that Democrats are going to win the House and the Senate, just opposite of what Jack thinks. After this election, we need to start coming together as a country and really getting down to solving some of the problems that we face as a nation and that the world faces.

And that's why after this election, coming together on issues like fighting extreme poverty and AIDS will really make a difference. And I think the voters will respond very favorably to that, regardless of which party wins. And I think Speaker Pelosi and the House Democrats know that. So we look forward to them doing things like that.

GORANI: All right, Mike McCurry and Jack Oliver, thanks to you both very much. And I'd like to invite you both again for a status check on the one.org ad and campaign as well as maybe a little post- game discussion on the elections.

OLIVER: Pleased to be with you. Thank you so much.

MCCURRY: Great, thank you.

GORANI: Thank you to you both.

CLANCY: Nice interview, Hala. That was good to hear the Democrats and Republicans agreeing on some of the points.

Now, Hala and I have been waiting all week, every day. We know this story is coming. We don't know just when. But here it is. New pictures of pop star Madonna and family with David Banda, the Malawian youngster that she and husband Guy Richie plan to adopt. There we are, some the new pictures.

GORANI: The couple's adoption of the 1-year-old boy has been troubled by controversy, as many of you know and even contested by the father, as was reported in some newspapers. In an appearance on Oprah Winfrey's American chat show, Madonna finally spoke publicly about the situation.

Sibila Vargas has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MADONNA, MUSICIAN: I think if everybody went there, they'd want to bring one of those children home with them and give them a better life. And I say to those people, shame on you for discouraging other people from wanting to do the same thing.

(APPLAUSE)

OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: Madonna, thank you.

SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Madonna, on "Oprah," confronting the deluge of criticism that has come from her adoption of an African boy, including accusations by some human rights groups that she used her celebrity to speed up the process.

MADONNA: If only my wealth and my position could have made things go faster, I assure you, it doesn't matter who you are or how much money you have, nothing goes fast in Africa.

VARGAS: Also slowing things down, recent reports that the boy's father, Yohane Banda, was not aware that the adoption was permanent.

YOHANE BANDA, DAVID'S FATHER (through translator): When we agreed with Madonna that she wants to take care of the child, there wasn't any arrangement that she was going to have him as her own forever.

VARGAS: Madonna says this simply isn't so.

MADONNA: No, I do not believe that is true. I sat in that room, I looked into that man's eyes. I believe that the press is manipulating this information out of him. I believe at this point in time that he's been terrorized by the media. VARGAS (on camera): Banda now tells "Time" magazine that he will not contest the adoption, good news for Madonna who is perhaps one step closer to her original goal.

MADONNA: I wanted to go into a third world country, I wasn't sure where, and give a life to a child who otherwise might not have one.

WINFREY: And I say God bless you for that.

VARGAS (voice-over): Sibila Vargas, CNN, Hollywood.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GORANI: All right. That's it for this hour of YOUR WORLD TODAY. I'm Hala Gorani.

CLANCY: I'm Jim Clancy. Don't turn your knob. This is CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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