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Your World Today

Starving Orphans or Feel-Good Propaganda?; Hamas Imposing New Order in Gaza; First Landing for Space Shuttle Atlantis Scrubbed

Aired June 21, 2007 - 12:00   ET

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

STEPHEN FRAZIER, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: First a rescue. Now a recovery. Help arrives for disabled orphans living in horrific conditions.
COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: They seized control inside Gaza, but external support grows for Hamas's rival.

FRAZIER: China bumps the United States out of a top spot, although being a leader on this list is not always something countries would like to brag about.

MCEDWARDS: And he's running against the odds on carbon fiber legs. A double-amputee sprinter sets his sights on the Olympics.

FRAZIER: It is midnight in Beijing, 8:00 p.m. in Baghdad.

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

I'm Stephen Frazier.

MCEDWARDS: And I'm Colleen McEdwards.

From Tokyo to Toronto, Miami to Moscow, wherever you're watching, this is YOUR WORLD TODAY.

Starving orphans or feel-good propaganda? A U.S. raid in Baghdad turns up two dozen children in shocking circumstances. The prime minister orders an investigation, arrests result, and now a cabinet minister says the United States is blowing this all out of proportion.

Why? He says to score political points with all of this.

Let's get the latest though on this saga. Let's turn to Baghdad now. Frederik Pleitgen is standing by --Frederik.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Colleen, we were able to visit these children today. They have been moved from that original orphanage to another orphanage. And they do appear to be looking a whole lot better than they were on those photos that we saw. But boy, those signs of neglect can still be seen.

Here's what we found.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PLEITGEN (voice over): Fourteen-year-old Saddam (ph) is tired and weak. His body bruised. But he's alive.

Saddam (ph) and 23 other disabled boys were saved from a Baghdad orphanage more than a week ago. This is what Saddam (ph) looked like when U.S. and Iraqi forces raided the Hanan (ph) orphanage. Starved and neglected, many of the children were too weak to move. Others were tied to their beds in a room with no windows.

These pictures were obtained by CBS News. The U.S. military says it found supplies at the orphanage that could have helped the children.

The boys were brought here, to another location of the same orphanage in Baghdad, where Fierda Salman (ph) takes care of them.

(on camera): What are you doing now to help them? What can you do to help them?

"We give them the best care, almost everything, starting from food, to health care, to social care," Fierda (ph) says.

(on camera): When the U.S. military found Saddam (ph) and the other children, many of them were barely alive. Now, only a few days later, they receive food and clothing and they have improved considerably.

(voice over): Some of them have even found the strength to smile. Since taking the children in, this orphanage has received a wave of donations from inside and outside Iraq. Food, clothing and medicine from aid organizations, but also individual donors.

The story is making headlines in Iraq. Even in this country, where so many die in everyday violence, many say they are appalled by the neglect these children faced.

"This is a criminal act and we should not accept that," this man says. "This is absolutely cowardly, perpetrated by someone with no shame or conscience," he says.

Iraqi authorities detained four employees of the orphanage on the orders of the prime minister. Staff members at the Hanan (ph) orphanage won't comment on the neglect allegations. The important thing now, they say, is that Saddam (ph) and the other children get the care they need to recover.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PLEITGEN: Now, Colleen, you were talking a little earlier about that controversy between the U.S. and some Iraqi lawmakers concerning this whole thing. And we talked to some of the staff members at a different branch of the same orphanage. And they were telling us also they feel that this is blown out of proportion.

They said the main reason why this happened is because they were understaffed, and of course that they are operating under very, very difficult circumstances here in Baghdad. Very little or no electritty. Very little water. And also, of course, a very dire security situation.

Now, others that we've talked to, Iraqis that we have talked to, many of those say they are not buying that. They say under no circumstances is it ever right to tie a kid to a bed post and not give the food -- Colleen.

MCEDWARDS: Yes. It's so uncomfortable, isn't it, Frederik, to even talk about this kind of a story in terms of political points being scored, but this is Iraq and the situation is really complex.

We want to turn the corner a little bit here, Frederik. Just give us an update. A deadly couple of days for U.S. troops.

PLEITGEN: Absolutely. It was a very deadly 48 hours for U.S. troops here in Iraq.

Twelve U.S. soldiers got killed in the last 48 hours. Now, the single deadliest incident happened today, when an armored vehicle of a U.S. convoy hit a roadside bomb. Five U.S. soldiers died in that incident, three Iraqi civilians were also killed, and also an Iraqi interpreter.

Now, in a different incident today, another U.S. soldier died when his armored vehicle got hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. So really what we're seeing right now is a very, very tense security situation, especially here in the capital, in Baghdad -- Colleen.

MCEDWARDS: Frederik Pleitgen in Baghdad for us.

Frederik, thanks -- Stephen.

FRAZIER: Now, Colleen, to the Palestinian president, getting support for his new Hamas-free government from his closest neighbors.

Leaders from Israel, Egypt and Jordan will all meet with Mahmoud Abbas in a Red Sea resort on Monday. And an aide to Mr. Abbas says he's going to push for progress toward Palestinian statehood as the only true buffer, he says, against Hamas.

His blistering criticism of the Hamas takeover of Gaza has triggered mass protests across Gaza City. Crowds burned effigies of the president. Also burned U.S. and Israeli flags.

In his speech Wednesday, Mr. Abbas accused Hamas militants of atrocities and pledged to end their coup in Gaza. But just how he'll manage to do that is far from certain, though, Hamas is clearly in charge there and is already imposing a new order in Gaza.

Ben Wedeman shows us how militias are now laying down the law in Gaza's street.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Sergeant Ashraf Naim (ph) has a daunting task, to teach Gaza's troublesome donkey cart drivers and unruly motorists a bit of manners. "Cooperate with us," he tells them. This is the executive force, a militia formed by Hamas, now effectively the local police force.

In recent years, Gaza became synonymous with chaos, a place where respect for the law was optional. Now that's set to change.

Sergeant Ashraf (ph) explains to watermelon venders to move their goods off the road.

"I'm writing this in my book," he says. "You need do it today. When I come back later, I want all of this out of here."

Vendor Nidala Aves (ph) tells me he's happy to obey the new sheriff in town. "Before, there was no security," he says. "Now, thank God, there is. And we're happy."

In America, it's doughnuts. In Gaza, a cup of coffee helps win over the cops.

(on camera): This is law and order in the new Gaza. Men who a week ago were busy in battle are now trying to remind the people of this city of long-forgotten traffic rules.

(voice over): And in a place where guns -- and lots of them -- were regularly paraded and fired in the streets, these men say they're trying to change old ways.

"We have orders to stop and arrest anyone with weapons in the street who is not a policeman," says Sergeant Ashraf (ph). But this is the easy part.

A terrorist organization in the eyes of the United States and Israel, Hamas now has to organize life for the 1.5 million people living here, which means Hamas will have to insure institutions like Gaza's Shipa (ph) hospital has enough supplies, that the equipment works, and that new nurses get trained. Doctors here say they have enough medicine and machines for now, but worry supplies could be cut.

Gaza is still under an international embargo, boycotted by almost every nation on earth, and a few well-armed traffic cops do not make a viable government.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FRAZIER: And Ben Wedeman joins us now live from Gaza City to talk more about that odd transition that Hamas is trying to make into municipal leaders.

In addition to the police you've seen on the street there are those fighters who are acting as traffic cops, Ben. Are there other institutions now created in Gaza to get through the daily municipal needs that people have?

WEDEMAN: Well, you have to keep in mind, Stephen that, in fact, Hamas has been in control of the Palestinian government since the spring of 2006, following their parliamentary election which brought them to power. So they're not necessarily new to the mechanics of government. The new thing for Hamas is that they have complete control of the government mechanisms. So they're now in control of security and all of the ministries. Before the ministries had been essentially split between the factions. And I'll say, by and large, the situation seems to have stabilized.

Things are running fairly smoothly. There are complaints or worries about the future, whether supplies will continue to come into the Gaza Strip.

Israel, for instance, today said that as long as it's for urgent humanitarian needs, they will allow in food supplies. The U.N. here is saying that if the gates to Gaza aren't open wider, there's only enough food for two to four weeks here. But as I said, life in Gaza is certainly more normal than I have seen it since basically last year. And Hamas does seem to be making an effort to make things as normal as possible -- Stephen.

FRAZIER: Well, thank you for that early look at the situation there.

Ben Wedeman from Gaza City.

Thanks.

MCEDWARDS: Well, it's been a busy trip to the International Space Station, but now is this homecoming day for the shuttle Atlantis?

CNN Space Correspondent Miles O'Brien is at Kennedy Space Center in Florida with that.

Miles, it's all about the weather, isn't it?

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN SPACE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it is, Colleen. And we just got the word just a little while ago that NASA is not going to try on its first attempt to land here at the Kennedy Space Center. That was (INAUDIBLE) supposed to occur in about a half hour time, and the landing was scheduled a little before 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time, and that would be about, let's see, about 18:00 GMT. At this juncture, though, they're going to wait another 90 minutes and another revolution around the planet and see how the weather looks there.

If you look, there's Mission Control in Houston up in that right part of your screen there. They have got a constant loop up there of the satellite imagery, as well as the radar imagery around the Florida area, around the Kennedy Space Center. And there are two issues they're tracking very closely, and that is the cloud layer, which needs to be at or above 8,000 feet or 2,500 meters, and what is going on inside a 30-mile or 50-kilometer disk around the Kennedy Space Center.

If there are any rain showers in the disk, they can't -- and the forecast as well, for an hour away -- they will not allow the shuttle to come home. Take a look. This is just a pan around the area now. You see some blue sky, and perhaps we'll get some improvement in the next opportunity, perhaps not.

There's the disk where all of the focus of attention is. And you see those little showers kicking up. That's -- it's the first day of summer. This is Florida, Florida in the afternoon, and this is what happens.

So this is not exactly out of the realm of what you would predict. The question is, would they be able to kind of thread the needle today and land today?

If they don't get back today, Colleen, they'll try again tomorrow. And they will open up the Edwards Air Force base in California as an alternate.

NASA didn't do that today because they try to avoid landing there. It costs them about a million extra bucks every time they put an orbiter down in California. They'd like to save the taxpayers' money if they could. But tomorrow, depending on how the weather goes, it might well end up there -- Colleen.

MCEDWARDS: Yes. Worth waiting on the weather, I guess, to save that kind of money.

Miles, thanks a lot. We'll check back with you.

FRAZIER: Now to Sierra Leone, where a United Nations-backed special court has convicted three former military leaders on multiple counts of war crimes during that country's brutal civil war that lasted an entire decade. But this ruling breaks ground here. It makes the first-ever conviction by any international court on the use of child soldiers.

Fredricka Whitfield explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It's both a landmark case and landmark ruling.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The child chamber unanimously finds the accused...

WHITFIELD: Fourteen charges, including conscripting as many as 30,000 children into combat during a brutal, decade-long civil war. And now, in Freetown, Sierra Leone, a court backed by the United Nations convicted three men on most of the charges -- 35y-five year- old Alex Tamabrima (ph), 39-year-old Brima Bazi Kamara (ph), and Santiji Borba Kanu (ph), age 42.

STEPHEN RAPP, PROSECUTOR: Justice needed to be done. And people that were responsible for the horror on this society, on the men, women and children of Sierra Leone, deserve to be punished. And justice needs to be done. WHITFIELD: So are human rights advocates, who called the convictions a groundbreaking step toward ending impunity for commanders using children in conflicts worldwide. Using child soldiers is not new, but it was raised to a new level in Sierra Leone. This verdict is the first time an international court convicted anyone in their use of children as soldiers.

The Sierra Leone U.N.-backed tribunal was set up when fighting ended in 2002. The idea, to prosecute the worst offenders in a war that claimed tens of thousands of lives in the small West African nation.

Six more men are also on trial facing similar charges. Among them, former Liberian al president Charles Taylor, accused of ordering horrific abuses in exchange for diamonds. He's on trial at The Hague in the Netherlands, for fear any court proceeding in Freetown might incite violence.

Earlier this month, on what was to be Taylor's first day in court, he was a no-show, claiming he can't get a fair trial. It's unclear whether he will appear Monday when court is scheduled to resume.

Fredricka Whitfield, CNN, Johannesburg.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCEDWARDS: Coming up, an inspiring story of a South African sprinter.

FRAZIER: He has two artificial legs, carbon fiber legs, that could carry him all the way to the summer Olympic games in Beijing. The regular Olympic games.

MCEDWARDS: And the fish are jumping in Mississippi, seriously. You could see it there. They really are jumping. But people there don't think it's so funny anymore.

And later...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The air is difficult to breathe. After just a few hours here, I have a headache, a sore throat, and my eyes feel irritated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRAZIER: They're number one, but John Vause tells us that may be nothing to be proud of when you have just been named the world's most polluted country.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MCEDWARDS: Well, it's a great day to be a Druid, or a Pagan, or just your run of the mill sun worshipper. FRAZIER: Today, of course, the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. That always brings out a lot of new-ager types to England's famous Stonehenge.

MCEDWARDS: This year, some 24,000 people gathered at this prehistoric monument, celebrating the solstice, as usual. A crowd of police and English heritage stewards were on hand to keep this party from getting out of hand.

As if it would.

FRAZIER: Not too many Druid costumes in this crowd this year.

MCEDWARDS: Welcome back to CNN International and YOUR WORLD TODAY.

We are covering the news that the world wants to know. We are giving you some perspective that goes deeper into the stories of the day as well.

Well, the U.S. Assistant secretary of state, Christopher Hill, is on an unannounced visit to North Korea ahead of six-party talks that are to resume in July. But amid the diplomatic smiles that you see here and the handshakes, an issue many thought was resolved is rearing its head again.

Just after Hill's arrival, North Korea said that it still had not received that $25 million in frozen funds, funds that were supposed to be released. And it put a planned visit by IAEA inspectors on hold because of this.

Now, before this little wrinkle emerged, Hill was talking an upbeat note.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTOPHER Hill, U.S. CHIEF NEGOTIATOR: Well, just here for a brief stop. It's part of our consultations in the region. And we want to get the six-party process moving. We hope that we can make up for some of the time that we lost this spring and are looking forward to good discussions about that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCEDWARDS: Well, the Reuters news agency is quoting Russia's foreign minister as saying that frozen funds are being transferred to a Russian bank.

FRAZIER: Well, China is now the number one producer of carbon dioxide emissions. It surpasses the United States, according to a brand new study from Dutch experts.

MCEDWARDS: And Linfen is the most polluted city in the country, where a glimpse of a blue sky is pretty much as rare as a breath of fresh air.

John Vause takes us there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

VAUSE (voice over): Welcome to Linfen. Now try not to breathe.

No city on earth, according to the U.N., is more polluted. Nowhere is the air more toxic.

And many who live here don't seem to notice, like Mrs. Wang (ph). I asked her when was the last time she saw a blue sky. She pauses, finally answers, "I can't remember."

Linfen's two main industry are coal and cement. Both powering China's stellar economic growth, both responsibility for massive amounts of greenhouse gases. Both cause the acid rain which falls here.

According to a Dutch study, China passed the United States last year, producing 8 percent more of the CO2 emissions responsible for global warming. It's all just not fair, says China's foreign ministry.

"China is now the world's factory," he says. "On the one hand, you want to increase manufacturing. On the other hand, you criticize us for CO2 emissions."

(on camera): It's just past 2:00 in the afternoon, but the sunless gloom makes it feel much later in the day. The air is difficult to breathe. After just a few hours here, I have a headache, a sore throat, and my eyes feel irritated.

(voice over): Four million people live in this (INAUDIBLE) filth. Mrs. Lang (ph) sells drinks by the road and doubts that China's pollution is impacting the world. "How can our air travel all the way to other countries?" she asks.

Linfen is symbolic of China's dilemma. Once dirt poor, now there are new cares, high wages, and shopping malls. But it comes with a massive cost to the environment.

"How can you be healthy here?" this farmer asks after all of his crops have failed.

Through the haze, this banner reads, "Protecting the environment is everyone's priority."

Clearly, this city, this country, has a long, long way to go.

John Vause, CNN, Linfen, China.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FRAZIER: Well, we hope John is feeling better now.

And we do have a little bit more on the Chinese official response to that study. Officials say it's hypocritical for developed nations to criticize China's greenhouse emissions, all the while purchasing products made in China.

MCEDWARDS: Officials also point out that China's production of greenhouse gases is still less than those of the U.S. when you look at it on a per capita basis. It depends how you break these figures down.

China emits roughly 4,500 kilograms of carbon dioxide per person, while each U.S. citizen produces nearly 20,000 kilograms of CO2.

All right.

For viewers in the United States a check of the U.S. headlines is going to be next.

FRAZIER: For everybody else, YOUR WORLD TODAY continues.

And coming up, the inspiring story of one man's commitment. We'll show you how one athlete is able to bounce back. And we mean that literally.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MCEDWARDS: Welcome back to our viewers joining us from more than 200 countries and territories around the globe, including the United States. This is YOUR WORLD TODAY. I'm Colleen McEdwards.

FRAZIER: And I'm Stephen Frazier. Here are some of the stories we've been following at this hour.

Israel and the only Arab nations with which it has peace treaties are uniting now behind the government of Mahmoud Abbas. Leaders of Israel, Egypt, and Jordan will all meet with the Palestinian president Monday at a resort on the Red Sea. An Abbas aide says he's going to push for progress toward Palestinian statehood in an effort to counter the Hamas takeover of Gaza.

MCEDWARDS: This is what is left of the City Hall in Sulamenbeck (ph) in northern Iraq. A suicide bomber rammed an oil tanker loaded with explosives right into the building. Sixteen people dead, 75 hurt. An Iraqi general says the target was probably the mayor, who has lost five relatives to assassination already.

Well, in the last two days, roadside bombs and other attacks have killed 12 U.S. military personnel. Higher casualties can be expected with U.S. forces mounting their big offensive against militants.

Karl Penhaul is embedded with U.S. soldiers in Salahedin (ph) Province. That's where Samarra lies. The troops tell him they are impressed for a change, with Iraqi police.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dodging the bullets, these Iraqi police are winning some respect from the U.S. paratroopers fighting beside them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going at it (ph).

FIRST SGT. RODOLPHO CISNEROS, U.S. ARMY: They did pretty good. At least they stayed, they fought, they listened to what we said and they started, you know, providing an overwatch for us.

PENHAUL: It was a welcome turnaround in an operation that started badly. The joint mission set up police precincts and drive al Qaeda fighters out of Samarra's toughest neighborhoods. But orders hadn't filtered down to this Iraqi police unite.

Another base, and Iraqi cops are sick. Poor food and water, they say. They came from Baghdad to boost security after last week's Golden Mosque bombing. Conditions are cramped and filthy.

CISNEROS: They're not prepared. There's no food -- they didn't bring any food or water.

PENHAUL: U.S. politicians and military commanders say the sooner Iraqi forces can stand alone, the sooner U.S. troops can go home. U.S. congressional reports sight training shortfalls and poor logistics, like those apparent at this police base, as major obstacles.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're coming out now with their 120 guys.

PENHAUL: After two hours, the police muster enough men. They single out a school for a new patrol base. They lack even basic tools to break in. Inside, it's coordination that's lacking.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get out there and pull security.

PENHAUL: Then an insurgent cell opens up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're getting shot -- fire from the rooftop, 400 (ph) meters.

PENHAUL: No casualties. The Iraqi police have held their own.

SPECIALIST JORDAN DOWNS, U.S. ARMY: That's a huge step. I've never even seen that. Usually, it's just pray and pray with them.

PENHAUL (on camera): A sign of progress it may be, but no clear hint Iraqi security forces are ready to go it alone.

Karl Penhaul, CNN, Samarra, Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FRAZIER: There's some talk this week of a new role for Tony Blair after he steps down as British prime minister next week: Middle East Negotiator. U.S. officials are telling CNN that talks are underway with British officials, as well as officials in the four (ph) nations called the Mideast Quartet. The proposal would be for Mr. Blair to focus on building up Palestinian institutions, while U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice handles negotiations.

The Associated Press is reporting that U.S. President George W. Bush has already talked with Mr. Blair about the subject, and a senior U.S. State Department official discussed it with Mr. Blair in London Wednesday.

MCEDWARDS: Well, now that Hamas has pushed Fatah out of Gaza, the difference between the two Palestinian territories has become even more stark.

But as Atika Shubert tells us, even though the West Bank and Gaza have taken much different paths, people in both territories consider themselves first and foremost, Palestinian.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In an amusement park in the town of Ramallah, it's possible to forget the violent differences between Palestinians.

This is the West Bank, home to a new government controlled by Fatah, and backed by the U.S. and Europe. And this is Gaza, poverty- stricken and isolated, now under the rule of the Islamic militant group, Hamas. The dream of the united Palestinian state is fading fast.

KHALIL SHAHIN, POLITICAL ANALYST: The whole generation of Palestinians is under shock now. But you ask Palestinians, do you believe that the Palestinian state could be established? The answer would be no.

SHUBERT (on camera): The West Bank and Gaza were actually united in 1967, under Israeli rule. Previously, Egypt controlled Gaza and Jordan, the West Bank. The result, two distinct Palestinian territories.

(voice-over): The West Bank has always been wealthier. People enjoying higher incomes than their cousins in Gaza, its more liberal culture, closer to Western tastes.

Gaza is poorer, much poorer. More than two-thirds of the people are refugees, half still living in camps. More than eight in 10 live in poverty. Many must rely on humanitarian aide to survive. No wonder, then, that radical Islam has found a home in Gaza.

It is a split the Israeli Press next door call "Hamastan Versus Fatah Land." But many Israelis see a united Palestinian state as the best chance for peace.

DANNY RUBENSTEIN, POLITICAL ANALYST: The full (ph) state solution is the only option for our conflict because the alternative is only one alternative. If you don't have two states for the two people, it will be one state for the two people. One state for the two people, it will be one state for the two people. One state for the two people is (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

SHUBERT: Despite the differences, the political battles, people in Gaza and the West Bank consider themselves Palestinians first.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're one people. One people, we have one chance for our life. We have one situation. It's must be like one land.

SHUBERT: But right now, it's one people living in a divided land.

Atika Shubert, CNN, Ramallah.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MCEDWARDS: One of the startling things we saw in Gaza was Palestinians abandoning their conflicts with Israel or at least putting it to the side and shooting instead at each other.

That brief war for the streets of Gaza was fuelled by smuggled weapons. Jonathan Mann joins us now with more on that.

JONATHAN MANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hamas was voted into office a year and a half ago, but it really never took power until it literally took power by force of arms in a war that was made possible because of all of the guns in Gaza.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SAEB ERAKAT, PALESTINIAN LEGISLATOR: We will not allow what happened in Gaza and the chaos and the lawlessness and the multiple authorities and the multiple guns that led to the catastrophe that happens in Gaza to reach the West Bank.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANN: The Palestinian government has a gun control law, but you would never know it in Gaza. After Israeli troops withdrew in 2005, guns started showing up just about everywhere.

There are groups armed by the government, there are groups like Hamas that arm themselves, and there are a lot of ordinary people buying guns for self-protection.

Israeli intelligence says 9,000 assault rifles were smuggled into Gaza in 2005 alone and even more the next year -- another 14,000 in 2006. Six tons of explosive in 2005 and then the pattern repeats itself. The number goes up to 28 tons in 2006. There are also an awful lot of handguns, rocket-propelled grenades, just about an arsenal of every other kind of weapon coming in as well.

According to the "Wall Street Journal, weapon prices are actually going down in Gaza because the market is so flooded.

Now, the smugglers there work three ways. They can come over land across Egypt's 250-mile border, 400 kilometer border with Israel. They can come by water, from the Mediterranean into Gaza. Or probably the most popular route, underground from the town of Rafah.

Rafah is a Palestinian town that actually straddles the border between Egypt and the Gaza strip. Through the middle out it, there is actually a barrier road called the Philadelphi (ph) road patrolled by Israeli soldiers.

Now, this is an illustration that was prepared by the Israeli Army. People who live on the Egyptian side of Rafah dig the holes and basically move the goods, coming up on the Palestinian side of Rafah with the Israelis unable to stop them, because they're above ground -- even if they're in between.

Now everyone knows this is going on, and for one reason or another, Egypt isn't stopping it, though Israel keep pressing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EHUD OLMERT, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER (through translator): I shared my concern and the concern of Israel of the fact there are weapons smuggling through Philadelphi into the Gaza strip, and also illegal money transfers through the Rafah, and I know these things are a worry for Egypt.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANN: A few years back, the Israelis released a map of the tunnels they found. The truth is over the years they have found dozens. Though even in this earlier map, it dots the line along Rafah.

Now there are dozens of them in use today, even with all the Israeli efforts and they're being used to bring Hamas even more guns.

On the other side, Fatah and its leader aren't really a force in Gaza anymore, but they're getting guns, too.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CLAYTON SWISHER, MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE: There is a direct channel of weapons and ammunition coming from the United States and from Americans Arab partners, namely Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emerites, the so-called Arab quartet, sending weapons to help bolster the forces loyal to President (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANN: Now Hamas faces a lot of challenges -- it has to feed the people of Gaza, it has to collect the trash, take care of other routine services without the help of the Palestinian authority or Western powers. And as we've heard from our Ben Wedeman earlier in the program, it also has to figure out what to do about all of the guns.

MCEDWARDS: All right. So, why doesn't Egypt stop the flow of guns?

MANN: Depends on who you talk to, there are two reasons. One group says, well Egypt doesn't really want to stop the flow of guns. Hamas is moving the guns into Egypt and then into Gaza and as long as the guns don't stay in Egypt, that's a battle the Egyptian government doesn't really need to have.

There's another group of people, Egyptians among them, and even some Americans and some Israelis who say nobody can stop the smuggling. The smuggling has been going on for generations, that's how (UNINTELLIGIBLE have always made money.

Now, they are as poor as ever. Palestinians are poorer than ever. There's simply so much money to be made in smuggling, no money to be made anywhere else, that the economic pressure would fuel this, even if it wasn't ideology at work.

MCEDWARDS: Yes, understood. Jonathan Mann with our insight segment. John, thanks a lot.

CLANCY: Well, coming up, a South African athlete who may soon see a life long dream come true.

MCEDWARDS: That's right, one man's search for a level playing field may soon be a reality. Stay with us. That's ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CLANCY: Well, there's no doubt that losing both of your legs when you're a child is something that most people would see as disabling.

MCEDWARDS: Yes, they would. But in the case of one tough African athlete, some people are saying this actually gives him an unfair advantage.

Martin Geissler explains.

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MARTIN GEISSLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The world of athletics has never seen anything like Oscar Pistorius. The fastest man on no legs is giving them a headache.

A double amputee, Oscar runs on carbon fiber blades. And that's the problem. The sports governing body ruled that these Cheetah feet could be an unfair advantage. They banned him from able-bodied competition.

But now they've amended that decision and the 21-year-old's dream of competing in next year's Olympics is back on track.

Years of grueling training may not be wasted, after all.

OSCAR PISTORIUS, AMPUTEE: Now that they have cleared it, makes it worth while. So, you can imagine, it's like three and a half seasons of work, now we're cleared and we can start playing with the big boys. I think that's going to be fun.

GEISSLER: A birth defect meant Oscar it his legs amputated below his knee before his first birthday. He's never walked on his own two feet, when makes his achievements all the more remarkable. (on-camera): Already this year, Oscar Pistorius has racked up times that would have won him the women's goal at 100, 200, and 400 meters at the last Olympics.

He's convinced with another 12 months training under his belt, he can put himself up there, among the world's fastest men in Beijing.

GEISSLER (voice-over): The sport's governing body is having special tests carried out on these prosthetics to see if they give the runner extra height, a longer stride, or a spring-loaded step. Pistorius is adamant they provide no advantage. If he's right, you should see them and him in China next year.

PISTORIUS: The cons definitely are a lot more than any of the pros. If anything, there aren't any pros that we can identify as being better than an able-bodied leg. There isn't really anything that can be better than a human limb.

GEISSLER: Here in South Africa, Pistorius is already big news with big sponsors. The blade runner has fame and a small fortune, but none of that will matter if he's denied his dream. Ultimate ambitions?

PISTORIUS: Make a final in an Olympic games one day.

GEISSLER: And it's that kind of drive that's got him this far in the face of the incredible adversity.

Martin Geissler, ITV News.

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MCEDWARDS: This is an incredible controversy.

FRAZIER: The Blade Runner. What a title.

MCEDWARDS: Interesting stuff. Well, coming up you got falling frogs, you got swarms of locusts. And now, flying fish.

FRAZIER: There not plaques though, this is not a new chapter from Leviticus it's actually a true story playing out along America's Mississippi River. And it has an awful lot of people fishing for answers.

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FRAZIER: We have a report now of aliens invading the American South.

MCEDWARDS: They're flying through the air. They're attacking everything they see. Nothing can stop them.

FRAZIER: This is not though another "War of the Worlds." The aliens are alien fish that come from Asia.

MCEDWARDS: Yes, but they do represent a very real menace to the Mississippi River environment.

David Mattingly reports on the invasion of the flying carp.

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DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fisherman talk about days like this. Big fish so easy to catch they jump right into the boat. But this is one fish story with a very serious turn. These leaping fish are part of an invasion, an ecological disaster on the move. The fish are Asian carp, and they have been ruining lakes and streams everywhere they go. We're going to one of those areas right now. And we have been warned, keep your head down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bruises and broken noses and black eyes and being knocked out. Those are the type of injuries we're seeing from these fish.

MATTINGLY: Holy cow! Whoa! Man! We got a boat full of fish. When these fish were small, people thought this was funny. But now that they're -- ooh, 10 and 20 pounds, they can hit you and really do some serious harm. And just a few seconds later, I find out the hard way. Ouch. That hurt.

Let's look at that from a different angle. A 10-pound carp leaps out of the water from the far side of the boat and hits me hard from more than eight feet away. That's going to leave a mark. And that wouldn't be the only one. Imagine what that would do to a fast-moving jet skier.

But these fish collisions are only the most obvious signs of a far-reaching problem. As the invaders continue their march north, the commercial fishing industry on Lake Michigan could be the next big target.

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FRAZIER: All right, that was so unusual and poor David. We don't want to look like we're laughing at his expense.

MCEDWARDS: Well, we are.

FRAZIER: We are. But we want to see the fish --

MCEDWARDS: He got hit by a fish. Let's see it again.

FRAZIER: Let's watch.

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MATTINGLY: That wouldn't be the only one. Imagine what that --

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FRAZIER: If he had been a little quicker with his hands, he would have had dinner.

MCEDWARDS: That is a big fish.

FRAZIER: They're huge. And they're -- as you heard, they're breaking people's noses here. That's a fish story like you can't imagine. All right, now to one of the busiest places in the entire world, New York City's Times Square.

MCEDWARDS: One man wants to grab the world's record as the busiest man in Times Square. To be exact, attempting to break the world record for the most mileage on a treadmill in 24 hours. Why, why, why?

FRAZIER: Because this is what he does. If you're a jogging fan, you might recognize this guy. Dean Karnazes He's a man who ran 50 marathons in 50 states in 50 days. He's wrote a book about that. He's been at this now for 12 hours straight.

MCEDWARDS: OK, it all makes sense to me now. No --

FRAZIER: He's moving faster than the George M. Cohan statue that is just up the street there in Times Square. Yankee Doodle Dandy.

MCEDWARDS: OK.

FRAZIER: That's it for us. We're not jogging anywhere. For our U.S. viewers though, "CNN NEWSROOM" is next.

MCEDWARDS: For everyone else, another hour of YOUR WORLD TODAY with us. Stay with CNN.

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