[Michael Holmes, Cnn International Anchor:] A six-month pause. A radical anti-American cleric in Iraq tells his militia to lay down their arms a day after rival Shiite groups clash.
[Colleen Mcedwards, Cnn International Anchor:] A terrifying ordeal comes to an end for some South Korean hostages in Afghanistan.
[Holmes:] And the aftermath of the wildfires. One Greek village becomes the symbol of a country's national disaster.
[Mcedwards:] And, two years later, New Orleans marks the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. It is 8:00 p.m. in Baghdad, it's 11:00 a.m. in New Orleans. Hello and welcome to our report broadcast around the globe. I'm Colleen McEdwards.
[Holmes:] And I'm Michael Holmes. From Kabul to Canberra, wherever you're watching, this is YOUR WORLD TODAY. Let's begin with Iraq. The Shia militia that the Pentagon once called the biggest threat to Iraq's security is putting aside its weapons, at least for now. Hard-line cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has ordered his Mehdi army to suspend armed activities. This coming a day after it was directly involved with deadly clashes with Shia rivals. Let's bring in Michael Ware in Baghdad to explain the significance, or otherwise, of this. Michael, of course what went on in Karbala was, frankly, ridiculous Shia militias battling Shia government forces in a Shia town, at a Shia festival. What is the significance of Muqtada al-Sadr saying this now?
[Michael Ware, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, firstly, Michael, welcome to the future of a post-American Iraq. This is a glimpse of what it's going to look like. If the British defeat in Basra and the internecine fighting that we're seeing and the competition down there isn't enough, Karbala is a glimpse what's going to happen. A very Lebanese-style breakdown of militia-versus-militia power blocs fending for power. Now, what we've seen in the wake of a number of casualties, 54 killed in this holy city during this holy festival, is that Muqtada al-Sadr has ordered his powerful militia to suspend military operations. Now, to be frank, in the final washout, this honestly doesn't mean a great deal, certainly according to the Mehdi militia sources we've been speaking to, both on the ground, in the mid ranks, and at the leadership levels. It came to the U.S. military announcing it's investigating an incident that involved one of its troops. When they say "suspend military operations," that's Muqtada saying stop going out and picking fights without consulting with the leadership first. The Mehdi militia still protects large parts of Baghdad. It still protects other southern Shia-dominated cities. That's going to continue. And they do that armed. Their checkpoints shall remain. Their control shall not be reduced. This is essentially Muqtada playing to a domestic audience, making it seem that he addresses the significance of these terrible civilian casualties. But militarily, they're going to stay in tact. Have no fear of that Michael.
[Holmes:] And Michael, of course this all comes at a time when Nouri al-Maliki is under great pressure for his performance, or lack of it, as the Iraqi leader. And you have a Mehdi militia whose political wing still is literally part of the government. It becomes a bit of a joke, doesn't it?
[Ware:] Well, Michael, the whole government is just a series of armed militias which, according to U.S. military intelligence, are backed by Iran. Now, Iranian officials here on the ground, at the embassy, deny that, as does the government in Tehran itself. Nonetheless, the fact remains that the currency of political power in this country is simply the size of your militia. And I'm afraid to say, apart from the two Kurdish power blocs, all of the militias are opposed to the U.S. Indeed, most of this government is opposed to the U.S. So, the fact that Muqtada's militia a part of this government really just defines this government. It's a loose coalition of largely anti-American militia.
[Holmes:] All right. Michael Ware with some important context there, live in Baghdad. Thanks, Michael.
[Mcedwards:] Well, and speaking of Iran's role in Iraq Michael raised it's there the U.S. military says eight Iranian nationals detained in Baghdad have now been released. U.S. soldiers arrested them at a hotel on Tuesday, leading them away with hands bound and eyes blindfolded. The U.S. says unauthorized weapons were found in their car earlier in the day. Iraqi officials say the Iranians were invited to Iran to sign an electricity supply contract. Iran angrily protested the detentions and demanded a full explanation. A senior U.S. official has told CNN that the Iranians should not have been arrested, at least not in that manner, blaming it on a mistake ordered at a low level of command.
[Holmes:] Meanwhile, an adviser to the top U.S. general in Iraq weighed in, calling those arrests, in his words, "regrettable". He also said they have nothing to do with U.S. President George W. Bush lashing out at Iran on the same day. Mr. Bush repeated accusations that Iran is meddling in Iraq's affairs and arming Shia militias. He says he has authorized U.S. military commanders to "confront Tehran's murderous activities." President Bush also criticized Iran's nuclear ambitions.
[George W. Bush, President Of The United States:] Iran's active pursuit of technology that could lead to nuclear weapons threatens to put a region already known for instability and violence under the shadow of a nuclear holocaust. Iran's actions threaten the security of nations everywhere. And that is why the United States is rallying friends and allies around the world to isolate the regime, to oppose economic sanctions. We will confront this danger before it is too late.
[Holmes:] Well, Mr. Bush speaking just hours after the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, made some incendiary remarks of his own. He said the U.S. occupation of Iraq is collapsing and he pointed out Iran is ready to step in to help fill the vacuum.
[Mcedwards:] Well, finally free, 12 South Korean church volunteers seized by the Taliban nearly six weeks ago will soon be heading home. They were released by their Taliban captors as part of a deal with She south Korean government. Seven more members of the church group, though, are style being held. Sohn Jie-Ae has more now on the reaction in Seoul.
[Sohn Jie-ae, Cnn Correspondent:] Members of the same church took this happy snapshot in the Korean airport before leaving on a summer volunteer trip to Afghanistan. It is easy to see from the excited expressions that it never entered their minds that this would be the photo from which the world would identify each hostage taken by the Taliban. Now there is home once again the ordeal of most might soon be over thanks to negotiations by the South Korean government. On the streets of Seoul, relief, but concern as well. "The main condition of the release was the withdrawal of the dispatched troops," says this man. "I think this may set a negative precedent. I think the South Korean government broke the unspoken law of international community by negotiating with terrorists." The South Korean government says it agreed to continue with plans already in place to remove 200 soldiers from Afghanistan by the end of the year. Another promise was to stop all Christian missionary activities in that country. The church group says its people were not on a missionary troop, but one South Korean Christian leader did not find the demand unreasonable. "To release the hostages safely," he says, "we would abide by the request of the Taliban." Family members in South Korea who had been gathering every day for news from Afghanistan could not contain their emotions at the news. But there was also sadness that the joy could not be shared by the families of the two men killed by the Taliban. A sentiment also felt by two women who were released earlier this month. "You may think of us as happy, now that we are with our families again," she says, "but we can't sleep at night worrying about the hostages that were left behind. I understand that Islam teaches respect for life and love of family. I hope very much for the return of my friends, so that they, too, can be reunited with their families." A hope that seems to be coming true for at least most of the once happy church group. Sohn Jie-Ae, Seoul.
[Holmes:] Greece has become compensating victims of six days of wildfires. But right now a break in the weather gives firefighters an upper hand, but another heat wave is coming, and that could spark new fires. At least 63 people have died, some of them burning to death in their own cars as they tried to flee the fires. Frederik Pleitgen has our report.
[Frederik Pleitgen, Cnn Correspondent:] Vasilli Mitros' services are in big demand these days. He digs graves here at the cemetery in Artemita, the village with the single highest death toll from the wildfires still raging in Greece. Twenty-eight people from here have lost their lives. "How can one feel? Anyone who has a soul has to be moved by this tragedy," he says. And this grave moves even a man who has been digging graves for years. Four children will be laid to rest here. They died in their mother's arms, trapped by a fire front. She was trying to drive to safety when the flames cut off the road. The family ran, but it was too late. Charred pieces of clothing tell the gruesome story of what happened next. With nowhere to go, the mother sat down, locked her children in her arms, and waited. Several other people also died here, including three firefighters. "The people thought they would be safe by the fire truck, the mayor tells me, "but the flames just overwhelmed them and they tried to escape up this hill." [on camera]: But there was no escaping the flames. And just to give you an idea how terrible the situation was, take a look inside this car. The flames were hot enough to melt the steel and even the glass from the windshield. [voice over]: Artemita has become a symbol of the disaster that has gripped this nation and horrified the world. Asima Boropoulo has lived her all here life. Her house still stands, but several storage stacks fell prey to the flames. Still, she says, she considers herself lucky. "If only the people hadn't died," she says. "The houses don't matter. We will live and rebuild them." A terrible irony. Authorities say had the woman and her four children stayed in her house, they would have lived. It remained virtually untouched by the flames. Her husband will lay her and his children to rest here on the Artemita cemetery, where Vasilli Mitros digs yet another grave. Frederik Pleitgen, CNN, Artemita, Greece.
[Mcedwards:] All right. Just ahead here on YOUR WORLD TODAY, the U.S. Gulf Coast two years after Katrina.
[Holmes:] President Bush joined local leaders in marking the anniversary, but the occasion is more solemn, of course, than celebratory.
[Mcedwards:] Certainly a happier moment to talk about in London, though. Former South African president Nelson Mandela on hand to see the unveiling of a rather familiar looking statue there, don't you think?
[Holmes:] Yes, I think so.
[Mcedwards:] Who is that?
[Holmes:] Irony or arson? That's another one of our reports. Fires severely damaged the last crematorium in Israel.