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Huge Protests Greet Merkel; World Reacts To Romney's Foreign Policy; Skydive From Edge of Space Delayed; North Korea Missile Range; NFL Seeks Indian Fanbase; Violence in Syria; Inside Bashar al-Assad's Regime; Taliban Shoot 14-year-old Girl; Going Underground for Love

Aired October 09, 2012 - 12:00   ET

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

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome to NEWSROOM INTERNATIONAL. I'm Victor Blackwell, in for Suzanne Malveaux. We're taking you around the world in 60 minutes.

Let's get right to the developing situation in Greece. A visit by the German chancellor brings tens of thousands of protesters into the street. They're laying the blame for the country's current economic suffering at Germany's feet. And critics say the austerity measures imposed in exchange for an economic bailout are crippling the country. German Chancellor Angela Merkel told Greeks it is tough medicine, but it's necessary.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANGELA MERKEL, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): If one country in the Eurozone is not in good shape, we are all not in good shape. So we have a joint interest to be in good shape. I'm firmly convinced a path, which is a tough path, will lead to success.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Richard Quest is watching this from London.

Richard, is the bailout in any jeopardy with this discussion from Angela Merkel?

RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Merkel is there because she said she hasn't been to Greece for the last few years. Certainly not since the crisis began. And the, of course, reaction has been dramatic to say the least. Tens of thousands of protesters on the street. Though the best part of 7,000 policemen who were there to protect her. That's just about 1,000 policemen for every hour that she was on the ground. And what was worse, of course, it was just a six hour visit.

Now, to answer your question, where we stand with Greece at the moment. The country has asked for more time. The Troica, that's the ECB, the Central Bank of Europe, the EU and the IMF, they have been visiting to see if Greece should get more money or get the money that's pledged. And long and short of it is, it's not certain that they will get the next bailout tranche. BLACKWELL: Now, as we discuss bailouts, we, of course, have to talk about Spain and Spain will step into the spotlight as we talk about bailing out some of these countries. What's next for Greece as Spain tries to get the money, too?

QUEST: There has been one major -- sorry. Forgive me. I -- there has been one major development, and that is that the Europeans, in the last 24 hours, now have their bailout fund. It's up, it's ready. And if and when -- and this is the crucial point, Victor. The Spanish have to ask for help. And so far, Spain has said it doesn't need help. The ECB and the Europeans are looking, waiting for a request to come in. And now we're in this really difficult area because the longer Spain waits, the worse the situation could get. But so far, Spain is not saying they need help. In fact, quite the opposite. They're saying they don't need a bailouts.

BLACKWELL: All right, Richard Quest watching this situation from London. Of course we'll see more fallout and response from Angela Merkel's comments today.

Well, just 28 days until the election and Mitt Romney is campaigning hard after telling the world what his foreign policy will look like if he wins the White House.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: But hope is not a strategy. We can't support our friends and defeat our enemies in the Middle East when our words are not backed up by deeds.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: Well, of course, the pundits are already buzzing about the upcoming foreign policy debate between the former governor and President Obama, but we wanted to look at how the rest of the world is reacting to this election on the international level. And our focus is on two hot spots, Syria and Libya.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Nick Paton Walsh.

Mitt Romney tried to portray himself as a more forceful Commander-in- Chief who would insert America into the various different areas, different (INAUDIBLE) in the Middle East. Most notably trying to draw a distinction from the Obama administration over their approach to Syria.

He was clear he would be sure that Syrian rebels got the weapons they need, the heavy weaponry they need, they so desperately need to take on the Assad regime's helicopter gunships, jets and tanks causing civilian casualties on a daily basis. He portrayed the struggle as more about checking Iran's influence in that region. But he also pointed out one of the major contradictions the White House is currently facing. He said the violent extremists are flowing in to that particular conflict, but he also pointed out the need to vet the kind of people this assistance would eventually go to.

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Jomana Karadsheh in Tripoli.

Most Libyans have not been following the U.S. presidential campaign, including Mitt Romney's foreign policy speech. The attention in Libya has been on the country's own political situation. On Sunday, the national assembly voted out the prime minister it had selected less than a month ago go.

With no new government in place, Libya is now facing a political vacuum at a time of serious threats and instability. But one line from Mitt Romney's speech that would stand out to Libyans, he said he would vigorously pursue those responsible for the September 11th attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi. Now, Libyan officials here have praised the Obama administration's response to the attack and have wowed to work together with the United States to bring the perpetrators of this attack to justice and to confront that rising Islamic extremist threats in the eastern part of the country.

But officials also, at the same time, have said that this is a very thin line. If the United States were to take any action that would infringe on Libya's national sovereignty, that could be damaging to relations between both countries and cause internal turmoil.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Of course, lots of questions for Mitt Romney about that foreign policy plan, the new polls, the debate performance. And, today, our Wolf Blitzer has a live interview with Mitt Romney. That's at 6:00 p.m. Eastern only on CNN.

And Thursday it's the vice presidential debate. Joe Biden versus Paul Ryan. CNN's special live coverage starts at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, 4:00 Pacific.

Well, his nickname is Fearless Felix. He's getting ready to jump from the edge of space. Twenty-three miles above the globe to be exact. Now, Felix Baumgartner is getting ready to plummet to the earth to break a skydiving record. He'll leap from a specially built balloon and capsule wearing a high tech spacesuit that actually weighs 100 pounds. If it goes wrong, it could go terribly wrong. And now all he has to do is wait for the weather. He was supposed to go at 10:30 Eastern this morning, but the assent has been delayed. Chad Myers is with me now.

Chad, the conditions that he needs, of course, aren't available today, but tell us what kinds of conditions he'd need to make this a success.

MYERS: Well, the problem this morning was that we had some surface winds, or at least maybe 100 feet off the ground winds. When the balloon would be inflated, it would start to tilt the balloon over and they don't want that. They want the balloon to be basically straight above where the capsule is. So now they've unloaded the balloon. That's good news. You don't unload this balloon unless you're going to use it. Once you take it out of the box, your either use it or you throw it away. So you can't just pack this thing back up. The balloon, even though it's like -- a little bit stronger, but it's like the thickness of your dry cleaning bag. This thing weighs 3,700 pounds. That's how big it is. When it's full inflated, up in the atmosphere, it will be the size of six -- volume of six Madison Square Gardens. That's how much helium has to go into this thing for Felix to rise.

So, now, obviously it has to rise the balloon, take that up. Has to take the capsule up. The capsule's 2,700 pounds. And Felix, of course. This is going to go 23 miles in space and it will fall back -- he will fall back, we hope. He's going to go 600 or so miles per hour. Faster than the speed of sound. Never been done before. Felix has done this from 18 miles high, never 23 miles. When he did the 18 mile high, he didn't make it to the speed of sound. So he has to go higher.

And any air jumper, or anybody that's heard of terminal velocity, will understand that you can't go fast (ph) about 100 -- 110 miles per hour in the atmosphere. That's why Felix has to go so high. He has to get above the air so that the air isn't slowing him down.

Think about when you were a kid. What did you want to do. You wanted to roll the window down in the car and stick your hand out. When you stick your hand out, that pushes your hand back. That's the air pushing your hand. You don't want that air if you're trying to fall from space and go the speed of sound or better.

So here we are. We're watching the Red Bull Stratus Tweet Feed. They're doing very good here preparing the pre-breather inside the capsule. Everything's looking good. He's actually a picture of what Felix looks like. He's getting ready. The problem has been -- you talked about this a little bit. I'm going to go into some technicals for you here.

This thing was supposed to go up a month ago or so, but they damaged the capsule on a practice trial. They had to rebuild the capsule. And in that delay, they now have fall. You can go outside. You know it's fall. The jet stream has come down from the north and that jet is almost 70 miles per hour over where Felix is right now. So as Felix is going up in this capsule, up in this balloon, he's going to be blown down wind by this -- by this wind. It's going to going almost over toward Texas.

This is the wind that they don't want to break the balloon. If this balloon breaks for any reason at 1,000 feet, Felix has no chance to get a parachute out and land. If this thing breaks at 30,000 feet, he's OK. Certainly can get a parachute and land safely. If this thing gets up there to about 50,000, 60,000 feet, Victor, it's 70 degrees below zero. And the wind's blowing 70. Now, I don't care what kind of piece of plastic you have, plastic gets brittle at 70 below zero.

So there's been a couple of bumps in the road for them today, but so far they are on the way to space. They will be falling through the space, Victor will, here -- Victor, from all the way up here, this is 23 miles high and about 5 miles high, maybe a little bit more, maybe six. He will really begin to slow down. So there is another factor. This -- is he going to go the speed of sound? Sure. But what happens when he, at the speed of sound then, hits the atmosphere. We don't want that spacesuit to tear in that drag because then that would be catastrophic for Felix big time.

BLACKWELL: And, Chad, we just learned that the expected launch time will be 1:15 Eastern when he's going to start that assent to go up.

MYERS: Correct.

BLACKWELL: So, of course, we'll --

MYERS: It takes two hours to get to the top.

BLACKWELL: Yes, two hours to get to the top. And when you consider 120,000 feet, if you consider jetliners fly from 35,000 to 40,000, triple that, and that's where this man is taking that leap.

MYERS: He has to get there because there's no air there.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

MYERS: There's no air to slow him down. That's the only way to get to the speed of sound is not have that friction of the air. Pointing up in space. The sky looks good. Winds have calmed and they are go for a launch at least in about an hour and, what's that, about an hour and 15 minutes. An hour. Somewhere around about there. Maybe less than that.

BLACKWELL: All right, Chad, we'll all be watching.

All right, from the air now to the water. It contains the world's largest collection of coral reefs, but Australia's Great Barrier Reef has been cut in half since 1985. Philippe Cousteau will join us to talk about why this is happening.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): When I couldn't see her, I used to go crazy and think about her all the time. I'd lie awake all night not sleeping. It was just like the movies.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (voice-over): But like many a Bollywood film, it was a doomed relationship from the start.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: It's a love story and they are the modern day Romeo and Juliet. But a group called "The Love Commandos" is making sure this couple has a very happy ending.

And North Korea now claims it has missiles that can reach the U.S., but is this threat real or just more rhetoric? We'll ask our Pentagon correspondent.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: North Korea says its missiles can reach the U.S. mainland. That's about 6,000 miles. This announcement on state TV comes just days after South Korea announced a deal with the U.S. to extend its missile range. Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence joins us.

Chris, how credible really is this claim? We've heard claims from North Korea before. And is this something that the U.S. should really be concerned about?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Bottom line, Victor, no, not right now, although North Korea is working on that technology. Everyone I've spoken to here at the Pentagon and most experts say they're not close to really perfecting it.

Alaska is about 3,500 miles away from North Korea. California, between 5,000 and 6,000 miles. They haven't come close to testing a rocket that's gone nearly that far.

They've tested this type of technology about three times. In 2006, the rocket flew about 40 seconds and it exploded. In 2009, they tried to put a satellite into orbit, but that broke up over the sea, well short of what they had intended.

And then just about six months ago, they tested similar technology again. It flew for a few minutes, but again broke up over the sea. So they've had three failures and, you know, historically, I mean, it took the United States about 24 launches to perfect this technology, a third of which failed. So it's not easy to do.

And North Korea, although they are -- seem to be improving, they're not close to what they just claimed.

BLACKWELL: OK, as you mentioned, they had, back in April, that test that failed. It was in the air for I guess about 40 seconds before it exploded.

South Korea just approved to increase their range to the northern peninsula of North Korea. How much of this possibly is about escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula between these two countries?

LAWRENCE: Well, I think it is probably in response to this deal between South Korea and the United States. Basically, the U.S. and South Korea have now agreed that South Korea can extend the range of its own missiles, up to about 500 miles.

It's designed to give South Korea a little more flexibility and protection in terms of North Korea ever being an aggressor. North Korea, sort of politically, had to respond to that.

Otherwise, everyone I've spoken to says they can't think of any other good reason why they would make such a claim that is so easily disproven, so it seems to be a tit-for-tat.

Politically, South Korea's president is due to step down in February. He's been on North Korea, so perhaps this is some political posturing on the part of North Korea to sort of set things up for when South Korea's next president takes office. BLACKWELL: All right, Chris Lawrence at the Pentagon. We'll see if they make any attempt to prove it. Chris, thank you.

LAWRENCE: All right.

BLACKWELL: This one is fun. What do NFL Hall of Famers Mike Ditka and Michael Irvin have in common with actor Mark Wahlberg? All right, here's a hint. It has to do with American football, but not in the U.S.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: There is no doubt the NFL has widespread appeal, even international appeal, with and without the regular refs.

But would you bet your rupees American football would fly in India? Well, we're about to find out. Ram Ramgopal has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAM RAMGOPAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When you think of sports in India, you might think of cricket or maybe field hockey or even tennis.

But one that doesn't spring to mind is American football.

That's the kind of thinking the EFLI is out to change. The Elite Football League of India is actually eight teams from India, Pakistan and Sri Linka playing American-style football in their very first season.

With names like the Delhi Defenders and the Mumbai Gladiators, organizers say they hope to become the most valuable sports franchise in the world.

But some observers are skeptical that the sport will catch on.

GAURAV KALRA, CNN-IBN SPORTS EDITOR: Just from an Indian viewer's perspective, they have had absolutely no understanding and introduction to the sport of American football.

So, my gut feeling would be that it is an uphill task to get American football any level of following over here in India.

RAMGOPAL: So how to sell a new sport? By warming up the crowd.

And this is how it's being presented to the Indian public. Games are pre-recorded and then boiled down to a fast-paced hour-long highlights reel with music and high production values, aiming to catch a budding fan's eye.

In fact, all of the games have already been played. They were filmed, back-to-back, in just a few short weeks at a near empty stadium in Sri Lanka.

TONY SIMMONS, EFLI COACH: We had guys that were like all over the place. You know, we got a couple of rugby guys. We've got guys that never played sports. We've got -- we had like one guy named Sticks, 6'5", sitting at the hotel.

RAMGOPAL: American coaches are building the teams and the league has some star power behind it.

Former NFL Hall of Famers Mike Ditka and Michael Irvin and other big names like actor Mark Wahlberg are financial backers.

But it's tough to find players. Rugby is American football's closest cousin and that is a big recruitment pool.

For many players, the sport is as new to them as it is to the public.

KALRA: American football, our biggest challenge over here in India will be to tackle cynicism. It will be to get people to play to any level of professional competence.

RAMGOPAL: A fan base is building, at least online.

Spoiler alert, though, if you visit this fan site, it's already updated with the overall winner for this inaugural season.

Ram Ramgopal, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: That looks like fun.

He was part of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's brutal regime and now he's talking to CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How did Bashar al-Assad's behavior change over the last year and a half?

ABDULLAH AL-OMAR, SYRIAN DEFECTOR (via translator): He seemed worried, all day long. We rarely saw him smiling. He paced up and down the corridors and stared out the windows at Damascus. And he was always anxious and tense.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: The Syrian press officer give a firsthand account of what is happening inside the government.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Welcome back to "Newsroom International." I'm Victor Blackwell in for Suzanne Malveaux. We're about 27 minutes into our tour around the world.

All right, up here, up next, you cannot see much, so just listen.

This is a firefight from overnight near an air force compound outside Syria's capital. Opposition groups say two huge car bombs exploded in that area. And we have video of intense fighting outside of Damascus.

Tank just moving through the streets there. Activists say at least 31 people were killed across the country today. Most of the victims were found burned and their bodies have not been identified.

A man who says he saw the inner workings of the Syrian regime has fled the country and now he's talking about how Bashar al-Assad has handled the uprising.

Our Ivan Watson got the interview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON: Abdullah al-Omar used to rub shoulders with some of the most powerful people in Syria, government ministers, foreign dignitaries and even the Syrian president.

For five years, Omar claims he worked in the presidential palace. His main job was propaganda.

AL-OMAR (via translator): I was a member of the press office in the presidential palace. We met to manufacture news and see how we could distribute and publish these lies. We invented stories that would help justify the crimes committed by the Syrian regime.

WATSON: Omar says he was a member of a 15 member team working under long-time government spokeswoman, Bouthaina Shaaban.

When high-ranking officials like the former prime minister defected, Omar's job was to trash the defectors' reputations.

AL-OMAR (via translator): We contacted regime loyalists from Lebanon and Syria to appear as guests on Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya to say these defectors were bad and corrupt.

WATSON: But now Omar is one of those defectors and he's offering details, impossible for CNN to independently verify, about how the Syrian president has coped with the uprising.

How did Bashar al-Assad's behavior change over the last year and a half?

AL-OMAR (via translator): He seemed worried, all day long. We rarely saw him smiling. He paced up and down the corridors and stared out the windows at Damascus. And he was always anxious and tense.

One day, I saw him kick a table. He was cursing and swearing against the Syrian people.

WATSON: Omar shows photos of himself with top Iranian officials like the Iranian ambassadors to Damascus and Beirut.

Were the Iranians meeting with Bashar al-Assad frequently?

Almost daily, he tells me, four and five times a week. Omar says the biggest crisis came in July after a bombing killed this man, presidential security adviser Hasan Turkmani, as well as three other top security officials.

He says the bombing also seriously wounded Assad's brother, Maher, a military commander who hasn't been seen in public in months.

AL-OMAR (via translator): Two days after he returned from medical treatment in Russia, Maher al-Assad came to the presidential palace. He had lost his left leg in the bombing and also the use of his left arm.

WATSON: Last month, Omar defected and fled to his hometown of Atarib in Northern Syria, now a ghost town devastated by the civil war.

How did you feel when you saw the destruction in Atarib?

AL-OMAR (via translator): I swear, I cried when I entered and saw all the houses and shops abandoned and everything destroyed and burned.

When I saw it with my own eye, I cried and asked how could Bashar al- Assad do this.

I want to apologize to the Syrian people because I worked for this butcher and killer regime.

WATSON: A tearful apology, but his sincerity is questionable, especially when coming from a man who admits to spending years lying for the Syrian regime.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: Ivan Watson joins us now from Istanbul, Turkey.

Ivan, you point out right at the end of the story that this man who was paid to lie is now coming forward and saying, ok, the truth this time has a bit of a credibility problem.

But is he offering any valuable information to either the opposition or some international organizations that might want to prosecute al- Assad?

WATSON: He does say he wants to help the opposition, but they might not need his help, Victor, because there have been thousands and thousands of defectors from the Syrian military all the way up to the rank of generals and even the prime minister defected last August.

Some of these people actually carried out orders to kill people, so opposition groups, as well as international organizations, are already gathering that evidence to prosecute people for alleged war crimes.

I think in this case and this man, one rebel source tells us that this man, Abdullah al-Omar, was an informer, a very effective informer for the much feared Syrian air force intelligence agency.

The fact that he spent years working his way up into the corridors of power and basically kissing up to the top levels of a dictatorship and now he's fleeing and spilling the beans about it, it does suggest that at least one of the rats is jumping off of what could be described as a sinking ship.

BLACKWELL: You're in Turkey just north of Syria and there's been some shelling back and forth across the border for the past few days and this is heating up.

What's the latest on the front at that border with Turkey and Syria?

WATSON: It's looking tense. Six straight days of cross-border artillery duels between the Turks and the Syrians.

Today was the quietest day. We haven't had reports of firing across the border yet.

It's interesting that the secretary general of the NATO military alliance of which Turkey is a member, he came out and said he's happy that the Turks have restrained themselves, that they have not retaliated more forcefully, thus far.

And he also sent the message that the Syrians should be listening to, saying that NATO is ready and prepared to defend Turkey if it continues coming under attack.

This will be something important to watch. If NATO gets drawn in, if Turkey gets drawn in, then it could also bring in Russia and countries like Iran which have been very strong committed allies of the embattled Syrian regime.

BLACKWELL: All right, the Syrian civil war and we'll see what happens with Turkey.

Ivan Watson, live in Istanbul, thank you.

Now, it may be the most contested wildlife permit in a decade. One aquarium wants to import beluga whales from Russia. Environmentalist Philippe Cousteau joins us to talk about that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Environmentalists are furious. Have you heard about these two big stories this month?

First, a new study found the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia has lost half its coral in the last 25 years, most of that disappeared in just the last 10 years.

Well, second, a group of park and aquarium owners has asked the U.S. government for permission to import beluga whales captured from the wild.

CNN's special correspondent and conservationist Philippe Cousteau joins me now.

Philippe, let's start with the barrier reef story because this I find amazing. Can you tell us why the Great Barrier Reef is such a special place and why is this happening?

PHILIPPE COUSTEAU, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT: Of course, the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia is the longest barrier reef in the world and close to the hearts of people around the world.

And it's a lot of bad news that's coming out of research by the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences that, as you pointed out, half of the coral in the Great Barrier Reef has declined, largely due to both tropical storms, a crown-of-thorns starfish, a predatory starfish that feeds on the coral, up to 40 percent declined just from the starfish alone, and then, of course, climate change and coral bleaching.

BLACKWELL: So, storms, starfish, climate change, what can we do to stop the coral loss?

COUSTEAU: Well, this is some scary news. This is much more than anyone expected, but there is a little bit of a silver lining.

We believe that the crown-of-thorns starfish in their larval stages are encouraged and grow faster because of runoff, agricultural runoff and fertilizer off the coast of Australia, so scientists are calling for stricter controls on that runoff going into the reef which may help to reduce the population of the crown-of-thorns starfish and, hopefully, relieve some of the pressure or a considerable amount of pressure.

They believe up to 42 percent of the decline of the Great Barrier Reef has been caused by extreme outbreaks of these crown-of-thorns starfish, so, hopefully, reducing runoff can have a positive impact over the next few years and allow the reef to recover to a certain degree at least.

BLACKWELL: And I think that's a surprise to some people when you started listing the storms and climate change that this starfish causes so much of this damage.

Let's go now to the beluga whale controversy. The Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, SeaWorld in Orland, they're applying for a federal permit to import 18 Beluga whales that are taken from the wild off the eastern coast of Russia.

First, and I don't think a lot of people know this, how typically do these aquariums, these parks get the beluga whales?

COUSTEAU: Well, traditionally, marine mammals have been traded amongst aquariums rescued from unsustainable facilities or inhumane facilities and these aquariums have been very sensitive to public opinion about importing wild animals, you know, very, very highly intelligence wild animals that swim hundreds of miles a day and dive hundreds of feet down enclosing them into a small facility.

So, they've been very sensitive to that type of negative public backlash and they haven't imported any since 1993.

BLACKWELL: So, it's been about 20 years since this request was made and granted. Opponents say that this should be declined. What do you think?

COUSTEAU: Well, of course, the side from the aquariums is that this is important to increase the breeding stock and the genetic diversity. It's an important educational and conservation tool.

But on the other hand, they certainly do make considerable amount of money from these whales and, talking to a lot of marine mammal researchers, they're very, very concerned that some of the claims about the value from a conservation and education perspective are overblown.

If you think about the fact that we've had rhinos and elephants in captivity for over a hundred years, one individual pointed out to me, and they're still on the endangered species list and, yet, we've never had any large whales in captivity and the global community has worked hard to protect those.

The argument that having these animals in captivity for entertainment and education leads to their conservation, according to some environmentalists, is a thin argument.

So, I think that there's a lot to still be learned about this issue and I think people should become aware of what's happening and share their voices, review and commentaries with NOAA about the public's opinion about what's happening here and there's definitely -- we're going to keep watching this one.

BLACKWELL: And we'll see what the response from the federal government will be. Philippe Cousteau, thank you very much.

She stood up for what she believed in. This 14-year old was even nominated for Pakistan's first national peace prize, but her activism made her a target of the Taliban.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: An accused terrorist who once called Osama bin Laden a "good guy" and a "hero" has pleaded not guilty to terrorism charges.

Abu Hamza al-Masri says he did not conspire with a group of men in Seattle to set up a terrorism training camp in Seattle. He also said he's not responsible for the 1998 kidnapping of 16 Westerners in Yemen.

Well, the judge set trial date for next August. If he's convicted, al-Masri could spend the rest of his life in prison.

The revolution led to his presidency and now it's payback time. Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi is pardoning protesters who were arrested or jailed during the uprising that ousted long-time leader Hosni Mubarak.

Mr. Morsi posted on his Facebook page that the amnesty covers those who committed crimes with the aim of supporting the revolution between January 2011 and June 2012. That's regardless of whether they are under investigation, on trial or already convicted. The only exceptions are those accused of premeditated murder.

And now to Mexico where a group of armed men just stole the body of a slain drug gang leader. The Mexican military confirmed a little earlier today that they killed Heriberto Lazcano, founder of the Zetas gang.

His body had been moved to a funeral home in Northern Mexico and that's when the armed men moved in and took the body, according to the state attorney general.

The Nobel prize in physics this year goes to American and French scientists. David Wineland and Serge Haroche were honored today for what the Nobel committee calls their groundbreaking work with light and matter. They'll share the $1.2 million prize and that money has been decreased this year by 20 percent because of the economic downturn.

And now to northwest Pakistan where a 14-year-old girl who won a peace prize for her activism has been shot by the Pakistani Taliban. They say they targeted this young girl specifically because she has been outspoken about allowing girls to be educated. Her father says she's in stable condition, though she has a bullet lodged in her neck. But the Taliban warns if she survives this time, she won't next time. Reza Sayah joins me on the phone from Islamabad.

Reza, for this 14-year-old girl to speak out about educating girls is heroic. Tell us more about her.

REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, Malala is maybe the most famous 14-year-old in Pakistan and some say the bravest. That's because in many ways she took on the Taliban. When she was 11, she started speaking out against the Taliban, condemning militants on an Internet blog and she became extremely popular. She inspired a lot of people saying things many government officials weren't even saying. She did this because the Taliban in 2007 had started to take over her home region of the Swat Valley (ph), shutting down schools. One of the things she spoke in support of was girls' education. And for what she did, she was nominated for an international peace prize and she also won a prestigious award for courage here in Pakistan. So this is a girl, Victor, that a lot of people in Pakistan admire very much.

BLACKWELL: And we've heard from some of the girls who were in the van with Malala during this attack. They described what happened. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): They asked, who is Malala Yousafzai? We pointed towards her. He opened fire and hit her and two of us. Then they ran away.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): When we were in the van, a boy came in and pointed a gun at us and asked us to be silent. Then he asked us about Malala Yousafzai.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BLACKWELL: Now, again, the quote from the Taliban, "If she survives this time, she won't next time." The girls describe this as a matter of fact attack. Actually, last year Malala told CNN that she feared being beheaded by the Taliban, right?

SAYAH: She did. She knew what she was doing was dangerous. She knew she was taking on maybe the most dangerous group in Pakistan and the Taliban. And that was what made her remarkable is that she kept fighting. We met her and she was like a little soldier. Just tough as nails. Very strong in principle when it comes to human rights and women's rights. She was a mini activist in many ways.

BLACKWELL: All right, Reza Sayah from Islamabad for us. Again, that girl has a bullet lodged in her neck. We'll, of course, follow her condition and recovery.

Well, when you are young and in love, you'll do anything to be together.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LALITA CHAUHAN, FORBIDDEN TO MARRY (through translator): They said I would ruin the family's reputation. They would threaten me all the time. I couldn't take it anymore. I told them, we need to do something.

SUMINA UDAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With no one else to turn to, they called "The Love Commandos."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACKWELL: So, so the title is maybe a little goofy, but their job is anything but funny.

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BLACKWELL: Well now a story of forbidden love. Lalita loves Dev (ph) but their union is a no go because her fame is rich, his family is poor. And in India, that doesn't fly. Well, now, they live under ground and they're being protected by an unlikely group of lawyers and journalists who call themselves "The Love Commandos."

Sumina Udas has their story from New Delhi, India.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUMINA UDAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In this bustling city of 18 million people, they say even the walls have ears. So we're taken through a maze of back alleys to a location we cannot disclose. A safe house somewhere in downtown Delhi. Here we meet 22-year-olds Lalita And Dev. They've been hiding here for the past two weeks. Their crime, falling in love.

DEVENDRA KUMAR, FORBIDDEN TO MARRY (through translator): When I couldn't see her, I used to go crazy and think about her all the time. I'd lie awake all night not sleeping. It was just like the movies. UDAS: But like many a Bollywood film, it was a doomed relationship from the start. Lalita belongs to an upper class family of land owners and Dev, a lower class family of blacksmiths. Lalita says she feared for her life all because of her feelings for Dev.

LALITA CHAUHAN, FORBIDDEN TO MARRY (through translator): They said I would ruin the family's reputation. They would threaten me all the time. I couldn't take it anymore. I told them we need to do something.

UDAS: With no one else to turn to, they called "The Love Commandos." An unlikely group of ex-journalists and lawyers who made it their mission to even the odds. Head commando Sanjay Suchday (ph) says they've helped rescue some 20,000 couples since it started back in 2010.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every couple that approaches us is under so much pressure, so much stigma, that they feel they may be killed any minute.

UDAS (voice-over): Ninety-five percent of marriages in India are arranged. But with more and more Indian youth flirting with romance, "The Love Commandos" have their work cut out. They're giving Lalita and Dev food and protection until they can find their own feet. They're providing legal assistance and they even got the couple legally married. But Lalita and Dev worry that others back home are having it pay the price.

Two hours outside of Delhi, we find Lalita's grandfather at home. He tells us the parents are at the farm. But when we get to the farm, we see that he's beaten us to it. He tells us to stop filming. He says they don't want anything to do with Lalita. That she's as good as dead to them.

We head to a nearby village for look for Dev's parents.

(on camera): It's locked. Seems to be locked. And no one here.

(voice-over): We find his uncle, who tells us just days after Lalita and Dev eloped, acting on a complaint from her parents, the police held Dev's mother and father and three of his friends on suspicion of kidnapping. Dev's parents deny the charges as does Dev, but they're not returning home fearing further harassment. And one of the friends who helped the couple escape is still in custody.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Yes, love happens. That's fine. But in this society, they've done something wrong. The law allows it. Society doesn't.

UDAS: Back at the shelter, the couple knows they've put their family through a lot, but they say they have no regrets.

"We would have been killed had it not been for 'The Love Commandos'."

Even though they don't quite know what's next, they're happy to be alive and together.

Sumina Udas, CNN, New Delhi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLACKWELL: We've got some live pictures for you now. This is Roswell, New Mexico, as Felix Baumgartner, the space diver, as I'm calling him, is getting into this capsule and he is going to start the ascent. The estimated time now is 1:40 for launch. He's going to go 23 miles up and then jump. What we know is that he has been working for seven years to beat this record. It was held by Colonel Joe Kittinger in 1960. Fifty-two years ago, he jumped from 1,002 feet up. This time will be 120,000 feet. Imagine if you're on a jetliner and you're flying cross-country. You're at about 35,000 to 40,000 feet. He's going up to 120,000.

He'll get out to the end of the capsule and he will jump wearing his pressurized suit, weighs about 100 pounds. And he will fall 115,000 feet in five minutes. Imagine that, 115,000 feet in five minutes. He'll then coast down for the final 5,000 feet to earth using his parachute that, as Chad Myers told us earlier, is thinner than a sandwich bag. Eight ten thousandths of an inch thick.

We'll, of course, follow the jump. Felix Baumgartner, again, trying to break the sound barrier just using his body. We'll follow. We'll be back.

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