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Indian army tries to reach flood victims

NEW DELHI, India (CNN) — Hundreds of Indian army troops were using helicopters and boats Wednesday to deliver supplies and rescue villagers stranded by the worst flooding in decades, after the Kosi River breached an embankment in Nepal to the north.

The death toll in the hard-to-reach Bihar state in northeastern India has been difficult to determine. Bihar emergency management official K.K. Agarwal confirmed 10 deaths to CNN on Wednesday, but the news agency Press Trust of India (PTI) reported 55.

Phone lines and electricity are out in the flooded areas.

In the Supaul district city of Birpur, Mohd Rauffudin’s hopes were fading. He told IBN — a CNN partner station in India — that while he was trying to stay afloat, he lost contact with his wife and children, as well as his nine brothers and his parents.

I wish the help had reached (us) on time. That way at least my children could have been safe, he said.

A woman who called herself Ruby told IBN her baby has been sick for four days, she can’t reach medical help and she has lost track of her family.

My child is so ill. I cannot do a thing about it. I wonder what I did wrong that my child must suffer, the mother said.

The flooding began when the river burst through an embankment in Nepal more than a week ago, swallowing villages and destroying about 225,000 homes, officials and UNICEF India said.

Water flowed so forcefully from the breach that the river changed course, making a new channel about 75 miles (120km) east of its river bed, flooding areas unaccustomed to water that high. Watch survivors find safety on roofs

Agarwal said the disaster affected about 2 million people and 725 villages in Bihar, India’s poorest state. Ninety-five relief shelters had been set up, 44 health-care camps and 22 shelters for animals, he said.

Army spokesman Lt. Col. A. K. Mathur said 400 troops were involved in rescue operations, and the military had dispatched at least 20 rescue boats. Three army helicopters were dropping thousands of food packets, he said.

PTI reported earlier in the day that bad weather had prevented Indian air force choppers from conducting relief drops in the worst-hit districts of Bihar: Supaul, Saharsa, Araria and Madhepura.

Officials told CNN it was the worst flooding in Bihar in 80 years. Watch more on people stranded

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Bill Clinton to take center stage at Democratic convention

(CNN) — Sen. Joe Biden will make his first appearance before the Democratic National Convention as his party’s vice presidential nominee Wednesday night, but the real drama of the evening may come from former President Clinton and what he says about Sen. Barack Obama.

I think things are actually progressing better than maybe some of us might have thought in terms of the relationship between the two of them, said Paul Begala, a Democratic strategist and CNN contributor.

They haven’t known each other very well or very long. And Sen. Obama ran against his wife, and there’s still some bruised feelings, but I think the president and Sen. Obama are trying very hard to reach across that divide.

As the Democrats gather for their third day in Denver, the theme of the night will be national security. The Forum: What’s your view on national security?

But a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll out Wednesday suggests that national security issues may be a weakness for the Democrats. Voters surveyed in the poll preferred Obama’s Republican rival, Sen. John McCain, over the Illinois Democrat on two top national security issues — terrorism and the war in Iraq.

Those surveyed in the CNN poll preferred McCain over Obama 60 percent to 36 percent on the issue of terrorism and 53 percent to 44 percent on the issue of the Iraq war.

The poll’s margin of error was plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

Some of the Democrats’ most experienced statesmen hope to shrink that Republican advantage to argue that Obama is the best candidate to strengthen America’s national security.

But Bill Clinton may still steal the spotlight. Some of the sharpest exchanges during the hard-fought Democratic primary season occurred between Obama’s campaign and Clinton, who was vigorously campaigning for his wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton, for the Democratic nomination. Watch how all eyes will be on Clinton

On one occasion, the ex-president said electing Obama would be to roll the dice, and he also called Obama’s opposition to the Iraq war a fairy tale.

Clinton was perplexed and unhappy that he was asked to speak on the night when the theme is national security, sources close to the former president said Monday. They said he would prefer to talk about the economy, the issue that helped him first capture the White House in 1992.

But Obama on Monday said he told Clinton you can say whatever you like.

Bill Clinton knows a little bit about trying to yank an economy out of the doldrums and trying to help middle-class families, and it wouldn’t make much sense for me to want to edit his remarks to prevent him from making a strong case about why we need fundamental economic change in this country, Obama said at a campaign stop in Moline, Illinois.

Obama and Hillary Clinton won roughly 18 million votes each during the primary season, and bitterness remains between the two camps. Since Obama captured the nomination, however, the former rivals have campaigned together, and in July, Bill Clinton said he was would be eager to campaign for Obama in the general election.

And on Tuesday night in Denver, Hillary Clinton delivered a clear message to her delegates and supporters: Barack Obama is my candidate. And he must be our president.

The decision to give Bill Clinton free rein may be part of the effort at reconciliation between the two camps.

There was some tension there. It was a long battle, and that’s what politics is about, said James Carville, a CNN political analyst who helped Clinton win the presidency in 1992. It’s a little bit like relationships — you fight and you reconcile.

However, Bill Clinton may not have helped the healing process when he told ABC News earlier this month, You could argue that no one is ready to be president, after being asked if Obama was prepared for the Oval Office.

But Obama said both Clintons were supporting his campaign.

Sen. Clinton has pledged her whole support to my campaign, as has President Clinton, Obama said. I think you will see during the course of this week that the Democrat Party is energized and determined to take the White House back.

One man who is expected to focus on the evening’s theme of national security — and take the fight to the Republicans — is the Democrat’s presumptive vice presidential nominee.

Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has developed into one of Washington’s most respected voices on foreign policy more than three decades after being elected as a senator from Delaware.

Biden ran against Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination but dropped out after a poor showing in the Iowa caucuses in January.

In an emotional appearance before his home state delegation Tuesday, Biden said he was proud to be on the team led by Obama.

He’ll not only transform the nation; he’s going to transform the world, Biden told the Delaware delegates. And I’m glad to be on the trip with him.

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Russia lashes out as U.S. ship arrives in Georgia

(CNN) — A U.S. Coast Guard ship carrying humanitarian aid docked in the Georgian Black Sea port of Batumi Wednesday, as Georgia’s Western allies renewed their criticism of Russia amid escalating tensions.

The cutter Dallas bypassed its original destination, the Georgian port of Poti, which is controlled by Russian troops still in the country despite a cease-fire deal to end conflict between the two countries.

The arrival of the Dallas cames as Western leaders renewed criticism of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s move Tuesday to recognize the independence of two Georgian breakaway provinces, Abkhazia and South Ossetia — over which Georgia and Russia have been fighting.

The move, which controvened a French-brokered cease-fire deal to end the conflict, was condemned as illegal by European leaders.

Russia has, in turn, criticized the U.S. program to deliver $20 million of aid to Georgia. One general labeled the move devilish, according to The Associated Press.

The heightened activity of NATO ships in the Black Sea perplexes us, AP quoted Col. Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn as saying in Moscow. Watch how aid ship has upset Russians

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner on Wednesday said Russia’s decision to recognize South Ossetia and Georgia as independent broke international law.

We cannot accept these violations of international law, of accords for security and cooperation in Europe, of United Nations resolutions, and the taking … of a territory by the army of a neighboring country, Kouchner said, according to AP.

British Foreign Minister David Miliband, in Ukraine to rally support for the widest possible coaltion against Russian aggression also renewed his criticism of Russia’s latest diplomatic offensive.

It takes no account of the views of the hundreds of thousands of Georgians and others who have been forced to abandon their homes in the two territories, he said, according to the UK’s Press Association.

The German government said Chancellor Angela Merkel has pressed Medvedev to fulfill the terms of a European-brokered cease-fire in Georgia and condemned Moscow’s recognition of independence, AP reported.

Russia’s declaration raised the stakes in the stand-off between Moscow and the West which began after Georgian troops attacked pro-Russian separatists in South Ossetia on August 7, triggering a Russian invasion of Georgia. Russian tanks, troops and armored vehicles poured into South Ossetia and Abkhazia the following day, advancing into Georgian cities. On Tuesday, U.S. President George W. Bush issued a strongly worded statement, saying: The United States condemns the decision by the Russian president to recognize as independent states the Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Bush said Russia’s move was inconsistent with the French-brokered cease-fire agreement that ended the fighting and called on Russia to reconsider this irresponsible decision.

Bush added: The territorial integrity and borders of Georgia must be respected, just as those of Russia or any other country. Russia’s action only exacerbates tensions and complicates diplomatic negotiations.

NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said the decision was in direct violation of numerous U.N. Security Council resolutions regarding Georgia’s territorial integrity.

The European Union also urged a political solution to the tensions in Georgia.

Speaking to CNN’s Matthew Chance, Medvedev said the move was in line with international law.

It is internationally recognized that if a people based on all these [U.N.] provisions express their will to have an independent existence… any other state in the world has the right to recognize this independence whether you like it or not, the Russian president said. Watch Medvedev defend recognizing the breakaway regions

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili called Russia an aggressor state. Watch Saakashvili’s reaction

My appeal to the free world is to condemn and reject Russia’s dangerous and irrational decision — not only for Georgia’s sake — but for the sake of preserving the fundamental basis of international law and order.

The stand-off has exacerbated already frayed relations between Russia and the West.

Moscow has been infuriated by U.S. plans to build a missile defense shield in eastern Europe. It said an agreement signed last week to base missiles in Poland would open that country up to an attack in the event of conflict.

Western nations have expressed support for Georgia, which aspires to NATO and European Union membership, with the U.S. dispatching a major humanitarian aid mission.

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Clinton: The time is now to unite

DENVER, Colorado (CNN) — Sen. Hillary Clinton called herself a proud supporter of Barack Obama on Tuesday night after Democratic National Convention delegates greeted her with a standing ovation.

It is time to take back the country we love, and whether you voted for me or you voted for Barack, the time is now to unite as a single party with a single purpose, Clinton said.

She suspended her campaign for the Democratic nomination June 7, after it became clear that Obama had won enough delegates to capture the nomination.

We are on the same team and none of us can afford to sit on the sidelines, she said. Watch Clinton tell delegates it’s time to unite

She made clear that she did not want her supporters to vote for Obama’s Republican rival, John McCain, although the Arizona senator has made a concerted effort to reach out to Clinton backers.

No way. No how. No McCain, Clinton said. Barack Obama is my candidate. And he must be our president.

She described McCain as her colleague and her friend, but then laid into him in no uncertain terms.

John McCain says the economy is fundamentally sound. John McCain doesn’t think that 47 million people without health insurance is a crisis. John McCain wants to privatize Social Security.

And in 2008, he still thinks it’s Ok when women don’t earn equal pay for equal work, she said, prompting boos from the delegates in Denver.

It makes sense that George Bush and John McCain will be together next week in the Twin Cities, Clinton said, referring to next week’s Republican National Convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. Because these days they’re awfully hard to tell apart.

She mentioned Obama by name a dozen times in the speech. She also included praise for her husband.

When Barack Obama is in the White House, he’ll revitalize our economy, defend the working people of America, and meet the global challenges of our time. Democrats know how to do this. As I recall, President Clinton and the Democrats did it before.

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Indian-imposed curfew in Kashmir continues

SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir (CNN) — A strict Indian-imposed curfew continued for the third day in Kashmir on Tuesday, with the death toll for the past 24 hours reaching five after clashes between Indian security forces and pro-separatist protesters defying the curfew.

On Tuesday, the streets were quieter than they were Monday, when a planned sit-in by people opposed to Indian control in the region led to four deaths and more than 100 injuries. A fifth protester died Tuesday from bullet wounds.

Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan and claimed by both. The region has been the cause of two wars between the two countries.

Authorities say an Islamic insurgency in the region has claimed up to 43,000 lives since 1989, but human rights groups say the number could be twice that.

Violence had dropped off since India and Pakistan began a peace process in 2004, but surged again after the state government announced plans in June to donate land in heavily-Muslim Kashmir for a Hindu shrine.

Reinforced Indian police and paramilitary groups patrolled the streets Tuesday in armored cars and many streets in Srinagar, the capital of Indian-administered Kashmir, were barricaded.

We have strict orders from our higher-ups to give no quarter to curfew violators and deal with any violations firmly, and Indian paramilitary officer said.

Over a dozen separatist leaders have been arrested by the police and paramilitary, while others have gone underground to escape arrest.

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