Return to Transcripts main page
Connect the World
Message for Gadhafi Loyalists; Long Road Ahead for Nanny; Carnage in Syria; Sweet Smell of Success; U.N. Discusses Aid to Libyan Transitional Government; Gadhafi Nanny Gets Treatment; Sports Round-up; Crackdown Continues on Eid; Help for Syria's Opposition Forces; Gateway Series: Russia's Main Fishing Port
Aired August 30, 2011 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: On the road to Gadhafi's hometown with a message for his loyalists -- lay down your weapons by Saturday, or else.
Help at last, but still a long road ahead for this nanny to the Gadhafi family. We're going to have an update and her condition for you.
And then, a day meant for celebration leads to carnage in Syria. No break in the government crackdown on the last day of Ramadan.
And the sweet smell of success -- how marketeers are assaulting your senses and reaping the benefits.
These stories and more tonight as we connect the world.
Surrender by Saturday or face the final battle -- Libyan rebels now giving all towns remaining loyal to Moammar Gadhafi a new deadline for giving up the fight. Well, their main focus is Sirte, Gadhafi's hometown and last major stronghold. Rebels are negotiating with tribal leaders there, saying that they want to avoid further bloodshed, but warn they will resort to force if necessary and are making final preparations.
Well, they're now flanking Sirte from east and west, eager to end a civil war they say has claimed at least 50,000 lives -- to end it, of course.
Let's get an update on the ground.
Frederik Pleitgen has been following rebel movements today near Sirte and filed this report a short time ago for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The front line to the west of Sirte is actually quite unique. It's about 100 kilometers away from the actual town. So Sirte is about 100 kilometers that way. Gadhafi's forces are about 70 kilometers in that direction.
Now what the guys here will do, these are the rebels that come from Misrata and are looking to make it along the way to Sirte. And what they will do is they'll launch small teams in that direction to go to some of the villages there. They say in the past, they've had a lot of contact with pro-Gadhafi forces, but they haven't made that final push to try and take the city.
And they say that they will only do that if they get the order from the National Transitional Council.
"All we're waiting for is the order from the National Transitional Council to move into Sirte," he says.
Several dozen fighters are waiting here, at this checkpoint. They've got, I would say, about 10 to 15 gun trucks stationed here, a lot of quite heavy weapons, as well.
The interesting thing, though, about the fighters that are here, a lot of them are actually from the town of Misrata. And they say they felt that when they got the Gadhafi forces out of Misrata, that their job was over.
However, now they've pushed all the way over here, to the front lines close to Sirte. But they say they're still very recently to actually go into that town and fight. They hope that things can be solved through negotiations.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, when we get back to the revolution again, we want to go back to revolution again.
PLEITGEN: OK. So no one is going to march to Sirte?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.
PLEITGEN: The National Transitional Council has issued an ultimatum to the tribes that are still loyal to Moammar Gadhafi. They say these tribes need to surrender in the coming four days, during the holiday of Eid or the National Transitional Council will send in heavy weapons. And what they mean by heavy weapons is what you see right here, the typical sort of pickup trucks with anti-aircraft weapons mounted to them, with heavy machine guns mounted to them, some of them also with multiple rocket launchers on the backs of their beds.
So those are the kinds of weapons that are threatening to attack Sirte right now.
But again, the rebels here that we're meeting at the front lines say they hope all of this can be solved through negotiations. It seems as though right now, though, those negotiations are in some very deep water.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
ANDERSON: Frederik Pleitgen reporting as the battles, of course, continue.
Libya's opposition already looking ahead to rebuilding the country. And a top priority is getting lucrative oil fields back online.
Finance Minister Ali Tarhouni gave some estimates today at a news conference in Tripoli. He also spoke with our Nic Robertson just a short while ago -- Nic, what did he say?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, he said he hopes to be back up to about 500 million barrels -- 500 million, 500,000 barrels. Libya was only producing 1.2 million barrels a day before the current crisis. He hopes to be back up to about half a million barrels a day within weeks, perhaps six months, he said, to be back up to 100 percent production, where the country was before the conflict began.
He said that he estimates about 15 percent of the oil facilities around the country have been damaged. But he's already -- he said they're already on the verge of beginning to pump gas and oil out of the country, to begin to be in a position to export it again.
So he put -- he put quite a -- quite a good assessment, in his opinion, of how quickly the country can get back up and running.
But I also talked to him about -- about the issue of negotiations and, most importantly, for so many people here, where Moammar Gadhafi is.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALI TARHOUNI, LIBYAN FINANCE MINISTER: We have a pretty good idea of where -- the whereabouts of Gadhafi is.
ROBERTSON: Where is he?
TARHOUNI: That I can't tell you.
ROBERTSON: Is it in the south of the country?
TARHOUNI: I can't really tell you.
ROBERTSON: Is he taking shelter with tribes that are still loyal to him?
TARHOUNI: I can't even tell you that.
ROBERTSON: And right now, you have given the Gadhafi loyalists in Sirte until the end of the week to negotiate.
Why have you given them so long?
TARHOUNI: I think I'm hoping and I'm hopeful, actually. I think the wiser and the elders of these tribes will realize that bloodshed is not only a waste, but actually they have no way to go. And -- and I think, until the end of the week is ample time. If it need to be, if it needs to be extended, we will do that. The main goal is that we want to stop the bloodshed.
ROBERTSON: Right now, a lot of the south of the country is not in the hands of the National Transitional Council.
TARHOUNI: Right.
ROBERTSON: Exactly how much of the country do you control?
And the south is huge. It's a vast area.
How are you going to regain control of it and how long will that take?
TARHOUNI: Well, there -- the truth of the matter is that our -- that, like everywhere else, there -- that a lot of types (ph). And the south is actually, has never been as loyal as it has (INAUDIBLE) in the media.
My hope is that the -- that the same thing that happened in Sirte will happen in the south. My hope is that the maturity of the tribes -- and we're talking only about Fezzan. Most of the other areas are either liberated, the other (INAUDIBLE), or are in the process of it.
So my hope is that we will have a peaceful transfer, if you like. I think in the case of Fezzan, it might be a little bit tricky, because I think it's the last place or the last chance for the (INAUDIBLE).
ROBERTSON: What -- what about Sebha, a big important town in the south?
TARHOUNI: Right.
ROBERTSON: That's been loyal to Gadhafi.
TARHOUNI: This is the one I'm talking about.
ROBERTSON: And how long before this is going to be back entirely in the hands of the National Transitional Council?
TARHOUNI: I wish it's tomorrow. But I know better than that. I think this drug (ph), this killer knows that he has nowhere to go, but also, he thinks that he can negotiate, he thinks that he can find a way out of the trouble that he's in.
So I'm -- I'm thinking, you know, a matter of days. The report that I got today from the security and from different agencies, everybody is an optimist. They're talking about a week or so.
I really have no problem of waiting another week. I waited 42 years, so it's not really an issue for me.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
ROBERTSON: So what's interesting about that, Becky, about that is that, really, we've talked so far about the rebels going up against Gadhafi loyalists, against his military forces, the army that were protecting him. Now we're talking about something a little bit different. We're talking about tribes, tribe on tribe or rebels and the tribes who support them against Gadhafi's tribe, unless, of course, this rapprochement and everyone agrees.
But there is something different here. That -- we're talking now about the potential of division between tribes across the country -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Nic Robertson reporting from Tripoli.
Thank you, Nic.
Talking there to a significant member of what is Libya's interim government.
The United Nations Security Council meeting today talking about ways that it can assist Libya's opposition government.
Let's bring in our senior U.N. correspondent, Richard Roth, for more details.
You had -- you heard Tarhouni suggesting that he hopes, at least, to get up to some half a million barrels of oil a day soon, with a view to getting back to 1.2 million at some later date.
They need money to do this. They'll get money from the oil fields, of course. But they need money to get the whole process started -- Richard, don't they?
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR UNITED NATIONS CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And the U.N. Security Council Sanctions Committee on Libya released $1.6 billion in frozen assets at a request by the U.K. government. Germany and France also have similar requests in. It's all starting to unfreeze accounts and get humanitarian and other money going in to revitalize society.
For the first time in months, we heard, at the Security Council just minutes ago, a rather optimistic view when it comes to Libya, facts provided by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BAN KI-MOON, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: I think we can all be encouraged by the current trend. Yesterday, we received a confirmation that members of Moammar Gadhafi's family have sought asylum in Algeria. The National Transitional Council appears to be largely in control of Tripoli and other cities. Fighting continues in some parts of the country, most notably, Sirte, Sabha and Tualaf (ph) and points to the south. And I think we can now hope for a quick conclusion to the conflict and an end to the suffering of Libya's people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROTH: The U.N. has a major plan for assisting Libya. The Security Council stressing Libyan people still have to be nominally in charging. There has to be a lot coordination with different agencies that will pour in there.
Becky, we've seen this, of course, in other areas and other countries coming out of conflict. There's a lot of hard work ahead -- back to you.
ANDERSON: But at least some optimism out of the U.N. Security Council this evening, as you suggested, Richard.
Thank you for that.
Richard Roth for you out of New York this evening.
Well, as Gadhafi's dictatorship crumbles, so did any pretense about life under his regime. Now, yesterday, if you were watching at this hour, we brought you a heartbreaking story of a nanny who lived in the villa of one of Gadhafi's sons, Hannibal. Well, she has suffered unimaginable abuse.
But with the Gadhafis gone, she no longer has to suffer in silence.
Dan Rivers visited her in the hospital today, where she's finally receiving treatment.
I've got to warn you, though, these images of her injuries are very hard to watch.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Slowly, slowly, she whispers as they unwrapped her dressing. What you're about to see is difficult to watch. God only knows how painful it is for Shweyga to endure. The entire top of her head is burnt and many of the wounds are infected. The nanny to Hannibal Gadhafi's children is thankfully now in a hospital burn unit in Tripoli. She's finally beginning to get the antibiotics and the care she needs. This is how we found Shweyga, abandoned in the Gadhafi family compound with horrific burns that she says were inflicted by Hannibal Gadhafi's wife, Aileen.
She told us how boiling water was poured over her head, punishment for failing to keep a Gadhafi grandchild from crying. An account corroborated by co-workers.
But now she's already sounding more optimistic. She says she already feels better than before.
(on camera): Well, it's great to see that Shweyga is in a much better place than when we found her yesterday. But it's also clear she's got months more treatment ahead if she's going to have any kind of a normal life.
(voice-over): These photos show her horrible condition when she first arrived at the hospital in June. They were taken by doctors who started to treat her. But the doctors say they were bullied into stopping treatment by Hannibal Gadhafi's staff.
RIDA FRANKA, DIRECTOR OF TRIPOLI BURN UNIT: So first they came and threatened me here. And they said you have to -- you have to discharge this case or otherwise you will have a lot of problems.
RIVERS (on camera): Despite the threats, the guard later brought her back secretly for more treatment. When the Gadhafi family found out, doctors say they were again ordered to stop treatment.
This video was taken by a doctor a week ago, when Shweyga finally made the treacherous journey to a clinic through the fighting. Doctors say it was too dangerous to get to the burn unit and she was sent home after her dressings were changed.
Dr. Rowida Zawiya (ph) took that video and it is damning about Hannibal and Aileen Gadhafi.
ROWIDA ZAWIYA: There's no humanity. They are so -- I don't know, actually. Maybe they're insane. I'm not sure.
RIVERS: Three weeks ago, that candor might have brought a death sentence. Now they're free to speak and to care for Shweyga Mullah.
Dan Rivers, CNN, Tripoli.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: And that is one of the most infuriating parts of this story, is it?
Shweyga could have been treated months ago, indeed, was even in a hospital but was forced to leave.
I want to talk more about the extent of her injuries, what can be done for her and what sort of psychological damage perhaps she will suffer from all this.
We're joined by Jorge Leon-Villapalos.
He's a burn specialist at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital here in London, I -- I believe, one of the only major specialist burn units here in the country.
Jorge, as we -- as we watch those pictures, that video, I mean it is absolutely heartbreaking.
Is this as bad as it gets?
JORGE LEON-VILLAPALOS, BURN SPECIALIST, CHELSEA AND WESTMINSTER HOSPITAL: It can actually, it can even get worse. But there is no doubt that this poor lady has suffered a phenomenal amount of pain, a phenomenal amount of suffering and that the scars that actually these injuries may leave may be actually ever lasting.
And I'm not talking about that. I'm talking, also, about the -- the last thing psychological impact that it can have on her personality, regarding her looks and how she will relate, actually, is through her society.
ANDERSON: I want to have a look at some of the pictures that we have of Shweyga so that you can talk myself and the viewers what you're seeing here.
We believe that she was scalded with boiling water.
Is this the sort of burns that you would expect to see as a result of that kind of injury?
LEON-VILLAPALOS: They're certainly compatible with that type of injury. But there is no doubt that these burns are actually not only very extensive, but possibly, they were actually very deep at the time. And on the basis of what I can see, I can only ascertain that the type of liquid that she may have poured with -- been poured with -- was actually as extremely hot and that the suffering, the pain and certainly as the damage to her skin may have been phenomenal.
ANDERSON: So what can be done at this stage?
LEON-VILLAPALOS: It is difficult to know, obviously. Our colleagues at Libya have done, actually, the best that they can with the resources that they have got available. Now, these type of injuries, we can see them basically, see in our units. We treat them in a very multi-disciplinary way, by giving them not only the imperative and medical support that they may actually just need, but also the psychological support and then put up a whole area of professionals that will deal with the marks of these type of injuries, like scars or, effectively, the way she feels about her looks.
ANDERSON: All right. And you're a plastic surgeon, I know, as well.
LEON-VILLAPALOS: That is correct.
ANDERSON: What can be done to help the psychological damage, which would be sort of, you know, the way I look and feel going forward, by somebody who specializes, as you do, in (INAUDIBLE)?
LEON-VILLAPALOS: It's a very long process. And then the (INAUDIBLE) is marked that very essentially, your sleep, actually, is the last thing. And not only this from a fiscal point of view, but also from the psychological point of view.
We are lucky to have in our unit some of the very, very best psychologists supporting in this country.
But certainly, this lady would certainly benefit for having not only that type of support, but the support of actually her friends and family that help her to reintegrate into society.
But there's no doubt that the effect of burns are not only just physical, but psychological. And this lady, without the shadow of a doubt, has got a long way ahead.
ANDERSON: You said that your colleagues in Libya are doing what they can in what are, let's face it, limited resources. Many of these hospitals don't even have any doctors, at the moment, or any medical supplies.
She needs to leave Libya at some point soon, doesn't she?
How long does she have before this will be physical, long-lasting scarrage?
LEON-VILLAPALOS: In general terms, we say that any type of this burn that does not heal within a two to three week period, usually it leaves permanent scarring. It is the effect of the scarring that we tend to probably deal with at this stage. We say that burns patients are outpatients for life precisely because of that reason.
Burns leave not only disfigurement, but also contracture, functional problems, you know, problems that actually are disruptive of daily living. But not only that, but also you have the inability to really just look at yourself in the way that you were before and actually just deal with the normal type of just rejection of society toward anyone that actually looks different.
ANDERSON: Really amazing. Really good points there.
OK, thank you very much, indeed, for joining us, your expert on this.
There's no doubt about it, I do have to tell you that this story has touched an outrage to people around the world. Many of you are writing or calling us asking how you can help. Well, CNN is working with humanitarian organizations and medical officials. And as soon as we finalize a plan is to -- a route forward so far as action is concerned, we will get it to you, of course, straight.
But log onto CNN.com/impact and do stay tuned for updates here on CONNECT THE WORLD.
It's 19 minutes past 9:00 in London.
Coming up next, he was President Bush's right hand man.
But does Dick Cheney have any regrets about the war in Iraq?
Plus, in about 10 minutes time, we're going to find out whether it was all plain sailing for Roger Federer at the U.S. Open.
And if you've wondered why your supermarket shopping is burning a hole in your market, then don't miss our tricks of the trade report here in about 30 minutes.
You're watching CNN.
This is CONNECT THE WORLD.
I'm Becky Anderson in London.
Back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: I'm Becky Anderson in London.
You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD here on CNN.
A little quick look for you at the other stories that we are following for you this hour.
And the Eid feast to mark the end of Ramadan is supposed to be a festive time, but it turned violent in Syria. Activists report brutal crackdowns on anti-government demonstrators following Eid prayers, with six killed in Daraa and another death in Homs. This video is said to show a wounded man in a Daraa mosque. CNN can't independently confirm these accounts. Syria's government maintains it's targeting armed gangs.
We'll have much more on the violence in Syria a little later in this newscast.
Meanwhile, clashes erupted between South African police and angry supporters of African National Congress youth leader, Julius Malema. It happened in advance of his announce disciplinary hearing. Well, police used tear gas and water cannons to break up the protesters. Well, the 30 - year-old Malema is highly critical of President Jacob Zuma and could face expulsion from the party.
Well, August has been the deadliest month for U.S. forces in Afghanistan since the start of the conflict nearly 10 years ago. According to a CNN tally, 66 American troops have lost their lives this month. Almost half of those were killed when insurgents shot down a U.S. helicopter in the east of the country on August the 6th.
Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney says he offered to resign three times, three different times, but George Bush didn't accept it, he said. That's one of the revelations from his new book, "In My Time," released on Tuesday. Cheney is doing the rounds to promote his memoirs and defending some controversial moves, such as the decision to invade Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DICK CHENEY, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't think that it damaged our reputation around the world. I just don't believe that. I think, you know, the -- the critics here at home would argue that, but, in fact, I think it was sound policy that dealt with a very serious problem and that eliminated Saddam Hussein from -- from the kind of problem he had presented before.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One...
CHENEY: What would have happened this week if Moammar Gadhafi had still been in power with a nuclear weapon in Libya?
Would he have fled?
I doubt it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, some good news out of Northeastern China as rescuers there race to save workers from a flooded mine. They have pulled 19 miners to the surface today, after rescuing three others earlier. There are three still missing, though.
The flood happened after miners mistakenly drilled into a neighboring flooded mine last week. And over 19 miners escaped shortly after the accident. So far, one confirmed death.
You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD live from London.
Coming up this hour, the top tennis seeds come out to play as the U.S. Open kicks off. We're going to talk sport with Pedro in a few minutes time.
And then we're going to take a closer look at the unrest in Syria and why activists there say they are fed up for waiting for the rest of the world to help. That up in about 15 minutes here on CNN.
Don't go away.
A short break.
We're coming back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, to your sports news now. And has launched his U.S. Open campaign in his -- well, let's call it typical style, shall we? -- with a straight sets win over Colombian Santiago Giraldo. It wasn't his greatest performance, though. This was (INAUDIBLE) made quite a few uncharacteristic errors. The five time U.S. Open champ admits he doesn't usually play his best in the first round.
Well, some of the top seeds in action today. Rafael Nadal is hoping to defend his U.S. Open title and Serb Novak Djokovic is out to pick up his third major of the year.
Let's talk more about all of this with CNN's Pedro Pinto.
I'd like to talk about the women, shall we?
Or do you want to talk about the men first?
PEDRO PINTO, CNN "WORLD SPORT" ANCHOR: You pick. It's your show.
ANDERSON: OK, let's talk about the women then.
PINTO: OK. All right.
The top ranked player in the world is Caroline Wozniacki. She was out there today. You know, she got so much criticism for being world number one without winning a grand slam. The furthest she ever got in a grand slam tournament was the final of the U.S. Open back in 2009. So a lot of critics to her game.
She played like a contender today, Becky. She beat her opponent, a Spanish player, in straight sets, was only out there for about an hour and 20 minutes. So she started out very well, indeed.
ANDERSON: All right, let's do the men.
PINTO: OK.
ANDERSON: Federer's (INAUDIBLE) and Nadal and Jakovic yet to finish their matches -- won't finish their matches (INAUDIBLE)...
PINTO: Well, I can tell you that Djokovic has finished his match, because his opponent, the Irish player he was up against, was not doing well at all physically. He had food poisoning on Monday night and he only lasted about a set-and-a-half. So Djokovic already through to the second round...
ANDERSON: Yes.
PINTO: Conor Niland, who was his opponent, had the retire. Good news for Djokovic, let's face it, because he's just coming back from a shoulder injury. A lot of people are wondering how well he is physically and he didn't have to exert himself for long. He only lost one game. He won the first set (INAUDIBLE) at 5-1 and...
(CROSSTALK)
PINTO: -- and Conan Niland said, OK, I've had enough. I'm heading home and Djokovic is going through.
Just a couple more stats for you...
ANDERSON: Yes.
PINTO: -- before...
ANDERSON: Yes.
PINTO: -- before you move on. Djokovic improved to 58 and 2 this year, which is absolutely amazing. And you -- like you said, he's going for his third grand slam title of the year. And he's got nine titles this season, which is five more than any other player. He's just been dominating this -- this year.
ANDERSON: All right. Nidal out to defend his title.
PINTO: Exactly. He'll be in action today.
ANDERSON: Yes?
PINTO: In a few hours.
ANDERSON: Actually, how do find his (INAUDIBLE)?
PINTO: Look, it -- it's really tough with Rafael, because I think he's really struggled to live as the world number two. He got so used to being the best player in the world and this year he's lost five times to Djokovic on tour. And I think it's starting to play a few -- a few games in his mind, so to speak, as he faces Djokovic, perhaps, here at the U.S. Open. And I think he might lose again.
So, Nidal got only three titles this year. He's not going to get upset on Tuesday night, Becky. He's playing this guy from Kazakhstan who really wouldn't -- wouldn't pose much of a threat.
But I would actually put him behind Roger Federer and even Andy Murray as favorites for the U.S. Open. Now, now a lot of people out there watching might think Pedro is crazy and he may be a little, sometimes. But in this -- in this case, I do think that Nadal is struggling with that world number two seeing.
ANDERSON: Right.
PINTO: He's seen Djokovic on the other side of the draw and he's wondering if I play him, how will I beat him?
And it's playing a little -- a little on his mind.
ANDERSON: Before we leave the athletics...
PINTO: Yes.
ANDERSON: -- I want to come back to Sharapova's trademark, which, of course, is her grunt, all over Twitter. Some say that they've been able to hear her scream from the other side of the seats. I mean, I'm, you know, exaggerating. But I mean she does have a trademark grunt out there, doesn't she?
PINTO: I watched, I had the -- the privilege of watching the Wimbledon Final this year, when she played Petra Kvitova. And I mean I couldn't take it. I mean it's -- it's unbelievable. It's constant. It's -- it's loud. It's continuous and -- and it might be funny for the first couple of games. After that, you just want it to stop. And Feliciano Lopez, one of the -- the players who is out there, he said he heard it on 45th Street while he was walking around there. I don't know if he was joking or not. He probably was.
But the decibel count is 101, which is just shy of a lion's roar. Now, can you imagine playing tennis...
ANDERSON: Is that right?
PINTO: Yes, it's true. That -- that is a fact.
ANDERSON: All right.
PINTO: And I can't imagine playing tennis on the other side.
ANDERSON: No.
PINTO: There's a lion there roaring...
ANDERSON: I'd say, you know what, I don't want to...
PINTO: -- every time she gets the ball.
ANDERSON: -- play you. I'm not playing you.
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: Not because I can't beat you, I just can't take the noise. I'm not...
PINTO: But do you know who she beat on Monday night?
She was down. She came back in one and three sets. They asked her about it in the press match -- in the press conference after the match. She said, oh, I really didn't notice it. I -- come on. She was noticing it. She was just trying to be polite.
ANDERSON: If you want to talk outside this, but I'm going to quickly move on, because we've only got about 10 seconds left.
PINTO: OK.
ANDERSON: There's a new face at Inter Milan tonight -- football news.
PINTO: Yes, well, we'll have all the athletics on "WORLD SPORT" in an hour's time.
ANDERSON: Yes, you will.
PINTO: Just quickly on -- on one of the transfers. About 24 hours left before the summer transfer window closes and Inter Milan, the European champions two seasons ago, they secured a veteran, but he's still really good, Diego Forlan. He helped Uruguay win the Cup America. He was voted the best player at the 2010 World Cup last year, as you know, because I know you followed that -- that tournament a lot. And it's still a really good signing. Undisclosed fee, but he's going to replace Samuel Eto'o, who left to Anzi Makhachkala, the Russian club, for about 37 gazillion dollars he'll be making here. Now, that's not a fact.
(LAUGHTER)
PINTO: He's making about 20 million euros a season, but Inter Milan sold him.
ANDERSON: Yes. Absolutely.
PINTO: They get Diego Forlan in for a lot less money.
ANDERSON: Yes.
PINTO: And he's still a really, really good player.
ANDERSON: Good stuff.
Pedro, with that at the bottom of the next hour, in about an hour from now.
PINTO: Yes, Becky.
ANDERSON: Pedro, thank you for that.
Always a pleasure.
Ramadan is over and the Eid festival has started. But in Syria, the celebrations were marred by violence as the brutal government crackdown there continues.
And CNN's Gateway series visits the Russian port of Vladivostok for you this evening, its crucial role in feeding the country.
And later, marketeers get nosy. You could call it the sweet smell of success. That's ahead.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: This is CONNECT THE WORLD on CNN, the world's news leader.
It's just about half past 9:00 in London.
I'm Becky Anderson.
Before we move on, I want to get you a check of the news headlines this hour.
And setting a deadline for surrender, Libyan rebels are giving all towns still loyal to Moammar Gadhafi until Saturday to give up or face what they call the final battle. Rebels are closing in on Sirte, which, of course, is Gadhafi's last major stronghold.
Well, sources close to the Gadhafi family say his daughter Aisha has given birth in exile. They say she had a child just hours after crossing over into Algeria, along with her mother and two brothers, Hannibal and Mohammed.
Well, August has been the deadliest month for U.S. troops in Afghanistan since the war began nearly 10 years ago. CNN's tally indicates 66 U.S. troops were killed in August. Almost half died when militants shot down a helicopter.
Well, the celebrations across the Middle East today mark the beginning of Eid. Muslims marking the end of Ramadan with a three day festival that includes feasts, gift giving and donations to the poor.
Hurricane Irene is long gone, but its after effects remain in the Eastern United States. Communities in several states remain flooding. More than 2.8 million customers are still without power. And the death toll has now risen to 41.
Those are your headlines.
Also big news today. So far, the Eid festival has done nothing to stop the brutal crackdown in Syria, I'm afraid. Celebrations across the nation turned into anti-government demonstrations today.
Activists say security forces attacked protesters, killing six in Daraa and another in Homs.
Ivan Watson has more for you tonight from Istanbul.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Muslim holiday of Eid Fitr is supposed to be a time of peace and contemplation and reconnecting with family. But in Syria, it has become another battleground in the ongoing test of wills that has raged for more than five-and-a-half months between the authoritarian government of Bashar al- Assad and those opposition demonstrators who have lost so many lives over the past five and-a-half months.
The Syrian president photographed at early morning Eid (INAUDIBLE) prayers, where the grand mufti of Damascus gave a politicized sermon in which he denounced what he called "the enemies of Syria." He said that he prayed for God to protect Bashar al-Assad against what he described as a campaign of plots and fabrications against the government.
Meanwhile, in other cities and towns across the country, there were protests against the Syrian regime. In the city of Homs, we saw crowd of hundreds of thousands of people singing traditional songs where the lyrics had been converted to anti-government lyrics. And we also saw, once again, this sign cropping up, calling for foreign protection, some kind of foreign intervention to protect the Syrian opposition against the ongoing bloody crackdown against the demonstrations, the anti-government demonstrators.
The United Nations estimates more than 2,200 people have been killed over the last five-and-a-half months. And here we have footage coming from the southern town of Beha (ph), that the -- the shock point of this uprising, where yet another person seems to be wounded and later, we're told, killed as a result of the ongoing crackdown that continues to rage around the country.
A spokesperson for the European Union's foreign policy chief tells CNN that it's likely there will be a European embargo on Syrian crude oil that will be implemented in the coming days, another sign of the ongoing international isolation of the Bashar al-Assad regime that's likely to hit hard, a major source of revenue for the Damascus government.
Ivan Watson, CNN, Istanbul.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
ANDERSON: All right, well, you heard Ivan there talking about looming sanctions and the plea for military intervention. Opposition leaders point to NATO's involvement, for example, in Libya's uprising.
But as Nima Elbagir now explains, getting military help for Syria's opposition will be extremely difficult, if not impossible.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Allahu Akbar.
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Libyan rebels' triumphant entry into Tripoli under NATO air cover. Untrained and under resourced, the rebels managed to outfight Moammar Gadhafi's army. It's doubtful the world would be witnessing this dramatic victory without international military intervention.
In Syria, a very different response. Five months into pro-democracy demonstrations, the regime's brutal crackdown continues unabated. And activists there say they're growing disillusioned with waiting for the world to intervene.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We welcome and want the international community's support and help. But whether this is happening or it is going to take place or not, obviously Syrians are not backing on, because we were disappointed again and again.
ELBAGIR: The United Nations says that since mid-March, over 2,000 people have been killed in Syrian government efforts to quell opposition.
So why such decisive international action on Libya and not on Syria?
The key is the Russian and Chinese positions. Both have much greater financial and political ties with Syria than they did with Libya. And as the international community seeks to impose U.N. sanctions on the Syrian president, Russia is actively blocking a proposed arms embargo and China has threatened to do the same.
The Arab League, which suspended Libya's membership less than two months into the uprising, has also been widely criticized for the speed, or lack thereof, of its response. Without the same international pressure on it to move on Syria as there was over Libya, the League's foreign ministers have only now voted to send Secretary-General Nabil el-Araby with an initiative to end the violence, taking with him, they said, the lessons of Libya.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As the reality of the events unfold and from the lessons learned, the use of security and violence with peaceful political movements is futile. We should respond to these demands and speed up the implementation of reform projects that Arab governments announced and which is the safest way to ensure stability for our people. This will provide protection from foreign intervention, which often comes with its own agenda.
ELBAGIR: The worry is that el-Araby is not the only one who has learned lessons from Libya. There have also been scattered reports of activists using improvised and automatic weapons to repel government forces. And witnesses who spoke to CNN from inside Syria reported previously unheard chants for armed resistance at last Friday's protests.
The local coordination committee, an activist group with a wide grassroots network across Syria has now issued this statement: "While we understand the motivation to take up arms or call for military intervention, we specifically reject this position," they said.
Analyst Husam al-Manejed (ph) argues that arming the opposition would only play into the hands of the regime.
HUSAM AL-MANEJED, POLITICAL ANALYST: Now, the regime has been trying extremely hard the push the whole revolution into what -- to fall into one of these two traps, sectarianism or violence. And, yes, the Syrian people were surprisingly very much convinced that we should not fall into these traps, because it is going to be the scapegoat of the regime.
ELBAGIR: The Syrian president has always maintained that his government was facing armed gangs rather than an organized call for reform -- a claim that human rights groups have called an attempted whitewash.
But as the world struggles to find a point of leverage to reign in Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his associates, the temptation can only grow for activists to emulate their Libyan counterparts and take matters into their own hands.
Nima Elbagir, CNN, Abu Dhabi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: I'm Becky Anderson in London.
You are watching CONNECT THE WORLD here on CNN.
Coming up after this short break, the tricky business of feeding Russia. The latest report in our Gateway series is along in two minutes.
We are, this week, in Vladivostok, where fish dominate the docks.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, Russia's coastline is one of the longest in the world. With that comes a huge fishing industry, as you can imagine, with Vladivostok at its hub. An entire section of the enormous port is dedicated to ships arriving with tons of frozen fish, caught in the depths of the ocean and brought back to the shore to be distributed.
Well, a part of our Gateway series, CNN has been invited to take a look around.
This is for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (voice-over): Fishing is the biggest industry here in Vladivostok. Russia's coastline is the second longest in the world, where fishermen cast their nets in 12 seas. This fishing port looks onto the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea.
ALEKSANDR ZABOLOTNYI, VLADIVOSTOK FISHING PORT (through translator): One of the biggest industries here is the fishing industry. And part of this is Vladivostok's fishing ports, where we load crates of fish and transport them to the Russian region.
ANDERSON: The world's first population may be in decline, but to the people of Vladivostok, fishing is still a way of life.
Here at Dalrybport, this is Russia's biggest fishing company, handling 80 percent of the fish on the far eastern seaboard of Russia.
LYUDMILA TALABAEVA, CEO, DALRYBPORT (through translator): Our company has the biggest fish loading enterprise in Russia. We can over 400,000 tons of fish each year.
ANDERSON: Local entrepreneur Lyudmila Talabaeva has known no other life.
TALABAEVA (through translator): My whole life has been connected with the fishing industry. It's been 30 years since I started working in fishing ports.
ANDERSON: Most of the fish is caught and frozen in the deep sea on huge mother ships, which stay out for months at a time.
ZABOLOTNYI (through translator): These mother ships can carry up to 6,000 tons of fish. So to bring the fish from these plants to shore, you need ships that can sail out, pick up this processed fish and bring it to the port. Here, you can only see a very small part of the journey, only the fish being carried from ship to shore. The main process happens at sea, where the fish is caught and then canned, frozen or salted on board and then ferried to us.
The fishing port is like the post office. It receives sends the fish just like letters.
ANDERSON: After the fall of the Soviet Union, this fishing port was privatized and many people lost their jobs, including Lyudmila. She helped form her own business.
TALIBABA (through translator): When the port was privatized and new shareholders came into power, they fired many people who used to work with the fish, including me, even though I had been working there for 20 years. And then I came to the idea that fish needs to be processed by people who know how to do it. Everybody who loved working with the fish and knew how to do it joined us.
VIKTOR SOLOGUD, FORKLIFT DRIVER, VLADIVOSTOK FISHING PORT (through translator): I carry cargo from the refrigerator to the pier. Usually it's fish and fish products. I like my job and I like to work in the cold. I'm used to it, although sometimes, I miss summer.
ANDERSON: Lyudmila's company handles the fish when it reaches the shore. Workers transfer the already frozen catch into huge freezers, where they're stored at minus 20 degrees. Then, on from the freezer to refrigerate rail compartments. Most of this fish stays in Russia.
TALIBABA (through translator): Cod, flounder, saffron cod (ph), salmon, sockeye and many other fish -- it all goes to the Russian regions. If I told you earlier that our turnover is 400,000 tons, maybe only 5,000 tons go to export.
ANDERSON: For the fish traveling further afield, these special refrigerated containers are used for the journey. The city is a linchpin, receiving, processing and delivering its catch to the rest of Russia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: That's the latest in our Gateway series for you.
And you can find out more about the world's fishing industry and how a growing appetite in fishing global fish stocks the breaking point from the world's most consumed fish to what oceans are endangered. It's all on our Facebook page. That's Facebook.com/cnnconnect. If you're not a fan, do join us on that page.
Well, ever wondered why you are weighed down with shopping bags when all you popped out for was (INAUDIBLE) eggs. Well, up next, you're going to find out how supermarkets are helping shoppers dismiss a bargain. I hope my mom is watching this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, I know it drives my father absolutely mad, but we've all walked into a shop wanting one thing only to walk out with far more than we bargained for. Unless it's just a woman's thing -- I don't think it is -- it's easy to fall into the traps set by stores across the globe to make you part with your hard-earned cash.
And as Felicia Taylor reports, it's not just our eyes that have us reaching for the shelves.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And if you're passing the sour pickles, it smells good. We buy the olives here. They're delicious.
FELICIA TAYLOR, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: About 75 percent of what we sense as taste actually from our sense of smell. It's a pretty important detail when it comes to selling food. And the folks here at Net Cost Market have figured out a way to actually boost that scent. And here it is.
ANGELINA KHRISTICHENKO, NET COST: I don't eat a lot of product. They cannot attract me by a package. So the scent, that's why it can attract me. So that's why I -- I brought this idea.
TAYLOR (voice-over): Five machines are mounted on the walls throughout the store and pump out artificial scents, like bread, chocolate, bacon and grapefruit.
(on camera): We wanted to test the power of the aromas. So we asked Tonya (ph), one of our producers, if we could blindfold her and take her through the store and see what she could sense.
And keep in mind, she's never been in this store. She has no idea exactly where we're going or what -- what aisle we're in.
TONYA: OK. I smell meat.
TAYLOR: You smell meat?
TONYA: Meat.
TAYLOR: Wow!
TONYA: I just got a whiff of meat.
TAYLOR: That's amazing. That's exactly where we are.
TONYA: OK.
TAYLOR: And, again, there's the device.
TONYA: Hmmm.
TAYLOR: Has something changed?
TONYA: Yes. Are we like in the bakery section, the dessert aisle?
TAYLOR: Desserts, yes. Absolutely.
TONYA: Yum.
TAYLOR: Yum?
(LAUGHTER)
TAYLOR (voice-over): Customers had a similar reaction.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I do smell different. Like breads smell different. Like cooked foods smell different, you know. Even like bakeries smell -- smell different, you know.
TAYLOR (on camera): OK, does this -- does this make you want to buy more things?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everything is so yummy and you want to buy everything.
TAYLOR (voice-over): The company has stores in New York and Pennsylvania and already has plans to install the machines in all other stores besides this one in Brooklyn.
KHRISTICHENKO: The goal is very simple -- to increase the sales by making our customers hungry, satisfied and happy. Everybody will be happy.
TAYLOR (voice-over): For the folks at Net Cost Market, they've already seen results, with sales up about 5 percent in the last three months. And that adds up to the sweet smell of success.
Felicia Taylor, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: And it's not just your sense of smell that comes under assault from the moment that you walk into a supermarket. Every moment of our journey through a store has been planned with precision to get us to spend, spend, spend. At the door, fruits and vegetables.
Why?
Because, well, not only do they give the store a fresh look and feel, but also they look better under natural light.
And have you ever noticed that the staples, such as bread and milk, are never at the front of the store?
That is just because they are forcing us to walk past the other, more profitable products before we get to them.
Well, this planning even stretches to where items are put on the shelves. Those at our eye line are normally the premium, more expensive products. On the bottom shelves, the cheaper, bargain brands.
Well, earlier, I went out onto the streets of London for you with a man who knows all the tricks of the trade.
Have a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: We're here on one of London's busiest shopping streets, outside one of its most famous department stores.
I'm joined by Simon Samuel Katz (ph), who is a shopping psychologist who is going to convince me that when I go inside there, I'm being sold to, without even knowing about it.
How?
SIMON SAMUEL KATZ, SHOPPING PSYCHOLOGIST: Well, there's all sorts of things that we can do. One is attracting you into the store.
So what can I do outside of the store that's going make you come in?
Secondly, then how do I manage your journey once you're in there?
How do I get you to the back of the store?
How do I get you to interact with the merchandise, pick products up and (INAUDIBLE). And there's lots of things that we can do that will affect your behavior without you knowing about it.
ANDERSON: I'm not convinced. I believe that I am a rational consumer, that I don't impulse buy. And you're going to tell me that I am not immune to impulse buying.
Let's head that way. This is a store called Top Shop (ph). Talk me through why I'm being effectively conned at every step.
This is Top Shop. You'll recognize this to our viewers. And how are they selling to me covertly, as it were?
KATZ: Well, one of the things we've got to do is to get you to come inside. Now, we talk about window shopping, really. Here's the window. Have a look at how high those movies are. That window is not about you on the street. It's about the passing traffic. It's basically an out -- it's an outdoor advertising. Look at the height of the shoppers. It's well above where we would be. We're naturally we're downward.
What we do have for you now is the view from the door. And one of the most important things for these guys is not necessarily getting their window right, but them actually having managed that (INAUDIBLE) in the -- in the side of the store here, we've got an indoor window...
ANDERSON: Right.
KATZ: -- that basically, far more people are more likely to look through the door. And that window is in the -- draw -- drawing them into the store.
Well, look at this window. So the majority of traffic in the morning is coming from this direction. As we tent up and -- and awake.
ANDERSON: Yes.
KATZ: All these moments in this window are angles toward that direction of approach. So basically it's drawing you in, increasing the visibility of those models to draw you into the store itself.
ANDERSON: And when we walk back to the tube in the evening, of course, we're heads down and we're not looking in the shop windows.
KATZ: No, you're not looking in there.
ANDERSON: I still retain some cynicism as to whether even when I'm walking on the street, Simon, I am being sold to. But I do know these guys at Apple have got me. And what we say in the U.K., finally short and (INAUDIBLE). Absolutely.
(LAUGHTER)
KATZ: And this is real retailing (INAUDIBLE). Look what's going on inside. Nothing in the window to speak of. All you can see is a crowd. We want to be part of that crowd.
What's going on?
Everybody's got their backs to us, they're pulling on something, they're destroying it and (INAUDIBLE) here.
And once you get in there as a shopper, what do you do?
You start interacting. You start playing with the merchandise and so forth. So that says to the selling system, come and talk to me. I'm really, really interested. Fantastic retail execution.
ANDERSON: Viewers, we seem damned by these sort of divey psychologists of the market. But I do thank you very much, indeed, for explaining how I get done.
KATZ: It's a pleasure.
Thank you.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
ANDERSON: He's got you, sadly.
Well, if you're a savvy shopper, (INAUDIBLE).
What can I say?
All right, with every passing hurricane, our correspondents brave the elements to bring you reports like this one. This is our parting shot for this evening.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The sea is absolutely white, just all churned up, whipped by this wind. And, again, we're getting hit with some of those strong gusts right now.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
ANDERSON: OK, but for tonight's parting shot, 5 -year-old Jane Haubrich shows us how tracking a storm is simple child's play.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JANE HAUBRICH, CNN IREPORTER: Seeing how the camera is pointing?
So I'm doing something (INAUDIBLE) but the rain is coming down more than it was before. The wind is probably going faster. I think this is just the starting of it. I guess I can feel it on my head, just a tiny bit of rain. I'm concerned about the flood, just like my puppy. It's -- it's definitely raining more, because it's 5:00 now -- back to you.
This is my last report, because it's my bedtime.
It is really raining. The wind has picked up. This is the biggest ever has it been. Everybody take care and please stay inside. Otherwise, you might blow away.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: I'll hold my hands up.
Jane will be here tomorrow night.
I'm Becky Anderson.
Thank you for watching.
Your world news headlines and "BACK STORY" will follow this short break.
Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
