Return to Transcripts main page
Connect the World
Historic Bid for Statehood; Yemen's President Returns; Keeping An Eye on the Leader Board; Satellite to Hit Earth; Scientists Shoot Particle Beam Faster Than Light Speed; More Bodies Left in Veracruz Mexico; Drug Cartels' Warnings to Social Media; Mexican President Addresses U.N. General Assembly Calling for Drug Consumer Countries to Cut Demand; Acapulco Teachers Walk Off Job Over Drug Cartel Fears; Breaking News: Interview with Tony Blair on Palestine-Israeli Peace Negotiations; Major Fashion Retailer Takes Stand Against Slavery
Aired September 23, 2011 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: At the United Nations, Palestinian Authority President Abbas unveils his historic bid for statehood.
At home, celebrations in pride, but are Palestinians any closer to their dream coming true?
Live from London, I'm Becky Anderson.
Also tonight, the Mexican teachers who've gone on strike in fear of their lives.
And faster than the speed of light -- the discovery that's threatening to turn physics on its head.
Kicking off tonight, though, at the United Nations. Mahmoud Abbas says the time has come for Palestinians to live free, like the rest of humanity, in their own independent homeland. The Palestinian Authority president made history today at the United Nations. He delivered a letter to Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon asking the Security Council to consider full membership for a Palestinian state.
Well, Mr. Abbas sent his case to the General Assembly, showing them that very letter.
(VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, as you can see, he got quite a reaction. Mr. Abbas told the assembly the Palestinians want peace, but Israel's settlement policy is preventing a solution. And he says this is the time of truth, that he is waiting to hear the world's answer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABBAS: It is time for the Palestinian people to gain their freedom and independence. The time has come to end the suffering and the plight of millions of Palestinian refugees in the homeland and the Diaspora, to end their displacement and to realize their rights, some of whom were forced to take refuge more than once in different places of the world.
At a time when the Arab peoples affirm their quest for democracy in what is called now the Arab Spring, the time has come also for the Palestinian Spring, the time for independence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Israel's prime minister addressed the assembly shortly afterwards, challenging Mr. Abbas to stop talking about peace and actually sit down at the table. Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel is extending a hand of peace to the Palestinians, but says they've got the process backward. He says they must first make peace with Israel, before declaring a state.
And that means, among other things, addressing Israel's security concerns.
Well, Mr. Netanyahu said Israel is not prepared to recklessly endanger the lives of its citizens, saying it means ironclad security arrangements.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: President Abbas just said on this podium that the Palestinians are armed only with their hopes and dreams.
Yes, hopes, dreams and tens of -- 10,000 missiles and Grad rockets supplied by Iran, not to mention the river of lethal weapons now flowing into Gaza from the Sinai, from Libya and from elsewhere.
Thousands of missiles have already rained down on our cities.
So you might understand that given all this, Israelis rightly ask, what's to prevent this from happening again in the West Bank?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, that is what was said on the central stage today in New York, incredible drama at the United Nations.
But what happens next?
Well, as we know, the U.S. has promised to block a statehood bid in the Security Council.
Just a short time ago, the U.S. and other Mideast Quartet members issued a statement at the United Nations.
So let's get details from our senior U.N. correspondent, Richard Roth, who's at the United Nations, and our senior State Department producer, Elise Labott in New York -- Richard, beginning with you, what we have learned today?
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR UNITED NATIONS CORRESPONDENT: What do we know?
We know that the Palestinians have made this historic statehood bid, but it may be blocked in the U.N. Security Council. We've learned a short time ago that the Security Council is going to meet Monday afternoon, 3:00 local time, for their initial conversation between the 15 countries. Cards may be put on the table, but it's probably going to be some preliminary sorting out of things and getting a sense of where the Council is. This could take several days or weeks.
The Palestinians have talked about Mr. Abbas, their leader, coming back. A lot of lobbying going on. They need at least nine votes. And it doesn't look like they can avoid the veto.
But the Security Council now has it, after the letter of application was put in by the leader of the Palestinians, presenting it to the U.N. secretary-general and that it's now in the Security Council as planned.
ANDERSON: All right, Richard -- Elise, we've heard the statements from both the Palestinians and the Israelis today. We know what's on the table.
What are the consequences of what we've learned today?
ELISE LABOTT, SENIOR STATE DEPARTMENT PRODUCER: Well, basically, both parties, you know, obviously saying that they want peace, but certainly saying some very negative things about the other one, saying that, you know, the other one doesn't want negotiations. And -- and for his part, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, look, I understand that you're supporting legitimacy for the Palestinians. I don't accept the United Nations as legitimate.
He called the U.N. General Assembly a hall of darkness for Israel because of what he perceives as a bias for the Palestinians against Israel.
And for his part, Palestinian Prime Minister Abbas, a very passionate argument about why the Palestinians deserve statehood, but not very forward leaning in terms of -- of his specifics of how he wanted to get back to the table.
So even as both made a statement today calling for peace and calling for negotiations, not really giving the other one serious indicators that they're ready for that -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Richard and Elise, we know that what -- what is actually, what goes on behind closed doors in these sort of billet (ph) negotiations at the U.N. during the General Assembly is probably more important than what we hear on the stage -- so, Richard, what should we expect next?
ROTH: You should expect probably little public announcements or progress regarding the Palestinian statehood bid. And as Elise was referring, the other negotiators, the Quartet, they've got a meeting planned in Moscow.
I -- I wouldn't really look for anything in the next few days or weeks. But we're going to probably get some countries that might start tipping their hand. The Palestinians have been lobbying nations on the Security Council. Portugal said they want to see what happens elsewhere regarding the negotiations before they vote.
Also, some of these Security Council members, their term ends at the end of the year and you have new countries such as Pakistan, if they win their election battle there, coming on.
So then the -- the situation does get jumbled up a bit. It could affect how desperate the Palestinians may want to push for a vote or see if they could get the nine by the end of the year.
ANDERSON: Your news gathering on the ground tonight from Elise and Richard.
Both of you, thank you very much, indeed, for that.
A groundswell of pride went across the West Bank today, as Mahmoud Abbas told the world, quote, "Palestine is being reborn."
Well, a sea of Palestinian flags marked the celebrations in Ramallah, the seat of power in the West Bank. Crowds gathered around giant TV screens, which broadcast Mr. Abbas's U.N. address live.
Well, our Fionnuala Sweeney was in Ramallah during those celebrations.
She's now back in Jerusalem and joins us now live with more -- Fionnuala.
FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN ANCHOR: Well, this really was the culmination of a week of increased anticipation as to what Mahmoud Abbas might do at the United Nations. And as the people gathered there in the center of Ramallah, and, indeed, in other centers throughout the West Bank, there really was a sense that they had been put on the map in front of the world by Mahmoud Abbas. This is a 76 -year-old man, a man who says he thought he was let down by America, by Israel, etc.
And whether one agrees with him or not, he certainly was embraced by his people tonight, perhaps for the first time ever since he assumed the leadership after the death of Yasser Arafat.
In fact, after he made his speech, Becky, in the crowd, the people were chanting, "Finally, Abu Mazen, you have filled Yasser Arafat's shoes."
Now, of course, the big question is what happens the day after. And the day after is not going to result, as we know, of course, immediately in any kind of Palestinian state. We know that the speech, while being greeted by Palestinians with a lot of ardor, the following speech by Benjamin Netanyahu was not. Benjamin Netanyahu was speaking about his own country's issues, putting his own country's case before the United Nations. And that speech was greeted with derision by people who were watching near Hebron, actually.
But I think, really, the point of this is, for the Palestinian people, is that they feel that they are now galvanized in the world's attention. They feel they've harnessed the world's attention. And essentially, now, it really is a question as to whether their expectations can be fulfilled by Mahmoud Abbas and whether or not negotiations begin on any kind of framework.
We heard, of course, the Quartet issue that statement just a week ago.
But, really, how can return to Ramallah in the very near future, confident that he is at his most popular with the Palestinian people.
But whether or not it translates into anything firm on the ground, indeed, firm either in the way of violence, of course, is something that's going to have to play out over the next few weeks.
ANDERSON: Yes. The questions continue.
Finn, thank you for that.
Well, we heard from the Israeli and Palestinian leaders today at the United Nations.
But what about the ordinary people that they represent?
Well, earlier, I spoke with a young Palestinian and a young Israeli to get their views.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Aziz Abu Sarah is a Palestinian who is a resident in East Jerusalem and Shira Nesher is an Israeli who is a resident in Jerusalem.
Guys, thank you for joining us.
Aziz, let me start with you.
Your reaction to what you've heard from the Palestinian president at the U.N. today.
AZIZ ABU SARAH, PALESTINIAN LIVING IN EAST JERUSALEM: This has been a very, very exciting time. And for me listening, it was very emotional. I was very excited. And I think I'm not alone. Tens of thousands of Palestinians are out in the streets now in different Palestinian cities, definitely in Ramallah. There are fireworks. People are very excited.
We know that it's not necessarily going to lead to an actual state, even if the U.N. votes for a Palestinian state, which, unfortunately, is -- is unlikely. But for the Palestinians to do this, for the Palestinian leadership to show boldness and to actually go to the U.N. and say enough is enough, we're not going to just follow whatever we're told to do, 20 years of negotiations have resulted in nothing except losing more and more land, is an exciting thing to see where Palestinian leadership are actually doing what they're supposed to do.
ANDERSON: Shira...
SHIRA NESHER, ISRAELI LIVING IN JERUSALEM: Yes?
ANDERSON: Your reaction?
NESHER: I think that for Israelis, have different opinions toward this day. Some Israelis are happy and supportive of the Palestinians. Other Israelis fear this day and fear what will happen the day after a Palestinian state is declared.
Personally, I must say that I -- I am pro a declaration for a Palestinian state. And negotiations can come afterwards.
ANDERSON: Aziz?
ABU SARAH: I don't think any negotiations will happen any time soon. And mainly because I really don't see the current Israeli government making any changes in its opinions. They have been growing settlements in a faster rate than ever before. The settlers, their actions in the West Bank has become more and more aggressive, where you have mosques being burned almost on a weekly basis.
So I don't see any negotiations. I think the Palestinian direction at the moment should be two ways. There's one international and diplomatic direction, is through going to the U.N. And the second is the non-violent resistance, which President Abbas talked about today, and focused on bringing Israelis and Jewish activists to the West Bank to struggle with Palestinians, non-violently, to achieve a Palestinian state.
There is really no other way. Negotiations have failed through the last 20 years, have failed before that. And it's time for the international community to take its place and to actually deliver what it did in South Sudan or other countries.
ANDERSON: Shira, as he says that negotiations have failed in the past, so this is the only way forward.
Do you buy that?
NESHER: I think that one of the things that Aziz didn't mention was the fact that Israelis don't feel that the Palestinians are -- are only -- are only pro-non-violence. And I think that many Israelis fear that concerning Hamas, for example, and rockets that have been shot toward the south of -- of Israel, there is a fear this will continue after -- after any kind of declaration in the -- is the U.N. And I think negotiations are important to be after any kind of declaration in order to -- to make it possible for Hamas and Fatah to sit together and -- and to talk to the Israeli government.
ANDERSON: Aziz, Shira voicing her concerns about Hamas. Of course, Abbas doesn't represent Hamas, he represents Fatah.
But do you understand her concern?
ABU SARAH: Yes, I -- I understand the concern about Hamas. But I think what we have to see is the progress that's happening in the West Bank. And if Abbas, for once the Palestinians are able to do something in a diplomatic way, that it's successful, it will, I think, reach Hamas as well.
Hamas is not against a state, by the way. I think they will be -- they have been enforcing a cease-fire in -- in Gaza. And I believe if a Palestinian state is established, they want to be part of it. They're not going to go against it.
That is the belief of most Palestinians.
But also, it's important to mention and -- and President Abbas did a brilliant job communicating this today -- this is not an anti-Israel thing. Declaring a Palestinian state is not an anti-Israel thing.
It is the last chance that Israel has for a two-state solution. And to me, it's really funny that the Palestinians are the ones that are fighting for two-state solution here when it's becoming a non-viable option slowly.
So we're either going to get the two-state solution soon and the recognition of the international community or we're going to end up having a de facto one state, civil rights for a Palestinian state, we want equal rights, which is something Israel has been very much against.
ANDERSON: Shira, is this a good or bad day for you as an Israeli?
NESHER: I think that I can only speak for myself. And I can say that for me, this is a good day. But it's definitely a day -- a day of fearing for what will come next, because this could be a positive day for the -- for the Middle East. And this day could also cause another wave of violence in this region.
And it's important for me to add that Main Street Israel is pro-a two- state solution, but we vary on when and how. And the Palestinian Authority must convey to the Israeli people that they reject any kind of violence, because if we don't -- if the Palestinian Authority do not convince the Israeli street, the mainstream, the soldiers in the checkpoints that they are committed to non-violence, then we will have a problem to create any kind of peace agreement in the future.
ANDERSON: Your voices from the region, our top story this evening.
Well, You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD.
In just a moment, a short was heard and throws a country deeper into turmoil. As thousands in Yemen celebrate their president's arrival, there are reports of more clashes and brutal violence in the capital.
Then we kind of tee off with the PGA Golf Tour season finale, the FedEx Cup, where a cool $10 million is up for grabs.
And later in the show, we'll give you a heads-up on what is coming down -- a satellite from space.
Mind your heads.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back.
Twenty minutes past 9:00 in London.
I'm Becky Anderson.
You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD.
A brief look at some of the other stories we're following for you this hour.
Yemen's president is now back in his country after spending three months undergoing medical treatment in Saudi Arabia. Ali Abdullah Saleh was welcomed in Sanaa by his supporters. The leader was injured in an attack on his palace last June.
CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom has been following the story from neighboring Oman.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: On Friday, Yemenese President Ali Abdullah Saleh returned to his homeland after three months of medical treatment in Saudi Arabia to a nation in turmoil. As Yemenese forces shot celebratory rounds of gunfire into the air upon hearing news of the president's return, there were also huge crowds of pro-Saleh supporters in the capital waving flags, carrying placards and pictures of the embattled president.
And just a few miles down the road, a massive crowd of anti-government demonstrators appeared in Sanaa's Change Square, the epicenter of the rebel -- the revolutionary movement in Sanaa.
And they were shocked and dismayed that President Saleh had actually returned, many saying that this was absolutely terrible news.
While Saleh issued a very public call for a cease-fire, it was just hours later that fierce clashes broke out in the capital, as residents and eyewitnesses reported seeing and hearing fierce clashes throughout the capital and that the situation was deteriorating.
The big question now is, will Saleh's return spark even more violence?
For months now, lots of international pressure has been applied on Saleh's regime to find a solution to the ongoing political crisis
The U.S. State Department is continuing to apply that pressure, issuing a statement on Friday that reads: "Our view on Yemen hasn't changed. We want to see Yemen move forward on the basis of the GCC proposal and whether President Saleh is in or out of the country, he can make this happen by signing this accord, stepping down from power and allowing his country to move on."
Mohammed Jamjoom, CNN, Muscat, Oman.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
ANDERSON: Moving on, tight security for the state funeral of a former Afghan president. Burhanuddin Rabbani was buried on a hilltop near Kabul earlier in the day. Afghani police have fired into the air to disperse a large crowd that had gathered nearby. Rabbani was assassinated on Tuesday by a suicide bomber.
Well, the murder conviction and appeal for Amanda Knox and her ex- boyfriend in Italy is entering its final stage. They were found guilty in 2009, you'll remember, of killing Knox's roommate, Meredith Kercher. Well, they hope to have those convictions overturned. Today, the prosecution began summing up its case, urging jurors to think of the victim's parents when considering the evidence.
On his visit to Germany, Pope Benedict XVI has met with victims of abuse by members of the clergy. Reports say he was shocked by the meeting in Etelsbach. Earlier, he met with -- separately with Protestant and Muslim leaders. It's Benedict's first visit to his homeland since he became pope.
Well, two Americans who were imprisoned in Iran together, held a formal engagement ceremony in Oman today. Sarah Shourd and Shane Bauer became engaged while they were imprisoned together but were separated when Shourd was freed last year. Bauer and a third American, Josh Fattal, remained in jail until Wednesday, when the Iranian government set them free. They were originally sentenced to eight years in jail for straying across the border from Iran.
Meanwhile, you are watching CONNECT THE WORLD here on CNN with me, Becky Anderson.
Coming up, did Einstein get it wrong?
We're going to take a look at the shocking lab results that raise some bizarre possibilities of time travel.
And the wallowing Wallabies bounce back -- Australia makes short work of the U.S. at the Rugby World Cup.
We're going to have more on the day's action, after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: This is CONNECT THE WORLD.
I'm Becky Anderson.
It's an elite 30 man field with a $10 million bonus at stake. I'm talking about golf's prestigious Tour championship, the lucrative conclusion of what is known as the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
Now, the star for the first round was America's Keegan Bradley, the 26 -year-old rookie had a two shot lead over rival, Jason Dufner. The pair dueled in a playoff just last month at the PGA Championship which Bradley actually eventually claimed.
Well, let's get more now on the action at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia, where many of our colleagues are based, of course.
Pedro Pinto is (INAUDIBLE).
Pedro Pinto is here with us, keeping an eye on the leader board for us.
PEDRO PINTO, CNN "WORLD SPORT" ANCHOR: Let's turn up the energy level, Becky.
ANDERSON: Shall we?
PINTO: It's Friday. All right, the weekend is nearly here. And as far as the...
ANDERSON: Um.
PINTO: -- sorry, I just -- you know, it's Friday. Let -- let's...
ANDERSON: Go on.
PINTO: -- let's...
ANDERSON: Go on.
PINTO: -- let's party because we're working, but let's -- let's talk golf, though. And this weekend, the Tour Championship is going on in East Lake, like Becky said, around Atlanta, where our headquarters are. And a lot of money is up for grabs, let me tell you -- $10 million.
ANDERSON: A ridiculous amount of money.
PINTO: That's -- that's the bonus for winning the FedEx Cup.
Here's a live look at the leader board.
You mentioned that Keegan Bradley was leading after the first round and you were absolutely right. He's in a three-way tie for the lead right now with Adam Scott from Australia, K.J. Choi from Korea, as well. It's really tight at the top of the leader board and we expect a lot more changes throughout the weekend as these players really battle it out.
But the deal is, Becky, that you've got a $1.4 million prize for winning the tournament. And then you can get $10 million for winning the FedEx Cup title, which is a combination of a series of tournaments on the PGA Tour.
ANDERSON: And who's up for that one?
PINTO: The top five players in the standings right now can win that by winning the title this weekend at the Tour Championship. But it really, it depends on so many permutations. There's points and bonuses so...
ANDERSON: Sure.
PINTO: -- it's still up for grabs.
ANDERSON: Wouldn't it be nice to be going home tonight and knowing that by Monday, we might have earned 10 million bucks?
PINTO: I think...
ANDERSON: Never, you and me.
PINTO: -- most of us have to play the lotto or the lottery. These guys go out there and play four -- four days of golf and they can get it.
ANDERSON: All right. Listen, let's talk about rugby, because the tournament's fantastic Down Under.
The Wallabies, of course, making up for what was a dreadfully shocking performance against the Irish.
PINTO: Yes. They...
ANDERSON: Yes.
PINTO: -- they lost that match. A lot of criticism, but they managed to bounce back against the United States. Let's face it, the Americans were really never expected to beat the Wallabies. But you never know. Anything is possible.
What was interesting about this match, a couple of good stats for you. Eleven tries for the Wallabies in this match. And the fastest every hat trick scored at a World Cup. Seven minutes it took Adam Ashley Cooper to score three tries. That's -- that's quite impressive. Seven minutes...
ANDERSON: That's almost impossible, isn't it?
PINTO: Yes, it is. It's the fastest one ever scored. So the world is now -- at least they got some momentum heading into their next match and they are on their way to the quarter finals.
ANDERSON: All right, well, that is rugby.
Let's change tacks, as it were, to football. And let's talk about that North London club called Arsenal.
PINTO: Yes?
Jump start to the season, huh?
ANDERSON: Rivals to the club that I support, Tottenham.
PINTO: I know.
ANDERSON: Yes.
PINTO: I know
ANDERSON: I mean it's a tough one for them now. It's got to -- he's got to perform this weekend, doesn't he, or at (INAUDIBLE).
PINTO: Yes, it -- it's a big weekend for Arsenal. They're going to try to end that results crisis that they're going through at the moment, one win in five matches.
It's just not good enough. And things can't get much worse. That's the opinion of Arsenal star, Theo Wolcott, who talked to me yesterday about life at the Emirate, as he released a new autobiography.
Let's -- let's hear what he has to say about the kind of start that Arsenal has made this season.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THEO WALCOTT, ARSENAL WINGER: The result is obviously not great. You know, even if you want to win the league, you know, the way we started, it looks like rather (INAUDIBLE). But I mean we just -- we can't dwell on that now. We need to forget about the results. We managed to pull three goals against (INAUDIBLE) against Blattman (ph) and then still lose two goals away from home at Manchester United, which we haven't done for a long time, and we still lose.
So we just need to get it right as a whole defensive unit, not just that four, I mean like the whole team. We just need to, you know, defend better and just look on the up now. We, you know, it can't get any worse.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PINTO: And, of course, Arsenal right now have four points from five games, Becky. It's more like a battle against relegation. It's still early, of course, but...
ANDERSON: (INAUDIBLE).
PINTO: -- they need a reaction.
ANDERSON: An autobiography at the age of, what, 22?
PINTO: Twenty-two.
ANDERSON: Is there really enough to talk about (INAUDIBLE)?
PINTO: I guess for him, it is. There is a lot to talk about.
ANDERSON: Pedro, thanks.
PINTO: All right.
ANDERSON: Thank you.
PINTO: We'll see you.
ANDERSON: Pick it up at half past ten. It's half past nine in London, "World Sport" with Pedro Pinto. Stick with us for that here on CNN when the rest of us have gone home.
Still to come on CONNECT THE WORLD, it's the size of a school bus and it is scheduled to hit earth today. NASA just doesn't know where, though. We're tracking the runaway satellite debris. That's about 60 seconds.
Then, drug cartels in Mexico, extending their reach, forcing thousands of teachers to walk off the job. That story coming up.
An incredibly personal moment shared with the world. A gay soldier comes out to his father. We're going to show you -- well, how he reacted, about 25 minutes from now. You're with CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: At just after half past nine in London, you're back with CONNECT THE WORLD on CNN, the world's news leader. Let's get you a check of the headlines for you this hour.
And an impassioned plea for Palestinian statehood. The Palestinian Authority president, Mahmoud Abbas, submitted a formal request to the United Nations on Friday. He told the General Assembly it is time for the Israeli occupation to end.
Israel's prime minister also spoke, saying he supports a Palestinian state, but a peace deal must come first.
More than a dozen people have been killed in fierce clashes in Yemen's capital. The fighting between pro- and anti-government forces broke out after the unexpected return of Ali Abdullah Saleh from Saudi Arabia.
Prosecutors in Italy are wrapping up their arguments to keep American student Amanda Knox behind bars. Attorneys for Knox say DNA evidence does not support her conviction for the murder of her roommate. The verdict on the appeal is expected at the beginning of next month.
And protest erupted at a funeral for Burhanuddin Rabbani on Friday. The former Afghan president and Kabul's chief peace negotiator was killed in a suicide bombing on Tuesday. Thousands turned out for the funeral amid tight security.
And NASA says that a decommissioned satellite falling towards the Earth will likely hit late Friday or early Saturday Eastern time. The space agency expects about 26 pieces of the satellite to survive re-entry into the atmosphere.
In 1979, a piece of space junk the size of a house crashed into Western Australia, where the local government fined NASA about $400 for littering. Well, this piece is smaller than that, but still, NASA has no idea where it might land.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK MATNEY, ORBITAL DEBRIS SCIENTIST, NASA: Part of the problem is the spacecraft itself is tumbling in unpredictable ways and it is very difficult to very precisely pinpoint where it's coming down, even right before the re-entry.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, we'd all like to know where it might land, at least. Guillermo is tracking the satellite, and he joins us, now, live from the CNN Center.
Great Malborough Street London West One?
GUILLERMO ARDUINO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: No. We're -- maybe not. A little bit far away from it.
ANDERSON: Good.
ARDUINO: But at the beginning we had this wild guess that it was going to fall anywhere in between these two red lines. So, we can pinpoint a little bit better right now, and I'm going to show you.
Here we can track it live, so I'm going to walk here to Google Earth, and I'll show you precisely where we think it is right now. So I'm going to zoom in. This is local time, so 2:20, maybe ten minutes ago.
Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, you see how close it is? But it's going to continue its way, and actually continue circling the Earth or -- well, outside of Earth. And it's going to find its way probably -- and this a very important thing -- somewhere in Africa.
So, some details about it. The debris could scatter over 800 kilometers. We have a lot of water in the ocean -- in the Earth, 71 percent of it, so we would think that it would fall in the water, right?
Not the case, probably. It's projected to come here in Africa, near Sudan, near Libya. And so we'll see. It's very difficult, as the expert was saying, to pinpoint it.
So, this is the way we follow it. This is the path that it is taking, and in green, if it happens earlier than projected, here on this side, or later, of course, father south in the southern hemisphere.
It -- it's very important also to take into account how the Earth is spinning. It's spinning this way, and the satellite motion is this way. Now, north going south, and then it's going to continue moving north if it happens later.
So, probably this is the best shot that we have. We hope it happens in a not very densely populated area, perhaps the desert. That would be ideal, Becky.
ANDERSON: Guillermo, thank you for that.
ARDUINO: You're welcome.
ANDERSON: I'm not sure if that makes you feel any easier this evening as you go to sleep wherever you are in the world. But anyway, Guillermo, thank you.
ARDUINO: Thanks.
ANDERSON: All right. Well, NASA scientists may wish they could go back in time and destroy that satellite before it gathered so much speed and news coverage.
Well, if a mind-bending announcement from the world of physics today turns out to be true, that could one day be possible. CNN's Atika Shubert reports on what is the incredible study threatening to turn a century of science on its head.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Energy equals mass times the speed of light squared. This is it. The bedrock of physics, Einstein's Theory of Relativity, the fundamental principle --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nothing can go faster than the speed of light.
SHUBERT: Got that? Nothing. Light rules the highways of space-time. Until now, that is. See, scientists shot a particle beam from Switzerland to Italy, 2.4 milliseconds. That's what it should take a beam of light to cover that distance.
But neutrinos, those tiny, subatomic particles with virtually no mass and no electrical charge, managed to arrive 60 billionths of a second faster than light.
You might think it was a one-off event. Nope. This was repeated at least 15,000 times which, in ordinary circumstances, would make this a formal discovery. But this is such earth-shattering, mind-bending stuff that scientists have called for help to explain what in the universe is going on.
Is this all a big calculation error, or are neutrinos traveling back and forth in time? Imperial College physicist Martin Archer explained it to us at London's Museum of Science.
MARTIN ARCHER, PHYSICIST, IMPERIAL COLLEGE: If you enter a world where things can travel faster than the speed of light, now you can have certain people seeing things go backwards in time. And so, you have effects coming before the cause, and that's just a world I can't even contemplate in my head.
SHUBERT (on camera): Yes, exactly.
ARCHER: How can you have a world where something happens before you've even done it?
SHUBERT: Of course, the problem with time travel is something called the Grandfather Paradox, which means, if I travel back in time, and then I accidentally kill my grandfather, which means, Atika, you would never have been conceived and, therefore, could not travel back in time to see yourself.
MICHAEL J. FOX AS MARTY MCFLY, "BACK TO THE FUTURE": So, where are you going?
CHRISTOPHER LLOYD AS DR. EMMETT BROWN, "BACK TO THE FUTURE": That's right, 25 years into the future. I've always dreamed of seeing the future and looking down on my years --
SHUBERT (voice-over): But don't go back to the future trying to break the speed of light with 1.21 gigawatts. Scientists are cautioning the results still need to be duplicated in another lab and confirmed. Then, you can panic.
Atika Shubert, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: So, we may not be firing up our flux capacitors anytime soon, but this is still pretty shocking stuff. To help us understand it a bit better, thankfully, I'm joined tonight by physics professor Jordan Nash.
I've been down into the tunnels and so, it was an absolute privilege. Was I wasting my time down there, though?
JORDAN NASH, PROFESSOR OF PHYSICS, IMPERIAL COLLEGE, LONDON: No, I don't think you were wasting your time. I hope you enjoyed it and got to see some of the real, incredible excitement of building something so huge.
ANDERSON: But was it a waste of money?
NASH: No, not a waste of money, because I think it's -- the way we're exploring the far reaches of nature, and it's only by actually people working together on such big things can we actually touch and learn about the smallest and biggest things in the universe.
ANDERSON: Got some questions from viewers, tonight, and it's -- it's a privilege to be able to furnish you with these. Mucahit Yolcu asks, "Was Einstein wrong?" Good question.
NASH: It's a good question, and up to now, everything we've measured said Einstein was absolutely right until this result. So, if this result is correct, and something is moving faster than the speed of light, Einstein was wrong, and we -- and it causes serious problems.
ANDERSON: How about this one from Sahlbzada. He says, "Is this the discovery which can materialize dreams of space flights to distant stars?" We're jumping around a little bit, here.
NASH: It's jumping, but it's not obvious that it would main space flights for distant stars. But going faster than the speed of light would mean you could send information backwards and forwards in time in unpredictable ways. And that would be -- that could make serious consequences for how the universe worked.
ANDERSON: So, what we're learning today, one of our viewers asked tonight, "What is the importance of this breakthrough to mankind?" That's a huge question.
NASH: So --
ANDERSON: Try it.
NASH: It is a huge question, and it's very difficult to answer because, first of all, we don't know if this is valid or not. So, we're going to have to really verify this. It's such an earth-shattering result if it is true, that other scientists have to check it.
If it is true, though, it does mean that our idea that one thing follows another, causality, could be fundamentally wrong. And that is an earth-shattering result.
ANDERSON: Tell me, I've always wondered about this, because we're terribly competitive here in Europe against the United States, for example.
So, who's better on science research? The Europeans? Who's ahead of the curve at this point? Is it the Europeans, is it the United States? Is it -- is it Russia, China, somewhere else these days?
NASH: Well, I think CERN is a wonderful example of where it's a global experiment, where Americans, Europeans are working together. And in fact, I think these experiments are so big that it's not U.S. versus Europe anymore, it's mankind doing these things together.
ANDERSON: So if you had to write a headline tomorrow, what would it be?
NASH: Fundamental result needs to be checked.
ANDERSON: You're hedging it.
NASH: You bet.
ANDERSON: You're sitting on the fence.
NASH: Well, like any good scientist -- and science is wonderful this way -- it's got a really good technique to make sure something's right or wrong. You've got to write what you did, and somebody's got to be able to go and reproduce it. And if they can't, forget it.
ANDERSON: Fantastic. Thank you for joining us tonight.
Coming up in 90 seconds, another gruesome discovery, I'm afraid, in Mexico. We're going to bring you the latest from there, plus why teachers in Acapulco in Mexico are closing their classroom doors. That story just ahead on CONNECT THE WORLD. Do stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Welcome back, 44 minutes past 9:00 in London.
Well, another grim discovery in Mexico. At least 11 more bodies have been left around the Mexican state of Veracruz. It comes two days after 35 other corpses were dumped on a busy street in the coastal city of Boca del Rio.
Hundreds of people watched in horror as several armed men blocked traffic and started dumping the bodies near what is an underpass.
Well, earlier this month, there was a brutal and gruesome warning to social media users. Two mangled bodies were found hanging from a pedestrian bridge. The pictures, we felt, were just too horrible to show. Two posters found near the bodies said that the pair were killed for denouncing drug cartel activity on a social network.
Well, the Mexican president says his country is working very hard to combat drug violence. Speaking at the U.N. General Assembly in New York, Felipe Calderon called on countries that are consumers of drugs to also take responsibility.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FELIPE CALDERON, PRESIDENT OF MEXICO (through translator): Mexico is playing its part. It is combating crime in all its forms most energetically. However, now more than ever, consumer countries, where drugs are consumed, must take effective action radically to cut demand.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, not everyone thinks that the Mexican government is doing all that it can. A large group of teachers in Acapulco are so scared, they are refusing to go to work. My colleague Rafael Romo has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR (voice-over): The message is clear. No security, no classes. Thousands of teachers in the Mexican beach resort of Acapulco are taking to the streets to tell the government that they're fed up with the violence. Some parents and students protested, as well.
The teachers refused to go back to the classroom until they get assurances about their security.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We are asking for conditions that allow us to return both our schools and our homes to normal. That's all we're asking for. We don't think that's too much to ask for. We're asking for something that anybody anywhere in the world would want, peace.
ROMO: Late last month, teachers fled from 140 schools after receiving threats. Criminal groups left written notes demanding a portion of the teachers' salary.
Schools where teachers refuse to pay kickbacks, the written threat said, would be attacked.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): We're calling on all seven regions in the state of Guerrero to unite. Next may be a statewide strike. We will go to other schools and other regions to ask those teachers to join us, too.
ROMO: Acapulco authorities have created a security program called Safe School. They say so far, no one has been attacked or hurt at any school.
MIGUEL ANGEL HERNANDEZ, TRANSIT POLICE DIRECTOR (through translator): We have increased the number and reach of our operations and officers patrolling schools. In the first 15 days of the Safe School program, we had zero incidents at the schools.
ROMO (on camera): Acapulco has long been a favorite tourist destination both for Mexican and international travelers, but the beach resort has seen a dramatic increase in drug-related violence this year.
Morgue officials say as many as 14 people are killed daily. Last year, there were more than 1,000 murders in Acapulco, a record for the beach resort.
Rafael Romo, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, according to a recent survey from the Pew Research Center, fewer than half of Mexicans say that their government is actually making any progress in its campaign against drug cartels. Twenty percent say the government is losing ground. And about a quarter of those polled say things are about the same.
This is CONNECT THE WORLD here on CNN. Still to come, standing up for the victims. A British clothing label joins the fight to end modern-day slavery. It's a world first, and it's up next, here, after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: CONNECT THE WORLD here on CNN. I want to get you back to our top story this hour here on CNN, the Palestinian bid for the statehood -- for statehood at the United Nations.
Just moments ago, we got a statement from the U.S. Secretary of state, Hillary Clinton. She says the group is urging both parties to take advantage of this opportunity to get back to talks, the goal of a two-state solution.
We're joined from the United Nations, now, but Tony Blair, former British prime minister and, of course, current Middle East Quartet envoy.
I know you've just met with the Secretary General. What was said?
TONY BLAIR, ENVOY, MIDDLE EAST QUARTET: What was said was that the Quartet and the international community is now urging both parties to get back into negotiations without delay, without preconditions.
And we're setting forward a very tough and tight timetable. We're saying they should meet in a month. Within three months, they should present comprehensive proposals on borders and security, the first two issues to be dealt with. Substantial progress within six months, and the idea is to have, then, a framework agreement not later than the end of next year.
So, what we decided -- and it took us a great deal of negotiation this week -- is this is the moment when the Palestinians may submit their application to the United Nations. That goes into the U.N. machinery. But we need to get back to the negotiating table, which is the only way of delivering a Palestinian state in reality.
ANDERSON: All right. Tony Blair, the Quartet statement calls for all parties to refrain from, and I quote, "Provocative actions." What's meant by that?
BLAIR: Provocative actions are, obviously, a reference to settlements, but to actions that may provoke breaches of security to actions that will put either side in a difficult position in the negotiation.
So, what we're also saying, and we've said this on many occasions, is there are road -- so-called road map obligations, which refers to a document published some years ago. Both parties should abide by those obligations.
But I think the key thing, really, Becky, is actually that this statement that we need to get within three months, the proposals -- comprehensive proposals on borders and security.
Because all the way through what has happened is that each side has said to us, "Look. You want us to get back into talks, but how do we know we're not just going to sit there talking and nothing's ever going to happen?"
For the Palestinians, they need to see where the Israelis really stand on the issue of borders. Because after all, that really resolves the question of settlements.
And for the Israelis, their security concerns are probably sharper than ever before. They need to know what is it that they're being offered on security.
ANDERSON: Abbas also saying today that the central issue of the conflict, he says, at least, is settlements. Netanyahu's saying today that the central issue is that the Palestinians don't recognize a Jewish state. What -- what do you think the central issue is, here, Tony Blair?
BLAIR: Well, I think the initial central issues is to reestablish trust, actually, between the parties. But I think -- and that's the purpose of laying out this strong schedule timetable with obligations at each stage.
But I think that the real heart of the issue is this. It's that do the Israelis accept that a Palestinian state will basically be on 1967 lines, but that there will then be mutually agreed swaps? So, obviously, the lines will be different in the sense that there will be swaps in certain places from the 67 lines. Do the Israelis really accept that as the basis?
And for the Palestinians, the question is, do they really accept that at the end of this negotiation, the state of Israel will remain in its essential character and nature as it is today, the state of Israel. But there will, of course, be an independent, contiguous, viable, sovereign state of Palestine?
Now, you can go round and round and round on this, but you basically come back to those two questions, and then, obviously --
ANDERSON: And are you convinced that anybody --
BLAIR: -- divisions like Jerusalem, refugees, so on.
ANDERSON: All right. Are you convinced that the Israelis --
BLAIR: Sorry.
ANDERSON: -- are any further down the route you set out than they were yesterday? I mean, are you confident that the Palestinians in turn have accepted what you've also said?
BLAIR: I'm actually confident that both sides accept those two points. What you need to do is get to the point where they trust each other enough to think that if they come together and actually say it and sit down and talk about the implications of both of those, that they can do so and not find themselves in a difficult political situation.
So, each of them have got also very complicated internal politics, and they need to manage that, too.
But all the way through, I've been saying since I took over trying to get together a Quartet statement back from July is that the only way you ever resolve this, irrespective of what the Palestinians do at the U.N. --
I mean, people were saying, well, was the Quartet saying don't go to the U.N., negotiate? No. The Palestinians are entitled to go to the U.N.. But in the end, the only thing that delivers a state, and it's not something that happens in New York, it's something that happens in Israel and in Palestine.
ANDERSON: Tony Blair, joining us this evening. Sir, we thank you very much, indeed for your thoughts.
You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD here on CNN.
Before we go, a quick look at what is the end of the catwalk season for you. If ever there was a time when we are encouraged to turn our attention to what we wear, it's now. We're going to give you a story next which really asks you take a close look at what we're doing and what we're wearing.
Where do your clothes come from? What story is stitched into the seams? Well, unfortunately, in some cases, the answers may be difficult to hear. The next report supports our Freedom Project coverage, the quest to end modern-day slavery.
The rag trade has a poor record when it comes to using cheap labor, but a major fashion retailer is now taking a stand, unveiling a collection it hopes will set a new trend for the industry.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (voice-over): The fashion statement that hasn't been made before. And hasn't been made by slave labor.
British high-end fashion house AllSaints Spitalfields has joined forces with Not for Sale, the global campaign to end human trafficking.
DAVID BATSTONE, PRESIDENT, NOT FOR SALE: I want to end slavery in my lifetime. I want to say that modern slavery is something that shocks us. Today, it's all too common, you know, just another occurrence. I want to live in a world where we're shocked by the fact that someone's dignity and future and destiny could be taken away from them. I think it's possible.
ANDERSON: AllSaints is the first major clothing retailer to join the mission.
STEPHEN CRAIG, CEO, ALLSAINTS SPITALFIELDS: We have a constituency on a weekly basis of hundreds of thousands of people who come into our stores, go onto our website, and this brand is -- has to have a social conscience. It's the first time we found something that we truly believe and that we can lock with on a long-term basis.
And I love that fact that it's not a "let's do it for six months." It's helping Dave and his team end slavery in his lifetime.
ANDERSON (on camera): Hang on Hearts. Not a single bonded or indebted laborer involved in making this?
CRAIG: Absolutely not.
ANDERSON: How can you -- how can you know that?
CRAIG: These are made in Portugal. We have in each and every office, we have a corporate social responsibility team who continually inspect the factories to ensure that they're up to the standard that the factory owners have already agreed in a legal documentation with ourselves.
ANDERSON (voice-over): Not for Sale has been looking for partners in a apparel, electronics, and cosmetics for several years now, an approach that asks the industry to police itself.
BATSTONE: Well, up until now, our concern has been that there's been very little monitoring. In fact, most companies don't even look to see how their clothes are being made or where they're sourcing materials that go into their clothes.
So, what we're trying to say, let's make sure that every time someone touches a piece of clothing that you end up wearing, that people's lives were enhanced. We shouldn't have them narrowed or limited or exploited.
But I want to feel good. I don't want to wear people's suffering. I don't want to wear people's tragedy. I want to wear people's future.
ANDERSON: Batstone himself stepping into the role of monitor.
BATSTONE: These shirts right here, the Not for Sale shirts that we're doing with AllSaints, I went to Portugal where they're being made. I went to all six family factories. I met the owners, I met the workers. I could not believe the dignity that goes into making these shirts.
ANDERSON: AllSaints says all profits from the shirts go back to the Not for Sale campaign to help combat human trafficking and support the real fashion victims.
BATSTONE: What I like to say is that your purchase is your advocacy. You know? Don't write a petition, buy a t-shirt. Because really, you can affect more lives by the way you shop.
ANDERSON: The question is whether it's a fashion statement that the industry is willing to afford.
CRAIG: We'd love people who are shopping on price at the bottom end of the High Street maybe just to think twice about who's been exploited along the way, and are they taking the care to inspect those manufacturing facilities far away from the U.K. or the U.S.?
ANDERSON: Becky Anderson, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Food for thought this evening on a Friday evening. I'm Becky Anderson, that is your world connected. Thank you for watching. The world news headlines and "BackStory" will follow this short break. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
