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Chavez Will Not Attend Inauguration; Labor Strikes Spread in South Africa; BAFTA Nominations Honor "Lincoln" and Bond; Syrian Rebels Call Prisoner Swap Huge Victory; NATO Patriot Missile Batteries Set Up Along Turkish-Syrian Border; Youngest Syrian Refugees; Poachers Slaughtered Elephant Family in Kenya; Poaching Pushes Animals to Edge of Extinction; Lance Armstrong to Speak on Doping Accusations; The Tube Celebrates 150 Years

Aired January 09, 2013 - 16:00   ET

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

BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: A constitutional crisis in Venezuela. Tonight on CONNECT THE WORLD, the supreme court says President Hugo Chavez can be inaugurated at a later date, but the opposition is crying foul.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN London, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.

ANDERSON: Well, as President Chavez is too sick to even return to Venezuela. We ask a former U.S. ambassador to the country if it's time for them to move on.

Also, tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Ivan Watson in Istanbul with the latest on what negotiators are describing as the biggest prisoner swap in the history of the Syrian conflict.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD (through translator): The rebels and Assad army came and they both fought with stones. Then all these problems happened. I can't remember anything else.

ANDERSON: (INAUDIBLE) refugee camps overflowing, we'll hear from Syrian children displaced by war and scarred by what they've seen.

And -

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We can't tell our people to vote yes on abolishing slavery unless at the same we can tell them that you're seeking and negotiating peace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: With a whopping 10 nominations, the American political drama, "Lincoln", leads the way in this year's British Academy Awards.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

ANDERSON: Tonight, who is running the world's tenth biggest oil producer? Venezuela is on edge. Its supreme court has been speaking today, but its vice president canceled a planned news conference just a short time ago, as the country's president battles cancer in Cuba.

Hugo Chavez is so ill that he can't be sworn in tomorrow for his new term. Let's get the very latest for you from Caracas.

CNN's Paula Newton is across the latest events. She's in Venezueal for you. A lot of fast-moving events over the past couple of hours. Bring us bang up to date, if you will.

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, several hours ago, the supreme court came out with their ruling. It is still a controversial ruling, but at this point we're going to have to take it as the last word. And that means, even as ailing as he is, perhaps about to die, and there's been no transparency about exactly how sick he is, President Hugo Chavez will remain the president tomorrow and begin a six-year term, even though he cannot be here to be sworn in.

Please take a listen to the head of the supreme court here in Venezuela.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LUISA ESTELLA MORALES, VENEZUELAN SUPREME COURT PRESIDENT (through translator): Despite in July 10 a new constitutional period starts. It is not necessary to take a new swearing of possession (INAUDIBLE) to the President Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias as reelected president, in view of not having any interruptions on his mandate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: This means that his vice president is now essentially in charge of the country. His Cabinet remains in place. Becky, there are many things are extraordinary about this, but the opposition says the most extraordinary thing is that the constitution now is not worth the paper that it's written on, that that supreme court, they say, backed by Chavez's allies, basically ruled something that is not constitutionally. That what should happen is that election should be called and that this country needs to turn a page in its leadership.

It doesn't seem like that's about to happen just yet.

Becky?

ANDERSON: Let's just get our viewers a sense, really, of the backstory here. Because the opposition, as you say, insists that the government's decision to postpone the inauguration goes against Venezuela's constitution. We went looking for ourselves to see what the charter actually says.

Quoting now from Article 2-3-4, "A President of the Republic who becomes temporarily unable to serve shall be replaced by the Executive Vice President for a period of up to 90 days, which may be extended by resolution of the National Assembly for an additional 90 days."

So as Paula points out, President Chavez hasn't been seen in public since December the 10. Now think back to October of 2011. That's when the Venezuelan leader declared himself cancer-free. But he underwent more surgery in February 2012, and then went back to Cuba after that for further treatment. In July 2012, Mr. Chavez declared he was cancer-free again. And after being reelected president in October 2012, he went back to Cuba at least twice for more treatment.

Paula, then, firstly, taking a look at that article, it seems certain to me at least, that the constitution does allow for this period. But are we then looking, given that we know so little about Hugo Chavez's health at this point, are we looking at the potential for further elections in the country?

NEWTON: Perhaps the potential, but remember tomorrow that clock starts again on that article because it's a new constitutional period. So you're looking at 90 days plus 90 days. That's 6 months from now.

Many people in Venezuela believe that this economy can't last that long unless that VP actually does take reins of what's going on and deals with certain - with some of the things you and I have discussed, like the rampant inflation and the shortages in some of the markets here.

It's a very unsettling time. On the other hand, it does not look like the opposition at this point wants to rock the boat. It doesn't seem to be huge amount of appetite to start putting people in the streets just yet.

ANDERSON: Paula Newton's in Caracas for you. It's been an interesting day, to say the least, in Venezuela.

Let's take a look at what Venezuela's future then might hold. I'm joined by someone who knows Mr. Chavez personally: Charles Shapiro, former U.S. ambassador to the country and president now of the Institute of the Americas, is with me live from San Diego, in California, this evening.

You've met Chavez. You know the man and the people around him. What do you make of his health situation and would you be surprised at this point if he never came back to office?

CHARLES SHAPIRO, FMR. U.S. AMBASSADOR TO VENEZUELA: Well, a couple of things. Number one is the actual details of his prognosis are a state secret. No one outside of a tight circle knows what they are. It's assumed that he's in very ill health and who knows how long he has to live. So that's one question, is there's a clear reason they've not made this information public.

This - it should be no surprise that the - that this is going on, that the supreme court has made a ruling which appears to go against the clear reading of the words of the constitution. I mean, that's the way Venezuela's been run for a while.

ANDERSON: All right, I guess the next question is simply this: what can we expect over the coming days? And if there were to need to be another election, could the opposition win that?

SHAPIRO: Well, a couple things. Over the next couple of days, there's going to be a demonstration tomorrow called by President Chavez and his allies. The president of the National Assembly said that Chavez is - that the people are Chavez, and that will take the place of the inauguration, which is an interesting concept. The opposition has been in this race the gubernatorial elections in early December, where they did very poorly. So they need the time to get reorganized. They need to figure out how to come up with somebody who's the leader of the opposition to be a presidential candidate if elections are to be called.

But I think your reporter in Caracas had it right. I mean, obviously, the supreme court has the last word, even when the supreme court makes a decision which goes against what appears to be a clear reading of the constitution.

ANDERSON: All right, stay with me for one moment because all of this, of course, this political uncertainty, is having a ripple effect. Investors across the world watching Venezuela. One reason, of course, is oil. Venezuela is one of the top ten producers in the world. It's a founding member, remember, of OPEC, which says Venezuela's oil exports were worth more than $88 billion last year.

But even with some of the world's biggest oil reserves, Venezuela's economy is as sick as its absent leader. Let's get back to my guest, the former U.S. ambassador to Venezuela, Charles Shapiro.

What's Venezuela's potential and how much has it been capped the moment, Charles?

SHAPIRO: Well, its potential is enormous. It's got the largest petroleum reserves in the world. Unfortunately, production from Venezuelan wells has been declining over the past - certainly the last ten years. So they've got an issue they've got to grapple with.

Inflation in 2011, excuse me, in 2012, was running at 18 percent. The year before that it was 30 percent. Whoever is the president tomorrow is going to have a lot challenges to deal with, and one that economists expect is a devaluation. But a huge devaluation of the Venezuelan currency.

ANDERSON: Fascinating. Charles, we thank you for that. You're expert on the subject tonight, sir. Charles Shapiro out of San Diego in California for you.

Well, Venezuela's opposition is angry that President Chavez will begin a new term tomorrow even though he's not able to be sworn in. Opposition maker - opposition lawmaker, sorry, Maria Corina Machado tells my colleague Christiane Amanpour that the country could face a power vacuum.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIA CORINA MACHADO, VENEZUELA OPPOSITION LAWMAKER: It's important to be aware that in a democracy, we, the citizens, everybody, has the right to know about the health of our president. It is a matter of public interest. It has consequences in respect to our constitution. And today the fact is, the truth is, that in Venezuela, we do not know who is running the presidency, who is in charge of the government at this point.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: You can watch that interview in full and hear more of what could be next for Venezuela as it copes with a constitutional crisis. That's coming up in the next hour, on "AMANPOUR". For viewers in Europe and the Middle East, America, and Latin America.

You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD, live from London. I'm Becky Anderson.

News still to come: this evening, more labor unrest in South Africa, but this time, it's not the country's miners who are striking. We'll talk live to Johannesburg for that story.

Stopping the slaughter. An elephant family killed by poachers and how you can help end the ivory trade.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHILIPPE COUSTEAU, CNN HOST, "GOING GREEN": And we can send a very, very strong message to countries and the places that don't have effective enforcement of their wildlife laws, that don't protect their wildlife, and say, "You know, you're not going to get our tourism dollars."

ANDERSON: And the moments of glory like this one are long gone for Lance Armstrong, but he's about to return to the spotlight in a big way.

All that and much more when CONNECT THE WORLD continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: A very warm welcome back. This is CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson in London. Just about a quarter past 9:00 here.

It looks as though South Africa's labor unrest has now spread from its mines to the country's wine-growing regions. Police in the Western Cape fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse hundreds of striking farm workers demanding higher wagers.

Errol Barnett is following this story and joins me now from Johannesburg. Errol, what do we know at this point?

ERROL BARNETT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, what we witnessed today were about 15,000 part time farm workers striking in South Africa's Western Cape province. They're demanding higher wages. The amount of money they make per day, the minimum wage here, is $8 per day. They're demanding of a raise up to $17.50.

But take a look at the footage that was broadcast around South Africa today, which shows just how violent things became. These striking part time farm workers are throwing rocks at vehicles on a major highway. The police were called in. The riot police then began firing rubber bullets to disperse the crowd and to get things under control.

Becky, at this hour, we know that 44 people have been arrested and the South African Police Service is telling us that there has been no casualties.

But this is significant because it reminds of what was happening the second half of 2012: widespread wildcat strikes, as they're called, in the platinum and gold mining sectors. There was a massacre last year of more than 50 people within one week in response to the strikes, which were very violent.

So what we're seeing is, for the first time, it's taking place outside of the mining sectors and in South Africa's famous wine industry, proving that there is economic fragility here and that even though the government is taking some steps to address the economic inequality in South Africa, things are still fragile. And the threat is that these strikes, Becky, could continue to spread.

ANDERSON: Yes, and Errol will stay on that story for you out of Johannesburg. Errol, thank you. It's time to take a look at some of the other stories making news hours.

And it's the biggest prisoner swap in Syria since the civil war began. The government has really seen more than 2,000 Syrian and Turkish captives in exchange for 48 Iranians who were held by Syria rebels.

A rebel spokesman said this to CNN:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LOUAI MIQDAD, SPOKESMAN, FREE SYRIAN ARMY: It's a huge victory for us; it's a huge victory for the revolution; and it's a huge victory for the Syrian people. We exchanged 2,130 hostages from the regime jail. Those people, they are our families, kids, women, normal people, civilian people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Going to have much more on that story ahead in the show, including a heartbreaking look at some of the young kids who are carrying the scars of that civil war.

India and Pakistan are trading barbs over the historically contentious Kashmir region. India is accusing Pakistani troops for the death and mutilation of two of its soldiers. Pakistan flatly denies those allegations and says India is trying to distract from a clash that left one Pakistani soldier dead over the weekend.

Well, a pace of deadly fires in Australia has eased slightly, but officials say that the threat here is not yet over. The fire danger in the state of New South Wales was downgraded from Catastrophic to Very High, but experts warn that temperatures are expected to shoot back up soon over the weekend.

Meanwhile, around 15,000 volunteers have turned out to help firefighters battle more than 100 fires that are still burning in the region.

Well, a ferry crash during the morning commute has injured at least 57 people in New York. Two of them are still in critical condition. New York police say the ferry was traveling from New Jersey to a pier near Wall Street when it crashed into a dock on the East River. Hundreds of passengers were on board at the time and several were thrown into the air.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was actually sleeping. All of a sudden, we just hit, boom. And people were catapulting forward. It was a big bang and it was just - all of a sudden, my face was in the seat in front of me. It happened so fast.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident, they tell us.

Well, Barack Obama has decided on his choice to be the next U.S. Treasury Secretary. The U.S. president will nominate his right-hand man, Chief of Staff Jack Lew, to replace Tim Geithner.

White House correspondent Dan Lothian tells us more about the man.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jack Lew is a key Washington insider, but to people outside the Beltway, he's somewhat of an unknown. The White House Chief of Staff poised to run the Treasury Department, whose track record has garnered, in the president's own words, "complete trust."

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He has helped strengthen our economy and streamlined the government at a time when we need to do everything we can to keep our recovery going.

LOTHIAN (voice-over): But Lew's past, now under an intense microscope, is being scrutinized from Wall Street to Main Street.

CHRIS KRUEGER, GUGGENHEIM SECURITIES: I think more than anything, Wall Street will likely view this as a doubling down of the current economic and fiscal policies from the Obama administration.

LOTHAIN (voice-over): An extension of the administration's "Get tough on Wall Street" approach that's left the president trying to mend relationships with CEOs.

That criticism is seemingly at odds with this entry in Lew's resume: 2006 to 2009, Chief Operating Officer at Citigroup, where bets were made against the housing market.

BARTLETT NAYLOR, PUBLIC CITIZEN CONGRESS WATCH: We're concerned that Jack Lew's connection to Wall Street has harmed his vision for what makes America strong, and that is a strong Main Street. And while his record is thin, his public record about what's necessary is not exhaustive.

LOTHIAN (voice-over): Sharp questions being raised once again over testimony Lew delivered in his 2010 Senate confirmation hearing for White House Budget Chief, where he appeared to downplay the impact of deregulation on the financial crisis.

JACOB LEW, WHITE HOSUE BUDGET DIRECTOR: But I don't believe that deregulation was the proximate cause.

LOTHIAN (voice-over): And carefully framed his knowledge of the issue, raising eyebrows once again.

LEW: Senator, as when we discussed, I mentioned to you, I don't consider myself an expert in some of these aspects of the financial industry. My experience in the financial industry has been as a manger, not as an investment adviser.

NAYLOR: This avowal of deregulation is what causes us very serious concerns for the possibility that he will be the chief financial architect and steward of America.

LOTHIAN (voice-over): But Lew's supporters point to his extensive experience working in two administrations, helping to cut the 1997 balanced budget deal and Social Security legislation in 1983. He's described as a tough negotiator capable of tackling the so-called mini-cliffs ahead, and winning praise from one of the administration's biggest critics.

NEWT GINGRICH, FMR U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER: Jack Lew's very smart and I think that he understands a very great deal about government and about the financial market, so I think it's a sound nomination.

LOTHIAN (voice-over): A nomination he says that's likely to get through the Senate.

Dan Lothian, CNN. Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: All right, live from London, this is CONNEC THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson for you.

When we come back, all revealed. The films and stars given the nod for a BAFTA.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Well the annual award season is taking shape. Today, all eyes were on London as two of Britain's brightest young stars, Jeremy Irvine and Alice Eve, revealed the nominations for the BAFTA Awards. And as I found out, there were a few surprises.

(BEING VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON (voice-over): Scraping in a day ahead of the Oscar nominations, the British film industry announces which movies and which stars it believes are the best of the bunch.

JEREMY IRVINE, BRITISH ACTOR: And the nomination for Best Film is "Argo," "Les Miserables", "Life of Pi", "Lincoln", and "Zero Dark Thirty".

ANDERSON (voice-over): The BAFTA list confirms that the awards season is shaping up to be a closely-fought battle between three very different films.

(CLIP FROM "LINCOLN" PLAYING)

ANDERSON (voice-over): Steven Spielberg's presidential drama, "Lincoln", received the most nominations, a total of ten, though not for Best Director.

(CLIP FROM "LIFE OF PI" PLAYING)

ANDERSON (voice-over): "Life of Pi", the fantasy adapted from the Yann Martel novel, was given nine nods.

(CLIP FROM "LES MISERABLES" PLAYING)

ANDERSON (voice-over): So too "Les Miserables", including a Leading Actor nomination for Hugh Jackman. The musical epic was also nominated under the Outstanding British Film category, up against another of the biggest blockbusters of the year.

(CLIP FROM "SKYFALL" PLAYING)

ANDERSON (voice-over): The Bond film has received eight BAFTA nominations, including Best Supporting nods for Javier Bardem and Dame Judy Dench.

ALICE EVE, BRITISH ACTRESS: I was thrilled to see "Skyfall" on the list in its various incarnations because I'm a huge fan of the Bond franchise and I think it's lovely that we're recognizing our own - you know, it's a huge industry here, the Bond films.

ANDERSON (voice-over): Only Daniel Craig's first Bond film, "Casino Royale", has earned more acclaim for the now 50 year old franchise. It's being seen as another credit to the British film industry.

MARK KERMODE, FILM CRITIC: The fact of the matter is that many of the movies that you think of as being Hollywood blockbusters are driven by British talent - British directors, British (INAUDIBLE), British technicians, British screenwriters, British actors, British actresses. And that's the way it was.

(CLIP FROM "ARGO" PLAYING)

ANDERSON (voice-over): Apart from blockbusters, it's films based on true stories such as "Argo", adaptations including "Life of Pi", and stories about growing old, such as French film, "Amour", and "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" that have delighted British film buffs the most this year.

JOHN WILLIS, BAFTA CHAIRMAN: I think this is actually one of the best years that we've had for a long itme.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: So we've had the BAFTA nominations. Tomorrow, Thursday, it's over to L.A. for the Academy's Oscars list. The big question of course will be around "Lincoln". It topped the nominations for the Golden Globes and now the BAFTAs, so will the Academy feel the same way? And will director Steven Spielberg be overlooked for an Oscar again?

You can find that out tomorrow. Stick around for that.

Coming out after this very short break, the latest world news headlines, of course. (INAUDIBLE) at this time on CNN.

They look like just any other kids in a playground, but these children have witnessed unspeakable violence. We're going to hear the stories of young Syrian refugees in their own words.

And alarming increase in the demand for Africa's ivory. We're going to follow the money for you and you may be surprised where it leads.

And as London's Tube celebrates 150 years, we look at the role that it has played in films from "Hitchcock" to Bond.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: A very warm welcome back. It's just after half past nine in London. I'm Becky Anderson for you. This is CNN, and these are your headlines.

Venezuela's Supreme Court says President Hugo Chavez can be sworn in at a later date than scheduled. His inauguration was planned for tomorrow, but he remains in Cuba recovering from cancer surgery. Opposition groups say the head of the National Assembly should take charge until Mr. Chavez returns.

Freedom today for 48 Iranians detained in Syria. Rebels released them as part of a prisoner swap with the Syrian government. For its part, the regime freed more than 2,000 civilians, including women and children.

In New York, a ferry crash has injured at least 57 people, two of them critically. Witnesses say the ferry crashed into the pier, throwing passengers into the air. Coast Guard records show that the ferry has been involved in at least two previous incidents.

India and Pakistan are warning each other again against escalating tensions. India accuses Pakistani troops of killing two Indian soldiers in Kashmir on Tuesday and mutilating their bodies. Pakistan denies those allegations -- or accusations.

And this news just coming into CNN, U.S. Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis, says she has submitted her resignation to President Barack Obama. Solis wrote that she's, quote, "decided to begin a new future." It's the latest Cabinet resignation as Mr. Obama prepares to start a second term.

Syrian ref -- let me start that again. Syrian rebels are calling what is a prisoner swap a huge victory. The numbers certainly are lopsided, so why would the Syrian government agree to give up so many detainees for so few.

Let's bring in Ivan Watson for some perspective. He's live for you in Istanbul tonight. And I think our viewers may just be fascinated to find out that the rebels have even got any contact with the government, and then to find out what happened with this prisoner swap. What do we know?

WATSON: Well, the rebels are denying any direct contact with the Syrian government, Becky. This was a prisoner swap that was mediated by a Turkish charity known by its acronym IHH, and it says that it worked also with the government of Qatar, as well as the Iranians and the Turkish government as well.

The swap was the result of at least three months of hard negotiating Becky. And it resulted in the release of 48 Iranians who were captured by rebels in Damascus last August. They were swapped for 2100 -- more than 2100 Syrian citizens, as well as at least four Turkish citizens and one Palestinian who had all been in Syrian prisons.

Now, take a listen to the deputy president of the IHH describing how they justified -- how they brokered this agreement for the prisoner swap.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HUSEYIN ORUC, IHH HUMANITARIAN RELIEF FOUNDATION: Iran said that -- and the Syrian regime said that these 48 are civilians and they are not part of the conflicts in Syria, and also the opposition said that there were many people in the jails, especially women. They mustn't be in the jail.

And we negotiate with the Syrian regime, releasing the women and as much as more civilians from the jail.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: Now, here's the thing. The rebels claim that the 48 Iranian prisoners were actually members, card-carrying members, of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Iranian government argues they were simply Shiite pilgrims visiting a Shiite holy site in Damascus in the middle of a bloody civil war.

The point being, though, is that a lot of Syrian civilians have been released from prison, including dozens of women. That was a main goal of the negotiations. At least four of these women were activists who were arrested for walking through the main bazaar in the heart of Damascus wearing wedding dresses and protesting, calling for an end to the conflict. Becky?

ANDERSON: Fascinating stuff. Meantime, the arrival of Patriot missiles to Turkey in its defense against the civil war.

WATSON: That's right. We've got contingents of German, Dutch, and American troops that have been arriving in the past weeks to set up Patriot missile batteries, at least six, we believe, two from each of these countries, at major population centers near the border, the long, 900-plus kilometer long border between Turkey and Syria.

Their expressed mission is to protect Turkey from the threat of ballistic missiles. We've seen that the Syrian regime has fired, according to NATO and to the Turkish government and Western intelligence sources, scud missiles multiple times, surface-to-surface missiles, within Syria over the course of the last month or longer.

And the fear is that Turkey could be hit by that. I've talked to one of the American commanders, and he says that these Patriot missile batteries are prepared to shoot down basically a bullet striking another flying bullet, is how he described it. Shoot down any possible missiles that could go toward the key Turkish population center, the city of Gaziantep, very close to the Syrian border.

Whether or not that missile could be carrying an explosive payload or the much greater fear, that it could be carrying a chemical weapons payload. We know that the Syrian government is believed to have a significant arsenal of chemical weapons, Becky.

ANDERSON: All right. There's always another side to the story that we are telling so often, that is that of the civil war. There's that side which is all about people, isn't it? And that's what I want to do next. Stay with me for one moment.

This week, we are highlighting the plight of Syrian refugees. Do remember, behind this civil war are just women, men, and kids, hundreds of thousands of people who've left everything behind to escape the war.

Today's report focuses on the very youngest of those victims. CNN photojournalist Joe Duran visited a camp near the Turkish border to document for you their stories. Have a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD (through translator): My name is Nour. I am eight years old. We were in Azaz when the fighter jet bombed the bus station two times. We then fled to the countryside. The jet then bombed the rebels. We got scared.

So we went to Ras Al-Ain. Then we came here and stayed in the camp. They demolished the houses, and many people died in Azaz. The rebels and Assad army came, and they both fought with stones. Then all these problems happened.

I can't remember anything else.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD (through translator): There is no god but God, and Mohammed is the prophet of God.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD (through translator): My name is Mustafa, and I am 12 years old. We were sleeping on the roof. A helicopter came, maybe two, so we went downstairs as they started shooting at it using heavy machine guns.

We went downstairs and the helicopter began shooting at the neighborhood. A few people were hurt, including me and some members of my family. We then went to Aleppo. They took me by ambulance to Aleppo and operated on my ear.

So we couldn't stay there any longer. My father came here the day before yesterday and set up the tent. We arrived today.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Stuff that these kids just shouldn't be involved with. Ivan, you've -- you've spent weeks in these refugee camps as they've been established. This is not just on the Turkish border, of course. This is Jordan, Iraq, this is Egypt, this is Lebanon. When you reflect on what you've seen, what are your thoughts?

WATSON: Well, this is the second winter of the Syrian conflict, Becky. We saw trickles of people fleeing a year ago, but now the number outside the country who've had to flee across borders is more than half a million, and there are millions of additional people displaced inside the country as well, in towns that have no electricity, have no heat, that are barely can find a crust of bread.

It's really cold. I'm in Istanbul, there's snow on the ground out here, and the conditions when you go to these camps and see children running around in plastic flip-flops in freezing rain is heartbreaking to say the least.

By my count, when we use the United Nations statistics, it's like one in ten Syrians right now has been displaced by this conflict. And there is no end in sight. There's not really any hope you can offer these people.

The anger that you sense, not only at countries like Russia and Iran that have been seen to be strong allies of the Syrian regime, but also Western governments that have promised great amounts of assistance but haven't appeared to have delivered it is enormous among these people.

But that's not going to help them get through yet another freezing night, and may of these people don't know if they're going to be able to go back to their hometowns and villages even next winter. We are talking about a colossal displacement of a major segment of this society and, sadly, no end in sight.

Covering this -- frankly, it makes you quite angry to see these refugee camps swell bigger and bigger month after month, Becky.

ANDERSON: Ivan, thank you for that. If you're watching in France, then that would be the equivalent of 6 million people displaced. If you're watching in the States, that would be the equivalent of something like 36 million. The numbers are absolutely ridiculous.

All this week, you'll hear from Syrian refugees as we highlight their plight and hopes for the future, the firsthand accounts, all brought to us by Ivan's photojournalist, actually, the guy who works with him, CNN photojournalist Joe Duran.

Coming up tomorrow here on CONNECT THE WORLD, you'll meet Sami (ph), a Syrian-Palestinian jihadist fighting in Aleppo and see the video he shot on and off the battlefield. You may feel far-removed from that crisis. There is a lot you can do. If you feel fairly helpless, well don't.

Do go to the website, cnn.com, and look for Impact Your World. There, you'll find a list of organizations that you might find that you want to contribute to and ways that you can help the Syrian refugees.

Live from London, coming up, the shocking slaughter of Africa's white elephants and what can be done to stop the ivory trade. That is a story that you do not want to miss. Stay with us here on CONNECT THE WORLD.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Kenyan park rangers are hunting for a gang of poachers who they say slaughtered a family of elephants and hacked off their tusks. Now warning, you may find the next images a little distressing. According to Kenya's wildlife service, 11 elephants will killed in Tsavo National Park in the country's south at the weekend.

Now, conservation groups have warned, the animals are being hunted at an alarming rate to feed what is a huge demand for ivory. When you follow the money of black market ivory, you'll mostly find it comes from increasingly affluent Asian countries, including China and Thailand. Ralitsa Vassileva has this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RALITSA VASSILEVA, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hong Kong customs displays its latest hall of smuggled ivory. Officials found almost 800 elephant tusks, chopped up and hidden in crates between slabs and stones, destination unclear.

Poachers shot the elephants and then hacked out their tusks with machetes. Elephants need the tusks to breath, fight, and feed.

VINCENT WONG, HEAD OF PORTS MARITIME COMMAND: These ivory tusks, after they are crafted, they are high-value goods. The smugglers will send these ivory goods to places that they can get the profits.

VASSILEVA: Hong Kong customs believes that the $1.4 million shipment comes from Kenya and was smuggled through Malaysia. Besides Hong Kong, major illicit ivory seizures have been made in mainland China, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand.

As people become wealthier in Asia, they're driving up demand for ivory products, with China shaping up as one of the biggest markets.

WONG: There is no intelligence and no information suggesting that there is an increasing trend of smuggling cases, of smuggling ivory tusks detected.

VASSILEVA: But Friday's one ton shipment is Hong Kong's third major seizure of illegal ivory in three months. Customs seized nearly four tons of ivory, worth $3.5 million, last October. That haul was smuggled from Kenya and Tanzania, two of the many countries where elephants live in Africa, seen here in red.

The elephant population in many of those areas is at risk of shrinking. Biologists say at this rate of poaching, the illicit ivory trade could all but wipe out Africa's elephants in less than 20 years.

Ralitsa Vassileva, CNN, Atlanta.

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ANDERSON: Well, earlier, I spoke to the environmentalist and host of CNN's "GOING GREEN" show, Philippe Cousteau, and I asked him which animals -- or I started by asking him, at least, which animals are being pushed the edge of extinction from poaching. This is what he said.

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COUSTEAU: Well of course, Becky, across the world, we're losing animals, species are going extinct every day. But the large poster children, if you will, for the extinction crisis, the rhinos, the elephants, the tigers, continue to be extremely threatened, especially tigers, for example that are --

It's an interesting fact that there are more tigers in captivity than there are in the wild. So, and the increase -- the drastic increase in elephant and rhino poaching that has occurred in 2011 and 2012 is, of course, of tremendous concern.

ANDERSON: I've been to Tsavo National Park. It makes me sick to my stomach when I read about this story of this family of elephants. I was well aware that there were poaching incidents elsewhere in Kenya and beyond. What can we do, you and I and our viewers today to help stop this?

COUSTEAU: Well, I believe it's critical to remember that the old-style of poaching where it was a lone poacher trying to feed his family -- I talked to a lot of people, and they say that, isn't that what's still happening?

There's a misperception about the scale of poaching, of the crisis and how it's working, and a lot of people are surprised to find out that, indeed, it is supporting terrorist organizations, it's destabilizing nations and leading to the deaths of people.

So, it's a much bigger global security issue, and once people realize and recognize that, I think that there is -- there's an awakening. And then, we can start to see the type of federal and government will.

Because that's really what needs to happen. We need to demand that our elected leaders step up and help to equip these rangers on the front lines of these battles that are oftentimes equipped with small, single-shot rifles, and up against armies -- virtual armies of attack helicopters and assault rifles.

And the individuals need to understand that this is a very, very, very serious issue from a global security perspective, let alone from an animal rights perspective. And that's the first step. I think the awareness needs to be raised and people need to be -- need to demand change.

The next step then, of course, is from a federal perspective. Nations like the United States, where just last July, $2 million seizure of ivory happened in Manhattan, in the middle of New York City, from two antique stores. So, it's not a problem that's just far away in Southeast Asia or in Africa, it's here on our own shores.

And also as individuals in the federal government, we need to recognize that we cannot purchase these products. The rhino horn that ends up in traditional Chinese medicine, Los Angeles is a hub for that trade, is also something that we need to say "no" as a buyer, and the federal government needs to step up that enforcement.

ANDERSON: If there are viewers tonight who are minded to book a trip, say, to one of the African countries still advertised as what is -- let me just put it quite bluntly -- poaching tourism, what would you say to them tonight?

COUSTEAU: Well, there's a wonderful quote that says shopping is politics, and we make huge decisions and influence the world with our dollars, where we travel, where we go on vacation, what we do.

And we can send a very, very strong message to countries and to places that don't have effective enforcement of their wildlife laws and don't protect their wildlife and say, you're not going to get our tourism dollars. That's one very direct way that we can send a message to nations that if you're not responsible, you won't get our business.

And elephants killed once may be worth a certain amount of money on the illegal market, but an elephant kept alive continues to pay for its lifetime in terms of tourism, that value. It's virtually the goose that laid the golden egg.

These animals are worth much more alive than they are dead, and if nations are not doing what they can and what they should to protect them, then we should not be giving them our business.

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ANDERSON: Philippe Cousteau with -- well, it's a pretty stark warning, there, right?

Coming up after this short break on CONNECT THE WORLD. Why the film industry has returned to an iconic London scene time and time again.

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ANDERSON: All right. Lance Armstrong has maintained his silence on his alleged involvement in a doping scandal, but are we going to hear his side of the story very soon? When he sits down with Oprah Winfrey, we are told, at least that is, next week.

Joining us now is "WORLD SPORT'S" Alex Thomas. What do you think we're going to hear at this point?

ALEX THOMAS, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know he's doing the interview. We just don't know what he's going to say in that interview. The Oprah Winfrey network came out today and said he's not being paid for this, he's got no editorial input, and no question is off limits.

But nonetheless, there are plenty of skeptics out there saying, of course he's chosen Oprah Winfrey as a sympathetic platform and a last-ditch attempt to save his career, really.

He's been convicted of doping allegations, he's had all his seven Tour de France titles stripped from him, and he's got nowhere else to go. At 41 years of age, it's the last desperate bid, some are saying, to resurrect something of a sporting career in triathlon or the New York Marathon. He's had to pull completely away from his LIVESTRONG cancer charity as well.

ANDERSON: Is he likely to get any sympathy, do you think, even if he is prepared to come out and admit to what he's alleged to have done?

THOMAS: I think there'll be some sympathy for the plight that he's in now, but certainly not from the people that he intimidated and bullied, according to all the reports --

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ANDERSON: That's a story, right?

THOMAS: Well, I mean, that's it. If he were someone that just took drugs, we've seen now athletes in other sports do that, and they've been rehabilitated.

But this is the guy at the center of what the US Anti-Doping Agency called the most professionalized and coordinated system of cheating, effectively using illegal drugs, in the history of all sports. Which is quite a grand claim, but not many people have been able to refute that.

ANDERSON: I've read reports, I think, in the past 24 hours that he had actually offered money to the USADA while they were looking to investigate him as a sort of donation at one point. Am I right in saying that?

THOMAS: Well, Travis Tygart, the head of the US Anti-Doping Agency, has also given an interview, ironically just a week before Armstrong's tell-all with Oprah Winfrey.

Ad he said yes, a coffer of a million dollars was offered by Armstrong back in 2004 and rejected because of the conflict of interest, even though a similar payment to the World Cycling governing body hadn't been rejected. So, that's just yet another allegation that tars this whole sorry story around Lance Armstrong.

ANDERSON: Alex Thomas with your "World Sport" news tonight. It's not just a "World Sport" story, of course, it's a massive news story. We wait to hear whether the Oprah Winfrey -- let's be transparent about this. Everybody is waiting to hear whether Oprah Winfrey --

THOMAS: It's a great cap for her.

(LAUGHTER)

ANDERSON: Great -- the thought of getting it, you're just like, ah!

THOMAS: Listen --

ANDERSON: Anyway, we want to find out whether that organization is going to be prepared to release some of the interview ahead of time. If they are, you'll get it here, of course, on CNN. Alex Thomas, back for you viewers in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America -- pretty much everywhere around the world apart from Asia -- in about 35 minutes' time. Sir, thank you.

And finally, it is 150 years today since the London Underground began rumbling beneath the city's streets. The Tube, as its known, is the oldest rail system of its kind in the world, and part of its fame is also thanks largely to the movie industry.

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ANDERSON (voice-over): Alfred Hitchcock was among the first filmmakers to bring the London Underground to the big screen. In his 1927 film "Downhill," he used it to illustrate his hero's fall from grace.

And then, four years later, the British director returned to film silent comedy "Rich and Strange." Eighty years on, little has changed when it comes to the race to the doors.

Gwyneth Paltrow came up against them in "Sliding Doors," a 1998 film with two plots of how timing can make all the difference in how life plays out.

Michael Caine, however, has twice shown us how to use the Tube doors to our advantage, first in the 1974 thriller, "The Black Windmill." And later, in "The Fourth Protocol," which didn't exactly paint the Tube in the brightest light.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, "AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON": Good Lord.

ANDERSON: The 1981 horror "An American Werewolf in London" also portrayed the Tube as a dangerous place.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE, "THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM": Where the hell is he?

ANDERSON: But it's the spy genre most of all that has helped make London's Underground world famous. Waterloo station was the backdrop for a chase scene in the 2007 Matt Damon film "The Bourne Ultimatum."

And while he generally avoids public transport, James Bond has also been sighted underground, first for a briefing with Q in "Die Another Day."

And most recently, if not most profoundly, in blockbuster "Skyfall."

DANIEL CRAIG AS JAMES BOND, "SKYFALL": I do hope that wasn't for me.

(LAUGHTER)

ANDERSON: Our 150-year-old Tube, full of history, full of action.

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ANDERSON: Watch out for Javier Bardem in this awards season. He, I'm sure, is going to clean up when it comes to supporting actor. I'm Becky Anderson, that was CONNECT THE WORLD from London, a very good evening.

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