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Connect the World
After 500 Years, Richard III's Body Found; Syrian Opposition Leader Calls For Dialogue
Aired February 04, 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: Tonight, controversial call for dialogue.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): For example, since the start of the conflict, Ruuk al-Sharah (ph) knew that things weren't going the right way. Just because Sharah (ph) is part of the regime, doesn't mean that we cannot talk to him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Syrian opposition leader Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib calls for direct negotiations with the Assad regime, a move the wider, more hawkish opposition rejects.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN London, this is Connect the World with Becky Anderson.
ANDERSON: This hour, an olive branch that could bring peace, but could equally divide a fractious opposition even further. The very latest on the Syrian civil war two years on.
Also this hour..
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MALALA YOUSUFZAI, ACTIVIST: I can also walk a little bit. I can talk. And I'm feeling better.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: On the road to recovery. Malala Yousufzai speaks publicly for the first time since militants tried to kill her. we take a closer look at how this Pakistani teenager has become a global symbol of courage.
And what was King Richard III doing under a car park in a provincial town in eastern Britain? We're going to have all the details on that coming up.
Welcome to the show. Trying to convince his critics and at the same time woo his allies, tonight Syria's opposition leader is back in Cairo after sticking his neck out, renewing his call for dialogue with the regime of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.
Well, Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib spent the weekend meeting with Russian and Iranian foreign ministers as well as the U.S. vice president. Moscow and Tehran are Mr. Assad's main allies, of course. And Russia doesn't recognize the opposition. Well, al-Khatib says he's looking for a way to end nearly two years of violence which the UN says has taken some 60,000 Syrian lives. Some members of the Syrian national coalition, the opposition don't want anything to do with the president. And they are angry over the opposition leader's proposal to talk with Damascus.
We'll interrogate this tonight as al-Khatib courts controversy and Syria's civil war grinds on.
Thousands of displaced Syrians are desperate to find somewhere safe inside their own country. Many also afraid to speak to journalists. A CNN crew was followed by Syrian security forces. My colleague Fred Pleitgen is with me now live from Damascus. And Fred, we should be clear you are in Syria at the invitation of the Syrian government. So clearly you are restricted in what you are reporting in saying that. What is the picture there in the capital?
FRED PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, people here of course are very nervous. And you're absolutely right, there are a lot of restrictions on the work that we're doing here. Basically what we have is a piece of paper that says we can film anywhere inside Damascus, but when we do try to do that what happens is that within minutes there are plainclothes security officials who show up. They tell us that we need certain other permissions that we apparently don't have to film in places. And of course if you get followed around by these people everywhere that you go, there are a lot of regular people, people like those who are internally displaced here in this country, who quite frankly are afraid to speak to you when these security forces are around.
Nevertheless, we've gone around the capital. People here to appear to be quite nervous. There is a sense that the conflict is getting closer and closer, that the center of Damascus appears to be something like a bubble where people are trying to lead somewhat of a normal life, but you can constantly hear and see that on the outskirts there is fighting going on. And of course that fighting is causing more and more internally displaced. We met some of them. Here are their stories.
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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: While the streets in central Damascus are fairly quiet, fierce fighting in the capital's suburbs can be heard and seen throughout the day.
This woman tells us her name is Jamila, she says her house in Aleppo was destroyed during the battles there. She fled to the relative safety of Damascus with her two children, one only a month old. But now she sees the violence closing in on her again.
JAMILA, DISPLACED SYRIAN (through translator): We are afraid. Sometimes I want to take all my things and sleep outside in the park because it is safer than being indoors.
PLEITGEN: Jamila says she depends mostly on handouts from private people to get by. The U.N. estimates that around two million Syrians have been internally displaced because of the ongoing conflict and many of those who remain in the government-controlled part of the country try to make it to this part of the capital.
That's where we meet Raida who left her husband behind in the suburbs of Damascus when fierce fighting broke out and he hasn't been heard from since. Now she has to support four children on her own.
RAIDA, DISPLACED SYRIAN (through translator): I am not the only one whose life has been destroyed or whose husband is missing. Everyone in this country has a missing person or a destroyed home or is displaced. Many, many have gone through this. We have been through so much. We have suffered and have come to hate life because of all these problems.
PLEITGEN: We wanted to show you one of the places where people like Raida are staying. Syrian government agents prevented us from doing so.
(on camera): There are many internally displaced people here in this area of Damascus and most of them stay in the lowest cost hotels they can somehow afford. We tried going into some of these hotels and talking to these people but most of them were afraid, which is also due to the fact that there's a heavy presence of plainclothes security forces that are shadowing us.
We went into one hotel and it took only two minutes for two officers to show up and say we had to stop working even though we have permission to film in all of Damascus.
We can't go into the hotel?
(voice-over): When we asked for an explanation the undercover agent says we need an additional permission to film in hotels and then he disappears. Meanwhile the shelling and clashes in the suburbs of Damascus continue leaving more and more people fleeing for areas they hope are safer at least for a while.
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PLEITGEN: And Becky, those clashes continue throughout the day and of course also throughout the night. I can tell you that in the run-up to the going live here tonight, we heard a barrage of artillery, apparently, that's being fired on the outskirts of the capital of Damascus. That is something that you hear basically constantly throughout the night. So certainly there is always a stark reminder to the people here in the center of Damascus that there is something going on on the outskirts, if there is fighting going on there, that there is a very bad situation there.
And if you look at Damascus, even the city center, at this time of night when normally people would still be out, people would be in the street, basically the area around here is pretty much deserted, Becky.
ANDERSON: Fred Pleitgen for you live out of Damascus for you this evening. And apologies if what Fred was saying was slightly out of sync with your sound. It's not easy to get film or vision or sound out of Damascus these days. But your live from there this evening.
The man carrying the hopes of many Syrians was chosen in November to head the Syrian national coalition, and that's certainly Ahmed Moaz al- Khatib's mission. And we're talking about what he's been saying. Who is the man?
Well, we know he was jailed four times during the uprising for criticizing the Syrian regime. He holds moderate views and he believes in equality for women. Mr. Al-Khatib talked to CNN about Syria's suffering when he was first announced as the opposition leader almost three months ago.
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AHMED MOAZ AL-KHATIB, SYRIAN OPPOSITION LEADER: We are full of pain now. We expect from U.S. more of support, more of recognitions. And really because Syrians must have this right, they were one of the oldest states in the world. And they gave their civilizations many, many great things. And they must be in better position, not leave them alone in their battle with this crazy regime. It's crazy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: All right. So is al-Khatib's call for dialogue in the past sort of 48 hours or so a possible route to peace for Syria or will it just divide the opposition? This is a fascinating turn of events.
Fawaz Gerges, director of the Middle East center at the London School of Economics and a regular guest on this show with me now.
We know this man is he said at least willing to meet the acceptable face of the Bashar al-Assad regime. What does he mean by that? And is it going to happen?
FAWAZ GERGES, LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS: Well, Becky, for Assad it's a nonstarter, because what Mr. Moaz al-Khatib is saying he will talk to the elements of the regime that do not really have blood on their hands. He will not to either Assad or the inner circle around Assad and that's by itself a nonstarter for the Syrian president.
Initially, the first statement by Mr. Al-Khatib a few days ago he said he was willing to talk to elements of the regime. He did not mention the blood on their hands. He came under severe criticism by members of the Syrian National Council and then the following statement said he's still willing to talk to the Syrian -- elements of the Syrian regime, but not the ones that have blood on their hands.
ANDERSON: This is all really important. Let's bring up a map here on this screen as we talk, because I want us to talk about what areas are run by whom and what needs to change.
But before we move on, effectively you are seeing the face of what is being a fractured opposition talking to stakeholders in Berlin at a meeting where quite frankly I think the international community has said somebody talk to us and come up with a solution here.
If he isn't the solution, because his olive branch isn't one that the fractured opposition want offered, then what is the solution at this point?
GERGES: This is really the biggest point -- I mean, you're raising a very important question. You have military stalemate. You have political deadlock. Neither the Assad regime nor the opposition is willing to sit down and talk about the future of Syria. Moaz al-Khatib was the only, really the only opposition leader who basically, I mean, thought the unthinkable, that he said he was willing to sit down and talk with the element of the Syrian regime. Once he did so, basically there was a huge basically outcry by members of the opposition, dare you say that you're going to sit with the Assad regime after the death, more of the killing of more than 60,000 people. So back to square one.
ANDERSON: Square one at this stage looks like this -- we talked about this two weeks ago. And I just want to get a sort of picture of where we stand now. It's hard to get a clear picture of what is happening in Syria, but we know that rebels are gaining ground around these areas, don't we Fawaz here. Just talk me through what else we know and where the important sort of junctures lie?
GERGES: I mean, this is Aleppo here. The opposition made some major tactical gains in the north, including Aleppo itself. This is really in a way the whole north area, northern area is under the nominal control of the opposition. Major, major tactical achievement.
The Assad regime still, of course, controls Damascus. There are major fighting in the suburbs, but still the regime has a decisive power here, still control Latakia, Tartus.
ANDERSON: These ports are critical, aren't they?
GERGES: Of course the opposition have made major gains in Taftanaz, in Idlib.
What has happened in the last few weeks, the regime has been able to really make some major inroads into Homs. Homs, remember...
ANDERSON: That's fascinating, because this is a new area, right?
GERGES: Absolutely.
Remember, Becky, Homs was the original capital of the revolution, that's what the opposition calls it. In the last few weeks, the Assad regime put a great deal of emphasis on this particular areas, because of course it wants to maintain links to Damascus and of course the roads all the way to Latakia and Tartus.
ANDERSON: There is a road that goes here, there's a road that does this. And there's a road that does this. And these are the critical supply routes.
GERGES: These are -- this is really the lifeline. This is the nerve center of the Assad regime.
The big point to highlight, the opposition has made major tactical gains as opposed to a strategic breakthrough. Neither the regime nor the opposition, Becky, has the capacity to deliver a decisive blow.
So what are we talking about? We're talking about a war of attrition, a war that can last for a long time. And that's why your first question, who is going to break this particular situation that's where Moaz al-Khatib and his initial statement. He said -- what he really is that, well, look you western powers, you tell me do you support me politically yet you never give me the resources nor the arms nor the money to make a strategic breakthrough.
ANDERSON: Fascinating analysis as ever with Fawaz tonight.
You're watching Connect the World live from London. Our top story this hour, in a rare sign of diplomatic progress, the head of the Syrian opposition has offered to hold talks with the Assad regime after two years of fighting, more than 60,000 dead and hundreds of thousands of people living as refugees. Surely this has to be a step forward, but we can't say it is tonight. There are caveats, not least the release of political prisoners. For the sake, you would think at least of the Syrian people, any olive branch should be seen as a positive.
You want to help displaced Syrians struggling through what is a cold and desperate winter you can head to our Impact Your World website at CNN.com/impact.
You're watching Connect the World live from London.
Still to come this hour, it's called the beautiful game, but Europol says it's exposing the ugly underbelly of football match fixing.
And just four months ago, she was fighting for her life, now Malala Yousufzai is speaking out publicly for the first time since she was shot by the Taliban.
Plus, investigators try to shed light on what America's Super Bowl went dark.
All that and much more after this.
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ANDERSON: Well, right, this is CNN and Connect the World out of London. I'm Becky Anderson for you. Welcome back.
Now it's being called the biggest ever investigation into suspected match fixing in European football. The international probe has taken 18 months and the findings, well they are now threatening the very image of the world's most popular sport.
Earlier, the director for the European Police Unit, Europol, called it a sad day for European football.
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ROB WAINWRIGHT, DIRECTOR, EUROPOL: We have uncovered an extensive criminal network involved in widespread football match fixing. A total of 425 match officials, club officials, players and serious criminals from more than 15 countries are suspected of being involved in attempts to fix more than 380 professional football matches.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: All right. Well, we sent our cameras out onto the streets of London to find out at least what British fans think of today's revelations. Have a listen to this.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that there is so much corruption in football and in Champion's League games particularly, that it's inevitable.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it would be a great shame if it turns out that they've been fixing games. I mean, it's one of the things you rely on for your entertainment is a good, honest game.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If someone fixes a game they should get kicked out of the game. I mean, you shouldn't cheat, that just -- it's a sport, you know. If you cheat then you should get kicked out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Yeah, I think probably voicing what most of us feel who love this game.
Let's get Don Riddell, my colleague out Atlanta, CNN Center, up on this story.
Let's start at the beginning here, what we actually know, because certainly it was quite surprising what we heard from Europol today, but I'm not sure we got a full picture, did we?
DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: No, not at all. In fact, this investigation is going to run for another one or two years. And they really can't go into specific details. I mean, for example we believe that 50 people have been arrested, but we don't know who they are. We don't know the games that are in question, but we have been told that they are World Cup qualifiers, European championship qualifiers, Champion's League games. Becky, we understand that two Champion's League games are under investigation, one of which was played in England.
The number that really jumps out that's really quite eye catching is 680 games. We're talking about 380 games or so in Europe and another 300 around the world in Asia and in Latin America and in Africa.
425 people are under investigation or that number is, you know, a round number, but 425. We're talking about match officials, referees, linesman, club officials, players, criminals in some 15 different countries. It's believed that the syndicate is being run in Asia, in particular from Singapore. And we understand that some $11 million have been made out of this operation. But I mean, clearly this is far reaching.
We know that match fixing exists, Becky, that's not news. You know, we know they have a problem with it in countries like Italy and in some parts of Africa, but for it to be seemingly so widespread is quite a shock.
ANDERSON: Yeah, it's the sheer scale, isn't it? And I think Europol today suggesting this is possibly only the tip of the iceberg. I mean, $11 million, quite, frankly doesn't sound like a lot of money. And I would be very surprised if that number doesn't rise. I mean, this is a multimillion dollar industry. You and I are well aware of that.
Is it clear, yet, what we mean by match fixing? Is there any sort of one formula that we're looking at here?
RIDDELL: No, but I mean, the investigators that were speaking today were giving kind of examples of how it might work. And, you know, they gave, you know, sort of anecdotes of how it might work. And they talked about, you know, trying to get a few match officials onside, seeing if they were, you know, available to try and help swing the results of a game. So that doesn't sound like we're talking about how many throw-ins there are going to be or how many red cards, but actually the result of the game.
I know we've talked a lot about spot fixing in the past which cricket has a problem with, but we do seem to be talking about fixing the actual result of the game, which is really serious, because you know it only has to happen in one or two games and for us fans to hear about it before we start wondering about every result we see.
You know, I've seen some incredible results in football. I was at the Champion's League final in 2005 when Liverpool came from the dead against AC Milan. They scored three goals in the second half when they've been out of it and they won the game. Now I'm not saying that that in any way was a fix, but you start to wonder, once you hear that match fixing exists and people are doing it, you start to question everything. You can't take any of it seriously any more. You don't want to believe it any more. And that's when you stop going to games, that's when you stop paying the money, and that's when the sport as you know it ends.
ANDERSON: Yeah. All right, mate. Don Riddell will do a lot more on this I'm sure at the bottom of the hour. World Sport at half past 10:00 London time.
What do you think about this latest bout of alleged match fixing, then? Has it tarnished the game? Are you bothered? Some people quite frankly aren't. I am. But it's up to you. That's what we've been asking on our Facebook page. You can join that conversation by logging on to Facebook.com/CNNConnect. You can also tweet me @BeckyCNN.
if I thought I was turning up to wet windy Saturday afternoon matches in north London that were fixed before I pitched up, I would be -- well, I'd be upset about that.
Live from London, this is Connect the World. Coming up, 500 years -- 500 years after his death, archeologists in England may have found the remains of one King Richard III. Find out how and where after this.
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ANDERSON: All right. You're back with CNN.
Now, his body has been missing for over 500 years. Thanks to a complex system of scans and DNA testing, archeologists in Britain say that they've found the remains of King Richard III. CNN's world correspondent Max Foster has more on a missing monarch.
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MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Richard III was the last British king to die in battle and has been demonized ever since, not least by William Shakespeare. This is a classic performance by Lawrence Olivier of Shakespeare's villain. The king who was said to have had hunchback was buried in a forgotten grave somewhere in Leicester in the English midlands. A group of enthusiasts made it their mission to find the grave and restore the king's reputation.
Their work appeared to pay off when here, beneath the car park in Leicester, they found a skeleton with a twisted spine. It was a man that would have been Richard's age.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've just been excavating the spinal column. And if you take a look along here, you can see that there's a really abnormal curvature of it. So what we're actually seeing here is that this skeleton in fact has a hunchback.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
FOSTER: The bones were sent off for age and DNA analysis, which was difficult enough considering how degraded they were. But there was also another missing link. To make a DNA match to Richard, they needed one of his living descendents. Genealogists worked tirelessly to track Richard's lineage to the modern day. And they ended up here in London. A Canadian carpenter was a 17th generation descendent of Richard III.
MICHAEL IBSEN, DESCENDENT OF RICHARD III: My mother gave a DNA sample back in 2004. She died in 2008. And when they launched the date back in the end of August they asked me to provide a new sample just because the testing process had become a bit more complex.
FOSTER: If his DNA matched that of the bones in the car park, then Richard III's burial place would have been found more than 500 years after his death.
And that's what happened.
RICHARD BUCKLEY, LEAD ARCHAEOLOGIST: It is the academic conclusion of the University of Leicester that the unreasonable doubt, the individual exhumed at grave friars (ph) on September 2012 is indeed Richard III.
FOSTER: Richard's first funeral may have passed by undocumented and forgotten, but after a 500 year wait, he is now set for a reburial fit for a king at Leicester Cathedral courtesy of his modern-day followers.
Max Foster, CNN, London.
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ANDERSON: Latest world news headlines are just ahead here on CNN, including renewing her fight for education Malala Yousufzai speaks out for the very first time since she was shot by the Taliban.
Polishing up for the BAFTAs, we speak to awards host Stephen Fry as we count down to London's night of nights.
And blackout at the Super Bowl, America's biggest night of sport plunged into darkness. Why? We'll find out.
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ANDERSON: Wherever you are watching in the world, a very warm welcome to CNN and CONNECT THE WORLD. These are the news headlines.
The ball is now in the regime's court. That's the declaration from Syria's opposition chief. Ahmad Mouaz Al-Khatib is urging Syria's president to respond positively to a call for dialogue. Al-Khatib is trying to end almost two years of civil war that has killed tens of thousands of Syrians.
A major international investigation has found as many as 380 football matches across Europe may have been fixed. The European Union police unit Europol says that some high-profile matches are under suspicion. They include World Cup qualifiers, European Championship games, and two matches in European football's flagship, event, the Champions League.
A Pakistani teenager shot by the Taliban has spoken publicly for the first time since her attack. Malala Yousufzai said she was feeling all right after undergoing surgery at a hospital in the English city of Birmingham.
And Spain's prime minister has denied accusations that he accepted secret payments. After meeting with German chancellor Angela Merkel, Mariano Rajoy told reporters his party is looking at possible lawsuits against those who've made the allegations.
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MARIANO RAJOY, PRIME MINISTER OF SPAIN (through translator): The things that I'm accused of are not true. I've said that before, and I'd like to repeat that today. And as I said last Saturday, I have the same joy, the same enthusiasm, the same strength, the same courage, and the same determination that I had when I became prime minister to overcome one of the most difficult situations Spain has been in in the last 30 years.
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ANDERSON: Can't call that an understatement, can you? Those comments weren't enough, though, to calm the markets, which in Spain alone, let me tell you, ended the day down almost 4 percent. Felicia Taylor's been monitoring the European and US market activity. The markets there, of course, have closed about a half hour ago. What was activity like today?
FELICIA TAYLOR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the Dow was down about 130 points, and overall there was some negative reaction to, obviously, what's happening in Spain in that, obviously, look, anytime you put the word "scandal" possibly associated with a prime minister, the markets aren't going to like it.
The allegation of some sort of corruption going on doesn't help anybody in the European Union get out of the problems that they're in, let alone Spain. You saw yields inching closer and closer to 5, 5.5 percent. That's not a good place for that to be. That again saying that there's a lot of uncertainty about Spain and the situation that it's in and how it's going to get itself out.
Then, you've got Berlusconi possibly coming back into power. That's something you've got to raise your eyebrows and go, huh? Really? That's not necessarily going to help things be more certain.
But really, in the United States, for the US markets, we saw on Friday, the Dow crossed 14,000 briefly. We haven't seen that in quite a few years, since the crisis began in 2007. So, that was a moment of euphoria.
To see a little bit of a pullback, 130 points, is not a lot, frankly. You probably are going to see even more of a pullback as people jump in on this dip. Becky?
ANDERSON: Yes. And don't forget, the market's been as high as it was, of course, since 2007, so if they are selling off a little bit, perhaps that's only to be expected, but certainly not good news as far as these European markets are concerned.
TAYLOR: No.
ANDERSON: Felicia, thank you very much, indeed, for that. Two different stories, there, I think. The European one needs sorting out, I think.
Well, let's return, now, to the recovery of the Pakistani teenager Malala Yousufzai, a girl who'll you'll remember campaigned for an education and almost paid for it with her life. Senior correspondent Dan Rivers has more.
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DAN RIVERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): She's come to embody hope against tyranny, walking through Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital, it's incredible to think just four months ago, Malala Yousufzai was fighting for her life after being shot in the head.
Now, for the first time since that attack, she's spoken on camera.
MALALA YOUSUFZAI, 15-YEAR-OLD PAKISTANI ACTIVIST: Today, you can see that I'm alive. I can speak. I can see you, I can see everyone, and today, I can speak, and I'm getting better day by day. It's just because of the prayers of people. Because all the people, men, women, children, all of them have prayed for me. And because of these prayers -- and because of these prayers, God has given me this new life.
And this is a second life, this is the new life. And I want to serve. I want to serve the people. And I want every girl, every child, to be educated.
RIVERS: On Saturday, doctors performed further surgery on Malala, inserting a titanium plate into her skull and this cochlear implant to restore her hearing. After the five-hour procedure, she spoke to critical care consultant, Dr. Mav Manji.
YOUSUFZAI: I'm feeling all right, and I'm happy that the operations, both the operations, are successful. And -- it was that kind of successful that now they have removed everything from me, and I can also walk a little bit, I can talk, and I'm feeling better. And it doesn't seem that I had a very big operation.
RIVERS: But while the operation was routine -- here, they perform about 50 to 60 cranioplasties each year, it wasn't without its risks.
DAVE ROSSER, MEDICAL DIRECTOR: It can go wrong, yes. Any neurosurgery can go wrong. This sort of cranioplasty doesn't go wrong very often. I can't really give you a percentage, but it's a very low risk of it going wrong.
The difficulty with all neurosurgical procedures if they go wrong, the consequences are profound, and here we're talking serious disability and/or death from relatively small margin for error in neurosurgery. So, yes, it's a relief that it's over and done now.
RIVERS: Malala has become a global icon in the fight against Islamism. Taliban terrorists tried to silence her outspoken views that girls should be free to attend school. Even 24 hours after surgery, her resolve remained undimmed.
YOUSUFZAI: My wish is the same, to help people.
RIVERS: The female brain surgeon who operated on Malala reflecting on her patient's struggle for women's rights in Pakistan.
ANWEN WHITE, NEUROSURGEON: It does seem incredibly unjust that, as a woman in Britain, I can be a consultant neurosurgeon, whereas a woman in Malala's situation would struggle to achieve the same job.
RIVERS (on camera): It'll be about a month before doctors here switch on the cochlear implant to restore Malala's hearing, but they've been amazed not only by her recovery, but also by her attitude. One word has been used again and again to describe Malala: remarkable.
Dan Rivers, CNN, Birmingham, England.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: It is remarkable, isn't it? Well, Gordon Brown has been showing his solidarity with Malala. The former British prime minister is now the UN Special Envoy for Global Education. During a recent interview from Davos, I asked Mr. Brown why aren't some 32 million girls around the world today receiving an education?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GORDON BROWN, UN SPECIAL ENVOY FOR GLOBAL EDUCATION: Because there's discrimination, because there's child labor, because there's child marriage, because there's child trafficking, and because there's not enough teachers, not enough schools, and not enough investment in education. And this has got to change.
And what I actually see happening this year is that girls themselves are not prepared to take this denial of their rights and opportunities anymore. And we've seen the protests in Pakistan and around the world when Malala was shot because she wanted to go to school.
We've now seen the anti-rape protests in India, but that's a sign, also, that women, and particularly girls, are standing up and they're saying, look, we have rights, and we need opportunities, and we are not going to allow adult complacency to deny us this any longer.
ANDERSON: In a place like Pakistan, girls are in a war against the Taliban for the right to an education. How do they win that war?
BROWN: I think we saw, when Malala was shot, what I would call the silent majority out on the streets and demonstrating. And I went to Pakistan, I went around the schools, I went around and met girls particularly and talked to them about what they thought of this.
And they were really saying, "For the first time, I've been on a street demonstration. For the first time, I've written a protest. For the first time, I've signed a petition. For the first time, I've written a poem or I've written a song in honor of Malala."
And you know, it was an outpouring of anger and outrage by young people in Pakistan that I think was the most important reason why 2 million people have signed a petition there, why the government has had to change policy, why they are thinking of spending more on education, why there are stipends, now for girls to go to school.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Gordon Brown, speaking to me about Malala, who should be an inspiration to us all. She certainly is to me, and here at CNN in 2013, this year, we are committed to supporting the fight for girls' education all over the world.
Wherever you are watching, I challenge you tonight to help us make a stand. Education is a right, you and I know it, not a privilege. And girls globally need our support.
To show yours, tweet me @BeckyCNN, and over the coming months, we'll bring you the good, bad, and indifferent stories about the disenfranchised youngsters around the world who are getting -- struggling to get their voices heard, @BeckyCNN.
Live from London, you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. Coming up, the real star of the BAFTAs, Mr. Stephen Fry, the awards host, tells me what he believes will make Sunday's big show a success.
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(CROWD CHEERING)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is Mr. Affleck's first DGA award since first nominated --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Ben Affleck continues his sweep of the awards season, with "Argo" winning the Directors' Guild of America award for Best Directed Feature Film. The Iranian hostage drama has picked up all of the major prizes so far, outshining Oscar favorites "Lincoln" and "Life of Pi."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEN AFFLECK, DIRECTOR, "ARGO": I tried really hard, I worked really hard at this. I got to a point in my life where I was really down, really confused, really felt beset on all sides by life. Didn't know what was going to happen. I thought, I should be a director.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And it may not end there for Mr. Affleck. This time next week, the actor-turned-director may well have added a BAFTA to his collection. "Argo" is up for seven awards, including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actor.
But it is Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" that tops the list with ten nods in the nominations. "Life of Pi" and "Les Mis" have got nine each, and the latest Bond film, well, you would expect the BAFTAs to have given that a nod. It's got some in the mix with eight ticks from the Brits.
It's not always who and what wins that makes an awards night, though, a success. It can largely depend on the host of the show, and back in that role this year is Stephen Fry. I sat down with the acclaimed British actor and raconteur earlier today and began by asking what he thought it takes to steal the stage, as it were.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEPHEN FRY, HOST, BAFTA AWARDS: The most important thing for me is the opening and the closing -- are the opening and closing. The addressee needs to put the audience at ease.
And you may say it's a bit cocky to suggest that I could put Javi Harvey Weinstein and all -- but in a sense, yes, just to settle them and let them know that the ending's running smoothly and it's all going to be an easy ride, and that I'm not nervous. So I must look as if I'm not nervous, though I will, of course, be.
And so the first few jokes, if there are any and if they come, should be easy ones, nice ones, pleasant ones, not aggressive ones.
ANDERSON: Not too crude? You were criticized slightly last year for being a little crude.
FRY: I was a little bit crude.
ANDERSON: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
FRY: I won't be too crude. And I'm growing up.
(LAUGHTER)
FRY: And -- generally, as I have said before and I will never stop saying, no one has ever left an award saying it was good but it was too short. You know? Just speed it along and encourage people when they receive their awards not to thank too many.
ANDERSON: What makes a really good award ceremony, then? And I'm thinking about the things that people say and people do.
FRY: Well, you unquestionably want surprise. You want -- you want to feel that the word "BAFTA shock" would be -- or you get "BAFTA snub" the next day. "Snub" is a very great favorite of newspaper headlines. It's only short words. People forget headlines use words like "snub" and "shock" because they can just fit them into the line.
But if a film that is nominated for more than six categories doesn't get one, then that definitely counts as a snub. And you also -- it's great if someone falls over, a heel breaks as she climbs off on the stairs, whatever, and whoop! Falls over.
And then, that's -- and is rescued by somebody gallant. It's easily a Hugh Jackman or somebody would come and rescue her. And that's very good, and people like that.
ANDERSON: You're actually in one of the movies this year, of course, "The Hobbit."
FRY: Oh, yes, yes. I'm not in this version of "The Hobbit," though. I'm in "The Hobbit 2," or "The Hobbit 3," possibly. Or "Hobbit 4" or "Hobbit 5."
(LAUGHTER)
MARTIN FREEMAN AS BILBO BAGGINS, "THE HOBBIT": Are there wolves out there?
FRY AS MASTER OF LAKETOWN, "THE HOBBIT": Wolves? No, that is not a wolf.
(SHOUTING)
ANDERSON: Master of Laketown.
FRY: Yes.
ANDERSON: Tell us about the character.
FRY: He's a rather avaricious, greedy, sort of mayoral figure.
ANDERSON: What does he eat?
FRY: Well, I'm not going to tell you what he eats, because I got in trouble for saying what he ate, and I was told that I was not to reveal those details --
(LAUGHTER)
FRY: -- until the time is right, and some things are meant to be surprises. So, I'm sure if people want to know, they can probably look it up on the web and they'll see that I gave the game away about what he ate. It's pretty disgusting, put it that way.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: BAFTA's host, Stephen Fry, there. And as we count down to Sunday night's ceremony, we will be bringing you some further insights to this year's nominations list, each night on the show, on CONNECT THE WORLD, here on CNN. A star, a filmmaker, somebody who's made the cut for 2013.
I want to hear from you as well. What film for you is the best of the bunch for 2011 -- sorry, 2012 and 13, of course. This is over the past year, this is awards season. Who deserves to win? Share your thoughts with us, facebook.com/CNNconnect, you know that, and you can tweet me, as ever, @BeckyCNN.
Coming up after what is a very short break here on CONNECT THE WORLD, the night the lights went out at the Super Bowl. Who benefited from what was a flood-lit failure?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: All right. In American football, a partial blackout turned an apparent blowout into one of the most memorable finishes in recent Super Bowl history. Even if you're not a fan, you've got to listen to this. For more on a game that had a little bit of everything, I want to bring back my colleague, Don Riddell. Let's start with the lights. Quite frankly, they went out. What happened?
DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know what? In hindsight, from a neutral fan's perspective, it was a good thing they went out, because at the time, the San Francisco 49ers had had their lights well and truly put out. The Baltimore Ravens were just running away with this game.
Early in the second half, they were up by 28 points to 6, and it looked like the second half was going to be a complete blowout. But then, the lights went out. We still don't know what caused that to happen. There is an investigation underway, Becky, but pretty much, everybody is blaming everybody else and saying, well, it wasn't our fault.
The energy company that supplies the power to the Superdome says the power was OK leaving us. The Superdome say, well, it was nothing to do with us. So, an investigation, I'm sure, will reveal in due course what went on. Some people are blaming Beyonce's incredible halftime performance for somehow causing a power surge. I don't think that was the case.
But I tell you what, it was a good thing it happened, because when the power came on some 34 minutes later, when they got the lights back on, the 49s seemed to have managed to regroup. I think if the lights hadn't have gone out, they would have just been completely blown off the park. But they were able to come back and stage this incredible comeback, and they very, very nearly pulled it off.
I think it was good that they didn't win the game, because then, people would have said, well, whose fault was it the lights went out, because they cost the Ravens the game. In the end, it changed the game and made it more of a spectacle, but it didn't change the outcome of the game, which I think was a good thing, and just as well.
ANDERSON: Yes. You've stolen my thunder slightly because we will -- we will be just running a report after you and I speak about just how electrifying Beyonce's halftime performance was.
But you're right. In a -- whatever it was that caused this outage, whether it was somebody in San Francisco hitting a switch that went right the way through to New Orleans or not, certainly you're right in saying that it was a great game in the second half.
You and I talked beforehand. You thought San Francisco, I think, would win this by about four points. It was almost -- always --
RIDDELL: I was nearly right. I was nearly right.
ANDERSON: -- not to talk about the -- you were wrong. You were --
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: Except you were wrong. There was a lot of talk, wasn't there, about characters involved in this game, not least the opposing head coaches. How did they handle the whole shebang?
RIDDELL: Well, early on, when this power outage happened, they were kind of laughing it off. But the longer and longer it went on, the more and more frustrating it got. I have to say, watching these two on the sidelines is a sport in itself. They are so competitive, they are so -- demonstrative.
John Harbaugh, whose Ravens won the game, at one point, he took on a guy in a suit. I don't know his name, but he was clearly responsible for the stadium or representing the league during this power outage. And he absolutely ripped him a new one for about five minutes. It must have been miserable to be the guy in the suit with the walkie-talkie in his hand, but it made for great television.
Jim Harbaugh of the 49ers also a great character to watch. He was so frustrated towards the end, because he really felt a call should have gone his team's way, which probably would have helped them win the game.
But it was interesting to see them at the end. You just showed a clip of them shaking hands afterwards. John Harbaugh, whose team won, shook his hand and said, "I love you," his brother, shook his hand and said, "Congratulations." Note: he didn't say "I love you" back. Just "Congratulations" --
ANDERSON: Oh!
RIDDELL: -- through gritted teeth.
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: Listen. You couldn't make it up, the script. It was a terrific couple of hours, watch that. Just before we go, the African Cup of Nations, let's not forget about that. That, of course, is down to the final four teams at present, with a couple of surprises. Fill us in on that.
RIDDELL: Yes. It was the quarterfinals over the weekend. A couple of real upsets. The Ivory Coast, who came into this competition as favorites, they were knocked out by Nigeria, and also Togo, Emmanuel Adebayor plays for them, they were knocked out in a penalty shootout by Burkina Faso. Emmanuel Adebayor not at all happy with that result, blaming his couch afterwards, saying the coach didn't help at all.
Anyway, we're now going ahead to the semifinals, which we can look forward to at the week -- actually, on Wednesday is the semifinals, and these are the teams that are left.
As you can see, Mali against Nigeria in Durban and then Ghana, the Black Stars, against Burkina Faso in Nelspruit, also on Wednesday, and CNN's Alex Thomas is there, by the way, for us, covering the climax of this tournament for the rest of the week.
ANDERSON: Yes, good stuff. We'll be waiting and watching for that. Thank you, Don.
RIDDELL: Yes.,
ANDERSON: Lip-synchgate, case closed. That's what Beyonce fans are saying after the singer's hotly anticipated halftime performance in Sunday night's Super Bowl. It was so electrifying that some credit her, as Don said, with the power outage that shortly ensued. What I want to do is let you have a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's proper name is the Super Bowl. This year, some called it the "Harbaugh."
UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER: The brothers' reaction.
TURNER: But others renamed that little game played in the Superdome as the opening act to the Beyonce Bowl.
(CROWD CHEERING)
(BEYONCE SINGING)
TURNER: It was arguably the most-talked-about halftime show in Super Bowl history.
BEYONCE KNOWLES, SINGER: This is what I was born to do.
TURNER: Buzz built from the moment two weeks ago when Beyonce took center stage at President Obama's inauguration --
(BEYONCE SINGING NATIONAL ANTHEM)
TURNER: -- and chose not to sing live, but to a pre-recorded track of her voice performing the national anthem. Critics wondered why when other performers that day sang live.
BEYONCE: Due to the weather, due to the delay, due to no proper sound check, I did not feel comfortable taking a risk.
TURNER: So, what would she do now? Two weeks later, standing in the spotlight once again.
(BEYONCE'S HALFTIME SHOW)
TURNER: Backed by an all-girl band, the singing superstar seemed to silence her critics by tearing through her biggest hits, including "Crazy in Love" and "Baby Boy." And when her former Destiny's Child members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams joined her --
(CROWD CHEERS)
TURNER: -- Super Bowl watchers from New York to LA danced and sang along with B. And by the reaction, Lip-synchgate is all but forgotten.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was a phenomenon.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We loved her.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely phenomenal. I mean, I just -- for someone singing live, that was amazing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was hating on her for inauguration, she came back, made up for it. We need to see some more stuff.
UNIDENTIFIFED FEMALE: Even more.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can't be mad no more. The inauguration's over.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's right!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Shot Super Bowl down!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's hard to sing and dance and do all of that. I think she really did a great job.
TURNER (on camera): Do we need to stop asking these questions or stop talking about the inauguration singing track?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes! It's not about the inauguration!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Inauga-what?
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Inauga-who?
TURNER (voice-over): The super-famous also weighed in on Beyonce's super show. The first lady took to Twitter saying, "Watching the #SuperBowl with family and friends and Beyonce was phenomenal. I am so proud of her."
The most famous woman with one name summed up the Super Bowl show with one word: "Beyonce."
And Jay-Z didn't let his wife's moment pass without support, as seen in this post-performance hug posted on Instagram by Beyonce's makeup artist, Joanna Simkin. After the Superdome power failure, Jay-Z tweeted, "Lights out. Any questions?"
If there were, most people say they've now been answered. This super- sized performance has put Lip-synchgate to rest.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was not lip-synching.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: I'm Becky Anderson, that was CONNECT THE WORLD. Thank you for watching. Good night.
END
