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Connect the World
Oscar Pistorius Arrested; Interview with Mohamed ElBaradei
Aired February 14, 2013 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MAX FOSTER, HOST: Tonight on Connect the World: charged with murder, Paralympic runner Oscar Pistorius prepares to face court accused of killing his girlfriend.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN London, this is Connect the World.
FOSTER: Just months ago he was hailed a hero, breaking down barriers to compete for Olympic glory. Tonight, what now for the man known the millions as The Blade Runner.
Also this hour...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOHAMED ELBARADEI, EGYPTIAN OPPOSITION LEADER: The writing on the wall also for Mr. Morsy that, you know, if he doesn't shape up, you know, people are not going to sit around and commiserate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Egyptian opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei tells Becky that the clock is ticking for the country's president to prove himself.
And award winning actress Tandy Newton tells me exclusively about her exploitation on the casting couch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TANDY NEWTON, ACTRESS: The director asked me to sit with my legs apart. And the camera was right between them, positioned where he could see up my skirt.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: But first, we're going to cross to our sister network CNN U.S. who is following the progress of the stricken cruise ship in the U.S. Martin Savidge speaking to people affected.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: ...was not as bad as others have said?
VINETTA HOFFPAUIR, MOTHER OF PASSENGER: No. He said their friends had a balcony. They spent a lot of time out on the balcony. Their room was hot, but they were able to have cold showers and stuff.
The only thing is the food was very limited and he said he felt really sorry for the young children and the babies. They were having more of a difficult time, he felt.
SAVIDGE: What's your plans as soon as you see him? Where's he going to go and with who?
HOFFPAUIR: Well, as soon as I see him, I'm going to give him the biggest hug and tell him how much I love him and glad that they are all back safely. And the first thing he wants to do is go and take a nice hot shower and get a nice hot meal.
SAVIDGE: And that is completely understandable.
Vinetta, thank you very much for talking to us.
HOFFPAUIR: Thank you so much. I appreciate that.
SAVIDGE: Vinetta Hoffpauir, her son is on board there.
The families have a special area set up inside the Alabama cruise terminal here. There, they get food, there, they get water and there, they get water limited as to the arrival of the ship. And of course it's only when they see that ship tied up alongside, they are going to breathe a sigh of relief. And they continue to come in as the hours drag on -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Martin, Carnival now estimating that the Triumph will make it to shore, make it to the Port of Mobile some time between 10:00 p.m. Eastern and midnight tonight, 9:00 p.m. Central to 11:00 p.m. Central, 10:00 to midnight later tonight.
That assumes no more tug lines are broken, no more glitches. They are going to be moving through the darkness, right? Nighttime is not going to slow this down, based on what you're hearing?
SAVIDGE: No. Now that they are headed up the channel, and headed up Mobile Bay and then eventually going to get into the river that brings them to this particular spot, no, they are committed, one would say, so to speak. That means they are going to get it here tonight.
We have been noting that they have been bringing in lights, portable lights and clearly they are going to be illuminating this area and they will make it nice and bright. They are preparing as best they can. You can see the gangway, hence the large glass and steel structure.
That's the gangway that will be taking the passengers, the only one, by the way, that will be -- let me just step out of the shot -- that's how they will put it right up against the vessel when it's here, much like you see with airplanes and the gates there. They will then come off that.
That brings them on the second floor of the Alabama cruise terminal. There, they will be brought inside. It's presumed the customs has al been taken care of on board the ship. They are trying to do that under way so they can immediately be running into the arms of the family members that have come here waiting for them or begin the process of transporting them.
The logistics of that is huge. That involves airplanes, buses, and hotel rooms spread out amongst two cities. There is a lot that has to be done even after the ship ties up alongside -- Wolf.
BLITZER: We are showing our viewers on the right part ...
FOSTER: And we started seeing those images coming from the cruise ships. Some extraordinary images coming out of some extraordinary stories, I'm sure, will come as well as we speak to those people as they come onshore for the very first time. We'll bring you updates of course.
Now he is one of the most famous Paralympians in the world. And Oscar Pistorius made history competing in last year's Olympics. For now, the South African national icon is preparing to appear in court, charged with murdering his girlfriend.
With his head covered, you can see the athlete arriving at the police station in Pretoria early on Thursday. CNN's Robyn Curnow, who has previously met the star and his family is standing by in Johannesburg. Nkepile Mabuse is outside is Oscar Pistorius's home in Pretoria.
First to you Nkepile. We haven't hadn't actually confirmed that it is Oscar Pistorius, but that's part of the legal process, right?
NKEPILE MABUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, indeed. And I've got a chance to see Oscar Pistorius early this morning when the police took him from this gated complex where he lives and where obviously the incident happened on Thursday morning, took him to a police station to open a case of murder.
This is a man who is usually basking in the glory of his achievements. Today, he was hiding his face from the world. And the police have made it very clear that when he does appear in court tomorrow, they do expect him to apply for bail. They've said that they are going to oppose that bail application. Police telling us that they were alerted by a neighbor of what had happened on Thursday morning here in Pretoria and that when they arrived here they found Oscar Pistorius. They found a pistol which they confiscated. They say that neighbors who will be witnesses in this case heard commotion, yelling, from Oscar Pistorius's home. And the police also saying that this was not the first situation of a domestic nature is how the police have put it, that they have heard of, from Oscar Pistorius's home.
Let's just take a listen to exactly what the police official who addressed this earlier had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DENISE BEUKES, SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE: I can confirm that (inaudible) related to the person who has been arrested, but I can confirm that there has previously been incidents at the home of Mr. Oscar Pistorius.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MABUSE: Now, Max, tomorrow's court appearance will be very critical. I mean, this may be the very first time that we hear possibly Oscar Pistorius's side of the story, and we also possibly hear the case that the police have built against him -- Max.
FOSTER: Nkepile, thank you.
Well, Robyn, you've met Oscar before, some of his family as well, and fair to say you know him quite well, because you've met him so many times. What did you think when you heard this news this morning, this extraordinary news?
MABUSE: I think I'm still a little bit in shock, if I'm honest with you, Max. And I think many South Africans and people around the world are also, you know, confused, perplexed as to what happened, because this goes against the very image that Oscar Pistorius had. And on a personal level goes against the man I knew and know.
So it is very confusing. And I think it's also important to remember that Oscar's journey to where he is now, you know, has been an extraordinary one. He went from this child severely disabled to double amputee to this international sporting star, which makes this fall from grace ever so more spectacular. And I think let's take a -- let's give a thought to his family and his friends as these days and months sort of pan out. And I think one person in particular will be his grandmother. Let's take a listen to what she had to say when I spoke to her just before the Olympics.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GERTIE PISTORIUS, OSCAR PISTORIUS' GRANDMOTHER: (inaudible).
ROBYN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Images from Oscar Pistorius' athletic career are plastered on the walls of his proud grandmother's home. She tells me in Afrikaans -- "I like this one. Look here, see when he goes like this. That's wonderful."
(on camera): He looks like a winner, doesn't he?
PISTORIUS: Yes, there's a winner.
CURNOW (voice-over): A winner because on his prosthetic blades, her grandson will make history in London. Oscar Pistorius is the first double amputee to compete in the able-bodied games.
We've kind of made these only for sprinting, because we've restricted it to the sole that we used like a remote running spark (ph).
CURNOW: A staggering achievement for a child born with such a disability that his family decided to have his legs amputated below the knee when he was one.
Gertie Pistorius remembers that as a child, "The moment you saw him, it broke your heart. I'll never forget the first time he got toes on his prosthetic," she says. "They came back from Johannesburg and drove through the big gate and he shouted, 'Grandma, grandma!' His feet were sticking out the car window and he says, 'Look, I've got toes!'
PISTORIUS: Look, I've got toes.
(LAUGHTER)
PISTORIUS: I said (inaudible), isn't that wonderful?
Uh-huh.
CURNOW: In her old age home in Pretoria, Gertie Pistorius has been planning her trip to London for weeks -- suitcases ready, tickets bought. She'll be there in the stadium to watch her grandson run in the 400-meter relay for South Africa. She says it's going to be emotional.
Both of Oscar Pistorius' grandparents, 89 -year-old Gertie and 95 - year-old Hendrick (ph), normally watch Oscar's races on the television, switching channels away from Hendrick's favorite sport, rugby. Both of them, though, are also aware that Oscar will be running for his mother. She died when he was 15.
PISTORIUS: As he so often says, it would have been so wonderful if his mother could have seen him or he could have experienced her seeing him. It would have been wonderful. It would have been wonderful.
In the Olympic Stadium, Oscar Pistorius, it seems, will not only be propelled by his blades, but also by the memory of his mother and the pride of his family, a family now dealing with a terrible turn of events. Reports of a deadly shooting at his home, news headlines so different from those that they celebrated just before he made history.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CURNOW: OK, well Oscar liked to tell the story of when he was a kid his mother used to yell at him and his brother and she'd say to his brother, hey, you go and put your shoes on. Then she'd say to Oscar, hey, you go and put your legs on. and he'd give that as an indication, perhaps, of how he was treated normally by his family, but also I think it gives an indication of how tough Oscar is and how strong he is and how steely he is. And I think out of anything this kid who learned to walk then ran so fast is probably facing the biggest obstacle he's ever faced in his life as he obviously faces a jail sentence for a possible murder.
So, you know, tough times ahead. And I think if anybody can deal with it, Oscar can, that's what his family would say.
FOSTER: Robyn, thank you so much. I know there's so many people in South Africa affected by this, but also people the world. He's a real icon. Thank you very much indeed for that.
We're going to cross to CNN U.S. again, because we've got these new live pictures coming in to us from this stricken cruise liner. It's expected to come into port actually in the next hour. So we'll stick with them for a moment.
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: ...elderly tend to be more resilient. The children look to their parents or elderly people there for cues in terms of how they should behave. It's really important that young people are watching.
Wolf, these types of situations brings out the worst in people and the best in people and I have been hearing from some of the folks on the ship that people are really galvanized together, giving each other a hand and trying to help each other out. That can be very empowering, Wolf.
BLITZER: Let's not forget, 3,143 passengers, 1,086 crew members, and the crew members are obviously suffering as well. More than 4,200 people on board this ship.
And you're seeing live pictures from our helicopter that's now flying over the Carnival Triumph. And a lot of people out there. They're trying to get some fresh air. They clearly don't want to be inside.
Sanjay, stand by. We're going to be getting back to you.
Now that the cruise ship is getting closer and closer to shore, more and more of the passengers are actually in cell phone range. Their calls are coming into THE SITUATION ROOM. We're going to be speaking with passengers on board the Triumph. That's coming up.
We're also following other major news, including a showdown right here in Washington, a showdown vote to deal with a Republican filibuster under way...
FOSTER: OK, it's actually coming in, in about six hours time. I'm sorry, I said an hour's time. But we're expecting the ship in, in six hours time. But the images are coming in and that's telling a story in itself.
Still to come on Connect the World, after all the sacrifices of the Arab Spring is Egypt now headed back down the same old path of a dictatorship? Opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei shares his thoughts with our very own Becky Anderson.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: Well, critics say it's yet another blow to fundamental freedoms in Egypt. The cabinet has just passed a draft law that regulates public protests, requires organizers to inform authorities in advance, and allows the government to reject a demonstration. Protests would be restricted to certain locations and banners considered defamatory wouldn't be allowed.
Recent anti-government protests have turned into violent clashes with police. The government says the new law would ensure demonstrations remain peaceful.
Critics, though, say it's part of a troubling trend. Just weeks ago, Egypt's public prosecutor ordered an investigation into three top opposition leaders, including Mohamed ElBaradei on suspicion that they're inciting followers to overthrow the regime.
Our Becky Anderson had the chance to talk with Mohamed ElBaradei, the Nobel laureate and former UN nuclear watchdog chief. He is one of the Egyptian government's most outspoken critics as well, but he says he's not advocating a coup. Becky visited ElBaradei today in Cairo.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Just over two years ago here in Tahrir Square an outpouring of joy and relief as the ouster of Egypt's former dictator Hosni Mubarak. Amongst those swept up on that tide of emotion Mohamed ElBaradei. The Nobel peace laureate and former head of the IAEA who had returned to his country to lead calls for the president's ouster.
Today, the country has a new leader, but many contend that under Mohamed Morsy, nothing has changed.
And in an increasingly divided nation, ElBaradei and his opposition secular bloc accuse the president of hijacking the ideals of the popular uprising.
Despite calls by the president for national dialogue, ElBaradei has at least until now refused to negotiate. The polarized atmosphere only heightened after a recent fatwa issued by a hard-line Egyptian cleric against Morsy's opponents.
So, what's next for Egypt and the man who returned to his mother country to lead a revolution?
Do you want Mohamed Morsy to step down?
ELBARADEI: No, not at all. I mean, again, a lot of people out of anger right now -- we see a lot of those in the street, a lot of the demonstrations say he failed, he failed miserably and he needs to step down. I think, you know, I'm not of that view. I'm saying we need the country to move forward. It is not a question about a person, it is not really at this stage.
ANDERSON: But you called him a pharaoh.
ELBARADEI: I called him a pharaoh and he can maybe reform himself and become a democrat. I mean, he still has a chance, you know. Being an elected president, it's like a driving license. It is not for life, you know, if you make horrible traffic accident, I mean, that driving license will be -- you will be stripped out of it like Mubarak did.
ANDERSON: I put this to you: better the devil you know than the devil you don't. Many people, since I've been in Egypt have said to me, you know, we would have been better off with Hosni Mubarak.
ELBARADEI: Unfortunately, people have started to reminisce about the time of Hosni Mubarak. I mean, that's how depressed people are, that's how disappointed people are. They were saying, yes there was a lot of repression. We still have repression. Torture, we still have torture. Economic -- lack of economic opportunity, we still don't have it. A lack of social justice, we still don't have it.
But at least we have law and order. At least we have seven percent growth. And so people are saying, well, you know, we -- maybe it would have been better off. But nobody is saying, you know, Mubarak -- I mean, there was...
ANDERSON: Bring him back.
ELBARADEI: No, no. There was an uprising against Mubarak, but the writing in the wall also for Mr. Morsy that, you know, if he doesn't shape up, you know, people are not going to sit around and commiserate.
ANDERSON: Is this a failed state, Mohamed?
ELBARADEI: It is a -- right now it is a failed state. We are very -- we are very much on the list of the failed states. I think we were number 45 last year. We are now number 31. I mean, it's not the greatest honor to be on the failed state. But by all economic indicate -- by all governance indicators, as I mentioned -- law and order, political participation, economic opportunities, respect for human rights we are a failed state.
The economy is about to -- we are about to default probably in two or three months. Law and order is -- we are turning into a militia like state. I mean, we are a failed state. But we can switch it.
ANDERSON: You've called for national consensus, though in the past you've rejected national dialogue. Why are you doing that now?
ELBARADEI: I never rejected national dialogue, Becky, I mean, as I said a month-and-a-half ago I was in Brazil. Mr. Morsy called me. I came back. I had an hour meeting with him. All the other political opposition figures had a meeting with him. We never -- we never opposed a dialogue.
I mean, this is our only salvation is to work together. But as I said, we -- as I have always said in my life, you have to be -- before you step into a political dialogue, or into a dialogue you have to make sure that there is good faith.
ANDERSON: Would you welcome more overt U.S. support for your opposition movement? Or do you think that will be counterproductive?
ELBARADEI: I think it will be counterproductive. I mean, it depends what you talk you mean by support. I expect governments, even, to step up and be counted for values they believe in. I mean, when they see a dictatorship -- a constitution that's dictatorial, that you know botch up balance of power, that impinges on human -- you know, freedom of religion - - they have to say so. But that's different from interference in our -- you know, in how things will be managed here, how we manage the transition, how we manage our own development of political system.
ANDERSON: How can Egypt secure this IMF loan -- what it needs from the outside world?
ELBARADEI: I think we desperately need the IMF loan, because I've been talking to the Europeans, to the Americans, to the Gulf, you know, nobody is putting money in until we get the IMF loan. So -- but for that the IMF as a professional they need to make sure this is a certificate of trust in the Egyptian economy. We need to see that the economic fundamentals are in the right direction. And right now they are all bust.
ANDERSON: You're back. It's been a long couple of years for you. And you now have a fatwa against you. Were you surprised by that?
ELBARADEI: I'm more sad about it, because...
ANDERSON: Does it frighten you?
ELBARADEI: It doesn't really frighten me personally, but it frightened my family. You know, of course it restricts my ability to move. But it's a sense of sadness I have that we have reached that stage when you are using and abusing religion, you know, for political ends. And we have reached to that level of violence, you know, by providing license to kill in the name of -- in the name of Islam.
I mean, it just shows you, again, how far we need to go to become more tolerant, more open, more inclusive society.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Now a Carnival cruise line press conference we understand is underway in Mobile, Alabama in the U.S. This stricken cruise ship coming in in the next few hours. Let's listen in.
TERRY THORNTON, SR. V.P., MARKETING, CARINVAL CRUISE LINES: The one thing that we've been trying to work hard on today, too, we know we have a lot of families of the guests aboard. And so, what we've done for the families here that have come to mobile to meet their -- the people that might be on this ship, we've offered them hotel rooms, day rooms, night accommodations. Obviously, they are getting food and service in the terminal and our guest care team has been assigned to them personally to keep them updated with the information that we know and to keep them as comfortable as possible as we wait for the ship to arrive alongside here in Mobile.
The other thing is, we've also mentioned a couple of different times that we've had our localized team here. We have a full team in Miami handling calls. So, as we've distributed information, we've provided phone numbers for family and friends to call and get information about what's going on with the ship, how's their family doing, and we've taken over 7,000 calls in Miami assisting family and friends of the people aboard the ship and providing them with the much needed information that they need to know.
At this point, we're going to continue the process today as we described it this morning. As we have additional information, we'll come back out with a briefing and provide you with factual, confirmed information that as the debarkation, the ship arrival, and that process actually unfolds.
So I'm prepared to take a couple of questions at this time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you share a little bit more information on the medical emergency? What was the emergency? How were they gotten off the ship?
THORNTON: I don't have the details of the specific condition that the guest had but it was determined, as I said, out of an abundance of caution, it was best to get the passenger off the ship and to provide medical care. We were assisted by the U.S. Coast Guard in helping that happen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Was it an adult or a child?
(CROSSTALK)
THORNTON: I don't have that information.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Adult or a child...
THORNTON: I don't have that information.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are they hospitalized now?
THORNTON: I just now that they were evacuated from the ship. But beyond that, I don't have that information.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You said it's going to be about five hours once they arrive here and get everybody off the ship. Is there additional power that we will see you bring in just to provide service to these people, or are they going to remain uncomfortable for those five hours?
THORNTON: Well, we will not be providing much additional power to the ship. There's not a capability of doing that once the ship docks. We will not be providing much additional power but we have a lot of manpower that we were going to throw at it.
So, the conditions will not be materially different. But we have a lot more assistance both from shore and ship that we can provide in getting the people off as quickly as possible.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you have a more specific time of when we'll expect?
THORNTON: In terms of when we expect the arrival?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Of when it will dock.
THORNTON: As I said, we expect seven to 10-hour transit from approximately 2:30 p.m.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's the difficulty docking a ship like this at night?
THORNTON: We don't expect any particular difficulties with night. The tug operators are experienced. Our ship team is experienced. So, we don't experience any difficulties docking a ship at night.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What would have happened though if any of those lines are broken?
THORNTON: The ship was not at any safety risk at the time that happened. There are still other tugs in place. It was just a matter that we lost forward towing capacity.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The families are reporting that in order to get the $500 offered by Carnival, that they have to sign some sort of waiver. Do you (INAUDIBLE) what that waiver says?
THORNTON: That is absolutely untrue. There is no waiver for the guests to take advantage of the compensation we've provided.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you explain why...
THORNTON: Because of the power outage on this ship, the satellite communication and other communication was powered by the same systems that we had trouble with, we didn't have power to do that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are there any backup plans in case other tug line breaks once they get into the channel? What the plan is?
THORNTON: Well, we have tugs in place. As I said, if there's another situation that happen, with the tug line breaking, the ship would not be unsafe in that situation and we believe that we could get replacement capacity and get that towing operation going. But we're not anticipating any additional difficulties.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you so much. We need to go back. Sorry.
BLITZER: All right. So there you have it. The latest from Terry Thornton, the vice president of Carnival cruise lines, updating us on what's going on. He said seven to ten hours from 2:30 p.m. I guess they are talking local time, which is Central Time, 3:30 p.m. Eastern.
We still estimate that, assuming there are no more snags, it will arrive in the port at around -- sometime after 10:00 p.m. Eastern, around - - between then and midnight.
You're looking at live pictures coming in from our helicopter that we are flying over the Triumph right now. People are trying to send messages. They are writing on bed sheets, they're making even human letters to send out the word "help" if possible.
(BREAKING NEWS SIMULCAST WITH CNN)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: A warm welcome to our viewers across Europe and around the world. I'm Max Foster and these are the latest world headlines from CNN.
Olympian Oscar Pistorius, known as the Blade Runner, is charged with the murder of his girlfriend. South African police say Reeva Steenkamp was fatally shot inside his Pretoria home. They say previous domestic incidents occurred at the house.
Passengers onboard a stricken cruise ship spell out the word "help" as the Triumph liner is slowly towed to port. The passengers are awaiting freedom after five days in foul conditions. A fire in the engine room on Sunday caused widespread system malfunctions.
US Airways and American Airlines merge. If all goes to plan, the new airline will use the name American Airlines and will be the largest in the world. It's the latest in a series of mergers that leaves the US with only four major carriers. CNN's Ali Velshi spoke to the CEOs of both companies, who said consumers have nothing to worry about.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: There seems to be this popular myth that when airlines merge, fares go up. Talk to me a little about what you foresee as a result of this merger.
DOUG PARKER, CEO, US AIRWAYS: We're going to take two airlines that are highly complementary, put them together, so still fly the same number of airplanes to the same number of places, which is actually good for the consumers of both airlines. There won't be a reduction in supply, so therefore, no reason to believe that there would be an increase in pricing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: In the Vatican City, the pope has addressed parish priests in what is likely to be one of his final public appearances. On Monday, Pope Benedict revealed he'd be resigning from the papacy the end of this month. The 85-year-old Benedict told the clergy it's time for the Catholic Church to renew its place in the world.
Families of the people killed in the 1972 Bloody Sunday massacre in Northern Ireland are being offered compensation, but one relative called the offer of around $66,000 each, quote, "insulting." A total of 14 people were killed when British troops opened fire on a mainly Catholic civil rights march in Londonderry.
A man is in serious condition in hospital after setting himself on fire at Rome's largest airport. Authorities say the incident happened after the man from Ivory Coast showed officials a deportation order. Horrified travelers watched on as the man poured a canister of fuel over his body and set himself alight.
New developments in the horsemeat scandal gripping Europe. Authorities in the UK have arrested three men on suspicion of fraud. They're from two different processing plants that were raided earlier this week.
The arrests come as the UK food inspectors say horse carcasses containing an equine painkiller harmful to humans may have entered the food chain in France. The crisis has highlighted the complex supply chain for processed meat within the European Union. It's also raising questions among consumers about the integrity of the food they buy.
The scandal has now spread across at least eight countries within the EU. CNN's Nic Robertson joined me to outline the crisis as it stands.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: If we go back to January, that's when horsemeat started turning up in beef products, first of all here in Ireland and in Britain, and the Irish agriculture minister blamed horsemeat coming from all the way across here in Poland.
The Polish denied it. That got everyone else investigating, and all these countries that are highlighted here have all been affected in some way. It's grown.
FOSTER: Food is just washing through all of these countries. It's just so complicated. How do you address it?
ROBERTSON: Well, the French have just announced results of their investigation today. Abattoir in Romania producing horsemeat requested by a trading company in Cypress to ship that horsemeat up here to the Netherlands, from the Netherlands to France, and then from France to Luxembourg where it was processed.
And from there, the horsemeat got into beef products in Sweden and in Norway and in Britain and in Germany, and that's how it spread out. And we now know from the French that this company here, operating in France, took in 750 tons of horsemeat over a several month period and relabeled it -- relabeled it -- as beef. And that's how it got into the market.
The French are saying, look, you should have known. You should have known by the smell, the color, the price, and the customs code was a code for horsemeat, only used on horsemeat. So, the French are being very clear, and they're going to prosecute this company in France.
FOSTER: And countries are arguing with each other as well, so it has to become a European problem now, doesn't it, so you can coordinate between the countries?
ROBERTSON: And that's what's beginning to emerge here. What we've seen -- happening here now is that all the countries of Europe are going to work together, 27 member states are going to have testing, 2,500 tests over a 30-day period for DNA contamination -- horse DNA contamination in beef products.
And there's going to be 4,000 testes for phenylbutazone, which is a painkiller in horses but dangerous for humans. We also see that Europol is getting involved, the British asking Europol to take a stronger role, bring all this evidence together. That's now happening as well.
FOSTER: This bute in horsemeat, which people might be eating, is a huge concern, certainly here in the UK, isn't it?
ROBERTSON: And we've heard more about it in the UK. An abattoir down here in the southwest of England, down here, right here, has shipped into France, here, some contaminated horse carcasses, 206 carcases tested here, 8 of them found to contain this product bute, and 5 of them have been shipped to France, 3 may have got in the human food chain. But Britain's top medical scientist says it's not as bad as it sounds.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SALLY DAVIES, UK CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: Now the doses that our Food Standards Agency has found in horsemeat means that the amount coming through, potentially, into the food chain is so low that for a human to get a therapeutic dose, we -- you or I -- would need to eight 500 or 600 big, 250-gram, 100 percent horse burgers in one day to get to that does. So, the risk to human health is very low, but this is illegal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: But this is really going to be hard to convince consumers, because as we've seen, they're going to hear this and they're going to say, OK, maybe I'm not going to be hurt by this, but what really is in my food?
And as we've seen, it's so complex. We're still learning. Products are being pulled off shelves in Britain literally today and the very latest is up here in the north of England, here, and across here in Wales, the first arrests on this, three people arrested. It's really only just beginning. It's the tip of the iceberg. Expect more.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD live from London. In Spain, 10 percent of households have no breadwinner. After the break, we'll talk to families struggling to stay afloat.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: Well, the news was even worse than economists had expected. Figures out today show the eurozone's recession has deepened. The region's economies shrank at their fastest rate in four years last quarter, collectively down 0.6 percent.
The countries that grew in Q4 are green. Those that shrank are red. The region's two biggest economies, Germany and France, posted disappointing results. Germany contracted by 0.6 percent, that was mainly due to a sharp decline in exports.
The French economy shrank by 0.3 percent as exports and manufacturing output fell. France's socialist government says it will not hit its target for the cutting -- for cutting the deficit this year.
Now, Portugal's economy shrank 1.8 percent in Q4, the ninth straight quarter of decline. Again, exports are suffering. Economic growth in Portugal has averaged less than 1 percent a year for the past decade.
Now, those statistics are pretty grim, but it's not all doom and gloom. Earlier, I spoke with our Jim Boulden, asking if there's any reason for optimism about the eurozone's financial future.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM BOULDEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think if you look at the figures lately, if you're a negative outlook, you can say these numbers are bad.
If you have a bit of a positive outlook, you can look at two things out of Germany. One is Purchasing Managers' Index, the PMI. It's been pretty good in November/December. And that tells us that orders that have been going in in November and December for future deliveries are decent, and that's, of course, Germany being 30 percent of the eurozone economy, that's where you look at.
So, even though last year was not great for Germany, you can look at toward the end of the year, and then you see the PMI numbers and you think, some deliveries to places like China, pretty positive.
The other one is IFO, which is their sort of -- the index of how you feel about going forward, and those numbers are getting closer to neutral, and what that means is that the doom and gloom of 2009, 2010, 2011 might be coming to an end there as well
So, despite the fact GDP figures not great in Germany, you do see some light at the end of the tunnel if you want to look forward to the positive side of this.
FOSTER: So, some good, some bad. The big elephant in the room, of course, all this year will be the euro --
BOULDEN: Yes.
FOSTER: -- and whether that tips economies either way. Have you got any idea about that?
BOULDEN: Well, everyone started getting worried about the euro the last couple of weeks because they say maybe it's too strong. We heard Monsieur Hollande out of France say maybe there should be more control over how the euro goes.
However, in the last couple of weeks, the euro's beginning to fall. Why? Because the numbers have been so negative out of there. So, if the - - if the euro continues to fall a little bit more, that can help exporters over the next few months.
You can't control the euro, so what companies are doing, cutting waste, cutting jobs, so that no matter which way the euro goes, they will hopefully, if it falls, benefit from that. If not, then they can cushion themselves by laying off people.
So, the unemployment numbers are terrible because of that, but it doesn't mean that companies are suffering as much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Well, Jim mentioned unemployment there, a problem that's hit Spain particularly hard. Our Al Goodman met a couple in Madrid who lost their jobs on the same day and are now struggling to provide for their family.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(MAN CRYING)
AL GOODMAN, CNN MADRID BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): This is the sound of pain in Spain's economic crisis.
(MAN CRYING, SPEAKING SPANISH)
GOODMAN: Ignacio Lopez and his wife, Nieves Gomez, were both laid off last month from Madrid's public TV station, Telemadrid. They aren't prone to crying, but lately, it's hard to stop.
(CROWD CHANTING)
GOODMAN: We met them at a protest at regional government headquarters with some of the 800 others also part of the mass layoff, 70 percent of the TV staff.
IGNACIO LOPEZ, TV SPORTS DIRECTOR (through translator): We worked there for 21 years and suddenly they said, "get out." We are outraged.
(CROWD CHANTING)
GOODMAN: Gomez and Lopez are now among the 10 percent of all Spanish households where there's now no breadwinner.
GOODMAN (on camera): As Spain's national, regional, and local governments have tried to cut their budget deficits, they've laid off thousands of workers. Here, they are also protesting the cutbacks at public televisions across the country.
NIEVES GOMEZ, TV EDITING COORDINATOR (through translator): I'm really angry. And I would like very much to avoid crying.
GOODMAN (voice-over): But as they drive home after the demonstration right past the TV station, she fights back tears. And at home, where the life they built is now at risk, they don't hold back.
GOMEZ (through translator): We will do whatever it takes.
LOPZEZ (through translator): I don't know if we're going to sink.
(CRYING)
GOODMAN: They still have 25 years left to pay in the mortgage. They think they'll get two years of jobless benefits.
GOMEZ (through translator): We will go forward somehow.
GOODMAN: They know they've got to for their 14-year-old son and their 8-year-old daughter. First, they'll take the kids out of this private school and put them in a public school. The kids know about that, and they also know the family might have to move.
LOPEZ (through translator): They know we're going to have to cut our budget a lot, and they accept it and don't say anything.
GOODMAN: Ignacio is brushing up his English and says he might have to search for work abroad, given that Spain's unemployment rate is at 26 percent.
LOPEZ (through translator): I am absolutely convinced we are going to get through this, but I don't know if the nation will get through this. That I don't know. I don't know what solution there is.
GOODMAN: Al Goodman, CNN, Madrid.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Getting a sense of what's been going on on this stricken cruise ship in the US. Let's cross to our colleagues at CNN US, who are speaking to someone onboard.
(CUT TO SIMULCAST WITH CNN)
FOSTER: And we'll be getting updates, of course, from that cruise ship as it comes into shore, some stories coming out already, as you can see.
Now, millions of people have been dancing and protesting across the world to highlight violence against women. The campaign is called One Billion Rising and is the brainchild of playwright Eve Ensler. It's aim is to get one billion men and women to stand up against violence.
In the Philippines, thousands of people march through Manilla. The protests are being held on V-Day that coincides with Valentine's Day. The owner -- or the founder of the V-Day movement told Becky Anderson how they came up with the number one billion.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EVE ENSLER, FOUNDER, V-DAY: We've reached 140 countries, we've raised $100 million, we've broken silences, we've eradicated taboos, we've changed legislation and created new ones, but we haven't ended violence against women and girls.
So, for our 15th anniversary, we were thinking, our whole mission was to go out of business. We didn't want to be here 15 years later, and it turns out that the UN says that one out of every three women on the planet will be raped or beaten in her lifetime.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's one billion - -
ENSLER: Billion women.
ANDERSON: -- women.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Well, one woman who is working with the One Billion campaign -- Rising -- is actress Thandie Newton. I sat down with her earlier, and she told me why the campaign is so important to her personally as a victim of abuse. Must warn you that this interview contains adult content.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
THANDIE NEWTON, ACTRESS AND CAMPAIGNER: I found when I was a 16-year- old fresh from boarding school going out into -- on the casting couch, I was definitely objectified to an extreme, and when I --
FOSTER: Was it the way he made you -- you were made to feel, or --
NEWTON: Yes, it was the way I was --
FOSTER: -- the way you were treated?
NEWTON: The way I was made to feel. The way I was exploited. And the -- the kinds of roles and the kinds of things I was expected to do in auditions. I mean, there was one horrific incident where I had -- I went back for a second audition, it was a screen test. There were two other people in thee room, the director, who I'd seen previously, and the casting director, who was a woman.
And the director asked me to sit with my legs apart. The camera was right between -- positioned where it could see up my skirt. To put my leg over the arm of the chair, and before I started my dialogue, think about the character that I was supposed to be having the dialogue with, and how it felt to be made love to by this person.
And I was thinking, this is so strange, why would I need to do that? But this is the director, he is talking -- this is a -- there's the casting director sitting there --
FOSTER: It must be normal.
NEWTON: It must be normal. I'm 18 years old, and I'm thinking this is obviously something that -- I was in a protected -- there were boundaries. And three years later, I was at the Cannes Film Festival, and we bumped into this -- my husband and I bumped into this rather drunk producer, a British producer, who said, "Oh" -- who mentioned the director that I had had this -- this audition with.
And he looked very sheepish and walked away. And my husband grabbed him later and said, "What are you -- why did you start to say something and then didn't?"
And it turned out that the director who had -- who went on to make the film and who I was auditioning for, used to show that video late at night to interested parties at his house. A video of me touching myself with a camera up my skirt.
FOSTER: So, you were abused, but at the time, it didn't feel like it.
NEWTON: And that was in a professional environment.
FOSTER: For many people who are trying to help, that's an inspiring story, because you've obviously done so well from it. You're able to talk about it --
(CROSSTALK)
NEWTON: I don't like to talk about that. Here's the thing. What does a person do? What does a young woman do in that situation? Obviously, you -- I don't -- I shouldn't care about getting the job, number one. Absolutely not acceptable behavior.
FOSTER: You have to realize it's wrong as well, don't you?
NEWTON: Also, as an 18-year-old girl, perhaps the older woman in the room should have put her job on the line and said, "I don't condone this behavior."
It's not just about -- this is the thing that Stella Creasy was saying today in Parliament Square, it's not about the person that's been abused, it's not just their role to say "enough." It's about the people around. How much are the people that witness, how much are they perpetrators of the crime? We -- it's a responsibility that we all need to -- to recognize our part in trying to be aware.
FOSTER: Is that the solution, then, would you say? Awareness, largely?
NEWTON: I think awareness, and having it be at the -- made a number one priority. It's really bizarre when you think that violence against women isn't a number one priority in the world.
I've talked about it before as being a kind of species suicide. If you -- violence towards women, abuse of women, denigration of women is -- all of those things are happening to humanity, to our future.
And of course, there are reasons behind it. I do think often about the perpetrators of the crimes, and what's going on through their minds and their bodies as they wreak awful havoc on the bodies of women. And there is obviously -- there is male trauma at the heart of this, and we need to focus on that also.
But I think that what's been really interesting about One Billion Rising is it's not just women standing up, it's men standing up, too. What happened in Delhi -- thousands of men standing up and looking out for their male community.
We need -- if on our watch, we need to literally be keeping watch. And then we will -- we will arrest this problem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Well, V-Day and One Billion Rising has been a hot topic on Twitter all day, and the great and the good are out in force to support the campaign. Nancy Pelosi says, "I rise with people of good conscience to stand up against intolerable acts of violence against women around the world."
Kennedy family member Maria Shriver says "Bravo to my friend Eve Ensler for raising her voice against violence against women. I stand with her."
And British prime minister David Cameron says, "I'm proud to add my voice to all those who stand up to oppose violence against women and girls."
In tonight's Parting Shots, stargazers have something quite astonishing to look at for the end of this week. An asteroid is due to pass incredibly close to Earth. It will be the closest distance scientists have recorded for an object of its size. At just 17,000 miles away from the Earth's surface, that's actually closer than the satellites that are bringing CNN to you right now.
If you're in the right spot, it should even be visible through a telescope or binoculars. Scientists say there's no chance of it colliding with the Earth, just in case you're worried about it, but a good view nevertheless.
Let's have a look at the latest pictures we're getting in from the cruise ship that's coming into port in the next few hours in the US in Alabama. Unbelievable stories starting to come out from there. We've had some phone conversations with people onboard and some aerial images to see all of the mess, really, of people living without electricity.
People on the higher decks had problems, but imagine those on the lower decks who didn't have windows or light. They've had a miserable time, desperate to get home. We'll bring you their stories as they disembark in Alabama.
I'm Max Foster, that was CONNECT THE WORLD. Thank you so much for watching.
END
