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Connect the World

Where In the World Is Edward Snowden?; Qatar Emir Steps Down; South Africa Prays For Nelson Mandela; Silvio Berlusconi Sentenced to Seven Years Prison; Rise and Fall of Silvio Berlusconi; Political Fallout of Berlusconi Verdict; Art of Movement: Puppet Dancer; Wimbledon Day One; Doping Shadow Over Upcoming Tour de France

Aired June 24, 2013 - 16:00   ET

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

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Tonight, a flight to Havana, a Russian airport lounge and a growing diplomatic scandal. We'll have the latest on the international chase for Edward Snowden.

Plus, how banning Berlusconi from politics could leave Italy's shaky coalition government in peril.

And he may be the king of clay, but he's not holding court at Wimbledon. We're going to tell you why.

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

ANDERSON: Well, Washington is growing increasingly frustrated as it plays a global game of cat and mouse with Edward Snowden. He's the U.S. fugitive, of course, who leaked details of a top secret spying program. And right now at this hour, it is unclear where he is.

Now U.S. officials are assuming he's still in Russia where he landed on Sunday. Here's what the White House press secretary had to say not long before we came to air.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: Is is our understanding that Mr. Snowden remains is Russia. Beyond that, I wouldn't want to speculate about next steps except that we have communicated to the Russians our hope that they will look at all options available to them to expel Mr. Snowden back to the United States.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, in a moment, the very latest from CNN's team covering this global story.

First, though, let's take a step back and look at Snowden's worldwide travels over the last few weeks. This is quite remarkable.

As his U.S. National Security Agency leaks emerged, the originally Hawaii based contractor flew to Hong Kong where he first revealed his identity to the world. He stayed there until Sunday when he flew to Moscow helped by WikiLeaks.

Russia's foreign ministry confirmed he was there, but no one has reported seeing him since his flight landed in the Russian capital.

And then after that, Ecuador confirming he'd applied for asylum.

There was some reports he was due to fly there via the Cuban capital of Havana, a flight that left Moscow earlier today.

Our correspondent Phil Black is on that flight expected to land in a couple of hours. But before it departed, Snowden hadn't been seen on board.

So right now two likely possibilities. He could be heading to Havana and possibly onto Ecuador, or he could still be in Russia.

Was there ever a story that better connects the world?

The team covering this international mystery, Gloria Borger in Washington on the U.S. angle. So too friend of the show and legal expert Jeffrey Toobin.

But first to Paula Newton in Quito on Ecuador. Paula, we know Snowden has applied for Ecuador asylum. Where there specifically?

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: At this point in time it does seem like it was Ecuador that decided to put this chain of events into motion. Why? It has been known that this government, basically led by President Rafael Correa, has decided that they're saying they want to make this case based on principle, moral principles. They say that they know it might impact their relationship with the United States, but they believe this involves an issue of human rights.

I want to read you now, Becky, also from the president himself who tweeted earlier, "rest assured that we will analyze the Snowden case very responsibly. And we will make with absolute sovereignty--" key issue there -- "the decision that we believe is most appropriate." And then he ends saying, "a big hug to everyone. And happy week."

Becky, this is a shrewd political operator here. And he does understand how high the stakes are. And they have decided that for whatever reason that their diplomatic stakes that they've decided to put their cards on the table and perhaps take Edward Snowden in. And it is very clear that unless they had stepped forward, actually volunteered to take him for asylum, that this would not even be a possibility right now.

They are also being very cagey about whether or not they know where Edward Snowden is. And if they are doing anything to facilitate his passage to Ecuador -- Becky.

ANDERSON: If he's on his way to Ecuador, Paula Newton is there on the story for us.

Paula, for the time being, thank you very much indeed for that.

Chief political analyst Gloria Borger is in Washington for you this evening. Gloria, Washington described by a number of people I heard earlier today as in a rage. Is that how you would describe Washington today?

GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: I would say frustrated, exasperated, infuriated, yeah. So pretty much in a controlled rage. I mean, we saw the White House press secretary come out. You played a clip from him earlier. But he came out and said we're not buying that this was a technical decision made by a Hong Kong immigration official. What that means is, Paula, is that this is all politics. And everybody knows it. That this was a decision made by China, that what the United States is trying to do in saying that there was a setback in our relationship with Hong Kong is trying to let Russia know in no uncertain terms that that would be the same result for them.

We don't know what specific conversations the president of the United States has had. We do know the attorney general of the United States has been on the phone, knows that the State Department have been on the phone.

So, you know, behind the scenes they're trying to get this worked out. But they understand that this looks pretty embarrassing.

ANDERSON: Let's bring Jeff in as well. Jeffrey, take a listen to what founder Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks had to say in a live audio conference call earlier today. We know WikiLeaks, of course, is supporting and at least paying his travel costs. I want to just do the legalities here. Have a listen to what he said. And then I'll put a question to you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JULIAN ASSANGE, WIKILEAKS FOUNDER: Every person has the right to seek and receive legal asylum. Those rights are enshrined in the United Nations agreements of which the United States is a party. And no self-respecting country would submit to such interference.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Is Assange effectively right, Jeffrey, when he says for all intents and purposes that neither China nor Russia have broken any international rules when they failed to expel Snowden, extradite him back, effectively, to the U.S.?

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well, I don't -- I think he's making a different point there. He's saying that every country and every person has the right to ask for asylum, and that's certainly true. The question is, when should it be granted? And here, this seems at least on the surface as not a very good claim for asylum.

The United States government has followed all the normal procedures. They have accused him of violating the law. He is not a political prisoner in any sense. He is duly charged by a United State magistrate in a Virginia courtroom.

But I think just in a larger sense, the law really doesn't matter very much here. This is really at this point a case about diplomacy and politics.

China didn't want to turn him over, so they didn't turn him over. The law was pretty much irrelevant.

Russia, at least so far, doesn't want to turn him over and they haven't turned him over.

Cuba, Ecuador, they will or will not turn them over -- turn him over based on their sense of national self interest. I think the law is definitely a subsidiary concern at this point. This is a matter of power relationships.

ANDERSON: The Ecuadorian and foreign minister who is today in Hanoi, but speaking on this would disagree with you. He's posed a question today, who has betrayed whom, suggesting that the U.S. has betrayed its citizens and these leaks effectively just attributed to a whistle-blower who is just doing his job. He's bona fide.

Gloria, let me bring you in. Let's hear what U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had to say about Snowden earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KERRY, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: What is see is an individuals who threatened this country and put Americans at risk through the acts that he took. People may die as a consequence of what this man did. It is possible the United States will be attacked, because terrorists may now know how to protect themselves in some way or another that they didn't know before. This is a very dangerous act.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: We've heard very little from the U.S. president on all of this. I mean, he spoke earlier on, but effectively said all avenues are being explored and referred questions to the Justice Department. Are you surprised by that?

BORGER: Well, in the middle of this -- you know, this is going on in real- time as we say. So the president cannot put himself out there and level any threats, veiled or not so veiled, about relationships while this is still an ongoing situation.

But at a certain point, of course the president does need to get out there and speak about this. Not only this particular issue, but the larger issue, the debate we've been having in this country about privacy versus security. And I think that's a conversation the president needs to lead.

One of the things they're trying to do in the White House to make the case that John Kerry was just making is have more information declassified so that the American people can actually learn more instances in which this flow of data and the surveillance of this data has actually helped thwart terror attacks. They feel the need to get a little bit more of that out there.

But they don't want to compromise national security, so it's tough.

ANDERSON: Now that is not going to make headlines, any of that, although you're absolutely right to point it out, until the U.S. and others, including us, find where Edward Snowden is.

Just get back to the legalities, finally, tonight Jeffrey. The U.S. revoked his passport at the weekend. Ecuador today -- or sorry, Assange from WikiLeaks today, confirmed that he left Hong Kong on a refugee document of passage, which was issued, we understand by the Ecuadorians.

While we don't know where he is and what he's up to at the moment, what are the U.S. options at this point?

TOOBIN: To be honest, the options really are to ask for the cooperation of the governments that have him.

Now, there is a long tradition of cooperation between governments, even governments with pretty frosty relationships like Russia and the United States these days. They have traded criminal suspects in recent years in spite of the relationship.

But if, as appears likely, Snowden is in Russia, the only way to get him is to have the Russians turn him over and that's the subject of a great deal of diplomatic pressure at this point. But it's ultimately up to the Russians. And the legalities are distinctly secondary to Russian deciding what's in Russia's interest.

ANDERSON: The diplomatic fallout from this could be enormous.

Guys, thank you for that. Jeffrey Toobin and Gloria Borger on the story for you out of Washington this evening. Paula Newton, of course, in Quito.

We have correspondents in Havana. We have a correspondent on the plane that he was supposed to be on. Stick with CNN. We'll keep you up to date on this story.

You're watching Connect the World live from London.

Our top story tonight, where in the world is Edward Snowden? Whistle- blower or traitor depending on your position on his leaking U.S. surveillance data, it seems not even the very intelligence agencies Snowden exposed are able to find him.

What we do know is that he's applied for asylum in Ecuador. Whether he is en route there remains a mystery this hour.

Still to come tonight, the Emir of Qatar gets set to address the nation and make a major announcement.

Plus, a guilty verdict and a strong sentence in a scandalous trial in Italy. What's next for former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi? We'll take you live to Milan a little later this hour.

First, though, as a somber South Africa prays for Nelson Mandela's recovery, we'll go live to Pretoria for an update on his health. That is coming right up after this short break. 90 seconds away. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: You're watching CNN. This is Connect the World with me, Becky Anderson. Just 15 minutes past 9:00 in London for you.

A former South African president Nelson Mandela remains in a critical condition in a Pretoria hospital this hour. The 94-year-old anti-apartheid icon has been hospitalized more than two weeks for a recurring lung infection. On Sunday, officials announced his health had deteriorated.

CNN's Nkepile Mabuse has the latest for you from Pretoria.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NKEPILE MABUSE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Becky, former President Nelson Mandela has been in and out of hospital four times since December last year, but this definitely does feel different. The government of South Africa has never described Nelson Mandela's condition as critical. And you're starting to hear the president, President Jacob Zuma, sounding like a man who is preparing his nation for the worst.

He says that that doctors are trying every single thing possible to help Mr. Mandela recover, but he reminded South Africans that they need to accept that Mr. Mandela is old. He's 94-years-old, due to turn 95 next month. He has had a long list of ailments throughout his life, of course contracting tuberculosis in 1988 while he was imprisoned. And this recovering lung infection has just made his lungs weaker and weaker, and with age the weakness of his immune system has further exacerbated his situation.

Of course, behind me, family members have continued to come to this hospital where he was admitted on the eighth of June. His wife, Graca Machal, has been by his side ever since that day. We've seen his former wife Winnie Mandela come here to visit the former president.

But we are also seeing a number of government officials come to visit him, something that we have not seen before. And you're also hearing South Africans ask questions about how much medical care can they give him to sustain him. People are starting to ask questions. Is he in pain? Is he suffering?

This is a man who spent 27 years fighting for democracy in this country. Many South Africans not wanting him to struggle any longer -- Becky.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: All across the country, understandably a somber mood prevails as South Africa prepares for the worst.

Our Errol Barnett has been speaking to locals gathered outside Nelson Mandela's former home. He filed this report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERROLL BARNETT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORREPSONDENT: Nelson Mandela said this was the center point of his world when he was spending 27 years in prison. It's the small home in Soweto where Nelson Mandela moved with his first wife Evelyn and lived with his second wife Winnie before he had to go into hiding.

It's now become a modest museum. So for South Africans and tourists who are concerned over the critical condition of the former president, it's now become a place to reflect on Madiba's legacy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's lived an absolutely incredible life. And, you know, to be here at this time he's a gift for all the people, for people of South Africa, but for all the world and the vision that he brought to be able to help with the end of apartheid not through violence, but through the openness of his heart.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He fought for a very good cause and helping others and especially black people here in South Africa. So I think that's how he's going to be remembered.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's really, really sad, because the world still needs him. He's the guy who fought for our freedom. Today we're free because of him.

BARNETT: All South Africans can do now is sit and wait patiently for an official update on the health of the Nobel Peace Prize winner. But over the past year, people in this country have come to terms with the possibility of Madiba's passing.

Still, it will be difficult for South Africans to find a replacement for a man considered to be at the moral center of post-apartheid South Africa.

Errol Barnett, CNN, Soweto.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Live from London, this is Connect the World.

Coming up, he's credited with turning a tiny desert nation into a global economic power, but Qatar's emir is getting ready to hand over power. Why? We'll have a live report from Doha up next.

And it's day one of Wimbledon and the big names have started their fight for the trophy. But for one, it is already over. A full update on the tennis tournament later in the show.

90 seconds on this break. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: The small, but influential nation of Qatar appears set for a leadership change. The emir of what is a gas rich Persian Gulf state will reportedly hand over power to his son, the crown prince.

For more, we're joined by CNN's Reza Sayah in Doha.

Reza, at this point, what do we know, what can we confirm?

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORREPSONDENT: Well, we don't know what exactly tomorrow is going to look like, but we know something big is going to happen that has to do with this imminent change in leadership here in Qatar. This is significant news, although not exactly unexpected. Rumors of a possible transfer in leadership here in Qatar started a few years ago, then they really started heating up a few months ago and then really started heating up a few weeks ago. And now today, we've learned that indeed the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khailifa is going to transfer power to his 33-year-old son, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad.

The news came after a meeting between the emir late this afternoon here in Qatar and the royal family. That's when he made the announcement to the royal family. Then word came that tomorrow, 8:00 am local time, the emir would be addressing the nation with what we assume are details of the handover.

The leadership here, the royal family, has also called tomorrow a national holiday. State media reporting that all Qataris will pledge their allegiance to the new emir. So a big day tomorrow.

Again, we don't know, Becky, exactly what it's going to entail, but it looks to be the first step in the transfer of power from the emir to his son, Becky.

ANDERSON: So, we know there is likely a transfer of power. A smooth transition of power would be virtually unique in the region that you are in. Is this a smooth transition?

SAYAH: That's the narrative that this leadership is pushing. They want the world to view this as a smooth, uncontroversial transition of power without any turmoil. Of course this comes at a critical time for Qatar. Over the past 15 years, they've exploded onto the scene. It is an economic and political powerhouse. Huge investments in European countries, especially the UK. Also playing a critical role in places like Syria, firmly backing the rebels there, playing a role in Afghanistan and the conflict there, hosting the Taliban office in imminent peace talks between the Afghan government, Washington and the Taliban.

They don't want this transition of power to be disruptive in that role that they're playing, that's the narrative that they're pushing.

They're also maintaining that there will not be any policy change moving forward. And we'll see what the 33-year-old new emir will do, if anything, to change this country moving ahead, Becky.

ANDERSON: Big day in Doha tomorrow. Reza is on the story for you. Stick with us for more as the day unfolds. Reza Sayah.

Well, Qatar's incoming emir, as Reza suggested, will have to steer his country's foreign policy issues, including how to deal with that ongoing Syrian conflict.

The Persian Gulf state currently backing Syria's rebels, that has caused tension with the Syrian government.

On Monday, Syria's foreign minister slammed a decision by western and Arab countries such as Qatar to arm rebels, saying it would only prolong the conflict.

Well, Syria's government says it will attend peace talks in Geneva, but it doesn't have plans to give up power.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WALID AL-MOALLEM, SYRIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): We will test the ability of those taking part in the dialogue whether they are serious in ending the violence and terrorism on the ground. We are heading to Geneva not to hand over power to the other party. If they have an illusion about the other party, I advise them not to come and join us in Geneva.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, violence from Syria's civil war is undermining security in Lebanon once again. 12 Lebanese soldiers were killed after two days of fighting with Sunni Islamist gunmen in the southern city of Sidon. The violence erupted on Sunday when supporters of a hardline Sunni cleric opened fire on an army checkpoint.

It's one of the worst outbreaks of violence since the start of the Syrian conflict, which has fueled sectarian tensions, as you're well aware, in the country.

Well, Pakistan's new government says it intends to put former President Pervez Mucharraf on trial for treason. The charges relate to Musharraf's decision to declare a state of emergency back in November 2007. Musharraf also suspended Pakistan's constitution, replacing the chief judge and blacked out independent TV outlets.

Well, the retired general has been under house arrest in Pakistan since April.

The latest world news headlines are just ahead. Plus, guilty, that's it the verdict in the sex scandal trial of former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi. We're live in Milan for you. Plus we've got expert opinion on what this ruling may mean for Berlusconi and for Italy.

The Lance Armstrong legacy as the 100th Tour de France begins. We assess whether cycling is ready to move on. That is later this hour.

All that coming up. Your news headlines up first, though.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: This is CONNECT THE WORLD, the top stories for you this hour. A senior White House official says the FBI director made two calls to his Russian counterpart today about the status of this man, Edward Snowden. The former US intelligence contractor may still be in Russia after leaving Hong Kong during the weekend. It is also possible this hour that he is on a flight bound for Cuba. The US wants him extradited to face espionage charges.

Anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela remains in critical condition in a hospital in Pretoria in South Africa. The president, Jacob Zuma, released a somber statement saying doctors are doing everything possible to ensure Mandela's well-being and comfort.

Rain and landslides have limited rescue efforts in India's Himalayan region where up to 1,000 people are feared dead. Bad weather on Monday meant military helicopters used for airlifts and the distribution of aid were grounded.

And a major upset on the opening day of Wimbledon. Former champion Rafael Nadal has been knocked out of the tennis tournament in the first round. The Spaniard lost in straight set to a man called Steve Darcis of Belgium.

All red arrows on this market chart for you, even though US stocks actually managed to halt most of their early slide. Not a great day for the European markets, though, tumbling during a volatile trading session. The global markets have been hit by worries over a possible cash crunch in China and concerns that the US Fed could scale back its economic stimulus.

Silvio Berlusconi has been sentenced to seven years in prison for having sex with an underage prostitute. Now, the former Italian prime minister has also been found guilty of abusing his office to get freed from police custody. Berlusconi has been barred from holding public office, but he can appeal, twice, I believe.

Senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman has been following his story from the Milan courthouse. He joins us, now, live. And just when you think these things are winding up, we out they're not really winding up, they'll go on and on, won't they? Is Berlusconi going to see the inside of a prison cell are this point?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENET: Well, for this case, it's hard to say, because he does have two appeals left, and legal experts say the process could literally take years.

But this is not the only case he's dealing with. He's got a variety of pending legal cases, and the most serious one involves tax evasion and his Mediaset media empire. He's been convicted in that case, he's lost one appeal, and the last appeal comes up later this year, in which case he could very well spend time behind bars, and he could, indeed, be permanently barred from holding public office.

In his favor, however, there is a law that was passed a few years ago that reduces the sentence automatically of anybody over the age of 70. And of course, Mr. Berlusconi, despite his good tan and his dark hair, is 76 years old. So, he may yet spend time in the klinker.

(LAUGHTER)

ANDERSON: All right. He's also been barred from public office. He's got two more appeals, as you rightly point out. Will he take any sort of public office until he gets these appeals sorted out, do we know?

WEDEMAN: Well, he's a member of parliament --

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON: I couldn't --

WEDEMAN: -- and therefore he will -- he continues to hold public office, and until the verdict is finalized, the appeal process is exhausted, he can continue to live as a free man. Don't know if he's going to have any bunga bunga parties in the meantime, but he remains a very public figure with a public office. So, things remain the same until the verdict sticks, Becky.

ANDERSON: All right. Ben Wedeman there in Milan for you this evening. Flamboyant, controversial, influential -- not Ben, the former Italian prime minister I'm talking about -- has faced a string of legal troubles during his long political career. So, I took a long look at the rise and fall of Silvio Berlusconi.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(CROWD SINGING IN ITALIAN)

ANDERSON (voice-over): Scenes of celebration on November the 12th, 2011. Italians had just learned that Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was stepping down. Many blamed their colorful leader for the country's economic woes and were also fed up with the scandals that plagued his 17- year political career.

Since he was first elected prime minister in 1994, Berlusconi has faced allegations of tax fraud, bribery, and paying for sex with an underaged prostitute that have reached the courts.

SILVIO BERLUSCONI, FORMER PRIME MINISTER OF ITALY (through translator): It is absurd to think that I have paid to have a rapport with a woman. It is something that I have never done, not even once in my life. I find it degrading for my dignity.

ANDERSON: In fact, he's always denied every allegation against him, and in some cases, charged were dropped, or he was cleared.

But in October last year, one charge stuck. Berlusconi was convicted of tax fraud. Undaunted, the flamboyant 76-year-old business man has not only launched an appeal, but in December, made two significant announcements: his engagement to 27-year-old Francesca Pascale, and then, his political comeback.

The three-time prime minister appealed to Italian voters by denouncing the unpopular austerity policies of technocrat Mario Monti. For all of his critics, Berlusconi won almost 30 percent of the vote in February and remains an influential figure in Enrico Letta's fragile coalition government.

(CROWD SINGING IN ITALIAN)

ANDERSON: It's a union made all the more uneasy by Berlusconi's ongoing legal fights and staging of rallies like this, where he accused the judiciary of bias, drawing cheers from supporters.

(CROWD CHEERS)

(SINGING IN ITALIAN)

ANDERSON: "President, we are with you," they sing. "Thank goodness Silvio is here."

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: So, let's consider whether there will be any political fallout in Italy over this guilty verdict. We go live, now, to Rome and James Walston, who is political analyst and professor at the American University in Rome. He joins us via Skype this evening.

Ben rightly pointing out, he's got two appeals on this case. This isn't a case that has excited the Italian media as much as it has excited the international media. On a political front, what does it mean?

JAMES WALSTON, PROFESSOR OF POLITICS, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN ROME: In the immediate future, it means absolutely nothing. The -- he and his supporters have all said that they're going to maintain their support and their part of the present government. There are Berlusconi ministers in the government, and that will continue.

But as you've already pointed out, the other case, the tax fraud case, which will come to final judgment -- the court, the supreme court, will declare on that sometime towards the end of the year. And if they confirm the verdict, then he will be four years barred from public office as well as five years in jail.

He's almost certainly not going to go to jail because of his age. But the four-year ban is desperate, because he needs to be in office. He's a senator at the moment, and he wants to stay there, because he has some -- he wants to stay there to maintain control of his party, to maintain control of his economic interests, and because he likes being in power. So, he's not going to give that up very easily.

ANDERSON: Liking being in power is one thing, not needing to leave the political limelight is, of course, another, and Beppe Grillo, who runs the Five Star Movement and gained 25 percent of the vote earlier this year, has also got a conviction from -- this is for manslaughter -- which gives him a permanent bar from holding public office. It doesn't stop him from getting involved in Italian politics, though, does it?

WALSTON: No. Grillo actually was -- he was not barred from public office, but he said that he wouldn't stand for public office because of his conviction.

ANDERSON: Right, right.

WALSTON: And that was part of his appeal as well. No, you can, of course, run a political party without being in parliament. But Berlusconi's different. He's been around for 20 years almost, and he wants to be in the center of power.

He is -- he needs his position to look after his economic interests. And center-right needs him, because otherwise, they fall apart. They would disintegrate, as your biographical clip showed before. They were -- he needed to come back at Christmas in order to bring the center-right together.

So, it's a desperate need on both sides. Berlusconi needs the support of the center-right, and they need him in order to keep together. So --

ANDERSON: I think -- yes, let me just stop you there and just briefly sort of add that we need to point out that he did well -- in fact, very well, didn't he? -- in the elections earlier this year. Does the party -- is the party getting stronger by the day?

People had written him off when in 2011 he was forced out of prime ministerial office and Mario Monti took over, and the guy bounces back and gets some 30 percent of the vote.

WALSTON: Absolutely. No, he did very well considering where he came from. But it was his 30 percent, just under, was 6 million votes less than he had in 2008. So, it was not the great success that some of his supporters suggest.

But he is still a power, and he will continue to be a power -- he has enormous resources. He has an enormous appeal. He's a fighter. You put all of that together and he's going to be around for as long as he wants to unless the supreme court bars him from office.

And even that's not going to be the end of the game, because he will have to go the Senate -- he's a senator at the moment, not a deputy -- and he -- the Senate itself is going to have to decide whether they throw him out. And that could also take months, maybe years. So, we've got Berlusconi on the scene for a long time to come yet.

ANDERSON: Interesting. Good, thank you. Interesting times, as someone once said, in Italy. Live from London, you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. Still to come tonight, the 100th Tour de France is about to begin, but has cycling really gotten over the Lance Armstrong scandal? We're going to try to answer that a little later in the show.

Plus, there's dexterity and then there's Basil Twist. See how he turns puppetry into performance art in tonight's look at the Art of Movement. That up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: A stick figure that can move like a Balanchine dancer. If you're skeptical, wait until you see what my colleague Nick Glass found out at the end of puppeteer Basil Twist's strings. Tonight's Art of Movement is especially animated. Have a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(CLASSICAL MUSIC)

NICK GLASS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It just seemed the instinctive thing to do, to kneel, and to offer an index finger by way of handshake. This is Stick Man, a traditional wooden marionette, long- limbed and beautifully languorous and balletic when he moves.

BASIL TWIST, PUPPETEER: I was into the artist Giacometti at the time when I carved him, so I was into long, skinny figures.

GLASS: From head to toe, Stick Man is about 20 inches high. The master puppeteer controlling his 16 strings goes by the marvelous and real name of Basil Twist. And Twist draws a critical distinction between forcing Stick Man to move in a certain way and animating him naturally.

TWIST: I'm not making him do anything specific. I'm kind of just using what's a natural pendulum action, and I don't care where his legs go. I don't care where they land. And suddenly, he comes alive in a different way than if I'm trying to put the legs someplace.

There's some sort of like freedom in him, just like bouncing. He has this natural pendulum in him, and once you know the weight and can feel it, you can kind of let him do that.

GLASS: It's a small world, theater puppetry, but probably no one is more admired or more inventive than Basil Twist.

Twist's puppet ballet, "Petrushka," created for the Lincoln Center in New York in 2001. These are so-called rod puppets. And at about four foot high, they're pretty big. Each one requires three operators to move the rods attached to the puppets' heads, arms, and legs.

And Twist wanted to test dexterity to the limit. The puppets danced to Stravinsky's score like no other dancers.

TWIST: I wanted things that puppeteers would wonder, how did they do that? Because to make a puppet like that spin, actually, is hard because very -- there's three people holding onto it. So, to make him turn, you actually have to let go of him and re-grip him and pass him around.

GLASS: "Symphonie Fantastique" in 1998 was set in a water tank to music by Hector Berlioz. Things materialized and vanished, were transformed by a quartet of puppeteers working unseen in wet suits. Twist used fabric, feathers, tinsel, dyes, bubbles, anything he felt that worked.

With a fan at his feet playing with a rectangle of white silk in the studio, Basil Twist has helped reinvent the every vocabulary of his art form. Throwing the silk up, caressing it, being enveloped by it, needing it to float and fall. Every ripple, every flutter, is somehow different.

TWIST: That idea of bringing something to life, bringing the inanimate to life, that it has -- and that's -- the essence of that is that it moves, that it moves and that we actually believe that it's moving itself and that it has fear in it.

GLASS (on camera): That's an absolutely entrancing thing.

TWIST: Yes. It's totally entrancing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Remarkable stuff. Coming up after this short break on CONNECT THE WORLD, one of the biggest events on the tennis calendar is now underway, and it has already produced a major upset. We're going to have all the very latest live from Wimbledon for you, up next.

And no safety harness, no room for a mistake, and definitely no turning back. The story of a man who defied fear and walked over the Grand Canyon on a tightrope. Stay with us for that.

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ANDERSON: To the world of sport, now, for you, beginning with tennis, and the opening day of the Wimbledon championship has wrapped up with some of the game's biggest names taking to the court. And one of them is already out. Christina MacFarlane joins us now from the All England Club. Christina, former champion Rafael Nadal is out. I did not see that coming, did you? Did he?

CHRISTINA MACFARLANE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: I don't think anyone here saw that coming, anyone in the world, perhaps, Becky. It's possibly one of the greatest upsets in recent history at Wimbledon.

And more for the reason that he seemed to be in the form of his life coming into this tournament, Becky. He's won seven titles this year alone, and he just won the French Open, of course, just a few weeks ago. And to go out to a seed ranked 135th, well, that's pretty gutting in the opening round of the tournament.

But perhaps, Becky, we should have seen it coming. Remember, last year, he went out in the early stages as well, in the second round, to the Czech Lukas Rosol. But I think today the key takeaway was that he seemed to be struggling with his knee. And as we know, he was out for seven months last year with struggling with that knee injury.

He didn't have anything to say, really, much in his press conference today, just congratulating the opposite player. But I'm sure we'll find out in the days to come exactly what went wrong. And very interesting, it'll be, too, Becky.

ANDERSON: Yes. Steve Darcis, then, this man who is -- well, I mean, once you go over 100th seed, normally we haven't -- we don't know people's names. Steve Darcis is this guy's name who beat him. Where did he come from?

MACFARLANE: Well, I've been finding out all about him as well today, Becky, along with everyone else. Steve Darcis is 29, he's a Belgian, and can I just give you one interesting stat? That there's 54 million dollars separating him in prize money from Rafa Nadal, which is just a tad more than he would like.

Apparently, he's referred to as "the shark" by his family and friends who know him. And I guess now we can see why. However, he's only won two ATP titles in his career. So, today will obviously go down as one of the greatest moments in his career, and I'm sure he'll be enjoying a few champagnes back with his family this evening here in Wimbledon.

ANDERSON: Yes. Well, he might go on to beat, I don't know, Andy Murray or Roger Federer, of course, both in -- having no such troubles and both still in the tournament. How did they do?

MACFARLANE: Yes, both of whom soared through their first rounds today by comparison with very -- with ease. Both players took just three sets to complete their first rounds. Rafa -- Roger Federer, rather, looking like the champion we all know.

He's a seven-time champion here at Wimbledon. He's chasing his record eighth title here at Wimbledon, and if he does that, he'll surpass Pete Sampras, of course.

And Andy Murray, well, all the fans here, obviously the home favorite. If he does it, as he does every year, then he'll become the first Englishman to win here since Fred Perry in 1936. And Becky, call me a biased Brit, but now that Rafa Nadal is out, my money is firmly with Andy Murray.

ANDERSON: Good for you. All right. Well, call me a biased Brit, too. Amanda Davies is sitting here with me.

(LAUGHTER)

ANDERSON: We all hope that's going to happen, but will it? Big question. We'll know in two weeks. Christina, thank you for that. Across the Channel, France preparing for the centennial of its biggest cycling competition. The 100th Tour de France gets underway on Saturday. But there is a big shadow hanging over the Tour after what has been a turbulent 12 months to say the least.

Amanda's with me with more on a man who seems to have single-handedly damaged the reputation of cycling around the world. We're talking Lance Armstrong.

AMANDA DAVIES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, we are. There have been the most incredible revelations that have come out over the last 12 months about Lance Armstrong, talk of institutionalized doping, corruption within the sport.

But I think the feeling really, Becky, is that actually Lance Armstrong has been the very public face of what is actually a much larger problem. And approaching the 100th Tour, this week on CNN, we're running a series called Changing Gear, really looking at what is the real state of cycling now, because a lot of people within the sport say he's of a different generation.

Actually a lot of things have changed. So, the series kicks off today, Monday. Starts with the Legacy of Lance and that confession.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OPRAH WINFREY, FOUNDER, OPRAH WINFREY NETWORK: Yes or no: in all seven of your Tour de France victories, did you ever take banned substances or blood dope?

LANCE ARMSTRONG, FORMER CYCLIST: Yes.

DAVIES (voice-over): Five months on, Lance Armstrong's admission still looms large over cycling. It sealed his fall from grace and left the sport's reputation in the gutter.

DAVIES (on camera): So, at a time when it should be celebrating ahead of the 100th Tour de France, its greatest race, where does the sport of cycling stand now?

BRADLEY WIGGINS, WINNER, 2012 TOUR DE FRANC: Bradley Wiggins, winner of the Tour de France. It's had a tainted history. But I think all that is a reminder as to where the sport was and where it is now.

DAVIES (voice-over): The man who dedicated his life to revealing the truth about Armstrong and was instrumental in his downfall is more guarded.

DAVID WALSH, CHIEF SPORTS WRITER, "SUNDAY TIMES": It's cleaner now than it was during the Armstrong era, but it would be difficult for it not to be. Whether the sport is completely clean now, I don't think it is.

DAVIES (on camera): As world cycling's governing body here in Switzerland, it was the UCI in charge of cycling at possibly its darkest period. And with allegations of collusion and cover-up, the question now is can cycling truly move forward with the same individuals at the helm?

PAT MCQUAID, PRESIDENT, UCI: Pat McQuaid, president of the International Cycling Union.

DAVIES: Did the UCI cover up suspicious samples from Lance Armstrong?

MCQUAID: No.

DAVIES: Did the UCI help Armstrong avoid detection in doping tests?

MCQUAID: Absolutely no.

DAVIES: Were tests altered or covered up?

MCQUAID: Absolutely no.

DAVIES: How can you be sure?

MCQUAID: Because we know -- we've studied -- we know what we've done, and we know we've looked into all of this even since. We have prepared -- a big number of files for the independent commission.

DAVIES (voice-over): We're still waiting for that much-heralded independent review to materialize. And incredibly, whist Armstrong has officially been stripped of his Tour titles, his image and name remain in the UCI's Hall of Fame. But after nearly a decade away, David Walsh is ready to return to the sport's biggest race.

WALSH: I fell now that the Armstrong era has been dealt with, now we can start again, and we can start tentatively believing in some of what we see. And basically, that's why I'm packing.

DAVIES: Back to a sport that's Changing Gear to leave the legacy of Lance behind.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: It may be Changing Gear, but is it clean? Is this a clean sport these days?

DAVIES: That is the big question. The general consensus is that it is moving in the right direction from both sides. Yes, the young generation of riders on the whole want to move this sport forward and want to leave all of this speculation and rumor behind.

The fight to beat the cheats is also improving because of the introduction of the biological passport because of the whereabouts scheme. Riders are tested more than ever. But we saw with positive tests at the Giro D'Italia, people are still trying to cheat. The rewards are still so great. And funny enough, that brings us into tomorrow's package, Beating the Cheats, Becky.

ANDERSON: Good stuff. Thank you. Amanda Davies with you this evening. I'm Becky Anderson, that was CONNECT THE WORLD. Thanks for watching.

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END