Return to Transcripts main page
Connect the World
Zetas Cartel Leader Captured; Japanese Company Develops 3D Printer For Ultrasounds; Britain Waits For Royal Baby
Aired July 16, 2013 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BECKY ANDERSON, HOST : Tonight, drug bust takedown as Mexico arrests the leader of one of the country's most violent drug cartels. What, if anything, does this tell us about the new Mexican government's policy on fighting drugs?
Also ahead, women not welcome, how this exclusive Scottish golf club's male only policy is driving a wedge between fans of the upcoming British Open.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN London, this is Connect the World with Becky Anderson.
ANDERSON: First up tonight, Mexican authorities are on high alert for any rise in violence after dealing a major blow to one of the country's most vicious drug cartels. I want to bring in our correspondent in Mexico City Nick Parker at this point. Troops, Nick, managing to capture the notorious leader of the Zetas overnight without firing a single shot. What more do we know?
NICK PARKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, right now, Becky, I think here in Mexico you could say that the overall event is being hailed as a major military end and intelligence success, removing one of the most reviled and feared and notorious drug lords in the country. Some questions may remain about what will happen to Los Zetas in the future, whether there may be a power vacuum, but certainly the events that led to his apprehension are laudable.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PARKER: Wearing a black shorts-sleeved shirt with no hand-cuffs, Miguel Angel Trevino Morales, reputed leader of the Los Zetas drugs cartel, arrives in Mexico City shortly after his arrest. The alleged drug lord, known by the alias Zeta 40, was captured by Mexican military forces outside Nuevo Laredo near the U.S. border early Monday. A spokesman for Mexico's government revealed details of the pre-dawn attack saying authorities used a helicopter to swoop in and stop Trevino's pick-up truck.
EDUARDO SANCHEZ HERNANDEZ, MEXICAN GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN (through translator): They made the maneuver in the resulted in the truck stopping and three people in the truck were apprehended by personnel on the ground who came to support the navy which had made the detection using the helicopter.
PARKER: Authorities say they found 2 million dollars in cash and eight guns in the truck. Two other men believed to be cartel associates were also arrested. Trevino now faces a slew of charges.
HERNANDEZ (through translator): He's being charged with organized crime, murder, torture, money laundering, carrying firearms exclusively permitted for the armed forces among other charges.
PARKER: Officials called Trevino a brutal killer who liked to plunge his enemies into containers of burning oil and fuel. As leader of Los Zetas, perhaps Mexico's most feared drug cartel, he's linked to some of the most brutal crimes in Mexico's drug war, including several in Tamaulipas State, including the killing of more than 70 migrants on a remote ranch in 2010. The Zetas are also suspected in the 2011 arson attack on a Monterrey casino that left 52 people dead as well as the killing of U.S. immigration agent Jaime Zepeda.
The U.S. had offered a $5 million reward for Trevino's capture. Mexico pledged more than $2 million. The man, known as Zeta 40, is the highest profile drug lord arrested since President Enrique Pena Nieto took office in December.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LU STOUT: All right, that's Nick's report.
Take a closer look at the Zetas area of influence, if you will. Don't forget that the - this is a global demand and supply story here, so far as drugs are concerned. But we're in Mexico tonight, the Zetas highlighted here in red control much of eastern Mexico from the Texas border to the Yucatan Peninsula. While their main rivals, the Zenola (ph) cartel shown here are in blue control much of the west, including the Baja Peninsula.
These two major cartels, and half a dozen other smaller groups are battling for this, what you see is white disputed territory and control of Mexico's drug trade.
Well, Trevino took over the - he took over the Zetas after his previous leader was killed by Mexican troops just eight months ago. So can we expect Trevino to be replaced just as quickly? Well, the number of deaths in Mexico blamed on the drug war is staggering. A recent report from Human Rights Watch estimates that more than 60,000 people were killed in drug related violence from 2006 to 2012. Remember, that was a former administration, the Calderon administration.
So what does this arrest say, if anything, about the drugs policy for this new president and his government? Well, let's bring in Mexico's ambassador at large Andres Rozental. In fact, let's do that after this short break, shall we?
We're going to take a very short break for you. Still to come here on Connect the World.
That, and...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICARDO MARTINELLI, PANAMANIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The captain initially suffered what seemed to be a heart attack, then he tried to commit suicide.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: A shock on board when Panama authorities discovered exactly what was hidden on a boat. You, too, may be surprised.
Plus, the Duchess of Cornwall on when the royal baby will arrive. What she had to say as the world waits.
And in Syria, new concerns over who is planning to take up arms in the country's conflict. You're 90 seconds away. Do stay with us. This is Connect the World. I'm Becky Anderson. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Let's get you some other news at this point. Eight minutes past 9:00 in London.
I'm Becky Anderson.
Authorities in Panama got more than they bargained for when they stopped and searched a ship bound for North Korea. Now that vessel began its journey in Cuba and was being inspected for drugs. But instead, officials say military equipment was found hidden inside a cargo of brown sugar.
The president of Panama says the haul of weapons contains parts of a missile.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICARDO MARTINELLI, PANAMANIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We faced great resistance from the ship's captain and the 35 crew members. The captain initially suffered what seemed to be a heart attack, then he tried to commit suicide. After steering the ship to the port of Manzanillo, I noticed that when emptying one of the ship's five compartments there was - in this case I did not see all the containers, but we assume that there are more that have the materials that you just filmed.
There is what appeared to be military equipment, ballistics, I'm not sure.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, as CNN's Ian Lee reports, it's not the first time such weapons have been found on a North Korean ship. Have a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IAN LEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was a brazen move by the North Koreans. A North Korean flagship in the United States backyard allegedly hauling missiles from Cuba back home.
Panama authorities stopped the ship after reports it was carrying drugs. The crew of 35 resisted, and the captain allegedly tried to commit suicide. If it's discovered to be missiles, then that's a clear violation of the United Nations' ban on the North importing and exporting most weapons. Panama has asked the U.N. to send a team to inspect the weapons.
This isn't the first time North Korean ships have been stopped. In 2009, the Indian government stopped a suspicious looking ship. And in 2002, Spanish warships stopped a ship hauling cement sacks. But hidden beneath those sacks were scud missiles and missile parts.
Ian Lee, CNN, Seoul.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: All right. Well, fugitive U.S. intelligence leaker Edward Snowden has formally applied for temporary asylum in Russia. He had been holed up at a Moscow airport as you'll probably be well aware for the past three weeks awaiting safe passage to Latin America.
So far, he's been offered asylum in Venezuela and Bolivia, but he needs a temporary place to stay until he can work out how to get there.
Our Phil Black has the very latest for you from Moscow.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The lawyer that is helping Edward Snowden negotiate Russia's asylum laws says Snowden chose to apply for temporary asylum because it is a faster, more streamlined process. He says he should have a definite answer in less than three months, and that decision will be made by one government department. If he was applying for permanent asylum, other departments would be involved and ultimately the decision would be made officially by Russia's president.
There is another key point, and it has the potential to dramatically and quickly alter Edward Snowden's quality of life. His lawyer says that now he has applied, he should receive a document, a permit that will finally allow him to leave the transit zone of Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport and enter Russia officially while his asylum application is being considered.
After more than three weeks at that facility, he could be leaving it within just a few days.
We ask Snowden's lawyer what Snowden will be doing next.
ANATOLY KUCHERENA, LAWYER (through translator): As far as I know, he is planning to stay in Russia to learn the Russian culture, Russian language and live here. I gave him a Russian grammar book when I met him and he was very happy and said it was the first present he's received in Russia.
BLACK: If his application is approved, he'll be allowed to stay for a year. At the end of that time, he can apply to stay longer. And this official status will give him all the same rights as a Russian citizen - to move freely, to travel if he likes. As part of his application, Snowden has promised once again he will stop criticizing the United States and its electronics surveillance programs.
Phil Black, CNN, Moscow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: All right.
And we are monitoring what is supposed to be a live webchat between Julian Assange, who is of course the founder of WikiLeaks, and those in the ethernet - those out there in social media - assuming that he's going to say something about this Edward Snowden case, given they've been supporting him through this last three weeks.
We're monitoring Twitter. And when we get more on that, we will of course bring it to you.
We'll get you back to our headline story tonight. Mexican authorities on alert for any rise in violence after dealing what they consider, at least, a major blow to one of the country's most vicious drug cartels. Troops manage to capture the notorious leader of the Zetas overnight without firing a single shot.
The man's name is Trevino. He took after the Zetas after its previous leader was killed by Mexico troops just eight months ago. Can we expect him to be replaced just as quickly? And if so, what lasting impact will Trevino's capture really have on the drug war?
I want to bring in an important guest for you tonight, Ambassador at- large Andres Rozental. He's previously served as deputy foreign minister. And perhaps in that capacity, we can interrogate what you might know and how you might perceive this story tonight.
During your time, at least, as deputy foreign minister, do you remember anything like the arrest that we've seen tonight? Just how important is this guy?
ANDRES ROZENTAL, FRM MEXICAN DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER: I think, Becky, he's very important, because he was leading the most vicious and the most violent of all of the organizations here in Mexico. And the fact that President Pena Nieto started his administration saying that he would be giving priority to going against those who were committing crimes against Mexicans and those who are sewing violence in the country, this is a major coup. It's a major coup for him. And it's a major coup for the authorities.
ANDERSON: You make a very good point there, because he specifically didn't talk about a war on drugs when he took over from President Calderon. So I'm interested to see that you see this as a major coup for an administration which rightly perhaps said it's going to go after those who are making life difficult for Mexicans.
He said he would go after criminals, those who were kidnapping people in Mexico. He by no means made a specific comment about what he was going to do so far as drug lords are concerned.
So what does this really tell us about the new president war on drugs if, indeed he has, when - or could this just be a very convenient arrest at this point?
ROZENTAL: Well, convenient, I'm sure it is for the administration, but I think it falls very much in line with what he announced from the beginning of this administration, which is that the priority would go towards the criminals that were affecting the daily lives of Mexicans. And the Zetas...
ANDERSON: Hang on - let me stop you there. I just want to stop you there for our international viewers. Sorry. With respect, sir, for our international viewers the business of the drug cartels, I think you and I would agree if we were sitting in this room tonight, doesn't it necessarily affect the day to day business of your average Mexican? Crime, kidnapping, poverty does, but these drug cartels is a bigger issue, aren't they? They're outside of the world of politics.
ROZENTAL: But that's exactly what the Zetas represented. They do do drug cartel business, but their other business, the most important part of their business, were the kidnappings, the extortions, the smuggling and the other things which do affect the daily lives of the Mexicans who are near where they are up at the border with the United States.
ANDERSON: If the U.S. or will the U.S. have been involved in this arrest? Tell me.
ROZENTAL: There's no indication yet officially from the government that there was U.S. involvement. The U.S. government has congratulated the Mexican authorities on this apprehension, but I'm sure that given the collaboration that exists, that has existed and continues to exist between the authorities of Mexico and the United States. Undoubtedly, some intelligence from the U.S. side may well have been used to find out his whereabouts and to find the moment to apprehend him when there wouldn't be major bloodshed.
ANDERSON: And by no means belittling the capture of a man that neither you nor I want to see on the streets of any major city in any part of the world given his business.
How quickly, though, will he be replaced? Does this do anything to damage the operations of what are these incredibly powerful drug cartels in Mexico tonight?
ROZENTAL: My opinion, and it's an opinion, I can't vouch for what will happen, but my opinion is that the Zetas have been fairly badly hit, not only because of Trevino Morales' apprehension yesterday, but also because of just a few months ago of the same navy authorities that apprehended him, killed his predecessor, and I would assume that a good number of the leadership of the Zetas have either been incarcerated or have been killed. So this may be a watershed. And it may be the moment in which the Zetas are dismembered as a major force, but it's difficult to say.
All of these organizations have their hierarchical structures. There's talk that his younger brother might take over. But we'll just have to see. It's difficult to know whether this will be a lasting change in terms of this particular group.
ANDERSON: Sir, it's a pleasure having you on. We do very much appreciate your analysis here tonight, a man who knows his business tonight for you. You're expert on the subject saying this could be a watershed, at least for the Zetas as a force in Mexican drug cartels. But that actually plays or not.
Well, the Muslim Brotherhood is refusing to recognize Egypt's new interim government, calling it, and I quote, illegitimate.
35 member cabinet was sworn in today, less than two weeks after the military ousted president Mohamed Morsy. As Reza Sayah tells us, Egypt's bitter divide over the coup has turned deadly once again.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Becky, if anyone thought the political crisis here in Egypt was over, all they have to do is look at the events overnight here. And it's clear that it's not over. Thousands of the supporters of the ousted President Mohamed Morsy back on the street demonstrating again. We didn't see huge numbers. We didn't see millions of people out demonstrating. But there were significant numbers of demonstrators not just here in Cairo, but in cities like Alexandria and Asiut (ph).
Their position is that Mr. Morsy is still the legitimate president of this country. In parts of Cairo, things did get violent, at least seven killed according to official and more than 260 people injured.
Despite the ongoing conflict, the interim government pushing forth with establishing a new cabinet. More than 30 new ministers sworn in on Tuesday before the interim president Adly Mansour. Most of these new ministers are viewed as liberals and moderates and technocrats. There are several women who are part of this cabinet.
Missing from the cabinet, representatives of Islamist factions, in the Muslim Brotherhood. Of course, the interim government says they have reached out to the Brotherhood, inviting them to take part in this cabinet. The brotherhood's position is this entire process is illegitimate. Again, they still insist that the legitimate leader of this country is Mohamed Morsy - Becky.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Stay with CNN. More on Egypt as and when we get it. You can imagine we are monitoring the situation with a number of reporters there. And they will keep you bang up to date on exactly what is going on.
This is Connect the World live from London. I'm Becky Anderson.
Coming up, as more shocking numbers come out of Syria, I'm going to speak to the UN about what seems to be the world's unstoppable war.
And for expectant parents who can't wait to meet their baby, and there is one here certainly in the UK as we speak, there is a fascinating way to get a sneak peak. That next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: The Duchess of Cornwall says she is hoping for a royal baby by the end of the week. Max Foster has the very latest from outside the London hospital where the new prince, or princess is expected to be born.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAX FOSTER, CNN ROYAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With the royal baby due any moment now, all eyes are on the Lindo (ph) wing of St. Mary's Hospital in west London, where the duchess of Cambridge is expected to give birth to the prince or princess. Throngs of media from around the world have flocked across the street, waiting for any sign that labor has commenced. The duchess of Cornwall expects delivery this week.
CAMILLA, DUCHESS OF CORNWALL: We're all waiting near the telephone.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I gather -- I know everybody's camped outside whichever (ph)...
CAMILLA: I think so. I think so.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we wish you all well.
CAMILLA: I think by the end of the week he or she will have been born (ph).
FOSTER: The speculation about where Kate is spending the final days of her pregnancy. This weekend she avoided the sweltering city heat and was believed to be staying with her family in Bucklebury Berkshire (ph) while William was playing polo. If she stays there, it will take her at least an hour to get to the hospital in London. Kate's home in London, Kensington Palace, is only a 10-minute ride from hospital, five minutes under police escort. Once the duchess has safely snuck into the maternity unit, the media will be informed via e-mail.
MARGARET RHODES, QUEEN ELIZABETH'S COUSIN: I think in this particular day and age, far more emphasis is placed on it by the press and the general public than was ever happened before. When the queen mother had Princess Elizabeth, I very much doubt that there was this sort of element of excitement in the country.
FOSTER: But there's no doubt that the arrival of this royal baby has the world waiting with baited breath.
Max Foster, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, let's face it, few arrivals have this sort of attention surrounding them, do they? But did you know how they used to make sure a future monarch was not switched at birth, or how Prince William's birth was made history? Well, these are just two examples of five things you may not know about royal babies - well, probably not anyway.
Get the answers and some more trivia at CNN.com/RoyalBaby. Well, as the royal due date approaches, CNN speaks with friends and families of the parents to be to get gain more insight about the arrival of what is this headline grabbing first born child, that's Will and Kate + 1. See it Saturday 9:00 in the morning in London, 10:00 in Berlin right here on CNN.
Well, it's not uncommon for couples who are expecting to have ultrasound photos made, keep them as mementos, but a Japanese company is taking it one step further. It's using 3D technology to make models of baby's faces while they are still in the womb. Diana Magnay filed this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DIANA MAGNAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Little Kyusuke (ph) is two months old, but when he was born his family already knew what he'd look like from this 3D printout of his face made when he was in the womb.
KYOKO AIZAKA, MOTHER (through translator): When we did it, I was eight months pregnant so he already had a human shape and baby face. I wonder how I would have felt if I'd seen him earlier in my pregnancy?
MAGNAY: What do you think of that?
Just a little kiss.
AIZAKA (through translator): She likes the printout, so she would pull it out sometimes and look at it. And she'll start telling people we met that there was a baby in my belly.
MAGNAY: Tokyo based medical engineering firm Fasotec experimented with printouts of the entire fetus based on MRI scans, but because of possible risks of MRI during pregnancy, now they're sticking with models of just the face using standard ultrasound scans.
TOMOHIRO KINOSHITA, FASOTEC: What's amazing about this technology is if you bring your body and you do a scanning we can make whatever that's in the scanning screen.
MAGNAY: So doctors can practice before they operate.
KINOSHITA: So this is the tumor.
MAGNAY: Know the exact location of a growth in a kidney.
Printed bones where the texture inside is just like the real thing.
That's what the inside of my bone feels like?
KINOSHITA: Yes.
MAGNAY: Oh my god.
But there are no real medical reasons why having your baby's head printed out would matter?
KINOSHITA: No. It's more of a memento.
MAGNAY: Nostalgic. For your pregnancy. I don't know why people would be nostalgic for their pregnancy, but anyway.
A memento that will set you back some $500, one that's a lot more durable than a photo.
Diana Magnay, CNN, Tokyo.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Right. I want to get you bang up to date on something that's just coming out on the markets as we speak. It's a big story. Tech giant Yahoo has just posted its second quarter results after the market closed. It reported net revenue of a little over a billion dollars, that is slightly down from last year.
This is a report card of sorts for the CEO Marissa Mayer who is trying to reverse the company's fortunes. And she's been in pretty good shape, it's got to be said. She's not got a bad job, certainly, in her first six months. So the stock price soaring more than 70 percent since she took the helm a year ago. We're going to get live report, though, on those numbers as they come in. And there will be an analyst meeting. We'll get a phone call on that. And we will obviously be on that call and get you a sense of exactly what these numbers mean.
But the Yahoo results, the latest results are just out. As we say a scorecard on the lady effectively you see on your screen. It's not me. The CEO of Yahoo. And as we get more on those numbers, we will bring them to you.
The latest world news headlines just ahead, plus the man behind shocking new numbers out of Syria. I'll be speaking live to the UN assistance secretary-general for human rights.
Also ahead, why this CEO says you shouldn't always be looking for the next rung on the ladder.
Taking a swing at male only golf membership. A debate on whether in this day and age, single sex clubs really shouldn't be putted into history? (inaudible) partisan? It is, possibly? Back after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD, I'm Becky Anderson for you. The top stories this hour here on CNN.
The leader of one of Mexico's most powerful and feared drug cartels is now in police custody and facing a long list of charges. Miguel Angel Trevino Morales was captured early on Monday near the US border. He's the leader of the Zetas cartel, a group known for its ruthless violent acts.
Authorities in Panama have seized a North Korean ship traveling from Cuba through the Panama Canal. They were tipped to search the ship for drugs but instead found military equipment hidden in a cargo of brown sugar. The president of Panama says the seizure contains parts of a missile. Just coming into CNN on this story, US officials looking into whether Cuba was sending a missile radar back to North Korea for an upgrade.
Fugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden has applied for temporary asylum in Russia. If it's granted, Snowden would be able to stay for up to a year. The former security contractor has been hiding in a Moscow airport, as you will be well aware, for three weeks.
Egypt's interim president has sworn in a new cabinet of 35 ministers, but the Muslim Brotherhood quickly rejected it as illegitimate. Supporters of deposed president Mohamed Morsy remain defiant a day after clashes left seven dead and more than 250 wounded.
Also coming into CNN, Asiana Airline spokesman has told CNN's Kyung Lah that the victims have filed a lawsuit against Boeing and the airline. The plane crashed at San Francisco Airport on Saturday, July the 6th. Three people were killed.
US stocks have backed off record highs, the Dow, NASDAQ, and S&P 500 all dipping slightly, closing in the red. You can see the Dow off about a fifth of one percent, the NASDAQ a quarter of one percent, the S&P just a little more. Trading, though, fairly light as many investors really not involved in the market today, waiting for a key Federal Reserve meeting on Wednesday. Always interesting to see what the Fed says about rates.
More importantly, perhaps, at this hour, shares of Yahoo! in after- hours trade are sinking slightly after the tech giant announced quarterly earnings. CNN's -- CNN Money's David Goldman live in New York with the details.
And this is very much a report card on Marissa Mayer, who is the relatively new CEO to Yahoo! What are the numbers and why are we seeing a slight sink on the share price at this point?
DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN MONEY CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so, Yahoo! reported earnings per share of 35 cents, that was a little bit better than analysts had anticipated, and their revenue was a little bit worse than anticipated, just over $1 billion.
This is, like you said, Marissa Mayer's first year on the job. Actually, tomorrow is her anniversary. And she's made a number of acquisitions, but what's really important is that their core business, display advertising, is sinking.
And nothing that she's done so far has changed the story at Yahoo! which is that the company -- the company is sick, advertising revenues are sinking, and it really, really needs to figure out what its strategy is to go forward and get those numbers pointing in the right direction.
ANDERSON: All right, OK. So, we're only seeing a slight move on these shares, slightly down, so let's sort of keep this in context. But what you're effectively suggesting tonight is that honeymoon period is over.
To a certain extent, it was a pretty long honeymoon period for Ms. Mayer, who went in when many people said this wasn't a company that was going anywhere. She's done a pretty good job with it, hasn't she?
GOLDMAN: Well, that's -- we have to see what turns -- what the effect of all these new companies that she's purchased, what that turns out to be. Now, she's bought 16 of them and she's reformed the corporate culture, she's made a big splash by repurchasing a number of shares after the company sold its stake in Alibaba.
So, there are all -- these are all reasons why the stock had been up about 75 percent over the past 12 months. But one thing to keep in mind is that now that that share purchasing has stopped, that honeymoon period might be ending pretty quickly, because now the stock is going to be based on the fundamentals of the company.
Now, you're right that this had been largely expected, that no one was expecting a huge surge in earnings or in revenue, so we need to cut Marissa Mayer maybe a little bit of slack, but the fundamentals of the company are still not as strong as investors --
ANDERSON: Yes, all right.
GOLDMAN: -- are probably hoping.
ANDERSON: I think you're right to say cut her a bit of slack. And there's no volume in the market, it's got to be said. We're into a holiday season. Thank you for that. Buy on the rumors, sell on the facts is what they always say.
I mean, if you consider just how fast this company's shares have run up, if you get a statement like we've had tonight, it's no real surprise that you might see a dip on those shares if for no other reason than investors who are investing in the market, buying and selling shares will tell you they may be taking some profits. Thank you, sir.
Well, the United Nations has revealed a shocking new figure from Syria's civil war. The assistant secretary general for human rights says - - and get this -- 5,000 people are being killed each month. Do you know 5,000 people, and if you do, they're all being killed every month.
I'm not sure how we are more emphatic about it than that, but it's a pretty horrific number, isn't it? In addition, the UN says the war has created the worst refuge crisis since the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
Syrian's UN ambassador disputes those figures. Meanwhile, video of new government airstrikes has surfaced on YouTube. These pictures reportedly showing an attack on the southwestern city of Daraa. Well, joining me now is the man behind those numbers, Ivan Simonovic, who is the UN assistant secretary general for human rights, joining us -- joining us now.
In your briefing to the Security Council this morning, you said more than 5,000 people are dying within Syria each month. My problem, and many of our viewers' problem with that is not that those numbers are horrific, which they are, but how do you know that, given that we've got so few boots on the ground who can actually collate these sort of numbers?
IVAN SIMONOVIC, UN ASSISTANT SECRETARY GENERAL FOR HUMAN RIGHTS: In fact, we are gathering evidence from different sources. We compile them together and, unfortunately, the number is accurate. We are losing 5,000 lives monthly.
So far, we could confirm with name, surname, place of death, and time of death, over 93,000 persons until the end of April. Unfortunately, now it's quite obvious that it's more than 100,000 of them. And the number of victims is increasing.
ANDERSON: So, you must be as frustrated as anybody else by the international community, perhaps the Gulf region, what we call the West, generally, this -- incapacity to come to a sort of agreement about what should happen next in Syria.
Because at this point, it seems to be the civil war that people are sort of forgetting about, to a certain extent. And as you say, 5,000 deaths a month? That is atrocious.
SIMONOVIC: Trying to achieve balance of powers between the government troops and rebels is costing 5,000 people monthly. The influx of arms and of fighters from outside are contributing to the death toll.
ANDERSON: Right. So, what should happen next.
SIMONOVIC: Well, hopefully, the governments could extend the influence to stop the influx of arms and of fighters, and then the secretary-general issued a call for a cease fire on Ramadan.
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: But sir, nobody --
SIMONOVIC: What I'm afraid of --
ANDERSON: Hang on a minute, sir. Hang on a minute, sir. Nobody can choose sides at this point because they don't trust anybody.
SIMONOVIC: What I'm afraid of is that ahead of political negotiations, which are being postponed constantly, we will have an increase of fighting and increased death toll. We have faced that in former Yugoslavia when the death toll was highest ahead of political negotiations.
Instead of that, we need negotiations on humanitarian access. That would be something paving the way for political negotiations.
ANDERSON: All right, sir, we thank you very much, indeed, for sparing your time for us this evening on a story which really, quite frankly, should be making the headlines every single day. The numbers are ridiculous.
Live from London, you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD, I'm Becky Anderson. Next, this week's Leading Woman reveals the pivotal moments that got her to the top.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, this week on Leading Women, a top executive was inspired by other women, she tells us, that she met at MIT to strive for what is -- or was -- the coveted corner office. Today, Ilene Gordon is one of only a handful of female chief executives to run a Fortune 500 company. My colleague Poppy Harlow has her story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We're in Chicago, and Ilene Gordon is headed to work as chairman, president, and CEO of Ingredion, the multibillion-dollar company that makes food additives like starches and corn syrup.
HARLOW (on camera): You really faced headwinds against the backlash against high fructose corn syrup, and there was really this sort of public perception change. You had to really change the company.
ILENE GORDON, CHAIRWOMAN, PRESIDENT, AND CEO, INGREDION: Well, actually, absolutely. Now, of course, it's a -- it is a perception problem and high fructose and sugar are really the same dynamic. So, we've made acquisitions and we've diversified away from that and really grown the company with modified starches.
The big transactions are picking up.
HARLOW (voice-over): Under her leadership, Ingredion has grown.
GORDON: On the day I started at Ingredion, our stock was trading at $25 a share. Today, the stock is well over $60 a share.
HARLOW: Her job is global, as was her path here.
GORDON: Well, we're a very global company with over 11,000 people. So, really, my job entails not only running the company from our Chicago base, but really getting out into the field and to our 40 different factories.
HARLOW (on camera): What do you think, Ilene, are some of the most pivotal moments or pivotal decisions you've made that have led you here.
GORDON: In the mid-70s, I volunteered to move to London. So, I lived internationally and operated with global customers. So, that was a pivotal point, to really see the rest of the world and what the challenges were and to be a young woman.
HARLOW (voice-over): As was her time at MIT, where she was outnumbered 18 to 1 by men.
GORDON: I met these incredible women that were going to be lawyers, doctors, and PhDs in nutrition science, and it really influenced me.
HARLOW: Gordon says she went against the grain early on.
GORDON: I think it's important that women take on opportunities to run business, and manufacturing was a place where there were no women, and so that -- I tended to go where -- as a pioneer, where nobody had been.
HARLOW: It eventually led her to her first CEO role, heading up Alcan packaging in Paris. That's when she finally felt she'd made it.
GORDON: It was a great opportunity to be a global CEO of a $6.5 billion company, and I said, I'll take it and I'll figure it out.
HARLOW (on camera): You've said it's a mistake to always be looking towards what's next in your career. Why?
GORDON: I think it's very important to really enjoy every position you're in and to understand what's the challenge, what are the goals. But the question should be, what skills do I need to get to the next level --
HARLOW: Right.
GORDON: -- not when are you going to give me that job.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: And coming up after this short break on CONNECT THE WORLD, debating women's place in golf. Up next, we're live with a former British Open winner. That next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Right. Well, the royal baby, which is due any moment, could grow up to become a member of the exclusive Honorable Company of Edinburgh Golfers at Muirfield. But if the Duke and Duchess have a girl, there's no way.
Muirfield, along with two other courses that will host this week's Open championship in Scotland only allow male members. Women can only play if they've been invited by a man. Here's what former Open winner Vivien Saunders recently had to say about the issue.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VIVIEN SAUNDERS, FOUNDER, LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR: If you had a club that said no blacks, no Jews, no disabled, they would think it was horrific, but to say no women, they seem to think is acceptable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Ask some of the world's top female pro golfers and you get a mix of opinion, interestingly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAURA DAVIES, GOLF PROFESSIONAL: It would be nice in this day and age to think that they would go, "Aren't we being a bit ridiculous?" And invite ladies in.
MICHELLE WIE, GOLF PROFESSIONAL: Oh, it would be great. You only hear about these golf courses, and it would just be awesome to have an event there. I would just -- it would just be a great honor.
STACEY LEWIS, WORLD NUMBER ONE: I don't think it's insulting. I just -- I just think it's history and there's a tradition there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Stacey Lewis with her thoughts. Golf fans out there will remember the home of the Masters used to be pretty controversial. In 2012, Augusta National Club admitted its first female members, 2012, last year, one of them being the former US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice, a big deal, given the membership had been male only since its opening in 1932.
So, in 2013, really, is it time to end this old boy mentality for good? Well, Vivien Saunders, who you saw in that last report, says yes. She's the founder of the women's PGA and European Tour.
Also with me tonight, Simon Sheppard, who says no, clubs should do what they like. Simon is club secretary of Sunningdale Ladies Golf Club, interestingly, which took more than a century for men to be admitted as members. So, sir, look at me when I'm talking to you, thank you.
(LAUGHTER)
ANDERSON: What a remarkable position for you to be in. Are you agreeing that Muirfield should retain it's men-only tradition in 2013? I do think you come from an interesting background, of course.
SIMON SHEPPARD, SUNNINGDALE LADIES GOLF CLUB: Well, first let me put you right on one thing.
ANDERSON: Right.
SHEPPARD: Sunningdale Ladies has admitted men for more than 100 years --
ANDERSON: Why?
SHEPPARD: -- as associate members.
ANDERSON: Oh, as associate members, OK.
SHEPPARD: But it is only recently since the Equality Act that the men do now have full equality at the club --
ANDERSON: Right.
SHEPPARD: -- and a vote. So --
ANDERSON: The men, quite frankly, they're not as good as the women, so --
SHEPPARD: No.
ANDERSON: -- so the women think, we'll let them in because we're going to beat them anyway.
SHEPPARD: Not at all.
(LAUGHTER)
SHEPPARD: Not at all.
ANDERSON: I'm being facetious. You do, though, think that there is still an argument to say gender-only clubs, right? Why?
SHEPPARD: Well, first of all, let me put on record that I'm totally in support of equality. But I do also believe in freedom of association and the right of a private club to determine its own future.
ANDERSON: Right.
SHEPPARD: And if that's what they so wish to do, that's entirely up to them.
ANDERSON: If you --
SHEPPARD: And I have to emphasize as well that I'm not a spokesman for either the RNA or Muirfield.
ANDERSON: OK.
SHEPPARD: This is a private opinion.
ANDERSON: OK, thank you for that. You raised your hand as he said "private members club."
SAUNDERS: Yes. Now, this is the thing. As Simon says, a private members club. And this is what it's all about, the law is saying that you can have a single-sex club if it is a private members club, all right? What is somewhere like Muirfield? Is it a private members club?
ANDERSON: Right.
SAUNDERS: Because they like to think they are, but when this Open championship is over, they open the doors and you and I can go and play there for about 250 pounds a throw. Is this a private members club?
ANDERSON: Yes.
SAUNDERS: Because when we think the private members club, what we actually think of is something that shuts the doors and it's only for members and their guests, all right? And this is the thing with Muirfield, this is a big, big business open to anybody that wants to come and play.
ANDERSON: The RNA told CNN in April that club rules don't count during the championship, and I'm talking about the Open, here, of anybody's who's British here would never deign to call this the British Open, it is The Open.
SHEPPARD: Thank you.
ANDERSON: Quote: "A minority of clubs that stage the Open are same- gender, and club rules are suspended for the duration of the championship." That, quite frankly, I would understand.
But in 2013, we know that we still live in a world where in quite a lot of places around the world, there are gender-only clubs, there are white-only clubs, there are clubs that don't accept Jewish people. Does golf not really need to move on and set some sort of precedent? Where are we here?
SHEPPARD: Well, let's just look at the UK. There are some 3,000 clubs in the UK, and they're all different in their own way, and they cover a complete spectrum. I've worked in about half a dozen clubs, both in the UK and abroad, and all of them are different in some way or in another. And every club, of course, thinks it's unique, its own club is unique.
ANDERSON: But no club --
(CROSSTALK)
SHEPPARD: But there is a --
ANDERSON: -- should discriminate, surely, sir.
SHEPPARD: But there is a huge spectrum of clubs, and clubs that are single-sex do not discriminate. You can only discriminate if you have a dual-sex club. If it's single-sex, you're not discriminating.
(LAUGHTER)
SAUNDERS: Yes. This is --
ANDERSON: Pick this up, right.
SAUNDERS: This is right. If something is a non-profit-making private members club, technically it can discriminate. But in everything else other than golf, when you say something is a non-profit-making private members club, that doesn't mean that they open the door, because Simon is at Sunningdale Ladies. Next door to Simon is Big Sunningdale.
Now, perhaps it would be wrong for me to say that Sunningdale took 1.3 million pounds in green fees. Perhaps it would be wrong. Perhaps I shouldn't say it. But is this a private members club? No, it's not. It's a very big business.
And that's where golf is so ridiculous, because we say, oh, it's a private members club, ho ho. It's not. They're big businesses, and this is the problem with Muirfield.
ANDERSON: I think it would -- it did seem to be absolutely incredible that in Augusta or at Augusta, the rules had to be changed -- what was it? -- only 18 months or so ago. I know the rules were changed to allow people of color to play there only in 1990.
What is it about golf which allows clubs to continue what to me seems like a sort of -- three or four generations ago, a sort of archaic nonsense?
SAUNDERS: Well it is, isn't it? But I -- a lot of the men playing golf at these clubs in the UK, they've got a kind of strange relationship with women. They've started out, some of them, with a nanny. They've gone onto public school and they probably had a lady there who's look after --
ANDERSON: Now, Simon, defend yourself here.
SAUNDERS: -- and then they've gone to Oxford or Cambridge and had the lady who makes the beds and things, and then they've got their wife. They have quite a strange attitude towards women.
But the funniest one is the Royal and Ancients, right? Because they've always had the president of the United States Golf Association has always been made a member of the RNA until it was a woman, and they gave her a diamond broach.
(LAUGHTER)
SAUNDERS: Golf is very, very strange.
ANDERSON: I'm going to have to take a very short break. I'd love to continue this, but I thank you very much, both of you, for being on with us this evening. As we've just said, it's not just a men issue. The ladies - - oh, I don't know, let's forget about this. We're done.
And update now on a story that we've been following, the death of American actor Cory Monteith, I'm afraid. He was best-known for his role in the hit series "Glee."
Staffers at a hotel in Vancouver, we're just getting into CNN in Canada, found his body in his room Saturday. Monteith was 31. A coroner's report just out moments ago found that he died of what they called a mixed- drug toxicity, including heroine and alcohol. More on this in the hours ahead.
The two of you, I thank you very much, indeed, for joining us. It's been a good hour here on CNN, a very busy one. I'm Becky Anderson, that was CONNECT THE WORLD, this is CNN. The channel continues, but from the team here, it's a very good evening.
END
