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Connect the World
Detroit Files For Bankruptcy; Royal Baby Watch; Russian Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny Released On Bail
Aired July 19, 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: Live from Buckingham Palace, it is the great Kate wait. Speculation is rife, the royal baby could come at any moment now as the world's media camped outside the London Hospital remains on standby.
Also this hour, rival rallies in Cairo. I'll speak live to the EU envoy trying to bring both sides together.
And how fashion giant Top Shop is joining the fight to end modern-day slavery.
Well, with each passing day, the anticipation builds just a little bit more, doesn't it? And this evening, Britain's royal baby watch is in high gear. The Duchess of Cambridge is expected to give birth any time now. The world's press on high alert and the rumor mill reaching fever pitch as reporters wrangle for any clues that they - we can get.
Max Foster joining me at St. Mary's hospital outside Buckingham Palace tonight.
First, though, let's go to Kate Williams who is here with me outside Buckingham Palace. A royal watcher, probably has forgotten more about the royal family than we will ever know.
This is a question of if, of course, not when. But its' been an awfully long wait, hasn't it, for us?
KATE WILLIAMS, LECTURER, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON: It's been a long wait, Becky. I think a lot of people in the world are kind of feeling what it must be like to be pregnant now, just waiting for that baby and, you know, I can't think of anything else to do, because what the problem is, is we haven't had an exact due date. If we know exact due date issued. Kate herself said it was going to be mid-July. So we guessed about the 15th, 16th. But it's possible that she hasn't even hit her due date yet. We just don't know.
What we do know is that Camilla has said herself she hoped it's going to be the end of the week. So far, she hasn't had much luck. And that the queen also told a little girl this week who said to her would you like a boy or a girl. She said I don't mind, but I want a baby to hurry up, because I want to go on holiday. So the queen says that the baby must get here -- and the queen cannot disobey her.
ANDERSON: Now of course the queen does spend some time here. We know tonight that she's not here at Buckingham Palace, because the royal insignia isn't flying. That doesn't mean, though, that she's left to go on holiday as of yet. One assumes that she's sort of still around hoping that the baby comes, as we all are, some time soon.
This will be the heir, of course, to the throne going forward.
At this stage we don't know whether it's a boy or a girl. Much speculation about names, about what this baby will look like, but let's just take our viewers through the sort of what will happen as and when Kate does go into labor.
I'm hoping that Max is outside the hospital. He certainly is supposedly there for us outside St. Mary's Hospital. There is a private wing there. The Lindo Wing which is where we are expecting that Duchess of Cambridge to go. It's not ready for us yet, so let's just carry on talking, because even though the world's press have been camped out, staking out what are the steps outside the Lindo Wing for what feels like weeks now, it may be that she doesn't have her baby there. But has it in Reading in a town outside of London close to her parents?
WILLIAMS: Yes, Becky. This is because the Duchess is no longer in Kensington Palace, we believe. She's no longer in Nottingham Cottage where she normally lives. She's gone to her parents' house, which is in Berkshire near Reading which is roughly about 53 miles from here.
And so this is the question. (inaudible) said that there's no problem getting her to Paddington (ph). Police escort can get her here in an hour. But are they going to take that risk? If it is a fast labor, they may decide instead for her to go to the World Berkshire Hospital in Reading which is, of course, where she was born once upon a time. And she may have the baby there. So it may be that the world's media is at the wrong hospital.
ANDERSON: Let's remind our viewers before we can get to Max exactly what we do know will happen. So, when the Duchess of Cambridge goes into labor. We will eventually be told, the world's press will be told, and the world will learn from (inaudible). We will only learn about when she has given birth when somebody appears on the steps of the Lindo Wing, right? That's...
WILLIAMS: What's going to happen is that the duchess will be taken to hospital when she is in labor. We don't know whether - or what stage of the labor they're going to tell us that she in the process of having the baby. She's going to go into hospital. And when she has the baby, the first person to know is going to be the queen.
So William has a special encrypted pregnant phone so no one can hack it. He's going to phone the queen, say, got the baby, boy or girl.
And then after that, one of his members of the household is going to write down the weight, the sex and that information is going to be taken to Buckingham Palace...
ANDERSON: That's here.
WILLIAMS: ...going to be put by members of staff on an easel outside. At the same time as it's putting on an easel, it'll be put out on social media. So then we will all know.
Before then, the prime minister will have been informed, also the archbishop of Canterbury, also the heads of the Commonwealth states as well.
So we won't be the first to know.
ANDERSON: The Middletons, of course, will know as well.
WILLIAMS: Yes, of course. And Prince Harry will know.
ANDERSON: All right. We've just been looking at a map so our viewers have got a sense of sort of where St. Mary's Hospital is in London, where Bucklebury is where of course both the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge may be tonight, where the hospital in Reading is in case that's where she gives birth. And then, indeed, where Buckingham Palace is. And any of you who have been to London will know this.
All right, let's talk about baby's names, because there's been an awful lot of speculation about what - what this baby will be called, you know, whether it's a boy or a girl.
Before we do that, let's get to Max, because I keep promising that we'll get to Max. He's with the media stakeout outside the hospital.
Max, we've having a few technical difficulties getting to you, so we sort of given the viewers at this stage a sense of what will happen when the Duchess of Cambridge goes into labor.
What's the atmosphere like outside St. Mary's tonight?
MAX FOSTER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Becky, another day, another due day - it's unbelievable. This is such a jumpy story. Everyone is sort of responding to rumors, rumors today that the duchess had left Berkshire, the rumors that she's back in Berkshire tonight. Then we had some lookalikes turning up on the doorstep where they got everyone going.
And it's not just us that's jumpy, the media pen right to the highest level. Even the prime minister who thought he was getting the news in cabinet and had a bit of a funny moment. Let's hear what he had to say about that on radio today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We had a cabinet meeting and I asked someone to bring in the critic school (ph) halfway through just to see how it was going. And this bit of paper arrived room. And everyone, of course, thought it was the announcement about the royal baby and there was a great intake of breath. And it was actually, it was...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 83-1.
CAMERON: ...Clark (ph) wanted to know what the score was, because he was meant to be at Lord's.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Ken Clarke (ph), one of the other ministers who is a big cricket fan, of course.
We even had the queen earlier this week saying she can't wait for this baby to come. She hopes it come before she goes on holiday next week. So everyone is really waiting for this news from the very top right down to me.
Let's see what's going to happen, though, if events do unfold over the next day or so. We do hope they will.
Well, if she is Bucklebury, it'll take her about an hour to get here to London, to St. Mary's. She may end up going to Reading hospital on the way if it's a difficult journey.
If she's in London, though, it'll take about 10 minutes to get here, five minutes under police escort. And once she's here, once she's in, then we'll get told the media by email.
The next thing we'll know is whether or not the baby is born.
And, well, I have to say, amongst the press troops it couldn't come soon enough. And I'm sure Kate feels the same way as well - Becky.
ANDERSON: Absolutely. Thank you, Max.
It's been, I can tell you, so hot here. We're having a heat wave. And for those who are covering this story outside of St. Mary's you have to have some sympathies. Rather cool outside Buckingham Palace, however, tonight.
Talking about when the last time three heirs to the throne would have been alive at the same time, has there been a time?
WILLIAMS: It's going to be an incredible moment, because we have this great longevity now. So what we will happen to have Charles, we'll have William and now we'll have this baby boy or girl, all waiting kind of like planes queued up over Heathrow to get onto the throne. And the only real comparison we have, we have to go back to Queen Victoria. And Queen Victoria was really on her last legs at this point when this was occurring so whereas the queen is possibly going to go on for another 10 years, 10, 15 years - we don't know.
But it - we are seeing a big change in our monarchy towards older monarchs.
And this is the thing about this baby, it may not come to the throne in my lifetime, because it may not be 60 or 70 until it does come to the throne.
ANDERSON: Fascinating. Kate, stay with me. We're going to take a very short break at this point. We've got other news to do this hour.
Still to come, sentenced to five years in prison and then set free on bail the next day. The Kremlin's biggest critic has suddenly been released.
The Boston Marathon bombing suspect like you have never seen him before. Coming up, why a police photographer released these new photos.
And a man who risked his life to put out fires in Detroit tells CNN the city's hard working people shouldn't pay its debt. All that and much more when Connect the World continues. Do stay with us. You're 90 seconds away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Right. You're watching CNN. This is Connect the World live tonight from Buckingham Palace with me, Becky Anderson, as we await the arrival of the royal baby.
Now other news for you. Security tight in Egypt as Cairo braces for another possible night of violence on its streets. Thousands of protesters calling for the reinstatement of the ousted president Mohamed Morsy. They are out in force. Pictures coming to you live now from Cairo.
So far, it's been mostly peaceful, but soldiers have fired tear gas at demonstrators near the presidential palace, we're told.
Thousands of anti-Morsy protesters are also out. They've gathered in Tahrir Square. We'll be live in Cairo for more on this story later this hour.
Well, three of Silvio Berlusconi's aides going to be spending some time behind bars. They were found guilty of recruiting young prostitutes for the former prime minister for his infamous Bunga Bunga parties. Well, two of the aides were sentenced to seven years in jail, the third to five years.
Berlusconi was convicted separately last month for paying for sex with a minor and then trying to cover it up.
Well, there's been another case of mass food poisoning in India. At least 23 students in the coastal state of Goa were hospitalized after becoming sick at lunch. Now police are investigating that incident. And you'll recall earlier this week 23 kids died and dozens others got sick from food poisoning in the northern state of Bihar.
Well, authorities are still trying to determining if it was deliberate or accidental.
There's been encouraging new developments when it comes to Mid East peace talks. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says that an agreement has been reached that establishes a basis for resuming negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
Kerry met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank earlier today and said initial talks could begin as early as next week.
Well, the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was unexpectedly freed on bail on Friday only one day after being sentenced to five years in prison. Now the Kremlin critic had been convicted for embezzlement, a charge thousands in Moscow had demonstrated against. Phil Black filed this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: When Alexei Navalny arrived in court the day after his conviction, he was a little confused. The prosecutor who had argued Navalny should be sent to prison now urged for him to be released during his appeal.
Navalny said the court needed to establish the identity of the prosecutor, because he may have been replaced by a double. In a rare moment, the prosecutor, defense and judge all agreed Navalny should be allowed out of the glass box.
Why the dramatic change? It might have been this.
(on camera): Alexei Navalny's trial took place around 1,000 kilometers from Moscow, but its impact is felt here in the Russian capital. This is where Navalny's support is strongest.
(voice-over): News of his conviction and five year prison sentence inspired thousands of people to vent their anger at the Kremlin's walls. Rarely has an angry crowd permitted so close to the seat of Russian presidential power.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's a voice of street and he's a voice of youth, I think, because he's quite young and he's (inaudible) tonight.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to see Navalny president of Russia.
BLACK: When Navalny walked from the court, he thanked the crowds for his freedom.
"I'm standing here looking at a sky without bars. It's all thanks to you," he said.
His conviction has been condemned internationally as a way of silencing a government critic. But in a strange twist, the prosecutor argued Navalny should be released so he could continue to campaign as a candidate in Moscow's mayoral election. Navalny believes the decision to free him, like the decision to try and convict him, was made by the Russian government.
He said, "I'm not a pet kitten or puppy who they have thrown out and then decided to release for a month before the election."
Navalny says he will now consider his options and decide whether to run as a candidate.
Phil Black, CNN, Moscow.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, we're getting news details about one of the passengers who died in the Asiana Airlines crash earlier this month. California coroner says the Chinese teenager was run over by a fire truck. She was alive when she was hit. Three people were killed when flight 214 slammed into the tarmac at San Francisco's airport earlier this month.
Well, the U.S. police photographer has leaked new photos of the Boston Marathon bombing suspect. He said he did it because he was angry that Rolling Stone magazine was glorifying Dzokhar Tsarnaev by putting him on its cover.
CNN's Jason Carroll reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CARROLL: These new photos showing a much different picture of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev captured by police -- a bloody face, his hands up, the lasers of a sniper's rifle trained on his forehead, a vastly different picture from the one depicted in the controversial "Rolling Stone" cover. Massachusetts state police sergeant Sean Murphy says he was so angry with "Rolling Stone's" cover he released these new photographs to "Boston" magazine.
The police tactical photographer told the magazine, quote, "What Rolling Stone did was wrong. The guy is evil. This is the real Boston bomber, not someone fluffed and buffed for the cover of Rolling Stone."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that's the real face of terror. I agree with him 100 percent.
CARROLL: "Boston" magazine's editor told CNN Murphy thought the cover sent the wrong message.
JOHN WOLFSON, EDITOR, "BOSTON" MAGAZINE: I think he was genuinely worried about the impact on the families of the victims, and I think he was also worried that certain impressionable people might be lured to replicate that by the glamorous looking photo on the "Rolling Stone" cover.
CARROLL: Tsarnaev's first public appearance since his arrest was in court last week. He pleaded not guilty to 30 federal charges, including four killings. While images like these are already having an impact, some say the focus is all wrong.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think they should focus the attention on the brave people and the people who lost their lives, not the monster who caused it all.
CARROLL: Jason Carroll, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, if you are a football fan start saving. Tickets for the long awaited 2014 World Cup will go on sale we're told next month on FIFA's website. Prices start at $90 for international friends. Residents of the host nation, Brazil, will have access to much cheaper tickets. Discount prices starting at $15 will be available to students, to the elderly and to those on welfare we're told. And the most expensive tickets, well, they're for the final match. They range from $440 to nearly $1,000 for international visitors.
We're looking for Brazilian passport these days.
Live from London, this is connect the world. Coming up, filing for bankruptcy. City officials say it's the only way to save Detroit from 50 years of debt. That, after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, you're watching Connect the World live from outside Buckingham Palace this evening where we are on royal baby watch.
Nothing yet. Stay with us. You'll be the first to know.
I'm Becky Anderson.
Filing for bankruptcy will make the city of Detroit stronger, that according to the Michigan governor Rick Snyder. Today, Snyder said that the city may have hit rock bottom, but the move would help improve the city's financial strapped municipal services.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK SNYDER, GOVERNOR OF MICHIGAN: Let's stop and look at the situation, $18 billion in debt. The city is broke. And if we weren't to take this action to stop and say let's get things done in a thoughtful, well organized fashion, the city would continue to go downhill. Enough is enough about Detroit going downhill. This has been going on for 60 years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Yeah, a long time.
Detroit now the largest city in U.S. history to effectively go bust.
But the city's debt elimination plan will mean that deep cuts to pension benefits and healthcare of retired public workers will go into place.
For more, I'm joined by CNN's Felicia Taylor in New York. Felicia, there's been an interesting story, about 24 hours ago we learned that the city was filing for bankruptcy and since then you've had sort of competing arguments. Disaster for those who are looking to benefit from the city, better, possibly for the city as it tries to reorganize itself. What's the very latest?
FELICIA TAYLOR, CNN CORREPSONDENT: Well, there are many components to this story and they do continue to unfold. And there's no question about - you know, this is going to take a very long time. I mean, this is not months in the making, but this is years in the making.
Don't forget that a bankruptcy judge still have to approve this kind of a filing. It's not a done deal yet that they're going to be able to file this chapter nine bankruptcy.
There are many steps that need to be taken. First of all, they have to come up with some kind of a reorganization plan. What is that reorganization plan going to look like that's going to be acceptable to the courts?
Some of the things that are on the table are assets that are going to be liquidated. One of the major museums in Detroit, the Detroit Institute of Arts has already been approached about selling some of their masterpieces such as a Van Gogh or a Matisse. Those things may go on the auction block.
The question is as, you know, at what peril does it make for the citizens, for the residents of Detroit, their quality of life, the things that they enjoy.
So those things are to be considered. They have absolutely said, are there going to be layoff? Are you going to see, you know, employees laid off such as from the fire department, the police department.
Already, they say that, you know, responder time is about an hour long versus the average which should be about 11 minutes. So that's very serious.
Are they going to change any kind of their union contract? This is very important, because this is at the crux of what may be really the reason for why they are filing for this chapter nine bankruptcy.
Also, they're going to need the support of their creditors at the end of the day. Their creditors are going to have to be able to say, yes, we agree this is the way for the path to recovery.
You and I have talked about many different subjects kicking the can down the road. That's a phrase we heard yet again. They're tired of this actually being kicked down the road. They're hoping that this kind of a filing will actually result in some kind of a - a reorganization for Detroit.
But the thing that's interesting is, you know, there is actually no precedent for any municipality actually laying off or when they declare bankruptcy taking away any retiree benefits. But that really is the crux of what most people are worried about.
Think about it, if you are one of the secured creditors, you may be getting cents on the dollar in terms of what your pension benefits are going to look like. But think about the generations down the road. Say those that are supposed to get pensions in a year, five years from now, will the money be there. The answer is very tenuous.
ANDERSON: Felicia, stay with me, because I've got some sound here that I want our viewers here eluding to exactly what you've been talking about.
While the city's officials say they were left with no choice, the citizens of Detroit fear it will be them who bear the brunt of this bankruptcy if, indeed, it's what goes - on going forward.
65-year-old Larry Newberry was a firefighter in the city for nearly 30 years. He put money into his pension and says he was promised it would remain there by law. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY NEWBERRY, RETIRED DETROIT FIREFIGHTER: I fear that my pension will be cut and the things I think about are, like I say, my family and, you know, if I'm going to have enough to live on myself or if I'm going to have enough to maybe help my daughter and my grandkids out - college, you know, myself and other firefighters went through the riots of Detroit and police officers. You know, it was almost like working in a war zone sometimes.
These men put their lives on the line and they don't deserve what they're getting now.
You know, I don't think that they should try and balance the budget on the backs of police, firemen or retired city workers.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Briefly, Felicia, is this a unique situation, or could this be the tip of the iceberg so far as other cities are concerned in the states?
TAYLOR: Not to the capacity that Detroit is in at this moment, but yes, there are other cities in the United States that are on the verge of the - or the precipice of this kind of situation.
You've got to remember, though, there is a component to this that is somewhat political and that is very interesting to examine, because the question is, you know, were the local government officials unable to reorganize the contract with government employees, and were they really just basically saying, you know, what, we're going to give it to the hands of the court.
Already, a state judge has said that it is unconstitutional because there is a duty to protect the pensioners. So that's very significant.
You know, you've got to remember not too long ago, the government - the federal government stepped in and helped the automakers and basically brought them back to life. The question is, would they do that at this point? It is highly unlikely, as we heard from the vice president earlier. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE BIDEN, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Can we help Detroit? We are now going through exactly in detail what - we had a meeting yesterday just getting a brief on the status. The question is, we don't know at this point.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
TAYLOR: The other question is as you know can city employees jump ahead of bond holders, ahead of other creditors? That is a very interesting question as well, because generally it's the bond holders that are paid off first. If they're going to be getting 17 cents on the dollar, clearly that's not going to make them very happy. So they have to cross that hurdle as well.
It's unlikely that pensioners would jump ahead of those kind of creditors - Becky.
ANDERSON: All right, Felicia Taylor in New York for you on what is fascinating story. So interesting to see a politician likes of the vice president being completely honest and saying he doesn't know what the answer for Detroit is at present.
All right, we are here at Buckingham Palace where Britain's royal baby watch is - I can only describe - as being in high gear.
Just ahead, we're going to have the latest world news headlines for you.
Plus, it's another night of protests in Cairo as thousands take to the streets. We'll be talking to our reporter live in the thick of that.
You are 90 seconds away. Do stay with us. This is Connect the World. I'm Becky Anderson.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: CONNECT THE WORLD live from Buckingham Palace, our special edition continues as we await the arrival of what will be one of the most celebrated infants ever. The Duchess of Cambridge due to give birth anytime now. Speculation here in the UK and around the world ramping up as the excitement for that royal baby builds.
As we await, of course, there are other world news headlines for you, and you would expect me to have the bottom of this hour here on CNN the top stories for you.
US secretary of state John Kerry says an agreement has been reached that establishes a basis for resuming peace talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Kerry met with the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank earlier today.
However, Hamas has released its own statement, this only moments ago. It says, and I'm quoting here, "This negotiation will be useless. It's not going to achieve anything for the Palestinian people," end quote.
President Barack Obama says Trayvon Martin could have been him 35 years ago. It's the first time he has commented on the case since George Zimmerman was acquitted of killing the African-American teenager last week.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: When Trayvon Martin was first shot, I said that this could have been my son. Another way of saying that is, Trayvon Martin could have been me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: A Michigan judge has ruled that the bankruptcy filing for the city of Detroit violates the state constitution. The city has a crushing $18 billion worth of debt and liabilities, and the judge ordered the case to be withdrawn, but the state's attorney general intends to appeal.
Three of Silvio Berlusconi's associates have been found guilty of recruiting young prostitutes for the former prime minister's infamous bunga bunga parties. Berlusconi was convicted separately last month of paying for sex with a minor.
Let's get the very latest for you from Cairo, now, as rival rallies are being held this hour. What is it? Close -- getting towards midnight there. Reza Sayah joining us now, live from Cairo. Reza, what do we know at this point? Where are you?
REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We're overlooking Tahrir Square, Becky. It's actually 10:30 PM and these dueling demonstrations continue at this hour, where on one side you have supporters of the ousted president Mohamed Morsy, and on the other side you have his opponents.
Within the past few hours state media reporting some brief clashes in front of the presidential palace between Morsy backers and security forces, but apart from that, seemingly it has been a peaceful day of demonstrations.
Clearly, it's the supporters of Mr. Morsy who outnumbered his opponents on this particular day. And this was a big day for them, an opportunity to show everyone that they're still here and not running out of steam.
Not to be outdone, the opponents of Mr. Morsy. They came out here to Tahrir Square to demonstrate, and these demonstrations are strong signs that this conflict is still unfolding. And the question is, how is it going to be resolved?
Is the interim government genuine in its offer for the Muslim Brotherhood, supporters of the president, to be part of the government? Or do they want to sideline them? Remember, the Muslim Brotherhood, supporters of the president, believe that with the arrests that have been made with the leaders, they are not genuine in their offer.
So the question remains, how does this country, how does this interim government move forward when you have the biggest most organized political movement, the Muslim Brotherhood, that's protesting, Becky, and unhappy with the situation.
ANDERSON: Yes, and the pictures are really remarkable. We're looking at those as you speak to us, Reza. Thank you for that. Muslim Brotherhood officials have said that they would accept EU mediation in talks to resolve what is this crisis in Egypt, but they say they would still continue their protest.
The envoy, Bernardino Leon, has just returned from Egypt after talks with both the Brotherhood and the interim government, joining us now from New York. And briefly sir, at this point, do you see the two sides seeing head to head anytime soon?
BERNARDINO LEON, EU REPRESENTATIVE, SOUTHERN MEDITERRANEAN REGION: I don't think anytime soon, though I see the possibility that they resume or they reengage soon. They both understand that confrontation is not the way. There should be a political solution for this.
But we need some confidence-building measures before, and releasing the people who are retained, investigation on recent clashes and violence - -
ANDERSON: All right --
LEON: -- so we're not yet there.
ANDERSON: OK. So, you say you don't see a conclusion to this anytime soon. Let me ask you this: who did you talk to? Given that the interim government and all the military have many of the Brotherhood's top echelons under guard, under house arrest, or somewhere else, we don't know where -- for example, the former president -- who was it that you were talking to when you were there?
LEON: Well, the two top negotiators are former minister Amr Darrag and a lawyer who is Mohammed Ali Bishr. And then, former prime minister Hesham Qandil. I was a couple of days ago with Catherine Ashton there and we met them. But they are in touch with half of the Shura Committee, the highest committee in the Muslim Brotherhood.
ANDERSON: Are they in a position to make decisions for the Brotherhood?
LEON: Absolutely. Absolutely. They had -- we think they are having meetings every day, half of the committees are there in Rabwah. And I think they are taking serious decisions. Their announcement is that they want to talk. They want to talk on the basis of some conditions, which means accepting the legitimacy of Mohammed Morsy, the legitimacy of the Shura chamber and the December constitution --
ANDERSON: Sir, they're not going to get that.
LEON: -- but this is, of course --
ANDERSON: They are not going to get -- they're not going to get the assurance that there is a legitimate Mohammed Morsy as president, are they, going forward? So, where do they go from there.
LEON: I don't think so. No, I don't think so, but they would get part of these recognition of legitimacy. For instance, if the new authorities decided to work on amendments on the constitution on the basis of the December constitution, that could be an element of re-engagement.
As I said, we're still far from that. That's the negative, that's the bad news. But the good news is that they want to solve this politically. And for the international community, for the European Union, but also for the rest of the international community --
ANDERSON: All right.
LEON: -- what is important is that they integrate. They don't fail again in a collective project, because the Egyptian transition has to be a collective project.
ANDERSON: Sounds like there are some positives, at least, out of what we see in Egypt this hour. Sir, we thank you very much, indeed, for joining us.
Live from London, you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. We are outside Buckingham Palace tonight as we await the arrival of the new what will be eventually heir to the throne here in the UK. We're still waiting. No news at this point. You'll get it here first, though, from CNN.
Also coming up, a new clothing line designed to help put an end to modern-day slavery. One of Britain's biggest clothing brands takes on that challenge, and that report is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: One of the most popular fashion stores on the High Street has joined the fight against human trafficking, and it is thanks to the support of the one of the members of the British royal family.
Topshop introduced the new accessory to its stores this week, and it's hoping it will help put a dent in modern-day slavery.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (voice-over): A new clothing line arrives at Topshop, designed to make a fashion statement on the scourge of human trafficking. The label is Key to Freedom, and the scarves are handmade by women and girls rescued from the slave trade, now working with the women's Interlink Foundation in India.
ALOKA MITRA, FOUNDER, WOMEN'S INTERLINK FOUNDATION: I feel absolutely thrilled, and I feel thrilled for my girls, because when they see the pictures, they will be so, so energized and feeling so empowered.
ANDERSON: It's a deal brokered by Penny McIvor on behalf of Prince Andrew, Britain's Duke of York, after he saw the success of Aloka's work firsthand during a visit to Kolkata last year.
PENNY MCIVOR, MANAGING DIRECTOR, ASSOCIATED CLOTHING COMPANY: Aloka is truly inspirational in the model that she has set up in India, and her message can go to girls everywhere to be careful and wary, but also these wonderful girls are now all her children pretty much.
And she's trained them, she's rehabilitated them, she's put the little ones to school, she's trained the older ones to do block printing, like we've used here in tie-dye here.
ANDERSON (on camera): I like those.
MCIVOR: And she's -- by us buying them and selling them, we've given them such a new life, such a hope for a new life. It's women helping women.
ANDERSON (voice-over): Topshop says all proceeds from the sale of the scarves will go back to the Foundation.
EMMA WISDEN, BUYING DIRECTOR, TOPSHOP: Topshop's a female brand, mostly run by women, and when we were approached, we immediately wanted to be able to support this charity and be able to help in terms of creating awareness and telling the story, really.
ANDERSON: The story of hope being hailed as a model that could help curb human trafficking.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, Aloka Mitra, who set up this model of rescuing young women and providing them with skills, is an incredibly brave and inspiring lady. I had the joy of sitting down with her during her visit to London earlier this week to find out more about the lives that she has changed. Have a listen to this. It really is an inspiring, inspiring story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Tell me about the girls and the women who make these scarves.
MITRA: The girls who made these are the most vulnerable, the most victimized girls, in fact. Victims of domestic violence, victims of trafficking. Victims generally.
ANDERSON: With respect, you're 73, and yet I know that you yourself go out into the streets to rescue some of these women and girls. Can you just walk me through just a couple of the stories?
MITRA: We have projects in south areas, which is -- south, where the girls are most vulnerable, in rural areas, where the traffickers operate. And they offer them jobs, they offer them marriage. They offer them all kinds of enticements whereby they get naturally very, very attracted, being below the poverty line and being totally without any skills to earn an income or be independent.
So, they either get married, they run away with a young man who promises them marriage, or they are given a -- promised a job. And then, the next thing they know, they're in red light areas.
ANDERSON: There is a culture, it seems, in India, and it's made the headlines over the past couple of years of violation of women. Do you think things are improving in any way for women and girls in India?
MITRA: If you say is it improving in any way, I will say yes, it is improving in many ways. But it is not in many more ways, because there -- it's a social issue, it's an economic issue, it's a cultural issue. So, it's too big a problem, that girls are not seen as equals with men.
ANDERSON: If you had to -- I know this can't be easy -- but if you had to just pinpoint one example of one young girl or woman who you have found and rescued, who you had engaged with, and who has gone on to lead a fruitful life, who would it be? Can you just -- describe a story for me?
MITRA: This girl who had been trafficked and re-trafficked. First, she was married off at the age of 13, and she had been in a dreadful, exploitative situation. And then, she was brought back. She ran away, actually. She came back to her step-mother and father, who said "We can't keep you. It's very difficult for us." They were very poor.
So, she grabbed a job and she was sold into the red light area this time. And she was determined to come back, although she had been battered into submission for one year.
Then she managed to save up a little bit of money and ran away one day. And this red light area we work in, in fact, and then she ended up back to her parents, who said that the traffickers are after us. We can't keep you safe.
So, she went to the police, who brought her to our home. And she finished her education, her class 10. After such a trauma, I couldn't believe that she could concentrate on her studies, and she learned some skills, and she met this young man, lovely young man, married him, and she has a baby who is around three years old now. And she's full of spunk.
And I have so many other such cases that I keep happy. There's so many. I can -- it's a huge book on the number of happy stories that we have.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Aloka Mitra, who puts her own life in danger to save the lives of so many others.
Coming up after this short break on CONNECT THE WORLD, a new start for a legendary Swiss jazz festival. We're going to take you there in our weekly entertainment update, and we're going to talk things all royal baby. That after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, it's Friday, and that means it's time for your weekly fix of all things music and entertainment. It's CNN Preview. Have a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(JAZZ MUSIC)
ANDERSON (voice-over): Welcome to this edition of CNN Preview, from the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. Headliners included Prince, Sting, and Leonard Cohen.
(MUSIC - "HALLELUJAH" BY LEONARD COHEN)
ANDERSON: Quincy Jones, the festival's co-director, will be closing events on Sunday. This year, the emphasis has been on celebration. The festival has become a tribute to co-founder Claude Nobs, who died aged 76 in January.
Affectionately known as Funky Clause, Nobs began as a music promoter in the 1960s, and over the course of almost half a century, achieved his ambition of putting his small town the map by creating one of Europe's best-known festivals.
Renowned musician and producer, Nile Rodgers, who's currently on a world tour with Chic, has a special connection to Montreux.
NILE RODGERS, CHIC: Claude Nobs, the CEO of the Montreux Jazz Festival, was our very first European tour manager. So the first time Chic put our feet in Europe, he was the guy who greeted us. And it was one disaster after the next, and it created a bond that has never gone away.
(MUSIC - "NATURAL WOMAN" BY ARETHA FRANKLIN)
ANDERSON: The festival maps the evolution of jazz to blues, soul, and rock and roll.
(MUSIC - "DO YOU LVOE ME" BY JAMES BROWN)
ANDERSON: Musicians who continue to push those musical genres can find a home here.
(MUSIC - "RETROGRADE" BY JAMES BLAKE)
ANDERSON: All have reverence for its history and hope to create their own legend.
JAMES BLAKE, SINGER: I know, actually, Montreux Jazz Festival through my dad, because I think he played it years and years ago, but really, he loved it. And he told me a story about him meeting a Swiss millionaire, and the guy said do you want to come out and see his car.
(LAUGHTER)
BLAKE: This car -- and he walked out, and he said, "Where is it?" And he's like, "It's down there," and on the floor, basically. It's a black Ferrari. And he just drove him around the mountains. And I know about the Deep Purple song. I think it's "Smoke on the Water" -- was written about a casino going up in smoke, I believe.
(MUSIC - "SMOKE ON THE WATER" BY DEEP PURPLE)
ANDERSON: You're right, James. "Smoke on the Water" was indeed written about a fire at the casino in Montreux in 1971. Deep Purple and that song have become part of the festival's folklore, preserved in its digital archive, which this year has become the first audio-visual library to be awarded UNESCO World Heritage status.
Tucked away on the Swiss mountainside, Claude's chalet, the home he shared with partner Thierry Ansalem, is the archive hub where 5,000 hours of performance footage is being lovingly curated and digitally remastered, with the help of the Swiss Institute for Technology in Lausanne.
THIERRY ANSALEM, PRESIDENT, CLAUDE NOBS FOUNDATION: Claude had the great idea at the beginning of the festival to record everything, not only with audio, but also with the picture, the video. So, we have a great number of shows that are very important. Some of them are very rare and precious, for example, Marvin Gaye --
(MUSIC - "WHAT'S GOING ON" BY MARVIN GAYE)
ANSALEM: -- who played only on full live concert that was recorded here in Montreux. So we are very proud to have this kind of live concert recorded forever. And we can see in this year's festival, there's many tributes to Claude. They use to love Claude, it was full of love, you know?
ANDERSON: And in final thanks to Claude, Montreux, the town he made so famous, will honor him by renaming the main street Avenue Claude Nobs.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: All right, well, that was CNN Preview. This is CONNECT THE WORLD and we are outside Buckingham Palace while waiting for Britain's next royal baby. Joining me here this evening is royal historian and commentator Kate Williams.
And Kate, there was a bit of panic for the media camped out side the hospital earlier at St. Mary's, where we are expecting this baby to be born. A Will and Kate lookalike couple turned up. Let's have a look at this for the viewers, lightheartedly taunting journalists waiting, of course, for the real thing.
It was actually a prank orchestrated by the "Sun" newspaper, but you see it here on the monitor, it sent two young actors to the hospital to stir up the bored media. Oh, you'd have never been taken in by those two, would you?
(LAUGHTER)
KATE WILLIAMS, CNN ROYAL HISTORIAN: She -- she has the Kate hair, she's got Kate's hair. I think this is it. They were running royal baby watch, there were live streams, and there's just nothing happening, and now, of course, the media have been there for quite a long time. So, the Burger Barn next to St. Mary's must be doing an absolutely roaring trade.
ANDERSON: I went in about ten days ago, and it was doing the roaring trade then.
(LAUGHTER)
WILLIAMS: They'll run out of burgers.
ANDERSON: They'll run out of burgers.
WILLIAMS: Nothing left, there's no food.
ANDERSON: Yes, it's a tough old job being a royal correspondent at the moment because that literally is it. The lookalikes bringing me to some video I want our viewers to see. Alison Jackson here, as you and I know, does a lot of wonderful satirical films and photographs on the royal family. I want you to just have a look at the latest. I'm not sure if even you've seen this.
So, as we take a look, just earlier this week, I talked to her in Kensington Park, and this is her latest short film. Now, those lookalikes are not bad, right?
WILLIAMS: Alison is fabulous. She wanted a lookalike of Kate's head night, which was full of people falling out of clubs in Chelsea, which was really convincing. And this was great. This lookalike she's got for William, he's fabulous.
ANDERSON: Yes. This is video of her and I talking, which is not nearly as interesting as what I hope is coming up, which is she has a great lookalike of the queen -- and here we are. And this is the baby throwing up on --
WILLIAMS: Throwing up on Her Majesty.
ANDERSON: -- Great Grandma.
WILLIAMS: The future king or queen. What we see is --
(LAUGHTER)
WILLIAMS: Alison hasn't guessed the sex, has she? No pink or blue outfits on there.
ANDERSON: Yes. No, and she -- we talked about that, and I said to her, how did you choose this, the baby, the royal baby lookalike, and she said, well in the end, I've got five.
She said she doesn't know what this baby's going to look like, she doesn't know whether it's going to be a boy or a girl, she doesn't know whether it's going to have hair or not. The Middletons perhaps might have more than the Windsors have.
WILLIAMS: The Windsors.
ANDERSON: So, she's got five. And I said, the baby doesn't look much like a baby. She said, actually, babies aren't much fun, so she chose a three-month-old.
(LAUGHTER)
WILLIAMS: Slightly old. That's quite common with baby modeling --
ANDERSON: Yes.
WILLIAMS: Because little ones are just so hopeless. But actually, that one does look pretty royal to me --
ANDERSON: Yes.
WILLIAMS: -- so, that one perhaps could be very like our future king or queen.
ANDERSON: Well, as the media stakeout at the hospital continues, bookies setting the odds, of course, on what the child's name will be. Let me just whiz through some of these.
According to the British gaming company Paddy Power, the most likely name, if she's a girl, is Alexandra, the odds of that, 13 to 8. For a boy, the chances are at 7 to 1 that the name will be George. Other popular names, Victoria, Charlotte, what else was there? I think Elizabeth was one of them, and Mary. A boy, James or Alexander.
Fifteen seconds, what do you think it's going to be and what do you think its name will be?
WILLIAMS: These royals have more names than you or I. They usually have four or five, so I think we're probably going to see for a girl Alexandra Elizabeth Diana then Charlotte. For a boy, I think it's going to be George William Henry. But it could come to the throne with any one of those names.
ANDERSON: You heard it here first. I hope it's not called Henry, because we've got Henry VIII, too, I guess we could get. That's it from us. This is CONNECT THE WORLD, see you next time.
END
