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Connect the World

P5+1, Iran Close To Nuclear Deal; Philippines Rebuilds From Rubble; 30 Year Captives Wore "Invisible Handcuffs"; Shopping Center Roof Collapses In Riga, Latvia

Aired November 22, 2013 - 15:00   ET

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

FIONNUALA SWEENEY, HOST: Restrained by invisible handcuffs, those are the words of British police in the case of the three women rescued from decades of captivity. Tonight, we'll go live to London's police headquarters for the latest on the investigation.

Also this hour...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Join me in a moment of silence in honor of the life of John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SWEENEY: 50 years on from the fateful day a U.S. president was assassinated we take a look at the myth and the mystery surrounding the life and death of JFK.

Plus, legendary Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao on his pain at seeing the suffering caused by Typhoon Haiyan.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is Connect the World.

SWEENEY: Well, every member of the London police's human trafficking unit is investigating a case that they say is unprecedented: three women, allegedly held captive for more than 30 years. Police have arrested a man and a woman, both 67 years of age, and they say the case involves brainwashing and emotional abuse. But they say the nature of what happened is, quote, "unique."

Police tell CNN that while the couple were arrested under a section of the law involving slavery and compulsory labor, that law doesn't necessarily describe the alleged crimes.

And we're learning more about where this happened. A British lawmaker says it was in her constituency, which covers the London neighborhoods of Dulwich and West Norwood.

Police say the two suspects have now been released on bail, but haven't returned to the property at the center of the allegations.

Diana Magnay joins us now live from outside Scotland Yard with the very latest developments. Diana, what are they?

DIANA MAGNAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fionnuala, police are painting a very disturbing picture, they say, of psychological and emotional abuse spanning three decades. They've used the term invisible handcuffs, as you say. And they're trying to understand what it was that kept these women captive in that house for that length of time.

Here's what the detective inspector in charge of the investigation had to say about these kind of psychological controls a little bit earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DET. INSP. KEVIN HYLAND, LONDON POLICE HUMAN TRAFFICKING UNIT: But the term invisible handcuffs I think really does actually capture this case, because if the people were walking along the street it might look to the naked eye that they're not controlled, but it's all about psychological control, it's all about threats.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MANGAY: We know that these women were highly traumatized by their experience. We don't know exactly what the relationship was between them and their captors and especially this 30-year-old Britain who was the youngest captive. We're hearing from the charity, which orchestrated their release, that she might have been born into captivity. We know from the police that she was not related tot he other two captives, which begs the question perhaps was she the daughter of these two suspects who, as you say, have been charged and released on bail.

But the police are clearly baffled by this case, Fionnuala. Yesterday at the arrest, they said that this was a case of human slavery. And now they're backtracking from that and saying, no, this is not something we've ever seen before. It doesn't come under the category of human slavery or human trafficking. It is this very peculiar psychological portrait, but one that they're taking so seriously that they've put the entire human trafficking unit here at Scotland Yard on the case, Fionnuala.

SWEENEY: All right, Diana Magnay, we'll leave it there. Thank you for joining us there from outside New Scotland Yard.

So, what does the term invisible handcuffs really mean? And how can the women rescued in this case recover from what they've experienced. Alan Hilfer is the chief psychologist at the Maimonides Medical Center. And he joins us live via Skype from New York. Thank you for joining us very much indeed.

My first question is, what kind of mood will these women likely be in once they are released? And then can you talk us through the moods that they will be in subsequently?

ALAN HILFER, CHIEF PSYCHOLOGIST, MAIMONIDES MEDICAL CENTER: My guess is that they will go through a period of euphoria in which they will feel that a situation that has been really intolerable for them is now over.

On the other hand, they will be entering a society in a world that they are grossly unfamiliar with. And it will most likely be quite overwhelming and frightening and at times very intimidating for them.

SWEENEY: The world that they seem to have left back in 1983, if that is indeed where the police are saying that they were last free, would have been a very different world. And if you bear with me, I'd like to just talk us through what the world was like just 30 years ago then in 1983.

For example, in the UK the prime minister was Margaret Thatcher and she won reelection in a landslide that year. Prince Charles and Princess Diana toured Australia and New Zealand with Baby Prince William. Berlin was still divided by the wall as the Cold War raged on. And the first mass market mobile cellphones hit the market and they looked that big.

So the question is, how can modern-day slavery happen in a city like London? And what we're hearing about here, sir, is that really the psychological controls mean that it can happen anywhere.

HILFER: I'm afraid that's true. And when people are held without the ability to communicate with the outside world, or when they are intimidated with either physical or psychological threats and they aren't aware of any means to either escape or communicate, they become completely isolated and in fact, really are removed from everyday existence and often enter a situation or a state of almost numbness and a lack of awareness of what's going on and kind of going through the motions and living life for the moment without much hope or thoughts of the future.

And these women are very likely to have experienced a pretty high level of trauma that was experienced by them over a considerable amount of time, three decades is almost unthinkable in today's society. You know, the idea that they kept hidden and kept away from everyday life is overwhelming for those of us who give any -- who are given to think anything about how this can possibly affect people living in isolation. And in any cosmopolitan city it's just almost unthinkable.

CHIOU: And yes they seem to have seen a television program, which prompted at least one of them to make that crucial phone call which led to the rescue. So in a sense they may know of something that goes on in our world. And I'm just wondering when it comes to moving forward anonymity, how crucial a part will that play in their recovery? Or will it suggest or advisable that they actually take control of the huge media interests down the line that is in these three women and give interviews? Control it as it were, take charge?

HILFER: I would hope that, you know, the media and the public will respect to some extent the privacy of these women. I think they've been through traumatic experiences. To reintroduce them into society is going to be very difficult and it's going to need to be done with a great deal of support and assistance from outside agencies.

It probably will best be evidenced, you know, by a shyness on their part and a certain insecurity on their part.

I don't know that they're going to be up to taking control as you put it, but rather I'm hoping that they will be able to be somewhat protected from what will be a large number of people who are very curious and, you know, very concerned about them and perhaps very well meaning, but these women have been isolated for 30 years. And the idea of being in front of the kinds of media that they will be subject to might be overwhelming.

We've had a situation here in the United States where three women were held captive, coincidentally. And there's been an attempt to shield these women from a great deal of public scrutiny and allow them to emerge gradually into talking about their experiences when they're ready, which has been, you know, down the line a few months in fact.

And would hope that we will be able to give them the emotional support, the counseling that they're going to need and certainly the physical distance that they will desperately need. These women have been in a situation that is, you know, largely unknown to most of us in a civilized world and will need a tremendous amount of help and assistance to begin to reemerge into society again. It will take awhile.

CHIOU: It will take awhile and presumably this is a field in -- expertise that is growing from your side of the equation here. Alan Hilfer in New York City, thank you very much indeed for joining us.

So, how can modern-day slavery happen in a city like London? Well, that is something we are examining online on our CNN Freedom Project site. And you can head to CNN.com/freedom where we look into this issue globally and where you can find out how to help.

Still to come, the death toll is rising in Latvia after a tragedy that has left the country in shock. We'll update you on rescue efforts at a supermarket where the roof came crashing down on shoppers.

And even as the death toll in the Philippines rises, we look at how the survivors of Super Typhoon Haiyan are trying to rebuild their lives.

And 50 years on from these traumatic scenes, the world remembers the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy. All that and much more when Connect the World Continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SWEENEY: You're watching CNN, this is Connect the World with me Fionnuala Sweeney. Welcome back.

Well, 50 years ago today, U.S. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. And across the United States, Americans have been paying their respects from family members and friends to those who weren't even born before he died.

A new poll out today shows President Kennedy has a 90 percent approval rating, making him one of the most popular U.S. presidents of all time. We'll have a lot more on the commemorations coming up.

The government of Latvia has declared three days of mourning after the deadliest accident there in decades. At least 51 people were killed when the roof of a supermarket in Riga collapsed. And as Frederik Pleitgen reports, that number may rise as rescuers continue their desperate search.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Some real scenes of desperation there in the Latvian capital Riga. There are people who are trying to call relatives and friends who might be inside the rubble, they're trying to use their cellphones to call them. And also of course the rescue forces are still on hand and they're using heavy equipment like, for instance, cutters to try and cut through some of the debris and find people who might still be trapped inside that collapsed shopping center.

Desperate relatives stand by, hoping their loved ones might still be alive somewhere in the rubble of the collapsed shopping center.

"I have a wife in there," this man says. "There is no information about her, whether she's dead or alive. Wherever I call, there is no information."

"Do you still believe she's alive?" The reporter asks.

"Of course. I must believe," he says.

But, for many, there is tragic certainty that their loved ones were killed. Dozens have been confirmed dead with the toll rising throughout the night.

Eyewitnesses say the Maxima shopping center collapsed like a house of cards while the store was busy with shoppers on their way home from work.

And when first responders arrived on the scene, further portions of the roof fell, killing several firefighters.

"We are still working inside," one of the heads of the rescue operation says. "The situation may change all the time. Falls are happening from time to time. Therefore, it's very dangerous to work inside."

Crews began clearing some of the rubble as rescue efforts were ongoing. The Maxima shopping center was completed just two years ago and was even named among the top three building designs in all of Latvia.

It's not clear what cause the collapse. Some say it might have been faulty construction or building materials stored on the roof.

"Police have started the investigation already," Latvia's prime minister says. "The criminal process has started about violating construction norms, which has caused serious consequences."

The Maxima shopping center was one of the symbols of the new up and coming Latvia, a country that has seen strong economic growth in the years since the end of Soviet rule, but remains among the poorest countries in Europe. No Latvia is left to clear the debris, investigate what happened and to mourn those who lost their lives in one of the worst tragedies this nation has seen in recent times.

(on camera): And this is already being billed as the single worst loss of life in the very young history of Latvia.

Now they are still of course trying to get to the bottom of what exactly happened. There is talk of possibly there being construction on a winter garden that was supposed to be on the roof of this shopping center and that perhaps some of the soil that was used for that might have gotten soaked with rain. And then there was no drainage system that might have caused the roof to collapse.

But again, the investigation is still in the very early stages, and will certainly take some time to actually find out what caused the roof there to collapse.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SWEENEY: Frederik Pleitgen reporting there.

The U.S. State Department says North Korea has confirmed through intermediaries that an American citizen is being held in Pyongyang. U.S. officials didn't identify him, but the family of 85-year-old Merrill Newman tells CNN he was pulled off a plane last month just minutes before leaving North Korea.

Newman is a Korean war veteran from California who was on a private organized tour. His family said he had approval from North Korea's government and all his paperwork was in order.

Opposition lawmakers in Ukraine shouted shame today as Prime Minister Mykola Azarov tried to explain a highly controversial decision. Hi government has scraped plans to find a key political and trade deal with the European Union.

The prime minister said the decision was motivated by economic concerns and doesn't a reflect a change in Ukraine's strategy of European integration.

Well, a major development now on those talks over Iran's nuclear program. We're just getting word that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Geneva in the coming hours to join the negotiation. World Affairs reporter Elise Labott joins us now live from Washington with details. Had this been expected Elise?

ELISE LABOTT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fionnuala, well there was some rumblings all week since the talks started that would Secretary Kerry travel to Geneva if there was a deal would he be going to announce it or would he just go to try to narrow the gaps. We understand from spokesperson Jen Psaki that issued a statement moments ago that the secretary after consulting with Cathy Ashton, the EU foreign policy chief who is really the host of these negotiations that Secretary Kerry will be going to meet with the Iranians and the -- all the other delegations to try and narrow the gap.

So that doesn't mean that a deal is at hand, but it does mean that they are getting ever so closer that perhaps Secretary Kerry feels that he can make some progress and make this a deal that they can leave Geneva with.

SWEENEY: All right. And presumably the two main sticking points would be the enrichment purity and the Arak nuclear plant as well and the heavy water nuclear plant that's in that place?

LABOTT: Well, we understand there are still some gaps, and particularly over the right of Iran to enrich. There's been a lot of talk of whether they would be able to, you know, stop that high purity over 20 percent uranium, but still have some small level of uranium that's at 3.5 or 5 percent per se.

Iran wanted that explicit, written in the agreement. That was a real sticking point among the delegations and we under stand that's still where they seem to be trying to narrow the differences.

SWEENEY: All right, well that is exciting news indeed as these talks continue in Geneva. Elise Labott, thank you very much for joining us.

Now the UN summit on climate change is winding to a close in Poland, but man of the participants are no longer there. Hundreds of people from six environmental group walked out of the negotiations on Thursday in protest.

Well let's go to Paula Newton now. She joins us from the Polish capital Warsaw. There you can see her.

So, Paula, tell us, what was precisely achieved at this summit?

PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Many people would be tempted to say nothing. You know, some are calling this an absolutely disastrous conference and that includes some of the government delegates here, Fionnuala.

Unfortunately, a lot of the disagreements between rich and poor countries have raised their head again. And in terms of trying to pave the way to a concise, substantial agreement for 2015 it's not looking so good right now.

We spoke earlier to the people who will frankly inherit this mess, the people who will host climate talks next year. Hear now from the environment minister from Peru.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MANUEL PULGAR-VIDAL, PERU ENVIRONMENT MINISTER: The thing that needs to be challenged in this conference, try to deal with all that interest behind each one of the countries. Every country has their own interests, every country has their own problems, every country are trying to find solutions that fit with their needs.

So that is the (inaudible) challenge of this process, it's how to fit that different position of more than 190 countries.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEWTON: You know, many agree that there had been a lot of backtracking by nations. And you know Fionnuala, that was despite a very emotional plea by the Filipino delegation when this conference started, of course. They've had a terrible few weeks. Many of their delegations fasting throughout this whole conference. It did not seem to make a difference.

Fionnuala, if they are supposed to get anything meaningful within the next two years' time, they have, in the words of the conference delegates here, a lot of homework to do when they go back to their respective countries -- Fionnuala.

SWEENEY; All right, we leave it there.

Paula Newton in Warsaw, Poland, thanks very much indeed for joining us.

Live from CNN Center, this is Connect the World. And coming up, we go to the Philippines to look at how the survivors of Typhoon Haiyan are rebuilding their lives using the wreckage from the storm.

And a half century later, she remains one of the enduring faces of the Kennedy assassination. Who Marina Oswald Porter is and how President Kennedy's death changed her life forever.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SWEENEY: Welcome back.

Two weeks on from Typhoon Haiyan's destructive strike in the Philippines, the number of dead is still increasing dramatically. The Philippines disaster management council says more than 5,200 people have been killed. That's over 1,000 more than Thursday toll. More than 23,000 people have been injured the Philippines news agency reports, and more than 1,500 others remain missing.

Rescue efforts are continuing. The UN's refugee agency says it's reached 23,000 survivors in the center of the country.

Karl Penhaul has more now on how some survivors are coping.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARL PENHAUL, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The sea gave them everything, not it's taken it all away -- nets tangled, full of holes, yet from father to son fisherman know nothing else.

"I hope this will never happen again. I've always lived here by the sea. Fish is the only thing we can sell at market," he says.

The super typhoon sent three tidal waves crashing ashore. Remal Lomental (ph) salvaged the flotsam and the jetsam and is building a new boat after his own was smashed. Others have cobbled together more curious crafts, using shipwrecked refrigerators.

From the beach, they look unstable and hard to paddle.

"It's not really that hard. We're used to sailing boats," he tells me.

I really do have to find out what it's like to navigate in a refrigerator, so...

Edgar says it took him three days to built this craft, to find the bits and pieces after the typhoon.

You've got cane here that he's used to make the outrigger. It's held together with string.

In normal times, the main catch is fish and crabs, but fisherman Edgar Gravillo (ph) says he's lost most of his nets. Since the typhoon, he hasn't had much of a haul.

Also caught in the flood waters, now piled on the altar of a nearby church, an effigy of st. Joaquin. Fisherman here pray to him in troubled times.

Outside, parents mourn children ripped from their arms by the killing sea. Marlon Tomlas (ph) is leaving cookies from an aid parcel under a cross for his 20-month-old son Marco (ph), a symbolic offering the dead.

"It was like he was sleeping when I found him. It was so difficult for me to accept that he's gone. But he's with the lord. I miss him, but there's nothing I can do," he says.

Back on shore, (inaudible) reckons it will take him two more weeks to repair his net. But he's in no rush.

"I'm so afraid now. I'm very afraid. All the houses were destroyed and people were killed by a huge wave. I feel so bad," he says.

As a new rainstorm brews, two of his neighbors paddle in. Their refrigerator boats are waterlogged, their nets are empty.

Karl Penhaul, CNN, San Roqqe (ph), the Philippines.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SWEENEY: Well, Filipino boxing super star and politician Manny Pacquiao has told CNN how he hopes to help and inspire his home country. He spoke to World Sports' Mark McKay about his reaction to news of the disaster when it first broke.

(BEGIN VIDEO LCIP)

MANNY PACQUIAO, BOXER: I was crying and I mean I feel so bad when it happened, but I want to go -- I want -- in that time I want to be (inaudible) person to leave, but I can't because I am in hard training. So what I did I sent my people there to give them, to help them. And what I did is focus to my training and praying to god.

MARK MCKAY, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: How will you help the Philippines recover?

PACQUIAO: Right now we sent them food. Food is the most important thing. And after that, I think we have to -- I have to help them giving a first start for their life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SWEENEY: Well, Pacquiao says the best way for him to inspire his country is to win his comeback fight against Brandon Rios in Macao.

You can see the full interview on World Sport, that's at 10:30 pm tonight London time here on CNN. Plus, don't forget, there's plenty more at CNN.com, including a range of special reports.

The latest world news headlines are just ahead.

Plus...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MAL: Good evening my fellow citizen. This government has promised, has maintained the closest surveillance of the Soviet military buildup on the island of Cuba.

SWEENEY: The world remembers U.S. President John F. Kennedy on this day, the 50th anniversary of his assassination.

And we'll be in Warsaw to talk to Poland's only chef with a Michelin star. That's in tonight's On the Road.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SWEENEY: This is CONNECT THE WORLD, the top stories this hour. Police in London say the case of three women held captive for more than 30 years is unique and it involved years of emotional abuse and mind control. The couple arrested on Thursday have been released on bail. Scotland Yard's entire human trafficking unit is working on the case.

In Latvia, the death toll has climbed to at least 51 following Thursday's roof collapse at a supermarket. The mayor of Riga says as many as 7 people are still missing. Searchers are studying surveillance camera recordings hoping they can locate more victims under the concrete and steel.

It could be a promising sign of progress in the international talks over Iran's nuclear program. The US has just announced that Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Geneva in the coming hours to join the negotiations. Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov arrived a short time ago.

Americans are paying tribute today to the late President John F. Kennedy on the 50th anniversary of his assassination in Dallas, Texas. The city held a ceremony in Dealey Plaza, where the assassination occurred. Bells were the only sound as the nation marked the moment the president was shot.

Well, America marked a grim day in its history today, 50 years since that assassination, people across the country paying their respects.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(BAGPIPES PLAYING)

MIKE RAWLINGS, MAYOR OF DALLAS, TEXAS: Ladies and gentlemen, would you join me in a moment of silence in honor of the life of John Fitzgerald Kennedy?

(BELLS TOLL)

(CHOIR SINGING "AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL")

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SWEENEY: And it wasn't just Texans gathering in Dealey Plaza. Americans around the country are recalling the president's assassination. When it happened, the whole world was stunned by the news. And as Jonathan Mann reports, that fascination remains to this day, not only with JFK's death, but also his life.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONATHAN MANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He died at age 46, 50 years ago, but he endures in aging black and white images and indelibly in America's imagination. A popular young president with a beautiful wife and an easy manner, projecting the optimism of an era that some historians would call the American Century.

JOHN F. KENNEDY, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.

MANN: Jacqueline Kennedy was 31 when they entered the White House and widowed at 34. She called their time "Camelot," likening the Kennedy administration to a royal court, and her husband to the legendary King Arthur.

The Kennedys did become a kind of American royalty, a dynasty in national life. Brother Robert, a senator, assassinated as he ran for the presidency. Brother Teddy a senator who served for decades. And daughter Caroline today serving as the new US ambassador to Japan.

In his own day, John Kennedy was hardly a king, but he was a Cold Warrior, who challenged the spread of Soviet influence. He sent America on a path to the moon, and a path to its national nightmare in Vietnam.

In America's collective memory, the Cuban Missile Crisis, a standoff with Moscow that brought the two superpowers to the brink of war, is recalled as a winning example of American resolve. Kennedy's decision to order the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion fiasco in Cuba tends to be forgotten or forgiven.

Kennedy was president for barely more than a thousand days. On his last day, riding through Dallas, he was assassinated in an open car at a time when wanton violence in broad daylight was even more shocking. It was an abrupt end to a more innocent time.

The images are still sobering half a century later, but Kennedy's killing was the first time that America shared a national tragedy through the medium of television.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lee Oswald has been shot!

MANN: Adding to the shock, Kennedy's assassin was himself assassinated before he could fully answer for the crime. So some Americans wonder to this day if they really know how John Kennedy died or who was responsible for it. A president's life as myth, murder, mystery. It's no wonder America hasn't let go of the memory.

Jonathan Mann, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SWEENEY: Well, one person who's lived with JFK's assassination almost her entire adult life is Lee Harvey Oswald's widow. She married again, and her name now is Marina Oswald Porter. She lives a reclusive life away from the media, but as Brian Todd reports, she's never been able to escape the legacy of 1963.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): She's one of the last people still alive with a deeply personal family connection to that weekend in Dallas 50 years ago: Marina Oswald Porter, the Russian-born widow of John F. Kennedy's assassin. A woman who now simply wants to be left alone.

KEYA MORGAN, FRIEND OF MARINA OSWALD PORTER: After 50 years of being harassed like that and having reporters show up at your home and anywhere you go, and everyone's trying to only speak about one subject and one subject only.

TODD: Filmmaker Keya Morgan, a friend of Marina Oswald Porter's, says in recent years, she's become reclusive. She lives in a house behind these trees outside Dallas, signs clearly indicating visitors aren't welcome.

She married Kenneth Porter two years after Kennedy's assassination and raised the son she had with him along with her two daughters with Lee Harvey Oswald.

PAUL GREGORY, FORMER FRIEND OF MARINA OSWALD PORTER: I understand they've grown up to be quite outstanding citizens, holding good jobs. So I commend her and her children and her husband for what they've done.

TODD: A friend says in recent years, she turned down a network offer of $3 million for an interview, but decades ago, she did speak out, revealing a change of heart about her husband, to TV station KRLD just two months after the assassination.

EDDIE BARKER, KRLD CORRESPONDENT: Do you believe that your husband killed President Kennedy?

MARINA OSWALD, LEE HARVEY OSWALD'S WIDOW: Well, I don't want to believe, but I have too much heart, and heart tell me it's Lee that killed him.

TODD: But later, she came to believe Oswald was set up, as she told NBC News in 1993.

OSWALD: Well, he definitely did not fire the shots, according to all the evidence that I have right now.

TODD: Why the about-face? Former "Dallas Morning News" reporter Hugh Aynesworth has known Marina for decades.

HUGH AYNESWORTH, FORMER REPORTER, "DALLAS MORNING NEWS": I guess manipulation might be a crude way of putting it, but she certainly changed her mind because of the conspiracy theories that have been given to her.

TODD (on camera): We tried several times to reach Marina Oswald Porter for an interview. After going to her home and calling repeatedly, we finally got an answer on the phone and realized what others meant when they said that her husband Kenneth is polite but fiercely protective. He told me, quote, "We're not talking to the media right now, but thank you." And then he hung up.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SWEENEY: And if you remember where you were when you heard the news about JFK's assassination, we'd like to hear from you. Connect with us and have your say at facebook.com/CNNconnect.

And do you believe Lee Harvey Oswald did it and was the only assassin? Well, we have lots of fascinating content, including some of the conspiracy theories and a lot more on our website at cnn.com/jfk.

And live from CNN Center, you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. Coming up: hungry for Polish culture? We talk to one of the top chef in Warsaw on tonight's On the Road.

And we'll travel through time to celebrate the 50th anniversary of a record-breaking British television series.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SWEENEY: All this week, CNN's On the Road series is bringing you greater insight into the customs and culture of Poland. Paula Newton explores the people and passions unique to this Eastern European nation. And she joins us now live from the Polish capital in Warsaw. So, Paula, what special moments do you have for us today?

PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is all about food. Fionnuala, I know that you've been here a few times, that you enjoy the food as much as I do. This was not the traditional food, though.

And what's so interesting about the Michelin-Starred chef that you're about to meet is that people throughout Europe do get Michelin Stars for cooking, perhaps, French cuisine or Italian cuisine. But to get that Michelin Star for Polish cuisine, something entirely unprecedented. And I wish you could taste it, but at least you're going to get to see it right now. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON (voice-over): Polish cities, Polish styles, Polish attitudes, they're all coming into their own. But bringing all that energy and creativity to food? Polish food? Well, according to the French experts, it's been done. Yes, done. At Atelier Amaro.

NEWTON (on camera): This is the modest and very unexpected locale where you will find Poland's only Michelin-Starred chef. And what we've been told is that he's not trying to reinvent Polish cuisine, but revive it. Let's go and take a look.

Hello.

WOJCIECH MODEST AMARO, CHEF: Hello.

NEWTON: Hi, I'm Paula.

AMARO: Hi. Modest. Nice to meet you.

NEWTON: So, you're cultivating and creating all of this stuff from scratch?

AMARO: Yes. We're trying just to get access to a pure ingredient, and then we start our play with it.

NEWTON (voice-over): Chef Amaro says he goes out of his way, literally foraging, cultivating, growing to use Polish ingredients. The result is pure in taste, but also so refined, which shows quality Polish ingredients at their best.

AMARO: This is from up north in Poland, one of the best cheese producers. And we blow torch it just to melt it.

NEWTON: Chef Amaro has worked in top restaurants in Europe, but being back in Poland cooking world-class cuisine, that was his dream.

AMARO: And I took all my ideas and dreams and I brought them back, and there was no cutting corners, just the way I wanted to cook.

NEWTON: And why Poland? It's clear you could work in any kitchen in the world. Why Poland? Why come back home?

AMARO: This is -- it may be silly, but it's a patriotic thing. I really -- over the years, when I was abroad, I always knew one day I will come back.

This is actually what we strive to, actually, we dream to, actually. We're having a new combination, but in the end, people can feel this is Poland on the plate.

NEWTON (voice-over): And if it's not Polish?

AMARO: Leaves and the relish, just to spice up a little. We don't use any black pepper at all.

NEWTON (on camera): No black pepper in the restaurant?

AMARO: No, no, no.

NEWTON: OK. And why not?

AMARO: Because it's not Polish.

(LAUGHTER)

NEWTON (voice-over): Chef Amaro's love of country and food comes through with every taste.

AMARO: We'll serve it with chive ice cream.

NEWTON (on camera): Chive ice cream? Wow. Oh, taste that! Oh, that's amazing!

NEWTON (voice-over): Of course, Chef Amaro and his Atelier are a rare find, but his contribution to the revival in this country goes beyond the kitchen.

AMARO: You can really feel that. You have this sense of living in this country that there is something booming completely in every aspect of life. And we just want to be part of that and do our job in terms of cuisine and gastronomy. So, it's really an amazing find.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NEWTON: Such an amazing chef. He is passionate about his country, passionate about the food. It's nice to see him be able to combine those two passions here back home. Fionnuala?

SWEENEY: It certainly is. Warsaw, fascinating city. But you've been on the road, now, for a week, Paula? What's been your favorite moment?

NEWTON: It's hard to say, and of course, everyone loves the food here, so I've loved the food. But we were at a salt mine, it was a story that aired a couple of nights ago, you can see it again this weekend on On the Road Poland.

It was stunning. You descend into this mine shaft and you're expecting a real industrial, claustrophobic look. And you instead get these works of art that you'd expect to see in the churches of Poland above ground, all made of salt. It was absolutely stunning.

And I said in the story that it felt like you were going to the very depths of Polish history and faith, and that's really what it felt like, especially when they were telling you that these miners really carved all these beautiful salt sculptures for love of country and the pride in their country and also their faith, because it was a dangerous job and they wanted to make sure they showed reverence.

And everyone knowing this is a very Catholic country, and especially back then, they thought it so important. It's unlike anything you will ever see on Earth. It's just outside Krakow. And it really was a treat to see it. Fionnuala?

SWEENEY: All right. Well, Paula, thanks for updating us on that. Paula, as she mentioned there, exploring the places, the people, the passions of Poland this weekend in a special half-hour program including, there, those salt mines.

She discovers the country coming of age more than two decades after the fall of Communism. That is On the Road Poland, Saturday at 9:30 PM in London, 10:30 PM in Warsaw.

Coming up after this short break on CONNECT THE WORLD, CNN Preview goes to the movies as we take a look at the music behind the blockbusters.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SWEENEY: And welcome back. No great film is truly complete without a great soundtrack. From "The Wizard of Oz" to "Star Wars" and "Titanic," what we hear is often as important as what we see. And as Neil Curry reports, the film soundtrack is now undergoing a bit of a revival.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NEIL CURRY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Movies and music go hand-in-hand on this week's edition of CNN Preview as we focus on the resurgence in the popularity of the movie soundtrack album.

ALEXANDRA PATSAVAS, MUSIC SUPERVISOR: Soundtracks are such an important part of any film, and especially as the viewer has gotten to know music through a film franchise or for a film, they can really discover artists through seeing the movie.

CURRY: Alexandra Patsavas acted as music supervisor on numerous movie soundtracks, including the "Twilight" series, before turning her attention to the second "Hunger Games" film, "Catching Fire."

PATSAVAS: Sometimes I start as early as when the first draft comes out. Sometimes I get involved a little later. But no matter what, I'm always closely, closely involved with the director, because as the music supervisor, we're really hired to bring the director's vision to life.

CURRY: Brad Pitt entered the band Muse in his role as producer of "World War Z." He discovered they were reading the novel on which the film was based, and promptly asked them to contribute to the soundtrack.

MATT BELLAMY, MUSE: Yes, and we were very honored to get usage of a couple of our songs on the album, "Isolated System" being the main one, opening credits.

When the film opens up, you have all these sort of scenes of chaos around the world, and we were influenced by that kind of apocalyptic stuff, and I actually read "World War Z" when we were making the album, so it's a perfect fit, really.

CURRY: From "Romeo and Juliet" to "Moulin Rouge" to this year's movie, "The Great Gatsby," the director Baz Luhrmann has long been noted for his inventive use of music within his films.

recruiting Jay-Z as producer and artists including Bryan Ferry, Emeli Sande, Kanye West, and Lana Del Rey, produced a strong mix of hip hop, jazz, and beautiful ballads, which propelled the album to number two on the Billboard charts.

BRYAN FERRY, MUSICIAN: Baz is always famous for his use of music, of course, in his films. And this one, it's very complex what he's done, but I think it works incredibly well.

BAZ LUHRMANN, DIRECTOR: Working together when you're doing individual things relating to each other, than taking that to the audience.

We will have the hip hop age and the jazz age come together. But we were worried, not about hip hop age, because Jay-Z. But the jazz age, we were like, where are we going to find actual jazz musicians who really play like they did then? Scary, this were a live, rough, with edge.

Who would have thought that I would turn up by Bryan Ferry? You'd think you'd find it New Orleans or something. Because we really thought they would come from that part of the world. Bryan is so serendipitous.

(JAZZ MUSIC)

LUHRMANN: Quentin and I, we began at the Cannes Films Festival together, Quentin Tarantino and I -- same here -- and it's very interesting, but Quentin and I -- and we were both criticized at the time - - were taking music and using it in a different way, and I think Quentin uses music brilliantly as well.

CURRY: Luhrmann and Tarantino, together with Danny Boyle, are among the directors who've matched songs and images to create some of the most memorable movie moments.

CURRY (on camera): Similar to Tarantino, you really put music -- a premium on music, don't you? You put it at the center of your films. And what is it that music gives to enhance the visual experience?

DANNY BOYLE, DIRECTOR: Everybody thinks films are visual experiences, and they are, but one of the reasons they are is that because 70 percent of a movie is sound. Music is just running through your life the whole time, and we wanted to reflect that in the movies.

PATSAVAS: Record companies have long embraced the soundtrack. "Dirty Dancing," there's a long history of successful soundtracks in Hollywood. But I do think that right now, because of the way fans are discovering music, it has become a really important part of the whole experience.

CURRY (voice-over): For her latest collection, Patsavas has recruited artists including Sia, Christina Aguilera and Coldplay for another assault on the charts.

PATSAVAS: Certain bands and certain theme songs all really have captured the audience's imagination.

CURRY: With "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" soundtrack release this week, we'll leave Coldplay to play us out of this week's edition of CNN Preview.

(MUSIC - "ATLAS" BY COLDPLAY)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SWEENEY: In tonight's Parting Shots, the 50th anniversary of the world's longest-running sci-fi television show. Isa Soares travels through space and time to explore the enduring astonishment of the iconic British TV series, "Doctor Who."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ISA SOARES, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Here you'll find all creatures great and small. The monsters, the robots, and the man who fights them all.

Since 1963, "Doctor Who" has gripped Britain and the world in his mission to ward off evil. Fifty years later --

NICHOLAS BRIGGS AS THE DALEKS, "DOCTOR WHO": Exterminate!

SOARES: -- it seems there's no stopping him, or the series.

MATT SMITH AS THE DOCTOR, "DOCTOR WHO": Geronimo!

SMITH: It's just a cool show about a mental guy who travels the world and picks up hot chicks and fights aliens. What's not to like?

SOARES (on camera): What a tough gig, hey?

SMITH: What a tough gig. Hey, listen, it's tougher than it looks, let me tell you.

SOARES: Yeah, right!

SMITH: Yes.

SOARES (voice-over): Years of hard work are on show for the 20,000 fans who have come together here in a show of force to meet the cast and writers ahead of this weekend's global simulcast in more than 90 countries.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a pretty big deal, yes. I've followed it all my life, and I used to have a TARDIS in the house and used to not have my dinner unless I was sitting inside it. So yes, big deal.

SOARES: A TARDIS, by the way, is the Doctor's time machine. No idea how he got his hands on that.

SOARES (on camera): What's so special about it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's sort of like -- it's basically like science, but free of it.

SOARES (voice-over): The art and science lie in how the Doctor uses gadgets and gizmos, even if in real life, they're pretty basic.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can also use things like air fresheners, and in the case of this demonstration model, we actually used contact lens covers. And again, once their in, sprayed, and dirtied, hopefully you don't spot them.

SOARES: But you need more than just gadgets to keep this show at the top. The plot needs to evolve.

DAVID TENNANT AS THE DOCTOR, "DOCTOR WHO": Oh, you've redecorated. I don't like it.

STEVEN MOFFAT, WRITER, "DOCTOR WHO": It's the story that can adapt itself to every new era. It is brand new, because there'll be a new Doctor and a new attitude and a new feel to it, and a new generation of kids say, "I don't care about those old Doctors, I care about my Doctor." So it's just -- it will just carry on. It's unkillable.

SOARES (on camera): The ultimate test of its success will come down to its many fans and whether they'll still be hooked in 50 years. One way to find out, really, to travel in time. Well, I would, but this one isn't working.

Isa Soares, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SWEENEY: Well, I'm Fionnuala Sweeney. This has been CONNECT THE WORLD. Thank you for watching.

END