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Connect the World
Very Little Progress At Peace Talks, According to Brahimi; Shaun White Upset In Men's Halfpipe; Southern England Reeling from Unprecedented Floods; Iran's 35th Anniversary of Islamic Revolution; Indian IOC Reinstated
Aired February 11, 2014 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MAX FOSTER, HOST : Tonight, England's idyllic countryside is drowning with record rainfall and there's no sign of let-up any time soon. As more severe weather is on the way.
We ask if climate change is to blame, whether that's a poor excuse for a poor government response.
Also this hour...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIIFED FEMALE: This region is home to one of the most powerful crime organizations in the world: the Androngirtra.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: The reality of life in the shadow of a mafia.
Plus, a child star, a political player and a cultural icon. A look back at the legacy of Shirley Temple.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN London, this is Connect the World.
FOSTER: Severe and unprecedented floods are deluging Britain. Entire communities are underwater with thousands of homes ruined, more than 1,500 troops have been brought in to help and more bad weather is on its way.
The wettest January in 250 years has spilled in February. 16 severe alerts are issued, shown in red on this map. Yellow areas show places on alert extending all the way west into Wales and Somerset. Prime Minister David Cameron canceled a Middle East visit to help emergency efforts. He said things could get worse before they get better.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID CAMERON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Money is no object in this relief effort. What ever money is needed for it will be spent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Well, in central and southern England, many people feel helpless against the weather. Matthew Chance is in Burrow Bridge in Somerset, one of the worst affected areas. Matthew, this is one of the areas that's been suffering for the longest and they must be absolutely desperate by now?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they are. And of course it's been raining sporadically over the course of the day and forecasters say there are more heavy rains due. And so the expectation is that the flood levels will rise further, even though they've already devastated vast swaths of this area of southwestern England, some 26 square miles according to the environment agency. And of course that means people's homes, people's gardens, people's property, all of it has been destroyed.
We saw absolutely desperate scenes earlier today in the village of Moorland (ph) where police, boats, squads were out evacuating residents. They were inundated with the floods. Their cars are completely submerged, almost houses covered with water up to about five feet up the walls. Absolutely incredible scenes.
We had to go over we went by boat. And so it was really difficult to get around. All the streets flooded.
And yes, you're absolutely right, there's a great deal of anger as a result of that. People pointing the finger of blame at the environment agency, at the government for not doing enough and for not anticipating that this kind of flood would happen.
At the same time, they're saying that the rivers, for instance, should have been dredged, but at the same time, of course, these have been the heaviest rains in nearly 250 years. And so it's perhaps understandable that this kind of deluge wasn't anticipating, Max.
FOSTER: Matthew, thank you very much.
Well, the weather is causing misery, but it's also taking a serious toll on the UK economy. Total cost estimates are $1.5 billion. And with more rain forecast, that figure is set to rise.
Insurers are looking at paying out around $800 million in claims. In turn, this could raise premiums for customers in the future.
And rail services could take weeks or months to resume a full working service, especially the tracks battered by waves on the coast.
Well, if floods spread to central London, these costs could skyrocket.
The Thames barrier is built to protect London from mass flood damage. The recent wet weather means it's been working overtime. I went down to the river to see how they're coping.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What does this mean in terms of population?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Approximately 1.5 million people...
FOSTER: An apocalyptic scenario depicted in the 2007 movie Flood sees many of London's landmarks under water. It might look farfetched, but as Britain suffers one of the wettest winters on record, it's a nightmare which many not bee too far from reality.
This map released by the environment agency shows what London could have looked like in December after the worst North Sea storm in 60 years -- many recognizable locations submerged.
1.25 million people live in and work in the flood plain. And what the government estimates is more than $300 billion of assets for within this area.
The reason this was all saved, the Thames barrier, a flood defense system put in place more than 30 years ago to protect the capital.
(on camera): Well, there it is. It's a spectacular structure up close. And what you've got here is the river coming down through London towards the sea. If there's a tidal surge, though, coming from that way they need to close the river off, otherwise the city is under threat and that's what the Thames barrier does.
It's run by the environment agency. Toby Willison joins us from there. And you're working incredibly hard right now, hardest you've ever worked.
TOBY WILLISON, BRITISH ENVIRONMENT AGENCY: The barrier is working very, very hard. What it's doing is as you say it stops the tide coming in.
At the moment it's operated 29 times since the beginning of -- beginning of December, which when you consider it was build in -- completed in 1982 and has only opened 154 times since 1982, so it's operating much more frequently at the moment than it ever has...
FOSTER (voice-over): The environment agency says the barrier has saved hundreds, if not thousands of lives. And it's being used more and more frequently as sea levels have risen over the years.
WILLISON: And if, as the climate scientists say, we're going to see more of these, you know, extreme weather events, then yes we are going to see the Thames barrier working harder.
FOSTER: An epic manmade structure holding natures forces at bay and working hard to keep a major world capital intact.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: OF course extreme weather no know boundaries. 2013 was Australia's hottest year ever, devastating bush fires were seen around the country.
California has just experienced the driest year in its history. These satellite images show the dramatic reduction in snow compared with this time last year.
Last month, the U.S. fought off a fierce polar vortex, which saw temperatures plunge by 30 to 50 degrees more than usual.
Today, more than 1,000 flight cancellations as the southern U.S. is warned of an historic ice storm. All this just impact our lives, but the economy too. The World Bank says the global loss from extreme weather is rising from around $50 billion in the 1980s to around $200 billion in the last decade.
World Bank's special envoy for climate change Rachel Kyte told Christiane Amanpour that we're being affected right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RACHEL KYTE, WORLD BANK SPECIAL ENVOY FOR CLIMATE CHANGE: I think every country is trying to process the fact that the extreme weather events that we thought were going to happen to somebody else over there in the future are now actually happening right now here to us.
I don't think that necessarily the specificity of each storm can be predicted, but the fact that the trend is here and that that trend for the moment has brought a stream of storms across the Atlantic to hammer into Ireland and to the UK, I think we do have to be cognizant of these trends.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Well, Mr. Cameron says he suspected that the recent weather is linked to climate change, but later clarified that you couldn't point to one single event as proof.
Meteorologist Bob Henson from the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research joins us now from Denver, Colorado. Thank you very much indeed for joining us.
Of course, it's so difficult to make this link, isn't it. And it's a very controversial link as well. But in terms of the weather patterns, have they changed dramatically, or are we just more able to report them now?
BOB HENSON, U.S. NATIONAL CENTER FOR ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH: Well, there are certainly things happening on a global scale that we can track and verify that are happening. And one example of that is when it's raining or snowing hard, it tends to be raining or snowing a little bit harder. That's been a pretty robust pattern observed in many parts of the world. And the expectation is that is as the climate continues to warm there will be more moisture in the atmosphere, more fuel for these heavy rain and snow events.
So, what's happening in England this winter is very consistent with that.
FOSTER: And the concern about London, for example, is that the sea levels over time are rising, to the Thames barrier, for example, over time will become less effective.
What are we talking about there in terms of sea levels? Is that the same sort of issue?
HENSON: Well, sea levels are undoubtedly and absolutely rising and are expected to continue to do so at least by a few inches over the coming decades, possibly as much as a foot by the end of the century. The projections vary somewhat. But the fact that they're rising and will continue to rise is in no doubt.
So the problem and concern with that when it comes to storminess is that when you have these rising sea levels it's a foundation. So when there is a storm such as what you're getting now, or such as Hurricane Sandy a couple of years ago in the northeast U.S., those storms move and strike on top of an existing sea level that's getting higher and higher. So that makes the storms even more able to inflict serious damage.
FOSTER: So what are we looking for in terms of government response here? Because a lot of people in this country are saying because of cutbacks they weren't ready to respond effectively and they were a bit slow to respond anyway? But do they -- do they need to be looking long-term at wider issues and wider responses and structural change?
HENSON: Well, I think it's hard to speak specifically about the circumstances in England or the U.S., but certainly that's been a recurring theme. You know, the Atlanta area was hit by a massive snow storm a couple of weeks ago. And the amounts weren't very large, but the city was essentially caught off guard despite the fact that the snow was forecast.
So, I think a lot of societies now are in what you might call a just in time mode, so people are prepared to respond to circumstances that are in their immediate realm and perhaps don't have the flexibility to expand or contract or respond to things like extreme weather.
So even though we may think we're better prepared for severe weather, in fact we may be less resilient or ready to respond. And so I think both with garden variety extreme weather and with the risk of climate change as society moves forward, we've just got to be prepared. And you have to be prepared for the worst, you might expect. And that worst might be beyond anything you've ever seen as we've heard the rains and flooding in parts of England exceed anything observed in the last 250 years at least at one weather station.
And -- now that doesn't mean it was wetter 250 years ago, it simply means that's as far back as records go. So we have to be prepared for unprecedented events. We know the drought in California may be on par with a 1 in 500 year event.
FOSTER: OK, Bob Henson, thank you very much for your insights.
We want to ask you how you've been affected by the weather, because wherever you are in the UK or the U.S. we want to hear from you. And I'm sure you've got your stories. Do get in touch by Facebook, Facebook.com/CNNConnect. You can tweet me also @MaxFosterCNN. Your thoughts please @MaxfosterCNN.
Still to come tonight, reinforcement their strong relationship, the French president is in Washington with Barack Obama. More on that just in a moment.
Also ahead, celebrations in Iran as the country marks the 35th anniversary of the Islamic revolution.
And, we're going to have the latest from the Winter Olympics where all eyes were on the American snowboarder Shaun White today. All that and much more when Connect the World continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: U.S. President Barack Obama is hosting the French President Francois Hollande at the White House. In a joint press conference they touched on issues ranging from sanctions on Iran to the conflict in Syria and spoke about their strong alliance.
Mr. Obama also had some words of praise for his French counterpart.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And this level of partnership across so many areas would have been unimaginable even a decade ago, but it's a testament to how our two nations have worked to transform our alliance. And I want to solute President Hollande for carrying this work forward.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: And in just a few hours, the White House will be rolling out the red carpet and hosting its first state dinner in nearly two-and-a-half years. Mr. Hollande will be attending tonight's dinner solo after splitting from his long-time partner Valerie Trierweiler last month.
Investors liked what they heard from the new head of the U.S. federal reserve today. In her first appearance before congress, fed chair Janet Yellen stressed monetary policy is unlikely to change under her leadership.
The Dow rallied and is now more than 200 points.
Investors also keeping an eye on the U.S. House. Speaker John Boehner is set to hold a vote on raising the federal borrowing limit without other provisions attached. That's expected to happen later tonight.
At least 77 people have died after a military plane crashed in Algeria. The plane was bound for the city of Constantine in the country's mountainous eastern region. Members of the Algerian Air Force as well as women and children were on board the plane when it went down. Witnesses said there was a snow storm in the area at the time. The Algerian president has called for three days of national mourning.
We are not making much progress, that candid statement from the UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi who is mediating the second round of Syria peace talks in Geneva. Neither side is budging from its demands, an opposition delegation wants to focus on creating a transitional government that doesn't include Bashar al-Assad. While the regime says the top priority must be stopping terrorism in Syria.
Brahimi says there is urgent need to find a resolution.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAKHDAR BRAHIMI, UN SPECIAL ENVOY TO SYRIA: The people of Syria are thinking please get something going that will stop this nightmare and this injustice that is inflicted on the Syrian people. They'll have to listen at some stage. And the earlier the better.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Organizers of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar have released a worker's charter aimed at protecting migrants' rights. This comes after a damning report of advocacy groups on a spate of workers' deaths.
The new standards include a requirement for contractors to provide three weeks paid holiday per year, a rule mandating the workers must be granted one rest day each week, and companies must provide workers with a phone line where they can report grievances.
New standards only apply to those working on the World Cup venues and not those on other buildings sites in Qatar.
There are currently less than 40 people employed on the first stadium construction site.
More successful missile tests in Iran on the eve of the 35th anniversary of the Islamic revolution. The Iranian defense ministry says the new weapons include a long range ballistic missile that can carry multiple warheads.
Hundreds of thousands of people rallied in Tehran's Assadi Square today waiting to hear President Hasan Rouhani speak. CNN's Reza Sayah was at the celebration.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Thousands mark the 35th anniversary of the Islamic revolution in Tehran, a celebration that's always part gushing tribute to the Islamic Republic and part kick in the teeth to Washington.
Indeed many here in Iran still see the U.S. government as the world's bully. And this ceremony has long been used to send a message of defiance against Washington. And that message is, we're not scared of you and you're not going to push us around.
Chants of death to America, one of the iconic symbols of Iran's defiance still ringing out 35 years after Washington and Tehran broke off diplomatic ties.
"America, you can't do a thing to us," says (inaudible).
But this year with Iranian president Hasan Rouhani pushing to improve relations with the west, you get the sense here that the tone of the anti- American rhetoric is softening just a little bit.
In his speech, Iranian President Hasan Rouhani was firm, rejecting western sanctions and stating Iran will never give up its civilian nuclear program. But he also said Iran wants peace.
We want regional countries to know Iranphobia is a lie. Iran will never think about aggression against any country, said the president. It was a sentiment echoed by many in the crowd.
"It's not about attacking anyone," says Said Kosamei (ph), "it's about defending ourselves."
"If they pay attention to us, they'll see we can be good friends who can help bring peace and love all over the world," says Mortizad Datra (ph).
Cautious calls for peace, reconciliation and mutual respect on the anniversary of a revolution that ended U.S.-Iran relations, perhaps an early sign that 35 years of bad feelings are finally starting to ease.
Reza Sayah, CNN, Tehran.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Taiwan and China are holding their highest level direct talks in almost 60 years of splintered relations. The meeting in Nanjing today is the first of its kind since China's civil war ended in 1949.
Relations started to improve in 2008 when a new president was elected in Taiwan. Pauline Chiou has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAULINE CHIOU, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The delicate relationship between China and Taiwan took center stage at historic talks at Nanjing this week. The two sides agreed to a new chapter in their relationship. While no formal agreements were signed, both marked the moment as a step forward.
This is the first time government officials from Taiwan and China have met since 1949, that's when the Communists forced the nationalists to flee to Taiwan.
Since then, the island and mainland have been governed separately, both claiming to be the true government of China.
While their relationship has improved since 2008, Beijing still refuses to recognize the government of Taiwan to this day. That issue was sidestepped at the meeting and officials were addressed by their titles.
And a sense of diplomacy inside the conference room. As you can see, there were no flags placed around the room.
Nanjing is also symbolic location for this meeting. It was China's capital city before the split.
Pauline Chiou, CNN, Hong Kong.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Live from London, this is Connect the World.
Coming up, the horrific story of a little boy shot and killed at pointblank range. A suspected Mafia hit shocked a country long familiar with organized crime.
But first, India is back in. The country's Olympic committee gets reinstated in Sochi. We hear from an Indian Olympian about what the decision means to him.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: It was an Olympic upset for American snowboarder Shaun White in Sochi today. White was heavily favored to win the men's halfpipe after taking gold in both Vancouver and in Turin, but it wasn't meant to be today. White faltered in both his runs leaving the door open for Switzerland Yuri Podladchikov to take the gold.
Japan took both the silver and the bronze with White finishing in fourth place.
Let's take a look at where the medal table stands right now. And Norway is in the lead, no surprise with 11 medals so far, four of them gold.
Canada stands second place with nine and Germany, the Netherlands and the United States round out the top five there.
For more from Sochi let's cross to Ian Lee and huge upset for White.
IAN LEE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Max. He was actually going into the final in first place, but he just wasn't able to pull it off. Shaun White coming in fourth place just edged out of getting a medal.
Now there was over 34 crashes during this halfpipe competition, just to kind of give you an idea of the conditions these snowboarders were dealing with, a lot of them complaining that it was just too warm and that it just wasn't right for their perfect runs.
Now Shaun White had a bit of controversy before this event after pulling out of the slopestyle event, saying that he just wanted to focus on the half-pipe and the slopestyle was just too dangerous. Well, he wasn't able to pull it off this time. And as we saw, he came in fourth, Max.
FOSTER: And I just want to ask you about the Indian team, because there was this extraordinary story about how they were now longer allowed to compete under their flag, right? But they are able to do that now. You better explain what happened there.
LEE: Well, that's right. And there's quite a lot of drama here. It really started back in 2012 when the IOC, the executive board, kicked out - - or suspended India as part of the -- to compete in the Olympics because they said the Indian government was just too much involved. There was a lot of negotiation back and forth. The real sticking point was who was going to head the Indian Olympic Association. It couldn't be someone with a criminal record.
Well, it looks like they were able to iron that out. And now, instead of flying under the Olympic flag, they'll be able to walk under the Indian flag. And I talk to Shiva Keshavan who is the luger about it. And he said he has new hope -- he has hope for this administration.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHIVA KESHAVAN, INDIAN LUGE OLYMPICAN: Well, right now, I mean, I think we are in a good position, because we have a clean slate ahead of us. And, you know, the new administration, they really have the power to make a huge difference right now.
I mean, obviously they are very, very happy that the Indian flag is going to be unfurled tomorrow after the welcome ceremonies. So that's an amazing thing. But what people like myself are really going to be looking out for is what the new administrators do with their mandate. And I think, you know, we don't have a great track record as far as sports is concerned in India. I think we can do a lot more. So there's going to be a lot of responsibility resting on the shoulders of the new administration.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEE: And, Max, this really is a story of people power. A lot of Indians were upset that the team was walking under the Olympic flag and not the Indian flag. A lot of journalists got involved and it really put pressure on the Indian Olympic Association to make the necessary changes so that they can walk under the Indian flag at closing ceremonies, Max.
FOSTER: Ian, thank you very much. It's great stuff. And it's turning out to be a great Olympics.
You can find out all the latest action and reaction from Sochi on our aiming for gold live blog, CNN's crews on the grounds covering the games, bringing you the top sports headlines, the need to know states, and the sneak peak as well behind the scenes in Sochi. Find it all at CNN.com/Sochi.
The latest world news headlines just ahead.
Plus, U.S. and Italian authorities team up for a major raid on the mafia.
And remember Shirley Temple Black. We'll look back at the extraordinary life of Hollywood's original child star.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: This is CONNECT THE WORLD, the top stories this hour. US president Barack Obama is hosting the French president, Francois Hollande, at the White House. In a joint press conference, they touched on issues ranging from sanctions on Iran to the conflict in Syria and spoke about the strong alliance.
Plans to evacuate civilians from the besieged city of Homs, Syria, hit a logistical snag today, but a UNICEF official says the operation will resume on Wednesday. Twelve hundred civilians have fled the city since Friday.
Investigators are trying to determine what caused a plane crash in Algeria today. At least 77 people died after the military plane went down in the country's mountainous eastern region. Witnesses reported seeing a snowstorm in the area at the time.
Taiwan and China are holding their highest-level direct talks in more than 60 years of splintered relations. The meeting in Nanjing today is the first of its kind since China's civil war ended in 1949. Relations started to improve in 2008 when a new president was elected in Taiwan.
Now to a major crackdown on alleged mafia activity. A joint operation between US and Italian authorities has netted 7 suspects in New York and another 17 across Italy. The charges range from drug trafficking to Mafia association to money laundering. Authorities say they uncovered criminal ties between the 'Ndrangheta Mafia in Italy and the Gambino crime family in New York.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARSHALL MILLER, US ATTORNEY: Using techniques like undercover officers and court-authorized wiretaps, American and Italian law enforcement determined that the 'Ndrangheta aimed to move deadly narcotics across international boundaries, attempting to build a bridge of criminality and corruption to stretch from South America to Italy and back to New York.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Well, the Mafia is sometimes glorified in Hollywood movies, but there's nothing glamorous about the effects of organized crime. An apparent Mafia hit in Italy took the life of a little boy recently, leaving the country shocked and outraged. Erin McLaughlin attended the young victim's funeral.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(WOMAN CRYING)
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There is perhaps nothing more haunting than the sound of a mother saying good-bye to her child for the very last time.
This is the funeral of three-year-old Nicola "Coco" Campolongo and his grandfather, Giuseppe Iannicelli. People here believe they were murdered because of his family's ties to the Mafia. Journalist Francesco Mollo says Iannicelli approached him months ago, afraid for his grandson's safety. He didn't say why.
Coco's mother, Antonia Iannicelli, was in prison for drug crimes. No one else could take care of the little boy. Mollo shows us the abandoned farmhouse where police found the charred remains of Iannicelli's car.
FRANCESCO MOLLO, JOURNALIST: Killed like a hold boss. Old Mafia boss.
MCLAUGHLIN: Police say Coco had been shot at point-black range in the back of his head. In the front seat sat Iannicelli and his 27-year-old companion, also executed Mafia-style. On top of the car, the killers left a 50-cent coin.
MOLLO: Investigators believe that this message, this sign, means that Giuseppe Iannicelli had not paid drug debt.
MCLAUGHLIN (on camera): This region has never seen anything like this before.
MOLLO: Never. Never.
MCLAUGHLIN (voice-over): Criminality runs in Coco's family. At the funeral, there's a heavy police presence, and it's easy to see why. At the end of the mass, out of the village church, comes Coco's uncle. Then one grandmother, then his other grandmother. And finally, his father.
They're loaded into police vans and taken back to jail. It's a situation not unheard of in Southern Italy. For many here, Mafia influence is a way of life.
MCLAUGHLIN (on camera): This region is home to one of the most crime organizations in the world, the 'Ndrangheta, and many here believe that Coco is the latest and youngest victim of Mafia violence that is tearing apart families, and children are the most vulnerable.
ALBERTO CISTERNA, FORMER ANTI-MAFIA PROSECUTOR: These children for us are lost. Because for these children, the magistrate, the state, is an enemy.
MCLAUGHLIN (voice-over): Coco's casket is hoisted into the cemetery. His mother leaves, a police officer on either side. After Coco's death, she was released from prison and placed under protective house arrest. She has two other children, waiting for her at home.
Erin McLaughlin, CNN, Calabria, Italy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Mafia criminal history dates back to the 1800s. The FBI says there are four groups currently active, including the Sicilian Mafia: the Camorra or the Neapolitan Mafia based in Naples, 'Ndrangheta based in Calabria, and the United Sacred Crown based in Italy's -- in an Italian region.
Experts say there are some 25,000 Mafia members worldwide, with 250,000 affiliates in North and South America, Australia, and parts of Europe. Their criminal activity is estimated to be worth more than $100 billion annually. And experts say most of it comes from drug trafficking and money laundering.
So, what can be done to combat the Mafia and turn the tide against organized crime? Well, we're joined now by John Dickie, a professor of Italian Studies at the University College London. He's author of the book "Mafia Republic: Italy's Criminal Curse." Thank you for coming in. What do you think is most interesting about these latest raids and what they tell us about the Mafia?
JOHN DICKIE, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON: It's more confirmation of the leading role that the Calabrian Mafia, and Calabria is the region in the toe of the Italian boot, their Mafia's called the 'Ndrangheta. It's a word that most Italians struggle to pronounce.
This is a Mafia that for most of its history -- and it emerged from the prison system in the 1880s -- but most of its history has been ignored. It hasn't attracted the law enforcement and media attention that Cosa Nostra, the Sicilian, which is American --
(CROSSTALK)
FOSTER: Which has allowed it to become more powerful, presumably.
DICKIE: Right. Which has, in -- since -- certainly since the early 90s allowed it to become more powerful. It's essentially taken over from the Sicilian Mafia as the major business partner in Europe of the South American cocaine cartels.
FOSTER: And they've built up their links in New York with the Sicilian Mafia, which is a fundamental shift, because there's different groups -- different Mafias dealing with each other now.
DICKIE: Exactly. That's one of the striking things about this, is that you have a Calabrian organization in Calabria, in Italy, dealing with a -- the Gambino family in the United States, who are from a Mafia that originates in Sicily. The Gambinos' relatives, historically, are from Palermo, the Sicilian capital.
And it's just an indication of how much the power of the Calabrian Mafia has grown that it can do business with people who normally their automatic choice of drug-dealing business partners would be from Sicily, from the Sicilian Mafia.
FOSTER: Or does it mean that all the Mafias are now becoming a more cohesive group?
DICKIE: I don't think it means that. I think that -- it seems pretty clear from what we know about this operations that the dominant partners here are the 'Ndrangheta, and they are enlisting help as and when they need it.
The Mafias are still very, very territorially based, and they remain and have their bases in their home regions, and they're not likely to merge into some giant super Mafia or anything of the sort.
FOSTER: It does seem remarkable to many people around the world that major police forces and major police efforts like we've seen, over the years, just don't seem to sort of have an impact on Mafia activity. Do you think they've been dented this time?
DICKIE: Well, this time, the number of arrests is relatively small, although it does seem, I think, quite a significant operation for the reasons I've stated. The Mafias do business in drug dealing, not as organizations.
Not as -- it's not the whole organization that gets involved in the drug dealing. It's more a sort of network of people who are members of the organization and go off in an almost semi-independent way and do business, create their networks.
Whereas the -- to really strike at the Mafias -- and the authorities in Italy are doing this -- you need to strike at the organization, the umbrella organization called the 'Ndrangheta. The problem with drug operations, while they're important and they certainly deny resources to these -- to the Mafias, is that they don't really strike at the organizational core.
FOSTER: OK. Professor Dickie, thank you very much, indeed, for joining us from UCL. This is very interesting stuff.
Live from London, you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. Now, meet the high-powered banking executive who says her career got started after she'd had children. Leading Women is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: On this week's Leading Women, we meet Edith Cooper, an executive vice president at Goldman Sachs. Her busy home life finds her raising three children, and over at work, she's responsible for the firm's 30,000 employees. Poppy Harlow finds out how she balances it all.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As a top executive at Goldman Sachs, Edith Cooper has thousands of reasons to go to work each day.
EDITH COOPER, HUMAN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, GOLDMAN SACHS: We have 30,000 people at the firm, and I'm responsible for human capital management, and as Lloyd Blankfein, our CEO reminds me, I'm responsible for them, the good, the bad, and the not-so-perfect.
HARLOW: She's also a mother of three, and Cooper says her career really took off after her first child.
COOPER: Ironically, that was the point at which I didn't spend as much mental energy thinking about could've, should've, would've. I just spent time focused on where are the opportunities now and how do I make an impact in all the things that are going on in my life.
Why we think it's a meaningful organization --
HARLOW: But Cooper didn't get here on her own. She says business executive and lawyer Vernon Jordan helped her immensely.
COOPER: He's been a huge mentor for me. The great thing about Vernon is he knew that opening the door gave people opportunity if they could walk through it, but that was the easy part.
HARLOW: Today, she's passionate about giving back. Here she is at the Harlem Children's Zone in New York City, one of a number of organizations she supports.
COOPER: We were so busy hugging and eating and breathing together.
HARLOW: A graduate of Harvard and Northwestern, as a child, Cooper wanted to open a fashion boutique, but gravitated towards banking. Cooper's mother died when she was just 16.
COOPER: I think I have challenges? How about being a dad of five children and have your wife die. That's really hard. My dad did an amazing job. I have a great family. So, whenever I really, really get down on myself, I take a step back and put things in perspective.
HARLOW: Perspective she uses when she feels like she just can't do it all.
COOPER: Society has the expectation that we will be doing it all or we will be failing.
HARLOW (on camera): Still?
COOPER: And that's just setting us up.
HARLOW (voice-over): She couldn't be home for every family dinner or make it to all of her children's sporting events, but Cooper says she was there when it mattered most.
COOPER: Every individual has to define work-life balance that works for them. This whole construct of having it all, not having it all, is, quite frankly, another stress point for many people. I often remind young women that regardless of how committed and passionate they are about their jobs, it's not their life.
I have three children. They're currently older.
Getting worried about when and how to start your family because of when the promotion cycle is, or this particular -- that's not a -- having children is a lifelong thing.
HARLOW: So, what's the best advice this career and family-focused executive would give?
COOPER: Take the time to take a step back and really do the work so that you can understand who you are, what you're good at, and where you want to really invest in yourself.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: And next week on Leading Women, Margarita Louis-Dreyfus, chair of one of the world's biggest commodities traders. You can find out much more on all our Leading Women on our Leading Women series' website, including our interview with Intel president Renee James, the mastermind behind the tech giant's strategic expansion into concept products. Learn more at cnn.com/leadingwomen.
Coming up after this short break on CONNECT THE WORLD, saying farewell to an American sweetheart. We'll talk to a woman who knew Shirley Temple Black about the former child star's life and legacy.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(SHIRLEY TEMPLE SINGING "ANIMAL CRACKERS IN MY SOUP")
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Film fans around the world are remembering Hollywood's original child star today. Shirley Temple Black shot to fame as a toddler during one of America's darkest decades. She starred in dozens of films in the 1930s and later became a diplomat, serving in Ghana and Czechoslovakia. Shirley Temple Black died at the age of 85.
Despite her diplomatic success, most will remember Shirley Temple Black as a curly-haired little girl singing and dancing in movie theaters worldwide. Nischelle Turner looks back at the remarkable life, both on screen and off.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NISCHELLE TURNER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): During the dark days of the Great Depression, when life was bleak --
(SHIRLEY TEMPLE SINGING "THE GOOD SHIP LOLLIPOP")
TURNER: -- along came Shirley Temple to win the hearts of the American people. The perky little girl with cute curls and adorable dimples was just what people needed to lift their spirits. Decades later, when she was among entertainers given Kennedy Center honors, President Clinton put it this way.
BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: She was seven years old when President Roosevelt asked to meet her, to thank her for the smiling face that helped America through the Great Depression.
TURNER: Shirley Temple began her career at age three, playing spunky, optimistic characters at a time when the public saw little reason to be hopeful. Born in Santa Monica, California on April 23rd, 1928, her mother claimed her first words were the lyrics to a song.
By age six, she had already appeared in 20 movies and had been the top box office star for four years. But ticket sales alone don't begin to describe her popularity. She was a cover girl. Girls flocked to buy Shirley Temple dolls, and a non-alcoholic drink was named after her.
TEMPLE AS SARA CREWE, "THE LITTLE PRINCESS": You're inside my heart.
TURNER: Unlike many stars, she successfully made the transition from her early films, like this one, to grown-up roles.
CARY GRANT AS DICK, "THE BACHELOR AND THE BOBBY-SOXER": Hey, you remind me of a man.
TEMPLE AS SUSAN, "THE BACHEOLOR AND THE BOBBY-SOXER": What man?
GRANT AS DICK: A man with the power.
TEMPLE AS SUSAN: What power?
GRANT AS DICK: The power of --
TURNER: Next, she switched from life in the public spotlight to life in public service. In 1967, she made an unsuccessful attempt to run for Congress, and a couple years later, she became a diplomat, served as a US delegate to the United Nations and an ambassador to Ghana. And toward the end of the Cold War, Czechoslovakia.
Her teenage marriage to fellow actor John Agar lasted five years and produced one daughter. Her second marriage to businessman Charles Black lasted until his death in 2005. They had two children. Commenting on her varied career, President Clinton commented --
CLINTON: In fact, she has to be the only person who both saved an entire movie studio from failure and contributed to the fall of Communism.
(LAUGHTER)
TURNER: In 1972, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy. She was one of the first celebrities to go public with her diagnosis, encouraging women to be examined.
From child star to diplomat to seasoned role model, Shirley Temple Black enjoyed it all. Late in life, she said, "If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't change anything." Decades after Shirley Temple Black was a star, young girls were auditioning to portray her.
But while autographing copies of her biography, "Child Star," she offered this advice: "You shouldn't try to be Shirley Temple." Good advice, yet she needn't have worried. Indeed, she was one of a kind.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: For more on the life and the legacy of Shirley Temple Black, I'm joined from Los Angeles by Cheryl Kagan. She's a publicist for the Black family. She knew Shirley very well personally. Thank you very much, indeed, for joining us. Our thoughts are with you.
But is that the Shirley Temple that you knew? Is there a difference between the Shirley Temple that we knew and the one that you knew?
CHERYL KAGAN, BLACK FAMILY PUBLICIST: I think what you saw on the screen and on the air was the real Shirley Temple. She was a kind, charismatic, wonderful mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and had been married for 55 years to the late Charles Alden Black.
She was an amazing actress, author, and ambassador, and I think her movies are timeless. You can still watch them with your families these days and enjoy them.
FOSTER: She said that she enjoyed it all and wouldn't take anything back, but what did she sacrifice in those early years, do you think?
KAGAN: I think it was a different system with Hollywood in those days. You got used to growing up around actors and executives and people in the Hollywood business, so I don't think she missed that much.
She grew up in Hollywood. That was a part of who she was. And then, when she became a diplomat, she was very successful with that as well and was able to successfully balance her family and her husband, too.
FOSTER: What are some of your favorite stories about her? Some anecdotes that really define Shirley Temple to you.
KAGAN: I think what's fun is that she went to Mrs. Meglin's Dance School in Hollywood, California, when she was three years old, and she was discovered by two producers. And they put her in a series of short films called "Baby Burlesques." They were parodies of the films of that day, and all of the stars were children.
Shirley Temple became the star of "Baby Burlesques" and earned $10 a day, and that was the beginning of her career in 1931.
FOSTER: It was amazing that she managed to define an era, in a way, by being anti-the era. It was a dark period, but she was happy. She did that through her character, didn't she? But she was in the right industry in the right country at the right time.
KAGAN: Absolutely. And I think America and the world needed a charismatic, talented, young lady who was dynamic and could entertain to take people's cares away when they went to the movies and saw her singing and dancing and just enjoying her roles so much.
FOSTER: One of the biggest stars the world -- well, certainly that America has seen, you can't really imagine that type of stardom today because the media is so much bigger. It'd be remarkable for people to know that she actually ended up losing all her money, a lot of her money, but then she reinvented herself as a diplomat. How did that come about?
KAGAN: She had gotten involved with government for a while, and she actually co-starred in a movie with Ronald Reagan. She was very interested in politics, and I think she was an amazing woman who could recreate herself and reinvent herself and be as successful in her career as an actress as s diplomat. There are very few people you can say that about.
FOSTER: And in more recent years, how did she look back on her life? How would she define herself, do you think?
KAGAN: She was still busy working. As a matter of fact, she was writing the second volume of her autobiography up until she passed away. So, she was very busy, and she was very involved with her website at shirleytemple.com and loved hearing from fans worldwide.
And as a matter of fact, we have a special page, a remembrance day page on shirleytemple.com for anyone who'd like to write and has a wonderful memory about Shirley Temple.
FOSTER: Cheryl Kagan, we appreciate your time. Thank you very much, indeed, for joining us today.
And in tonight's Parting Shots, a lesson to all my fellow TV anchors: don't mix up your movie stars, especially if they're Samuel L. Jackson, because this is what will happen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAM RUBIN, KTLA ANCHOR: Working for Marvel, the Super Bowl commercial, did you get a lot of reaction to that Super Bowl commercial?
SAMUEL L. JACKSON, ACTOR: What Super Bowl commercial?
RUBIN: Oh! You know what? I didn't -- my mistake. I -- you know what?
JACKSON: You're as crazy as the people on Twitter. Right, I'm not Laurence Fishburne!
(LAUGHTER)
RUBIN: That's my fault. I know that. That was my fault. My mistake. You know what?
JACKSON: We don't all look alike.
(CROSSTALK)
RUBIN: You're --
JACKSON: We may be all black and famous, but we all don't look alike!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You are guilty.
RUBIN: I am -- I am guilty.
UNIDENTIFIIED FEMALE: Next question.
RUBIN: I'm guilty --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He thought you were Bob Dylan.
RUBIN: Right.
(LAUGHTER)
JACKSON: You're the entertainment report?
RUBIN: I know --
JACKSON: You're the entertainment reporter for this station --
RUBIN: Flog --
JACKSON: -- and you don't know the difference between me and --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: The reporter, Sam Rubin, apologized on air after his gaffe, saying he was sorry if his amateur mistake offended Jackson or anyone else. I don't think he was too offended in the end. It's a mistake we're sure he won't be making again, poor man.
I'm Max Foster, that was CONNECT THE WORLD. Thank you so much for watching.
END
