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Connect the World
Interview With Russian Ambassador To EU; Arizona Governor Vetoes Anti-Gay Bill; West African Cocoa Growers Taste Chocolate For First Time
Aired February 27, 2014 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: And tonight, standoff in Crimea, a Russia war planes stay on high alert as a war of words over the future of Ukraine heats up. I ask this man, Russians ambassador to Europe just how far Moscow is willing to go to get what it wants in Kiev.
Also ahead...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, the most important thing about education is the signal it sends that there is hope.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Britain's former prime minister tells me why he thinks there could be light at the end of the tunnel for thousands of Syrian children forced to live as refugees.
And how changing these can help you to avoid eating more of these and stop you from becoming overweight.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN London, this is Connect the World with Becky Anderson.
ANDERSON: A very good evening from London. Right now the Russian flag is flying above the parliament of the Crimea region of southern Ukraine. Dozens of masked men with guns stormed the building earlier. You can see Crimea in dark red on this map. It has an ethnic Russian majority and it's one of the few regions in Ukraine where Russian is the native language for about three-quarters of the population.
Now the instability is provoking international concern. Russian military exercises along the Ukrainian border have U.S. officials worried that Russia is now positioning forces to move quickly into Ukraine.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry warned Russia not to make drastic moves.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KERRY, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We believe that everybody now needs to step back and avoid any kind of provocations. And we want to see in the next days ahead, obviously, that the choices Russia makes conform to this affirmation that we received today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Well, that is John Kerry, of course. The former president turned fugitive Viktory Yanukovych will hold a press conference tomorrow we believe in Russia. That is according to Russian state media.
Meanwhile, the new prime minister Mr. Yatsenyuk is blaming Yanukovych's government for draining the treasury.
Let's get more now from Kiev. Diana Magnay live for us this evening - - Di.
DIANA MAGNAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Becky.
Well, it shouldn't come as any surprise that Mr. Yatsenyuk has made this accusation against the previous government. You need only look at these lavish residences belonging to Mr. Yanukovych the former president, his prosecutor general, the pictures that we saw last week to see where some of that money was going.
One of the reasons why corruption is such an issue here, why so many people came out onto the streets in the first place.
Mr. Yatsenyuk was appointed as interim prime minister by the parliament today. He was the head of the Fatherland Party, one of the three main opposition parties. He's been one of the three key figures leading the movement here at the Maidan over the last three months. He's a former economics minister, a former foreign minister, also played a leading role at the central bank. So he has a lot of accolades to his name, even though he's in his 40s.
He's not someone who necessarily unites everybody here on the Maidan, but elections are in May. And I think the priority until that point is to try and start to gather funds for this country's ailing economy from bodies like the IMF, Becky.
ANDERSON: Diana Magnay is in Kiev for you tonight.
Understanding the current standoff in Crimea requires a brief recap of the region's complex history. I hope this helps. Czarist Russia fought an alliance of the French, British and Ottoman empires influence over the area in the 19th Century, what history remembers as the Crimean War.
Now after the Bolshevik revolution, it became part of the Soviet Union within the Russian Republic. Nazi Germany occupied the region during World War II, though Crimea returned to Soviet Union after that. And that is when Joseph Stalin began deporting the entire population of Crimean Tartars as a form of collective punishment, claiming that they had collaborated with the Nazis.
60 years ago, the Kremlin transferred control of the area from Soviet Russia to Soviet Ukraine. And it remained part of Ukraine even after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.
But imagine, the legacy of the past continues to play a major role. More than 75 percent of Crimeans still speak Russian as their native language, reflecting the region's strong bonds to Russia and Moscow, still has its Black Sea naval fleet based in Sevastopol, but Crimean Tartars who returned to Crimea also remember their history and they are wary of greater Russian control of the region.
I think the background is important here.
And this historical backdrop is still at work today. The Ethnic Russian majority in Crimea does not back the new interim government in Kiev. So I spoke to Russia's ambassador to the European Union earlier, Vladimir Chizhov. I want to know where Russia's support lies in this crisis. What sort of message those military movements we've seen of late from Moscow are supposed to send? This is what he told me.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VLADIMIR CHIZHOV, RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR TO EU: We do not want to see Ukraine being split in half or in any other way. We want the country to regain stability and return from this so-called revolutionary order to proper democratic order.
ANDERSON: The so-called revolution is something that the people have wanted. And they have a unity parliament effectively now that at least Ukrainians believe reflects their country going forward. You call this a so-called revolution, that sounds to me at least rather derogatory.
CHIZHOV: Well, I'm not calling it so-called revolution, I am talking about the so-called revolutionary order, which as we can all witness does not resemble order in any way, because there are still armed civilians walking free in Kiev and other Ukrainian cities. The opposition having signed an agreement witnessed by three EU foreign ministers has not fulfilled any of its obligations.
ANDERSON: We have seen some military movements on Russia's part in the past week that some has seen as a signal to Ukraine. How do you explain those military maneuvers?
CHIZHOV: Well, you know, Russia has a plan of holding military maneuvers, military drills on its own territory. And the current military drill involves troops stationed in the western and central military districts. If you look at the map, it's about half the size of the country. So it's not something happening on the Ukrainian border as some media are claiming.
ANDERSON: Come on, sir. With respect, are you telling me that this isn't Moscow flexing its military might with a message?
CHIZHOV: Well, it's not certainly message that acted towards Ukraine. It's Moscow holding regular maneuvers.
ANDERSON: If it's not a message to Ukraine, who is it a message to out of interest -- NATO, the U.S., Europe?
CHIZHOV: Well, it's for you to judge.
ANDERSON: The NATO head has said, and I quote, "I'm concerned about developments in Crimea. I urge Russia not to take any action that can escalate tension or create misundersanding."
How do you expect Moscow to respond to those comments/
CHIZHOV: Well, Russia has been fully transparent about these military drills. They're in full compliance with Russia's obligations on respective international agreements. So there's nothing to worry about.
ANDERSON: Former president Viktor Yanukovych has issued a defiant statement to a Russian news agency today condemning the country's interim government. Where is he? Is he in Russia?
CHIZHOV: I understand he is in Russia. I haven't seen him. But he's still the president of Ukraine in our view.
ANDERSON: Where is he in Russia?
CHIZHOV: I don't know. Legally speaking he remains the democratically elected president of the country, whether he decides to return to Ukraine or not it will be his choice.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Fascinating insight tonight from the Russian ambassador to the European Union. It is an ongoing story. Stick with CNN. We'll bring you all we have as we get it.
Still to come tonight, another dark -- sorry, another day another data leak. Allegations have emerged saying that the UK spy agency has been intercepting Yahoo's webcam pictures. And Yahoo is furious.
Plus, gay rights activists celebrating after Arizona's governor vetoes a controversial U.S. bill. But not everybody is happy. We can tell you more on that.
And also ahead, these people behind your chocolate bar. CNN journeys to West Africa to discover how the sweet treat is scarce in the very place that it originates.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, you are watching CNN. This is Connect the World. I'm Becky Anderson. 13 minutes past 8:00 here in London.
New information from NSA hacker Edward Snowden has surfaced about an alleged Internet snooping by U.S. and British spy agencies. The British newspaper The Guardian says secret documents show surveillance agencies intercepted and stored millions of webcam images of user's not suspected of wrongdoing.
Now the web giant Yahoo said if the claims were true, it would be, and I quote, completely unacceptable breach of privacy.
Well, the former captain of the Costa Concordia revisited the ship today for the first time since the cruiseliner crashed killing 32 people. Francesco Schettino faces charges, including manslaughter and abandoning ship. And the trip was part of his trial.
Journalist Barbie Nadeau has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBIE NADEAU, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORREPSONDENT: It took more than two years, but Captain Francesco Schettino finally went back on board the Costa Concordia ship he's accused of abandoning in January 2012 when the ship hit the rocks of the island of Giglio killing 32 people.
The trip to Giglio and the visitation on board the ship was part of his defense strategy, part of his ongoing criminal trial. He's accused of manslaughter in the death of 32 people, of abandoning ship, and of causing a maritime disaster.
He says, though, that the ship had a mechanical problem, that the emergency generators and some elevators malfunctioned. He says if those would have been in working order, he would have been able to navigate that ship into a safer position and lives would not have been lost.
After he got of the ship today after his four hour visit, he was both emotional and defiant. He told reporters that of course he knew that he took responsibility and of course he knew the ship was wrecked, but that he wanted anyone else involved in the death of those people to also take responsibility.
This is Barbie Nadeau in Rome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, a new Amnesty International report says that Israel forces -- or Israeli forces have killed and injured Palestinian civilians in the West Bank, including kids with near total impunity.
Israel criticized the report saying that it ignores the realities on the ground.
Our Matthew Chance is there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPNDENT: The funeral of a 15- year-old Palestinian boy allegedly killed by Israeli forces last year and the West Bank. Needless to say he was among a group of children near a heavily guarded Jewish settlement when he was shot by a sniper.
Israel says it's investigating what happened, but it's exactly this kind of tragedy the latest Amnesty International report says underlines a callous disregard for human life over what it calls trigger happy Israeli forces.
PHILIP LUTHER, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL: The key concern that Amnesty International documents in this report is what we believe to be reckless use of force by Israeli army and police particularly against Palestinian demonstrators in the occupied West Bank.
CHANCE: It's a common scene in the West Bank, clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian protesters, Amnesty says Israel's use of tear gas and rubber bullets have left more than 8,000 Palestinians injured since 2011, including 1,500 children.
And the human rights groups says that the 22 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in the West Bank last year, at least 14 were demonstrators, some shot in the back.
Israeli officials say the report shows a complete lack of understanding of the operational challenges Israeli forces face and ignores the increase in Palestinian violence over the past year.
LT. COLONEL PETER LERNER, IDF SPOKESMAN: When a Palestinian throws a firebomb, or when a Palestinian throws a rock, that can kill, they can maim. The idea of the Israeli Defense Forces, we're responsible for defending -- we're charged with defending the civilians that travel the roads. 2,500 rocks were thrown at Israeli civilians traveling the roads in 2013.
CHANCE: Israel maintains that the use of force is an absolute last resort, but it's the number of Palestinians killed on which the Amnesty report focuses and what it says is the needless loss of life when Israeli forces use lethal means to crackdown.
Matthew Chance, CNN, Jerusalem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, gay rights activists and advocates are celebrating in the U.S. state of Arizona after the governor there vetoed what is -- or was a controversial bill.
The legislation would have allowed business owners to deny service to gays and lesbians.
Now supporters of the bill said that it was designed to protect religious freedom.
CNN's Ana Cabrera has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GOVERNOR JAN BREWER (R), ARIZONA: After weighing all of the arguments, I have vetoed Senate bill 1062 moments ago.
CABRERA (voice-over): It was the news so many had hoped to hear.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I am absolutely thrilled.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Happiness. It's about time. I knew she was going to do it.
CABRERA: Arizona's governor, Jan Brewer, vetoing a bill that would have allowed businesses to deny service to gays and lesbians based on the owner's religious beliefs.
BREWER: I call them like I see them, despite the cheers or the boos from the crowd.
CABRERA: The governor says the bill was broadly worded with the potential to create more problems than it could solve.
BREWER: I have not heard of one example in Arizona where business owner's religious liberty had been violated.
MICHAEL MCFALL, PROTESTED BILL 1062: If she had signed it, I was going to move my business to California.
CABRERA: The reaction to her veto as passionate as the days of protesting that catapulted this bill and the state into the national spotlight. The decision came as opposition reached the fever pitch. With some of the nation's most prominent lawmakers and business leaders joining the fight. The NFL was watching closely and the Arizona Super Bowl host committee for 2015 expressed concerns.
DARLENE MARTINEZ, PROTESTED BILL 1062: She didn't want to be known as the governor who lost the Super Bowl.
CABRERA: But not everyone was happy with the decision.
RUSSELL PEARCE (R), STATE SENATOR: I will not retreat because of some radical leftist activists don't like how we do things in Arizona.
CABRERA: The governor answering her critics with a call for unity.
BREWER: Going forward, let's turn the ugliness at the debate over Senate bill 1062 into a renewed search for greater respect and understanding among all Arizonans and Americans.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: And that was CNN's Ana Cabrera reporting from Pheonix, Arizona.
You're watching Connect the World. I'm Becky Anderson live from London for you. 20 past 8:00 here.
Coming up...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Get some wafers and cookies and crisps of all types, but there's no chocolate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Why chocolate is scarce in what is the world's top cocoa producing country.
And three al Jazeera journalists remain detained in Egypt, their colleagues call for a global day of action. We will show you how that went. That all after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: CNN's Freedom Project is a project we've been working on now for a couple of years. It is turning at this point its attention back to West Africa. There is a good chance the chocolate bars at your local shop can be traced back to that region's cocoa fields.
My colleague Richard Quest recently visited Ivory Coast to see where efforts to end child labor stand. Have a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: It is a supreme irony that the chocolate bar we take for granted at a price we don't mind paying is rarely seen in the Ivory Coast, even in the capital.
There are chips, and wafers and cookies and crisps of all types, but there's no chocolate even though the stuff comes from here.
Only a 130 kilometers from the capital is the village of (inaudible). I talk to farmers about what's now a depressingly familiar tale of an impoverished lifestyle. But nothing brings home the inequity of cocoa- nomincs than farmers who have never seen, let alone tasted the products that rely on their daily toil.
These farmers have been growing beans for decades. They're about to get their first taste of chocolate.
You have never tried chocolate?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANUGAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where would we find it?
QUEST: It turned out not one person in this group had tasted chocolate.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: it's good. It's good to eat.
(LAUGHTER)
QUEST: That is your cocoa.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, for those of you who aren't regular viewers of CNN, let me just remind you the freedom project is our commitment to help end modern day slavery. The story of child labor is not a new one to the Ivory Coast, nor is it to us or indeed my colleague Richard Quest who has been on this story now, Richard, for a couple of years.
You went back to see how far things have moved on there. What did you learn?
QUEST: I learned that things have certainly moved on, Becky. There is now an awareness by tribal elders, by farmers, that although it's OK to put children in the fields for light labor, they've still got to go to school. They can't be doing back breaking work. And the use of hacking with machetes, which is already illegal, is simply not acceptable.
But what I also discovered is that it's very easy for the do-gooders to shriek something must be done and much more difficult to implement change when you're talking about cultural, societal and economic imperatives.
They need the children at some level. But at the same time, the west, and of course the chocolate companies, have the power to restrict them to make sure this comes to an end. It's not an easy solution.
ANDERSON: Yeah, so many of these stories that we do with the Freedom Project ultimately come down to a question of poverty ofttimes and the fact that there is out of necessity so often, sadly, kids working in fields.
Listen, Richard, lets remind our viewers as to where cocoa beans are actually grown. Chocolate is mainly consumed, of course, by the wealthy regions of Europe and North America, but the majority of the world's cocoa comes from West Africa.
Now Ivory Coast is the world's largest producer harvesting more than 1,500 tons a year. That is more than one-third of all cocoa production. Ghana, the second largest producer with more 1,000 tons a year. Nigeria, Cameroon and Togo round out the top five producers of cocoa.
You and I did a special show some 18 months ago talking to the chocolate companies about what they might do to sort of fix the logjams, as it were, in their supply chain. And I do realize that it's important that we continue to sort of insist that people work hard on it. And there has been some progress.
What next?
QUEST: Well, next is that we have to keep the pressure on. The chocolate companies are doing their part, all of them -- Nestle, Hershey, Mars, they're all actually involved and they recognize -- and for one reason, that map shows the point, sustainable cocoa is required. And at the moment in those two big countries, Ghana and Ivory Coast, they're suffering a dwindling yields. The trees are diseased. Farmers aren't getting the money. So they're going to the cities. They're giving up or they're growing rubber instead.
And there are other parts of the world -- Latin America, Indonesia, for example, which are far more productive. The trees are healthier, there are modern production methods.
So the chocolate companies are now putting downward pressure on the processors who are putting further downward pressure on the farmers, on the cooperatives to reform the way they grow cocoa. That is the future. There's no fix, no quick fast fix here. It's a long, slow grinding process.
And what I think you'll learn tonight from the documentary is that we all can play our part. The chocolate we buy -- fair trade or certified cocoa and chocolate. The companies, keeping the pressure on. The governments making sure it's a priority. And ultimately each one of us when we buy a bar of chocolate.
ANDERSON: Correct. Thank you, sir.
And for more on the industry's efforts to produce ethical chocolate, tune in to cocoa-nomics next hour 9:00p. That is normally Quest Means Business tonight dedicated this documentary. Learn more about how CNN is shining a light on efforts to end modern-day slavery around the world. That is the Freedom Project. And it is at CNN.com/freedom.
The latest world news headlines as you would expect at the bottom of this hour.
Plus, journalism is not terrorism. That is the call of some colleagues of the al Jazeera staff on trial in Egypt. They report from their protests today.
And former Prime Minister Gordon Brown backing an innovative approach to educate Syria's kids, the refugees. I sat down with him to hear more about that.
Plus, the number of overweight children around the world has more than doubled since 1990. We'll take a look at some of the movements attempting to tackle this increase. That and more after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Ukraine's political crisis has deepened as armed pro- Russian militants storm the regional Crimean parliament and raise the Russian flag on the building. These are your headlines this hour. Meanwhile, the US secretary of state, John Kerry, has said that Russia has reaffirmed that its military exercises near the Ukrainian border have nothing to do with the unrest there.
At least 30 people have died in a series of bombings in Baghdad, 17 were killed in one blast at a secondhand motorbike market in the city's eastern Shaab city district. Dozens more were injured in those attacks.
Twelve people have died in a gas cylinder explosion at a restaurant in Doha in Qatar, 31 others were injured in the blast, which caused part of the restaurant to collapse. Not known, what caused the cylinder to explode.
And Qatar-based Al Jazeera news channel has declared a global day of action to show support for four journalists who are being held in Egypt. The campaign calls for peaceful demonstrations in cities all around the world. In London, a crowd formed in Trafalgar Square. Erin McLaughlin for CNN was there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: "Journalism is not terrorism." That's what this global day of action is all about. Since December, three Al Jazeera English journalists have been in prison in Egypt, charged with terrorism-related offenses. People here say they were just there doing their jobs and are demanding their release.
ALEX THOMPSON, CHIEF CORRESPONDENT, CHANNEL 4 NEWS: I'm here because I'm a journalist, I've been arrested, I've been banged up, I've been messed around by various governments and various security forces around the world. This is now happening simply to four colleagues, three our four colleagues, who were simply doing their job.
SUE TURTON, AL JAZEERA ENGLISH CORRESPONDENT: We have to believe it will make a difference. We do know that the three guys in prison, when they were in the court, shouted to some of the journalists there, "Keep up the pressure, it's working, our conditions have improved."
MCLAUGHLIN: And you are also being tried in absentia. How does it make you feel personally to see this happen to your colleagues?
TURTON: To see it happen to my colleagues breaks my heart, to be honest. These are friends of mine, they're not just colleagues, they're friends, and they're people I've worked with for weeks and weeks when I was in Cairo last.
THOMPSON: We're doing this obviously for what is happening to our colleagues in Egypt, but also what is happening to journalists around the world.
MCLAUGHLIN: Protests such as this one are taking place in over 30 countries. Online, they're sharing selfies, mouth taped shut in solidarity with the hash tag #FreeAJStaff. The question is, will this make a difference? The trial for these journalists begins on March 5th.
Erin McLaughlin, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, the US has accused the Syrian government of retaliating against opposition leaders by arresting their family members. Now, the State Department says it is, and I quote, "outraged" by reports that the Assad regime has detained relatives of the Syrian opposition delegation to the Geneva peace talks.
There have already been two rounds of what were unsuccessful talks in Switzerland. As we approach the there-year anniversary of the war, an image has emerged which captures what is the shocking conditions suffered daily by many caught up in the fighting.
Now, this photo shows Palestinian refugees within the country in the Yarmouk Camp in Damascus queuing up for food parcels. Around 20,000 are trapped inside that camp, which has been under blockade since last July.
Well, you and I are well aware that refugees are at the heart of this Syrian crisis. Their number has been growing ever since the conflict began three years ago. Have a look at this chart. It illustrates how the growth in numbers accelerated rapidly last year.
According to the UN's refugee agency, the 1 million mark was reached in April 2013. These are Syrians who are now living in camps outside their own country. Currently, there are nearly 2.5 million Syrian refugees. UNICEF says almost half of them are kids.
Now, the former British prime minister Gordon Brown has campaigned for a long time on the plight of Syria's children. You will have seen him here on this show a number of times. Well, as the UN special envoy on global education, he is particularly concerned with their access to schooling.
And he is pushing for what is an innovative approach which allows Lebanese schools to take in Syrian kids who are on their border in camps. It means putting Lebanese teachers on double shifts to accommodate all the extra students. Well, I sat down with Gordon Brown earlier to hear more about the scheme.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GORDON BROWN, UN SPECIAL ENVOY FOR GLOBAL EDUCATION: This is a project that could be extended to every Syrian refugee in Lebanon. There are 435,000 places that we want to establish. It would be the biggest single project to deliver education to children in conflict that has been achieved.
And the frustration is that nine months after we started this, a few months after -- six months after getting agreement from the Lebanese prime minister, who had to support this, because it's the Lebanese schools we're using, we've raised about $100 million from a whole series of governments around the world.
And I do appreciate what they've done, but we need to raise more. We have made a lot of progress, but we're still waiting for some donors to come forward.
ANDERSON: Do you want to name and shame at this point?
BROWN: No, I don't want to name and shame, because every government is now looking at the proposal. But it does show that it does take more time than it should in an emergency.
When there's a humanitarian need, when children are on the streets, when some are being taken into trafficking, when some are being subject to child marriage, when some are being subject to child labor of all sorts of different kinds, we should be acting more quickly.
ANDERSON: Four hundred dollars per pupil per year would mean the difference between Syrian refugees in Lebanon getting an education and not. Lebanon itself is struggling to cope with the volume of refugees on their border. It isn't slightly harsh to expect their teachers, their schools, to extend an even greater helping hand in extending the school day in order to help?
BROWN: Well, Lebanon's one of the smallest countries in the world, but it's carrying one of the greatest burdens of any country in the world, and I do appreciate that there is tension within Lebanon.
But if they don't relieve this tension by getting children into school and by doing something about it, they will have children on the streets, they'll have young people growing up angry and discontented. And that's why there is a premium in doing something about it. But Lebanon cannot do it on its own, and that is why we've got to help.
ANDERSON: At the beginning of this process, you got the support, as you rightly point out, of the Lebanese government, which of course has changed since then. Do you still have the support --
BROWN: Yes, we --
ANDERSON: -- of those running the country?
BROWN: Yes, we do, and I think it's quite deep with in the Lebanese government that no matter what the changes in personnel are at the top, they want to do something about this.
ANDERSON: I've heard much talk about the concern about accountability of funds and the transparency of funds. How can you convince our viewers today that any money spent by either them personally or by their governments will go to the right place?
BROWN: To be able to do the education of a -- in Lebanon of a Syrian child, for five pounds a week is a tribute to the Lebanese government, because we're using existing schools, and to the teaching profession for being prepared to cooperate.
Now, I challenge anybody who's concerned -- as they should be, obviously -- about the efficiency of aid to say that that is not good value for money. That for five pounds a week, we can take a child off the streets, give them the chance of education.
And then, the most important thing about education is the signal it sends that there is hope, that you can plan for the future. You can prepare for a job at some stage. You can think about the way you're going to live your life because you are being educated. And so, it is about hope.
So, five pounds a week is a very small sum of money, and efficiently done through UNICEF and UNHCR with proper systems of accountability, there will be. So, if there are log jams, if there are obstacles, if there are hurdles to be crossed, we must do so.
But we cannot ignore the fact that when children are suffering, when you've got a whole generation of young people growing up without hope, as well as without nutrition or without shelter, without education, it is our duty to act.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Gordon Brown with me a day or so ago.
Live from London, you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. Coming up, do you really know what you are eating? The campaign sets up to make understanding food labels as easy, well, as pie.
And the big brands strutting their fancy stuff at Paris on the Fashion Weeks catwalks. They may, though, need to step aside. The online entrepreneur says fashion's future isn't only on the catwalks, but also on the computer. Coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Choosing healthy food options may soon be just a little easier, at least in the United States, that is. The FDA, the Food and Drug Administration there wants to rehaul food labeling to make it clearer for consumers. Now, leading that campaign is the first lady, Michelle Obama. Athena Jones reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Nutrition labels getting an update for the first time in more than two decades.
MICHELLE OBAMA, US FIRST LADY: As consumers and as parents, we have a right to understand what's in the food we're feeding our families. Because that's really the only way that we can make informed choices, by having clear, accurate information.
JONES: Under the FDA's new rules, which will go into effect two years after they're finalized, food labels will have to spell out more clearly how serving sizes are measured, taking into account how we really eat foods like potato chips and candy bars.
Serving sizes for soda, for instance, will go from 8 ounces to 12 ounces. And serving sizes for yogurt will go from 8 ounces down to 6. Companies will also have to include how much added sugar is in a product, and display information like calorie content more prominently. Nutritionist Joy Dubost says the new rules will help people make better choices.
JOY DUBOST, SPOKESWOMAN, ACADEMY OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS: Consumers will understand how many calories they're consuming at one time and throughout the day. There's also been an update on current dietary recommendations around fat, sugar, and other nutrients.
JONES: Today's announcement comes as Mrs. Obama marks the fourth anniversary of her Let's Move campaign against childhood obesity. Earlier this week, she announced proposed rules to stop marketing junk food in schools. That proposal came as a new study using federal data showed obesity in young children ages two to five has dropped more than 40 percent in a decade.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Well, that was Athena Jones, there. Childhood obesity is, of course, not only a concern for the United States. According to the WHO, figures from 2011, 43 million kinds under the age of five were overweight, and that is 7 percent of the world's under fives.
Close to 35 million of those overweight kids are living in the developing world, and those figures mark a dramatic increase over the last 25 years. The number of overweight children has more than doubled since 1990, up 54 percent.
Well, my next guest says although obesity levels among young children appear to be dropping in the US, there is still a lot of work to be done across other demographics.
Marisa Moore is a dietician nutritionist and a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. I think that's how you pronounce it. She joins me now from CNN Center. A bigger job title than mine, evidently, and one that I can't actually pronounce. Listen, what was your first response to the news of this drop in obesity, in the US, of course, for two-to-five-year-olds?
MARISA MOORE, DIETICIAN NUTRITIONIST: Well, the first thing that I thought of was this is great news. It's a good thing to know that the numbers are moving in the right direction.
ANDERSON: But why do you think this move has happened? What does it have to do, if at all, with food labeling? I'm sort of wondering how Michelle Obama's initiative plays into all of this going forward.
MOORE: Well, we don't know exactly what factors are driving that decline in obesity among two-to-five-year-olds. It could be due to some recent data that shows that there's a reduced intake of sugar-sweetened beverages. There's an increase in the rates of breastfeeding, which actually might help stave off obesity.
And there's many efforts by childcare facilities to help increase their nutrition programs as well as their physical activity standards. So, all of those factors may play a role. But I think people are just way more aware about what they're eating and moving more, and I think that's probably what's driving these changes.
ANDERSON: In the developed world, it's got to be said, let me just talk to you about two other things. I'm interested in income disparity when we're talking about obesity. I was fascinated to learn this, and this is from the WHO, the World Health Organization.
And it shows changing prevalence of overweight kids by income group over the years, and it is, perhaps, surprising to see that it's both the poorest and the richest kids who have become more overweight over the years. The middle income groups staying roughly the same. What do you think might explain that?
MOORE: I'm sorry, I couldn't hear your question.
ANDERSON: Yes, it's interesting that we were pointing out the WHO points out that in many places, it's the richest and poorest kids who've actually had the biggest problems with obesity. It's middle income children who haven't suffered as much, and I wondered whether you might have a reason for that? About the way that parents conduct their lives with their kids, I guess.
MOORE: There is some interesting research to come out a few weeks ago to show that obesity rates are starting to decline a bit even among the lowest-income Americans. So a lot of times it is due to access. We have to make sure that people have access to fresh fruits and vegetables, a safe place to take their families if they want to walk or run around. Those things are incredibly important, and that can play into the income factor.
ANDERSON: Fascinating. All right, we'll leave it there. We thank you very much, indeed, for joining us. This is -- it's a fascinating topic, one I've thought about many a time. As ever, the team at CONNECT THE WORLD wants to hear form you.
Do you think better food labeling will help you make better choices for yourself, your kids? Is it even going to affect the way that you eat, for example? Go to facebook.com/CNNconnect, have your say.
You can tweet me, as ever, @BeckyCNN. We're on Instagram, of course, that's Becky and CNN. Not tonight, and forgive me on this, but normally you can watch a daily preview of the show on Instagram as well.
Coming up after this short break, as the world's biggest fashion brands occupy the catwalks of Paris, a new breed of online entrepreneur looks to boost business simply by being seen.
And with the Academy Awards just days away, we look at the Box Office boost being felt by many of the nominated films. That after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: Well, Hollywood's big night is coming up on Sunday. The Academy Awards will be handed out in Los Angeles. But the big film studios, well, they're already winners. The nominated movies are seeing a surge in ticket sales, as they always do, ahead of the Oscars. Here's CNN's Stephanie Elam.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A million here, a million there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Six million dollars.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Twenty-two billion!
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A Best Picture nomination is worth millions of this year's nine nominees.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You could be making a fortune off of this.
ELAM: This is show business.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can me and the man talk about business here?
ELAM: With nominations come notoriety.
ALEX LOCKWOOD, FILMGOER: It's "Philomena." I wouldn't have heard about it otherwise without the attention that it's garnered.
ELAM: It's a marketing advantage for the studios.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two tickets to "12 Years a Slave."
ELAM: Who take the opportunity to put the films in more theaters.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, I'd like an old people's ticket to see "Her."
ELAM (on camera): Were you at all influenced to come out and see movies that are Oscar-nominated?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, we try to see most of them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We should would like to see what a million dollars looks like.
PAUL DERGARABEDIAN, SENIOR MEDIA ANALYST, RENTRAK: For films like "Nebraska," "12 Years a Slave," "Philomena," "Her," "Dallas Buyers' Club," these are films that still have a ways to go in terms of their box office potential, both at the movie theater, and also monies earned through VOD on demand home video.
ELAM (voice-over): Paul Degarabedian, who has been monitoring Hollywood receipts for 21 years, says an Oscar win is worth more than its weight in gold. Take 2004's "Million Dollar Baby." Its box office muscle grew by more than $90 million after its Best Picture nomination and win. Or 2008 winner "Slumdog Millionaire."
DEGARABEDIAN: That was a film that probably would have been dead in the water at $49 million, $50 million. It went on to earn close to $150 million. So, for "Slumdog Millionaire," those nominations meant everything.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To get my million dollars.
ELAM: "Nebraska" and "Her" are among the smaller films seeing a 50 to 100 percent increase in sales after their nominations. "Captain Phillips" is among the three nominees that sailed past the $100 million threshold before getting an Oscar nod. But afterward, they were hustling for more.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Seventy-five thousand dollars in this briefcase.
ELAM (on camera): So, you have some movies, though, don't really need the pop, right?
DEGARABEDIAN: Let's take "Gravity," for instance. By the time of the nominations, it had made like close $250 million. They kept it out there in theaters then re-released it again in IMAX, and they're taking that Oscar buzz and building it into more box office.
ELAM (voice-over): A buzz that brings business.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I've got a couple mil coming in like a week.
ELAM: And for one of these nine films, a hunk of gold.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At what price?
ELAM: Stephanie Elam, CNN, Hollywood.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Want to see how your Oscar picks stack up against predictions from the industry insiders? Well, head to the website. We're going to break down the factors that decide who takes home those special statuettes, that's cnn.com/entertainment.
Well, Paris Fashion Week is in full swing, and the world's biggest labels are showcasing their new looks, but it isn't just the major names looking to make money. Independent entrepreneurs are using the internet as a platform -- or as a catwalk, as it were -- to turn personal style into profit. CNN special correspondent Myleene Klass explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MYLEENE KLASS, CNN SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fashion Week is a community coming together, showing off their latest wares.
KLASS (on camera): While all eyes are on the catwalk, it's easy to forget that business is happening everywhere. Every face in the crowd is trying to turn glamour into profit.
KLASS (voice-over): Meet Charlotte Collard, a former model turned web entrepreneur.
CHARLOTTE COLLARD, WEB ENTREPRENEUR: The idea behind my website is a human feel through virtual sale. So, you have a form on my website, and you upload your pictures and I give you styling advice via e-mail.
KLASS (on camera): Well, that seems very nice of you, but how do you then make your money?
COLLARD: A creation platform gives you a certain percentage, so this is how I make money, through commissions. And commissions are not little. They're quite interesting. This is actually why I found the business of the affiliation sale very interesting, because you have no risk.
KLASS: It seems so easy. Why can't everybody do this?
COLLARD: I don't know. I don't know, when I launched it, everybody was looking at me like, what are you doing? Can you just do something that everybody's doing? No, no, no. I think it's really interesting.
It's 10:00, and it's going to be a busy day in Paris.
KLASS (voice-over): Paris Fashion Week is a big opportunity to see and be seen. For Charlotte, preparations began a week earlier at home in Brussels.
KLASS (on camera): Each of Charlotte's outfits for Paris Fashion Week has been carefully chosen in advance. The idea is, you see it, you like it, you log on, and it's already available for you to buy through her website.
COLLARD: For this one, I chose to play with volumes. And what I want, actually, is the idea to have a belted hip instead of having a belted waist and to play with the volume of the skirt.
KLASS (voice-over): Fast forward a week or so, and Charlotte is showcasing her own styles and drumming up business.
COLLARD: So basically, during Fashion Week, we don't only look at fashion shows. Besides meeting people, networking, and everything, we have started this concept of the walking boutiques, and basically, I become shoppable from head to toe. You always have to think about the way you blog. Through social networks, networking, sending your face, who you are, what you do.
We're at the M Word, demi on demand, the show's about to start, and I'm really excited because there's one of my current designers.
(inaudible)
Hi, we're at the City Hall of Paris (inaudible), and we're heading to Alex McQueen. We have half hour left, I have to rush. Bye.
KLASS: It's big business, from the established designers to the budding entrepreneurs. Everyone here is working hard to get their slice of the $1.5 trillion global fashion industry.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: I'm Becky Anderson, that was CONNECT THE WORLD. Thank you for watching. Your news headlines follow.
END
