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Connect the World

Presidential Elections In Egypt Set For This Wednesday/Thursday; Kachin Rebels Clash With Myanmar Military; Didier Drogba To Leave Chelsea

Aired May 22, 2012 - 16:00   ET

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

BECKY ANDERSON, HOST: Tonight on Connect the World, excitement builds in Egypt, the ballot boxes are ready not its people can freely choose a leader for the first time ever.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN London, this is Connect the World with Becky Anderson.

ANDERSON: Well, their detested dictator is long gone and anticipation is high, but not everyone is convinced that Wednesday's vote will not be the dawn of a true democracy. We'll explain tonight.

Also this hour, as the EuroZone crisis cuts Italy's fashionistas down to size, I'll ask some of the brightest young minds in Europe how they would get their economy back on track.

Plus...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three, two, one, zero.

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ANDERSON: Blast off for a new era in space exploration. But just when will you and I get to go where few men have gone before.

Well, there is no doubt this is a turning point in Egypt's history. For the first time in its 5,000 years of reported existence the Egyptians will go to the polls Wednesday and Thursday to freely elect a new president. Their choice could transform the Middle East.

Hala Gorani is in Cairo tonight. And this has been the country's first real competitive presidential race ever. Hala, on the eve of the election what's the mood?

HALA GORANI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The mood is one of excitement. I mean, Egypt -- I've never seen Egypt this way. I've been reporting from this country for a long time. People are out in the open talking about politics. This normally doesn't happen in an Arab country that has been ruled by a dictatorship for 30 years. In the last 15 months, something very dramatic has changed, and that is that people don't feel afraid to say what they think about politics and about their leaders.

Here is one, by the way, voter in the Giza neighborhood of Cairo a little bit earlier and what she had to say about the upcoming election. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I'm very excited and very optimistic. I believe the elections will determine Egypt's destiny. For 30 years we have been under oppressive rule, lacking freedom and democracy. The coming period we'll have more freedoms.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): There will be transparencies, smoothness, good security, very good coverage for the elections, but there will be, of course, a minority of unsatisfied people who we call the minority of rejectors who must be there all the time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GORANI: And of course when I said she, I really meant they, two men there expressing their optimism and their excitement, but also their concern, Becky, ahead of this election, but when you talk to people they say, great, we have an election. We hope it will be free and fair, though we can never be sure, but at the same time the candidates that we have to chose from, essentially among the frontrunners are either possibly Islamists or old regime members.

My colleague Ben Wedeman who worked in Cairo for many, many years spoke to some of those revolutionaries, those who initiated the uprising against Hosni Mubarak, about some of their dashed hopes over the last 16 months and some of the disillusionment they feel as this presidential looms.

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(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It started almost a year-and-a-half ago in a square called Tahrir. An autocrat nearly 30 years in power toppled in a mere 18 days. This week for the first time in this land's more than 5,000 year history, Egyptians will have a say in who runs their country. Across Egypt, enthusiasm for the elections has been deep and loud.

NOUR NOUR, CAIRO RESIDENT: It's healthy to see that people aren't, you know, stuck in front of the televisions watching football matches or sitcoms, it's good to see that they're once again beginning to get interested in Egyptian politics.

WEDEMAN: Nour Nour, a student at the time, was one of the angry young men who went to Tahrir, but he won't be voting.

NOUR: I would have loved to participate wholeheartedly in the first presidential elections after the Egyptian revolution, however, I can't get myself to participate simply because there are no guarantees in these elections, there are no political or legal guarantees that will -- that ensure that votes will not be manipulated for a certain candidate.

WEDEMAN: Kareem Kamel, a young university professor, was also in Tahrir calling for the ouster of Hosni Mubarak. He will vote.

KAREEM KAMEL, CAIRO RESIDENT: For me, this is the ultimate embodiment of the revolution, this kind of collapse of the wall of fear. People are now free to choose. People have the freedom to elect whomever they feel represents them without the fear of retribution.

WEDEMAN: To Kareem, the old regime is gone, the time for upheaval in coming to an end.

KAMEL: I think we need a short-term plan that at least would bring back security, somebody with experience and somebody who can bring back the economy to acceptable levels and achieve some measure of security and some measure of social justice.

WEDEMAN: Nour, however, sees the revolution as unfulfilled. The generals who took over from Mubarak, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, has thinly disguised dictatorship no better than the old one.

NOUR: Well, we've seen certain things in the last year-and-a-half where huge crimes against the Egyptian people were being committed, whether people being killed in front of the entire world, or tortured, or the most basic example the woman who got beaten and almost undressed in front of the entire world. And the Egyptian people have seen so much of this. And they've almost become desensitized.

WEDEMAN: Nour vows to carry on protesting and campaigning for radical change.

Kareem counsels patience.

KAMEL: Social justice, which was one of the major demands, this is something that cannot be achieved in a year-and-a-half. I think we are looking at the, you know, five years, six years, things have to stabilize.

WEDEMAN: From either perspective, change has come to the land of Egypt. Mubarak's overthrow was the easy part. The hard work perhaps is only just beginning.

Ben Wedeman, CNN, Cairo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: All right. So there are 12 candidates who have been actively campaigning for president. These are a look at the four frontrunners for you, let's really remind ourselves, Amr Moussa, was once the former foreign minister and head of the Arab League. He's got the greatest name recognition in and outside Egypt. There's some consider him a hold over of the old regime.

Mohammed Morsi heads the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party. He's the party's second choice after the favorite was barred from running.

Abdel-Moneim Abolfotoh was a senior leader of the Brotherhood, but was ousted after announcing he'd run for president.

Ahmed Shafiq served as Mubarak's prime minister for a few days during the uprising, you may remember. He's presenting himself as the security candidate.

Well, the voting begins in just a matter of hours. Hala is still with us in Cairo.

Egypt's military ruler a week or so ago, Hala, said and I quote he hopes that a great leader will emerge from these elections. He says they'll be free and fair and will reflect the will of the people. Is it clear that what he has said reflects the reality on the ground at this point?

GORANI: Well, it is Egypt. We don't have reliable polls. And some monitoring organizations and non-governmental organizations such as the Carter Center are saying that unprecedented restrictions have been placed on their monitors. For instance, that they can only spend half an hour in polling stations at a time, or that they were only credentialed about a week ago when they'd need a much longer period of time in order to monitor an election such as this one in a country the size of this one accurately and productively.

I spoke to Jimmy Carter, of the Carter Center of course, about a few hours ago. And I asked him about the restrictions placed on his monitors. Listen.

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JIMMY CARTER, FRM. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Domestic observers who are here temporary, and the Carter Center, we're the major one here, are limited to staying in one place for 30 minutes.

GORANI: But why do you think they were...

CARTER: I don't know. They say that the places are small, they're crowded, and to have multiple election observers stand there for long periods of time is not necessary and would create excessive numbers in the polling places. I don't agree with that analysis. I'm trying to tell you what they explained to us.

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GORANI: Jimmy Carter there saying you see it's not just domestically that people have issues. It's not just with the selection that -- or the candidates they have to chose from that they have issues with. But also outside observers saying, look, we're not 100 percent sure that we can observe this election and give an accurate -- or produce an accurate report of how well it went, Becky.

ANDERSON: Our reporter on the ground in Cairo, Hala Gorani, there for you tonight. Hala, thank you for that.

Let's see what the newspapers, then, are saying about this. In the United Arab Emirates, this is the headline in The National, "Egypt's New President Must Limit Its Military's Influence." The comment piece says, "indeed the real showdown in Egyptian politics is not between Islamists and liberals. It'll be between the civilian government and the military.

The International Herald Tribune had this headline, "The Final Task For Egypt's Brass."

"Ultimately, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces should step aside, clearing the way to democratically elected civilian institutions; the trick is to make sure that happens in a safe, orderly and dignified manner."

And the weekly paper in Egypt, the Al Ahram has the headline "The Last Stretch." And says, "whatever the result, no one is suggesting simply electing a president will solve Egypt's problems. The constitution remains unwritten and no one knows under what conditions staff will voluntarily relinquish power."

One man who has been particularly outspoken about the election, campaign, and indeed the candidates themselves is Bassem Yousseff. He's a heart surgeon turned talk show host and has been described as the Jon Stewart of the Nile.

His program emerged on the Internet just last year in the wake of the uprising and became popular if not controversial for its satirical take on Egyptian politics and state run media. He joined me here in the studio a little earlier to talk about this upcoming election. Here's what he had to say.

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ANDERSON: Basesem, you're a satirist, a political satirist. Just how seriously are you taking these elections?

BASSEM YOUSSEFF, HOST, AL BERNAMEG: I am taking this election extremely, extremely serious, because you know when you drive in through the streets of Cairo right now, you look at the billboards, which by the way, crazy. They are everywhere. Instead of seeing all the ads for the fizzy drinks and for the telecommunications, and for the food products, now you see presidential candidates. You open up the TV, it's like ads -- really, really intense, very well made, expensive TV ads for each candidate.

It is so dynamic. It is amazing. For the first time maybe in our known history, like recent history, we don't know who the next president will be. And that alone is interesting and...

ANDERSON: There are a number of candidates here. And we are yet to find out who will have won this presidency.

You've done impressions of these candidates, quite convincingly at least in appearance. Who is, or are, the easiest targets?

YOUSSEFF: Well, there's always (inaudible) because he has this very special way of speaking. And there's of course the religious candidate who is not there anymore, (inaudible). There is Amr Moussa still there, because like he babbles along and he talks off his -- like big words, but you don't get anything what he says.

ANDERSON: Making fun of politicians, of course, has been virtually taboo in Egypt. Are they now getting the jokes do you think?

YOUSSEFF: Honestly? I don't care. Well, they have to live with it. They actually have to live with the fact that they're coming in as an employee, not as a Pharaoh, not as a king. They actually have to live with people making fun of, even if they are the best presidents in the world, because people when speaking about politicians, we're not going to say how good you are, it's too dull. We're just going to pinpoint the really funny stuff.

ANDERSON: Why do you think this show, or a show like yours, is resonating so much with the Egyptian audience in 2012?

YOUSSEFF: Well, you know, satire and sarcasm is a part of our culture, but we have a saying like oh, I love you when you make fun of other people, but not me. So, actually doing it to everybody including myself. And I'm just speaking as everybody speaks. It's a serious political show, not a comedy. And I go in and I'm straight forward and I speak exactly the same words that a normal layman, people on the street do, and I come from the internet. So we're quick witted. We're like Facebook and Twitter, and YouTube. And there's a lot of competition there, so we have to really keep up with our game.

ANDERSON: Given the choice, who would you like to see running Egypt going forward?

YOUSSEFF: I don't know. I'm between like choosing the best person and the best person to make fun of. So I don't know. I mean, you know, remember like George W. Bush when he was there. I mean, like eight years SNL and Jon Stewart had the time of their lives with that, you know, It's like -- with Al Gore, I don't know -- I think like most of these shows would have closed down.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Bassem Yousseff, what a character.

You're watching Connect the World live from London. Our top story tonight, Egypt's landmark presidential election should mark the end of effective military rule and the dawning of a new democracy. The test will be just how much authority the generals are prepared to cede to whoever becomes the country's new leader. And that may not be clear for many months to come.

Still to come on this show tonight, with warnings that the EuroZone crisis could start to spill over, we're going to ask two future leaders how they would solve what is this great economic mess. That's coming up.

And ladies and gentlemen, we have corporate liftoff. The story behind the first ever private space mission.

That and more when Connect the World continues.

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ANDERSON: And this is Connect the World with me Becky Anderson. Welcome back.

The crisis in the EuroZone is the biggest threat to the global economy, at least according to the organization that cooperation and economic development. The OCD as its known predicts the EuroZone economy will shrink in the next 12 months and barely grow next year.

The organization said if government's don't act, they could see the crisis spill into other countries.

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ANGEL GURRIA, OECD SECRETARY-GENERAL: You really have now very clear evidence that leaving things for later has a very high cost. And then that the expectations that you have to perform in order to clear the markets is more and more onerous every time. And it does affect the markets in the United States, it does affect the markets in emerging economies. It does affect the market in Japan, et cetera. We see that every day. There's no longer this decoupling thing. It's no longer just Europe by itself.

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ANDERSON: Frightening stuff. And we'll be looking at how the crisis is affecting one industry, the Italian fashion industry as well as talking to two aspiring world leaders about what they think government should do next.

Before that, a look at some of the other stories that are connecting our world tonight.

And Yemen marks a somber national unity day after a massive attack killed over 100 soldiers on Monday, more than 200 people were injured and the attack is a suicide bomber infiltrated a military parade rehearsal just meters away from the presidential palace. Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the blast and said it was in retaliation for U.S. drone strikes on their strongholds in the south.

The head of the UN nuclear watch dog says that a deal with Iran could be signed, and I quote, soon. Yukiya Amano addressed reporters after a meeting with Tehran's top nuclear negotiator. Now critics remain skeptical of any agreement saying Iran is just trying to seem cooperative ahead of Wednesday's meeting with world powers in Baghdad. But Amano called it an important development.

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YUKIYO AMANO, IAEA DIRECTOR GENERAL: The decision was made that will conclude and sign the agreement. There remains some differences, but Mr. Jaliree (ph) elaborated the difference will not be the obstacle to reach an agreement.

Last time I said progress was made, this time I'm saying decision was made.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Well, authorities have determined that there was no bomb on a US Airways flight which was diverted on Tuesday after a terror scare. Now the flight from North Carolina to Paris made an emergency landing in Maine after a female passenger handed a note to the flight crew saying that she had a device implanted in her body. A source said the woman is being questioned and is likely to undergo a psychological evaluation.

Controversial picture of the South African president has been vandalized at a gallery in Johannesburg. The painting shows Jacob Zuma in a pose resembling Vladimir Lenin and has his genitals exposed. But it was defaced as Mr. Zuma's party was in court requesting the gallery be forced to take the painting down. CNN has been on the streets of Johannesburg to find out how the public feels about -- well, about the picture.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's a disgrace for the painting of the president. They look him as a (inaudible), you look at this type of thing, there are kids who look at this and they look at him as their role model. I think they need to take it down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think for a country that values itself of freedom of speech and (inaudible) for democracy, I think this satire should be taken for what it is.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not personally too upset about the picture of Zuma. I ask myself how would I feel if somebody had done that about Nelson Mandela. And I would feel very, very differently about it indeed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON: Reaction to what has been quite a controversial story out of South Africa in the past week or so.

We're going to take a very short break. When we come back here on CNN, the hero of Chelsea's Champion's League victory is leaving the club. We're going to tell you why up next.

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ANDERSON: Well, Mr. Didier Drogba ended his eight year career at Chelsea in style, helping the side win the Champion's League for the first time ever. He scored a dramatic equalizer and the winning penalty in the final against Bayern Munich on Saturday. Well, now he is leaving the club.

Patrick Snell joins us from CNN Center with the details in what is a dramatic announcement. Many of us had anticipated it, but we still couldn't quite believe it when it came.

Patrick, why does he say he's going ?

PATRICK SNELL, CNN SPORTS CORREPSONDENT: Yeah, thanks, Becky. Yeah, a little bit surprised. You know, he's 34 years of age, Becky. He's supremely fit. And he's quite clearly still got a wonderful eye for goal. But I just think in his own mind, look Chelsea perhaps missed a trick here. He wanted a two year deal of some nine months ago. He made that very clear to the club. And for one reason or another, they would not agree to what he wanted. They wouldn't get the terms. He couldn't get the two year deal he wanted. So I think he said, look, I'll go out on the highest possible level. He'd done that. You can't really top that, can you? You get that dramatic header that leveled the game for Chelsea and then the kick, the penalty, his last kick as a Chelsea player as it turned out, winning that dramatic shootout for them in Bavaria over the weekend.

So he's going on a wonderful high. He'll be forever a Chelsea legend. And I just feel that he feels can can't ever improve on that. He'd been speaking about this as a close knit group of players. And he feels that, look, the time is right for me, personally to go off. And we now expect him possibly to further his career in China. Of course that is not confirmed as yet. It's going to be very interesting to see where Drogba goes, because he's such a fine athlete, Becky. And still 34 years young.

ANDERSON: Absolutely. And if he goes to China, he may be going on a salary of something like $300 U.S. -- $300,000 U.S. dollars a week. So I guess there's -- you know, there's a pool there if that, indeed...

SNELL: That could be a factor.

ANDERSON: Yeah. I met him. He is such a tremendously gentle man, you wouldn't believe he was the same guy who plays such aggressive football on the pitch, but we obviously wish him the best. What a great guy.

CNN, sat down with the president of an Italian club, Juventus, I believe earlier. The Italians winning the league title this year. What have we learned, Patrick?

SNELL: Yeah, this is -- yeah, a rare interview with the hierarchy of Juventus, the Agnelli family, of course, but this was the club that is basking in the delight, Becky of winning a first official Scudetto since 2003. It means a lot to them. They have in recent seasons been upstaged by not just Milan, but Internationale as well.

And for Alessandro Del Piero there it was his last game for the club and quite fitting that he goes out on a high, winning the Scudetto. Unfortunately for you and Del Piero, they did lose the final of the Copa Italia on Sunday. But look, they're achievement will be measured by what they achieved in the Scudetto. And the club feels, as we hear from Senor Agnelli, the club feels that they definitely deserve this particular success.

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ANDREA AGNELLI, JUVENTUS PRESIDENT: We knew we had to restructure the whole team. And so we had to just think about the first team and change 20 players out of 25. And the five that stayed belongs to 2006 very strong squad. There's been a lot of changes in the management within the company and we're talking about $200 million business. So we got a new commercial director, a new communications director, we got a new sports director. There's been lots of changes.

And what I've tried to do is I tried to revive the pride at being at Juventus and remember that, you know, Juventus is one of objective which is victory. And we're all very proud to achieve that in one or two years.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNELL: You can hear a lot more with that interview in World Sport in about an hour and two a bit minutes from now, Becky. Well worth hearing. Alex Thomas sat down and got the lowdown on the season that was there in Turin.

ANDERSON: Look forward to that.

Patrick, thanks for that. Patrick Snell out of CNN Center for you this evening.

Still to come on Connect the World, tightening their belts in the fashion capital of the world. We're going to hear first-hand from an Italian manufacturer about how the EuroZone crisis is cutting his business down to size.

And space holidays are on the horizon, but how much would you pay to really get away from it all? All that and more after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: A warm welcome to our viewers across Europe and around the world. I'm Becky Anderson for you. These are the latest world news headlines from CNN.

Egyptians are preparing to go the polls on Wednesday and on Thursday. They will select the first democratically-elected president in the country's recorded history. If no candidate wins outright, a runoff is set for June.

The OECD warns that the eurozone crisis is the greatest threat to the global economy. The organization has warned governments to act today, or the problems could spill over into other countries.

Authorities have determined there was no bomb onboard a US Airways flight from Paris to North Carolina. The flight was diverted after a female passenger handed a note to the flight crew indicating that she had a device implanted in her body. Authorities say the incident does not appear to be terror related.

And the US ambassador to Afghanistan is resigning. US officials say Ryan Crocker will leave his post in Kabul this summer after one year on the job. A State Department spokeswoman says Crocker is stepping down for health reasons.

And those are the headlines this hour.

As we've heard today, the OECD fears that the euro crisis could still derail the global economic recovery. In fact, they say, it is the biggest threat to the global economic recovery.

Eleven European nations are still in recession, amongst them, Italy, the fourth-largest. I was there in Italy last week and saw the stark reality of a country struggling to kickstart growth. According to business leaders, the biggest problem is a very basic one, and that is getting access to funds. Have a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON (voice-over): Think of Milan, and these are the images that come to mind. High heels, high fashion, Dolce & Gabbana, Valentino. The luxury brands are all here in the city's famous fashion square. But despite the opulent facade, all is not well.

Paolo Bastianello is the owner of Marly's, a well-established Italian fashion manufacturer that started 45 years ago with just three employees. In 2008, Marly's was on the verge of breaking into Italy's elite fashion ranks. But then, the crisis hit.

PAOLO BASTIANELLO, PRESIDENT, MALY'S (through translator): The moment before the crisis, we had 110 employees, and the company was bringing in 20 million euros. We are now 70 employees. Our profits are down 30 percent. And of course, we were also planning to open more shops, but the crisis put a stop to that.

ANDERSON (on camera): The problem for Mr. Bastianello has been getting financing to expand his business into overseas markets, which he says is critical to survival, particularly in this current economic climate. What businesses like Marly's really want is deregulation, not just here, but Europe-wide.

BASTIANELLO (through translator): We feel very tired and sometimes very depressed because two years ago, some very crucial decisions should have been taken by the government, but they looked in a different direction.

Also, Europe is taking too much time to make decisions. Greece is an example of what happens when decisions are delayed. It becomes too late. We are trying to resist, but it is getting hard.

ANDERSON (voice-over): Is prime minister, Mario Monti, making it any easier?

BASTIANELLO (through translator): We have to remember, it's like a doctor who has to do surgery. His task was not easy, but it was needed. The ill is still not cured. Italians are ready to make sacrifices, but they need to be motivated and they need to see that the cuts are for everyone.

ANDERSON: Because here, not everyone is feeling the pinch, and that is not helping morale in a country desperately trying to reverse what is a bleak trend.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Well, it's not just Italy and Europe feeling that pinch. One of the groups hit worst by the crisis is the youth across the continent. Today, the International Labor Office released its global employment trends report for youth, and it is, let me tell you, pretty bleak.

Here in Europe with the eurozone crisis, almost one in five -- one in five -- young people are out of work. After a year of political and economic upheaval in North Africa, a massive 27.9 percent of young people, nearly 30 percent, are unemployed.

And the same goes for the Middle East, where over a quarter of those between the ages of 15 and 24 don't have jobs. And even in Asia, where adult unemployment is pretty low, for the young, more than one in ten can't find work.

Well, if you are anything like me, you've virtually probably given up trying to work out what we should do next. So, if us grown-ups are running out of ideas, maybe we should ask the next generation of world leaders.

I'm joined now by an ambassador of a pioneering group of young people, One Young World, dedicated to creating positive change. Chiara Palieri is an advocate of women in leadership as well as youth activism. Hoping that we'll be joined by a chap out of Portugal tonight, as well.

But Chiara, let's -- let's just start. When you read the OECD's report today, which says the European crisis is liable to knock the world economy back, do you, like me, think, "I've heard this all before, and I've been listening to this for three years"? How do you think officials have coped with this current European economic crisis?

CHIARA PALIERI, AMBASSADOR, ONE YOUNG WORLD: Firstly, thank you very much for having me on the show. And I have to say that I'm proudly representing One Young World today, as well.

What I want to get straight first is that this economic crisis is majorly about money, but even more about taking out dignity from people. And I speak from -- on the behalf of young people from Italy.

What I see today is a scary portrait of the future. I don't feel very positive about the prospects as a young graduate. I don't feel very empowered to think about the best. So, I think leaders really need to restructure the whole policy-making of education and young employment. Because at the time being, it's absolutely a failure.

ANDERSON: Fascinating to listen to what you're saying. We've seen the rise of people power across Europe as citizens turn away from their sort of old-fashioned mainstream political status quo, as it were. Do you, like many other people across Europe, believe that it's time for change? It's time for a different narrative? And if so, what would your narrative be?

PALIERI: The narrative would be we depend as a generation a strong revolutionary restructure of the institutional framework, a societal commitment to empower young people, not to be only today's employees, but more importantly to be tomorrow's leaders.

At the time being, I think people in Europe are very much discouraged to think about future prospects. So, this is what we demand, a societal commitment. And most importantly, a European response to this huge crisis.

ANDERSON: Do you think the gap between policy-makers and the people is growing?

PALIERI: It's absolutely widening, definitely. And it's also about the culpability expectation gap of the European Union with regards to young people, I guess. I believe that the gap is widening, as the results keep on decreasing.

And I'm not only talking about the economy, but I'm really talking about the way institutions foster young people in their quest to grow as academics or as employees. I think it's widening, and I don't really see from the Italian side the commitment to change.

ANDERSON: You belong to a group of youngsters -- and when I use the world "us grown-ups," I only used it because one of your colleagues, Zhao (ph), actually referred to me as one of those earlier on. So, I could use the world "oldie," or whatever.

Quite frankly, you belong to a group of youngsters who are representative of most countries around the world, and when you get together, and when you're at college with mates there in Scotland, at present, does it -- does it concern you that many people of your age feel the need to leave their own countries, find prosperity, work, education, a life elsewhere? And if so, what do you think should be done about that?

PALIERI: I guess at the time being, I myself am the result of immigrants. I'm Italian, but I'm currently based in the UK. And I guess the desire to immigrate to find better opportunities. A somehow unrealistic choice, but at the same time, it's a good way to empower the country once we will get back to restructure the whole framework.

I think it's important to create this concept of transnational leadership, which is what we at One Young World do, and it's working together, coming from different backgrounds and trying to create new synergies for the future.

ANDERSON: Fascinating. Chiara, going to leave it there. We thank you very much, indeed, for joining us. The view of one youngster this evening on what is -- well, let's just call it a mess, shall we, across Europe?

Coming up after the break, how do you stay at the top of your game? We're going to ask two of our Leading Women how they maintained their success now that they have reached the top. That is our Leading Women series, and that is up after this short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANDERSON: Right. Their success is an inspiration to women around the world, but it's taken a lot of hard work. We take a look at what keeps Leading Women inspired when times are tough and where their confidence comes from. The latest in our series Leading Women, up next. Here you go.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MONIQUE LHUILLIER, FASHION DESIGNER: So, right now, I'm doing fittings on my pre-fall collection.

All right, Michelle, let's have you walk for us.

FELICIA TAYLOR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fashion designer Monique Lhuillier has been building her business for more than a decade.

LHUILLIER: I start the process by sketching out the designs, but for me the magic happens when I have it on the model's body, and then when I see the fabrics move and the way it drapes on the body.

We should tack this in the center back so it doesn't -- get lost.

The magic also begins when I work with beautiful fabric. That's where the inspiration starts. So, I'll view lots of fabrics, and I'll be like, these are speaking to me, and then that will start the color pallet.

Pretty. Hands in the pocket. Yes. Good height. Perfection.

TAYLOR: Lhuillier was inspired to create beautiful gowns right out of design school.

LHUILLIER: So beautiful.

TAYLOR: It started when she couldn't find the right wedding dress for her own nuptials. Her husband, Tom, a business major, became her company's CEO, and together they grew a small line of wedding dresses into a successful design house.

But that success meant sacrifice along the way.

LHUILLIER: What I realized when we were starting out company, when we were building our company, is that you have to give up everything personally in the very beginning, because it's all about the business. There's no balance at that point. It's all about work.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD (singing): La la la! Elmo's World!

TOM BUGBEE, MONIQUE LHUILLIER'S HUSBAND: Elmo's World!

LHUILLIER: Tom and I have been married for 17 years, and we didn't start our family until our 11th year of being married. It's because we really gave up everything to start this.

TAYLOR: Lhuillier not only designs for well-known personalities. She also has a more affordable line that is sold in department stores. Lhuillier also has created a line of china, crystal ware, and home fragrances.

A little confidence in what she was building gave her the tool to persevere.

LHUILLIER: It takes a lot of tenacity in the beginning, and really -- a beautiful product will shine in the end. And so, you just have to stick it through and believe in yourself.

ANDERSON (voice-over): I'm Becky Anderson. Having confidence is a central theme for Kristin Skogen Lund. She's held many executive level positions in international companies such as Unilever and Coca-Cola.

And before she became executive vice president of Telenor, she was the first female managing director of a major media company in Norway. But Lund admits it took her some time to feel comfortable in the role of boss.

KRISTIN SKOGEN LUND, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, TELENOR: When I started to work for Coca-Cola and I had two guys working for me and I was the marketing director and they were marketing managers, and when I first met them, I was really shocked, because they were so tall. They were like 6 feet 4 tall, and I -- and I thought it was very absurd that I should be the boss of someone who was that tall.

(LAUGHTER)

LUND: I've gotten more used to bossing now, you can say that.

ANDERSON: For Lund, believing in oneself is crucial, and when she gives inspirational talks, she points out why certainty is crucial to good business.

LUND: I try to focus on this thing about your own confidence and security, that you just do yourself such a big favor by allowing yourself to gain confidence and to focus nine times out of ten on your strengths.

I really believe that insecurity is the root cause of a lot of bad management and a lot of bad behavior. It's not because the people are bad, it's just because they're not secure.

ANDERSON: Despite all of her success, Lund tries to remain grounded, even admitting one of the biggest obstacles she's faced since she started out in the business world: insecurity.

LUND: Well, I guess I didn't realize how good I was. And I certainly wasn't comfortable with it. I didn't want to stick out. I was afraid that others would dislike me. I was -- I still am, actually -- afraid that people will accuse me of thinking I'm something special. I really don't want to have that attached to me, and I really don't want to be perceived that way. I still worry about that.

I really believe in optimizing what you do at the moment, and then possibilities will occur, and you just need to be open-minded to those possibilities when they come to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Insight from two of the Leading Women in this series. You can find out more about the stars of the show at the website, cnn.com/leadingwomen.

You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD here on CNN. I'm Becky Anderson for you. When we come back, Silicon Valley goes into orbit. A private rocket has been launched out of the pocket of a dot-com billionaire. That up next.

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NASA LAUNCH ANNOUNCER: Three, two, one, zero. And launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as NASA turns to the private sector to resupply the International Space Station.

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ANDERSON: You're looking at the moment space went corporate. The rocket launched from Cape Canaveral, but it's not the US government paying for it. It is an internet entrepreneur.

The world's first private spacecraft is now on its way to the International Space Station. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Florida in the darkness before dawn. If its mission to deliver supplies goes smoothly, it could be a small step towards the commercial exploitation of space. CNN's John Zarrella watched the launch.

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ELON MUSK, CO-FOUNDER, SPACEX: We've done everything we possibly can think of to ensure the success of this mission. Despite that, there's still significant risk.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN MIAMI CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Risk because only a handful of nations have ever done this before, and before now, no commercial company has ever attempted it.

Once in orbit, the unmanned SpaceX Dragon capsule will head for a rendez-vous with the International Space Station. If all is well after a series of system checks and maneuvers, NASA astronaut Don Pettit will use the station's robotic arm to reach out, grab hold of Dragon, and berth it the station.

MUSK: It's been a very hard technology to develop. And of course, we need to prove that we've done it correctly, and I think there's a good chance that we don't succeed on the first time. But I'm confident we will succeed on, if it's not the first, it'll be the second or third.

ZARRELLA: There is quite literally a lot riding on this.

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ZARRELLA: With limited dollars, NASA decided to retire the Shuttle, develop a new rocket to take humans on deep space missions, say, to Mars, and turn over to commercial companies the job of ferrying cargo and eventually astronauts to the Station. Several companies are developing vehicles for the job. SpaceX is the first ready to try.

MUSK: So, it can actually carry the same number of people as the Space Shuttle.

ZARRELLA: Last year, Musk showed off his Dragon spacecraft that successfully orbited the Earth. Musk, the billionaire co-founder of PayPal, has no illusions when it comes to rocket science.

MUSK: When I started SpaceX, it's not as though I thought rockets were easy. I mean, I did think they were very hard. But I would say it ended up being even harder than that.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: John Zarrella reporting for you. The company behind this mission has plans that go far beyond the ISS. SpaceX reckons it can get the cost of landing a paying passenger on Mars down to a cool half a million dollars.

And it's not the only corporation that's looking to the stars and putting a price tag on them. Here is Phil Han.

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JOHN CHO AS HIKARU SULU, "STAR TREK": Course laid in.

BRUCE GREENWOOD AS CHRISTOPHER PIKE, "STAR TREK": Maximum warp. Punch it.

PHIL HAN, CNN DIGITAL PRODUCER (voice-over): We may not be flying through space at warp speed just yet, but if "Star Trek" is any inspiration, we soon could be.

Virgin Galactic is a pioneer in the space travel industry and will be the first commercial program to offer suborbital flights to paying passengers. Tourists will spend $200,000 to have a seat onboard, but they'll have the pleasure of being over 100 kilometers above Earth and experiencing six minutes of weightlessness.

Virgin has also built the first-ever commercial spaceport in New Mexico. It's here that the company will base their current and future space program.

Bloon is another company focusing their efforts on space tourism, but speed isn't a top priority. Four passengers, each paying over $100,000, will float 36 kilometers above Earth. The giant helium balloon will hold a tiny capsule that will offer views of the setting sun and the curvature of the Earth.

But while trips to other planets may seem a long way off, others are turning to new ways of exploring Earth. The Air Cruise is a radical new design in travel that could see 100 guests soaring in a gigantic floating hotel. The hotel would take you to some of the most exotic locations on Earth and will celebrate relaxation over intergalactic travel.

Phil Han, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON: Just a half a million spare cash, and you can do any one of those in months to come.

In tonight's Parting Shots, fans of "Star Trek" will have seen him in space millions of times in the hit TV series, but now we're told that Scotty has actually made it into orbit for real. Well, his remains have, at least.

James Doohan, the actor who played the "Star Trek" engineer, the one here in the red, died in 2005 with one last request, that his ashes be launched into space. And today, Scotty's remains, along with the ashes of 300 other hardcore space fans blasted off beyond the Earth's final frontier onboard that SpaceX rocket.

I'm Becky Anderson, that was CONNECT THE WORLD, thanks for watching. The world news headlines are up after this. Don't go away.

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