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Margaret Thatcher: Icon and Outcast; Syrian President: I will Never Surrender; Largest Lawsuit In French History Begins Today
Aired April 17, 2013 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Welcome to Connect the World. I'm Atika Shubert live in London.
Well, it's been a day of dramatic developments in the investigation into the Boston bombings. We'll go directly now to CNN USA where they've been following all of the latest.
(BEGIN SIMULCAST WITH CNN)
SHUBERT: We'll have plenty more of those developments coming out of Boston throughout the hour, but also ahead after the break a sign of growing U.S. concern about the civil war in Syria. We'll tell you about a new U.S. troop deployment to a neighboring state.
And then, shortly after that, a very tight election result is stirring up tensions in Venezuela and we will get you up to date on the latest details.
Also, saying good-bye to one of the defining political figures of the 20th Century. We'll show you the final farewell for Margaret Thatcher. All that and much more when Connect the World continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SHUBERT: You're watching Connect the World live from London. Welcome back. I'm Atika Shubert.
Well, Syria's president is accusing the west of funding al Qaeda and warns it will pay, quote, a heavy price. Bashar al-Assad gave an interview today to a pro-government TV station in Damascus. He vowed his regime will never surrender saying defeat would spell the end of Syria. He also said the war could spread to neighboring Jordan, saying the fire will not stop at Syrian borders.
Well, that warning comes just as the U.S. defense secretary announces a troop deployment to Jordan. Nick Paton Walsh is following all these developments tonight from Beirut.
Nick, can you tell us what will these military troops be doing there?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, CNN's Pentagon team has learned that 200 U.S. troops will be joining a compliment of U.S. soldiers already in Amman in Jordan to assist there with Logistics and the long ongoing program the U.S. has had with the Jordanians to try and make sure chemical weapons inside Syria don't fall into the wrong hands. These men hail from the headquarters of the first arms division. They are purely there for logistics planning, increasing the capability of the U.S. to do something potentially in the future. And I should stress they are not there as part of some sort of military intervention either amongst rebels inside Jordan or assisting rebels inside Syria.
What this does do, though, increase the United States' ability to do stuff potentially in the future in the region and send a symbolic message of more U.S. boots on the ground on the doorstep of this now two year long civil war.
But Barack Obama has been clear when he rebuffed the Pentagon and State plan late last year for more military intervention to help rebels that he doesn't believe the White House or the United States should be militarily getting involved. That has to change before these troops become something more significant in the eyes of rebels.
But this revelation came on a day in which Syrian President Bashar al- Assad, beleaguered inside Damascus gave an interview to a pro-regime Syrian TV station Al-Ikhbariya in which he said most importantly I think here striking a defiant tone, no to surrender, no to submission. And went on to paint himself, I think, as the last bulwark against what he refers always to terrorists in the ranks of rebels who might take over the country in the event that his regime falls.
Here's exactly what he had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BASHAR AL-ASSAD, PRESIDENT OF SYRIA (through translator): The west has paid heavily for funding al Qaeda in its early stages. Today it's doing the same in Syria, Libya and other places and will pay a heavy price in the heart of Europe and the United States.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALSH: Now that is clearly him trying to suggest that when the U.S. assisted Mujahedeen fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan many decades ago that was the beginnings of al Qaeda. He's suggesting that perhaps western aid to rebels falls into the hands of terrorists or extremists in their ranks. Remember, the U.S. has black listed part of the Syrian rebels for alleged links to al Qaeda. But again he is suggesting that he is fighting terrorists and that effectively his regime is the last stop before al Qaeda gets a foothold inside Syria and the Middle East and further chaos could result.
A defiant tone here, but once again waving that flag of potential extremism in a bid to try and garner support for his besieged regime.
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Beirut.
SHUBERT: Well, Venezuela's president-elect is set to be sworn in on Friday, but the country remains deeply divided after Nicolas Maduro's narrow victory. Violent protests followed Sunday's presidential election. Over 200 people are being investigated following demonstrations. Mr. Maduro won 50.8 percent of the vote while opposition candidate Henrique Capriles won 49 percent. Capriles is demanding a recount, but according to the Venezuelan chief justice he has not yet made an official request.
Now the retrial of Hosni Mubarak will start on May 11. A Cairo appeals court decided that on Wednesday. The former Egyptian president is charged with complicity in the killing of protesters during the 2011 revolution. Mubarak filed an appeal after he was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. The retrial was meant to begin last weekend, but a court technicality prompted a delay.
Now the death toll is rising after an earthquake struck Tuesday in a remote region near the Pakistani-Iranian border. 35 people are now dead, more than 150 injured. Saima Mohsin reports from the city of Quetta where many victims are being sent for treatment.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There are several children in this hospital ward. They've been air lifted to Quetta City Center for urgent medical attention. Many of them have head injuries because they were under collapsed walls and buildings. We're also meeting several pregnant women here who are getting urgent medical attention, because they live in remote areas in mud houses.
Now four helicopters are going back and forth to that Pak-Iran border trying to get that medical aid to people who can't be airlifted out.
(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
MOHSIN: So he's saying that when the earthquake struck it was extremely powerful and his little boy got trapped under a wall and he had to dig him out by hand. And that's very much a similar story we're hearing from a lot of people here today. And the military operation is going to carry on over the next few days trying to get that aid to people and people very much need food, shelter, and water in the coming days.
Saima Mohsin, CNN, Quetta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SHUBERT: Now in France, the trial of five executives accused of selling faulty breast implants has started. More than 5,000 women are registered as plaintiffs in the case against the PIP managers, making it one of the largest trials in French history. Here's the story so far.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHUBERT: Jean-Claude Mas is the man behind PIP, the French company that made breast implants that were found to contain cheaper industrial grade silicon, the kind used for stuffing mattresses, not medically approved. The implants were banned in 2010 and the company went bankrupt. An estimated 300,000 women around the world received the cut price implants.
Jean-Claude Mas now faces charges of fraud and involuntary injury in a French court. And thousands of women as far away as Colombia and Venezuela are suing PIP for damages.
Mas has consistently denied any wrongdoing, insisting that his products were perfectly safe. It is now up to a French court to decide.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SHUBERT: Now in New Zealand, it is set to become the world's latest nation to allow same-sex marriages. Parliament passed the vote with a clear majority paving the way to legalize the marriages within months. The move comes a week after Uruguayan lawmakers approved similar measures.
This is Connect the World live from London. Coming up Britain sends out its best to honor the memory of one of its most powerful and controversial leaders. Margaret Thatcher's funeral next.
And the sporting world continues to react to the Boston Marathon bombings. We'll tell you about all the latest tributes later in the show.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SHUBERT: You're watching CNN. And this is Connect the World with me, Atika Shubert. Welcome back.
Pomp and pageantry in London this Wednesday to remember a controversial and powerful political figure. Queen Elizabeth II was among those in attendance at St. Paul's Cathedral. There was music from Lord Nelson's funeral. The ceremonial sword of mourning was on view, last used at Winston Churchill's final farewell.
And no one could mistake the stature of the person being mourned as former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was laid to rest today. Neil Curry reports on the funeral.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NEIL CURRY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The houses of parliament, so often the scene of debate provided a suitable starting point for Baroness Thatcher's body on her final journey to a place of rest. The hearse carried the former Prime Minister past Downing Street, her home for 11 years before her tearful departure in 1990.
Across the city, guests from 170 countries had begun arriving for the service at St. Paul's Cathedral. The guest list included a sprinkling of world leaders, past and present, together with members of Lady Thatcher's family. And significantly, Queen Elizabeth was there.
A succession of prime ministers have been laid to rest without her presence and without such pageantry since she attended the state funeral for Sir Winston Churchill in 1965. Then, as now, the coffin was mounted on a gun carriage and carried through the streets lined by a military honor guard.
For Churchill, the crowd stood united in respectful silence as the coffin was drawn past. Several groups had given notice that they were not prepared to afford Lady Thatcher such unity.
Disaffected by politics and having to foot the funeral bill, they made their protests peacefully, allowing the majority to take time out from an ordinary working day to witness the spectacle.
The coffin was borne into the cathedral by bearers representing sections of the armed forces with a special connection to the Falklands war, considered by many of Lady Thatcher's supporters to be her finest hour.
The bouquet of white flowers was accompanied by a simple message from her children: "Beloved mother, always in our hearts."
Lady Thatcher's 19 year old granddaughter Amanda gave the first reading.
AMANDA THATCHER, MARGARET THATCHER'S GRANDDAUGHTER: Above all, taking the shield of faith...
CURRY: A Transatlantic accent amid the most British of occasions.
It followed a reading by Prime Minister David Cameron and then the star turn, an address by the Bishop of London.
RIGHT REV. RICHARD CHARTRES, BISHOP OF LONDON: The storm of conflicting opinions centers on the Mrs. Thatcher who became a symbolic figure even an ism.
CURRY: He told the congregation that this was not a place for debating Mrs. Thatcher's politics, but remember her personal qualities. As prime minister, Cameron listened. Behind him, his finance minister was moved to tears.
CHARTRES: I was once sitting next to her at some city function. She suddenly grasped my wrist and said very emphatically, "don't touch the duck pate, bishop. It's very fattening."
(LAUGHTER)
CURRY: The patriotic hymn, "I Bow to Thee, My Country," provided a suitable musical sendoff. Lady Thatcher's body was carried past her queen, ending a grand tribute to the grocer's daughter who became known throughout the world as The Iron Lady.
Neil Curry, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SHUBERT: Margaret Thatcher was in power through all of the 1980s, a decade that some critics say applauded selfishness and disdained compassion. But we've been looking at Margaret Thatcher's legacy, including the views of her supporters and detractors. And we've been getting a wider sense of what made her one of the most defining political figures of the 20th Century.
Now former CNN European political editor Robin Oakley describes the late prime minister as both an icon and an outcast. He traveled extensively with Margaret Thatcher in the 80s and early 90s. And today, he was at St. Paul's Cathedral for the final farewell.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: Thoroughly ceremonial aspects and the involvement of the military, this was very much a funeral service, not a memorial service with political eulogies to Margaret Thatcher. She had chosen the hymns, but she wanted it to be a nonpolitical occasion.
Most of the 2,000 people attending in St. Paul's had some kind of personal connection with Lady Thatcher. In my case, I'd been invited because I reported on the whole of her career from her early days as a member of the House of Commons to that final speech in the House of Commons after she'd been deposed from the Conservative leadership and as prime minister when she hand-bagged the leader of the opposition and did so with enormous relish saying I'm enjoying this.
The surprise, perhaps, was that there wasn't something a bit more personal about the service. And the one glimpse we got of that was when the Bishop of London recalled being at a lunch with her and she'd been discussing some abstruse work of political theory with him. And she suddenly grabbed him by the wrist and said, "oh, bishop, don't eat the duck pate, it's fattening." And the intriguing thing was that when I went to the reception after the funeral, people were laying off what appeared to be the duck pate.
The bishop also reminded people of the odds Margaret Thatcher had had to overcome in order to have a political career in the first place. When she got into the British House of Commons only 4 percent of its members were women. No wonder that early on in her career as prime minister, she went to a big business convention and she told all the chaps there in suits it may be the cock that crows, but it's the hen that lays the eggs.
Robin Oakley, St. Paul's Cathedral, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SHUBERT: Well, today Britain said farewell to a leader who divided opinion in life and in death. So, we went out into London and asked people what they would have liked to tell Thatcher in person.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't actually believe you were conservative. I think you were a woman ahead of your time.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She made the United Kingdom a more competitive place. She disorganized, or deconstructed the unions. But she inflicted pain on a lot of societies -- or a lot of communities which didn't necessarily need the pain inflicted.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I don't think you did much for the community where I came from. You put a lot of people out of work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SHUBERT: The latest world news headlines just ahead.
Plus, the husband of a first responder speaks about what his wife discovered when she reached the seen of the Boston attack.
And then we'll tell you how Singapore's tiny airport has reclaimed the world's best airport title.
Finally, is one of the world's fastest horses about to retire?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SHUBERT: This is CONNECT THE WORLD, the top stories this hour. US authorities are denying reports of an arrest in the Boston Marathon bombing case, but a law enforcement source tells CNN investigators are making significant progress. They're analyzing video and pictures from the crime scene, hoping to identify a suspect.
We are expecting a law enforcement news conference in just about 30 minutes, and we will of course bring you that live.
Separately, CNN has learned that the US has ordered the deployment of up to 200 troops to Jordan in light of neighboring Syria's civil war. A Defense Department official says they are supposed to assist the Jordanians and be ready for potential military action.
Margaret Thatcher's granddaughter gave the first reading at Wednesday's funeral for the former British prime minister. Amid tight security outside, more than 2,000 mourners packed St. Paul's Cathedral in London. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip were among the guests of honor.
The FBI says a letter addressed to the White House has tested positive for the deadly poison ricin. The letter arrived at an offsite sorting facility, and additional testing is underway. It arrive on Tuesday, the same day that ricin was discovered in another letter addressed to a Republican senator.
We have also learned that Capitol Police removed suspicious packages from two different Senate office buildings earlier today. It is important to stress the FBI says there is no indication these letters are related to the terrorist bombings at the Boston Marathon.
Now, CNN's crime and justice correspondent, Joe Johns, joins me from Washington with more. So, what's the latest we have on these letters?
JOE JOHNS, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Atika, first we sort of have to straighten it out. A lot of the stuff over at the Capitol today turned out to not be dangerous, according to the authorities. We don't know if it was a hoax, we don't know exactly what it was.
But at the Capitol complex, where members of the House and the Senate work, authorities told us, they didn't find anything that they thought was dangerous. Nonetheless, they had some envelopes, letters, a couple of people have described them as packages. All of those were packed up and shipped off for further testing.
On the other hand, we have these two letters that you just referred to, this is the letter that was addressed to the White House, another letter addressed to a Mississippi senator, Roger Wicker. Those were field tested and came back positive for ricin, we're told, but they have to be tested again. So, they were sent to an offsite laboratory, perhaps a couple laboratories where they can do more conclusive testing.
Important also to say that those two letters never made it to the Capitol complex. They were actually detected offsite. So, that's where we are right now in Washington, DC.
It is true that there have been other false positives detected in the United States mail over the last several years that authorities at first thought were ricin, but turned out to be a less deadly or not deadly at all substance.
So, authorities are simply waiting now to find out the results of the final and, hopefully, conclusive testing before they move forward. Atika?
SHUBERT: Thank you very much. That's Joe Johns for us in Washington, DC.
Well, we are just now learning that a news conference that had been planned to start in about 20 minutes is being postponed. Now, we do not have any word as to why or when it will happen, but we will bring it to you live when we can.
They're expected to speak to reporters about what's being called "significant progress" in the investigation. Two official sources tell CNN investigators want to question an individual seen on video as a possible suspect in the attach. Both sources describe him as a male wearing a white baseball cap.
Now, Monday's senseless attack in Boston killed three people and wounded more than 180. For those who've lost loved ones, life will never be the same again. Pamela Brown reports on a city's grief.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAMELA BROWN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): An outpouring of raw emotion from a community struck by grief. Friends and family of eight- year-old Martin Richard gathered in a park near his home to remember him and pray for his family. His six-year-old sister lost a leg, and his mother has a serious brain injury.
On Tuesday, friends and relatives dropped off flowers at the family's house in the Dorchester section of Boston. Martin's unforgettable smile has become the face of Monday's senseless attack. His picture, celebrating his First Communion, and another with a sign that reads "No more hurting people" now emblazoned in the minds of millions.
One of the first responders, Dr. Kim Mills, tried to revive him. Her husband, Matt, describes the horror his wife ran toward after the blast.
MATT MILLS, FIRST RESPONDER'S HUSBAND: She did, that's what she told me is that she handed it off to the EMT. She had pronounced and said, hey this -- he's dead. And somebody had said we need to start CPR, and she said, "I don't think it's going to help."
BROWN: Now he says his wife is grappling with the reality of seeing these pictures of Martin.
MILLS: And you could see, she just got quiet, and you could see the tears welling up and the emotion coming back from yesterday.
BROWN: The second fatality is Krystle Campbell, a 29-year-old from Medford, Massachusetts, a suburb to the north of Boston. Krystle was standing along Boylston Street when the explosions went off. Her mother, heartbroken.
PATTY CAMPBELL, KRYSTLE CAMPBELL'S MOTHER: She was the best. Go and ask her.
BROWN: Krystle would have turned 30 on May 3rd.
(EXPLOSION)
BROWN: The third victim is a Chinese national and graduate student of Boston University studying statistics. The injured continue to recover and tell their stories. CNN's Anderson Cooper spoke exclusively to Ron Bassard in his hospital room.
ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "AC 360": Were you knocked to the ground?
RON BASSARD, BOMBING VICTIM: I wasn't knocked to the ground. I absolutely knew that I was hit with something because the pain that shot through my leg was incredible.
BROWN: Meanwhile, across the country, tributes to remember those lost, with the Red Sox playing away in Cleveland, the Indians held a moment of silence for the bombing victims. And the New York Yankees put their rivalry aside Tuesday night to pay their respects, posting this message on the Yankee Stadium marquee: "United we stand." And playing the Fenway Park favorite, "Sweet Caroline" in the Bronx.
(MUSIC - "SWEET CAROLINE" BY NEIL DIAMOND)
(SAXOPHONE PLAYING "THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER")
BROWN: Back on the streets of Boston, an eerie quiet on normally busy streets. For Megan Kieler, returning to the scene after witnessing the explosion brought back overwhelming emotion.
MEGAN KIELER, BOMBING WITNESS: I think it's just kind of hitting me now, to be honest. I'm so --
(CRYING)
BROWN (on camera): What does it feel like?
KIELER: I feel really badly for everybody. I'm really proud of this city. But it's -- people are waking up today and their lives are very different.
BROWN (voice-over): Pamela Brown, CNN, Boston, Massachusetts.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SHUBERT: Well, if you want to find out how to help victims of the Boston bombings, just head to our Impact Your World webpage at cnn.com/impact.
Identifying a suspect could help answer one of the biggest questions: was this home-grown terrorism or an attack sponsored from abroad? Well, former FBI assistant director Tom Fuentes says he has seen the hallmarks of both. He's joining us live from Washington.
Thank you very much for joining us. Can you tell us a little bit more about what we're learning about the specific kind of bomb that was used in this and what that tells us about the attack?
TOM FUENTES, FORMER FBI AGENT: Well, so far, the investigators have learned that at least one of the bombs used a pressure cooker. The other bomb some type of metal container, they're not sure exactly. It's something that's been commonly seen -- or more commonly seen overseas, not seen that often here in the US.
As I mentioned before, the hallmarks of why it looks like a -- an al Qaeda-type bombing is that you have at a major event, trying to cause mass casualties, the use of the pressure cooker or a device like that. Why it doesn't look like it is because no one's taken credit yet. So, you don't see that issue come to bear in this attack.
Also, on the domestic side, we've had many domestic bombings over the years, and it does have many similarities, let's say, to the Atlanta Summer Olympics bombing in 1996, where you had essentially a pipe bomb, a plastic food container placed over the bomb with roofing nails in it, and that became the shrapnel.
In this bombing, now, we've had the doctors' report that they removed carpenter nails embedded in some of the victims. So, again, there are similarities and differences with both bombings.
SHUBERT: I suppose one of the problems of this internet age is that even though we might see this type of an explosive being used overseas, because instructions can be posted on the internet, just about anybody can try and create one of these at home as well, so that must be something that's being factored into the investigation.
FUENTES: Exactly. They are posted worldwide, so that information is readily available, that's true.
SHUBERT: And what do you think will be coming out -- we're hearing about significant developments. How important is it to be combing through the video, the pictures? It is so much to go through, but how does it help in getting any sort of lead?
FUENTES: Well, it's a tremendous task, but that's something they have to do. And apparently, there have been a couple of good possible suspect pictures developed as a result of some of the videos, one of them at a department store on their fixed surveillance camera in front of the building, and others have come from media and local spectators, who have taken videos and still pictures at the scene.
But that'll be critical, because the authorities will try to identify who brought the package to the scene, who set it down. Do they actually have a picture of it right before it went off, as it went off, and immediately after? Who do they see running from the scene besides the victims, who are running as well? And try to piece together as much information and for as long of a timeline as they possibly can.
So, the pictures taken are critical and it's just a mountain of information, thousands and thousands of still pictures and videos to go by one by one to actually go through for both venues, the separate bombs.
SHUBERT: Yes, a mammoth task, but these are critical times in the investigation. Thank you very much. That's former FBI assistant director Tom Fuentes.
This just coming into CNN, and a major defeat for supporters of tougher gun laws in the United States. Just minutes ago, the Senate defeated a compromise proposal to expand background checks on firearms sales. This was the product of a bipartisan committee and had the backing of President Barack Obama.
The White House has been pushing for a package of gun laws in the aftermath of the Newtown school massacre, but again, the Senate defeated a compromise proposal to expand background checks on firearm sales.
Live from London, you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. Coming up next, we will tell you how Singapore's Changi Airport has reclaimed the world's best airport title.
And after that, she's widely regarded as the fastest horse in the world, but Black Caviar's illustrious career is coming to an end. We'll have all the details coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SHUBERT: Well, for the fourth time, Singapore's Changi Airport has taken the top spot as the world's best airport of the Sky Tracks Awards. Our Andrew Stevens took a tour to find out what makes Changi a standout destination for travelers worldwide.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(JET ENGINE)
ANDREW STEVENS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a title Singapore Changi Airport has been fighting to get back ever since it lost it to Hong Kong International in 2011. Now, Changi can proudly say that it's once again Sky Tracks' World's Best Airport.
STEVENS (on camera): You 2013 reclaimed the title of the best airport in the world. How does it feel?
TAN LYE TECK, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, AIRPORT MANAGEMENT: It feels great. It's always heartwarming to know that there are people who show this appreciation for the things we do.
STEVENS (voice-over): Its success starts on the runway.
STEVENS (on camera): Changi also has to keep up-to-date with the explosion in Asian travel, and that means being able to accommodate these, the biggest passenger jets in the world. Almost 300 flights of the A380 now land here every week. And to do that, they had to widen the runway, as well as build entire new air bridges.
STEVENS (voice-over): But it's once you land where Changi really prides itself on how it gets you from point A to B, starting with the first face you see.
NURFIDIAHWANI BINTE ABDULLAH, CHANGI EXPERIENCE SUPERVISOR: Well, as a Changi Experience agent, basically, all-important is the passengers' first impression from the first touch point.
STEVENS: In the airport's control center, the three terminals are monitored constantly to see where people may need assistance. Then, one of the more than 200 experienced agents can be deployed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It will be Delta 37.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good afternoon, sir. Welcome to Changi.
STEVENS: As a major entry point into Asia, 30 percent of Changi's passengers are just passing through, many with long layovers. But with everything from hotels, a pool, free movie theaters, more than 300 retail outlets, and five gardens, Changi says it aims to give passengers everything they need without ever having to leave.
STEVENS (on camera): Is this an airport with a shopping mall/entertainment attached, or is this a shopping mall with entertainment facilities with an airport attached?
TAN: It's more, it is much more. An airport? Well, it's one word, but it means so many things to so many people because precisely every passenger is individual. They come here for their own purpose or to complete a journey, to a achieve something. And we try, in a way, to make sure that we cater to as much of this as possible.
STEVENS (voice-over): Connecting 240 cities worldwide, Singapore sees its airport as the ultimate tourist opportunity. Free tours of the city are offered outside the airport as a way to lure those in transit back for a visit.
LIM CHING KIAT, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, MARKET DEVELOPMENT: It introduces them to Singapore's attractions, and hopefully after this, they'll be convinced and say, hey, next time, I'm coming back for the real thing. I'll come for a vacation in Singapore next time. And we're happy for that.
STEVENS: They say they want Changi to be more than a Gateway, they want it to be a destination.
Andrew Stevens, CNN, Singapore.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SHUBERT: Coming up after this short break on CONNECT THE WORLD, we've got all the latest sports news, including tributes paid to the Boston Marathon victims. And --
She had enormous impact at home and abroad. Remembering Margaret Thatcher's legacy just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SHUBERT: The victims of the Boston bombings are being remembered with special tributes at sporting events across the country. Don Riddell has more on that from CNN Center. So, just how are they being remembered, Don?
DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Thanks very much, Atika. Well, you know, the sports community is always very good at paying its respects and remembering the victims of other disasters and tragedies, but on this occasion, it was a sporting disaster, and a sporting tragedy.
So, teams really all over the world are pausing to remember the victims from Boston, often observing a moment of silence before games. We've seen that all over the world. But of course, the pain is particularly felt in the United States, and particularly by the Boston teams.
This, for example, was in Cleveland last night on Tuesday night. The Boston Red Sox against the Indians, before that Major League baseball game, pausing to remember the victims. You're looking at Terry Francona, there, who's now the Cleveland Indians' manager, but he used to manage the Boston Red Sox.
For the record, the result was a win for the Boston Red Sox, they beat the Indians by seven runs to two. The players, I'm sure, doing their best to give the city something of a lift, but of course playing that game with very, very heavy hearts. The Red Sox will be back in Boston playing on Friday night.
But in just a few hours, this team, the Boston Bruins, will become the first professional sports team to play in Boston following the carnage on the streets of the city on Monday afternoon. This team also saying they would love to do their best to give the city a boost, but really, nobody's minds are much on sport at the moment, and these players admit they will be playing with very heavy hearts also.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRAD MARCHAND, BOSTON BRUINS FORWARD: It's not something that you can just totally forget about in 24 hours or a few days. It's something that - - especially when it's something like a sports event, international sports event. There is more than, obviously, people in Boston affected. There is people who came from all over the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIDDELL: It's just been such an awful tragedy, hasn't it, Atika? And sports fans and, of course, players all over the world pausing to remember it.
SHUBERT: Yes, it does mean a lot to hear those tributes. Now, in other news, I hear that Black Caviar's calling it a career, but there's been a lot of buzz about what the horse could be doing next.
RIDDELL: Yes, there's an awful lot of excitement about Black Caviar's next move. It could actually be meeting another legendary horse, but not on the racetrack. More in a field where they'll be left to their own devices.
We're talking about Black Caviar, who today it was announced has retired after an absolutely stunning career. She won all 25 of her races, winning a staggering $8 million in prize money. There's been talk for some time that she could be mated with Black -- not Black Caviar, of course, she's Black Caviar -- but with Frankel, who won all 15 of his races, all 14 of his career races, I'm sorry.
The owners aren't doing much to play down that speculation. And of course, there's an awful lot of excitement. If these two horses got together, they are considered the best two racehorses, really, from the last 50 years, and I think their offspring would be highly-sought-after. Some kind of wonder horse.
SHUBERT: A wonder horse. Well, thank you very much. Don Riddell, for us, at the CNN Center.
Well, the role Margaret Thatcher played in British and international politics will ensure that she is remembered. Portrait artist Richard Stone has made sure her image will also endure. Erin McLaughlin met one of the few men Thatcher took direction from and began by asking about their very first meeting.
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RICHARD STONE, ARTIST: I was nervous. Nervous because of the reputation that Lady Thatcher had. But I was totally taken aback at the first sitting when, having met her, the first thing she said was, "Mr. Stone, tell me what you want me to do."
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You painted her a total of six times. What would you say are the most significant of those paintings?
STONE: Well, I suppose the one that definitely will have its place in history was the commission that I received from the then-prime minister Gordon Brown. Now remember, Gordon Brown was a Labour prime minister, and what was unusual about this circumstance was that he was wanting to pay tribute to a Tory, a Conservative prime minister.
This was the first official portrait of any prime minister that had been commissioned in Downing Street's history. I was wanting to paint an iconic image -- or shall we say an image of an icon? -- that summed up her personality and in many ways met with other people's expectations of what she was like.
It was -- it was very challenging. It was getting the look right. It was the sort of -- the famous, or if not, possibly infamous steely gaze. But of course, when you look closely at her features, she did actually have beautiful eyes. She had fine bone structure. She was very conscious an -- keeping her appearance immaculate.
MCLAUGHLIN: Let's talk about your final portrait. It shows her in a decidedly different setting. Why did you choose that?
STONE: Well, the portrait came about almost by accident. I had met Lady Thatcher many, many times over the past decade, and I'd often be invited just as a guest for tea. And so, we had established this friendship.
But at the same time, Lady Thatcher always expected me to have my paint brushes and my paint box with me. And we chose together a little private corner of a garden behind the Royal Hospital Chelsea, where she could relax and read in the sun.
What many people will not know is that she was resting, reading, not too far from where her husband, Sir Dennis, had been buried. And of course, the most poignant part of all, this is the very garden where her ashes will be scattered.
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SHUBERT: I'm Atika Shubert and that was CONNECT THE WORLD. Just ahead, we will have the latest on the Boston bombing investigation from our sister network, CNN USA, and we are waiting for a news conference by law enforcement, and we will, of course, bring you that live. You're watching CNN.
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