Preview: CNN International Programme Information Weeks 20 and 21
Open Court
Maria Sharapova kisses her French Open 2012 trophy. Credit: PATRICK KOVARIK/AFP/GettyImages
In May, ‘Open Court’ travels to Roland Garros, where the best players in the world will compete in the French Open. Host Pat Cash presents this star-studded show from the home of the tournament, Paris.
Over the past five years, five different women have won the French Open – Ana Ivanovic of Serbia, Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova, Francesca Schiavone of Italy, China’s Li Na and Russia’s Maria Sharapova last year. Each of these champions talk to ‘Open Court’ ahead of the French Open and reveal whether they think they are in a position to win it again.
On the men’s side, Spain’s Rafa Nadal has dominated the French Open, and will be chasing his eighth title this year. But there are several big names who have never experienced glory at Roland Garros. Boris Becker, Pete Sampras and Stefan Edberg tell ‘Open Court’ about “the slam that got away”.
There is one man on tour who is trying to break Nadal’s incredible record at the French Open this year – Nicolas Alamagro. He’s a clay court specialist and currently number 12 in the world. Cash travels to Madrid to hit with Almagro and hears about the star’s hopes for the tournament.
The programme also looks at the story of French tennis legend, Suzanne Lenglen. Her legacy lives on in Paris, with one of the three stadiums at Roland Garros named after her tennis greatness.
cnn.com/opencourt@cnnopencourt @TheRealPatCash
The Fighters: A CNN Freedom Project Documentary
The Philipines’ boxing icon Manny Pacquiao stars in this CNN Freedom Project documentary
** ROUGH-CUT DVDs AVAILABLE ON REQUEST **
Part one: Friday 17 May at 1200 BST / 1300 CET and 2100 BST / 2200 CETSaturday 18 May at 0300 BST / 0400 CET
Duration: 1 hour Part two:
Saturday 18 May at 1200 BST / 1300 CET and 2100 BST / 2200 CET
Sunday 19 May at 0300 BST / 0400 CET
Duration: 1 hour
Whether for profit or pleasure, many young girls in Asia’s largest English-speaking nation are being exploited in alarming numbers. It’s estimated more than 100,000 children work in the sex trade in the Philippines.
‘The Fighters’ documents a two-year CNN Freedom Project investigation, follows the journey of human rights pioneer Cecilia Flores-Oebanda and her undaunted determination to protect children and convince the Philippines’ biggest star, Manny Pacquiao, to join her as an active fighter in the battle against modern-day slavery.
Since founding her anti-trafficking organisation, Visayan Forum in 1991, Oebanda has helped more than 70,000 victims, or potential victims, of human trafficking in the Philippines. But when allegations of fraud and missing funds surface, Oebanda is forced to change her focus from saving children, to saving the organisation she set up to help them.
‘The Fighters’ provides a glimpse into the world of combating human trafficking through the eyes of those risking their lives so that others may live theirs in freedom. It explores themes of social justice and globalisation, as well as providing insight into both the drawbacks and benefits inherent in governmental-charity partnerships.
This two-part documentary is the latest from the CNN Freedom Project – CNN Worldwide’s multi-platform initiative aimed at exposing the horrors of modern-day slavery, highlighting the growing efforts to stop the trade and exploitation of human beings and amplifying the voices of the victims.
www.cnn.com/freedom www.cnn.com/thefighters @CNNFreedom #thefighters www.facebook.com/CNNFreedomLeading Women
Ellen Kullman, CEO of DuPont, and Jasmine Whitbread, CEO of Save the Children
This month, ‘Leading Women’ focuses on two women who have made names for themselves in the male-dominated world of the boardroom – one as the chief executive of a leading children’s charity and the other as the head of one of the world’s largest chemical companies.
Jasmine Whitbread (pictured left) is the first international CEO of Save the Children – a global children’s rights charity which operates in over 120 countries with an annual revenue of which many multinational corporations would be jealous. Whitbread’s experience in both the commercial and third sector, garnered at Thomson and Oxfam respectively, has allowed her to drive Save the Children to become the biggest worldwide independent children’s charity.
Ellen Kullman (pictured right) began her career at American chemical company DuPont in marketing in 1988. Within ten years she had assumed leadership of the company’s safety resource and bio materials divisions, within a further decade she had been appointed as DuPont’s CEO and chair of the board. Kullman is, by a nature, a problem solver, championing consumer-driven scientific innovation to markets around the world.
CNN.com/leadingwomenWinning Post
The Kentucky Derby, 2012. Credit: Elsa/Getty
Thursday 23 May at 1030 BST / 1130 CET and 1730 BST / 1830 CET Saturday 25 May at 0830 BST / 0930 CET and 2200 BST / 2300 CET Sunday 26 May at 1730 BST / 1830 CET Duration: 15 minutes
May’s ‘Winning Post’ is at Churchill Downs for America’s most iconic race, the Kentucky Derby. Host Francesca Cumani brings the inside track from the top jockeys and trainers as they prepare to compete in the ‘fastest two minutes in sport’ – the ‘Run for the Roses’.
American jockey Rosie Napravnik has already made history but becoming the first woman to win the Kentucky Oaks, the fillies’ equivalent of the Kentucky Derby. This year she’s hoping to go one better and win the Derby itself. But standing in her way will be veteran jockey Gary Stevens, who’s hoping to complete his own fairy-tale comeback after a seven-year hiatus in which he become a Hollywood actor, starring in ‘Seabiscuit’ and HBO series ‘Luck’
Also on the programme, Cumani looks at one of the defining aspects of American Thoroughbred racing – the dirt track surface. Throughout the rest of the world, the majority of races are run on turf or synthetic tracks. With different training required for either terrain, a unique set of challenges presents jockeys and their horses, as ‘Winning Post’ explores.
facebook.com/CNNwinningpost @francescacumani
The Gateway: Constanta
Host Becky Anderson on board a river barge on the Black Sea
In May, ‘The Gateway’ continues its global journey exploring ports, airports, railway stations, transport junctions and strategically vital hubs to find out how they facilitate the flow of goods and people around the world.
In this edition, host Becky Anderson travels to the port of Constanta, Romania. As the biggest port on the Black Sea, Constanta is an important transit point that links landlocked Eastern Europe to Transcaucasia, Central Asia and the Far East.
Anderson meets Romanian President and former ship Captain, Traian Basescu, to talk about his plans for the future of the port. She also visits the Daewoo Shipyard, to watch as hundreds of hands hammer nails into the largest vessel ever built in the region.
‘The Gateway’ boards a river barge, to follow the journey of goods down the Danube-Black Sea canal. At just over 60km long, the canal is the world’s third longest after the Suez and Panama Canals. Anderson also explores the country’s biggest business success story – car manufacturer Renault/Dacia – which boasted profits even in a time of economic crisis.
Looking at the roads, rail tracks and waterways, this edition of ‘The Gateway’ visits a port determined to reaffirm its position as Europe’s Eastern Gateway.
CNN.com/gateway @BeckyCNN