get this, the boy's cat came to the rescue and fought off the bat pooch. the boy needed stitches and he calls his cat a hero. anderson, this goes to show that cats can be man's best friend, too, right? >> absolutely. i'll become a cat person after that. that'll do it for us. growing anger, fading hope. police battle protestors in turkey as rescuers find no additional survivors in the country's worst ever mine disaster. you'll never go back to school? >> no. >> because they made you afraid? >> yes. >> from aspiring doctor to terrified kidnap victim, a conversation with one of nigeria's stolen school girls. state of emergency. thousands ordered to evacuate as a fast-moving fire swallows up

homes and puts firefighters on the defensive. >> this is extreme. this has gone from just dry conditions to volatile conditions. and in the ongoing battle of cat versus dog, chalk one up to this fearls feline. thanks for joining us, i'm rosemary church. >> i'm john vause. >> the death toll continues to rise. 282 are confirmed dead and dozens are still missing. 88 people were found from a deadly mine on tuesday. we are looking at live pictures. there's little hope that anyone

else survived. >> residents in the mining town of soma are outraged. >> police fired tear gas and water cannons in istanbul as the already growing protests are growing. >> we'll take you live in a moment for the very latest on the rescue efforts. >> first we want to tell you what's happening. ivan watson reports from soma. >> reporter: it's here not far from the entrance to the soma coal mine that a crowd a walts during a grim vigil, as coal miners, their lifeless bodies, are being brought out one by one. hundreds of men were trapped in the mine shaft when the fire, an electrical fire, broke out on

tuesday. the government says 90 people have been pulled out. the smoke and carbon monoxide poisoning seems to be the chief cause of death. the turkish prime minister has come to visit to see as the family members, as rescue workers wait here. he has vowed to investigate the causes behind what could be one of the most deadly mining disasters in turkish history, but he also went one step further to say that this mine had recently been inspected and that it had a clean bill of health. the questions about culpability, who could be responsible, that will be resolved perhaps in the days and weeks ahead, certainly debated and discussed. in the meantime, this is a disaster that has devastated communities in the mountain west

mining district of western turkey. as one rescue worker i spoke with put it, it's a very, very sad day. ief juan watson, cnn, at the soma coal mine in western turkey. for the very latest from the soma coal mine, we're joined live from the coal mine. how long has it been since anyone was pulled out live? >> reporter: it was just after midday yesterday and we're at just about midday today. if you speak to rescue workers, john, they'll tell you they really don't have much hope, that they're really concerned now with pulling out the bodies, bodies which as ivan were saying were killed because of carbon monoxide poisoning. now there's been a statement from an electrical engineer. they don't believe it was an

electrical fault but they believe there was a fair. the faulty ventilation systems were old and outdated, that caused the smoke from this fire, however it was started, to go out into these caverns and make it impossible for the workers to escape with their lives. there are apparently refuge chambers so that in an emergency workers can find their way there with oxygen masks, have some way of refilling their air with further air. we've talked to rescue workers this morning who say they do exist but they don't know whether anyone has made it to them. theoretically it is possible that people are underground in those chambers, but the work goes on and people have very little hope, john. >> okay. amid all the grief there's also growing anger as the government, the way they've dealt with mine

safety in soma but across the mining industry, it didn't help when the prime minister arrived and he basically said, these things happen. >> his comments were extraordinary, really, if he was looking to provide solace to these very, very anguished and very angry people. he started listing mining disasters in europe going back to the end of the 19th century in the u.k. and saying look how hundreds of people were killed in mining accidents then. this is just something that happens. this is not going to make people who are already very angry within this country against his government any happier. the question of culpability though is a tricky one. this mine was privatized back in the early 2000s. many people here here, they said they went out in protests because they felt it would lead to cost cutting and compromises

in safety as a result and they felt that this kind of accident was, therefore, inevitable. also you have this situation where safety concerns were brought into the parliament themselves only last month and the government was asked to open up a parliamentary investigation into safety issues at the soma plant. the government basically decided against it. the ruling party said there's no point. we believe the safety inspections are valid. there's a large amount of finger pointing, accusations. the prime minister said this cannot be used as a political platform but it's very hard to see how it will not be. >> dana reporting live from the soma mine where the dead bodies continue to rise. if you'd like to help those in the community, go to our

website. cnn.com. let's look at other stories making headlines. >> we begin in afghanistan. we're waiting for the final results of the country's presidential election. they have been delayed a day because of hundreds of voter complaints. preliminary results show that the former finance minister seen on the left trailing the former foreign minister. because neither candidate is expected to reach the 50% plus one threshold, there will most likely be a runoff. four crew members of the south korean ferry that capsized next month are facing murder charges. prosecutors indicted the captain, chief engineer and first and second mate. if convicted they could face the death penalty. 11 other crew members were indicted on lesser charges. 281 people are confirmed dead in the daze disaster, 23 others are

missing. the trial of the al gentleman zero journalist is expected to continue in cairo. they're accused of being members of the now banned muslim brotherhood. they're accused of working in the country without a permit. thousands of people are being ordered to leave their homes in southern california. at least nine separate wildfires are burning across the region and there are concerns it could worsen if winds pick up again. >> the city of carlsbad alone has issued more than 20,000 evacuation notices of businesses and schools and even a nuclear power plant. this is wild fire season but it's been worse because there's been a drought. >> want to get a better idea of the extent of the fires, i spoke to cnn's walter cameron a short while ago. he is in the thick of it. he joins us from san marcos. paul, we can see there glowing

flames in the distance. what's the situation on the ground? >> reporter: well, if you look over my shoulder, you're right, rosemary. the flames are threatening the campus. cal state san marcos is threatened. this is one of the blazes burning in san diego county on a day few firefighters or residents will ever, ever forget. record heat, strong winds and low humidity are fueling several fires across southern california. dozens of homes taken over by massive flames in carlsbad. >> as we've seen so many times in san diego couldn't bey, this is a serious effort. >> reporter: firefighters are working as fast as they can to get the wildfires under control but weather conditions aren't letting up.

in the air, helicopters are dropping water. now thousands of homes are threatened along with the university campus, a nuclear power plant, a busy military plant. >> they should have come sooner. >> flames were coming over the hill so i took all my things, all my valuables, and put it in the trunk of my car and parked it a couple blocks away, with you now looks like it might be on fire. >> evacuations started early tuesday for thousands when the first fire broke out but then other blazes erupted one right after the other. so far there are no reports of fatalities or major injuries. >> reporter: and no doubt the drought here in california playing a role in all of this. the vegetation so dry making it more vulnerable to the spread of any flames. i talked with a federal fire official today. he told me the areas of the most concern, almost all of

california, almost all of oregon and parts of nevada, rosemary. >> paul, are they giving you any idea how long it may take to contain the fires? >> reporter: no. there's no magic turn that will get these done now. it's zapping their resources frankly. they go to one fire, they have that one under control. the next thing you know, they have to respond to the next fire. this could go on for a while. you can see, they're up there in structure protection defending this the best they can. when it gets into these canyons, into these other areas, it's very difficult to put out. as we pointe out, you can't hit this thing from the air right now because it's dark. this could go on for a while here, rosemary. let's hope that they get a better shift in the temperatures tomorrow. they say it will drop. we're not too far from the ocean. you can't tell. the marine layer could help the

efforts of the firefighters to put these things out. >> paul vercameron. >> yes, we should note on thursday schools in 20 districts have been closed. if you're watching in los angeles or california, you want to check. this is a very unpredictable situation. let's get more on the weather conditions. pedram standing by. >> yeah, pretty explosive conditions. incredible. then you look at the wind speeds as well. how about nearly 90 miles per hour across portions of southern californ california. how fitting is this? recording an observation of 70 miles per hour. beautiful area with this time of year. the extreme temperatures in place. the hottest temperature in the united states today. anaheim, california. disneyland 1, 06 degrees

fahrenheit. 41 degrees fahrenheit. in death valley it was 99 degrees today. that's the temperature we got to in downtown los angeles. 86 degrees in san francisco. seattle got up to 86 degrees. nearly 20 above the average. let me take you to the ground. >> oh, my god. oh, my god. oh, my [ bleep ]. >> hard to imagine. it's a dry path and feeling the heat out of the window of your car. incredibly scary situation set up in southern perspective, flying into san diego, snapped a few photographs. the northern suburbs, carlsbad, multiple fires in place here with the embers and spot fires being a major problem. we have embers kicked up by the winds of 70, 80 miles per hour.

they're carried further downstream. replanted towards new communities. firefighters are working upstream and they have to deal with secondary fires. at this point mother nature not helping out. >> pfedram, with the heat and te drought, what sort of burning off situation do they have? >> the fuel is incredibly high. the underbrush, trees, foliage all on the ground. we're coming off one of the driest years in over 110 years in southern california. the fuel, the stage is basically set. this is what we expected to happen if we had a heat wave in place and unfortunately happening early. >> as bad as it all is, we should remember no one has died. >> good point. >> thanks, pedram. still to come on "cnn newsroom", more of our exclusive reporting on the kidnapped syrian school girls. in thailand, anti government

demonstrations take a deadly term. plus, monaco's new community is not happy with nicole kid man's new movie. she responds ahead.

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nigerian president goodluck jonathan says he is not considering a boko haram prisoner swap to release the more than 200 kidnapped school girls. brittain's africa minister said mr. jonathan nixed the idea during a meeting on wednesday, but mark simmons says the president did leave the door open to broader negotiations with boko haram. >> reporter: the president tonight discussed this in some detail and he made it clear to

me that he wasn't going to negotiate with boko haram for the exchange of prisoners for girls. what he did say was he wanted to continue a dialogue to make sure a solution could be found and security and stability could return to northern nigeria ft. meade yum and long term. >> now the area those girls were taken from remains very dangerous. boko haram killed at least four soldiers in an ambush there earlier this week. wednesday marked one month since the terror group kidnapped the girls from their school dormitories. the worldwide campaign bring back our girls and continued protests are increasing the pressure for freedom. >> it remains closed, but one girl who managed to escape boko haram says she will not be going back. >> we visited the school and has the girl's story. >> reporter: a burned out

dormitory, broken windows, what's left of the chibok girls secondary school where a month ago the students' dreams were stolen, along with hundreds of girls abducted from their bed. if the attack hadn't happened, right here is where now the girls would have been taking their school lever exams. this school, these examounts are supposed to be the gate way for them into a bright new future that would take them beyond the boundaries of chibok and out of the shadow of boko haram. for many of these girls right now even the thought of such a future is pretty much incomprehensible. educating girls is a sin in the eyes of boko haram, the terror group accused of this devastation. for one of the girls lucky enough to escape her abductors, it's a message she's received loud and clear. >> reporter: you'll never go back to school? >> yes. >> reporter: because they made you afraid? >> yes.

>> reporter: what did you want to be? >> doctor. >> reporter: you wanted to be a doctor? >> yes. >> reporter: now that seems far out of reach. daniel louvier and his family fled into the bush the night of the attack. luckily all together and all safe. but what he witnessed this night still has him shaken. this area has been under siege for years. >> fear is everywhere. presently what we are seeing that is happening to our girls here now, for those that are scared and for those that have to be taken to school, now there's a weight over every parent about what to do for our children because no one can afford losing their daughter. >> reporter: he's not giving up hope completely. he prays a day will come when

his daughters will be free to pursue their future. what would you like your girls to be when they grow up? >> things like lawyers, doctors, engineers because when i see one of these people doing their job, i have the hope that i want my students to be like them. >> reporter: you have high hopes for them? >> very high hopes for them. >> reporter: cnn, chibok. what a great dad. and this is the problem. this is exactly what they've done. the lunatics with the guns and heavy weapons have terrified the girls and that's exactly what the aim is so that they don't go to school because they're terrified of little girls going to school. >> yeah, that's right. the education, as always. be sure to join cnn later today as ayasha has a live edition of news.

we've seen the social media campaign being joined in the bring back the girls campaign. >> an earlier portrait is raising money to get girls in education. this painting of the pakistani girl has just sold for more than $100,000. >> true to her cause, the money is going to further education for girls in nigeria. coming up here on "cnn newsroom", tensions escalate in thailand. >> anti-government protests are turning deadly. we'll have the very latest on the situation in bangkok. and a surprise attack by an aggressive dog. we will show you who came to a little boy's rescue.

welcome back to "cnn newsroom." anti-china violence is growing in vietnam.

a chinese worker was reportedly killed in a riot in central vietnam. the latest riots broke out at a steel mill owned by a taiwanese industrial conglomerate. there are hundreds of chinese nationals streaming into vietnam at one crossing. anti-china anger is rising. the political unrest in thailand is taking another deadly turn. three people were killed, 22 injured when gunmen opened fire on antigovernment protestors. in a separate incident protesters stormed an air force compound where the prime minister was meeting. we have the update from bangkok. >> reporter: around 10,000 protesters surrounded this airport compound and some of them got in the truck and rammed the main gate. they entered the compound where an election meeting is underway with the prime minister.

the prime minister was forced to flee. the election officials have also left. the protesters don't want to see an election in thailand. they want to see reform before an election. now the military in full riot gear came out to proeffect the building, but negotiations did take place. they allowed some of the protesters inside. they wanted to protect the meeting room to make sure it hasn't gone ahead and the prime minister had left. they've come out in full riot gear now because we're seeing lots of outbreaks of violence. the famous democracy monument, gunmen on the back of their pickup trucks entered the protest area throwing grenades into the protesters, at least three, and then shooting randomly. three people have been killed. at least 21 injured. cnn, bangkok, china.

let's shift gears now. i want to tell you about the case of a cat being a boy's best friend. >> yeah. the little boy was riding his bicycle in the driveway of his california home when a neighbor's dog comes dpr behind and starts dragging him away by the leg. look at that. that was super cat to the rescue chasing the dog away. >> unbelievable. it bravely chased the dog away. the cat's a hero. the little boy had to have ten stitches and the dog will be put down. i don't know if you saw pictures of his gashes. the bites from the dog are deep -- >> i don't normally like that cat but there you go. the cat adopted the family. obviously a very close relationship. >> that is wonderful, isn't it. just ahead here on "cnn newsroom", surrounded but unstoppable. >> syrian rebels had a way to keep their supplies flowing while in homes and we'll show you how they did it. plus, how safe is india for

women? we will get a reality check from new delhi. nearly 13 years after the terror of 9/11 a long awaited and often controversial museum is about to open. it's difficult to talk about. so i'm not telling you. i'm so glad i won't have to remember anything. me, too. announcer: visit ready.gov/kids for tips and information.

this is "cnn newsroom" and i'm rosemary church. >> i'm john vause. welcome our viewers. it's 3:30 on the east coast. it is time to check the headlines. the death toll is at 282 in the worst mining disaster in turkey's history. dozens more are still trapped underground and there's not much hope of finding anymore survivors. the country is now serving three

days of mourning for the victims. antichina sentiment is spreading and growing. more dangerous in vietnam. reports say a chinese worker was killed in riots at a taiwanese steel mill in central vietnam. the unrest has broken out over a chinese oil rig in disputed waters in the south china sea. fire officials in southern california continue to battle spreading wildfires. tens of thousands of residents have been told to evacuate including businesses and schools, even a nuclear power plant. high heat and low humidity is making the fire season much worse this year. british foreign secretary william hague is hosting a friends of syria meeting in london today. the talks startles than two hours from now. u.s. secretary of state john kerry is attending along with

syrian opposition leader and other foreign ministers. they will be discussing how to increase the force of the opposition and how to control the humanitarian issues. the city of homs is a hotly contested area in syria until a truce was reached last week. the rebels never seem to run short of western ammunition. we're there and find out how to do it on this exclusive look from inside homs. >> reporter: this is what the battle for homs looked like for a long time. government forces are shelling the area. there's an elaborate area of tunnels. the tunnels were very important

for them, the soldier tells me. this is how they got weapons and ammunition in here. the syrian military has begun sweeping the area. soldiers tell us they were surprised at the amount of tunnels they found. this isn't one of the most sophisticated tunnels around here. not very high and well constructed but they used many of tunnels like this one in the old town of whoms especially in the end phase of the siege. they would use them to move around and get resupplied. the syrian army showed us what they said was a weapons storage. next door, the finished product. shells, mortars and grenades of all sizes. you see all of these have the word ready written on them, the soldier says. we found a lot more, but most have already been taken out of the building. the army is still cleaning out

the area. some complain to us that many looters are also here taking things from abandoned houses. so many people came here who are not even from this area, this man says. they just load their bikes and cars full of stuff and leave. you can see them everywhere. syrian soldiers we spoke to off camera also confirmed the reports of looting. they said access to the area should have been restricted to allow only residents in. now they say it's virtually impossible for them to control all those walking the streets of this former battleground. cnn, homs, syria. after five weeks of voting in india, ballot counting begins on friday. now pro business bjp party opposition remains poised on top of the ruling congress party. india's most popular democracy, more than half a billion people cast ballots. it could take a while to count

them all. this programming note, becky anderson will have a special program of "connect the world." that starts today at 4:00 in london, 5:00 p.m. in berlin, 8:30 p.m. if you happen to be in new delhi. would he'll see it early here on cnn international. the 2012 gang rape of a student on a bus in india made many people wonder just how safe the country is. we look at how the nation is changing as more women speak up. >> reporter: people often ask if i feel safe living in new delhi. this vibrant city of 23 million now perceived by many as the rape capitol after the deadly gang rape of a student inside a moving bus in december 2012. the gawking, the groping, there is no doubt walking around in this sprawling capitol taking

public transportation is not easy. from a very young age women are taught to be cautious, but the notion that there's a culture of rape in india is simplistic and unjustified. no culture is innately prone to rape. in fact, india ranks behind the united states and europe in the total number of rapes reported, even though india has more people than both of those places combined. of course, women in all cultures often don't report rape. that's what's changing here. december 16th, 2012, was the tipping point. hundreds of deli students have gathered -- >> day by day the protests swelled from hundreds to thousands to tens of thousands marching towards india's tower braving water cannons in new delhi's december cold. this was a watershed moment for women in india. security was stepped up, false

court set up to deal with sexual assault cases. >> reporter: this is one of the rarest occasions. >> reporter: women now more emboldened to report cases of rape. authorities, too, more responsive. perhaps the biggest change, rape has become a part of routine discourse. open any newspaper on any given day, stories of rape which did not even get a mention in newspapers in the u.s. or u.k. make headlines here. many say the change that's needed is cultural. this greater awareness in indian society perhaps the 2012 rape victim's lasting legacy. cnn, new delhi. still to come here on "cnn newsroom", we'll have more on a memorial to a day that changed the course of history. >> yeah. when we come back, a preview of the 9/11 memorial museum at ground zero in new york. he could have withdrawn from

society when he developed terminal cancer. he did not. he has left behind an inspiring legacy. bill clinton comes to hillary's side after republican strategies karl rove plants seeds of doubt about her health. hey, razor. check this out. listen up, thunder dragons, it's time to get a hotel. we can save big on killer hotels with priceline express deals. somewhere with a fitness center? hey you know what man, these guys aint no dragons. they're cool. these deals are legit. yeah, we're cool. she's cool. we're cool. i'm cool. hey, isn't that razor's old lady? not anymore. priceline savings without the bidding.

welcome back. now in the united states a long awaited and sometimes controversial memorial to a terrible day opens to the public in new york. >> yeah. u.s. president barack obama will attend the dedication of the 9/11 museum at ground zero. cnn's kate bolduan has a preview. >> these tridents were from the north tower. we built the museum all around them. >> reporter: nearly 13 years after terrorists destroyed the twin towers killing almost 3,000 people, the 9/11 memorial museum is set to open, the

commemoration of the day america changed forever. joe daniels is president and ceo of the 9/11 memorial. you're not whitewashing it. this is the raw, dirty material? >> exactly. this is the steel that bore the attacks. >> reporter: the museum is built almost entirely underground, some 70 feet down. it sits in the precise footprint of the world trade center. >> this is exactly where the cameras started and went up 13,050 feet. >> a sheer scale of the destruction with poignant reminders of the tragedy at every turn. >> reporter: this is unbelievable. >> this is actually the front of this fire truck. this is the cab. >> you wouldn't know. >> wouldn't know. it's completely burned out and destroyed. >> reporter: then there's the retaining wall that remarkably held strong even when the towers fell. >> when the towers came down, all of that debris that was right here in this space provided bracing for that wall.

when that debris was cleared, there was a big concern that the wall would breach, would flood lower manhattan. >> it could have been so much worse. but this wall helped under all of that pressure. visitors will also walk alongside the survivor stairs. >> used by hundreds of people as the buildings are crumbling, running from the dust cloud to escape the safety and it's for all of our visitors to understand the story of survival. >> reporter: and likely one of the most emotional stops in the museum. this mimicking the blue sky on the fateful moment. behind it the still unidentified remains of 9/11 victims. the move met with mixed emotion of their family. >> a still shocking statistic is that 1100 family members never got any human remains back to bury, never got to go through the ritual of laying their loved ones to rest. that's not a public space at all. only family members are allowed

back behind the wall. >> reporter: right next door, a room dedicated to the lives of those lost. >> reporter: adjacent is the reflection room. why we can't show it and won't show it is because the families get to see it first. >> exactly. that area is in memorium. it's a photographic representations of every victim. a father coaching a son's little league team, a wedding. you see the lives lost that day not just about how they died, it's who these people were. >> reporter: throughout the museum, chilling reminders of the day. handmade flyers of the missing, a cross emerging from the wreckage. everyday items simply left behind. >> we help through these artifacts and images tell the story. it was panic. people were getting out as fast as they could. >> it's not just the shoes. it tells the shoes worn by this woman, linda. you're telling everything about that day. >> reporter: while the museum is

back, one smaurl exhibit has been the biggest source of controversy. its focus, the terrorists themselves, including a film criticized for not making a clear enough distinction between islam and al qaeda. >> reporter: there's been a lot of criticism. why give any time to the terrorists? >> you know, one way to look at it is you don't build a holocaust museum and not be very clear that the nazis were the ones who committed those atrocities. al qaeda was an extremist terrorist group that essentially bastardized that religion for their own purposes. nobody will come through and think that we are validating any religion. >> it seems appropriate that you end at the last column. >> it goes back to resiliencres. hope on the very strong column that's standing tall.

now to a sad update on a story many of our viewers and people here at cnn have been following. >> british teenager who raised millions of dollars for charity has passed away. steven became an inspiration to many around the world. he gathered a huge following on social media. when he was diagnosed with bowel cancer and colon cancer in 2010, he created a bucket list himself. one of those goals was to raise money for the teenage cancer trust that helped him. >> british prime minister david cameron who met sutton is one of the ones paying tribute online tweeting that steven's bravery and fundraising were an inspiration. >> the fundraising has continued. it's now almost $6 million. if you'd like to donate please go to justgiving.com. >> what an extraordinary man. in the 19 years he was here,

what he achieved was just amazing. >> there was a great moment when he thought that he wasn't going to be able to go any further, he was confined to bed and he managed to get out one last time. >> amazing. well, just ahead, an ex-president comes to the rescue. >> that's right. bill clinton back into the fray after his wife is attacked by a prominent republican strategist. plus, the caans film fest stiff val begins and it's already seeing its first victim. we'll take a look.

former u.s. president bill clinton is back at it. he's joined the democrats in defending his wife, hillary clinton. republican strategist karl rove recently suggested that the 2016 presidential contender, that would be hillary, suffered a brain injury two years ago but bill says hil is just fine. as for the republican sniping, take a listen. >> first of all, i've got to

give him credit. you know, that embodies that old saying that consistency is the hob gob lynn of little minds. first they said she faked her concussion. now they say she's auditioning for a part on "the walking dead." >> do you think this is their way of inserting her age or her physical capabilities into the 2016 debate? >> i don't know, but if it is, you can't be too upset about it. it's just the beginning. they'll get better and better at it. i mean, you know, it's -- i'm still waiting for him to admit there was nothing to white water. >> white water was the failed real estate deal that led to an investigation of the clintons and their associates in the 1990s. the clintons were cleared of any wrongdoing. you have to admit hobgoblin of little minds is a good one. >> i'll have to reuse that one. thousands of reporters and

photographers are descending on the tiny french town of cannes in europe for the film festival. >> 1700 films are in the festival. they'll be narrowed down to 18. >> and there's already been a tinge of controversy. marlene clasp is there. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: opening night provided many of the essential ingredients which is the character of cannes. famous faces on the red carpet and a controversial movie with a french connection to kick things off. >> some of you ask, why did i leave hollywood? well, i left because i fell in love with a charming prince. >> reporter: nicole kidman's portrayal of grace kelly was not very well received. at a press conference overlooked by an italian image, kidman was

asked to her response to the royal family's expressions of dismay. >> obviously i feel sad because i think that the film has no malice towards the family or towards -- particularly towards grace. it's fiction allized. we've said that, it's not a biopic. there is the essence of truth with a lot of these things, you take dramatic license at times, but i understand also because of them being their mother and father. >> looking for any excuse to take monaco, even if it means turning you against me. >> reporter: the director assured the media that the much documented creative differences with the film's u.s. distributor has been resolved. some critics were lesseesly pacified sabotaging the film's

moments while others singled out kidman for praise. by the time the red carpet was ready to be trampled, the smiles rolled back into place. kidman had a fabulous dress. you choose the winner of the coveted prize. it was led by new zealand director jane kathryn. on 66 previous occasions cannes will become the center of the movie world for the next ten days and hand shakes sealed multi-million dollar deals. the waves of the mediterranean will shine just as they have. of course, the saying grace of monaco has not been well received is quite the

understatement. >> yeah, it is. hollywood movie critic is saying a stiff, stagey thuddingly cree meant. >> the guardian says it's a film so awe inspiring wooden it is basically a fire risk. >> variety calls it a grace of monaco frequently korn ball mellow drama. handsomely produced but as dramatically inert as nicole kidman frigid cheek muscles. what do they mean by that? >> i wonder. >> she looks different and i can't quite put my -- >> it's put botox and fillers in the spotlight. we'll leave it at that. winter is just two weeks away down under, but another unusual heat wave builds in the region. >> pedram has the weather. hey, p.j. >> hey, guys. this is the time of year where

the weather cools off. there are 16 days in the autumn season down under transitioning into winter. 10 to 20 degrees above average, that's the conditions across this region. if you've tuned in from melbourne, thank you for tuning in at 5:54 in the afternoon. temperatures generally in the low 00s. we came up to 26 in melbourne, about 21. unusually warm as we transition out of the warmer months into the cooler months. take you across portions of the eastern u.s., we have wet weather pushing in. very cool temperatures moving in here. wet weather also at issue. we see the weather tapering off around atlanta and westward. if you're tuning in from charlotte, you're heading up to portions of the carolinas. rain going to be in your forecast. a 900 mile area from the coast of georgia to the south all the way working northward on into

areas of western new york. they're seeing flood warnings in place. the drought across california, i want to show you this. we've had 100% of the state in mod der raut drought. 25% of california in an exceptional drought in place. the fire threat in place. usually you don't see this in may. you see it set up in september, october, november. the latter portion of the year at this point we're peaking towards may on into july over the next couple of months expecting fire threat to be the highest here as an early start. take a look at the perspective. take you out to southern california and show you the aerials in the region. you see the dark smoke and light smoke. dark smoke telling us we have very dry underbrush, very dry foliage and the fire itself has not reached its peak maturity. the white smoke you're seeing meaning the fire has reached the peak maturity. the underbrush typically going to be grassy in nature and having more moisture associated with it. the setup does not look good.

surrounding some of the areas. this is the point where one of the fires began and you see multiple fires moving off and downstream. guys seem to report that a semitruck in an accident across southern california on i-5 in the last few hours. flames jumped up to the brush next to where the accident was and sparked another fire in itself. that kind of shows you how volling la tile this area is. >> unbelievable. thanks, pedram. thanks for watching "cnn newsroom." i'm rosemary church. >> i'm john vause. "early start" is it coming up for our viewers in the united states. everyone else stay with us. wor "world business" is next. and not being able to get up from a fall can have serious, lifetime consequences. being prepared is important. philips lifeline with autoalert is more than just a medical alert button. it's an advanced fall detection system designed

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breaking news this morning. california on fire. thousands of people evacuated, dozens of homes destroyed as flames burned through san diego county. right now a state of emergency declared as firefighters struggle to get the flames under control. we'll have the very latest, just ahead. happening now, a devastating mining disaster. hundreds of people killed, hundreds more missing. this morning, a frantic rescue effort to save any possible survivors. we are live on the scene in turkey with the latest. and still more revelations from donald sterling, on the record in