se. ♪do the walk of life ♪yeah, you do the walk of life need to lower your blood sugar? ask your doctor about farxiga and visit our website to learn how you may be able to get every month free. a nation in shock after a massacre at a school. take you live to pakistan where the government can promising to keep battling extremists. in australia, officials want to know how the man behind the siege in sydney wasn't caught sooner. and in russia, the economic crisis is deepening with its currency hitting all-time lows. an hour ago it was 60. now it's like 85. i'm afraid because we got our wages in rubles and don't pay in dollars it's scary. >> all those stories coming up in a moment. i'm errol barnett at the cnn

center. first order of business, though, is to bring you some breaking news coming into cnn right now. we're getting word that there is an attack and a gun fight taking place right now that is still ongoing in afghanistan's helmand province. we have it highlighted for you there. this has been happening at the kabul bank in the capital of the province. information is scarce but a government spokesman says afghan security forces are in a gun battle with a group of armed insurgents. no word of casualties yet. no additional details on exactly how the afghan forces or if there were nato forces nearby. how they may be responding. but wanted to bring think breaking news into cnn right now armed insurgents attacking a bank in helmand province. as soon as we get more we'll update you throughout the hour. now, pakistan is observing three days of official mourning for victims of an attack that its prime minister says was

launched by savages. the death toll there is up to 145. most of them students at a school in peshmerga that were overrun by taliban militants. security officials say all seven attackers are dead and the government says it will push ahead with its crackdown on militants. >> let's go out to the families whose children were killed in this tragedy. may god bless all those families. i think this war and struggle will continue until terrorism is completely rooted out of this country. >> now, the afghan taliban released a statement condemning the attacks. some may see this as deeply hypocritical. "deliberate killing of innocent people, women and children, is against the islamic principles. every muslim organization and government should consider this" but also as i just mentioned consider the source. pakistan's defense minister says there's no words to express the

shock he's feeling and talked abou about the attack earlier. >> the children are dying on the front line in the war against terror. the smaller the coffin, the heavier it is to carry and we'll be carrying smaller coffins today, more than a hundred small coffins we'll be carrying. the taliban, these extremists, they're terrorists. the biggest threat to the peace in this region, to peace in pakistan, to the existence of pakistan. >> and we have new information into cnn on this story, as well. pakistan not too long ago lifted moratorium on the death penalty for terrorism cases. let's bring in michelle stockman now because she's following developments from islamabad and can bring us up to date on exactly what's happening. michelle, what can you tell us about these latest developments on the country's death penalty? >> reporter: well, this shows the firm stance in response that

the government intends to take against those responsible for this attack. we saw earlier in the year that prime minister sharif had more of a conciliatory approach to the taliban. was trying to negotiate peace talks with them. then the karachi airport attack happened and the military stepped in and responded with a vast military operation that is still ongoing in the tribal areas undertaliban control so we're seeing a united front right now between the civilian government and the military in terms of the tough response that they plan to take against this attack. >> but, you know, one aspect as far as how it relates to this story is all of the seven attackers are dead. those responsible for what happened. so unless the government can track down the pakistani taliban leadership they're not going to be able to get this at the source so what or where militarily can the country go from here? >> reporter: that's right.

there's going to have to be a mul multi-pronged approach. first of all there needs to be coordination with afghanistan. the taliban, the pakistan taliban is able to move across the border between pakistan and afghanistan pretty easily, pretty regularly and so there needs to be operations there to secure the borders, to stop them from going back and forth and also the taliban has gone into major cities within pakistan. there needs to be on a local level intelligence and law enforcement response to track down where the taliban is hiding out and root them out there, as well. and also the nation needs to go after the funding of the taliban to cut off their -- the funding that continues to give them the resources to commit these type of atrocious operations, errol. >> all right, michelle stockman live for us in islamabad today updating us on that horrific event from yesterday. thank you. now, almost two days after a

deadly hostage standoff ended in sydney australia's prime minister announced a normal inquiry. tony abbott wants to know how the suspect with the long criminal background was able to get a gun license and carry out the siege. at a news conference he praised the police for their quick action during the standoff. >> we do need to reflect what happened and ponder what could have been done better. i want to make it crystal clear i have great confidence in our police and security agencies and the australian people are entitled to have great confidence in our police and security agencies. this is a government which has responded very fully to the threat of terror in our country. we've responded very fully at home and abroad.

>> and right now the people of sydney are coming to terms with the standoff and the deaths of two hostages. ♪ this is a memorial service at st. andrew's anglican cathedral in sydney. mourners and well wishers are piling flowers and cards and cameron price has more. >> reporter: the queue shows no sign of slowing. they waited 45 minutes to an hour all day today to get in to lay flowers. perhaps a message on a card or lindt chocks. it was closed while the family of tori johnson, one of the victims in the siege who died in the early hours of tuesday morning local time as he tried to wrestle the shotgun off man haron monis. the hostage-taker. i spent about 15 minutes inside the memorial, sifting through

some of the flowers reading some of the messages that have been left on cards before they were comforted by members of the public, complete strangers who said in their own words they were so sorry for what happened. also questions about why the hostage-taker, man haron monis, was ever allowed to commit this crime in the first place. we know he had a lengthy criminal history and was on bail for a very serious crime. being accused of being an accessory to murder. the prime minister refusing to confirm reports that iran his home country had tried to extradite him 14 years ago. cameron price, sky news, sydney. >> now, we're also learning more about the reported acts of he heroism from the hostages killed. sometimes you get glimmers of light. anna coren has more from sydney.

>> reporter: today as acts of harrowing escapes and desperate moments emerge exact details about the final moments of the sydney siege are still unknown. >> i do feel we've lost our innocence. ♪ >> reporter: citizens of sydney attempt to replace the grim scenes with bright memorials to those whose last hours were so dark. >> he's wasted two very precious lives, and one of them was my friend. >> reporter: the gunman who traumatized so many at the lindt chocolat cafe in martin place died along with two of his hostages. tori johnson, age 34 was a beloved manager at the chocolat cafe. >> he was a really sweet, loving, caring person. >> reporter: johnson's family released a statement monday describing him as the most amazing life partner, son and brother we could ever wish for. reports that johnson attempted to grab the gunman's weapon have not been confirmed but come as no surprise to his friends. >> if he was in there he wasn't coming out until everyone else was. he just wasn't the kind of person to put up his hands and leave.

>> these were decent, good people who were going about their ordinary lives. >> reporter: katrina dawson, a 38-year-old mother of three also perished here but was far from ordinary. the local bar association president described the accomplished legal mind as one of our best and brightest barristers who will be greatly missed by her colleagues and friends. according to local reports dawson was killed trying to shield a pregnant friend from the gunman. the news unbearable to report for a local broadcaster who knew her family. >> a sister of one of our channel 7 staff. >> sandy dawson who i know and have friends who know, she was a mother of three children. >> reporter: as the flowers replace footsteps on one of sydney's busiest thoroughfares, the process of healing begins one embrace at a time, anna coren, cnn, sydney. we've got more of the world's biggest stories coming

up for you. a hacker group that's been targeting sony is now threatening moviegoers as well. we'll bring you details on that threat and how one movie theater is already responding. plus, shoppers in russia are buying up computers and flat screen tvs. why they're in such a rush to get their hands on imported goods, next. ♪ nineteen years ago, we thought, "wow, how is there no way to tell the good from the bad?" so we gave people the power of the review. and now angie's list is revolutionizing local service again. you can easily buy and schedule services from top-rated providers. conveniently stay up to date on progress. and effortlessly turn your photos into finished projects with our angie's list app. visit angieslist.com today.

♪

it is approaching quarter past 11 in the morning over in moscow and at this moment the russian ruble may be staging a

comeback. it's up almost 3% versus the u.s. dollar in early trading. however, it's been a rough couple of days. the ruble plunged more than 11% against the dollar on tuesday and has lost more than half its value since the start of the year. western sanctions and lower oil prices are two of the main reasons analysts say russian investors have lost confidence in the central bank to keep the economy there on track. now, the russian economy clearly has apple worried, as well. the electronics giant temporarily stopped selling ipad, iphones and computer online in russia. matthew chance reports that russian consumers are starting to feel the pinch in other ways, as well. >> reporter: on the streets of moscow there's no real panic. just the sense of impending doom. particularly at this curbside currency exchange where russians buy dollars despite the skyrocketing rates.

"an hour ago it was 60, now it's like 8 a. i'm afraid we got our wages in rubles and they don't pay in dollars it's scary." >> reporter: it was to halt the ruble slide that the russian central bank hiked key interest rates so dramatically up 6 1/2 points to 17%. but the underlying problems are plugging oil price and international sanctions weren't tackled let alone solved. [ speaking a foreign language ] >> translator: we must learn to live in a new zone and give import substitution a chance. >> reporter: at this supermarket in moscow, shoppers are stocking up on imported goods like tea and coffee, ahead of expected price rises. it's here in the aisles that russia's economic pain is starting to be felt. [ speaking a foreign language ] "i can't afford to travel abroad nor buy any of the imported products i'm used to" says this

man. [ speaking a foreign language ] this woman blames crimea for the crisis. it was annexed by russia earlier this year but can't our government afford it, she asks? that's a criticism we heard at the weekend too that this rare social protest bringing doctors and teachers on to the street. you can see that despite the cold weather here, hundreds of people have turned out into the center of moscow to protest first and foremost against the health care reforms that are being implemented in this country. now the government says in order to make the health care services better, it will be closing hospitals and many people including lots of doctors will be losing their jobs, but in the bleak economic climate in russia, many of these people believe that it's just about saving money and that their futures are being sacrificed. >> all this reform as they say

it's because of economic crisis because they don't have money for medicine, they have money for war in ukraine but they don't have money for medicine, for education and people here start to understand. >> reporter: it may still be a fringe view in a country where president putin remains hugely popular. but as this economic crisis starts to bite, this content could quickly spread. matthew chance, cnn, moscow. now to other big stories we're following, the group that claims it hacked sony pictures is threatening anyone who goes to the new movie "the interview" and prompted the cancellation of thursday's new york premiere. u.s. authorities say they don't believe this is a credible threat but still they are investigating it. more now from cnn's justice correspondent pamela brown. >> reporter: tonight the fbi is investigating a threatening message purportedly from the sony hackers promising a bitter fate to anyone who sees the

controversial north korean comedy "the interview" set to release on christmas day. >> the cia would love it if you could take him out. >> hmm? >> take him out. >> reporter: the message says soon all the world will see what an awful movie sony pictures entertainment has made. the world will be full of fear. remember the 11th september 2001. >> with this hack in particular, information is just leaking out day after day after day, and now they've got all these threats against people, you know, if you go see the movie, you know, be careful. they're threatening the families of sony employees. i mean, this has taken hacking to a level that we've never seen before. >> reporter: a leaked scene from "the interview" slows the gruesome attack on north korean leader kim jong-un. something the country has strongly condemned. law enforcement sources tell us the strong suspicion is that the reclusive country is the instigator and possibly

outsourced it elsewhere as retaliation for the controversial film. tonight the fbi is scrubbing sewn think's computer system trying to gather enough evidence to be able to definitively point the finger at the hacking culprit. >> it is a complex, nuanced investigation and involves not just going into your own i.t. systems, but the more sophisticated hackers have gone through multiple, multiple infrastructures to get to where they've gotten to, so it's not something that sony is going to solve in a day or a week or a month. >> reporter: the hack attack has had a devastating affect on the company with an avalanche of leaks revealing personal information and salacious e-mails about a-list celebrities. it's believed the sony hackers began penetrating their computer system as early as this past summer. but it wasn't until later the company reported it to authorities who began investigating in november. pamela brown, cnn, washington. now, a person close to the situation says sony has no plans at this moment to completely pull the movie from theaters.

but it said it wouldn't object if some movie theaters decide not to show it. now, meanwhile former sony employees filed two class action lawsuits against the company over this hacking scandal. things are just getting worse for this company. the suits allege sony failed to secure its computer network and waited too long to notify employees that their permanent data such as social security numbers and medical records had been stolen. both cases aim to represent current and former sony workers, so far, no comment from sony. we hear they're quite busy this week. bill cosby's response to sexual assault allegations has been silenced but now his family members are speaking up. we'll show you what they had to say after the break. plus, a multimillion dollar lawsuit against apple is finally decided after ten years in court. you're going to want to see how much it's worth.

comedian bill cosby will not face charges in one of the alleged incidents that surfaced in recent weeks. judy huff sued him saying she was po lessed when she was only 15 at the play boy manage. the statute of limitations on this case has run out. she is at least 1 of 23 women who accuse him of sexual assault. his attorney denies all allegations

allegations. cosby has remained silence. jean casarez has details. >> reporter: with camille cosby stepping forward in defense of her husband now their daughter is attacking her father's accusers. "there will always be jealous, vengeful and crazy people out there to break anyone down. "his daughter defended his character telling "access hollywood" he is the father you thought you knew. "the cosby show" was my today's tv reality show. thank you, that's all i would like to say." >> the fact that again women are being used again put out front to take the hit for him is very, very disconcerting. >> reporter: camille cosby remains silent even as the number of alleged victims continued to grow. now camille has come out describing the man she met in 1963 and married a year later as

a kind man, a generous man, a funny man and a wonderful husband. he is the man you thought you knew. a different man has been portrayed in the media over the last two months. it is the portrait of a man i do not know. camille cosby has a history of defending her husband. when awe sum jackson was convicted of extorting up to $40 million from cosby in 1997, claiming he was her father, camille stood by her man even after he admitted in court to an extramarital affair with jackson's mother in 1974. saying through her publicist -- >> all old personal negative issues between bill and me were revolve esolved years ago. >> reporter: now she's comparing that to news conference of an alleged gang rape at the university of virginia. the media were quick to link that to stories about my husband

until that story unwound." >> for her to bring in the uva rape case. what was that about? we're talking about over almost two dozen accusations and allegations with a consistent pattern over decades. versus one rape allegation. >> reporter: camille concludes her statement with the most important question of all, none of us will ever want to be in the position of attacking a victim. but the question should be asked who is the victim?" bill cosby is the one who many say can step forward and answer that question. >> our thanks to jean casarez for that report. even though cosby's not been formally charged with any crime these have tainted his reputation and led to project and tour date cancellations. apple did not violate antitrust laws in the digital

music market it was ruled. the end of a class action suit in the court system for more than ten years. the plaintiffs wanted $350 million and said apple's tactics caused them to pay higher prices for ipods and music and argued apple abused its monopoly power to force out competition. the jury's decision means apple won't have to pay any damages. debate is scheduled for strasburg france as the parliament takes up the issue of palestinian statehood. the french senate voted to recognize the state of palestine and follows moves by the uk, ireland, sweden and state but er delegates proposed a compromise that stops short of statehood and instead urges the advancement of peace talks. anger, sadness and funerals, pakistan buries victims of a taliban attack on students. we'll look at the ongoing problem of school attacks and more importantly what can be done to stop them. plus, the man behind the

siege in sydney claiming to be acting in the name of islam but wasn't tied to any radical islamic groups. coming up next the threat of the lone wolf terrorists.

really appreciate you staying with me on cnn. i'm errol barnett. updates on our big stories and begin with breaking news out of afghanistan into us here at this hour. a group of armed insurgents have stormed a bank in the helmand province. security forces are in a gun battle with them right now. there is no word yet on casualties or the number of gunmen inside. pakistani students are praying for the victims of

tuesday's attack on a school in peshmerga as that nation observes three days of mourning. 145 people were killed. all but 13 of them students. pakistan says all seven militants are dead. the prime minister today lifted a moratorium on the death penalty for terror cases. the russian ruble is gaining ground in early trading after two days of double-digit drops. the currency lost a fifth of its value tuesday before regaining some ground. the freefall came despite the central bank's decision to hike interest rates to 17%. a movie theater in new york is now canceling thursday's premiere of sony pictures new movie "the interview." it comes after a hacker group threatened anyone who goes to see the film. this is about an assassination attempt on north korea's leader. they don't believe there is a credible threat but still are investigating. the pakistani taliban chose a soft target, a school to stage

their latest massacre. but targeting schools and students unfortunately is nothing new for the taliban. nobel peace prize recipient malala yousafzai survived the taliban's attempt to assassinate her back in 01in 2012. she calls it a cold-blooded act of terror. >> my family and i are heartbroken after hearing the news that more than 100 innocent teachers and children have lost their lives and stand with all those families and children who are injured right now and who are suffering through this big trauma and now it is time that we unite and i call upon the international community, teachers in pakistan, all political parties and everyone that we should stand up together and fight against terrorism and we should make sure that every child gets safe and quality education. >> now, the massacre in pakistan is the second deadliest recorded

attack on a school. anywhere in the world. the worst was ten years ago in beslan, russia, when 32 chechen militants took around 1200 hostages in a school. russian commandos stormed the building but more than 300 people were killed. half of them with children. and 200167 students were killed after a suspected arson attack on a school dormitory in kenya. two pupils were accused of using p petrol to start the blaze. and in dunblane, scotland, 15 children and one teacher lost their lives in that attack. attacks on schools can happen anywhere in the world. but a key question is how can they be stopped? i spoke about that issue earlier with the director of the global coalition to protect education from attack. >> there needs to be better monitoring and reporting of

attacks on education. if we don't know where attacks are happening in the world and for what reason, and by whom it will be difficult for us to put in measures to address them and there's not a very good way of measuring attacks around the world so needs to be better monitoring and reporting and better accountability. there are excellent laws protecting education from attack but they're not well implemented and still impunity for these type of attacks so those are two areas where there needs to be better work done. >> so considering the data is somewhat incomplete, how would you describe the state of education not just i guess in developed countries but in the developing world where it's even more crucial? >> well, we released a report in february where we looked at attacks on education over four years, 2009 to 2012 and we found

that there have been attacks on education so school, teachers, universities, students and been a pattern of attacks in 30 countries around the world. so this is not an isolated means of immre ting a war. as a means of achieving military and political end. >> our organization works with many others to improve this so as far as the status on protecting students and schools in hot zones around the world are things improving? >> i think that we perhaps -- i think there's better recognition of this as a problem that when there is conflict there are attacks on schools, teachers and students. i do think that the attacks on ma lali and how she was able to

recover from that attack and to speak about it in such an inspiring way has drawn attention amongst, you know, people very far from pakistan about the fact that this is a problem in conflict and then the kidnapping of the girls by boko haram in nigeria was also such a shocking incident it galvanized the world's attention and so i think that there certainly is more recognition about the problem and a will to do something about it. and i don't know whether we're yet in that -- have got to the point where we've been able to put in protections that are able to make a difference but i think we're taking steps towards that. >> the director of the global coalition to protect education from attacks speaking with me earlier. now, pennsylvania authorities found the body of a man suspected of killing his ex-wife and five of her relatives. officials say bradley stone's body was found less than a mile from his home with apparent

self-inflicted wounds. police had been searching for him since the early morning killings on monday. one neighbor said they heard gunshots and then children combreling no, mommy, no. stone did not harm his two daughters and brought them to the neighbors' home, the former marine reservist had been in a custody dispute with his ex-wife. now, it's a peaceful evening at this moment in sydney, australia, business district but almost two days ago the air was filled with gunfire and fear. australia's network 7 is headquartered just across the street from the cafe where the hostage took place. andrew stevens shows up their up-close vantage point. >> live breaking news for us right here in the middle of the cbd in sydney. heavily armed police presently converging on martin place where -- >> reporter: this was how much of australia first heard of the country's deadly hostage crisis. as it unfolds just across the

street from the seven network studios in sydney. >> the whole newsroom, we just came over to the window. >> the woman you saw in the lindt. >> it will remind me, shaking and i can only think of what was going through her mind. >> reporter: cameraman greg parker says police asked him to stay behind. to keep his cameras trained on the crisis unfolding on martin place. >> back in the police sort of command were then asking for specific shots so we would -- we put on kevlar vests and relocated cameras. >> reporter: he crouched and caught the growing agitation of the gunman. it was not to air but to police hq. they moved to a backup location. >> we've always had a plan. we call it a disaster recovery plan where we might be evacuated

so after the initial confusion, police rushing in saying you've got to evacuate the building and we thinking, hang on, we've got this keep this on air as well and gradually started implementing that bit of the plan. >> reporter: for nearly 16 hours he kept the cameras rolling, the end came quickly. a single gunshot. and six seconds later he says he saw special forces entering the cafe. >> it's like nothing i've ever seen before. the moment that he crossed the line of taking down a hostage who was a forced action from police in my mind and probably anyone else's seeing it. the only thing they'll sit around and wait for another hostage to have the same fate. >> reporter: andrew stevens, cnn, sydney. >> now, the australian government has announced a security review following the sydney cafe siege with a full

report due at the end of january and tony abbott says the system fell short and questions need to be answered. >> we do need to know why the perpetrator out jake got permanent residency. we do need to know how he could have been on welfare for so many years. we do need to know what this individual was doing with a gun license. we particularly need to know how someone with such a long record of violence, with such a long record of mental instability was out on bail after his involvement in a particularly horrific crime. and we do need to know why he seems to have fallen off our security agency's watch list back in about 2009. >> very important questions there. the attack in sydney is also drawing attention to a different kind of threat that authorities need to watch out.

barbara starr has more on that ♪ >> reporter: while isis and al qaeda have long called for lone wolf attacks, u.s. officials are increasingly looking at a much harder to identify problem, how disturbed and violent criminals in local communities are spurred on by radical islam to launch attacks. the horror in sydney a wake-up call. >> the perpetrator was well known to state and commonwealth authorities. he had a long history of violent crime. infatuation with extremism and mental stability. >> always appears to that be toxic cocktail of events going on in individual's life who are latching on to a cause like the islamic state seems to be the tipping point. >> reporter: the case file, november, thompson assaults new york police officers with an ax. the nypd says he converted to islam and was self-radicalized.

his parents tell police, he was depressed and spent his time online. he has no known connection to militants but visited radical websites in the days before the attack. october, canadian soldier nathan cirillo is murdered on ottawa's parliament hill. the gunman michael ba bchthe ga. he had connects with one canadian militant on social media and believed he did convert to islam. september, nolan is charged with first degree murder for beheading a co-worker in oklahoma city. he has just lost his job. co-workers say he tried to convert them to islam. he had been jailed on drug charges and trying to escape jail. there was no direct link to islamic overseas groups. identifying perpetrators before they attack may require new

solutions. >> the domestic-based actor could strike with very little notice which is why collaborating with state and local law enforcement is in my judgment key. >> reporter: and what this all means, military firepower, it may work in iraq and syria but here at home it may be local communities and domestic law enforcement that has to deal with these emerging problems. barbara starr, cnn, the pentagon. still to come on cnn find out why a preholiday announcement by a former florida governor jeb bush was a big surprise to many in his tight inner circle. plus, check this out. we'll take you soaring through the frenchal al alps.

no w. bush has now formed a presidential exploratory committee which makes two if you count the one he was born into. excuse me. i'm just getting a little emotional. i never thought i'd live to see america's first third bush president. >> got to love stephen colbert. comedians getting a head start on poking fun at presidential hopefuls after an announcement from jeb bush.

suzanne malveaux looks at his prospects. >> reporter: the possibility of a second bush/clinton showdown has the political world spinning after former two-term florida governor jeb bush posted this, "i have decided to actively explore the possibility of running for president of the united states." criticism from his own party was swift, particularly from conservatives who see him as too moderate on immigration reform and education. this tweet from a political commentator, "another bush versus another clinton, political vomit," and this call from the conservative action fund. on the hill a more measured and nuanced response from potential republican opponent rand paul who told cnn off camera the more the merrier, but a bush run would undoubtedly shake up the potentially crowded field. >> this is bad news for three candidates, one, chris christie, he was the other big name establishment candidate,

two, marco rubio, the senator from florida who is close to jeb and is now unlikely to run for president and, three, to the extent that he was running, mitt romney. >> reporter: in fact, a recent cnn/orc poll shows if romney doesn't jump in the primary, jeb bush becomes the number one choice for republicans. he's popular with the party establishment, brings in big donors, speaks fluent spanish and was governor of the state needed to capture the presidency. florida, the narrative is rich. in 1992 president george h.w. bush was smacked down by bill clinton robbing him of a second term. could his son jeb now avenge him by taking on hillary? it was little more than a year ago when jeb's mother, barbara bush, said this about a presidential run. >> we've had enough bushes. >> reporter: she's since come around but many fellow republicans agreed noting jeb has little grassroots support, financial dealings heavily scrutinized and a lack of experience in the new political world.

but the 61-year-old had a little pushback for his mom. >> i don't have to like listen to every word she says. [ laughter ] at some point you got to make these decisions kind of like a grown-up. >> and our thanks to suzanne malveaux for that report. jeb bush's decision comes 13 months ahead of the iowa caucus. the first major electoral event of the nominating process for u.s. president. all right, coming up, more politics in the blood line, you could say. he is third in line for the british throne and we'll tell you how your kids can dress just like him too from head to toe. stay with us.

you've got to get near your television now. a new u.s. government survey finds more teens are trying electronic cigarettes than real one, 17% of high school seniors reported using e-cigarettes compared to 14% who smoke tobacco cigarettes. they do contain nicotine which is addictive. the food and drug administration is proposing regulates them and preventing their sale to minors. why did i tell you to get near the television? this next piece of video you do not want to miss. it is the world's first i'm told air to ground high-five. let's watch. >> in three, two, one. high-five. >> yikes. this is a australian daredevil nathan jones flying dangerously close to rocks and trees in the

french alps before smacking that giant hand just meters off the ground for the high-five. jones and his team are trying to raise money for a water well in an ethiopian village. creative and dangerous way to do it. let's bring in our meteorologist pedram javaheri because, look, you're the kind of guy that likes to go outdoors and do adventurous things as do i. i'll sky dive and bungee jump. would you jump in one of those suits. >> i would not. i can't believe you would sky jump although i've seen you bungee jump. >> yeah, man, it's the thrill. >> so many things can go wrong, i can count them on five fingers. >> a cool video. we'll getive it that. >> we'll start off japan, errol. we've had school closures across hokkaido prefecture. winds hurricane force, tokyo's international airport there, 125 flights canceled or delayed just because the powerful winds on

the region on the western side of japan, well known for sea-effect snow. the current perspective out of the japan meteorological agency site shows you the warnings encompassing nearly every single prefecture across japan with warnings of inclement weather. 125 centimeters or another foot in the forecast after two to three feet has come down in a few of these spots. an area across the prefeck tiff, 50 inches of snowfall, the monthly average. 260 centimeters that has come down in december. the video there as far as what happened with the snow. resembles what we saw around upstate new york with the lake-effect snow in place and roll to the next video. we show you this secondary video because major travel disruptions i told you this is an american airlines flight flying from

seoul, south korea had to make an emergency landing. one person with broken bones and look at this, neck braces as they're being taken to another flight to get them out of this airport but we know this was a dangerous situation that occurred here with impressive winds in the upper levels of the atmosphere. the graphic shows you what we're talking about. the upper level winds, 37 akpr, about 230 miles per hour. stronger than super typhoon there. you can see the perspective. the turbulence on the extreme level there it is just outside of tokyo airspace there. so you would imagine the pilots knew but it was a scary scenario above tokyo. >> yeah, we could be transparent. you showed me video from someone who was on the plane. we don't have the rights to it. we couldn't show everybody but they dealt with serious -- >> the plane literally fell hundreds of feet out of the sky, yeah, the people as you imagine with broken bones, how rough it was inside that plane.

>> all right, appreciate the update. now, just more than a week left to finish up your christmas shopping and if you want your little one to dress like a prince, isn't that what you really want, if you do jeanne moos has tips. >> reporter: you are looking at the royal shoe salesman. now we all know that whatever prince george's mother wears tends to fly off the racks. the tory burch jacket, the coat from the fashion house but when the palace released three adorable christmas photos of the prince, shoppers were swept off their feet by his shoes. sales of this unisex navy blue leather shoe with a buckle skyrocketed. >> it's ten times more than this time last week. >> reporter: she says with a smile. >> i'm happy. i'm hoping i'm saying 20 times tomorrow. >> reporter: first walking shoes they're called made by a company that's manufactured shoes for two centuries. the name that's resting on the little prince's foot. >> start-rite england. >> reporter: now your kid can

walk in the shoes of a prince for the less than principally sum of 57 bucks. shoppers didn't just go gaga over the prince's shoes, george's $26 sweater vest decorated with the london guard completely sold out from the store that listed it under gifts fit for a prince. the folks at the shoe company had already been tipped off that kate had visited a retail store with prince george in tow and purchased their shoes, but when they saw the christmas photos with him wearing them -- >> oh, we were jumping up and down, yes, we certainly were and we were wanting to jump from the highest mountain possible. >> reporter: with most of us mesmerize d by his rosy cheeks who knew prince george's subjects would be falling at his feet. jeanne moos, cnn, new york. >> thanks for watching, everyone, i'm errol barnett. "early start" is next. for those in the states. for everyone else stay tuned for

contra "cnn newsroom."

♪ breaking overnight. cyberterror hits the movies. theaters pulling the plug on the film "the interview" after being threatened with terror attacks. new confidential e-mails leaked, and now lawsuits filed. we have team coverage breaking down the very latest ahead. pakistan in mourning. funerals begin for the nearly 150 people killed by taliban terrorists. well, this morning, new information about that attack. we're live. and then deeply