gun. that goes deep. this is the heart of the american dream. love it or hate it. this is it. fire rips through you do by's torched -- dubai's torched tower leaving molten glass and debris in its wake. three teenage rain runaways may be headed to syria to join isis. a hunt to stop them before it's too late. and the theory of oscar winning. physicist stephen hawking talks with us about the academy awards. and welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world, i'm natalie allen. this is "cnn newsroom." in dubai today, officials still don't know what sparked a fire

50 floors up inside a luxury apartment skyscraper. emergency krouse battled it inside the torched tower for hours before they finally put it out. the skyscraper is among the tallest residential buildings in the world. cnn producer john jensen of there and spoke with stunned residents. >> these are the dramatic images of one of dubai's largest fires in recent history. flames engulfed several upper floors of an apartment building in the dubai marina neighborhood. the fire broke out in the early hours of saturday morning. there were no injuries or deaths and the cause of the fire is unknown according to dubai's civil defense. hundred of people evacuate to the street and describe the confusion. >> all of us we run, run, run, run downstairs. of course it was the panic, it was very panicked. really i never seen like it

before. >> a little surreal to be honest. >> i was concerned because you kept locking down to see if there was flames that will come up across the stairwell. and with the smoke, it was frightening. >> the blaze was extinguished several hours after it began. police still have a massive cleanup. we're about one block from where the fire first broke out. as you can see around me are the remnants of the flaming debris, the glass, massive chunks of the facade of the building even. making marries worse right now in dubai there's a sandstorm. so all of it is flying around in the air. the fire erupted in one of dubai's iconic apartment towers. it's one of the tallest residential buildings in the world with 79 floors. the building's management wasn't aavailable to comment. but resigns say beside hearing fire alarms they were told nothing and have little idea of what to do next. >> nobody tell us anything. nobody tell us anything.

i don't know how -- where we go where we get -- all of us are like this. >> reporter: the tragic irony lost on no one here as the building's named the torch. cnn, dubai. some of the coalition countries fighting isis are concerned about a plan to take the city of mosul back from the terror group. theish night arab emirateses the offensive which will be largely led by shia-dominated forces would fuel instability in the country. u.s. pentagon correspondent barbara starr takes a closer look at the war plan. >> reporter: iraqi forces fled mosul last june when isis overran the city. for millions, isis militants have shown the world their iron grip of terror on iraq's second largest city. >> the terrorists may scream from the rooftops that their crimes are god's will but you can't frame god for what thugs

do. >> reporter: but now with the help of u.s. trainers and advisers iraqi forces are going to try to take the city back. the war plan according to a u.s. military official -- in late april or may, 20,000 to 25,000 iraqi forces begin to converge on mosul. peshmerga forces will cut off escape routes north and west of the city. the unknown -- whether president obama will order a small number of u.s. troops on the grown to help iraqis find isis targets in the densely populated city. and questions about why the pentagon was signaling the coming battle at all. >> i certainly think it's a roll of the dice. signally intentions to the enemy is an unorthodox way of approaching this. >> reporter: a u.s. official insists, no that isis knows the coalition is aiming for mosul. >> there are also a lot civilians there who don't want to get caught in this fight.

so allowing some time for those who want to get out of there, this can help the iraqis prevent collateral damage against civilians inside mosul by giving them a head start. >> reporter: but as isis fighters continue their training what about iraqi forces? this time will they fight? >> they can handle thing at small unit levels but when you're bringing 25,000 forces into a city that's a division-size operation. i'm just not sure they have the leadership able to control this type of operation. >> the iraqi army has not exactly distinguish itself in the last year as a fighting force. and remember we did this once before. you know the finest fighting force in the world, the united states marine corps, had a rough time. british police are scrambling for information on three missing lion girls believed to be -- london girls

believed to be heading to syria to join isis. the three girls are just 15 and 16 years old. police say they haven't been seen since tuesday when they bor a flight to istanbul. senior international correspondent now with more from london. >> reporter: three teenage friends. 15-year-old shamy, 16-year-old kaziza and another whose family who as well asked police not to identify. school truth in sentencing who told their families they were spending the day together. now at the heart of an international hunt. british police say the girls took a flight to istanbul. they bheef they're on their -- they believe they're on their way to syria to join isis. >> this is an ongoing live counterterrorism operation. we're concerned about these three girls. we're concerned about what has led them to go to turkey and on to syria. there's a good possible a strong possible that we can stop them going into syria. and our main objective here is to get -- make contact with

these three girls, for them to make contact with us preferably. >> reporter: scotland yard is concerned with the sheer numbers of young girl and women hoping to or who already have made their way to join isis fire. they wouldn't give us numbers, but they admit it's a growing trend. police are asking other parents to be vigilant. >> if young people are showing interest in passports, trying to get hold of lots of money. there are sign -- anything breaking the normal routine. any sort of ever if you like of children lying about where they may be or where they may not be. >> reporter: british police believe the friends are still in turkey. one they're in syria with isis it's unlikely they will ever be allowed to leave. the clock for them and for their families is ticking. cnn, london. the united nations is weighing whether to publish its

list of suspected war criminals in syria. a u.n. commission member says four lists have been compiled but kept secret because the suspects should be given due process. the u.n. may release a consolidated list at a human rights motion in geneva next month. the war in syria has intensified since it gone in 2011. more than 200,000 civilians have been killed. millions have fled. ashton carter the new u.s. secretary of defense, has arrived in afghanistan on his first official overseas trip as pentagon chief. carter will visit with u.s. merl leaders today in accountable just four days -- in can you believe just four days after being sworn in. he told reporters he wants to better not america's role in afghanistan. the defense secretary will also meet with the afghan president today. they're expected to hold a joint news conference a short time from now. the latest on a deadly las

vegas road rage incident. coming up why the victim's family they're struggling from public backlash. also the deep freeze in the u.s. causing major jams on one of the great lakes.

today. of the great lakes. today. of the great lakes.

welcome back to "cnn

newsroom." las vegas police say the suspect in a road rage killing confided to his friends before his arrest that he shot someone. we're also learning from police that there were two shooting scenes. one near a school the other in front of the victim's home. we have more on this developing story. >> reporter: husband and father robert meyers embraces family members near the driveway where his wife was murdered. the traveling businessman still in shock over his wife's death still blaming himself for being away when it all happened. the meyers family is also struggling with the backlash from some in the public and media who have call his son brandon meyer, a vigilante for being armed and going out with his mother to find the road rage suspects. >> every day you guys go i've got people threatening to kill my son because of things you guys have said. >> reporter: but there are now two different versions of events emerging. the family says after the first confrontation on the road tammy meyers picked up her son who has a consented weapons permit and

routinely carries his gun with him. they found the road rage suspect in the neighborhood and the meyers family tells us one of the suspects fired at them. but a newly released police report tells a slightly different story. one of the suspect's friends telling police it was one of the meyers who brandished the gun first at the suspect's before anyone fired. ultimately the police say suspect eric nowsch did go to tammy meyers' home and killed her. according to the police report, nowsch fired 22 times out the home. in another twist, police were unaware that the family knew the suspect until the day of the arrest. >> we did not know that. >> reporter: robert meyers did suspect this eric nowsch had something to do with it telling us his wife used to counsel the young man in the park down the street where neighbors told us drug deals frequently went down. >> he hung around with the wrong people. he was at the park a lot. >> reporter: his instagram account showing pictures of what

looks like pot. to give an idea of how close the two families lived to one another, this is the meyers home where tammy meyers was shot and killed. and this is where the suspect lives. less than a two to three-minute walk from the home. cnn, las vegas. after month of heated labor negotiations lockouts and backups, dock workers on the u.s. west coast have reached a tentative contract agreement. 20,000 workers have been operating without a contract since july. the disdwraem was between the workers and the association representing shipping company and port operators. that ongoing dispute caused massive cargo congestion at 29 ports, and even talented to disrupt the u.s. economy. the u.s. labor secretary says work will be become on track soon. >> they'll be back to work in full force starting tomorrow evening. they're already working, but

they will be working in full forestarting tomorrow evening which is the earliest possible time that they, begin that work in full force. and i am confident that up and the down the west coast there is an acute awareness of the need to reduce the backlog, and that is job one. >> however, port official say it will take months for operations to return to normal. coast guard crews from the u.s. and canada are working to free a ship that has been stuck in ice on lake erie for days now. the ship of headed to sturgeon bay, wisconsin, when it got stuck. the u.s. coast guard's ice ice-breaking tug has struggled to reach the stranded vessel fighting through ice that is ten-feet thick in places. it was forced to turn back to cleveland, ohio to await assistance from a canadian icebreaker. derek van dam is at the weather center. normally when we do ships stuck in ice stories, it's antarctica.

it's not the united states. >> that's what i was thinking. the bering straight something like that. what do they do to pass the time? you're stuck in ten-foot ice blocks. >> they have provisions. >> hopefully they play card. if that wasn't cold enough, this is. look at lower manhattan, the hudson river. these are called ice flows, by the way. and they're moving through the region. and if that hasn't done it for you yet, this is the scene out of west virginia. in peter and the united states we're had horizontal wind and snow moving through the region. we are breaking record people. we're talking about century old records being shattered in lexington and louisville kentucky. with the cold air in place, any precipitation that does fall will be in the form of some wintry weather or wintry mix. enter the winter storm warning that we currently have from the mid ohio river valley all the way to the mid-atlantic states. that stretches toward new york philadelphia and the nation's

capital. we'll watch the low pressure develop across the region. snow to the north, a wintry mix across the areas that has already seen a thin sheet of ice recently from a previous storm earlier, memphis and nashville expected to see another round of wintry weather. and on top of that we have snowfall totals that exceed another foot across southern ohio and into west virginia. you see the snoetsd and ice -- snow totals and ice accumulation totals in the capital as we monitor development of the mid-atlantic storm. you see the system really lighting up our radar screens. we've got another storm that's dropping south out of the pacific northwest. that's bringing winter storm warnings to the rockies. natalie, speaking of snow, i want to pull you in here. i'm about to tug on your heartstrings. the red panda in the cincinnati zoo. have you ever seen something so

cute? >> oh my goodness. i don't think so. >> it looks like a raccoon. >> let's play it for the next 40 minutes. >> i know. right? >> insteading ingof getting back -- >> adorable. they don't mind the snow and ice. they move to boston and be happy. >> i think they would be the only ones happy in boston. >> we'll taking notes thanks. i know we've got to go. not going to fall. so cute. >> thanks. a former new york mayor says the u.s. president doesn't love his country. we'll have reaction to the remark including the response from the white house. somebody that's got your back. having chantix as a partner made it more successful. along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. chantix helped reduce my urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. some people had seizures while taking chantix. if you have any of these

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sources tell cnn bobbi kristina brown has had her breathing tube removed, but that's not necessarily good news. the daughter of the late whitney houston will be ventilated through a hole in her throat. cnn has more. >> reporter: two sources close to the houston family tell cnn that doctors at emory university hospital in atlanta performed a tracheostomy on bobbi kristina brown this week. the same sources say doctors are slowly trying to bring her out of a medically induced coma. now the tracheostomy of done to replace a breathing tube that nab bobbi kristina's mouth. she will now be ventilated

instead through a hole in her throat. and cooring to cnn's chief medical correspondent, dr. sanjay gupta, this is a standard procedure, and it is often done to reduce the risk of inconnection. as you know, bobbie chris kristina has been hospitalized since january 31st after she was found unresponsive in a bathtub in her home out of atlanta. the 21-year-old has been in intensive care and on a ventilator for three weeks now. we've also learned this week this her boyfriend nick gordon has tattoo her name on his forearm. gordon's attorney says his client has been trying to see bobbi kristina but is staying away from the hospital to respect the family's wishes. cnn, miami. official at the centers for disease control say they've identified a new virus in the u.s. it's named the bourbon virus after the county in can where the first patient was diagnosed. in the spring of 2014 that man

died just over a week after he was bitten boy tics. official say the bourbon virus likely travels through bug, and people should make sure they protect themselves accordingly. and a new superbug outbreak in california linked to two deaths is the result of a deadly bacteria embedded on medical scopes even after the scopes were cloned. dr. gulp gupt went to an atlanta hospital to examine the cleaning procedures for a similar scope and spoke with doctors about risks for their patients. >> simply put, what went wrong? >> i think what exactly went wrong is yet to be determined. but it appears that the tip of the scope has some places where it needs to be cleaned. >> talking about right here -- >> in a special way. >> doctor what are we looking at here? what's the purpose of this part of the piece? >> this is a special scope that

we only use when we're doing a procedure call an ercp to look in the patient's bile ducts. we do it for people with pancreatic cancer and stone in the bile duct. this scope looks out the side instead of the end compared to the usual scopes end scopes used for colonoscopy. the handle can move the whole tip up and down. and then to force the elevator, it's here. when the catheter comes through this part of the scope, we want to you know change the -- where we're putting the catheter. when we move this up and down. a much more complicated area in here than with a typical scope. >> reporter: we got access to the cleaning room where the scopes were cleaned. keep in mind these are $30,000 scopes. sometimes a $1 toothbrush is part of the cloning process. come take a look -- cleaning process. come take a look. >> we'll put the scope into the water. the problem with the scopes is what's behind the elevator. go behind the scope right here.

$1 disposable brush. what we're going to do just to be on the safe side going to take it under water and brush in there. it's ready to go. >> reporter: this is what you do? you do these procedures -- i mean everything's risk/reward in life. how worried are you that when you're trying to help somebody by doing this procedure that you may inadvertently be infecting them? >> to me, i've been doing this for 24 years i've never had an infection, if i procedure from a scope that we know of. i'm not worry. i know the people here do a good job of getting the scopes cleaned out. i'm sure they have the same thing in california. that's not a big concern. mine. it's never happened. >> 100% sure that this scope is sterile. i would use it on my two sons, on my mom. on me. >> dr. sanjay gupta reporting there. stay up to date on all of our medical stories by heading to

our website, cnn.com/health. the very latest reporting and news on the superbug outbreak also helpful nutritional and lifestyle tips from our teams around the world. that's cnn.com/health. former new york mayor rudy giuliani it not apologizing for saying -- is not apologizing for saying u.s. president barack obama doesn't love his country. the remark came at a private dinner for the governor of wisconsin. senior white house correspondent jim acosta has reaction. [ applause ] >> reporter: president obama was feeling the love for america. >> it's about making this nation we love more perfect. >> reporter: the comment came as the white house slapped right back at rudy giuliani after the former new york city mayor questioned the president's love for his country. >> put your mask on -- >> reporter: white house press secretary josh ernest suggested giuliani had damaged his image as the man dub america's mayor after the attacks on 9/11. >> i can tell you it's sad to when somebody who has attacks

taped a -- who has attacked a level of stature and admiration tarnishes that legacy though thoroughly. the truth is i don't take any joy or vindication or satisfaction from that. i think the only thing i feel is i feel sorry for rudy giuliani today. >> reporter: giuliani said earlier, "i know this is a horrible thing to say, but i do not believe that the president loves america. he doesn't love you, and he doesn't love me. he wasn't brought up the way you were brought up and i was brought up through love of this country." the ex-mayor hasn't apologized. >> fo feel this love of america. i believe his initial approach is to criticize this country, and then afterwards to say a few nice things about us. >> reporter: giuliani defended the troork cnn saying it has nothing to do with race adding "the president was brought up by a white mother and white grandparents." and because he made the commence at a private event for wisconsin governor scott walker a

potential presidential contender, other possible candidate are on the spot. >> if they disagree with what giuliani said the activist will say no gusts. i want a canadian with guts. >> reporter: while -- no guts. i want a candidate with guts. >> reporter: while some are dodging it -- >> i think america is a great and exceptional country -- >> reporter: are seeking distance. >> democrats aren't asked to answer every time joe biden says something embarrassing. i don't know why i should answer every time a republican does. i'll suffice it to say that i believe the president loves america. i not his ideas are bad. >> reporter: but it's a line of attack the president has heard before. >> this is not a man who sees america as you and i see america. >> reporter: mr. obama answered the charge repeatedly in 2008. >> let me be clear -- i will let no one question my love of this country. >> reporter: cnn, the white house. a look back at an important milestone that changed ukraine.

when the people took on the president and won. that's coming up here. plus, it's not the major bailout overhaul greece was hoping for, but tell allow them not to run out of money in the next four days.

welcome back. you're watching "cnn newsroom." i'm natalie allen. this hour a massive fire that lit up a dubai skyscraper is out. officials say they don't know how it started. witnesses say flaming debris spilled from the 79-story building known ironically as the torch. it is one of the tallest luxury

residential buildings in the world. despite this fire no one injured. three british teenager are believed to be on their way to syria to fight alongside isis. british authorities are desperately searching for the girls. they're only 15 and 16 years old. police say they were last seen tuesday taking a flight to istanbul turkey. several coalition countries fighting isis say a plan to retake mosul will fuel instability in the region. the offensive will rely on shiite militias, some of which are accuse of atrocities against sunnis. in the past, isis has tried to use sunni disenchantment with iraq's shiite-led government to its advantage. it's been one year since the bloody crackdown in kiev ukraine, that claimed 49 lives and led to the overthrow of president yanukovych. proactivives will hold a rally

denouncing what went on in kiev a year ago. on friday a bittersweet ceremony of held in kiev with many overcome boy emotions at this milestone. cnn's fred pleitgen was there. >> reporter: a moment of silence in a sea of ukraineian flags. thousands came to kiev's maidan square to commemorate those killed in the violence last year that eventually led to such profound change for ukraine and for european security. in his speech president poroshenko hailed a national unitiy of the protesters. "we've lost so many people," he said. "they were here shoulder to shoulder. representatives of different ethnic groups, religion people from east and west, north and south of ukraine." it was on february 20th 2014 that the ongoing protests on the maidan square erupped into the

worst violence up to that point. protesters and security forces traded fire. in the end, almost 50 kill, dozens more wounded. the blood shed galvanized the movement to oust then-president yanukovych. afterward he fled in the middle of the night to russia, the country that had supported his regime. today ukraine's military honor those killed in the uprising and so did scores of ordinary civilians. laying down flowers, many still overcome by ey motions, even a yearing on -- overcome by emotions even a year on. "what can a regular person like me feel but sadness and respect for the people who give up their lives for the glory of ukraine," says this man who says he was on the square while the protests were going on. this is a day of remembrance for most here, but it's also a day where they take stock of where

the sun and a year on. it is a country that seems disillusioned by the pace of reforms, the economic situation, but also of course by the situation in the east of the country. large crowds gathered at kiev's main railway station to give a hero's welcome to soldiers arriving home from the blue shield -- battlefield in the east. among the thousands gathered the mood was more somber as the nation looks back on a year that brought so much hope but also so much uncertainty, division and pain. fred pleitgen, cnn kiev. greece finally has the financial lifelifeline it desperately needed to avoid disaster. eurozone negotiation areas agreed to a four-month extention of the $273 billion program it was due to expire effects week:greece done get the sweeping changes to the bailout terms it says are crippling its

economy. its finance minister says compromise wassies in toe help people who have long suffered. liberia will reopen a land border crossing after it closed during the ebola outbreak. there are two new confirmed cases in liberia. but that's compared to 74 in sierra leone. liberia liberia's president has lifted a curfew, and cools reopen after being closed for five months. nearly 4,000 people in liberia were killed by ebowl amp. chilling new interrogation video has been released in the trial of two girls who stabbed a classmate in the state of wisconsin in the u.s. all three were 12 years old at the time. the two girls who tried to kill their classmate said they did it to please a fictional online character called slender man.

for more here's cnn's randi kaye. >> reporter: at just 12 these two girls nearly took another classmate's life. last may they lured author a wooded area where police say they stabbed her 19 times. video of their interrogation being made public for the first time. >> who stabbed her first? >> i think she stab her first, and then i continued. and then she was like morgan, make sure she doesn't escape! >> she told me that she got her in the lung right here. and then like in the leg a few times. >> the criminal kplint says the victim who was also 122 was goodly wounded -- complaint says the victim who was also 12 was wounded, almost one mill motor from death. still she survive. not exactly how her attackers were hoping this will end. listen -- >> so we told her we were going

to get help but we really western. we were going to run and let her pass away. so we ran. >> reporter: the girls also told detectives how they each took part in the stabbing. this is their supply list. notice the kitchen knife -- >> how did you get the knife from anissa? >> she sort of just shove it into my hands. there it was. and i didn't know what i did. it -- it sort of just happened. it didn't feel like anything. it was like air. >> reporter: incredibly, the victim crawled out of the wood. a bicycle rider found her and got her to the hospital. the young suspects. arrested soon after. boeing charged as adults with attempted first-degree homicide. when investigators asked why they did it they both had the same answer -- slenderman.

this is where a will have and nearly murderous act becomes bizarre. slenderman is a fictional internet monster, a ghoul who lurks in chatrooms in some of the internet's dark ever corners. he's faceless often portrayed in a dark suit with octopus-like tentacles. slenderman is believed to haunt children and those who look to expose him. police say the two attackers said they first encountered slerndman on the -- slenderman on the website freaky pasta wiki. they thought he was real and if they didn't kill his classmate, central americanman would hurt them or their families. >> you guys were walking, you thought you saw slender? >> uh-huh after morgan stabbed her. >> and he has ten drills that are very sharp. >> in your dreams or where you see him? >> i see him in my dreams. >> reporter: evidence presented in court shows when was found in morgan's bedroom -- dozens of

disturbing drawings and numerous disfigured barbie dolls. many with the slenderman symbol on them. all proof the defense team says the girls truly believed slenderman is real. >> truth be told i wanted to be locked up so that i couldn't hurt her. but the time has passed and we were here because we were careless. i knew this will happen and we'll get in trouble. >> reporter: randi kaye, cnn, new york. >> absolutely chilling and horrifying. people in australia are recovering after two cyclones hit. and many lost -- well, you'll see the video. [ julie ] the wrinkle cream graveyard. if it doesn't work fast... you're on to the next thing. clinically proven

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the worst appears to be over for people that parts of queensland australia. cyclone marcia tore across coastal towns but has now eased off. and derek van dam is back with us. this of a one-two punch for australia when it comes to cyclones. >> double trouble, it really was. two cyclones impacting the

country at the same time. i saw that of course we've got the international cricket world cup taking place at the moment. there was supposed to be bangladesh versus australia at the stadium in brisbane the capital of queens lan. unfortunately that's been canceled. you see the effects of what was tropical cyclone marcia also spilling over into the sporting world, as well. it's spilled its wins into the streets of queensland cleaning up after tropical cyclone marcia pummelled the coastline. this is an area out of rockhampton. i myself am a sailor and i would be profound low upset if i found my sailboat on shore. that's not where it's supposed to be. fortunately, no casualties and fee injuries aside from minor bruises coming from this particular storm. poem obviously listening to the warnings from emergency personnel. this is the latest radar coming

out of new south wales and the south coast of queensland. you see the bulk of the rainfall move willing away there brisbane. keep in mind this there's enough little turbulence and dynamic interacting with the ocean, the low pressure system which is extra tropical that we could spin out water spouts or two across the region. that's still a concern from brisbane south to the gulf coast. rainfall totals over 300 hill meters and win gusts over -- millimeters and wind gufs over 208 miles per hour. i've mentioned that well was indeed supposed to be a critical world cup game played to in the -- a cricket world cup game played in the area that was canceled. melbourne expecting another day of cricket action tomorrow. the forecast hot and sunny. back to you. >> they're used to that. >> they are in australia. >> thanks. we turn to venezuela now and the mayor of caracas, a well-known opposition leader is

in jail accused of helping plot a coup. his supporters say the government is targeting political opponents and flying to get attention off venezuela's shaky economy. more from rafael romo. >> reporter: surveillance video shows caracas mayor nisman taken away by venezuelan intelligence agents in full gear. his wife says as many as 150 heavily armed intelligence agents burst into his office breaking the door with a sledgehammer, pushing, shoving, and betting her husband. >> translator: they destroyed the doors. there was no room for mediation. my husband of asking them to please stay calm and was asking when of going on. >> outside the intelligence agency headquarters where he is believed to be health hundreds gathered overnight. [ chanting ] >> reporter: free him, they shouted, as the national guard blocked access.

venezuelan opposition leaders said they saw the arrest coming last week. the president accused the mayor of involvement in a plot to overthrow his government. at a public event in front of supporters thursday night, the president said the moment of truth had arrived. >> translator: mr. antonio delesma who by order of the attorney general's office was captured and will face venezuelaal justice so he answers for all of the crimes committed against the peace, security, and constitution of our country. >> translator: they've denied the allegations calling them the government's latest attempt to manufacture controversy and target political opponents. human rights watch says the government is lashing out that the opposition to consolidate power. >> we're looking at a very weak democracy with a tremendous degree of concentration of power where there is freedom of speech but very limited and serious

censorship. and the judiciary is unable and unwilling to defend and con front -- >> reporter: the latest group to be targeted by the government. former mayor and opposition leader renaldo lopez was jailed a year ago this week accused of inciting government protests that left more than 40 dead and nearly 9 hundred injured. all -- 900 injured. all the opposition lawyers have been imprisoned in the last year. a former ledge slirt and vocal opponent of the government might be next. cnn. this weekend, it's the oscars. hollywood's biggest night. the winner predictions to what the host has up his sleeve. we preview some of the things that watch after this.

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free. that's a $29 value. ♪ or go to lifelock.com/go. try lifelock risk-free for 60 days and get this document shredder free -- a $29 value -- when you use promo code go. call now. oscar preparations are already underway for sudden's big show. the -- sunday's big thank you so much the red carpet has been rolled out, and predictions of who the winners will be are flooding in. who will have the most beautiful dress, as well. we'll be watching for that. as far as best picture goes "birdman" seems to have a slight edge over "boyhood." "american sniper" could be a dark horse contender. certainly it's been a hit at the box office. oscars' host neil patrick harris admits he's nervous about being the host, but nerve

are all a part of the process. the actor he has a lot of fun planned and is trying to top last year's record-breaking selfie stunt by host ellen degeneres. we'll see how he does that. one of the nominated films is "the theory of everything" about the life of the brilliant physicist stephen hawking. he rarely gives interviews, but he did talk exclusively about the film during a visit to london's science museum. max foster has that. the quality i would most like to magnify is sympathy -- >> reporter: his voice is one of the most distinctive in the world. >> it brings us to a state -- >> reporter: renowned physicist stephen hawking has a rare degenerative disease that took away his ability to speak 30 years ago. >> this is my first speech -- >> reporter: he's kept the same computerized voice ever since which he operates using a muscle

in his cheek. >> although it gave me an american accent i have kept it because it's now my trademark. >> reporter: despite this hawking says he didn't mind lending it out to be used in the film about his life. >> i was happy to lend my voice to give him a bit of a boost in his attempt at an oscar. unfortunately he did not inherit my good looks. >> reporter: "the theory of everything" is up for best picture at this weekend's oscars. >> it's american. >> is that a problem? >> reporter: redmane has picked up a bafta and golden globe. >> an amazing privilege but amazing responsibility, as well. >> reporter: this week hawking gave a tour of london's science museum to a competition winner from l.a. she beat 10,000 entrance to win a special trip -- entrants to win a special trip around with celeb rate guides and had the

chance to ask hawking questions of her own. >> as human beings, what is one of our common shortcomings that you would alter? >> it human feeling i would most like to correct is aggression. may have had survival advantage in caveman days, but now it's threatened to destroy us all. >> reporter: max foster, cnn, london. >> brilliant man. and that is a movie to see. no matter who takes home the coveted gold oscar statue sunday night, there aren't any losers because everyone's getting a gift bag. those lucky enough to go worth $160,000. the swag bags are filled with tons of freebie merchandise, everything from luxury vacations to lipolight treatments whatever that is. cnn's jake tapper has more on this sweet celebrity treat. you -- fill that bag up as faf as you know how. >> reporter: hey, want a bag full of money? >> please put $50,000 into this bag and act natural. >> reporter: for decades

hollywood stars have basically just had to ask. >> take the money and put it in that bag. >> reporter: and on hollywood's biggest night, some losing nominees won't even have to ask to get swag bags worth more than $160,000 each. that's double what the prize packs were worth last year and, oh yeah more than three time the median american salary. what's inside? chi chi brands gambling on an inadvertent endorsement. >> not only are they giving away thousands of dollars worth of product, but they're paying for the chance to be recognized in the first place. >> reporter: cheesy commercials such as these may not to much to sell rocky mountaineers luxury trips -- ♪ >> reporter: -- but what happens if an appreciative a-lister were to snap a photo from his or her own $14,000 excursion provided to them free in the bag? well, that could put the company on the fast track. emphasis on could. >> you really put that stuff in there just hoping that maybe the celebrity will use it or pass it

to a friend who will use it and talk about it. >> reporter: stars who didn't make the doubt george clooney's wedding at his lake cuomo, italy, estate can work on cultivating the friendship with a stay at the nearby grand hotel. that hotel stay is just one part of an $11,500 getaway. clooney agreeing to your pop-in -- that's not included. from $ 5 in free hydroxy cut weight loss products to $20,000 worth of swanky car rentals from the tech-friendly premium brand silver car, losing an oscar never felt so nice. before the red carpet elite start feeling too special, the irs remind us that the companies providing these items "do not to so solely out of affection, respect, or similar impulses" for the recipients. translation, that means $160 no so-called gifts, if everything is used mean more than $40,000 in taxes for the stars. those priceless career-boosting

gold statuettes however, the irs lets you enjoy those for free. >> wow. must be nice. normal americans like me don't get swag bags like that. but the swag bags are delivered to their doorsteps the day after the oscars. the gifts are not affiliated with the academy awards in any way. and did you know swag stand for stuff we all get? swag. that's it for this hour. i'm natalie allen. my colleague, george howell joins you for the next two hours of news. stay with us. you're watching cnn.

a fire blazes 50 stores up. three teens on the run. why authorities think isis maybe luring them to syria. and holding oscar's secrets. we peek inside the gilded envelopes of the academy awards. i'm george howell. this is cnn newsroom. we begin with the fire that lit up dubai's iconic torch tower. this happened earlier today. a luxury high-rise engulfed in flames. witnesse