CNN 2009-07-19

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Nicole Lapin. Here's your NOW IN THE NEWS update.

Hamas says it's open to a cease-fire deal with Israel but only if Israel withdraws its forces from the Palestinian territory. Israel continues to pound Hamas' targets in Gaza to end rocket attacks as three more rockets from Lebanon fell in northern Israel on Wednesday. They landed harmlessly though in open fields.

And European nations that rely on Russia for natural gas are spending another cold winter day with no heat, as a gas dispute between Russia and neighboring Ukraine drags on. Russian gas hasn't been shipped to Europe through the Ukraine in more than a week. Russian and Ukrainian leaders blame each other for that, Moscow is now urging European officials to come to Moscow for a weekend summit on this crisis.

Former police officer accused of shooting an unarmed suspect at an Oakland train station is now behind bars, charged with murder. Johannes Mehserle was picked up in Nevada on a homicide warrant issued in California, the 27-year- old has waived¹ his extradition² hearing, and will return to California soon to face murder charges. 22-year-old Oscar Grant was killed on New Year's Day. Mehserle resigned days after the shooting and the incident has led to violent protests since then.

Steve Jobs announced on Wednesday that he will be taking a leave of absence. In a memo³ to his employees, he said that he will be taking a medical leave because his health issues are more complex than originally thought. Right now his absence is until the end of June. He says he plans to still remain involved in major decisions.

And actor Ricardo Montalban has passed away on Wednesday according to a family spokesperson. He had been in declining health for days and died peacefully in his home in Los Angeles, he was most famous for his role in "Fantasy Island" as well as "Planet of the Apes" and "Star Trek⁴: The Wrath⁵ of Khan", he was 88 years old.

Those are the headlines at this hour, for more on those stories and other news of the day, CNN is always your source online, on TV or on your cell phone.

1 waived   

v.宣布放弃( waive的过去式和过去分词 )；搁置；推迟；放弃（权利、要求等）

参考例句：

• He has waived all claim to the money. 他放弃了索取这笔钱的权利。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I waived the discourse, and began to talk of my business. 我撇开了这个话题，开始讲我的事情。 来自辞典例句

2 extradition   

n.引渡（逃犯）

参考例句：

• The smuggler is in prison tonight,awaiting extradition to Britain.这名走私犯今晚在监狱，等待引渡到英国。
• He began to trouble concerning the extradition laws.他开始费尽心思地去想关于引渡法的问题。

3 memo   

n.照会，备忘录；便笺；通知书；规章

参考例句：

• Do you want me to send the memo out?您要我把这份备忘录分发出去吗？
• Can you type a memo for me?您能帮我打一份备忘录吗？

4 trek   

vi.作长途艰辛的旅行；n.长途艰苦的旅行

参考例句：

• We often go pony-trek in the summer.夏季我们经常骑马旅行。
• It took us the whole day to trek across the rocky terrain.我们花了一整天的时间艰难地穿过那片遍布岩石的地带。

5 wrath   

n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒

参考例句：

• His silence marked his wrath. 他的沉默表明了他的愤怒。
• The wrath of the people is now aroused. 人们被激怒了。