CNN 2009-09-16

Hi there, thanks for checking us out, I’m Virginia Cha, at the CNN center in Atlanta, with a look at what’s happening NOW IN THE NEWS.

Friends and fans are remembering actor Patrick Swayze today. He died yesterday after nearly a 2-year battle with pancreatic cancer. Swayze was 57, publicly best known for his starring roles in Dirty Dancing and Ghost.

Vice¹ president Biden is in Baghdad today to meet with the country’s leaders and to visit US troops. His surprise visit comes as US is now one year away from its goal of pulling all combat troops from Iraq. The White House says president Obama asked the vice president to provide sustained high level focus from the White House on Iraq.

Public support for the war in Afghanistan has dropped to an all time low. A CNN opinion research poll just out today shows 39% of Americans support the war, 58% oppose it. The poll's release comes after the two deadliest months for US troops in Afghanistan.

The daring US special forces raid in Somalia may have killed a wanted Al-Qaeda terrorist, that’s according to Somali government sources. The helicopter attack occurred in a small town, south of the Somali capital. Two people were killed, two others wounded and captured.

The Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at president George W. Bush was released from prison this morning. Mumtaz Zaidi stunning² act of protest last December made him a hero in much of the Arab world. He served nine months of a one-year sentence for assaulting a foreign head of state.

And those are your headlines at this hour, stay with CNN for more on those stories and all your other news of the day.

1 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

2 stunning   

adj.极好的；使人晕倒的

参考例句：

• His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
• The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。