CNN 2009-01-17

Hello everyone, I' m Catherine Callaway, so glad you are checking in with us today. Here is a look at what's happening NOW IN THE NEWS.

Praise from all corners for the crew of US Airways¹ Fight 1549 , all 155 people aboard the airbus survived after something happened to the engines. The pilot was forced to land the plane in the Hudson River. Well  this morning , Federal Aviation investigators² are getting their first look at that plane. It is now tethered to a pier³ in Manhattan.

Showing the money, 350 billion dollars are within Barack Obama's reach after the Senator approved. They released the remaining federal bailout money. Obama will make his case for using those funds later today in an Ohio manufacturing company.

President Bush gave his final public address from the White House last night. He acknowledged some ups and downs during his 8 years in office, but said that he was grateful for the chance to serve the nation. Bush also paid tribute to his successor Barack Obama, who will become president on Tuesday.

Acclaimed⁴ American painter Andrew Wyeth has died. The son of a famed illustrator Wyeth was best known for his realistic paintings of landscapes and as well as some intensely personal portraits that he painted. Family and friends said that Wyeth died early this morning in his Pennsylvania home. Andrew Wyeth was 91 years old.

Israel's Foreign Minister is now heading for Washington right now for talks about a possible ceasefire in Gaza, this after weeks of heavy fighting between Israel and Hamas militants⁵. It has been 3 weeks since Israeli forces took aim at Hamas militants in Gaza, and the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says the fighting, (quote) must stop now.

Russia hoping for big participation⁶ at this weekend's gas talks, Ukraine and Russia are still squabbling over a gas contract, and Russian gas goes through Ukraine on its way to Europe. Well the gas has been turned off for more than a week now, and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is visiting Germany today for talks on that crisis.

 Be sure to stick with CNN.com 24/7 for news around the world. Of course we will have updates right here throughout the day.

1 AIRWAYS   

航空公司

参考例句：

• The giant jets that increasingly dominate the world's airways. 越来越称雄于世界航线的巨型喷气机。
• At one point the company bought from Nippon Airways a 727 jet. 有一次公司从日本航空公司买了一架727型喷气机。

2 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 pier   

n.码头；桥墩，桥柱；[建]窗间壁，支柱

参考例句：

• The pier of the bridge has been so badly damaged that experts worry it is unable to bear weight.这座桥的桥桩破损厉害，专家担心它已不能负重。
• The ship was making towards the pier.船正驶向码头。

4 acclaimed   

adj.受人欢迎的

参考例句：

• They acclaimed him as the best writer of the year. 他们称赞他为当年的最佳作者。
• Confuscius is acclaimed as a great thinker. 孔子被赞誉为伟大的思想家。

5 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

6 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。