CNN news 2007-09-21 加文本

cnn 2007-09-21



【电信1】 Realvideo / MP3

From the cnn center here in Atlanta, hope that you are enjoying your Thursday, I'm Veronica De La Cruz. Thanks so much for stopping by. Let's take a look at what's happening right NOW IN THE NEWS.

The small town of Jena, Louisiana is clogged with heavy traffic and a swelling crowd of demonstrators. Thousands have descended on the town in support of the "Jena 6", the black students charged in the beating of a white classmate. Demonstrators say the charges against the black teens were too harsh. The District Attorney says race played no role in his handling of the case. So far, the rally has been peaceful.

New today, another audio tape from Osama Bin Laden. It is his third message this month. In it, he lashes out at Pakistan's president, a key US ally. Bin Laden calls on Muslims to carry out a Jihad or a holy war against Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf. The tape comes during a crucial time for Musharraf whose popularity has recently plunged in the past month. He is running for reelection in the next month.

Well he has left Las Vegas. But we are not exactly sure where the juices right now. And we are talking about O. J. Simpson. When Simpson's plane landed in Florida, there were scores of cameras and reporters were there to greet the former football star and the media is outside his home in Miami but he has not been seen there. Simpson headed to Florida after posting a 125, 000-dollar bond in Nevada yesterday. He faces 11 charges stemming from his alleged role in the armed robbery sports memorabilia case. But one of the alleged victims says Simpson was not armed.

Alright, this's not the season, but US retailers are already bracing for a holiday shopping slump. A National Retail Federation predicts a 4% increase in sales during November and December. That will be the slowest growth since 2002 and below average for the past decade. The not so great expectations could be a silver lining for consumers, however, which would result in some bigger bargains. It's not all bad.

Be sure to stick with cnn. com 24/7 for news from all around the world and of course we'll have updates for you right here throughout the day.