CNN news 2007-12-16 加文本

cnn 2007-12-16


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Hi, everyone. I'm Asieh Namdar at the cnn. com newsroom in Atlanta. Here is a look at what's happening NOW IN THE NEWS.

Snow and ice have paralysed the Northeast. Now the Midwest is hunkering down for another wave of storms today. Thirty-eight people have died in the bad weather, mostly in traffic accidents.

The UN's Climate Conference in Bali has ended with a deal after two weeks of negotiations. Delegates agreed on a framework for future talks on global warming. But there are no specific numbers on the emission cuts requested by Europe. Still, many are calling it a success.

President Pervez Musharraf has ended a 6-week state of emergency. But sources say he also tricked the constitution in his favor. Critics say Musharraf achieved two goals with the emergency rule, ensured his reelection and purged judiciary. Parliamentary elections are set for January 8th. They will determine who forms the next government. The Bush administration pushed Musharraf to lift his decree before the vote.

It's less than three weeks until the Iowa caucuses. Now new polls show there are some changes rolling. Republican Mike Huckabee is the latest to claim the status of front-runner after stumbles by Rudy Giuliani and John McCain. Around the Democratic side, some polls show Hilary Clinton is losing some of her glow. Meantime, Barack Obama is gaining ground and is even in a dead heat in some of the early state polls.

In Washington, Attorney General Michael Mukasey is standing firm against congressional demands. He says he is not giving up details about his early investigation into why the CIA destroyed interrogation tapes of suspected al-Qaeda detainees. Mukasey sent letters to both Houses, saying he wouldn't turn over his preliminary findings, saying it could be seen as bowing to political influence. He also rejected naming an independent investigator. The CIA says it destroyed the evidence to protect the identity of its agents, not to cover up torture.

And those are the headlines this hour. For more on these stories and other news of the day, cnn is your source online, on TV or when you are on the go.


Words&Expressions
hunker down:If you hunker down, you bend your knees so that you are in a low position, balancing on your feet.