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Sunday, October 30

Editor's Note: CNN News Update is a running log of the latest news from CNN World Headquarters, reported by CNN's correspondents and producers and compiled by Wires.CNN.

U.S. soldiers face assault charges in Afghanistan

(CNN) -- A pair of U.S. soldiers have been charged with assaulting detainees at a field detention site in southern Afghanistan, the U.S. military said.

"We see this as an extremely serious allegation of unacceptable behavior," said Col. James Yonts, a U.S. military spokesman, at a news conference in Kabul Monday. "We will not tolerate this kind of behavior that is alleged against these soldiers."

A statement released by the U.S. military in Washington Sunday said, "the charges include conspiracy to maltreat, assault, and dereliction of duty." (posted 4:55 a.m.)

IDF: 3 Palestinian militants killed in Qabatiya

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israel Defense Forces Sunday killed two members of a Palestinian militant group during operations in the northern West Bank village of Qabatiya, a military statement said.

The men, described as "senior Islamic Jihad terrorists from the terror organization's northern West Bank infrastructure," were killed during a shootout after opening fire on IDF troops who had surrounded a house where they were holed up.

Also in Qabatiya, IDF troops killed a Palestinian gunman who opened fire on them Sunday. The military said he was one of three men who were attempting to place an explosive device along a road. (posted 4:50 a.m.)

U.S. bombs 'terrorist safe house' in western Iraq

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- U.S. warplanes launched a pre-dawn precision airstrike against a "terrorist safe house" in the western Iraqi city of Karabila Monday, the U.S. military said.

"A senior al Qaeda cell leader was the target of the strike," Maj. Flora Lee of the Combined Press Information Center. "The timing of the attack and use of precision-guided munitions is intended to avoid civilian casualties."

Karabila is close to Qaim, near the Syrian border. There was no immediate word on casualties. (posted 3:40 a.m.)

U.S., Iraq troops detain insurgents south of Baghdad

SALMAN PAK, Iraq (CNN) -- Following house-to-house searches in the Salman Pak area, U.S. and Iraqi troops detained about 15 suspected insurgents early Monday, including a former high-ranking intelligence official from the regime of former leader Saddam Hussein.

Two enemy combatants were killed in firefights between militants and security forces. (posted 3:12 a.m.)

Hurricane evacuees charged with killing Texas woman who befriended them

(CNN) -- A Texas woman was allegedly robbed and killed by three hurricane evacuees she befriended after meeting them at her church, according to Pasadena, Texas police.

Betty Blair, 77, was strangled to death inside her Pasadena home Friday and her bound body was discovered by her daughter Friday evening, said Pasadena Police spokesman Vance Mitchell.

Three suspects -- all described as hurricane evacuees -- were arrested Friday evening after police located the dead woman's missing car through its OnStar electronic tracking system, Mitchell said. (posted 3:11 a.m.)

Police: 59 dead in New Delhi blasts; Indian officials blame terrorists

NEW DELHI (CNN) -- Stores in marketplaces struck by explosions reopened after cleanup Sunday, expecting a busy shopping day as New Delhi residents prepare for Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.

At least 59 people were killed and 210 wounded Saturday when three blasts ripped through the city -- two at marketplaces and one on a bus in a neighborhood.

Government officials called the blasts the work of terrorists, but named no groups. Police offered a reward -- the equivalent of $2,300 -- for information leading to the arrest of those responsible. (posted 3:10 a.m.)

Poll: Americans gloomy over rest of Bush's term

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush's approval rating has not been affected by Friday's indictment of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the chief of staff for Vice President Richard Cheney, but more than half (56 percent) believe he cannot manage the federal government effectively, a poll released Sunday indicated.

Cheney's standing with the public may has also have been affected: his unfavorable rating is 51 percent, up from 47 percent two weeks ago, though still within the sampling error, the CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll said.

Bush's approval rating was 41 percent before the indictment and 41 percent afterward, and views of his honesty remained stable at 49 percent versus 47 percent last month, within the sampling error of plus-or-minus 3.5 points.

Officials: Bush expected to name Supreme Court nominee Monday

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush on Monday is expected to name his nominee to replace Sandra Day O'Connor, who is retiring from the U.S. Supreme Court, senior administration officials told CNN Sunday.

Monday's announcement would be Bush's third choice to replace O'Connor.

His first, Judge John Roberts, was later nominated and confirmed to replace the late William Rehnquist as Chief Justice of the United States. T

he second nominee, Texas lawyer Harriet Miers, withdrew from the process Thursday after conservatives questioned her credentials.

U.S. Marine dies following IED attack

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- A U.S. Marine has died of wounds sustained during a bombing Saturday, the U.S. military said Sunday.

The Marine, assigned to Regimental Combat Team 8, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), was wounded in an improvised explosive device attack on his vehicle during combat operations near Nasser Wa Salaam, just outside Falluja, the military said in a statement.

The Marine's name was not released, pending notification of next of kin. The death brings to 2,015 the number of U.S. troops who have died in the Iraq war. (posted 2:44 p.m.)

FEMA building evacuated over fumes; gas can found

(CNN) -- A building in Maryland used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency was evacuated Sunday after workers were overcome by fumes, the Prince Georges County Fire and Emergency Services Department said.

Department spokesman Mark Brady said the more than 200 FEMA employees working at the 8-story building in Hyattsville were evacuated, and 30 to 40 of them were taken to hospitals.

Crews investigating the source of the odor found a small gasoline can stuffed with rags on the roof near the fresh air intake for the building's air conditioning system, Brady said. The building's engineering personnel said there was no reason for the can to be there, he said. (Posted 12:46 p.m.)

Reid: President should dump Rove, tell America 'what's going on'

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Senate Minority Leader said Sunday that President Bush owes the American people an explanation of "what's going on" in a Republican-led government now beset by indictments and investigations.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., told CNN's "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer" that he was "tremendously disappointed" by Vice President Dick Cheney's "terse statement" of praise for his chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, following Libby's indictment for lying to a grand jury investigating the blown cover of a CIA agent -- and Bush's statement shortly after Cheney's.

"There was not a word of apology, not a word of explanation to the American people," Reid said. "The president's going to have to get a touch of reality."

Firing deputy chief of staff Karl Rove would go a long way in that regard, Reid said. "Everyone knows Karl Rove is involved," he said. "If the president is a man of his word, Rove should be history." (Posted 12:38 p.m.)

Talabani calls for Saddam relative to be moved to hospital

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Iraqi President Jalal Talabani Sunday urged Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari to move Saddam Hussein's half-brother Barzan Tikriti to a hospital for "life-saving treatment for cancer."

Tikriti, who has been charged with crimes against humanity, last week requested to be released from custody for treatment of spinal cancer. In his letter to Jaafari, Talabani did not support Tikriti's call for release.

But, citing a long-standing relationship between the Talabani and Tikriti families, he called "on the prime minister to use his authority to move Barzan Tikriti into a hospital for cancer treatment." (posted 12:02p.m.)

Palestinians say militant group willing to halt attacks

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- The militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad has said it will stop firing crude rockets from Gaza into Israeli communities if Israel will halt targeted killings of the group's leaders and bombing areas used for launching rockets, Palestinian security officials said Sunday. Leaders of Islamic Jihad -- a group that has carried out numerous terrorist attacks -- made the pledge late Saturday at a meeting with Palestinian Authority officials and leaders of other Palestinian militant groups, Palestinian security officials said.

Ra'anan Gissin, an adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, said Israel would act according to events on the ground. "The test will be according to results," he said.

Leaders of Hamas and the al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, which also carry out terrorist attacks, took part in the meeting Saturday evening. Both groups have largely adhered to an earlier call for a period of calm, although al Aqsa -- loosely affiliated with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party -- has been behind some recent violence. (Posted 10:38 a.m.)

U.S. opens new prison in Iraq, says it will be first run entirely by Iraqis

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- The U.S. military has opened a new prison facility in northeastern Iraq, according to a statement from the Combined Press Information Center in Baghdad.

Fort Suse will be the first detention "facility to be completely turned over to Iraqi control," Maj. Gen. William Brandenburg, commander of Detainee Operations, said in the statement. "This complete transition of operations will take place after extensive training of Iraqi guards and only after they are completely confident in their ability to run this facility."

Iraqi guards are already working alongside U.S. forces, the statement said, and more are to follow. (Posted 10:16 a.m.)

2 U.S. soldiers charged with assault against detainees in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Two U.S. soldiers are facing charges for allegedly assaulting detainees in Afghanistan, the U.S. military said in a news release Sunday. "The charges include conspiracy to maltreat, assault, and dereliction of duty," the release said.

The soldiers -- whose names were not released -- are accused of striking detainees in their custody at a forward operating base in Oruzgan province, southern Afghanistan. "The nature of the assault did not require medical attention for either of the detainees," the news release said. (Posted 10:04 a.m.)

11 Iraqis dead in rash of incidents since late Saturday

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Ghalib Abdul Mehdi, the brother of Iraqi Vice President Adil Abdul Mehdi, and his driver were shot to death by unknown gunmen early Sunday in eastern Baghdad, an Interior Ministry official told CNN.

Seven other Iraqis were killed in three other incidents in Baghdad Sunday, all between noon and 2 p.m., an Iraqi police official told CNN. And an Interior Ministry police official and his guard were killed late Saturday when five gunmen stormed his home in al-Shaab neighborhood.

Deputy Trade Minister Qais al-Hasan and six Iraqi police officers were wounded in one of those attacks, which also killed two Iraqi police, a police official told CNN. (Posted 9:55 a.m.)

Wilma killed 21; more than a million customers still with no power

MIAMI (CNN) -- Twenty-one people died as a result of Hurricane Wilma's trek across Florida, the state's emergency management agency says. Six of those died in Collier County and five in Broward County. The rest were scattered among St. Johns, Miami-Dade, Hillsborough, St. Lucie and Palm Beach counties.

As of 7 a.m. ET Sunday, Florida electric companies reported 1,430,707 customers without power, down from a high of more than 3.475 million. More than 1.25 million of those still in the dark were in Miami-Dade, Palm Beach and Broward counties.

Several school districts kept their schools closed, and several counties and municipalities had curfews. (Posted 9:55 a.m.)

Police: 59 dead, 210 wounded in New Delhi blasts

NEW DELHI (CNN) -- Stores in marketplaces struck by explosions reopened after cleanup Sunday, expecting a busy shopping day as New Delhi residents prepare for Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.

At least 59 people were killed and 210 wounded Saturday when three blasts ripped through the city -- two at marketplaces and one on a bus in a neighborhood. Government officials called the blasts the work of terrorists, but named no groups. Police offered a reward -- the equivalent of $2,400 -- for information leading to the arrest of those responsible.

On Sunday, police said it was premature to comment about any responsible party, and that no one has been detained. Asked about a group called Islami Inqalabi Mahaz, who reportedly contacted media in Indian-controlled Kashmir to claim responsibility for the blasts, police said they were investigating. Also, India's top officials huddled in a Cabinet meeting Sunday. (Posted 7:32 a.m.)

Slightly weakened, Hurricane Beta bears down on Nicaraguan coast

MIAMI (CNN) -- Slightly weakened but still a strong Category 2 storm, Hurricane Beta was within a few miles of making landfall on the Nicaraguan coast Sunday morning, packing maximum sustained winds of 110 mph and the potential to dump up to 25 inches of rain on some isolated areas, possibly causing floods and mudslides.

Beta briefly was a Category 3 storm, but remained just on the cusp as it approached shore: A storm with 111-mph maximum sustained winds is a Category 3.

At 7 a.m. Sunday, Beta's center was located about within a few miles of the coast of Nicaragua near La Barra, the National Hurricane Center said, and about 145 miles south of Cabo Gracias a Dios on the Nicaragua-Honduras border. It was moving southwest at about 8 mph. (Posted 7:24 a.m.)

Military: Troops foil suspected insurgent ambush

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Coalition troops halted what was believed to be an "anti-Iraqi forces ambush" after spying the suspected insurgents and engaging them, the military said early Sunday. Six suspected insurgents were killed and five others were detained.

About 9 p.m. Saturday, troops observed the suspected terrorists moving along a canal and apparently readying themselves for an ambush in an area known for small-arms and rocket-propelled grenade attacks against local Iraqi citizens, a military statement said.

Attack helicopters confirmed the individuals were hiding in the bushes. The suspected insurgents fired at the helicopters, which returned fire. The suspected insurgents scattered and attempted to hide in surrounding vegetation, the military said. Several individuals retreated into a nearby house, but later fled. The incident occurred near Taji in an area northwest of Baghdad. (Posted 5:51 a.m.)

Death toll in India train derailment rises to 111

(CNN) -- At least 111 people were dead and 92 people injured after a passenger train derailed as it attempted to cross tracks washed away by a flood, officials said early Sunday.

The derailment happened early Saturday in the Andhra Pradesh state near the town of Valigonda, as the train was crossing a bridge flanking a reservoir. Seven coaches of the 15-coach train went into the water. Rescue workers used trains to retrieve them and acetylene torches to cut them open.

The updated death toll came from Krishnaiah Panabaka, chief public relations officer for India's state-run South Central Railway. Fifty-five bodies have been released to relatives, officials said.

Andhra Pradesh has been experiencing torrential rains after a slow-moving tropical depression made landfall there on Friday. There have been reports of other railway lines and roads washed away. (Posted 2:22 a.m.)

Nicaragua begins evacuations as Hurricane Beta nears coast

(CNN) -- Nicaragua on Saturday began moving thousands of coastal residents from their wooden homes to sturdier buildings inland as it braced for the arrival of Hurricane Beta, which the country's meteorologists predicted would barrel ashore overnight at Puerto Cabezas.

The forecasters at the Institute of Nicaragua and Territorial Studies expected Beta to strengthen from its Category 1 hurricane status, with winds of 74 mph to 95 mph, to a Category 2, 96 mph to 110 mph, by the time it makes landfall.

By 8 p.m., the Nicaraguan army had evacuated about 8,000 people, journalist Rosemary Thornton told CNN from Managua. President Enrique Bolanos upgraded the nation's weather warning system from yellow to red about 7 p.m., indicating imminent danger, she said.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami predicted in its 8 p.m. advisory that Beta was on a course that should push the core of the storm near the northeastern coast of Nicaragua and nearby islands late Saturday or early Sunday. (Posted 9:56 p.m.)

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