Sign InRegister

Friday, November 11

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

Police commando raid on Baquba nets 210 terrorism suspects

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Iraqi police commandos raided the center of Baquba early Saturday, detaining some 210 suspected terrorists, the unit commander said.

The Ministry of Interior's police commandos, Wolf Brigade, began the raid on the Tahreer neighborhood at about 6:30 a.m., Gen. Mohammed Hasan of the Interior Ministry and the brigade commander told CNN. The operation on the neighborhood ended about three hours later, he said, and the brigade went on to raid the town of Kan'an in eastern Baquba.

"We were very well received by the people of Baquba," Hasan said. "People are fully cooperating, providing us with all the information needed to capture all terrorists." (Posted 4:21 a.m.)

4 killed, 24 wounded in Baghdad car bomb

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Four Iraqi civilians were killed and 24 wounded in a car bomb Saturday in a busy Baghdad market, Baghdad police said.

The bomb was in a parked car and was remotely detonated about 11 a.m. (3 a.m. ET) in the market in the Ameen al-Thanya neighborhood of eastern Baghdad, police said. (Updated 4:02 a.m.)

U.N. Secretary-General arrives in Baghdad

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan arrived Saturday in Baghdad, a day after he visited the scenes of two bombed Amman, Jordan, hotels, the U.N. in Baghdad said.

While in Iraq, Annan is scheduled to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari and other government officials, the U.N. said.

On Friday, Annan visited the Grand Hyatt and Radisson hotels in Amman -- two sites struck by suicide bombers on Wednesday. A third hotel was also targeted. Fifty-seven people were killed in the bombings and more than 90 injured. (Posted 3:14 a.m.)

Thai toddler has deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu

BANGKOK, Thailand (CNN) -- A 1-year-old boy in a Bangkok hospital has tested positive for the lethal H5N1 strain of avian influenza, Thailand's Ministry of Public Health said Saturday.

The boy is recovering, officials said. He is in the intensive care unit of Siriraj Hospital. The child is the 21st patient in Thailand to contract bird flu since 2004. Of those, 13 have died.

Avian influenza has spread rapidly among birds, first in Southeast Asia and more recently in Europe. More than 120 people have been infected with the H5N1 strain, and half of those have died. Earlier this month, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan called on the international community to make immediate preparations for a possible pandemic of bird flu. While it is not yet clear if the H5N1 strain will ever gain the ability to infect large numbers of people, Annan said world leaders cannot ignore the threat it poses. (Posted 12:54 a.m.)

Schwarzenegger ends battle with nurses union in wake of election flop

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- In the latest display of a new kinder, gentler political persona, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has ended a legal fight with one of his most bitter foes, the California Nurses Association -- a union he once famously dismissed as a special interest group opposed to him "because I kick their butt."

At the request of the governor's office, the state Department of Health and Human Services has dropped an appeal of a court ruling stopping Schwarzenegger from circumventing a law requiring hospitals to hire more nurses, department spokeswoman Sabrina Lockhart-Demayo said.

The nurses union began regularly picketing the governor's public events last year after he delayed implementation of a law requiring at least one nurse for every five patients, which he said the state's hospitals couldn't afford. The nurses sued and got his order overturned in a lower court, and the governor's office appealed.

Lockhart-Demayo said that over the past year, the DHHS found that the new ratios did not have a negative impact on the health care system, and the governor's office has decided not to pursue the issue at this time. (Posted 6:17 p.m.)

Attorney general announces Asia trip to discuss terrorism, international crime

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Attorney General Alberto Gonzales announced Friday he is heading to Australia and Asia for high-level talks on improving coordination in a key front in the global war on terrorism.

Gonzales will leave Saturday on the eight-day, four-nation tour to consult with top counterterrorism and law enforcement officials in Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia and China.

The Justice Department provided only sketchy details of Gonzales' itinerary, saying it is not final.

It said the attorney general will open his trip in Sydney Monday by meeting with Prime Minister John Howard and Attorney General Phillip Ruddock just days after 18 terrorism suspects were arrested in Sydney and Melbourne. --From Justice Producer Terry Frieden (Posted 5:05 p.m.)

U.N. team interviews Lebanese president in Hariri probe

BEIRUT (CNN) -- Two members of a U.N. team investigating the February assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri interviewed the country's pro-Syrian president, Emile Lahoud, Friday, the president's office said.

Lahoud gave the investigators the "true and accurate facts" about phone calls made from the presidential palace before and after the assassination, as well as discounting "rumors" that have appeared in the media, the presidential statement said.

A preliminary report from U.N. investigators last month said that a man accused of being involved in the plot to kill Hariri, Mahmud Abdel-Al, telephoned Lahoud minutes before the Feb. 14 blast in central Beirut that killed the former prime minister and 20 other people.

Lahoud has steadfastly denied having any role in the death of Hariri, who was a leading opponent of Syria's military occupation of Lebanon. (Posted 4:56 p.m.)

Vioxx judge wants to hear only long-term cases

NEW YORK (CNN) -- A New Jersey state judge who is overseeing about 3,500 personal-injury lawsuits filed by users of Vioxx says she wants to hear only upcoming cases involving plaintiffs who took the drug for 18 months or longer, according to Ted Mayer, an outside attorney for Vioxx maker Merck & Co.

Judge Carol Higbee's plan could make defending Vioxx harder for Merck, because last year the drug maker acknowledged that daily use of the painkiller could cause cardiovascular problems after being taken for more than 18 months.

Merck won a major battle in Higbee's court last week, when a jury found the drug maker did not mislead doctors and consumers about the danger of using Vioxx in a case where the plaintiff, a heart-attack survivor, had used it for only two months. Mayer says Merck will challenge Higbee's new plan. --From CNN Assignment Editor Tom Ziegler (Posted 4:36 p.m.)

U.N. resolution designed to 'strong signal' to ex-president of Liberia

UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- U.N. peacekeepers in Liberia now have the authority to arrest former President Charles Taylor and transfer him to Sierra Leone for trial should he return to the country, under a U.N. Security Council resolution passed Friday.

The council voted to expand the mandate of the peacekeepers on the heels of democratic presidential elections in Liberia.

Diplomats said they received reports Taylor had been active behind the scenes trying to influence Liberia's elections. The current Security Council president, Russian Ambassdaor Andrey Denisov, said the resolution was intended to send a "strong signal" to Taylor that he would be expected to face trial.

A diplomat from Denmark, co-sponsor of the resolution, called it "more preventive action and now we'll have to work on how we get him extradited" from Nigeria, where he was given asylum in July 2003. "... At least now it tells Taylor to stay out of Liberia."--From CNN Senior U.N. Producer Liz Neisloss (Posted 4:21 p.m.)

Wisconsin man, freed after wrongful conviction on rape, now faces murder charge

(CNN) -- A Wisconsin man who was exonerated after serving an 18-year sentence for a rape conviction now faces first degree homicide charges after human remains were discovered on his property, according to Calumet County officials.

County District Attorney Ken Kratz announced Friday he plans to file the charges before Nov. 15 against Steven Avery. The charges stem from DNA tests that indicate pieces of bone and human teeth found on Avery's property belonged to an adult female, Kratz said.

"There is no longer any question, at least in my mind as the special prosecutor in this case ... who is responsible for, in this case, the death of Teresa Halbach," Kratz said. Halbach, 25, has been missing since Oct. 31 and, according to witnesses' testimony, Avery was the last person to see her alive, he said.

Avery has denied any involvement in Halbach's disappearance, Kratz said. (Posted 4:12 p.m.)

War Crime Tribunal president calls on Serb leaders to turn over Mladic, Karadzic

LONDON (CNN) -- The president of the U.N. International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia urged Serbian officials Friday to "live up to legal obligations" and deliver Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic to the tribunal.

Tribunal President Theodor Meron was in Belgrade for meetings with Serb Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica and Defense Minister Zoran Stankovic.

Meron praised the fact that Serbia has turned over 13 people wanted by the tribunal, but he also told Kostunica "the international community is truly impatient about the endless delays in the fulfillment by Serbia of its remaining international obligations," which include the transfer of Mladic and Karadzic, both charged with war crimes. (Posted 3:01 p.m.)

Syrian-American filmmaker, daughter killed in Jordan terror attack

(CNN) -- Moustapha Akkad, a Syrian-American filmmaker known for producing the prolific "Halloween" horror movies, died Friday from injuries sustained in the Amman, Jordan, hotel attacks, according to the U.S. State Department and a spokeswoman for his film studio.

His daughter, Rima, 34, died Wednesday in the bombings, which killed at least 57 people plus the three suicide attackers. She also had dual Syrian-American citizenship, and lived in Beirut, Lebanon.

The two were reportedly attending the wedding at Amman's Radisson hotel, where most of the deaths occurred. They are two of the three Americans killed by the terror attack.(Posted 2:30 p.m.)

Bush lashes out against critics of his decision to go to war

TOBYHANNA, Pa. (CNN) -- President Bush -- his poll numbers sagging and criticism over an Iraq war growing more shrill, lashed out at his Democratic opponents Friday, saying it is "deeply irresponsible to rewrite how that war began."

Attempting to answer Democratic critics who are accusing his administration of manipulating intelligence to lead American into war in Iraq, Bush said that more than 100 Democratic members of Congress who had access to the same intelligence he had voted to go to war.

Bush said he accepts the "heartbreaking" consequences of a war that has so far killed more than 2,000 American troops, but he said, many who now criticize him voted with him saying, "When I vote to give the president of the United States the authority to use force, if necessary, to disarm Saddam Hussein, it is because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a threat and a grave threat to our security."

Democrats quickly responded. Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid issued a statement saying Bush "resorted to his old playbook of discredited rhetoric about the war on terror and political attacks as his own political fortunes and credibility diminish."

Critics of the administration -- largely, though not exclusively, Democrats -- have disputed Bush's contention that a vote to authorize the possible use of force, if necessary, was tantamount to unconditional support for the war. (Posted 1:31 p.m.)

2 soldiers killed, 2 wounded in accident in Iraq

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Two 3rd Corps Support Command soldiers were killed and two others were injured in a vehicular accident during a combat logistical patrol northwest of Kirkuk Friday, the U.S. military said.

The incident occurred about 6:15 a.m. It brings to 2,065 the numbers of U.S. service members killed in Iraq since the U.S. invasion. (Posted 11:14 a.m.)

Karabila operation goes slowly as Marines battle IEDs

WEST KARABILA, Iraq (CNN) -- Operation Steel Curtain moved into day seven Friday with U.S. Marines and Iraqi soldiers battling an unseen enemy -- improvised explosive devices (IEDs), CNN's Arwa Damon reported.

According to Damon, who is embedded with U.S. troops taking part in the operation, five Marines were injured when they stepped on a pressure plate, exploding a hidden device.

In another incident, Marines spotted what looked like a small bunker along a main road. Inside was a switch hooked to a wireless telephone. Wires leading from the switch led to a crater beneath the road filled with artillery shells and propane tanks.

"Marines said the device had been planted in a crater that had been used in the past to hide an IED," Damon said. "The insurgents simply filled up the crater with explosives again and covered it with asphalt." When the Marines dug out the explosives and set them off "the blast was massive," Damon reported. (Posted 10:31 A.M.)

Jordanian FM: Bombings followed al Qaeda pattern

AMMAN, Jordan (CNN) -- Jordanian Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher said Friday the hotel bombings that killed 57 people follow a pattern used by the al Qaeda terrorist network.

But he told a news conference he could not confirm a web site claim that the bombings were carried out by four Iraqis, including a husband-wife team.

Muasher said Jordan, so far, knows that three male bombers were killed in the attacks.

He said that the attacks had united Jordanians in opposition to terror attacks that target civilians. "There is no cause that can justify the killing of innocent civilians," said Muasher. (Posted 7:44 a.m.)

3 police killed in Baquba shooting

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Gunmen in two vehicles opened fire on a police checkpoint in central Baquba Friday, killing three police officers and wounding two others, police said.

The attack took place around 6:30 a.m. (10:30 p.m. ET), near the Shareef Bridge. The gunmen were in a pickup truck and an Opel. The attack took place near the Shareef bridge in central Baquba.

Later a spokesman for the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division, 3rd Brigade said suspects had been detained and were being questioned. (Posted 7:43 a.m.)

Kofi Annan's son settles legal battle against British newspaper

LONDON (CNN) -- Kojo Annan, the son of United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, on Friday settled a libel case he brought against a British newspaper earlier this year.

Annan sued the Sunday Times for up to £250,000 (or roughly $435,000) after the newspaper published a story in January headlined "Annan's Son admits oil dealings". The article alleged Annan "told a close friend he became involved in negotiations to sell two million barrels of Iraqi oil to a Moroccan company in 2001." But at London's Royal Courts of Justice on Friday, Alastair Brett, a lawyer for the Sunday Times, told a judge the newspaper now "entirely accepts that the allegation was untrue" and apologized for any "distress and embarrassment" the article caused.

Under the settlement, the Sunday Times agreed to pay an undisclosed amount to Annan and reimburse him for his legal costs.

"Today's victory is in respect of one article that appeared in the Sunday Times that I found very offensive and hurtful," Annan, 31, said in a written statement Friday. "It made a very serious accusation -- it was wrong." (Posted 7:26 a.m.)

Civilian bodies found shot to death in Iraq

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Two unidentified civilian bodies were found in two separate locations Friday in Baghdad, emergency police said.

Both had their hands tied behind their backs and were blindfolded. They had been shot in the head execution-style.

The first body was found in the eastern Baghdad neighborhood of Habibiya at 11:45 a.m. (3:45 a.m. ET). The second was found nearly an hour later in the western Baghdad neighborhood of Ghazaliya, police said. (Posted 6:17 a.m.)

Car bomb explodes in eastern Baghdad, wounds police and civilians

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- A car bomb targeting an Iraqi police patrol exploded in eastern Baghdad, wounding three policemen and a civilian, Baghdad emergency police said.

The attack took place in the Nidhal Street neighborhood about 12:35 p.m. (4:35 a.m. ET). The wounded policemen include two traffic officers and one emergency officer, police said. (Updated 5:51 a.m.)

Cargo plane crashes in Afghanistan; casualties reported

(CNN) -- A cargo plane crashed near Kabul, Afghanistan, on Friday, causing an unknown number of injuries, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said.

According to Capt. Micoele Cortese, it was unclear how many people were on board. There are casualties, he said, but officials did not know how many people were injured or the severity of the injuries.

A team has been sent to the crash site, about 30 km (19 miles) northwest of Kabul, for search and rescue operations, he said. The crash occurred between 11 a.m. and noon local time (1:30-2:30 a.m. ET). (Posted 4:59 a.m.)

Death toll in Jordan bombings rises to 57

AMMAN, Jordan (CNN) -- The death toll from three suicide bombings at three hotels in Amman rose to 57 on Friday, according to a report from Jordan's official Petra news agency.

The toll increased Thursday night with the death of Mustafa Akkad, a Syrian-born movie director whose work includes "The Message," according to Jordan's official Petra News Agency. Akkad and his daughter were victims of the Grand Hyatt bombing; his daughter had previously died. Ninety-five people remained hospitalized Friday from injuries sustained in the bombings, Petra reported. (Posted 4:38 a.m.)

Rice in Iraq on surprise visit

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived early Friday in Mosul, Iraq, on a surprise visit, a U.S. embassy representative said.

Rice was greeted by Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq.

After spending a few hours in Mosul, Rice left for Baghdad, where she was expected to meet with Iraqi and U.S. military officials as well as embassy officials, the embassy said. (Updated 3:43 a.m.)

7 'suspected terrorists' die in raid on safe houses in Baghdad

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Coalition forces raided a suspected terrorist safe house in Baghdad Thursday, killing seven members of what was believed to be a cell of al Qaeda in Iraq, a U.S. military statement said.

"The safe house was suspected to be an operational base for a suicide bomber cell with an alleged foreign fighter who was to carry out an attack in the near future," the statement said. "The terrorists were armed with rocket propelled grenades, machine guns, and explosives. One of the armed terrorists killed in the raid was also wearing a suicide bomber vest."

Forces raided two other suspected sites, but no details were provided. (Posted 3:23 a.m.)

Two U.S. soldiers, Marine die in Iraq

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Two U.S. soldiers died Thursday of wounds received from small arms fire while conducting combat operations near al-Khalidiya, the military said early Friday, and a Marine died of wounds received in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack.

The soldiers were assigned to the 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward). No further details of the incident were released.

The Marine, who was assigned to Regimental Combat Team 2, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), died while conducting combat operations in Karabila on Thursday during Operation Steel Curtain.

The names of the soldiers and Marine were withheld pending notification of relatives. Several U.S. Army units are attached to the II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The deaths bring to 2,063 the number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq. (Updated 3:35 a.m.)

First phase of latest round of six-party talks concludes in Beijing

BEIJING (CNN) -- The first phase of the fifth round of six-party talks focusing on North Korea's nuclear weapons program concluded Friday in Beijing after three days, with involved nations saying they are ready to move forward.

The parties -- China, South Korea, North Korea, the United States, Russia and Japan -- have agreed to hold the second phase of talks "at the earliest possible date," Chinese delegation head Wu Dawei said in a statement read at the closing ceremony, according to a report from China's Xinhua news agency.

In September, during the last round of talks, North Korea agreed in principle to give up its entire nuclear program, including weapons -- a landmark agreement that was announced in a joint statement.

In return, the United States, China, Japan, Russia and South Korea "stated their willingness" to provide energy assistance to North Korea, as well as promote economic cooperation and to talk about a civil nuclear energy program for North Korea at "an appropriate time." (posted 2:50 a.m.)

IEDs slow Marines in Karabila during Operation Steel Curtain

HUSAYBA, Iraq (CNN) -- As Operation Steel Curtain moved into day seven, the U.S. and Iraqi militaries had little direct contact with insurgents early Friday, but faced plenty of danger on the streets of Karabila, CNN's Arwa Damon reported.

According to Damon, who is embedded with U.S. troops taking part in the operation, advances through western Karabila slowed to a crawl as troops picked through a "literal minefield" of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). One Marine commander called the IEDs a "very effective enemy," saying they "can lay in wait for days, months and years," not needing food or water.

Marines found at least one bomb-making factory, as well as propane tanks and mortar rounds primed to explode.

During the first phase of Steel Curtain, troops focused on Husayba, a town insurgents are believed to have used as a base -- and a conduit into and out of Syria. Major sweeps there ended Monday. (Posted 2:07 a.m.)

Rove: Conservatives 'will win' debate over judges

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush's chief political adviser Karl Rove told a conservative legal organization Thursday that conservatives are "winning the battle of ideas on almost every front" -- including making huge gains in the fight over the judiciary.

"The outcome of that debate will shape the course of human events," Rove told the Federalist Society. He added, "We are now seeing the fruits of your good works and the good works of many others."

Rove said the recent addition of Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to the highest court, and the nomination of U.S. Circuit Judge Samuel Alito to replace Sandra Day O'Connor, should make conservatives "optimistic and hopeful." (posted 12:35 a.m.)

FDA warns birth control patch users of higher blood clot risk

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Food and Drug Administration Thursday warned millions of women who use the Ortho Evra contraceptive patch that they are being exposed to about 60 percent more estrogen than with a typical birth control pill, which could put them at higher risk for blood clots.

The labels on the medication will be updated with the warning, the FDA said.

Most daily birth control pills contain 35 micrograms of estrogen. The patch releases ethinyl estradiol, an estrogen hormone, and norelgestromin, a progestin hormone, through the skin into the blood stream.

The Ortho Evra patch only needs to be changed once a week and is the only patch approved for birth control. The FDA said in a written statement that doctors and patients should weigh the increased exposure to estrogen against the chance of pregnancy if a birth control pill is not taken daily.

Ortho Evra is made by Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, Ortho McNeil Pharmaceuticals. (Posted 10:24 p.m.)

Miller 'stunned' by criticism from Times colleagues

(CNN) -- Former New York Times reporter Judith Miller said she was "stunned and saddened" by stinging criticism from other Times staffers after her grand jury testimony in the CIA leak investigation, but she insisted her conscience was clear and she "wouldn't change much" about her actions.

Miller, whose retirement from the Times was announced Wednesday, also told CNN's Larry King, in an exclusive interview Thursday, that she was leaving "with no regrets and continued great affection and respect for the paper."

"I'm ready to move on and not to hold grudges, and I have kind of a quaint, old-fashioned idea that you don't trash colleagues and you don't trash an institution you're working for," said Miller, who spent 28 years at the Times.

"I'm not going to trash former colleagues either, or the institution that I've worked for, happily, for so many years."

And while she has retired from the Times, Miller said she plans to continue working as a reporter, although she has not yet made any specific plans for her future. "I'm going to relax and not make any decisions about what I'm going to do," she said. (Posted 10:22 p.m.)

Story Tools

Subscribe to Time for $1.99

Home Page

Get up-to-the minute news from CNN

CNN.com gives you the latest stories and video from the around the world, with in-depth coverage of U.S. news, politics, entertainment, health, crime, tech and more.

Home Page

Get up-to-the minute news from CNN

CNN.com gives you the latest stories and video from the around the world, with in-depth coverage of U.S. news, politics, entertainment, health, crime, tech and more.