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 Monday, December 12
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. Firefighters battle flames for a 3rd day HEMEL HEMPSTEAD, England (CNN) -- After pulling back for safety's sake, British firefighters resumed their battle against a stubborn fuel depot fire north of London early Tuesday, police said. Firefighters have been battling flames at up to 10 storage tanks that are still burning after Sunday's massive pre-dawn explosions. The well-fueled fires are proving difficult to extinguish more than two days after they began. For a time overnight, fire crews pulled back from the tanks as authorities feared for their safety. Using fire suppressant foam and water, the firefighters successfully put down fires Monday in a number of other tanks at Buncefield Oil Depot near Hemel Hempstead and kept the flames away from several more after the blasts, which injured 43 people. (posted 1:55 a.m.) Earthquake rattles Fiji (CNN) -- A strong undersea earthquake rocked the Fiji region Tuesday afternoon, according to the U.S. Geological Survey Web site. The epicenter for the magnitude 6.3 quake was located 155 miles (255 km) east-northeast of Lambasa, Fiji, striking at 3:16 p.m. (10:16 p.m. ET). There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. Fiji Broadcasting reported feeling the temblor in the capital, Suva. Poll: Most Americans say Bush doesn't have victory plan for Iraq WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Despite a series of recent speeches spelling out the administration's policies on Iraq, the majority of Americans in a new CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll said they do not believe President Bush has a plan that will achieve victory in Iraq. Fifty-eight percent of those polled said Bush doesn't have a clear plan on Iraq, compared to 38 percent who said they believe Bush does have a plan for victory. At the same time, the poll found that 63 percent of the respondents believe Iraqis have made real progress toward establishing a democratic state over the past two years. Thirty-four percent said they don't believe Iraq has made real democratic strides. The poll, released Monday night, was conducted with 1,003 Americans who were interviewed by telephone Friday through Sunday. It has a sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points. The results follow efforts by Bush and other administration officials to tout what they bill as a "National Strategy for Victory in Iraq." Earlier in the day, President Bush gave his third of four speeches designed to boost support for the war and the administration's handling of it. (Posted 10:23 p.m.) Supreme Court rejects appeal for Tookie Williams WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. Supreme Court late Monday refused to stay the execution of convicted killer Stanley Tookie Williams, clearing the way for him to die by lethal injection early Tuesday. Williams, the co-founder of the notorious Crips street gang, was convicted of killing four people in two 1979 robberies in Los Angeles. He is scheduled to be put to death by lethal injection at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday (3:01 a.m. ET) at the California state prison at San Quentin. His lawyers had asked the Supreme Court to stay the execution and to take up the case for review. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger denied Williams' clemency petition earlier Monday, and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco refused to block the execution. -- From CNN Producer Bill Mears (Posted 9:45 p.m.) Lebanon wants international probe into attacks on Syria critics BEIRUT (CNN) -- A stormy Cabinet session Monday ended with a call for an international investigation into a string of high-profile attacks on critics of Syrian involvement of Lebanon, spurring five pro-Syrian ministers to suspend participation in the government. Prime Minister Fouad Siniora called the emergency session after Gebran Tueni, an anti-Syrian member of Lebanon's parliament and a prominent journalist, was killed by a powerful car bomb in eastern Beirut. The blast killed three others, destroyed more than half a dozen vehicles and shattered windows in buildings hundreds of meters away. The bombing prompted international condemnation and came on the same day that a new U.N. report on the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri reaffirmed the belief that top-ranked Syrian and Lebanese officials were involved in that killing. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tueni's death was a "vicious act of terror against a Lebanese patriot and voice of freedom. That voice will not be silenced." (Posted 7:19 p.m.) C HEMEL HEMPSTEAD, England (CNN) -- Firefighters battled blazes at up to 10 tanks still burning Monday after Sunday's massive explosions at a British fuel depot north of London. Using fire suppressant foam and water, the firefighters successfully put down fires in a number of other tanks at Buncefield Oil Depot near Hemel Hempstead and kept the flames away from several more after the blasts, which injured 43 people. The fire department there said they were "making good progress" against the fire. Fire and environmental officials said Monday morning they were taking steps to tackle the blaze without polluting local water supplies. (Posted 6:17 p.m.) Polls: Number of Bush's strong critics nearly doubles his strong supporters WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Americans gave President Bush slightly higher marks than last month in a new CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll out Monday, but the number of those who strongly disapprove of his job performance now nearly doubles the president's ardent supporters. Bush's approval rating of 42 percent was up 5 points from his all-time low of 37 percent, a mark he hit in the second week of November. Both polls had a sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. But while Bush's approval rating went up, he made no inroads in swaying his critics, with those who strongly disapprove of his job performance reaching a new high. According to the poll, 43 percent of the 1,006 adult Americans interviewed by telephone Friday through Sunday strongly disapprove of Bush's job handling -- nearly double the 22 percent who said they strongly approve of Bush. Another 20 percent said they moderately approve of his job performance, while 12 percent said they moderately disapprove. (Posted 5:53 p.m.) Quake rattles Afghanistan, Pakistan LAHORE, Pakistan (CNN) -- An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.7 shook southeastern Afghanistan and northern Pakistan early Tuesday, just two months after a magnitude 7.6 quake killed tens of thousands in Pakistan. The quake was centered in the Hindu Kush mountains of Afghanistan and struck about 2:17 a.m. (4:47 p.m. ET), the U.S. Geological Survey reported. (Posted 5:26 p.m.) TSA chief defends new scissors policy WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The head of the Transportation Security Administration went to Capitol Hill Monday to defend his plan to allow passengers to bring small scissors and tools on commercial planes beginning in 10 days, saying some small objects no longer present the threat to airlines they did on Sept. 11, 2001. Edmund "Kip" Hawley listed 14 "interlocking layers of protection" that he said now protect aviation and said it is time to remove some "stop-gap" measures put into place immediately after the 9/11 terror attacks. Commercial aviation is now "orders of magnitude" safer than it was because of international efforts to hunt down terrorists, domestic efforts to vet airline passengers, and the willingness of passengers to fight, if necessary, to counter a terrorist attack, Hawley said. But Committee Chairman Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, said he would consider legislation to prevent the change. And Pat Friend, international president of the Association of Flight Attendants, said that while she agrees that the TSA should focus on bombs, it shouldn't be done by ignoring other threats. --From CNN Producer Mike M. Ahlers (Posted 5:20 p.m.) Sen. Stevens wants tighter limits on airline passengers' carry-ons WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, is considering legislation to limit the size of carry-on luggage, saying the suitcases he sees going into airplane cabins are far too large. As he presided over a hearing on airline security, it was clear the issue of baggage size was a hot-button for him. Stevens, who has one of the longest commutes of any elected official in the country, said overstuffed luggage is a frustration and a security problem, adding to search time as passengers go through screening. He seemed to push for tightening of both size and quantity limits for airline passengers, and told the Transportation Security Administration chief, Edmund "Kip" Hawley, "I'm going to think about legislation to limit what a person can carry on a commercial aircraft." --From CNN's Lisa Goddard (Posted 4:38 p.m.) Schwarzenegger, appeals court refuse to block execution of condemned gang leader SAN QUENTIN, Calif. (CNN) -- California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has denied clemency for convicted killer Stanley Tookie Williams, leaving the co-founder of the Crips street gang facing death by lethal injection early Tuesday. "The possible irregularities in Williams' trial have been thoroughly and carefully reviewed by the courts, and there is no reason to disturb the judicial decisions that uphold the jury's decisions that he is guilty of these four murders and should pay with his life," Schwarzenegger said in a five-page statement explaining his decision. In addition, a three-judge panel of the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused to stay Williams' execution Monday, rejecting an affidavit from Williams' lawyers that suggested the onetime gang leader was framed for the killings of four people during two 1979 robberies. There was no immediate reaction from his lawyers to the two decisions, which were released just minutes apart Monday afternoon. Unless the full 9th Circuit or the U.S. Supreme Court intervenes, Williams is scheduled to be put to death at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday (3:01 a.m. ET) at San Quentin State Prison, near San Francisco. (Posted 4:31 p.m.) Former top State Dept. official linked to female Taiwanese spy pleads guilty WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A former high-ranking State Department official linked to a female Taiwanese spy pleaded guilty Monday to removing thousands of highly classified documents from his office and lying to investigators. Career diplomat Donald Keyser, 62, pleaded guilty in federal court in Alexandria, Va., to four criminal counts that carry a total maximum possible sentence of 13 years in prison. He will be sentenced Feb. 24. Prosecutors say he removed more than 3,600 government documents, including material classified as "Top Secret," to his Fairfax, Va., home between 1992 and 2004. "From 2002 to September 2004, Keyser had an undisclosed personal relationship with a female Taiwanese national, Isabelle Cheng, who was employed by the National Intelligence Bureau, which is the foreign intelligence agency of the government of Taiwan," the Justice Department said in a statement released Monday. --From Justice Producer Terry Frieden (Posted 1:56 p.m.) Judge orders FEMA hotel-room payments extended to Feb. 7 NEW ORLEANS (CNN) -- A federal judge in New Orleans Monday extended a Federal Emergency Management Agency deadline on Hurricane Katrina evacuees living in hotels by one more month, until February 7. Judge Stanwood Duval issued a temporary restraining order to prevent FEMA from ending the program that pays for evacuees' hotel rooms. FEMA originally set a deadline of Nov. 30 for evacuees living in hotel rooms paid for by the government. It extended that first to Dec. 7, and last week stretched it to Jan. 7, but only for the people living in the 10 states with the most people displaced by Katrina. On Sunday, the agency extended the deadline for residents in all states. (Posted 1:49 p.m.) New Mehlis report still points at Syrian involvement in Hariri assassination UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- The latest report from U.N. investigator Detlev Mehlis says investigators still believe that "top-ranked Syrian and Lebanese officials" were involved in the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The investigation into the claims of witness Hussam Taher Hussam, who has been giving interviews and appearing on Syrian television recanting his testimony, is continuing, says the report. However, the report also says, "The commission has learned that, before his current trip to Syria, Mr. Hussam provided to close friends an account of the assassination that was similar to the account" he provided to investigators. Also, the report adds, investigators have evidence that just before he recanted his statement, "Syrian officials had arrested and threatened some of Mr. Hussam's close relatives in Syria." The 25-page report refers to the "slow pace" of Syrian cooperation, saying "it is up to the Syrian authorities to be more forthcoming in order to make headway in a process that will be most probably a long one if it is to be judged against the pace of progress to date." Since his first report, Mehlis' new report says, the investigation continues to find new elements that "reinforce" the prior conclusions. (Posted 1:12 p.m.) High court agrees to hear Texas redistricting case WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Supreme Court agreed Monday to delve into the controversy over a Texas voter redistricting plan promoted by Republicans, including Rep. Tom DeLay. The measure led to the 2004 ouster of five Democratic incumbents in Congress, and sparked a bitter partisan battle. Underlying the appeals are claims the Texas congressional map unfairly reduced minority voting strength. However, the court is likely to consider more narrow legal arguments: whether courts can fashion a proper remedy when partisan gerrymandering is judged excessive; and whether states can remake their congressional map twice in the same decade when a valid plan already exists. Two hours of oral arguments in the four consolidated appeals will likely be heard next April. --From CNN Supreme Court Producer Bill Mears (Posted 1:04 p.m.) Early voting begins in Iraq BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Early voting began Monday for Iraqi patients, soldiers and prisoners ahead of Thursday's general election for parliament, and expatriates will begin three days of voting in 15 countries on Tuesday. Former dictator Saddam Hussein and his seven co-defendants, charged with human rights abuses, won't be among the prisoners voting, according to the U.S. military's detainee operations unit. Only prisoners who have not been charged with a crime are eligible to vote. Iraq has already closed its international borders and imposed a 10 p.m.-to-7 a.m. curfew in a 5 km "demilitarized zone" along those borders for the election period, the country's interior minister said Sunday. Minister Bayan Jabr said the restrictions were put in place Dec. 2 and will be in effect for 30 days. "The international crossing borders and the borders and passageways for travelers between Iraq and Syria will be closed with the exception of the commercial trucks authorized by the Iraqi government," Jabr said. "We didn't only close the Syrian borders, we closed all the borders," he said. (Posted 12:20 p.m.) Bush likens struggle for Iraqi democracy to birth of United States PHILADELPHIA (CNN) -- President Bush on Monday compared the struggle to build a democracy in Iraq to the troubled birth of the United States, in a bid to gain more support for keeping U.S. troops in the Gulf nation. "It took a four-year civil war and a century of struggle after that before the promise of our Declaration (of Independence) was extended to all Americans," Bush said in a speech to the World Affairs Council. "It is important to keep this history in mind as we look at the progress of freedom and democracy in Iraq. No nation in history has made the transition to a free society without facing challenges, setbacks and false starts." In the city where the Declaration of Independence was signed and the country's Constitution debated, Bush said that strategy includes helping restore the Iraqi economy, building up Iraqi security forces to battle the insurgents and aiding the fledgling democracy in becoming a stable institution. (Posted 11:50 a.m.) Mistrial declared in federal Vioxx trial NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The judge in the federal trial in the latest Vioxx lawsuit against Merck declared a mistrial Monday, a spokesman for the plaintiff's law firm said. Judge Eldon Fallon, presiding over the third Vioxx suit against the drug against Merck, "declared a mistrial early this morning and thanked the jury for their hard work, but they couldn't reach a verdict," said a spokesman for the firm, Beasley Allen. He said another jury would be selected in the next two weeks. The non-sequestered jury in the Plunkett v. Merck trial began deliberations Thursday. Evelyn Irvin Plunkett of St. Augustine, Fla., sued Merck for the 2001 death of her late husband, Richard Irvin, a Vioxx patient who died in 2001. Irvin took the arthritis painkiller for about one month. The nation's second-largest drugmaker still faces about 6,500 lawsuits over the arthritis painkiller that it pulled from the market on Sept. 30, 2004, after a study showed an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes in patients using Vioxx for at least 18 months. (Posted 10:37 a.m.) Appeals court, Schwarzenegger consider witness who says Williams was framed LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- Convicted killer Stanley Tookie Williams looked Monday to the California governor and a federal appeals court for news that could stop his execution -- scheduled for early Tuesday morning -- based on an affidavit from a new witness who said the co-founder of the Crips street gang was framed. Jan Handzlik, one of Williams' attorneys, told CNN the defense was "disappointed" with Sunday's decision by the California Supreme Court to reject an appeal, but said his client was "cautiously optimistic" that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger would grant a stay or clemency. "We were very grateful that the governor held a private hearing to allow us to fully and completely state our position," Handzlik said on "American Morning." "Allowed both sides to do so. We feel optimistic and confident because we think that that Mr. Williams is worth much more alive than dead." Handzlik offered no details about the new witness, but according to a copy of the declaration filed by Williams attorneys with the court, the witness' name was Gordon Bradbury von Ellerman, a jail trustee who had been incarcerated with Williams at the Los Angeles County Jail from 1979 to 1980. (Posted 10 a.m.) Trooper shot and killed in traffic stop (CNN) -- A Pennsylvania state trooper was shot and killed early Monday as he conducted a traffic stop just west of Pittsburgh, a spokeswoman for the state police confirmed to CNN. Trooper Robin Mungo said troopers and officers from several agencies were involved in the investigation and the search for the suspects in the shooting. "We have some good information and we're hoping that by the end of the day we will have gotten everyone involved," she said. Mungo said the shooting took place around 2 a.m. in the parking lot of an Extended Stay Motel about three miles west of Pittsburgh, just off the Parkway. The dead trooper's name was not released. (Posted 9:39 a.m.) French police arrest 20 in terror investigation PARIS (CNN) -- French police said Monday they had rounded up 20 people in connection with an ongoing terrorism investigation. Police officials said they were investigating the funding of terrorism and possible terror attacks. None were immediately charged and for the moment they are just being questioned, authorities said. The arrests took place in the Ile de France, which includes Paris and its suburbs, and in the L'Oise, north of Paris in the Picardy region. According to reports in the French media, most of those arrested were Tunisians or Algerians. -- CNN Correspondent Jim Bittermann contributed to this report (Posted 7:42 a.m.) Crews attack UK depot fire with foam HEMEL HEMPSTEAD, England (CNN) -- Firefighters battled blazes at three tanks still burning Monday following Sunday's massive explosions at a British fuel depot north of London. Using fire suppressant foam and water, the firefighters successfully put down fires in ten other tanks at Buncefield Oil Depot near Hemel Hempstead and kept the flames away from seven more after the blasts, which injured 43 people and were felt 40 miles away in west London. The fire department there said they were "making good progress" against the fire. Fire and environmental officials spent much of the night discussing how to tackle the blaze without polluting local water supplies. (Posted 6:58 a.m.) Inspection at Iraqi detention facility reportedly turns up more signs of abuse BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Less than a month after the discovery of an Iraqi Interior Ministry compound housing dozens of detainees -- some showing signs of abuse -- a Human Rights Ministry inspection team found "a number of problems" at another such facility. The team, made up of Human Rights Ministry inspectors and representatives from the inspector general's offices of several other ministries, visited the facility on Dec. 8 and questioned 625 detainees "about their treatment, the quality of services received and their health." Lt. Col. Guy Rudisill said U.S. forces were also part of the inspection team. "The team discovered a number of problems, which the ministries of Interior and Human Rights are working together to correct," a statement from the Human Rights Ministry said. "The facility was overcrowded. ... Thirteen of the detainees were removed from the detention facility to receive medical treatment." Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Ja'afari, who ordered a series of inspections following the discovery last month of an Interior Ministry compound that held more than 160 prisoners, some of whom showed signs of torture, said, "We do not tolerate any violation of human rights for detainees." (Posted 7:14 a.m.) Car bombing kills opposition politician BEIRUT (CNN) -- A journalist and anti-Syrian member of Lebanon's parliament was killed Monday morning when a massive car bomb exploded in an eastern Beirut suburb, opposition officials told CNN. A Red Cross worker at the scene said the blast killed four people. Gebran Tueni, the head of An-Nahar newspaper, died in the explosion that destroyed more than half a dozen vehicles and shattered windows in buildings for hundreds of meters. A high-ranking Lebanese security source said Tueni's cell phone and laptop computer were found at the site of the bombing. (posted 4:35 a.m.) U.S. soldier dies in suicide car bomb attack BAGHDAD (CNN) -- A U.S. soldier was killed Sunday in a suicide car bombing in Iraq's Anbar province west of Baghdad, a military statement said. The soldier, "assigned to the 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), was killed ... while conducting combat operations against the enemy," near Ramadi, about 65 miles (105 km) west of Baghdad. Several U.S. Army units are attached to II MEF (Fwd) during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Since the start of the war, 2,143 U.S. troops have died in Iraq. (posted 2:25 a.m.) Explosion rocks central Athens; terrorism suspected ATHENS (CNN) -- A massive explosion shook central Athens Monday morning, causing extensive damage to an area near the Finance Ministry and the central post office, a ministry spokesman said. There were no reports of casualties and no claim of responsibility. A senior police source said investigators are treating the blast as if it were a terrorist attack and deem it "a very serious incident." Authorities had advance notice of the blast as an anonymous warning call was placed at 5:30 a.m. to Eleftherotytia, a left wing newspaper, and were able to clear a four to five block area. (posted 2:20 a.m.) Delta pilots accept 15 percent pay cut amid bankruptcy ATLANTA (CNN) -- Leaders of the 6,500 unionized pilots for Delta Air Lines have agreed to a 15 percent pay cut, the company announced Sunday, temporarily averting a threatened strike that analysts warned might kill the bankrupt carrier. Sunday's interim deal must be approved by the union's membership by Dec. 28. It calls for a 14 percent cut in hourly pay and another 1 percent in other pay and cost items, according to a statement issued by the airline. Delta had asked a bankruptcy court judge in New York to suspend its contract with the pilots. Members of the Air Line Pilots Association decided Thursday to strike if the move was successful and authorized leaders to call a strike vote if no deal was reached by Dec. 16. (Posted 10:20 p.m.) Bachelet faces runoff in bid to become Chile's first female president SANTIAGO, Chile (CNN) -- A onetime political prisoner vying to become Chile's first female president will face a conservative airline and broadcasting tycoon in a Jan. 15 runoff after falling short of a majority in Sunday's presidential election. Defense Minister Michelle Bachelet, a Socialist, led her rivals by a wide margin in Sunday's election, but fell short of the 50 percent-plus needed to avoid a Jan. 15 runoff. With 98 percent of the votes counted, Bachelet had 45.9 percent of the vote. Her closest rival was Sebastian Pinera, a Harvard-trained economist and the owner of the Chilean airline LAN, with 25.5 percent. Another conservative, Joaquin Lavin, conceded defeat after garnering just 23.3 percent and endorsed Pinera in the runoff. Leftist candidate Tomas Hirsh trailed the pack with 5.4 percent, according to results from the country's Interior Ministry. (Posted 10:10 p.m.) 
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