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 Tuesday, February 14
Editor's Note: The CNN Wire is a running log of the latest news from CNN World Headquarters, reported by CNN's correspondents and producers, and The CNN Wire editors. Violence across Baghdad kills at least 6 BAGHDAD (CNN) -- At least six people were killed in violence across the Iraqi capital Wednesday, Baghdad Emergency Police said. Three children died in central Baghdad's al Fadhil neighborhood when an improvised explosive device detonated near a grade school A car bomb exploded in eastern Baghdad as a police patrol was passing, killing one civilian and wounding four others. Also Wednesday morning, Capt. Ali Yousef, an Interior Ministry official, and his driver were killed in a drive-by shooting in southwestern Baghdad. (posted 2:55 a.m.) Muslim demonstrators burn buildings in Peshawar LAHORE, Pakistan (CNN) -- Violence erupted in northern Pakistan Wednesday as several thousand demonstrators attacked Danish and other Western interests to protest the publication of caricatures of the Muslim Prophet Mohammed, police said. According to authorities in Peshawar, protesters, many of them students, set on fire a KFC restaurant, a cinema and several buildings as they rampaged through the city. A number of cars and motorcycles were also burned. Police used tear gas to try to break up the crowd. At least two people were killed in violence in Lahore and Islamabad on Tuesday. (posted 2:23 a.m.) Haiti's interim government calls for election review PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (CNN) -- Amid widespread protests in support of presidential hopeful Rene Preval, Haiti's interim government late Tuesday called for a review of election results to investigate accusations of voting fraud and irregularities. The review was ordered just hours after Preval announced he would not accept the election results, saying the counting process was seriously flawed. Preval, a former president who was an ally of ousted former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, appeared headed for a run-off after officials said Monday that he had 48 percent of the vote with 90 percent of the ballots counted. That was just shy of the 50 percent he needed to win outright. The U.N. Security Council Tuesday urged for calm while the remaining ballots are counted. "Members of the Council ... strongly urge all parties to respect the results of the election and refrain from violence," said Josh Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, who is serving as this month's Security Council president. (Posted 10:10 p.m.) House report: Katrina response a 'dismal' failure of leadership WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The response of government at all levels to Hurricane Katrina was "dismal," poorly planned and badly coordinated, showing that more than four years after the 9/11 attacks, "America is still not ready for prime time," a special House committee investigating the disaster has concluded in a scathingly critical report. "It remains difficult to understand how government could respond so ineffectively to a disaster that was anticipated for years, and for which specific dire warnings had been issued for days. This crisis was not only predictable, it was predicted," the committee said in the report, which will be officially released Wednesday. "If 9/11 was a failure of imagination, then Katrina was a failure of initiative. It was a failure of leadership." The panel took Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff to task for waiting until two days after the storm hit to activate a national response plan -- and for appointing Michael Brown, then director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to lead the federal response, even though he was not trained to take on that role. The report also said President Bush did not receive adequate advice and counsel from disaster officials -- and concluded that "earlier presidential involvement might have resulted in a more effective response." The findings of the House investigative committee are all the more striking because the panel consisted of 11 House Republicans and no Democrats, who boycotted the committee after pushing unsuccessfully for an independent probe. -- CNN News Editor Richard Shumate contributed to this report. (Posted 9:16 p.m.) 11,000 unused FEMA mobile homes sink into Arkansas mud HOPE, Ark. (CNN) -- About 450 miles north of the hurricane-battered Gulf Coast, 11,000 mobile homes meant as temporary housing for storm victims are sinking into the Arkansas mud. The mobile homes have been parked for months outside Hope as the Federal Emergency Management Agency grapples with what to do for thousands of people left homeless by Hurricane Katrina. But FEMA regulations prevent them from being placed in a floodplain -- a rule that rules out much of low-lying Louisiana and Mississippi, where Katrina struck Aug. 29. "I think we have been surprised at the number of obstacles in placing manufactured housing," FEMA spokesman David Passey told CNN. FEMA already has spent more than $300 million on the trailers. But now, the agency will have to spend more money to jack them up -- and a Department of Homeland Security report revealed this week that the mobile homes have deteriorated so badly, they eventually might have to be destroyed. -- CNN Correspondent Susan Roesgen contributed to this report. (Posted 9 p.m.) Germany, Austria report deadly strain of bird flu (CNN) -- Germany and Austria reported apparent cases of H5N1 bird flu in wild swans Tuesday, becoming the third and fourth European Union nations to detect the virus that has killed 91 people since 2003, according to the World Health Organization. Italy and Greece reported swan deaths from the highly pathogenic strain on Saturday. Both Germany and Austria -- each of which found the virus in two swans -- said they were sending samples of the dead swans to the EU laboratory in Weybridge, Britain, for further confirmation. (Posted 7:04 p.m.) Car bomb in northern Spain follows ETA warning; no injuries MADRID (CNN) -- A car bomb exploded at a discotheque in northern Spain on Tuesday night, causing damage but no injuries because police had cleared the area after a warning call in the name of the Basque separatist group ETA, an Interior Ministry spokesman told CNN. The blast came just four days after Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said that Spain could be witnessing the "beginning of the end" of ETA, which is blamed for more than 800 deaths in its 37-year fight for Basque independence. The Basque ambulance service DYA received a call just after 7 p.m. (1 p.m. ET) Tuesday in which the caller, speaking for ETA, warned of a bomb that would explode an hour later at La Nuba discotheque in the town of Urdax, in northern Navarra province, a DYA spokeswoman told CNN. Civil Guards rushed to the site and cleared the area. The bomb, in a van parked outside the dance club, went off at 8 p.m., the ministry spokesman said. --From CNN Madrid Bureau Chief Al Goodman (Posted 4:09 p.m.) U.S. officials express 'significant concern' about China trade practices WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Communist leaders in Beijing have failed to adequately implement fair trading practices with the United States and other countries in the years since China joined the rules-based global trading system, U.S. officials conclude in a report released Tuesday. At a news conference, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Portman said, "Our U.S.-China trade relationship lacks equity, durability and balance in the opportunities it provides." He vowed improved enforcement and compliance efforts with China, and announced a shift in staff in his office that includes the assignment to China of a U.S. official who will monitor trading issues. U.S. officials Tuesday afternoon said China had received the report but did not have an immediate response. (Posted 3:42 p.m.) Report pins 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' cost at nearly $364 million WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. military policy regarding homosexuality within its ranks has cost taxpayers almost $364 million, according to a report released Tuesday by the University of California at Santa Barbara. The findings suggest the total cost of implementing the policy -- commonly referred to as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" -- between 1994 and fiscal year 2003 was at least $363.8 million -- $173.3 million or 91 percent more than originally reported by the Government Accounting Office (GAO). The report's authors say they commissioned the research because of what they believed were outdated figures. Researchers for this study used several mathematical computations based on costs associated with training an enlistee, years of service and expenditures for finding and training replacements. --From CNN's Michael McManus (Posted at 3:11 p.m.) Iran resumes nuclear work at Natanz facility (CNN) -- Iran officially resumed nuclear work at its Natanz facility Tuesday, a diplomat close to the International Atomic Energy Agency said. Earlier, the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency quoted Javad Vaeidi, the deputy head for international affairs of the Supreme National Security Council, making the disclosure while addressing a nuclear seminar. The Western diplomat said the Iranians had begun feeding uranium hexafluouride gas into centrifuges at the plant but indicated that the move was not a major one. (Posted 1:52 p.m.) Olmert: Israel will 'review' contacts with Palestinian Authority when Hamas takes power JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Acting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Tuesday that if Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas allows Hamas to take control of the Palestinian government, the Jewish state will "review all of our contacts." "Once the (Palestinian) government is dominated by a majority of Hamas people, it ceases to be the authority that it was, something that Israel is not ready to compromise with," Olmert said in a speech before the leaders of American-Jewish organizations. Hamas will soon take control of the Palestinian Authority, following its success in last month's legislative elections. Olmert asked Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, to disarm Hamas, which is considered a terrorist organization by Israel and the United States. (Posted 1:46 p.m.) Birdshot triggers 'minor' heart attack in wounded Cheney companion CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (CNN) -- The man shot and wounded by Vice President Dick Cheney has suffered a "minor heart attack" after a piece of birdshot migrated and became lodged in his heart, a hospital spokesman said Tuesday. Austin, Texas, lawyer Harry Whittington was still in stable condition as doctors decided how to treat the condition, which was discovered after doctors noticed an irregularity in his heartbeat, said Peter Banko, a spokesman for Christus Spohn Memorial Hospital. Dr. David Blanchard, the hospital's emergency room chief, said Whittington suffered an "asymptomatic heart attack," without displaying symptoms such as chest pains or breathing difficulty. He said a roughly 5 mm piece of shot became lodged in or alongside Whittington's heart muscle, causing the organ's upper two chambers to beat irregularly. (Posted 1:42 p.m.) Tulane Hospital ER reopens nearly 6 months after Katrina NEW ORLEANS (CNN) -- Nearly six months after Hurricane Katrina slammed into New Orleans, leaving a foot and a half of water in Tulane University Hospital and causing some $90 million in damage to the facility, the hospital reopened on a limited basis Tuesday after renovations, providing the city with another downtown emergency room. About 65 patient beds -- a fourth of the hospital's capacity before the storm -- has also reopened, along with at least four operating rooms. But hospital officials focused on the emergency room, saying critical care is among the city's greatest needs. The only emergency room operating downtown has been a tent set up inside the convention center. It operates solely as a triage center. (Posted 1:38 p.m.) CAIR launches educational campaign in wake of cartoon controversy WASHINGTON (CNN) -- In response to international protests after a Danish newspaper published caricatures of Islam's prophet, Mohammed, the Council on American-Islamic Relations on Tuesday kicked off an educational campaign focusing on Mohammed's life and legacy, hoping to increase the public's understanding of the prophet and the religion. "This is not meant to convert. It is not meant to evangelize or proselytize," said Nihad Awad, CAIR's executive director. Many people in the West, he said, likely do not understand why the cartoons were insulting to Muslims -- who object to depictions not only of Mohammed, but of any prophet. (Posted 12:53 p.m.) Girl's killer: 'I'm truly sorry for my actions' (CNN) -- Facing a possible death penalty for raping and killing 11-year-old Carlie Brucia after kidnapping her -- an abduction captured on videotape -- a tearful Joseph P. Smith asked a judge to sentence him to life in prison without parole instead, citing the possible effect on his mother and his children if he is sent to Florida's death row. "I never would have expected or believed that I could commit this horrible crime," Smith told Sarasota County Circuit Judge Andrew Owens on Tuesday. "I want to tell you, and Carlie's family, and my family, and this community, how very sorry I am for these terrible crimes. Every day I think about what I did, and I beg God for forgiveness." Smith, 39, was convicted in November in the death of Carlie, who was abducted from outside a car wash near Sarasota in February 2004. Her body was found five days later, miles from where she was last seen. (Posted 11:34 a.m.) Israelis shoot back after rockets fired from Gaza, army says GAZA CITY (CNN) -- Explosions heard Tuesday in northern Gaza came from Israeli artillery fire, according to Palestinian security sources and the Israeli army. The Israeli army said it was firing artillery at an area it said was used by Palestinians to fire rockets at Israel. The Palestinians said the source of the explosions was Israeli tank shells fired at the area. The Israeli army said that Palestinians launched two Qassam rockets into Israel on Tuesday -- one landing in an open field in southern Israel and the other hitting a southern industrial zone. (Posted 11:01 a.m.) Judge bars Moussaoui from jury selection ALEXANDRIA, Va. (CNN) -- The judge presiding over the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui has barred the defendant from the rest of jury selection. Moussaoui, 37, a French citizen of Moroccan parents, goes on trial next month before a jury that will decide whether he will be executed or be sentenced to life in prison for participating in al Qaeda's conspiracy to hijack airplanes and crash them into landmark buildings. Individual interviews with prospective jurors begin Wednesday in open court. A pool of more than 400 last week filled out lengthy questionnaires probing their background and views. Moussaoui pleaded guilty to the terrorism conspiracy last year without admitting doing anything specific for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. (Posted 10:45 a.m.) Israel Radio: Omri Sharon sentenced to 9 months in prison, $64K fine for role in campaign fundraising scandal JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's son Omri was sentenced Tuesday to nine months in prison and given a $64,000 (300,000 shekels) fine for his role in a campaign fundraising scandal, his attorney, Navit Negev said. Sharon's lawyers will appeal the sentence, which has been postponed until Aug. 31 to allow for the appeal, Negev said. "The sentence is exceptionally harsh," he said. "It should be noted that Sharon pleaded guilty and took full responsibility for his act. He resigned from the Knesset (Israeli parliament) and paid an expensive price." Omri Sharon, 41, pleaded guilty on Nov. 15 to fraudulent registration of corporate documents, breach of corporate trust and lying under oath. He was accused of receiving millions of dollars from various corporations in Israel and overseas, for his father's campaign in the 1999 primaries for the Likud leadership -- amount that far exceeds the monetary limits set by Israel's Party Law. Ariel Sharon, 77, remains comatose and in critical condition at a Jerusalem hospital after suffering a major stroke on Jan. 4. (Updated, 9:31 a.m.) Coalition soldier killed in western Baghdad BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Two attacks in Baghdad on Tuesday killed one coalition soldier and wounded six others, the U.S. military said. The military press office said it did not know the nationality of the victims. Capt. Bill Roberts said a roadside bomb targeted a military vehicle at 10:30 a.m. in Abu Ghraib, western Baghdad, killing one soldier and wounding two others. About an hour later, another coalition convoy was attacked in the Baghdad's western Salaam area, wounding four soldiers. (Posted, 8:25 a.m.) Saddam, in pronouncement during trial, says he's on a hunger strike BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, on trial for alleged war crimes in the 1980s after a government crackdown in a small Iraqi town, informed the court on Tuesday that he has been on a hunger strike to protest his treatment. Hussein broke the news on the second straight day of a slow-moving trial that began in October and since has been marked by delays, confusion and chaos. After three witnesses testified on Tuesday, Chief Judge Raouf Rasheed Abdel-Rahman adjourned the proceeding to Feb. 28. "We have been on a hunger strike for three days in protest against the treatment from you and your masters," Hussein said, a reference to the U.S. occupation of Iraq. Others have indicated they are on hunger strikes. (Updated, 9:32 a.m.) Deaths, injuries reported in Iraqi violence BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Violence struck Baghdad over the last 24 hours, with several bombings, including one that killed a coalition soldier, and a shooting that claimed the life of a local police officer. Also four bullet-riddled bodies were found in the capital. In other towns, fighting persisted. An Iraqi Army major and his son were killed in Taji, north of Baghdad. U.S. soldiers killed an insurgent in fighting near Samarra, north of Baghdad, and a top police official was injured in an assasination attempt in Baquba, northeast of the capital. Other people were wounded the bombings and shootings, which have been staged daily in Iraq war, entering its fourth year next month. (Posted 8:59 a.m.) Retail sales surge in January NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Strong auto sales combined with holiday gift card redemptions resulted in much stronger-than-expected January retail sales in the critical post-holiday month. The Commerce Department said retail sales rose 2.3 percent, trumping analysts' expectations, versus a 0.7 percent gain the previous month. Excluding volatile automobile sales, retail sales also blew past forecasts, rising a robust 2.2 percent from a much weaker 0.2 percent in December. Economists, on average, expected sales to rise 0.9 percent and sales excluding autos to rise 0.8 percent, according to Briefing.com. (Posted 8:43 a.m.) Basra provincial council cuts ties with Danish, British contingencies BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Basra's provincial council has cut ties for the time being with the Danish and British contingencies in Basra, Mohammad Zaher Sadoun, the council's head, told CNN on Tuesday. The move -- which calls for what a British official referred to as a "period of noncooperation" -- comes amid the raging Muslim cartoon protests and alleged beatings of Iraqis by British troops. The council demanded the withdrawal of Danish troops, which are under British command in southeastern Iraq, and an apology to all Muslims worldwide from the Danish government amid the publications of caricatures of Islam's Prophet Mohammed in a Danish newspaper. (Posted, 8:25 a.m.) Muslim protesters rampage in Lahore, 2 killed; protests also in Islamabad LAHORE (CNN) -- Two people were killed on Tuesday in anti-cartoon demonstrations in the Pakistani city of Lahore. Protesters rampaged through the streets of Lahore and Islamabad Tuesday, burning businesses and attacking Danish and Western interests in a protest over the publication of caricatures of the Muslim Prophet Mohammed, police said. In Lahore, protesters burned more than a dozen buildings including the provincial assembly building, a pair of banks, the offices of Norwegian cell phone company Telenor and a Kentucky Fried Chicken. Police responded with tear gas as authorities called in Pakistani paramilitary forces. Ahead of the scheduled demonstration, all businesses in Lahore closed protectively. In Islamabad, protesters attacked the Foreign Ministry building, as well as Telenor offices, police said. --From CNN's Syed Mohsin Naqvi (Updated, 8:25 a.m.) Hariri supporters rally, one year after his slaying BEIRUT (CNN) -- A year after the brutal slaying of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, hundreds of thousands of supporters gathered in Martyrs Square Tuesday to celebrate his life and sustain political support for the country's so-called Cedar Revolution that swept Syrian troops out of the country last year. Saad Hariri, Rafik's son and political heir, led the commemoration and a number of political leaders were addressing the crowd. Marking the time of the deadly explosion, a moment of silence was held at about 12:55 p.m. (5:55 a.m. ET) The ongoing U.N. investigation into Hariri's death has so far found evidence it believes indicates top-ranked Syrian and Lebanese officials were involved in the killing of Hariri, who died in a massive explosion when his motorcade was bombed in Beirut last February. The probe also criticized the level of Syrian cooperation and urged Damascus to be more forthcoming with investigators. (Posted 8:25 a.m.) Cheney cleared in hunting accident but WH still faces questions CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (CNN) -- Texas authorities have cleared Vice President Dick Cheney of any wrongdoing in the weekend shooting of a hunting companion while stalking quail in south Texas, but the White House faced tough questions Monday over its delay in disclosing the accident. The state Parks and Wildlife Department issued Cheney a warning for not possessing a required stamp on his hunting license, but the sheriff's deputies announced there was "no alcohol or misconduct involved in the incident." "This department is fully satisfied that this was no more than a hunting accident," the Kenedy County Sheriff's Department announced in a statement issued Monday evening. (Posted 7:42 a.m.) Rape trial of former South African deputy president postponed JOHANNESBURG (CNN) -- The rape trial of former South African Deputy President Jacob Zuma was postponed Tuesday until March 6, according to the semi-official South African Press Association. Zuma is accused of raping a 31-year-old AIDS activist who is also a family friend. The incident allegedly took place on Nov. 2, at one of his residences. On Monday, the first day of the trial, the defense successfully persuaded Judge Bernard Ngoepe to recuse himself from the proceedings because he is the same judge who authorized a warrant for a raid on Zuma's home last year. That raid was connected to unrelated corruption charges. (Posted 6:15 a.m.) IRNA: Iran resumes nuclear work at Natanz facility (CNN) -- Iran officially resumed nuclear work at its Natanz facility Tuesday, the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported. Javad Vaeidi, the deputy head of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) for International Affairs, made the disclosure while addressing a nuclear seminar, according to IRNA. (Posted 4:15 a.m.) 
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