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 Thursday, March 23
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. Three police and four bakery workers die in two morning attacks BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Gunmen attacked a bakery in southwest Baghdad Friday morning, killing four workers, and left behind a bomb that killed a police officer who rushed to the scene to investigate the shooting, Baghdad police said. Two hours later, an attack on a police patrol in western Baghdad killed two police officers, police said. The first attack began at 7 a.m. when attackers opened fire on a bakery in the Saydiyah section of southwest Baghdad. Four bakery workers were killed and one was wounded by the gunfire, police said. The attackers left a package behind inside the bakery and it exploded when an investigator opened it. That officer was killed and another police officer was wounded, police said. The second attack happened at 9 a.m. in the Mansur section of western Baghdad. Police said gunmen opened fire on a police patrol, killing two officers and wounding a third. (posted 2:45 a.m.) Authorities detain, question wife in death of western Tennessee minister SELMER, Tenn. (CNN) -- Authorities were to question the wife of a western Tennessee minister who was found shot to death in a church parsonage Wednesday night. After a nationwide Amber Alert, 32-year-old Mary Winkler and the couple's three young daughters were found Thursday evening in the Alabama coastal town of Orange Beach, nearly 350 miles away. "At approximately 7:30, we located the vehicle -- stopped the vehicle," said Assistant Police Chief Greg Duck of the Orange Beach Police Dept. "We do have a female that has been detained. It's been turned over to the ABI (Alabama Bureau of Investigation)." Duck refused to call Winkler a suspect in the case, but said she was being detained and questioned. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) said it was sending agents to southern Alabama to talk with Winkler as well. "I would say she is a suspect at this time, just do to the nature of this," said the TBI's John Mehr. (posted 1 a.m.) Treasury Department may look at previous unreviewed ports deal WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. Treasury Department is now deciding whether a Dubai government-owned company improperly avoided a national security review before it purchased a British firm that is a leading marine service provider, CNN has learned. The Dubai-owned company, Istithmar, closed the deal with Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS) in January and now provides maritime services at more than a dozen U.S. ports. In addition, it provides U.S. Navy vessels docked at ports in the Middle East and elsewhere with fresh food, water taxis for transport, rental cars and other port-related services. CNN has learned that in the wake of the DP World controversy, the Treasury Department is taking a hard look at a number of recent foreign purchases of operations in the United States, including the Istithmar-ISS deal. A senior official at the Treasury Department confirmed that it asked the company for additional information two weeks ago and said Istithmar provided that material last week. But the official insisted that the department looked at this deal "because it is a transaction that may have an impact on national security" and not because of the furor surrounding DP World. --From CNN's Andrea Koppel (Posted 6:29 p.m.) Inspector general report cites problems in fed funding to combat meth WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Hundreds of millions of federal dollars spent to combat the growing use of powerfully addictive methamphetamine may have been funneled to the wrong places, according to a new report by the Justice Department's inspector general. The Justice Department has administered nearly $400 million in the eight years since Congress authorized the Meth Initiative, and the report documents the extent to which the spending did not always go to localities where meth labs were most prevalent. For instance, Hawaii was among states that reported the fewest meth lab seizures but was fourth among the 50 states in receiving federal funds. Vermont and South Dakota were also among states with relatively little reported meth activity compared with their substantial funding. --From Justice Producer Terry Frieden (Posted 6:09 p.m.) Rice urges international community take swift action on Iran WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday that the international community must move swiftly to contain Iran's nuclear ambitions. "The United Nations Security Council now has the Iran dossier," she told reporters after meeting with the Greek foreign minister. She said a presidential statement on the matter will be forthcoming from the United Nations. It will reaffirm the understandings reached in January in London by the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany and reaffirmed Feb. 4 by the board of governors and Russia, she said. "We need to have this statement and to make clear that the international community is united in demanding that Iran return to a posture that is consistent with its NPT (nuclear non-proliferation treaty) obligations and consistent with the international community's need to know that Iran is indeed conducting a peaceful nuclear program." (Posted 5:59 p.m.) Victims of Chilean bus crash came from New Jersey condo MIAMI (CNN) -- The 12 Americans killed in a bus crash in the mountains of northern Chile were members of a B'nai B'rith tour group from New Jersey, most of whom lived in a single condominium complex, the group said. The victims were passengers on the Celebrity Cruises liner Millennium and had taken a separate bus excursion to a national park near the Bolivian border when their bus plunged into a canyon, Chilean police said. The bus was on its way back to the ship, which was moored in the port of Arica, when the crash took place, police said. The 14 Americans involved in the crash were part of a 64-member B'nai B'rith group that had booked a two-week tour aboard the Millennium. Ten of the 12 killed, including four married couples, and the two injured survivors -- the husbands of two of the victims -- were residents of The Ponds Condominium in Monroe Township, N.J., about 35 miles southwest of New York, according to the condominium association's board of directors. (Posted 5:34 p.m.) 'No significant leads' in search for missing Milwaukee boys MILWAUKEE (CNN) -- Despite extensive searches and numerous tips from the public, police in Milwaukee turned up "no significant leads" Thursday in the mysterious disappearance of two pre-teen boys missing since Sunday, a police spokeswoman said. "We are just mystified," said Anne Schwartz of the Milwaukee Police Department. "It is as though they have vanished into thin air." Quadrevion Henning, 12, and his friend, Purvis Parker, 11, were last seen Sunday afternoon heading off to play basketball at a schoolyard not far from their homes. Rewards for information in the case have now reached more than $23,000, Schwartz said at an afternoon news conference. (Posted 4:50 p.m.) 1 dead, 11 hurt in fire aboard Jamaica-bound cruise ship MIAMI (CNN) -- One person died of a heart attack and 11 others were being treated for smoke inhalation after a fire on a Jamaica-bound cruise ship early Thursday, cruise line and Coast Guard officials told CNN. The early morning blaze damaged more than 100 cabins on three decks of the cruise liner Star Princess, Coast Guard Petty Officer Ryan Doss told CNN. The ship was headed to Montego Bay, Jamaica, from Grand Cayman when the fire broke out about 3:10 a.m., he said. The ship was carrying 2,690 passengers and a crew of 1,123, according to a statement from Princess Cruises, which is owned by Carnival Corp. In addition to the fatality, two people suffered significant smoke inhalation and nine others had "minor complications from smoke inhalation," the statement said. (Posted 4:25 p.m.) Thousands rally in Milwaukee against proposed immigration laws (CNN) -- Thousands of demonstrators marched into downtown Milwaukee Thursday to protest proposed immigration laws that they say would turn all undocumented immigrants into felons. The march, called "A Day without Latinos," is one of a series of recent demonstrations in cities across the country against legislation on immigration being considered in Congress. The Senate Judiciary Committee has until Monday to put forth a compromise measure on the legislation. A Senate aide told CNN the negotiations are "slow-going" and predicted a "huge showdown" over the matter. (Posted 4:02 p.m.) Government rests its case in first part of Moussaoui trial ALEXANDRIA, Va. (CNN) -- Federal prosecutors Thursday rested their case in the first part of the death penalty trial against Zacarias Moussaoui, the only person charged in the United States in connection with the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. The jury heard 25 witnesses during eight days of testimony since March 6 in this portion of the trial, which will determine his punishment. If the jury rejects the death penalty, Moussaoui will be sentenced to life in prison. The last prosecution witness was a former FBI agent who spent four years investigating the 9/11 attacks. Aaron Zebley testified Thursday that if Moussaoui, an admitted terrorist, had leveled with investigators about his al Qaeda ties and allowed them to search his possessions, then FBI agents could have found links to more than half of the Sept. 11 hijackers. --From CNN Senior Producer Phil Hirschkorn (Posted 3:46 p.m.) Oil prices surge to near $64 a barrel NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Oil prices settled more than $2 higher Thursday, after touching $64 a barrel on domestic and Nigerian supply worries. U.S. light sweet crude for May delivery settled up $2.14 to $63.91 a barrel in afternoon trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Many market observers attributed the price spike to a delayed reaction to Wednesday's Energy Information Administration (EIA) report, which revealed a larger-than-expected drop in crude stockpiles within the United States. Adding to supply fears was a decision by Italian oil firm Eni that it would not honor contracts on its Nigerian Brass River crude exports after a pipeline attack last week, a U.S.-based official aware of the situation told CNN. -- From CNNMoney.com Staff Writer David Ellis (Posted 3:34 p.m.) Rice presses Karzai on Christian convert's trial WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called Afghanistan's U.S.-backed president Thursday to urge "a favorable resolution" to the case of an Afghan convert to Christianity on trial for renouncing Islam, her spokesman said. Rice spoke with Afghan President Hamid Karzai late Thursday morning "specifically on this topic," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. "She raised it in the strongest possible terms. And she urged President Karzai's government to seek a favorable resolution to this case at the earliest possible moment." Abdul Rahman, 41, faces trial on charges of converting to Christianity -- a death-penalty offense under Afghanistan's constitution, which is based on Islamic law. Rahman reportedly converted 16 years ago while he was a medical aid worker for an international nongovernmental organization. (Posted 2:47 p.m.) Operation Swarmer in Iraq, hyped up last week, quietly ends BAGHDAD (CNN) -- The U.S. military Thursday said the weeklong operation north of Samarra dubbed Operation Swarmer has ended. The military said 104 suspected insurgents are "currently being detained and questioned" and 24 weapons caches were found. There were no casualties in the counter-insurgency sweep, which was touted as a major air assault when it began last Thursday. The military said the operation's "tactical objectives" had been met. As the operation progressed, many observers acknowledged the offensive was hyped, timed to coincide with the third anniversary of the war. Gen. George Casey, the top-ranking U.S. military official in Iraq, a few days ago said the push "got a little bit more hype than it truly deserved," but was accomplishing its mission. He denied suggestions that the operation was designed to score political points for President Bush, who is seeing some of his lowest approval ratings ever. The military said around 1,500 Iraqi soldiers, Iraqi police commandos and U.S. soldiers scoured a 10- by 10-square-mile area where insurgents were believed to be hiding. (Posted 2 p.m.) Labor law protesters damage cars, spar with Paris police near tomb of Napoleon PARIS (CNN) -- Protesters demonstrating against a new French labor law damaged cars and sparred with police Thursday on a grassy square in front of the tomb of Napoleon in central Paris. A Paris police spokeswoman said 43 people were arrested. The crowd, which police estimated at about 23,000 protesters, marched to the Invalides, from the Place d'Italie in southeast Paris. The tomb of the 19th century French emperor Napoleon is housed in the Invalides. The demonstrators, most of them students, are trying to force the French government to cancel a newly passed law that allows employers to fire new hires any time within the first two years on the job. (Posted 12:31 p.m.) Vessel carrying about 150 sinks in West African waters (CNN) -- Only 27 people are known to have survived the sinking Wednesday night of a ship carrying about 150 people from Nigeria to Gabon, according to the harbor master for the main port in Cameroon. Capt. Charles Kontelizo, harbor master for Cameroon's main port of Douala, said the vessel was traveling in the Gulf of Guinea, the body of water along the West African coast. He said the vessel set out Wednesday night from Port Oron in Nigeria to Port Gentile in Gabon and sank in Cameroonian waters. (Posted 12:12 p.m.) Missing 5-year-old in Texas found dead DALLAS (CNN) -- Authorities in Burleson, Texas, Thursday found the body of a missing 5-year-old boy in a pond near his home, a spokeswoman for the Johnson County Sheriff's department said. Cpl. Pam Jetsel told CNN Anthony Turner was last seen riding his bike Wednesday afternoon. In the search Thursday, law enforcement officers found the boy and his bike in the pond. (Posted 12:07 p.m.) Companies, state offer $17,000 in rewards to help find missing boys MILWAUKEE, Wis. (CNN) -- Two companies and the state of Wisconsin are offering a total of $17,000 in reward money for information in the case of two young boys who have been missing since Sunday. Dean Foods is offering $10,000, the state is putting forth $2,000, and the president of a crane rental company who has five children is giving $5,000, according to Milwaukee Police spokeswoman Anne Schwartz. In a news conference Thursday, Schwartz said there's still no sign of Quadrevion Henning, 12, and his friend, Purvis Parker, 11, who were last seen around 3:30 p.m. Sunday playing basketball at Quadrevion's house. Searches for the boys have expanded to about a mile radius of where they were last seen, Schwartz said, and divers will search the lagoon at McGovern Park on Thursday. (Posted 12:06 p.m.) Retired FBI agent tells jury if Moussaoui had not lied, ^FBI could have traced phone records to 9/11 conspirators ALEXANDRIA, Va. (CNN) -- A retired FBI agent testified Thursday that if admitted terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui had leveled with investigators about his al Qaeda ties, the FBI could have uncovered the plot to carry out the Sept. 11 attacks. "We could have set about finding them (the 9/11 conspirators)," said retired FBI agent Aaron Zebley. "We could have gone to the flight schools and looked for people who were like the defendant." Prosecutors say Moussaoui should be put to death because his lies prevented investigators from uncovering the conspiracy. In a detailed and wide-ranging presentation to the jury, Zebley showed how, once the FBI was on to Moussaoui after Sept. 11, his phone records led to nine of the 19 hijackers, including three of those who piloted the doomed planes on Sept. 11. --From CNN Producer Phil Hirschkorn (Posted 11:59 a.m.) Home sales post biggest jump in 2 years NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Home sales posted their biggest jump in two years in February, a trade group said Thursday in a report that showed surprising strength in the housing market. The National Association of Realtors reported existing homes sold at an annual rate of 6.91 million in February, up from a revised 6.57 million pace in January. The 5.2 percent rise was the biggest gain since a 5.9 percent jump in February 2004. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com had forecast a drop to an annual pace of 6.5 million last month. The surprise pickup in February sales may have been due partly to favorable circumstances in January, as the report is based on when a sale closes, not when a contract is signed. The trade group said the fact that it was the warmest January on record may have helped to spur sales, and a brief dip in mortgage rates that month also probably helped. (Posted 10:46 a.m.) Three western aid workers freed in Baghdad BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Three Christian aid workers -- two Canadians and a Briton -- were freed from captivity Thursday morning after a multi-national military operation in western Baghdad, the British Embassy said. James Loney and Harmeet Sooden of Canada, Tom Fox of the United States and Briton Norman Kember were abducted on Nov. 26 by kidnappers calling themselves the Swords of Righteousness Brigades. Fox was found dead in western Baghdad on March 9. The western aid workers were rescued by a planned military operation carried out by the Multi-National Forces Iraq (MNFI), the British embassy said. They are currently going through a "through medical check-up." The Embassy said "this follows constant work and cooperation between the UK, Canadian Embassies and the Iraqi Security Forces." (posted 4:35 a.m.) Basque separatists say cease-fire to start at midnight MADRID (CNN) -- The Basque separatist group ETA on Thursday issued a second statement clarifying its earlier announcement of a "permanent cease-fire" beginning Friday. In a statement given to the Basque newspaper Gara, ETA said the cease-fire would begin at midnight Thursday (6 p.m. ET). The latest announcement follows Wednesday's ETA statement that was released to Basque broadcast and print media in the form of a printed statement and a videotape showing three hooded ETA operatives, one of them reading the declaration. On the videotape, a woman ETA operative -- for the first time -- reads the statement, which begins, "Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA) has decided to declare a permanent cease-fire as of March 24, 2006. The aim of this decision is to promote a democratic process" in the Basque country." (posted 3:25 a.m.) Car bombs kill 13, including at least 7 police BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Three car bombs exploded in central Baghdad Thursday morning, killing 13 people, including at least seven Baghdad police officers, Iraqi police said. A late morning bombing targeted the Baghdad Police Major Crime Unit in central Baghdad, killing 10 people, including four police officers, police said. Another 32 people were wounded in the attack, police said. Earlier, a car bomb car bomb blew up near a central Baghdad police checkpoint, killing three police and injuring four other people -- one police officer and three civilians, police said. The morning of violence began with a car bomb exploding at another police security checkpoint in central Baghdad which wounded one Shiite pilgrim. There were 13 Shiite pilgrims returning to Baghdad from a holy day in Karbala at the scene when the attack took place. (posted 4:15 a.m.) Israeli airstrike kills at least two Palestinians JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israel killed at least two Palestinians near the border with Gaza in a Thursday morning airstrike, Israeli and Palestinian sources said. According to an Israel Defense Forces representative, three Palestinians were seen planting an explosive device when the aerial attack was launch. IDF had no information on the fates of the men. Palestinian security and medical sources confirmed two deaths and said they were searching for a third body. (posted 1:45 a.m.) 
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