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Tuesday, June 20

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. "Posted" times are Eastern Daylight.

Floods, landslides kill at least 37 in central Indonesia; 14 missing

JAKARTA (CNN) -- Three days of heavy rains in Indonesia have triggered deadly floods and landslides, killing at least 37 people while rescuers search for 14 others, the Social Affairs Ministry reported Wednesday.

The floods and landslides have destroyed at least 31 homes and severely damaged 109 others in southern Sulewesi Province in the central part of Indonesia, the ministry said.

The Sinjai district of Sulawesi has been hardest hit. In some areas, flood water stands over six feet high (2 m), the ministry said.

The ministry has sent medicine, blankets and other relief supplies to the area, while local officials have formed search and rescue teams to find those missing. -- From Journalist Andy Saputra (Posted 12:40 a.m. Wednesday)

Australia to review Iraq deployment in 6 months, minister says

(CNN) -- Australia will review its military commitment to Iraq based on the performance of Iraqi security forces in the southern province of Muthanna, Defense Minister Brendan Nelson said Wednesday.

British and Iraqi officials announced Monday that British troops would be turning over responsibility for security in the province -- one of four under control of British troops based in Basra -- to Iraqis in July.

Nelson said Australian troops would be available to back up Iraqi troops in Muthanna, and he told Australia's Channel 7 television that the government would re-examine its deployment at the end of 2006. (Posted 9:41 p.m.)

Kmart sells Picasso, Ming tapestry in corporate auction

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Martha Stewart Home and Garden will be sharing the limelight with Picasso and other renowned artists as Kmart begins auctioning off a a wealth of fine and rare art from its Michigan headquarters this week.

The discount retailer specializing in the finest of dishracks, towels, and bath mats is offering up a rare Picasso tapestry worth an estimated $25,000, a 15th-Century Ming Dynasty lotus-flower watercolor on silk and a work by Alan Bean autographed by over 20 United States astronauts, among other works of fine art.

Kmart, which emerged from bankruptcy in 2003, sold its Troy, Mich., headquarters in December 2005 after merging with Sears. (Posted 7:45 p.m.)

Army report: 2 U.S. soldiers killed by Iraqi army colleagues

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Military investigators have concluded two California National Guardsmen were shot and killed in 2004 by Iraqi soldiers on patrol with them, the Army told CNN Tuesday.

The two U.S. soldiers, Spc. Patrick R. McCaffrey Sr. and 1st Lt. Andre D. Tyson, were originally reported to have died in an ambush.

The Associated Press initially reported the story of the Army investigators' conclusions, which were included in a report to be released Wednesday.

An Army official told CNN that the incident does not erode confidence in the Iraqi army. (Posted 7:36 p.m.)

Bush arrives in Vienna for summit with EU leaders

VIENNA (CNN) -- President Bush arrived in Vienna Tuesday night ahead of a summit Wednesday with European Union leaders, where he is expected push for more international aid for the fledgling Iraqi government and continuation of a coordinated stand against Iran's nuclear program.

For their part, EU representatives are expected to push the president to shut down the terrorist detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, which comes under persistent criticism in Europe.

While in the Austrian capital, Bush will meet with EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, Austrian President Heinz Fischer and Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Scheussel. Austria currently holds the EU's rotating presidency.

Wednesday's meetings are a chance for Bush to demonstrate that the United States and its European allies are united when it comes to demanding that Iran suspend is nuclear enrichment and reprocessing activities -- or face possible sanctions imposed by the U.N. Security Council. (Posted 5:47 p.m.)

Ex-White House official convicted in Abramoff probe

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A federal jury convicted former White House procurement officer David Safavian of obstruction of justice and lying to investigators Tuesday in a case tied to the influence-peddling probe of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Prosecutors accused Safavian, 38, of trying to cover up efforts to help Abramoff obtain government-run properties while serving as chief of staff of the General Services Administration. They also said he lied to investigators when he told a Senate committee that Abramoff had no business with GSA at the time Safavian was invited on a 2002 golf trip to Scotland that the lobbyist put together.

Safavian resigned from the White House, where he had served as chief procurement officer since early 2004, after his September indictment. The White House had no comment on his conviction.

His lawyer, Barbara Van Gelder, said she will appeal Tuesday's verdict. (Posted 3:32 p.m.)

IDF fires missile at car carrying Palestinian militants; hospital sources say 3 children killed

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israel fired a missile at a car carrying activists from the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces said, and Palestinian hospital sources said three children were killed.

Ten other Palestinians were wounded, the hospital sources said.

Among those killed were a 5-year-old boy and his 6-year-old sister, hospital sources said.

They said six children were among the wounded, as was the driver of the car, but an unknown number of militants fled just before the car was attacked.

The IDF said the militants were "involved in attempts to dispatch attacks against Israel." The strike occurred in northern Gaza, in Jabalya refugee camp. (Posted 2:46 p.m.)

At least 11 killed, 60 wounded in Iraq violence Tuesday

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Four people were killed and 10 wounded Tuesday when a car bomb exploded on a commercial street in northwestern Baghdad's Hurriya neighborhood, police said. The explosion took place about 7:30 p.m. Hurriya is a mixed Sunni-Shiite neighborhood.

The casualties were among at least 11 people killed and 60 wounded Tuesday in violence across Iraq.

In Basra, a suicide bomb exploded inside a senior citizen home, killing two people and wounding two, Basra police said. In Baghdad, at least three people were killed and 18 wounded when a car bomb exploded in a market in east Baghdad's Sadr City, a Shiite section, Baghdad police said.

A bomb exploded in a crowded market in central Baghdad at 10 a.m. Tuesday killing two people and wounding 28, according to Baghdad Police. Another car bomb exploded in the Saydiya neighborhood of western Baghdad at 11 a.m., wounding one person, police said.

Also Tuesday, the head of the local council in southern Baghdad's al-Dora neighborhood was wounded in a drive-by shooting Tuesday, police said, and Iraqi police reported finding six bodies in various Baghdad neighborhoods, each showing signs of torture and gunshots to the head. (Posted 12:34 p.m.)

Weaker winds aid firefighters in northern Arizona

(CNN) -- More than 400 personnel battled a wildfire Tuesday that was threatening hundreds of homes and campsites in northern Arizona, but a fire official said a shift in weather conditions Tuesday boded well.

"The outlook for fighting the fire today does not appear as dire as yesterday," said Joe Luttman with the Northern Arizona Incident Management Team in a written statement about the Brins Fire. "While the temps remain hot, the winds have dropped down to 15-25 mph, and firefighters anticipate they will have more of this fire contained today."

The biggest concern is the fire's eastern flank, near heavy brush and other fuel, he said.

The fire, which had already scorched 1,500 acres and was only 5 percent contained, led to the mandatory evacuation on Monday of 500 homes and 150 campsites near Oak Creek Canyon, he said. Though no structures had been damaged and no one hurt, homes in the canyon north of Sedona would be in the path of the fire if hot spots there were to flare up. (Posted 11:53 a.m.)

Military: Senior member of al Qaeda network killed

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- A man described as a "very senior member of the al Qaeda network" was killed by coalition forces Friday, U.S. military officials said Tuesday.

Mansur Sulayman Mansur Khalif, also known as Sheikh Mansur, was killed when coalition forces targeted a vehicle in which he and two others were riding, spokesman Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said Tuesday. "They attempted to flee. Coalition forces pursued them and during that time engaged the vehicle and destroyed it."

Mansur, he said, was a leader of al Qaeda in Iraq "with excellent religious, military and leadership credentials within that organization." He was tied to the senior leadership of the organization, Caldwell said, and had relationships with leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, killed in a U.S. airstrike earlier this month, and Abu Ayyub al-Masri, who the military believes replaced al-Zarqawi as the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq. (Posted 10:54 a.m.)

Military: Bodies believed to be those of missing soldiers

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Coalition forces have recovered "what they believe" to be the bodies of missing soldiers Pfc. Kristian Menchaca and Pfc. Thomas L. Tucker, who went missing after a Friday attack on a traffic control checkpoint in Yusufiya, Maj. Gen. William Caldwell told reporters Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Menchaca's aunt told CNN the family had been notified of his death.

The bodies thought to be those of Menchaca, 23, of Houston, Texas, and Tucker, 25, of Madras, Ore., were found in the Yusufiya area, Caldwell said, adding he believes the soldiers were mortally wounded and the bodies moved. It was unclear whether he meant the wounds were suffered in the initial attack on a checkpoint or afterward.

DNA tests will be carried out to verify whether the bodies belong to the soldiers. Caldwell said he had not heard whether a note was placed on the bodies.

Improvised explosive devices were found near where the bodies were recovered, Caldwell said. That may indicate that the area around the bodies was booby-trapped, an insurgent tactic aimed at making it difficult to recover the bodies.

Meanwhile, a claim posted on a Web site Tuesday said the soldiers were "slaughtered" in accordance with God's will.

"We announce the good news to our Islamic nation that we executed God's will and slaughtered the two crusader animals we had in captivity," says the claim, reportedly from the Mujahedeen Shura Council, a group linked to al Qaeda. "And God has given our Emir, Abu Hamza al-Muhajer, the good fortune of carrying out the legitimate court's command in person."

CNN cannot independently verify the claim, but it was posted on a Web site which frequently have carried such messages from insurgent groups. --CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr, Correspondent Ed Lavandera and Baghdad Bureau Director Cal Perry contributed to this report.

Charles Taylor being transferred to The Hague for trial

LONDON (CNN) -- Former Liberian President Charles Taylor was on a plane Tuesday on his way to The Hague to stand trial on 11 war crimes charges,

Peter Anderson, a spokesman for the Special Court for Sierra Leone told CNN. Anderson said Taylor was taken by U.N. helicopter to an airport where his plane took off around 9:40 a.m. local time (5:40 a.m. ET).

Taylor is accused of fueling a bloody civil war in Sierra Leone that led to widespread murder, rape and mutilation. In April, appearing before a U.N.-backed tribunal in Sierra Leone, he pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, which include crimes against humanity, terrorizing a civilian population, unlawful killing, murder, mutilation and sexual slavery, among others. (Posted 7:42 a.m.)

Iraq police: U.S. military bombed chicken farm

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- The U.S. military bombed a poultry farm 20 miles northeast of Baquba early Tuesday, killing 13 people, including children and elderly, according to Baquba police.

Another four people were wounded in the attack, police said. A journalist on the scene hired by CNN said at least three children and two elderly men were among the dead. It appeared that those killed were guarding the farm and some of them were sleeping inside and on top of a chicken house, the journalist said.

The U.S. military has not yet responded to CNN requests for comment, but it did issue a statement about raids conducted early Tuesday in the area. It said coalition forces killed 15 terrorists and captured three other suspects during simultaneous raids north of Baquba June 20. (Posted 7:42 a.m)

Al Qaeda cell leader caught

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- A senior al-Qaeda leader and three other terrorists were captured by Coalition forces during raids southwest of Baquba Monday, according to the U.S. military.

The leader, who was not named by the military, was reportedly a senior al Qaeda cell leader throughout central Iraq, the military said. (Posted 7:38 a.m.)

North Korea: U.S. race to militarize space threatens humankind

(CNN) -- While the world watches to see if North Korea launches a new long-range missile, KCNA -- North Korea's official news agency -- is suggesting the U.S. is pursuing a plan to militarize space, which it warns "would inflict nuclear disasters on humankind."

"The world is not allowed to avert its face from the grave situation in which it is facing the danger of a nuclear shower from the blue sky," the KCNA report said.

It referred to a report published "some time ago" in the Boston Globe, which it said "disclosed that the U.S. Defense Department had worked out a new comprehensive plan of space weaponization to grab the military control of the space." This was an apparent reference to a March 14, 2006 Boston Globe report on a Pentagon request to Congress to budget hundreds of millions of dollars to test weapons in space.

"If the United States pursues the expansion of space weaponization, urged by its concept of confrontation of the old era, it will drive it to its final destruction," KCNA said. (Posted 4:05 a.m.)

A dozen arrested for helping fund ETA

MADRID (CNN) - Police early Wednesday arrested 12 people in France and Spain suspected of running an extortion network to finance the Basque separatist group ETA, Spain's Interior Ministry said in a statement.

The arrests come almost three months after ETA declared its first "permanent" cease-fire after nearly 40 years of separatist violence, and just ahead of the Spanish prime minister's expected announcement in Parliament that the government will hold talks with ETA, blamed for more than 800 deaths. (Posted 3:48 a.m.)

Japan to pull ground troops from Iraq

TOKYO (CNN) -- Japan will withdraw its ground troops from Iraq, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi announced Tuesday.

Japan's 600 military troops based in the southern Muthana province are all non-combat personnel helping to rebuild the infrastructure. Koizumi offered no timetable for the withdrawal, but said Japan has fulfilled its role in humanitalian and reconstruction assistance in that region. (Posted 2:15 a.m.)

Bush: Early withdrawal from Iraq would be 'a defeat'

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- With Democratic senators pressing to set a time frame for leaving Iraq, President Bush made it clear Monday night there would be no early withdrawal as long as Republicans "run the Congress and occupy the White House."

"An early withdrawal would be a defeat for the United States," Bush said at a GOP fund-raiser in Washington. "An early withdrawal would embolden the terrorists. Talk about a deadline, before we've done the job, sends chills throughout the spines of Iraqi citizens, who are wondering whether or not the United States has the capacity to keep its word."

The president also said an withdrawal "before we've completed the mission would say to the United States military, 'Your sacrifices have gone in vain.'"

On Friday, two non-binding resolutions calling for a withdrawal of troops from Iraq were introduced by Democratic senators as amendments to the 2007 Defense Department authorization bill. (Posted 2:14 a.m.)

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