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Friday, August 18

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.

IDF arrests Palestinian deputy prime minister

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israel arrested Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister Nassereddin Shaer in its crackdown on the ruling Hamas party early Saturday, Israel Defense Forces said.

Saturday's arrest comes two weeks after Israel took the Palestinian parliament's speaker Aziz Dweik into custody.

Both arrests come in the wake of the July 25 kidnapping of an Israeli soldier by Hamas' militant wing and other Palestinian militant groups. (Posted 2:54 a.m.)

JonBenet suspect to fly to the U.S. Sunday

BANGKOK (CNN) -- U.S. citizen John Mark Karr, a suspect in the killing of JonBenet Ramsey, will leave a Thai jail late Sunday afternoon and fly back to the United States, a police official said Saturday.

Lt. Gen. Suwat Tumrongsiskul did not say which flight Karr would be taking or how many U.S. officials would accompany him.

Karr remained in Bangkok Saturday under the charges of murder, kidnapping and sexual assault of a child three days after his stunning confession that he was in the basement of the 6-year-old beauty queen when she was killed in 1996.

Far from laying to rest the decade-long mystery of who killed child beauty queen, Karr's admission that he was involved in her death has only deepened speculation about whether the slight, soft-spoken schoolteacher actually committed the heinous crime.

Boulder District Attorney Mary Lacy said investigators still had "much more work" to do in the case and urged people not to rush to judgment.

-- From CNN's Narunart Prapanya in Bangkok (Posted 2:54 a.m.)

Annan: 400,000 return to Lebanon since cease-fire

UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- Since a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect Monday, some 400,000 displaced Lebanese civilians have returned to the southern suburbs of Beirut and other areas, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in a report to the Security Council Friday.

The report was due within a week of the cessation of hostilities under the Security Council resolution which laid out conditions for a cease-fire. The council is set to meet Monday to discuss the report.

In the report, an advance copy of which was obtained by CNN, Annan said he is "encouraged by the positive first steps," but stressed that much more needs to be done. "I would caution that the situation is still very fragile," he said. -- CNN's Liz Neisloss contributed to this report. (Posted 9:56 p.m.)

DISH Network subscribers keep ability to record shows

(CNN) -- Millions of DISH Network satellite TV customers got a reprieve Friday, when a federal appeals court blocked a lower court's order to turn off digital video records that allow subscribers to watch one program while recording another for later viewing.

The Federal Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. temporarily blocked an order by a federal judge in Texas that required DISH Network's parent company, EchoStar Communications, to stop selling some of its DVR players and deactivate four million units already in use.

In April, a federal jury in Texas found that the design of EchoStar's DVR players, which allowed customers to simultaneously record one program while playing back another, was a willful infringement on patents held by rival TiVo, Inc. (Posted 8:10 p.m.)

San Quentin officials find no contact between Karr, Davis

(CNN) -- Officials at California's San Quentin prison have found no evidence that John Mark Karr, being held in Thailand in connection with the death of JonBenet Ramsey, had any contact with Richard Allen Davis, an inmate now sitting on death row for the 1993 murder of 12-year-old Polly Klaas, a prison spokesman said Friday.

After reports began to circulate of possible contact between the two men, the prison's warden ordered a search of Davis' personal effects, as well as a review of phone and visiting records, said San Quentin spokesman Vernon Crittendon. Davis was also questioned and told investigators he had no contact with Karr, Crittendon said.

"We now are convinced that we have no no evidence that shows that there's any correspondence taking place between Richard Allen Davis and John Karr," he said.

Karr's ex-wife has said he had a fascination with both the Ramsey killing and the murder of Klaas, who was kidnapped at knife-point from her home in Petaluma during a slumber party in 1993 and strangled. Davis was sentenced to death for the crime. (Posted 7:27 p.m.)

Lamont camp says Lieberman 'de facto' Bush candidate

(CNN) -- A day after a new poll showed Sen. Joe Lieberman's independent candidacy holding a double-digit lead fueled by strong Republican support, the campaign of upstart Democrat Ned Lamont denounced the senator Friday as "the de facto candidate of George Bush, Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney."

Meanwhile, Lieberman's campaign announced the hiring of a Democratic media consultant in tandem with a Republican pollster, in what the senator termed an effort "to bring our state together for a new politics of unity and purpose." Josh Isay, a former top aide to Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. and an adviser to Republican New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's 2005 re-election campaign, will lead Lieberman's media effort in the general election. Neil Newhouse of Public Opinion Strategies, a GOP firm also working for Connecticut Gov. Jodi Rell, will do the polling.

Lieberman shook up his campaign team last week after losing to Lamont last week in the Nutmeg State's Democratic primary. His decision to hire Public Opinion Strategies may give more fodder to an apparent effort by the Lamont campaign to rally Democrats by painting Lieberman as a quasi-Republican. (Posted 6:36 p.m.)

Police serve 50 search warrants in Britain, won't confirm report of martyr videos

LONDON (CNN) -- The Metropolitan Police said Friday it served 50 search warrants Friday around London, in connection with last week's alleged plot to blow up commercial jetliners over the Atlantic Ocean.

There are 23 suspects currently held by police in connection with the alleged plot. Police would not comment on a BBC report that martyr videos have been found on laptops in Britain. Earlier, CNN reported two suspects had left martyrdom tapes, according to sources with detailed knowledge of the investigation. It's not immediately clear whether the tapes were the same.

The search warrants were executed in the High Wycombe and West Midlands neighborhoods. Under British anti-terrorism laws, police can hold suspects for up to 28 days without filing charges, but they must put the detention before a judge periodically. (Posted 6:33 p.m.)

Ramsey suspect's yearbook writing presented as possible clue

(CNN) -- A yearbook inscription John Mark Karr made for a friend in high school has been passed along to authorities as a possible clue in the investigation of JonBenet Ramsey's death.

The inscription, from 1982, ends with Karr saying, in capital block letters, "Maybe I shall be the conquerer and live in multiple peace." Karr has said he was involved in the death of 6-year-old JonBenet ten years ago, calling her death an "accident."

A ransom note left in the family's home at the time demanded money for the return of the young beauty pageant contestant. It ended with the word "Victory!" and was signed "S.B.T.C."

Authorities have long wondered what those letters stood for. The words "shall be the conquerer" begin with s, b, t, c. JonBenet's mother Patsy found the note on the stairs of the family's home.

John Hargett, who once ran the documents section of the U.S. Secret Service, told CNN the letters on the ransom note and the phrase used in the yearbook offer "a very interesting coincidence." But he said he saw "no similarity" between the letters in the ransom note and those in the yearbook. (Posted 6:35 p.m.)

Cruise ship assists adrift Cuban rafters

MIAMI (CNN) -- A Carnival Cruise ship en route from Costa Maya, Mexico, to Nassau, Bahamas, assisted nine Cuban rafters adrift in the western Caribbean Sea Thursday.

The raft was spotted and photographed by iReport contributor Finola M. Jacobucci, a passenger aboard the Carnival Glory. The rafters accepted water, food, and lifejackets, but refused the ship's offer to let them board the vessel, according to Carnival Cruise Lines.

Staff onboard the ship notified the U.S. Coast Guard, which picked up the rafters, Carnival Cruise Lines said. The Coast Guard did not confirm or deny the incident, saying it cannot comment on ongoing investigations. (Posted 4:30 p.m.)

U.N. appeals for more European troops in Lebanon force

UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- A top U.N. official appealed to European nations Friday to contribute more troops to an international peacekeeping force for southern Lebanon, saying the mission needs more of a balance between Muslim and Western nations.

"We want this force that we deploy to have a kind of multi-national, multi-lateral character, so that it enjoys the confidence of both sides," said Deputy Secretary-General Mark Malloch Brown.

The United Nations is trying to meet its goal of finding 3,500 additional troops in the next two weeks, to augment a U.N. force already on the ground in Lebanon. The international force and Lebanese troops are moving into southern Lebanon as part of a cease-fire agreement that ended more than a month of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. (Posted 4:28 p.m.)

Young resigns from Wal-Mart committee after offending Jews, Koreans, Arabs

(CNN) -- Former U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young resigned Friday as chairman of a Wal-Mart advocacy group after making public remarks that offended Jews, Asians, and Arabs.

In a statement, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. said Young was stepping down as chairman of Working Families for Wal-Mart. "Needless to say, we were outraged when the comments came to our attention."

Young has apologized for the remarks and said they do not express his beliefs.

Through Working Families for Wal-Mart, an agency funded by Wal-Mart, Young has been working to help boost the retailer's image. (Posted 4:25 p.m.)

N.J. man charged with 429 child sex crimes

NEW YORK (CNN) -- A grand jury indicted a self-employed New Jersey handyman Friday on more than 400 sex-crimes charges involving children as young as 23 months old, whom he allegedly gained access to through his job.

Clement Bilski Jr, 43, allegedly committed the crimes between 1998 and 2005 with nine girls and two boys. Authorities said the oldest alleged victim was 8.

"Our information has disclosed that Bilski exploited his employment as a handyman to gain access to his customers underage children," said Monmouth County Prosecutor Louise Valentin. Valentin alleges that Bilski installed cameras in bathrooms and bedrooms to record children in various states of undress.

The investigation began after the Maryland State Police's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force contacted New Jersey State Police and told them a computer linked to Bilski was transmitting a video of child sexual abuse. (Posted 4:22 p.m.)

Source: Suspect knew Ramsey case secrets

BOULDER, Colo. (CNN) -- The man who confessed to involvement in the death of JonBenet Ramsey has provided gruesome physical details about the condition of the girl's body that have been kept secret for nearly a decade, a U.S. law enforcement source told CNN Friday.

Those details were known only to the medical examiner and investigators looking into the December 26, 1996, slaying of the 6-year-old beauty pageant competitor, the law enforcement official said.

John Mark Karr was interviewed by U.S. authorities in Bangkok. Questions are swirling around Karr, a 41-year-old schoolteacher who issued a stunning admission Thursday in Bangkok. "I loved JonBenet, and she died accidentally," he told reporters.

Asked if he were an innocent man, Karr replied, "No."

Evidence from the crime scene indicates the girl's death was no accident, law enforcement officials have long said. When her body was found, JonBenet Ramsey had been struck in the head and strangled with a garrote.

Despite Karr's comments, his ex-wife and relatives say he was not involved in in JonBenet's death. Posted 2:55 p.m.)

6 arrested in connection with March 2 attack near U.S. consulate in Pakistan

LAHORE, Pakistan (CNN) -- Six people were arrested in connection with the March 2 attack near the U.S. consulate in Karachi, police and Pakistani intelligence officials said Friday.

They were arrested in Pakistan but it is not known when. And, there is no information about where they are being held. The people are being questioned and authorities want to know if they have any links to the al Qaeda terror network.

The March 2 attack near the U.S. consulate in the city of Karachi killed U.S. diplomat David Foy. (Posted 2:24 p.m.)

Lebanese president to citizens: 'Do not be afraid of the future'

BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNN) -- Lebanese President Emile Lahoud sought to allay anxiety among his citizens Friday as Lebanon took steps to regain control over its southern region -- the former stronghold of Hezbollah.

"I renew my pledge to you and my promise to you ... to be the protector of the homeland. Do not be afraid of the future," he said in a brief televised address. The Lebanese Cabinet approved the deployment of 15,000 soldiers to the border between Lebanon and Israel, beginning Thursday.

The troop movement continued Friday, the president said.

"We have proven for ourselves and the world that Lebanon was the one that was victorious" against the plot to divide it. "As we have resisted ... today we should be triumphant."

The Cabinet sought to speed up the deployment of 13,000 additional U.N. peacekeepers and the accompanying withdrawal of Israeli troops, which entered the southern region July 12 after Hezbollah guerrillas abducted two Israeli soldiers. There already are 2,000 members of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon posted in the border as observers. (Posted 1:45 p.m.)

Car bomb in Baghdad kills 1 near Shiite mosque

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- A car bomb exploded near a Shiite mosque in the Dora neighborhood of southern Baghdad, killing one person and wounding five others, police told CNN.

The blast occurred at 9 p.m., when a ban in the Iraqi capital on vehicles and "anything on moving on wheels" went into effect.

The citywide ban -- which is to last till 6 a.m. Monday -- was imposed to avert car bombings and drive-by shootings during a Shiite commemoration in the teeming city, which has been wracked by Sunni-Shiite sectarian violence. (Posted 1:42 p.m.)

Woman was released after additional tests showed two carry-on items were not explosives

NEW YORK (CNN) -- A Pakistani woman whose carry-on items tested positive Thursday for explosives, prompting the evacuation of the main terminal at the Tri-State Airport in Huntington, W. Va., had her luggage returned to her and was put on a new flight late Thursday night, according to Larry G. Salyers, the Airport Director.

Two of the woman's items proved not to contain explosives. The woman, whose name is not being released, was not charged by authorities and let her go after additional State Police testing proved negative, Salyers said.

"For some reason there was apparently enough residue on the outside of the containers to set off the first two tests," said Salyers, although he could not say what the residue was or its origin.

The FBI now has the two containers and plans to run additional tests, according to Jeff Killeen of the FBI. After a preliminary check, Transportation Security Administration employees decided four containers in her carry-on bag were suspicious enough to warrant further testing, said Amy Von Walter, a spokeswoman for the TSA. (Posted 1:25 p.m.)

Bush grants "Deliverance" to former Georgia moonshiner

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush did not make history in the Ford-pardons-Nixon sense with his latest batch of presidential pardons announced earlier this week.

He did, however, earn the unique distinction of being the first president to grant a pardon to a cast member of the Academy Award-nominated movie "Deliverance."

Randall Leece Deal of Clayton, Georgia, played one of the Griner brothers in the 1972 film about four Atlanta businessmen who have unpleasant encounters with the locals during a North Georgia canoe trip. The roles of the businessmen were played by Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight, Ronny Cox, and Ned Beatty. (Posted 1:24 p.m.)

Bush optimistic about winning surveillance ruling appeal

CAMP DAVID, Md. (CNN) -- President Bush said Friday he expects his administration will win its appeal of a judicial ruling declaring the National Security Agency's warrantless domestic surveillance program unconstitutional.

"Those who herald this decision simply do not understand the nature of the world in which we live," Bush said, answering a reporter's question at Camp David, where he has been meeting with his top eight economic advisers.

A federal judge in Detroit ruled Thursday that the NSA cannot continue to monitor Americans' phone calls and e-mails to terror suspects overseas without warrants.

The decision was considered a setback for the Bush administration. U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor declared the program -- which the White House has dubbed its "terrorist surveillance program" -- violates the First and Fourth amendments to the Constitution and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978.

The Justice Department quickly announced that it had filed an appeal, and that the ruling would be stayed for now. "I strongly disagree with that decision, strongly disagree," he said of Taylor's ruling, "and I believe our appeals will be upheld." (Posted 12:50 p.m.)

German authorities say failed suitcase bombs were likely part of terror attack, suspects sought

WIESBADEN, Germany (CNN) -- German officials said on Friday that suitcase bombs that failed to go off on two regional trains July 31 were likely part of a failed terrorist attack and released surveillance video of possible suspects they are seeking.

"If these bombs were detonated, this very likely would have caused deaths and injured," German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said. "Therefore we have to take this event very seriously. And we have to expect that the danger of a repeat attempt still exists. And therefore the public manhunt for these persons is necessary."

Authorities displayed the two suitcases plus gas canisters and bottles containing liquid. Joerg Ziercke, head of the Federal Criminal Police, told the news conference,

"We have found pieces of paper with Arabic letters and telephone numbers from Lebanon in the clothes which were in the suitcases to insulate or fix the gas bottles.

"Thus, it is imaginable, and I stress 'imaginable', that the offenders wanted to set a signal with regard to the Mideast conflict and accepted a massive threat with destruction and possible human casualties in doing so."

The suitcases containing the bombs were found on trains in Dortmund and Koblenz. The authorities said they were offering a 50,000 euro reward for information about the failed bombings.

They also showed surveillance video of possible suspects at the two train stations. The suitcases were identical black cases with a gas canister, alarm clock, wires, batteries and soft drink bottles filled with flammable liquid. (Posted 12:40 p.m.)

Source: Suspect provided detail about JonBenet Ramsey not known outside law enforcement

BOULDER, Colo. (CNN) -- The man who has confessed to involvement in the death of JonBenet Ramsey has provided authorities with information about the case that law enforcement had never released, a U.S. law enforcement source told CNN Friday.

John Mark Karr offered graphic, gruesome physical details about the condition of the 6-year-old girl's body -- details known just to a medical examiner and investigators in the decade-old case, the law enforcement source said.

Karr said Thursday in Bangkok, "I loved JonBenet, and she died accidentally." Evidence from the crime scene indicates the death was no accident, law enforcement officials have long said.

Karr's statement triggered a series of new questions, deepening speculation about whether the 41-year-old schoolteacher had in fact committed the heinous crime. (Posted 12:17 p.m.)

Plane lands safely in southern Italy after bomb scare

ROME (CNN) -- A Boeing 767 Excel Airways jet en route from London's Gatwick Airport to Hurghada, Egypt, made a safe emergency landing at Brindisi, Italy, Friday after a bomb threat was made in a note on an airsick bag.

Airways officials said the pilot decided to land at the nearest airport, because the note said the bomb was on board. Military aircraft were scrambled to escort the plane. All 280 passengers were taken into the terminal at the Brindisi regional airport and were undergoing security checks, said Brindisi Police Chief Salvatore De Paolis.

There were nine crew members aboard Flight XLA 5984, which left Gatwick at 11:45 a.m. (6:45 a.m.) Excel offers about 40 flights a day from Gatwick, and fly out of most British airports.

The incident occurred about one week after British authorities announced they had uncovered a possible terrorist plot to use liquid explosives to blow up airplanes traveling from London to the United States. (Posted 11:30 a.m.)

Security fears reach Taj Mahal in India

NEW DELHI (CNN) -- Security has been stepped up at the 17th-century Taj Mahal in northern India after officials received a letter, purportedly from an associate of al Qaeda, threatening to blow up the historic site, a security official said Friday.

Ashok Kumar, district commissioner for the Agra area, said police are investigating whether the letter is authentic. Similar letters have turned out to be hoaxes, he said. The increased security comes one week after British police foiled a possible terrorist plot in London to blow up airlines using liquid explosives during trans-Atlantic flights to the United States.

Sandbag bunkers have been set up outside the entrance gates, and soldiers from anti-terror units are posted at the marble mausoleum around the clock, said Ashok Kumar, district commissioner for the Agra region.

Tourists are prohibited from carrying any liquids, including bottles of water, into the fabled white marble structure, located in Agra, 130 miles from the Indian capital, New Delhi. Dozens of paramilitary soldiers armed with automatic weapons are guarding the periphery of the Taj Mahal complex, police said. (Posted 10:18 a.m.)

Hezbollah gives cash handouts to Lebanese whose homes were destroyed or damaged in Israeli attacks, spokesman says

BEIRUT (CNN) -- Hezbollah has started handing out cash payments to Lebanese civilians whose houses were damaged or destroyed by Israeli bombing, a spokesman said.

Hajj Ghassan Darwish of Hezbollah said in the southern suburbs of Beirut cash handouts of $12,000 were given to civilians who had lost their homes during the Israeli attacks, and smaller amounts to those whom houses were damaged.

Hezbollah said it has set up eight centers for cash handouts in the southern suburbs of Beirut and has been compensating people since Wednesday. They are also distributing fliers in the same area calling on people to show up between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. at any of the centers to claim money.

For residents of the Bekaa Valley and the south people are told to check with local officials. They are asked to bring a copy of their national identity card and a copy property ownership documents or leases.

Darwish said that 600 cases were processed Friday, and 250 Thursday in Beirut. The radical Islamic group -- according to the United States -- gets funds from oil-rich Iran. (Posted 10:08 a.m.)

Iraq imposing vehicle, motorcycle ban during Shiite commemoration in Baghdad

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Iraqi authorities have announced a two-day vehicle and motorcyle ban in a section of Baghdad in an effort to keep order during a Shiite Muslim pilgrimage.

The Defense Ministry and the prime minister's office said the ban will start 9 p.m. Friday and last until 6 a.m. Monday.

Shiites are commemorating the martyrdom of Imam Mousa al-Kadhim, an 8th-century imam.

The areas affected are in northern and central Baghdad, including the Kadhimiya neighborhood, a Shiite area, and the roads leading to it.

Authorities in Iraq are concerned about the rampant Sunni-Shiite sectarian attacks in the capital and have imposed the ban to avert suicide car bombings and drive-by shootings.

Iraqi security forces and U.S. troops have been involved in a security crackdown in the capital. (Posted 10 a.m.)

Ford slashes production, will idle 10 plants for the rest of the year

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Ford Motor Co. slashed its production plans and is temporarily shutting 10 North American plants for the rest of the year as it tries to trim costs and deal with slumping sales of its light trucks.

The automaker said Friday the move will result in a 21 percent drop in production in the fourth quarter compared to a year ago, as it makes 168,000 fewer vehicles.

Ford also trimmed third quarter production by an additional 20,000 vehicles from its previously announced production target, leaving it 78,000 vehicles short of year-ago production. (Posted 9:55 a.m.)

Pakistani officials: No evidence of al Qaeda No. 2 link to air terror plot

LAHORE, Pakistan (CNN) -- Senior Pakistani government officials said Friday that Pakistani intelligence has found no indication al Qaeda number two Ayman Zawahiri had any connection to the terror plot to bomb airplanes flying out of London.

The Associated Press distributed a dispatch from Pakistan saying the plot was ordered by Zawahiri. ABC news broadcast a similar report. Pakistani officials said the AP report was incorrect. (Posted 8:40 a.m.)

Italian troops approved for deployment in Lebanon

ROME (CNN) -- Italy's government Friday formally approved a plan to send up to 3,000 troops to Lebanon to take part in a U.N. peacekeeping mission there, the prime minister's office said.

The troops have been ready to deploy for some time but the Italian government is waiting until they receive guidance from the United Nations, Italian defense officials said Friday.

"We have been getting ready now for several days but we cannot move until we know what our rules of engagement will be," a Navy commander who spoke on condition of anonymity said.

The troops will bolster a new incarnation of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, which was originally a French-led observer mission of about 2,000 troops on the Israeli-Lebanese frontier.

Italian defense officials said the first deployment would be the navy and that it could take up to four days to reach their target positions. Last week, the U.N. Security Council approved a peacekeeping force of up to 15,000 soldiers to serve as a buffer between Israel and Hezbollah guerillas in southern Lebanon after 34 days of fighting.

So far, Bangladesh has offered a potential contribution of two mechanized infantry battalions, about 1,300-1,700 troops. Indonesia has offered a mechanized battalion and a company of engineers, with Malaysia and Nepal each volunteering a mechanized battalion.

Denmark, meanwhile, has offered to send two ships to patrol the Lebanese coast. Spain, Egypt, Belgium and Morocco are considered potential contributors as well. Israeli troops in southern Lebanon have begun handing over territory seized in the conflict to UNIFIL as Lebanese army troops move into the region for the first time in decades. (Posted 7:50 a.m.)

Coalition soldier killed in Afghan fighting

(CNN) -- A coalition soldier in Afghanistan was killed on Thursday in fighting, the Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan said on Friday.

The soldier died "during a battle with extremists just west of Asadabad in Kunar province" in the northeastern part of the country, the command said. Another coalition soldier was wounded.

The nationalities of the soldiers were not disclosed.

"Reports indicate the fight started when extremists attacked a coalition patrol approximately seven kilometers east of the coalition forward operating base. In response to the enemy attack, Coalition troops pounded extremist positions with direct and joint fires, but have not confirmed enemy battle damage assessment," the command said. (Posted 6:25 a.m.)

One Insurgent killed, one captured in operation

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- One insurgent was killed and another captured in an early morning operation led by a special Iraqi police unit in southeastern Baghdad Thursday, a U.S. military statement said.

The captured man was suspected of transporting and supplying arms to insurgents in the country's capital, according to the statement released Friday.

No civilians, Iraqi or coalition soldiers were wounded in the operation conducted in Baghdad's Al Rasheed district. (Posted 4:47 a.m.)

Lebanon puts death toll at 1,068

BEIRUT (CNN) -- In figures updated Friday, Lebanese Internal Security Forces reported 1,068 people were killed during the 34-day conflict with Israel, with another 4,054 injured.

Israel has put its death toll from fighting and rocket attacks at 159.

A cease-fire between the Israeli military and Hezbollah took effect on Monday.

Israel has been withdrawing from the south as Lebanese and U.N. forces move in to take their place. (Posted 4:44 a.m.)

Soldiers apprehend suspected terrorist

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Iraqi soldiers captured a "facilitator of terrorist activity" in an early morning raid in Ash Sharqat early Thursday, a U.S. military statement released Friday said.

The facilitator was allegedly responsible for car bomb attacks -- including one that killed a U.S. soldier -- fraud, local corruption and embezzlement, all of which provided support to terrorist operations in the area, the statement said.

Soldiers from the 4th Iraqi Army Division, assisted by coalition advisers, completed the operation without causing casualties.

Ash Sharqat is located about 165 miles (265 km) northwest of Baghdad. (Posted 4:14 a.m.)

ETA: peace process in 'crisis' From CNN Madrid Bureau Chief Al Goodman

MADRID (CNN) -- The Basque separatist group ETA warned, in a statement early Friday, that the fledgling peace process is in "crisis" five months after ETA declared a cease-fire and said it "will respond" if Spain and France don't stop what it called "their attacks on Basque citizens."

The statement was published in the Basque newspaper Gara, where ETA -- blamed for more than 800 deaths -- typically makes its announcements.

The warning came seven weeks after Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said in parliament that the government would hold talks with ETA, aiming to secure a lasting peace after nearly 40 years of violence.

Zapatero is on vacation and there was no immediate public reaction from the government, although the statement was the top news story across Spain, where a leading radio network, SER, said it was the first ETA statement with negative implications since ETA announced its cease-fire March 22. (Posted 2:58 a.m.)

Authorities: State police testing on airport items was negative

(CNN) -- Testing conducted by the state police on two items in a woman's carry-on luggage, which prompted the evacuation of the main terminal at the Tri-State Airport in Huntington, W.Va., were negative, the airport's director said Thursday.

The main terminal was closed for more than seven hours Thursday because the items initially tested positive for explosives. After a preliminary check, Transportation Security Administration employees decided four containers in her carry-on bag were suspicious enough to undergo testing, said Amy Von Walter. There were positive test results for two of the items.

The first positive result came from a machine that uses swabs to find traces of explosives, and the second test result was returned by a certified TSA canine team, Von Walter said. Each container underwent both tests. State police testing occurred later Thursday. (Posted 10:27 p.m.)

Quinnipiac poll finds Lieberman with 12-point lead over Lamont

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (CNN) -- Sen. Joe Lieberman has come out of the starting gate in his independent bid for re-election with a double-digit lead over the upstart Democrat who defeated him in last week's Connecticut primary, according to a new poll.

In a three-way race, 53 percent of likely voters said they would support Lieberman, with 41 percent for Democrat Ned Lamont and just 4 percent for the Republican nominee, Alan Schlesinger, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday. The sampling margin was plus or minus 3 percentage points.

In the Aug. 8 Democratic primary, Lamont -- riding a wave of liberal anger toward Lieberman for supporting President Bush's Iraq war policy -- beat the incumbent senator 52 percent to 48 percent. But the Quinnipiac poll found Lieberman is more than making up the difference with strong crossover support from Republicans and a lead of more than 20 points among independents. (Posted 10:11 p.m.)

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